Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:
    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
    a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

• Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17

In this world, this year has been far from a good year.  Economic collapse.  War.  Anger.  Note: Have you noticed that in the USA, they are running a public service announcement about how the anger “MUST STOP RIGHT NOW” and everyone in the advertisement is angry as they shout at the camera for us to stop being angry.  Hmm.  I wonder if they have noticed their angry plea for others to not be angry has not worked.  I wonder if their failure has made them more angry.

In the USA, we had an election.  More than half the voters see hope in the future.  Almost half the voters see doom in the future.  Neither side is repenting and returning to God.  The doom may be slowed, but we are on the slippery slope.  Is there enough traction to hold on and turn around and repent?

In my community, the madness of the world is holding its distance, but for how long?  One of the questionable troublemakers smiled and waved the other day.  Was he using sarcasm?  I returned the smile and wave regardless.

As far as the blogsite is concerned, the numbers in views and visitors are starting an upward trend.  Considering that a couple of my daily viewers who used to click the Like button on every post and make comments at least once each week and usually more often are no longer on the blogosphere, starting a sustained upward trend is a good thing. And as I have written more than a million words for the third year in a row, my average words per post has come down each of those years. The Bible studies remain my longest posts – a reference to those wanting a lot of information to choose from in a single source.

This year is a record high 669 posts.  It was 666 posts, but, honest, I am not superstitious.  I just added another Stinker Sunday School class to have some fictional storyline updates and a few jokes.  And then, at nearly the last minute, I added the post about a new Christmas pageant script on 23 December. And then three posts in one day on 24 December. Honest, I was already mulling those posts over in my mind before I made the count.

My wife said just before she passed away that if she was gone, I would have more time to write, after all she said that “I had a calling.”  I told her that my primary calling was as her caregiver and I wrote enough, but I have taken her suggestion as being her last request before she died.  She has been gone for over twenty months now.  As long as I am able, I will be writing this increased level of posts, but not a lot more.  I will be pleasantly surprised if I eclipse 700 posts next year.  I do not have that many posts in my plan, but if it is God’s Will, it could happen.

My Bible Chapter usage stats shows that all chapters of the Bible have had verses quoted from them at least twice, and only 105 chapters (less than 9%) have only been quoted twice.  But there is only roughly 18% of those chapters, at least a verse or two, that have been quoted at least ten times.

I wish all my readers a Happy New Year.  May you have good health and good fortune and God’s blessings showered upon you this year.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.