Gog & Myblog

Tuskeegee National Forest is about 10 minutes from where I live. At around 11,000 acres, it's the smallest national park. I frequently find myself driving around its dirt roads in order to get some fresh air and meditate. I've also done a good bit of running and hiking around its trails. In 2012, while I was training for a marathon, most of my "long runs", anything over 10 miles, were done there on early Sunday mornings. The forest is regularly logged and you will see very few large trees, but most of the land is wooded with young (less than 20 year old) pine. There is a decent variety of wildlife but it is rare to see anything in my experience. A couple of times I have seen whitetail deer and once I saw a dead boar. I found a skull one time which seemed to belong to a fox or coyote. Interesting links: Some info about the fores t Trail map Bigfoot sighting...

Was Jesus primarily the same as or different from mankind? However we answer will define the rest of our lives. We will only answer that question by simultaneously answering two other questions: "What is the true essence of mankind?" and "What is the true essence of Jesus?" It might be considered a natural consequence of legend-making that while he lived on earth Jesus seemed nothing more than a man but after he died he seemed nothing less than a god. But those who think such things willfully ignore that the perspective of his followers changed not decades but days after his death. This leaves no time for mythological evolution, but it does make the title question more difficult to answer. It also produces the urge to frame that answer with temporal caveats: "Before his death he was primarily the same as, but after his death he is primarily different from mankind." But these are turbulent philosophical waters in which to swim. If such a basic question cann

The above quote is from Tacitus, the first century Roman historian, speaking of the funerary celebrations of the emperor Augustus. Tacitus records that some men only praised Augustus for political reasons: they wanted to win Tiberius' favor. But sensible people knew there was both good and evil in the late emperor. It's too easy to make modern applications. It is a foolish man that cannot see that no political candidate or office-holder is completely good.  This is because no human is completely good. There is no human Messiah, and those saying otherwise tend to have much to gain from our being deceived. Nor is any human or politician completely bad. At least none are created that way. It does nothing to hide our littleness of mind when we can only see the bad in someone, however disagreeable their ideology.  Be sensible.