Welcome, May!

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The past few weeks have been stressful. Training new employees, dealing with difficult customers, not sleeping well, not exercising (I’ve gained 20 pounds in the last two years), getting through family drama (two life-threatening events in the same day, 2000 miles apart: my dad’s heart attack in NM and a 9 year grandchild starting the rest of his life with Type 1 Diabetes) . . .  My CrossFit lifestyle withered into oblivion when I lost my job at the University in 2020, as Covid got going. Deep depression brought me to a standstill as I took a few months to try to reset. Since then, my physical status has been on steady decline. Now my daily schedule looks something like this: Work 3-11 pm (on a good day), Go to bed at 4 am, get up between 10:30 am and noon, get booted up and go back to work. If I get one day off a week I’m fortunate. At least I don’t have to work all night for now. That was the worst.  So I haven’t had time or energy to do much, even read, much less write. And since my

Shrove Tuesday

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Shrove Tuesday gets its name from an obscure term (“shrive”) that means “absolve” or “forgive” and is specifically used in reference to one seeking forgiveness of sin by means of confession and works of repentance. Another way to explain this would be thus: this is the day to tell God one is sorry for sin, receive forgiveness and demonstrate one’s sorrow by doing works of penance before returning back to normal life.

We just need to say “sorry” and God will forgive? How is this possible when God says that’s not how it works?

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” (Proverbs 17:15).

If someone merely tells God, “sorry for my sin” then God would be an abomination to Himself by letting the sinner go without punishment (“the wages of sin is death” Romans 3:23). God cannot simply “just forgive.” He cannot be bribed by good works.

Eat as many pancakes as you like. God can’t overlook sin.

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Finished Reading: “De origine et situ Germanorum [On the Origin and Situation of the Germans]”

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