Truth and Perspective

Matters of truth in 2012 are usually defined by one’s personal perspective. This is silly on it’s face. If something is TRUE it must, by simple definition, be always true.

Enjoy this little bouquet of quotes about truth and perspective followed by the Jeopardy Answer section.

Interpreting Truth Quotes

“All things are subject to interpretation [and] whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.” – Frederick Nietzsche

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” – Winston Churchill

“It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.” – Thomas Paine

“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” ~ C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis talks about worldview. If you missed this piece on why people see different “truths”, read  “What color is the green grass?”

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Jeopardy Answers:

Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900)- Nietzsche began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. Remember ‘philology’? If not, click the link and visit the Jeopardy answer section.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (1874-1965 ) – Two term Prime Minister of Britain. First honorary citizen of the United States. A Nobel Prize winner in Literature. The biggest news of all – he was closely related to Lady Diana Spencer… otherwise known as Princess Di. Did you know that Kate Middleton who married Prince William is also from the Churchill family?

Thomas Paine ( 1737-1809) – an English American author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.  He has been called “a corsetmaker by trade, a journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination.”

George Orwell  (1903-1950) – a chronicler of  English Culture. He is best known for the dystopian** novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945), which together have sold more copies than any two books by any other 20th-century author.

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) -  Known by friends as “Jack”, Lewis was an Irish novelist, poet, medievalist, literary critic, and Christian apologist. He is known for both his fictional work, especially The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia and his nonfiction, such as Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain. Lewis and fellow novelist J. R. R. Tolkien were really good buddies. Lewis is one of my personal favorites.

** Dystopian – the opposite of utopian. The creation of a nightmare world.

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Despair - When hope is gone.

The purpose of  our sites, Simple truth – Simple faith and Amazing Grays Ministry, is to promote faith that overcomes fear.

Christians are beginning to discuss the nature of the time we live in; “Is this the end time?” The issues are as diverse as the population:

• Will the United States return to her former power and glory?
• Can the divisions within our population be repaired?
• How long will I be unemployed?
• My kids are getting out of control and I can’t stop it.
• I am sick and there is no cure in sight.
• I am a victim with no options on the table.

Depression

Depression may be rooted in hopelessness, fear, an unfulfilled lust, or a physiological imbalance. When you can see no way out of a present dilemma you may eventually lose all hope that a remedy exists.

Fear increases when you feel that you cannot control your circumstances and that you are powerless to save yourself or someone you love from a bad outcome. Depression also builds when you want something so much but no matter how hard you work to obtain it you fail.

The issue of depression rooted in a physical imbalance is tricky. My grandmother was manic-depressive and allergic to lithium. She was a brilliant and engaging woman but not always balanced. The touchy question is whether there is a real medical issue or one where an excuse and crutch is willingly offered by counselors or medical professionals. There are many non-pharmaceutical ways to achieve balance, but each one of them requires a commitment to daily, or even hourly, maintenance.

Depression is the result when your thought is, “My life is broken and I can’t fix it.”

Disillusioned

Illusions shatter when faith erodes and you realize that what you thought was true is not. Anyone who thinks that life is supposed to be “fair” or that logic will prevail will be disappointed. Life will not be fair and logic will fail because both depend upon what definition is applied to the terms and who has the power to determine what that definition will be.

If you’re waiting for your “fair share”  or for logic to bring you victory – think again. If that’s your plan and you stick to it you may as well give disillusionment a nickname and set a place at the dinner table for it. It won’t be leaving any time soon.

Faith in the concepts of fairness and logic is a hopeless faith and will never deliver on the promise someone made you in the name of fairness or logic.

Disillusionment is the result of your thought, “My life is broken and I can’t fix it.”

Despair

Despair comes when there is no vision beyond your depression or disillusionment. Not only is your life broken, but you begin to believe it will remain broken – no repair is possible.

Are you really all alone?

Despair is the result of accepting hopelessness, victim-hood, inevitability, and believing that your situation will never change. Despair is giving up.

The thought of despair is, “My life is broken and it can’t be fixed.”

Options – Faced With a Choice

The worst excuse ever is, “I had no choice.” There is always a choice. The problem is that the option you want many not be on the menu. That doesn’t mean you have no choice, it simply means you have to choose from options other than what you would most prefer.

It doesn’t matter what your circumstance. You may be in an abusive relationship, you may be broke, you may be sick, or you may be imprisoned. You may be on your knees with a gun to your head. Still, you have choices to make. The one you want may not be on the table, but you still have options.

You have the option to stay with, “My life is broken and I can’t fix it” or make the decision to go forward with, “My life is broken and I can begin to fix it.”

Fighting Depression, Disillusionment, or Despair

If a lack of faith, hope, fairness, or control is the root of your problems then the cure is to introduce faith, hope, fairness, or control. One or more of these remedies will handle all of these issues.

If you feel out of control or that you don’t have enough control over your life, then you need to determine what you are ABLE to do and what you are WILLING to do to fix your life. Control begins by accepting and embracing responsibility.

Hopelessness stems from (1) complete reliance on yourself coupled with the belief that you are completely unworthy of that responsibility or (2) that you are totally at the mercy of someone else and they either cannot or will not help you.

In either instance the base problem is you. In the first case you believe faith in yourself is wasted and in the second that your faith in that someone or something else is misplaced.

The answer is to transfer your allegiance and begin building faith in something or someone who is worthy.

Faith – The Remedy for Fear

When reduced to it’s simplest form, the problem of a broken life is broken faith. You may have faith in something or someone who is unworthy of your faith or you may not have any faith at all. In either case you cannot fix your life by reducing or eliminating fear with faith in something unable or unwilling to save you.

Before you can address the faith issue you must address the responsibility issue.  Despair sets in when you choose to do nothing to fix your life and you believe that no one else will either.

I guarantee that if you are UNWILLING to do anything to help yourself then no one else can help you. You are simply unwilling. For some reason you have become comfortable in your despair and don’t want to lose that security. You have lied to yourself long enough that you think it’s not your fault, that you can’t change anything, and that no one can change anything. That, my friend, is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Follow a worthy leader.

The first step is to decide to act. That means simply accepting the responsibility to begin fixing your life and taking a first step no matter how tiny it may be. Even if your ankles are shackled you can shuffle the toes on your right foot past the toes on your left.

Faith in One Who is Worthy

One you accept responsibility you will have choices about where you place your faith. You already know that you can’t fix your life all by yourself.

Where can you find someone  who is 100% willing and 100% able to fix your life? Jesus Christ. Many others will complete for your faith. Test each one of them against the standard contained in the previous question.

Walking rightly with the Lord begins with the first tiny step. Jesus will not make you move your big toe. But once you do,  He will help you walk in the right direction.

Faith is the answer to depression, disillusionment, and despair. The journey to repairing your broken life begins with a refocus of your faith and choosing to make the first move.

The question really becomes, “Do you want to fix your life?”

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On a more personal note:

I’m knee-deep editing the manuscript for my next title coming out later this spring. These few lines from the Introduction in Rapture and Revelation are directly linked to the content of today’s message.

What you believe is a matter of life and death. Knowing why you believe what you believe is equally important.

There is an absolute need for messages that offer the truth about the times we live in. Trust is something you remember from the good old days, not something you teach your children by pointing out any politician, doctor, news anchor, minister, or teacher of our day.

Some of the people I interact with regularly are depressed, disillusioned, or in despair. There is no need for any of that for a child of God. I hope this book will communicate the simple reality of how blessed we are to be new creations in Jesus Christ.

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Worldview - What color is the grass?

This is not an article about politics or religion. It is an attempt to explain why good people can look at the same set of facts and reach completely opposite conclusions.

Worldview Defines Your Vision

The topic of worldview is cropping up in more and more places. In fact, we are attending a Worldview Conference in Arlington, TX  tomorrow. For the purpose of our question today, consider ‘worldview’ as the primary lens through which each of us see the world around us.

The easiest way to think about worldview is as a pair of goggles. Eyeglasses set out on your nose change the vision beyond the lenses but lets your peripheral vision between your face and the lens  to be a real, unchanged image of the world around you.  Goggles, on the other hand, fit right up to your face so everything you see is on the other side of the lens.

Worldview Determines Your Politics, Ethics, and Faith

The green grass we’re talking about is your vision about the people, circumstances, and world around you. What you see may not be what I see or even what your spouse sees.

Imagine that you and I are sitting in matching rocking chairs on a cool shady porch with a gorgeous view of a beautifully manicured lawn. My invisible worldview goggles have yellow lenses and your invisible worldview goggles have blue lenses. Our conversation was amiable until the question came up, “What color is the grass?”

The wonderful thing about truth is that is is always true. For the purpose of this illustration we will stipulate that the grass really is green and that the lenses we wear really do what I suggest.

Differences in Worldview Cause Trouble

“What a beautiful purple lawn”, you say with a contented sigh.

“I beg your pardon”, I reply. “What are you looking at, friend?  The grass is orange.”

With a tiny nervous laugh you say, “Oh come on. Don’t be pulling my leg. The grass is purple.”

“Purple? Are you nuts? It’s orange. Who ever heard of purple grass?”

“Orange? Look buddy, it’s right in front of my face an it’s purple. Are you just being a pain or do you need your head straightened out?”

Remember any frustrating conversation you’ve had about values, economics, or politics and you know exactly where this argument is going. You and I will both decide that the other must be deluded, stupid, or evil. After all, I think I see with perfect clarity what color the grass is and so do you.

Your Worldview Determines the Color of Your Lenses

Whatever is most important to you determines your worldview. Different worldviews come in difference shade of goggle lenses.

Goggles distort the truth.

My worldview is the Word of God as written in the Bible and in the person of Jesus Christ. Everything else in life is seen through that lens. If I understood the Word perfectly I would always see the truth and the grass would look green to me – because it is truly is green. Every day I work to clean up my worldview so what I see gets closer to what is true.

The worldview of folks may be determined by their ethnicity, occupation, religion, or location. Worldview is determined by what you love most.

The Difficulty of Changing a Worldview

No matter how much you argue with me, try to educate me, or seek to punish me – I will always see the grass the color I see the grass. The reverse is also true.

There you have it. I hope that provides food for thought today. Different people look at the very same image or concept and see what they see. The really sad part is that the real truth may not be visible to anyone. Only if we admit that possibility is there hope for reconciliation.

And, at the end of the day, with my worldview, truth will always be in the hand of God.

Except the grass is not really orange and it is not really purple – the grass is green.

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Just for fun!

35 Most Ridiculous Oxymorons

1. Government Worker
2. Legally drunk
3. Exact estimate
4. Act naturally
5. Found missing
6. Resident alien
7. Genuine imitation
8. Airline Food
9. Good grief
10. Government organization
11. Sanitary landfill
12. Alone together
13. Small crowd
14. Business ethics
15. Soft rock
16. Butt Head
17. Military Intelligence
18. Sweet sorrow
19. Rural Metro (ambulance service)
20. “Now, then …”
21. Passive aggression
22. Clearly misunderstood
23. Peace force
24. Extinct Life
25. Plastic glasses
26. Terribly pleased
27. Computer security
28. Political science
29. Tight slacks
30. Definite maybe
31. Pretty ugly
32. Rap music
33. Working vacation
34. Religious tolerance
35. Microsoft Works

And one more…. Civil disobedience.

My gratitude to Poddy’s for the list.  Have a blessed day and make time to laugh.

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Greek slave revolt - 2012.

There are only two reasons why any relationship fails.  The relationship between government and the citizens is no exception from this rule.

Who is Master, God or Government?

Scriptural Christians joyously submit to the authority of the God of the Bible. One might argue that our freedoms are limited by the requirements of maintaining a right relationship with our Lord. I don’t consider such limits as anything but blessings.

The joy of a wonderful marriage is a priceless gift. Are there limits? Sure. I can’t date other men, run around clubbing and carousing, and I sleep with the same guy every night. I am delighted to be free from such freedoms!

Christians happily exchange “freedom” for faith in God

The complete faith in God eliminates any concerns about how He does things. We believe He will care for us throughout eternity. In return we offer our lives, bodies, and souls to His rule and protection.

I am a willing and happy slave to the God of the Bible.

Slaves willingly exchange “freedom” for faith in the Government

The people of Greece and what will soon be a majority of the people of the United States choose to be slaves to the government. In return for the promise of provision and protection they have agreed to submit to the will and rule of the government. They are willing, even if not happy, slaves to the government.

The loyalty, lives, welfare, and freedom of these government slaves is purchased by food, shelter, security, and promises that such largesse will only increase. The government says, “Fear not, we will take care of you.”

When one part of the government tries to take away any of this support and protection the people are outraged. Why? They are still slaves and do not want their support reduced. Campaign promises were made that the level of support and protection would increase if the slaves gave up more and more of their freedoms.

“Trust me, I’m from the government”

The governmental slaves revolt because the ones who made the master/slave contract with them accuse others in authority of trying to take away the means of support from the slaves. When faced with a reduction in support the masters tell the slaves that their “fair share” could easily be funded if only some of those other non-slaves would kick in a little more.

In other words, I can’t keep my promise to you unless I make more slaves. Sooner or later everyone is a slave except for a few masters and the options run out. There’s no one left to blame or bleed.

One simple fact explains governmental failure

What’s the difference between those who willingly submit to the authority of God and those who agree to be mastered and kept by the government? Here’s where the simple fact comes in.

Citizens with complete faith in Government have no concern about how it works. They believe the government will care for them throughout eternity. In return they offer their lives, bodies, and souls to governmental rule and protection.

But even when government is willing to give increasing levels of support to the citizens there comes a point where it is simply not possible. There isn’t enough available to give what was promised to everyone. Greece is experiencing this reality today; and Greece is burning.

Greece doesn’t have the power it promised it did

Greece may be WILLING to support its citizen slaves but is no longer ABLE to do so. Greece does not have the power to deliver. No matter how much is destroyed the balance in the bank is not going to go up.

God, on the other hand, is always ABLE and always WILLING to deliver on His promises. God created the world from nothing… can you say the same for government?

Government simply takes from the citizens and manages it. Government officials used to be elected to manage. Somewhere along the line many decided to become masters.

So there you have it. As long as the people look to government and not to God they will be disappointed. Disappointment will lead to frustration, then to violence. There’s nothing new in that story.

Freedom becomes the enemy

The slaves of the government cry out against the free men and women who are failing to provide for them. The truth is, the masters are lying to the slaves in order to make more slaves.

Slaves of the government are doomed. Slaves of Jesus Christ are not. There’s no middle ground. It’s one way or the other.

But then, the masters of the government will tell you that I am part of the problem and lying to you.

The difference between charity and “entitlements”

Charity is the act of giving from one’s own purse or possessions to someone in need. Entitlements are taken by force from the purse of the free and those who want… not necessarily those who need. Entitlements keep the government’s slaves in line.  Charity is given without any strings attached. Charity encourages freedom. Entitlements secure slaves.

Let the outrage begin…

In case anyone wants to link the use of slavery in this piece to the ethnicity of the President… you’ll have to do better than that.

I am opposed to any master/slave relationship among humans. No exceptions. There is no preferred ethnicity, gender, or age of citizen slaves. The government master would have everyone be a slave.

Today’s simple truth: Government will fail. God will not.

I refuse to be a slave to the government. Will you consider joining me on the other side?

Is your child mentally ill?

This February 9, 2011 article from Reuters states how psychiatric guidelines would re-categorize normal personality characteristics and emotions as disease processes and would seek to make drug therapy a normal treatment mode.

For example, if little Bobby is grieving the loss of his beloved dog, Champ, new guidelines might consider this “abnormal”  response to be indicative of mental illness and require treatment by a (paid) professional.

Has your daughter always been just a bit shy and reserved? She may be mentally ill, just like little Bobby. Hey, what could be wrong with starting a life-long medical record that diagnoses your kid with a mental illness before junior high? And isn’t it comforting to know that your child’s medical record will be both filed and controlled by the federal government?

“At the other end of the spectrum, the new DSM, could give medical diagnoses for serial rapists and sex abusers … and may allow offenders to escape prison by providing what could be seen as an excuse for their behavior.”

Your kids are mentally ill for being normal and serial rapists deserve a pass?  Let me ask you again, do you doubt that we are in the End Time?

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point for the day.

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Link to Reuters article

“Educators take something simple and make it complicated. Communicators take something complicated and make it simple.” –   John C. Maxwell

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“There are two basic schools of philosophy; one whose end product is a statement of philosophy and one whose end product is truth.” – Lynn Baber

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“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. ” ~Albert Einstein

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“It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.”  – Frederick Nietzsche

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“The author who benefits you is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been struggling for utterance in you.”  -  Oswald Chambers

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Jeopardy Answers:

John Calvin Maxwell – Mr. Maxwell is 65 this year. He is a Christian pastor and author with a passion for leadership, success, and relationship topics. Methinks we have much in common.

Lynn Baber – Really? Follow the link for the Cliff Notes version.

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) – Mathematics and Physics genius. A non-observant Jew who attended Catholic school, Albert fled to the US when Hitler came to power. His first marriage produced a daughter who disappeared from the record in 1903 and two sons. After a divorce, Albert Einstein married Elsa Einstein, a first cousin on one side and second cousin on the other.  Albert was instrumental in the development of nuclear fission (weapons), then tried unsuccessfully to put the genie back in the lamp.

Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900) – At 24 he was appointed to the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel, the youngest man ever to hold the post. F.N. was a German poet, composer, and classical philologist*. The guy was smart but completely off track. Much of his philosophy dealt with the death of God. Little wonder he died from a mental breakdown. Rumor has it that he died when he saw a cart horse being whipped in the street and died trying to protect the horse. If true, I shall remember Frederick fondly.

Oswald Chambers (1874 – 1917) – Preacher and founder of British Bible College.One of the most widely read and beloved Christian writers. His works are possible because his wife, Biddy, could take shorthand at a rate of 250 words per minute. Her notes of his lectures and classes were published, for which I am grateful.

Philology – the study of written records or texts to determine both meaning and authenticity.

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Culture Clash.

Three Cultural  Segments of the US Population

A recurring theme here on Simple Truth-Simple Faith is the divide between one half of our nation and the other half. I admit, that is a generalization that demands to be fine-tuned.

The culture of the United States is really one of three general populations and world views. On one side is a “class” that looks back at the 1960′s as the good old days. On the other side is a “class” that looks ahead and sees the policies and beliefs of the other class as overbearing, dictatorial, and regressive.

Caught in the Middle – Between Two Warring Classes in America

Between these two warring classes is a third. The folks in this segment of the population have been comfortable on either side and pass from one to another as fellowship requires. The vehicle that allowed easy transport from one class to the other used the road of common values and respect. That road is narrowing and the demand for the folks in the middle to choose sides once and for all grows each day.

More than ever, each side is elevating its belief system into the religion of their class. In their demand for  “religious” freedom they feel it is necessary to vilify the other side and call them evil.

Take the Quiz – Which side are you on?

Follow this link to the book’s webpage. Scroll down to the box that looks like a video screen. Take the quiz and find out where you fit in the new class system. I’ll warn you that it takes a minute to get your results back. It’s an interesting twenty question quiz…

Here are my Quiz Results:

On a scale from 0 to 20 points, where 20 signifies full engagement with mainstream American culture and 0 signifies deep cultural isolation within the new upper class bubble, you scored between 9 and 12.

In other words, even if you’re part of the new upper class, you’ve had a lot of exposure to the rest of America.

I wan not surprised to find that I walk in that middle position between both classes. The separation between folks I care for on one side and those on the other is sad and my ability to be accepted on both sides is becoming more difficult by the day.

What is your Primary Vision?

Each of us have a primary vision of the world that influences everything else. Mine is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship has no political, social, or cultural direction. Faith used to be a common value that provided a bridge connecting the different segments of our society. That bridge looks like it won’t hold heavy traffic much longer.

My purpose is to isolate truth from falsehood. Not everyone will agree on the definition of “truth.” And there we go again, into the widening divide. Regardless – I’ll be back here tomorrow. Please join me.

Do you really want to look younger?

Saying ‘Goodbye’ to Santa Claus and Youth

There are three mile-markers along the road of life that materially change the nature of your journey once you pass them:

1. Realizing Santa Claus does not exist.
2. Becoming a new creation in Jesus Christ.
3. Discovering you are no longer young.

The order of the mile markers may differ from person to person, but everyone who passes them will be changed. Some folks remember the day they saw one of these mile markers for the first time while others simply realize they passed it “somewhere back there.”

Life experience and the manner in which you lived through each experience include complementary souvenirs of character lines on you face and “identifiable marks and scars” on your body.

When you realized Santa was a myth you probably weren’t concerned about wrinkles yet. No kid spends years trying to bring Santa back. So why would you try to stomp the brakes and throw your vehicle into a hard reverse when it comes to aging?

The Physical Aging Clock is not Eternal

Your face and body change with time and circumstance. The result is visible to everyone who sees you. The nourishment and exercise you give your body determines how well it holds up under the natural challenges of time and gravity. The same is true of your spirit and soul.

The fruit of a life well-lived is love, wisdom, peace, joy, relationship, security, and humor.

Every tick of the aging clock left it’s mark on both your body and your character. The fruits of a life well-lived are also products of time and circumstance – and how you responded to obstacles, opportunities, and relationships.

The visible signs of age and wear are not eternal. They remain until we complete our mortal years but will not even remain in memory when we pass from this life into the next.

Unity of Body and Soul and the Aging Clock

Wouldn’t you love to see the radiant bloom of youth reflected in your mirror each morning? The thoughtless answer is, “YES!”  Be sure you truly understand the question before responding.

Santa Claus is a myth. So is the notion that you can turn back the hands of time in face or form without also regressing in character and soul. If you get the 20-year old body and face back you also get back your 20-year old character. What you’ve learned since will disappear along with your wrinkles.

Winding back your aging clock may improve your body but will also cost you every achievement dearly won throughout your years of life experience.

The Temptation of Youth for Moms and Dads

Mother and Father, do you cherish the years spent raising your children? Did you make your biggest mistakes early on or are you making them now?

Most parents look back from a loftier vantage point of wisdom and experience and wonder how they ever managed to turn out good kids. As children get older the issues and challenges parents have to deal with get bigger and messier. The aging and maturation of parents allows them to keep up with the demands of their maturing children.

Families share the fruits of a well-lived life.

If you turn back the aging clock for your body and face you will also fall from that pleasant perch of experience and accomplishment.

Trust me, your kids really don’t want their friends to think that you’re a sibling. Ladies, when you were 30 would you really have appreciated a mom who looked younger and fresher than you? What would go through your mind if your husband compared you to your mother and she won? You both would lose.

Dads, if at age 35 you wrestled your 62-year old father in front of your 14-year old son and got pinned by the old man, how would you feel? Everyone would lose.

Youth and Grandparents

Grandparents are far more important  to their grandchildren than just spoiling them with love and stuff. Wonderful grandparents do not waste time frantically pursuing youth.

Children learn how to be parents from their mothers and fathers and grandchildren learn how to produce the fruits of a life well-lived by observing their grandparents.

Don’t Look Back, Look Ahead

I don’t know about you, but I would not willingly go back one day. As a matter of fact, I eagerly look ahead. The truth of what is yet to be is far more beautiful, bountiful, and gracious than anything I have experienced yet.

What legacy will you leave for your family and friends? A false image of youth or a well tended tree of life that offers the fruits of love, wisdom, peace, joy, relationship, security, and humor?

Would you really turn back the aging clock if you could?

The other day a man asked me what I thought was the best time of life.  “Why,” I answered without a thought, “now.”  ~David Grayson

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Jeopardy Answers:

Ray Stannard Baker (1870 – 1946) – wrote under the pen name David Grayson.  Baker attended college in Lansing, MI. Back then it was called Michigan Agricultural College; when I was there is was Michigan State University. He was a journalist,author, attorney, and buddy of President Woodrow Wilson. I love his title, Adventures in Contentment.

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Who can beat Barack Obama?

Liberals will vote Obama. The question of who conservatives will choose is a real head-scratcher.

This primary season is singular. Santorum won Iowa, then lost Iowa, then tied in Iowa, then won Iowa. Massachusetts was a closer contest than expected and went for Romney. Gingrich barged into a wide lead and took South Carolina. Florida was a huge reversal and Romney hit a new stride.

Every week the story changes. Just yesterday the media was surprised by Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mitt Romney. Everyone thought he was going to back Newt Gingrich.

Why isn’t there a consistent Republican frontrunner this primary season?

There are four candidates. We know with some certainty who Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are. They are steady Eddies in the process.

Ron Paul has always had the same values, positions, and demeanor and he isn’t going to change no matter what anyone else says.

Rick Santorum- cconsistent, but can he beat Obama?

Rick Santorum has always had the same values, positions, and demeanor and he isn’t going to change no matter what anyone else says.

Candidates Gingrich and Romney – The unknowns

Then you have Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. Neither one has a track record of consistency on values, position, or personality. The electorate has watched as they changed values, positions and demeanor over years, months, and days depending on their personal goals and which way the polls move.

Who IS Newt Gingrich?

In other words, Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney both offer a problem similar to the one Mr. Obama has proven to be for his supporters. The only thing Mr. Obama has been consistent about is change. Things have certainly changed since he took office and he has proven to be unreliable in every way except the way he keeps muscling through the changes he wants. Such changes are usually followed by, “Gotcha!”

How much are you willing to bet on Romney or Gingrich?

In the pursuit of returning Mr. Obama to private life there must be a general election challenger who can best him. The one constant in the conservative electorate is the desire to nominate someone who can win in November.

Ron Paul won’t. Most folks aren’t ready to bet their fortunes and freedom on either Romney or Gingrich yet because we can’t judge the odds. There’s just not enough firm foundation to either of them to make a decision.

What about Rick Santorum?

Then there’s Rick Santorum. He’s steady and reliable. But can he beat Obama? I don’t know. Whether that bet has better odds than a bet on either Romney or Gingrich has yet to be determined.

God help us all.

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