The Riddleblog

September Musings (09/05/2025)

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates

More traveling to come for the Rs, so the schedule for new episodes of the Blessed Hope Podcast and posting on the Riddleblog will suffer occasional disruption through the end of October
Now that I am retired, I can do stuff like this—if anyone is interested in pictures of my grand kids, the missus and I celebrating stuff, our family travels, and my yard and garden, you can check out my instagram account. No pictures yet of me chasing the neighbor’s kids off my lawn

Thinking Out loud:

The worst commercial currently popping up in my feed is the Jardiance ad, especially the baseball version. Jardiance may be really swell, but no one on that baseball team can probably lift a bat, much less swing one
When someone tells me they are going to “research something online,“ more often than not they really mean that they are going to “research” stuff which only reinforces their current beliefs/opinions
Rumor has it that Bill Bellicheck’s 24 year old girl friend is going to enter the transfer portal after UNC’s blow-out loss to TCU. He was 41, when she was 7. The creepy ick factor is off the chart here

An observation—the evangelicalism of my youth (the R’s attended Grace Brethren and Evangelical Free churches) were passionately interested in missions and evangelism. What happened? Tribal politicking, debates over Christian nationalism, and support for Trump despite his lack of personal morality now dominates the religious circles of my youth. I get that Trump has done much to push back against “woke” nonsense (and I agree with many of his goals if not necessarily with his methods). But the shift in focus from taking the gospel to the ends of the earth to Trump’s near-canonization on the part of many evangelicals is something I am sure future historians will identify as evidence of a significant decline of American Christianity and obvious secularization
I recently renewed my CA diver’s license. If the efficiency of the California DMV in any way reflects the competency of our current governor, why anyone would vote for Gavin Newsom for president is beyond my comprehension. Oh, and then there is the high speed rail project. Don’t get me started. California is the greatest state in America—except for our state government which is awful
Just saw an ad from Disneyland (a few miles away from me) explaining that this was the cheapest time of year for you to go (after the kids are back in school and before they start their Halloween Stuff in August ?????). Tickets for sixteen special dates are only $104.00 each! You gotta be kidding me—Halloween events starting in August?

To read the rest of my musings, follow the link below

MusingsKim RiddlebargerSeptember 5, 2025The Civil War, Calfornia craziness, Updates and links Comments

March 2025 Musings (3/7/2025)

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:

As the current Blessed Hope Podcast series on 1 Corinthians winds down, a head’s up. I’ll be taking a bit of a break to work on a book project, before picking back up with 2 Corinthians. Then, Lord willing, it is on to Romans!
To my surprise, my recent piece on releasing the JFK files and the deep state had more traffic than any other Riddleblog post since I updated the blog five years ago. I did have several posts with higher traffic on the Old Riddleblog (such as Jack Bauer’s Man Bag and my reply to J-Mac’s 2007 Shepherd’s Conference lecture on Dispensationalism and Calvinism. But that was in the golden days of blogging . . .

Thinking Out Loud:

I gave up Lent for Lent.
This year’s Oscars awards ceremony demonstrates how far removed I am from certain elements of pop culture. I did not know the names of any of the five movies nominated, few of the actors nominated (and none of the younger ones). I didn’t watch even two minutes of what has become a series of red carpet wardrobe malfunctions (most are intentional, I am sure) and political diatribes from twits who make bad movies and have never read a book. My sons are grown and have been gone from home for years, my dear wife doesn’t care about Hollywood, so I have finally reached the point of complete and total indifference to the Oscar Awards (the Grammys, too). I don’t miss any of it.
Evidence of the decline of Western Civilization continues to mount. The New York Yankees caved on their ban on facial hair—now allowing players to sport groomed beards and mustaches. Somewhere, Johnny Damon is rejoicing. Ugh . . .
I’ve heard political commentators of late accuse their opponents of championing “false facts.” Excuse me, but something that is false cannot be a “fact.” Why not speak of your opponent as pushing “falsehoods.”
Shaq recently scored an annual contract of 14 mil to laugh at Charles Barkley. Since I can’t stand to watch current NBA games, I catch Shaq, Barkley, et al., on YouTube occasionally. Poor Ernie Johnson trying to corral them . . . they are indeed hilarious.
I’m not an RFKjr fan, but I wouldn’t mind seeing his proposed ban on TV and on-line advertising for alphabet bending medications implemented. “Ask your Doctor about `x’” for an illness you’ve never heard of, and didn’t know you possibly had, until the commercial made you wonder about it. Of course, the side effects are worse than the illness and require three more medications to remedy.
I’m also tired of YouTube/TV ads with folks rubbing potions, goos, and balms all over themselves while clothed in nothing but their skivvies. Ban them too while you are at it!
Now, get off my lawn!

To read the rest of my musings, follow the link below

MusingsKim RiddlebargerMarch 7, 2025Mathison, Cyber War, Updates and links, Monkeys tigers Opossums Comments