"I think the world is run by 'C' students." - Al McGuire

Long day, but a good one. I like bike riding this time of year. It's warm, even in the morning, the snow birds are gone and school is out so traffic on surface streets is lighter.

Only spent about 30 minutes with Ilsa today, just cleaning her up in some of the hidden recesses that got exposed with everything taken out and off. If there's time tomorrow I'll call the guy who will paint her and see how we get the body and wheels out to his place. I'm also going to offer to do the sanding if he wants. He's cutting me such a deal on the price that I'll do any grunt work I can to minimize his labor.

I've waived the white flag on the pond. I've drained about 2/3 of the water out and tomorrow Pam will help me herd the BIG goldfish into a corner so I can capture them with the net and get them out of there. I've decided my intractable algae problem comes from all the "fertilizer" those buggers are dumping into the water.

I'm reading a fairly long article in TIME on Tim Pawlenty. If Rep. Ryan isn't going to get in Pawlenty sounds like a very good option. He's not a shouter nor given to formulaic sloganeering. (Is that a word?) He has blue collar roots, reportedly has a squeaky clean rep and a record as the Gov. of Minnesota that establishes him as a fiscal conservative who can turn around a totally messed up budget. I'll be keeping my eye on him.

Benjamin Netanyahu is a politician, with all the negative connotations that go with that term. His grandstand play in Congress today was skillful and manipulative. Members of both parties stumbled all over themselves to suck up to him afterward. I was embarrassed by their behavior.

What's at least as troubling is the blind support for Israel I see on Facebook posted by believers.
Bad theology produces bad outcomes.

Israel is not God's special people. They were, and will be again in the future. But now, as the NT makes abundantly clear, God has set Israel aside and is dealing with Jews and Gentiles without distinction. That means the current political entity known as the Nation of Israel has no more standing before God than the Nation of Uzbekistan. Think about it, folks. The current State of Israel is at least as hostile to Christianity and the church as its Arab neighbors. And if there's anything the NT makes clear it's that Israel has abandoned the God of their fathers and will most certainly NOT be the basis for his work in the future.

Israel may be a key political ally in that region, and for that reason it may make political sense for us to have a very strong relationship with them. But to equate any criticism of Israel, despite how egregious their behavior (and if you've been paying attention they've done some pretty bad stuff over the years) with opposition to God and his plan is totally bogus and unscriptural. President Obama's comments a few days ago had nothing to do with God's plan because God's plan does not include the State of Israel as it's presently constituted - both because Israel is not now his special people and because the current nation is apostate (and hostile to Christianity).

Think it through. Please.