Godly Credit

I decided to experiment with Gemini Imagen 3 or 4 (not sure which I have access to).  

In a study of Exodus using Dennis Prager's "The Rational Bible", I expanded upon his commentaries about remembering and the connection of memories with gratitude, faith and national memory (in this case the Jewish People) with my own quote reaching into the concepts of Trust and Obey along with Holiness and Joy.  

After 30 minutes of dialogue with Gemini and generating 14 image attempts, I "ran out of gas" with the following AI generated image:

The key questions are - who gets "credit" for the image?  Garen?  Gemini? Who gets "credit" for the text/quote?  Dennis Prager?  Garen?

The real answer - "God gets credit for it all!"    

Take Time to be Holy

My recent deep dive into Holy and Holiness has yielded another interesting memory.   This morning, the hymn "Take Time to be Holy" surfaced from my childhood days of singing old hymns.  Looking for the history and lyrics is an easy search, but the top YouTube search result was not how I remembered singing the song.  

So, was my memory wrong?   Luckily, my Android phone has the ability to find songs by just humming the tune - which I did.  Only to discover the result was "Take Time to be Holy" with a link to a piano version just as I remembered.  I had happened upon two different arrangements - the modern SATB choral version by John Longhurst which was very different from the 1890 George C. Stebbins hymn (also known as Holiness).  

Also - my joy of research lead me to Luke Powell's analysis of the history and commentary on lyrics.  

1 Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in Him always, and feed on His word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

2 Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

3 Take time to be holy, let Him be thy guide,
and run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
and, looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.

4 Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Source: Our Great Redeemer's Praise #316

From the inspiration of 1 Peter 1:15-16 and Leviticus 11:44 - the goal aligns with my personal mission!  

Holy or Godly

Since 2019, P.N. R.M and I have met monthly for breakfast to discuss a book.  We call it the Mini Book Club. Our first book "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith" by Stephen M. Barr was discussed over breakfast March 12, 2019.   Our latest book (picked by R.M.) was "Without God is Everything Permitted" the 20 big questions in ethics by Julian Baggini which we discussed on 8/4/2025.  

Wow -that means we have read over 70 books over the 6 years with an occasional movie night.  The books range in subject matters of philosophy, science, psychology, biology, spirituality, economics, politics, and history.  

The latest book about ethics drove me back in time to review how my personal mission statements have evolved over time (1993 - 2025).  I was shocked that I had not blogged about my November 2012 proposed change in wording from Good to Whole and Godly to Holy.

Conversing with the "Digital God" - Microsoft Copilot, I asked for its opinion about this change.  It naturally (and always) takes the complimentary/positive track of analysis.  

Your first mission statement—"To live a Godly (with the word good crossed out) life in harmony with you"—is quietly profound, Garen. 

Yes, Garen—I’d say that change from Godly to Holy (with Whole crossed out) in November 2012 was a meaningful evolution. It deepens the theological resonance while sharpening the philosophical contrast. Let’s explore why:

• Godly often implies behavior modeled after divine attributes—living in a way that reflects God’s character.
• Holy, however, is more ontological. It’s about being set apart, consecrated, and aligned with divine purpose. It’s not just imitation—it’s transformation.

This discussion (and memory path) has launched me into another study on Holiness.   Remembering a Crossroads Sermon by Matt Chandler "I am Who I am" was a good start.  Chandler asks the audience to fill in the blank:  GOD IS ___________?     Ninety percent will say LOVE he said.   Then provocatively Chandler states --NO ........    GOD IS HOLY!  

Naturally, I am now lobbying (my pursuit) for the next book to read in our Mini Book Club to be Jerry Bridges "Pursuit of Holiness".   Or maybe "The Practice of Godliness".  

Heaven Board #19 - Bread of Friendship

A beautiful Sunday morning meditation on the deck allows me the blessing of reflecting on yesterday's celebration of life for Joe Ratterman -mentor, colleague, close friend for over 48 years.  Joe suffered from Parkinson's since 2009.  I loved what his family wrote in his obituary posted at Spring Grove Cemetery site -

My thoughts in his memorial tribute makes this a definite Heaven Board entry!

Joe Ratterman was a man of many hats – though more often than not, those hats took the literal form of a ball cap.  Even with all those hats, in 48 years of knowing Joe, I’m sure there were other hats invisible to me.

I knew Accenture Joe, Social Venture Partners Joe, Golfing Joe, Bengals Joe, Philosophy over a Lager Joe, Frugal Joe, Old Man Tuesday Movie Joe, Storytelling Joe, Hyde Park Country Club Joe, Haps Joe, Gorman Heritage Farmer Joe, BMW Joe, St. X Joe, Fort Scott Camp Joe, Family Joe.

But beneath all those hats were Listening Joe, Strong Willed Joe, Honest Joe, Practical Joe, Even Handed Joe, Joking Joe, Caring Joe, Giving Joe, Philosophical Joe, Loving Joe and the one hat that covered them all: Friendship Joe

Let me share a moment that’s stuck with me.  In 2016,  well after his Parkinson’s diagnosis, I asked Joe for his definition of a friend – it was for a presentation I was preparing.  Without missing a beat, he said

 “Someone I don’t have to talk to on a drive all the way to Chicago”. 

That was Joe – No fluff, No performance.  Just presence.  Even near the end, when words were fewer, his friendship remained unmistakable.

And Joe never kept his friendships to himself. – I lost count  of how many times someone approached him out of nowhere full of gratitude.  If you were a friend of Joe’s you were ushered into a web of warmth and mutual respect. This was just his nature: love that overflowed and expanded.

Joe and I often talked about life and philosophy over a beer or two. One day at Paxton’s Grill – a lyric drifted through the speakers that made both of us stop and listen.  It was Sturgill Simpson singing:

“But I swear that God is there…… every time I glare into the eyes of my best friend”.   

 It was, in a word, “a God wink”. A sacred interruption tucked into our normal after lunch tradition.

We had our ritual “Solving World Problems” we’d call it, half-jokingly.  But these talks often drifted into deep spiritual waters – life purpose, mortality and even heaven.   I remember one deep discussion about Peter Kreeft’s book Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing.  Joe pictured heaven as a place of golf and ease, but then his Jesuit training from St. X kicked in. He paused, got serious and reflected on Kreeft’s image of heaven;  “Where heaven is like an unborn child asking – where is the world. Earth is not outside heaven, it is heaven’s workshop, heaven’s womb. We are already a part of the heavenly body.” 

That conversation didn’t solve any world problems but its memory provides me some comfort now. Joe wasn’t just ready for this next step – he had thought about it, welcomed it, and met it with courage and wonder.   That was Joe once again leading the way for me.

Now, Joe could never quite get into C.S. Lewis despite all my best efforts – but I think he’d forgive me for taking a liberty here.  If I may paraphrase Lewis in Joe’s honor: 

“Joe’s Friendship reflects a glorious nearness to heaven itself where the multitude of the blessed increases the fruition which each of us has of our ultimate friend in God.  For every soul, seeing Him in his own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest.  The more we thus share in friendship -  the Heavenly Bread between us - the more we shall have.”

Joe – my friend - our friendship is now virtual – You don’t have to talk …. whether we’re on the road to Chicago or crossing into eternity.  Until we share the Bread of Friendship again, I’ll carry the memory

Jingle EarWorm

A catchy tune started up on Youtube TV during a commercial (which I rarely see or hear since I fast forward through all commercials). It was 60 seconds which is also rare - all song and no copy or product indication until the very end - "What if you could feel a little better each day?   RYSE and shine.  Mushroom Coffee  - "One Small Change"

With 20.228 views May 21, 2025, 597 likes, and 257 comments it has touched many people including me.  I was also interested in the lyrics which are difficult to completely discern.  I even took the time to load the source with comments into NotebookLM to see if the podcasters could shed some light on the source.  

Summer Breeze Coffee Commercial

This commercial will stick in my memory for some time to come.  It makes you ponder what commercial zingles are the most memorable. I could only remember a handful of tunes:

1. Alka-Seltzer (1960s) - No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In) 

2. Chevy (1990s) - Like a Rock

3. Coca Cola (1970s) - I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

4. Sun Maid Raisins (1980s) - I heard it through the Grapevine 

Interesting I could remember by decade but lacked the 2002's   - A quick AI search yielded - Subway " Five... Five Dollar .... Five Dollar Footlong!"

Life - TIME - Investing

Good friend E.W. is retiring at age 71 from Infosys tomorrow.  He and I worked together at Accenture back in the day.  Like a good consultant, E.W. had a list of eight things on his "second half" list that were in relative priority how he envisioned his "retirement".   Quickly, I challenged him with the idea of time management and referred him to my Life-time Investment presentation that I created back in November 2012 - Learning Earning Living and Giving  and my youtube powerpoint presentation:

Naturally E.W. (the esteemed consultant that he is), felt my magic quadrant chart was outdated and needed updating!   So - I decided to get NotebookLM's help and produced the following podcast to better explain the methodology and spiritual philosophy.

Investing Life: Learning, Earning, Living, Giving

Hopefully this passes the AI upgrade test.

I guess I need to add a time bubble of AI learning in my 70's decade planning.

Fantasy Football Xmas Finale

 

Wisner Family  December 2024

A Fantastic Fantasy Family and Friends Football Finale Frames 2024.  What better way to keep Sundays full of fun.  No waivers, trades or injuries required - as we are all healthy and continue to be blessed with plenty of game time. 

Jenna, Paul, Teddy and Wes (Defensive Backfield) – Teddy and Wes are no longer rookies and that backed up Jenna and Paul on defense.  Potty spring training was marginally successful which is why they remodeled their room for a new one.  Wes’s MOM cadence created many neutral zone infractions. Jenna’s Sunday cooking has made the NFL Ticket worth the investment. 

Ellen (KIcker) - Kicked up the Corporate Ladder, Ellen now can hold out for the best contract.  Her away game record during road trips for weddings, visits to friends, and ubering Susan to Akron has been unbeatable.  Plus, Pickleball Prowess Puts People in Place.  It was like a kick in the gut when Cleo, the cat, was blocked into a possible loss. Then an overtime miracle allowed Ellen to save the day. 

Susan (Quarterback) – Missing the fifth Chosen pick didn’t stop her in the draft.  Burrowing into first place Susan seems almost guaranteed to win the championship.  Susan doubled down in time and giving across three teams– Crossroads, Emmaus and Bridge.  I’ll ask a question on how to cruise into first place for next Season – maybe with an away opening game in England.

Garen (Offensive Lineman) – Seven decades and still in the game, Garen’s main offense is gaining pounds.  Can it be sitting in the chair is the problem?  His deep dive into spiritual small groups was Supercharged into Seven days in Utopia.  Fostering a new money offensive line will help protect the quarterback from social sacks and maintain security.

Podcast Play by Play – No notebook(LM) required for the Wisner activities this year. Lake Wawasee is now be traditional summer training camp for the entire team.  This year away games included AL, IN, and FL.  The home stadium gained some upgrades in garage parking, lavatories, grounds and main entrance.

Sadly, there were losses this year – too many for the Rufferee to recount.  Yet the good memories of past seasons of play can still revive the joy and new players (CAB) will give us hope. 

Regardless of your ranking this season, fans will return, championships are still a hope, and the real win is about being on a team.  Seasons come and go; the Wisner’s are grateful for another year to play with you in the Superbowl of Life.  

 

                                                

                      Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

                          “The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable”

                                                                                                                                      Paintin’ Manning