USA JOURNALING #3

USA JOURNALING #3
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A FEW HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS

The next few sections are just for the sake of me getting them written so there can be no question later. It's to protect myself since the substance of this blog, and even the links and social media I follow, can be fiery. So, thank you for the indulgence of reading through these housekeeping items before we get to the flesh of what is on my mind and in my heart today. Thanks!

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BLOG TO BOOK

This blog will be very rough and mostly unedited. It's my journal and it isn't my goal to make my grammar perfect or say things the best way. My goal is to get thought on the page so I can read it. Reading it and seeing it helps me to think it through. 

Therefore, let me also point out that a thought I may have in one blog post may morph and become more solid, concrete, thought through in a later blog post. The purpose of this USA Journaling is for me to explore being an Christian American today, what it means, and how to be the most patriotic I can be. It's also here in this blog journal where I will explore what I believe, why, and adjust accordingly. This is meant to be a place for me to stretch myself and grow as I ask why and figure out how I can live better as a Christian American. 

I want to address how to be the best Christian American today I can be.  

In time, I will expand upon everything I write here and will edit it. Then, I will publish my musings and ramblings. So, please bear with me.

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MY SOCIAL MEDIA CLAUSE

I follow a lot of people on social media. I try to support and follow several different types of people who have various beliefs. I do not necessarily agree with them in what they write or believe. However, I want to be informed and follow them, and might even retweet them and so on, in order to try to show all sides of the issue and to get myself thinking.

Just because I follow them, or do a retweet, it does not mean I agree with them or disagree with them. It just means that--I follow them or retweet them. That is all. I retweet them if it's something I want to think about, nothing more. Following or retweeting is not endorsing them. I'm just trying to show and follow all sides.

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LINKS

If you know of any links you would suggest to add to this blog, please send them to me. 

Also, if you have a blog and want me to link to you, let me know. I will add you to this blog, gladly, provided you don't clash too much with my morals or have anything too adult. 

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BUILDING A COMMUNITY

I would love to build an USA Journaling community where all of us try to think through the issues. Feel free to add a comment at the end of any blog post or send an email. Also, there is a contact form at the bottom of this blog. Use any of those methods to start a discourse as we think through what it means to be an American today--and what it means to be a Christian American today.

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HOW TO EVEN BEGIN

Written January 23, 2015, Friday, 1045 a.m. 

Phew. Glad to get the housekeeping items out of the way. Now, let me be honest about something. 

I am not sure how to even begin. There are so many different thoughts, angles, topics, ideas, questions, debates, current events, historical events and documents, etc. I want to pursue. My mind is a busy beehive at the moment because of all of the possibilities. The USA and American Christianity are both very broad subjects, after all. So, I am scratching my head. 

I am a journal keeper, and have been for over thirty-two years now and if there is anything I have learned, sometimes, it's best not to plan. In time, I will try to organize my thoughts. But, for right now, I am just going to dive in and see what happens, as I have done so far. Whenever I just start writing and put on the page whatever comes to mind, I usually end up writing some profound material and have an AHA moment or two. Hence, that is precisely what I'm going to do for a while. I'm just going to write. I am sorry if I jump all over the place. In time, I will try to bring some resemblance of order. (I hope. Laughing.) 

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AN EMAIL I JUST RECEIVED FROM E IN COLORADO (01.23.2015.)
"Amazing!  I don't think the USA can change, but as an individual with their own mind and own thoughts and beliefs can change.  It just takes one and then one can be two etc.

You have a way of making people look into their souls. And if you only help one individual I say thank you God.  I don't know if this makes sense, but getting through to one person and that person talks to another etc.

All I can say is keep on, keep on."

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MY RESPONSE TO EMAIL FROM E:

I'm humbled. Thank you so much for sharing. 

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