Sit Down Comedy … August 9th, 2019

Jonathots Daily Blog

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Nonsense is not the absence of sense, but it certainly is a denial that common sense is readily available, so opinions, doctrines, philosophies, political platforms and social mores must be invented to counter the fact that we have decided to pretend that sense has abandoned us.

Common sense is well and fine. Fine and well it is.

It is alive, though a bit startled by attacks.

I, for one, am not prepared to accept nonsense simply because it’s being voiced loudly or large numbers of “likes” can be authenticated from a website.

I believe many things can be said, and many things can be implemented in various stylings. But there are three things I must hear clearly represented in any manifesto passed my way. If these three things are absent, I have no intention of attacking anyone or forbidding their right to be verbal.

But I also will not back them, agree with them or wave some universal flag of truce, while pretending the ideas have good sense.

Let me stop with this lengthy preamble to tell you this trinity of affinity.

Three things that ring my bell

1. All are treasured. Some with greater value. Others more needy. Yet all counted.
2. What we do is much more spirited than what we say.
3. Any sense of needing to judge must be immediately replaced with a roaring baptism of good cheer.

There they are.

And don’t try to trick me by insisting that you “basically” concur but find exceptions in a couple of places.

After all, people are either all counted, or none of us matter.

And what we do is much louder than what we speak.

And judging someone—whether you insist a book told you to do so or not—can only be defined as verbal shit.

Going forward, this is my standard. You can see, it opens the door to many religions, political candidates and social structures. You also notice that it slams the door to many as well.

From this point going forward, I will not participate in nonsense.

The only sense I will recognize is common.

 

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Do You …?… July 28, 2014

 Jonathots Daily Blog

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Do you care?

Do you have a way to help?

Or do you feel the need to push your agenda?

I woke up this morning with these three questions percolating in my mind.

Emotionally:

Can I be more honest about the extent of my real commitment instead of making too many promises which cause people to glow with enthusiasm at first, and then, when I fail to deliver, just burn out?

Spiritually:

Do I believe in a caring and helpful God who lifts burdens instead of loading the heavens down onto frail, earthly shoulders?

Mentally:

Do I realize that my training and experience are a beginning of understanding instead of the summit of knowledge? Degrees from universities eventually must translate into some degree of common sense.

Physically:

Can I package and present myself well without competing in an ongoing beauty contest or centering in on the differences in others?

Being valuable means possessing value.

It involves care and help with a minimal agenda.

• Does my God care?
• Does He help?
• Is He locked into an agenda that sounds righteous in a heavenly board meeting that isn’t very practical on the assembly line?

Three questions.

Great questions.

To question is to care.

 

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For Once … September 19, 2013

Jonathots Daily Blog

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For once, I would like to be a part of a civil discussion without all parties involved arriving with pre-packaged, shrink-wrapped conclusions.

I would rejoice to be part of a dialogue about God and science free of scripture quoting, name-calling and the contention that anyone who believes in the supernatural is bare-footed and living in the bayou.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a debate about men and women that doesn’t place one group on Mars and the other on Venus?

I would like to believe that faith doesn’t have to be considered foolishness and a lack of faith the definition of intellectual superiority.

For once, I would deeply enjoy listening to a truthful presentation on why five to seven percent of our population prefers sexual interaction with the same gender, instead of being pummeled by Old Testament scriptures decrying the practice or schmucky television shows portraying that everything is acceptable “just because we say so.”

How about a conversation on sexuality free of giggles about pornography and absent being shut down by prudes who think it’s inappropriate to discuss the subject with anyone under the age of thirty, when that’s the age group which needs the information the most??

Abortion–is it possible for us to take a more clinical approach to the subject, free of displaying a picture of a disembodied fetus or using quotes from females insisting on their right to terminate pregnancies at will?

How about a simple poster-board example of good food to make a good diet instead of making fun of fat people, forcing them to sweat profusely and insisting that obesity is an act of free will, while we simultaneously claim that everything else is genetic?

Would it be possible to interface with one another as Republicans and Democrats and ascertain what it means to have a government “of the people, for the people and by the people,” without inserting campaign slogans, fund-raising and just general meanness?

And for once, could WE be the generation that refuses to look at people as “old” and “young,” viewing them only as a demographic, but instead finds a way to connect the humanity in all of us, despite our pimples or wrinkles?

I don’t think things are going to get better until we admit that they’re intolerable. As long as we think it’s “our right to be wrong,” we will continue to be wrong when we desperately need to be right.

For once, I would like to put my beliefs, feelings, culture, family, attitudes and fears on display–and have them either uplifted or decimated by the truth that makes me free.

Are you game … or are you just going to continue to play the game?

The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity

Please contact Jonathan’s agent, Jackie Barnett, at (615) 481-1474, for information about personal appearances or scheduling an event

Chilled-Hood… March 28, 2012

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Chill out.

It’s probably the best advice that can be given to the new crop of parents running around in a tizzy, trying to invent the best way to care for their offspring. You can play them music and you can read them books, but children absorb the energy  of the environment rather than the good intentions of their parental units. In other words, if your kids think you’re frantic, they will imitate frantic– while using your frantic against you.

Children are simple. Jesus said they’re like heaven. They are not born looking male or female (matter of fact, you have to remove a diaper sometimes to be sure). Their needs are practical: eat, drink, be cleaned and cuddled. And they don’t arrive with any particular batch of beliefs or array of prejudices.

Also, they certainly do not have personalities. I know many parents will disagree with that, insisting their child is riddled with facial expressions and gestures that connote a style of behavior. But it’s really not so. They are a glob of goo, ready to go. What they become is what they acquire by noticing what creates the most attention in their surroundings. If you treat them correctly, with a balance of love, respect and discipline, they can be a most delightful experiences—emotionally, spiritually mentally and physically. If you become hectic, nervous, worried, frustrated and overly concerned, they can turn into little hellions that attempt to control your life by pushing all your buttons.

We should take advantage of the fact that children, from birth to age twelve, whether male or female, are basically equal. At this age, girls are not stronger than boys, boys don’t run faster than girls and really, even their bodies are similar. We like to clump them into “pinks” and “blues,” but they’re not really color coded. I will tell you, if you only put trucks and army men in a room for a girl to play with, she will enjoy herself. And young boys have their dolls—they’re called action figures and GI Joe.

It is a precious time—a season when we are allowed to pour our energy and convictions into these young souls—or poison them with our insecurities and misgivings. It is a time when men and women are truly equal. No wonder Jesus called it “the kingdom of heaven.”

To make sure that you do not taint this chilled-hood, when boys and girls are living in total eyeball-to-eyeball peacefulness with each other, we should focus on three things: value, values and valuable.

1. Value. There are only two of these that should be shared with any young child. They are the two ongoing truths in our earth journey that work no matter if you’re in New Jersey or New Guinea.

(a) People are the only important thing, and the only way to reach the heart of God and receive His grace is to treat them well. You can pass along prejudice to a child by merely teaching him to pity other folks. I don’t pity anyone. I love them and if pity is needed, I will leave that to God.

(b) Honesty. After your children understand that people are to be treated with dignity, then you need to teach them to handle themselves with honesty. That’s right. Instruct children to count the cost. Truly evaluate themselves on what they’re able to do without shame, and then find their goal–and then not stop until they hit the finish line.  Those are the only two pieces of value that need to be instilled in children to make them successful and overcomers. Everything else is banners, tinsel, decorations and streamers.

2. Values. After you teach your chilled-hood what is of value, then go ahead and let them know what your values are. And please, don’t make it a long list. Ten commandments are nine too many. Seven virtues of the successful person is over-wrought by six. Keep it to one. Here is the only value you need to teach your children: No one is better than anyone else. Teach it well, because they won’t hear it anywhere other than their home. Society is a cacophony of voices screaming “equality,” while whispering, in back rooms, “bigotry.” Your chilled-hood needs to know that you really believe that you’re not better than anyone else. It will cause them to be viable to the world around them instead of part of the problem.

3. And finally, valuable. Don’t give your children money; don’t give your children gifts. Teach them that the world functions on the basis of work and pay. Have chores, duties, goals and aspirations for them to achieve, and when they complete them, give them coupons that are good for purchasing their toys, movies and special events. Free yourself of the ridiculous notion that unconditional love is giving away the blessings of life to ungrateful people. Your children will grow up to be solid human beings, free of prejudice and with a great work ethic–as long as they understand that toys are a by-product of work. All you have to do is tally up how much you plan to spend for movie tickets, games, gifts and special occasions over a given month, and when your children enact the plan of the family, give them coupons that enable them to purchase these benefits. Money will make them greedy. Receiving gifts causes them to feel entitled. But if they sense they’re in control of their own destiny concerning their pleasures, it will build them up and make them excited about the journey that lies ahead. They will also appreciate what goes into making a dollar available.

If we would stop hovering over our children, fearing their next move, and instead use their chilled nature–the equality that exists between boys and girls–to foster value, values and the knowledge of what is valuable, we might be able to avoid some of the disaster that occurs as they move into the dark ages of their existence.

Yes, because after age twelve comes a frightening season when the human being temporarily seems to be unreachable by normal methods. This is referred to as adolescence. But if you don’t mind, I’ve renamed it.

I call it … addled-essence.

See you tomorrow.

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Listen to Jonathan sing his gospel/blues anthem, Spent This Time, accompanied by Janet Clazzy on the WX-5 Wind Machine

 

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Below is the first chapter of Jonathan Richard Cring’s stunning novel entitled Preparing a Place for Myself—the story of a journey after death. It is a delicious blend of theology and science fiction that will inspire and entertain. I thought you might enjoy reading it. After you do, if you would like to read the book in its entirety, please click on the link below and go to our tour store. The book is being offered at the special price of $4.99 plus $3.99 shipping–a total of $8.98. Enjoy.

http://www.janethan.com/tour_store.htm

Sitting One

 I died today. 

I didn’t expect it to happen.  Then again, I did—well, not really.

No, I certainly didn’t expect it.

I’ve had moments of clarity in my life.  Amazingly enough, many of them were in the midst of a dream. For a brief second I would know the meaning of life or the missing treatment to cure cancer.  And then as quickly as it popped into my mind it was gone. I really don’t recollect dying.  Just this unbelievable sense of clear headedness—like walking into a room newly painted and knowing by the odor and brightness that the color on the wall is so splattering new that you should be careful not to touch it for fear of smearing the design. The greatest revelation of all? 

Twenty-five miles in the sky time ceases to exist.

The planet Pluto takes two hundred and forty-eight years to circle the sun. It doesn’t give a damn. 

The day of my death was the day I became free of the only burden I really ever had.  TIME.

Useless.

Time is fussy.  Time is worry. 

Time is fear.  Time is the culprit causing human-types to recoil from pending generosity. 

There just was never enough time. 

Time would not allow it.  Remember—“if time permits …”

Why if time permits?  Why not if I permit?  Why not if I dream?  Why not if I want?  Why does time get to dictate to me my passage? 

It was time that robbed me of my soulful nature.    It was time that convinced me that my selfishness was needed. 

I didn’t die. The clock in me died, leaving spirit to tick on.  

So why don’t we see the farce of time?  Why do we allow ourselves to fall under the power of the cruel despot?  Yes, time is a relentless master—very little wage for much demand.

I died today. 

Actually … a piece of time named after me was cast away.