I did this myself.

I'm not going to pounce all over stuff like this because it never ends. People think that all the argumentation that's been going on for so long is because a huge proportion of the Christian population cannot see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost all in scripture? Maybe if you can so easily solve an argument that's been going on for centuries between learned people, that you don't understand the argument in the first place? Is that possible? Believing in the "Trinity" isn't about believing is what is explicitly written in scripture about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It's about believing a certain take on the stuff, essence, ousios (Greek), substance, that they are "made of" if even that makes sense for humans to think about. And it's about what God is and how the word "God" is used. It's about going beyond what is obvious in scripture and then forcing others to go beyond with you.

This is "men without degrees" thing is getting overdone and is silly. ------------------------------------------------------- Grok: Universities existed and awarded degrees, but they trained clergy, lawyers, physicians, and scholars in the liberal arts and theology. Building trades were a separate professional path regulated by guilds, with their own ranks, oaths, and standards. In that sense the meme “men without degrees built this” is literally true about university credentials and reductive about the actual training. The builders had extensive, formalized vocational education and certification; they simply did not have (and did not need) the academic degrees of the medieval university system.

I asked Grok to analyze my account posts and replies and decide which Star Fleet ship I am from the Star Trek universe. I'm the Voyager. Resourceful and independent under constraint: Voyager was cut off, had to operate for years with limited resources, improvise, and prioritize practical problem-solving and science over grand gestures. That lines up with your frugality and DIY practicality (unused dishwasher for years, low-cost cooking experiments that “totally worked,” preference for personal scripture study over live professional performances). You’re the “Lone Grazer” who visits churches but isn’t dependent on any one of them or their stage-show model. Logic, self-control, and measured exploration: You credit Trek with teaching that logic produces self-control. Voyager’s long-range science mission and command style (more research-oriented and deliberate than pure swashbuckling) fit better than a Constitution-class flagship under a charismatic risk-taker. You want to go places you haven’t been, not necessarily “where no one has gone before” in a dramatic way. Resilience from a hard start: Your posts about a dysfunctional childhood (schizophrenic mother, verbally abusive father), raising an autistic son, and building layers of self-control mirror Voyager’s story of a crew far from home that has to keep functioning, learning, and finding a way back using intelligence and discipline rather than sheer force or institutional backup. Voyager was the smaller, specialized long-range explorer, not the prestige flagship—efficient, science-focused, and purpose-built rather than ceremonial. Classic Trek DNA without the Kirk persona: Your anniversary-related posts highlight TOS memories (Corbomite Maneuver, Susan Oliver, Forbidden Planet influences) and the hope/logic it gave you as a kid. Voyager carries that exploratory spirit into a later era while remaining grounded and practical.

I asked Grok to make my account into an espresso beverage menu.

Some say there are "no Lone Ranger Christians." But there is the Lone Grazer. Ridin' from town to town. Visiting from church to church. Doctrine doesn't matter; attendance does Hebrews 10:25, the first part, must be served.

Anyone ever heard a sermon on this? Anyone know of this being tried anywhere? I sure haven't. Seems some scriptures just don't get preached about much, if at all. Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. – Jas 5:13-15 ESV

This totally worked! 1. Heat up Chef Boyardee beef ravioli in microwave. 2. Stir in a high-end can of clams; in this case Crown Prince Smoked Baby Clams in olive oil. Drain can first. Seafood pasta fusion! Another take on Surf 'n' Turf! Almost no brains and very little money, likely under $6. The clams get a sort of Manhattan clam chowder treatment. The entire meal gets a huge protein and iron boost! Slightly bland but tweaking with seasoning is the logical next step.

Paul: But when God, who had set me apart [even] from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. – Gal 1:15-17 NASB95 Today's Christian: Once I got saved, I did what the religious authorities told me to do! I stayed right where I was and attended "worship service" every single Sunday until I grew old and died, unless I moved and found another "local church" where I could do the same thing, and now there's a half eaten sheet cake in the lobby with my name on it...or what's left of my name...and young folks who never heard of me are wolfing it down! Edit after coffee: Is there an "in-between?" There's only one Apostle Paul, but is being a Christian just following orders and rules made by professional Christians for one's entire life and then dying in obscurity? I'm very sure the professional Christian speakers' guild (pastors/preachers) has no problem with that. Is it OK to want to make a bit of history for Jesus anymore? Below is the likely "best case" scenario for me if I joined a "local church" right now and faithfully did everything I was told.

I really think that attention span will be an important superpower for anyone to have, soon if not now. I'm actively taking steps to getting my attention span back from watching too much stock market stuff and too much scrolling through X during the day. Getting it back is starting to amaze me and it's just getting better. Things may be way different for me a year from now. Don't dopamine your life away.

I've got it! The cure for being an ignored visitor! James had it all along! Maybe all I have to do is make a display of wealth! Then maybe a pastor, or one of his underlings, would notice me! James says this might work! Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet..." – Jas 2:2-3 NIV What do you think?

So much of "church" is humans getting paid to control people by creating the illusion that they control God. But it's really just about control. Elite professionals controlling the natural by claiming directly or indirectly that they control the supernatural, as if that's possible. We don't and can't control God. All we can do is ask. That's what prayer, among other things, is for.

Stupid church memories: Attending a traditional Church of Christ on Sunday morning where musical instruments were banned because they are unbiblical in worship. Walking out of that church on a sunny Sunday morning and hearing Love Shack by the B-52s being cranked loudly by an attractive young woman's car audio system so it's heard across the parking lot.

The Lone Grazer rides! Ridin' on the range Grazin' on it too Churchin' when it interests him Skip a week or two Bible on his brain Fellowsheep to find Wolves are always chasin' him for bleatin' his mind

I Can't Relive a Previous Stage of Life, Much as I'd Like To I'm in my sixties, and it seems like a cliché for old guys to buy the cars that they couldn't afford when they were in high school, or college, or a bachelor. But is it the same? Of course not. They're not in high school, or in college, or bachelors seeking their first wife. Whatever that car would have meant then, it can't possibly mean now. Now it means you're an old guy driving a car because you can. So what? I can never experience the thrill of that "first car" again, and I've decided not to try. There are better things to do with time and money. I also can't go back and experience that first date, or the first kiss, or anything having to do with first romance, because I was young and "horny" and that was a thrill. But I've been married and divorced and my kids are adults, and that first romance can never, ever happen again. This is the most dangerous trap I could fall into. I've been on the romance/marriage roller coaster once. I got what I wanted: progeny to carry on something of me when I'm gone. Something, or someone, that I brought into existence that could in theory propagate into some kind of eternal, or at least generational future on Earth. My future isn't what it used to be, so I'm doing new things that I've never done before. There are plenty of "firsts" I haven't experienced yet, so why not go after those? Trying to recapture the past in the present is a huge trap, a waste of time and money, with more grief and less time and money at the end. I know how things go.

My experience: Churchianity: I attend a church faithfully and even lead bible studies for ten years, and when I leave, nobody contacts me or even notices. Also Churchianity: I say on social media that I am not a member of a specific church and it's not a problem for me, and I visit churches as I please, and self identifying Christians dogpile and judge me just over that. When I'm physically AT a church, nobody notices. When I say why I don't care if I go to church, so many self-identifying Christian people seem to care and want to fix me by smartassing and bullying me back to church.

Fine, I'll own it. The Lone Ranger’s Creed (by Fran Striker, the writer who developed the character): I believe… That to have a friend, a man must be one. That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world. That God put the firewood there but that every man must gather and light it himself. In being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right. That a man should make the most of what equipment he has. That “This government, of the people, by the people, and for the people” shall live always. That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number. That sooner or later… somewhere… somehow… we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken. That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever. In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.