Okay, so I'm now living in the country.  There are critters out here that we don't have in town.  Hoot owls, tarantulas, more snakes, bats, and.......field rats.  I've only seen one field rat.  I don't want to see another.  The one I saw (only from the back) looked the size of a full-grown rabbit.

Unfortunately, my little cabin faces the pasture, which never gets mowed.  At least it hasn't been since I've been here.  There are all sorts of critters out there in those weeds, jack rabbits, bull snakes, and these darn rats.  Mind you I've dealt with mice.  Cute little mousies, pests that they are.  I also remember big rats at one place we lived when I was young.  But I didn't have to deal with them, Mother did.

Last week I got in my Toyota & turned the key. Every one of my emergency lights on the dash lit up bright yellow.  They didn't just twinkle at me, the glared.  And they didn't go out. After much snarling on my part, I headed for the Toyota dealer & of course there are none in my "area."  I only got lost once in the city which is pretty good for this Texan with no sense of direction (trust me.....I've driven 4 hours trying to get home......one time it took longer than that but it was dark).

So, I finally reached the dealer, where I sat for 3 1/2 hours waiting.  They were very nice people, that service department.  MY AGENT, as he was called, offered to have me driven somewhere for lunch (which I refused), and he checked with me every half hour at least.  Finally (about the time I was considering their transportation offer for supper) he comes back with this little chunk of rubber in his hand about one inch square.  He was delighted to be able to actually show me what was wrong with my beloved car.  This little piece of rubber contains all the sensors on the car.

Apparently, some critter (he suggested rats) had chewed on it enough to electrify himself.  Instead he only lit up every emergency light there was.  Warranties don't cover what a rat does to your car.  Enough said.

Today I went to the farm store down the road that sales every thing one would want to take care of a field rat.  They offer "live traps" which I would have bought if I was worried about the population of field rats becoming extinct.  I'm not.  Then they showed me little tiny boxes of pellets......for mice.  Finally, finally, I convinced the salesman that I was not kidding about the size of these suckers and we got around to the good stuff.  I got a package of large, round sticks that should do the job.  He suggested one way to protect them from the rain would be to cut a hole in each end of a coffee can, stick the bait inside & rest assured the rat would each it and die.  These rats could not possibly fit inside a coffee can.  He also suggested using tupperware containers......obviously he has no idea what tupperware costs.

I was a little more creative.  One is concealed in an upturned cardboard box with holes on each end.  Another is stuck in a large piece of pipe I found in the junk heap (which just happens to be out here with me), and going through that junk pile I found several other large items I could use.  The cardboard box is going under my car because it's large enough for me to actually see it when I park.

Wish me luck America!  I can't afford auto repairs!

I was watching OPRAH today & her guest was a man who is 6 months pregnant.  Of course, the only way this is possible is because he was born female & I believe it was after SHE got pregnant that SHE decided to become a HE. He definitely appears to be male (& a nice looking one as well). So we're dealing with a transgendered person.  The more I watched of the program, the more confused I became as a Christian.

I know what the Bible says about homosexuality and I agree.  I believe we are to love homosexuals just as we do everyone else, but condemn homosexual practices.f

The Bible also tells us that God does not "make mistakes."  Yesterday I heard a news report that scientists are close to proving that some people are born with a gene that makes them feel like they are being raised in the wrong gender or causes them to have a sexual attraction to people of the same sex.

I'm sure all of us have heard, "God gave us scientists......or doctors......to create medicines & heal the sick, to develop procedures to extend our lives.  The Bible says that God knew the plan He had for our lives even before we were conceived.  But does that mean that He created some humans with higher intellect than others & knew they would be interested in medicine, science or research, or is it possible He gave them some sort of special gene that would cause their interest in these subjects?

I do believe homosexuals & transgendered are both born with these particular genes. I do not believe this is something each person decided on his/her own.  I know what God says about their sexual practices, but I don't believe God makes mistakes either.  I believe He loves them just as loves us. There was all sorts of abnormal sexual acts in the Bible just as there are in our world today.  And I know we were all created to have "free will." 

So, did God make some people "different" than others.  We know He did when we consider the handicapped that have been that way since birth.  Did he create some with a different gene that causes them to feel they are in the wrong body?

Then there is the issue of "cloning."  They've already cloned animals.  Sooner or later, no matter what the law says, someone is going to clone a person.  Scientists have already learned how to develop a real, live, beating heart by using stem cells from mice.  It's like they want to be as great as God himself.

So, did God cause all this to happen or simply "allow" it?  He does that, you know.  When my son committed suicide, God did not cause it to happen, but He did allow it.  When my nephew was born with cerebral palsy, God did not cause it to happen either, but He allowed it and he's brought good from both situations.

Now........how does God feel about where we are today?  And what did He do about homosexuals or transgendered?  Did he give them the feelings they have about themselves, along with free will, then set back and watch what road they chose?

I'd love some comments on this.