Well, well, welcome to the Garbage Man. We'll begin with a definition of terms:
Garbage Man: me. Not to be confused with a superhero, the name is derived from the only short story I've ever completed. The Garbage Man was a day-dreamer, one of those guys who shuffles around with his hands in his pockets and his head in the clouds. To suit that lifestyle, his job was picking up litter around town, freeing his brain to devote itself fully to the imaginary worlds he created. Anyhow that story crashed and burned soon after its conception and hopefully will not have to be mentioned again for the duration of this blog.
On to the actual topics you'll see discussed here at TGM. Most pressing on my mind today is the nature of God. If you spend anytime here, chances are that musings on His nature will occupy most of my writings in one form or another.
Beyond that, you're guess is as good as mine. I'm in the hub of the gubernatorial recall in Sacramento, so count on hearing about some politics, some good candidates for Governor, and the reasons for all of California's problems (yes, we do have problems in California).
My story ideas are also going to be popping their unsightly little heads in here as many times as I can muster them. Depends on my mood ,or maybe what I had for breakfast that morning, but it could be science fiction, fantasy, a mystery, a romance, a soap opera, or all of the above on a given day.

As for today:

I've been reading through Hebrews and just recently it's been pounding me over the head. If the books of the Bible were cups of coffee (after all, He brews), then hebrews would be from a really strong batch, not quite tamed by the cream and sugar. The bitterness of black coffee is God's wrath, the milk and sugar are God's mercies, which I guess makes sweet 'n' low and sugar substitutes heresies. The bitterness of His wrath and the richness and sweetness of His mercy go perfectly together. Hey, it sounds like feel-good pop Christianity, but keep reading, I'll put it in context.
Two passages that left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and an uneasy churning in my gut were 6:4-6 and 10:26-29. They speak of falling away from Christianity and its irreparably fatal consequences. The scenario in 26-29 is dovetailed with the falling into the hands of the living God bit, a key verse in Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon, which always draws a heavy shudder when you're thinking about it from a wrath perspective. These verses bug me, because it's the side of God that I don't want to see facing towards me, or my friends, or anyone.
Of course my devious brain started exploring the most frightening scenarios and putting me and my friends in them. My view of God was distorting: the merciful lover that I usually cling to in my mind's eye was taking on terrible new forms. One of the worst things was the vagueness: my ideas and thoughts of God were getting picked up in this fearful, doubting whirlpool. A mind trap, I get caught in them from time to time, usually when I'm unsure of something, alone in the dark or in some unstable frame of mind. I said a prayer asking God to grant me some understanding, and left the maelstrom behind me for the night.
Let's just say thinking on the issue during the day has helped a lot. Ever heard the verse, work out your salvation with fear and trembling? We are loved by a fearsome God with a passion for vengeance and a hatred for evil. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, I would be walking down a road that would end under the crushing fist of God. Is that not worth trembling over?
A need to ponder things further and a body sore from sitting too long, even in my cushy office chair, necessitates the abrupt halt of this post.
Maybe I can end this like all those Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons, where they give a bunch of alternate titles for the next adventure. THE ADVENTURES OF THE GARBAGE MAN WILL RETURN....... STAY TUNED FOR: " God: He Brews A Better Cup" or "The Devil: He-brews-ed my heel, I'll crush his head."
-go with God,
Sam L