If you know me at all and have ever seen me at work or at home on my computer, you will recognize the picture here as my desktop background. Perhaps you've been down in my basement, and seen the Wiley shrine I have with dozens of various trinkets collected over the years.

Wiley Coyote, or Wile E. Coyote, is an interesting character developed by Warner Brothers. First appearing in 1949 his rendering has changed almost zero in all the years: however he is often confused with his cousin Ralf Wolf (you know, of Sheep Dog fame.) The word coyote itself, by the way, means "God's dog", how about that.

He does talk, by the way. In the early 'toons he only held up signs, but in the later ones he actually refers to himself several times as a "genius". Thus the picture above is kind of a cross between the two.

I like him so much because I am often just like him. He and I are the same kind of genius - when we think too much of ourselves something is always there to remind us of how bright we really aren't. If someone will say “Hey you're pretty smart Randy!” I will rebut with "I'm not smart. I'm a genius, just like Wiley" who we know isn't so clever after all. Anvils of a different sort do fall on my head, and I walk over my own cliffs now and then without looking first. But Wiley's persistent, and confident, and willing to look at things in ways to learn. While his technology might let him down (he really needs to find a new mail-order place besides ACME) his heart is strong and he believes in himself. What more can a guy ask for? Besides, Wiley DOES catch that road runner in one of his episodes. It's very tubular.

Sometimes when I discuss things with people, religious things, they don't care for my confidence in my salvation. They think I am arrogant. I try really hard not to come across that way. I don't attack them, or nudge them into seeing what they are doing is wrong. I have always seemed to have more luck just showing them what God says about something. and then letting them decide if they are going to adopt it into their lives or not. I am ever careful to avoid forcing a conclusion on them. But I just reek of my belief. I know that the word is true, and that it has the power to save me. I know that my heart is sincere, and while I don't understand every last thing I have grasped the gospel, and my feet are going in the right direction. There were about a dozen apostles that also felt this way, so I know there's nothing wrong with it. It's their lack of faith that got them into trouble, not their over abundance of it!

Yet they persisted. In spite of their occasional mistakes. In spite of being beaten, and having one among them lose his head, literally. In spite of being burned, and mocked, and put in prison. Their fellow countrymen, who should have been their most ardent supporters, let them down. But their hearts were strong and they believed in themselves, and the words they delivered.

We don't have to be geniuses, but we should he persistent, confident, and willing to learn. The goal can be very elusive, but we can grab hold of it in the end. What else possibly matters? The-the-the-the-that's all, folks!

Randy