A personal resolution history - and a rant!

Resolutions, like the good, die young. --Fulton John Sheen (1895-1979) _Thinking Life Through_ [1955] 
 I, OTH have until recently a poor record of keeping resolutions. It is called sin.
   Jonathan Edwards seemed to be in the habit of regular resolutions and keeping them, 
   But last year I kept a couple of resolutions. The first was the new year one to but the Lord first in the day, to start the day with my Bible not the computer. By the grace of God I have kept this and it is now an easy habit.
   Later in the year we had some adult Sunday School classes on the fourth commandment. We heard that it was to be kept but according to the law of Christ, not the way of Pharisees with nit picking rules. I was challenged to do more. My way so far had been not to refuse sport on TV on Sunday. I would not stay from church to watch nor would I pay to attend a match on Sunday. The exception to the last was on holiday I would go to church early then watch professional cricket.  There I draw my lines. Others draw them differently. When a student I would study diligently six days a week but never on Sundays. I told my children this. AFAIK they paid little attention.
   But last year's sabbath resolution was to have a Sunday fast from the computer. I was not Pharisaical in observance but had some success. Sunday emails were few. Sunday Facebook was reduced but not unknown. Sunday with the MacBook was reduced but not so much. So all in all I was reasonably observant but will try harder this year. In place of the computer I resolved to red Christian books on Sunday and if I did do some computing I did stay away from secular books. Just as my father had no Sunday TV and only Cristian hymns etc on the radio for Sunday, I kept to Christian books on Sunday for the rest of the year and will DV keep it up. That is my sabbath line drawing. Yours will differ.
   Current resolutions I have two. I am realistic. Neither will be kept to the letter. First less time in cyberspace and more in reality. Less computer and more books. That is real books. I am not so keen on ebooks but see their advantage if travelling. I also see another ebook advantage. I have given away literally hundreds of books to cut down on library space. Books kept now are treasured reads, reference works or the great unread, the latter being the bulk. many of the given away were unread too. The follies of eyes more covetous than one's reading capacity, more money than sensible purchasing.So this resolution will be more to direct behaviour than to strictly delineate.
   The second is needed. To be better tempered at home. Like many people I have a halo by the door to put on when I dog out and a pair of horns to put on when I come back home. Twas ever thus. We all find public temper more controllable than private. (If you deny this generalisation please tell me your secret. Perhaps you have attained sinless perfection in the sphere of temper?) Well I am told I have become a grumpy old man. I do not deny it. In one area I defend it. POLITICS. I put no trust in princes, even less than I did if ever I had any hope in politicians or political solutions. The root of the world's problems is not politics but sin so the big solution is never political. Politics is the art of the possible and a choice between the lesser of evils. I read recently that the difference between youth and old age is this. The young man is dissatisfied with the world and wants to change it. The old man is dissatisfied with the world but knows he cannot change it. That to me is politics. I have in the past year and a half seen an increasingly divided UK. I blame the EU and Labour for devolution and Cameron for Brexit. The worst Tory PM since Heath thought he could solve problems with an EU referendum. Heath thought the electorate would back him against the miners. Wrong call. Cameron thought Joe Public would vote for an EU status quo. Wrong call. I have blogged earlier as to why I am Brexit and have been since before it was thought of in 1969. I, unlike May, am not for turning. Cameron was a folio call his referendum. May then made a wrong call for a general election. I cheered when Cameron lost his referendum and cheered even louder when the man who does not know what marriage means resigned (Unlike Boris his personal sexual mores are not under scrutiny only his legislation here). But we are left with a country so divided some want to follow a party leader who has defied the whips over 500 times AFAIK. He is a pleasant public speaker. He comes across very well. Lovable Jeremy. Bit like Benn before him, he is but PR froth. Worse than that. Froth has no substance. He is a principled socialist which is much worse than froth IMO. But please don't think I am a Tory. I was a Conservative councillor in local elected government 1990 to 1998 but since St. Margaret of blessed memory we have had no conservatives as Conservative PM or leader. No clear blue water so we wallow in a murky centre ground paddling pool and instead of the desired consensus we are divided as never before. A liberal secular establishment can have no political answers especially when it is ignorant of the true nature of the devil's masterpiece, the so misnamed 'religion of peace'.
   I am afraid I have wandered deep into political bypath meadow. Truly I resolve to be better tempered in the home. Friends outside, if I still have any, will have to learn I am passionate, opinionated but totally lacking , I trust, in personal animosity to all the people I know.
   I pray for a blessed New Year.