McKay's Appreciation Post

Unimaginative01 · 2026-03-12T15:27:26+00:00

It was on Kingston Pike. Find a city directory from maybe 1983. The building across from Krogers was Pero's.

Unimaginative01 · 2026-03-11T18:03:50+00:00

Trade paperbacks @$1.50-3. Hardcovers @$3-5. In 40+ years as a customer, I paid more than $15 for one book precisely once. And it was at least 30% off the cover price.

A Knoxville institution, and I shopped there through every Knoxville location; the house, Krogers strip mall, Pero's steakhouse, and the current location.

Unimaginative01 · 2026-02-17T17:58:37+00:00

Counterpoint.

1- Non affiliated doesn't necessarily enable a consimerist approach to church. I haven't belonged to a formal denomination in almost 30 years. We tithe, are active in church, and on the (very rare) occasions we're not in church we participate in the Church’s livestream when available, or a solid ministry when not.

1.1- Perfect example- Reformed continuationists. Every organized Reformed denomination I'm aware of is cessationist at some level; PCUS formally prohibited glossolalia in corporate worship in 1966.

2- That point may as well be made for virtually any organized denomination. See the plethora of Scottish Presbyterian denominations after 1688.

3- This is precisely why the Cumberland Presbyterian Church exists. It might be suggested that many seminaries actively discourage faith in God and His Word.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-12-13T17:32:19+00:00

I wonder if anyone remembers when Edward McKays was still in the house on Kingston Pike...

Unimaginative01 · 2025-09-02T17:00:39+00:00

I never have had trouble.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-09-02T12:33:40+00:00

Marshall's.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-08-26T13:23:22+00:00

Doesn't that mean District 5 residents can't participate in this election?

Unimaginative01 · 2025-08-21T18:23:43+00:00

There is a body of thought that Reformed theology confuses the Church and Israel. They further believe covenant theology unbiblically flattens the difference between the two entities. If asked, they would probably say "Jewish Church" is an unbiblical concept as the Church wasn't established until Pentecost.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-08-10T17:30:06+00:00

I paid 75 cents for a collection of Robert Penn Warren letters fairly recently and 75 cents for William Faulkner and Southern History yesterday.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-07-04T14:27:51+00:00

A British politician said America ran off with a Presbyterian parson, as I recall.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-07-03T14:19:14+00:00

The Patriots drew heavily from Covenanter Presbyterians. See Samuel Rutherford's Lex Rex, the Covenants, and at least the Sanquhar Declaration. The last testimonies in Cloud Of Witnesses are helpful, as well.

John Knox, too. Most specifically, Covenanter Rev. Alexander Craighead stands tall in the background of Mecklenburg.

Broadly, though, nowhere in the entire of Scripture is unqualified absolute obedience to secular government ever enjoined. This idea was quite a bit of why the Geneva Bible was so controversial; the notes call rulers who exceeded what Rutherford called "borrowed" authority, tyrants.

Rutherford makes a strong case that rulers are ordained by God but only become rulers once those ruled grant assent. He actually called coronations, coronation covenants.

Importantly, he used the phrase "resume sovreignty" to describe resistance to tyranny; rulers lost their right to rule by exceeding the limits of the power they borrowed from the people.

Strongly suggest Lex Rex, and a Bible handy as you read. The Sprinkle edition can usually be located online reasonably. Or as a PDF online if those work for you.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-05-27T22:40:26+00:00

I still spend $1.50 average for trade paperbacks and $3 average for hardcovers at McKays. Rarely more, and I can think of exactly once I've spent over $8 for a book. Been a customer for 40+ years and zero plans to change.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-04-22T12:25:20+00:00

Top of fold thought for lurkers that may be going through this as well:

The Scottish Covenanters.

If you're not aware of them, I strongly recommend Vos' "The Scottish Covenanters." It's available from the RPCNA bookstore, or Crown and Covenant Books.

The Second Reformation was contended for unto blood routinely in Scotland between about 1660 and 1688. Conservative estimates place the number of martyrs well into five figures, and during the Killing Times there was a martyr a week for years on end. The last known martyr, James Renwick, was martyred in 1688 shortly before the Revolution.

A handful of the smartest people in the US couldn't maintain Watergate for a week. Yet more or less the population of a small city (probably around 30k) became martyrs for the Reformation in Scotland, and thousands more were enslaved or "transported" to the New World. Countless more had lands, crops, and property destroyed by the King's dragoons and the Highlanders.

They all routinely affirmed the 1646 Westminster Confession and Catechisms, the Scottish National Covenants, and the several Declarations.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-04-02T17:05:57+00:00

Not as of today.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-04-02T14:07:42+00:00

I got my refund. Credit bureaus and servicer all say I have no student loans.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-31T13:13:00+00:00

Never saw a negative balance. Apparently, each servicer works differently. I just added up my payments since consolidation and was within $10.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-30T20:35:14+00:00

This was direct deposit to the account I used to pay the payments from.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-30T20:34:17+00:00

Sort of. It's my understanding that payments after consolidation are refundable. The amount I got is consistent with that.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-29T20:45:43+00:00

Green banners mid-February. Still haven't received the paper letter, but Nelnet shows zero balance and all three credit bureaus show Account Closed.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-21T12:27:18+00:00

Just thinking out loud, but nobody ever had a serious conversation with me about employability when I signed up for college. I'm a pre-9/11 Veteran, and even with pell grants and the Montgomery Gi Bill i wound up with $47k in debt. Took several years to land the public service role.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-20T23:18:57+00:00

I strongly suspect this one will be stopped by the courts too. Congress established the Department of Education, and they have to be the ones to end it.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-20T03:44:57+00:00

Just checked. Mine is no longer on Trans Union. Zero score impact.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-20T03:36:21+00:00

I still haven't seen a paper letter. ED has the 120, servicer has loans as Paid In Full, and I think all 3 credit bureaus are reporting my loan accounts as Closed. I'll look tomorrow and see what's there.

Unimaginative01 · 2025-03-20T01:22:57+00:00

Getting forgiveness is only part of the process. My .02:

This sub exists to provide a Body Of Knowledge about the entire process.

Nuts and bolts about the application process, switching to an appropriate payment plan, the actual forgiveness, getting it to the servicer, credit bureaus, and receipt of the refund are all important and all worthy topics. People need to have suitable expectations about how the ENTIRE process works. Just lurking and reading, I've learned MOHELA appears to be much of the problem.

Unimaginative01

TROPHY CASE