Posts By Dteb
“Happy If and When?”
“This is the day that the LORD has made.
We will be glad and rejoice in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
Happinessisnowhere.
The story is told of a businessman who was driving between cities on a business call out in Arizona. He had car trouble. The engine was running really rough. However, he was able to cripple into a little town that had one garage. As the mechanic was trying to diagnose and cure his car’s illness, the businessman fell into a conversation with a thirty-something-looking Native American who was sitting whitling under the only shade tree in the area.
The businessman was a pretty keen judge of human beings. He very quickly realized that the Indian was very, very smart. Yet, there he sat in very old and disheveled clothes whittling on a piece of wood.
“You know,” said the businessman, “You strike me as a very intelligent and well-spoken man.”
The Indian nodded his thanks for the kind words.
The businessman continued, “I think you could really go places.”
The Indian smiled and said, “Oh?” in a way that invited a fuller explanation.
And now, the high-powered businessman began to get excited and wax eloquent. “You could go to work for me. I could start you off at a pretty good rate. I think you would move up the ladder in no time at all.”
“Yes, and then what?” replied the Indian.
The businessman was a bit puzzled. He hadn’t really thought very much about what happened after you had climbed the ladder. He was too busy climbing the ladder to think of much else. He paused, and a thoughtful frown furrowed his head. “Well, you would make a lot of money. You’d have a lot of nice stuff and invest some of your money in stocks and bonds and have a nice retirement.”
“And then?” the Indian asked.
The businessman looked out across the desert that stretched way beyond the lone shade tree. He felt more than a little lost in the conversation. He was in very uncharted territory.
“Well,” he finally said, “Then you could retire comfortably and be happy.”
At this point, the Indian broke into a broad smile and said, “But I’m happy right now, whittling and talking with you.”
I have no idea about the factuality of this story, but I have no doubt at all about the truth of it. And the truth of it is this: Happiness is here and now, or it is nowhere at all. Perhaps the verse that led off this post is part of a psalm that was written for a special festival day. But in reality, it works for any day.
The line that follows the verse from Psalm 118 contains the following jumble of letters: Happinessisnowhere. Obviously, this is a misprint. Actually, it is an intentional misprint. It can be read in two very different ways.
Happiness is nowhere.
Happiness is now here.
You choose!
“Jesus and the Forgiven Woman Who Made a Scene”
“A Sinful Woman Forgiven
Luke 7:36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
Luke 7:41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (English Standard Version)
During Jesus’ time—as well as both before and after Jesus’ time—banquets were often occasions for moral instruction. There is most certainly moral instruction in this story about a Pharisee who invited Jesus to dinner and a sinful woman who invited herself! Yes. Moral instruction and then some.
But first, some background information might be helpful. In those days, people reclined on benches around low tables to eat. Thus, one diner’s feet were near neighbors to someone else’s olfactory organs. Streets were not paved or kept clean during ancient times. Thus, washing a guests feet before they reclined to eat was very important. However, Jesus’ host had not seen to this important detail.
Another interesting factoid to consider is this: Even uninvited guests could come and stand around the courtyard wall to listen to a teacher’s instruction. They were supposed to be quiet and not make a scene.
Now I can’t prove what I am about to say, but here are some thoughts that may be more imaginative than convincing. They are reasonable suspicions, nothing more. I will phrase them mostly using a question format.
Had the woman had contact with Jesus before this? Had she poured out her sinful lifestyle to him? Had Jesus already assured her that God still loved and accepted her? Or had she just heard that Jesus was a friend to sinners. (He certainly had that reputation.)
Did she notice that Jesus’ feet were dirty and decide to do something about that? Did she mean to start crying, or did her tears blindside her? Did she undo her hair and use it as towel because she simply didn’t have a towel with her? Did she bring the perfume with her for the express purpose of anointing Jesus’ feet, or was that a spontaneous response to the One she loved?
There is so much we don’t know about this woman and her action. We do know this much: Jesus treated her with kindness, respect, and appreciation. Indeed, Jesus pronounced her forgiven. I suspect that Jesus longs to treat us all in the same manner.
“QUESTIONING OUR ANSWERS”
“Luke 20:3 He [Jesus] answered them, “I also will ask you a question.” (English Standard Version)
We all would like to have our questions answered. However, as I get older, I tend to question my answers a lot more often than I used to. You probably have questions about the preceding sentence. Let me anticipate your questions by giving you some non-answers.
I am teaching an online biblical studies course right now on how to interpret the Bible. The technical term for the art of interpretation is ‘hermeneutics’. One of the brilliant things that this biblical hermeneutics course does is that it asks students to ask questions of the passage from the Bible that they have chosen to study and explain. They are not initially to make statements.
No, I did not craft the course, so I can’t take credit for this approach. And I admit that at first, I was a bit skeptical about encouraging students’ questions. You might say that I had some questions about this approach. However, I’ve come around. Why? I finally realized that, when you make statements, you think you already know the answers. When you ask questions, you show that you are still learning.
And the problem is not simply that if you make a statement about the Bible. you may be wrong. Of course, that is possible, and questions might help you to avoid such a pitfall. But the usefulness of questions cuts even deeper than that. A good question helps us to understand more deeply, even when we are fundamentally correct.
This is a broader principle even than biblical hermeneutics. If I am talking to my wife or a friend or a stranger, and I ask one or more good questions, I stand a very good chance of coming to understand and love my wife or a friend or a stranger better. Furthermore, I am honoring them with my questions.
Of course it is possible to ask the wrong questions of the Bible, or my wife, or anyone. It is also possible to ask too many questions or to ask the right question at the wrong time. Like all good things, questions can be abused and abusive. But that doesn’t negate the fact that many questions are fundamentally good things.
It is often said that Jesus is the answer. That is, I think, profoundly true in some ways. On the other hand, as someone has said, “Jesus is the also the question to all our answers.” This is an equally profound truth.
A quick google search suggests that Jesus asked 307 questions, according to the four writers of the Gospels. Jesus was asked 183 questions. He only answered 3 of these 183 questions directly. I’m not sure how accurate this is, but even if it is close to right, it shows how much Jesus valued questions.
Those of us who say we follow Jesus might want to ask ourselves some serious questions about how much we value questions. If Jesus was such a questioner, and if we claim to follow him, perhaps we need to be a lot more inquisitive and considerably less impressed with our answers.
“Invitations, Not Commands”
I have a confession. As you may well have noticed, almost all my posts are stolen from other people. I usually give the giver credit. Sometimes I forget the source. As someone has said, “Originality just means that you’ve forgotten your source.” (See what I did there? As someone has said, . . .!) Today’s post is based on an early-morning phone conversation with my friend Jack.
He was telling me that in a prayer group, they were telling one another stories about a wonderful friend who was their priest. He had just died, and they were remembering what a good impact he had on each of them. As they shared, Jack realized that this priest and everyone else who had had a good influence on him had one thing in common: “The people who are the solutions, the people who have helped me to grow, are people who have given me invitations, not commands.” That was a wonderful insight that Jack gave me. That Jack included me in this group who give invitations rather than commands was also quite wonderful.
But my mind is prone to wander—as well as to wonder—and my mind turned in the direction of Jesus. This is not a bad form of wander or wonder, in my opinion.
Certainly, Jesus gave commands. At least, they were in the imperative in the original Greek of the New Testament. That is to say, they were in the imperative grammatically. But I wonder if it might be more helpful, and even more accurate, to think of Jesus’ “commands” as invitations.
“Come follow me!” Jesus said to many. Invitation or command? Perhaps both, but I suspect that the disciples thought of it more as an invitation. Were there hard things in following Jesus? Absolutely! There still are hard things about following Jesus. Most invitations involve some difficulties. The more important the invitation, the greater the difficulties.
But the bottom line for me is this: Who is better to follow than Jesus is? And my answer, when I am thinking straight, is pretty straightforward: No one!
My wife is a fantastic cook. When she calls me to come and eat, it is a command in form, but in content and in spirit, it is an invitation to experience joy and to be nourished. So it is with Jesus. So, in some measure, it is with certain friends as well. But I believe that Jesus is the Great Inviter.
Thank you, Jack! I love you too!
“A Long Slow Series of Clicks”
“Follow me!” (Jesus)
“I believe in you, Jesus.” (Me)
“Good! Now follow me!” (Jesus)
A friend of mine has gotten super-serious about recovering from addiction. He used to feel that he was “terminally unique.” God loved everyone else in the universe, except for him. He felt like a mistake.
And then, my friend wrote something in his email report that I will never forget, something that will haunt and prod and help me to my dying day. “Thankfully by some grace of some power bigger than myself that I don’t understand, something clicked eventually, and it’s been a long slow series of clicks since then.”
Something clicked. Yes! But there are also those long, slow subsequent clicks. Recovery from addiction, learning Spanish (or anything else), the quest for wisdom, dieting—any good thing you can name—involve something clicking. But more importantly, all good things involve a number of slow clicks.
I once read something to the effect that, for too many people, “the Christian faith is often a sudden spasm followed by a long lethargy.” (Or was it “. . . followed by a long paralysis”?) That is not really the Christian faith, but a pale imitation of it. It is sometimes called “easy believe-ism”, but I prefer to call it just plain false.
Jesus did not speak simply of believing in him. He also spoke of following him. It was one of the main ways in which Jesus spoke of the life to which he was calling his disciples, then and now. With only one exception, Jesus’ call to be his disciple/s is in the present tense in Greek. The present tense connotes ongoing, repetitive, life-style actions. A good question for disciples of Christ to ask every day and many times during the day is this: Am I following Jesus right now?
May we all keep clicking along in our followership today!
“Redeemed”
“Is. 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
Is. 44:23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;
shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
and will be glorified in Israel.” (Isaiah 44:21-23, English Standard Version)
At our worship service yesterday, the praise team sang a song that always goes for my heart and tear ducts: “Redeemed”. (The song was written by Mike Weaver and Benji Cowart and performed originally by Big Daddy Weave.) Here are the lyrics:
“Redeemed”
“Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son
Stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I’m redeemed
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”
I remember, oh God, You’re not done with me yet
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I’m not who I used to be
Because I don’t have to be the old man inside of me
‘Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I’ve got a new name, a new life, I’m not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, ’cause I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, yeah, I’m not who I used to be
Oh, God, I’m not who I used to be
Jesus, oh I’m not who I used to be
‘Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed
Thank God, redeemed”
I do believe that God has bought me back and brought me back from the evils I had been enslaved to in the past. I am indeed not the man I used to be. And that is very good news!
However, I often feel the weight of the chains. Sometimes I think that I willingly feel their weight. Why? I don’t know, but I have some suspicions.
Suspicion # 1: I am afraid that, if I don’t hang onto some of my chains, I might get overly confident. As one of our twelve-step sayings goes, “You can always go back for some more pain.” I think that I might go back if I forget how painful “back” really is to me and to others.
Suspcion #2: I might be just wanting to get attention and sympathy. Ouch! I have to write things down sometimes to see how sick they actually sound—and also, how true they sound.
However, no matter what the reason is that I hang on to my sordid past, God calls me to walk through this day in a way that honors God, is helpful to others, and in a way that I can enjoy. That means traveling light. So, just for today, I am indeed shaking off these heavy chains ’cause I’m not who I used to be. I am redeemed!
DTEB, “Delight in Doing What God Wants”
“Psa. 40:0 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
Psa. 40:1 I uwaited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and vheard my cry.
2 He drew me up from wthe pit of destruction,
out of xthe miry bog,
and yset my feet upon a rock,
zmaking my steps secure.
3 He put aa new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will bsee and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
Psa. 40:4 Blessed is the man who cmakes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who dgo astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your ewondrous deeds and your fthoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are gmore than can be told.
Psa. 40:6 hIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open iear.1
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written jof me:
8 kI delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is lwithin my heart.”
Psa. 40:9 I have told the glad news of deliverance2
in mthe great congregation;
behold, I have not nrestrained my lips,
oas you know, O LORD.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
Psa. 40:11 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your psteadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have qencompassed me
beyond number;
my riniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot ssee;
they are tmore than the hairs of my head;
my heart ufails me.
Psa. 40:13 vBe pleased, O LORD, to wdeliver me!
O LORD, xmake haste to help me!
14 yLet those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be zturned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who asay to me, “Aha, Aha!”
Psa. 40:16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
bsay continually, “Great is the LORD!”
17 As for me, I am cpoor and needy,
but dthe Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!” (Psalm 40, English Standard Version)
I read the following as part of my 12-step readings for today:
“And in the willing of God’s will there should be gladness. You should delight to do that will because when you do, all your life goes right and everything tends to work well for you in the long run. When you are honestly trying to do God’s will and humbly accepting the results, nothing can seriously hurt you. Those who accept the will of God in their life may not inherit the earth, but they will inherit real peace of mind.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may have a yielded will. I pray that my will may be attuned to the will of God.” (From Twenty-Four Hours a Day © 1975 by Hazelden Foundation.)
To delight in doing the will of God—what a concept! I’m afraid a lot of us, even mature believers who ought to know better, tend to think of God’s will as a stern thing. God’s will can certainly feel that way at times.
And yet, I have noticed that, when I do what I know or suspect to be God’s will, things do indeed go better for me. It as if God loves me better and knows me better than I love and know myself. I’ve often tried following my own will. I still do a good bit of the time. It never seems to end well.
Maybe I should remove the “as if” qualifier from my previous sentence about God’s love for and knowledge of me. Maybe I should also remove the word “maybe” from my preceding sentence.
“Estimable Acts”
Sometimes, in twelve-step meetings, we talk about the importance of self-esteem. I had a sponsor some years ago who encouraged me to do estimable acts. I didn’t think that I could do any highly estimable acts, but he was too smart and quick for me. As soon as I blurted out my low opinion of my abilities to do high and heroic stuff, he said, “Well then,” he said, “do some lowly estimable acts.”
The word “estimable” has two meanings: “capable of being estimated” and “worthy of esteem”. I estimate that the second meaning is the richer of the two.
So, I decided to do some estimable acts today. Here is a partial list:
Esteemable Acts
- Did 12-step report.
- Recorded audio from 12-step book and sent it out to a few friends.
- Graded several assignments for my class.
- Did several Spanish lessons.
- Printed off a journal article that one of my students is using for his paper. It promises to be worth reading.
- Fed the dog.
- Fed myself some good, nutritious food.
- Walked and ran two miles.
- Laylah went with me.
- Played with the toy fox with Laylah.
- Did stretches and weights.
- Went to a virtual 12-step. meeting.
- Replied to a friend’s email report.
- Read some Scripture.
- Read a bit of Cohick’s good commentary on Ephesians.
- Made my bed.
- Made Sharon’s bed.
- Cleaned up the dog’s poop.
- Gave the dog a treat for pooping.
- Shaved.
- Mowed the yard.
- Planted an apple core in the backyard. (I doubt it will prosper, but who knows?)
- Hosed off the lower deck.
- Did dishes.
- Took a shower.
- Texted with a 12-step friend.
- Dusted a bit upstairs.
- Took a call from a friend. (I promised him I would post a blog post today. By golly, here it is!)
Yes, I know: these are very simple mundane things. Fair enough! But perhaps most of the estimable things in the world are simple mundane things. Maybe these simple things are what makes the world a livable place.
What teeny tiny estimable acts are you doing these days? To have healthy self-esteem, there is no substitute for doing estimable acts.
. . . The End (or maybe not!)
After writing the first draft of this, I couldn’t post it immediately because my website was being uncooperative. So, I sent it as an attachment to the good friend whose phone conversation gave me the nudge I needed to write and post. He wrote to thank me and used the word “esteemable” instead of “estimable”. I am not the best speller in the world, so I thought to myself, “Huh! Apparently the word can be spelled either way.”
So, I did what most of us do these days, for better and for worse: I googled the words. At the website https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/esteemable-vs-estimable, I discovered that, at least according to one fellow word nerd, there are two separate words with related but different meanings. Here is what this site says:
“Esteemable is an adjective that describes something or someone who is worthy of respect or admiration. It can also refer to something that is considered valuable or important. For example, a person who consistently demonstrates honesty, integrity, and kindness can be described as esteemable. Similarly, an accomplishment that required significant effort and skill can be considered esteemable.”
. . .
“Estimable is also an adjective that describes something or someone who is deserving of respect or admiration. However, it specifically refers to a quality or characteristic that is worthy of esteem or high regard. For instance, a person who possesses estimable qualities such as intelligence, creativity, and leadership skills is highly regarded and respected by others. Similarly, an action or achievement that demonstrates exceptional skill or talent can be considered estimable.”
So, in light of all this, I would say that my friend used the right word for the deeds I did which are esteemable.
I thought about changing the title and replacing all the estimables, but decided not to do so. Why? The reason is that I suspect that people who have estimable characteristics and character also do esteemable actions. And the converse is also true, I think. People who do esteemable actions are or become estimable. I am trying to become one of those becomers!
“On Aging Well”
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith “‘A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!’”
(Robert Browning, “Rabbi Ben Ezra”)
I am not aging well, and it’s my own fault. As someone has said, “Aging is inevitable. Getting old is optional.” I am definitely getting old.
Why am I getting old, rather than aging well? There are at least two reasons, I suspect.
For one thing, I am resisting the natural process of aging. “What you resist persists,” we say in 12-step work. However, when I resist natural processes like aging, the frustration with the process doesn’t simply persist. It grows. Furthermore, since I believe that it is God who ordained the process of aging (at least since the Garden of Eden), when I resist aging, I am resisting God. Resisting God can be done, I believe, but it takes a lot of energy and does not serve me well.
Second, in addition to wearing myself out resisting God and the process of aging, I am not taking care of my mind, soul, spirit, and body as I should. I am not eating wisely, not exercising regularly, not sleeping well, not reading the Sacred Scriptures enough, not reading other good things enough, not listening to really good music, not laughing enough, not praying, not meditating, not serving and being kind to others enough. I am playing way too much online chess, reading way too much bad news, not getting enough fresh air and time in nature. I am not present enough with Sharon and Laylah and friends. I am not present enough with God.
But it seems to me that this confession is the beginning of a new leg of my renewal and my recovery of my better self. No problem can ever be solved that has not been fully faced. Within this confession—even within the rather negative bits of it—are the seeds of some very positive changes that I can make on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis.
Today, I begin the process of learning to age more gracefully.
“Broad and Aspirational, or Specific and Perspirational?”
“I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.” (Charles Dickens, https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/diligence-quotes)
For several years now, I have been doing daily affirmations to begin my day. Here was yesterday’s affirmation:
“Today, with God’s help and the help of a lot of good people, I am putting one foot in front of the other in the direction of the man that I think God wants me to be.”
However, in today’s report, I wrote, “I didn’t do super well with this one, I think. Perhaps it was a bit too broad and aspirational, rather than specific and perspirational.”
It’s good to have broad and healthy aspirations for ourselves, but when it comes right down to it, it comes right down to doing the right thing right now. The specific word, attitude, and/or action for the eternal NOW is where it’s going on.
And, of course, this involves perspiration. My spell checker doesn’t seem to think that “perspirational” is a word. However, I am adding it in my living vocabulary for today. Therefore, here is my perspirational affirmation for today:
Today, I will:
- finish this report and send it,
- work out physically,
- grade the rest of the assignments that have been turned in by students,
- act in a loving and helpful way toward my wife,
- write and post on my website, and
- study Spanish.
Not very inspirational, perhaps, but the perspiration is definitely there!
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Witnessing Versus Being Witnesses” September 19, 2024“Acts 1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, Acts 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:3 He presented himself alive to them after […]
- “A Bathroom Prayer for Hurting Hands” September 11, 2024A week ago Sunday, my hands were hurting so badly at church that I went to the bathroom to run hot water over my hands. Arthritis perhaps, or carpal tunnel, or general orneriness—I don’t know why my hands hurt, but they do. They have for years. So, while I was running hot water over my […]
- “Waiting and Seeking” September 10, 2024“Lam. 3:19 ¶ Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! Lam. 3:20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. Lam. 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Lam. 3:22 ¶ The steadfast love of the LORD […]
- “A Pastor or a Teacher?” September 8, 2024I went to the Asbury University President’s Brunch yesterday morning with Sharon. It was billed as a non-fundraiser. I have learned to be skeptical of such claims. However, it really wasn’t a fundraiser! It was a wonderful time. The university paid for everything, including valet parking. It was good to meet new people, all of […]
- “Even When We Mess Up” September 8, 2024One of my students in the Luke-Acts course I’m teaching right now online made a very perceptive comment in a post to another student’s work. She and the other student, Mackenzie, agreed on an excellent point: God can even use our mess-ups for his purposes and glory. Here is Victoria’s comment: “Mackenzie, your perspective on […]
- “On Playing Chimes and Being Jesus” September 6, 2024“John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (English Standard Version) One of my students did […]
- “A Confrontation in a Kroger Parking Lot” September 4, 2024My wife was waiting for a lady to pull out from a parking spot in a Kroger parking lot. She had waited for quite a while, but when the lady finally pulled out, another “lady” who had just come around the corner from the other direction whipped into the parking space. My wife is not […]
- “The Crushing Debt I Owe to God” September 3, 2024“A Sinful Woman Forgiven Luke 7:36 ¶ One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Luke 7:37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought […]
- “Only Two Kinds of People?” September 1, 2024“Psa. 5:1 ¶ Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Psa. 5:2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. Psa. 5:3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning […]
- “On Being a Good Ad” September 1, 2024I was buying candy corn for a friend at Ollie’s the other day when I eavesdropped on an interesting conversation. The lady behind me said to the cashier, “This is a really good store with good prices, but I didn’t even know it was here. You should advertise more!” The young cashier replied, “If we […]
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