Ecclesiastes 12:10

  The very nature of social media is about telling others about yourself.  You tell your likes, display your favorites, show where you have been and what you have been doing.  We talk of our children and grandchildren, post our vacation photos, and chart our accomplishment in the office or at the gym.  We exhibit the photos of our new ride, tell how our blog had a record number of hits or share our opinions on the latest matter.   We do that in part because we are “friends” and those bonds want to reach out to each other.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).  It can be fun and fulfilling way to share with others and share in their lives as well.   But can I give a bit of warning?   In those endeavors, it can be very easy to slip into the mentality of pride and boasting.  We think of ourselves a little higher than we ought.  We like to show off our accomplishments, our as...

How's that for a shocking title!  Well before you think I’ve lost, it let’s consider a verse ; I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,  so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 1st Corinthians 1:14-15     Why in the world would Paul be thanking God for not baptizing people?  Baptism clearly is very important in the Scriptures (Acts 2:38, 1 st Peter 3:21, Mark 16:16). Jesus commanded it, the apostles taught it and the text is replete with examples of it.  So what he doing?   Paul here isn’t talking about the person needing to be baptized but the person doing the baptism.  Baptism requires a person to be baptized and a person doing the baptism.  Here Paul is making a point that it doesn’t require a special person to do the baptizing.   This might be a shocking statement to us but it shouldn’t.   Jesus taught about baptism but he didn’t do the baptizing himself (Joh...

  I’ll admit I have a skill that may be more trouble than it is worth.  Since I have a pretty good ear for voices, I can often pick up certain speech patterns.  That pattern will be the basis of a way to mimic them.  So then I can do a decent impersonation of a lot of people.  However, it usually isn’t as fun for them as it is for everyone else.   I learned a long time ago that impersonations are not about duplication but reduction.  If you can reduce a person's speech to an easy to mimic phrase or peculiarity, you can pull off a passable impression even if you don’t sound all that much like the person.  Simplify a person to their most basic peculiarity and they are easy to mock.   You see this in our world today.  We like to reduce people down to their most basic trait.  He’s crazy.  She’s is dumb blonde.  They are just selfish kids.  He’s so ambitious.  She is just u...

  I can’t believe these politicians, why can't we get someone of character!  I don’t feel good, I think it is stuff they put in food nowadays!  My company let me go because of this terrible economy.  Little David failed his test; those teachers must not be doing their job.    Now it may be just that. Or it may be that have a diet consisting of nothing but Twinkies and soda, spend more time surfing the web than actual doing our job, never once have checked if little David is doing his homework and constant vote for candidates that benefit ourselves rather than ones that show integrity.   Could we consider for just a moment that we might have some responsibility for our fate?   Human beings have a bad habit of finding everyone at fault for a given situation other than themselves.  We can see others specks so much better than our planks.  But consider what the scripture says: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for wha...

    OK, here I go….     I think essential oils sound like a lot of hokum.  I enjoy it when the St. Louis Cardinals get beat.  I stand by my statement that Led Zeppelin is overrated.  I never understood why people waste so much money on their pets.  I think professional wrestling is a lame male equivalent of a soap opera.  I wish we had a better national anthem.  In my opinion, Pepsi Cola is taste abomination.  I’m not for gun control but I am really glad some people can’t have them.  I’m convinced paying anything more than a quarter for a cup of coffee is ludicrous.  I don’t believe Macs are better, in fact I think they are inferior computers.     Do you hate me yet?   All these things are just MY opinion.  I could be wrong.  I may be right.  Or maybe there isn’t a right or wrong in them.  They might just be opinions.   I know however there are some reading this rig...