Ecclesiastes 12:10

   There are some bad ways to go, but one of the worst ways in all of history happened in 1184 in Erfurt, Germany.  King Henry VI called a meeting of church officials and nobility to deal with a land dispute.  During the meeting, the room on the upper floor they were in collapsed under the weight. The fall killed several, but the rest drowned. That’s because the floor collapsed into the latrine below the structure.  Over 60 people drowned in the cesspool of human waste.   But that might just be the way we are going now.   Not literally, but it does seem that the world is drowning in its own filth. Sexual immorality and perversion infest our entertainment. Hate, nastiness, and malice fill the airwaves. Slander, lies, and cursing are in the public domain.  It seems we have fallen from a higher place into the mire.   There is a better way. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility rece...

    Years ago, I got into a discussion with a young man who was convinced the Bible did not prohibit homosexuality. He reasoned that that in passages such as Leviticus18:22 that describe the practice as an “abomination,” the Hebrew word “toebah,” which we know transliterate as taboo, is something only found wrong because it violates cultural norms. In other words, it was only said as wrong because it went against what was wrong for them. Since we no longer think that way, it’s not condemned.   There is a lot of wrong thinking there. First, we can’t take a modern use and apply it to what was said back then. Second, if we hold to that, we must apply it every time it is used. And the term is used for activities that God is always clearly against, i.e., idolatry and child sacrifice. Third, the Bible condemns the practice with various other terms and descriptions.   Yet maybe the biggest flaw in that thinking is that if we become ok with something, then God does. Ma...

  Benjamin Franklin loved to experiment.  Either with kite strings and electricity or adapting his eyeglasses so he could use them to see both near and far, Franklin love to figure out new things and improve on old ways.     One of the discoveries Franklin made was that plaster could be used as an effective fertilizer.  His neighbors weren’t buying into his claims, however.  To convince them, he went to a well-traveled path by a field that was about to be seeded.  He scratched letters into the ground and sprinkled plaster in them.   After a few weeks, the grain began to grow, and some of the grains were noticeably greener and taller than the rest.  The grains formed a message “THIS HAS BEEN PLASTERED”.    Franklin didn’t have to argue with his neighbors anymore; the proof was there in bright green living color.   There are people we try to convince of the benefits of faith in Christ Jesus that just don...

   In the late 1930’s as Europe moved closer to war, The United States was desperately attempting to remain neutral.  Between 1936 and 1937, Congress passed the Neutrality Acts measure design to keep America out of the upcoming forgiven wars.  These acts set restrictions such as, keeping Americans from sailing on ships flying the flag of a belligerent nation or trading arms with warring nations.  Such activities had played a role in American entrance into World War I, and the nation didn't want to be brought into another war.    As the Second World War broke out not only in Europe but in China and Japan, American still wanted to remain out of the war.  They began to involve themselves more with passing of the Lend Lease Act of 1941, which allowed the United States to sell and lend weapons to the Allied efforts. The President warned Americans, “… the Axis not merely admits but proclaims that there can be no ultimate peace between their philos...

    Maybe you think Mark Twain said it best: “ Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself ." - Mark Twain    It’s not hard to think less of our elected officials.  Whether we look to Washington, the State Capital or City Hall, it can be easy to find fault.  And with our form of government, we have the responsibility to involve ourselves in the political process.  So we have to choose candidates, voice our opinions and publicly discuss the issues.  However, it seems as of late the process has become a little more animated maybe than it ought to be.  While it is important to be good citizen of our country, we must also remember that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).  And the Bible has something to say about how we speak about our government officials: Proverbs 24:21   My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise , Ti...

    A web comic called Basic Instructions by Scott Myer once had a comic that talked about dealing with the all too familiar phenomena of what to call the romantically involved couple that lives together but is unmarried.  The title of the comic was “ How To Refer To Someone’s Not Spouse ”.  While I wouldn’t agree with everything in that comic, the term Not Spouse (Not Husband or Not Wife) is one that I think is probably right.  They may live like they are married but they are not.      This “act married but not” state is becoming all too familiar within modern culture.  It is no longer considered wrong or taboo.  The concept of “married relationship” with someone you are not married to is accepted and even encouraged. If someone wants to have a married relationship outside of marriage, why should anyone else care?    The Bible clearly doesn’t think that this practice is acceptable.  Hebrews 13:4 says...

Crazy hypothetical: D ō mo arigat ō , Mr. Roboto * You have been offered an opportunity to have your body replaced with a sophisticated android.  You will look and sound the exact same [1] but your body will be able to do amazing things.  It will be much faster, stronger, and more durable.  It would in essence make you the most physically gifted person in any field.  It will not wear out or get weaker.  The only down side is you would lose most sensory feeling.  You could no longer smell or taste anything.  While you would still see and hear, your sense of touch would be limited to the most basic like wearing a very thick glove over your entire body.  So a hug or handshake would have no warmth to it.  You would never feel hot or cold or a breeze across your skin.  You would never feel tired, or hungry but also never satisfied or well rested.  All bad or good sensations would cease. You would be the exact same all the tim...

     In the sixties and seventies we saw the rise in the feminist movement (also known as the Women's Liberation, or Women's Lib).  This movement was an effort to increase the social standing of women in our society.  Girls were encouraged to throw off the traditional gender roles.  Feminists campaigned against cultural and political inequalities. Issues of equal pay, gender discrimination, sexual liberation and abortion all became “women’s” issues.  A concerted effort was made by groups to redefine the role of women.  Young girls were encouraged to do more and be more. Professions that were once just for men were now being open to women.        In those efforts, the teachings of the Bible came under fire.  How could you follow a book that taught “submit to your husband” (Titus 3:5, 1 st Peter 3:5) and that kept women from serving in leadership roles (1 st Timothy 2:12)?   We were told those Biblic...

Monday Morning scatter shooting  while wondering;   If they say 1/3 of all workplace accidents go unreported. How do they know?    I once had a elder describe a person as a Biblical since he “ appears for a little while and then vanishes away”( James 4:14). Some verses are easy to apply to people. I would like to think that someone might apply Acts 18:24 to me, (an eloquent man … mighty in the Scriptures). But my guess is it probably is one of these; Top Ten verses you don’t want applied to you as a preacher           1.  2nd Corinthians 10:10   For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible ."           2.  Jeremiah 1:6  Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak,            3. Job 19:17   "My breath is offensive to my w...

Monday morning scatter shooting    while wondering whose cruel idea it was to put but an S in the word LISP.     I was working on a lesson about John the Baptist last week when I noticed a practical lesson.  In Matthew 11, John sends his disciple to Jesus because he having his doubt if Jesus is really the Christ.  Jesus answers John’s doubt by citing his miracles and ministry and encourages him to not to stumble.  Then right after that he does something we might not expect.  He tells the crowds about how great John is.  He praises him about as highly as you can praise someone.  I thought about how I might have reacted.  Someone comes to me and questions my work, I’d defend myself but I don’t know if I would be so quick to build that person up to others.  Jesus knows better.  People that are having questions of faith are the ones that need to be built up.  A word of praise can be a great encouragement t...

Monday morning scatter shooting, while wondering why they call something 'new and improved!’ Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it.  If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, it couldn't be new.   I don’t like negative compliments.  Negative compliment are like the person that tells you “have you lost weight because you don’t look as fat as you used to” but usually the negative is directed at someone else.  The person that says “the other deacons don’t do half as much as you do” or “That was a great sermon on sin, some people here really needed to hear it!”  It seems on the surface to be praise to you but it really is way to hide complaint and criticism.  (A friend that does gospel meetings tells me he cringes every time someone comes up to him while the local preacher is right next to him and says “We haven’t heard preaching like that in a long time”.)  Don’t get suckered in whe...