The word “hood” has come to be identified largely as shorthand for “neighborhood.” It’s yet another example of African-American culture taking over the American lexicon. Fair is fair. If their ancestors had to endure 250 years of oppression on this continent, I can stand being ridiculed for saying “bro” when the everyone else has advanced…
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on…
When Paul said goodbye to the Ephesian elders in Miletus, he told them he knew he would never see their faces again (Acts 20:25). However, his dealings with the church at Ephesus were not entirely completed, according to 1 Timothy 1:3, If we believe Paul was guided by inspiration in Miletus, we have to take him at his word. That means the church at Ephesus during Paul’s third preaching tour was dramatically different from the one with which Timothy was working just six or seven years later.
What happened?
On April 27, 2017, off-duty border patrol agent and expectant father Dennis Dickey fired a high-powered rifle at a target packed with an explosive known as Tannerite. It exploded in a huge ball of blue smoke, indicating to the delighted crowd of friends that his child would be, in fact, a boy.
To put it mildly, things went downhill from there.
Like the rest of us, Paul had plenty of opportunities for boasting if he were inclined to seek them. He lists some of them in Philippians 3:5-6. Circumcised. Descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Devout follower of Jehovah God for his entire life. A spotless reputation for righteousness among all who knew him. Such things were, in fact, used by many Jewish Christians to distance themselves morally and spiritually from others, particularly Gentiles.
But Paul abandoned such things.
Peter was an experienced fisherman. He had no doubt experienced many troubling waters in his life. But this particular storm was placed in context when he and the other disciples saw Jesus walking on the water. Peter had enough faith to recognize the Lord’s voice, and enough confidence to ask if he could walk out on the water to meet Him — and to do so when Jesus gave him permission.
The scene is the lobby of Mark 16:16 Airlines. A worker stands behind the counter, smiling, waiting to assist someone. A man approaches.
Worker: Good morning! Welcome to Mark 16:16 Airlines. How can I be of assistance?
Customer: Yes, hello. I would like a ticket, please.
Worker: I would be glad to assist you. Would you like a ticket to heaven or to hell? We are proud to offer both.
Following up with last week’s article in this space: The “sister” in Christ to whom I referred — the one who prompted the article regarding society’s idea of “sex education” vs. God’s idea — claims now to have lost her faith entirely. Whether her views on this particular subject helped her along those lines are not, I could not say.
I asked her what was the specific cause of her apostasy, and she was glad to answer directly and respectfully.
Those who follow women’s professional golf (and there’s bound to be one of you out there somewhere) are no doubt already acquainted with events regarding Lexi Thompson earlier this month. She was two strokes up on the 12th hole of the final round at the ANA Inspiration tournament, which is a “major” for the ladies. A rules official approached her and said she had incorrectly replaced her ball on the 17th hole the day before. She placed her marker. She picked up the ball. She placed it about an inch away from its previous location. That’s a two stroke penalty. And it meant she signed an incorrect scorecard. That’s another two strokes. Suddenly she was two strokes behind, not two ahead.
I was always a “better safe than sorry” kind of kid with regard to Biblical concepts. For instance, Jesus said, “Swear not at all” in Matthew 5:34, so I wouldn’t say the word “swear.” I’ve come to realize that isn’t the point of that passage; still, I can’t help cringing a bit when I hear someone say, “I swear to God.”
I say that to bring up another passage from the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:22 reads, ‘But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
