Sitting in Judgement

two women gossiping

Pigpen, a character in the “Peanuts” cartoon strip by Charles Schultz, is characterized by a cloud of dust and dirt following him around.  At times in the raising of our boys, I felt as if Pigpen lived in our home.  But in recent years that dust cloud has come to…

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The Mystery of Wisdom

red-pill

In the 1999 movie, “The Matrix,” Morpheus speaks to Neo who is searching for answers.  “The Matrix is everywhere.  It is all around us. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth  —  that you were born into a prison for…

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Who’s In Charge?

rushing commuters

My seventh-grade class was unusual in that the principal of the school was also our homeroom teacher.  He commanded great respect, but when he was out of the classroom attending to school business, the class erupted into a free-for-all.  Occasionally we would get so loud that a teacher from another…

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Problems with the Messenger

skeptical young asian man

“Don’t kill the messenger!”  That saying likely came from the account of David putting to death the messenger who assisted in King Saul’s demise, then brought the “good” news to David that he could now become King of Israel. While that messenger was not from God, the Lord used many…

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Just Testing

silversmith's tools

Proverbs 17:3 reads, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Solomon is saying in this proverb that everything of value must be tested to uphold that value.  In the case of precious metals, the testing is heat, fire.  But because man often…

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Secret Preparation

Cartoon of the shepherd boy David hitting a bear with a shepherd's staff

Although the mention is very short, I have always been fascinated by the fact that a shepherd boy, David, could kill both a lion and bear with his bare hands.  I think of people who have been mauled or killed by both of these animals, and the terror they still…

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A Package Deal

wrapped packages

Because most people are enticed by the offer of a free gift, that strategy shows up often, starting with retailers trying to engage customers.  Yet, God was likely the strategic originator by creating mankind with the ability to procreate.  It could be said that babies are His free gifts to…

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Sleeping Through a Storm

birds in storm

Mark 4:35-41 describes Jesus asleep on a cushion in the stern of a fishing boat when gale winds hit the Sea of Galilee and churned up fearful waves nearly swamping the boat.  He was so exhausted from ministering to thousands that neither the violent pitching of the boat nor the…

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