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…

Read More

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…

Read More

I Did That

boastful-man

Success is revered in our culture.  It is even more admirable when individuals have overcome great obstacles and disadvantages to achieve it.  Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon, who ran in the 2016 primaries for US President, makes my short list.  He faced multiple hardships associated with his parents’ divorce such…

Read More

Grace Is Not License

police-stop of red sports car in desert

Moses, the leader of God’s people, was not a stranger to opposition, having faced off with Pharoah 10 times before being given permission to take the people out of Egypt.  Sadly, opposition continued in the desert with friendly fire from his own brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, who felt…

Read More

One Way or the Other

whale

Most people know the story of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish.  While many choose to look at it as an imaginative object lesson to teach obedience and the futility of running from God, in actuality, God has done stranger things than to allow a person to be swallowed…

Read More

Time Out

Parental disciplinary tactics have changed somewhat through the years.  Spanking or paddling was most popular when I was a child.  Speaking to that is the comedic account of corporal punishment employed by one father that elicited fear and respect from all six of his children.  That is contrasted sharply by…

Read More

Ranger Up!

best ranger competion

In the American military, the Rangers are to the Army what the Seals are to the Navy, both of them elite, specially trained fighting forces.  Most serious soldiers covet wearing the Ranger patch, but the fact is that two-thirds who undertake the training do not make it to the end. …

Read More

Dangerous Alliances

handshake

We have all heard the saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” While it carries a lot of truth, those relationships rarely outlast the momentary need.  In biblical times those alliances were often strengthened through arranged or negotiated marriages.  Such was the case between Jehoshaphat, King of Judah,…

Read More