One of the themes I hear, repeated in different places, is a concern about the killing in the Old Testament.  People wonder how God could be so mean and cruel as to kill the Canaanites or others who resisted his rule and his Holiness.  An interesting question would be, “Where do you get this idea that killing is bad?”

I would submit that the reason they believe killing is bad is because their culture has been influenced by the Bible.  I don’t know of any other religious tradition which has such a rejection of murder and political cleansing of people.  The Bible condemns murder.  It offers sanctuary for strangers and foreigners.  It advocates mercy.  You don’t find that in other religions.

So the people that attack the Bible and the people of the Bible are basing their attack on the teachings of the Bible, and they are totally unaware of it.  Wouldn’t it be great if they would adopt some of the other teachings of the Bible.

The rejection of the Bible is not necessarily in its values as much as the requirement of submission to Almighty God.  The big sin of our modern times is the same sin that originated in the garden.  If you remember what the devil implied to Eve that she could become as a god.  People still lust after that power, and reject anything that limits seeking that power.

It is often hidden under flowery phrases and popular teachings, but the idea that man is supreme is still at the heart of all modern philosophies.  It won’t work.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-163: Reasons

Jesus did not come so I could have a comfortable and safe porch to sit on.  He did not come so I could know prosperity and have a well-balanced diet.  As the gospel of John says he came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  Abundance is often a relative concept.  I have a piggy bank that is loaded with quarters.  I can guarantee that there is no silver.  It has been collected because I am a squirrel who always sets a few nuts aside.  I am relatively sure that my wife has abducted my treasure several times.  When my grandchildren talk me into letting them play with the quarters they are in hog heaven.  They glory in the abundance that is at their finger tips.  They swish them around and pile them up.  Scrooge McDuck would laugh himself silly.

Prosperity when defined with a bank balance can be had by pagans, hypocrites, and heretics.   Salvation is only available to believers through Jesus.  While God seems to bless His people, He never loses sight of the long term picture.  I hope I never do either.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-162: Jesus Was Never Digital

We have the teaching and preaching of Jesus in the Gospels.  It would be presumptuous to think we have it all, or even most, of it.  Have you ever thought about that?  What was left out?  I would guess the lessons that were clearly presented in the OT did not need to be repeated.  Yet much of what he taught was found in the OT.  He made it simpler.  He stripped off the camouflage of the Rabbis.

If someone were to prove to me that a body of teaching on something like the Sermon on the Mount was a compilation of several sermons, it would not bother me a bit.  The Bible does not bill itself as a transcript of a recorded speech.  It tells us that it is inspired by God to give us what we need for salvation and holy living.  It was not written for a modern spell checker but it was written for a modern reader.  

Read it like the historical primary source that it is.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-161: Big Brother Weather

We have just gone through another time of panic and anxiety caused by your friendly neighborhood weatherman.  I don’t watch the weather on TV.  I check it on my phone and my iPad on occasion but mainly so that I judge if it’s cool enough to sit on the front porch in the morning for worship.  Beyond that, I feel that if I stick my head out and there’s water coming down on my face, it’s raining.  If my hair gets tostled, I assume it’s windy.  If the ground is covered with white powder, I assume that it’s snowing.  I really don’t need to know that the next hurricane is coming to kill me and that it’s unsafe to drive on the roads because I will get washed away.

My wife on the other hand, feels that if the weatherman says stay in and batten down the hatches, then you stay in and batten down the hatches.  She feels that he is a guru.  I can live with that, but she seems to think that she has to protect me from all of the hostility of nature.  It gets quite emotional sometimes.  Yesterday she was telling me that if I got washed away, she would not come and pick me up.

All of this would be good fun except that I feel that it’s part of the mysterious world of indoctrination going on.  We are being taught that we need the government to keep us safe so listen carefully to their directions.  We need the policeman to protect us, so sell your guns and dial 911.  Who would ever think that that smiling young man or attractive young woman on the screen would be trying to do anything but help us and keep us safe.  I’m sure that on their better days they think that’s what they’re doing.  In reality it is an indoctrination program, trying to get us to feel that the government really wants to help us.

If my memory is still working, Ronald Reagan said something to the effect, “The 9 most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help’.” You need to doubt that.  You need to not talk to the alphabet agency that comes to your front door.  You need to take everything the weatherman tells you with a grain of salt and with gross skepticism.  If you are warned about tornadoes, that’s very helpful, as long as you happen to be that one person in 320 million who is at the spot where the tornado turns toward the ground.  There is no way that you can forecast when or if a tornado will hit, and yet, my wife often has me sitting in the inner rooms of the house or rather, she tries to have me doing that.  The weatherman can tell you if there is a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.  He cannot tell you if that will flood the street around the corner.

So live in liberty and freedom.  Be responsible for your own decisions.  Don’t make them on the basis of some people who are trying to brainwash you into actually trusting what the boob tube tells you.

It is a bad habit to get into.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-160: Fill Your Nitch

I  have been hearing a lot of praise for people who share things so well that you don’t have to think yourself.  There is a place for that.  We can’t read everything.  We can’t study everything in depth.  There is a time to kick back and listen.  Care is still recommended.  You may not have time to major in microbiology but you can recognize a breakdown in reason when you see it.  You may not have children but you know a dirty diaper when you smell one.

When it comes to Bible teaching I think this applies double.  There is a lot of nonsense out there masquerading as profound.  Some of it is harmless.  Some of the distortion has eternal consequences.  Many are deceived when they don’t need to be.  I feel that it is laziness on the part of the Bible reader.  They don’t want to read themselves.  They don’t want to think.  How much energy does it take to get a Bible off the shelf, blow off the dust, turn to the table of contents and read for yourself?

Then it occurred to me that I am that way in regard to computers and some degree to science.  I am not helpless.  I can do basic stuff.  I know that rebooting can cure most problems.  I have learned to put my glasses on before I start punching buttons.  I once learned enough Basic to debug a computer game I got out of a book.  Don’t ask me to do it again because I don’t care enough.  After all, there is a reason why we have children who are geeks.  I do feel a responsibility to not bother my personal computer guru over simple stuff.

It could be that we are all this way in relation to areas that we don’t have any great interest.  Each of us must evaluate what is important enough to invest our time and effort in.  I don’t plan to ever learn to fix my lawnmower.  I would, on the other hand, like to make mouth watering chocolate chip cookies.  I would also like to learn to bake bread but I have a daughter that fills that slot.

Grow enough to be an asset.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-159: New Testament Tithing

In the Old Testament, Israel was told to tithe.  That should really be plural because some years there were three different tithes to be paid in addition to offerings.

Many Christians in the era of the New Testament, reject tithing.  They claim it belongs under the law and has nothing to do with them.  In a sense, they are right.  The Old Testament concept was a matter of paying the money.  It was a matter of whether you made your financial contribution. That’s not the New Testament concept.

Tithing is mentioned in passing in the New Testament.  It was not addressed in a straight teaching.  I believe it is still a principle for the life of a Christian.  It is a matter of giving up control of our assets and turning them over to God.  It is to be given to the church which is rather obviously the storehouse.  It’s a matter attitude and heart, of submission, not payment of a bill.  Some people give to their favorite charity and call it a tithe.  It is not a tithe because it is something they are still controlling.  The tithe again is a matter of obedience and submission. People reject it  because they don’t want to be submissive and they don’t want be obedient.

Or I guess it could just be because they are cheap.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-158: Get on Board

I noticed recently that a certain confused young man finally ran into some adults.  It seems that putting on a woman’s bathing suit, letting his hair grow and declaring himself a woman did not go very far with the International Olympic Committee.  They said, “No, you’re not.”

One day I ask myself how confused and conflicted this guy must be to be willing to embarrass himself this way.  Those who are not laughing at him are experiencing a growing rage at what he is doing.  If I were him I would be worried that the rage might someday break out and shatter his delusions in a painful way.  Hopefully he will grow up, wake up, return his devalued medals and get on with life.

The next day I ask myself where the adults are in the room.  How has this blatant nonsense been allowed to continue?  Why has no one told him, “No, you are a male.  The men’s room is down the hall.”  Why has no one taken him to court for voyeurism as he hangs around the women’s locker rooms?

You may not be able to do anything about this walking delusion but you can make an impact where you are.  Start with the simple stuff.  Recently I had a doctor’s appointment.  They wanted me to register on line.  Having done it once I have vowed, “Never again.”  It takes forever.  That is one issue.  They ask questions I don’t want to answer.  That is also an issue on the paper forms, but there is an important difference.  When the paper form asks me for my gender identity and preferred pronouns, I can just ignore it, skip over, and go on listing my physical information.  When you register on the computer it will not allow you to do that.

Join the resistance.  Call men in women’s clothing men.  When someone asks you your pronouns, look at them with pity dripping from you eyes.  You may need to practice that in front of a mirror.  Don’t fill in the blanks that insult.

Resistance does not need to be violent but it does need to cost them something.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-157: Great Nation

We are going through a time of great Jew hatred.  It is amazing that basically decent Americans are getting on board but we need to consider the overwhelming diet of distortion and lies about Israel and Hamas coming from academia and the media.  It used to be that Christians at least were in basic agreement about the Jews having a homeland because their default was the Bible not the talking heads.  

God started by promising what appears to be a political statement,

(Gen 12:2 KJV)  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Much of the former Christian position was based on a promise God gave to Israel.  There was also a detail involving the other nartions,

(Gen 12:3 KJV)  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The promise had geography involved,

(Gen 15:18 KJV)  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

One commentator I was listening to said this roughly corresponded to the kindom of Solomon.  I have heard others say it went beyond that.  The salient point is that God promised the land that is modern Israel to Israel.

The naive and ignorant ignore that.  There are others who say that Israel negated the covenant by their disobedience.  Others would say that political Israel is not synonymous with spiritual Israel.  The issue gets a bit clouded.  

As I was reading Genesis I noticed that God uses the exact same terminology with Moses that He used with Abraham, in regard to becoming a great nation.  In context, Israel had just formed the golden calf and worshiped it as a god.  Yahweh was a bit upset and was threatening to do to them what He had done to the neighbors of Noah, only without water.  

Exodus 32:10 (KJV) Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

He did not follow through.  He was speaking in his wrath.  So I don’t know what to make of that.   Is this an indication that He would reject Israel and cancel His covenant?  How does that fit in with your theology?  Keep in mind that the thinking in those days was that salvation was more national than personal.  I don’t know that God saw it that way but the people certainly did.

Is the modern nation of Israel the Israel of God or just a man made institution?  I would say that we need to err on the side of caution.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-156: Walking by Faith

God has given us so many things that we take by faith and assumption.  I look at the Texas hillside in wonder.  I think of the bubble of benevolence in which I have walked, that everyday joy provided by Providence.  I look at all of these things that surround me and saturate every day.  I had no way of knowing earlier in life things would work out this way.  I have lived in the assumption that God had a plan and would work it out.

And possibly the greatest part of living by faith is those questions that we can’t answer.  There are questions that we can’t answer because we don’t have the ability to answer them.  There are questions that we can’t answer because we don’t know how to frame them.  There are other questions that we simply haven’t gotten to yet.  We take the answers to those as being part of our walk of faith.

What else is in store?  I am reaching the age called “elderly”.  That has a lot of baggage.  There is a growing dependence on others and loss of “I can do that.”  The adjustments are a daily part of life.  I have made up my mind to enjoy the process and hope that I go quickly when the time comes.

It always helps to know what comes after this adventure of living.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-155: Ode to Old: Join the Resistance

Why are old people more susceptible to things like the flu?  The elderly are urged to get the flu shot regularly and to be careful when they are out and about.  I wonder if this advice is not part of the high mortality in that age group.  

It is true that we tend to get weaker as we get older.  If we have serious health problems like diabetes and heart disease they will have developed over the years and dragged us down even more.  That much seems like common sense.

I would suggest though that there is something else going on:  Isolation.  One of the realities of life is that our immune system responds to the world we live in.  When I started teaching middle school I went through a regular series of illnesses.  As time went on that decreased in frequency.  After 20 years it became rare.  I remember kids deliberately coughing in my face when they were sick in hopes that I would catch it.  They thought it was funny.  I thought it was funny becuase it didn’t work.  My immune system had been forced into superman mode over the years.

After being gone from education for seven years, I can tell that my defenses are weaker.  One thing that helps is being around my grandchildren.  They bring bugs to the house on a regular basis.  Sometimes it effects me, sometimes not.  

Take your typical stereotype of a senior.  They live in a world devoid of health challenges that their bodies are designed to fight.  They are in assisted living, living alone or in a back room of the house.  They don’t get out and rub elbows much.  Their white blood cells get lazy and scarce.  Their ability to fight back is weakened.  Then you add things like flu shots which may protect them for the season if the drug companies guessed right in which strain would reach out to them.  If they guess wrong then more isolation was in the works.  In a sense the shot, when it works, helps them for the season but makes them weaker for the next round.

I saw some click bait recently that said one in nine American children is now autistic.  I didn’t bother listening because I hate wasting my time of big promises that don’t deliver.  Is it because more children are having problems or is it because the authorities that make a lot of money on autism are changing the standards?  I would guess more of the latter.  The headline also attributed the cause to increased vaccinations.  That does make sense to me.  Where will these children be when they get to be seniors?

Life has a lot of choices to make.  Be thoughtful and realize that they are out to get you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-154: Dr. Bill and Mr. Maher

In a moment of weakness I listened to some Bill Maher clickbait.  He was being interviewed by Fareed Zakaria about his new book.  It was an interesting interview because you saw both Jekyll and Hyde in a short segment.  

Dr. Bill can be a very winning Jekyll.  He has a lot of qualities that could lead him to the side of light.  He is intelligent, in a liberal way.  He can be very funny.  He can have some great insights.

He is also a well developed Hyde.  For a long time he got away scot free attacking everything that was sacred and polluting minds with his clever jabs.  He had quite a following.  My only contact was an occasional You Tube short that I would fall for.  I was usually left with nothing but concern for his soul.  

Then something changed.  Suddenly the occasional click bait was actually funny and spot on.  He began to take swipes at the nonsense of the left.  If you were not as skeptical as I am you might have thought that he was having second thoughts.  If you were as skeptical as I am you might have wondered if his constant attacks of traditional values were finally getting so toxic that he was beginning to lose followers.  The faithful started waking up and saying, “Hey!”  I cant’ prove it, mainly because I am too lazy to spend the time, but I think he got the word from his PR people that he needed to tone it down and maybe even show some common sense.

His jokes and comments about the left were the focus of the interview.  I think it was another attempt by the left to say, “See, Bill isn’t such a bad guy after all.”  The problem is that at one point he got going on Trump and conservative Americans.  The old Hyde was still there in full force.  

Do I think he should be censored and removed from the airways, cancelled?  No.  I am consistent in my support of the First Amendment.  If it applies to my liberty, it also applies to his.  No, the way to deal with the sewer rats of our society is to hit them in the pocket book.  Stop listening.  Stop reading their books.  Make them hurt in the only way that is moral, their pocket book.  In time they will be replaced by their masters.  Of course, we will then need to deal with a clone.  It might be better to stick with Bill.  At least he is funny at times.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-153: Why Kill?

(Psa 106:38 KJV)  And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

If you have ever heard someone with a tender heart, that was concerned about all the killing in the Old Testament, you might want to read them this verse and its context. We have no comprehension in our gentle world of the evil perpetuated by the Canaanites.  Read that verse again.  Do you see what’s going on?  I know you don’t want to see it.  I don’t want to see it either.  But it is there.

The Israelites were sacrificing their children to the idols of Canaan.  This is what we call child sacrifice.  This was a brutal and evil cultural reality of the local tribes.  It was an every day occurrence in Canaan.  This is the reason that God felt like these people needed to be removed from the Earth.  God was aware of the way in which people absorb the standards of the culture around them.

God has reasons for what he does.  We have been raised in a sheltered environment and don’t understand evil and how deep it can go.  Well, I say that the evil is going on all around us.  Picture of the millions have been dismembered by abortions.  Picture of the children used in pornography industry.  Picture the butchers of Hamas, not just on October 7, but on a regular basis.  Picture the warping our our children's minds and bodies with woke philosophies.  The evil marches on.  God is not content to let it continue. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-152: Now Where Did I Put that Scroll?

One of the great moments in the development of Judaism was when they misplaced the law. We see that in Josiah’s day.  What is most interesting is that they didn’t seem to know they had lost it.  They were not looking for it.  It showed up when they were cleaning out a storeroom.

Then consider that they lost the temple, more than once.  How did Israel offer sacrifices and go through things like Yom Kippur when they did not have an altar or a Holy of Holies?  It sounds like holding the Rose Parade with no flowers.

Judaism under David was totally different than Judaism under the rabbis.  And even more different without the temple.  David worshiped with the law available, and had a personal relationship with God.  After the law was lost, they didn’t even celebrate Sabbath it seems.

Nehemiah brought back the Passover, the feast of booths, and the Sabbath.

It seems that in much of Israel’s history, they were operating in the dark and making things up.

Did the prophets talk about repentance or sacrifice?  Was it more about faith and obedience or about the law?  I may have to do some reading to answer my own questions.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-151: It Should Be Just Another Day

Father’s Day is like Easter, it is meaningless if it is your only appearance.  This is true for both the fathers and the children.  I am at the grandfather stage and enjoying every minute of it.  One reason I am able to enjoy it is because I look at a trip to Cosco with two kids in the cart and my daughter doing some shopping as a great Father’s Day event.  What makes those events extra meaningful is that they happen often during the year, not just in June.

I have dinner weekly with my son.  We always leave a good tip because we sit as long as our tail bones will hold out.  Each week is a Father’s Day.  It is the payoff for all those mornings I went to work.  It is the result of being there when needed.  It is glorious.

I attended a special Fathers’ Day event two weeks before the official date.  All right, it was not a Fathers’ Day event.  It was a birthday party for a 5 year old.  We had a cloud of children relishing a combination bounce house/ water slide.  It was raucous.  It was chaos.  It was smooth as silk because the fathers were there.  They changed diapers and mopped up the floor.  They passed out cake and helped supervise the opening of gifts.  The kids were kids.  They were well behaved kids because their fathers were involved in their lives on a daily basis.

I hope you can experience the same.  If you are the child, reach out.  He may not know you want to spend time with him.  If you are the father, reach out.  They may not know you want to spend time with them.

Have a blessed day, and year.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-150: Click Bait: Trusting Science

The click bait was irresistible.  “Why No One Trusts Science Anymore”.  I tried to control my hearty “Amen”.  It was a lecture given by Dr. Vinay Prasad to what appeared to be professionals with a lot of degrees in science and medicine.  It seemed to be a serious attempt to express concern by someone who did not wear a tin hat.  While it was basically interesting he could have said it all in two words:  Science lies.

Actually, it isn’t science that lies.  It is the scientists and the politicians that do the lying.

Either way you need to be careful what you believe.  Develop the habit of reading between the lines.  Know the difference between fact and theory.  Ask yourself, cui bono?

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-149: I Don’t Know

I may live to be 105 and die quietly in my bed, surrounded by my great grandchildren, or I may collapse on my way to get my next cup of coffee.  The chances are it will be somewhere in between.

When I think of all the ways I could go, it is troubling.  I could be mugged sitting here on my porch.  I could drop dead with an aneurysm.  I could have a heart attack.  I could develop cancer and go in great pain and suffering.  I could blow a tire and run into a tree.

Or, I could live a long life of joy and anticipation.  I can have lunch with my son today.  I could write great tracts.  I could think great thoughts.  I can influence my grandchildren.

Most of it is about choices.  I choose to live in the joy of the Lord and the freedom of the Spirit.  He can call me home with no notice.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-148: The Maybe of Science

Science was originally done by men who believed in truth and were seeking to understand that truth.  That was the basic foundation of the scientific method.  It was based, not on logic alone, but by testing the evidence and looking for the underlying principle.  These were also mostly men of faith.  It was their faith that made them seek truth and believe it could be found.

Science today has rejected the idea of truth and is based on speculation to find potential bits of information or verify obtuse theories.  The wilder the better.  If you wonder why ideas like global warming, vaccines that don’t need to be tested, surgery on young children to mutilate their sexual organs and such can find any traction it is because the leadership in the scientific community has rejected faith and a belief in objective truth.  They are also in the process of rejecting the scientific method of the Christian era and going back to the logic of the Greeks.

Most scientific research today has no application on life.  It has gone beyond the ability to prove you hypothesis because the theories are beyond proof.

We crossed that barrier long ago.
    The speed of light was believed to be an absolute limit.
    That knowledge had no application to your daily life;
        Would not cure cancer,
        Would not deal with the boll weevil,
        Would not tell you whom to marry,
        Would not help you get to work on time,
    Now we have evidence things can go faster.

Much science is pure ego gratification
    Not only not proven
    Unprovable.

So don’t get too excited when you hear that science “proves” something.  Maybe.  Maybe not.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-147: The Pain of Choice

Could God have created a universe in which there was no sin?  Yes actually, He did.

Before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, there was no sin in the universe.

Not only did he create it, but it possibly could have remained that way.  The problem is He created the universe with man in His image which introduced the element of free will and choice.  In order for there to be real choice there has to be options.

I think of the scene in one of Lucy’s movies where they went to a restaurant, were given a big menu, and everything they asked for was not available.  If I remember correctly all you could get was the grilled cheese sandwich.  That is not choice.

Choice is expensive.  It is expensive to the one who makes the wrong choices.  It is even more expensive to the One who gave you the chance to do the right thing.  When your five year old puts the lunch meat under the sink instead of the refrigerator, it costs you a bit of lunch meat.  When God gave human beings free will it cost Him the cross.

Be grateful.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-146: Warsaw Lessons

I was reading today an article about some of the Jew hatred going on in the city of New York.  I got to thinking about how Hitler rounded up the Jews in Germany and Poland.  One of the things that he did before rounding them up was to disarm them.

I am guessing that most of the atrocities that we are seeing today filled with hatred towards Jews are taking place in areas where guns are banned.  New York is obvious.  Most of the other variant examples of hatred are on college campuses, which also tend to ban guns.  Once again, American Jews are following the path of their European Brothers.  They are living in areas where they cannot defend themselves.  They do nothing in order to try and defend themselves.  It may be that they forgot the lesson of the Warsaw ghetto.  In that place a small group of Jews withstood the might of the German army because they fought back.  This is probably a bit of a stretch, but I would say that those poorly armed Jews in Warsaw withstood the Wehrmacht better than the nation of France.

Is Jew hatred on the rise?  Yes.  Will we see more of this?  Yes.  Is there an antidote?  Again, yes.  It won’t even require violence, at least not much violence.  Keep in mind that terrorist, and their cronies tend to be cowards.  What is one of the big statements of the gangsta groups, “You better watch your back”.  In other words, they are afraid to face your face.  You might hurt them. All that will be necessary to stop a lot of this nonsense is to convince them that there might be some genuine repercussions coming their way.  If the courts won’t do it, then the citizens must.

The magic of firearms is that they often don’t have to be used in order to be effective.  A hammer in the hardware store will not fix the siding on your house.  A screwdriver in the warehouse will tighten your loose doornobs.  However, a revolver in the drawer will discouraged thugs from coming in your front door.

Abracadabra.  It is magic

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-145: Bumpers and Plates: Danger

Today I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Actually, guns do kill people.”  I had nothing to write on so I was not able to respond. I wanted to leave him a note under his wiper and remind him that car bumpers kill people too.  To that list I could have added ladders, bathtubs, vaccines, and even water can kill you.  I don’t think he would read the whole thing.

I also did not want his death on my conscience.  Once he realized that water could kill you he might stop drinking and die of thirst.  Whoever drives the car is probably a very nice person and since I believe in liberty, I would not want him to hurt himself because he has no sense of humor.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-144: Air Quotes

We need to start using air quotes and paying attention when we see them.

The thought came to mind in regard to “Biblical scholars” and wondering if the quotes should be around one word or both.  

The thought moved to “scientists”.  Keep in mind anyone who says, “The science is settled” is not a scientist but an imposter.  Science is never “settled”.  That is why it is science.  

I was reading the portion of Josh McDowell’s More Evidence that Demands a Verdict.  He was working through what is called the Documentary Hypothesis of interpreting the Old Testament.  If you don’t know anything about it, all you need to know is enough to realize how ridiculous it is.  Josh works through the theory step by step and gives examples of how modern archeology has proven these university professor wrong.  He even points out that there was enough evidence when they introduced their theories to prove them wrong.  He points out the errors of their ways in a very direct but gentlemanly way.

If you know anything about Josh McDowell you know that he is a gentleman.  He has been a faithful advocate for Christianity and is one of the greats of the 20th century.  At times he is too much of a gentleman.  It is perfectly clear that the reason these “Biblical Scholars” came up with their theory and kept pushing it in the face of facts was that they hated the Bible and everything it said.  They were not trying to “understand”, they were trying to destroy.  He talks all around it and implies such a thing but never says it.  

One of the qualifications that the Air Quote people have is an advanced degree.  They are educated beyond their ability to exercise humility.  Education is a grand thing.  Pride is poison.  It seems that pride trumps education.  What should teach limitations instead bloats egos.  As someone with a college degree (BA), a seminary degree (M.Div) and enough classes in education to qualify for three different teaching credentials, I remain unimpressed by diplomas and certificates.  Look for character concentrated in integrity and don’t be impressed with the meaningless paper that hangs on the wall.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-143: The Quiet That Isn’t

Recently I had a discussion where I mentioned how quiet the front porch was before sunrise on Sunday.  It’s so quiet I can hear my ears ringing.  Other days of the week there are brief moments like this, and I find myself enjoying the quietness.  Today I recognize the fact that it’s not as quiet as I think it is.  The bugs are out giving a concert.  I didn’t know what they are. They look like fat grasshoppers.  I thouht they might be katydids.  They might be some other obscure form of life.   It turns out they are called cicadas.  But they make real noise.  It doesn’t get quiet, it just becomes a natural background concert.  And as I think back, before the cicadas started giving a concert, the local animals liked to check in too.  I could hear donkeys braying across the valley.  In normal times I can hear all kinds of other noises made by animals.  And then the birds will join in.  It’s never really all that quiet.  It’s just that the quiet that I experience seems that way.  It seems more natural.

I can’t wait for the cicadas to get over their seventeen year cycle of lust and reproduction.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-142: Discernment Watch: Tradition or Truth

I was sitting in Sunday school, paying attention, listening, and with my mind turned on.  The teacher was working through the verse below, and made a comment that the husband of Candace was one of the wise men at Jesus’ birth.

Acts 8:27 (KJV) And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

At that point, my bologny meter went off, and I almost stood up and said, “No”.  We need to be aware that there is a difference between tradition and truth.  It is possible that the church in Ethiopia had a tradition that the husband of Candace was one of the wise men.  I would not quarrel that is their tradition.  However, tradition is not always based in fact.  A little thinking can go along way.  I believe that the Gospel account says that the wise men came from the east.  I don’t know if you are aware of any geography, but Ethiopia is to the south.  Unless the husband of Candace was on an extended sabbatical, studying with the astronomers of the east, there is no way that he could’ve qualified to be one of the wise man at the birth of Jesus.  We need to be aware that there is a difference.  Tradition is sometimes based in fact, and almost believable.  In fact, tradition might even be true, but not necessarily.  If we want to be a person who has any clout in our world, you need to keep your mind turned on and acknowledge a difference between tradition and verifiable facts.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-141: One Size Fits All

When it comes to t-shirts and cheap hats this is a joke.  It can’t happen.

With Jesus it is a different story.  Unlike caps, we don’t have to keep adjusting Him until He fits.  Unlike spandex, He does not get stretched out of shape to reveal all of our flaws.  

Think of it more like a giant bath towel.  In my opinion I have never met a bath towel that is too big.  Little people can just wrap it around more times.  Big is a blessing.  

There is a sense in which Jesus is the same for all of us.  He redeems us.  He saves us.  

There is a reality in which Jesus meets each of us in a unique way.  We have different personalities and experiences.  He is flexible enough to form fit and begin to mold us from where we are.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-140: Africa Takes the Lead

If you are a believer, I assume you’re in prayer for our country and for our so-called leaders.  That goes double for Donald Trump.

I once went to a class on the concept of praying scripture.  The idea was that you would find a verse or a passage that applied to someone and their situation and you use it for a framework of prayer for them.  Might I suggest Psalm 91 as a place to be reading today.  It talks about fear.  It talks about protection.  It talks about the things that God does for those who follow him.

So pray for President Trump.  Pray for his spiritual condition.  Pray for his safety.  Pray that he will be obedient to God‘s will even if he’s not aware of it.  And while you do this pray for your country.  We are in a time of great evil.  The church has abandoned its roll as source of righteousness.  I guess I mean the organized church.  It is up to the real church, the Body Christ, those walking in the spirit and following his leader ship.

God will judge His people.  What is scary about that?  “His people” is not synonymous with America, but with the church in America and the rest of the world.  Pray that we are obedient and faithful stewards.  Political America is on a suicide run.  The only thing that will save it is a revival starting in the studies and pulpits of America.  It would be good if Americans would follow the lead of the Methodist Church in Africa which has just disassociated itself from the United Methodist Church over their vote to embrace the homosexual agenda.

We need a little bit of Africa over here.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-139: Christian Cliches: Pray and Change

I keep hearing that “Prayer changes things.”  While I accept the general idea I don’t see it as a guarantee given by the Bible.  The change is a choice of God, not the petitioner.  

You want a couple of examples?  Start at the top.  Take Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane just before He was arrested.   

(Mar 14:36 KJV)  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

It seems pretty clear He is asking for plan B.  At the same time He knows it isn’t going to happen.

Not enough for you?  You are a hard sell.  Next, take the apostle Paul.  Yes, the Paul who said,

(1Th 5:17 KJV)  Pray without ceasing.

Paul is well known for his thorn in the flesh.  He was not excited about it.  He asked God to remove it.

(2Co 12:8 KJV)  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

He asked three times.  God said, “No” three times.

Too many people think that prayer is a “to-do list” for God.  Yes, there are verses that can be understood that way but they have qualifiers.

So pray.  Expect God to answer.  Accept the reality that “no” is an answer.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-138: Numbers

As I read Dennis Prager’s Bible commentaries I notice he continually makes a big issue of certain numbers and explaining what they mean.  The number seven, the numbers 40 and 12 are filled with significance.  I keep asking myself, “How does he know?”  He does not explain.  He just says “The number ___ means.”  Does the Bible actually say that certain numbers represent certain things?  Are these biblical or do they just come from the Pharisees making things up?  Are they biblical or they just pagan inventions?

The only place I find a specific reference is when 666 is declared the mark of the Beast.  I tried doing a search on numerology and everything I came up with was occult and mystical.  This goes beyond the simple references we have of “seven is the perfect number” and such.  There are whole systems of belief based on numbers.

There are many points in life that can be fun and games but if we take them too seriously they can become a fixation that fixes nothing.  Good questions are, “Says who?” and “How do you know?”

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Opus 2024-137: One in 10

My prayer today is that I would be one of the 10 righteous individuals God was looking for in our modern Sodom.  God promised Abraham if he could find 10 righteous people he would spare the city.  I know that this is not Sodom.  I am certainly not Abraham.  And yet I somehow feel the principal is the same.  I believe that if there are enough righteous in America, God will spare us.

Let me be one.  I don’t know what the number would be for us today but I sure could use as many on the team as possible.  There are no tryouts like in Little League.  There are no essay questions.  It is just a matter of trusting in Jesus and living the life He wants us to live.

Sign ups begin immediately.

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Opus 2024-136: Morning Miracles

As I sit on the front porch, looking out into the darkness and glorying in God’s creation, one of the things that struck me this morning was that I was sitting on a porch overlooking the hill country of Texas at a house which was purchased by my wife.  You may wonder why that would suddenly hit me.  I knew it before we moved in.  This is the woman who wanted to be blocks from the best hospitals and around the corner from great shopping.  We are 13 miles from the nearest gas station.  This is glorious.  I would have never believed that my wife would buy a house in this location.

It is a miracle.  I don’t even remember having the nerve to ask the Lord for something like this, or to expect it, yet here it is.  He often takes better care of us than we would even think of.

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