Some folks adore Christian superstars,Athletes, singers, politicians, preachers,Who profess faith in the saving blood,Seeing in them proof of Christ’s good. Some may truly be pillars of the faith.Others seem mere pretenders to the grace,And when they fall, their sins laid bare,The name of Christ is disgraced everywhere. Seek not among the high and mightyHe who … Continue reading The cult of celebrity Christians
The affliction of Joseph
Judah and Ephraim were the largest tribes of Israel. Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim; perhaps the Ephraimites carried from that some sense of entitlement that they should play more of a leadership role. When Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim rebelled against King Rehoboam, Mannasseh and all the other northern tribes followed his … Continue reading The affliction of Joseph
The use and abuse of dictionaries
Some folks scrutinize the dictionary for abstruse locutions to titillate the cerebral functions of those who peruse their literary endeavours. This sentence is sticky in a negative way. Most readers will get stuck before they reach the end. That doesn't matter, the sentence doesn't have much to say. But there are people who believe that … Continue reading The use and abuse of dictionaries
What do I do now?
Saturday afternoon I did my last income tax return for this year. This morning the client called to inform me that he came down with flu-like symptoms that evening and that today he tested positive for COVID19. What does that mean for me? I used a home test kit this afternoon and it showed negative. … Continue reading What do I do now?
Practical Christianity
For the past two months my head has been occupied with number crunching to the point that there was little opportunity for wordsmithing. Income tax season officially ends tomorrow and I think I have finished anything pertaining to that for this year. Now I can try to capture and organize the thoughts that have been … Continue reading Practical Christianity
Henny Penny and her kindred
The story, as I heard it in my childhood, goes like this. Henny Penny, a rather ordinary hen, is contentedly sleeping in the warm sunshine when an acorn falls on her head. She awakens in a flap and begins squawking, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" The other hens are alarmed and one … Continue reading Henny Penny and her kindred
The alternative to a peaceful and contented heart
Neither prosperity not empire nor heaven can be worth winning at the price of a virulent temper, bloody hands, an anguished spirit, and a vain hatred of the rest of the world.-John Milton
Thank you War Amps
My wife's keys came home in the mail today. They went missing two months ago; it must have happened between our car in a mall parking lot and the Tim Horton's inside the mall where we had dinner. There was a keychain with a car key, two house keys and a War Amps tag. This … Continue reading Thank you War Amps
Who was “John the Revelator”?
It has become common in some Christian circles to speak of the writer of the book of Revelation as being "John the Revelator." Who was this guy? This nom de plume seems to have originated with German Bible scholars of the 19th century who approached the Bible as literature, simply a series of writings produced … Continue reading Who was “John the Revelator”?
The story arc
Have you ever read a book which follows the life of a main character, yet there doesn't seem to be a story? This character does a variety of things, things good and bad happen to him or her, but they are just disconnected happenings without a point. Evidently, the writer had no idea how to … Continue reading The story arc
Flatlander Faith 