Meat for the Hungry

At sundown on March 20, 2019, the Jews began their celebration of Purim  and it runs through sundown on March 21, 2019. Purim is a joyous and raucous festival celebrating their victory over the wicked Amalekite, Haman, as told in the Bible’s book of Esther. During Purim, the scroll of Esther, or “Megillat Esther” is read and sometimes acted out. Gifts are given to the poor, and they munch triangular-shaped cookies called hamantaschen, named for the villainous Haman. [1] However, many do not believe Esther recounts true events and they, in essence, reduce it to fairytale status. [2] Yet, we know it’s TRUE! “Today, Purim is celebrated as a noisy and fun festival. Some view it as a kind of Jewish April Fool’s Day …” [3] As Christians who believe every word of our Bible is infallible and God-breathed, we have not so jokingly dubbed our April Fool’s Day , the Atheist’s Holiday , based on Psalm 53:1:   “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” But, ...

Have you ever experienced a threatening situation where you felt you had only two options of response – either stand your ground and fight or turn and run away? According to research, this is an innate physiological response called fight or flight , and the threat can be either physical or mental/emotional. Although it’s hard to admit, I’m dealing with the emotional kind. This wasn’t a personal assault, but it felt like it. It involved an activity I am passionate about and people I believe I need to protect. This morning, I am writing in real-time, and as I travel through this experience, I’d like you to walk with me. In the heat of the moment, I wanted to fight, and I might have if the person had been talking directly to me. However, they were speaking to an audience of whom I was one. Like a blast of icy air, their words struck me. The jolt made me furious and after my initial thought of, “How dare you,” everything in me said, “Run!” I almost got up and walked out, tho...

Last Thursday, when our roads were snow-covered and a bit treacherous, I ventured out to the hairdressers. A New Year and time for a new me, right? It had been over two years since I sat in a beautician’s chair and conversed while she did my hair. I can’t say that I missed those types of superficial conversations. However, Thursday’s discussion was different. We talked about retirement, a so-called life of leisure, and social security. When I mentioned to her that she should not just depend on the money she will receive from social security, she said she would not rely on it because Social Security will probably be bankrupt by the time she is ready to retire. I’ve heard people saying this for years, and maybe it’s a valid concern. Still, what shocked me was the thought that jetted through my mind, “We probably wouldn’t have to worry about SS bankruptcy if the 60 million plus babies aborted since Roe v. Wade in 1973 were working, tax-paying citizens.” Did I express my sentiments?...

     “In the beginning was the Word , and the Word was with God , and the Word was God . ” [1]      The Word , as a double-edged sword, [2] pierced eternity, “Let there be light...” [3]      Thus began the infinite perfection of the eternal, triune God’s d e s i g n . Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had planned and would now bring it to pass. Six days creating something out of nothing, one day of rest, and then the unthinkable. God’s humans chose to disobey His command. Sin and death entered, [4] and the whole of creation groaned. [5] A cloud of darkness enveloped the people of earth like a shroud. [6] Sin had doomed man to death. Would they eventually cease to exist? Was there a way for man to be saved?      God was not surprised by man’s sin. He is all-knowing. His p l a n had many facets, and in time, all would be revealed.      Years passed. God spoke to one ma...

Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield By Allan Ramsay - National Portrait Gallery: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/ w/index.php?curid=6356695 In March of 1746, British statesman and 4 th Earl of Chesterfield, Philip Stanhope, said, “Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.” [1] All my life I’ve heard that quote or a variation of it. What does this saying mean? To me , it means doing things with your  whole heart . So, let me ask, do you do things with a whole heart ? And if you do, what is it? Some give their whole heart to doing  T h a n k s g i v i n g  and  C h r i s t m a s  right. And some, like me, barely squeak by. I’m sure there are things I do with my whole heart , yet at the moment, I can’t think of one. So what does it mean to do something with a whole heart? As soon as I asked that question my fifth-grade training kicked in, “When in doubt, look it up!” I’m high-tech now. I don’t actually use a ...