For “Scripture Sunday:”
Stop Using Crass Language
Using foul language does not make you look smarter or wiser. Stop doing it.
Cole Hutson/Unsplash
“The use of curse and swear words are so commonplace in today’s world that people are no longer shocked by it.
A recent meme I have seen posted more than once lists four things highly intelligent people do. One of the four is they use foul language. This claim was shared, commented on and taken as truth even though no study or empirical evidence was given.
When I was a child, the use of curses and swear words was seen as a lack of education, and rightly so. Most of us were told that a person who resorts to swearing does not have the vocabulary to speak their mind–so they resort to “shock” speech.
It has become so commonplace in today’s world that people are no longer shocked by it–but to state that it shows a higher intelligence is an unbelievable turn from former ways of looking at it. Will young people who see this meme think like Eve that it is something to make you wise? Or at least to appear wise? The deceiver does not have to change his tactics; we still fall for the old ones.
I was taught such language was crass. The definition of crass is “without refinement, delicacy, or sensitivity; gross; obtuse; stupid” (dictionary.com). Anything that flies in the face of common decency and the tenets of God’s Word becomes the opposite of intelligence. A vast majority of swear words–even some where it is not immediately obvious–use various forms of the name of our Lord in a disrespectful manner.
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).
Our society is becoming more crass and less concerned with refinement. Set your heart to avoid falling into this pit and be the light this world needs so badly”. From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/stop-using-crass-language
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The Importance of Teaching Your Child to Use Technology
With the Internet and fast pace of technological innovation, it's important to instill in our children wisdom in navigating the world“
Gaelle Marcel/Unsplash
“It’s important to teach a child to seek the input of those who have more experience—people who can really help them navigate.
"The world is a very different place than it was just a couple of decades ago. Technology and the Internet influence society now at levels none of us could have imagined back then. Our children and grandchildren are proficient with this technology, and many seem to rely on it as much as the air they breathe.
There was a time when communicating was done with a phone or by writing a letter, but today you can instantly communicate with a text or instant message via the computer in your pocket. It’s not just kids–many adults have also become accustomed to this luxury. Technology is so important to young people that many parents now use access to it as a reward or punishment.
The benefits of all this interconnected technology are clear: access to vast educational resources at the touch of a screen. But on the flip side, it’s also full of graphic content not suitable for adult eyes, let alone a child’s eyes. God told the prophet Daniel that in the days right before Christ returns, knowledge will increase (Daniel 12:4). But as we can see, not all knowledge and information is good.
Trying to limit and control access to all the bad can prove nearly impossible. Kids are usually far more tech-savvy than their parents. I have talked to several who admitted that their parents had no idea what they were looking at online. They said there is always a way around whatever blocks a parent may install. The parents, however, are usually oblivious and quite sure they have it all handled.
As more people redefine their morality apart from God and the Bible, we must be ever more intentional in instructing our children how to perceive and navigate the world. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” That includes diligently teaching them how to process, understand, plan for and deal with events that take place in the world. It means teaching them how to think critically about information that they read and confirming what’s true and what isn’t. It means teaching them the wisdom to analyze situations, and giving them the skills they need to avoid future problems.
It’s important to teach a child to seek the input of those who have more experience–people who can really help them. It doesn’t come naturally to anyone, no matter what age; we resist relying on other’s wisdom. It is necessary for all of us to learn to be humble enough to listen to those in the know. The book of Proverbs is very useful for small teaching moments. (Proverbs 15:32, Proverbs 12:15). Using Scripture can really help us prepare our hearts for accepting good counsel (see also Proverbs 3:5-8; Proverbs 16:18,Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 14:7).
Perhaps the best way to sum it all up is: Teach a child to pray for guidance and lean on God for understanding." From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/the-importance-of-teaching-your-child-to-use-technology
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AMERICANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST TOXIC PHTHALATES IN FOOD
“The FDA received an outpouring of comments from the public voicing concern about phthalates, harmful chemicals used in food packaging and processing equipment.
No matter how healthy your diet, it’s nearly impossible to steer clear of toxic chemicals called phthalates. These hormone-disrupting chemicals are used in the plastic packaging covering meats and cheeses whose fats can promote leaching of the chemicals into the food. Phthalates are also in plastic tubing and equipment in food processing plants and in the plastic gloves worn by food workers. Recently, Earthjustice and our partners petitioned the FDA to get phthalates out of our food supply. We asked our supporters to write to the FDA, too, and received an overwhelming response.
The FDA received comments from nearly 200,000 people, all of whom strongly urged the agency to withdraw its approval for the 30 phthalates that are used as food additives. Phthalates have been linked to a host of harmful health impacts including severe genital birth defects in boys, lower IQs, impaired reproduction and cancer.
Many commenters were concerned about the effects phthalates have on children — and rightly so. Growing bodies are extremely vulnerable to toxic chemicals. Exposure to even small doses of chemicals during developmental phases can have lifelong effects on a child.
“As a retired teacher, I have seen firsthand the effects that many things that enter our food stream have on the learning ability of children. Please help protect the future of this country, by protecting the future intelligence of new generations, by repealing any approval for phthalates as food additives.”– D. A., Canon City, CO
“I'm 5 months pregnant with my first baby and the last thing I want is to harm her before she's even born. I'm doing everything I can to keep her safe and healthy but with all these things in our food I feel so helpless sometimes. We need this for every baby past and future; we need to stop harming our children. ”– A.C., Fontana, CA
Many commenters mentioned their battles with cancer and other diseases, and their desire to spare others similar pain.
“I am a breast cancer survivor and have tried to keep myself free of phthalates by avoiding cosmetics, fragrances, nail polish, etc. and using glass storage containers. But I was unaware that these products were in our foods, too. Please protect the public.”– J. S., Plover, WI
“Between my endometriosis, my uterine fibroids (which have caused constant disruptions and pain all of my adult life and had to be surgically removed twice), and my breast cancer (which required a mastectomy and 4 different surgeries), I am keenly and distressingly aware of the health costs of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Please get them out of our food sources.”– A.E., Chicago, IL
“As someone who once had cancer, I really don't need a rematch; I might not win this time. The last thing I need is phthalates in my food.”– B. B., Flushing, NY
Other commenters were troubled by the lack of transparency around chemicals in our food system and reminded the FDA that the American people need this agency to put public health first." Complete article at: http://earthjustice.org/blog/2016-october/americans-speak-out-against-toxic-phthalates-in-food
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Update:
My helper and his fishing buddy went on their boat last weekend, they fished all day and night, so my helper didn’t wake up to come to work on Monday. But they had caught a 49 lb catfish on the trotline so they thought it was worth it. They took it back to his friend’s place here on Lake Conroe, fried the catfish steaks and ate them. Now, I wouldn’t have had anything to do with that scavenger catfish, because of Leviticus 11:10. New Living Translation
”But you must never eat animals from the sea or from rivers that do not have both fins and scales. They are detestable to you. This applies both to little creatures that live in shallow water and to all creatures that live in deep water.” Catfish are bottom feeders, eat dead things, and don’t have scales and fins, so I don’t eat them.
Finally, the water can be turned on in the mini-house (guest-house). All the leaks are fixed and the toilet works. But we did find that there is a dripping tub faucet, so we turned the water off again until we can fix that. The kitchen plumbing is done with shut-offs, even though the sink, dishwasher, and fridge with ice-maker are not in there yet. The water lines are run into the laundry room, and there will be a 3/4 bath in there too. But that will happen later. Just to get the first part functional is great. We worked on the attic floor over the bathroom ceiling so that the plumbing vent pipe could be run up through there, and also so that we can install the new bathroom exhaust fan. When I bought it, I made sure that it was really quiet, as the one I had sounded like a 747 taking off.
At 7.30 AM Monday my neighbor, Roni died of cancer. Everyone is glad that she is now out of pain and in peace. Roni was very artistic and she would rather make mosaic table tops, paint oil pictures, make stain-glass windows, draw pastels, or any kind of art, rather than clean the place up or work on it. Here, I have three walkways that she paved for me, one is over 20 years old and is still as level and true as the day she laid all those pavers. It’s all in the leveling and packing of the sand foundation. Unfortunately, she had become diabetic, then all the medicines and sticky buns that she ate affected her mind, and she wasn’t well at all for the last few years. “You are what you eat, and what it ate.”
Then I found out that she had left her property to me. It is a big mess, so each day I spend a little time picking up trash from the yard and tidying up the outside of the place. The inside can wait now that the contents of the fridge have all been thrown out. Today, we loaded a bunch of old metal into my van, including her broken cook stove that has been in the yard for months. Our Property Owners Assoc. was always complaining to her. Her shack of a house is really only good as a storage shed, but there is an RV hookup there as she used to live in a travel trailer. So once it is cleaned up the property should have some potential. No wonder I have a sign that says “So When Do I Get To Retire?” I have more to do that any old lady should have to do. But I suppose that is what keeps me feeling young.
I made three dishes for the church’s Saturday potluck. Potato and Veggie Kugel with Ricotta, Butter Steamed New Red Potatoes, and Beef Bone Broth and Veggie Soup. The first two went very quickly, but the bone broth just sat there. Are people afraid to eat Bone Broth? It is one of the most nutritious things that you can eat. The pastor’s wife couldn’t be there once again, as her knee is still bothering her. In fact, not as many as usual showed up, you never can tell how many will be there. So I made the potluck for a small crowd, and didn’t add a bunch of things out of the church kitchen’s freezer.
The Pastor read three Psalms to start, 121, 122, and 123. The Bible readings were Exo.21:1-24:18, 2 Kings 11:17-12:17and Hebrews 9:6-10. The Teaching was about The Passover which will be in April this year. The chapel was freezing, the temperature outside was only in the 60’s but they had the air conditioning on! The ceiling fan above me was going so fast that it was rocking and it made a draft right upon my head which made my ears and sinuses clog up and my nose run. I do not like cold days.
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