Should You Keep Valentine’s Day? 5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Valentine's Day. How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?

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Should You Keep Valentine’s Day?

“On Feb. 14, couples around the world will express their love through Valentine’s Day gifts. But many deeply devoted Christian couples will not. Should you?

I recently returned from a pastoral trip visiting congregations of the Church of God in Ghana. Since I returned to the United States, it seems like every time I turn on a radio (mostly when I’m in the car) or see ads in the newspaper or on TV, I’m encouraged to buy flowers, candy, “unique gifts” or even a brand-new car for “someone special” for Valentine’s Day.

I have not observed Valentine’s Day for over 40 years. Why do my wife and I, as well as thousands of Christians around the world, choose not to observe this seemingly innocent, romantic holiday?

Pagan origins

The details surrounding the origins of Valentine’s Day can be a bit muddy, but without a doubt it originated in pagan festivals focused on fertility rites. Most authoritative historical sources will cite the pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia as the genesis of the modern celebration. That three-day celebration was focused on purification, fertility and “love” (read that as sexual lust) among the young, single Roman population.

Most authoritative historical sources will cite the pagan Roman festival of Lupercalia as the genesis of the modern celebration. After sacrifices had been made (apparently both goats and dogs figured prominently in these sacrifices), bachelors would draw the names of young single women from an urn, and then they would be paired together for a year. In some cases these pairings would result in marriage, but not always. As Clyde Kilough, editor of Discern magazine, states on a Life, Hope & Truth video commentary, “The pagans knew how to mix a lot of illicit sex into their religious celebrations.”

Sometime before A.D. 500, the Catholic Pope Gelasius I “Christianized” the celebration by transforming it from a celebration of pagan fertility into a focus on a “Christian” saint. Valentine was the one chosen to be so honored (apparently, there were multiple Catholic saints with that name).

However, the “Christianized” celebration retained its focus on “love” and sex, including images of Cupid, the Roman god of love. Cupid was originally depicted to have sharpened his arrows of love on a grindstone whetted with the blood of an infant. That repulsive imagery was gradually replaced with a more commercially suitable image of a cute, pudgy baby during the 1800s.

To learn more about the origins of Valentine’s Day, read “Valentine’s Day Is Pagan? So What?”

Should Christians keep Valentine’s Day today?

Fast-forward to today. While many people generally understand the pagan origins of this celebration, they really don’t see a problem with keeping it as a day to send romantic gifts to their significant other. After all, it is a “harmless” holiday all about love, romance and sweetness toward that someone special in your life; how could that possibly be wrong?

The answer comes from some rather straightforward warnings in the Scriptures:

“Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish” (Deuteronomy 8:19). To be clear, participating in Valentine’s Day is involving ourselves in the ancient worship practices of “other gods”—not the true God.

God doesn’t want His people adding pagan practices from other religions:

“Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way. … Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:30-32).

Some may want to argue that Valentine’s Day isn’t really that religious anymore, so these scriptures don’t apply. But that argument ignores the clear origins and the ancient focus on illicit sexual activity that was part of this practice. The fact that some may not consider it to be the same today does not remove the pagan origins that bring the practice down to us today. Nor does it change how the true God views these things.

Happy couples do not need to give gifts on Valentine’s Day to show their love for each other. Read our blog “3 Romantic Alternatives to Valentine’s Day” to learn more.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/should-you-keep-valentines-day/

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5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Valentine's Day

Transcript of video at: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/5-reasons-not-to-celebrate-valentines-day

“Here's five tongue-in-cheek reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day. But can you find another?

[Steve Myers] “Here's a little tongue-in-cheek discussion on 5 reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Number one: Flowers make you sneeze and they don't last very long.

Number two: Pink does not make you look thinner.

In fact, number three: Pink's a girly color that makes men feel wimpy.

Number four: Chocolate makes you fat.

Number five: Valentine's Day is just commercialism by the greeting card companies to make millions of dollars.

Are those any reasons that you shouldn't celebrate Valentine's Day? There is a more important reason, but it comes back to realizing what is life all about. What is romance after all because Valentine's Day is supposed to focus on romance? And we often think of the flowers and the candy and the meals out and all those kinds of things.

But you know what? Romance is sometimes vacuuming the house.  Romance is sometimes, yeah, cleaning the toilet or maybe changing a diaper or two or maybe making his favorite dessert. That's what real romance comes down to so much of the time, real life. And sometimes we get fooled by taking one day and trying to make something huge out of it when in reality love is a daily thing. It's something that we show every single day of our life.

Christ Himself said that whatever we want men to do to us, we should do to them. And it should be something that's on going, not just a onetime thing.

It reminded me of a passage that's over in Ecclesiastes in Ecclesiastes 9:9. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says, "Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life, which He's given you under the sun." So it's all our days not just one day.

And so you could probably come up with a longer list of reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day, but you know they're not all humorous. There is another reason.

You know that many of the world's holidays are focused and come from roots of paganism. That's where they're rooted. Valentine's Day is no different, named after a Catholic saint. It's rooted in paganism. Maybe that's a question you could ask yourself. What does God think about Valentine's Day?

Check it out a little bit. Look at what Deuteronomy 12 has to say about it. Check it out. Do a little bit of research. You may be very surprised what you find. In fact, you'll probably add one more big reason not to celebrate Valentine's Day.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/5-reasons-not-to-celebrate-valentines-day

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How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?

Transcript of video at: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.

“Are table sugar and high fructose corn syrup just empty calories or can they be actively harmful?

In 1776—at the time of the American Revolution—Americans consumed about 4 lbs of sugar per person each year. By 1850, this had risen to 20 lbs, and by 1994, to 120 lbs, and now we’re closer to 160. Half of that is fructose, taking up about 10% of our diet. This is not from eating apples, but rather the fact that we’re each guzzling the equivalent of 16-oz soft drink every day; that’s about 50 gallons a year.

Even researchers paid by the likes of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and The Coca- Cola Company, acknowledge that sugar is empty calories, containing no essential micronutrients, and therefore if we’re trying to reduce calorie intake, reducing sugar consumption is obviously the place to start.

Concern has been raised, though, that sugar calories may be worst than just empty. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the fructose added to foods and beverages in the form of table sugar and high fructose corn syrup in large enough amounts can trigger processes that lead to liver toxicity and other chronic diseases.

Fructose hones in like a laser beam on the liver, and like alcohol, fructose can increase the fat in the liver, increasing the risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is one of the most remarkable medical developments over the past 3 decades—the emergence of fatty liver inflammation as a public health problem here and around the globe.

These may not be messages that the sugar industry or beverage makers want to hear. In response, the director-general of the industry front group World Sugar Research Organization, replied “Overconsumption of anything is harmful, including of water and air.” Yes, the overconsumption of sugar compared to breathing too much.

As one author expressed, I suppose it is natural for the vast and powerful sugar interests to seek to protect themselves, since sugar takes up the single greater percentage of our daily caloric intake.

The American Heart Association is trying to change that. Under their new sugar guidelines, most American women should consume no more than 100 calories per day from added sugars, and most American men should eat or drink no more than 150. That means one can of soda could take us over the top for the day. The new draft guidelines from the World Health Organization suggests we could benefit from restricting added sugars to under 5% of calories. That’s about 6 spoonfuls of added sugar. I don’t know why they don’t just recommend zero as optimal, but you can get a sense of how radical their proposal is given that this is how many we consume right now.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-much-added-sugar-is-too-much/

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Do It With Your Might. Which Is the Great Commandment? How to Avoid the Obesity-Related Plastic Chemical BPA.

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Do It With Your Might

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

“Solomon’s writings repeatedly encourage diligence and hard work as necessary ingredients of success. (For more on this, see our article “How to Be Successful.”) Here the wise king adds the perspective that this life is short, and so we must apply our full efforts now. This passage may have been on the apostle Paul’s mind when he wrote, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).

Many churches dispute Solomon’s assertion that “the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5) and that there is no knowledge or wisdom in the grave. The common teaching is that man has an immortal soul. But is this what the Bible teaches? For more on this, see our article “Immortal Soul.””  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/do-it-with-your-might/

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Which Is the Great Commandment?

Matthew 22:35-38

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”

“The lawyer seemingly intended this as a trick question with many possible answers that would be considered wrong by those experts who had ranked the laws differently. But Jesus Christ cut to the core of all the laws to identify what is truly most important. Loving God with all our being means we will seek to please Him and do everything else He asks us to do.

This first, great commandment summarizes the first four of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-11) where God explains how to love Him the way He wants to be loved. Human ideas of how to worship God may be well-intentioned, but to be assured we are pleasing God, we must worship and obey Him the way He wants us to. The first four Commandments, and the entire Bible, show us that way.”

Study more about how God wants us to love Him in our article “The Great Commandment.”   From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/which-is-the-great-commandment/?

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Which Is the Great Commandment? Part 2

Matthew 22:39-40

“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

“After telling us to love God with everything we’ve got, Jesus Christ gives the essential key to human relationships. Selfishness destroys relationships, and this love is the antidote. Loving others as ourselves means we will consider how our actions affect others. This is related to what is often called the Golden Rule: “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).

In the same way the great commandment summarized the first four of the 10 Commandments, loving our neighbors summarizes and gives life to the last six (Exodus 20:12-17). These two great commandments expand out to the 10 Commandments, which can be magnified to reveal the essence of the whole Bible—the Law and the Prophets, along with the New Testament as well.”

Study more about God’s law in our series on the “10 Commandments.”

From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/which-is-the-great-commandment-part-2/?

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How to Avoid the Obesity-Related Plastic Chemical BPA

“Ninety percent of our exposure to the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) comes from certain components of our diet.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/KIBsIQu0zNo

“The purported link between hormone-disrupting plastics chemicals, like BPA, and obesity was initially based, in part, on observations that the rise in chemical exposure seemed to coincide with the rise of the obesity epidemic—with graphs like these. But, maybe that’s just a coincidence. There’s lots of other changes over the last half century—like an increase in fast food consumption and watching TV—that would seem to be simpler explanations.

But why are our pets getting fatter, too? Fido isn’t drinking more soda. Of course, the more we watch Seinfeld reruns, the less we may walk the dog. But what about our cats? Well, maybe we’re giving both them and our kids a few too many treats? That would seem an easier explanation than some pervasive obesity-causing chemical in the environment building up in the pet and person food chains.

But how do we explain this? A study of over 20,000 animals from 24 populations, and we’re all getting fatter. The odds that this could happen just by chance is like one in ten million. Large and sustained increases in body weight across the board—even in animals without access to vending machines, or getting [less] physical education at school. So, maybe some environmental pollutant is involved.

Of course, we’re exposed to a whole cocktail of new chemicals besides BPA. But the reason researchers have zeroed in on it is because of experiments like this—showing that BPA can accelerate the production of new fat cells, in a petri dish at least. But this was at more than a thousand times the concentration found in most people’s bloodstream.

We didn’t know if the same thing happened at typical levels, until now. Most people have between 1 to 20 nanomoles in their blood, and even at 1 nanomole, a significant boost in human fat cell production. So, even low levels may be a problem. But, again, that’s in a petri dish. What about in people?

Why not just measure the body weights of a population exposed to the chemical, compared to a population not exposed to the chemical? Because there is virtually no unexposed population; the stuff is everywhere. Okay, then, how about those with higher levels compared to those with lower levels? Good thinking, which is what researchers at NYU did, and the amount of BPA flowing through the bodies of children and adolescents was significantly associated with obesity.

But since it was a cross-sectional study—a snapshot in time—we don’t know which came first. Maybe the [high] BPA levels didn’t lead to obesity; maybe the obesity led to high BPA levels, since the chemical is stored in fat. Or, maybe BPA is just a marker for the same kinds of processed foods that can make you fat.

What we need are prospective studies where we measure exposure, and then follow people over time. But we never had anything like that, though, until now. And indeed, higher levels of BPA and some other plastics chemicals were significantly associated with faster weight gain over the subsequent decade. Okay, so, how can we stay away from the stuff?

Though we inhale some from dust, and some through our skin, touching BPA-laden receipts, 90% of exposure is from our diet. How do you tell? You have people fast, and drink water only out of glass bottles for a few days, and their BPA levels drop as much as tenfold. Fasting isn’t very sustainable, though.

What if you did a three-day fresh foods intervention, where they had families switch away from canned and processed foods for a few days? You can indeed get a significant drop in BPA exposure.

Or, you can do the experiment the other way—adding a serving of canned soup to people’s daily diet, and see a 1,000% rise in BPA levels in their urine, compared to a serving of soup prepared with fresh ingredients.

They used a ready-to-serve canned soup, which, in the largest survey of North American canned foods, has about 85% less BPA than condensed soups, which are even worse. But the worst of the worst appeared to be canned tuna.”

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-to-avoid-the-obesity-related-plastic-chemical-bpa/

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Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen. We Cannot Avoid Judging. Is Milk Good For Our Bones?

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Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen

“Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Called and chosen for what? What is God’s calling? Are you sure you are among those who are called?

Jesus Christ told His disciples, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). What did He mean by that? This article will explore:

• “No one can come to Me unless …”
• The called must choose to put on a “wedding garment.”
• What is a calling from God?
• The parable of the sower describes God’s calling.
• How to interpret the parable of the sower.
• How is it possible to be called but not chosen?
• How early Church members responded to God’s calling.
• God is calling people in stages.
• What happens to people who aren’t called or chosen in their lifetime?
• Is God calling me?
• You can know if God is calling you.
• Responding to God’s calling is a lifelong commitment.

“No one can come to Me unless …”

Earlier in His ministry, Jesus explained, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws [calls or invites] him” (John 6:44).

Can you imagine your telephone’s caller ID displaying “God calling” when your phone rings? Of course, His calling is much more subtle than that, but it is just as real. Jesus was telling the assembled crowds that no one can come to Him—that is, no one can become a Christian—unless the Father first calls that person”

 CONTINUE READING        From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/christmas-is-it-really-glory-to-the-newborn-king

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We Cannot Avoid Judging.

Matthew 7:1-5

(1) "Judge not, that you be not judged. (2) For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (3) And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? (4) Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me remove the speck from your eye"; and look, a plank is in your own eye? (5) Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

• New King James Version

“We cannot avoid judging. As the stock in trade of the mind, appraisals are inevitable. If we were witnesses to a flagrant violation of law in which innocent people were harmed, could we keep quiet because we are not to judge?

Does not Jesus command us to judge in verse 6? "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." Do we not have to judge who are "dogs" or "swine"? Considering verse 15 ("Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves"), do we not have to judge whether a man is a false minister? Do we not have to reject his teaching based on an appraisal of his fruits?

We must therefore take care to understand clearly what Jesus meant. He obviously did not mean we should not judge at all. Within the context of Luke 6:35-38, Jesus uses "Judge not, and you shall not be judged" to urge us to love our enemies, be merciful, forgiving, and generous. This very greatly modifies Matthew's account, showing that "Judge not . . ." is a warning against self-righteous severity, sharp-tongued criticism, and condemnation. Thus, it is not a command to be absolutely neutral and tolerant regarding moral issues, but a warning to be careful and loving when we judge. We can apply this admonishment to Romans 14:10-13 and James 4:11-12 as well.

There are practical reasons why Jesus would advise us about this. Of prime importance is that even though it is important that we judge rightly, it is even more important that we do not usurp the place of God! "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4).

Paul begins this letter to the Romans calling himself a servant of Jesus Christ. He reminds us that we are all His servants (verses 7-8). A servant does not have the same rights and responsibilities as a master. Though we are permitted the right of making an appraisal of conduct, we are not permitted the right of passing judgment upon a fellow servant. A fellow servant does not stand or fall at the bar of our judgment. The only judgment that matters is the judgment of our mutual Master. If He is satisfied or displeased, He will act in His good time and in His way. To usurp His responsibility is an act of sheer presumption.

This in no way means we cannot approach a brother to inquire about and understand his conduct so that we might know whether our appraisal is correct. Assuming that our intent in questioning him is for his good, why would we even approach him? Would it not be because our evaluation of his conduct had led us to conclude—yes, to judge—that he was in serious moral or spiritual trouble?”  From: https://www.theberean.org/index.cfm/main/default/id/599/ver/NKJV/matthew-7-1-5.htm

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Is Milk Good For Our Bones?

"The galactose in milk may explain why milk consumption is associated with significantly higher risk of hip fractures, cancer, and premature death.

Milk is touted to build strong bones, but a compilation of all the best studies found no association between milk consumption and hip fracture risk, so drinking milk as an adult might not help bones. But what about in adolescence? Harvard researchers decided to put it to the test.

Studies have shown that greater milk consumption during childhood and adolescence contributes to peak bone mass, and is therefore expected to help avoid osteoporosis and bone fractures in later life. But that’s not what they found. Milk consumption during teenage years was not associated with a lower risk of hip fracture, and, if anything, milk consumption was associated with a borderline increase in fracture risk in men.

It appears that the extra boost in total body bone mineral density you get from getting extra calcium is lost within a few years, even if you keep the calcium supplementation up. This suggests a partial explanation for the long-standing enigma that hip fracture rates are highest in populations with the greatest milk consumption. Maybe an explanation why they’re not lower, but why would they be higher?

This enigma irked a Swedish research team, puzzled because studies again and again had shown a tendency of a higher risk of fracture with a higher intake of milk. Well, there is a rare birth defect called galactosemia, where babies are born without the enzymes needed to detoxify the galactose found in milk, so they end up with elevated levels of galactose in their blood, which can cause bone loss even as kids. So maybe, the Swedish researchers figured, even in normal people who can detoxify the stuff, it might not be good for the bones to be drinking it every day. And galactose doesn’t just hurt the bones.

That’s what scientists use to cause premature aging in lab animals They slip them a little galactose and you can shorten their lifespan, cause oxidative stress, inflammation, brain degeneration, just with the equivalent of one to two glasses of milk’s worth of galactose a day. We’re not rats, though—but given the high amount of galactose in milk, recommendations to increase milk intake for prevention of fractures could be a conceivable contradiction. So they decided to put it to the test, looking at milk intake and mortality, as well as fracture risk, to test their theory.

A hundred thousand men and women followed for up to 20 years; what did they find? Milk-drinking women had higher rates of death, more heart disease, and significantly more cancer for each glass of milk. Three glasses a day was associated with nearly twice the risk of death. And they had significantly more bone and hip fractures too.

Men in a separate study also had a higher rate of death with higher milk consumption, but at least they didn’t have higher fracture rates. So a dose-dependent higher rate of both mortality and fracture in women, and a higher rate of mortality in men with milk intake, but the opposite for other dairy products like soured milk and yogurt, which would go along with the galactose theory, since bacteria can ferment away some of the lactose. To prove it though, we need a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of milk intake on mortality and fractures. As the accompanying editorial pointed out, we better figure this out soon, as milk consumption is on the rise around the world.”

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer at: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-milk-good-for-our-bones/

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Why Can’t We Get Along? Communitarian Justice. Update.

Why Can’t We Get Along?

“Our world seems more divided than ever before. We’re seeing family division, violence and hatred. Why can’t we all just get along?

Why is everyone seemingly at each other’s throats right now? With so many outlets of expression (texting, Facebook, Twitter and so on), many are constantly letting everybody else know what they think and what others should think. When somebody disagrees with somebody, or everybody disagrees with somebody, or everybody disagrees with everybody (which seems to be what we have now)—watch out!

This can cause serious rifts in families and friendships, erupt into violence and public attacks, and destroy reputations and careers. Basically it results in all-around misery for everyone.

Why is this happening?

Let’s look at three reasons: pride, partiality and hypocrisy.

Pride

Pride, an unrealistic and elevated view of ourselves and our opinions, can affect how we think on such a deep level that we often don’t even know it’s there.

Consider the following examples of pride, and how it is causing so many arguments and misery between people.

• Pride of intelligence and knowledge: feeling like one knows more than someone else about an issue (which may or may not be true) and adopting a condescending attitude toward the other.
• Pride of appearance: having a sense of greater worth based on how one looks.
• Pride of race: thinking that skin color makes one inherently superior to someone of a different color.
• Pride of station: believing that one’s career, education, financial status, social status and so forth make one better than someone else. 
• Pride of spirituality: considering that one’s self-perceived righteousness is superior to that of others. 
• Pride of experience: believing that one’s experiences are more valid for making one’s perspectives closer to objective truth than someone else’s.

There are many more examples, leading to many more catastrophic interactions between human beings. The Bible tells us that pride disconnects us from God, but humility draws us closer to Him (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Likewise, pride also divides us from each other, but humility will bring us closer together.

Partiality

We all have preferences, making us all partial to different flavors, music, interests, entertainment and even personality traits. However, when we become partial in our dealings with other human beings, that’s when sharp division sets in.

Take, for instance, some of these examples of partiality:

• Partiality in justice: “I have more money to defend myself in court and more connections to get myself out of jams.”
• When we become partial in our dealings with other human beings, that’s when sharp division sets in.Partiality in outrage: “This horrible thing is okay because it’s being done by people I agree with, but I can’t stand it when this other horrible thing is done by people I disagree with.”
• Partiality in values: “This really important thing is not so important to me, but this other really important thing is.”
• Partiality in history: “We don’t need to know the messy parts of our history, just what enables us to feel good about ourselves.”
• Partiality in opportunities: “Wealthy people deserve more opportunities than poor people.”
• Partiality in facts: “I like these facts, but these other ones that clearly contradict them should be ignored.”

One of the truly great things about God is that He shows no partiality (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). He judges perfectly and without partiality (Deuteronomy 1:17) and views people without partiality (James 2:1-13). When partiality is present, there will always be conflict and fighting over fairness and the truth.

Hypocrisy

Jesus Christ, in Matthew 23, gives several scathing rebukes of hypocrisy to the religious leaders of His time, and for all time. Using some of these specific examples, we can see how hypocrisy is alive and well—and making us argue with each other all the time.

Consider just a few of the many ways we see hypocrisy in our world today:

Business dealings:

• Defending greed and selfish ambition inherent in driving the economy, but decrying those abusing welfare.
• Defending illegal behavior and lack of personal responsibility as people having no choice, but denouncing mistreatment of the poor by the wealthy.

Moral issues:

• Defending the biblical principles against sinful behavior, but secretly practicing the same sins.
• Defending poor moral behavior in someone we agree with, but condemning the poor moral behavior in someone we disagree with.

Hypocrisy makes us angry and distrustful of each other because it never feels as if we are getting straight talk or being respected.

Knowing is half the battle

What pride, partiality and hypocrisy share in common is that they are all spiritual and character issues. Just as we can all be susceptible to these sins subtly creeping into our lives, we can all strive to avoid them. Pride, partiality and hypocrisy are definitely not the only ingredients in the stew of hatred and division that is brewing to a boil right now, but they are huge factors.

It’s as if we’re dealing with a disease that has taken over our minds, so let’s start dousing pride with humility, partiality with fairness, and hypocrisy with genuineness.” From: From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/why-cant-we-get-along/?

For more insight on pride, read “Three Ways Pride May Be Infecting Us All” and “Overcoming Pride.”

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Communitarian Justice

Deuteronomy 16:18 – Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

“Anarchy and vigilantism are expressly prohibited by God’s Law. There must be judges and officers in the gates of every community. No criminal case can proceed legitimately without the involvement of the duly elected or appointed judiciary. How exactly these men or women are to be appointed is not specified, however the command is addressed to the community as a whole. Presumably a king or governor could appoint whomever he wills. If he does not, however, the community must still ensure the post is occupied.

There is at least one situation in which a course of action that appears on the surface to be vigilante is appropriate. This option should only be exercised in the most rare and extreme cases.

If the community refuses to appoint officers or cannot agree on which men to appoint, then individuals who already legitimately possess some other claim to authority must sometimes appoint themselves.

This is essentially the right of the kinsman redeemer extended to the entire community. There is biblical precedence: Pinchas, who was already a priest, appointed himself an officer of the court when he killed Zimri and Cozbi. Judgment had already been passed and executed on the guilty, but their blood had barely cooled when Zimri blatantly committed the very same crimes. A trial was hardly necessary as all the judges were witnesses to the deed. To stop a plague that was sweeping the camp, Pinchas immediately carried out the sentence already given.

Centuries later, Saul was neglecting his responsibilities in enforcing justice in his own lands and defending the border against the Philistines, so David, who had been anointed by Samuel as Saul’s successor, appointed himself judge.

These exceptions are not blanket authorization to engage in vigilantism or mob justice. In each case, the one who acted was acting to save lives and preserve the nation. Our God is a god of order and authority. He commanded that we create a justice system with a hierarchy of courts and that we obey the rulings of our courts. Every crime must be proved by multiple witnesses and a thorough investigation. All of this means that lynching and rioting are anathema to God’s standards of justice.” From: http://www.americantorah.com/2012/08/19/communitarian-justice/

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Update.

By Monday, I wanted to hurry up and get the blood tests done on Evie, my cat,  to find out what is wrong with her.  I called for an appointment at a vet here in Navasota, so I wouldn’t have to make the long drive to Brenham for our appointment two days later.  It was more expensive but I didn’t want to put Evie, or me, through that long drive in the heat of the afternoon.  I always worry, “What if I have a flat”, what would I do on the side of the road with no shade and a cat?  I am just not used to driving miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles!

At the vet, she was very good while getting blood drawn from her arm, and it took 20 minutes for the results.  It isn’t diabetes, it is hyperthyroidism.  The vet said that it was great that I realized that there is something wrong with her so soon after getting her, and he said “Just feed her plenty of good quality wet food, no dry, and keep her happy”.  He didn’t prescribe anything.  So I loaded up on more cans of Wellness at Tractor Supply. 

This is why she was waking her previous people up in the night, she needed food. It doesn’t bother me, I get up at least once a night anyway, so I feed her then.  I have a recipe for making feline raw food, but I don’t have all the supplements that have to be mixed in it yet.  Feeding people food to a cat doesn’t have all they need, nor a dog.

I trapped one more scroungy-looking stray cat and got him to the shelter. He had to be taken away from these senior apartments because he was scratching people.  Thank goodness this one didn’t give us any trouble getting him out of the trap and into their cage, not like the last one.  That one, a female, got loose in the shelter office and it took several people to catch her, poor thing, she was terrified.

My church neighbor and I went over the study for the Sabbath School on Friday, and we both enjoyed studying it again, with a few more from the congregation, at the church the next day.

Should Christians Keep Mardi Gras? Let This Mind Be in You. Acts for Today's Disciples. Update.

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Police stand next to a pickup truck that slammed into a crowd and other vehicles, causing multiple injuries, coming to a stop against a dump truck.  — Police on Sunday identified the intoxicated man who allegedly plowed into a crowd enjoying a Mardi Gras parade. NEW ORLEANS (AP)

Should Christians Keep Mardi Gras?

“Mardi Gras has its roots in religious tradition. But what does the Bible say?

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/GHrgfdxFKfI

[Steve Myers] “Colorful costumes and masks and pageantry. That’s all surrounding Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is one of those traditions where…sometimes I’ll talk about the fact that it reminds me of the three Ds. There’s dancing in the streets, there’s drunkenness and debauchery. That kinda categorizes Fat Tuesday. That’s literally what the term Mardi Gras means.

Religiously it’s called Shrove Tuesday because that’s the day before Lent. Lent of course being more of a Catholic kind of a tradition that’s rooted in pagan holidays. And what would happen at Lent is that you would give up something for Lent. And so before you give something up, you certainly want to overindulge and fatten up and, you know, get into food and drink and all those things so that you can then put that behind you and repent for the rest of this religious season.

But when you really think about the implications of that religiously, it’s really ridiculous. In modern carnival traditions and celebrations all around the world and whether it’s in New Orleans or Rio or Nice, France. These are areas where they’ll often celebrate for weeks, leading up to that time. When we lived in New Orleans for a while, I remember they talk about Fat Tuesday, and then instead of Ash Wednesday, they’d call it Trash Wednesday because there was so much junk leftover from these Mardi Gras celebrations. Well, is that something we should have any part in?

These Catholic traditions that are not really based in the Bible at all. I mean, there’s a couple of interesting aspects when you consider this. I was thinking of the passage that’s found in Romans 13:13. It says the basic things. As Christians it says, “Let’s walk properly in the day, not in revelry or drunkenness.”

Of course on TV, they’ll show the parties and the fun but they don’t show all of those types of things because that would certainly take away from the tourism of all those areas of the world. Romans goes on, “don’t walk in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.” And it’s kind of a reminder, those are the things we should give up, but that’s not good enough.

This whole aspect of Mardi Gras and Lent, I think it is something that miss directs us to what the truth of God’s word really is. Yes, we’ve got to give up lewdness and drunkenness and revelry and all those types of things that are against God’s way of life. But Romans points out, it’s not just about giving something up. We have to put something on and so verse 14 in Romans 13 says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust.”

And so that’s an important aspect of Christianity, true Christianity. We not only put off those things that are wrong, but we’ve got to take it a step farther. We’ve got to put on everything that’s right. So when you begin to hear about Mardi Gras celebrations, and all of those types of things in this upcoming Lent season that this religious world will keep, remember, it’s not rooted in the Bible. In fact, let it remind you of the fact we need to put off the ways of the world, but more importantly then, put on Jesus Christ.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/should-christians-keep-mardi-gras

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Let This Mind Be in You

Philippians 2:3-5

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

The goal of Christian conversion and transformation is to become like Jesus Christ—to think like Him, to love others as He does, to have His mind in us.

Paul lists some of the changes that are necessary for a natural, selfish human mind to become like Jesus Christ’s mind. We must remove selfish ambitions and “empty pride,” replacing them with “lowliness of mind.”

“The Greek word suggests a deep sense of humility. Although the pagan writers used the word negatively, in effect to mean abjectness or groveling, Paul did not. What Paul was calling for was an honest evaluation of one’s own nature. Such an evaluation should always lead to glorification of Christ” (NKJV Study Bible, comment on Philippians 2:3).

Elsewhere Paul says it is not wise to compare ourselves with others (2 Corinthians 10:12). But when we do assess ourselves and do consider others, we should “be severe upon our own faults and charitable in our judgment of others” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, comment on Philippians 2:1-1”1).

For more about developing the mind of Jesus Christ, see “Christ in Us: How Does He Live in You?” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/let-this-mind-be-in-you/?

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Acts for Today's Disciple, Part 6

“A scene from the early days of the Church offers us a lesson about effectiveness for us today.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/B-sNfZrgbm0

[Darris McNeely] “One of the things we sometimes ask ourselves in our role as a disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ, how effective are we? Are we really accomplishing something with our obedience, with our works, with our service to people, to God, to His Church?

You know, the story of the Book of Acts and the role of the disciples in the early church can help us come to an answer on that question.

There was a scene in the early days of the church in the fourth chapter of the Book of Acts where persecution begins to come out against the church in its earliest days. Peter and John have healed someone in the temple. And that creates a great deal of following and people are listening to their message about the kingdom and about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His role as their Savior.

The Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews in the temple, they don’t like it. They bring Peter and John before them and they question them. They then tell that “We’re doing this all in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the one whom you kill.” The Jewish leaders don’t like it. They kind of give them a little slap on the wrist and say, “Don’t do this anymore.” But they say, “Well, we have to. We will.” They leave. They go back to their followers. And they recount to them what they have done.

And as they’re in a small group setting in Chapter 4, the church kind of rejoices over what has happened, and the fact that the power of God is quite evident in the actions that they are taking. And they make this statement. It is actually a prayer in Acts 4, beginning in verse 27, 28, and 29 here. They say to God, “Lord, now pay attention to their threats and grant to your servants to speak Your message with great courage.”

The disciples were threatened by the Jewish leaders. The disciples are praying to God, “Please give us courage while You extend Your hand to heal, and to bring about miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” This was their prayer to God in a collective prayer. When they had prayed, it says, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God courageously.

It’s like God took His little finger and just kind of reached down and shook the room that they were all gathered in and praying in to give them an encouragement that, “You’re on the right track. What you’re doing is of Me. I’m supporting it. Keep doing what you’re doing.” And they were encouraged. They were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples in their early days in the church, they were a praying group of people. When they were faced with a difficulty, opposition to what they were doing, they got together, they read Scripture, and they prayed to God. And they were effective. And their works were works of God and God supported that. And there was fruit born from what they did.

When we look at that in our own life, how effective are we? How effective are we in the larger church?

This is a good story to go back to, to recognize the elements of what they did. They supported one another, they read Scripture, and they prayed to God. And that was the core of their plan. That was their strategic plan. And God was behind them at that time. And they were effective. Something to think about, when we worry and wonder about what we’re doing, what you’re doing with your life and your service before God.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/acts-for-todays-disciple-part-6

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Update

Bible study on Sunday afternoon was cancelled because the pastor was sick.

Monday was the Brazos Valley Strengthening Relationship seminar’s last meeting, and she brought us some chicken and veggie stew, and we each were given a certificate and gift card for completing the course. This was funded by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

Tuesday, my daughter came over here with her two dogs and we took all three to the park.  One of her males, another American Eskimo, came from the same house as my little skittish little Foxie, and they seemed pleased to see each other, but Foxie thought that Wendy’s other dog, a male Aussie Shepherd, was the bee’s knees.  They romped and played the best way they could on leashes, that is until we got back here, then she guarded me and wouldn’t let the other dogs near me. 

On Wednesday, another Aggie, from Family and Community Health A&M University came to give us a preview of a new health program that they are starting here.  We were issued pedometers and now they will be coming twice a week and trying to get these old seniors to walk around the block!  We are supposed to walk 5-10 minutes a day to get into the habit.  I walk quite a bit anyway, exercising the dog.

As I was still feeling a bit droopy from my cold, so I just took cookies to the church potluck.  The sermon was about “It Takes Courage, It Takes Heart”.  About the many examples of people’s courage over the years.  King David, Daniel, Jesus Christ, the negro underground railroad, and he even mentioned my going through the bombing during the war.  I told him later, that it didn’t take any courage, because as a child I didn’t know any different, I just accepted it as a part of life.

Each day is different for little scared Foxie, she will be fine, peeing outside like she should, then she will hear the big trash truck, a noisy train, or people shouting, and she will be all shaky and won’t pee for the rest of the day.

What I Learned From Andy Dalton, Quarterback. The Bee’s Knees. Think Before You Act. Update.

What I Learned From Andy Dalton, Quarterback for Cincinnati Bengals

“Andy Dalton’s character and the way he handled adversity deserves to be mentioned. His actions are rare today, especially in sports.

Ben Hershey/Unsplash

We all go through setbacks or even feel like we have been benched. Sometimes we are not treated fairly, but how do we respond?

As we all know we are at the end of the football season, with the Super Bowl just ahead of us. While I do not care for sports at all, this has been an interesting year for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals had a very bad year. With a new coach, Zac Taylor, and with no wins to their credit, it looked like they were headed to their 12th loss, which would had been referred to as the “dirty dozen.”

However, they managed to pull off a win by beating the New York Jets on Sunday, Dec. 1 with an amazing score of 22 to 6. To get to their first win, there were some bumps for the nine-year quarterback Andy Dalton.

Normally I would not be writing about football but Andy Dalton’s character and the way he handled adversity deserves to be mentioned. His actions are rare today and especially in sports.

After a record of 0-8 at the beginning of the season, Dalton was told he would be benched on his birthday. “Happy Birthday Andy, but you have been benched, go eat your cake on your bench,” as I have been kidding with people around me. Of course, it was not a laughing matter for Dalton and I am sure it was humiliating. What was inspiring for me was to watch his amazing example throughout this ordeal.

Dalton did not get mad and quit, instead he got out there, encouraged and worked with the quarterback and his teammates for the next three games. As reported by WCPO Cincinnati, Dalton said he “wanted to be bitter when Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor benched me during week 9 so the coach could see if rookie Ryan Finley could reinvigorate the offense. It took me a day or two before I realized that was not going to get me anywhere.”

Of course, Dalton had no idea whether he would return to play the lead quarterback for the Bengals. However, he still pushed on and set an outstanding example not only for his team but also for all us to watch. In the face of all the adversity, Dalton kept his faith, his trust in God, and maintained a positive attitude! Even Dalton’s coach, Zac Taylor, who benched the quarterback, noticed Dalton’s attitude.

“Just his veteran leadership, his presence, his character, he stands for all the things you want in a player. And, so for him, when he’s the backup quarterback, he’s thinking ‘I didn’t get to finish with a win.’ You felt terrible for that part of it. So, for him to come back and lead us the way he led us and get this win is just… you know, it says a lot about his character and the adversity he’s overcome,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “He just kept being the leader through it all.”

“I didn’t know why it was happening, but I knew God has a plan for me,” Dalton said. “He has a plan for my family and my life, and I had to trust and believe in that. This is just part of my story and part of something I’m going to be able to relate to people on a different level now than I probably could not have before. Initially it was tough, but I wasn’t going to let the circumstance really get to me.

“At the end of the day, that’s not who I want people to see me to be, and that’s not my character,” he added. “That’s not what God has called me to be.” Dalton relied on his faith to get him through those rough few weeks before he was brought back as quarterback.

We all go through setbacks or even feel like we have been benched like Dalton. Sometimes we are not treated fairly, but how do we respond? Do we continue to trust God knowing that He is in charge of our life no matter what direction or situation we may find ourselves? Dalton had no idea he would ever be playing again for the Bengals. However, when he did come back, he came back with a major win for his team.

Dalton’s faith in God even through adversity reminded me of my favorite scripture found in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (New International Version).

While Andy Dalton did not know what his future was when he was benched, he knew that God was in charge of his life. In addition, while going through his trial, he went on to help and encourage his teammates.

Let us all learn from Andy Dalton’s amazing example. To persevere when we have setbacks that we do not understand. To set a positive example for those around us to learn from. To know that God is indeed in charge of our life for our good and for the good of others around us.

Of course, our future is far greater than being a starting quarterback on a football team; as our goal is to be in God’s great Kingdom.

In the meantime, we will have to go through highs and lows before we get there. How will we respond when we are hit with the lows? Always know that God will see you through it. And people are watching to see how we respond.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/what-i-learned-from-andy-dalton-quarterback-for-cincinnati-bengals

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The Bee’s Knees and Cat’s Pajamas

“The cat’s pajamas, the bullfrog’s beard, the elephant’s adenoids, they all pale in comparison to the bee’s knees.

As bees are responsible for at least 70% of the world’s agriculture by way of pollination, a world without bees would largely mean a world where many humans go hungry. It would mean a world where plants are not able to reproduce, and where the animals that eat them would die out in just a few years.

Domestic and imported fruits and vegetables dependent on pollination include

• avocados
• soybeans
• asparagus
• broccoli
• celery
• squash
• sunflowers for oil

• cucumbers
• citrus fruit
• peaches
• kiwis
• cherries
• cranberries
• melons

According to Sustain, the Alliance for Better Food and Farming, “for crops such as blueberries and almonds, the honey bee plays an essential role in pollination of commercial crops, with around 80% of the US crop said to be dependent on honey bees. Honey bees can also pollinate clover and alfalfa, which are fed to cattle, so there are implications for the meat and dairy industry too. And that is not to mention the huge range of manufactured food products made from all these ingredients.”

Even as a hypothetical, a planet without bees is a frightening concept, but the fact is, we may be approaching that stage faster than many realize. While dangerous neocontid-based pesticides have increased in use over the last few decades, and agricultural claims around the world expand into lands ripped from nature by clear-cutting and deforestation, the world has meanwhile lost almost 90% of its bees.

As Albert Einstein once said, “If the bees disappear, humans would have 4 years to live.” To that extent, humans better get their five years plans in order, or find a way to save the bees.

As Greenpeace maintains, the latter shouldn’t be considered out of reach. There is still time to save the bees from extinction, despite their dwindling trajectory. The conservation group suggests banning the seven most dangerous pesticides (including nicotine-based substances), preserving wild habitats where bees live, and advocating for ecologically-minded agricultural practices.

Source: Pixabay

The most prolific methods of farming today are also the most detrimental to our environment, Greenpeace reports. Mono-crop planting reduces ecosystem diversity, and in turn, decreases insect populations. Ecological farming involves planting a variety of crops that are complementary to the environment, fertilizing with natural composting systems, rather than harsh chemicals, and leaving out the dangerous pesticides altogether. The yields from such methods may be less than current industrial-scale operations provide, but the long term risks are greatly reduced.

As pollution and the potential for soil loss from wind and water erosion decrease, and pollinating insects find work to be done on farms once more, the bees will have a good reason to return.

Learn more about the implications of a planet without bees in the video below.”

YouTube: https://youtu.be/JilYBVrFiLA

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Think Before You Act

A run-in with a rattlesnake brought an important lesson about how our brains work.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/NsZadMVjqWk

[Gary Petty] “A number of years ago, when my son was a teenager, we were hiking in the Chisos Mountains in Texas, and we had hiked up about 7,000 feet. We’re coming down, we’re both tired, and we’re walking along, both of us have our heads down as we’re walking down this very steep trail, and I suddenly heard a noise. And I stopped. And he ran right into the back of me, because he was looking down also, and he said, “What’s wrong?” And there was a split second, I’m trying to think what’s wrong, and then I realized what it was. And I looked down, and there was about a four-foot rattlesnake rattling and coiled, and I was about to step on it.

Now, what’s interesting there is how the brain works. I actually went afterwards and read a book on how does the brain work, because I didn’t think, “Oh, a rattlesnake.” All I did was feel fear. I heard the rattle, I knew that’s not right, and I felt fear. I then thought, “A rattlesnake.” Now, think about what would have happened if my brain worked the other way. What if the cognitive part stepped in first? And I woulda heard a rattle and said, “Ha, that sounds like a rattlesnake. I wonder if it’s a western rattlesnake or an eastern rattlesnake.” I would have stepped on the rattlesnake. But the fear stopped me. And then the reasoning part of my brain kicked in. It’s amazing because that means we’re designed to survive. You know, when you’re in a car and you’re driving and a guy starts to swerve over, you don’t say, “Hey, look, that guy is swerving into me.” You react, usually out of fear, and then you say, “Wow, he almost swerved into me.” Now, between those two things that happen in your brain, it’s just a millisecond, but it’s very important which happens first. The emotion causes you to react, and then the reasoning tells you what to do.

Here’s the problem. Every time you’re in a confrontation with someone or in conflict or in argument, what’s the first thing that happens? Anger. Feeling the need to defend yourself. Maybe just being resentful. Think of all the things that happen the moment we’re in conflict. What do we do? We have the feeling first, and then what happens is reason kicks in. How many times have you’ve been screaming in your head, “Don’t say that,” but you say it anyway? Because you know, the reasoning part of your brain is saying, “This is wrong. Don’t do this.”

This is one of the most difficult things we all have as human beings, is that little, little split amount of time between emotion and reason. So what we have to learn to do when we’re interacting with each other is, when we have an emotion, a strong negative emotion with somebody, before we say anything, make yourself stop. Now, I’ve met people who do this, and it’s sort of interesting. Because someone will say something, you know it was hurtful, you know it made them angry or it just made them feel bad, and yet, there’s a few seconds where they sort of look down, and you could see they’re thinking. And then they’ll look up and they’ll answer. Now, their answers still may be, “You know, that was wrong. That hurt my feelings,” but there’s a certain edge off of it. And the reason why is they let that little bit of time stretch out. And in stretching it out, they let the reason catch up, and now, they have more control of what they’re actually saying and doing.

This is one of the most important things we need to learn to do. And in that little time, in between the emotion and what happens, the reason kicks in, the biggest thing that could help us is to know the Scripture. Daily reading that Bible so that what happens in between the emotion and the reason and the response is a scriptural answer, a prompt from God that comes into your mind and says, “This is what you should do,” or “Don’t do this,” or “Here’s how you handle this. This is what Jesus would have done.” It’s there. If we’re not in that Bible every day, well, we’re just being driven by that emotion or what’ll happen is we’ll let a little time happen, but we’ll start to use our own reasoning to defend ourselves. We’ll self-deceive ourselves. What we have to do is have the Bible there, have that knowledge, that wisdom from God there, there in our minds so that it pops in and becomes the prompt.

So next time you’re about to get into an argument or someone has really hurt you, and you know, you’re gonna respond with crying or whatever, before you respond, take a few seconds. It’s like they tell children all the time, you know. Put your hands together, take a couple of big breaths. Well, do that mentally. Calm yourself down. And in that time period, let the Bible, let God tell you what to reason and reason out your response. You’re gonna find you’ll have a whole lot less negative conflict. And even if the other person doesn’t do that, you’re gonna have better control of yourself and be happier yourself.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/think-before-you-act

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Update

Because I have moved, I had to get a new health insurance that is good in Grimes County.  A while ago they sent a nurse to check my blood pressure etc, but they really wanted my doctor to see me.  So on Wednesday I was examined and blood tests were ordered.  So in between walking the dog for sometimes up to 45 minutes before she will pee, and all the other things that one has to do,  I went to the “vampire” and let her (pun intended) take some of my blood.

As I had been so busy with the dog, and other things, I didn’t have time to cook anything for the church potluck, so I bought some different flavored Mexican concha at our local Brookshire Bros. grocery store. Conchas Mexicanas!  https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/concha-recipe .  As I have mentioned before, our congregation has two simultaneous services, one in English and one in Spanish, but we all eat together in the dining hall.  I cut them up into thin slices and arranged them in a round container, and they were quickly eaten up.

The sermon was about “Resolutions”, and given by an elder, as the pastor wasn’t there for the Sabbath on Saturday.

Stephen Hawking and the Big Question. The Patrick You Didn't Know. Cereal Bags Kill. Dog Fighting Is Not Entertainment! Update.

For “Scripture Sunday”, but late again.

Stephen Hawking and the Big Question

“Stephen Hawking’s brilliant mind revolutionized the world of theoretical physics—but did he ever find an answer to “the big question” that drove him?

For Stephen Hawking, there was only ever one big question.

During his university years, everything came easy. He rarely studied or took notes because, in his words, “Nothing seemed worth making an effort for.” The exception was cosmology. He was drawn to the subject because it involved “the big question: Where did the universe come from?” (Kitty Ferguson, Stephen Hawking: An Unfettered Mind, 2013, p. 31).

He spent his career in pursuit of answering that question, even as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) slowly destroyed his ability to move his own body. Over time, he lost all muscle control with the exception of the ability to flex a finger, twitch his cheek muscles and move his eyes.

But that was enough. Those few muscle movements were all he needed to turn the world of physics on its head and make a lasting impact on how we look at the universe itself.

A theory of everything

In 1973 Dr. Hawking spent months trying to decipher how quantum mechanics interacted with the forces of gravity. Since he was unable to write or even turn pages, “friends turned the pages of quantum theory textbooks as Dr. Hawking sat motionless staring at them for months. They wondered if he was finally in over his head” (“Stephen Hawking Dies at 76; His Mind Roamed the Cosmos”).

But he wasn’t.

Dr. Stephen Hawking was temporarily released from the constraints of his wheelchair when he took a zero gravity flight in 2007.

He succeeded not only in performing an astronomically complicated calculation entirely in his own mind, but also in making an astronomically important discovery. The result was a completely new way of looking at black holes—those supermassive collapsed stars so dense that even light itself can’t escape their pull—and the discovery of Hawking radiation.”      Continued at: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/stephen-hawking-and-the-big-question/

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The Patrick You Didn't Know

“Who was "Saint" Patrick? What did he believe? What did he teach? And was he really Irish?

sxc.hu/shannahsin

Saint Patrick’s Day is a well recognized holiday in the Western world. Celebrated in mid-March with no other Christian holidays around it, Saint Patrick’s Day has taken on a very festive atmosphere. While many picture wearing green, three-leaf clovers, leprechauns, green beer and corned beef, do any of those things really have anything to do with Patrick himself?

Do you know who Patrick was—and more importantly what he taught?

Let’s start with what most people think they know. We have been told that Patrick was a Catholic monk who brought the Trinity doctrine to the people of Ireland. And along the way he drove all the snakes from the Emerald Isle. He became so renowned that the Catholic Church made him a “saint.”

None of that is true.

The Scottish slave in the Celtic Church

Patrick’s given name was actually Maewyn Succat (or Sucat). He took the name Patrick most likely because of the area he was from in Scotland. That’s right, Patrick was Scottish, not Irish! Here’s what Patrick said himself of his background:

“I, Patrick…had Calpornius  for my father, a deacon, a son of the late Potitus, the presbyter, who dwelt in the village of Banavan…I was captured. I was almost sixteen years of age…and taken to Ireland in captivity with many thousand men” (William Cathcart, D. D., The Ancient British and Irish Churches , p.127).

Patrick labored for six years as a slave until he managed to escape back to his native Scotland around A.D. 376. He believed he had a calling from God, however, to go back to Ireland to teach God’s Word to the people there. The Catholic Church, while having had an impact in England and later Scotland, did not have a significant foothold in Ireland until the 12th century. They didn’t even acknowledge Patrick for about 200 years after his death.

Patrick was connected to what is known as the Celtic Church. It was very much opposed to what was taught in the Roman Catholic Church.

While we have little of Patrick’s history and teaching written by himself, what’s taught about Patrick now didn’t surface until about 500 years after his death. It was the Catholic priest Jocelyn, writing around A.D. 1130 who wrote most extensively about Patrick. He ignored much of what was known then about Patrick and inserted a Catholic background into Patrick’s story. Patrick never wrote about a connection to Rome or popes or that his authority came from there. So if Patrick wasn’t Roman Catholic, what did he teach?

Patrick’s actual teachings

In A.D. 596 Pope Gregory sent a group of monks to England to try and bring the Celtic Church under the authority of Rome. However, the Celts refused to acknowledge Gregory’s authority and rejected the teachings of the Roman Church. In Ireland the monks found that the Celtic Church permitted their priests to marry. They also practiced baptism by full immersion in water. The Celtic Church also rejected the doctrine of (papal) infallibility and veneration, transubstantiation, the confessional, the Mass, relic worship, image adoration and the primacy of Peter ( Truth Triumphant , by B.G. Wilkinson, pg. 108). The latter list is of specific Roman Catholic doctrines that the Celtic Church knew were not taught in the Scriptures.

Patrick also rejected the merging of church and state (a main teaching of Catholicism). He believed and taught the same as Jesus in John 18:36 that God’s Kingdom is not of this world. The Celtic Church had local ecclesiastical councils and kept Saturday as a day of rest, (A.C. Flick, The Rise of Medieval Church, pp. 236-327). In this matter of a Saturday (Sabbath) rest, Dr. James C. Moffatt wrote that, “They [the Celtic churches] obeyed the fourth commandment [the Sabbath commandment] literally upon the seventh day of the week” ( The Church in Scotland , pg. 140).

Patrick (and the Celtic Church) observed the other “festivals of the Eternal” (Leviticus 23), believed human beings were mortal (that is rejected the teaching of an immortal soul and the doctrine of going to heaven or hell), rejected the Trinity doctrine, followed the food laws of Leviticus 11, refused veneration of “saints” or worship of Mary, and believed that only Jesus Christ is our mediator (Leslie Hardinge, The Celtic Church in Britain ; B.G. Wilkinson, Truth Triumphant ).

The Celtic Church had a long history before the Catholic Church pushed deeper into England, Scotland and Ireland. Celtic writings speak of individuals coming from Asia Minor who brought with them the doctrines they received from John, Paul, Philip and other apostles of Jesus. A Catholic “father,” Bede, (who lived in the mid 700s A.D.) who wrote about the Celtic Church:

“They ignorantly refuse to observe our Easter [Pascha, or Passover] on which Christ was sacrificed, arguing that it should be observed with the Hebrew Passover on the fourteenth of the moon” (Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica ).

What about St. Patrick’s Day?

Conrtinued at: https://www.ucg.org/vertical-thought/the-patrick-you-didnt-know

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A Common Mistake Killed Her Dog, Now She Is Sharing His Story To Save Others

BY ANDREA POWELL

“Christina Young had to endure the sudden loss of her beloved dog, Petey, after a common mistake was made. This could be happening in many homes right now!

Young’s boyfriend, Christian, came home one day expecting Petey to greet him with a wagging tail and wet nose, but that didn’t happen. When he entered their home and Petey was not at the door, he became alarmed. Christian went further into the home, where he found their best friend, lifeless on the floor with a chip bag over his head.

Photo: Facebook/Christina Young

Young posted to Facebook, “He was able to get them off the counter [and] we will forever blame ourselves for leaving [them] out. He ate every chip out but, of course, went back for crumbs…. With there being nothing left inside, every time he would go for more he would inhale, making the bag tighter and tighter around his head…ultimately resulting in suffocation .” 

Photo: Facebook/Christina Young

Young couldn’t understand why Petey couldn’t get the bag off his head with his paws. She dived into researching the subject and found that it is more common than she thought. She was not alone, and she was not the first to wonder why there was not more information or awareness of this. She goes on to say, “3-5 pet suffocations get reported every week, and 42 percent of those occur while the owner is in the next room. It only takes about 3 minutes for their oxygen to drop to fatal levels.”

In her research, she discovered that literally any bag can cause suffocation and needs to be out of reach for your dog. She never imagined this could happen, and you may not have either.

She ends her post with a plea to all pet parents, “So I just ask that in honor of my boy, Petey, that you be extra careful, warn other dog owners, and give your fur babies some extra love today and every day after this. I pray none of you ever have to experience your heart breaking this way.”  From: http://blog.theanimalrescuesite.com/chip-bag-petey/ 

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Dog Fighting Is Not Entertainment!

Please tell YouTube to remove all videos containing any form of dog fighting.

The Animal Rescue Site received a disappointing letter from YouTube in response to our request to ban dog fighting videos. Rather than agree to remove them, YouTube merely reiterated their flagging policy, and did nothing to acknowledge the harm these videos are causing. Your signatures are more important than ever -- help us tell YouTube that we won't take no for an answer!”  http://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/ars/petition/YoutubeDogfighting

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Update.

Zack and I did a little bit of work in the mini-house, but most of the week was taken up with messing with my van.  My granddaughter helped me get it dropped off to get the oxygen sensor replaced and Chris took me to pick it up.    I had only driven it 14 miles when the light came back on again  !!!   I took it straight back so they scanned it again and said that it needs a catalytic converter now, and that’s $550.  It is a very quiet vehicle and it doesn’t smell of rotten eggs like bad converters usually do.

The van still has to be driven the required 100 miles to make sure the oxygen sensor is OK, so I drove to church as usual.  I was told that I have all the necessary paperwork if I am stopped for having out of date tags and inspection.

My little timid ‘Puddin’, foster cat, went to her new home, but I haven’t heard how she is getting along yet.  Luna, the Siamese, and I miss her, and Luna keeps on looking for her.

One morning, I was standing in my kitchen when water dripped on me.   Zack and I found out that the ceramic-lined water heater connector that goes in the top of the water heater had developed a pin point leak.  Fortunately I had another one, so with Chris’ help, as she is very strong because she trims horses feet, we got the old stubborn, calcium-ridden, corroded one off, and replaced it.

For the church pot-luck, I made a par-boiled shredded beet and carrot salad made with orange, lemon juice, olive oil, not vinegar.  Also a potato, leek and parsley dish, and another of cabbage with onions and matchstick carrots.  We had a lot of other dishes and veggies, and everything was enjoyed by all. Two separate familes who each have five children couldn’t come, so it was a lot quieter in the dining hall.  They keep all their children quiet during the service, so they get a bit rambunctious afterwards.

The Bible readings were Exo. 35:1-38:20, about the Sabbath and the making of the Ark of the Covenant and the Altar.  The Teaching was about “False Doctrines”, how they were foretold, and that we can see them being taught even today. 

Claudia isn’t at the nursing home near the church as she is back in the hospital on the west side of Houston, near her daughter’s houses, so I couldn’t go see her.

I did get another cheaper estimate for the converter, but I am going to investigate this further when I can leave here without going the long way around.  There was a bad fire at the storage units down the street, and the road will be blocked most of the day.