Star-fish

    I've heard people on TV do crazy things and then comment, "Don't Judge Me!" Or some on social media who indicate that they are lazy by doing such and such, then note, "Don't Judge Me!" My question is, "If you don't want to be judged, why are you telling everyone about it?"      My dad once told me, "A secret is only a secret until you tell someone." Once one person hears your private information, look out, the word is going to get out! Most people are not particularly good at keeping information a secret and with social media, many people are sharing their own secrets just to get "hits" or "likes" on whatever platform they are sharing it on. But then, if people disagree with what they are doing, they reply, "Don't Judge Me!"     I agree, and so does the Bible, that it is not our responsibility to judge others, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others,...

     The idiom, stubborn as a mule , seemed to be played out in Numbers 22:21-33, where a pagan diviner, Balaam, was summoned by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel. The first "stubborn mule" was Balak, since he had no evidence that the Israelites, who had settled in large numbers near his territory intended to cause him or his people any harm, but he wanted them cursed anyway and tried three times to get the job done to no avail.      Our next "stubborn mule" was Balaam, who really wanted to get the grand compensation that King Balak offered him to perform the curse on Israel, but the LORD wouldn't allow him to succeed. Frustrated, as the king berated him in Numbers 22:38, Balaam said, "Well, I have come to you now...But I can't say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth." Balaam used the term "God," rather than "the LORD," since he believed in many gods.      Our third "stubborn mule" was...

     There are many catchy "hope" phrases: "Hope Matters," "Hope Endures Forever," "Hope Anchors our Soul," "Hope over Fear" and "Choose Hope."  But what do these phrases truly mean? I would agree that "hope matters," but really it depends on what your hope is in. If your hope is in getting married to the right person and having a family and that doesn't happen, then are you left without hope? If "hope endures" and your hope is to go to college and get your dream job, but then you get fired from the job, does hope no longer endure? You see where I am going with this idea of believing in nebulous hope.      In the book of Hebrews, we do see a reference to hope as an anchor, "We have this hope [God does not lie and will fulfill His promises] as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf." I can...

       It seems lately that people are struggling with rules. They feel that certain rules are being imposed upon them unjustly. I laughed at a recent commercial where two men are playing golf and a novice noted that the number of strokes don't matter. The experienced golfer said something to the effect that, "Yes, they do count! That is what golf is all about, counting the strokes! Everyone out here [pointing around the golf course] knows that about golf."      We can easily say that the rules don't apply to us, but that doesn't change the fact the yes, in deed, they do! My husband was a long-time middle school teacher and one of his favorite comebacks to the constant complaint that, "It's not fair!" was, "I am unfair to everyone, so that makes it fair." He received much groaning upon that response, but they got the idea. He treated everyone equally, so all were expected to turn in their homework, come to class with a pencil, and be prepar...

      In this new town, we have moved to, there are many homeless individuals filling the streets with tents, campers, old cars, or just lying on the ground. Any attempt to help seems infinitesimal compared to the vast sea of unhoused people. Yet, it's also a  great reminder to be grateful for what we have including our health and medical care.      The Bible reminds us that God sees the poor and destitute and will listen to them if they call to Him, "This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6). We are also reminded to help the poor as a way to glorify the Lord, "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God" (Proverbs 14:31). Lastly, we are told that if we bless others, we too will be blessed, "Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses" (Proverbs 28:27).      So even...

       Our ten-month-old black Cocker Spaniel has a problem with worry. Yes, she's an adorable bundle of energy and fun, but then she'll hear something, stop, and her eyes will dart back and forth while her long, curly ears perk up and the fun is over. She either begins frantically barking and running or if we are on a walk, she'll tuck her tail and try to pull me home.      What would cause such a constant fight or flight trigger in such a well cared for and loved puppy? We were having a cement patio removed from the backyard, to put in new pavers, when she was just a few months old. My husband had her on a leash in the front yard to get her away from the jackhammer pounding away in the backyard. Suddenly, they were both startled by a loud crashing sound, a worker had dumped a huge chunk of cement into the back of their metal trailer to hall away later. The trailer was hooked up to a large work truck parked in our front driveway.      O...

    I have recently heard different versions of this Native American parable, but the one below speaks volumes: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.  “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”     He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.  The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”   The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”   The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.     It is interesting to me that the "good wolf" sounds much like the Holy Spirit in the Bible. In Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV), Paul no...

       Reading Numbers this morning made me better appreciate the Israelites in Moses' day. Numbers begins with a count required by the LORD of the Israelites, first the men who could make up the army and then the Levites who would attend to the tabernacle of the Testimony. Numbers 1:54 tells us that, "The Israelites did all this just as the LORD commanded Moses," and 2:34 recounts, "So the Israelites did everything the LORD commanded Moses." It was such a promising beginning for the Exodus of the Israelites. They did as the LORD commanded.      How many times have I had great intentions, at the beginning of an endeavor i.e. attaining a healthy diet, weight loss, or exercise routine and just didn't get to the finish line? The census the LORD had Israel take noted over 600,000 men, yet only two, Joshua and Caleb, were allowed to go into the Promised Land. That is a really low success rate-only 2 of 600,000 made it to the finish line and completed the jo...