I Just Need Friends

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By Kurt Johnson

I call Ray regularly when I am traveling and stop by to visit when I can. A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in Ray’s living room, catching up on life. We talked about baseball, the NBA playoffs and the upcoming Stanley Cup. He is an avid sports fan and can tell you names of players and the year and month they made a spectacular play. He is also a walking GPS regarding routes to take through some of the most beautiful wilderness country in the western United States.

Ephphatha

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By Alex Rodriguez

Take Mark 7:5 for example. The Pharisees and the Scribes questioned Jesus as to why his disciples did not follow the custom of washing before eating bread. In response, Jesus referred to them as “hypocrites,” quoting Isaiah’s statement that they honor the Lord with their lips but their hearts are far from Him. In another instance recorded in Mark 8, Jesus rebuked Peter. "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." These don’t quite fit in the more gentle side of God paradigm, and yet, if we think about it, they are full of love.

Sweet as Honey–Bees and the Church

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By Alex Rodriguez

During the class, a question was asked about the frequency of bee stings. The instructor said that if we listen to our bees we shouldn’t get stung. Phew! But then she said, “I usually get stung about 5 times per year.” What! Getting stung once in a lifetime is more than enough for me, lol.

All kidding aside, I did learn some fascinating stuff today. I learned that bees have a very intentional and efficient way of life. I also realized there is much Christians can learn from bees. Here are a few lessons:

Enjoy the Ride

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By Kurt Johnson

Enjoy the Ride

Airplanes have always intrigued me. No matter how many times I board a plane from the steps on the ground, I look down the body of the plane and wonder how does it ever get off the ground! I was in the Detroit Airport and wandered into a store featuring items from the local auto and air museum. I purchased a book entitled, “How We Invented the Airplane,” by Orville and Wilbur Wright. The book was compiled from their written testimony during patent trials from others who were attempting to claim they were the “first,” to invent certain aspects of the Wright Flyer. 

Breaking the Silence

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By Alex Rodriguez

Who will be the next Justice? Will he or she lean conservative, liberal or hold a position somewhere in-between? It’s too early to tell. What we do know is that change is inevitable. And if the ages of several of the remaining justices mean anything, more change is likely on the horizon.

Guns in the Classroom, Guns in the Church—Has It Come to This?

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By Alex Rodriguez

This piqued my interest—especially as compared to the fiasco at Darton College a few weeks ago where a uniformed officer was apparently escorted off the campus because he was carrying his service weapon (the college has since offered an apology to the officer and regrets the incident). If one armed officer in uniform caused a teacher such discomfort, I’d hate to see how some will respond to a classroom filled with students who are packing.  

An Attack on God's Love

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By Alex Rodriguez

Satan has so manipulated God's holy plan for this world that the thumbprint of a sacrificial, compassionate Creator, our loving Father, has nearly been effaced from the planet. Not only has he wreaked havoc with nature, but the Devil has train-wrecked an innumerable number of human lives. Rightly did Peter write in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

A Lesson About Worry

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By Kurt Johnson

On this trip home, Jacob discovered that God had not forsaken him, even though he had messed up years before. As Jacob worries himself to sleepless nights about the fate of his family, God visits him. 

"So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met with him. When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is God’s camp.' And he called the name of that place Manhanaim" (Genesis 32:1, 2).

Slippery Slope

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By Alex Rodriguez

My wife and I were living in Tennessee. We had taken a two-hour trip down to the Chattanooga area and were on our way back home. The weather had turned for the worse and we were caught driving through icy conditions. We had made it to the stop sign approximately a quarter-mile from our home where our progress was delayed by a car accident at the intersection.

Irritated Over the Little Things

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By Alex Rodriguez

Yesterday, knowing that it would be a long night, I decided to stay up late to give time for life to settle in the lobby. But, at around the time I thought things were quieting down, someone started coughing incessantly. After several minutes of putting up with the noise, I decided I needed to move. I opened my door and took two steps to the front desk but there was no one there. I waited around for some time but the clerk was no where to be found. The only person there was the coughing culprit (probably couldn’t sleep so came out to the lobby instead).

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