Thus the Lord’s hand was against Gath (v. 9; cf. 7:13) and brought "an outbreak of tumors" on its inhabitants. The Hebrew word for "outbreak" is found only here and was apparently interpreted by the LXX as "groin," yielding the translation "tumors in the groin."
Enough of that!
I will say, however, that our Sunday morning class is my favorite "church thing" right now. We have a wonderful time, and I believe that we really are forming a community of love and learning. I am convinced this the right way to study the Bible. It is amazing how a community of people can have so many diverse yet connected gifts and thoughts. Reminds me of 1 Corinthians 12-14.
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The second part of the title is this week’s preaching text, Matthew 5:21-26.
"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."
How is this passage about anger management?
Other questions:
What makes you angry?
Do you practice this passage? Can you give us an example?
Do you think we should stop our worship assembly sometime and make everyone leave for reconciliation? (Kinda kidding)
Why is this passage important for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth?
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Are you going to vote on Tuesday? Why or why not?
I have two friends in this election: Keith Dillman and Andrea McCord. They are both people of integrity and honesty and strong believers in God. I really hope both of them win. I think Keith will win big, and I think the judge race will be really close. What do you think?
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I finished up Rice’s The Embodied Word - Preaching as Art and Liturgy. It was more of a "high church" work, but I gained some things from it. He makes the point that preaching must be firmly connected to the (communion) Table and to the people. Got it.
I have started reading Kingdom Come - Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding by John Mark Hicks and Bobby Valentine. I think it is going to be a valuable read. It is probably interesting to read this during the week of elections, since Lipscomb and Harding were pretty much against involvement with government. Here is a little taste of their position:
God opposes the Satanic kingdoms of the fallen world and objects to any allegiance to things in the world. This vision is God-centered and mission-oriented. It seeks the goal of God’s fully consummated kingdom. It opposes patriotism, embraces a counter-cultural lifestyle, exalts the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible reading and caring for the poor, and values the weekly gathering of God’s people around the table.
What do you think of that?
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I really enjoyed the Polish Presentation this morning and look forward to the rest of it this evening.
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As I sit here in my home office I am watching woodpeckers and other birds eat at feeders that I have carefully place right outside my window. I also have regular visitors from raccoons, possums, and turkeys. I love watching them all. I like St. Francis of Assisi.
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OK, what do you want to talk about? Just present the thought or pose the question and we'll go from there!
20 comments:
Oh yeah, I forgot squirrels. I have tons of them visit my feeders also. Some people hate them, but I enjoy watching them.
Oh how I wish I could have been at class. I wish I didn't have to work weekends. You're right Allen it is a fun class, lots of fun people, lots of knowledgeble people. In fact a great group of people altogether. The love in the class flows as much as the laughter. There is something so precious about the closeness.
annette
I visited a special lady at the hospital tonight, she is my high school sweethearts mother, we were very close back then and have shared a fondness for each other over the years (she always says she wished I had married her son). She is 80 and in lots of pain and was wishing that God would just take her. How my heart hurts for her. I told her once again how much she means to me and that I really appreciated the kindness she showed me all those yrs ago, and that I loved her. What is more precious than love?
annette
I too love to watch the birds. We have a table on the back deck and put feeders on it and around it at different levels in front of the kitchen windows where we can watch. It is so interesting to watch how they interact with one another. There are the dominant species who make all the others scatter when they show up. Some of the little ones take a lower position on the porch or move to a tree branch watching for their turn and just let the big ones feed until it is their turn. There are ones that seem so docile like the doves but will not cower down to the blue jays and stand their ground. There are the perky little wrens and the sparrows that are always there in many forms. There are noisy little nuthatches with deep, loud voices that creep up and down the trunks of trees then fly in for a meal. The gentle little goldfinches who are hundry all the time. The pecking order is so interesting to watch. I can see God's design in all the different personalities of his creatures and he loves each one because not even a sparrow falls without His knowledge. That is so comforting to know that wherever we find ourselves, each hair is counted on our head, each sorrow is felt by Him, each prayer is heard, each movement is noticed, each joy is felt. He surrounds us with beauty that has an intricate design and purpose. I love the winter when you can see through the leaveless trees to a beautiful sunrise and sunset. The sky is on fire at those times. We are so blessed.Have a wonderful day. Sherron
"Anger Management"; I have to admit this is a title of one of my favorite movies. How do I or do I practice this at all. At one point in my life I did not practice any type of constructive anger management or let us say the type I used was just let it out. The longer I have lived and the more that I have had to deal with people on a daily bases; I have started to deal with it in a different way. I have found at least at work; when people get angry they are wanting you to get angry also. In my position I can not do that; I have to a lot of the time take a lot of stuff that I would not even say to my dog. But due to the enviroment that we are in I must stay above this. It is hard; but I have found that the majority of the time as long as I stay calm that the person that is angry will either just get madder (which I must admit I find funny in some cases) or they will just start to lose their energy and we then can discuss their concern. I think what I am trying to say is that I have changed either due to majority or stronger medication. Also I will sign my name for Todd's sake. Robin
From multiples sources:
emerods = hemorrhoids
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Love is a many splendored thing.
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My kids (and Kedra, I think, but she is too nice to admit it) think I am nuts because I like to note the different "faces" on the birds that come to my feeders. I also can identify specific squirrels by markings on their heads. I, like Sherron, see God's handiwork in these little creatures (said with my croc hunter voice).
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So Robin, just gotta know: any truth to the "red-headed temper?" And isn't amazing what we can do when we are put in "have to" situations. We can even control anger, at least outwardly.
I think in our passage Jesus is really getting at the anger on the inside. How can we keep from getting angry, or least from sinning in our anger. Look at Ephesians 4:26,27:
"In your anger do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
Things that make me angry:
Adults that wear their hats on backwards.
People that lie and tell untruths.
Allen, I'm concerned. Is the room you're blogging from getting enough oxygen? :o)
Donna
OK, Donna, now you've done it! I am really mad! Everyone should also know that I have my hat on backwards; that's the way I wear it when I get mad. [Is backward hat wearing OK if you are welding or umpiring a baseball game?]
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Big headline this morning:
PLAN TO CREATE HUMAN-COW EMBRYOS
Seems to me that many good jokes could come from this one, so I will mooooooove over and let you think about it.
From David Lipscomb in 1869:
All the events connected with our lives are more completely under his guidance and direction, and are more fully controlled and overruled by him than those of any other people in the world... The failure to recognize God’s hand in the events that befall us, causes us to complain, whine, repine over misfortunes–as we consider them–of life, and to indulge in bitter, wicked, envious thoughts toward others, and to live in anxiety and dread as to the present and the future.
I think the human-animal embryo thing is for stem cell research purposes. I read something about it the other day. This stuff concerns me hugely. I'm really torn, because, to me, it's not a black and white issue (stem cell research, I mean). I don't think a 7-day old cluster of cells is morally equivalent to a fully-developed human. But, it's not nothing, either. So much suffering could be alleviated by this research, and yet, there's a dignity-of-human life issue, here. I don't think we can dismiss it lightly. I'm concerned about the idea of treating human life (at any stage) as something to be used as we will, but I can't overlook the suffering of people who're here, now, either. KNow what I mean?
Donna
Oh boy do I! I watch my father decline with his parkinsons disease.
Sometimes its a fine line on what is right and what is wrong. Whats scary is if partial birth abortions were allowed for a time, which was a horrible horrible thing, so very wrong in my opinion, then what else will people come up with thats so very wrong?
On the other hand, if there is the scientific ability to help people like my dad, without hurting anyone else, why not do it?
I don't know the answers.
wow, some good stuff here already this week and only tuesday.
first on anger. honestly, anger is not something that i have ever really struggled with and i don't mean to sound haughty in saying that. my philosophy is that in any given day or situation you only have so much energy to expend. you can choose to waste it or to use it wisely. in the majority of the cases, being angry doesn't really have any influence on the resolve and merely waste your energy. i choose and have for the most part decided to not waste my energy by being all spun up but put it to the area i can change or impact. at work i get a lot of odd comments from time to time because i don't get mad or show a lot emotion. now having said that, i would show the anger or emotion if it were a situation that would result in injury or be hurtful to my wife or daughters.
i like the quote allen from david lipscomb. it is interesting to me that we so often forget that god has a plan and reason for what happens in our life. both good and bad things. our little feabile minds mixed with our own sense of importance cloud this for us to understand or accept.
allen please tell me that you did not really mean that you thought birds have different faces and smile at you!
RR
Well thats just the thing. Should diabetics take insulin, epileptics take medicine, premies be put on life support, open heart surgery, should heart, lung, kidney, and liver transplants be done? The list goes on and on.
It would be neat to peak into the future to see how things turn out, just like the people one hundred yrs ago could see now that one didn't have to die of appendicitis.
I understand what you're saying Diane and I'm not debating with you at all, I jsut don't know the answers (so I should probably just shut up).
Annette
Actually, Ryan, the birds smile, wink and then talk to me. They say, "Thanks pal; you're the man!" I then say, "Oh shucks, you're too kind." Then they say... Oh never mind, most of you don't understand.
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Do you think that genetic research/manipulation parallels the Tower of Babel story (Genesis 11)?
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Headin' out to vote and see Juanita J.; then onto INDY to see Phyllis and Lester. Catch you when I get back. [Some of the woodpeckers are wanting to go with me. I said "no." They are just so hard on the interior. All I hear is peck peck peck peck...
Just a few words (I promise) about the stem cell research. My brother Perry had a heart attack last fall (in his early 40's) and he was one of only 17 in the nation involved in an experimental stem cell treatment which does not use human embryos. It has been found that the stem cells actually have healed damaged tissue from a heart attack bringing it back to it's full function. He agreed to be a part of the experimental treatment and periodically returns to The Heart Center in Indy for treatment. It is yet to be seen if it works. He is back to work as a drywaller now. There is alot of research going on that uses stem cells but not from human embryos. I know that they are finding that human umbilical cords are part of this and no embryo had to be destroyed for this. I am thankful for all the new findings that God has enabled doctors to find to cure disease. My interest, of course is on heart disease for my son and my extended family. And Allen, my little birdies sang to me this morning and told me it would be a sunshiney day and I told them it was already because they sang to me. They seemed happy with the answer and kept singing. No need for medication, thank you. Still crazy after all these years. And loving it. Have a wonderful day everyone. Sherron
There are some really good thoughts on here this week. Thanks.
We are going to Nashville this afternoon. Luke and Matt J. are going to do a Lipscomb visit this evening and tomorrow. I get to hang with Charlie for a while. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I hope he wears his camo-chic shirt.
I have a thought on the medical stuff, a question really, maybe questions. How far do we go in preserving life here on earth? Are we meant to live here forever? Are we delaying the inevitable? Where do we draw the line in violating other life principles (making embryos that will be destroyed) for the sake of improving our lives?
I would tell you what the birds say, but you wouldn't believe me.
Allen; and all. I have been very busy here at work; so this is the first time I have had a chance to look at the blog. To answer your questions about red headed tempers; in my experiance I would say it is about a 60/40 split of being true. I know of two people that fall in the 40% that are red heads and do not have tempers. One is Ryan knowing him for over 40 years; and the other is my oldest Andrew. Andrew controls his anger by just shutting down and going to a quite place and getting by himself. As I said before I have not always controled my anger in a constructive matter. Well I need to get ready for a meeting. Robin
Allen, I don't think it would be good to preserve life until there is no quality of life left but speaking from experience, I am very thankful to medical science for the advances in recent years. Had it not been for those advances, I would not be here, nor would our son Brent, nor my two brothers who all have heart disease. I think sometimes extreme measures are taken that should not have been but when we nearly lost my step-dad to Legionaires Disease several years ago and we were asked if we wanted them to keep trying (they gave up on him three times, he had been unconscious a month) and we said yes, we were praying he would live and against all odds he did live and is with us to this day. I know it was God's will. He was the first to survive the disease in the large teaching hospital he was in. He has had cancer three times and open heart surgery last year and nearly lost his battle then but will be with us this Thanksgiving. I don't know why some leave this earth before others but I just know this, that we have a God who is in control and who loves us. I know that each of us have a purpose here and that is to serve the one who made us and those around us. We just have to live each day as if it would be our last and get and give the most of it that is humanly possible. Each day is a gift to be treasured and lived well. God bless you all this beautiful day. Sherron Fields
Re: stem cell,etc., I guess I worry a lot about the slippery slope. I'm less concerned about an embryo, per se, than what this kind of research could do to our culture's morality. If we could heavily regulate the research so that only embryos left over from IFV procedures would be used, it's hard to say it's better to just dump them down a sink than use them to find life=saving procedures. ON the other hand, cloning could be a potential problem. I think of the mess surrounding Terry Schiavo, and the huge number of abortions in our country and it's hard not to think that life has been cheapened by certain public policies. In Europe, it's worse: in Holland, the family doesn't make decisions about life support, the gov't does. You have to go to court to plead with a judge to keep Grandpa Joe plugged up to a respirator, even if you have the $ to pay med bills. I'm grateful for modern medicine, but often wonder if it isn't a two-edged sword.
Donna
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