Mission Faithwalk

  One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. (Proverbs 13:7)           We get so confused about wealth and beauty, about what is good, better, and best. Where I’m living there are recreational vehicles that cost nearly a hundred thousand dollars. The expensive ones don’t come here. They go somewhere glitzier. I walk by mobile homes that have big screen TVs and golf carts, and I walk by places like my own that are ready for the scrap yard. You’re probably thinking that I’m going to launch into those “sometimes the poor folks are actually happier” sermons. You’re right, sort of. I love words. I love definitions. It seems to me as though we define wealth only in terms of money. We define beauty only in terms of a well-balanced appearance. We think these are the keys to a happy life, and they may help, or they may get in the way.           Let’s start with the beauty question. There are a lot of beautiful people out there. They

  A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. (Proverbs 13:4)           Have you ever worked for something? Whether you put the money in a piggy bank, or used credit and paid it off, you probably know that feeling of paying the last penny so that now it’s yours . There may be lots of other stuff that would be nice to have, but you’ve earned this. You have a sense of satisfaction. Then, there’s the other end. The person who hasn’t earned something but looks on with envy, longing, and hunger. I’ve known both. I’ve watched husbands and wives, and parents and children and at times, I can feel hurt. Why can’t I have that? Maybe because husband-shopping is low on my list of preferences. I’m not interested in going out just to figure out if I like a guy. I want to go out to enjoy the movie, or the dinner, or whatever I agreed to go out for. And if I’m enjoying my evening of watching a movie, it’s irritating to think, “Oh yeah, I have to igno

The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves. (Proverbs 13:5)           Some years ago as I studied the fruit of the Spirit, I made an interesting discovery. As I considered self-control, I realized that when people are babies, we put them in diapers because they have no control or no understanding that there needs to be any control over the emptying of bladder or bowels. As the child grows, we teach them to use the toilet instead of going in their pants or on furniture or lap. For a while, there are accidents, but the goal is for the child to learn how to control, or how to properly address the urge to urinate or defecate. We further teach our children some measures of self-control. That’s part of what good parenting is about: teaching our kids how to deal with their own diapers (lives) and the yucky stuff that ends up therein.           Those dirty diapers come to mind as I consider today’s passage. Recently, I’ve had a

  From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.   Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. (Proverbs 13:2-3)           I’m saddened by the slaughter of elderly Jews in Pittsburgh this past weekend, but I know there are people who will celebrate it. I’m disgusted by media types who think it’s funny to include decapitations (even fake ones) in their acts. I’m angered by those who express a desire for the death of another human being. When Osama Bin Laden was killed, I know people who celebrated, who wanted to see the body, who wanted, effectively, to vicariously bathe in his blood, and I was not polite with those people. I know people now that I am sure would throw parties if our president were killed. They may say they’re loving, compassionate, kind, caring folks, but their actions show that they have an appetite for violence. Some will say “I was triggered,” or that it w

Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. (Proverbs 12:24)           This is another of those obvious proverbs. If you’re a hard worker, chances are pretty good that you’re going to be looked to when it comes to getting things done. If you know what you’re doing, you’ll be asked to do it. If you’re lazy, the only way you end up doing things is if someone effectively stands over you with a (figurative or literal) whip. One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s a whole lot easier for the diligent to become lazy than for the lazy to become diligent. Entropy works even in psychology.           It comes to mind that, in order to be positive today, I should share a trick or two that I’ve learned to increase diligence. Let’s start with a BAD trick. Don’t do this – don’t just “don’t do this at home,” don’t do it, period. For years, I used anger to fuel my diligence. When I worked at the library and had to go shelve books, I did two things. I collected the biggest books I cou

A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes. (Proverbs 13:1) When I was ....................................  4 years old:  My daddy can do anything.  5 years old:  My daddy knows a whole lot.  6 years old:  My dad is smarter than your dad.  8 years old:  My dad doesn't know exactly everything. 10 years old: In the olden days when my dad grew up, things were sure different. 12 years old:  Oh, well, naturally Father doesn't know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood. 14 years old:  Don't pay any attention to my father.  He is too old-fashioned! 21 years old:  Him?  My Lord, he's hopelessly out-of-date. 25 years old:  Dad knows a little bit about it, but then he should because he has been around so long. 30 years old:  Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks.  After all, he's had a lot of experience. 35 years old:  I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad. 40 years old:  I wonder

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. (Proverbs 12:26)           This is one with which I have a lot of trouble. I don’t tend to choose my friends. I can only think of a few times when I’ve thought, “There’s someone I want to be friends (or in the case of guys, more than friends) with.” They guys in question either wisely told me, “No thanks”- sometimes more bluntly than that, or they ran the other way. The gals generally weren’t a lot different. One that comes to mind met with me once and it felt like a business meeting. A long time later, we became better acquainted, but not really friends. I respect her and I’m fond of her, but I can’t say we’re friends. I did become friends with another for several years until her interests and mine no longer corresponded. Now, I don’t seem to fit into her world and, well, no one fits into mine at the moment.            Then, there are those who choose me. I don’t choose them. I am their pro

  Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up . (Proverbs 12:25)           There’s a meme that talks about the idea that employees who feel appreciated work harder than those who don’t. Having worked in two jobs with toxic cultures, I understand this completely. Unfortunately, I suspect I bring toxicity to any relationship I have. I suspect everyone does, but some of us more than others. Another part of me says that this sort of thinking always seems to surface when I’ve been dealing with other toxic people, or when I’ve been reading about people who are mentally ill. I’ve been doing both lately.          I’m not good at the kind word bit, especially before or during the task set before me. Some people out working in their yard, or out walking, or whatever are happy to see another person come along, to let them escape from the work at hand. I’m the opposite. If I’m doing something, I’m doing that thing and you’re an interruption. I may like you. I may be happy to s

Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.   No harm overtakes the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble. The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. (Proverbs 12:20-22)           According to the news, the political leader of Venezuela, and possibly some other Marxist leaders (from Cuba and elsewhere) are behind the current caravan of “refugee” invaders coming from Central America. I’ve heard there are at least two more waves being organized. Venezuela, a Leftist nation that is falling apart, is sending groups of people to us, promising them lots of treats, in an attempt to trick the American elections in November. Can you say election tampering by foreign governments? In other news, someone mailed a bunch of pipe bombs (that may not even be capable of exploding) to people who have expressed their contempt of President Trump. It’s not my goal to be political here. I hope they catch the bombe

The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly . (Proverbs 12:23) He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” (Matthew 13:52)           I have problems with this today’s passage from Proverbs. As I see it, there is no use in having knowledge that one is unwilling to share with someone else, especially if that information might benefit that person in some ways. In fact, I use the passage from Matthew as part of my mission statement. My mission is to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself by bringing out treasures old and new – by collecting and sharing information. The way I see it, I have nothing of value that I can give other than information and ideas. (Referring back to yesterday’s post, that may not be TRUE, but I believe it.

An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies . (Proverbs 12:17) Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just! (Romans 3:8)           Some time ago, I heard about a book that was on high school reading lists. It was a memoir or biography written by a young woman from Central or South America about the horrors she and her family had faced. When it was revealed that the story was fabricated, it remained on reading lists because even if it didn’t happen to her, it’s the sort of thing that does happen and our high school students need to be awakened to the plight of these people. One would think that the response to today’s passage would be “Well, duh…” but I’m not so sure. I know people who say it’s OK to lie to the enemy. How can you win a war if you tell the enemy everything you’re doing? I think there’s a difference between not telling the enemy everything and letting him reach false

Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense. (Proverbs 12:11)                 There are a number of articles   (like this one from Forbes: Forbes Article )  and videos about the inability of Millennials who can’t function on a practical level. They can text and surf the internet, but don’t ask them to sew on a button, cook a chicken, or check their tire pressure. Those stories may not be true. The article above talks about young Boomers spending time tinkering with their car engines. That’s not exactly a fair comparison, because today’s car engines are so complex, and so sealed up that doing more than checking fluid levels is next to impossible. However, my goal here isn’t to pick on the Millennials about this, because truth told, though I’m a Boomer, I often feel like I can’t function on a practical level. Today’s passage is about working the land. It was written in a time and place where agriculture was the necessary life skill

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10)           New day, basically the same story as yesterday. So, the righteous care for the needs of the animals. What are the needs of our animals? Some would quickly say “love!” and I tend to agree, but what constitutes love? Food, water, shelter from extremes, protection from physical harm. Those are fairly obvious – or one would think that they are. But some people’s idea of kindness to animals may not be so kind. I have to be careful here because I don’t want to step on toes, but my toes are among those I’ll step on. I’ll also note that I think of pets in terms of dogs because that’s what I have.            I’ve met people who believe that animals are people in fur coats. They are “fur babies” and we are their “parents.” I’ll admit, I tend to call my dogs “Baby,” and “Girl.” But I’m not Grace’s mother. Mothers raise their children and release them into the wilds of

The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful. The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them. The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm. (Proverbs 12:5-7)           I don’t recall when I told this story last, but it wasn’t long ago. Years ago, I was in an organization in which the leadership told you how to go about doing what you wanted to do. The idea works if you do what they tell you to. The problem is when you can’t do what they tell you to. Then we were told that even God can’t steer a parked car. I’m not going to tell you that the people who said both things are wicked in the traditional sense. They aren’t murderers, rapists, thieves, pedophiles, child abusers, animal abusers, or even drunk drivers. They aren’t even consciously malicious. The problem is, they don’t think things through sufficiently, They deal in the ideal, not in reality. At one point or

A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones . (Proverbs 12:4)           Here we go. I have a friend who mentioned that she gets tired of hearing about bad women, and how women “should” behave as told by a man. I understand completely. Keep in mind that Solomon wrote many of these proverbs to guide his son(s). I have a love/hate relationship with verses about women – I love them because I know God inspired them and they are true. A wife of a noble character is her husband’s crown, and a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. One hundred percent accurate. Switch the roles and it’s just as true. I hate them because quite often the terms aren’t defined carefully, and the ideal presented seems to be to be unattainable. I don’t think it really is unattainable. I see it as such because the terms aren’t defined – which means I define them. and my definitions tend to be excessive when I try to apply them to myself.           

Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes. No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. (Proverbs 12:2-3)                 Favor? Good people obtain favor? What about all the folks in the panhandle of Florida who have lost everything? Are they all wicked? I came across a post on FaceBook this morning that said something about thousands of electrical linemen working to restore power to the region.   Of course, I can’t find it now. It may take a while, but imagine if there were none or only those who normally work in the area. I’ve seen posts from folks who are headed up there, asking for stuff to take to help the people. There are ways to contribute online. I haven’t heard yet, but I know my Erie are church has people who build and repair houses in areas where disaster has hit.                     So my first thought is that “favor” does not mean miraculous protection from everything bad in life.  

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)           Tough one. Definitely not “feel good” time. Does anyone love correction? The passage in Hebrews shows that God knows it. Discipline isn’t pleasant. Correction isn’t either. Here’s a stupid example. A friend posted something about a huge wasps’ nest. I watched the video and saw lots of yellow and black. Not wasps, hornets, I said. Someone corrected me. Hornets are a type of wasp. I always took them to be a kind of bee because of the colors, while wasps, while supposedly related, were a different beast.   From what I’ve read since, it’s a common enough error, but I have to admit, being corrected stung (pun intended.)           There are types of correction that don’t sting. They bludgeon, and they s

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner! (Proverbs 11:30-31)           He put on righteousness as his breastplate , and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. (Isaiah 59:17)           Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (Ephesians 6:14)           Righteousness. Here we go again. What is righteousness? It’s the quality of being morally right, according to the dictionary. Put simply, it’s doing what’s right. It’s a breastplate. If you do what is right, your “heart” is protected from attack. The “bullet” may hurt, but it’s prevented from doing as much harm as it could. But those statements tell us about righteousness, without telling us what is righteous. That’s where the problem comes in. Peopl

Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. (Proverbs 11:29)             People complain bitterly if they are told that they, or anyone they know, is going to hell. How dare you say such a thing? How judgmental! As I’ve said before, however, if you’re heading north on 301 out of Zephyrhills and I tell you that you’re going to Dade City, I’m simply giving you a fact. It’s not my choice. I’m not sending you there. That is simply the next city you reach. If you go west from Zephyrhills, you’ll reach the Gulf of Mexico. If you go east, eventually, you’ll reach the Atlantic Ocean. Today’s passage has two statements that are not judgments. They are facts.           In the first, bring ruin on a family is not getting less than straight As, or a teenager getting pregnant. The idea is not that if you do anything bad, you’ll be disinherited. The idea is more honest than that. If you bring ruin – if you destroy your family, its rela

          Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. (Proverbs 11:28)           People have told me they’re afraid to play Words with Friends with me because I have a fairly impressive vocabulary. I’ve explained to them that knowing all the words that have ever existed doesn’t help when you are provided with seven proportionally random letters that have to fit in with the letters that have already been played. It gets harder when you can only use common nouns and English terms. You can have ninety percent of the money in a Monopoly game, but it’s hard to buy Park Place and Boardwalk if the dice rolls don’t end with you landing on them. Wealth doesn’t matter if the opportunity to use it never presents itself. If you trust in riches, they can only help you when they can help you. When they can’t, you’re up a creek with no paddle.                   Righteousness, because it is right behavior, is useful 24/7/52. [1] It doesn’t leave

Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it. (Proverbs 11:27)           As a writer, I’ve been given advice about villains. One of the bits of advice is to have the villain want the same thing that the hero does but goes about getting it in a way that brings him into contention with the hero. Alternatively, he might seek it in a way that the reader does not approve. Another is that a villain sees himself as the hero of the story. We all seek. The problems are in what we seek for, what we’re willing to do to get it, and why we seek it.            Some friends have posted stuff about the current administration taking away the peoples’ rights. They believe everyone should be allowed to live as they want. I happen to agree. People should be permitted to live as they see fit, within reason. I won’t go so far as to say that pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, or serial killed should be permitted to live as they see fit, killing, raping, terrorizing, or abusi