ROAD TRIPS
You know that I love road trips. I think they have a positive impact on my mental health. You also know that one of my New Year's resolutions was to average one road trip per month. Last month Lois & I enjoyed three road trips to Wichita Falls, TX, Dallas, & Eagan, MN. Today we leave for Lincoln, where we will drop off Sammy at Craig & Sarah's before leaving for Florida tomorrow. We'll be in St. Petersburg from Feb 11-21. At the very end of this month we'll be back in Eagan.TRENDING
- "Hallmark Channel debuts 47 new Columbus Day movies" --Babylon Bee
- "Local man takes advantage of 3-hour wait at DMV to pen blog post arguing for government-run health care" --Babylon Bee
ASSISTED SUICIDE
This debate about assisted suicide isn't simply about legislation. This is a question about love. Do we love each other enough to say all life has value, and that dignity is in respecting that until the very end? It's heart-wrenching, but amazing things can happen in those final months and days and hours. I've seen it, and I'm far from alone. Don't deprive the vulnerable of love. They need assistance of a different sort. --Kathryn Lopez, Townhall 2/8It’s suffering and heart-wrenching, but amazing things can happen in those final months and days and hours. I’ve seen it, and I’m far from alone. Don’t deprive the vulnerable of love. There should be no off-ramp, but lots of roadside assistance. --Kathryn Lopez, National Review Online 2/10
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
Jesus taught it. Paul reaffirmed it. And neither of them said their teaching was optional for Christians. Instead, God Himself commands us, His children, to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us. No one said it would be easy. No one even said it would be possible, without divine help. But, without any question, the call to love our enemies is a divine command, not a human suggestion . . . Will we bless those who curse us, or will we curse them back? Will we love those who hate us, or will we hate them back? Will we overcome evil, or will we be overcome by evil? There are certainly times for making a spirited defense of one’s position, especially for the cause of righteousness. And there are certainly times when evil must be publicly and plainly rebuked. But you can rebuke someone while having great love for them at the same time . . . You can even want justice to be done while having great love for the criminal justly sentenced for his crime. In short, the command to love our enemies does not call on us to compromise our ethics. It calls on us to take our ethics to a higher level, hating evil to the point that we refuse to be corrupted by it. --Michael Brown, Townhall 2/8 This makes me rethink some of the snarky comments I make on Facebook.RECONCILIATION
Here's the thing about reconciliation. It has a power that is the antithesis of political power, which in reality is no power at all. If the person who believes he, or she, has been wronged by another reaches out and offers forgiveness, it can have the effect of disarming the other person and lowering the political and personal temperature. --Cal Thomas, Townhall 2/8
Love You Enemies
ReplyDeleteThe word 'bless' in Luke 6:27-36 in the Greek is 'eulogeó', which means 'speak well of'. So "bless and do not curse" is rightly 'speak well of (your enemies) and do not curse them'.
https://biblehub.com/greek/2127.htm
The 'blessed' in Luke 6:20 (Beatiudes) in the Greek is 'makarios', which means 'happy'. So "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" is rightly 'Happy are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God'.
https://biblehub.com/greek/3107.htm
To be perfectly honest when people use the word 'bless' I don't know what is meant but it does make us sound so 'spiritual'.