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A Reminder from Pictures
When you have a senior, you have to look through pictures. Over the last few weeks, we have had two different “end of school” celebrations for Mary Carol. First, our homeschool co-op did a nice ceremony for the students who are graduating this year. Then, Central put together a very beautiful reception honoring our seniors. We appreciate both of these. Both of the ceremonies asked for pictures, so they could have a short slide show of each graduate. So, Leah and I scrolled through hundreds–okay, thousands–of pictures from the last 18 years. Many brought laughs. A few brought tears. But it was enjoyable to just take some time to go…
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No Longer a Threat
I recently spent some time with a man that I’ve known off and on for over sixty years. He is about a year older than I am. We weren’t “pals” during our elementary school years because we attended two different schools. When we both got to the same high school, our age difference meant that we weren’t in many (if any) classes together. As I look back, I guess that about the only time we spent much time together in an organized way was when we were both Cub Scouts. That was a long time ago and only lasted a few years. As we were talking, I mentioned that, even…
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How Are You Known?
The idea of this article is certainly not unique to me, and the example I chose may not be unique to you, but as I was reading my Bible, some names jumped out at me from an unfamiliar place. I would guess that when the names Nadab and Abihu are mentioned, what first comes to most people’s mind is the account in Leviticus 10 where they offered profane fire and were struck down by the Lord. I haven’t made it to Leviticus with the plan I am following this year. I am still in Exodus on Mondays, which focus on the books of Law. I did not realize that Nadab…
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A Tribute to Homeschooling Moms
It’s National Teacher Week, I’m told. (By the way, can anyone keep up with all these national days and weeks anymore? I feel like we’ve had about 4 national sibling days just in the last couple of months!) A lot of teachers will be receiving cards or little gifts. They might be getting awards at a school assembly. They might even get their name on the radio or in some print and/or online article. All of those things are well-deserved, and it is great to give honor to whom it is due. But there is another group of teachers who, most likely, won’t get any of that, and they are…
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A Religious Equation
I realize that some who read this may not be familiar with the name, Dr. Albert Mohler. Dr. Mohler is, among other things, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Among those “other things” is hosting a podcast to which I listen on a fairly regular basis. The podcast deals with news items, various societal trends, etc. from his perspective as a religious leader. While some of the rest of this post may be enough evidence to suggest that I do not agree with some of his theology, I still find his “take” on things to be interesting. One of the features of his podcast is…
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Pride Goes Before a Fall
Studying the prophets of the Old Testament is quite eye opening. We have been studying Jeremiah in our Ladies’ Class every Tuesday afternoon and throughout those chapters we have seen so many thoughts and actions of the people which are clearly mirrored in our society today. In short, they simply thought they knew more than God did when it came to living their lives. Just a cursory study of the people living in Jeremiah’s day will give you a picture of people who, for the most part, thought that they were beyond needing God. They had turned their back on the true God and had become worshipers of idols. They…
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Thank You, Danleys!
A few weeks ago, Mary Carol and Turner got to enjoy a wonderful event in East Tennessee. It provided them–and one of their friends, Annie–with a great evening and a lot of fun, but also it helped to show that Christians can do certain “rites of passage” without the influence of the world. Joel and Hannah Danley deserve so much credit for this great evening, which was a formal banquet for high school juniors and seniors. It is meant to be an alternative to the PROM, which, over the years ,has become not only a rite of passage, but an increasingly worldly event. I am so grateful that I grew…
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A “Life Lesson” at an Intersection
A few days ago, I observed what I consider to be one of those “life lessons” we hear about from time to time. I suppose that it would be more accurate to say that I observed something and considered it to be a life lesson. As I was making my way to see some of our members who are in a nursing home, I noticed that, some distance in front of me, there was a vehicle that was clearly identified as one that belonged to our local sheriff’s department. I don’t know if the sheriff or one of his deputies (or maybe even somebody else from his office) was driving,…
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Don’t Minimize Someone’s Conversion
From the outset, let me say that I have been as guilty as anyone for saying what I am going to write about. I used to say it quite regularly. After some time and thought, I would still say it, but I’d feel like I had to qualify it. Now, I do my best to avoid it. And it’s because I spent some serious time thinking about Cornelius. So, what is the saying? It is when we are talking about someone who has lived a pretty good life, but has never been baptized, and we say something like this: “He wouldn’t have to change much.” Now, having been someone who…
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Talking Season, The Hot Stove League, and The Person in the Mirror
Now that the college basketball season is over, I heard somebody describe this time of year as Talking Season. There are a variety of things going on about which most of us know very little or anything. Some of those things may make the news. The casual sports fan may know something about coaching changes, recruiting news, etc., but even a very ardent fan probably has no real idea about all that is going on behind the scenes. About all that most college basketball fans can do for the next few months is talk. A part of the vocabulary of Major League Baseball is the term Hot Stove League. As…
