Opus 2015-89: Monday Pulpit: Insee or Outsee

I heard a new idea Sunday in church.  You may have heard it before. 

The pastor was preaching on the resurrection, which is a good topic any day but a no-brainer on Easter.  I had never stopped to think about why the stone was rolled away from the entrance.

“The stone was not rolled away so He could get out but so we could get in.”

The preaching point was to motivate us to allow God to remove obstacles from our life so that we could live in victory.  A good point.

What was obvious, but I had not thought about was that Jesus did not need to roll the stone away from the front of the tomb to escape.  He was God.  Later He appeared in a locked room to the disciples.  The stone was removed to give us access and show that the tomb was empty.

Good job, pastor.  You made me think.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-88: Rain in the Republik

Are you paying attention to the weather?

Are you paying attention to the weather man?

Since weather seems to be a safe topic, we talk about it a lot.  That makes us observant of the weather.  I have had different levels of weather awareness.

I remember when I was young and foolish.  I rode a motorcycle cross-country from Boston to somewhere in Illinois.  That was bad enough ,but at the time a big storm was rolling through and I rode the bike instead of taking the car.  I didn’t have a choice about going but I did have a choice of vehicles.  I spent almost as much time watching the sky as I did watching the road.  I was very much aware of the weather but had no input from the weatherman.  I thought I was having a good time.

If you were traveling east of the Rocky Mountains a few weeks ago you would have been very much aware of the weather.  I read of one airplane that sat waiting for nine hours because of ice.  If you were traveling at that time you would have been glued to the TV and giving the weatherman all your attention.  You would not bother looking outside because that was not what would effect you.

In Southern California I tend to ignore both the weather and the weatherman.  The weatherman is more like a game show host than a scientific report.  The dire predictions of flooding and high winds are usually confined to one square block far from me.  It makes for entertaining TV but applies about as much as an attack by the Klingons.  If it is raining when I go out the door I might grab a hat to keep my glasses dry. 

I think I prefer living where I can ignore the weather but I have to balance that with living in a state that has the moniker of The People’s Republik.  I like the weather but am looking forward to retiring so I can move where they have tornados and blizzards.

Save a spot for me.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-87: Easter, Smeaster

No, I don’t feel that way but if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, you might.

You might also not know why the day is important to Christians.

Easter is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  (Actually we celebrate it every Sunday.  This is just the emphasis.  It is like loving your wife and Valentines Day.)  We believe that He was executed by the Romans at the request of the Jews.  We call that day Good Friday.  Then He came back to life, conquering death.  It is required to believe this if you are a Christian.  It is not required to be a nice person, a good neighbor or a loving parent.  It is required to call yourself a Christian.

(1 Corinthians 15:14 NAS77)  and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

Why is that so important?  Because Jesus rose from the dead we believe that we shall also be resurrected.  Christians do not fear death.

That makes for a glorious day.  I hope you can share it with me.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-86: Easter Prep

If you are familiar with the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus you know about how Peter denied Jesus three times.  Jesus told him it would happen.  Peter arrogantly refused to listen and pledged his eternal loyalty.

(John 13:37-8 KJV)  Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.  Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

We see this unfolding as Peter the Rock becomes Pete the Powder.  One of the three denials is the focus of this post. 

(John 18:17 KJV)  Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.

This is presented to show how jittery Peter was.  I have often wondered why this moment would scare him.  This was only a girl talking to him.  Who cared what a woman said?  She was only the door keeper which meant she was a slave.  It was probably so noisy that no one could hear her anyway.  My guess is that she pantomimed him cutting off the ear of the soldier in a very graphic way.  It was enough to make him stand out in the crowd and freak him out.  People who could not hear could certainly see.

Our actions when we are caught off guard are often different than when we have a chance to plan.  The results are often also different.  People know when it is a silly mistake.  If they are honest, and that is a big “if”, they will laugh at and with you and get on with life.  If they think your faux pas was deliberate, the response is different.

God responds the same way.  Peter denied Jesus three times.  He went on to become the Rock and possibly the most influential apostle.  Judas betrayed Jesus also.  He planned it ahead of time.  It was done with cold calculation.  He never repented.  He is spending eternity in a different environment than Peter.

Two things here.  If you make a silly mistake, repent and get on with life.  God is ready and willing to forgive.

(1 John 1:9 KJV)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Secondly, make sure you repent.  God does not play games.  As we move toward celebrating the resurrection of Jesus it might be a good time to look at your life and consider.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-85: Old and Young: Expectations

I don’t think I will ever get used to the low standards of my students.

I have a picture in my mind.  It involves a young lady who would appear to have everything going for her.  She is attractive and has a nice personality, when she wants to show it.  She is capable of doing the work and doing it well, when she wants to.  She asked what her grade was.  When I told her a low “C” she radiated happiness.  This story could be repeated with slight variations, such as joy at a “D-”.

I was too lazy to get “A’s” and too smart to get “F’s”.  I found a “C” to be embarrassing.  I don’t understand the satisfaction with squeaking by.

Welcome to 21st century America.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-84: Election 2016: Winning Planks, DST

People are beginning to announce they are running for President.  It is time to start talking about what should be our position on the issues.  Many key points are nuanced and controversial.  They will need to be addressed but I think there are a lot of changes, or refusals to change, we can propose that should be no brainers. 

The first I would like to propose is doing away with daylight savings time.  It is irritating and confusing.  It serves no useful purpose in our day and age. 

Taking a stand on something this simple and clear would begin to signal that we live in the real world and struggle with the same government interference as everyone else.

Start the retreat of the Nanny State with a real winner.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-83: Headlines: Adult Pre-School

This has to be the ultimate educational statement.

I saw the headline on Drudge and had to check it out.  I was hoping that it would be a serious effort by dropouts to get a start on their GED.  Alas, no such luck.

It seems that an ambitious entrepreneur has decided to offer day care for adults.  This is not the kind you might be thinking of.  This is not a place where you can take people my age so someone will watch them and they won’t wander off with the shirt buttoned crooked or their hair uncombed.  This is a place for gainfully employed adults to go and act like children. 

My fear is that this will become a requirement in educating teachers.  It reminds me when I took a class on teaching children to read and the Ph.D. that taught the class took two sessions to read us Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. 

Maybe it is already a part of teacher education.

Oh, well.  More power to them, but don’t reserve a spot for me.

homo unius libri