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"Prepping" in the midst of Panic

During this time of uncertainty, and almost seeming panic, many Americans are stockpiling goods to “weather” the storm of the Coronavirus. Sadly, the combination of fear, agitation, and haste does not bode well for the civility of your average American. In several stores across the country, fights have ensued over items that no one dared argue about just over a month ago. If you didn't keep up with dates, you would think that everyday was Black Friday. While we bulldoze our way to a store, buying in bulk, and then rush back home to hunker down and check the latest news report on COVID-19 (because that's the only thing on TV), perhaps we should take a moment to reflect on what Paul told young Timothy, not long before Paul was going to die for his faith,  “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”  (2 Timothy 1:7). How we respond to all that is happening will determine whether we truly hold this truth in our hearts. The nat
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Purpose in the Pain

Gabby Gingras was born in a Minnesota hospital in 2001. On the surface, she seemed to be just like any other child, but her parents soon found out that she was born without the ability to feel pain. Only several dozen people in the world have the same condition. The technical term is  congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis.  Some people may think that to not feel pain would be a blessing, but those who have this rare condition, would say differently. The nerves in ones body is designed to help him act, think, and feel. If he accidentally smashes his thumb with a hammer then the nerves in his hand will send a signal to his mind that basically tells him he is hurt and in pain. It has often been said, “Don't play with fire for you might get burned!” However, what if you don't realize that you are getting burned until it is too late? Sadly, Gabby ruined her mouth by biting and chewing her tongue into and continually breaking her teeth on toys. She felt nothing, so her

WHAT ARE THEY LEARNING?

Just a couple weeks ago, I took my kids to the children's museum in Tuscaloosa. They have several interesting exhibits, but there was one that day that my daughter insisted we see. It was just a small classroom that looked like it had been plucked out of the 1930s. Of course, she was to be the teacher and I had to sit on a bench for toddlers, acting like an eager pupil. While I listened to her tell me about the “ABQs” and bears, I noticed some old school books that were on display. I managed to grab one, without getting scolded by the teacher, and started to thumb threw it. It was the revised edition of  McGuffy's Third Eclectic Reader,  which was   published in the 1920s. It was filled with different stories and lessons, but a certain poem, entitled  Remember,  caught my attention. Indeed, I was somewhat taken aback over what it stated: Remember, Child, remember, That God is in the sky; That He looks down on all we do. With an ever-wakeful eye. Remember, oh re

Star Light

I remember, when I was a child, my brother and I wanted to camp out in our front yard. We even talked our friends into joining us. We begged our parents to let us sleep out under the stars without a tent, because it would not rain that evening. It was somewhat foolish, but we were not thinking about the insects, strong winds, or even the morning dew. We just thought it would be fun to sleep outside. I think we lasted a solid hour in the dark, but once the cold wind blew and the mosquitoes landed, our imagination dissipated and we ran back indoors. Though we didn't stay out long, I do remember the stars that night. They were unusually bright and seemed to crowd the sky more than any other night. I don't think I will ever “grow out of” being in awe over the beauty of stars. I don't believe King David did either. He wrote in Psalms 19, “ The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky displays what his hands have made. One day tells a story to the next. One night shar

While They're Young

On April 22, 2019, the Muslim American Society Islamic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania posted a video on their Facebook page of children dancing to the words, "Glorious steeds call us and lead us [to] the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The blood of martyrs protects us… Take us, oh ships… until we reach our shores and crush the treacherous ones… Flow, oh rivers of martyrs!" There was also a poem read by a young girl where it spoke of cutting off the heads of infidels. It is a sad sight indeed to see many young children being taught to harbor hate towards others and to have a willingness to kill those who oppose Islamic rule in Jerusalem. In 2017, news spread of “drag time story hours” happening across the country due to a widely posted image of a man dressed in women's attire, makeup, and demonic horns reading to children in the Michelle Obama Library located in Long Beach, CA. Not surprisingly, the church of satan responded to this scene by tweeting, “Hail satan!” Several of

Lashing Lips

Ephesians 4:29 Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it. (AMP) Our words are tools that can either build up or tear down. It is hard to imagine that harsh words can be similar to wrecking balls, but that is exactly how we should view them. It was the power of God that allowed the shouts of the Israelites to bring down the walls of Jericho, but the imagery of this spectacle is still intriguing. Except for Rahab, hardly anyone in Jericho could have imagined that by trumpets and shouts the walls would be destroyed. Yet, this is what happened and you could say that words wrecked the wall . It has often been phrased, “Think before you speak.” Well, perhaps we should be thinking of the aftermath o

Complacent Christianity (Poem)