bierkergaard

Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Deut 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me. Critics of the Bible like verses like these two because they seem contradictory. But, hold on ye would-be Feurebach, let us think about this a little more deeply. The Bible is a profoundly realistic book. Here these verses articulate the difference between the legal/judicial AND relational consequences of the father's sins upon his progeny. The relational sins of the father will almost always have a negative consequence on his children. If he is a drunk, an adulterer, a thief, a murderer, or a...

I live in Lancaster County and work in York County, and never twain shall meet (to steal a line from Rudyard Kipling ). "Oh, East is East and West is West, and never twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat ." When I work, I work. When I am not at work, I don't want to any in any sense feel as if I am at work. Like run into my students at the supermarket. Or the mall...not that I go to the mall anyway. I love the bifurcation by bridge of my life. For nearly twenty years I have tried to leave my home burdens on the Lancaster side and my work burdens on the York side like some psychological umbrella. Some might classify this a schizoidal but it works for me on a conscious level. One umbrella is red, the other white, and when I use them, is determined by day or night. The Houses of York and Lancaster....some ancient monarchy issue of where loyalties were, symbolized by a red or white rose. Subconsciousnessly, I probably am always ...

There is an older couple across the street in little old Mountville who are Russians. I asked the man a couple of years ago why he moved to America and he looked at me, and looked around, and raised his hand in a sweeping gesture. That was enough of an answer...guess it was kind of self-evident. Stupid suburban me, taking it for granted. A more interesting question would be, "Why here?" I have been praying that I would get to know him better. Somewhat ashamed that I do not know his name after living across from he and his wife for over four years. I cleverly call them the "Russkies." I am quite the coiner. He often comes outside after I return from my runs. It happens too often to be a coincidence. It almost seems as if he is waiting for me...he walking out of his door and up the driveway holding his little grandson's hand. His little grandson often looks wary of me...a 6'8" sweaty dude panting and doubled-over. Probably gives the little guy nightmare...