bierkergaard

I am not a woman so I didn't watch much of her show. It was a girl thing. Like a Jeep, I wouldn't understand. I think Oprah has done a lot of good, yet whenever a supra-influential person does not promote Christ--the sole soul saver and sanctifier--I can only give a lukewarm affirmation and it turns cold quicky...as a mozzarella stick. She has done well for herself...she has given hope. Oprah has broken down walls of race and class. All attributes the Gospel says "Amen" to. But, her message wasn't the Gospel. And that makes her goodbye one that is sad in the end. And, not just because her daytime show on mainstream television has concluded.

I have been searching for a new devotional to read. My present devotional is winding down and I thought it was best to line up a successor to the throne before the end of the current devotional. I have a tendency to dawdle so I didn't dawdle if that makes any sense. Some of my weaknesses have become strengths because I am well-acquainted with them and have seen the damage like locusts they have wrought on the fields of my life. So I anticipate them and counter them as one would play chess against a wily opponent. Perseverance of the Saints. I decided to purchase the devotional 365 Days with Calvin. This is probably going to be some theological heavy lifting. Yet, burdens are bearable and even bountiful if they are meaningful and purposeful. This is not going to be some goofy and gooey quotes with feel good Christian Sugar Pops for the Soul stuff. Instead, Reformational steak at 5:30 daily. I like what this website essay says about Calvin: " Calvin brought to the study of...

It is good to own an old belt of yesteryear and wear it on occasion. It reminds us of how fat we have become. The gut don't lie. I have been praying not to become a slave to my stomach Abdomini Servit . It is hypocritical & profane to pray for something and then deliberately act contrary to it in a repeated fashion. So, I am cutting back and God is giving me daily strength to not feed the beast in the belly. I find that the more I cater to it, the more it wants. Like Hell, it is never satisfied. With the obesity epidemic in America, it seems logical that our over-eating is really a symptom of our spiritual hunger. Beyond what we need to eat for physical sustenance, the abyss of our appetites can only be filled by Christ. Rather than buying bigger belts we really need to be eating smaller meals.

Ah, I put a search in for teeth and smile and look what pic came up! I actually have great teeth. Only one cavity. At the age of 47 that is pretty good. I am a Dentist's fiduciary nightmare...no gold to be found in my mouth. Last week I went in for my twice yearly cleaning and buffing. My dental hygienist is very competent at what she does but she does have a habit asking me annoying questions, usually while I am in the process of being scraped, flossed, or shined. I think she may have been told in dental hygienist school that it is important to develop a rapport and a relationship with one's clients. Hence, the queries about my plans for the summer and the like. I don't have the guts to tell her that she doesn't have to talk. More than that, no need to ask me questions. Just clean my teeth please...that is all I want, that is all I need. If I wanted to be interviewed, I would do something newsworthy. There are plenty of things wrong with my body....bad knee, busted pin...

On Saturday, I sowed some barley. This is just a small test crop to see the growing process. If it turns out OK, I am going to use the grain for beer or bread. Growing food is an instructive lesson in hard work, patience, smarts, and trust. Living off the land is hardly a free ride and generally what people sow they then reap. There are circumstances we cannot control such as the weather, and that itself is a good lesson. As I was throwing the seed down, I thought about the Parable of the Sower , complete with the hard soil, rocks, and the weeds. It was like a Bible Story kit. Yes, there was good soil too. I think in our 21st century mentality "That my food comes from COSTCO" , we lose the connection to the soil and the lessons it teaches. And, we are less wise for it. Maybe there could be COSTCO parables? Those who park farthest away from the store get out of the parking lot first (last shall be first type of deal?) God chose to communicate His Gospel in an agrarian society...

I have been struggling with calling those in Camping's Camp May 21 Fiascolypse "Dumbasses" in a Facebook post. Some affirm that it was apropos, some think it went too far. The debates rages. A friend said it reminded him of Jesus's warning not to call anyone "Raca" without cause. I suppose I could debate that as Camping's campaign was both dumb and asinine, I just combined the words and applied accurately it to them. The word Raca in Greek is Moros, where we get the term moron. It is a term of "utter vilification" according to Strong's Lexicon. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:1 calls the Galatians foolish. Although not as harsh as the Greek word Moros, in the Greek it is hardly a compliment. It means unwise and unintelligent. The Galatians going back to the Preschool ways of the Law rather than the Graduate School of Grace made them worth of Paul's stinging rebuke. Dunces. And it was harsh. Paul typically and probably tho...

Sometimes, life can really suck. When the Bible says "All creation groans" it is not because of rapturous joy. Instead, Jesus compares the fallen world to a woman giving birth. Lots of pain, but joy in the end when the baby is delivered. Then more pain when the child acts selfishly, rebelliously, and ungratefully. There is a better world coming...until then, life sometimes can be like the film Deliverance. We often expect the world to be a better place because we can imagine it as a better place, but this is usually defined fairly selfishly. I have more fun, more satisfaction, more joy. The poor sucker over there? Too bad. I am convinced that pain will either produce a deep compassion in people or a hardening of the soul. The experience of the pain is only the mechanism. The heart, mind, and soul decide what to do with it. How can we say something like this when people are really suffering, even supermodels? Is it not harsh to tell people to get a stiff upper lip and make t...