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Showing posts with the label discernment

The Day My Dentist Took My Dad to the Woodshed

I have been watching the HBO series John Adams on DVD using the feature they have that pops up historical facts as you watch the drama. For the most part they did a wonderful job of keeping things historically accurate. When I studied interior design I had to study the history of furniture and textiles so it is always fun for me to see how accurate period pieces are with their sets and costumes. One of the things I really appreciated was the lack of perfectly white teeth for all the actors. Dental health or lack of it was a major cause of suffering back then. It hasn't been that long ago that things have changed. My father suffered horribly with his teeth and as a result he took me to see a dentist by the time I was 3 years old. My father told the dentist that he would see I made every appointment and followed every rule the dentist gave me. My dentist, Dr. Gan, was my favorite person. He was a children's dentist and reluctantly sent me to someone else when I was in my lat...

A Crisis of Biblical Proportion

I used to have a sign in my locker at work that said, "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine." It was a bit of irony since I worked in an emergency dispatch center. It never ceased to amaze me the effort people would invest in making bad decisions; so bad that a call to 9-1-1 would become inevitable. I have a few hundred examples I could use but one particular incident comes to mind. It seems a homeowner decided that he didn't like the looks of the angled section of the stove pipe on his wood stove. Apparently it wasn't quite right and he didn't think it was safe so he removed the section he and went to the local hardware store to find a suitable replacement. Now most people would consider this laudable behavior and it would have been if there had not been a load of live coals and fresh logs in the wood stove. If you are like him and don't see a problem with this scenario, let me introduce you to what firefighters call the...

A Sharp Axe Makes Light Work : The Whetstone of BIblical Discernment

I am an advocate of education. I think the purpose of being educated is to be able to recognize or discern truth from error. One of my favorite verses is I Timothy 1:5 "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." Paul is telling Timothy exactly what the goal of teaching is and by virtue, what is most valuable for us to know. Similarly, Ecclesiastes 10:10 says this: "If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen {its} edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success." The Psalmist provides the source of wisdom Psalm 111:10 " The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do {His commandments} His praise endures forever." If you're having difficulty recognizing truth from error, like me, you need a sharper axe. I recommend you read and listen to this post on Steve Camp's blog.