Mark's Views, Perhaps — from behind my eyeballs
I was on my evening stroll (instead of my usual fast-paced walk), still headed in the general direction of my wife’s last-known-to-me general location. (No, the photo is not where I was at the time; four minutes earlier, I was there.)
It was raining. Somewhat to kinda breezy. Not particularly warm. I was wearing my big winter coat, oversized hood umbrellaing my head, hands drawn up into the sleeves.
I heard a car approaching from behind. Slowing down, it was. Read it all
Or maybe we’re the bourgeoisie. Or the upper crust. (I’m just using those terms for the anyhow, OK?)
I just want to say that in my home congregation, we all sing. Even the men. Maybe it’s because we are a conservative Mennonite church. We sing four-part a cappella (you know, with no musical instruments).
In fact, once a quarter we have a Sunday afternoon men’s singing time, using Hymns We Love #3. And then in the evening we have a singing service for everybody. With fingerfood snacks in between.
I thought of that several days ago when I read this article: Read it all
Scandalous — disgraceful; shameful or shocking; improper; a louse devoted to scandal
Scamps — unscrupulous and often mischievous people; rascals; rogues; scalawags
Schemingly — making sly, underhanded, crafty plans
School — to educate; teach; train
Scurrilous — characterized by or using low buffoonery; coarsely jocular or derisive
Skunks — thoroughly contemptible people
And now you’ve had your delightfully delicious daily dictionary dose.
I suppose you thought this would be a politically proclived post pertaining to one or more or all of the following: Read it all
Wherein a Portland (Oregon) policeman spares a mama duck and her two little quacks.
So I say, “Three cheers for Officer James of the Portland Police Bureau!”
Now three more cheers for Mr. Mark James.
And a whole bunch of quacks, honks, chirps, tweets, and cheeps.
Thank you, sir! And thank you for your service as well.
(And a note to the speeder: Dropping the ducks out to cover your tracks was good as a one-time trick. Slow down now!)
Tonight I heard that “sin has consequences.”
So do grace and love.
“Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20).
“Love covereth all sins” (Proverbs 10:12).
Sin, repented of and properly dealt with, needs no further review and regurgitation.
When we insist on consequences over grace and love, we sow for a bitter harvest.
I don’t wish that harvest on anyone. Especially on myself.
So which will matter most to me in my relationships with those who fail?
Let me allow grace and love to triumph in my heart!
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
I Googled simply delicious gore and this was at #1 — yep, simply delicious gore!
CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody.
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) April 20, 2013
Following an intense manhunt that caused chaos in Massachusetts and riveted the rest of the nation, law enforcement finally captured the second Boston Marathon bombing suspect on Friday night.
Following a short standoff in the backyard of a residence in a Watertown neighborhood, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was taken into custody and arrested by Boston Police.
Praise God, the authorities have the young Tsarnaev! (Yes, young; he’s only six months older than my youngest!)
This afternoon I prayed for Dzhokar a bit. (And for others involved.) I prayed he would be captured alive and with no further deaths and mayhem. (Yes, yes — of course he deserves to die. That’s not the point of this post, OK?)
I prayed for this young fellow because The Authority — the King of Kings — still seeks for him. (Apparently, Allah presently has this alleged terrorist, aka Boston Bomber #2.)
The Good Shepherd looks for a lost lamb for whom He gave His life!
How many followers of Jesus will pray for this young man’s redemption?
If you are a Christian, will you pray for his salvation?