When my boys were growing up, because we were always living on a shoestring and could not buy them expensive gifts, I always let them choose the menu for their birthday dinners.  Creating a celebratory meal made their inexpensive gifts seem larger, I hoped.  I had also bought a string of shiny multi-colored letters saying "Happy Birthday" that I strung up over the windows behind the table which hung there the entire week.  Their birthdays were only a week apart and, I hoped, that made it seem like the party lasted longer than it really did.  Now that little string of letters hangs up over my grandsons' birthday table—a tradition passed down to the next generation.
     The meals they asked for were always "favorites." Sometimes the combinations were a bit strange and whenever I asked what they wanted, it was always with my breath held.  Hot dogs and potato chips (we seldom had snacks around the house so a bag was a treat) made sense, but New York Strip and Kraft macaroni and cheese (and it HAD to be Kraft) was a bit of an odd marriage.  Another time it was homemade pizza (nothing frozen or takeout would do) and broccoli—yes I had a little boy who loved broccoli AND Brussels sprouts.   
     I thought of that in a moment of writer's block a few weeks ago.  I have been doing this blog since 2012, and an email list three times a week 6 years before that.  While I don't mind rerunning a post here and there, I hate to do it with great regularity.  On the other hand, there are only so many topics just like there are only so many different foods.  Sooner or later you are bound to repeat yourself.  I actually have some favorite posts.  When I do a rerun I always wonder who will remember it.  Sometimes I don't!  But just like you always need certain nutrients, you will always need some of the same reminders in your spiritual life.  I do too, or they wouldn't be on my mind.  Several of the New Testament writers talk about "reminding" their readers of things they had learned long before, so we are in good company.
     So you may find yourself remembering, if not a particular post, then the topic itself.  My old brain is slower these days and I sometimes repeat myself.  I hope yours won't mind a repeat here and there and you are always welcome to ask for a "favorite article" to be run again.  Even if it's not your birthday!  I am sure there is someone somewhere who needs it.  Maybe even me!
 
Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you about these things, although you have known [them] and have been established in the present truth, and I think it right, so long as I am in this tent, to stir you up in reminding [you],2 Pet 1: 12,13
 
To ask for a rerun article, click on Contact Dene, or leave a comment on a post.
Dene Ward
    

     Old age gets evermore undignified.  We were headed for Sunday service when a little pain started deep in my chest.  At first, it just felt like indigestion so I said nothing.  After a few minutes, the pain deepened and a minute or two after that, it ran up my throat until it felt like someone had a hand around my neck.  Okay, I thought.  This is not indigestion.  At that point, Keith figured out something was wrong and he said, "At least church and the hospital are in the same direction."   The pain began to fade after 10-12 minutes until it was completely gone, but the next morning I called my primary care doctor "just in case."  He had me in his office the next day giving what seemed like a pint of blood.  The next day I heard from a cardiologist and the next I was in his office.  "I think you need to go to the ER," he said after I told my story, and after a little thought and more advice, that's where we went.  Before the day was over, I was admitted.
     People came in the room every 15 minutes wanting something or other, usually involving more blood.  I wound up with bandages on my right hand, plus the crooks of both arms.  Each arm had an IV with four empty ampules, another "just in case."  When I held up my arms, it was like I had an udder hanging from each one.  During one "visit" I stained half of a towel bright red that ran all over the pillowcase it was supposed to be protecting and soaked the pillow beneath.  I also had leads all over my chest and eventually had to have a nurse help me change into the hospital gown.  I simply couldn't get through the spider web of lines to pull anything over my head without hanging myself.  Even she finally yanked off the leads so I could undress, and then carefully put them back on.  After 2 days full of tests I made it home late the second night because a very sweet nurse took a liking to us and stayed an hour and a half after her shift ended to get us home. 
     The result of all this?  Are you old enough to remember all those old black and white movies that came on after the late news?  The ones where the patriarch of the wealthy family has a heart condition and must keep a vial of little pills handy in case he has a heart attack?  And as soon as you see that scene, you know that sooner or later, someone will upset the old man on purpose and when the chest pains start and he reaches for his little pills the bad guy will keep him from getting to them and he will die of "natural causes?"  But true to the continuing cliché, some great detective will figure it out and the murderer will be caught after all?  You know those movies?  Surely that is out of date by decades, I thought.  But not so.  I am now a walking cliché with my vial of little pills next to me all the time.  At least we have no murderers in the family, but these little pills are nitroglycerin and after I take three, if they do not work, we are to call 911.  Does that mean if an EMT has to start CPR we will all blow up?  Clearly I have seen too many old movies.
     Despite my flippancy, this did sober us up for a few days.  How likely is this to happen again?  Well, they did give me those pills.  But the answer seems to be somewhere between maybe and probably.  So we will take precautions.  A little scare never hurt anyone did it? 
     And to be honest, it isn't the first scare we have had.  An automobile accident that could have been a lot worse, an illness that could have been fatal or at least debilitating, a violent crime that could have left me a very young widow.  I am certain that everyone has had moments like these, incidents that reminded you of your mortality and how easily things could have gone horribly wrong.  Here is the question for today:  what have we done with those reminders?
     God has always sent reminders to his people and they have almost always refused to pay attention.  And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places; yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah.  And I also have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.  So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet have you have not returned unto me, says Jehovah.  I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees has the palmer-worm devoured: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah.  I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I have made the stench of your camp to come up even into your nostrils: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah.  I have overthrown [cities] among you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning: yet have you not returned unto me, says Jehovah. Amos 4:6-11.  If you are familiar with the prophets, you know that is only one of many places where God castigates his heedless and faithless people.
     So is every bad thing that happens a warning of impending destruction, an ultimatum ending in "or else?"  Not always.  Despite what we may want to believe, despite what some religious people preach, God never promised us a life of ease.  We live in a cursed world where sin and death will seem like they are the winners, where we may well be persecuted for doing right, and where the curse upon the earth makes itself known again and again.  So no, not every bad thing that happens is a warning or a punishment.  Job teaches us that if nothing else.  But we would be foolish to ignore those things, to laugh them off as if they mean nothing.  The one thing we can do when these scares occur in our lives, whether big or little, is to remind ourselves that we never know when God will call us, we never know what day will be our last, and we should always be prepared, serving God and his people, doing good works, and shining our lights into a dark world. 
     So I have been reminded.  Maybe now I am more ready than ever before.  How about you?
 
 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that aught be written unto you.  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.  When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: for you are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober 1Thess 5:1-6.
 
Dene Ward

We live thirty miles from the meetinghouse, about forty minutes with good traffic flow and no construction.  Otherwise it can be up to an hour. 
            To make the before-services meeting of the men who will be serving that day, we usually leave our house about 7:45 every Sunday morning.  One Sunday we passed a hitchhiker at the four-way stop a couple of miles from the house.  He was an older gentleman, decently dressed, holding a sign that said “Gainesville.”  So we stopped and picked him up.  We understood that he was taking a risk too, so as he settled into the backseat we mentioned that we were on the way to church and pointed out our stack of Bibles next to him.  This instantly set him more at ease, and he talked with us some. 
             He was on his way to work at Sears, a good thirty miles from the corner where we had picked him up, and several miles opposite where we were headed.  He didn’t have to be there till noon, but since he did not know how long it would take to get a ride, he had left his house on foot at seven-fifteen and made it to the corner where we found him.  His car had broken down and he was only able to buy a part a week as his paycheck came in, so until he fixed it, he was hitching rides.
            “But just take me as far as you can and I’ll thumb another ride and another until I get to the bus stop in front of Wal-Mart.  If I make it there by eleven I can get the bus I need in time.”  We took him all the way to Wal-Mart.
            Now just imagine this:  you find out your car doesn’t run on Saturday.  You live way out of town where no one else does.  How early would you be willing to get up to hitch a ride to a nine o’clock service?  That isn’t the half of it, people.  What other things do we miss doing for the Lord because we aren’t willing to make a sacrifice like that, because it’s so easy to say, “I can’t?”  This man was nearly 70 years old, yet he spent nearly five hours every morning getting to work, working a whole nine hour shift, and then more hours getting home after work—in the dark.  Have you ever gone to that much trouble for the Lord?
            The next Sunday the man was once again at the four-way stop.  We picked him up and dropped him off at Wal-Mart, after inviting him to sit with us at church till eleven, with an offer to take him straight to Sears afterwards.  He politely declined, and also declined to tell us exactly where he lived when we offered to pick him up and take him to work every day.  But he did tell us that his wife had died several years before and he had lost all his savings paying for her medical care.  “I have to have this job,” he said.  “I am only six payments from paying off my mortgage, but without a paycheck I will lose my home.”
            Ah!  There was the real motivation.  He didn’t want to lose his home, an old double wide on a rural lot.  He got up at 6:30 every day for a job that didn’t start till noon, so he could be sure of getting there.  And he did it so he wouldn’t lose a humble, barely comfortable home.
            We have a home waiting for us too, far better than that man had, a home that is eternal, “that fades not away.”  He didn’t want to lose his home.  Don’t we care whether we lose ours?
 
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God, Heb 11:8-10.                
 
Dene Ward

Make sure this does not describe you.

When I first moved to the US and discovered that many people associate evangelical Christianity with racism, I was bewildered.  The New Testament is one of the most emphatically anti-racist texts ever written.  Fellowship across racial and ethnic differences is as intrinsic to the message of Jesus as care for the poor.  And yet there is a painful association between racism and the breed of American Christianity that stops its ears to the Scriptures and conflates white-centered nationalism with biblical faith.

Rebecca McLaughlin, Confronting Christianity

Chloe doesn’t have much of a sense of smell thanks to her doggie allergies, which alternately cause congestion or a runny nose.  We can throw her a treat and then sit for several minutes unbothered while she searches for it in the grass.  But her sense of hearing must be amazing.
            She can distinguish our car engine all the way from the highway, almost a half mile.  I’ve seen her sit there and watch for Keith for several minutes before he even gets to the gate, before the dogs along the lane begin to bark at his passing because she hears “him” coming.
            And she can hear moles digging underground.  We will be walking along outside when suddenly she stands at point, looking at the grass just ahead of her, then pounces and begins digging, her snout in nearly to her eyeballs as she digs and sniffs (bless her heart, she tries) and searches.  Many times she has brought out the mole and disposed of it.  This year we have had plenty for her to work on.
            Moles are small mammals, insectivores, suited to a subterranean lifestyle.  They have tiny or invisible eyes and ears.  They have the ability to survive in a low oxygen environment by reusing oxygen inhaled aboveground.  That also means they can tolerate the higher levels of carbon dioxide that would poison most mammals.  They avoid each other except in breeding season and fight whenever they do meet.  I couldn’t even find a word for a group of moles.  They aren’t herds or swarms or gaggles or flocks.  Maybe that’s because the word is unnecessary since they never get together.
            Think about all that.  Does it sound familiar?
            Do you know any people with small eyes and ears, many of whom are blind?
             Why do you not understand my speech? [Even] because you cannot hear my word, John 8:43.
            In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor 4:4.
            Do you know a group who reuses old oxygen, failing to bring in any new work to revitalize its heart, poisoning itself in the process?
            …Thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, Mark 7:13.
            Do you know a group that avoids each other except in season (Sundays) and then fights when they do meet?
            Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? James 4:1.
            But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another, Gal 5:15.
            If all that sounds like a group you know, even if they call themselves the body of Christ, they are only pretenders.  That is not what he gave his life for.
            I am certain you could come up with other comparisons yourself.  But don’t waste your time on that or you are in danger of becoming one of those moles yourself, festering underground in your own poison.  Just do what you can by being what you ought to be.  Moles are ugly, in more ways than one.  It shouldn’t take much motivation to not become one.
 
"There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. The murderer rises before it is light, that he may kill the poor and needy, and in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me'; and he veils his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light. Job 24:13-16.
 
Dene Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.

1Corinthians 7:17 Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one (man, woman, slave, free, Jew, Gentile, etc), as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And thus I direct in all the churches.
 
Throughout my school years I began to recognize that my classmates would look at me when something needed to be said or done. I didn’t know why, and it was scary to think I would have to stick my neck out and be their leader. By hook or crook I led, but it was never easy, and when I failed, I was at a loss as to why the failure. I then began to realize my father and mother were teaching me by example that it wouldn’t get any easier the longer I lived unless I considered the needs of others, and not my own. No wonder they hammered into me that character must be developed, but only with God’s help. If I won or failed in my leadership, it would rest on my character.
Romans 5:3,4 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.
 
Leadership is the ability to guide, influence, or motivate others to achieve a goal. It is not suddenly bestowed on untried men or women. Only when approved character and a willingness to lead is recognized will a person be appointed to be a leader. When I read Numbers 32:28, it caused me to think of the past history of Joshua and Phinehas and how they developed into being God’s chosen instruments to lead His people into the Promised Land.
 
Joshua (Hoshea) the son of Nun is first mentioned in Exodus 17 in leading the Israelites slaves in their fight against the Amalekites. Only a month had passed since leaving Egypt and he had these men become a force to be reckoned with! At Mt Sinai he accompanied Moses to the mountain (Exodus 24,32). As a young man, he would serve Moses in whatever way he could (Exodus 33:10), and was jealous (mistakenly) for Moses’ ability to prophesy (Numbers 11). At Kadesh-barnea, he and Caleb expressed full confidence in God, exhorting the multitude to remain faithful (Numbers 13). 40 years later, just before Moses died, Joshua was given the spirit of wisdom and was commissioned to lead the Israelites in conquering the land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 34:9). His faith, his commitment to God, and his loyalty to Moses was conspicuous and unswerving. As Moses’ successor, he faithfully acted upon his principles. He was a brave and competent general, wise in the fight.
 
Phinehas son of Eleazar, was a grandson of Aaron, chief of Korahite Levites (1Ch 9:20). In Numbers 25 Phinehas is first mentioned when he took a leading part in cleansing Israel from whoredom at Shittim before the Israelites entered Canaan. His strong action is also referred to in Ps 106:30,31. His faithful services were secured to his house in the succession of the priesthood (Nu 26:11). Before Moses died, he became high priest and helped Joshua in conquering Canaan. He went on to inquire into the reported idolatry of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh (Josh 22), and delivered the decision to fight the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 20:28). His character was marked with strong moral indignation and fine integrity.
 
So, what qualities should a man or woman exhibit in becoming a leader for God? No matter whether this leadership is found in the work place, in the church, or in the home, there are certain characteristics that must be present if that leader is to be pleasing to God.
 
1. Integrity. A leader with integrity draws on his values to guide his decisions, his behavior, and his dealings with others. He has clear convictions about what is right and wrong and is respected for being genuine and consistent. He has a strong sense of character, keeps his promises, and communicates openly, honestly and directly with others.
Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
 
2. Willing to make hard decisions. When facing a tough decision, a leader must start by determining what he is trying to achieve. He must consider the likely consequences and recognize possible alternatives. He must then make his final decision with conviction, take responsibility for it, and follow it through.
Romans 11:20b You stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but in awe (of God).
 
3. Encourage others to be leaders. A good leader will recognize courage and passion in others. He will demonstrate his confidence in others to develop their own leadership qualities. He will promote commitment in their desire to become leaders.
1Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
 
Leadership can be seen in your example of being a faithful servant of Christ. A leader is recognized when you see a need and wisely act upon it, encouraging others to share in providing a solution. A good leader will be willing to teach the gospel, especially on a one-to-one basis. Indeed, you can be a leader for the Lord.
 
Joanne Beckley

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Ezra 7 is a fairly innocuous chapter. If you aren’t careful you miss something amazing.  
            We are introduced to Ezra, a potential priest descended from Aaron.  He is a scribe of the Law.  He has requested of the king, through proper channels apparently, the right to lead a group of people back to Jerusalem.  King Artaxerxes grants Ezra's request and then some, giving money to Ezra so he could buy the needed goods to make sacrifices on the king’s behalf, giving gifts to the temple for its service, designating a drawing account Ezra can use to beautify the temple, exempting the priests and temple workers from taxes, and finally designating Ezra a sort of minor governor with the ability to enforce the law, both God's and the king's, up to using the death penalty. Notice, this was a pagan king who was showing so much interest and support in Ezra’s mission. 
            Ezra must have been blown away at the favor the king showed him, but all in all, it was a fairly common occurrence.  A minor functionary makes a request through channels to the king and gets a favorable response.  No big deal.
             Except for the fact that God is credited at every step.
            As we read through the chapter, we would expect to see prophets proclaiming the word of the Lord or interpreting dreams, right?  Or maybe Ezra performed miracles to convince the king.  Surely a hand wrote upon the wall.  No, none of these things happened.  God used nothing miraculous or spectacular to gain all this favor and help for His children.  As far as worldly people were concerned this was a completely normal, straightforward event.
            Yet in verse 6 we are told that "the king granted him all his request according to the hand of Jehovah, [Ezra’s] God upon him."  And the trip back to Jerusalem was quick and easy because of "the good hand of his God upon him." (vs 9).  And Ezra had the strength to see all this through because he "was strengthened according to the hand of Jehovah my God upon me," (vs 28).  God, without doing anything miraculous, caused all these things to happen.  He was working for the betterment of His people all through this chapter while staying behind the scenes.
            Does God work miracles today?  We know He doesn't. Does He send prophets? No.  Does He work in our lives? Absolutely, yes, just as He worked behind the scenes to help Ezra get everything he needed.  Can He really affect the world positively for us without miracles? Well, look at what He did for Ezra.  Ezra wouldn't have dreamed of asking for half of what the king gave him, but God was on Ezra's side.
            God is working for us in the same way. We just need to trust him, just like Ezra did, and with no more evidence than Ezra had.  We just need to remember who is on our side, and believe it.
 
Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me. ..The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. Ezra 7:27-28;  Proverbs 21:1.
 
Lucas Ward

I have a hard time seeing cobwebs.  Every so often, Keith will grab a broom, wrap an old rag around it and go around sweeping my ceilings, especially in the corners.  He always ends up with a rag covered in lacy, pale gray webs that had hung from the white ceilings, hidden from my less than perfect vision.
            A few weeks ago, after returning from a ten day trip that combined family visits with a speaking engagement, I was exercising on the porch steps and happened to look at the screen door.  Maybe because I was concentrating on my repetitious step routine instead of simply going in and out, I saw a thick layer of cobwebs wrapped around the automatic door closer.  I looked a little higher and more hung from the hinges.  Yet a little higher and both corners were strung with white.
            These were not small cobwebs.  They were several inches in diameter and so thick the black metal door looked as if someone had splashed white paint on it.  This is what I’m saying:  they were easy to see and had been there quite awhile yet I had missed seeing them.
            Here’s a question for you.  If cobwebs were dangerous in some way, poisonous perhaps, which would be the most dangerous, the ones you can’t see, or the ones you can? 
            Let me make that a little easier for you.  Those cobwebs that Keith gets down for me?  Before he retired I might not have seen them, but I knew they were there—cobwebs always hang from the ceiling.  When any special company was on the calendar, I always got the broom and brushed them down myself.  I knew where to brush whether I could see them there or not.  The cobwebs that hang all over the screen door as clear as day?  Those I never see because I never look for them.
            When we raised our boys we taught them several ways to avoid poisonous snakes.  One was to stay away from places they could hide, like wood piles and thick brush.  We also taught them to look for odd shapes and movement in the grass—the only way to see past their natural camouflage.  But on a cold sunny day, those things won’t be in some dark place, they’ll be right out in the open, basking on a sun-warmed rock or lying in the sun-baked field.  Which ones do you think are the hardest to see, simply because you aren’t looking for them?
            Now think about the dangers in your spiritual life.  Which temptations are the most perilous, the ones you know to look for or the ones you don’t bother to look for?  Which of your faults are the most dangerous?  The ones you are trying to work on, or the ones you refuse to see?
            What’s the moral of the story?  Always be looking.  Don’t fool yourself with that psychological trick called denial.  It won’t make the snakes disappear.  It won’t make the poison less venomous.  You have an enemy who isn’t stupid.  He has great camouflage.  Sometimes he looks like a friend, sometimes he looks like a blessing, sometimes he even looks like you. 
            Do a daily character exam.  Look for the cobwebs in your soul.  Look where you see them and where you don’t.  Or get someone with better eyesight to do it for you, and then listen to them.  “That’s just how I am,” may be the biggest lie anyone ever got you to believe.  Blindness is not an excuse for sin.
 
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds, 2 Cor 11:13,14.
 
Dene Ward

We have put up several new feeders and the bird population has exploded.  We see more new kinds and more of them than ever before.  We have also seen a few new bird antics as well.
            Yesterday we looked out in time to see two doves running around the pole from which one of the feeders hangs.  While cardinals and titmice usually fly the four feet up from the ground to the feeders, the doves are content to peck off the ground what falls, and a great deal does.  Pick up the binoculars and watch the seeds fly every time one of the birds “on high” pecks at it.  Meanwhile, down below, the doves revel in the raining plenty.
            Except those two.  For several minutes they chased one another around and around and around that pole, the one trying to shoo the other away from the free meal.  Occasionally the one in front got far enough ahead to stop and peck a seed, but the one behind, running literally ankle deep in food, never got a bite.
            Kind of reminds me of a few Bible classes I have sat in.  Two men wrapped up in their own opinions, chase one another around in circles with their “logic,” and neither one of them get any of the spiritual nourishment being offered that morning.  Or one man desperately tries to have his meal while another of differing opinion cannot allow it and pursues him with “arguments about words.”  In fact, if the man isn’t careful, he will usually be cornered right after class as the chase continues.  Like those two birds I watched that day, neither one is fed, despite the banquet laid right in front of them.
            Paul calls that sort of behavior “carnal” and immature, 1 Cor 3:1-3.  He equates it with orgies and drunkenness, Rom 13:13.  James puts it on a par with “every vile practice,” 3:16.  All of them link quarreling with things like jealousy, envy, hostility, and selfishness.  James even adds murder and adultery to the mix, 4:1-4.  It is one thing to have a spirited discussion of the Scriptures.  It is another entirely to refuse to consider new ideas, clinging to beliefs out of pride or dismissing a point simply because of who presented it, all cloaked in concern for words and their correct meanings while patently ignoring basic spiritual concepts like Divine authority and holiness. 
            Our spiritual meals are presented to help us glorify God, not to exalt ourselves over others.  They are food for the soul, not ammunition for the spiteful.   They are nourishment for the kind, not fodder for the vindictive.  If all we can do is chase one another in circles with the Word of God, we don’t deserve to hold those sacred writings in our hands.
            I laughed at those two stupid doves under my feeder.  Then I just shook my head and sighed.  I have seen too many Christians just like them.
 
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh, Galatians 5:14-16.

Dene Ward