Daily Butter 11/30: NOT FAIR!

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/30/11):

 

So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. (Romans 5:18 HCSB)

 

In my jobs, I have a lot of colleagues in their teens and early twenties who complain about things not being fair. I guess I don’t understand how someone could live more than a decade without learning that “fairness” is an illusion. The only thing fair in this life is the county fair (and that’s run by people, so many ribbon-less 4H kids will tell you it’s not fair either). But having been raised in a family of faith, I learned early that neither the heritage of sin passed down since Adam nor God’s solution through His Son Jesus Christ are “fair.” No one gets asked whether they want to be a descendent of Adam, so it’s no wonder that we all fall short, but for some reason we (not sure if this is humanity wide or just primarily American) want the solution to be more do-it-yourself and therefore more “fair.” But it’s not, since He did the work and for that I say PRAISE THE LORD!

 

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/28: But I Can't

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/28/11):

 

¹³For it is God who is working in you, [enabling you] both to will and to act for His good purpose. ¹⁴Do everything without grumbling and arguing, ¹⁵so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.

(Philippians 2:13-15 HCSB)

 

I’ve often held out verses 14-15 as something I aim to live out. Henry Ford is attributed with the quote “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” Verse thirteen really jumped out as me this morning as a reminder that there is a reason I feel inadequate to the task: because it takes Divine power working in and through us to accomplish His purpose.

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/27: Devotion

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/27/11):

    Teach me Your way, LORD,
    and I will live by Your truth.
    Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.

    (Psalm 86:11 HCSB)

“Devotion” is an English word that gets tossed around so much in Christendom that it seems to have lost any meaning. Stemming from the same root as “devoted” and “devout,” it has always bothered me that we talk about “doing our devotions” – a devotion is a commitment you have not an action you do. But even then, reading of Our Daily Bread’s ”daily devotional thoughts” becomes “having our devotions.” It’s killing the word and it just makes the hair on my neck bristle. If you’re “devoted” then it should be singular. Yes, I understand that I am devoted to my wife, devoted to my son, devoted to my local church, and devoted to serving people in my jobs, but I strive to have those simply be facets (fruit if you will) of my singular devotion to my Lord. (Eph 5:25; 1 Tim 5:8; Heb 10:24-25; Col 3:23-24) But enough of my angst at the death of one word in the ever-changing American English language…

Reading through this Psalm, the thought of an “undivided mind” (or heart [NIV]) is so appealing. When wrestling with all the “wish I could”s, the “gotta do”s, the “wanna do”s, the “oughta do”s, and the “but I can’t”s, can someone really have a singular focus? It reminds me also of Paul’s expression of frustration with the internal battle: “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.” (Romans 7:15 HCSB) When he wrote this Psalm, David knew these battles. From the record of his life in Scripture we know he sometimes failed miserably and sometimes excelled brilliantly. This verse shows that he came to understand that it’s first and foremost something we CANNOT do ourselves, but something we MUST seek to be taught and ask to be given.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 11/26: Instructions

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/26/11):

You were shown [these things] so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.

(Deuteronomy 4:35 HCSB)

In today’s ODB, Julie Ackerman Link observed people trying to unleash the power of the singing bowl as missing “cooperation.” I tend to think it is something more basic. From the Garden of Eden to 21^st Century America one thing has remained the same: Mankind’s desire to do it him-/her-self. It’s not so much a desire to ignore the Maker’s instructions as an overly high view of self. To place our trust on our own senses rather than the instructions of the Maker who designed it to work properly:

“I know the Maker says not to eat that, but I can see it looks wonderful and smells so delicious. Besides, I hear it doesn’t do what they say and that they’re just keeping me from something really good.”

There really is nothing new under the sun. It might not be as simple as “a piece of fruit,” but I know I still find my mind going through the same kind of rationalization. I used to think the Jews of the Old Testament were so hard-headed that generation after generation God is performing miracles to meet their needs and freeing them from captors yet they keep trying to do things their own way. Then I look at my own life looking for evidence I’ve really learned anything, and I’m no better. The only thing it shows me is that God is more patient and merciful and forgiving than I could even imagine. It is good to be a child of the Most High.

- Andy Jentes

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s	s	f	a	r
i	t	o	v	t
c	r	r	i	h
	u	e	n
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Daily Butter 11/24: Same Song

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/24/11):

 

    what we have seen and heard

    we also declare to you,

    so that you may have fellowship along with us;

    and indeed our fellowship is with the Father

    and with His Son Jesus Christ.

(1 John 1:3 HCSB)

 

I did not physically walk with Jesus Christ, nor hear His teaching with my physical ears, nor see His miracles with my own eyes. Nevertheless, my task is no different than that of John: Share my experiences so that others might also understand the joy of personal relationship with God Almighty.

 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:9 HCSB)

 

While the turkey that received the “Traditional Presidential Pardon” yesterday avoids death and dismemberment in the holiday celebrations, the parallel drawn in today ODB falls short in this one point: God does not simply pardon us by declaration. Since His righteousness demanded payment of death for our sins, He took it upon Himself to make the payment that we could never afford. That’s much more than any political leader has ever done for any living creature. THAT is the reason for my Thanksgiving and the reason I join in the song the apostles shared to praise the Almighty and point the way for all who will hear.

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/23: Joy to the World!

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/23/11):

 

For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, [then how] much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! (Romans 5:10 HCSB)

 

In the Christian calendar, Christmas lies just a month away. In the US cultural calendar it seems, Christmas began weeks ago when the Halloween merchandise moved from the seasonal shelves to the clearance shelves – clearly overshadowing the day we set aside this week as a day of Thanksgiving. (It makes me consider joining our Canadian neighbors and have my day of Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October – but that would put it right around birthdays of both my wife and I. Though they might not be “celebrations,” I still better leave it as it is and just “celebrate” Columbus Day on their Thanksgiving.)

 

Just as Thanksgiving gets swallowed up culturally by Christmas, a real appreciation of Good Friday gets lost in the cultural embrace of Easter. Paul reminds us that the marvel that is Christ’s payment of our debt through His own death is the source of the joy. The joyous gift of Christmas is best understood as the end of a long wait for the Lord’s promised Savior, just as the new life of the resurrection is best understood with the payment of our debt. The joy of the celebration is in the reconciliation and the reconciled are those who understand the joy best. It is my Thanksgiving for Him claiming me as His that adds light to Christmas rather than being lost in its shadow.

 

But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.”

(Luke 2:10-11 HCSB)

 

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/21: Master's Craftsman

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/21/11):

I have placed wisdom within every skilled craftsman in order to make all that I have commanded you:

(Exodus 31:6b HCSB)

I also marvel at the artistry of master craftsman just as Dennis Fisher spoke about in today’s ODB. There’s something almost magical about something that is truly hand-crafted. It intrigues me that God, though well within His limitless power to have created a spectacular tabernacle or an exquisite temple with a word just as He made all of creation, chose to let mankind be a part of His plan and have a hand in building His kingdom.

Times may change, but He still prefers to use His people. It reminds me at times of my son wanting to help Daddy with the yard work: he gives the best effort his little arms and legs can manage with his leaf rake for as long as his three-year-old attention span can handle, and while it made barely a dent in the size of the job, it makes Daddy happy and that’s the important thing. There’s a lot of darkness in this world and one day He will break open the sky and let His light wipe out the darkness, but for now, He’s chosen me to take this little light of mine and let it shine so that some might see the light and be drawn to the Light. One day, that role may change, and I trust my God will, just as He did in Exodus 31, grant the wisdom, knowledge, skill, and strength to accomplish the task for which He chooses me.

As a new homeowner with repair and improvement projects, I’ve discovered something anew. It’s not the drill’s job to make sure the right size bit is in place or that the power is available, but the “handyman” better be sure of these things. I aim to be more multi-functioned than a drill in the Master’s hands, but though I may be cordless, I am powerless without His Spirit indwelling and purposeless without His guiding hand.

“Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don't worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said."

(Luke 12:11-12 HCSB)

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 11/20: Season of Giving

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/20/11):

Give to the one who asks you, and don't turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. …

For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?

(Matthew 5:42, 46 HCSB)

With Thanksgiving just days away now, the “Season of Giving” is upon us (even in this culture of self-focused, self-made men and women with such high self esteem they’re apparently lightheaded from the altitude).  I love the lights and the festivities and “spirit of the season,” but how can we be the light of the world in a season where everyone is putting up the lights and giving tokens to one another? (Hint: it’s not by putting up more lights than anyone else on the block) Because God sees things differently (1 Sam 16:7), I think it requires a shift in perspective. It’s not about the what or the how much or the when or the where, but it may be about the who and I believe it is ALWAYS about the why. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be a bit selfish and get gifts for my family to feel the joy of the smile on their faces. But is there something I can give for the soul purpose of giving?

It always seemed odd to me that the “Season of Giving” begins with Thanksgiving just as it has confused me that in our house (as in many if not most Christian homes) gave thanks for our meal before partaking of it. This country has been so blessed for so long that apart from a cute little skit by the elementary school kids each year, we forget where the holiday got its roots: Thanking God Almighty for bringing just the right friends into the lives of the settlers that they survived, and in His faithfulness had brought about a harvest that gave them hope for a better time in the coming winter. Sorry, it’s not about turkey and football. It is about family and friends, our need for one another, and gathering together to renew ties and love one another. Okay, so throwing in a drumstick and a pigskin still makes it one of the least “materialisticized” holidays, but crammed between the number one retail holiday (Christmas) and the number two (Halloween) does tend to make it a bit overshadowed.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter11/17: Both...And

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/17/11):

Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look! The Lamb of God!" … So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. … Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah!" (which means "Anointed One"), and he brought [Simon] to Jesus.

(John 1:35-36, 39b, 40-42)

While David Roper’s ODB devotional chose to highlight Matthew’s account of Simon and Andrew being called to follow Christ, the title “A Companion on the Road” reminds me more of this passage. Some people might contend that this is a contradiction in Scripture, but it’s my belief that it is not a matter that either John was right or Matthew was right, but rather that both Matthew and John are right having recorded separate events.

The marvel to me then becomes not that Simon & Andrew would walked away from their livelihood to follow Christ, but just down the road, without any prior introduction (at least none recorded in Scripture), James & John follow at just the call. Since there is no specifics in Scripture, I tend to imagine that these colleagues and/or neighbors of Andrew & Simon overheard them talking of Christ and perhaps had conversations with them about Him. So, when they “were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them,” (Matthew 4:21) seeing Simon & Andrew were with Christ, they knew from their testimony the He was the real deal and “immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:22)

This is why, though Scripture does not record much about specifically about Andrew, I am challenged by my namesake. Am I walking with Him in such a way that others who see me on the path would join the journey?

- Andy Jentes

(All Scripture quotes from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.)

Daily Butter 11/15: Sand Castles

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/15/11):

 

Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation….

(Hebrews 6:1a HCSB)

 

The words “laying again the foundation” brings to mind another verse: “But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”  (Matthew 7:26 HCSB) This picture of spending effort building something that only has to be rebuilt with each and every storm is something (now that I work on home improvements on the house that shelters my family) that I have learned from those experiences and pressed on to bigger things.

 

After several Promise Keepers events and other rallies, I have often heard the challenges for men to band together and I truly believe that “Iron sharpens iron, / and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17 HCSB) As a single man, I would get so frustrated that the churches I attended could not sustain a men’s Bible study nor could I find mentors or accountability partners among the men in the church. Now that I am a husband and father, I am more understanding that, as important as that partnering on the faith journey might be, there are other pressing matters of family and the hectic pace of life (like plumbing issues and paycheck-earning) that crowd out even the best intentions.

I know that I have been blessed to have a foundation of faith and a Christian college education that others have not, but I sometimes just cannot understand. Some of those times that I have found men that gathered around the Word, I would often be disappointed to find a man who had been attending church for decades “choke” on a morsel that seemed more like a hot dog than the ribs that I was looking forward to coming off the grill of the particular Scripture passage we were studying. C.P. Hia in today’s ODB mentioned it also, and it is so hard for me to understand how someone could “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” (Psalm 34:8 HCSB) yet not hunger for more than just the milk. May I never lose my hunger to know Him more and more.

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/14: Complete Picture

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/14/11):

    Even if He causes suffering,
    He will show compassion
    according to His abundant, faithful love.

 

    For He does not enjoy bringing affliction
    or suffering on mankind.

(Lamentations 3:32-33 HCSB)

There has always been a struggle for me to understand Scripture. If (as I believe by faith) God is the “Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13) and “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews13:8), this makes some very tough quandaries: How is it that He who commanded His people Israel to wipe out entire families, towns and nations (e.g., Joshua 11:12) is the same God who desires none would perish (2 Peter 3:9). Even in the midst of his grief, Jeremiah gives a glimpse into God’s dilemma: balancing His love with the demands of His holiness forces Him to make tough choices. We have the benefit of looking back from this point in history to see that His answer was to bear the burden of atoning for our unholiness Himself (John 3:16; Philippians 2:6-10). But just because He chose that, does not mean it was easy for Him (Luke 22:42). I still can’t say I understand it, but I can say for certain that I am eternally thankful the He did.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 11/11: Inseparable

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/11/11):

    For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,

    nor angels nor rulers,

    nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

    nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing

    will have the power to separate us

    from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

    (Romans 8:38-39 HCSB)

While that does not directly relate to my comments on the scripture, I must make note of today. Though knowing Veterans Day should be a holiday “goes without saying,” a vast majority of this nation will go through their daily routine this day like any other and appreciation for others’ sacrifice on their behalf goes unsaid. For my entire life I have had the freedom to live my faith and even be vocal about my faith in ways that my brothers and sisters across the globe risk life and limb to do. Yet I have not had to risk and fight, so for those who have fought to preserve these freedoms for me and to gain freedom for others, today is your day and you have my utmost gratitude.

How a follower of Jesus Christ can think they can lose their salvation has always baffled me. This reminder from Paul that no “created thing” (which you and I are) can break that bond of love gets missed. Admittedly, there are times we feel distant from Him, but like the wayward son (Luke 15:11-23), no matter the distance we stray from our Heavenly Father by our own choices, His love follows us even when we stray. Or in another reminder from Paul:

This saying is trustworthy:

    For if we have died with Him, we will also live with Him;

    if we endure, we will also reign with Him;

    if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

    if we are faithless, He remains faithful,

    for He cannot deny Himself.

(2 Timothy 2:11-13 HCSB)

I suppose this is where some get the notion that He will deny us if we deny Him, but I can’t imagine how anyone who has truly experienced Him could do so. Even when Peter “denied” Him as prophesied, Christ was faithful to him, restoring him into one of the great pillars in His church.

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 11/9: Expectation

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/9/11):

 

Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God,

(Luke 2:27-7b HSCB)

 

While I totally agree with Julie Ackerman Link’s comments in today’s ODB about the cultural view of waiting being misunderstood as a waste, I see a couple differences. The obedient driver waiting for his/her number to be called at the bureau of motor vehicles is an entirely different type of waiting than the deer hunter in his/her tree stand. While ten minutes at the BMV would have our same hunter fit to be tied, s/he will sit hours in frigid temperatures with an ear to the breeze, constantly scanning his/her range of vision. Why? Expectations. For those of us over the age of sixteen, there is no thrill to be had when your number is called at the BMV but just checking one thing off the to-do list. For the hunter, whether the anticipation of the experience of the kill, of the trophy on the wall, or of the venison on the plate, there is an eagerness for what lies at the end of the wait. For Simeon, there was an eagerness that kept him alerts so that he heard the prompting of the Spirit to meet the promised one.

 

   But those who wait on the LORD

      Shall renew their strength;

      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

      They shall run and not be weary,

      They shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)

 

So… What are You waiting for?

 

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/8: Community

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/8/11):

 

Therefore, let us no longer criticize one another, ….

…

So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.

(Romans 14:13a, 19 HCSB)

 

This segment of Paul’s writing is specifically about differences in convictions on diet and about being considerate of our brothers and sisters (which was being done poorly in the church at Rome).  While the specifics of the instructions to the Romans was for that time and culture, it is the principle that ought not be thrown out. I thought Joe Stowell’s comments in today’s ODB  pictured it pretty well. I chose to highlight these bookends of the focus passage because it points out that rather than a dogmatic focus on “the right way” (which always seems to be fraught with pride since of course “my way” is THE right way), our focus needs to shift from self to be truly considerate of one another. It also points out the fact that it is not enough to stop going in a detrimental direction, but effort must be made to do “what builds up one another.”

 

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter11/7: Know Know

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/7/11):

 

Not that I have already reached [the goal] or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:12 HCSB)

 

In a conversation tonight with my coworker, we were talking about our spiritual nature, about trying to “see” or “know” or ”feel” these spiritual truths, and we find ourselves shaking our heads at the inadequacy of language to capture the spiritual truth of a limitless God choosing to relate to us, His finite creation. The impossibility of our finite minds to really “know God” in any cognitive sense is way too much for any of us to grasp. But just as Paul wrote here, that does not me we don’t try to take hold of that truth which we know to be true because He has taken hold of us. Words are so inadequate to describe what it is to be in His hand, but those who have experienced this “know.”

But as it is written:

 

    What no eye has seen and no ear has heard,

    and what has never come into a man's heart,

    is what God has prepared for those who love Him.

   

Now God has revealed them to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the concerns of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows the concerns of God except the Spirit of God.

(1 Corinthians 2:9-11 HCSB)

 

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/6: Powerful Gentleness

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/6/11):

 

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me, and said, "Don't be afraid! …”  (Revelation 1:17 HCSB)

 

Bill Crowder shared in today’s ODB about the new realization of the imagery of the sound of his voice. With the truly awe inspiring impression that John captures with his words about what he saw, it is no wonder that he fell down at His feet. What struck me this morning was that though the Holman Christian Standard Bible translators placed an exclamation point on the “Do not be afraid!” the actions show this is not a “You should know better” admonition or command. He didn’t grab John by the arm, lifting him and forcing him to look him in the eye. This vision of truly awesome power and holiness placed His gentle, comforting hand on His beloved child. The wonderful truth is hard to grasp: the God of the Universe with all His power and glory is also our loving Heavenly Father and the Good Shepherd.

 

- Andy Jentes

 

Daily Butter 11/5: The End of Lonely Street

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/5/11):

 

"I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit – the Father will send Him in My name – will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”

 (John 14:25-26 HCSB)

 

Apologies to Elvis – the King has spoken. We were not left on lonely street. God is a three person tag-team that is conspiring to make sure His children are never alone. Pentacost, when the promised Holy Spirit came to dwell not just with us but IN us was the end of lonely street for His children.

 

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter 11/2: Watch it, dude!

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/2/11):

   A gentle answer turns away anger,

    but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

(Proverbs 15:1 HCSB)

Back on my birthday, I commented how at times fatigue sometime weakens my defenses holding back my tongue. Unfortunately, I know this Proverb to be true by experience. The tongue is a wild thing needing diligent monitoring.

For every creature—animal or bird, reptile or fish—is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7-8 HCSB)

I apologize that that fatigue is also keeping my brain from really adding a lot of insight to these truths, but I wanted not to miss making an entry. I’ll have a couple nights off to hopefully rest and recover. Until then, remember: “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!”

    The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
    observing the wicked and the good.

(Proverbs 15:3 HCSB)

- Andy Jentes

Daily Butter11/1: Rules

My little addition to Our Daily Bread (11/1/11):

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping Your word.   

…

I will delight in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

(Psalm 119:9, 16 HCSB)

When in doubt, read the directions. My college roommate and I had an ongoing “debate” about our difference of opinion on ethics. He had a “deontological theory of obligation” while I claim to have a “theocentric teleological theory of obligation.”

That’s a lot of big words to say that he claimed the right thing to do is the right thing to do because God’s Word commanded it and the wrong thing to do was wrong because God’s Word prohibited it. Since I was a psychology major rather than a math major, I chose to adopt (perhaps invent) a theory which left for some “gray areas” where Scripture might not be as clear (like should the toilet paper roll off the front or back of the roll when hanging on the wall hanger). While a “teleological” view is often summed up as “the end justifies the means,” I add the word “theocentric” to signify that the desired “end” is the smile of God.

Yes, Scripture has many clear “do’s and don’ts” that help me understand what He expects of His children and guidelines that should guide my actions. Psalm 119, the longest “chapter” in all Scripture, is a beautiful reminder of the importance of His word. Each set of 8 verses begins with the same letter of the Ancient Hebrew alphabet through the entire alphabet.

The debates in our dorm room is a bit of a moot point as “obedience” is the way to make God smile, but I still think I was right. You see scripture has no clear decree on toilet paper rolls, so I chose to adapt from the back-of-the-roll hanging style I grew up with to the front-of-the-roll style of my in-laws with which my wife was accustomed. By the time my son was two-years-old and began spinning piles of “TP” onto the floor, the rolls (and roles) reversed. I marveled at the wisdom of my parents (and how much my son is like me) when we found that he didn’t waste the tissue when the rolls spun from the back. He’s grown up and moved on to remote control buttons and light switches, but the rolls remain the same. While it may not make God smile, doing things that keep my wife from frowning seems a step in the right direction. I’m sure my college roommate would say I simply applied Scripture (“Try to do what is honorable in everyone's eyes. If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:17b-18 HCSB).

Regardless of perspective, the Word is STILL important and my many words are beginning to run on and on and….

- Andy Jentes