Then they cried...in their trouble, and...their distress. Psalm 107:6
Do you know what an 'ellipsis' is? Telling a story to someone who already knows some of it? Throw in a "you know", and they can supply the part they remember, sort of a shortcut. Some people use the Yiddish phrase, "yada yada yada" in the same way - it could be from the Hebrew "yada", which surprisingly enough means "you know". As in, "I went to the store for an aspirin, and yada yada yada I spent 50 bucks!" I think we ALL know how that could happen.
It works in print, too. When you are quoting someone and you don't want to use all their words - maybe they (the words) are irrelevant or inappropriate or too long - you can insert three little dots as a shortcut to show that there are words left out. This could be good or bad, depending on whether or not what's left out changes the meaning of what was said. Take that Bible verse up there at the top. If you took it at face value without further research, you might say, "Well, that makes sense. I've had a trouble or two that got me so stressed that I felt like crying."
But if that's as far as you went, you've "yada yada-ed" over some important information.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and...their distress. Psalm 107:6
See? They didn't just cry, they cried (out) to the Lord! Bet you've done that, too. I've found that even people who would have no reasonable expectation that the Lord would favor them - willful sin, outright rebellion, careless ignorance - still hope in His mercy. And you know what? That's OK, since not one of us deserves His favor but all of us need it!
But wait, there's more:
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. Psalm 107:6
What's this? It wasn't just empty noise into a vacuum? Some One heard and acted? Why yes, He did. Matter of fact, this psalmist mentions 4 different groups who called out and found a Redeemer. You might even be in one of them, and be at the point in your life when glossing over the details won't cut it. You're ready to know.
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. Psalm 107:43
So, find out for yourself, first hand. You might just be surprised at what you've "yada yada-ed" over. The best part could be in the "ellipsis" you've skipped!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Shaken, Not Stirred
Recognize James Bond's martini instructions? Martinis are conspicuous by their absence from my experience, so I'm not exactly sure what possible difference it could make. Stirring supposedly "bruises" the gin, whatever that means, but it did speak to me about people's reactions to disaster, tragedy, and crisis.
Terrorism and tornadoes. Hurricanes and earthquakes and economies, Oh My! In the aftermath, people turn to religion seeking comfort, order, and explanation, but for many it's just a temporary thing. Memories fade. Fervor cools. Fear subsides. Shaking calms, and we settle back to old habits and ways, separating out into "religious" and "normal", until "religious" becomes less and less important and more and more neglected.
Thankfully, not everyone follows that path. Wonder what leads some to remain immersed in their faith even while others precipitate out? Maybe it's like orange juice.
Printed on the bottle of OJ in my fridge is the familiar phrase "Shake Well Before Using". I can see that there are two layers in the bottle before I shake, a thin upper and a thicker lower. After vigorously following instructions, they get mixed together into that fruity goodness I enjoy. But no matter how vigorous - even excessive - I am with that shaking, I have to do it again the next day.
I'm not saying that people will only stay close to God if He keeps rocking their world. We couldn't stand the strain! I'm saying we need a deeper, repeated stirring.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24 -25
"Consider" - apply all our powers of thought, observation, and imagination to seek solutions
"Stir" - provoke, poke, spur (I like spur, because I always wanted to be a cowboy.)
"Love and good works" - not mere religious activity, but life-changing action
"Not neglecting to meet together" - interaction with those who share the vision of a world changing faith
"Encouraging one another" - provoking, poking, spurring, and stirring so that our momentum isn't lost
Shaking comes to all of us. Our world is disturbed by events, and we try to find peace from the storm. Maybe we'd do better to enjoy peace IN the storm - a peace that is empowered by our transformation into the "fruity goodness" of the Church Triumphant! Don't just be shaken. Stir up yourself and each other to be part of God's eternal and imminent Plan.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Albuquerque?
A Real "Hotspot"
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. 10:28
Ever been to Albuquerque? Growing up, I'd never been further west than Memphis, so when Bugs Bunny talked about making that "left toin at Albukoikee", I hardly thought of it as a real place. It was more like the "Land of Far, Far Away" in some fairy tale. When I finally went through it as an adult, it kept that fairy tale quality for me because of the stark, mountainous terrain (very different than rural Mississippi) and because we went through it so fast.
Fast forward to my kids. Sometimes, it was better they not know where we were going until we got there (dentist, doctor, playground, MickeyD's, etc.). We'd get in the car, and they'd always ask, "Where are we going, Daddy?" "Albuquerque" "No, we're not! Where are we really going?" I always had big fun with this, and would carry on with it until they started checking the landmarks and figuring it out themselves. Just recently, my daughter told me that she had never believed it was a real place herself, until she saw it on a map in school.
And I'm afraid that's the way a lot of people think about Hell. They've heard about it so many times without seeing it that they begin to think it's make-believe.
They have a hard time reconciling "God is Love" with "God is the Righteous Judge", and so they try to explain away the Scriptures that refer to Hell. So why should you and I believe in Hell?
Because Jesus believed in it.
He spoke about it like it was a real place, and He warned His followers about it, but the most compelling evidence is not in what He said, but in what He did. If there is no Hell, and no one is at risk, then the Crucifixion was the most horrible and pointless event in history. But Jesus was not a madman, nor was He a fool. He went through the agony of the Cross because He knew it had to be done, because He knew what was waiting those who came to Final Judgment. If there had been any other way, He would have found it before Gethsemane. Don't be fooled by clever words and phrases - or even best selling books by mega-church pastors. There are consequences for what we believe - and what we refuse to believe!
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matt. 7:13
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. 10:28
Ever been to Albuquerque? Growing up, I'd never been further west than Memphis, so when Bugs Bunny talked about making that "left toin at Albukoikee", I hardly thought of it as a real place. It was more like the "Land of Far, Far Away" in some fairy tale. When I finally went through it as an adult, it kept that fairy tale quality for me because of the stark, mountainous terrain (very different than rural Mississippi) and because we went through it so fast.
Fast forward to my kids. Sometimes, it was better they not know where we were going until we got there (dentist, doctor, playground, MickeyD's, etc.). We'd get in the car, and they'd always ask, "Where are we going, Daddy?" "Albuquerque" "No, we're not! Where are we really going?" I always had big fun with this, and would carry on with it until they started checking the landmarks and figuring it out themselves. Just recently, my daughter told me that she had never believed it was a real place herself, until she saw it on a map in school.
And I'm afraid that's the way a lot of people think about Hell. They've heard about it so many times without seeing it that they begin to think it's make-believe.
They have a hard time reconciling "God is Love" with "God is the Righteous Judge", and so they try to explain away the Scriptures that refer to Hell. So why should you and I believe in Hell?
Because Jesus believed in it.
He spoke about it like it was a real place, and He warned His followers about it, but the most compelling evidence is not in what He said, but in what He did. If there is no Hell, and no one is at risk, then the Crucifixion was the most horrible and pointless event in history. But Jesus was not a madman, nor was He a fool. He went through the agony of the Cross because He knew it had to be done, because He knew what was waiting those who came to Final Judgment. If there had been any other way, He would have found it before Gethsemane. Don't be fooled by clever words and phrases - or even best selling books by mega-church pastors. There are consequences for what we believe - and what we refuse to believe!
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matt. 7:13
Thursday, June 23, 2011
We Are Butt Dust
As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are but dust. Psalm 103:13-14
You know how when you hear a word sometimes you think it means something different than what the speaker meant? As the pastor in his "spiritual prayer voice" quoted this verse, the little girl began to squirm and stare at the seat beside her. Then, in the kind of whisper that carries farther than a shout, she said "Mommy, what's Butt Dust?" Pretty much ended THAT service!
It occurred to me that that would be a great name for a great American product. Sadly, some bright entrepreneur beat me to the drawing board. I found a couple of barbecue dry rubs with that name, at least one baby powder, and even a rock band, so no million dollar payday for me. Maybe next time!
Carl Sagan said, "We are made of stardust..." based on the theory (his - not mine) that the stars came first, and all the elements were forged in the heart of stars that then blew up, were scattered and then regathered into planets, peanuts, penguins and people. I suppose that's more romantic (warm fuzzy thinking) than "butt dust" - not nearly as funny, though. I discovered recently that the dust found in most homes (dust "bunnies" - or in some cases more like dust "buffaloes") was found to consist mostly of people. Well, flakes of skin anyway. Reminds me of the kid who had been to a funeral - "For you are dust and to dust you shall return" - and refused to sleep in his room anymore, because "I looked under my bed, and someone's either coming or going!"
I personally prefer a fuller explanation. We really did begin as dust in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:7, 3:19), but that's not where we end up: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
So - you who trust in Christ - the next time you feel like "butt dust", remind yourself "I'm not what I ought to be, I'm not what I'm going to be, but thank God I'm not what I was." And any of you who aren't in Him? Butt dust you are, and butt dust you will be!
You know how when you hear a word sometimes you think it means something different than what the speaker meant? As the pastor in his "spiritual prayer voice" quoted this verse, the little girl began to squirm and stare at the seat beside her. Then, in the kind of whisper that carries farther than a shout, she said "Mommy, what's Butt Dust?" Pretty much ended THAT service!
It occurred to me that that would be a great name for a great American product. Sadly, some bright entrepreneur beat me to the drawing board. I found a couple of barbecue dry rubs with that name, at least one baby powder, and even a rock band, so no million dollar payday for me. Maybe next time!
Carl Sagan said, "We are made of stardust..." based on the theory (his - not mine) that the stars came first, and all the elements were forged in the heart of stars that then blew up, were scattered and then regathered into planets, peanuts, penguins and people. I suppose that's more romantic (warm fuzzy thinking) than "butt dust" - not nearly as funny, though. I discovered recently that the dust found in most homes (dust "bunnies" - or in some cases more like dust "buffaloes") was found to consist mostly of people. Well, flakes of skin anyway. Reminds me of the kid who had been to a funeral - "For you are dust and to dust you shall return" - and refused to sleep in his room anymore, because "I looked under my bed, and someone's either coming or going!"
I personally prefer a fuller explanation. We really did begin as dust in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:7, 3:19), but that's not where we end up: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
So - you who trust in Christ - the next time you feel like "butt dust", remind yourself "I'm not what I ought to be, I'm not what I'm going to be, but thank God I'm not what I was." And any of you who aren't in Him? Butt dust you are, and butt dust you will be!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Castles on the Silt
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Matt 7:26
If you go up to northern Indiana and drive among the lakes where I used to live, you will occasionally see a house built on a small island. Usually, the only way to reach the house is by water (except when the lake is frozen). Most of them are modest cottages, meant for short stays rather than permanent residence.
But there are a few that are extravagant, and those that own them are always trying to outdo one another. One man decided to take his one-ups-man-ship to a ludicrous level by turning a cottage into a castle. What he did not know (but found out the hard way) was the island he was building on was made of muck. When the lake was being developed, they dredged out channels and swamps to make more lots accessible and piled what they dredged - silty mud, stumps, and a few rocks - into little islands. People would camp and fish on them, maybe put up a little shed for storage, and eventually a cottage.
Our castle-builder took one of those over and before you know it had a very impressive building on it that quickly began to sink into the muck. Engineers and contractors were quickly called in to try and solve the problem, but all they could do was slow it down. There was nothing under the house strong enough to serve as a foundation, so eventually that castle - if it hasn't already - will sink out of sight.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matt 7:27
How much was spent on that house? I don't know, but I know how much was lost - all of it. The price of foolishness is always high. How much of your life has been lost to the muck foundations of foolishness and sin? Build on the sure foundation of Christ Jesus and put a stop to all that waste!
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.. Matt 7:24
If you go up to northern Indiana and drive among the lakes where I used to live, you will occasionally see a house built on a small island. Usually, the only way to reach the house is by water (except when the lake is frozen). Most of them are modest cottages, meant for short stays rather than permanent residence.
But there are a few that are extravagant, and those that own them are always trying to outdo one another. One man decided to take his one-ups-man-ship to a ludicrous level by turning a cottage into a castle. What he did not know (but found out the hard way) was the island he was building on was made of muck. When the lake was being developed, they dredged out channels and swamps to make more lots accessible and piled what they dredged - silty mud, stumps, and a few rocks - into little islands. People would camp and fish on them, maybe put up a little shed for storage, and eventually a cottage.
Our castle-builder took one of those over and before you know it had a very impressive building on it that quickly began to sink into the muck. Engineers and contractors were quickly called in to try and solve the problem, but all they could do was slow it down. There was nothing under the house strong enough to serve as a foundation, so eventually that castle - if it hasn't already - will sink out of sight.
And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matt 7:27
How much was spent on that house? I don't know, but I know how much was lost - all of it. The price of foolishness is always high. How much of your life has been lost to the muck foundations of foolishness and sin? Build on the sure foundation of Christ Jesus and put a stop to all that waste!
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.. Matt 7:24
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Laws of the Harvest Part 3
You Reap More Than You Sow
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24
While it varies, an ear of corn can have anywhere from 200 to 400 kernels. A stalk of sweet corn can have anywhere from 2 to 6 ears. So - let me help you with the math - up to 2400 kernels of corn from one - that's ONE - seed. That's excellent design, and important information. If the spiritual is revealed in the physical - and it is, check out Romans 1:19-20 - then those things we do and say and think also produce more than is planted. That's good news for those sowing to the spirit, not so much for those sowing to the flesh.
Have you ever had a field taken over by brambles? It can turn even the most pleasant pasture into a war zone. Would you plow and fertilize and water a plot of ground and then sow greenbriar? I know it sounds crazy, but most of us do that to ourselves without thinking twice about it. We sow with wild abandon "...envy, jealousy, strife, fits of anger..."(Galatians 5:20) as if they weren't going to have any effect on us at all, but it's like planting brambles in your heart. If unchecked, they take over until the only remedy is a burn-off, and even then you still have to cope with the roots. Self-inflicted misery doesn't have an easy fix.
But ...love, joy, peace... and the rest? The kind of investment bonanza they bring makes the toil of nurturing them a small price to pay, indeed!
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24
While it varies, an ear of corn can have anywhere from 200 to 400 kernels. A stalk of sweet corn can have anywhere from 2 to 6 ears. So - let me help you with the math - up to 2400 kernels of corn from one - that's ONE - seed. That's excellent design, and important information. If the spiritual is revealed in the physical - and it is, check out Romans 1:19-20 - then those things we do and say and think also produce more than is planted. That's good news for those sowing to the spirit, not so much for those sowing to the flesh.
Have you ever had a field taken over by brambles? It can turn even the most pleasant pasture into a war zone. Would you plow and fertilize and water a plot of ground and then sow greenbriar? I know it sounds crazy, but most of us do that to ourselves without thinking twice about it. We sow with wild abandon "...envy, jealousy, strife, fits of anger..."(Galatians 5:20) as if they weren't going to have any effect on us at all, but it's like planting brambles in your heart. If unchecked, they take over until the only remedy is a burn-off, and even then you still have to cope with the roots. Self-inflicted misery doesn't have an easy fix.
But ...love, joy, peace... and the rest? The kind of investment bonanza they bring makes the toil of nurturing them a small price to pay, indeed!
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8
Laws of the Harvest Part 2
You Reap After You Sow
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
Potting soil. Empty milk cartons. Butter beans. All part of a kindergardener's introduction to farming. OK, not exactly "farming". We planted our beans in our little cartons and watered them carefully - well, we were 5, so our first watering was more enthusiastic than careful. After pouring out our "soil soup" and starting over, we carried our beans home to put on a window sill and wait for our harvest to come in. Did I mention we were 5? I can't speak for my classmates of 50 years ago, but when a few days went by without any home-grown beans on the menu, I dumped out the dirt to look at the planted bean. In case you were wondering, they don't respond well to that kind of treatment. Yes, I'm a bean-killer!
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8
We are living in the "Instant" generation. We no longer want it 'now', we want it yesterday. In today's world, patience is not a virtue. It's a sign of weakness. Waiting for anything seems to be beyond our ability - or maybe just beyond our desires. But in the Kingdom of Heaven (that realm of the heart where people willingly submit to the will of God), patient endurance is a vital part of God's design for our lives. We "wait upon the Lord" to renew our strength, until the fruit of the Spirit comes to ripeness, until the proper season. And if we don't? We short-circuit the blessing of God and rob ourselves of His provision. So, don't give up. Don't jump the gun. Don't pull your beans out of the dirt before they can sprout!
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
Potting soil. Empty milk cartons. Butter beans. All part of a kindergardener's introduction to farming. OK, not exactly "farming". We planted our beans in our little cartons and watered them carefully - well, we were 5, so our first watering was more enthusiastic than careful. After pouring out our "soil soup" and starting over, we carried our beans home to put on a window sill and wait for our harvest to come in. Did I mention we were 5? I can't speak for my classmates of 50 years ago, but when a few days went by without any home-grown beans on the menu, I dumped out the dirt to look at the planted bean. In case you were wondering, they don't respond well to that kind of treatment. Yes, I'm a bean-killer!
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8
We are living in the "Instant" generation. We no longer want it 'now', we want it yesterday. In today's world, patience is not a virtue. It's a sign of weakness. Waiting for anything seems to be beyond our ability - or maybe just beyond our desires. But in the Kingdom of Heaven (that realm of the heart where people willingly submit to the will of God), patient endurance is a vital part of God's design for our lives. We "wait upon the Lord" to renew our strength, until the fruit of the Spirit comes to ripeness, until the proper season. And if we don't? We short-circuit the blessing of God and rob ourselves of His provision. So, don't give up. Don't jump the gun. Don't pull your beans out of the dirt before they can sprout!
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Laws of the Harvest Part 1
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
There are a lot of crazy laws on the books. Here in Alabama, if you carry your ice cream cone in your back pocket, you're in violation. Next door in Mississippi, it's illegal to shoot squirrels from the State house - while Congress is in session. (I suppose they're afraid it would be too much like shooting deer over bait.) Out in California, if you detonate your nuclear device within one city's limits, it'll cost you $500. Up in Boston, you are forbidden to bathe without a prescription, and don't bring your peanuts to eat in church unless you want to spend a year in jail! I find a lot of humor - and not much sense - in many of the laws of men. Thankfully, the laws of men can be repealed (like these I mentioned), but there are laws that are unchanging, kept in place by an Almighty Hand. Gravity, motion, thermodynamics are all laws that demonstrate an incredibly wise and skilled Designer whose promises can be depended on, like those of Genesis 8:22, and I'd like to elaborate on a few of them.
Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
Have you ever planted turnips and harvested tomatoes, or peas and got potatoes? One of the great things about the Master Designer is His consistency. You harvest what you plant, and that is true in the spiritual realm as well. Your deeds are seeds, and the Word says that the harvest will come in. So, if you're living by faith, hope, and love then you can reasonably expect a return of the same, and if you're doing the works of the flesh you ought not be surprised by the outcome. The harvest of sin is death - death of relationships, hopes, and dreams. Don't fool yourself. Sowing wild oats and praying for a crop failure is no way to prepare for a life worth living: For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
There are a lot of crazy laws on the books. Here in Alabama, if you carry your ice cream cone in your back pocket, you're in violation. Next door in Mississippi, it's illegal to shoot squirrels from the State house - while Congress is in session. (I suppose they're afraid it would be too much like shooting deer over bait.) Out in California, if you detonate your nuclear device within one city's limits, it'll cost you $500. Up in Boston, you are forbidden to bathe without a prescription, and don't bring your peanuts to eat in church unless you want to spend a year in jail! I find a lot of humor - and not much sense - in many of the laws of men. Thankfully, the laws of men can be repealed (like these I mentioned), but there are laws that are unchanging, kept in place by an Almighty Hand. Gravity, motion, thermodynamics are all laws that demonstrate an incredibly wise and skilled Designer whose promises can be depended on, like those of Genesis 8:22, and I'd like to elaborate on a few of them.
Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
Have you ever planted turnips and harvested tomatoes, or peas and got potatoes? One of the great things about the Master Designer is His consistency. You harvest what you plant, and that is true in the spiritual realm as well. Your deeds are seeds, and the Word says that the harvest will come in. So, if you're living by faith, hope, and love then you can reasonably expect a return of the same, and if you're doing the works of the flesh you ought not be surprised by the outcome. The harvest of sin is death - death of relationships, hopes, and dreams. Don't fool yourself. Sowing wild oats and praying for a crop failure is no way to prepare for a life worth living: For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
There was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 2 Kings 6:25
How would you like to own that concession stand? "Dove's Dung! Fresh Hot Dove's Dung! Five shekels a pint! Got to Get your Dove's Dung! Can't watch the siege without your Dove's Dung! Get it while it's hot!" When you haven't eaten in a few weeks, almost anything can look pretty tasty. I guess I haven't really been hungry yet! It actually may not be quite as gross as it sounds. Some scholars believe there is evidence that this was a common name for field peas. And what good are black-eyed peas without a ham-hock? No wonder they didn't use them!
Either way, it was high dollar goods, desperate time, desperate measure "food" for those eager to pay for what they would usually turn their nose up at.
"Value" is based on a lot of variables, but their hunger gave value out of all proportion to such fare. And I have to wonder if those guys who had the donkey fillet with dung chutney didn't have a little buyer's remorse!
It makes me wonder if some of the things I've treasured over the years will be in the category of dove's dung, despised in light of the heavenly treasure I'll be enjoying in, well, Heaven. Truth is, some of them fall in it now, like Paul said, "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as dung, in order that I may gain Christ" Phil. 3:8
Don't treasure dung. Treasure what Christ values, and you'll never have buyer's remorse!
How would you like to own that concession stand? "Dove's Dung! Fresh Hot Dove's Dung! Five shekels a pint! Got to Get your Dove's Dung! Can't watch the siege without your Dove's Dung! Get it while it's hot!" When you haven't eaten in a few weeks, almost anything can look pretty tasty. I guess I haven't really been hungry yet! It actually may not be quite as gross as it sounds. Some scholars believe there is evidence that this was a common name for field peas. And what good are black-eyed peas without a ham-hock? No wonder they didn't use them!
Either way, it was high dollar goods, desperate time, desperate measure "food" for those eager to pay for what they would usually turn their nose up at.
"Value" is based on a lot of variables, but their hunger gave value out of all proportion to such fare. And I have to wonder if those guys who had the donkey fillet with dung chutney didn't have a little buyer's remorse!
It makes me wonder if some of the things I've treasured over the years will be in the category of dove's dung, despised in light of the heavenly treasure I'll be enjoying in, well, Heaven. Truth is, some of them fall in it now, like Paul said, "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as dung, in order that I may gain Christ" Phil. 3:8
Don't treasure dung. Treasure what Christ values, and you'll never have buyer's remorse!
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