Bible Discussion — Acts 19-20

10/22/2008, 2:24 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the next two chapters of Acts.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10
Acts: 1 | 2 | 3-4 | 5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9-10 | 11-12 | 13-14 | 15-16 | 17-18

INTRODUCTION:
David:
Paul brings the word of God to Ephesus, then hurries off to a feast. In the interim, Apollos comes to Ephesus and teaches with eloquence — but lacks the power of the Holy Ghost. Paul returns, bringing the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and spends two full years with the Ephesians.

Some surmise that in Revelation, when the Ephesian church is commended for exposing false apostles, that Apollos is meant. I don\’t think so. Paul followed up on Apollos in Corinth too, telling them: “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”

Steve:
GREAT IS ARTEMIS OF THE EPHESIANS!
GREAT IS ARTEMIS OF THE EPHESIANS!
GREAT IS ARTEMIS OF THE EPHESIANS!

Connie:
Paul’s ministry tour is coming to an end. Our chapters this week deal with the riot at Ephesus and a study in diplomacy, and the final goodbyes before Paul heads to Jerusalem, which (the Holy Spirit has told him) holds “chains and tribulations.” But he doesn’t let up at all, promising to “finish the race with joy.”

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
It’s amazing to me that the same televangelist hucksters who use 19:12 to defend their practice of praying over cloths and sending them to their sick and needy donors completely ignore the lesson of the next four verses — by accepting praise and elevating their own names above that of their Creator.

Connie:
20:2 isn’t complete. It ends with “he came to Greece,” but verse three begins, “and stayed three months.” How absolutely odd. The OCD person inside me needs an explanation or a rewrite.

My commentary says it was because of the winter. So maybe verse three should read: “Because of the wintry weather, Paul stayed in Greece for three months,” then proceed on with the narrative. Much better, eh?

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Connie: Sopater
Josh: Take No Prisoners
Steve: Uproar; The Plots
David: Tyrannus

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Acts 17-18

10/16/2008, 12:30 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the next two chapters of Acts.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
We get to meet a man named Apollos, Paul’s chief rival for the claim of authorship of the book of Hebrews.

Connie:
As Paul evangelizes his way through the countryside, we get a fascinating look at early 1st-century life and philosophy. It sounds a lot like our country today. Substitute making the rounds on The View (NYC), Leno (LA), and Oprah (Chicago) for Athens, Berea, and Corinth, and you have a similiar situation.

Some receive him, listen patiently, and gain eternal life. Others mock and ignore, even going so far as to try to prevent others from hearing. Sounds a lot like the talk show circuit to me.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
When Paul was persecuted in Corinth, the story ended very differently than many other places — the ruling Greeks let him off scot-free and instead beat the troublemaking synagogue leader!

Connie:
Paul gets a haircut! Fulfilling a vow, Paul has his hair cut off (18:18). Matthew Henry says the reason was to celebrate God’s protection as he fulfills his mission from vv. 9-10.

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Jason’s House
Steve: Strange Ears
Connie: Apollos
David: O Ye Jews. Also, I don’t know about a title, but it would be hard to have a band without “fellows of the baser sort”…

Continued here!

Behind the Scenes

10/16/2008, 10:00 am -- by David | 2 Comments

–ITHACA, N.Y.

It\’s the kind of thing that drives a coach crazy; the sort that has him sitting at a bar drinking free Salvation Army Cokes, reminiscing about what might have been. Last year, Bweinh! had a strong season, nearly winning several major awards — and then, during the offseason, busted the salary cap by re-signing several free agents, among them Tom.

“We originally signed Tom out of college; his numbers in the combine were incredible, off the charts really,” said Steve, coach, general manager, and owner of the fledgling website. “He had a great rookie year and signed at the league minimum, but we knew arbitration would nail us, so we signed him to a big contract over the offseason.”

Tom had a strong training camp and started the season with a bang — but then he was injured in a freak accident. Said Steve: “He did some great clashes for us last season, and we were going to move him to left guard, taking over some of the more liberal clash positions from MCB — but then he wrote that little blurb for the new ‘bwog’ feature . . . and the rest was history.”

The blurb, of course, was the subtle, yet uproariously humorous PT Cruiser quote, by far one of the funniest items in the two-week period. But disaster struck when Tom dislocated the tip of his index finger polishing the sentence; a relief writer was called in to finish the last few letters. The next day, he was flown to Sloan-Kettering to be examined by nationally renowned finger experts, and the news wasn\’t good.

“There was more trauma than anyone realized at the time, actually some damage to the nail, causing it to discolor as it has grown out,” Steve noted. “Not only that, but it was extremely painful, which was, uh, the real problem.”

By “the real problem,” of course he means the rumor that in treating his injury, Tom has become addicted to the painkiller Advil, complicating his return to the site. When reached for comment, Tom spoke of needing to “return to the lab,” refusing to answer any questions about ibuprofen dependency.

They say it’s lonely at the top, and no one knows that better than the coach: juggling lines, redrawing plays on the fly, and wondering who will next land on injured reserve. Next week, we’ll look at center MCB — who recently changed his name to MB, but has yet to get league permission to wear it on his jersey. Last year he got off to a quick start, but his offseason marriage has forced him to be placed on the “physically unable to perform” list.

Toyota Pre Runner

10/10/2008, 3:51 pm -- by David | No Comments

I got behind a Toyota Pre Runner today in traffic. Is that like a Four Runner that hasn’t hit puberty yet?

Where Do They Come From?

10/9/2008, 5:08 pm -- by David | No Comments

I saw a guy today walking at an angle, employing aÂ quick and purposeful stride that brought him off the shoulder of the road and out into the path of my car. Seconds before I got there, he looked up at me with shock and horror — as though he had never before encountered an automobile in any of his previous forays out into the world.

He stepped back and watched in utter amazement as my car and a pickup truck sped by; he stood and watched us for the longest time as we drove on. Where did he come from? Was he raised by wolves? How could he not be expecting traffic on a busy road in the middle of the day?

People like that puzzle me.

One More Song

10/9/2008, 9:30 am -- by David | No Comments

I\’ve had a song stuck in my head for a long time now. It\’s an old song — I don\’t know how old, maybe 4,000 years or so. It\’s from the Bible, Psalm 137, and it was written by a Jew carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. I’ve never heard the tune and I don\’t even know all the words, but every time I read the Psalms, it catches me again, like a burning bush, an enigma I cannot turn away from.

It’s about a musician among the captives who sat down by the river and wept when he reached Babylon. The Babylonian soldiers taunted him, asking for a song about his homeland Zion, but he flung his harp into a willow tree along the bank of the river and refused to sing. All he could think about was his devastated life and revenge toward the ones who had hurt him. He was in no mood to sing.

But somehow, with it all so fresh in his mind, he managed to write one more song.

In that song, he simply poured out his anguish and anger, with one bright spot: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth ”” if I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.” In the midst of his anger and bitterness, his complete brokenness, he reaffirmed his destiny. His purpose — his whole reason to exist — was bound up in Jerusalem, and he could never forget that.

I read that in 1948, when Israel won its independence, Jewish refugees streamed into the new nation by the thousands, fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust and the persecution that had followed them throughout Europe. They came by train, by boat, by plane; when they arrived at the coast, they took whatever transport they could find to get to Jerusalem. One convoy of rusty trucks rolled into Jerusalem with that verse on the front bumper of the lead vehicle: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem…” If that man’s words, written some 4,000 years before, could still inspire the hopeless in those times, it’s no wonder that they can still reach me on this dark, rainy Alabama day in early October, 2008.

How can we read that psalm and fail to understand that what we do matters? Every time we pick up a pen to write, or post to a blog or a journal, or pick up a guitar to play and sing, we must surely know that whatever we do for God’s kingdom is eternal! Even if all you can do is recount the grief of your last setback, and affirm that nothing will keep you from God\’s plan for your life — do it! Whatever it is that you do in the Kingdom, it matters for eternity.

Pick up your pen; write another post. Pick up your guitar. Sing one more song.

Bible Discussion — Acts 15-16

10/8/2008, 2:30 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the next two chapters of Acts.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
In Chapter 15, the church tackles the Gentile question, but in chapter 16, Paul still feels compelled to have Timothy (of mixed race) circumcised to avoid Jewish criticism. Then Paul visits Troas and the narrative changes to first-person, giving us a clue as to when Luke physically joined the group.

Connie:
In this corner, Peter, the leader of the Jews, overpressured by the masses over silly doctrinal annoyances. And in the white trunks, Paul coming out to fight for the Gentiles. We all know who’s going to win; we just wonder what all the fuss was to begin with. Peter should’ve been able to handle this in his sleep.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
Luke slips into the first-person plural perspective. I wonder how much he experienced firsthand, how much he witnessed, and how much was passed on to him. In chapter 16, “we” were met by the slave girl, but after Paul drives out the spirit, “they” were arrested and flogged. That\’s the way to do it, I suppose.

Steve:
Some men from the Jerusalem area set out on a long journey for the express purpose of trying to convince the new Gentile churches that their circumcision was required by the Law of Moses. Seems like a pretty clear-cut case of misery loving company.

Connie:
Paul wasn’t afraid of a fight. Once he got into it with Peter and won, it was all gravy after that. The next chapter begins with another argument, this time with Barnabas. It must’ve been a lonely time.

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Thyatira
Connie: Council at Jerusalem
Josh: Things Strangled
David: The Residue of Men

Continued here!

Playing Chicken with God

10/5/2008, 8:30 pm -- by David | No Comments

I don\’t know how if this is true today, but when I was younger, we played “chicken” a lot. Two people would hurtle toward each other on bikes (or cars) to see who would swerve at the last second to avoid the crash. I played the bike version — and another type, where two of us pushed our forearms together and dropped a lit cigarette between them, to see who pulled away first.

I\’m 47 now, and when I play chicken these days, I play with God. I never start the game; He does. And to be honest with you, I hate to play — it’s nerve-wracking.

It always starts the same way. I have bills due, and I am either owed a commission or I have a large sale that I can close. But then the deal or the check, whatever it is I need, gets hung up somehow, but I find I can still do something shady to get my money. Maybe it’s telling a white lie, maybe it’s fudging — or forging — some paperwork. Either way I get the money now instead of next week.

No one gets hurt; I get my money; I lose my soul.

I\’d like to say I’ve never given in to the temptation, but at times I have. A few years ago, God started to deal with me about it when a young girl confronted me about some paperwork that had to be undone because I had lied. I was horrified, I apologized, and I repented. She was a backslidden Christian who eventually came back to the Lord and even credited the way I handled the situation for helping to turn her around. Yeah, what a great guy I am.

We’re playing chicken again this week, God and me. My boss offered to give me a commission check today if I would agree that he should forge a document we could correct on Monday. Seeing the consternation on my face, he said, “We could do it another way if it would make you feel more comfortable.”

I said, “No. I\’m not comfortable with any of this. I don\’t want anything to do with any of it,” and walked away.

So come on, God, do your best! You could have provided this on time, but instead You chose to get in your car and head right toward me, to see if I’ll swerve off the road into sin. I\’ve been here before, though, and like David said: “Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.” I\’ll take my chances in a head-on crash with God, rather than swerving off the path of righteousness.

P.S. — My boss just came in and told me he had decided to wait and do things right on Monday.

P.P.S. — He called me in and paid me anyway. I win again! Praise God!

Clash of the Titans LXI: China

10/3/2008, 2:00 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

Originally published in November 2007.

In this corner, arguing that China is an enemy, is David!

And in this corner, arguing that China is our friend, is MC-B!

If the question is “Should we view China as an enemy?,” my answer is yes. Should we be marching in the streets burning Chinese flags, boycotting Chinese restaurants and dry cleaners? No. But make no mistake: the Chinese government views the US as its chief rival for military and economic dominance in Asia, and ultimately throughout the world, and that makes us enemies.

China is experiencing an economic boom that has pushed it into the top 6 in both GNP and GDP, and it’s using that windfall to increase military spending, even though it already possesses the largest standing army in the world and the 5th-largest military budget. It’s also using that money to upgrade its technical capabilities, acquiring sophisticated guidance systems and other improvements (legally or illegally), with a stated purpose of developing capabilities to interdict US expeditionary forces and US carrier battle groups in the Western Pacific.

China boasts 20% of the world’s population and aspires to be the dominant force in Asia, which contains 61% of the world’s population and 3 top economic powerhouses, including Japan and South Korea. Anyone remember why Japan bombed Pearl Harbor? America was flexing its economic and military muscles in Asia, and Japan felt they had one choice — expand or die. They gambled on confronting the dominant power in Asia rather than settling for playing second fiddle for the next few hundred years, and they lost. China has the sense to know they will face that same choice one day. It is no secret that they are preparing for it, and so are we.

But where is the danger zone? Aside from general tensions arising from our projection of power across the ocean to remain the dominant force in Asia, there are two major flashpoints:

North Korea — we fought the Chinese face to face in North Korea at the Chosin Reservoir, and by proxy all over Asia from the 1950s through the 1970’s. Has North Korea been in the news lately? Is Afghanistan part of Asia? Think they feel threatened by the only superpower fighting in their backyard and threatening to start another war in their side yard?

How about their front yard? Taiwan. They currently have 790 ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan, and are not at all secretive about the fact that invading the island is the primary focus of their short-term military planning. We are pledged to defend Taiwan in case of invasion, and in fact have already intervened twice when China has amassed amphibious assault groups across the strait.

Don’t get me wrong; I do not mean to say that we as Christians are their enemy — but as I said before, they know that our country is ultimately their enemy, and our military planners know the same thing.

Knowing the feelings of many Bweinh!tributors on this issue, I am under no delusion that I will win this Clash. I also do not take issue with my opponent’s claim that China might see the USA as a potential military threat. However, I would like to point out that defining our enemies to include all nations that would consider taking up arms against us if their regional interests were threatened could characterize almost every nation in the world as a potential enemy.

Remember the stink that certain Europeans raised when the US intervened through a legitimate organization (NATO) in the Balkan region? Even our closest allies, those with whom we have a history of cooperation, were highly mistrustful of our intentions. Since our history with China has been considerably more spotty, it is quite likely that the present situation is simply the same phenomenon exacerbated by past interactions.

In other words, in the military arena China and the USA certainly have differences, but the differences aren’t large or deep-seated enough to net China a special “enemy” status.

In any case, friendliness among nations isn’t measured by alliances and military agreements as much as it used to be. Rather, it is measured in dollars, and in economic terms we have seen over and over again that in the era of globalization, ostracizing any one large nation hurts everyone involved far more than cooperation does.

An example: our dollar is currently in a free fall (thanks, Ben Bernanke!). Even though we’ve sunk past the pound, the Euro, and now even the Canadian dollar, the Chinese government and other “unfriendly” governments around the world continue to hold reserves in US dollars, which helps to stave off the inflation of our dollar — even though switching to a different reserve currency could provide far more stability and credibility to foreign investment than staying with a weakening currency.

Being friendly with China also provides more opportunities for trade, which could open one of the largest single markets in the world (aside from India, I suppose) and lead to further harmony between our two nations. True, the Kantian peace thesis of democracies not warring does not hold when one nation involved is not democratic. However, in China’s case, the other two legs of the Kantian Triangle (involvement in international institutions and involvement in trade) are increasing by the day.

China cannot afford to treat us as an enemy because its economy would slow to a crawl, and we cannot afford to treat China as an enemy, due to the vast potential of its economy to shape the way the world operates. We must continue to engage China with the wariness that we would afford to an engagement with any nation, but the end goal should be to bring China into a closer, friendlier relationship with the United States.

{democracy:171}

Bible Discussion — Acts 13-14

10/1/2008, 1:30 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the next two chapters of Acts.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
These two chapters contain the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. John Mark, author of the Gospel that bears his (second) name, began that journey with them, but left abruptly after a confrontation with a sorcerer. This would later cause much contention between his uncle Barnabas and Paul.

Connie:
The Gospel has been preached faithfully by the Jerusalem church across many cultures, in all Judea and Samaria. Now, through Paul and Barnabas, it will begin to fulfill the “ends of the earth” phase of the Great Commission.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
Paul’s amazing recovery after being stoned, dragged out, and left for dead. The account says that the disciples gathered around him and he rose up, walked into the city, and — the very next day — left on another long trip.

I don’t know the recovery rate after being stoned and left for dead, but it sure isn’t normal to jump up and go on your merry way as soon as the mob leaves. This was real life, not TV. There was healing here.

Steve:
After healing a crippled man, Paul and Barnabas had to keep the crowd from sacrificing bulls to them. Sounds like a slapstick scene: two men running around, mobbed by frenzied admirers, grabbing sword-wielding arms and setting cattle free.

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Proconsul; A Plot Afoot
Josh: Not Quite Dead; Marvel and Perish
Connie: Derbe Dudes
David: Devout & Honorable Women

Continued here!

A Faithful Witness

09/26/2008, 4:52 pm -- by David | 1 Comment

“Poetry too is a little incarnation . . .”
C.S. Lewis

Anything that I have ever written, if it was written well, seemed to me not something I created, but rather something I uncovered. Anything possessing real beauty or wisdom is surely an absolute, which existed long before I penned the words or captured the thoughts to put on display. So it is imperative when I write to be faithful to recreate what I feel or see in my mind. It can\’t be written to appeal to a certain person or demographic. I can\’t alter what I see or feel: I can only write and re-write until it comes as close as possible to what I saw or felt.

To illustrate this point, I have always intended to write a short story, about a boy who lives by the sea and discovers a shipwreck, filled with immeasurable treasures, too heavy to bring to the surface. At first all he can do is dive down and glimpse them, but in time, he trains himself to hold his breath for a longer time, until he can stay long enough to memorize their appearance. Eventually he is able to reproduce the wondrous treasures in pictures to show the village.

The crisis would come when people begin to buy the pictures, and he is tempted to listen to suggestions for improving the appeal of the picturesÂ for others. Through the struggle, he would ultimately come to understand that he must stay faithful to what he sees — although no one else had developed their lungs and braved the depths to view the treasures, at some point they might, and he would be found to be a liar. He would be found to have been false to what he saw; false to himself.

And that is why and how I write.

Bible Discussion — Acts 11-12

09/24/2008, 12:00 pm -- by Bweinh | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com tackles the next two chapters of Acts.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
One important thing here is the evolution of church leadership. It changes from “the Apostles” or “the 11,” and becomes “the apostles and brethren,” drawing in the other mature church members. This group emerges as an entity and has no problem asking Peter to explain his actions in Joppa. Peter was not at all offended, and seemed perfectly willing to have his authority questioned. Some first Pope.

Connie:
The church continues to grow. Peter successfully defended his Gentile tour, and Barnabas and Saul continued theirs, but Herod thought it was time to put a stop to all this nonsense.

Who will win? Never bet against God’s House.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
God waited until the night before to save Peter from James’s fate: death. That’s what the guards got for letting him escape.

And Peter was so confident in whatever the next day held for him that he was sound asleep. The angel practically had to dress him verbally: “Tie your belt, lace your shoes. Come on, get your coat, for Pete’s sake!” Peter didn’t fully wake up until he was in the streets and the angel was gone; now that’s the peace that passes understanding.

David:
The last verse of chapter 12 tells us that Paul was in Jerusalem during the murder of James and the imprisonment of Peter.

Steve:
It must have been Peter’s “angel” at the door? What was that supposed to mean?

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Connie: Four Squads
Steve: Blastus
Josh: Herod and the Worms

Continued here!

Tension and Balance

09/22/2008, 10:00 am -- by David | 7 Comments

“It is the sea that shapes the sailor, and the land that shapes the sea . . .”
Rich Mullins, “The Breaks”

While we were checking out of Wal-Mart on Saturday, the subject of Sarah Palin came up, and I was astounded to find out that my son-in-law had no idea who she was. He had not even heard of her yet. I guess all that really means is that ”” as pervasive as coverage of her has been ”” it has not yet filtered down into the virtual environment of World of Warcraft.

Perhaps it\’s not so astounding. It started a good discussion about politics and presidential candidates, though, and eventually he asked me to explain the difference between liberals and conservatives. After considering and discarding various statements, I decided to fall back on the standard explanation that liberals basically favor more government involvement in our lives, while conservatives seek less.

I know that is an oversimplified statement of the opposing views, but in our country it is pretty accurate. Both views are necessary. Obviously no one wants to live without government oversight and regulation of society. I like to know that the bridge I\’m driving over has been engineered and built to some kind of safety standards, and I actually welcome government interference when my neighbors are partying in their driveway till the wee hours of the morning and I can ask a policeman to go by and have them turn the music down.

On the other hand, while some people are talking about the government hitting the oil companies with outrageous windfall profit taxes, I ask myself, “Would I want the government to step in when I have a good month at work and take another 30% of my profits ”” in addition to what I already paid?”

No, I wouldn\’t. I don\’t want them to have so much control over things that they stifle productivity and initiative by removing the rewards that come with hard work. That thinking has always led to failure in communist or socialist societies.

The chief impetus for civilization is the ability to pool our resources and create a system that gives us access to services and benefits that we could never afford on our own: libraries, courts, police, military. To accomplish that, we surrender some of our wealth by paying taxes. It also makes it possible to care for the poor among us. Our nation functions best by maintaining a good balance between the two opposing views; the tension keeps us from going off the deep end in either direction.

Liberals force conservatives like me to do a better job of helping the poor, protecting the environment, and being proactive on health care and other social issues. We force them to understand how a free market system works to generate the wealth necessary to perform the costly services that they want society to provide. In this country, we also serve to remind them that there is a God who has standards. We are committed to seeing those standards reflected in our national psyche, even when they run afoul of the liberal ideas on abortion, homosexuality, and other social issues.

We ended up having a good conversation, and I feel confident that my son-in-law at least has an inkling of who Sarah Palin is. And who knows: maybe now the Republicans have a shot at the 17 World of Warcraft electoral votes in November.

Bible Discussion — Acts 9-10

09/17/2008, 12:00 pm -- by Bweinh | 4 Comments

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the next two chapters of Acts.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
In chapter 9, we see the conversion of Paul, and catch a glimpse of his struggle to be accepted by the early believers. In chapter 10, we get a glimpse of the “First Pope” acting very un-Popelike by refusing to allow Cornelius to show him any reverential deference.

Steve:
Here is the most pivotal moment in the life of the most influential man in history. The chief of sinners met the sinners’ Friend, and nothing would ever be the same.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
Saul didn’t eat or drink anything for the entire three days he was blind in Damascus. What a time that must have been for him and those he was staying with.

Also, when Peter came to pray for then-late Dorcas, the crying widows crowded around him, to show him the clothes she had made. “You’ve gotta bring her back, Pete! Look at how flattering this line is!”

Tom:
Ananias saw fit to remind Jesus of who Saul is. “Um, I don’t know if you heard, but he’s kind of a bad dude.” Have we tried to explain things like that when prompted to witness to or pray for leaders/bosses/neighbors?

Connie:
Barnabas brought Paul into the group (9:27). Since we mostly focus on Paul’s writings, we tend to think of Barnabas as Robin in this little duo. He didn’t start out that way — he was probably more of a mentor and protector at first, and they may have ended up equals eventually, for a while anyway.

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
David: The Italian Band
Connie: Caesarean Summons
Steve: Eat the Reptiles
Tom: Lydda
Josh: The Way

Continued here!

Statistics and Lives

09/11/2008, 11:30 am -- by David | No Comments

I read an article that noted a surprising consequence of high gasoline prices: a drop in US traffic deaths, producing the lowest figure in nearly a decade. 42,708 people died in traffic accidents in 2006; the total dropped to 41,059 in 2007. 1,649 fewer people died last year, in part because gas prices rose, people drove less, and fatal accidents occurred at a diminished rate. Statistics can be so cold and calculated.

It isnÊ¼t a crisis of faith that prompts me to think about this. I know God holds us in His hands — I’m the first to agree that we enter and leave this world on His timetable — but something about the thought of whimsical economic forces defining the boundaries of my existence baffles me. After all, you or me — either of us — could be one of those 1,649, now still free to touch and affect others in myriad untraceable ways. I guess it gets all mixed in with chaos theory, the “butterfly effect.” A dictator flaps his mouth, and on the other side of the world, 1,649 more people stay alive.

Why do I care so much about this? 43,510 people died on the highway in 2005; that’s another statistic. But one of them was more than a statistic to us. His name was Bobby, and he lived in Florida. He was 78; he had a wife; he died in an accident because my wife didnÊ¼t see his car and pulled out in front of him.

I got to pray for him and tell him, through tears of grief, how sorry she was. We shared an emergency room together — Bobby with internal injuries, my wife with a fractured neck.

ItÊ¼s been almost three years now, but sometimes the shadow of that grief passes over my wife again, and I can see it. A scene from some movie, or an offhand comment, can bring the whole thing back, and I try to comfort her. I remind her that there were extenuating circumstances. The intersection was under construction: barrels, equipment, confusing signs. Her accident was the second that day at the intersection, the sixth in two weeks. Someone was rushing her, vigorously motioning from the far side of the intersection for her to hurry up. She looked twice, both ways, and saw no one. The gentleman was speeding.

I remind her that there was an investigation, and no negligence was found. She was not speeding, talking on her cell phone, or using drugs or alcohol; in fact, in over 30 years of driving, she never had so much as a single speeding ticket on her record.

I remind her that it was an accident.

It passes eventually, and sheÊ¼s okay again. ItÊ¼s just life, and if IÊ¼ve learned anything in life, IÊ¼ve learned that everyone has to learn to live with pain. Every family has a statistic or a skeleton that can jump out of the closet at any moment and reopen old wounds.

It just seems so capricious; so arbitrary. Gas hits $4 a gallon and 1,649 people live who would have died.

But 2005 is history; unchangeable.

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