Lilies of the Field

  Suddenly my tents are devastated, my curtains in an instant. How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? (Jeremiah 4:20b-21) Four things came to mind as I thought about what could have been in Jeremiah’s mind when he was pronouncing judgment to come. (1) A disobedient prophet, (2) An obedient prophet, (3) The Feast of Tabernacles/Booths/Sukkot , and (4) The hope of restoration for Israel in the future. I would ask the reader to please read the two previous posts to understand how we got here on this very short portion of Scripture. I have covered points 1-3 in the previous posts. The hope of restoration for Israel in the future : This, in itself, could lead me into a whole other area of study that is far too big for a blog of this nature, but it will suffice to say that I do not believe the Church and Israel are one and the same entity. It would be helpful to read all of Romans 11. I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!...

  Suddenly my tents are devastated, my curtains in an instant. How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? (Jeremiah 4:20b-21) When I first began studying this passage, I could not get past the words tents and curtains . Sometimes a book study will lead me off into a side study. This is that. When I read the passage above, my mind instantly went to tents and tabernacles. I knew curtains were the inside walls of the tents nomadic people lived in. The cry that signaled a revolt was, “Every man to his tents, O Israel!” It was a war cry. “Tents” meant home which was an archaic expression dating from the times of their desert wanderings. Tents can be translated tabernacle(s), tent(s), dwelling, place(s), covering, or home. Three definitions are a nomad’s tent (thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience); dwelling, home or habitation; or the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle). Four things came to mind as I thought about what could have been in Jeremia...

Where were you on Tuesday, January 28, 1986 at 11:39 a.m. EST? Do you remember what you were doing? Maybe, maybe not. After 34 years, you might need a hint regarding why that day should be part of your history. I might ask you if you remember where you were on Thursday, May 3, 2001 at 9:10 p.m. EST? Probably not. Surely, you must know where you were and what you were doing on September 11, 2001 between the hours of 8:46 a.m. and 10:07 a.m. EST. On January 28, 1986 at 11:39 a.m. I was sitting in my living room, having just put my daughter down for a mid-morning nap. I was going to enjoy my ‘shows’ and my lunch. Shortly after I had sat down, however, my anger at having ‘my time’ interrupted, soon turned to horror as I watched the Space Shuttle Challenger explode in mid-air just 73 seconds into its flight. My horror came from knowing that there were human beings inside, human beings that belonged to families who were also watching. Of course, it did not take long for me to realize that ...

For most of us, being a Christian in the United States of America has been relatively painless in our lifetime. My generation has watched the world change at a rapid rate, and my grandmother’s generation was no different. In fact, if she were alive today, in just two generations she would barely recognize the world as we know it. Certainly, she would not be able to fathom all the changes technology have brought us, but I suggest she would not apprehend the general nature of the people in this world as compared to those in her day. It would only be through knowing her Bible that she would perceive the signs of the times. While the world has become increasingly more intolerant to truth and the Gospel, we have had little persecution that has had any rampant physical ramifications…to date. I’m not sure why it seems as though all hell has broken loose in the year 2020 alone, but I will say that it is evident that it won’t be long before true believers will need to take a bold stand for th...

  Kennedy William Gordy, 19-year old son of Berry Gordy, hid behind the name Rockwell when he released the hit song by this same name. It is an interesting story behind the song that became known as an international and enduring smash hit that, more than 30 years later, remains the perennial paranoia-rock anthem and Halloween mix go-to song. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/how-somebodys-watching-me-singer-rockwell-created-a-paranoid-pop-classic-125907/   What came along with the investigation into my husband’s business was the paranoia that our family was being watched, listened to, eavesdropped upon, and monitored in every private conversation and daily transaction. Turns out we were right to feel that way. At trial, my son and I were embarrassed that prosecutors would display Sam’s Club receipts on huge public displays for the jury to review. Then there was the picture of me standing in line at Wal-Mart waiting to check out. Feminine hygiene products ...

How often have you heard answered this question, “What is the weather supposed to be like today?” with, “ The weatherman says…” as if there is only one weatherman who predicts the weather for the whole universe. The question and answer that follows are sometimes used as an icebreaker or a topic of casual conversation even more than once in any single day. When I was a cashier in the local grocery store, I usually knew what was on the weatherman’s mind on any given day.   My cousin lives in Florida. A few days ago, she posted to Facebook several pictures of her family boarding up their home in anticipation of a hurricane that had been predicted for her area. She wrote this caption: “There is no better way to spend your 40 th anniversary than to spend the whole morning and afternoon getting ready for a hurricane and then spending the whole rest of the day wondering if it’s going to hit you!” (Thanks, Betsy!) This is the reaction of what one should do when the weatherman says...