1. In church today, after Hannah read 2 Timothy 2:8-15, the words, "Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening" echoed in my mind all day long and I thought long and hard about the useless wrangling over words I've heard fellow believers enter into over the years, always in the name of truth seeking. Wrangling over words rarely seeks truth. The wrangling I've witnessed has been about denigrating others, assuming superiority, haughtiness, and, worse of all, assuming to speak as a true Christian. It does ruin those who listen -- it ruins fellowship, ruins trust, ruins good will, ruins a sense of equality in the body of Christ, ruins grace, and ruins the ideal of neighborly love. If I hear the words "true Christian" or "real Christian" spoken, I try to find a way to walk away. I hear wrangling about to commence. (Similarly, I will not enter into a discussion if I hear the words "true American" or "real American". )
2. As I read Homer again I marvel not only at the story he tells in "The Odyssey" and what he explores regarding the mystery and meaning of human existence, but also at how he built, how he designed his great epic. It's a wonder of architecture as well as story-telling as well as philosophical examination.
3. Somehow I didn't get the memo this was in the works, but what a joyous surprise: over a year after the Deke had to leave her behind in New York state with Nathan and Adrienne, Charly is back with us and is doing just fine after her flight across the USA to Portland. Molly, Deke, and Olivia picked up Charly at the airport on their way back from Kellogg.
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