When I was a kid, my parents always insisted we clean our plates at meals. No dessert if you didn’t and no getting up from the table until you did. I remember sitting at the table long after others were gone and slowly choking down liver and onions that I really would rather have skipped.

Many of us will fast from food and water for 24 hours on the Day of Atonement.

One of my pet peeves regarding travel is the “last and final” call. First, I hear: “This is the last and final call for ABC Airlines flight 123 with service to XYZ. Doors will close soon.” And then, five minutes later, I hear, “Last and final call for ABC Airlines flight 123 to XYZ. Doors are closing and you will be left.” And then, about two minutes later, “This is the last and final…” And possibly the call will go out a few more times yet.

Really?! How many “last and final” calls are there? And why is it “last AND final?” Wouldn’t either last OR final work? Eventually, I guess they actually do shut the doors and take off. Hopefully, the tardy passengers hear the call and hustle over to their plane.

Do you look at life differently than those around you? Are you always seeking knowledge and understanding of the better way – even in non-church, non-Bible-study, everyday situations? Me too. Sometimes I am amazed at how a presentation on branding your business will give me ideas about the Christian brand and how to represent it. Or how principals on advertising will apply to how I should “advertise” Jesus to the world.

My husband tells me that I have a pronoun problem – that is, I get so wrapped up in telling a story, where I clearly know who did what, that I will throw around pronouns with abandon and without making it clear which she did what thing with whom. [Just FYI, my sister never has a problem following. But, then, that is a classic difference between men and women.]

I may have that in common with Luke. In Luke 5:1-9, we read the author’s telling about the calling of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and Simon Peter. Who is doing what is pretty clear until you get about verse 5, but please read the entire passage (v. 1-9) before moving on in this blog.

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band had a hit song in 1977 called, “Blinded By TheLight.” It was written and originally recorded by Bruce Springteen, but Manfred Mann’s version was the hit. The chorus goes like this: “Blinded by the light. Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night.” 

On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda vs. Arizona decision, ruling that criminal suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights prior to questioning by police. 

That’s right, for the last 50 years, every time someone got arrested on TV you heard those Miranda Rights that begin with “You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

Our rights are very important to us in the USA. We exercise our right to vote. We protect our right to keep and bear arms. We definitely prefer rights over rules. Maybe this is true of citizens of other countries as well. 

You’ve probably heard it said of someone who makes a lot of bad decisions, or has some crazy beliefs, or who has very little common sense: “He/she isn’t playing with a full deck.” And, if you are in the South, it was probably followed by “bless his/her heart!” 

Truth is, none of us start out with a full deck, spiritually speaking. In fact, God was well aware that He was creating us to be incomplete, not all there, a few nuggets short of a Happy Meal. He created us missing a piece that we need to live complete lives and He bids us to come and receive that piece directly from Him.

I’ve only watched a handful of wrestling matches in my life. I know some people love them. My favorite was a live amateur event at a local community center, where you could clearly see that the punches being thrown were not connecting with the opponent’s face. I think they wore masks to hide the fact that they were laughing when they should have been looking tough.

Christians wrestle – with or without the tights and capes and masks of the WWE.

Haven't all of us mothers been victims of that chant when we just couldn't get to a child as fast as they want us to or maybe when they are up at 6:00 am and ready for pancakes on a day when you hoped to sleep in a bit?

God is our Father. Christ is our Brother and Betrothed. Where is Mom? What is she doing? Let's talk about that.

Motherhood is the ultimate roller coaster, isn't it? Great joy, paralyzing fear, heart-busting pride and nail-biting worry. Or maybe your faith was/is such that you never feared or worried or your child's behavior was such that motherhood was all pride and joy for you. If so, congratulations and please skip the next two paragraphs ofthis blog to save me the embarrassment of what I am going to confess. 

I was recently searching for video of people singing the praise song “Days of Elijah” (written by Francis Robert Mark) to show it to my husband. I want to add it to our selection of praise songs for our band, but I knew if I just sang it for him he would not get the real beauty of the song. 

The most enthusiastically performed version that I could find was a video of US Marines in fatigues singing it. I have no idea if they were stationed far away or just on base at home. However, as Marines do, they added their own piece to it – “Hoorah!” “Lift your voice – Hoorah! – It’s the year of Jubilee. Out of Zion’s Hill salvation comes.”

This is a reflective season for those of us who keep the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. In preparation for the Passover we reflect on the amazing and undeserved sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God. For the Days of Unleavened Bread we think about the sin that remains in our lives and strive to remove it as well as removing the leavening from our homes. At the foot-washing ceremony, an important part of the Passover service, we recommit ourselves to serving our fellow man. 

I also usually get a pedicure as part of my preparation, just so my calluses and dry feet don't tear up the hands of the person washing them.