Hot water is a nice luxury. We found this wisdom in a personal event yesterday. We were just ready to kick off our on-line Bible study and I went into the garage to retrieve a bottle of Orange Crush (blatant product placement) for one of our in-person guests.
I heard an ominous and disquieting “hissing” sound. This was not “snakes in a garage” for those of you who have watched our lesson. I began to reconnoiter. (Our military friends call this, “recon.”) I immediately noticed that the water heater was wet from the top down, and some boxes on an adjacent cabinet were soaking wet. A little bit of “feeling detective work” led to the positive conclusion that the leak was the supply pipe and not one of the pipes going into or out of the body of the heater.
Turning the shut off valve to “full off” terminated the hiss and the leak. PTL for small miracles. After finishing the study broadcast and fellowship time we ventured into the garage to assess the damage and the potential for repair. (Shameless product advertisement: The fellowship cake was a Pepperidge Farms fudge cake. Don’t you wish you had been there?)
I removed all of the “stuff” packed on top of the water heater and that stored around it and transported it outside. More on that later. Then with unhindered access to the supply pipe, I was able to ascertain that it indeed was a leak in the pipe where it underwent a sharp bent to reach the connection. Only need a supply tube and we are back in business.
Side comment. Bev asked if we should postpone the repair until the morning. “If you want to skip a bath or take a cold one,” I replied.
“Go ahead and fix it.”
A quick search through the reconfigured garage, (Thanks to my organized son) I discovered, to my delight, a brand new hot water supply hose in the drawer where it was supposed to be. (Another miracle? Garage Sale Supply INC came through again.) Guess where my first stop will be when I venture out today? Yep, Home Depot for another water supply hose which will replace the other one, which was installed at the same time the faulty one went into service.) (More product placement.)
The 1 1/8" nut on the hose stared at me as I rummaged through my large wrench kit. One inch, one and one quarter inch, but nothing in between And all of my crescent wrenches were scattered throughout various “job sites.” But I did find an adjustable large wrench which I have never had to use. It fits larger nuts, including 1 1/8" ones. Another miracle, thank You.
A few twists and both nuts were off, teflon tape attached to the ends of the pipes, and new hose nuts tightened to the “no leak” point. Hot water is now available. PTL.
Cleanup time. I glanced outside and decided that the bright moon in an only slightly cloudy sky meant that this stuff can wait until tomorrow to come back inside.
Fast forward to about 12:30 AM. Groggily I became aware of the pitter patter of rain on the roof. I slipped outside, not waking the sleeping wife next to me, and returned the perishable items to the shelter of the garage.
As I slipped back into bed, the pitter patter on the roof turned into a torrential downpour. Back in Nebraska, we called that type of precipitation “gully washers.” I slipped into a deep sleep until after 6:00 am. Thank you for the extra protection, Lord.
Oh yes. We did take a nice hot bath last night. Ahhhh.....
Monday, November 6, 2017
Free Will
With the latest church shooting, mass murder, we will inevitably hear the question, “Why would God give man free will if He knew that man would sin?” Without going into the specifics of this particular incident, we can address this very insightful question.
A recent call-in program featured an 8 year old boy asking, “Since God knew that man would sin, and the devastation that would be brought onto the world, why would He give man free will? If I were a parent, I would not give my child an alternative that would hurt him.”
The commentator kindly pointed out that we are dealing with two different situations. By refusing to let a child eat candy all the time, we are counting on the fact they he or she will someday understand that it was for his own good, and because the parent loved him. In fact, we all, as parents, have reasoned the same way.
But with God and man, the situation was different. Adam and Eve did not have a conscience nor any concept of love. Just as a pet, and I know I will get into trouble with this, a pet does not experience love for an owner who feeds and cares for it. I will concede that animals can recognize care and kindness. Maybe we should make our “pet” a snake, a turtle, or a spider. They have no concept of care or concern. (I say this assuredly, as I read of a 20' python found in a home with the owner inside. Obviously deceased. No caring response there.) Animals act on instinct.
(Please do not send me the story of a lion cub raised and then turned loose into the wild who had a “loving” reunion years later. I would aver that the care provided by the master had so imprinted on the animal, that he did long to return to the “easy times.” More often we read of a domesticated animal turning on an owner. The experts tell us that this is a wild animal, regardless of the altered circumstances from “in the wild.” But I digress.)
Adam and Eve had no “freedom” to love God until they recognized that it was a choice. Maybe this will be a better example. Your computer does exactly what you “command” it to do. You may not have written the exact code, but someone did. And when I push a key on the keyboard, I am certain that I will always see the associated character appear on the screen. (We will abstain from discussing “random lottery” picks that most states use to reward the few lucky suckers who spend money on this “rigged” game.) (You might be able to guess my position on the topic.)
Adam and Eve were given the choice of whether to love God or not love Him. Without that, they were simply human automatons, incapable of any choice or action outside of their programming.
Jesus even spelled this out for us in John 14:15. (In fact this is an Old Testament concept as well.)
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Without love, there will be no true obedience. And without obedience, we have evidence of no love.
So why did God give us free will? Not so that He could have someone or something to love. It was to give us the unparalleled, in the universe, unparalleled opportunity and blessing of loving Him. My computer does not love me, even though it does what I command. It has no choice. (Absent an electrical surge or some other shock.)
We can love God, because we have the freedom not to love Him. Even like our candy-denying parent, it is for our own good. God loved us so much that He took the risk of us not loving Him. It was not because it would have “cost” Him something. He is totally complete. But it does cost us everything if we do not love Him.
I choose to love Him.
A recent call-in program featured an 8 year old boy asking, “Since God knew that man would sin, and the devastation that would be brought onto the world, why would He give man free will? If I were a parent, I would not give my child an alternative that would hurt him.”
The commentator kindly pointed out that we are dealing with two different situations. By refusing to let a child eat candy all the time, we are counting on the fact they he or she will someday understand that it was for his own good, and because the parent loved him. In fact, we all, as parents, have reasoned the same way.
But with God and man, the situation was different. Adam and Eve did not have a conscience nor any concept of love. Just as a pet, and I know I will get into trouble with this, a pet does not experience love for an owner who feeds and cares for it. I will concede that animals can recognize care and kindness. Maybe we should make our “pet” a snake, a turtle, or a spider. They have no concept of care or concern. (I say this assuredly, as I read of a 20' python found in a home with the owner inside. Obviously deceased. No caring response there.) Animals act on instinct.
(Please do not send me the story of a lion cub raised and then turned loose into the wild who had a “loving” reunion years later. I would aver that the care provided by the master had so imprinted on the animal, that he did long to return to the “easy times.” More often we read of a domesticated animal turning on an owner. The experts tell us that this is a wild animal, regardless of the altered circumstances from “in the wild.” But I digress.)
Adam and Eve had no “freedom” to love God until they recognized that it was a choice. Maybe this will be a better example. Your computer does exactly what you “command” it to do. You may not have written the exact code, but someone did. And when I push a key on the keyboard, I am certain that I will always see the associated character appear on the screen. (We will abstain from discussing “random lottery” picks that most states use to reward the few lucky suckers who spend money on this “rigged” game.) (You might be able to guess my position on the topic.)
Adam and Eve were given the choice of whether to love God or not love Him. Without that, they were simply human automatons, incapable of any choice or action outside of their programming.
Jesus even spelled this out for us in John 14:15. (In fact this is an Old Testament concept as well.)
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Without love, there will be no true obedience. And without obedience, we have evidence of no love.
So why did God give us free will? Not so that He could have someone or something to love. It was to give us the unparalleled, in the universe, unparalleled opportunity and blessing of loving Him. My computer does not love me, even though it does what I command. It has no choice. (Absent an electrical surge or some other shock.)
We can love God, because we have the freedom not to love Him. Even like our candy-denying parent, it is for our own good. God loved us so much that He took the risk of us not loving Him. It was not because it would have “cost” Him something. He is totally complete. But it does cost us everything if we do not love Him.
I choose to love Him.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Answer A Fool
Proverbs 26: 4 and 5 appear, at first glance, to be a contradiction.
Proverbs 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him..
Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes.
Remember that these proverbs are given to guide a wise man in how to act, particularly in relation to a fool. (26:1-12) I counted 11 mentions of how a “fool” acts in these 12 verses. This twin couplet occurs about in the middle of the passage.
Verse 4 says not to answer “according to” or like the fool. You will appear to be a fool also. And you probably are. It may have been my Dad who told me, “Never argue with a fool. All you get is two fools fighting.” The recent demonstrations in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro may be a good example of how not to respond to a “fool’s” actions. Anyone who attempted to rebut either side surely found themselves in a foolish argument. Another witticism that applies is, “Never try to out shout a shouter.”
But, there are times when the foolish actions or words are presented in a framework that has the cachet of respectability or even erudition. If these instances are left unchallenged, at least the fool thinks he is wise. The written statements of the demonstrators may at times require a refutation. The foolish may not gain from this, but he does not, at least, walk away thinking that he has posited an unanswered argument.
I remember the very first debate tournament which the LeTourneau debate team entered. We came out of all four rounds exulting that we had certainly won them all. Our coach, Dr. Terry, did not comment on our evaluations until we had a chance to read the ballots. We lost them all, and lost badly. He said that he had expected this, because it was the first time we had ever debated.
We did not know enough even to know whether we had won or lost. We did learn, and became fairly proficient. (Shameless self congratulation.) The point is, that we might answer a fool, yet he does not perceive that he has been refuted, like we “debate fools.” But the “coach,” or outside advisor does see what has happened.
Many of our cultural clashes involve these two Proverbs. We must be wise enough to distinguish whether to apply verse 4 or verse 5. Never be foolish in answering a fool.
But we may reasonably produce an answer for anyone else who may witness the confrontation. In fact, it seems incumbent that we do answer such nonsense. That is my excuse for answering people who proclaim that the earth is a flat disk. And that one race is superior to another. Or that abortion is a positive thing. Or...you fill in the blank.
Proverbs 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him..
Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes.
Remember that these proverbs are given to guide a wise man in how to act, particularly in relation to a fool. (26:1-12) I counted 11 mentions of how a “fool” acts in these 12 verses. This twin couplet occurs about in the middle of the passage.
Verse 4 says not to answer “according to” or like the fool. You will appear to be a fool also. And you probably are. It may have been my Dad who told me, “Never argue with a fool. All you get is two fools fighting.” The recent demonstrations in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro may be a good example of how not to respond to a “fool’s” actions. Anyone who attempted to rebut either side surely found themselves in a foolish argument. Another witticism that applies is, “Never try to out shout a shouter.”
But, there are times when the foolish actions or words are presented in a framework that has the cachet of respectability or even erudition. If these instances are left unchallenged, at least the fool thinks he is wise. The written statements of the demonstrators may at times require a refutation. The foolish may not gain from this, but he does not, at least, walk away thinking that he has posited an unanswered argument.
I remember the very first debate tournament which the LeTourneau debate team entered. We came out of all four rounds exulting that we had certainly won them all. Our coach, Dr. Terry, did not comment on our evaluations until we had a chance to read the ballots. We lost them all, and lost badly. He said that he had expected this, because it was the first time we had ever debated.
We did not know enough even to know whether we had won or lost. We did learn, and became fairly proficient. (Shameless self congratulation.) The point is, that we might answer a fool, yet he does not perceive that he has been refuted, like we “debate fools.” But the “coach,” or outside advisor does see what has happened.
Many of our cultural clashes involve these two Proverbs. We must be wise enough to distinguish whether to apply verse 4 or verse 5. Never be foolish in answering a fool.
But we may reasonably produce an answer for anyone else who may witness the confrontation. In fact, it seems incumbent that we do answer such nonsense. That is my excuse for answering people who proclaim that the earth is a flat disk. And that one race is superior to another. Or that abortion is a positive thing. Or...you fill in the blank.
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