Hopewit

The saying “live by the sword, die by the sword” is an idiom that basically means “what goes around comes around.” More to the point, “if you use violent, forceful, or underhanded methods against other people, you can expect those same methods to be used against you. ” (Matthew 26: 52 - “ Then Jesus said to [Peter], 'Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.'”) “ There’s nothing wrong with firearms,” says McIntyre. “I own many of them, and they’re not scary, they’re not misbehaved or anything. They’re just another tool.” The StarPhoenix article is titled “ It's just a tool: Why guns are essential for rural life in Saskatchewan” The article presents a rural view on firearms rather well, and raises again the debate about gun control as a remedy for far too many gun deaths . . . yes or no. To call the ubiquity of firearms in ranching/farming communities proof of a “gun culture” is probably unjustified,...

Looking down on the world, eh? When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” (Acts 21:27-8, NIV) Charges of “you're a racist” were being made in Alberta's political discourse the other week. Again , I might add. I hate to repeat myself . . . again . . . but there's a difference between “What you said was racist ” and “You are a racist.” The former is a rebuke for a statement, the latter is an ad hominem, personal attack. There is certainly scope enough for someone to be so fundamentally convinced that race determines worth that the label of racist can be justified, but to use it easily and often as a knee-jerk criticism is simply not right. ...

. . . and give us this day our morning muffin, cheese and coffee . . . “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24, NIV; Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well.) I've been commissioned (not anointed, definitely not anointed) to say something in a post about—as I understand it—the contention south of the border among some American citizens that their current president is anointed by God to lead America to greatness once again. In his book, God and Donald Trump , Stephen Strang “ attempts to explain evangelical fervor for Trump and provides a window into the world of charismatics, a subset of evangelical Christians who believe God still speaks to people through prophesies and is still actively involved in arranging the world of huma...

Homage to the bare essentials In [Christ] we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-14, NIV) Sometimes, reading Paul feels like listening to the frenetic explaining of a hyperactive child. Somewhere in the wordy density of his explanations of “what it all means” to the Ephesian church, there has to be a message that's extremely important to the gospel project. Wouldn't a thinking Ephesian Christian go home scratching his head...

Don't text me, HUG me! A recent talk by Simon Sinek posted on Facebook was about millennials , that demographic born after 1984 or so, the people who are ca. 34 and younger. In a 16 minute argument, Sinek posits unique aspects of the life-shaping experiences of those of us who grew up around the turn of the century. He talks about parenting styles, impatience and environment. He also focuses on the effects of technology on the very nature of the millennial spirit, a spirit which often confounds leadership and draws assessments of this age group as being narcissistic, unfocused, lazy, entitled, etc. His opinion is that the cell phone and social media have, and are having, an effect on maturing minds that is potentially damaging. He centers his view around dopamine in the body and its association with heightened sensations of pleasure. According to Sinek, instant gratification (as in an alcoholic drink when you really need it, a first drag on a cigarette, the occasio...