NOTE TO SELF--and anyone else interested

Hopeless? Maybe not. Proverbs 30:20--This verse is one of a series of disturbing passages (vss. 11-23). Today's chapter speaks of a generation who are so sinful and unruly that they are on their way to destroying society. In this verse, the adulteress has no shame in what she's done. Even when confronted with evidence, there is no guilt or sense of conviction. The place where the Holy Spirit can prick our hearts--our  conscience--has lost its ability to respond to the sense of feeling bad about what has been done. But, no one is beyond GOD's grasp. We don't know GOD's purposes for an individual. What if there is a future of redemption for this person? Since we don't know, we must look past the impossibility to the hope of salvation. We pray. We speak truth. We love. Whatever hopelessness, my friends, we pray. Proverbs 30:20--Such is the way of an adulteress: she eats, wipes her mouth and says, “I have done nothing wrong.”  Tree of Life Bible Society   Tree ...

WATCH today's Proverbs 29:8 as Daniah and me talk about words--how they can be more painful than sticks and stones. https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2517415484951135/

Do you ignite or calm with your words? Proverbs 29:8--There's an old adage, "Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." If only that were true. Words can cut more deeply than a stick or stone. And have more lasting effects. Words can heal and words can break. Words can give us hope or brings us to the depths of despair. Words can bring peace or incite violence. Words can guard a city or destroy it. Words reveal what is in our heart. Yeshua said: “Out of the good treasure of his heart the good man brings forth good, and out of evil the evil man brings forth evil. For from the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) We should also probably pay as much attention to how we say things as what we say. Even if what we say is Biblical or correct, if our heart hasn't dealt with something, what flows from it might taint those words of truth. It may even have the opposite effect that we intend. There's another ...

WATCH as Daniah and I talk about what "suit" we're wearing! Proverbs 28. https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2515365658489451/

Are you wearing wisdom's "suit?" Proverbs 28:11--This passage reminds me of the story The Emperor's New Clothes . For those who have never read the story by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, it's about two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that they say is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. The reality is they make no clothes at all, but do a great job of convincing people that if they don't see them then they are indeed unworthy. When the emperor parades before his subjects in his new "clothes", no one dares to say that they do not see the suit on him for fear that they will be seen as stupid. Finally, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" Question: Are we "parading" around with no clothes? I don't think we have to be wealthy to have a skewed view in certain areas. To lose our sense of reality because we...

WATCH today's Proverbs 27 video with Daniah and me. We talk about the spiritual junk food that keeps us from craving spiritual food. https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2513440062015344/

What fills you? Proverbs 27:7--The sweetness and medicinal properties of honey were valued in ancient times. Honey symbolized wisdom and peace and prosperity. All good things. In the first part of this particular passage, those who are full actually loathe honey. Until recently, I thought the person was full on honey, but this verse doesn't say so. It just says full. What could make us so "full" that we wouldn't crave wisdom or peace and prosperity? We could be full of ambition. Full of anger. Full of greed. Full of fear. Full of hate. Full of doubt. Before we can ever "hunger" for the things of GOD, the things of this world that fill us must be removed. As we walk this wisdom journey, we need to eat the "food" that nourishes--not "junk food." When we're stuffed with spiritual junk food it deadens our spiritual senses. It creates lethargy and even apathy. We make decision that aren't healthy for us e...

OH! Gossip is the subject of today's vlog with Daniah and Terri. Gossip actually includes a lot more than what we think. https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2511466115546072/

Don't feed the fire. Proverbs 26:20--I always thought a gossip was someone who told unsubstantiated rumors or outright lies. Actually gossips are people who share another's information--especially private information--without permission. At the worst they use it to harm another person, at best they use this private information as idle chatter. Frankly, either is a sin. In the case of a quarrel, a gossip will feed the quarrel with these tidbits of information to either inflame the quarrel, or to take sides. In either situation, what happens is they interfere with the potential of resolution by taking the argument down a new path, or muddying the real issues. If we are in the midst of disagreement with someone, be wary of someone who feeds your position with information they know about the other person. Generally, they begin with something along the lines of "I don't know if you know this, but..." Before they utter the information, stop th...

PROVERBS VIDEO: One of the most used proverbs--and passage--in the Bible. Watch Daniah and my take of Apples of Gold https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2509515849074432/

Do you speak aptly? Proverbs 25:11--We all love this proverb. The subject of this proverb has been widely used in songs, books, messages, jewelry, Bible studies, magazines, ministries, and so much more. If you Google apples of gold, over 93 million results come up. So, what could I possibly say that hasn't already been said? I suppose it doesn't matter if what I say has already been said, what is important is what is meaningful for today. Still, I wanted a fresh take. For me and hopefully for you. To begin, I looked up the word aptly. It is defined as: unusually fitted or qualified. The "unusually" struck me. Not just speaking something that fits to the circumstance, but unusually fits. Then I looked up the symbolism for gold. The symbol of wealth was a given, but I liked one site that said gold represented: illumination, love, compassion, courage, passion, magic, and wisdom. I don't know about magic, but the sense of divine illumination st...

Can justice bless a nation? Proverbs 24:24-25--Once again, justice plays a major role in this chapter of Proverbs. It's clear that justice affects not only the perpetrator of a crime and their victims, but it can also affect a nation. A corrupt system destroys reputations and lives, not just the victims. Verse 24 says NATIONS will revile the judge who has now become a criminal as well. That means other leaders from other countries know we are vulnerable and view us as weak--a country that doesn't protec t its own citizens. There's also a trust issue. Allies will no longer view us as trustworthy and that can have serious repercussions for a whole nation. Ours is a great country in so many ways. We've weathered many controversies and poor judgments. We've been blessed and have blessed others. Which is why so many other people from other countries want to live here. We're watched carefully and critically by others. We are called to...

What do we cast our eyes upon? Proverbs 23:5--The context of this proverb is about unbalanced priorities, and how those priorities can draw us away from GOD and our families. Wealth can be fleeting and deceptive. It can change our motivations and commitments. It can change our loyalties and passions. It can move our heart away from our family and GOD. As with the most heinous of temptations, the shift in our heart is subtle. We "cast our eye" on a possession or lifestyle we want. To attain it the compromis es begin when we: justify the want for a need blow up our budget to attain it work more and strategize new ways to acquire more neglect our family, faith, and home. Overtime more wants become needs and a chain attaches itself to us: greed. Then, as so often happens, the means to attain, or the upkeep of the wealth becomes overwhelming. The wealth "flies" away and we and our family are left behind in worse shape then when we began. ...

WATCH our Proverbs 22 vlog about how "toys" can help us learn wisdom. Daniah and I had a great discussion. https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2503201729705844/

Yes! Even us! Proverbs 22:19--Who me? Even me? I love this passage. The previous two verses speak of listening to the words of the wise and applying our heart to that knowledge. It encourages us that when we do these things we'll have wise things just flowing from our lips. Sigh. For many years, especially the early years of studying and living Proverbs, there weren't too many wise insights that flowed from my lips. I felt like I was mimicking the wisdom of the ages. Would I ever really have wisdom in my heart? It reminded me of when I was little. I had a toy iron and ironing board. (Yes. Little girls got those types of gifts in the '50s.) The iron plugged in and actually heated up--barely. But when I tried to iron my dad's handkerchiefs, the wrinkles didn't iron out like when my mom did them with her big iron. I'd press hard and run the toy over and over it, until it looked better than it had, but still wasn't quite what it should...

Walking with GOD 101--Doing Justice. Daniah and I talk about the basics of walking justice and how we can teach our children. https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2501185146574169/

Do you "do" justice? Proverbs 21:15--How do we "do" justice? Our world shows the signs of an unbalanced approach to justice. Children raised without parental supervision are now disenfranchised adults unhappy with how unfair they believe life is. And honestly, life is unfair in many circumstances. Their voices are loud and their stories heartbreaking. But does that mean justice should be shelved? It's become a complicated debate with people much smarter than us. Meanwhile, those who should be punished, aren't. Those victims who should have justice, don't. So, here we are in our homes, taking care of our families, fixing dinner, how do we do justice when everything seems so complicated? What can we do that makes any real difference? Throughout the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), GOD is very clear about what is just and what isn't. He is very particular about perverting justice especially for or against ...

Today's Proverbs 20 discussion. Disputes? Get involved? Don't get involved? Daniah and I talk about the do's and don't's of mediating. https://www.facebook.com/tlvbiblesociety/videos/2499060683453282/

Do you know how to mediate a dispute? Proverbs 20:3--This proverb seems to conflict with Proverbs 26:17--"Like one who takes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own." But, actually, the latter gives us more insights into how we could resolve a dispute. The key word is "meddles." Involving ourselves, uninvited, to a conflict or quarrel is generally asking for trouble. We may think we see what the issues are, and perhaps a way to resolve the dispute, but we run the risk of the divided parties uniting to come against us. From a legal standpoint, there are two types of resolutions: one requires a legal representative (judge, jury, or arbitrator) who makes the final decision; the second is more consensual and may have an agreed upon mediator who helps the parties come to an amicable decision. If we are elected to mediate, we hold an awesome responsibility and need to be fair and impartial. Someone could be right bu...