As mentioned in the last post I live just outside a small (population 1200) town in the Midwest. I enjoy the small town life immeasurably more than the big city stuff. Yes, I have spent a considerable amount of time in both. I am not one to insist that I be able to walk to a dozen museums or see a different Broadway play each week. To those kind of people where I live would be called a “cornfield with lights”. My Dad moved us from the big city to a small rural area when I was in the eighth … Continue reading Small town life for me….

With this post I am going to start a new Sunday thing related to what I believe in regards to spiritual matters. I spent the last sixty years trying to understand just who God is and why he put me on this earth.  I have also spent the last four years diligently studying about one hundred books on theology and of other faiths beliefs. At this point in my life my beliefs and understanding of God are finally somewhat solidified. In these posts I will only tell you what I believe. I am in no way trying to persuade you one … Continue reading I Believe…

    I seem to spend quite a bit of my retirement time tending my yard and garden. At least in the warm weather months that is. Don’t get me wrong; I am by no means a perfectionist who manicures his lawn with tweezers. The opposite is more realistic for me. But I do enjoy this type of work providing the weather cooperates. I live in a very rural area about a mile north of a small town. The big city perfectly manicured lawns are a rarity in this neck of the woods. But since I do have about two … Continue reading Yard and Garden (and Tomatoes)…

As I mentioned before my wife and I were not fortunate enough to have had any children. But maybe the post will accidentally fall into the hands of some of you who can learn from one of my life’s lessons. One of the things that I found strikingly odd when I was growing up was that our parents would take me and my two brothers to church almost every Sunday and drop us off. They would then go back home and do whatever it was they did. I always wondered why church was necessary for us but not for them. … Continue reading Don’t Do as I Do…But

My wife Yvonne and I did not get married until we were both over forty years old. This was the first marriage for both of us. We have been married almost twenty five years now. Although we had been working in the same building together for more than fifteen years our paths just never crossed. It was a very big building! Yvonne said if we had only met when we were young we would have had six kids and many grandkids by now!! It does sadden me that she wanted so many children and ended up having none. Sometimes I … Continue reading My Hubby of Nearly 25 Years….

Let’s start out with a picture of me and my wife in 1999.  We lived in New Jersey then and made rather frequent trips to NYC.  This picture was taken on Ellis Island. Notice the World Trade Center in the background. Continue reading Me and the Hubby – 1999

The question in the title of this post is probably asked millions of times a day by various people to someone who is usually just starting out in life. I remember the first time it was asked of me. At about the age of twelve or so when my father first addressed the issue. Like most twelve year olds I couldn’t understand why I needed to figure that out already. After all I was just a kid in the sixth grade! How was I supposed to know what I wanted to spend the next umpteen years doing. Well that wasn’t … Continue reading What do you want to do when you grow up?

I have come to the point where I need some time away from theology things. So I will stop blogging on RLL starting today. How long my hiatus will be I don’t know right now. Thanks to all of you who read me on occasions. I am humbled that you think my words are worth your time. I pray that all of you continue to keep our Lord and Savior front and center in your lives…. Continue reading Some Time Away….

I know the Old Testament talks about a 10% thithe in several places but is this also applicable to Christians in the New Testament age? Some say yes and some say no.  It always impressed me when I read in the book of acts how Early Christians sold everything they had and gave the money to the Apostles for the community good.  Here are those verses: Acts 4:32-35 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.  With great power the apostles continued … Continue reading 10% Tithe??

Is there anything wrong with having a church be the social center for members’ families as well as a place to worship God? Many churches believe this configuration is totally wrong but in reality most, if not all, churches are to one degree or another clubhouses as well as churches.  Some believe the church/clubhouse is the core of the 21st century religious establishment. Should having fun be unrelated to doing church or to what extent should they be related? That is the basic question to be answered and it seems to have many different answers. I don’t see anything wrong … Continue reading The Church Clubhouse?

I will let the last post represent those parallel verses that are very similar to each other. In my studies those were somewhat typical of the conflicts of words. I know there are many places in the Old Testament that people report conflicting verses. I did not attempt to cover any of these but instead concentrated on Gospel accounts.  What I found were all somewhat like the previous posts.  The overall message was consistent but the words varied. One final area of parallel verses that give me some reasons for concern is the last supper. Let’s look at those parallel … Continue reading Parallel Gospel Verses … Part 3 (The Last Supper)

Before we look at a few of the parallel verses in the Gospel accounts let’s see where there are no parallel accounts. John Chapters 1 through 4 have many of Jesus’ words that are not reported anywhere else. I don’t know if part of that is because John’s Gospel was written several years after the others so John could read Matthew, Mark, and Luke, before he wrote his. Of course the theologians over the years have noted that difference and have not included John as a synoptic gospel. Enough of that; let’s look at some typical parallel verses. Matthew 8:1-4 … Continue reading Parallel Gospel Verses…. Part 2.

Due to having frequent discussions with my “inerrant and literal” bible friend lately the Gospel messages have been on my mind. I know there are several places in the bible that supposedly report on the same event. If, as my friend, believes, every word in the bible is literally true and directly from God’s mouth (through the totally obedient hands of men’s pens) then why do the places that supposedly report the same thing use different words and sometimes seem to convey quite different meanings? I, personally take this to enforce my belief that the words are from men who … Continue reading Parallel Gospel Verses… (Part 1)

Today being Memorial Day here in the U.S. I thought I would spend this post mourning all the children of God who have died in the world’s wars. This includes both the soldiers and those innocent civilians called “collateral damage” by the military complexes. Unfortunately wars and killing have been a fact of life for all of our existence. But this killing each other complex did not come from Jesus. He made it clear that we are to love even our enemies. I totally mourn all the times that people have rushed to war instead of trying all the other … Continue reading Remembering Memorial Day…

Ok, I have probably spent too much time lately looking at the differences between us Christians and not enough time with personal revelation around the red letters. To ameliorate this condition I will try to spend more time reflecting on particular words of Jesus and what they mean to me. Of course along the way I will also have many questions. Some, given my current relation ship with Christ, I will be able to answer but many I will probably have to leave as a question. Let’s get at it. Let’s start with Jesus talking about dying for our sins. … Continue reading Red Letter Messages….

In doing this study on the Holy Spirit I am not convinced that I really know how to envision him even now. To me it sounds like he dwells in each of us and always has but came into the theological forefront after Jesus bodily left us to go back to the Father. There are numerous instances of the “Spirit of God” talking to even the Old Testament writers. It is hard to think of the Holy Spirit as a being instead of just a spirit. I still imagine him as that little angel in movies that sometimes appears on … Continue reading The Holy Spirit – Part 7 – Some Concluding Thoughts

Lets continue with our study of the relationship between the Holy Spirit and baptism. Acts 11:15-17 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” Here is another one: Acts 19:1-5 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the … Continue reading The Holy Spirit – Part 5 – Baptism and the Holy Spirit (con’t)