The Friendship Myth

The girl next door got married last summer. Her fiance/husband had to disentangle himself from a number of female friends that he had acquired over his few years as a young adult.

It was a bit awkward, and a bit painful for those who didn't wish to be loosed. "You mean we can't even talk on the phone anymore??" they asked incredulously. "You mean we're not going to email any more? We're not going to Facebook?"

A look back through history indicates people have long known that it simply doesn't work for adult males and females to spend much time alone together and remain "just close friends." And yet, in media portrayal and in practice, this generation seems to think that young ladies and young men can be close, one-on-one personal friends, without the dating/mating mentality and hurts creeping in.

Call me skeptical, but I still think not. I had written quite a bit more on the subject when Rachel pointed me to an article that says it much better than I did.

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001200.cfm

It is well worth the read.

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Kissing a lot of frogs probably doesn't find you a prince; it just makes you slimy.

Veterans' Day at the Nursing Home

The vets got applause and boutonnieres, the girls played patriotic music, and everyone got a chance to remember that freedom isn't free.

Freedom isn't free. The Bible says, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Jesus paid a price to make us free from the corruption that dwells within. The corruption is huge; the price paid for deliverance equally hefty.....death to the innocent son of God.

Web photo

Another bit about freedom is inscribed on the Tower facade at the University of Texas.

Web photo

Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, it says. The planners lifted a phrase from the Word of God and stamped it on their building, but failed to mention the source of the truth that buys the promised freedom. The full sentence in the Bible reads: Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Too bad U.T. doesn't give credit for truth and freedom, or for the quote about them, where credit is due.

Many people have died to buy our political and religious freedom. God's own son died to buy our spiritual freedom. Thank you to all of them.

A Little Rain

The power that men enjoy for a brief space on earth is not without the cognizance and the will of God. If we fall into the hands of men, and meet suffering and death from their violence, we are none the less certain that everything comes from God. The same God who sees no sparrow fall to the ground without his knowledge and will, allows nothing to happen except it be good and profitable for his children and the cause for which they stand. We are in God's hand. Therefore, "Fear not."

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Cost of Discipleship

(thanks to Jim T. for the reminder)

Buttoning up the Fall Garden

In the wide world of cornfields that surrounds my house, the big boys are still havesting.

But here at home, we have gathered the last of the pumpkins,

piled squashes on the picnic table,

patted soil over next year's garlic crop,

hidden spinach and brussels sprouts from winter's blast,

and said goodbye to gardening.

In the blink of an eye, February's flurry of seed catalogs will hit the mailbox

and we'll start again.

But for now, it's time to rest.       Time for ThanksGiving.