Some Final Thoughts for this Week

Whew, these are the final minutes of yet another week. It really is amazing have fast the time seems to be passing lately. This coming week, we will already be halfway through October.

I have some things on my mind.

From my reading this week...

This week, I started reading through Romans and came across some interesting verses. (I have read these verses before because they have under-lines and notes in my hand-writing. Yet they seemed different this week.) Actually, now that I open up to the book, I didn't even get past chapter 2 because some of the verses just left me thinking.

1-2 Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn't so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you've done. (MSG)

This is something that I struggle with quite a bit at work. It is so easy to criticize decisions that other people make. Yet, most of the time, I should probably be on the receiving end of the criticism.

14-16 When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences. (MSG)

This one pretty much left me perplexed. I'm not sure what to make of it. Who are the "outsiders?"

From economics class...

The Big 3 automakers are on the verge of collapse. Just today, I heard that one or more might file for bankruptcy. How can this happen? The automakers count for at least 1% of our GDP. How can an entire industry literally implode. This doesn't happen overnight or just because of a recession. This has to take years to develop.

Why are we so prone to act on emotion when it comes to the stock market? People are selling like crazy. Yet, historically, investment in sound and diverse companies leads to positive returns. At this point, the more people sell, the further this thing is going to spiral downward.

From experience...

A few days ago, someone made a comment that opened up some nasty wounds. Quite frankly, when the statement was made, it took everything I had to withhold making a very smart-ass comment. I got out of the situation and cooled down a bit without creating any damage. However, I was blown away by my own response and how this opened up things that I thought had healed. Yet, I spent some time reflecting and realized that this time around things were a bit different. When the original events transpired, it led me to a very self-defeatist type of place for several months. This time, although it made me quite angry, it didn't define me. This is an identity situation.

Interestingly enough, we have been revisiting John 20 the last few weeks. (We studied this in Vermont.) As a youngster, I remember hearing about Jesus appearing to the disciples and him showing them the wounds in his hands and side. The implications of this never really seemed to matter until much more recently. After the resurrection, Jesus still has the wounds. This is huge. The wounds are still there. Yet, Jesus is different - different enough that people don't even recognize him. He is the resurrected Jesus. This just blows my mind.

From the Bremen Enquirer...

A few days ago, I wrote about the Emerald Alliance. Well, the paper added some additional detail. This is the first year for competitive marching band at the high school since 2003! I had chance to meet the band director last night. His enthusiasm is incredible and the group continues to improve each week.

Today...

Did anyone else notice how incredibly beautiful it was today?

Well, it is now Sunday, so I'm off to start the Sabbath with a long snooze.

Good night!