Profound and Sometimes Preposterous Ponderings of Pete

     Background: There are 66 books in the Bible. 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the new Testament.   James is the 20 th book of the New Testament and falls between the books of Hebrews and 1 Peter. The author, is generally thought to be Jesus’s brother. There has been some discussion of he being another James (Jesus’s cousin via Mary wife of Clopas mother of James and Joses).   There has been discussion also that he, Jesus’ brother, was not educated enough to write the letter.   This would give support to an amanuensis, or scribe who wrote the letter but was dictated to by James. The letter was written in about 69-70 AD (possibly 62 AD) so it could not have been the apostle James who was martyred in 44 AD. There is also some speculation that his amanuensis wrote it after James’ death.   In any case, it was written primarily to the Jewish believers (see vs 1) being persecuted and probably before the Roman oppression against all Christians.   James was the leader of the church in Je

 I have been re-reading the book of Romans in the Holy Bible. There is a word that occurs 14 times that God has brought to my attention.  The word is "hope."  When God, through His Holy Spirit brings a word to my attention, I research it.  Like all Bible scholars, and wannabes (me), I went to the Greek. The word used for hope, in the Greek, is "elpida, elpidi," et.al.  This word is also translated as expected or expectation. So I contemplated (picture me in an Alistair Cooke setting, LOL) the application of the word hope.  Hope can be anything from hoping for an A on a test, a Lamborghini, a kiss, a healing, a new job, etc. But hope, as the apostle Paul meant in his epistles, was that of expectation.  Not just the hope of a maybe, but the expectation of a promise to be fulfilled.  A hope that requires faith. Faith that says not just something to which we look forward, but a trust and belief that allows you to EXPECT that it will be fulfilled.  Please don't mista

 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Most of you know the quote about being in the world and not of it. This is so true.  When you accepted Christ's gift of salvation, you were removed from the world (spiritually now, physically to come). Your primary allegiance became, and is still to the Kingdom of God.  NOT THE USA or any other country!  Is it OK to be a good citizen, pay your taxes, obey the laws of the land? Absolutely! We are told to do so.  Romans 13: Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  The Word of God, the Holy Bible, exhorts us to try our best to live peaceably and quiet whenever possible. Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Is it OK to have opinions and strong feelings about political i

Leviticus 11:13 “‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. Acts 10: 9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”  14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 

I usually post serious topics and Biblical discussions so I am taking a lighter turn here.  I am almost 59 years old and I have over the years developed some idiosyncrasies that my family finds humorous and sometimes down right hilarious (they think I don't know they are laughing at me). Anyway, I have learned the art of laughing at myself so I thought I would allow my readers a chuckle or two; however, no guffaws are allowed 😎 10. I put my hand on my head when I talk on the phone. 9. When I think really hard I have my hand open and fingers spread. 8. I keep a lot of little boxes to help organize the things I need - sewing stuff, electronic cords, batteries, etc. 7. I subject myself, over and over again,  to "brain freezes" while eating or drinking very cold foods and the faces I make while enduring seem to let everyone know what I am experiencing. 6. My lips move when I am thinking. 5. I hate wearing socks without footwear. 4. I don't allow my wife to

I see many posts every day extolling and denouncing political leaders, religious beliefs/practices, philosophies, politics in general and specific, as well as anything and everything about which someone might post an opinion. It is such a blessing to live in a country where this freedom is still considered a citizen's right. What saddens me is that so many people feel that along with that privilege, is the right to denounce those whose opinions are opposing theirs. Those denouncements come with fervor, passion, and vehemence. So much so, that they are accompanied with insults and derision. How sad and unacceptable that one would think that their position or thoughts on a topic, regardless if that position is correct, were so much more important than the worth and self worth of a fellow human being. Yes, I agree that injustice should be brought to light and dealt with when possible.  But extremely careful analysis must be made first.  What might at first light seem to be an injust