MuddyPuddles

A few weeks ago my 4 year old grandson, Trapper, went to Chicken Express with me for some chicken tenders.  After lunch we were planning to go fishing.  Instead of traveling the main roads to go fishing, I needed to stop by a house in town to pick up something so I told Trapper that I needed to take a “shortcut.”  He asked why I needed a “short hair cut” before we would go fishing.  I told him I wasn’t getting a short haircut, I was taking a “shortcut”.  I then tried to explain the concept of “shortcut”.  I’m not sure he ever understood why I thought I needed a short hair cut and after awhile I decided my haircut was just fine so we skipped the haircut, stopped by the house and then went fishing.

So what is a shortcut, anyway.  A shortcut is what the locals do that the visitors don’t (but will if they stick around long enough).  It is the fastest or shortest way from point “A” to point “B”.  It is the unofficial way that things are done (when the ultimate goal is to accomplish the most in the least amount of time with the least amount of effort).  It is the unwritten rules.  We all know the shortcuts in our own area of expertise.  But there is one area that I’ve never seen explained.  And that is the shortcut to becoming an Elder in the Church of Christ .  I know, some people will be full of righteous indignation at the very thought of there being shortcuts to Eldership, but they are there.  So, for young men who want to get there the fastest, pay attention.  This works in every single Church of Christ in America ---bar none.  I guarantee it.

First, get married and have two kids as soon as possible.  Raise them in the Lord and baptize them at the proper time and in the proper way.  Attend church three times a week (as well as Bible class).  Be nice to everyone and ask them about whatever they are interested in and listen to their answers and ask follow up questions to show you really heard what they had to say.  Dress nicely (your whole family).  Do not make any controversial statements or ask any controversial questions.  Listen for stock answers and memorize them.  Pay attention to the general beliefs of those in your class or church and when you sense an opportunity to express a viewpoint that is widely held, state it with conviction---as if it was your original thought and as if you would defend that position against the most evil false teachers that might ever dare set foot in the door (have a serious look on your face and a serious tone in your voice during this process).  For controversial questions or if the class is made up of people with widely varying opinions, don’t say anything.  If you are specifically called on in this type of situation, just say something to the effect of “that’s a difficult question that we should spend a lot of time studying about and praying about.  Our main focus should be on loving one another and if we just do that like God wants us to do it, we’ll all be a lot better off.”  Another option is to say something like “generally we have held to the belief that . . ..  I’m not saying that this is the required way to look at it, but that is what we have generally held to.”  If you can’t remember all of that just say “let me pray and study about that” and then just be quiet or throw it back with “what do you think about it?”  If you ever teach a class, be sure to memorize phrases like, “I think it means what it says,” or “we just need to love one another.”  Only ask questions that can be answered with very simple phrases (which have been memorized by the classmates through years of attending adult Bible classes).  Never disagree with any of the answers, just say, “that’s good” or “that’s exactly right” or “you may be right” or “you hit the nail on the head”.  If you don’t agree with the answer, say “okay” and wait for another classmate to give their answer and then use one of those other replies.  Or, repeat a slightly modified version of their answer which would swerve it into a more correct light.  It sounds to them like you are agreeing with them when you are actually swerving them.  Make a lot of general statements.  If you get in a bind just say, “people need to be baptized for the remission of their sins” and you’ll be off the hook.

As far as outside work, you don’t have to really do anything extra.  It doesn’t hurt you to do some, but it isn’t required as long as you are at church 3 times per week.  Just be fairly respectable in your job and in your community.

That about does it.  If you do these things you will be gladly welcomed into any Eldership at a very young age, relatively speaking.  If you violate any of these practices---you know---challenge long held beliefs, think critically about the stock answers, dig into the word and even risk coming to different conclusions (unless you keep them to yourself), even if you are doing a lot of good works, then you are in danger of being rejected due to your “divisive nature”. So avoid those things at all costs.  That my young friends, should you decide to take this mission, is the fast track to Eldership.    God Bless.  Dennis

P.S.  Please Note:  I'm not saying that these things will be good for your Spiritual growth or well being.  Nor am I saying that these things create a conducive atmosphere for a vibrant relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ or Jehovah God.   What I am saying, however, (for what it's worth) is that they will get you into the Eldership expeditiously.

In the Panhandle of Texas the country is flat, the sky is big and the only trees are the ones planted around people’s houses.  Because of that, there isn’t much to stop the wind from blowing.  And blow it does---especially in the springtime.  Sometimes the sky turns a solid brown color because there is so much sand in the air.  I remember a few times where I couldn’t see more than a few yards in front of me because of the dust.  It was so thick you could cut it with a knife (for those of you in Rio Linda, you couldn’t really cut it with a knife.  That’s just an expression.)  It was painful where it would sandblast any exposed skin.  When Bonnie and I moved back to farm a year after we were married, she sometimes had to clean a layer of sand off the window sill that she had cleaned just the day before.  It was amazing.

But the wind didn’t always create a lot of dust.  If the crops were up significantly it provided enough of a windbreak near the ground to prevent the sand from lifting off the ground.  Or, if the ground was fresh plowed the moist soil and clods kept the sand from lifting into the wind.  The most vulnerable time was a day or two after a hard rain in the early spring when the crops were very small.  The hard rain would pound the ground into a fairly smooth crusty surface.  And then, a day or two later---almost without fail---the wind would blow.  This provided the ideal conditions for the sand to be picked up as the crusty surface began to dry out.  All of these dust particles floating in the air actually created static electricity which would literally burn the tender crops.  If it continued unchecked for just one day the whole crop could be destroyed.  It would turn brown and die.  To prevent that loss, every farmer, as soon as the fields were dry enough to drive a tractor over, began the job of “sand fighting”.

There were two main types of sand fighting plows.  One was called the “rotary hoe”.  It was made up of a whole bunch of little spikes (about 10” long and 1” (L-shaped angle iron) wide) that were put together like the spokes of a wheel (without the outside rim).  There was a front row and a back row of these little spiked wheels mounted side by side on a frame that was big enough to cover about six (crop) rows.  I started pulling this rotary hoe behind the “Little Ford” tractor when I was about 8 or 9 years old.  My dad would hook up the bigger John Deere tractor to the nine-row “sandfighter”.   It was basically just a very long bar that had fatter spikes than the rotary hoe.  If we had a hired hand, he would hook up another sandfighter to the red, three wheeled Farmal tractor.  We would start covering the ground as soon as we could get in the fields and we wouldn’t stop for lunch or anything until we had it under control.  We put our tractors in the highest gear that we could so that we could get the ground covered as fast as possible.  It was an urgent matter for real.  Sometimes neighboring farmers would help each other after they had completed their fields. 

The plows would work by breaking up the crust of the soil.  The sand wouldn’t pick up where you had plowed unless it took you too long to break up the nearby upwind soil.  That’s why it was better to start at the upwind side of the field if possible.  A neighbor could hurt you bad if he didn’t break up his ground as well because his sand could come over and start drying out your freshly plowed soil and breaking down the clods to finer particles that could then be picked up by the wind.  The plows did some damage to the crops because it was stabbing thousands of holes in the ground next to the plants but if you didn’t do it you would lose the whole crop anyway, so it was worth the cost.  There’s a life lesson in there somewhere.  I’ll let you figure it out for yourself.  I remember how great the feeling was when you finished that last round on each field and especially when you finished that last round on that last field.  And I remember how fighting sand was one of my favorite things to do (if I had to be driving the tractor) because you could go real fast and you really felt like you were making progress. (There’s a life lesson in that “good feeling about making progress” part too.)  I’m thankful that I got to fight the sand.  For those of you who have been wondering---now you know why they call me--- “The Sandfighter”.  God Bless.  Dennis

When my youngest son, Jarod, was in elementary school he was in the top of his class.  He was in all the top academic groups and the top behavior groups and he usually was the fastest kid on the daily playground footrace.  His friend, Cody, would win those races sometimes, but it was always one of those two.  He was such a competitor and an ideal student that one teacher told us that if she were to have another kid of her own that she would want him to be just like Jarod.  That was at school.  At home, he was usually a good kid, but sometimes---sometimes he needed to blow off the steam that had built up at school.  He was such an intense person that it had to come out somewhere and sometime.  So, I guess it was better for it to come out at home than at school.  I could identify with him because I was exactly the same way when I was a kid (except for the top of the class part and the running the fastest part).  I had my difficult moments at home, as well.  Several times I’ve heard my mom say that I wasn’t happy unless I had all my brothers and sisters crying.  That wasn’t true, however.  I wasn’t happy even then.  Therefore, I could relate to Jarod’s difficult side.

When he was somewhere around the second grade I remember one day when he was being difficult and I tried several times to persuade him to not be that way.  I threatened him multiple times to no avail.  (My dad used to warn me by saying that if I didn’t straighten up it would be “too wet to plow.”  I don’t know if Jarod would have understood that farming terminology threat or not but I probably used it anyway since that was what was used on me.  It didn’t really even make a lot of practical sense to me (I liked it when it was "too wet to plow") but when dad said it I usually backed off just in case he meant something bad.)   Since nothing was working, I finally spanked Jarod and then I hugged him.  He cried for a little bit and then, after a few minutes, he went on his merry way.  He was like a different child.  He was happy.

It finally dawned on me that it was not easy for him to change his behavior, even if he hated being that way (as I did), without some event to give him an excuse to change.  The only way he could “save face” was if I “forced” him to change by spanking him.  Then, he didn’t have a choice but to change.  It didn’t even have to be a hard spanking.  He just needed an excuse.  With this new knowledge came the realization that I was not doing him any big favors by just continually warning him.  I realized that he was asking, without asking, for an excuse to modify his behavior.  Therefore, from that time forward I didn’t wait so long to spank him.  That way he could get back to his carefree life much more quickly. 

As adults, it is so hard for us to make changes when we are wrong.  We don’t even like to admit being wrong, much less making a change.  And those “events” that help facilitate changes don’t come around as easily and as often as they did when we were kids.  Instead we blame someone else for our shortcomings or our problems.  We harbor animosity in our hearts.  We stress out and lose sleep.  It takes a big person to recognize the need to change and to take the necessary steps.  It takes introspection and humility.  And, unfortunately, it seems the ones who need to change the most are the ones who are least likely to do so.  I have so much admiration for pure and open hearted people.  I hope I am one of those people.  It is my goal to be one.  I hope it is your goal too.  God Bless you as you take a look inside your heart this week.  Be the good parent and child.  Sincerely, Dennis       

Today is our 35^th wedding anniversary.  I can’t believe it’s been 35 years.  I would say that they have all been really good years for us, but that wouldn’t be true.  Some of them, especially early on, were very difficult years (mostly my fault I think).  I would tell you more and be more specific but then there might not be a 36^th anniversary if I did.  She wouldn’t divorce me but she might kill me (for those of you in Rio Linda, I’m just kidding about the killing.  She wouldn’t kill me really (would you honey???)).  I’m very thankful that we persevered through the difficult times (even when we didn’t feel like it sometimes) to get to these good times.  It is such a blessing to us both (and to our families) that we made it through.  ( I’m not looking down or being judgmental about those who don’t make it through.  I know that each situation is different and I can’t know what it is like for everyone.  So don’t think that I’m disrespecting you in any way if you have divorced.  My heart goes out to you (non-judgmentally) because I know that you have been through a trial by fire.)  None the less, I thank God that we made it through.

To celebrate we went to the big city of Arlington on Saturday and came back home Sunday afternoon.  When we got there Saturday we went to the mall.  Bonnie shopped and I got out my laptop and worked on my “Dog Pile” post for my blog.  Then we ate at Quiznos in the mall before checking in to a fancy hotel.  We went to the matinee movie and saw “Fractured” which we liked (we even got popcorn and cokes, which we never do), and then picked up some Chinese food from the restaurant inside the Kroger grocery store and took it back to the room to eat (and they say we don’t know how to splurge).  It was great!

Sunday morning we got up and went to class and church at North Richland Hills .  The discussion in class was good.  The singing in the auditorium was awesome (as usual) and Rick’s lesson was outstanding.  He talked about Ephesians 4 about putting away all those bad things and about not going back out into that dumpster to get our old filthy clothes (of immorality, dishonesty and greed, and all those evil things) and putting them back on.  After the lesson a father came forward with his two young sons and we got to watch him baptize them both with about 30 family members standing up on the stage to witness it.  After each baptism, over 1000 people applauded loudly to affirm our support to those young men and we sang “We love you with the love of the Lord”.  It was truly inspiring.   I wish everyone would be as inspired every Lord’s day as much as we were today.  It really makes me want to go out and make a difference in someone’s life.  I just might do that.  Let’s all do it.  What have we got to lose?  And how much we have to gain.  When we got home I told Bonnie that we ought to do the exact same thing on our 70^th anniversary as we did on our 35^th.  She agreed to do it.  I’m going to hold her to it.  She thinks I’ll forget. (Ha!)  God Bless you as you bless others in the week ahead.  Dennis 

One of the great advantages of growing up in or near a small town is the opportunity for almost anyone to play at least one if not several sports during his/her school career.  Looking back, I know that so much of what I am today and how I see myself was shaped by my involvement in the athletic programs at my school.  As I think about the many mental snapshots that come to mind, one of my favorites was truly a defining moment in my life.  I’ve never shared it with anyone in my life---until now. 

Though I was pretty small, one of the positions I played on the football team was “wide receiver” (we used to call it “split end”).  I probably only caught about 8 or 10 passes (or less) in my senior year but I remember several of them very vividly.  The first one I caught was when I was coming over the middle and the ball just happened to hit me on the hip and stopped.  I draped my arm around it and drew it in.  After a few steps a defender grabbed me and pulled me down.  As soon as I got to the ground, an unmistakable revelation (not miraculous or Spiritual) popped into my head.  A reality light bulb came on.  It was a defining moment.  I realized, clearly, instantly, undeniably that I could have gained another yard or another foot or at least another inch before going down.  I didn’t have to stop at that precise spot.  I could have made it farther.  I went down because, in my mind, I had been tackled and so on my way down I quit fighting for progress.  No one else on earth knew that what had just happened was a turning point for me and for my life.  To all observers, it looked like just another play.  But in that instant I made up my mind that I would never stop fighting before I was down again.  I was not going to make it easy for anyone who was trying to prevent me from reaching my goal. 

I stayed true to my commitment.  I remember two specific times after that when I had the ball and was running down the field.  I juked the tacklers so they were unable to get a direct hit on me but they grabbed me and hung on to my back as I just kept pulling with every ounce of strength I had.  I felt like buckling, but, for awhile longer, in spite of being on the verge of collapsing, I was able to keep driving forward.  Those plays seemed to go in slow motion as players from both teams joined the struggle – some pulling and some pushing.  It was awesome.  I treasure that memory.     That became who I was and how I saw myself.  And because of it I know I had an impact on my team mates and others who were watching.  About 10 years after graduation, a classmate of mine said that watching my determination had been an inspiration to him.  Hearing him say that made my day (and week and month, etc.).

Since then I occasionally feel a temptation to give up on something.  And I see others give up on their dreams or cave in when sensing a struggle or hard times.  But the reality (the real reality) is that we can all do so much more than we realize and we can all endure so much more than we ever believed possible.  It’s just a matter of not stopping the push forward.  We can complete the longest race if we never stop taking just one more step and then another.  And not only does that help us complete the race, it inspires others to keep going when their times are tough as well.  May God Bless you take that next step and as you accomplish all you can, to his glory.  Don’t go down without fighting to the end.  God Bless.  Dennis

For some reason I woke up this morning with little JD on my mind.  He’s always on my heart---but this morning he is on my mind.  Every time I write about my grandson, Trapper, I also think about JD.  He is my sweet little grandbaby that was born 7 months ago today.  He only lived for a few precious moments.  A few of us had the privilege to hold his sweet little body for a short time.  I remember the feel of his smooth little forehead as I kissed him and held his head against my neck.  I’ll probably write more about him at some point in the future but I just wanted to acknowledge him today since he’s so dominantly on my mind.  He’s a blessing from God and  is watching over our family this day and every day.  Thank you, God, for JD.  Sincerely, Dennis 

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I went to Lubbock to attend the graduation ceremonies of our daughter-in-law from Tech.  She was completing her Masters Degree.  All of her family was there as well.  Afterwards we all went out to a steakhouse to celebrate the occasion.  There were about 16 of us so we were strung out along a very long table.  The restaurant was noisy so you could only converse with the people closest to you.  At one point I looked at the opposite end of the table to see my 4 year old grandson, Trapper, with his hand up to his face and it looked like he might be crying.  His face was definitely wrinkled up and he looked very sad but I couldn’t be sure whether he was crying or not.  So I watched.  Momentarily he pulled his hand away from his face, along with the lemon he had in his mouth and his face returned to normal.  He wasn’t crying.  He was sucking the juice out of a lemon.  His dad told me that he will sometimes carry a lemon around for hours sucking on it.  What got my attention was the fact that he so seldom has a sad face that I thought something must be wrong.

A few nights ago on the season finale of the show “24”, the actor who played the senator (Audrey’s father) was sitting on the couch with Jack Bower (the hero) standing over him.  On one shot I noticed the most exaggerated upside down “smiley” face that I have ever seen on a human being.  It literally looked like the sad clown where the upside down smile is drawn on his face.  It was extreme.  That made me think about three other faces I’ve seen.

There are three people that I have known in my life that God blessed with a facial structure that gave them a natural smile.  Even when they were 100% relaxed it looked like they were smiling.  One of them was a girl named Karen.  She was a high school girl in the 80’s that went to church where we did.  Another was Shelley, a girl that went to our small town school and graduated when my youngest son did.  She just has that natural smile (It is not as pronounced as the other two, but is nonetheless there).  And, finally, there is my cousin Ricky.  Ricky is a banker who is always smiling.  It is just natural.  He told me about a time when the farm economy was really suffering and a farmer came in to tell him about his financial troubles and how he was having difficulty making his farm payment.   After he had told his story he suddenly stopped and said “Are you laughing at me?”  This caught Ricky off guard because he wasn’t laughing at all.  It was just his natural facial expression.  Except for a few isolated incidents like this, these three have been naturally blessed by their happy face.  People have a natural tendency to respond positively to them.  They are considered friendly and upbeat and I’m sure that they have been propelled in that direction because of it. 

On the other hand---(or maybe I should say “on the other head”) I know a couple of people that were cursed with a naturally “upset” face.  They always look mad (or sad)---even if they are not.  And most of these people seem to live more negative, pessimistic lives.  They look grouchy so most people avoid them or brace themselves for the grouchiness and I’m positive that this has contributed to a more grouchy disposition.  I’m not listing their names because they look kind of mean.  I’m afraid they might hurt me.

Most of us are in the middle of these two extremes.  We don’t have a natural bent.  We are smiley sometimes and unsmiley sometimes.  We have “ambidextrous” faces.  We get to choose which “sign” we are going to put on our window each day.  We get to choose if our cup is half-empty or half-full.  (Of course the others do too, but they start off with a natural bias to one side or the other).  We get to choose if we are going around with a lemon in our mouth or with juicy fruit gum.  We have truly been blessed by God.  I’m convinced that if I can keep that awareness of his blessings in my mind and in my heart, then it makes it much more easy and “natural” to put a smile on my face - which, in turn, blesses those around me.  Life is too short to waste it on negativity.  May God Bless you as you bring a smile to your neighborhood this week.  Dennis

 An era has passed and unless someone writes down how things were done during that era, that information will eventually be lost forever.  Therefore, I am writing it down for your current enjoyment and, hopefully, to preserve this information for the generations to come.  It has to do with farm life and the operation of a Texas panhandle farm.  If you are not too interested in the details about the farm, jump down to the last part of the post and read the more personal experience side that I remember.  I think you will enjoy that for sure. 

A ditch stop (either a triangular shaped piece of metal or a ditch tarp attached to a board with a  rope) would be placed in the ditch so that siphon tubes (1”, 1 ½”  2” or 3”diameter)could be placed into the ditch and water siphoned into the rows to irrigate the crops.  When it came time to “change the water”, a new ditch stop would be placed either closer to or further from the well depending which rows had been watered most recently.  Then, before the ditch could overflow, the tubes had to be moved and restarted in the new rows.  If the ditch sloped downward rapidly, one or two tarps could be placed  at strategic points (much like locks in the Panama Canal) and the boards would be rotated enough to cause the rope to raise the tarp “spillway” enough to elevate the water level in front of it while allowing the excess water to overflow to a lower elevation.

Therefore, the aerial view, as well as another era of irrigation farming, has passed into history.   

PERSONAL SIDE----I'm glad I got to participate in those earlier eras of farming.  I'm thankful for getting to get my hands muddy from changing the water and blistered from shoveling the dirt and for working in my rubber boots and for starting the tubes.  I remember trying to carry as many tubes as I could and trying to get them to the next set of rows as rapidly as I could so that the ditch wouldn't over flow before I could get them started.  One of my favorite parts of it was being out in the middle of nowhere late at night and just being overwhelmed by the big Texas sky.  In some ways it was a little scary, but in other ways it was awe inspiring.  With no trees, it was unobstructed views of the sunsets, sunrises and the full night sky.  It is incredible how vast the sky is and how many stars are just sitting up there shining.  You could hear the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking (in the wet years).   You could always see "falling" or "shooting" stars.  I remember listening to the radio constantly as I was out checking or changing the water late at night.  I would listen to KOMA out of Oklahoma City for all the greatest hits.  I remember listening to the Texas Rangers or the Houston Astros baseball games on the radio.  One game that stuck out was when the Texas Rangers brought in David Clyde to pitch on a much hyped game.  The reason it was so hyped was because the year before, David Clyde was pitching for his High School team.  He was a "boy wonder" who probably got ruined because they didn't bring him up through the farm system gradually.  Three years ago my son and I bought and then sold a small farm as part of an investment business.  While walking around on that farm I came across 3 metal ditch stops laying on the ground.  What a beautiful sight they were.  They are now in my barn---saved as memorabilia of that special era so many years ago.  And once again I look back and thank God that I'm a "country boy".  God Bless, Dennis   

One of the comments on my May 21 post (Gringo Perdido--Lost White Boy) posed the question about why I haven’t become a travel agent.  This got me to thinking that, yes, I could become a travel agent.  I could probably make a fortune over night.  I could call my agency “Gringo Perdido Travel Agency”.  But I need a good slogan or catch line.  I’ve thought of a couple---“We get you there further” or “Come see the world on your trip to Cleveland ” or ???.  Do you have any suggestions?  “We get you there in twice the time with twice the price?”  “We get you there by the end of your vacation?”  I know there is something better out there.  Let me hear your ideas.  It may mean the difference in my success or my failure.  Thanks in advance!  Dennis

Warning!  I made up parts of the following story.  It will not be easy for some of you to read.  It will make you angry.  It will make your heart heavy.  It might be best if you do not read it---especially if you are a prone to religious “rule-keeping”.  So, if you can’t take something heavy right now, don’t read it.  You have been warned!

 The night that Jesus was going to be betrayed he had gone to a place called Gethsemane to pray that his crucifixion would not have to take place.  He prayed three times to God, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."  But God did not take this cup away.  During this prayer time Jesus was deeply distressed.  One reference says that he was “sorrowful and troubled” (Matt 26:37).  Another said that he was “in anguish” and “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44 (NIV))  Obviously, he was in great pain.

And then, then came Judas, one of the chosen Apostles, with solders to betray Jesus.  The next day, after mock trials, the crowd shouted for him to be crucified.  He was beaten and stripped and whipped and spat upon.  And then he was lead up to the place of the skull, Golgotha . 

And as he was walking up the road, bloodied and in pain, to be crucified a woman approached him.  She wanted to talk with him before it was too late.  She asked, “Jesus, can I speak with you for a moment.”  Jesus, in great pain and agony said, “What do you need?”  The woman said, “Lord, I know this is a difficult time for you but I’ve been told some things and I just need to hear the answers from you while you can still speak to me.”

“What do you need to know?”

“Lord, you know how last night you told us to eat of the bread (which represents your body broken for us) and drink of the fruit of the vine (which represents your blood shed on the cross for our sins) and that we were to do that in remembrance of you?”

“Yes.”

“I was just wondering---if we do that at a time other than Sunday morning, say on a Thursday night or a Saturday night, will we be condemned to Hell?”

Jesus, feeling the weight of the cross on his achey shoulder replied, “What makes you ask that?  Didn’t you hear me say do this “whenever” you drink it, in remembrance of me?” (1 Cor. 11:25 (NIV)

“I know, Lord, but some are saying that it must be only on Sunday or we will be condemned to Hell.  They say it is not authorized any other time.  And speaking of not authorized, they say that when we sing praises to your name that we are not authorized to clap, either and a bunch of other things.  Are they right?”

“Yes, Lord, I remember.”

“You know, that was an unauthorized act of worship, too.  Do you remember what I told her after she had done that?”

“Yes, Lord, I remember.  You told her that because of her love and because of her faith that her sins were forgiven.  You told her that her faith had saved her.”

“That’s right.  And now I ask you, ‘If I was willing to forgive this woman, who did an “unauthorized” act of worship, because of her love and faith, what makes you think I won’t do the exact same thing for you for the exact same reasons?’  Today, a new covenant is beginning---one in which all these little details are not what’s important---you know, the ‘letter’ of the law.’  Instead, I’m replacing it with the Spirit of the law.  For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6).  I’m going to the cross today to set you free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2).  I’m going to the cross today so that you will no longer be burdened by a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1) and a list of rules to keep.  From now on it is about your heart.  As of right now, the “only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Gal 5:6).  You can count on it.  Now I must go.  My task is at hand.”

“Thank you Jesus.  Thank you so much for setting me free.”

“You are welcome, my child.  Keep the faith. And may God bless you.”

Amen!

Set us free Lord!  Dennis