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Blessed #7
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9 (NIV) Peace these days is usually interpreted in terms of either noise or warfare, and is usually characterized by the absence of one or the other, or both. When we have peace in the...
Blessed #6
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NIV) The Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, were very big on external purity. This included specific ways of washing their hands, and total avoidance of contact...
Blessed #5
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 (NIV) The Jews defined mercy in two different but related ways: First, as the forgiveness of wrongs done to you, and secondly as the giving of alms or charity. Both definitions of mercy are...
Blessed #4
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 (NIV) In this beatitude, Jesus was drawing a sharp line between those who were confident of their own righteousness, specifically the Pharisees and teachers of the...
Blessed #3
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 The word "meek" often conjures up in our heads the image of a person who others walk all over - the proverbial dooormat that everyone mistreats, but who is too cowardly or shy to do anything about...
Blessed #2
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 NIV) In this second beatitude, Jesus again challenges the thinking not only of His day, but of our day too! Most of us are able to look at those for whom life is going great, and figure that God is...
Blessed #1
Matthew 5:1-3 (NIV) Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus begins His Sermon on...
Vacation 2010 – Day 25
We left Boulder City this morning under cloudy skies, but the day turned out warm anyway, and cleared off as the day wore on. The trip north to Fallon was uneventful - it was before that that I got into trouble. I decided that I really needed to clean the bug splats...
Vacation 2010 – Day 23
Spent the night at Sharla's dad's house - no internet, so I couldn't update the blog last night. Yesterday was pretty uneventful. We left Gallup, New Mexico at about 9 a.m. and headed east. Arrived in Apache Junction, about 30 east of Phoenix, at about 3 p.m. ...
Vacation 2010 – Day 22
Today was a LOOOOOONG driving day. We left Oklahoma City at about 9 a.m. Central time and headed due west. I have spent a lot of time in OKC over the years, because that is where the FAA Academy is located. If you add up all the time I spent there, it totals almost...