As parents, we’ve had to adjust the way we discipline our children from time to time as they grow and as the culture changes….with especially major differences from the time when I was growing up. For example, when I was young and got in trouble, I was sent to my room, in which was my bed and a bunch of books. There was no TV, radio, internet, or phone. It was a time-out given to re-evaluate my attitude and behavior.
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Two Fridays ago, my family was tragically stunned when my younger brother, Gary, was found dead at his condominium in Baltimore County. He apparently died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 46. Last Thursday was his funeral at which I gave the eulogy. In my own state of shock I was struck by the reality which I shared with those present, ‘Death, especially when sudden and unexpected, forces disruption upon us, rudely interrupts our carefully laid out plans, and faces us with its irrevocable power.’
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As we approach the New Year, we’re back to making New Year’s resolutions … but this year is a bit different, since it’s not only a New Year but a New Decade! During the past ten years we’ve seen such radical changes in our society; the definition of marriage, millennia-old norms of gender identity, bath and locker-room privacy, have all been affected by court decisions as a sea change in social mores has swept through the western world. People of Biblical faith are witnessing the fulfillment of Isaiah’s warning, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” [Isaiah 5:20]
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Last night, in our hotel room in England, was this really nice lounge chair … and it reminded me of this passage in Isaiah.
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My wife has had an interesting life. Here, she shares a small portion of her past: I was born in Israel. My parents divorced when I was a toddler and my mother met and married a hippie American tourist who was searching his roots in Israel at the time. Later, we went back to the States with him. Little did we realize that he was heavily addicted to drugs and this among other things made for a very unhappy family and little on which to live.
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A foreign soldier was brought before his commanding officer and accused of communicating with the enemy. He had been seen emerging from an area where their troops were known to patrol. The poor man summed up his defense in a few words, stating that he had slipped away to spend an hour alone in prayer.
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I love fishing but sadly, I haven’t been able to do it in quite some time. Yeah, I know, one would think there’d be some good fishing spots here in Israel. However, from what I understand, they’re not really available to the public. So sad. Nevertheless, fishing gives me a chance to get a break from the world and just relax and meditate — and on a good day, maybe catch a fish or two.
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