Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 23, 2008
A true story from Reader’s Digest:
Recently my girlfriend, Karen, got a job at a local hardware store. "The owners don’t want us hanging out with our friends," she said. "If you stop by, tell them you’re my brother."
On my first visit, I walked to the customer service desk and asked the older
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 23, 2008
What we see urged in the NT is zeal, which is not quite the same as the fad word "passion" (which implies the necessity of emotional exuberance and is emotionally driven) or "urgency" (which implies a desperate God and is usually guilt driven). Zeal is a spiritually driven energy grounded in a
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 16, 2008
Ed Vasicek on the Parable of the Prodigal Son
If some Dr. Spock-like psychologist wrote this parable, he might say that the Prodigal left home because his father oppressed him, or that he was sheltered from life by his overly-protective mother and the poor financial prospects in a profit-driven
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 16, 2008
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Dr. Kevin Leman in his The New Birth Order book shares a typical pattern of how children turn out based upon birth order; it is by no means without exception. Here is a typically scenario in a family of three children not too many years apart…
Usually the first born is a bit of a perfectionist
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 16, 2008
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WHEN BEING GRACIOUS IS UNETHICAL
Sometimes people resent it when another is gracious, and sometimes graciousness can be unfair.
My brother-in-law Joel, worked hard to turn paper in on time. The teacher had said she would not extend the deadline. So he pulled an all-nighter and got it done, only
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 26, 2008
Wikipedia tells us this about Memorial Day:
"Memorial Day is a United States Federal Holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed in 2008 on May 26). It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 26, 2008
"Eighteen" — (shemoneh esreh) the central prayer in Jewish life and liturgy. It is also known as Amidah (Standing), because it is said standing; or simply Tefilah (Prayer), the prayer par excellence. The prayer originally consisted of eighteen benedictions, and thus the name "Eighteen." Its final
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 20, 2008
ome problems have simple and quick solutions.
“Our patient in the hospital was a big, burly former officer. Just after surgery, and still half out of it, he became agitated and confused, tearing at his IVs and trying to escape his bed. The nurses gamely attempted to keep him calm, but were losing
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 20, 2008
“As the [prayer shawl] was placed over the head, it formed its own tent. WINGS of the garment were formed when the arms were held out. For this reason, the corners of the prayer shawl are often called "wings." During the first century there were several traditions associated with the tzitzit
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 20, 2008
"Some critics have scorned the concept of a Jubilee year as being impossible to implement, however archaeologists have found records of deeds from the late biblical period containing references to it being in operation.
The first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Kook, taught that the basis for the
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 12, 2008
Nothing is quite as sweet as the attachment most children have to their mother.
(from Reader’s Digest):
One evening after dinner, my five-year-old son Brian noticed that his mother had gone out. In answer to his questions, I told him, "Mommy is at a Tupperware party."
This explanation satisfied
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 12, 2008
"Briefly stated, the Talmud (Kiddushin 29a) states that a father is obligated regarding his son to circumcise him, redeem him (if he is a first-born), teach him Torah, marry him off, and teach him a trade. Some add an obligation to teach him how to swim. A father is further obligated to support
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 12, 2008
"David had eight wives, including Maacah, the daughter of a king who ruled over the tiny nation of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3).
In the Psalms, we read about David’s struggles with God as his son was pursuing him, trying to kill him to steal his throne. But how did Maacah feel about this? Was she
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 9, 2008
I noted some comments made by Jan Silvious this past week on Moody radio. Guest Jan Silvious stated that controlling type people (control or power freaks) don’t usually have
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 21, 2008
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"According to the Rabbis, the Books of Numbers and Deuteronomy are complementary to each other (comp. Tithe, Biblical Data); consequently there can be no contradiction between them. Thus there were three kinds of tithes: (1) that given to the Levites as stated in Num. xviii. 21 et seq., and termed
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 21, 2008
Sometimes people think God does not know what they are thinking. But He knows that some people are just "using" God, but they really detest Him.
At a tea for officers and their wives, the commanding general of a base delivered a seemingly endless oration. A young lieutenant grumbled to the woman
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 14, 2008
"Henry Ziegland thought he had dodged fate. In 1883, he broke off a relationship with his girlfriend who, out of distress, committed suicide. The girl’s brother was so enraged that he hunted down Ziegland and shot him. The brother, believing he had killed Ziegland, then turned his gun on himself
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 14, 2008
As Christians, we have to be careful that we remember justice, and not “just us …we watch out for “our kind” and nobody else. It is one thing to disagree as to what is in the best interest of others, it is another to not really care and to not make the effort to put oneself in their
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 11, 2008
Bonnie Jones shares this story:
"I was in the express lane at the store quietly fuming. Completely ignoring the sign, the woman ahead of me had slipped into the checkout line pushing a cart piled high with groceries. Imagine my delight when the cashier beckoned the woman to come forward,
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Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 11, 2008
Many view church as an "anything goes" proposition. One man reported this: "The other day, I passed a sign on a small truck with a pro-customer service motto: ’Gene’s
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