Category Archives: Church of God

If You Know You Know

Posted on January 20, 2019 by

It is often thought by those who are not in the know that there is no purpose in tautology.  The statement that adorns this particular personal essay is an example of a tautology.  If you know, you know.  In mathematical … Continue reading →

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On The Purposes Of Job’s Suffering

Posted on January 14, 2019 by

Yesterday in his latest installment in a series of sermons relating to the book of Ephesians, our pastor made an offhand comment that a fellow member of our church’s Council of Elders had stated that the purpose of the book … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Most Adventures Are Misadventures

Posted on January 13, 2019 by

So first, a little context.  Being someone who tries to keep schedules in mind, I knew that yesterday was going to be a pretty busy day for many people, including myself.  I got up and got ready for church and … Continue reading →

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Truth Is Not An Absolute Defense Against Lashon Hara

Posted on January 9, 2019 by

About fifteen years ago or so I was threatened with a libel lawsuit for copying an e-mail received and sending it to those who had been concerned about it.  And it is true that truth is an absolute defense against … Continue reading →

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πράος / וַתְרָנִי

Posted on January 7, 2019 by

Meekness is a virtue easier preached than practiced.  That is certainly true of all of the virtues, but the virtue of meekness presents special difficulties that make it especially hard to practice well.  With most virtues, we have a good … Continue reading →

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Our Picture Of God’s Judgment

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

[Note:  The following is the prepared text for a sermonette given at the Portland congregation of the United Church of God on Sabbath, January 5, 2019.] Imagine the following scene.  You are on the third floor of the Washington County … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Church of God, Musings, Psalms, Sermonettes, Sons of Korah | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Learning From The Gaps

Posted on January 4, 2019 by

As someone who frequently likes to read the Bible and write about it, I think it is worthwhile to learn from what the Bible does not talk about just as much about what it does talk about.  From seeing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Days Of Unleavened Bread And The Problem Of Khol Ha-Moedim

Posted on December 28, 2018 by

Yesterday, when writing about the question of the tradition of Winter Family Weekends for those of us who eschew the worship of heathen festivals [1], I commented that I would deal with the question of the observance of the “middle … Continue reading →

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Obituary: Ruth Jane (Matthias) Koontz

Posted on December 26, 2018 by

Ruth Jane (Matthias) Koontz (1931-2018) This morning, December 25th, 2018, Ruth Jane (Matthias) Koontz of Plant City, Florida died after having been in hospice care for a couple of days.  She had just reached 87 years of age and had … Continue reading →

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Let’s Not Have Any Lies Between Us

Posted on December 23, 2018 by

My day began in a way I could have predicted.  I got up and got ready for the speaker’s workshop and as I was starting my shower my roommate drove off, thinking that the speaker’s workshop was earlier.  When I … Continue reading →

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