moonroof musings

Pulling up behind a Toyota stopped at the light at Wrightsboro and Kissingbower last night I noticed it had a Georgia specialty plate supporting animal welfare. The plate has the profiles of a dog and a cat kissing each other in a scene splashed in pastels. Affixed to the rear window was the iconic pro-choice circular sticker declaring "keep abortion legal". I suspect that those who are proponents of animal rights are abrogating their authority to avoid hypocrisy in their campaign to be free of God's authority.

New Company Car

It's a sad day here at the Tate house (I suppose I can call it that because of all the junk mail that I get that's addressed to "The Tate Family").

I had to say goodbye this week to my Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Manufactured in Texas in 1992, I started driving her back in November of 2000. Once convinced of the inadvisability of going ahead with the thousands of dollars worth of prescribed repairs - I traded her in on Friday with an odometer reading of 275,500 miles.

She had many names: the ghetto sled, desert sled, u.s.s. John Isaac - I called her Betsy. She wore plates from four states - Georgia, Vermont, Connecticut, and Arizona. She carried me safely and always without incident to countless camps and other ministry opportunities. She's skipped up the San Jacinto Mountains, skated through the Vermont backwoods, and raced across the Sonoran Desert. She was such a blessing and I thank God so very much for such a wonderful car. I'm going to miss that most sweetest of rides.

My new company car is a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria. This one was manufactured in Canada - I pray she see just as much and even more than the Chevrolet!

"I am neither proud of what I have done nor of what I am now doing."

Ok - according to Muslim legend - only ten animals have entered Paradise. I'll give you the non-biblical five and see if you can get those five mentioned in the Protestant canon.

Here are the revealed five:

The Cuckoo of Belkis
The Camel of the prophet Saleb
The Ox of Moses
The Dog Kratim of the Seven Sleepers
Muhammad's Ass

Here's a hint:
Two are from Genesis
One is from the wisdom literature
One is from the minor prophets
One is from the historical books

Lapidary

"By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich."

- Democritus (Of course this is only true when concerning material things. It would be a wretched statement if made concerning the blessings of God.)

The Sacred Desk

I'll be expositing Romans 8:12-17 tomorrow morning.

Christians allow themselves to be seduced sometimes by the siren whose song tells the toiler that he need not struggle - that holiness, while a wonderful thing, is not a necessity but a bit of a luxury. This, of course, is a lie. As a desert dweller can do without champagne but must have water - so the believer can do without acclaim but must bear the fruit worthy of it. Paul argues for the importance of holiness - declaring it a duty, a defense, an inheritance, and a fellowship. Without it - the Spirit is either proven ineffectual or one's faith less than whole - both evincing that one's hope of salvation has permanent fatal errors. It's a complicated issue - love complicates everything. The thing is not so befuddling so as to inspire despair however. We can be holy.

The Life and Times . . .

The police were called to my house over the weekend along with the Columbia County Crisis Intervention Team after several neighbors called 911 expressing their great concern after seeing me attempting to erect a volleyball net by myself in the backyard. After spending a night at the West Augusta Serenity Care Center I'm happy to report that, with the help of Jeremy and Casandra, I've got my mind right and will always solicit help in the future or find contentment in less ambitious endeavors like setting up chairs.

The Sacred Desk

This Sunday I'll be expositing Ephesians 5:15-17.