A New Creature. . . an Apostolic Pentecostal blog

I’m 71 years old. I have been driving for over 50 years, and I have never had an accident, and I have never received a speeding ticket. I have grandsons who are or will soon be beginning to drive. I was thinking this morning on my way to work, how have I been able to drive all these years without incident? 1. I drive the speed limit. It’s easy to do. I hear people claim that driving the speed limit will get you run over in different areas of the country. I’ve driven in many metropolitan areas of the U.S. and Canada, and I’ve never had a problem. Excessive speed is a major contributing factor in many accidents. Yes you can drive faster than the speed limit without getting a ticket, but that doesn't make it legal, or good sense to do so. 2. I NEVER tailgate. I always want a generous interval between my car and the one ahead of me. I want plenty of time to react if something happens. 3. I always watch cars approaching on side streets. People make mistakes, they get distract...

I was a jail chaplain for 18 years, in the local county jail. Over those years, I would speak with one or two inmates a year, who would relate to me the horror of their life in bondage to their meth or crack addiction. They would tell me that in their despair, how they had prayed, “Dear Lord, get me out of this lifestyle”, and in a few minutes they would find themselves in handcuffs in the back of a squad car. Jail. . . otherwise not necessarily jail, but getting caught, can be a blessing. Over my years as a chaplain, lives were changed. People did find freedom from their bondage while incarcerated. Thinking back over my life, I wasn’t caught every time I did something wrong, but I was caught often enough to let me know that a life of crime wasn’t going to be profitable for me. The first memory I have was that we lived in town and there was no school bus service. We had to walk to school. We lived almost two miles away. A friend of my’s sister was in high school, and gave her br...

  Over my life, I’ve had several medical encounters, which I think others might find useful. To give a background, these have taken place in a small town of about 50,000 people in northern Indiana, in the U.S. The first occurred in the early 80’s. We noticed that my son, about 4-5 years old, was limping, favoring one leg when he walked and ran. We took him to his pediatrician, who suspected, and it was confirmed by x-rays, that he had a condition called Legg Perthes. It happens typically in young boys 4-10 years old where the ball of the femur loses blood supply, and dies. We went from his pediatrician to a local orthopedic specialist, who confirmed the diagnosis, and prescribed a treatment which consisted of sewing a loop onto the back of his shoe of the effected leg, and putting a chain between that loop, and a belt loop on his pants, thereby keeping his knee bent, and his foot lifted, so no weight could be put upon it, allowing the femur ball to regrow without further damage...

  Chapter 13 Job 13:1 KJV  Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it. Job 13:2 KJV  What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. This is a repeat of the thought in verse 12:3 Job 12:3 KJV  But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these? Job 13:3 KJV  Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.  Regardless of your words, I would rather reason with God than with you. Job 13:4 KJV  But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value. ‘Forgers’ is confusing to me here. This word is only found three times in the Old Testament.  When I read ‘forgers’ I think of the forging of a piece of metal in a furnace.  In another instance it is translated ‘sewest up’, as in to sew on a patch.  Job restates his frustration, you are as a doctor attempting to treat a disease without a clue to what you are doing...

  Truth I had an appointment this morning to meet someone at 10:00. I left in time to be there 10 minutes early. As I meditated while driving, my philosophy has always been, I'd rather be an hour early than a minute late. When I make a commitment to someone, no matter how small, I want to fulfill it. The Bible is clear, that being dependable and trustworthy in small things is important. Years ago, I gave a deposition in a legal case. The normal requirement is to take an oath that what you are about to say is true, but as Christians we are instructed not to take oaths: Matthew 5:33-37 NKJV  "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  34  But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;  35  nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  36  Nor shall you swear by your head, ...

  Job  Chapter 12 review Job 12:1 KJV  And Job answered and said, Job 12:2 KJV  No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you. Job begins with heavy sarcasm.  It is well known that the sum of all knowledge resides, with, and will die with you.   Job 12:3 KJV  But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these? In our certainty, we must never be so sure that we forget there are views, and perspectives outside of our own, if which we are blind.  Different views are not necessarily inferior or invalid views.  Job's friends seem so absolute in their beliefs about him.  The view from inside a house is always more complete than the view from outside looking in. Job 12:4 KJV  I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn. I am accused of mockery, but in reality it is I who is mocked of h...