Musings From A Rolling Eyed Turtle

Fashion statements in the Bible?   Yes, sort of! The King James Version of the Bible, along with the New American Standard Version, both indicate there are special garments (clothes) that would be for glory and for beauty.   The New International Version uses different words – dignity and honor.   Regardless, these garments must have been very impressive! But the clothes were not for the average person.   These garments, according to Exodus 28:2 and 28:40 were to be specifically made for and worn by Aaron and his sons.   These weren’t just casual clothes or even business casual.   Aaron and his sons had been set apart to minister as priests to God.   These garments were to be worn when Moses anointed and ordained and consecrated them as priests to God according to the Old Testament priesthood (Exodus 28:41). “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him...

What do you think of in terms of leaving a legacy?   Leaving property or money?   That’s one way. The dictionary points to more possibilities:   “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.”     Something transmitted could mean lots of things and it doesn’t always have to be something tangible. The book of Hebrews records a legacy that wonderfully fits that broader definition:   “And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”   In this case, God commended Abel for his faith and actions and both still speak to us today.   (Heb 11:4) Another one is found in the book of Mark:   “I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”   In this account, the woman took a jar of very expensive perfume and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.   While others were criticizing the act as wasteful, Jesus ...

According to Wikipedia, LOL is an abbreviation for laughing out loud, or laugh out loud.   It is a common element of Internet slang.   It was used historically on Usenet but is now widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communications. According to Reader’s Digest, Laughter is the Best Medicine. According to Genesis 17, Abraham laughed and according to Genesis 18, Sarah laughed .   The problem was that their laughter was heard by one very important person.   And it turned out that their laughter wasn’t even close to being the best medicine!   Why?   They  laughed at God. It’s easy to be harsh on them but stop and think about it.   Sarah had been barren all her child bearing years.   Now she was being told that she would conceive and have a son.   Furthermore, as the passage notes, she was already old and well advanced in years and was past the age of child bearing.   To add further insult to injury, the fa...

YOLO, Y ou O nly L ive O nce, was trendy for a while and is still sort of catchy.   But it often takes on the characteristics of an “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die” type of thing.   Even worse, it has been modeled by some who are very visible in the media! With the right perspective, YOLO can actually be a good thing.   It can be a framework for life in light of what is mentioned in Colossians 1:10: That we might live a life worthy of the Lord; That we might please the Lord in every way; That we might bear fruit in every good work; That we might grow in the knowledge of God. However, if we fail to gain the right perspective on YOLO and buy into that “eat, drink and be merry” variety, we need to realize that God is not mocked, we will reap what we sow (Gal 6:7). But perhaps the even greater warning is this:   YOLO needs to be seen in light of YODO, Y ou O nly D ie O nce.   God tells us what follows YODO, i...

To increase sales, somewhere along the line the marketing folks put together a catchy    “ BOGO ”. It’s not really a word, it’s the first letters of a phrase:   B uy O ne, G et O ne… Some sales, for example, might feature a B uy O ne, G et O ne free.   Others might be a B uy O ne, G et O ne half price. God offers the best BOGO ever!   What? “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!   Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isa 55:1) God actually turns BOGO on its head!   He says that we can buy without money and without cost.   What could be better than that?   Read on: “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?   Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.   Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.   I will make an everlasti...

I once heard a consultant say something to the extent that no plan can survive a collision with reality.   It was almost an odd thing to say since consultants often spend a lot of time helping their clients develop plans.   So why plan, then, if the plans can’t survive! But it actually made sense, once an explanation was given.   The consultant indicated that as the organization’s plans are implemented, they face reality and reality includes changing needs.   Changing needs require a willingness to adjust direction and a flexibility to adapt.   There must also even be a willingness to abandon a plan if it isn’t working.   It almost sounded Biblical!   Allow me to explain… Solomon once wrote that “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Prov. 16:9). A Psalmist wrote:   “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him.   For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and...

In the vast wasteland of TV, which frequently encompasses profanity, innuendos and a lack of morality, I found a show that got it right! While many TV shows never really deal with the deeper issues of life, this one did.   In one particular episode, one of the main characters was endeavoring to help another character deal with the regrets of having missed an opportunity.   The conversation between the characters took a serious turn when the one asked the other:   “Is what you did so unforgivable?” The conversation then got right down to the heart of the matter when the character further said:   “It is guilt which crushes us”, followed by “It is shame which holds us in the dark.” Wow!   On TV, no less! David, the Psalmist, used similar words in probing the subject of guilt.   He wrote that his guilt had overwhelmed him like a burden too heavy to bear (Ps 38:4). Paul, the Apostle, in touching on the subject of shame, wrote that hope does n...