my careless contagion

The movie I Still Believe (2020) is important for a few reasons. It highlights things every Christian goes through if they follow the Lord. You will have loss. You will have questions. You will be broken. If you are following God but haven't experienced those yet, don't let my words deter you. It is worth it, dear, if you let God redeem those moments. And it will make sense someday. I rewatched the movie recently, this time with my son. The first time I watched, I was house-sitting for the woman I wrote about so much on this blog, the one who decided to exit my life last year for good and forever. When I watched it the first time, I had the thought God might allow the same sort of thing to happen to me with the thing I loved the most in this world, just as he did Jeremy Camp, who lost his wife to cancer. To watch the movie again was surreal, as it took me back to that moment. What transpired since that evening roughly two years ago when I relaxed with the family dog in the liv...

Someone pointed out that King David and Bathsheba had several children after they were married, one of whom was named Nathan. If you remember the story of when David was confronted about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, you know that's also the name of the prophet who delivered the resounding report on David's illict activities: "Thou art the man."  You wonder why David and Bathsheba would name one of their children after the man who exposed their affair (as if everyone didn't already know)? It is because of King David's heart, a heart unlike any other in scripture. God loved David so much He sent His son through his lineage (Solomon, who also came from his union with Bathsheba). Why? He was a man after God's own heart. And we see that heart in action when he named one of his sons after the man who doubtless saved his life by reconciling him with God before it was too late.  I find David easy to study because he made monumental mistakes. That resonate...

Though I may have overshared on this platform (after all, someone may actually be reading), it has a purpose. I'm going to hold back a little because what God is doing is precious and I want to focus on it. Having said that, here is a very hopeful post. Let it soak into your heart. There is always hope when one seeks God. Some things happened recently that changed the trajectory of my life. This isn’t a gee-look-how-great-I’m-doing post. And I know how far I have to go. But, it is a step in the right direction. A big step.  When I thought of moving forward with a woman, I conjured the phrase "looking for a beautiful soul and a curious mind." Then I added she must protect my heart. Quite an important afterthought. Indeed, my Tumblr says something like "love letters to a beautiful soul," though that soul was never named. It was hopeful. Like she was out there somewhere. Maybe even looking for me.  I created a Tumblr account while going through my divorce. It helpe...

The fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 are listed above. Grammatically, they are listed in the verses as one entity, but they are nine distinct properties. Rarely does one person exhibit all these fruits of the Holy Spirit. Or they do so only for a time. The fruit of the spirit is born out of labor. It isn't free. It doesn't just happen. We have to work to bring it forth, just as we have to tend to our trees and plants to make them produce. Much labor brings forth fruit.  The woman I was in love with consistently exhibited many of these characteristics through the years. As long as I knew her, she was like that. Not only did she exemplify the virtuous woman in Proverbs, but she also exhibited many of the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23. This further reinforces what I feel about her being a treasure for any man. It certainly makes her a wonderful role model for her children and ex-husband, as well as many others.  Of course, I know no one is perfect. But you'...

  The story of Jesus, Mary, and Martha (Luke 10:38-42) has long interested me. It is a short story that says many things. I pasted it below from the KJV. Let's get started. *** 38  Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40  But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42  But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. *** The story is something many of us can relate to. While we are busy doing our service, others are, seemingly, loafing. As we saw in the story ...

The book of Proverbs ends by expounding on the virtuous woman. I've known that term — virtuous woman — for about 30 years. Until fairly recently, I didn't have a clue what it looked like, however.  Everyone reading this blog probably knows I'm in love with a woman named Cindy. But the readers of this blog and even the author know next to nothing about her. Yes, I love her. But what do I really know about her?  Our communication was brief. Our time together was illicit. We made mistakes. I won't argue that. None of that negates what I saw in her. God doesn't punish His children forever. All of that was over a long time ago. But, my thoughts for her remain much the same, and my heart sings the sweetest songs when it thinks of her. She is the closest I've come to seeing a virtuous woman in action. Yes, there is no need to point out that no one is perfect. Still, she is many of those things listed in Proverbs. And I am truly glad to have gotten to know her....

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10) The above proverb relates to a recent post about the names of God. The very name of God is a strong tower or defense. According to Philippians 2:9-11 ( Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father), there is nothing higher than the name of Jesus Christ (nor more powerful!). And, as Christians are supposed to point the way to Jesus Christ, Jesus points the way to the Father. In Him is found everything we need or want. In these present times, which are more than a little uncertain, some things remain certain. Those things are found in my Bible, from which I daily seek comfort. Lately, I've been spen...

I started this blog two-plus years ago to deal with the emotional fallout of my divorce. I named it My Careless Contagion because I felt I infected those around me with sadness. But I want to talk about a contagion of a different sort in this post. For months, I have stayed silent while the specter of coronavirus has cast a long shadow over our planet. What follows are my opinions only, though I have followed this disease closely since the beginning.   Pandemics have routinely ravaged the planet, killing millions and rearranging civilization in their wake. At this moment, people are referencing the Spanish Flu which killed an estimated 50-100 million people 100 years ago. The fact that we don't know how many actually died is not inconsistent with pandemics, as bodies are normally disposed of in haste and if whole villages die, who is left to count the dead? Satellite images of mass graves laced with lime in Iran have hammered this point home. Are they counting the dead or ju...