The Plumbline

Have you ever experienced a "temper-fire"?  Over the last couple of years, the Arizona forests have had their share of challenging fires.  Some ignited by man, others ignited by nature, but all damaging in their effects.  Fire has a way of "catching" and "taking hold" quicker than we can imagine.  A few week's ago, we had a fire in our neighborhood.  The entire home was lost to the ravages of the licking flames.  The destruction of one spark resulted in the complete devastation of the home.  Fire is indeed not a thing to be taken lightly, especially when it is a "temper-fire". A gentle response defuses anger,  but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.  (Proverbs 15:1 MSG)   Temper-fires are those moments in time when we put on display the heat of anger - sudden outbursts - sparks of passion which can "catch" quicker than we realize.  One thing to keep in mind as we begin this study is the condition of mind which is behind this k...

Carelessness is characterized by not paying attention to what you are doing.  I have found myself drifting into deep thought about past memories, some event I was planning, or the like, only to find I really had no idea what had transpired while I was driving from point A to point B.  I imagine we have all done this at some time or another.  It always amazes me when someone cuts me off suddenly, drawing me back to a place of alert attention.  It is as though my heart rate went from the 70's to 100's in a matter of a split second!  You know the feeling - heart pounding, feeling a little shaky and just about to come out of your skin!  The "near miss" of the car pulling in front of you was a "wake up call", wasn't it?  It alerted you to danger - danger you had probably allowed to go quite unrecognized for miles and miles! Lives of careless wrongdoing are tumbledown shacks;  holy living builds soaring cathedrals.   There’s a way of life that lo...

Have you ever acquired a taste for something - perhaps something you could not stand as a kid, but now seem to enjoy quite a bit?  I still have not acquired a taste for brussel sprouts, but I like just about every other vegetable.  There is just something about their pungency which I cannot say I enjoy.  Acquired taste usually refers to food or beverage, but it can refer to anything.  Do you know what it means to "acquire a taste"?  It means we have such frequent exposure to something so as to "acquire" its taste.  Sometimes we actually learn to appreciate these "tastes" simply by repeated exposure! The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation;  bullies push and shove their way through life.  (Proverbs 13:2 MSG) If we can "acquire a taste" for some vegetable we might find offensive, or the ability to drink hot coffee once in a while instead of a steady intake of hot tea, isn't it possible we could "acquire a taste" for conv...