“¹In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ²the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ³Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”                                                                                                 [Genesis 1:1-5]

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “Let There Be Light . . .”

    “He who laughs last, laughs best” is an old saying that many of us have heard.  Here’s what I found out about that proverb:

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “He Who Laughs . . .”

   The tabloids are full of “Tiger Woods” stories these days—of course, so are the mainstream newspapers and television news programs.  The jury is still out as to whether or not the public will accept his apology issued during his tightly controlled press conference.  The word that stuck out in my mind as I listened to excerpts of the broadcast was that of “entitled.”  Tiger Woods felt that his hard work and fame as a golfer had entitled him to all the pleasures that he desired.  The reason this word stood out for me in the broadcast is because people who would never think of cheating on their spouses, nor commit other major moral lapses, view themselves as “entitled.”

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “the Tiger Woods Syndrome”

The nursery rhyme “Ring Around the Rosie” has some interesting lines in it.  They read like this:

Ring around the rosey,
A pocketful of posies.
ashes, ashes.
We all fall down.

Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “Ashes . . .”

The slogan adopted by the Army in 2000 was “An Army of One” which lasted only six years before being replaced by “Army Strong.”  The slogan was meant to reflect the fact that “One” was an acronym meaning “Officers, NCOs, and Enlisted.”  No one understood it that way except the team that came up with the slogan.  The previous slogan (“Be All That You can Be”) lasted twenty years; so, it is clear that this one failed. 

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “The Power of One . . .”

Proverbs 29:18a says “Where there is no vision, the people perish . . .” (King James Version).  The New Revised Standard Version puts it like this: “Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint . . .”   Frankly, I like the King James Version best because it paints a more dramatic picture (even though the NRSV is probably a more accurate translation of the Hebrew).  The word “vision” has a far more encompassing flavor than does the word “prophecy.”  “Perish” certainly has a more stark connotation than “cast off restraint.”  There is a big difference between walking on the wild side and dying.

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “Withering Away . . .”

Which comes first:  sound or the ability to hear?  This sounds like the “chick & egg” question that is unanswerable.  A question that may have an answer is:  “Is God listening before we speak, or do our prayers attract God’s attention?”

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “Which Comes first . . .?”

My devotional book that I am using this year is entitled When You Pray: Daily Practices for Prayerful Living by Bishop Rueben Job (2009).  Each day’s devotions concludes with the same scriptural blessing, Hebrews 13:5c-6 which reads:

Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “Of what are you afraid?”

The 21^st chapter of Revelation begins with a promise.

¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 

²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 

³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away.”

⁵And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 

[Revelation 21:1-5]

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “New is . . .”

    John 3:16 is one of the most widely known verses in the Bible.  This is, in part, because Christians keep it in the forefront of people’s consciousness.  Think of the number of times we have seen someone in the stands of a sporting event hold up a sign that reads “John 3:16.”  ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”  This is the New Revised Standard Version—the King James Version that many of us memorized reads like this:  “¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

  Continue reading Dean’s Musings . . . “For God so loved the world . . .”