RaMbLeS
Welcome to RaMbLeS, a collection of weekly musings on life and Scripture. It all began in 2005 on Google’s blogspot as the aBeLOG (a name now recycled), a semi-autobiographical devotional that attempted to keep well-wishers abreast of my activities as I relocated to Scotland for a few years. Since my return, I’ve continued my RaMbLeS, and here’s its most recent incarnation on Homiletix, as random reflections usually based on current news articles and travel experiences and whatever else takes my fancy!
Generosity!
The recent natural disasters brought out a lot of generosity in ordinary folks. A human chain that saved an older gentleman. The “Cajun Navy” of Louisiana denizens who drove hours from Baton Rouge, boats and all, to rescue those in distress. Lincoln, Nebraska, that sent 80 of its finest (from police and fire departments) to Texas to be there even before the storm hit. “Mattress Mack” (Jim McIngvale) of Gallery Furniture that opened his store to house refugees.
Deception!
Well, everybody deceives. Students taking an exam: a few years ago, about half those in a government class at Harvard were charged with cheating, and about seventy expelled. Runners in a race, breaking rules to enter into the 2015 Boston marathon. Having an affair: the hacking of the website of Ashley Madison revealed 37 million users subscribing to the “Life is short. Have an affair” mantra. Software piracy costs $63 billion each year. Nearly 75% of employees have
Ambitions!
Another “graduation” occurred last week.
One of my teachers went to be with the Lord: Dr. Stanley D. Toussaint, Senior Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition, who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary from 1960 (before I was born!) to 2012. He was 89.
Charming, sharp, full of parrot jokes (yup!), and an amazing knowledge of the Scriptures. I count it a privilege to have been one of his “small-fry” students, but the man has taught Dallas Seminary stalwarts
Language!
Mark Twain is reported to have said:
Let us swear while we may, for in Heaven it will not be allowed.”
The great man would have been happy with the results of a recent study. Jean Twenge, prof of psychology at San Diego State, and her co-researchers analyzed titles of English books published in the US between 1950 and 2008, looking for profanity, specifically for seven words I am ashamed to repeat here. They were, BTW, the “seven words you can never say on television,”
Honesty!
George G. Klein, 96, is a World War II Veteran acclaimed as “one of the great celebrities” and a war hero as a veteran of the battle against the Germans in Normandy. He was celebrated during the 73rd anniversary of Normandy during a ceremony recently, honored as one of the 90 survivors in the elite 2nd Ranger Battalion that fought on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc on June 6, 1944.
The guy participated in several commemorative events and, wearing his “Ranger” hat, signed
Fearless!
We can become fearless!
So say researchers from the University of California, Riverside, Woong Bin Kim and Jun-Hyeong Cho, in “Encoding of Discriminative Fear Memory by Input-Specific LTP in the Amygdala,” published recently in Neuron.
Cho and Kim used genetically modified mice to study parts of the brain processing sounds and those dealing with emotional memories, the amygdala.
More and more studies seem to indicate that memories can be rewritten, modifying, or even
Waiting!
Waiting in line consumes 15% of one’s lifetime. [I made that up. If it isn’t true, it certainly sounds true.] Between waiting in line and sleeping, no wonder I don’t have any time left for anything else.
Some places in the world, no one lines up. It’s a free-for-all. The survival of the fittest. So much so, leading up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the People’s Republic undertook a vigorous program to train their citizens to queue. They even instituted a “Queueing
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching. 