UBC Wed For Life

The topic of the Bible’s proverbs was the subject of a previous entry, but a single entry could do little more than scratch the surface of the wisdom contained in the Book of Proverbs. One of the things that makes the Bible’s proverbs so special is the fact that even hundreds of years after most of them were written, they are still as poignant and relevant as they ever were. In fact, if one wasn’t told differently, a person might believe that some of the proverbs are actually modern sayings.  Another good thing about the proverbs is that they provide insight into God’s thinking and desires in short and easy to understand portions. Reading the Bible is important, but some portions of the Bible may require extensive reading and studying to understand what God is trying to say. That is not a problem with the proverbs. Sometimes it is good to have something simple; something on which you can focus and place in your heart to ensure that it has an impact on your life. Let’s consider...

Recently, Americans were made privy to an interview of President Trump by investigative journalist Bob Woodard where Trump admitted that to some extent he downplayed the severity of the virus in an effort to deter public panic. A misrepresentation of the truth from a politician in and of itself is not so unusual. However, this concealment of known information on the coronavirus may have had grave consequences for thousands of Americans, and to some extent, the nation as a whole. It was revealed that President Trump knew as far back as early February that COVID-19 was airborne, very dangerous and much different from the typical flu that ravages the nation every year. Despite that knowledge, when he addressed the public, he compared the COVID-19 to the flu and implied that the virus was mostly exasperated by the media as a hoax. He generally minimized the severity of the virus to be something less dangerous than what he himself knew it to be. Lies have consequences. Perhaps many A...

Previously, the spotlight was put on David in his youth. He went from an unassuming shepherd boy to a giant killer and eventually to the young man destined to become king. At that point in his life, David seemed like the perfect model of what it meant to be a follower of God. He put his faith in God, obeyed God’s commands, and even wrote songs to praise God. His story also seemed like the perfect example of how someone can benefit from being faithful to God. No matter what trouble came his way, David always came out on top. So when David became king, he was the perfect ruler for the Israelites right? Well, not exactly. David is a good example of the fact that no one is perfect. We all fall short even those of us who have been given every reason not to. He is also good evidence for the truthfulness of the time honored adage “Power Corrupts.” After all, David was most pious when he had the least. When he became king, he was not the same man. None of this is to say that David ...

2020 has been quite a year so far, and not necessarily in a good way. Between the unexpected deaths of prominent figures and everyday citizens alike, a global pandemic, political unrest, a major economic downturn, and the general “What’s Next?” feeling that basically everyone one has been feeling, 2020 seems to be the bad dream that just won’t end. We know every year has its ups and downs, but 2020 seems anomalous in how bad a year it is. In general every year of life is something like a roller coaster at an amusement park, but 2020 in particular seems to have had all the lows and none of the highs. Yes, 2020 has been bad by most subjective measures, but it’s not unprecedented. While some believe 2020 will go down as the worst year in modern history, others would argue that honor still belongs to1968. In 1968, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated, violent riots broke out across the country, the Vietnam War was experiencing its deadliest year, and the worl...