Papa Pat Tiny Devotionals

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, let’s drink the coffee before thinking about anything else. It is not for kings, Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire intoxicating drink, Otherwise they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the needy. Proverbs 31:4-5, NASB Next month, my plan is to talk about the middle third of this six-verse teaching (4-9), and also to reference Kat Williams. So, be prepared. This month, though, we have a who, what, and why to deal with, and all three MUST be taken together. The who: kings and rulers. I think it’s safe to include anyone who can affect and implement public policy, and even some in the private sector. Cops, district attorneys, school superintendents, utilities commissioners, elected officials at all levels; let’s say anyone who has discretionary power over private citizens. The what: dependence on intoxicating

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Remember Everyone Deployed. I am certainly more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man; Nor have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. Proverbs 30:2-3, NASB Conversation overheard: Rufus: “Well, if you are that stupid, why are you recording your words?” Dufus: “Naw, it ain’t that. He’s meaning the opposite of what he’s saying.” Rufus: “WHAT? That’s telling a lie! THE BIBLE TELLS LIES! RUN! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!” Dufus hits Rufus with a 2x4.  End scene. No, Rufus, he is not telling a lie; he’s using a literary convention, in which the FORMAT is part of the communication. I never took a real English class, so I’m not an authority, but I have used this particular method, many years ago: “I’m not real smart about this sort of thing, but …”  and then I’d give a solution/make a suggestion. It was rather fun; not sure why I st

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, have a salad. When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked person rules, people groan. The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; The wicked does not understand such concern. Proverbs 29:2,7 NASB I wish I could peacefully ignore politics, but the text isn’t giving me that option. If I look at the news feeds, I get the impression that people have verse 2 in mind, but have twisted it slightly to read: “I’m groaning, so a wicked person must be ruling.” It doesn’t work like that. Americans have always groaned about the head of state. After George Washington, blaming the other party for every sort of bad thing became the national pastime. In 1800, Adams was called a sissy, and Jefferson an atheistic miscegenist. Skipping forward to my lifetime, I recall 1960’s rumors that  Kennedy planned to let black people go to school with us, and have a viv

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Tentacione tamales. Due to a wrongdoing of a land its leaders are many, But by a person of understanding and knowledge, so it endures. Proverbs 28:2, NASB Despite giving me opportunities for religious practices , the study discipline I have chosen MOSTLY is beneficial, in that my brain must wrestle to find truth. I’m hoping it will stave off Alzheimer’s.  Here’s a truth I’m wrestling with today: it’s the nature of a people that brings turmoil, but it’s the nature of a leader that brings peace. Ouch. Even more ouch, because we ELECT our leaders. How do a rebellious people in turmoil elect a person of understanding and knowledge? I suggest we start by not blaming the leaders for our rebellion. There are a lot of articles about how COVID and January 6 have caused anger and tension. Well, malarkey. Even a minor dive into research will show that almost all of the reported unea

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, sliced hog jowl and mozzarella cheese on a croissant. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2, NASB I believe we can all agree that we could tell our life stories by describing the challenges we have faced.  Some of those we overcame, others overcame us, but regardless of outcome, it was the process itself that formed our character.  NOTE: I am NOT saying that life is nothing but conflict; only that a stranger who heard a history of your encounters with obstacles would develop a reasonably accurate picture of you. Long centuries ago, our ancestors might have been contending with tigers, drought, barbarians, or oppressive overlords, but two things are true: They DID contend, and We are the descendants of those who triumphed. Our challenges are different today, mostly. Very few people are aggravated much by wild animal

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, breakfast is lunch. One who sends a message by the hand of a fool Chops off his own feet and drinks violence. Proverbs 26:6, NASB Therefore, do not use DingBat Delivery to send your important documents. I was going to add, “but if you do, buy the insurance.” I decided not to make that addition, since it wouldn’t help. After all, DingBat is the insurer; there is no reason to believe that they are any better at paying off claims than they are in delivering your message. This is the only place in the Bible that uses the precise term “drink violence;" other translations read “damage” or “poison” rather than “violence.” It makes absolutely no difference, because as far as the consequences go, you don’t have to know exactly what is meant by “drink violence” in order to know that it’s a bad thing.  Key point: If the PROBLEM is well-defined, and it’s clear from the context t

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, cheese Danish (added cheese). These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed. Proverbs 25:1, NASB Does that verse bless you? I doubt it. I started with no plan for the Tiny Devotionals, other than selecting from the Proverb corresponding to the day of the month. I didn’t even record the verse(s) I used at first.  I wanted the Wisdom to format me, not me format the Wisdom. I wanted the Bible text to drive my writing, not just hammer on my favorite verses repeatedly; so, I created a spreadsheet, recording which verses I used, so I wouldn’t repeat.  Then, I got systematic in my approach; instead of just picking a verse that spoke to me, I decided I’d fill in the blanks. Thus, I started taking as my text the first verse in the Proverb for the Day not  previously covered. I look at the spreadsheet, see what’s missing, and choose that ve

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, breakfast with the Saturday Men’s Group! A wise man is strong, And a person of knowledge increases power. Proverbs 24:5, NASB Future Superheroes In 16+ years counseling 12-14 year-old students, I had opportunities to work with potentially-wise, potentially-knowledgeable students, feeling anything but strong and powerful.  A teacher, administrator, or bus driver referred them to me, because another student had bullied them. Working with the other adults to develop a school culture that rejected bullying was one of the best things I ever did. It was a gradual process, and the job was never really finished. However, we did see some immediate and significant results. Jeremy was a bright, personable, smallish 12 year old boy. Another student had taken some money from him, under ambiguous circumstances. The supervising teacher wasn’t sure WHAT had happened, but recognized Jeremy

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, it’s George Phillies’ birthday! Do not speak to be heard by a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. Proverbs 23:9, NASB Not. Listening! Perhaps we can number our encounters with fools, by counting the times we offered good-faith wisdom, and it was rejected. Thinking about that, it occurs to me that being a fool isn’t necessarily a full-time job. I remember individuals who acted the fool in one context, but not in another. Then again, maybe they were ALWAYS acting the fool, but just got away with it most of the time. Who knows? I have despised wise words as well, although not so much in the last mumble-mumble years. I learned (eventually) that I didn’t know everything, and that I didn’t NEED to know everything; that seeking counsel was a good thing to do. Consider this: I can induce foolishness in a person by acting like a jerk. Before I even speak, they alrea

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, some mornings are just like that/this. Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; One who guards himself will be far from them. Proverbs 22:5, NASB I learned an expression when I first got sober: “sleeping in the middle of the bed.” The person who sleeps on the edge of the bed is more likely to fall out, you see; in the same way, the alcoholic who tries to see how much they can get away with is more likely to relapse. In those early days (and to this day), I was overwhelmed with gratitude, toward God and others in recovery. I had been rescued from the brink of destruction! I spoke of my appreciation at a meeting one day.  Was I too extreme?  Perhaps; at least, Chuck thought so. He promptly shared his worst DUI experience, swerving from one side of the road to the other. Calmly, he stated that extremes were dangerous, and that the middle of the road was safest.   I s

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, let’s just chill for a bit. Every person’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord examines the hearts. Proverbs 21:2, NASB Teasing and banter exchanged between a loving husband and wife:   “I gave you mustard; now you want a napkin, too?” This is one of the ways that she marks me as her own. It’s a joy to both of us, much as play-wrestling with a puppy or kitten. The Lord examines our hearts, and sees that we are really saying “I love you!” in all our interactions. At the other end of the spectrum, this verse concerns the way people lie to others and themselves. It’s rare for a person to admit that what they are about to do is wrong. They may agree that theoretically, the contemplated act is wrong, but they have justification for why it’s okay for THEM to do it.  It can make for a hilarious scene in a book or movie, but the consequences of rationalization in real life a

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, coffee is actually a kind of bean soup. Avoiding strife is an honor for a person, But any fool will quarrel. Proverbs 20:3, NASB Calm versus chaos Lately I’ve remembered times in my youth when I acted unkindly, without provocation, toward another. My most recent recollection was from 1971,  making fun of a fellow college freshman because he could not grow a mustache. The revelation is not that I need to find that guy and apologize (although I AM sorry); it’s that my unneeded, low-level cruelty explains my youthful difficulty in forming meaningful relationships. That’s the “WHAT;” the “WHY” addresses emotionally poking instead of embracing, and the resolution of THAT issue allows me to make friends today. The core issue is this: Fools quarrel, and a fool  1. EITHER has no idea that their own conduct will produce strife (Oblivious) , OR 2. They like strife (Antagonistic) .  T

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, she is ADORABLE!!! Wealth adds many friends, But a poor person is separated from his friend. Proverbs 19:4, NASB ...and if you didn’t grasp this concept this time around, it’s repeated in verses 6 & 7. Three verses out of 29; this chapter is tithed to communicate the idea. I don’t know of a definition of poverty that will fit universally; but, I think we can agree that food, shelter, and clothing are essential. Therefore, a person who can’t afford those three things qualifies as poor. Right? If you haven’t been in the housing market lately, you might not be aware that housing costs have skyrocketed. Just recently, I’ve discovered that locally, home seekers must bring a CASH offer, in excess of the asking price, to buy a house.  That’s a radical change from the circumstances that existed in 1992, when I signed the contract for my home. Today,  I would not be able to affo

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, PittySing the tortoise shell wants your breakfast. The words of a person’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. Proverbs 18:4, NASB Like this, but with beards Experience with water is needed in order to understand this verse. Fortunately, I’ve lived next to a creek three times, and a canal once. Thus, I am an expert. (No, I’m not.) But here are my thoughts: A person’s mouth is deep water; you don’t know what’s in there.  The deepest water I’ve lived next to was a canal in Miami, when I was six; that water had alligators in it. At least, that’s what my parents told me. I guess they figured that I’d be more likely to stay away from the canal, and thus not fall in, if I was concerned about being eaten by a gator.  Possible take-away: you don’t always know what is in a person by what they say.  Wisdom is a bubbling brook, or rushing, gushing, or fl

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we have pleasant children with us. Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife. Proverbs 17:1, NASB Feasting done right For the purposes of this post, I’m equating ‘feasting’ with big meals/events, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas, but including any family get-together with food. I was an independent adult before I learned about ‘dry morsel,’ and I have never truly experienced privation. However, I have an understanding of this verse that goes deep, because ‘feasting’ and ‘strife,’ were essentially the same thing, for most of my formative years.  Fortunately, my persecutor and I found forgiveness, and reconciliation through love; but the consequences were extreme. First of all, NO family meal should be marred with turmoil. It’s a captive audience; show respect for that, and save conflict for another time. Second, it’s bad e

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, (it’s a secret!). The plans of the heart belong to a person, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:1, NASB What does THAT mean? I consulted two respectable commentaries, and searched my favorite deep-dive Bible meaning website,  AND I discovered I’m not the only one who is confused by this verse. One commentary went so far as to say “it means this, or it means that,” showing that even the scholars aren’t sure enough about the meaning to commit a single answer to paper. My confusion isn’t with the first phrase; I understand clearly that I can plan all I want to. It’s the PAIRING that confuses. A basic structure of Proverbs is “On one hand, on the other hand,” with the occasional addition of “but the gripping hand” (hat-tip to Niven and Pournelle).  Given that pattern, I WOULD have expected the pairing of PLANS and EXECUTION. Instead, it’s plans and speec

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Isabella MIGHT come today.  A gentle answer turns away wrath,  But a harsh word stirs up anger.   Proverbs 15:1, NASB   Bug-house Nuts Good advice for mild cases; absolutely essential for the extreme examples, such as road-rage and spousal abuse. I can’t think of a good reason at the moment for stirring up anger,  but I can recall using harsh words with people. In this cool and calm morning, none of those make any sense, but they did at the time. That’s because I was angry, hurt, or afraid at the time I said them, and I was reacting. That’s normal, I suppose, but still not a good plan for communicating. I also remember being on the receiving end of harsh words, and thinking: “This person is bug-house nuts. I do not wish to be in a relationship with them.” Depends on circumstances, of course, but sometimes, that’s a GREAT choice; I highly recommend it. A person given to ange

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Isabella is due today, I believe. One who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But one who is devious in his ways despises Him. Proverbs 14:2, NASB I’ve got this entire chorus of morons in my head, yammering at me, every time I present a verse about the fear of the Lord. Look, morons, I get it; you don’t need to bring up the same old argument every time. Morons have a fight-or-flight reaction to the phrase, and they do both. They FIGHT by stating  “We don’t believe in a God we would run away from”  (which is the FLIGHT part). Oh, shut UP! You’re just looking for reasons not to take God seriously, which is the EXACT subject of  the second part of the verse. Look at the contrast given: the upright one fears; the devious one despises. Those are your choices, right there. And you, morons-in-my-head, are choosing once again to DESPISE the Lord. You aren’t taking Him serio

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, care for some enhanced pizza? A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs 13:1, NASB Ain’t that a kick in the head? “Discipline” is tied up with emotional connections from our youth: “You’re going to get a spanking.” And that was horrible news! I was a middle-school counselor for 16+ years, and one of the core principles of my training was that my role was student advocate; therefore, I didn’t assign aversive consequences to kids for problem behavior. The short-cut term for this was “we don’t do discipline.”   Malarkey. Aversive consequences represent maybe 2% of discipline. The other 98% is providing information and feedback, modeling, correcting, and supporting. And that’s ALL counselors did. Well, that and bus duty. In 2001, I earned my black belt in the discipline of Tae Kwon Do.  Not ONCE, over the course of three year

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, heard from Malcolm Gladwell lately? A good person will obtain favor from the Lord, But He will condemn a person who devises evil. Proverbs 12:2, NASB 11/36 of my favor I love this chapter of Proverbs; it’s ALIVE to me! And thus, I am forced to consider how many errors and weaknesses I find in myself, because the power of the wisdom is revealed because I lack it.  I remember praising myself for being good , shortly after I had returned to the fold of believers. I had just discovered the discipline of fasting, and was trying it out. Walking across Coffey Barracks, I was thinking something like “Look at me: I’m so virtuous! I don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs; I don’t even eat!” I had yet to discover that pride was also a lethal lifestyle. That lesson was 3P : PAINFUL, POWERFUL , and PROTRACTED . So, I do not claim to be good, ALTHOUGH it’s definitely true that I have obtained f

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, care for some stale french fries? The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the treacherous will destroy them. Proverbs 11:3, NASB When I think of a guide, I see Daniel Boone. That’s strange; I’ve never encountered a guide like that. I have used maps; today, I use a GPS program. It makes being geographically lost a trivial problem. What’s not trivial is being lost in finding a direction for your life. This, I HAVE encountered; twice, that I can recall. The first time, I was a college freshman in 1971. I had been launched on that course as a child, by the expectations of close family. It was the greatest educational gift they could have given me, because I never doubted that it was the right choice. My problem was that once I got there, I didn’t know what to do. I was overwhelmed by my options, and got lost. (Army enlistment helped me re-direct.) T

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Men’s Group for breakfast. The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, But a foolish son is a grief to his mother. Proverbs 10:1, NASB By my non-scholarly understanding, the Book of Proverbs is divided up into three sections: Chapters 1-9 discuss the practical goodness of Wisdom; Chapters 10-29 are a collections of Solomon’s wise sayings; Chapters 30 & 31 are self-attributed to someone other than Solomon. Therefore, this verse is the FIRST verse of the second section.  I’ve been rolling this verse around in my head for a bit, and wondering if it is giving us special information about differences between fathers and mothers. Does it takes specific action to make a father glad, and specific action to grieve a mother? From that, can we extrapolate to saying that fathers are hard to please, and mothers hard to disappoint? I’m sure someone has written a book ab

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, bacon and cheese, grilled. Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you; Rebuke a wise person and he will love you. Proverbs 9:8, NASB I drag myself to my office, cold brew coffee in hand, and set up the windows on my screen while breakfast is in the toaster oven.  The scoffer in me says, “I don’t know if this coffee has the power to get a devotional written today.” The wise person replies, “You better not skip a day! It will turn into a month before you know it!” I check my records to see which verse is the topic, and listen to my creaking joints (figuratively) as I flip over to the Book, and SHAZAM! What the coffee could not do, what the scoffer warned about, God’s Word makes happen! Because THAT’S where the power comes from, not from the delicious caffeine, not from the breakfast sizzling away. I did not rebuke the scoffer this morning, even though it was me.  Now, I’ve

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Fred brought croissants. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them. Proverbs 8:8, NASB That’s a pretty amazing claim; it starts with ‘all.’ When I was a youth, learning about logic and how to argue persuasively, one of the principles was that the use of words like ‘always’ tended to make a point unbelievable. I’ve found that to be the case, more often than not; I can’t even get my fan to work right, always.  But in this particular case, it’s essential. We are hearing Wisdom speak; either ALL of her words are pure truth, or you rally have no basis for believing any of them. It’s not like your car, which can drive just fine, even if the automatic door locks don’t work.  So, what makes Wisdom different, from all of the other sources that scream for our attention? I’m old enough to remember 1960s chain letters, delivered by t

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, it’s BARBECUE! My son, keep my words And treasure my commandments within you.  Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:1-3, NASB Phylacteries “Is this going to be on the final?” Think back to days of classroom instruction. Do you remember someone asking that question? What they were really asking was  “It it important that I pay attention to what you are saying?”  As a student, the ONLY time I was tempted to ask the question was when the instructor seemed to wander at great length about meaningless drivel, never relating it to anything that was relevant. Fortunately, those classes were few and far between, but I painfully recall a statistics class that bordered on the metaphysical; I dropped that class. I’ve taken a LOT more classes than I’ve taught, but as an ins

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Alma Coffee Enchanted cold brew! How long will you lie down, you lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep? Pr 6:9, NASB NOT lazy; just sleeping! When I was a child, I DEFINITELY didn’t want to get up in the morning. Mornings were frequently marred by fussing; and if there was a book nearby, I’d be trying to read it as I was doing my morning prep. (Honesty: I still do that.) Once I became independent,  I didn’t have mama to stir me up. I never got fired for being late to work, but I sure got chastised.  After my first term at college, I learned to avoid scheduling early morning classes; I think that’s the source of some infrequent dreams that it’s finals week, and I haven’t been to class all term.  I had no problem getting up in the morning when I was in the Army. I also discovered to really appreciate sleep in the military.  Laziness isn’t the ONLY reason for not aris

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, blueberry bagels with strawberry cream cheese. Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. Pr 5:5, NASB Have you got your high-heeled asbestos shoes on? They won’t work, you know. This verse speaks of The Adulteress, who seduces the naïve youth away from the wife of his youth. I do not doubt that this is a significant danger for young men, but it is not limited to that population. Nor do I think that the danger described here is only meant to describe party girls on the prowl; problems with money, property, prestige, and power in various forms are a danger that lasts long after the energy to carry on at the club has died down. Whether we are speaking of a nubile young temptation, or an all-consuming desire to accumulate more wealth, though, the path leads to the same place: death and Sheol. The victims are  the same, as well: the sucker is defrauded by a false

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, “self-evident truths!” When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, He taught me and said to me, “Let your heart take hold of my words; Keep my commandments and live.” (Proverbs 4:3-4, NASB) Yesterday I was talking with some friends, and the subject of credentials versus wisdom was a brief part of the topic. It’s something I have thought about a good bit, over the years. As I have mentioned elsewhere, I think that I learned most of what I needed to know, in order to be a productive member of society, by the time I was four years old. That’s because the significant adults in my life took the approach described here: from the very beginning, they taught me the things I needed in order to live. YMMV: “I’m not going weren’t going to teach my kids about God; I’m going to let them make up their own minds when they gets older.” Malarkey. That

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, lunch was bean soup. So you will find favor and a good reputation*  In the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:4, NASB * Hebrew:  understanding So, do you have to know Hebrew and Greek in order to understand the Bible?  Nope. I have ZERO Hebrew, and only a smattering of Greek, which is founded on a year of coursework in 1978-9. With few (notable) exceptions, I’ve gotten all my understanding of the message of the Bible from various English translations.  I can’t speak to the accuracy of the translations into other languages, although the single chapter I’ve read in German, John 1, reads the same in German as it does in English. There has been SOME value, for me, in a study of Greek. First, I discovered the word which we translate in English as “sin” means “to miss the mark;” it’s an archery term. I find that removes a significant emotional load from the term, and has theologi

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, not sure about Nitro coffee. Guarding the paths of justice, And He watches over the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness, justice, And integrity, and every good path. Proverbs 2:8-9. NASB I’m not fond of complaining and whining, particularly when I’m the one doing it. It’s just such an easy habit to fall into, because:  “THEY ARE DOING IT WRONG!!!” Solomon tells us that the proper approach is NOT to identify precisely how the wicked are wandering astray. (That doesn’t mean that we are to validate every path as equally valid, although my generation embraced that concept with fervor, singing “If You Can’t Be With The One You Love” with great passion.) Instead of focusing on the wrong (or endorsing every choice), this verse says: trust God, discern, and do accordingly. My 16-year-old Kenneth gave me a lesson in that today. We were 15 minutes early gettin