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, Remember Everyone Deployed. Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol. Proverbs 23:13-14, NASB I wrote something on verse 13 almost a year ago. I’m including it again, because 14 doesn’t make much sense as a standalone. Let me reiterate: this isn’t an excuse for child abuse. If you take it as such, you are messed up. Get help. The entire point of these verses is:  appropriate discipline is REQUIRED to prevent the worst consequences imaginable. If you are off in touchy-feely land, believing that kids are inherently good, and that if left alone they will find their own path blahblahblah, I’m sorry. You are wrong, and I doubt it’s going to work out for you, or for your children. And, once again I say, if you are on the other extreme, and believe ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Cheerios and lactose-free milk. He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish. Proverbs 22:8, NASB This morning, my gift-from-God, happily-ever-after trophy wife Vanessa, the elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother of Woodstock, GA, reminded me of the scene where Saul tried to pin David against the wall. Now, Saul DID have some enemies at the time, but David wasn’t one of them. In fact, David was one of the greatest fighters against Saul’s enemies, the Philistines. But Saul unleashed the rod of his fury against David, and it perished. So, that part is pretty clear to me. At least, if we can expand the meaning of “rod of his fury” to include any manifestation of power, to satisfy some fit of pettiness. I don’t know if it will also apply to just plain rudeness, but I’m willing to raise my hand, slightly, for that as well.  Part of the d...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, I’ve added pimento cheese to microwaved potatoes. The way of a guilty man is crooked, But as for the pure, his conduct is upright. Proverbs 211:8, NASB Sometimes, the guilty people are in charge, but their way is still crooked; sometimes, even though their conduct is upright, the pure suffer. Mostly, doing the right thing will bring peace, prosperity, and all of the other things we think of as desired goals. Not always, though, and those of us who have accumulated some years of experience will recognize that in our own lives.  This verse doesn’t say “but as for the pure, wonderful acclaim will result.”  MOSTLY, that’s what happens. That’s because institutions (from families to countries) which are staffed by virtuous people tend to prosper in the long run. Prosperous institutions tend to reward their people. Right? There are temporary exceptions, when a Crook...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Cheerios and difficulties. The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, So he begs during the harvest and has nothing. Proverbs 20:4, NASB A Sluggard's Inbox You know what else a sluggard doesn’t do? He doesn’t throw the empty hot chocolate or breakfast snack package in the trash; or close the cabinet doors; he doesn’t check his work; he doesn’t RECORD his work.  That’s because the sluggard doesn’t think THAT part of the job is important. “I’ve got the job done!” the sluggard thinks, and merrily slugs away.  Here’s the kicker: sometimes, the sluggard DOES have the important part of the job done. For example: I spent quite a few years in sales (selling shows, vacuum-cleaners, mainframe computers) and marketing (college admissions). In those cases, the hardest, and FIRST essential part, was in making the sale, or convincing the prospect. Without question! But t...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, it’s okay to leave a comment! He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good. Proverbs 19:8, NASV Perhaps it’s goofy to find truth in struggles with technology. Eventually, I discover the struggle is really with myself. The goofiness remains. I order a new keyboard every couple of years, which makes me a bit grumpy, because I’m a cheapskate. At first, the keyboard mechanics are perfectly fine, BUT the commonly used letters have worn off the keys. A, S, & E seem to be the first to go, leaving blank keys, with others fading away. A bit over a year ago, I discovered  commercial grade keyboard stickers, which will not wear off. However, with time, between my tap-tap-tapping, crumbs, coffee, and keys leaping to the floor,  the keyboard is truly rendered non-functional.  In a non-goofy move, I order a new keyboard, and a n...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we have hot coffee, cold brew coffee, or Mexican chocolate. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body. Proverbs 18:8, NASB Confused Student I don’t know what this verse means, and that’s a good thing:  It means I have to wrestle to find something I KNOW is there, even though I can’t see it. When I first started writing Tiny Devotionals, I picked a verse from the proverb of the day that spoke to me, and wrote about it. After a few months, I realized: I could easily use my choices to REINFORCE my beliefs, instead of allowing the proverbs to FORM my beliefs. That’s when I started going sequentially, and today, I write on the 8th verse, because last time, I wrote on the 7th verse. This does require that I trust the content of the Book of Proverbs more than I trust my own judgment, and frankly, Best Beloved,...

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, toast with an egg in it, and ham.  Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool,  Much less are lying lips to a prince.  Proverbs 17:7, NASB   One reason excellent speech is not fitting for a fool is because they mess it up so badly. They use a big word, or big phrase, and it comes out wrong, and then it’s FUNNY! Examples:  “I might fade into Bolivian,” meaning oblivion.  “States are lavatories of innovation,” meaning laboratories.  Almost everything Tyler Perry’s character Madea says.  So, it isn’t fitting, but, it’s funny, and usually, all that happens is that the nature of the fool is revealed.   We chose not to use the title ‘prince’ in our government, but this verse applies to anyone in authority. And, when authority lies, it’s not funny; it’s destructive.   The fool only brings contempt on himself, the lying pr...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we have sho’nuff Mexican hot chocolate this morning! By mercy and truth atonement is made for wrongdoing, And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil. Proverbs 16:6, NASB This is an ‘after-and-before’ verse.  I’m addressing ‘before’ first:  “fear (we could also say ‘healthy respect’) keeps away from evil.”  I’d like to be able to claim wisdom and goodness as the reason why I’m not killing, stealing, lying, coveting, and so on. The truth is: I’m a pretty incompetent law-breaker. I almost always got caught, and ALWAYS expected the cops at the door; it’s a buzz-kill. That’s really why I stay within the lines. The ‘after’ part: Emotional and spiritual grittiness mostly results from things that aren’t felonies, just conflicts with others. They occur because one or more parties are acting out of lack of knowledge; fear; lack of consideration; dishones...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the dogs want more cookies. A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4, NASB Einsteins's Tongue This is mostly a parenting topic, but not exclusively. Here, ‘perversion’ doesn’t denote a sexual deviation; it means ‘twisting the truth.’ It’s contrasted with ‘soothing’ or ‘healing.’ It doesn’t say “a lying tongue,” although lies are twisting the truth. But, truth applied with malice is also perversion: 11 year-old Bubba comes home, delighted to have made a 98 on his science test. His father says “What happened to those other two points?” Context is everything! If Bubba and his father have a good relationship, they both laugh and celebrate. But if the relationship is twisted, because the father is always finding fault, Bubba’s spirit is crushed.  A soothing tongue is NOT always saying “there, there, it’s okay.” Can you...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, supper’s gone and dinner’s cooking, and Old Dan Tucker just stands there looking. A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding. Proverbs 14:6, NASB Alas, I once was a scoffer. What a goofy choice to make!  One part was because a well-phrased scoff could get a laugh, and I fancied myself as a class clown. I was seeking attention, which IS something everybody needs. Another part was because I took the offenses given me by some in authority over me, and used that as an excuse to reject (almost) ALL authority. It’s a bad strategy:  I got food poisoning once, but that didn’t cause me to reject all food!  (I also owned a Gremlin, once, but didn’t reject all cars.) Based on my own experience, I’m struggling a bit with the concept of “a scoffer seeks wisdom;” I’m not sure I actually did that. I DID seek pronouncements...

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, pimento cheese on a croissant, because we don’t have any pork rinds. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat. Proverbs 13:4, NASB Feeding soul AND body Bogo City, Philippines Note that this isn’t talking about the BODY of the sluggard and the diligent. Maybe that’s because the sluggard’s body IS getting fat: No exercise, you see, because they don’t work, and are Couch Potatoes. If this is the truth brought to us, then we have physical cause (no exertion), linked to spiritual consequence (‘skinny’ soul). Consider this: 2700 years ago, when these Proverbs were recorded, there was a LOT more physical work involved in getting fed than there is today. Personally, hard physical work usually results in deep thinking. If that’s universal, maybe that’s how the diligent/hard workers fattened their souls.  But, diligence in sweaty...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, this is courtesy of the Saturday morning men’s group. The wicked are overthrown and are no more  But the house of the righteous will stand. Proverbs 12:7, NASB ALL RIGHT!!!  This verse gives us an infallible method of measuring righteousness! Look for the oldest houses, and TA-DA! We have found righteousness! Using that measure, we discover veritable hotbeds of righteousness in a pueblo in Taos, NM,  an earth mound at Watson Brake, LA, and for dessert, St. Augustine, Florida! Ummm...no. I’ve been to St. Augustine, and while the Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not Museum is amusing, it isn’t really a sacred facility. This finding may be disappointing for those who seek an easy method of spiritual discernment. Sorry. While not abandoning metaphor entirely, I offer a SLIGHTLY less literal lesson: Maintenance is a huge issue for homeowners. If you live in a rental pr...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, good luck finding something to eat. The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed. Proverbs 11:6, NASB I was looking for something in today’s verse that would speak to the anniversary of 9/11. I didn’t find it in the words I have recorded above. The problem I had was with the word ‘greed.’ It just didn’t seem to match up with the wicked acts of 21 years ago. Fortunately, Bible Gateway lets me compare MANY different translations with very little effort.  The KJV translates the word as ‘naughtiness,’ and that’s the most whimsical of several different translations. After reading maybe five alternatives, I realized that the focus of the verse is not criticizing a particular moral/ethical fracture. This isn’t a text for a sermon against greed; it’s affirming logical consequences: Poke a bear, and it will smite...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the puppy dog is staring at my breakfast. I want to SHARE with you, Papa! The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot. Proverbs 10:7, NASB Sometimes, the writers of the Bible aren’t very religious. If they were religious, they would have used a refined, modest, and demure phrase, HINT at unpleasantness, and say “tut-tut!” if their editor suggested otherwise. They didn’t do a religious thing, though. I checked multiple translations of “the name of the wicked will rot,” and they all use the word ‘ROT.’ Even in Hebrew, which I can neither read nor speak: זֵ֣כֶר צַ֭דִּיק לִבְרָכָ֑ה וְשֵׁ֖ם רְשָׁעִ֣ים יִרְקָֽב׃  Now, I’m going to go out on a limb, and suggest that’s because they placed a very high value on getting the point across. There’s a joke about hitting a mule with a 2x4 just to get his attention, and the word ROT is a figurative ...

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Piper and Bailey bark hello. Wisdom says: For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. Proverbs 9:11, NASB Live long, and prosper Did you know EYE VITAMINS are a thing?  On Tuesday, Dr. Singh suggested AREDS (for Age Related Eye Disease) vitamins to slow down the progression of my age-normal cataracts and macular degeneration. This morning, I added two a day to my medication dispenser. If it takes you longer to take your morning medications  than it used to take you to get dressed,  it’s a sign you are getting older.  (Achievement: UNLOCKED! ) I was a confirmed science fiction fan by age 10, so OF COURSE I wanted to live forever. There were so many planets for me to explore! So many girls to kiss! I needed a thousand years, at least! Then I read about Tithonus, and the Struldbruggs in ‘Gulliver’s Travels.’ These h...

A great good morning to you, friends and neighbors out there in Internet Land! And, for family members who have dropped by: is there a flavor of Cheerios you prefer?  I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And I find knowledge and discretion.  Proverbs 8:12, NASB  My first dwelling  Check this out: where you dwell determines what you will find.   My first (1953-1958) dwelling was on a dirt road in semi-rural Bibb County, Georgia. My best friend Butch and I were a slightly modernized version of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, exploring the outdoors all day long, finding WONDERFUL things! In the decade before the anti-littering campaign, it was routine for motorists to dispose of trash by tossing it out of the window, and that included soft-drink bottles. Butch and I picked them up, and redeemed them at the corner store for two cents each. It brought a pretty good paycheck for a couple of four & five year old boys, enough for candy and gum. We found other things as w...