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, did you bring any bay leaves? An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. Proverbs 31:10-11, NASB Spend some time being overwhelmed by these verses. It’s needful. First, think about the scribes. They have been faithfully transcribing the wisdom of Solomon into this collection for a LONG time; I can easily imagine this is a labor of love that took YEARS, if not generations, to accomplish. In my imagination, I’m seeing them sitting around with wine and bread, saying “Okay, boys, what are we going to end this thing with?” They choose the Story of the Excellent Woman, of course, because everybody has a mama. Second, they pose a riddle: Can an excellent wife be found? It’s a ‘gotcha’ riddle, because the answer is ‘NO!’ Certainly, there are excellent traits that can be found in many

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we have either Pad Thai or fried rice for lunch. There is a kind of man* whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives, To devour the afflicted from the earth And the needy from among men. Proverbs 30:14, NASB * I’ve been reading this wrong. The Hebrew word NASB translates as kind of man is דּוֹר (dor), and most versions translate it as ‘generation;’ it’s not referring to ONE person (which is what I thought), but a type of people.  The afflicted and needy don’t have much worth taking, so the motivation for Kind-Of-Man (KOM) has to be something other than simple theft.  My years immersed in detective work (I watched Law & Order) tell me to ask: “Who benefits from attacking the afflicted and needy?” I don’t like the answers I come up with, because they reek of cynical tyranny in the form of gulags; concentration camps; killing fields; trails of tears; ethnic

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, hooray for paper towels. When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest. Proverbs 29:9, NASB If you are at home, reach out your arms. Anyone you can touch is likely to be in your closest circle, composed of your nearest family. Circle your arms, and hug them. Isn’t that nice? The circle expands as you include friends and neighbors. There are special purpose circles; this morning, I participated in one of those, my Saturday morning Men of Purpose ZOOM meeting. Tomorrow, we’ll join the circles of fellowship at The Way Church and Liberty Church. Lots of great, rewarding circles, and in all of them, we can see each other’s faces, and hear each other’s voices; frequently, we can even eat yummy food together, or meet for some other purpose. Occasionally, we disagree, but we always discover how to adapt, and the

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the dogs unplugged my fan. He who increases his wealth by interest* and usury** Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor. Proverbs 28:8, NASB * If I loan you $10, and demand $15 in return, it’s בְּנֶשֶׁךְ   (nesik), and that’s forbidden.  ** If I demand Boardwalk ($400) in exchange for Mediterranean ($60), that’s  ובתרבית  (tarsik), also forbidden. Tarsik is translated here as ‘usury’, but it really means ‘sharp trading.’ Being gracious toward the poor: everyone can do it; we are COMMANDED to do it. Are you in despair, thinking “I’m living paycheck to paycheck already!  How am I going to do anything for the poor?” O, my brothers and sisters, let me try to lighten this burden for you: There is NOTHING in this verse about giving money to the poor. Zip. Zero. Nada. Gar Nichts. The command to be gracious to the poor is 100% heart, and 0% wallet. In fact, opening the wa

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, no snacks for Piper until she eats her breakfast. Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man’s counsel is sweet to his friend. Proverbs 27:9, NASB What a beautiful verse! You’ve been working in the fields all day. It’s HOT, and you are sweaty. Before you can take care of YOU, you’ve got to take care of the animals, so you also smell like goats and chickens.  You are decidedly uncomfortable. Your mama is blocking the doorway with a warning in her eye, and a broom in her hand; you’ve got to get cleaned up before you go inside. Washing is a multi-stage project, starting by the water trough. You splash cool water on your body, cooling and cleansing it. You put your mantle back on, and head inside, where you finish the wash.  When you are completely clean, wearing clean clothes, the fragrance of the oil and perfume you apply seems to clean out your insides as well. It’s not

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Vanessa is cutting the grass. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12, NASB I have been wise in my own eyes, perhaps as recently as forty-five years ago. In my case, it wasn’t because I was stupid, and it wasn’t because I was deceived.  It was because I had discovered a tiny bit of truth, and thought that was all the truth in the world; or, at least, all the truth needed for survival, prosperity, and fame (which was INEVITABLE), because: I had THE hammer!  As long as I thought I was getting the job done, I didn’t need any more hammers, and certainly not any other tools! Don’t tell me about what God is doing in YOUR heart, because I want to tell you about my hammer! That’s what being wise in my own eyes did to me, and I suspect it has a similar impact on others.  It wasn’t until I was abjectly miserable, and my hamme

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, there are some donuts in the box on the table. Argue your case with your neighbor, And do not reveal the secret of another, Or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away. Proverbs 25:9-10, NASB My strong preference is to limit myself to writing about ONE verse. Today, you get two; verse 8 is a part of the message as well. If you have children, expose them to Proverbs as soon as possible. It will provide them with life tools, before they need them. These verses might be titled:  Rules for fighting fair (Solomon version): Argue your case before your neighbor. That means that you have  acknowledged there is a problem;  that you aren’t trying to ignore it;  you seek a resolution; and,  at the lowest possible level. Go read 20 books or articles about fighting fair, and you’ll see that they are all based on this. Do not reveal the secret o

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Piper is asleep on my feet. Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24:11-12, NASB I had to research this one: Who are those being taken away to death?  A non-famous scholar points out similar language being used earlier in Proverbs to describe what happens to the naive youth, if he places himself under the control of the violent, the foolish, the wicked, and the immoral woman. These are individual moral failings, not institutional wickedness. That doesn’t give institutional wickedness a pass, though. It just means you can’t say that the writers in 700 BC were concerned about the political opinion of Internet Bo

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, reach for the sky. Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the Lord always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18, NASB Today’s verse is 18, but I included 17, because I THINK they are a couplet. I wrote about verse 17 last month, and will try not to repeat myself. Our senses describe the present, our memory describes the past; the future is described by our hopes and our fears. In this little verse, we are given one of the strongest foundations for peace: yes, you DO have a future, and it’s a good one. Under most circumstances, we take the future for granted. If you have ever been forced to doubt that a future exists, you know how chilling that is. ‘No future’ is MUCH worse than ‘bad future.’ This verse draws us back away from the abyss of nothingness, and back into reality: yes, you DO have a future.  (If that

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, please tell the dogs to stop moving my fan. Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, Even strife and dishonor will cease. Proverbs 22:10, NASB I’ve developed a routine for writing these. I open the needful windows on the computer, drop the verse into the template, greet family members, and then I reflect: what does the verse stir up in me? This morning, I remembered faces of notable scoffers from school days. I recall the day when Mrs. Collins put four of us out of her fourth grade classroom…. US? Yes, I was one of the scoffers. Not just THAT day, either; it seems I spent most of that 1962-3 school year in trouble. 1966-1969 were also scoffer years. What insights does THAT give me? First: driving them out works. The scoffer’s payoff comes from two sources: entertaining peers, and aggravating authorities. Driving them out removes both sources.   Second: gentle re-

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Remember Everyone Deployed. The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. Proverbs 21:10, NASB Except (possibly) for hermits living in the wilderness, everyone has neighbors. Wouldn’t it be great if you could know who they were BEFORE you moved in?  If my ancient nomadic ancestors discovered that their tent was pitched next to someone unpleasant, they just adjusted positions during the next movement. Not us; we’re stuck. By the time you move in, whether you are buying or renting, you’ve done so much paperwork, moved so many boxes, you don’t EVER want to move again. That’s why it is in EVERYBODY’S best interest to get along.  Sometimes, you strike gold. Your new neighbor becomes your new friend, and you both learn to depend on each other. It’s BEAUTIFUL! That will NEVER happen if your neighbor is wicked. They don’t see you as a potential frien

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, don’t trip over the...never mind. A king who sits on the throne of justice Disperses all evil with his eyes. Proverbs 20:8, NASB CLOSE.  I once was the foreman on a jury. I didn’t disperse anything with my eyes. I’m not a king, you see. An argument could be made that being the foreman on a jury isn’t like sitting on the throne of justice, but it’s the second closest I’ve ever come. There are great similarities between the two; I had to listen, evaluate, and decide, just like a king. A major difference: I wasn’t alone in making the decision; my job was to guide the jury in the process.  Still, I felt the burden of the job. Unless they are psycho, kings NEVER escape the burden. CLOSER.  I’m a parent, and that’s MUCH more like sitting on the throne of justice than jury duty, and therefore much more like being a king. I can testify, having been on both sides,  that a parent

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we DO have bacon; three kinds! Luxury is not fitting for a fool; Much less for a slave to rule over princes. Proverbs 19:10, NASB Line 1. If you have a teenager living in your house, you understand why luxury is not fitting for a fool: they don’t take care of it. Make NO mistake about it: if those who transcribed Solomon’s wisdom saw electricity, plumbing, and other modern conveniences, they would name it ‘LUXURY!’ with no hesitation at all.  Vanessa and I believe that the teen’s conduct will change when they are on their own; at least, it won’t be OUR problem. Tee-hee. Line 2. Worse than giving a 14-year-old an X-box: having a slave rule over princes.  I have ZERO experience with this topic; what follows is conjecture. A slave elevated above former masters is bound to harbor resentments, and may have even developed a hit list of those they particularly disliked.  Instea

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, don’t laugh at the cone on Piper’s head. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10, NASB There’s no way I’m going to be able to reach that tower in time. I’m still going to try, though. “LORD” is capitalized to show that it is God’s name, and it cannot, MAY not be pronounced. In Hebrew, it’s יְהֹוָה  (I’m omitting the customary transliteration, on purpose, for emphasis). When it appeared in the text, the reader would substitute the word אֲדֹנָי ('ăḏōnāy) meaning ‘Lord.’ In 1520, an Italian monk combined the two words, and created the word ‘Jehovah;’ but that ISN’T God’s name; it’s just a scholar’s invention. Do NOT fret about this! If His name is a tower, but I can’t pronounce His name, how can I get into the tower?  Parents: did you wait until your child could pronounce your name before you provided care for them?  O

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, got to take Piper to the vet. He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends. Proverbs 17:9, NASB My struggle with the scripture today is not theological, nor is it based with a problem in translation. It’s strictly personal; maybe a bit professional. Primary truth: It is TRULY clear that this proverb is warning what will happen as the consequence of a gossip, a tale-teller. Yup, seen it FAR too often. I spent 16+ years as a middle school counselor, and, as my students would discover that : THEY WERE HAVING AN EMOTION,  they felt the IMMEDIATE need to tell everyone about it. And, since the emotion was usually because a friend did/said/was something, strife followed.  It’s a LOT more interesting to discuss friend transgressions than schoolwork. Under these circumstances, as well as similar situations among adults, then ther

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, can you believe how big the grands are getting? When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7, NASB I got a new understanding of this verse today. In the past, I thought it meant that the Lord made the man’s enemies be at peace with the man.  This morning, though, as I’m bouncing through the Hebrew, I can’t find evidence to support THAT interpretation over this one:  When my ways please God, I’m also ending conflict with my enemies. Consider this: Q: What happens when you try to placate your enemy? A: You are giving your pearls to swine; they trample them, and then attack you. For the last hour, I’ve been thinking about relationships with various people that bordered on enmity. With one possible exception, they all took place before I became an adult. I’m not saying that my adult life has been conflict-free; fa

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, these are reading glasses. Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, But trouble is in the income of the wicked. Proverbs 15:6, NASB You don’t have to be pushing dope to have trouble in your income. Mumble years ago, one of my best friends, well-known for wisdom, charisma, and personal righteousness, had trouble on two separate occasions for sexual impropriety while he was on an extended missions trip.  NOBODY expected THAT, because nobody knew he was fooling around mentally, until he was caught fooling around physically. We thought he was a Christian Superman, which is why he was picked to be on those extended mission trips. On the other hand, if ‘great wealth,’ meaning ‘lots of money,’ is the sole criteria for righteousness, then the wealthiest countries are the most righteous places on the earth. Some might make that claim; I have heard variations of ‘God wants you

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Piper and Bailey want a cookie. Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will. Proverbs 14:9, NASB The word translated here as ‘sin’ is אָשָׁם   ('āšām), and it’s used 46 times in the Old Testament. 43 of those occurrences translate as ‘sin offering.’  Other words translated as ‘sin’ aren’t associated with sin offerings, but this one is. Do WE believe in/make sin offerings? We may not call it that; but:  Have you ever bought your spouse flowers after a ‘heated disagreement’? Or, give them a back rub? Did you ever take your kid for ice cream, when you weren’t able to make it to their ball game? Those are sin offerings.  For those of us who are following a 12 Step program, fully ½ of the Steps (4-9) have the concept of sin offering at their core, leading to  making direct amends to people we have harmed. When done correctly, a sin offering shows repentance

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we are dancing, and singing, and movin’ to the groovin’. There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth. Proverbs 13:7, NASB Better translation: There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches. Proverbs 13:7, New King James Version It was never my intent to become a textual critic, but here I am, doing it AGAIN. Today, I’m entangled by the difference between ‘pretends to be rich/pretends to be poor’ and ‘makes himself rich/makes himself poor.’ (I do NOT know Hebrew; I just know how to use some of the available tools. ) The Hebrew ‘rich’ phrase in line 1 is from עָשַׁר (ʿāšar)  and the ‘poor’ phrase in line 2 is  רוּשׁ ( rûš). I can find NO hint of ‘pretends’ in either phrase. I have asked some experts about it, and if they answer, I’ll post that in the com

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, if you don’t have grandkids with you, you BETTER have a good excuse. Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant Than he who honors himself and lacks bread. Proverbs 12:9, NASB The word translated as ‘servant’ is  עֶבֶד (ebed),  and it means ‘slave,’ not ‘hired man’; the word for ‘hireling’ is שָׂכִיר   (śāḵîr). Completely different words for completely different things. I don’t know any slave owners, and I’m striving against launching into a tirade against the institution of slavery; more than half of my family had enslaved ancestors, so it’s personal. HOWEVER: the abomination that we instituted in what became the US is quite different than the form practiced among the Hebrews. For more information, do a word search in a digital Bible for ‘slave + free’.   When I’m able to detach a bit from my revulsion, I see a verse about the value of work and humility; that

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, ‘scuse me, while I kiss this guy. When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes. Proverbs 11:7, NASB When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. Proverbs 11:7, KJV There are 50+ English translations of this verse on Bible Gateway; about half translate the second line similarly to King James, about half similarly to NASB, and a few as ‘wealth’. Conclusion: translators were working with  different source documents (but the Masoretic text rules!) We KNOW that there were different versions of Proverbs and other Old Testament books; remember, these were copied out by hand, one Hebrew letter at a time. One of the traditions were that there were three perfect copies of the OT kept in the temple for the use of copyists, and there were paid officers of the Temple whose job was correcting erro

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the clock is running. The wise of heart will receive commands, But a babbling fool will be ruined. Proverbs 10:8, NASB If you are one of the tiny few who read the tiny devotionals, you may say to yourself: “He’s giving the same message over and over! It’s the same as it ever was!” I promise: there IS no hidden agenda.  Whatever the day of the month is determines the Proverb, and I write about the verse that follows the last verse I wrote about on that day of the month. Any variance from that pattern is because I wasn’t doing that until January 2021. Question: why do I seem to be writing about the same thing? Answer: because that’s what the proverbs are about. They follow the rule of good speeches:  tell ‘em what you are going to tell 'em;  tell 'em;  tell 'em what you told 'em.  With repetition, the message comes across.  Hopefully.  This particular verse

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, breathe in and out. If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you alone will bear it. Proverbs 9:12, NASB True comprehension of this message may be the definitive mark of transition from childhood into maturity. At a minimum, it’s in the ‘necessary but not sufficient’ category. At first, children require both compulsion and supervision to carry out chores. With some maturity, constant supervision is no longer needed. Later, they only require instruction, and parents sigh with relief.  It’s a progression.  It’s a progression that takes a million years, it seems; that’s the perspective of the parent.  From the child’s perspective, it’s eternal:  “They are ALWAYS telling me to do this, do that, do it better, do it over! Why can’t they leave me alone? ” Oh, child, if only we could! It would be MUCH easier to do it ourselves than to get you to do it! We don’

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, bring your own. This is Wisdom speaking: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate. Proverbs 8:13, NASB I hope to kiss a duck if ‘perverted’ is the best translation for this verse. I don’t know if it’s an improvement on King James, where it’s translated as ‘froward.’ At least, I’ve encountered the word ‘perverted before; however, that’s been in contexts that imply sexual deviance, and that’s NOT what the verse addresses. The Hebrew word is   תַּהְפֻּכוֹת , (tahpuḵôṯ), and it’s rare enough that I had to go to multiple sources, which makes me grumpy. At least, that MIGHT be why I’m grumpy. Or, I might be grumpy because the word appears to mean ‘speaking with the intent of causing problems.’  Ever been around a person who speaks with the intent of causing problems? It will make you grumpy.  Not every falsehood

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, steadfast is better than brilliant. She is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet do not remain at home; Proverbs 7:11, NASB The seventh chapter of Proverbs is titled “The Wiles of the Harlot.”  Today, the title might be “The Badger Game,” because that’s the core of the evil scheme: a young man is lured into a compromising position, to set him up for extortion. Once again, I am impressed with the value of daily reading of Proverbs under parental supervision, beginning as soon as a child can read. If ANY straight talk can be prevention against getting suckered, Chapter 7 will. Naive Youth is grabbed and kissed by Boisterous Woman, and told she has been looking for him. He has seen something similar happen on movies and TV, and it looks like it’s coming true for him! Wow! How could he be so lucky! If he were not so naive, early on in the process, he would say to Boisterous Woma

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Heath made noodles. Therefore his calamity will come suddenly;  Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.  Proverbs 6:15, NASB This verse describes the outcome of the wicked man, who sneaks about spreading evil. He may prosper for a bit, but eventually, SMASH! It’s CLOBBERING TIME! If you can read this verse without a bit of gleeful satisfaction in your heart, you are a better person than I am. I believe the term for what I feel when I read the verse is ‘schadenfreude,’ taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. It’s a growth area for me. Still, I am closer to having a right heart in this than I once was; at least, I no longer construct daydreams in which I administer the consequences due to the wicked. I don’t flaunt symbols of the tragic outcome of one who is found out, and I don’t THINK I make jokes about the misfortune of others. One reason I abandone

A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, I WAS confused, but not now. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Proverbs 5:16, NASB Proverbs 5:15-18 uses water as an allegory to describe the importance of marital fidelity.  One of my first posts was about a man who took it literally, because he was terrified of missing God, and how I failed to reach him. Sigh; I wish I had another chance.  There is a MONSTROUSLY HUGE difference between fresh spring water and water running in the street. Even writing about it makes me shiver with disgust, because every nasty bit of garbage and waste is found in street water. I don’t even like the thought of the comparison of that filth with something that is so wonderfully refreshing as spring water. Why would anyone ever want to mention such a filthy mess? It’s just DISGUSTING! Which is the key: it’s JUST disgusting; there is NOTHING attractive abou

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Happy Fourth of July! When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble. Proverbs 4:12, NASB This verse isn’t about techniques of walking and running; it describes what happens on the way of the wise.  That’s GOOD news for me! I NEVER run any more, and I’m not that fond of walking, either. So, if this was the beginning of a section about how to move, I’d just groan, and endure; YMMV. The way of the wise isn’t defined as ‘not doing bad stuff.’ Certainly, lawbreakers’ steps get impeded when the cops show up at their door, but anyone will have their steps impeded if they choose a path that isn’t the right one for them, even if it’s perfectly legal.  Sometimes, our imaginations take us to places that wisdom’s path would not. In 7+ years in college admissions, I saw that frequently with students picking a course of study.  Those stumbles were a

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the big dog doesn’t bite. My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof, Proverbs 3:11, NASB Sigh. Any time I have to go to the Hebrew, I get a bit grumpy. It’s really because I feel presumptuous; I had one year of koine Greek, and ZERO years of Hebrew, whereas the translation team for the NASB all had at least one doctorate in Biblical languages. Still, this IS a devotional, and not a scholarly paper, so: I must dissent. A bit. My peeve this morning is over the word ‘discipline.’ Now, the NASB does point out that ‘instruction’ is an alternate meaning; but when I look at how מוּסָר (mûsār) is translated in other places, it’s pretty clear to me that ‘instruction’ is the best choice. Why does it make a difference? For most of us, ‘discipline’ is most commonly associated with some aversive form of correction, and is functionally equivalent to, or gr

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, ouch; it’s one of those mornings. Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; Proverbs 2:15, NASB This is the last of four verses describing evil men. Crooked paths and devious ways remind me of a phrase used to illustrate massive understatement: ‘Like saying a snake walks funny.’ (NOTE: Vanessa wants NOTHING to do with snakes, but they don’t bother me. I catch ‘em, bag ‘em, and  release ‘em by the creek.) We are people; to us, a snake walks funny. But, if we say that to a snake?  “Why, that’s the way Gramps walked! We ALL walk that way! That sounds like a ‘YOU’ problem, not a ‘ME’ problem!” And then, the aggravated snake… ...does something unpleasant. Snakes are notorious for having bad tempers and no sense of humor, and they attack threats. That’s ONE way of identifying snakes. See them walk funny; point it out; get bitten. Or squeezed. You could also go

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, we’re getting so much closer to an empty nest! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7, NASB I just wrote about ‘fear of the Lord,’ and I’m doing it again. Why? A couple of years ago, I decided I was going to write sequentially, going verse by verse.  I’d been choosing a favorite verse in the Proverb of the Day  to write about, and realized I might fall into the error of transforming the Bible, using my preferences as a guide, when what I desire is to transform myself, using the Bible as a guide. Thus, when 1:7 comes up in the rotation, it doesn’t matter that I covered the topic in 23:17; I write on what is before me, looking for something new to say. Three related, but different, concepts:  Knowledge (דַּעַת ,daʿaṯ ) is being in possession of facts. God is AWESOME; we are not. That’s the first fact, but not th