Words are the stuff life is made of. Education deals with the meaning of words; civilization depends on the fair and proper use of words. In kindergarten we learned that "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." -- that isn't true. Later, we learned about "eating our words," "actions speak louder than words," and "mere words." At last, we learned about "a word fitly spoken." We talk about "men of few words" -- yeah, right. The trouble is they use them over and over and over again. Words are often downright confusing, For example: How is it possible to have a nose that runs and feet that smell? Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways? It seems ridiculous that a slim chance and a fat chance could be the same, while a wise guy is the opposite of a wise man. And why is it that quite a lot and quite a few are the same?
By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. What's The "Good Word"?
Words are the stuff life is made of. Education deals with the meaning of words; civilization depends on the fair and proper use of words. In kindergarten we learned that "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." -- that isn't true. Later, we learned about "eating our words," "actions speak louder than words," and "mere words." At last, we learned about "a word fitly spoken." We talk about "men of few words" -- yeah, right. The trouble is they use them over and over and over again. Words are often downright confusing, For example: How is it possible to have a nose that runs and feet that smell? Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways? It seems ridiculous that a slim chance and a fat chance could be the same, while a wise guy is the opposite of a wise man. And why is it that quite a lot and quite a few are the same? By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Prescription: Rx Friendship
When asked "What is a friend"? Aristotle replied, "A single soul dwelling in two bodies." I expect what we like most about friends is the fact that they are comfortable. While love is blind, friendship deliberately closes its eyes to the mess in our living rooms, or anywhere, for that matter. By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A.
This week will complete our "Facts of Faith" column. We're going to let Aunt Ruth finish up the column; she was the best "fact for faith" this nephew could have ever hoped for! The new Circuit Writer book "101 Facts For Faith" is now available at the Settlement House Fine Arts Shops, Sylvania, PA, the Austinville Union Church and Olde Covert Church for a donation of $10 which will go entirely to World Vision Missions to help suffering children the world over. Thanks for reading. Next week, our column will return to "Healing Hints." Morality and Purpose Demand the Existence of GodIt is not without significance that lawlessness and lack of moral code are always the outcome when people leave off with believing in a purposeful, progressive, creative, redemptive God.
For without the Creator, the universe has no intended design, purpose, meaning or reason. Even man himself is reduced to a "happening", the result of the alignment of certain improbable circumstances. A Call for Fair PlayThere's a new group of scientists afoot today. Their number is steadily increasing. These people are the heads of research divisions in industry and government, professors in our universities. They hold post-graduate degrees in their various fields of natural science. They don't all agree on the details. They do agree that, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
In effect, this group is a "back to science" group who have stood by too long while assumptions were published as dogma and in ways that are made to appear to the unsuspecting as "facts." A Roman Emperor Provides A Fact for Christian FaithBy Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A.
The Arch of Titus was built in 82 AD as a boastful tribute to the conquests of the Roman Emperor Titus. Nearly two thousand years later it remains as an archeological testament to a very strange prediction made by Jesus. It was the kind of prediction that lends great credibility to the divinity of Jesus and, therefore, the existence of God. The arch is located on the Via Sara in Rome, just south-east of the Roman Forum. The author visited it in 1969. It was built by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his oldest brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Yet, the story starts much earlier. It seems that the disciples were out to impress Jesus with the grandness of the temple in Jerusalem. "Some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God." (Luke 21:5). |
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