Lepers, Samaritans, and Cumbersome Wounds 2 of 2

By Jay Weldon

Remember the lepers mentioned in part 1 of this article?  I think that is where we find them on this afternoon.  They sit where they always sit, keeping their distance from any decent people.  They aren’t allowed to touch anyone, they cannot work, they are asked in effect not to love, and they can only beg.  And so they beg, as they watch their flesh eaten away, day by day, feeling more and more ostracized, feeling less and less like they matter.  On this day, they don’t matter.  Maybe once they did… until… that day when they started not to matter any more.  I don’t know if you and I can really identify with the pain that they felt, both physical and emotional, caused by an anomalous skin disease from antiquity, and maybe the sufferings of minorities and those in the third world today seem equally difficult for us to grasp.  Perhaps we cannot even see the wounds in the person sitting next to us, the years of abuse, the years of not mattering, the lifetime of self-hatred, of being asked not to love.  Maybe we cannot imagine that, but we can remember those days when our own lives seemed not to matter to anyone, and beginning in our own personal sense of pain we can begin to understand, and from there we can begin to practice understanding.
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Lepers, Samaritans, and Cumbersome Wounds 1 of 2

By Jay Weldon

Jeremiah 29:1-7; Luke 7:11-19

As a child, I can remember the story of the ten lepers, only one of whom returned to thank Jesus.  It was usually mentioned around Thanksgiving, or anytime they wanted to teach us to be more grateful!  I have recently reconsidered what meaning we find in this story, especially considering it as a part of the healing ministry of Jesus, as well as comparing it to some of the material we find in the Old Testament prophets.

My wife and I were recently on vacation in Ireland.  It was a celebration of having been married for one year—twelve months of enjoyment for me, and about seven and a half happy months for her.  We had been given a very generous gift, a voucher for a stay at a castle in the West of Ireland, which served as inspiration for our journey.  We drove the four hours required to get there from Dublin, through towns and villages, passing sheep and cows at every turn, remembering to stay on the left side of the road as we got caught up in the emerald scenery. 

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Becoming the Salt of the Earth

By John T. McNeal

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word salt?  
Could it be that it adds flavor?  Or, how it relates to a heart attack waiting to happen? It seems that people go from one extreme to another when salt is mentioned in a conversation.  Many people believe that salt is a contributor to heart failure, while others tend to believe that it adds flavor to life. Salt is one of three major electrolytes needed in the body.  Let’s go a little deeper.
    
In the Greek language, salt is spelled sault.  It is a natural mineral that is needed to help regulate the body’s fluids to maintain balance.   Every living creature that God made needs salt in order to survive.   In the days of the Roman Empire, part of the wages paid to a Roman soldier was salt.  Of course, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  The over-consumption of salt can lead to health problems.
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He’s There

By Christina Puntigam

My prayers started out in the traditional Catholic sense, memorized.  By the time I had first communion, I had memorized quite a number of prayers, which at the time meant that I had a lot of stickers to show for myself.  Not too long after that, we switched to the Baptist church.  I changed from memorizing prayers to memorizing scripture and my sticker collection grew.  But my prayers were still the memorized ones that I said silently or out loud with my rosary on occasion, when I felt like I had done something worthy of repentance.
 
It probably wasn’t until sometime late in high school that I actually started using my own words to pray and at that point, I don’t think I would have wanted any of those conversations known.  I wasn’t very nice to God when I spoke to Him in those days.  
When I made it to college, I got involved with a Christian student group.  I started saying nice things to God again.  And, I even took the time to learn about prayer and all the different ways that we can express ourselves through prayer.
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The Battle of Sin

By Jennifer Kearson

The obituary stated, “No braver soldier ever went into battle when the War Between the States arrived at the Battlefield of Chickamauga under the powerful leadership of Fighting Joe Wheeler.” Wow! What wonderful words about my great, great Grandfather I read while looking though my family heirlooms. His continued story shared a chapter of his life where he faced numerous tribulations but rose to final victory. Even though I never met him, the description created a vision of glory, honor and respect.

While reminiscing about those dreadful times at war, it saddened me and I wondered how mankind could produce such wicked fruit. Shamefully, many have shed their blood for others in order to mend our corrupted world. For many, comprehending the purpose of war has never been easy, fair or completely natural. In addition, history has shown us that while one war is coming to a close, another seems to constantly be unfolding in the distance.
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