Foolishness – What is foolishness and who are the fools in your life?

We all have fools in our life. I know I do and there have been times when those people are me, myself and I. So how do you recognize a “fool”? Who does the Bible say is a “fool”?

This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you...

Do you know someone who denies that God exists? Are you or do you know someone who is rebelling against God? Are you disregarding something you know God wants or commands you to do?
The fool says in his heart “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).

Are you having to deal with a chronic liar? Someone who is deceptive? Are you that person?
He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool (Proverbs 10:18).

How many do you know who are quick-tempered? Are you quick-tempered?
A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted
(Proverbs 12:16).

How many of us have a problem with acting impulsively and not thinking about the consequences of our actions or our words.
Wise people think before they act; fools don’t and even brag about it!
(Proverbs 13:16).

A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless
(Proverbs 14:16).

How about that person who can’t seem to stand “dead-air” and talks endlessly about everything and nothing? You know that saying “I know enough to be dangerous”? Have you ever said that?
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions
(Proverbs 18:2).

Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin
(Proverbs 10:14).

A fool's mouth is his undoing,
and his lips are a snare to his soul (Proverbs 18:7).

Do you hold yourself accountable for your words and actions?
A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence (Proverbs 15:5).

A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool
(Proverbs 17:10).

Are you a good money steward?
Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom? (Proverbs 17:16).

In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has (Proverbs 21:20).

Do you or someone you know pick fights? Or look for things to disagree about?
A fool's lips bring him strife,
and his mouth invites a beating. (Proverbs 18:6).

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control
(Proverbs 29:11).

Do you work hard to support yourself and/or your family or do you depend on others to supply your needs? (I am not talking about the person who has fallen on hard times and needs a helping hand).
Foolish people refuse to work and almost starve (Ecclesiastes 4:5).

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
(Ecclesiastes 7:4).

Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they have no strength for even the simplest tasks (Ecclesiastes 10:15 NLT).


Do you learn from your mistakes?
As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly (Proverbs 26:11).

Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding him like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove his folly from him. (Proverbs 27:22).


I think that the term “fool” probably applies to each of us at some time in our life. If any of these scriptures have pricked your conscience then please, please make sure you acknowledge it, seek forgiveness and ask God our Father to direct your steps so that you can keep your walk straight.

If these scripture brought a particular person and/or persons to mind, what then? I mean really, what if it is a child or a sibling? What then? What if it is a parent? Face it, you can’t “fix” them. Pray for them, yes but don’t lecture them. You will be wasting your breath. Scripture also tells us that a fool doesn’t listen to good advice.

Proverbs 15:5
A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

Proverbs 23:9
Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words

Proverbs 26:4
Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.

Proverbs go on an on about “fools”. Me thinks that God doesn’t like them and doesn’t want us to be one or associate with them. I went to the website biblegateway.com and searched on the keyword “fool” (NIV) and came up with 79 references. So once again, what if you are related to one? In acknowledging that there have been times in my life when I have to point the finger back at myself; I also acknowledge that there a few “others” that are a part of my life on a daily basis. A few are family members and some are co-workers. How to deal with them? I turn to the same scriptures that describe foolishness to learn the wise response. Look at the scriptures above again, and this time ask yourself this question….

What does a wise person look like and how do they behave. I don’t know about you; but I would love to be thought of as a wise person.

I searched on the word “wisdom” and came up with 215 references….the Bible is the only self-help book you will ever need.

OK, I am done with my sermon. Please know I was preaching to myself. I also don't think I have any answers. The answers are in God's word...if I have pointed you in that direction then I did OK.

Mr. Right & Mrs. Right

I went to the singles Bible Study at my church last evening. It was the first time I had been since they changed the format. I found it to be very uplifting and encouraging as well as convicting and personally challenging. Ya know it stings a little (many times more than a little) when your sin is pointed out to you.

Basically the series that is being taught right now is how to find Mr. Right or Mrs. Right as well as how to be Mr. Right or Mrs. Right to someone else. In today’s culture of “anything goes” Biblical dating is a lost concept. The Biblical roles of husband and wife are also a very foreign concept to many people these days, young and old alike. Of course I was pretty clueless when I said my “I dos” 30 years ago as well which is, I am sure, the main reason I have been single now for the past 22 years. I think what surprised me last night was how many of my own peers are still in the dark as to what Biblical dating and marriage are all about. This became clear as “the old folks” sat around the table at Chick-Fil-A afterwards discussing the evening. A few of us were in complete agreement with what we had heard. To some it was new information well received and a few others weren’t sure how to digest it yet. It made for some interesting conversation and some carefully worded sentences.

I was reminded once again that we are all at different stages in our spiritual walk and it is not up to us to judge each other. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and convict us so that we can continue to be changed from the inside out until God takes us home or comes to get us. It is a good thing for me to remember that it is a life long process and we will never be perfect until that time. For me personally it means I have to keep practicing. When I fall I have to acknowledge it, confess it and change it and then keep on keeping on.

I think this ministry is very blessed to have a young preacher and his wife committed to teaching and modeling the principle of a Biblical marriage to the young people of our church as well as to us “old folks” who didn’t get it right the first time around. I certainly look forward to next Tuesday night’s teaching as well.

LET ME INTRODUCE OUR NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER

I can not believe I have taken this long to introduce the newest member of our family. I guess I have been way to busy actually playing with him to write about him
So here goes...

JAMES ANTHONY
Born 09-09-09
At 5:23 PM
6 Lbs., 8 Oz.
19” Long
The proud parents are Jared and Jodie Deppa

And he is absolutely the most handsome little thing you have ever seen.

WATER,WATER EVERYWHERE; but not a drop to drink.

So Atlanta and the surrounding areas appear to be drowning in water stained with red mud. It’s everywhere you look. The air itself is saturated with moisture. Roads are closed, some homes are flooded , others are without power and some are without (believe it or not) water. So I found it really amusing that while listening to a news anchor on T.V. I heard him say. “If you have no water in your home because of the flooding you need to boil your water for the next 24 hours.” My first thought; which as always was very sarcastic, was “Did you ad-lib that or did someone really put that on your teleprompter?”. First of all, if you have no water coming out of the faucet where are you going to get this water to boil? Out of your front yard? And second, you can’t boil it for 24 hours cause there wouldn’t be anything left. OK, I admit it, I am a smart aleck.

Having to deal with all the rain and the potential of the creek bordering my front yard invading my personal living space made me reflect a bit on just how powerful water in itself is. How it is necessary to sustain life and how it can take life. You can’t stop it or even re-direct it without the help of many people and a lot of pre-planning. The only one who can control water is God himself. I am not going to ask “Why is this happening?”; only He himself knows the answer to that age old question. What I am asking myself is “How can I use this experience?”. It is a reminder to me that He is in control of all things and that I don’t have to be concerned about the final out come.

Then the thought comes to me that it is really easy for me to say and acknowledge that God is in control since nothing bad has happened to me in relation to this event. My home hasn’t been flooded, I still have power and water. So, what is the lesson here for me personally? The next thought that pricks the back of my mind….so if you believe that God is indeed in control, why were you so anxious yesterday when you saw the creek come over it’s banks?

The message for me appears to be a very gentle reminder that I need to seek Him first (Matthew 6:33). Give Him all my anxious thoughts (Phillipians 4:6) and the only way to do this is to seek a quiet place each day and spend time with Him. If I don’t do that then I will have no idea who He is or what His Word says in regard to how I am to think and act on a daily basis. In essence I will have no way of knowing what he wants me to do or how I am to do it. A real life application to the instruction to "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." If I won’t be still, there may come a time when He will make me do exactly that. I won’t have an option, perhaps he may take away the electricity so the T.V. or the internet are not available.
He has the power……my lesson from the flood….He is indeed in control and he wants me to be still and spend more time with Him which is a reinforcement of the sermon I heard Sunday.

Psalm 46 (New International Version)
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah
8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Little Indians

One little, two little, three little Indians…….

Are they supposed to have blue eyes?

Four little, five little, six little Indians…..

I could have sworn there were only three of them when they moved in…
But they do sound more like six

Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians.

And they have enough “stuff” to supply a whole tribe

Ten little Indian girls.

Never mnd…..I am just out of my mind….there are just three of them.

Things are looking up…..

Things are looking up…..
At least I feel better, either my cold is subsiding or I have found the right “cocktail” to keep the symptoms under control.

I am looking forward to a three day holiday week-end which will be busy with the normal schedule of taking Mom to the grocery store, housework and yard work. The bonus is of course that extra day on Monday and I have made arrangements to meet an old friend from way back when. We are going on a picnic and I am so looking forward to it. I hope the weather cooperates and that it is a nice day for us to spend outside. Hopefully we will find much to talk about and discover many things in common.

Really, I am not such a depressing person normally

So why does every other post seem to indicate that I need to stop having pity parties???
I used to look at something and see that the “glass was half full” but now I see I am more inclined to look at it and determine that “it’s almost empty.” It’s probably a good thing that not too many people know about this little blog cause it is rather depressing. It’s not funny, entertaining or informative. It’s just appears to be my place to whine. What a drip.

I really do have a sense of humor and there are quite a few people in my life that make me laugh. Just not sure why I can’t look past the issues and just enjoy life. I think more than being frustrated, I am just lonely and wish I had a “someone” to share with. I have been single for a long time and never thought that I would care about that. I have been pretty content with not having a “someone” in my life. I think that this started changing last fall when I broke my ankle and was confined to my house for six weeks and had to wait on someone to come and help me do the simplest of tasks. It could also have something to do with the big “5 – O” that is looming around the corner in just a little over a month now. If that’s the issue I really need to get over it.

I am really grateful for my family. I don’t know what I would do without my kids and grandkids; my parent and siblings. I just don’t want to live with any of them. How funny is that, I don’t want to live with family but I don’t really think I want to be alone either. I don’t want just a roommate. I think I am getting to a place where I need to have an emotional connection with someone. Wow, what a concept……and how do people do that these days?