Reality Crisis

     Columnist Andree Seu Peterson wrote a zinger in WORLD magazine under the subhead, "What happens when we can no longer trust everything we see?" 

     After five long paragraphs about questionable information in our world, she turns to the Bible.

     "Psalm 119. Its 22 stanzas correspond to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each stanza has eight verses, all starting with the same letter. Key words are repeated throughout, hinting at a message in a pattern of eight. In Isaiah, a sequence of thoughts is presented and then repeated in reverse order, with a third idea inserted in the middle, such that the middle idea is emphasized by virtue of its position." 

     "The Bible is a living code. We have now entered the rarefied realm of 'gematria,' secret patterns of numerical values of Hebrew letters and meaningful repetitions of 7s, 4s, and 40s, not only in the literary content but in the frequency of words and the lengths of sections."

     Peterson touches on nature's pattern of numbers, and biology. Then to Scripture: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" - Romans 11:33 

     She concludes: "The Word of God is a light in a dark place. We always said that was true. And now, more than ever before, the darker it becomes the brighter His Word shines."

Money Money 

     We don't particularly care to write about money, but it's a subject most people deal with. 

     On the positive side, some 25% of American adults want to start investing in the stock market this year. Younger adults are leading the way. Some 42% of those aged 18-29 are considering investing for the first time.  

     Younger adults have shifted from buying a starter home to investing in the stock market. The typical sale price for a smaller, more affordable starter home exceeded $260,000 last year, more than double the 2015 price of $110,000.

     Meanwhile, consumer use of debt for necessities, instead of discretionary spending, reached an all-time high last year. Total American household debt is nearly $19 trillion, and a record number of consumers lack enough money to repay debts. 

     Analysts expect the trend to continue this year. Almost 30% have more credit-card debt than emergency savings. Paying down credit-card debt and increasing emergency savings is difficult. 

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Jesus said:

Matthew 5:44, 45 - But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  

Mark 8:34-38 - If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. 

Luke 8:16-18 - No one lights a lamp and hides it. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known. Therefore, consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.  

John 4:23-24 - Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth. 

 

A Story of Friendship  

     We know about Mark Twain (not his real name), a literary genius. And Ulysses S. Grant, the general who brought our Civil War to an end. 

     You may not know that Twain had failed investments and other personal loss. In 1884, Grant faced financial collapse due to a fraudulent business partner and a terminal diagnosis of throat cancer. 

     Would no one in North America help this man who - along with Lincoln - saved our Union? Mark Twain would. The two met at a Washington banquet. Twain's humor broke through Grant's reserved demeanor.

     Grant began to write his memoirs as a way to provide for his wife. Publishers offered modest terms, but Twain saw the literary value. He offered his new friend a more generous deal and took the book to market. As Grant labored through pain, Twain organized sales, recruiting agents and ensuring the book reached a wide audience. 

     "The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant" became a triumph in literature and financially. Grant didn't see its impact, but his final effort proved as resolute as any campaign he had fought. 

     "Twain was known as a cynic, but he was a steadfast friend." 

                      Tomorrow: What did Jesus say?

Freedom and Prosperity... 

     Creates fertile ground for idolatry and covetousness. - Janie Cheaney

     "Credit scores sink and bankruptcy claims rise. Problem gamblers have a higher rate of suicide attempts than alcoholics or drug addicts. This is about coveting and misplaced love. 

     "In Exodus 20 the Lord pronounces the Ten Commandments in a voice of thunder that terrifies them - so the fear of the Lord will keep you from sinning. It appears to work. All that the Lord has spoken we will do. But we know how our promise worked out. 

     "Commandments Two through Nine address actions. Commandments One and Ten aim directly at the heart: 'You shall have no other gods before me' and 'You shall not covet (anything that belongs to your neighbor.)' 

     "Displacing God and desiring what is not lawfully mine are the heart of sin. 

     "Even for sincere Christians it's a continual struggle. Unlawful desires lurk in the byways. 'We will do everything the Lord has commanded,' people promise. Except the first thing and the last. 

     "Covetousness may be the chief problem of democracy, especially when a nation becomes wealthy and self-indulgent. Rule by and for the people often means that people get what they want.  Every generation of Americans had its idols and gimmes, rushing for fame and treasure over broken commandments. 

     "The U.S. is not uniquely sinful, but our system, so conducive to freedom and prosperity, was the first to make covetousness pay off. At least for some. Freedom and prosperity are good things, the very things God promised to his people if they keep his commandments. 

     "But if we don't guard our own hearts against idolatry and covetousness, who will?" 

   

Socialism's Salesman  

           A few words from an article on New York City's new mayor. 

     Zohran Mamdani had placed his hand on the Quran and taken the oath of office to become mayor of New York City.  

     The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have the perfect pitchman to sell its politics to a new generation of voters in New York and beyond. 

     Americans underestimate the dedication of DSA activists who devote nearly every free hour to advancing socialism. 

     Mamdani is very popular with immigrants, who played a huge part in getting him elected. 

     Americans are more positive toward capitalism than socialism, but the gap is shrinking, with only 54% viewing capitalism favorably - down from 60% in 2021. Meanwhile, the positive numbers for socialism are gradually climbing, from 36% in 2021 to 39% in 2025.  

WORLD magazine

The First Sinners...our examples   

     It was only fruit, but Adam and Eve ate from the tree God forbid. They failed his test, and we do the same today, far worse than apples.

     Our pastor says, "We try to cover shame with success, image, religion, busyness, or 'being a good person.' Not that those are wrong, but they can't restore relationship with God."  

     "On the night of Jesus' resurrection, the disciples were locked in a room, fearing Jewish leaders who wanted their status restored. Doors are shut. Dreams shattered. Their leader for three years has been crucified. Suddenly, Jesus stands before them. He doesn't need the door. He is the door."  

     "Peace be with you," he says. "Like in Genesis when God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul, Christ breathes into his followers and they become spiritually alive." 

     "Today we may feel locked in anxiety, shame, a painful past, or circumstances. Doors shut. But the risen Jesus doesn't need an open door to reach us. He steps into our room and says, 'Peace be with you.'" 

     "It's not patching ourselves with better fig leaves. It's Jesus giving us life. The Holy Spirit taking residence. Beginning to produce love, joy, peace, patience and more. You don't have to fix yourself first. You simply believe that he died and rose again, confess your sin, and receive the breath that starts it all." 

     John 20:22. "When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit." What to pray?

     "Jesus, I confess that my independence has left me empty. I lay down my self-effort, my pride, my attempts to fix myself. Breathe on me, and let your peace fill every locked room of my heart." 

 😌

 What is TrumpRx? 

     Never heard of it? Me neither. While the war with Iran gets the headlines, the Trump administration is active in numerous ways to improve life and wellbeing. They are testing a strategy to lower prescription drug costs by linking U.S. prices to what other wealthy countries pay. 

     The theory is that Americans should not pay more for the same medication than patients in Europe or Canada. The TrumpRX website lists discounted cash prices for certain medications that foreign and domestic drug manufacturers have agreed to offer. 

     People without insurance or who need drugs that insurance does not cover are most likely to benefit. About 8% of Americans are uninsured. That's 28 million who might benefit from a cash-only option. 

     The 43 drugs currently available are all brand-name. Those most likely to benefit consumers are weight loss and fertility medications, the least likely to be covered by insurance. Consumers still need to shop. Most patients can also take a generic drug for a fraction of the cost of a brand name prescription. 

     Supporters and skeptics alike agree that more competition could benefit consumers, but they disagree on how many people TrumpRX will benefit.   

WORLD magazine

Jewish Man Seeks Safety...in Germany! 

     How history can rise again. Welsh billionaire Sir Michael Moritz, 71, is applying for German citizenship because the U.K. has become "an uncomfortable place" for Jews. 

     Anti-Semitic attacks spiked in the U.K. after an October synagogue attack. Germany - where millions of Jews died during World War II - is now more welcoming of Jews.

     Moritz's grandparents were killed in the Holocaust. German law allows descendants of those stripped of their German citizenship by the Nazis to return. 

Historic Session 

     First Lady Melania Trump presided over a United Nations Security Council meeting on March 2. 

     Really. It was the first time a sitting first lady took the gavel for the meeting. The U.S. held the rotating Security Council presidency for March. Normally the UN ambassador or a senior government official chair the meetings. 

     Mrs. Trump said, "The path to peace depends on us taking responsibility to empower our children through education and technology. Conflict arises from ignorance, but knowledge creates understanding - replacing fear with peace and unity." 

     Last year, her husband the President criticized the UN, that all it seems to do "is write a strongly worded letter, and then never follows that letter up." 

Do you see what we see? She speaks of "the path to peace" while her hubby was already starting a war. Both necessary for eventual peace.  

                Views 😉

 Jesus said:

     "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:20 

     "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul. Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? - Mark 8:34-37 

     "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you." - Luke 6:37-38

     "Everyone who drinks water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14

A Spiritual Battle

     Pastor Gary Hamrick continues: "In Romans 11, Paul writes, 'I say then, has God cast away his people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew.'" 

     "Christians have become the beneficiaries of the blessings of God, grafted into the vine. ...remember, you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Salvation is available to all," he writes. "For God does not show favoritism," Romans 2:11. "Israel has a unique place in world history." 

     'For you are a holy people to the Lord your God...chosen to be a people for himself, a special treasure above all the people on the face of the earth.' Deuteronomy 7:6.   

     "Make no mistake" - Hamrick writes - "This is a spiritual battle. Satan incites antisemitism, and antisemitism is satanic. And no one bears more responsibility in the fight against antisemitism than the church." 

     "God chose Israel for a sacred purpose. Because of this, we bless Israel, we honor the Jewish people, and we pray for the peace of Jerusalem" - Psalm 122:6. 

So, the U.S. military (some members Christian) and Israel have joined forces in conquering to some extent the satanic leadership of Iran. The Bible says that "there will be wars and rumors of wars." 

  

 Friends at Last! 

     Isn't it interesting that the U.S. (the great satan) and Israel (satan) are joined in war on Iran's leadership, a tool of the real Satan? 

     Today, there are Americans in colleges, workplaces, politics, even in some circles of the church, who fall under antisemitism. Around the world, there is hatred for tiny Israel for no reason, other than Satan.  

     God loves people, his creation, and yet he allows Satan - his creation turned against him - to incite people and nations. There will be an end to Satan, but we're not there yet. "People have hated Israel ever since the tiny nation became the conduit for God's redemptive plan for mankind." (Pastor Gary Hamrick) 

      The "chosen" people themselves haven't always pleased God, and the rest of us, likewise. Still, he loves us. 

     "God, through the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, introduced the Savior to the world. His name is Jesus, Yeshua - Jewish Messiah, on a rescue mission to save. This Savior was born in Israel, died in Israel, rose from the dead in Israel and is coming again to Israel!" 

     "God's covenant that he would establish a people and a place through whom Messiah would come for the sake of the whole world - is the basis for why we support and bless the Jewish people while we pray for their salvation." 

 Continued Saturday

     

Trump, China, Christians, Muslims

     Continuing Wednesday's blog, "President Trump has criticized America's military entanglements. A 'fellow' (woman) in Washington says that Trump's military action in Iran follows in the same vein as his Republican predecessors. "It was the dream of neoconservatives to get rid of the Iranian regime after getting rid of the Afghan and Iraqi regimes. 

     She added, "Years of American opposition to Iran in the form of economic sanctions bolstered the regime's position by weakening Iranian society, unintentionally stalling reform efforts and pushing the Islamic republic into the arms of China. China buys more than 80 percent of Iran's crude oil exports."

     She worries Chinese propaganda painting the U.S. as "reckless" and the People's Republic as the "true upholder of international law and stability." She also is concerned that the Trump administration's intervention could jeopardize internal Iranian resistance efforts. 

     Another expert agreed, but noted Operation Epic Fury may also strengthen the U.S. in the eyes of its Asian rival. Trump is willing to back up foreign policy objectives with force. 

     Christian ministries say growing numbers of Iranians are becoming disillusioned with Islam and are looking elsewhere for answers. Heart4Iran is a ministry that broadcasts Christian programming into Iran. Its satellite TV station operates a 24/7 call center. The CEO, who fled from Iran, said, "The Iranian people's perspective regarding Islam has changed a lot, long before this attack. 

     The doctoral student in Ohio (see yesterday's blog) is considering moving back home - but only if the regime fully changes. "I want the whole world to know the true nature of this government. How their ideology destroyed my beautiful country." 

           Jimmy  

Tuesday's Update

     Cancel 8 p.m. Eastern-time all-out bombing. President Trump: "If Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend bombing for 2 weeks." Cease fire. Talk better than bombs. This morning looked unwinnable. Tonight, Trump wins again. If the Iranians keep their word. 

Wednesday Morning                                          WORLD magazine

     On the news that Iran's supreme leader was dead, an Iranian college student in Ohio, on his way to class, remembers, "For a moment, I couldn't breathe," he said. "I just started crying for all the years that they ruled us. We begged for that. This man killed his own people." 

     "U.S. and Israeli forces have destroyed much of Iran's military might. Thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of cities across the globe to celebrate. But not all Iranians share that view. 

     "They worry foreign interference could sabotage ongoing efforts to advance democracy...and lead to worse crackdowns or civil war. Other critics argue the war violates U.S. campaign promises. 

     "The student in Ohio says most students coming to the U.S. are 'just desperate for a life out from under the prying eyes of the government.' A study showed that on average a protest occurred in Tehran once every three days from 2009 to 2024. A U.S. organization verified the Iran government killed more than 6,000 protesters, and is investigating over 17,000 other deaths.   

     "Operation Epic Fury is not a 'regime change' war, but our president urges Iranian people to 'take over your government.' That appears unlikely. The U.S. achieved its objectives: preventing the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, naval power and terrorist armies. 

     "Without their dead leaders, other Iranians launched a series of attacks by drones. Israeli air defenses have intercepted hundreds of Iranian missiles, some fired by Hezbollah."

Tomorrow: NBC poll. 54% of Americans disapprove

 

New Identity, Based on Truth 

     Humans are born; we live our lives and die.  

     Oh, there are differences in how we live, but death wins. 

     God himself, in the person of Jesus, died on the cross to pay for our sins. Then he came back to life, offering new life to all of us. Death doesn't have to win. 

     Father, Son and Holy Spirit - with more love than we have - want us to be born again. (Ask Nicodemus.) If you...know how to give good gifts...how much more will our Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? - Luke 11:13. 

     On Resurrection Sunday we wrote about God's message through Peter, chapter 3:18-22. In the days of Noah, God flooded the disobedient world. Only Noah and his family survived. 

     God tells us through Peter that the flood symbolizes baptism...that now saves us also...a pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at God's right hand...with angels and power in submission to him. 

     Baptism is an obedient expression of our repentance, our faith in Christ and commitment. Once baptized, we belong to Christ and (spiritually) have died and risen with him. God wants more from us, but baptism opens the way.  

          Romans 6:3-5   Galatians 3:27   Colossians 2:11-12   Acts 2:38-39

     No one ever imagined a world flood. But Noah believed God and survived.  

     This blogger was baptized as a baby, like so many of us. At age 30, I was baptized, by my decision. Which one did God favor?  

             Jimmy   

Yes, we know this is a serious day for Iran

Easter Sunday is over.

But the resurrection daily calls on sinners to believe and repent.

Baseball History 

     In my last year of college, I was walking toward my appointment when I happened on a group of students listening to the seventh game of the 1960 world series, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the vaunted New York Yankees. I think each of the Yanks' three wins were blow outs. 

     I moved on and returned to find...nobody. Was the game over?

     The Pirates' young Bill Mazeroski, known for his second base defense, came up to lead off the bottom of the 9th inning, score 9-9. 

     While I was posing for my photo, I missed seeing Mazeroski crush a fastball over Pittsburgh's left field fence to secure victory, and his place in baseball history. 

     Mazeroski died this February, at age 89. 

Football History 

     A football coach led six different football programs to bowl games. Lou Holtz died in March. He too was 89. 

     He took over William & Mary, and after a short time with the New York Jets, he was an assistant at Ohio State, coached Arkansas and Minnesota. Then he coached Notre Dame, winning 100 games in 11 seasons, including the Fighting Irish's last national championship, in 1988.  

     Holtz then broadcast football for CBS and ESPN. We remember him as very likeable, even when he brought Notre Dame (our lady) to Columbus for a tussle. 

                           Jimmy 

The Resurrection  

     Early Sunday morning, after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene (for whom Jesus had driven out seven demons) went to the tomb. There was a violent earthquake. An angel rolled back the stone and sat on it. The frightened guards became like dead men. 

     Mary heard a voice, thinking it was the gardener. Jesus said, "Mary." She turned around and saw him. She cried out, "Teacher!" "Go to my brothers," he said. "I am returning to my God and your God." 

     Jesus' "brothers" didn't believe Mary. But Peter and John ran to the tomb and saw strips of linen and the burial cloth folded up. They still didn't understand from Scripture that Jesus would rise from the dead. 

     Two men who heard the news were walking from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus, seven miles away. They wished that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel. A stranger began walking with them, saying "How foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory. He explained Moses, all the prophets and about himself. Reaching home, they invited him in. He suddenly disappeared. 

     "Their eyes were opened and they hurried back to Jerusalem and the 11 disciples." Truth was breaking out. 

     Later, Jesus appeared to his disciples, not through their bolted door; he just appeared. He invited them to touch his damaged hands and feet. He was not a ghost, but flesh and bones. And he told them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit." 

The above a summary of reports. Some varied.

Note: As my relatives immediately changed facial expressions when they died, their minds, not brains, went somewhere. Jesus went somewhere after he cried out on the cross and gave up his spirit. Like other authors in the Bible, Peter wrote what God revealed. In 1 Peter chapter 3, that Saturday - between Friday's crucifixion and Sunday's resurrection - Jesus went to Hades, just short of hell. He gave Noah's disobedient generation a scolding, apparently. Peter also wrote, "The Spirit of Christ spoke in times past through the prophets." We will have more from Peter sometime this week. 

   

  

Jesus, the way to the Father

     In John chapter 14 - Jesus was beginning to inform his disciples I am going to prepare a place for you. You know the way to the place where I am going. 

     Thomas said, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Good question. Jesus answered,

     I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.

     Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 

     Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Don't you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father living in me, who is doing his work.

     We understand that everything Jesus - born by a virgin - taught, he received from the Father. On Friday, we wrote of the crucifixion. On Saturday, Thomas, Philip and other disciples, and the women close to Jesus are extremely upset. If Jesus and the Father are/were as one, how can this be? His death on the horrible cross? How can the dead go anywhere, much less a very special place? 

     Mary Magdalene and two other women, weeping over the death of their Jewish Lord, are preparing spices to anoint Jesus' body at daybreak after the Sabbath day. Of course, they don't know who will roll the heavy stone away from the tomb. 

   

     

Good (?) Friday 

They Mock Jesus

Then the governor's men took Jesus into the Praetorium...

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him...

And twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. 

They mocked, "Hail king of the Jews!" They spit on him and struck him. 

On the Way to the Cross  

Soldiers took charge of Jesus. 

Jesus told women mourning for him, Do not weep for me; weep for yourselves.

The Crucification 

They forced him to carry a cross. They brought him to "the place of the skull." 

Those hurled insults at him. "Come down if you are the Son of God." 

And they crucified him. They cast lots to see what clothes each would get. 

The "notice of charge" against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

Those who passed by hurled insults. Chief priests and teachers mocked him. 

"He saved others, but he can't save himself!" 

The Death of Jesus 

Darkness came over the land. When Jesus had cried out, he gave up his spirit.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

The earth shook and rocks split. Many holy people were raised to life.

Those guarding Jesus were terrified and said: "Surely he was the Son of God." 

The Burial of Jesus

A rich man asked Pilate for Jesus' body. He placed it in his own new tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb 

Chief priests and Pharisees asked that the tomb be secure to prevent deception.  

So they made the tomb as secure as they knew how and posted a guard.  

Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19 

None of us deserve the substitute He became for us.

Young children are the exception.

The Suffering Iranians  

     Columnist Lynn Vincent recalls her long-ago meeting with teenagers Mohammed and Hussein, 7,000 miles from their home, Iran. 

     She says, "Their parents sent them to America, out of the killing path of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the radical Shia cleric, and his followers, who called their uprising 'the Islamic Revolution.'" 

     "Khomeini promised justice, peace and dignity and the worship of Allah. Many believed and supported him. Instead, Khomeini institutionalized repression. The Islamic Republic fused religion with politics and purged dissenters." 

     "Women lost legal rights, were forced to wear the hijab, and were beaten if they refused. Protesters were shot in the streets. That's how two Iranian teens wound up in Scottsboro, Alabama. Their parents feared for their lives." 

     "All this makes the current U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran very personal to me. I've learned that many parents sent kids to America, while they stayed behind under the boot heals. What American parents can imagine sending their children 7,000 miles from home, even amid simmering racism?" 

     "The people who stayed behind in Iran are still paying the price. They still cry, 'Azadi' 'Azadi' - Freedom! Freedom! Vincent's young friends - now maybe grandparents - "are blessed with self-determination secured by the sacrifice of their parents."

     "But their countrymen still suffer imprisonment, rape and public executions under a dictatorship desperate to hold onto power. Forty-seven years is enough. For the sake of my friends, their families and all families like them, I cry with them. Azadi!" 

Do some of us despise this war to end nuclear threats? Or went along with our President, but now fed up with higher gas prices, wanting this to end, never mind suffering Iranians? Well, the goal was to destroy everything nuclear. 

             Jimmy

 

   

Our Thoughts

     Yesterday we wrote about our thoughts and how they come and go, and sometimes become actions on the broad roads of life. 

     In Isaiah (our favorite Old Testament book) chapter 55, God spoke about thoughts. He addressed those who are thirsty and those who are poor, urging them (us) to come to him. 

     He said David, "my everlasting covenant," is our "witness." David had faulty thoughts, like us, but he ended life a solid follower of God. (And in the New Testament we read that David will govern Jerusalem when the Lord returns.)

     "Seek the Lord," the Lord himself said. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Turn to the Lord" for mercy and pardon. 

     God continued, "My thoughts are not your thoughts nor your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." 

     "This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign." 

 That's the "narrow road" God wants us to take.