Commentary

School Choice Will Soon Find Another Opportunity in Louisiana

All the way back to the administration of Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana has viewed private- school choice statewide as very positive public policy that needed to be enshrined in state law to improve the quality of education of poor and minority children, and to provide the same educational choice enjoyed by children from more affluent families. However, Gov. John Bel Edwards has obstructed school choice during his two terms as governor.

For you [Israel] are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”

(Deuteronomy 7:6).

I have been quite taken aback by what I have seen this week. I think many of us have had difficulty processing it.

The massacre at the music festival alone is sufficiently chilling and gutwrenching. It is estimated that a few thousand young people were observing the end of the Jewish holiday season at the Tribe of Nova music festival, which quickly became the location of the worst mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.

NOTE: multiple Bible versions are used for greater ease of understanding.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1, niv) The law enslaves us, but freedom in Christ liberates believers from the bondage of the law. As for God’s Law; referring to the 10 Commandments, Paul declares: “Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”

Hillary Clinton made a comment this week attacking and demeaning supporters of President Trump, characterizing them as intrinsically defective and in need of “deprogramming,” with the implicit assertion that Trump supporters are bigots. (CNN interview, C. Amanpour, 10-6-2023).

Clinton, a 2016 presidential candidate and former Secretary of State, called for a “formal deprogramming” of supporters of former President Trump. Discussing the recent removal of House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, from that post, Clinton contrasted what she called the “sane” part of the GOP caucus who helped prevent a government shutdown with the so-called “cult” wing devoted to Trump.

“The Dangers of Casual Christianity” To drink or not to drink.

That was the jest of a recent article I read where a pastor posted a strongly-worded message against drinking coffee in the church sanctuary. And, as you can imagine, it caused quite a stir.

Yes, there were those who wrote “AMEN!!!!” and others who strongly criticized ( condemned) him for daring to take such a stand: saying “God accepts us just as we are and could care less about our bringing coffee into the sanctuary!!”

Interesting.

I guess I’m still old-fashioned when it comes to worship. I still don’t bring food inside of the sanctuary— and can’t bring myself to wear jeans to the pulpit on Sunday morning or some threadbare, raggedy-looking t-shirt.

Baking for the holidays can take a tremendous amount of time. You not only have to consider regular meals, but also plan what you want to serve on the specific holiday. And in some cases, we may also be attending parties and gatherings that require us to bring a dish. That’s why the end of September is the best time to plan ahead.

First, sit down with a pen and paper. List any parties you plan to attend that require baking. Think about any get-togethers you want to host. Will they be the come and go type? Buffet? Casual or formal? And don’t forget the kids. They may have school parties or a birthday that hits right in the middle of the holidays. All of these things need to be planned and organized.

Baking for the holidays can take a tremendous amount of time.

You not only have to consider regular meals, but also plan what you want to serve on the specific holiday. And in some cases, we may also be attending parties and gatherings that require us to bring a dish. That’s why the end of September is the best time to plan ahead.

First, sit down with a pen and paper. List any parties you plan to attend that require baking. Think about any get-togethers you want to host. Will they be the come and go type? Buffet? Casual or formal? And don’t forget the kids. They may have school parties or a birthday that hits right in the middle of the holidays. All of these things need to be planned and organized.

In God’s Word, He makes it clear that He calls His people to Himself. The means of which He uses vary greatly; not everyone experiences a life-changing event, but all that He foreknew would believe on Jesus, He called before time began, as we read in 2Timothy 1:89: “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,” Christianity is the only ‘religion’ whose God seeks and calls His people with a holy calling. He reveals Himself through His Creation, the perfection of His Word and through personal experiences with His people, as we read in Psalm 19. Then, we who are saved are to seek His Face in everything, for He is LORD.

What is hospice care? The first time it was ever mentioned in front of me, I panicked. My dad had been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma. We had taken him for a second opinion in hopes of more treatment options. Unfortunately, what we got was, “take him home and keep him comfortable.” They immediately recommended hospice care. So of course from that moment on, I related the word “hospice” with dying. Not just dying, but dying in a short period of time.

Both my mom and my dad did pass from cancer within a year of that, but what happened during those months was not what my mind had associated with hospice.

I don’t know about you, but I hate alligators. If I ever had the misfortune of running into one, a simple shotgun wouldn’t be enough for me. I would want to alert our nearby Air Force base to drop a missile on them.

Then why do I agree to go to the alligator farm when my grandchildren come to visit? Because I love my grandchildren enough to find a way to overcome my fear.

That’s the way fear works. It’s all too easy to see it coming, and then start running in the other direction. We head for safe ground and wrap ourselves in what we think of as our safe little world. However, when we do that, we isolate ourselves from the beauty, excitement, and fun of the outside world.

Fear of any kind is really nothing more than a big bully. It’s time to get rid of it once and for all. But how do you do it? See if some of these tips will help.