partsofspeaking

So we have a new president. Not a fan, but also glad Trump is gone. (I can't think of any politician who ran for president longer than Joe Biden; he was doing it in the '80s.) The only problem is that the last three weeks or so have brought "truth" to light about some people, usually on social media, and it's a little like when you turn the lights on in the basement and little creatures swarm.  On one side, people are saying Trump was the worst president ever. No, he wasn't, and I'm not sure how one would decide that. It's not like we haven't had 44 of them before him.  I would probably say he was one of the worst human beings to be in the White House, just because he was so mean and vindictive. But again, there have been a lot of bad human beings in that position. And I'm not going to deny he did things I liked, things any Republican president would have done, although I don't know why we call him a conservative or a Republican just becaus

A return to more regular posts, perhaps. After Hebrews I began to study the portion of the Bible I know the least, perhaps, the "Minor Prophets" (an unfortunate name!). I will share, but not in a regular format. Today in Micah, toward the end: 7:18-19 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity      and passing over transgression      for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever,      because he delights in steadfast love. (mercy, steadfast love) 19  He will again have compassion on us;      he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our [ f ] sins      into the depths of the sea. We all need this, every day, or similar passages that assure us we are forgiven. We cannot live otherwise; Luther said the Christian life was about daily repentance. I "messed up" yesterday, in my way; I need recalibration, but this verse is not about me, or us. It is about "Who is a God like You?" The prophets have a balance, or at least

 how bad the riots were..... https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/14/dc-police-capitol-riot/?arc404=true

I am on a kind of hiatus. Struggling with motivation and fatigue, I find my attention is turned to other things, including the cloud that hovers over all of us when we feel bad, that it might be COVID and none of us knows how COVID will affect us. It is like a disease lottery; it might kill us, cause permanent lung damage, or, as for most, be a minor inconvenience for a few days. The cold is a coronavirus, too.  There are thousands of posts here, so you are welcome to go back and delve into what I have written since 2006. I have a blog at highereducationobserver.blogspot.com, my website barbaragrahamtucker.com, and lot of books. Tomorrow is the commemoration of Martin Luther King's birthday, which should be more a part of our consciousness than it is; it is "the day white people go out to lunch with friends" since so many are off work and do not actively engage in the holiday's meaning. We white people selectively quote MLKing when it fits our viewpoints.  I recommend

After Hebrews, I decided to study the portion I know the least: the "minor" prophets. (A strange name because they are short, not unimportant. We don't call I and II Peter, Philemon, and I, II, and III John the minor epistles.") I am not posting my writings on all of them, but have finished Hosea and Joel and now move to Amos. This is a response to the last week of our lives, too.   Amos, 1 and 2, January 9. So we come to Amos.   Amos starts with six “For three transgressions, and for four, I will not turn away is punishment” to Damascus (Syria), Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab mostly for their sins against the Jews but in general for their violence against neighbors.   Then he comes to 2:4, with the same opening to Judah and in 2:6 for Israel. But their reasons for judgment are different:   “Because they have despised the law of the Lord and have not kept His commandments,” and Because they sell the righteous for silver and poor for a pair of sa

This is the last entry in this series on Hebrews. It is also #2436 of my blog posts since spring of 2006.  I am going to take a break from this blog for a while to write elsewhere.  My blog's stats have exploded, but I suspect a lot of it is from spam sites. I hope not and I hope this study has been helpful.      20  Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21  equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 22  Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly. 23  I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you. 24  Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings. 25  Grace be w