2/20/10

A way with words

Trick shirt? You betcha! But the fact is love and hate can be confusing. I think women understand this better than men and often use it to their advantage. Here is a tale that illustrates the truth of this statement.

Judges 14:12-18 WEB (R)
(12) Samson said to them, Let me tell you a riddle now. If you can declare it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing;
(13) but if you can't declare it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. They said to him, Put forth your riddle, that we may hear it.
(14) He said to them, Out of the eater came forth food. Out of the strong came forth sweetness. They couldn't in three days declare the riddle.
(15) It happened on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's wife, Entice your husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire: have you called us to impoverish us? is it not so?
(16) Samson's wife wept before him, and said, You just hate me, and don't love me: you have put forth a riddle to the children of my people, and haven't told it me. He said to her, Behold, I haven't told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?
(17) She wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it happened on the seventh day, that he told her, because she pressed him sore; and she told the riddle to the children of her people.
(18) The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? He said to them, If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, you wouldn't have found out my riddle.

Samson was extremely strong, but not smarter than his wife. True, she wasn't given much of a choice because of the threats against her and her family, but she got results. Samson really didn't know how to handle her and she was able to manipulate him. Its been my experience that women are smarter than men when it comes to interpersonal relationships and this tale shows that its true. Like the tee-shirt in the picture, the ladies have a way with words and white can seem black and love and hate can get blurry sometimes. Still, you gotta love em... I do!

..beautiful, simply beautiful!

This is a 1951 Chevrolet. Nice car; old, but nice. I am not fond of the color or the styling, but I really do like the way this car has been restored. Mint, simply mint. Even more than the quality of the restoration work, the shine and shadows of this picture are absolutely OUTSTANDING! Prime HDR photography! This picture made me think of how people can be like this car. Read the following passage from the book of 2nd Corinthians to get a better idea of what I mean.

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 WEB (R)
(1) Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
(2) You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
(3) being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.
(4) Such confidence we have through Christ toward God;
(5) not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;
(6) who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
(7) But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away:
(8) won't service of the Spirit be with much more glory?
(9) For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
(10) For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.
(11) For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
(12) Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,
(13) and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn't look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.
(14) But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.
(15) But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.
(16) But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
(17) Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
(18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

The comparison here is that of the old and new covenants of God. Moses' face and the reading of the old covenant are a reflection of the power of that which was, as compared to the power of the reflection of the new covenant of Jesus, which causes a shine of the heart. The beauty of the car in the picture is a reflection of where the car has been and how it reveals its surroundings. The beauty of the human heart caused by the Christ is a shine that goes way beyond a mere reflection and in fact is a transformation of the very essence of what it means to live. Like the car, the message may be old, but still shines even after 2000 years. And that is beautiful, simply beautiful!