I was visiting the hospital and speaking to a lady who I had just met and introduced myself as a preacher of the Winchester church of Christ. She said, “I know about your denomination but I belong to a different one. I’m a Methodist.” I didn’t try to explain that we are non-denominational. That wasn’t the time or place. But this is a frequent misunderstanding among others regarding the churches of Christ. People see us as a denomination! Why? The general public has a general idea about what makes a church non-denominational: a) it is unaffiliated and independent; b) it is Bible-oriented without a creed or articles of faith or church manual; c) its name is not standard, that is, identifying it as the same wherever you go. Whether this clearly represents what makes a church non-denominational or not, is not the issue. We have to deal with people where they are, not where we think they ought to be! So, are the churches of Christ unaffiliated and independent? The answer is “yes”, if by this we mean that there is no hierarchy that has authority over the local congregation. We have no human headquarters. We don’t answer to the Vatican, Salt Lake City or Nashville! Each church of Christ is autonomous and independent. Each congregation is governed by a board of elders and assisted by deacons and ministers. What about being Bible-oriented? The answer is absolutely “yes”! We have no creed book, no articles of faith and no church manual or some other printed material that defines our beliefs, other than the New Testament itself. However, a creed or manual does not have to be written down. If a denomination’s beliefs are generally known and so rigidly adhered to that anyone who wanders off the beaten path is quickly marked and excluded, though they have no printed creed or manual, they are still perceived by those outside as a denomination. Non-denominational churches are not bound by a creed, written or unwritten, and are thus far more accepting of others who differ. Since there is no official interpretation of the scriptures, there will be various views on the scriptures. This promotes more Bible study and biblical discussion. Furthermore, since a person is not immediately excluded when he offers a different view than the majority, he has time to study and think the matter through. The various beliefs (interpretations) of members are tolerated as examples of the process of growing in knowledge. What about the name churches of Christ? Here is a problem! Church of Christ is pretty standard. We claim that any biblical name is right, but end up using only one! No wonder people see us as a denomination! However, in the world we live in, we must concur with the postal service, utility service, government, etc. Thus, we have accepted this flawed methodology and try to teach people that we are non-denominational in spite of it.
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Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
What’s going on with Baby-Boomers? Now that they are in their 50’s and 60’s they are divorcing at double the previous rate. Gray divorces make up fully one fourth of all divorces in America. Bowling Green State University professor Susan Brown co-authored a recent report entitled “The Gray Divorce Revolution”. I’m reminded of the story of the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of an elderly couple. The husband whispered in the ear of his hard of hearing wife, “I like it all but the band.” She turned to him and shouted, “I can’t stand you either!” Young or old let us remember that marriage is a lifetime partnership made “till death do us part.” This is Just-A-Minute
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Ed Boggess
It happened in March (2013). 24-yr-old Dianna Hanson was mauled to death by a lion at a wild-life sanctuary in Fresno County, CA. Hanson’s dream job was to work with the big cats. She was interning at the time. Evidently she failed to realize the risk involved. But if the truth be known wild animals from a goose to a lion are just that, wild, and their behavior is unpredictable. It is no wonder that the apostle Peter warned, “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Hanson paid for her negligence with her life, others will pay with eternity! This is Just-A-Minute
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Ed Boggess
In the last election, Derby, Connecticut John R. Butler was running for a pace on the Board of Appointment and Taxation. However, due to a mistake, John J. Butler, his son’s name, was placed on the ballot. John J. had no interest in the office, never campaigned, yet because of the snafu, he was elected and reluctantly became a member of the board. Everyone makes mistakes. Most are minor slips or flubs. But as John J. and John R. learned, sometimes even minor mistakes can cause major problems. I’ve made some big mistakes in my life and lots of minor ones. But I glory in the truth that no matter what a mess I have made of things, if I will truly turn and seek God’s forgiveness, there is grace and love to be found.
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Ed Boggess
This is Just-A-Minute. According to a USA Today/Gallup poll Millennials, the youngest adult generation, have made the largest shift to openly support same-sex marriage, gays and lesbians. The change has swiftly grown from 51% a decade ago to 73% in this survey. No other age group tops 50%. The question is raised: “why should they be discriminated against?” My response is: “this has nothing to do with discrimination; it has to do with what is right and wrong, moral and immoral, natural and unnatural, normal and perverse. Call me a bigot, a behind-the-times Bible-thumping intolerant bigot. But a thousand Supreme Court Justices passing ten thousand Supreme Court judgments will never change that which is “against nature” into normal.
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Bernard Barton
AMEN Brother-I agree with you 100%-I only wish my other brethrern would see the light and quit supporting those who accept homosexuality-like the president
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Ed Boggess
New Directory For Churches of Christ In America: The Christian Chronicle began a news item saying, “A new directory for Churches of Christ in the US shows a loss of members and congregations. At the same time, interest in non-denominational Christianity soars.” So I ask, “What is going on here? I thought we are non-denominational!” The trouble is I know the answer! Claiming to be non-denominational is not the same as being non-denominational. If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck; it must be a duck! Well, are we non-denominational or not? We are. However, we must live up to this claim. But people don’t see us as non-denominational. Why do so many see us as denominational? What defines a denomination is its adherence to a body of doctrine with little or no wriggle room. If someone does not generally subscribe to what the denomination believes, he is not going to be welcomed as a part of the denomination. These beliefs are defined by a creed book, church manual or some such printed material. However, a creed or manual does not have to be written down. If a denomination’s beliefs are generally known and so rigidly adhered to so that anyone who wanders off the beaten path is quickly marked and excluded, though they have no printed creed or manual, they are still a denomination. Why are those churches that are classed as “non-denominational” growing when all others are shrinking? Non-denominational churches are not bound by a creed, written or unwritten, and are thus far more accepting of others who differ. Since in this setting there are various views on the scriptures, it promotes more Bible study and biblical discussion. Furthermore, since a person is not excluded when he offers a different view, he has time to study and think the matter through. The various beliefs (interpretations) of members are tolerated as examples of the process of growing in knowledge. I wonder why churches like this are growing while denominations and our brethren are declining? Can it be that people like the idea of thinking for themselves?
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Ed Boggess
According to the latest poll only 26 percent of Americans now believe homosexuality is a choice. There has been no new scientific evidence or no surprising genetic revelation to motor this shift in thinking. All of that remains the same. What is different is the amount of media and celebrity support the homosexual community receives. It is tantamount to a propaganda campaign that might have been produced by Russian communists in times past. But homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, just as pedophilia is a chosen behavior. Both will claim they were made that way and have no choice; but both are learned behavior and both are sinful and disgusting. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Scott Shifferd Jr.
In what sense was it considered a choice in the poll? Was this poll speaking of the choice to have the desire or to engage in homosexual behavior? As for the behavior being a choice, I agree, but with the desire, I do not see that one must choose to have this desire since Romans 1 shows that the choice to reject God comes first and then “God gave them up to the lusts of their hearts to impurity” (v24) and “God gave them up to dishonorable passions” (v26) “because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (v25). When homosexuals say that they did not choose to be attracted to the same-sex, I believe them, but they did choose to not thank or honor God and they do choose to practice this unnatural behavior. How would we answer this poll if the question was regarding the desire rather than the behavior? For that matter, how would a Calvinist answer this question? How would the liberal media slant this vague “choice” to propagate that homosexuality is a natural choice?
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Clare Flourish
Hello. Do you see a moral difference between homosexuality and paedophilia?
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Scott Shifferd Jr.
Who are you commenting to? Because both brother Boggess and I see that pedophilia and homosexuality are evil behaviors that people choose to do. Yet, there is a moral difference since the victim of pedophilia cannot consent.
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Clare Flourish
I am so glad. My disgust at your mentioning the two in one paragraph is ever so slightly diminished.
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Scott Shifferd Jr.
By “disgust”, did you mean that you have contemptible anger towards those who expose evil and see all sexual behavior outside of marriage between one man and one woman is immoral?
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Clare Flourish
Well, I mean that I have a Godly response to you who call good evil. I am not sure whether our discussion may bear fruit, it seems you are too benighted.
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Ron McElyea
Amen!
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Ed Boggess
One wag commenting on the battle gays and lesbians are fighting to get same-sex marriage approved by the Supreme Court, said: “I think people ought to be able to do what they want; land of the free and home of the brave, right?” I suppose this sounds good on the surface, however, if people did whatever they might want, we would cease to be a civilized people. The word “civilized” means to bring from a state of savagery and barbarism to a refined, well-ordered and advanced society. The prime mark of the uncivilized is that they do what they want, rather than what is good and right. The more the homosexual community succeeds in convincing others their behavior is justified, the less civilized we become. This is Just-A-Minute
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Ed Boggess
How much money do you need to be happy? Princeton University economist Angus Deaton researched the question and answers that people who earn $75,000 a year have reached a plateau beyond which more money has no effect on day-to-day contentment. That may be, but the Proverbs says, “the leech has two daughters, More and More” and the next verse says, “there are three things that are never satisfied and four that never say “enough”. I have reached the conclusion that when it comes to money, contentment has little to do with the amount one has and everything to do with the importance one puts on accumulating it. Indeed, the love on money is a root of all kinds of evil. This is Just-A-Minute.
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Ed Boggess
Two couples, one gay and one lesbian, have pushed and shoved their way through the courts demanding the Supreme Court Justices redefine what marriage is. As far back as history records, marriage has always and invariably involved a man and a woman joined in wedlock. Anything other than that was against nature and perverse with the word “Sodomy” used to describe how detestable it is. It is natural for a man and a woman to come together as one; they are made for this union and the marriage bed is undefiled. But a union of two men or two women is twisted, foul, artificial and debased. I am for normal, natural, traditional, God-given, heaven-approved, home, family and marriage. This is Just-A-Minute
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Joy Anderson
We may push/shove through the courts, but there’s no pushing/shoving through the loving God who gives us life and every good thing – His Word says a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh – that’s how our Maker defines marriage. Regardless of what any Court may decide, we will stand before God one day, not before any Court.
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Ed Boggess
The latest ABC/Washington Post survey found a substantial rise in support of same-sex marriage. A record-high 58 percent said gay marriage should be legal. In 2004 only 32 percent supported it. The biggest increases in approval were among young adults and nonwhites. These advances have come as more and more people believe homosexuality is something people are born with and cannot help, in spite of the fact that there is no evidence to prove the contention and plenty to disprove it. Public opinion has been swayed by celebrities and the media with their one-sided gay and lesbian support and in proportion to the decline of respect for God’s word. This is Just-A-Minute
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Ed Boggess
Some things never change: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The ranks of the world’s billionaires have again reached all-time highs. The 2013 Forbes Billionaires list now boasts 1,426 names, 210 more than last year. The U.S. leads with 442 billionaires. Carlos Slim is the world’s richest person; Bill Gates is second. While these billionaires increased their riches and wealth, families were ousted from foreclosed homes, single mothers struggled to feed children, workers were dismissed or laid-off, graduates ready to begin their career joined the lists of unemployed; the poor get poorer. Perhaps we should remind those who are rich, that the greatest riches is to be rich is doing good. This is Just-A-Minute
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Ed Boggess
Floridian Jeffrey Bush went to bed one evening and disappeared into the earth without a trace. In fact the entire bedroom, furniture and all were swallowed by a massive sinkhole. Rescue workers rushed to the scene, where his family were gathered. But they soon discovered the hole was growing and any attempt to save Bush was too risky. His brother, Jeremy, was the first to discover the hole. He jumped in and clawed through the dirt in the hole but failed to find his brother. Days later officials knocked the house down, filling the hole and burying Bush permanently. Let all be reminded how frail we are and how quickly our life can end. One moment we are comfortable and confident and the next moment it’s over. What then? This is Just-A-Minute
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Ed Boggess
A bogus bishop nearly sneaked into the closed-door Vatican meeting of the world’s cardinals as they prepared to choose the next pope. Ralph Napierski got past a checkpoint of Swiss Guards and was photographed shaking hands with Cardinals in the cobblestone square to the left of St. Peter’s Basilica. But he never made it inside to loin the more than 140 cardinals from around the world for their first formal meeting since the resignation of Pope Benedict. His undersized cassock, purple rather than red sash and fedora rather than a zucchetto, the typical skullcap, gave him away. When discovered, he was hustled out of the Vatican. I’m not sure what he hoped to accomplish, but it certainly reminds us that there are plenty of folks who are not all they pretend to be. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Have you ever gone to your car and turned the key and nothing? No click, no starter engaging, nothing. The battery is dead. Have you ever noticed that it always happens when it is cold and nasty outside? Why doesn’t it play out when it is nice and warm. Not only that but it always happens when you want to go somewhere. It doesn’t happen when you have plenty of time, but when you are needed somewhere, expected somewhere, or intend to get somewhere. I believe the devil must be behind it. Turn the key and there is no power! But with the Lord, there is always power! Nice weather, cold outside, when you are in a hurry or with plenty of time. the Lord always provides power. Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
I took a little vacation from posting. I hope you don’t mind. But Just-a-Minute is back today.
Someone has said that you are getting old when the gleam in your eye is the sun hitting the line in your bifocals. Growing old is no fun if you focus on the new aches and pains that arrive with each new morning. Yet in spite of these unwelcome newcomers, life does get better with age. That is what Stanford University found when they studied older Americans. They discovered that senior citizens are the most content generation, with satisfaction peaking at 70. If this is true of the elderly in general, it is certainly true of those who are also Christians. Not only are they assured of who they are and whose they are, but they also look forward to where they are headed. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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J. Randal Matheny
Glad to have you back, Ed. Had missed you around here.
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Eugene Adkins
Ditto!
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Ed Boggess
Maine’s Camden Herald ran two photographs on the same page. One was of the towns Aldermen and mayor and the other was of a flock of sheep. Under the picture of sheep were the names of the Aldermen and mayor. Under the picture of the town officials the caption read: “the sheepfold: naïve and vulnerable. They huddle for security against the uncertainties of the outside world.”Actually, there is an interesting lesson to this unintended faux pas. Even the strongest, the wisest, the most influential, and prestigious of man are weak, ignorant and powerless in many ways. Let him who sits in pompous pride be reminded that “pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” How quickly we pass from hero to zero, from “the cock of the walk” to feather duster, from Who’s Who to Who Was Who, from formidable to forgotten. This is just a minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
When Pete Flaherty was mayor of Pittsburgh, he and his wife, Nancy, were inspecting a construction project. A hardhat worker called to them, “Nancy, remember me? We used to date in high school.”Later Pete teased her: “aren’t you glad you married me? You might have been the wife of a construction worker, instead of the wife of the mayor.” Nancy responded, “you should be glad you married me. If you hadn’t, he would have been mayor of Pittsburgh.” Humility! Sometime back, a listener called upset with something I’d said. She wanted to know where I went to college and how many degrees I had. She didn’t believe I was qualified to speak on the Bible. Well folks, I’ve been and I’ve got, but that doesn’t matter. A string of letters behind the name isn’t what’s important; it’s how much Bible is between the ears and how much love is in the heart. This is just a minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
If I were to choose America’s greatest president, I would not hesitate to choose Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln had shortcomings, but he was truly a great man. One quality that made him so great is the fact that he didn’t see his own greatness. He was humble with a genuine humility. When the National Cemetery at Gettysburg was dedicated, the featured orator was Edward Everett. He delivered a eloquent speech fitting for the occasion. Lincoln was moved by it and later admitted his embarrassment at his brief address. It seemed so unworthy when contrasted. But how unfounded his regrets were. 100 years later no one knows what Everett said but every school child has heard of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. I like the way Phillips translates Galatians 6:3:” if a man thinks he is somebody he is deceiving himself, for the very thought proves he is nobody.” This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Too many Christians are more interested in performing in the limelight than walking in the Lord’s light. The apostle Andrew was satisfied to walk in the shadow of his more prominent brother Peter. This self defacing quality which enabled Andrew to play second fiddle speaks highly of his Christ-likeness. There is nothing demeaning in being a substitute. I don’t have to play on the varsity. I am perfectly content to be a second stringer on the spiritual team and sit on the bench, if I can just have the Lord for my coach. I’ll carry water for the other players and wash their dirty socks, if he will just allow me to be part of the team. After Jesus washed the apostles feet, he said, I have given you an example. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Arturo Toscanini, the superb conductor, was a perfectionist. He drove himself and his musicians with urgent intensity. On one occasion, while performing Beethoven’s ninth Symphony, everything fell into perfect place. Went through, the musicians looked at each other as if to say this was marvelous, even the maestro will be satisfied. The audience sat in absolute silence, often the highest compliment that can be paid for a performance. Toscanini remained at the podium, his arms slightly raised. He leaned forward and spoke to the orchestra. “Who am I? Who are you? Toscanini is nothing. You are nothing. Beethoven is everything!” Friends, there is no yardstick short enough to measure a life without God. God is everything. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Toscanini had it right when he said he was nothing and they were not. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Don Ruhl
Ed, I am going to put this in our bulletin next week.
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Ed Boggess
A lot of people scoffed, when I warned of the growing menace of humanism. Those who had never heard of it asked, does it fly walk or crawl? Others who had heard of it passed it off as mere cries of wolf. However, those who are familiar with its manifesto realizes that this powerful agent is out to destroy Christian faith and elevate atheistic and secular ideals as a substitute. Traditional Christian faith, teaching, and values are attacked and described as irrelevant and out of date. Humanism is a calculated effort to destroy Christianity and replace it with the worship of man. The success with which it has infiltrated both the educational field and the mass media is witnessed by the decline in values and morals throughout America. I say, America, return to sanity and here once again the word of God which will lead us back to both sound thinking and ethical living. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
The humanist are howling “foul” but Christians in the know are thanking God. US District Judge Hand ruled that secular humanism is a religion and therefore cannot be taught in public schools. Humanism is the driving force behind the purging of Christian values, ideal, prayer and practice from public classroom and textbooks. But now their “Frankenstein” has turned on them. Humanists deny the existence of God, describe Christians as the major barrier to progress, and teach that only when mankind is unfettered from faith can they reach their potential. They have had great success in eliminating all references to God in public. Moreover, in the wake of their work, has come increased drug use, alcohol abuse, unwed mothers, and endless abortions. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
How very, very fragile our lives are! How very, very changeable our world is! Life is unpredictable, subject to drastic modification in a moment, shadow and sunlight, heartbreak and hallelujahs, tears and treasure, all mixed together with no rhyme or reason as far as we can see. The day breaks in glory and ends in grief the vacation begins with excitement and ends in sorrow it happens all the time, from the greatest of the least. Schedules are ignored, promises broken, intentions forgotten, all because of circumstances unforeseen and beyond our control. A nation’s brightest moment, watched worldwide by millions of anxious interested spectators, is dashed in a moment’s explosion and all that is left are twisted fragments and bittersweet memories of those who gave their lives. Surely all of this is vanity when it is live without God. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Two boys walking along the beach in Lynn, Massachusetts, found a beach bag on a deserted beach. They picked it up and looked inside and found over $4000. Mark Norcross, 11, and Bekim Demaree, 12, marched straight to the police department and turned it over. The sergeant told them they would probably be rewarded. However, when the owner was located, she was irate. In a rage she complained no one had a right to take her bag and stomped out of the police office in a huff. One might think that two small boys would begin to question the wisdom of doing a good deed, however, another who heard of the situation, sent the boys a small reward. Whether appreciated or not, whether rewarded or not, it makes no difference. We must always do that which is honest and right. After all, even when scorned by those down here, our heavenly father smiles on those who honor his will. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Ancient myths tell of Diogenes who took a lamp in search of an honest man. Some cynics said that when he got to New York somebody stole his lamp. It is easy to look around and decide the situation is hopeless. However, there are still some honest people out there who reverence God and respect their fellow man. One is Joe Walsh of Brentwood. Some time back, Joe a delivery truck driver with only $.89 in his pocket found a bank deposit bag loaded with cash lying in and in the parking lot. He quickly told some nearby workers he explained, “that protected me from being tempted. I had no business keeping that money.” Friends later told him he was a fool for turning it in. But was he? Suppose the bag contained 1000 or two. Is that the price of your integrity or can you be bought for less? This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
According to the Papyrus Ebers, an ancient Egyptian medical book dating to 1552 BC, the way to prevent baldness is to apply a mixture of horse, hippo, crocodile, cat, snake and ibex fats. I’m thinking of trying if I can only find an ibex! For embedded splinters, it recommends applying worm blood and ass dung. I suppose a lot of Egyptians died of lockjaw because that solution would be full of tetanus spores. This was the same time Moses was raised as and taught all the wisdom of Egypt. Yet when you read Genesis through Deuteronomy that Moses wrote, you see nothing that smacks of such absurd and dangerous prescriptions. Rather, to borrow the words of S. I. McMillen, MD, if we follow the Bible’s directives it will save us from certain infectious diseases, cancers and a gauntlet of psychosomatic sicknesses. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
. No more dangling participles or double negatives please. That is the word that comes from the latest survey of what both single men and women want in a potential mate. Good grammar came in second just behind a great smile. It was more important than their hair or clothes or whether they had a tattoo or not. So all of you who are looking to attract the opposite sex, a little less time in the beauty salon and fashion boutique and a bit more attending to simple English. I suppose I am out of the mix when it comes to contemporary thought. I’m just an old fogy because as far as I am concerned, I’m still more interested in character and companionship and Christian faith when it comes to making a lifelong decision as to who to travel through life with. Of course, I still hold to that old-fashioned idea that marriage is for life, too. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Have you ever gone to your car and turned the key and nothing? No click, no starter engaging, nothing. The battery is dead. Have you ever noticed that it always happens when it is cold and nasty outside? Why doesn’t it play out when it is nice and warm. Not only that but it always happens when you want to go somewhere. It doesn’t happen when you have plenty of time, but when you are needed somewhere, expected somewhere, or intend to get somewhere. I believe the devil must be behind it. Turn the key and there is no power! But with the Lord, there is always power! Nice weather, cold outside, when you are in a hurry or with plenty of time. the Lord always provides power. Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
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Ed Boggess
Boy Scouts hear the word of the Lord: For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, Romans 1:26, 27. If anyone does not understand that homosexuality is condemned by God’s word, it is because they don’t want to understand. They may gratify themselves with the perverse in this life, but not with impunity. God has appointed a day in which He will judge every man according to the works that he has done in this life. Before you cast your future to the wind, why not discover that the greatest fulfillment comes living in harmony with God. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
I was once a Boy Scout. I began as a Cub Scout and worked my way through several merit badges. Before I could become an Eagle Scout, we moved back to town and away from the Scouts of which I had been a part. I was always proud that I spent years in Scouts. However, with the recent developments, I wonder if shortly I will regret it and be ashamed to admit to it. Boy Scouts has been for years an ally of the church, staunchly resisting the rising flood of intimidation by the movers and shakers supporting homosexuality. However, not only has Scouts become infiltrated, but many denominations have caved in as well. Where this ends I do not know. But one thing I am sure of: God’s word remains the same: For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
According to the latest poll nearly half of gay men and lesbian women met their most recent date online, 48%. That compares to only 20% of straight couples. I wonder why there is such a significant difference. I believe it points to the astonishingly high rate of unfaithfulness among homosexual couples when compared to straight couples. It doesn’t take long to run through acquaintances and it then becomes necessary to broaden the field. It also underlines the fact that homosexuality does not lead to a contract of commitment and fidelity but is an aberrant behavior of faithless indulgence. While some will object and point to exceptions, both the general statistics and the Word of God testify that it is no more than deviant gratification of unnatural perverseness. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Match.com initiated an online survey of single adults 21 and over to discover what elements were important in selecting a potential partner. I was appalled to discover that 42% reported they would not date a virgin. Whereas in generations past a young woman who kept herself pure and chaste was supremely valued, today they want them pre-used and well-worn. I must admit I do not understand. Whatever happened to God’s design for marriage: one man and one wife for a lifetime? Call me old-fashioned and un-hip, but I still believe that sex is the most intimate element of any relationship that should be realized only within the covenant of marital fidelity. Anything else is sin and sin will never lead to genuine fulfillment and happiness as God designed it. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
Match.com initiated an online survey of single adults 21 and over to discover what elements were important in selecting a potential partner. I was appalled to discover that 42% reported they would not date a virgin. Whereas in generations past a young woman who kept herself pure and chaste was supremely valued, today they want them pre-used and well-worn. I must admit I do not understand. Whatever happened to God’s design for marriage: one man and one wife for a lifetime? Call me old-fashioned and un-hip, but I still believe that sex is the most intimate element of any relationship that should be realized only within the covenant of marital fidelity. Anything else is sin and sin will never lead to genuine fulfillment and happiness as God designed it. This is Just-A-Minute
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Bernard Barton
AMEN Brother
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Ed Boggess
Anthropologist Helen Fisher of Rutgers and an advisor for Match.com says she is not surprised, that the quality of a prospect’s teeth, are most important in a potential date, as revealed in a recent survey. She says, “From a Darwinian perspective, good teeth indicate your health, how much you drink, smoke or eat.” So there you have it, singles. Your ideal match has nothing to do with faith, character or personality. The question is: how good is their dentist? Are those pearly whites genuine or does she use Polygrip? To be perfectly honest, on our first date I never said to my future wife, “Let me have a look at those teeth.” She won my heart with her splendid personality and strong Christian faith. Maybe I missed the boat, but she and I celebrated 46 happy years recently. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
The Life section of the USA Today reported a broad national survey of 5,500 single adults 21 and over about qualities, attitudes and expectations in entering relationships with the opposite sex. When judging a prospective date, what do you suppose the number one feature they check out first? I was not at all ready for the answer. The survey revealed: “their teeth!” I couldn’t believe it. We’re not talking buying a horse, we’re talking a potential date partner. Teeth were certainly not my number one interest years ago when I was a girl scout. I scouted for girls with other features. The two most important to me were character and personality. The first is essential as a foundation for trust and the second is the building blocks of any relationship. As I matured I discovered that most often both were found when answering, is she a Christian? This is Just-A-Minute
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Ed Boggess
Someone raised the question, “How can I be happy, if I know loved ones aren’t there?” Let me answer this way: Can you be happy now? Are there loved ones that are unsaved now? Is there anyone you loved while they were alive that died outside Christ and is that robbing you of happiness now? Is there anything now that makes you happy? If you can be happy now and you know that a loved one died outside Christ, then surely you can be happy in heaven when everything is designed and prepared for our happiness. But besides all this, believe! Jesus told his disciples, “Believe in God, believe also in Me.” This is the key. Believe. God is able to supply whatever is needed to heighten our happiness beyond our highest dreams. This is Just-A-Minute.
I am sorry I have been absent for a couple of weeks with Just-A-Minute. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, however, I hope to resume with today’s.
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Ed Boggess
Jesus and Peter, James and John came down from the Mount of Transfiguration and were met by a man whose son was demon-possessed. He was distraught because the disciples who remained, had tried to exorcise the demon and had failed. So after Jesus rebuked their faithlessness, he freed the boy of the demon and returned him to sound health. After the crowd dispersed, the disciples asked Jesus why they failed and Jesus explained “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Well, fellow Christians, I believe the time for prayer and fasting has arrived. America is wallowing in perversion and has elected to include that which is contrary to nature in its definition of marriage. It is as if they have the right to redefine a God-given sacred covenant. If this is to be expunged, surely it will require our greatest prayer and fasting, and even that may prove short. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
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Ed Boggess
In our media I hear a lot about the evils of profiling, but I wonder if I am being hoodwinked. Each year the CDC analyzes their research to decide which strains of the flu to guard against in this year’s vaccination. They profile. Businesses study shopping trends and consumer preference in order to supply inventory for the coming season. They profile. Pollsters use voter samplings to predict election outcomes. They profile. To profile means to use good sense. It has nothing to do with prejudice, which is belief without basis. Profiling results from an accumulation of evidence that provides a basis for a profile. If all the evidence points to one pharmaceutical compounder as the source of wide-sweeping fungal meningitis, am I biased if I delineate between the one and others who have had no trouble? This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess.
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John T. Polk II
So true, Ed! God profiled all who will be saved in Romans 8:28-30. The Gospel is the profile, the individual should conform to it (Romans 6:3-7; 12:1-2).
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Ed Boggess
Discrimination! That is a dirty word, right? I am astonished at the power of the media to take a legitimate word and pervert its essence until if it is ever used it results in scorn. But discrimination means the ability to reason and distinguish between the good and the bad. To discriminate between restaurants keeps one from unpleasant dining. To discriminate between witnesses helps juries arrive at justice. A multiple choice quiz requires the student to discriminate between right and wrong answers. On the other hand, bigotry can be found in all, even the media. If the media chooses to regularly present religious issues as irrelevant or Christians as out-of-step with reality, is that just and fair or biased and bigoted? Speak not of whites and non-whites; we are all people. Rather discriminate between righteousness that exalts a nation and sin that is a reproach to any people. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
Bernard Barton is discussing. 
Joy Anderson is discussing. 
Michael Summers 2:15 pm on June 17, 2013 Permalink |
Some congregations use different names; it sometimes confuses the rest of us. We should focus more, however, on just being the Church that intended. That will help us, I think, to step away from denominating ourselves, as we remember that we’re trying to be the fellowship of believers that Christ redeemed, not just an entry in the telephone book.