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Symbol of Betrayal

7 Mar

Paying Income Tax Is Treason Toward Your Bank Account

As the deadline for filing income tax looms at the end of next month, Ed my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, calls it paying blood money to the government. My old neighbor clearly states that asking him for money is an unpardonable offense, he sees it as a betrayal of his friendship. He considers his money sacred and has no intention of letting it slip through his fingers.

Everyone like Ed has their personal views on paying income tax and how much they treasure their money. One might say there are various degrees of how much folks love their money. It is interesting that Judas Iscariot is described in the Bible as a lover of money.  As the disciple in charge of the petty cash for the disciples as a group, he was reported to have had sticky fingers.

Too Personal To Share

6 Mar

Blessed Are Those Who Don’t Tell You Too Much Or Too Little

I talked with Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, yesterday and he was recovering from a huge family birthday celebration. Ed’s great aunt Mable was honored with a 95th birthday party at her family farm. Relatives from far and near showed up to the birthday bash.

Aunt Mable is a living family legend having outlived four husbands. It is rumored that she has more money than three banks. Her farm home has always been a gathering place for family functions. The women come with a generous dish to serve on the table and a dessert. The men talk and brag a bit and the kids play. It is a time when family relatives tell you way more than you want to hear or give far too little information to satisfy you.

It Should Not Hurt

6 Mar

Love Should Not Hurt Me, But Love Killed Jesus

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, has found a way to take the cost out of Valentine’s Day. He was telling me that he has discovered you can do Valentine’s Day, a day late. On Feb. 15th Ed handed Ruby a valentine’s card, a box of chocolates shaped like a heart, and a small bunch of flowers. Ruby said its not Valentine’s Day. Ed said, “It is close enough if you don’t want the chocolates, I’ll eat them.”

Ed usually ignores Valentine’s Day, but this year when he went in the store a day after Valentine’s Day, flowers and chocolates were half prices, and Ed felt he could afford to be generous for a change. He saw a chance to surprise Ruby and show her his romantic side. He is not good at telling Ruby that he loves her.

Which Way?

12 Feb

Which Way Is Best For You To Follow?

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, is getting tired of the winter cold and says that the only direction to travel this time of year is south. He is talking about as far south as Arizona or some other warm spot to shake the winter chills. Arizona may be a good destination in the winter, but perhaps too hot for a stay in the summer.

No matter where Christians make their home, they are reminded that their direction is the eternal destination of heaven. Nobody gets to live their lives backward. Believers in Christ look at what will help them keep in fruitful faith now, and in the years to come as they set their hearts on heaven.

Pedicure

12 Feb

Ticklish Feet – No Laughing Matter

Ed, my old neighbor, in Saskatchewan loves to tickle his grandchildren. His grandchildren keep a cautious eye on him in case he might grab them and tickle them. Some of his grandkids are incredibly ticklish, and Ed has never understood until now, how being tickled may not be what others want to experience.

It was a trip to Edmonton that turned Ed into a marsh-mellow when he endured having his feet tickled. At West Edmonton Mall, Ed was pressured into getting a pedicure. Ruby, Ed’s wife, accuses Ed of growing toenails that are deadly weapons. Toenails that are too long and hard to cut are not that uncommon. Since it was Edmonton, and no one would ever know in Saskatchewan that Ed had his toenails cut by a stranger in Alberta, he experienced his first and last pedicure there.

Inferior or Superior

4 Feb

It’s So Easy To Be Proud, And So Hard To Be Humble

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, has been having a great year as the skip of his curling team. “We are almost ready to compete at the Olympics,” Ed recently told me. I warned him that pride comes before a fall. I also suggested that maybe they have had easy competition this year, which didn’t sit well with Ed either.

I asked Ed if he had heard the story of the Civil War General, John Sedgwick, who was warned not to stand openly above a wall facing the enemy. His famous last words were, “Nonsense, they couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” A moment later Sedgwick fell to the ground fatally wounded.

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