Steven Wales

Suspicious Minds. 1 Chronicles 19.

We can’t go on togetherWith suspicious minds (with suspicious minds)And we can’t build our dreamsOn suspicious minds–“Suspicious Minds,” written and recorded by Mark James (made famous by Elvis Presley). Following the death of Charlie Kirk, some of Kirk’s fans immediately began to “question the narrative.” Having watched the video, they insisted Kirk was shot notContinue reading “Suspicious Minds. 1 Chronicles 19.”

King Solomon and the Oops Babies. 1 Chronicles 2 and 3.

Shakespeare’s KING LEAR includes an interesting subplot. Edmund, the son of the wealthy and powerful Earl of Gloucester, is not an heir to the Earl because the Earl was not married to Edmund’s mother. The Earl had had an affair. Thus, Edmund’s half-brother Edgar is the heir. Edmund bitterly resents the stigma of illegitimacy andContinue reading “King Solomon and the Oops Babies. 1 Chronicles 2 and 3.”

Word of the Day: SHIBBOLETH. Judges 12.

Image. Print for sale here: https://www.etsy.com/il-en/listing/1866609281/houston-street-art-print-manhattan New York City has a great shibboleth. Locals can instantly tell a tourist from a native by hearing them pronounce one of the prominent streets in Manhattan: HOUSTON STREET. Tourists will pronounce it like the city in Texas, “HUGHES-tun,” while the locals pronounce it “HOUSE-tun.” “Shibboleth” is one ofContinue reading “Word of the Day: SHIBBOLETH. Judges 12.”

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Judges 5.

You have probably heard the expression, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. The cliché is so popular, there is even a 1992 movie called The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. The idea is that women rule the world. More specifically, mothers rule the world. After all, mothers are the first and arguablyContinue reading “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Judges 5.”

Organizational Leadership: Pray for Pastors! Judges 1.

The company I work for was started by Joe D. some 75 years ago. By the time I was hired, the baton had been passed to Joe’s son, Jim D. Jim was a slight, white-haired man. He was extremely nice, a great storyteller, and a talented networker. Mr. D. had powerful friends all over Texas.Continue reading “Organizational Leadership: Pray for Pastors! Judges 1.”

You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are. Joshua 16 & 17.

One day in sixth grade, we attended a school-wide assembly. Everyone gathered in the lunch room to watch a display by a local Taekwondo school. I knew that Paul, my buddy across the street, took classes there, so I was on the edge of my seat. For about forty-five minutes, the men punched and kickedContinue reading “You Are Stronger Than You Think You Are. Joshua 16 & 17.”

“Thou Art Old and Stricken in Years” Joshua 13.

My father took aging in stride. He would laugh and say, “I don’t care what color my hair turns, long as it don’t turn loose!” In the end, most of his hair abandoned him. He would laugh about candles on his birthday cake and all the kind and sometimes unkind jokes. “Nothing wrong with aContinue reading ““Thou Art Old and Stricken in Years” Joshua 13.”

Our Bad Habit of Indulgence Before Abstinence: What Do You Do the Day BEFORE? Joshua 3.

We love big days: the championship game, the graduation ceremony, the big vacation, the long-awaited reunion, the move to a new place, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and more. Some days are so big, we have to prepare the day before. Halloween became a thing in part because it was the so-called ‘hallowed’ evening before the CatholicContinue reading “Our Bad Habit of Indulgence Before Abstinence: What Do You Do the Day BEFORE? Joshua 3.”

Deathbed Speeches and Uneven Blessings. Deuteronomy 33.

In the spring of 1985, our family of four drove to Baton Rouge to see my grandfather one last time. The man was born in a house in the woods in 1897, and doctors said he had little time left. After nearly a fifty-year career in the world’s largest oil refinery, the emphysema had takenContinue reading “Deathbed Speeches and Uneven Blessings. Deuteronomy 33.”

Memorial Stones. Deuteronomy 27.

Image: Erich Hartmann/Magnum Photos. From https://www.city-journal.org/article/with-meaning-for-all After decades of taking my Bible to church every Sunday, I found myself bringing only my phone. One reason is that I have surrounded myself with chronological Bibles, which are AMAZING to read, but difficult to use during a sermon because chronological Bibles are not printed in a predictableContinue reading “Memorial Stones. Deuteronomy 27.”