The Heart

Heart issues?

Non-Voter Escape! (Edited3)

I noted the early figures showing a lot (many millions) of USA non-voters. That is in addition to so many millions of USA citizens unregistered!

It will be some time before the final actual vote numbers from the big 2024 election over there are known. Interest will soon fade. Eventually their Census people will have the data - unless it gets shut down!

Halloween?

?

Some readers may find the free "Light Party" resource from Scripture Union UK valuable.

The resource is copyright, or I would reproduce some of it here (see below).

https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/halloween

The SU (UK) resource has a particular purpose and intended audience. That is made plain at the outset.

The cover tells me:

• Your questions about Halloween answered
• How to run a light party
• Games and activities
• Light experiments
• Creative prayer ideas

From the contents I noticed:

Page 8 "Halloween and the 95" has discussion of the origin and meaning.

Page 10 "Talking about darkness"

Page 12 "Questions about halloween"

Page 14 "Engaging with the Bible"

There are many practical activity ideas, which are, of course, geared towards the interest(s) of children.

Disclaimer: I have never myself used this resource (nor any other on Halloween) and have nil actual background in the topic.

These days it might not be possible for people with young children to fail to notice what is going on in the community. I see the attempt by SU (and others) to address the matter as commendable and useful.

My own grumpy inclination has been to ignore this modern Halloween phenomenon. I see the observance as a (another) failed attempt to legislate "Christianity" on to more ancient religious ideas. 

According to SBS News, commerce was anticipating a 2024 spend of $450,000,000 in Australia, so I think the event is here to stay.

What do you think? 

May God bless you
and especially any young people who look to you
Allen Hampton

Jesus and Common Sense

Jesus and Common Sense

Alternative title: Was Jesus Risk Averse?

Jesus drew the crowds

Not far from the end of the Jesus account we read:

David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight (Mark 12:37 NIV). But - why were the crowd delighted? Apart from the members of the elite whom Jesus questioned, was it true of everyone else there?

Not so long before that, there was a (different) crowd that was far from delighted, in fact it was dangerously disturbed:

Jesus: Temple Time

Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem, possibly via this road, to spend time in the Temple there, etc.  (Those trees were there recently.) This was not Jesus' first visit, but it was his last before the crucifixion.

Executed under Pontius Pilate

Edited - from main blog

The accounts are unambiguous: Jesus of Nazareth was executed by crucifixion under the authority of Pontius Pilate.