I happened to be present when a Canadian and a Russian shared their perceptions about God. They concluded that the English "God" was the same as the Russian "Bog." However, when they talked about what their gods do, they did not resemble the Creator or the one Jesus proclaimed. Rather, they were individualized and nationalized. In competition like sports or wars, these two gods were asked to beat up on each other.

First Corinthians 13 is hailed as the greatest chapter on love. Paul, the writer, if he had been married and had children and one of them had strayed, what would the chapter on love look like? I am convinced that he would have added anger. He knew about anger (Eph.4: 26), but not the kind a father has for a child he loves. This kind of love gets very angry if it is disobeyed or violated.

Today our first granddaughter graduated from High School and yesterday from a Community College. Today's celebration was a hopeful and splendid expression of a promising future for the graduates. Most of them had an idea of what they would like to become. Several weeks ago, I asked one of our grandsons what he would like to become. Without hesitation, he replied, "I will follow my dream." "Just what shall that dream be like," I probed? He was not quite certain. It had to do with a job he would love. Yes, how many people do we know that love their jobs? Most people that I had associations with regarded their jobs as a means to an end. Most of them lived in hope of something more accommodating.

I consulted someone as to what I could say to a person that asked for advice and then informed me that he had the Spirit, the Revelation and the Scriptures to guide him? My consultant answered with one word, "nothing." Of course, people that are grounded or tied to their convictions are not likely to abandon them. I have also experienced that persons with such convictions are easily offended and offend others. Could it be that they are weaker in their faith than those that are more flexible in their acceptance of other beliefs? Once that crutch is taken from them, they easily shipwreck. Many times that crutch is a ritual that has very little to do with salvation. I come from a background where you had to wash your feet and be baptized as a believer. We paid little attention to Jesus that regarded the children as already present in his kingdom and to keep them out had the most stringent consequences (Lk.18: 16; Mk.9: 42).