Greetings!
Happy rainy fall day to you!
Here’s six topics for you to read. Enjoy!
1. Rewinding Trevin’s Be Kind article
One of my favorite bloggers shared a good one this week. Trevin Wax gave commentary involving Ellen Degeneres’ remarks of being friends with former President George W. Bush. Check out For Jesus’ Sake, Be Kind.
Has W become the favorite among the former U.S. presidents? On more than one occasion, he is seen being friends with Michelle Obama. He had a silly moment with a raincoat during President Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Now, he is seen at a Dallas Cowboys game eating peanuts and chatting with Ellen.
By the way, I actually met President Bush a few years ago and got my picture taken with him. It was at a dinner in Tulsa that I had the privilege of being someone’s guest in attendance. Mr. Bush took pictures with every attendee, myself included. When I went to introduce myself to him, telling him my name is Chris Doyle, his response was, “Dole, how are ya?!”
2. Mohler warned by Canadian government over his report on gender identity
Transgenderism continues in the world today and especially as a major topic in the courts. This week, a Texas father was blocked by a jury decision to prevent him from stopping his 7-year-old son from a “gender transition.”
The transgender issue is becoming troublesome. I suppose, those who are of adult age, have become legally accepted today. My take is I will be kind and respectful to all people, just what Trevin Wax was emphasizing in DHD topic 1, and that includes transgender people.
I would even respect a transgender person to the point that I would call them and refer to them by their desired pronouns and other words that reflect gender (such as “ma’am” or “sir”). The point is to be kind even when I may not support or agree. Kindness and respect can still be demonstrated. And if such a person gains your trust through showing kindness, who knows what the Holy Spirit may do.
Back to the Texas case, I am sad for this father. This is a sad situation. Check out Albert Mohler’s Thursday edition of The Briefing to get his take of this ordeal. He opens his report with the words “horrifying” and “heartbreaking.”
And keep listening because Mohler said he was “contacted by Canadian legal authorities and warned” that if he did not remove a transcript of a previous Briefing report he gave about a transgender case in Canada, he could face legal action.
3. Trillia’s take on Samaritan Woman story
Trillia Newbill has a great article that goes along with what I said in topic 2. Check out “The Samaritan Woman and Our Barrier-Smashing Savior.”
“…Jesus didn’t follow the prejudices of his day regarding gender and ethnicity. On the contrary, he lifted up and honored those the culture marginalized. Surely this was part of his appeal. People used to being dismissed, ridiculed, and rejected were suddenly talking with someone who both saw them and loved them.”
4. Bible teaching helps
One of my favorite things I do regularly is teaching my Bible study group on Sunday mornings. Jamie Dunlop gives some great tips for not being a boring Bible teacher.
Two of my favorite takeaways from Dunlop’s article are:
1. “A good question has multiple right answers, it’s clear, and it’s simple to ask (if it’s too long for you to ask it without looking down at your notes, it’s too long). A good teacher will include at least a few of these in a class, especially at the beginning when people need to be lured into engagement with the material.”
2. Don’t be embarrassed if you can’t remember someone’s name. “Model humility and ask them their name.” Unfortunately, I do this way too often—forgetting someone’s name.
5. J.H. are important initials
I heard this earlier this year, and I finding out that Sooner fans find it as fascinating as I do. So I thought I’d share with you.
The University of Oklahoma claims seven national championships in football. In four of these titles, the Sooners were led by a quarterback with the initials J.H.
Jimmy Harris was the Sooner quarterback for the championship years of 1955 and 1956. Jamelle Holieway quarterbacked the Sooners to the 1985 national championship, and Josh Heupel led OU to the 2000 national championship.
In case you didn’t already know, OU’s current quarterback this season is named Jalen Hurts.
6. Nationals inspiration
I conclude with another sports-related topic. The Washington Nationals have 2-0 advantage in the World Series, with Game 3 against the Houston Astros happening this evening in D.C.
The Nationals have quite an impressive story this season. They started poorly, with a 19-31 record. They also traded away the face of the franchise, Bryce Harper, before the season. But now, the Nationals are in the driver’s seat toward winning the World Series, possibly sweeping the Astros.
I wonder if the Nationals could inspire another professional team in another sport that recently traded away its face of the franchise and appears to not have a good start of the season.
In other news, I work my first regular season Thunder game tonight.