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The crackers and cheese pictured above look good don’t they. Too bad they are just a picture and not the real thing. So… we cannot taste the crackers and cheese and nuts. Too bad, they look really good. Being present for something is very different from viewing it on...

“You Shall Not Covet Your Neighbor’s House; You Shall Not Covet Your Neighbor’s Wife, or Male or Female Slave, or Ox, or Donkey, or Anything that Belongs to Your Neighbor.” Exodus 20.17 This is the tenth and final commandment. To covet is to do more than simply want...

“You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor” Exodus 20.16 Bob and Jack work in a convenience store. Bob steals the money. They call the police to investigate. Bob tells the police. “The money was there when I went into the stockroom; when I came back it...

“You Shall Not Steal” Exodus 20.15 This is pretty basic. If a society condones stealing victims of theft will resent their loss and take matters into their own hands. At best the victim would try to recover their property. At worst they would try to recover their...

“You Shall Not Commit Adultery” Exodus 20.14 Most ancient societies were patriarchal; laws and customs were established by men for the benefit of men. Women had very few rights. Husbands could divorce a wife for as minor an offense as burning the soup; wives were...

“You Shall Not Murder.” Exodus 20.13 Earlier translations read, “Thou shalt not kill.” This was not an accurate translation because ancient Israel was involved in many wars. They had capital punishment. Clearly the intention here is against committing murder, killing...

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the...

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land That the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20.12 In that time and place very few people could read or write. It was a traditional, oral culture in which knowledge and lore were memorized...

“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” Exodus 20.8 I lived in Massachusetts when the state legislature voted that stores and businesses could be open on Sunday. Legislators were very vocal in promising that under the new law no one would be fired for refusing to...

“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, For the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.” Exodus 20.7 Many of us are more familiar with the King James Version of this Commandment. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in...

You shall not make for yourself an idol, Whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, Or that is on earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” Exodus 20.4 As noted yesterday the Israelites were an island of monotheism surrounded by cultures...

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20.1-2 When Israel received this commandment at the foot of Mount Sinai, they had recently been freed from slavery. After...

Maybe it is just my friends, but I have been seeing a lot of posts about birds lately. One friend posts exotic birds that are rarely seen. They are so magnificent. Many wonder if they are real birds or if she was fooled by someone posting made up pictures. Other...

Once upon a time there was an old man named Bruno who took great pride in preparing the younger generation to meet life’s difficulties and challenges. From time to time Bruno offered wise and worldly advice on how to prosper in life; how to read people; how to look...

The practice of wearing masks has evolved as more was discovered about the Covid. However confusing the advice was initially, by now the science is settled. Masks prevent the spread of the virus. Let’s hear from some experts: “The science is unanimous. If we all wear...