a dirty, chipped cup

A DIRTY, CHIPPED CUP

                The king entered the banquet hall and surveyed the room, examining the tables, the ornate service settings that decorated some of them that took the front of the room.  They had matching, fine china, crystal stemware, golden flatware.  Fine candlestick holders held elegant tapers aglow at their centers.  “He will grace US, surely, with his touch,” beamed the settings.

                But, to the side, in the kitchen, the servants’ dining room, there were wooden bowls and spoons, stained and well-worn.  And with them were clay tankards, chipped, but useful.  Not allowed in the main hall, but arranged for the lowly to have a place during the festivities, they quietly held their place.

                Confused, aristocratic, privileged eyes followed Him as he walked past them, smiling, but focused on the hidden, forgotten side room.  And, the dirty, chipped cup was confused and astounded as He raised it, toasting the room!  “Me?!”

 

                “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (2Cor.4:7)

Maybe we should re-do the old ditty?

“I’m a little teacup, short and stout.

Here is my handle; just try my draught!

I’m not all that special; yes, that’s true.

But, give Him a shot; and see what He’ll do!

Jesus is a mouthful, two hundred stout.

This is the Spirit that really makes you shout!”

 

HOT TUB DEATH

HOT TUB DEATH

Help!  I need get some direction, and to make confession – while traveling recently, I stopped at a nice motel.  I checked in, unpacked, and went to the hotel spa.  The next morning, I ate my complimentary breakfast, and left with a second refill on my morning coffee.

          Now, back to the spa – there were a couple of hot tubs and adjoining saunas.  In the occupied tub were two, hot blondes, deep into each other and relaxed to the point of being asleep, seemingly.  I walked over to the empty tub, trying not to gawk in their direction, and dropped my bathrobe before stepping into the warm water.  But, the water was not warm!  It felt like it was 150 degrees, at least.  I retreated to my robe, and quietly exited.

Now the hard part – I heard on the news that two girls were found in that same hotel, dead in the spa, overcome with heat exhaustion.  What should I have done?!  When I put my foot in that water, I wondered how in the world they could not think that it was too hot.  Maybe they just sat there and got used to it?  But, it evidently sapped the life out of them.  They were smiling, and sipping something, and, they were nearly sauced.  Should I have said something?

NOT.  Just a retelling of the old frog-in-the-pot story.  Who among us would not, at the very least, call out to the two dopes and see if they would respond?  And, if not, then anyone would call 911 and/or hotel security.

I can remember when TV couples, such as Ward and June, the Cleavers, had separate, twin beds; and they wore pj’s and robes.  The “new normal” for “partners” is a single mother, with two male-lovers (read - homo’s) for the father (sperm donors) of her child?!  And, we watch such?!  Our grandparents would have boycotted the network, at best.  At worst, they would have acted like today’s liberal left.  Us, enlightened, 21^st-century moderns?  Somewhere between “don’t ask, don’t tell” and “that’s not for me, but …”

Where are we going?  IMHO, we are on the highway to Hell.  To quote the messianic prophet, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”  (Isa.5:20)  Can you say, “rationalize, justify, excuse, compromise, conform …”?  Whatever happened to “choose, stand, separate …”, and “reprove, rebuke, admonish …”?

The temp is rising; and, that is the “global warming” that really should be so alarming.