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THE POWER OF PRAYER (THREE)
As I am a non-believer in religious exercises, it may seem unbecoming for a fellow with my mind bent to raise the issue of the power of prayer. In this essay I do so not with an accusatory sense of purpose. My interest is purely curiosity. I do not wish to deride those who believe…
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THE ULTIMATE DECIDER
A good many years ago my eldest brother married a woman named Rose Wilson. Rose may have been the kindest woman known to mankind. As my mother would have said, “She had a big heart.” Although I did not see much of Rose because of my living in Kansas City, Chicago, and New York, I…
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A PAIR OF SABBATH THOUGHTS
This dictation is taking place on Sunday, September 2nd, which happens to be a Sabbath in the Christian faith. And so it is that I have a pair of Sabbath thoughts. One is of recent vintage and the other reaches back to, I believe, 1958. Let us take the one of most recent vintage. Last…
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ROLL, JORDAN, ROLL
Contemplating the essay that I am about to write, I have come to the conclusion that more than anything, it is about curiosity. The curiosity is my own. For many years, I have wondered about the Jordan River and whether or not it really rolled. But there are some things to take care of before…
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CHRISTIAN MINGLE REVISITED
A little more than a month ago, I constructed an essay called “Christian Mingle.” The genesis for that essay had to do with the many television advertisements that I have heard whose title was Christian Mingle. Now that I know a bit more about Christian Mingle, it is time to do another essay called “Christian…
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A FIVE-STAR QUINELLA
For a number of years, I have kept two dictating machines on a table near my desk. On the left side, there is a machine that I use to dictate what I hope is the final product for Mrs. Baker, the transcriber. On the right side, there is a machine that keeps notes for titles…
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REFLECTIONS ON THE WAHHABI
At the outset, it might be well for the author of this essay to explain the title. In round numbers, the Prophet Mohammed lived about 1500 years ago. The Prophet took several wives and they produced several children. But if my understanding is nearly correct, two of his grandsons founded competing brands of the Muslim…
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CHRISTIAN MINGLE
I rarely listen to commercials broadcast on television. One recently caught my attention. The title is “Christian Mingle.” Under ordinary circumstances, when I have some curiosity about a commercial, I ask the sponsors of the commercial for some detail. In this case, I do not desire to get involved with Christian Mingle because I suspect…
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COPENHAGEN SNUFF
At the moment, I am involved with this essay on the horns of a modest dilemma. The dilemma has to do with the Republican Party whose candidate in the year 2012 in all likelihood will be Mitt Romney. As it turns out Mitt Romney is a Mormon. This may be hard to be believed in…
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KEEPERS OF BROTHERS
Dear Brothers and Sisters: The scriptural text for this morning’s sermon is taken from Genesis 4 verses 8 and 9. These verses say as follows: And Cain talked with Abel, his brother. It came to pass when they were in the field; Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him. The Lord said…