Kindly RSVP

Kindly RSVP

The French phrase, répondez s’il vous plaît, meaning, “respond, if you please” or just, “please reply,” serves some very practical purposes.  When its abbreviation (RSVP) appears on an invitation, with or without a due date, etiquette demands a prompt answer as to whether the guest(s) will be in attendance at the designated function.  For the courtesy-challenged (those who lack the necessary consideration to timely declare their intentions), this custom may be worth a quick review. Though regarded as a bit formal and or antiquated…

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The Joys Of Small-Mindedness

The Joys Of Small-Mindedness

We live in a world in which credulity (a pre-disposition to believe without substantive evidence) has become a virtue, and uncritical acceptance a sign of intelligence.  It is a world in which naivete is a mark of noble character, and gullibility is morally superior to critical thinking (whatever that was).  Full disclosure: this is not a world in which I feel comfortable or into which I readily fit.  I blame my parents first and foremost. Let’s face it—they were not particularly broad-minded people.  To start with,…

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With And Without Excuse

With And Without Excuse

Human weaknesses, failings and misbehavior are unlikely to remain hidden indefinitely.  When they are in danger of imminent exposure or are actually revealed, excuses are inevitably offered. Excuses have two main purposes.  The first, is to enable us to feel better about ourselves, despite having done what we shouldn’t or having neglected to do what we should.  The second purpose is to induce others to feel better about us, our shortcomings notwithstanding.  We are most comfortable when one excuse serves dual purposes—persuading both ourselves and others…

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Greetings—From God

Greetings—From God

I’m no scholar, but if I were, I might tell you that it was customary in the ancient Near East to begin personal correspondence by stating the letter writer’s identity up front.  The format might begin with the author’s name, add a bit of distinctive information to differentiate the sender from others with similar names, and cap it off with a special greeting to the intended recipient(s).  A brief introduction, summarizing the subject of the missive was not uncommon. The great apostle…

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Learning To See Double

Learning To See Double

“Seeing double” is the colloquial term ascribed to a phenomenon in which a particular kind of visual impairment causes the person experiencing it to perceive two images when only one is actually present.  The scientific designation for this is, “diplopia.” Films and television programs often portray double vision as the comical result of illegal drug use or excessive drinking.  But it is no laughing matter.  Persistent or repeated diplopia warrants prompt medical attention to determine the cause(s) of the disorder—not an easy task,…

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Avoiding Sudden Destruction

Avoiding Sudden Destruction

It has been widely reported in national news media that the world’s elites—the wealthiest of the wealthy and the most dominant of the dominators—are investing vast sums in modern-day bomb shelters for themselves and their loved ones.  These hardened shelters are said to be fortified against most any danger, from riot to invasion and are built to withstand any threat short of a direct hit by a thermonuclear missile. Most of these strongholds are at least partially buried and the best…

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To Die But Not Perish

To Die But Not Perish

The world is a dangerous place.  Bad actors do bad things.  Human beings can miss the point of their own stories.  Sometimes one’s life or even one’s day does not unfold as planned.  People minding their own business may be hurt or killed through no fault of their own.  There is such a thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  A tower may suddenly collapse on you.  Death does not discriminate.  No one is immune. These are but some of the observations to be…

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Religion Or Relationship?

Religion Or Relationship?

For this week’s column, I perused dictionary definitions of the word, “religion.”  What I found wasn’t pretty.  I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, it was all about “bonds,” “obligations,” “duties,” “practices,” “rites,” “rituals”—mainly overt actions performed by human beings compelled to do so by the tenets of the particular system to which they adhere. Few sources even got ‘round to mentioning “beliefs.”  No hint was provided as to God’s role, if any.  Much was said about conformity and tradition, but…

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Of Reluctance And Glory

Of Reluctance And Glory

For several years (I don’t know how many, exactly) I belonged to an organization that distributes Bibles at schools, hospitals, military bases, correctional facilities, transport hubs, hotels, and so on, as well as individually, through personal sharing.  It is a large and well-known organization, with international operations and a good reputation.  Its workforce is composed almost entirely of volunteers. When a friend at church, a longtime student of my adult Bible classes, suggested that I join, I didn’t seriously consider it, at…

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Comfortless Fiction And The Comforting Facts

Comfortless Fiction And The Comforting Facts

The phrase “a comforting fiction” is a particularly interesting one.  It is commonly used in situations in which a fairytale seems preferable to reality.  When, for example, a triggering event like the tragic loss of a loved one occurs, the fact of the death is impossible to deny.  Yet, that fact may feel too cold, too stark, too heavy to bear. There is fear that its mere acknowledgement may—and more than likely would—overwhelm the bereaved’s defenses.  The resulting ground rush of grief and pain…

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