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Open Borders Cost Lives. Biden Doesn’t Care.

Hannah Davis  / Erin Dwinell  / July 05, 2022

Laura Zalazar, of Cortazar, Mexico, on July 1 awaits official notification about whether her son, Alvaro Enrique Ojeda Zalazar, was among the 53 illegal immigrants who died inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio. The migrants were being smuggled into the country, encouraged by President Joe Biden’s open-borders policies. (Photo: Mario Armas/AFP/Getty Images)

COMMENTARY BY

Hannah Davis

Hannah Davis is an intern with The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center and a member of Heritage’s Young Leaders Program.

Erin Dwinell

Erin Dwinell is a senior research associate with The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center.

Fifty-three illegal immigrants died in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio on June 27 after unlawfully entering the U.S.

The rest of last week, it was revealed that multiple additional smuggling incidents had resulted in migrant deaths as smugglers attempted to evade law enforcement. Many have rightly blamed President Joe Biden’s open-border policies for these deaths and said that the current administration continues to reward smugglers’ actions and fails to do anything about the consequences. 

Former acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said, “They know full well the costs of their open-borders policies, but are pursuing them anyway—all for political benefit and pursuit of their personal ideology.”

The death toll for the June 27 incident far surpassed the 10 illegal immigrants who died inside of a truck in 2017 or the 19 who died in one in 2003 in or near San Antonio.

Under the administration’s policies, more illegal activity is occurring at the border and more migrants than ever are dying.  In fact, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Tom Homan has asked why there has been no outrage over the 700+ migrants who have died while illegally crossing into the U.S. under the Biden administration. He says “the most vulnerable people in the world are putting themselves in the hands of criminal cartels to take advantage of what Biden, [Department of Homeland Security] Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and this administration have promised.”

In addition to those discovered dead by a municipal employee at about 6 p.m. on June 27, 16 additional migrants were found alive, but hot to the touch and under heat-related distress.  Of those 16, four were children. All were rushed to the hospital and updates on their well-being have been released periodically.   

So far, investigators with the Department of Homeland Security have apprehended three smugglers and confirmed that the operation involved aliens from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. 

After questioning the smugglers, investigators learned that the truck had encountered mechanical issues, prompting the smugglers to pull over and abandon the vehicle with the migrants still locked inside. 

The migrants had no access to water, and the truck was sweltering in triple-digit temperatures with no air conditioning. The employee who discovered the abandoned vehicle heard sounds of distress coming from the truck and noticed a body on the ground next to the trailer’s partially open cabin door. 

The three smugglers apprehended were chargedin connection with the operation. One was underthe influence of methamphetamines while driving the tractor-trailer.

“This is the worst human-smuggling event in the United States,”  said Homeland Security agent Craig Larrabee, adding that smuggling operations are directly linked to cartels, whose members have “no regard for the safety of the migrants.” 

The cartels maintain a vast amount of controlover the U.S.-Mexico border, exploiting it for drug and human smuggling. 

According to Border Patrol agent Fidel Baca, the billion-dollar business of human smuggling keeps the cartels busy.  He said the cartels sometimes charge more than $10,000 per person to smuggle illegal aliens into America, only to abandon them if their operation is in jeopardy. 

A Customs and Border Patrol report released last year concluded that the cartels make up to $14 million a day through smuggling.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, continues to use U.S. taxpayers’ dollars to house illegal immigrants in hotels, while defundingImmigration and Customs Enforcement facilities and encouraging illegal immigration and dangerous smuggling operations.

That sets a dangerous precedent and allows cartels to exploit migrants, telling them: “The U.S. border is nonexistent. Come as you please, and stay as long as you’d like.”   

Even Mexican humanitarian workers say, “It would be hard to devise a system that benefits these cartels more than the current one does.”

Not only have the president’s border and immigration policies created this crisis, the administration continues to lie to the American people and to refuse to accept responsibility for it.

Evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that “the border is closed” when talking about the tragic June 27 deaths. With the tractor-trailer having been found in Texas, roughly 150 miles from the southern border, that’s patently false. 

An open border and incentives for illegal immigration are not only detrimental to America’s security, but are also life-threatening to the illegal aliens who attempt the journey as a direct result of the Biden administration’s agenda and empowerment of the cartels.

The administration’s supposedly “safe, orderly, and humane” immigration process is anything but.

How many American lives need to be taken due to illegal-alien crime, and how many migrants themselves must die before the Biden administration enforces our laws and saves lives?    

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

Immigration, Part II: Turning America into a Welfare Magnet

In Part I of this series, I explained why it’s absurd to think illegal immigration can be stopped by sending foreign aid to less-developed countries, such as many of those in Central America.

Simply stated, government-to-government handouts have never been a successful strategy for turning poor nations into rich nations. Indeed, aid actually discourages countries from following the recipe that does deliver prosperity.

In today’s column, let’s address Milton Friedman’s famous dilemma about the incompatibility of open borders and welfare.

Like most libertarians, I want to solve the problem by getting rid of the welfare state.

Immigrants are a big net plus so long as they are coming to work and be productive.

Indeed, because of their entrepreneurial skills and work ethic, immigrants from many nations wind up earning more than native-born Americans.

That’s something to celebrate. The American Dream in action!

But will that story of success continue if the welfare state is expanded?

Two advocates of increased immigration are worried. First, Jason Riley of the Wall Street Journal recently explained that Biden’s agenda is a recipe for immigrant dependency.

…it is a growing belief on the political left that people should be allowed to enter the U.S. on their terms rather than ours, and that it is our collective responsibility to take care of them if they can’t take care of themselves. Milton Friedman said that open immigration and large welfare states are incompatible, and today’s progressives in Congress and the White House are eager to test that proposition.…Another concern is the left’s determination to sever any connection between work and benefits, something all the more worrisome since it is occurring while destitute foreign nationals with little education are being lured here en masse. …Earlier this month, the Biden administration quietly announced that it would no longer enforce a policy that limited the admission of immigrants who were deemed likely to become overly dependent on government benefits. What could go wrong? …In countries like Italy and France, generous aid programs have attracted poor migrants who are more likely than natives to be heavy users of welfare and less likely to be working. It’s a mistake to think it can’t happen here.

In a column last year for Reason, Shikha Dalmia warned that welfare programs undermine support for immigration.

…economists Alberto Alesina, Armando Miano, and Stefanie Stantcheva…administered online questionnaires to 24,000 respondents in six countries: U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden. The explicit aim was to study attitudes toward legal, not illegal, immigration. …restrictionists have succeeded most spectacularly is in depicting immigrants as welfare queens. …In America, over 25 percent of respondents said the person with the  ..immigrant-sounding name would pay less in taxes than he collected in welfare… The study’s findings pose a particular dilemma for Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.), who wants to combine grandiose welfare schemes like free health care, pre-K, and college for everyone with generous immigration policies, because the mere mention of immigration reduces support for such schemes. Respondents who were asked about immigration became less concerned about inequality and less supportive of soak-the-rich schemes. …as long as immigrants are seen as succeeding through their own grit, natives may have no real objection to them. What is most likely to sour the public on immigration are the grandiose universal freebies… Immigrants should be wary of Democrats bearing gifts.

Both Riley and Dalmia raise good points.

My modest contribution to this discussion is to provide a practical example.

In his so-called American Rescue Plan, Joe Biden included a huge giveaway program that will shower $3,000-$3,600 to non-rich households for every kid they have.

This is a one-year, one-time handout, but many Democrats (and some Republicans!) want to make these enormous per-child payments a permanent part of America’s welfare state.

If that happens, the incentive to move to the United States almost surely will skyrocket.

Here’s a map I made, showing the annual handout for two children in the United States and the average per-capita incomein some nearby nations.

At the risk of stating the obvious, there will be a huge incentive to migrate to America – but not for the right reasons. And my little example doesn’t include the value of any of the dozens of other redistribution programs in Washington.

The bottom line is that we shouldn’t have a welfare system that rewards dependency, whether for people in the country legally or illegally.

And if you like immigration in theory, you should be especially opposed to handouts that will undermine public support for newcomers in practice.

P.S. It’s much better to have immigration policies such as the ones proposed by former Congressman Jared Polis and current George Mason University Professor Tyler Cowen.

Milton Friedman in 2004

Power of the Market – Immigration

MILTON FRIEDMAN ON IMMIGRATION

MILTON FRIEDMAN ON IMMIGRATION PART 2

March 18, 2021

Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
P.O. Box 91000
Washington, DC 20066

Dear President Obama,

I wrote you over 700 letters while you were President and I mailed them to the White House and also published them on my blog http://www.thedailyhatch.org .I received several letters back from your staff and I wanted to thank you for those letters. 

There are several issues raised in your book that I would like to discuss with you such as the minimum wage law, the liberal press, the cause of 2007 financial meltdown, and especially your pro-choice (what I call pro-abortion) view which I strongly object to on both religious and scientific grounds, Two of the most impressive things in your book were your dedication to both the National Prayer Breakfast (which spoke at 8 times and your many visits to the sides of wounded warriors!!

I have been reading your autobiography A PROMISED LAND and I have been enjoying it. 

Let me make a few comments on it, and here is the first quote of yours I want to comment on:

WHEN IT CAME to immigration, everyone agreed that the system was broken. The process of immigrating legally to the United States could take a decade or longer, often depending on what country you were coming from and how much money you had.Meanwhile, the economic gulf between us and our southern neighbors drove hundreds of thousands of people to illegally cross the 1,933-mile U.S.-Mexico border each year, searching for work and a better life. Congress had spent billions to harden the border, with fencing, cameras, drones, and an expanded and increasingly militarized border patrol. But rather than stop the flow of immigrants, these steps had spurred an industry of smugglers—coyotes—who made big money transporting human cargo in barbaric and sometimes deadly fashion. And although border crossings by poor Mexican and Central American migrants received most of the attention from politicians and the press, about 40 percent of America’s unauthorized immigrants arrived through airports or other legal ports of entry and then overstayed their visas.
By 2010, an estimated eleven million undocumented persons were living in the United States, in large part thoroughly woven into the fabric of American life.Many were longtime residents, with children who either were U.S. citizens by virtue of having been born on American soil or had been brought to the United States at such an early age that they were American in every respect except for a piece of paper. Entire sectors of the U.S. economy relied on their labor, as undocumented immigrants were often willing to do the toughest, dirtiest work for meager pay—picking the fruits and vegetables that stocked our grocery stores, mopping the floors of offices, washing dishes at restaurants, and providing care to the elderly. But although American consumers benefited from this invisible workforce, many feared that immigrants were taking jobs from citizens, burdening social services programs, and changing the nation’s racial and cultural makeup, which led to demands for the government to crack down on illegal immigration. This sentiment was strongest among Republican constituencies, egged on by an increasingly nativist right-wing press. However, the politics didn’t fall neatly along partisan lines: The traditionally Democratic trade union rank and file, for example, saw the growing presence of undocumented workers on co
    nstruction sites as threatening their livelihoods, while Republican-leaning business groups interested in maintaining a steady supply of cheap labor (or, in the case of Silicon Valley, foreign-born computer programmers and engineers) often took pro-immigration positions.
     Back in 2007, the maverick version of John McCain, along with his sidekick Lindsey Graham, had actually joined Ted Kennedy to put together a comprehensive reform bill that offered citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants while more tightly securing our borders. Despite strong support from President Bush, it had failed to clear the Senate. The bill did, however, receive twelve Republican votes, indicating the real possibility of a future bipartisan accord. I’d pledged during the campaign to resurrect similar legislation once elected, and I’d appointed former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano as head of the Department of Homeland Security—the agency that oversaw U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection—partly because of her knowledge of border issues and her reputation for having previously managed immigration in a way that was both compassionate and tough.
My hopes for a bill had thus far been dashed. With the economy in crisis and Americans losing jobs,few in Congress had any appetite to take on a hot-button issue like immigration. Kennedy was gone. McCain, having been criticized by the right flank for his relatively moderate immigration stance, showed little interest in taking up the banner again. Worse yet, my administration was deporting undocumented workers at an accelerating rate. This wasn’t a result of any directive from me, but rather it stemmed from a 2008 congressional mandate that both expanded ICE’s budget and increased collaboration between ICE and local law enforcement departments in an effort to deport more undocumented immigrants with criminal records. My team and I had made a strategic choice not to immediately try to reverse the policies we’d inherited in large part because we didn’t want to provide ammunition to critics who claimed that Democrats weren’t willing to enforce existing immigration laws—a perception that we thought could torpedo our chances of passing a future reform bill. But by 2010, immigrant-rights and Latino advocacy groups were criticizing our lack of progress..And although I continued to urge Congress to pass immigration reform, I had no realistic path for delivering a new comprehensive law before the midterms.

Milton Friedman wisely noted,  “It’s just obvious you can’t have free immigration and a welfare state,” 
Is it prudent to allow illegal immigrants (60 percent of whom are high-school dropouts) access to Social Security, Medicare, and, over time, to 60 federal means-tested welfare programs? I don’t think so either!

FREE TO CHOOSE “Who protects the worker?” Video and Transcript Part 

In 1980 I read the book FREE TO CHOOSE by Milton Friedman and it really enlightened me a tremendous amount.  I suggest checking out these episodes and transcripts of Milton Friedman’s film series FREE TO CHOOSE: “The Failure of Socialism” and “What is wrong with our schools?”  and “Created Equal”  and  From Cradle to Grave, and – Power of the Market. Milton Friedman shows in this episode how the worker is best protected and it is not by the government!!!!!!!

The essence of what Milton Friedman is saying in this episode is found in this statement:

“The situation of immigration restrictions really has to do with the question of a welfare state. As I say in the film, I would favor completely free immigration in a society which does not have a welfare system. With a welfare system of the kind we have, you have the problem that people immigrate in order to get welfare, not in order to get employment. You know, it’s a very interesting thing, if you would ask anybody before 1914 the U.S. had no immigration restrictions whatsoever, I’m exaggerating a little bit, there were some immigration restrictions on orientals, but it was essentially, mainly free. If you ask anybody, any American economic historian was that a good thing for America, everybody will say yes it was a wonderful thing for America that we had free immigration. If you ask anybody today, should we have free immigration today, everybody will __ almost everybody will say no. What’s the difference? I think there’s only one difference and that is that when we had free immigration it was immigration of jobs in which everybody benefited. The people who were already here benefited because they got complementary workers, workers who could work with them, make their productivity better, enable them to develop and use the resources of the country better, but today, if you have a system under which you have essentially a governmental guarantee of relief in case of distress, you have a very, very real problem.”

L. WILLIAMS: Dr. Friedman and Walter Williams go back in history and they take a look at a situation where America was empty, where we didn’t have anything like the sophisticated industrial economy we have today, but had a much more agricultural and rural kind of economy and of course when the __ when the impoverished peasants of Europe, my ancestors and most of our ancestors, except for the slaves, which is another situation, but when these people came from Europe and came to a wide open continent with the most fertile soil then available to anyone in the world, naturally there was progress; and I or any of us would be mad to deny progress. But as that developed and as population increased and as we moved into a much more sophisticated industrial economy, we moved then into the situation in the 1930s, or earlier than that , at the end of the century. As some of the more skilled jobs came along, the labor movement didn’t happen by accident. Didn’t happen because there wasn’t a need there. The results of this development, even with all the wealth available in America, the results of this development was that many working people were not having anything like, by standards of civilization or whatever, anything like their fair share in this progress.

MCKENZIE: Now you’re arguing that in a free market, for labor, everyone benefits. Does that mean that you would favor abolition of all immigration restrictions?

FRIEDMAN: The situation of immigration restrictions really has to do with the question of a welfare state. As I say in the film, I would favor completely free immigration in a society which does not have a welfare system. With a welfare system of the kind we have, you have the problem that people immigrate in order to get welfare, not in order to get employment. You know, it’s a very interesting thing, if you would ask anybody before 1914 the U.S. had no immigration restrictions whatsoever, I’m exaggerating a little bit, there were some immigration restrictions on orientals, but it was essentially, mainly free. If you ask anybody, any American economic historian was that a good thing for America, everybody will say yes it was a wonderful thing for America that we had free immigration. If you ask anybody today, should we have free immigration today, everybody will __ almost everybody will say no. What’s the difference? I think there’s only one difference and that is that when we had free immigration it was immigration of jobs in which everybody benefited. The people who were already here benefited because they got complementary workers, workers who could work with them, make their productivity better, enable them to develop and use the resources of the country better, but today, if you have a system under which you have essentially a governmental guarantee of relief in case of distress, you have a very, very real problem.

MCKENZIE: But this is true of every western industrialized country.

FRIEDMAN: That’s right and that’s why today __

MCKENZIE: Yeah.

FRIEDMAN: __ under current circumstances you cannot, unfortunately have free immigration. Not because there’s anything wrong with free immigration, but because we have other policies which make it impossible to adopt free immigration.

MCKENZIE: Well I’d like other reactions. Is it at all feasible to open the door of the labor market internationally now? Bill Brady?

BRADY: I would __ I would say yes providing they open the door to us. I think that the door to not only the labor market, the door to all markets should be __ should be open. That is the product markets.

W. WILLIAMS: My feelings about the undocumented workers of Mexican-Americans are inscribed at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. I think that the people should have the right to come to this country. Now, those who would say, you know, I hear a number of people saying that, well the immigrants are contributing to our unemployment problem. And I point this out to some people, I said, “look, you know, this is the same rhetoric that the Irish used when the blacks were coming up from the north, ” you know, they’re using blacks as scapegoats. They’re saying, “get those people back where they came from so that our members can get jobs, ” you know. Unions were as well doing this, you know, they called them scabs, strikebreakers, etcetera, etcetera. So I do not wish for Mexican-Americans to become the new scapegoats of our particular national problems. They are not the problem, and our nation benefits to the extent that these people come here and work. And to that extent __ to that extent__ so it’s kind of good for them to remain illegal aliens as opposed to being legal aliens where they’re subject to our welfare programs, so that we don’t want them to come here to __

(Several people talking at once.)

GREEN: I think that this country cannot have a group of workers to remain outside the framework of our laws and our protection. And as long as we have workers who are attracted to the United States because of the standards of living; and I think minimum wages play a part in that as part of that attraction. But it seems to me to have undocumented workers without providing either a means of protection for them and it seems to me that we’ve got to go to the question of providing the amnesty for those generations of workers who have come here over a period of time, now two, three, maybe four generations. We have to see that they have the same rights and protection of all other workers. And as it stands now, large numbers of them live outside the framework of the laws and statutes that we have on the __ on our books.

MCKENZIE: Comment Milton.

FRIEDMAN: They do and the tragedy of the situation, as what Walter Williams point out, that as long as they are undocumented and illegal they are a clear net gain, the nation benefits and they benefit. They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t. The tragedy is that we’ve adopted all these other policies so that if we convert them into legal residents it’s no longer clear that we benefit. They may benefit, but it’s no longer clear that we do. What Lynn Williams said before is again a travesty on what was actually going on. The real boost to the trade union movement came after the Great Depression of the 1930s; that Great Depression was not a failure of capitalism; it was not a failure of the private market system as we pointed out in another one of the programs in this series; it was a failure of government. It was not the case that somehow or other there was a decline in the conditions of the working class that produced a great surge of unionism. On the contrary __ unions have never accounted for more than one out of four or one out of five of American workers. The American worker benefited not out of unions, he benefited in spite of unions. He benefited because there was greater opportunity because there were people who were willing to invest their money because there was an opportunity for people to work, to save, to invest. That’s still the case today. You say, we have to provide them with something or other Ernest. Who are the “we”?

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733 everettehatcher@gmail.com

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What Americans Celebrate on July 4

One of America’s best presidents, Calvin Coolidge, had a great explanation of Independence Day. But this video from Kite and Key also is worth watching.

There is a lot of material covered in the video.

For instance, the main takeaway is that the United States is uniquely individualistic, which I view as a very valuable form of societal capital (another great president shared that perspective).

Compared to most other nations, we still believe in self-reliance and individual responsibility.

Indeed, there’s even evidence that the people with those values were most likely to emigrate to the United States.

And our superior level of societal capital is related to our lower burden of government, which is related to our higher living standards.

There are other points from the video that merit attention.

We’re told that Americans work more hours than people in other developed nations. That’s generally true, though it almost certainly has something to do with the heavier tax burden on labor in Europe.

Now I’m going to quibble with a few of the points in the video.

We’re told, for instance, that Americans enjoy higher income but don’t get goodies from the government such as paid parental leave.

What should have been noted, though, is that we’re richer in part because we don’t have such programs.

Likewise, the U.S. is probably the leader in developing new drugs and medical technologies in part because we don’t have government-run health care (though, given the pervasive role of Medicare, Medicaid, and the healthcare exclusion, it’s not clear whether the U.S. actually has a more market-oriented health system than many European nations).

The video points out that Americans have low voting rates. But why is that a bad thing? I like the idea of having government playing such a small role in people’s lives that many of them figure it’s not important to vote.

Maybe that’s the reason that voting rates are so low in Switzerland, which arguably is the world’s best-governed (meaning least-governed) country.

Last but not least, the video points out that the United States spends less than other nations on redistribution, relative to economic output. That’s true. But because per-capita economic output is much higher in America, per-person spending by government often is depressingly high. If you doubt me, check out these numbers for healthand education.

P.S. Since it is Independence Day, this t-shirt is a reminder of the proper definition of patriotism.

P.P.S. I don’t want my left-leaning friends to feel neglected on this special day, so here’s a Declaration of Dependence to make them feel comfortable. Speaking of Dependence Day, here’s some satire from Babylon Bee.

P.P.P.S. And here’s something for my Republican friends.

P.P.P.S. A few years ago, I noted that red tape makes it more expensive to celebrate Independence Day.

The bad news is that inflation is now adding to the burdens caused by government.

Gee, thanks Federal Reserve.

An Independence Day Message from a Great President

This video I posted in 2011 is my favorite Reagan clip, but here’s a video that also is very much worth watching.

And even though these words weren’t uttered on July 4, what he says is quite appropriate for Independence Day.

If you need more inspiration from one of the two best Presidents of the 20th century, here are some of Reagan’s most memorable moments.

P.S. Here’s the other great President of the last century.

12 Years ago today I got on Twitter and over 2 million views later on THEDAILYHATCH.COM and here are some on my favorite posts!

My name is Everette Hatcher III. Follow me on Twitter @everettehatcher

Email me anytime at everettehatcher@gmail.com

I have been a political junkie since 1972 when I watched my first Democratic and Republican National Conventions. I especially was captivated by the 1976 run by Ronald Reagan.

I found that Milton Friedman’s book and film series “Free to Choose,” (1980) and the book and film series by Francis Schaeffer and C. Everett Koop “Whatever Happened to the Human Race?” (1978) certainly helped mold my social and political views.  Milton Friedman’s views have influenced Republicans’ tax policies today and he had a great impact on Ronald Reagan. A lot of the policies by Reagan were hatched in planning meetings with Milton Friedman.

I love to get feedback through email or comments on the blog.https://thedailyhatch.org/2014/04/14/the-glaring-weakness-of-the-humanist-manifestos-plus-video-of-ricky-gervais-on-the-lack-of-an-afterlife/

The Mondale siblings: Lester, Walter, Mort, Pete, and Clifford and Eleanor Archer (adopted sister); credit: University of Minnesota Law Library ArchivesMy correspondence with the famous evolutionist Ernst Mayr!!!

My correspondence with the famous evolutionist Ernst Ma…________ Ernst Mayr 1904-2005 Bill Gates, John Grisham, James Michener, E. O. Wilson, Ernst Mayr, George Lucas… Published on May 19, 2012 Bill Gates…
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______________________Is there a categorical difference in us and animals?

Is there a categorical difference in us and animals?_____________   John J. Shea Professor Ph.D., Harvard University, 1991 2nd Annual Human Evolution Symposium PART ONE Uploaded on Nov 23, 2010…
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 _____________________https://thedailyhatch.org/2014/05/29/how-richard-dawkins-favorite-book-of-the-bible-ecclesiastes-and-its-message-of-nihilism-can-be-seen-in-the-lives-of-comedian-doug-stanhope-dave-hope-of-kansas-and-king-solomon/

Picture above of Doug Stanhope._______________________CSICOP experts commented 15 years ago on a lie-detector’s ability to detect one’s repressed belief in God!!!!

CSICOP experts commented 15 years ago on a lie-detector’…In the book, THE DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan.  Sagan writes: The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of…
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__________________________Carl Sagan’s search for the of meaning of life

Carl Sagan’s search for the of meaning of life________________ Frank Drake and Nick Sagan Meet | Alien Encounters Published on Mar 26, 2012 Author Nick Sagan hasn’t seen his godfather, Frank Dr…
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Simon Schama’s lack of faith in Old Testament Prophecy (Plus Gervais and Dawkins on Religion)

Simon Schama’s lack of faith in Old Testament Prophecy (…Richard Dawkins & Ricky Gervais on Religion Trailer | The Story of the Jews | PBS ____________________________ Robert Lewis noted that many orth…
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Answering my Humanist Friends concerning the Problem of Evil (Plus Atheist Ricky Gervais says he embraces the Golden Rule)

Answering my Humanist Friends concerning the Problem …Ricky Gervais: Christians Haven’t Got A Monopoly On Good Josh Wilson – Before The Morning (Official Music Video)   One of my favorite songs  is called “Be…
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The issue of UNCONFIRMED QUOTES has generated a lot of comments on my blog and here are some of those posts:

Supreme Court never said It.

Unconfirmed Quote attibuted to Patrick Henry

David Barton pictured below:

Here is an update on David Barton’s Unconfirmed Quote list

I was especially proud of this article MISQUOTES, FAKE QUOTES, AND DISPUTED QUOTES OF THE FOUNDERS that I submitted to CHURCH AND STATE and FREE INQUIRY but it was never published.

Misquotes, Fake Quotes, and Disputed Quotes of the Founders

The article linked in the previous sentence will take you to the paper I wrote called MISQUOTES, FAKE QUOTES, AND DISPUTED QUOTES OF THE FOUNDERS. You will notice above in the section labeled “Fake Quotes” that I linked a comment by the late Dr. Robert Alley to an article by Rob Boston of Americans United published in 1996. I posted earlier how I was the source for the two articles that Rob Boston wrote on David Barton but unfortunately he implied that Barton made up these quotes. Fortunately I was given the opportunity to set the record straight in The Freedom Writer.

Later I got several board members of Americans United to contact Boston on my behalf and voice their opinion of how unfair Boston had been to Barton in his article  “Consumer Alert”. On March 7, 1997, I spoke with Barry Lynn the executive director of Americans United. Lynn was very gracious on the phone and  promised to consider an article from me in response to the slanted  “Consumer Alert” article Boston had written earlier. Americans United board member Dr. Paul Simmons of Louisville helped me write the aritcle, but ultimately it was never published until my blog did so.)

Rob Boston pictured below:

This post below exposes the extent that Rob Boston went to in order to make it appear that David Barton fabricated quotes and then attributed them to the founders.

Did David Barton fabricate quotes and attribute them to the founding fathers? NO HE DIDN’T!

Believe it or not some of the quotes on the UNCONFIRMED QUOTE LIST were eventually confirmed. Here is an example below:

Samuel Adams Unconfirmed Quote was Confirmed Eventually

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Episode #1 of Afterlife: 

• Tony : There’s no advantage to being nice and thoughtful and caring and having integrity. It’s a disadvantage, if anything.
• Tony : Here’s what’s what humanity is a plague. We’re a disgusting, narcissistic, selfish parasite, and the world would be a better place without us. It should be everyone’s moral duty to kill themselves. I could do it now. Quite happily just go upstairs, jump off the roof, and make sure I landed on some cunt from accounts.

Episode #4 Tony meets up with his acquaintance from work Julian who is a heroine addict and while doing drugs together this conversation happens: 

Tony: This must be a habit. You know I know how you feel.

Julian: Every minute of every day that I have my wits all I can think about is getting some [drugs] before I become too conscious…I am already dead inside. I am still in the worst kind of pain. 

Tony: I still can not believe we have so much in common.

Julian: We don’t have anything in common! 

Tony: Why do you say that?

Julian: The big difference is you haven’t given up yet, have you? Me I would quite happily die right now. If I had enough money I would take as much drugs as I possibly could. 

Tony gives Julian lots of money and says “Don’t waste it on food.”

The last scene of episode 5 is Julian injecting an overdose of heroine into his arm and then dying as the song “Youth” by the musical group DAUGHTER sings the words: 

Shadows settle on the place, that you left
Our minds are troubled by the emptiness
Destroy the middle, it’s a waste of time
From the perfect start to the finish lineAnd if you’re still breathing, you’re the lucky ones
‘Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs
Setting fire to our insides for fun

Then in episode 5 there is discussion between Tony and brother-in-law Matt when Tony admits at first that he helped Julian get the overdose on purpose but then he backtracks when Matt threatens to keep Tony’s ten year old nephew from seeing him again: 

Tony: Julian was a heroine addict. That is what he did and it was what he wanted. 

Matt: Tell me that you didn’t know that he was gonna kill himself or I am not gonna let you see George again. 

Tony: I didn’t know. Obviously not. 

Matt: Okay you didn’t know.

I did read something that Ricky said on a taboo subject that troubled me:

Suicide. Heroin. Euthanasia. Ricky Gervais speaks exclusively to Event about his most shocking show ever

By Cole Moreton For Event Magazine22:01 16 Feb 2019, updated 00:30 18 Feb 2019

He won’t mind being challenged about his desire to shock, but then how could he? His character Tony also gives money to his drug supplier in After Life, knowing it will be used for his suicide.

‘I think that’s the much more contentious bit,’ says Gervais. ‘I am in favour of assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia.’

I tweeted out this reply (seen below) on March 5, 2021 and Ricky Gervais liked it on Twitter a few minutes later:
I have watched the AFTERLIFE series 6 times and I am reminded of the people I have visited with who have overcome alcohol and drug addiction. Why not even attempt to help an able bodied person before handling him poison to kill himself? Check out this film Whatever Happened To The Human Race? | Episode 3 | Death by Someone’s Choice 

In the third episode of AFTERLIFE Matt takes Tony to a comedy club with front row seats and this is what happens:

The comedian is getting huge laughs but Tony never laughs.

Comedian: You are a wonderful crowd. I am glad you are a wonderful crowd. I have had some bad news this week. Friend of mine actually committed suicide last week. He went upstairs and swallowed everything in the bathroom cabinet and choked on a tampon. (Crowd laughs heartily.) This guy in front row absolutely hated that joke. Cheer up mate! What is your name and what is your story?

Tony: My name is Tony. My wife died early this year with breast cancer and it broke me. Not a day goes by that I didn’t think of killing myself. I just don’t see any point in living.

Comedian: (Long pause of silence.) 

Tony and his wife Lisa who died 6 months ago of cancer

–

—

After Life on Netflix stars Ricky Gervais as a bereaved husband (Image: Netflix) Roisin Conaty on the left in above picture with the cigarette plays Daphne the sex worker. 

In the beginning of episode 2 Tony is in the bath tub with a razor to his wrist and his hungry dog Brandi walks up and he asks her “Are you hungry?” And she responds with a sad sound.

Tony, “If you could open a tin I would be dead now but you can’t can you because you are useless. Who is useless? You are. You are useless. Good girl.”

—

—

—

–

–

Tony quotes from AFTERLIFE:  

I guess a good day is when I don’t go around, wanting to shoot random strangers in the face and then turn the gun to myself.

—

“Here’s what’s what: humanity is a plague. We’re a disgusting, narcissistic, selfish parasite, and the world would be a better place without us. It should be everyone’s moral duty to kill themselves. I could do it now. Quite happily just go upstairs, jump off the roof, and make sure I landed on some c*** from accounts.”

April 18, 2020, Saturday

Ricky Gervais

Dear Ricky,

I have been a big fan of yours for 20 years now and I have taken an interest especially in your philosophical views concerning atheism and your attacks on Christianity, and since 2016 I have written you 9 letters basically concerning the Book of Ecclesiastes and the subject of nihilism. Then I ran across your series AFTER LIFE and Tony reminded me so much of Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes and the nihilism that Solomon embraced.

Today, Saturday April 18, 2020 at 6pm in London and noon in Arkansas, I had a chance to ask you on your Twitter Live broadcast “Is Tony a Nihilist?” At the 20:51 mark you answer my question with the following comments:

Not, I mean he [Tony] dabbles with it [nihilism] but a lot of this stuff is like he is being provocative and he is trying to sort of hurt people. No, It is difficult to say. I don’t. The one thing he wants he can’t have so he is angry. He has to compromise. He had the perfect marriage and he doesn’t know how to act or feel anymore. He is confused. He is in pain. He is ill. He is probably ill you know. If you are not right in your [mind] then you are ill, and you can’t just step out of it. You know. You even know you are not normal or well, but what can you do? You don’t feel good. That will do. Did we get serious then? That won’t happen again!

It seems to me that you would classify Tony as angry and confused but not a nihilist. You are the writer so you should know, but let me ask you if you can philosophically back up the view that Tony is not living the life of a nihilist (one who does think there are no rules for his life and no purpose for his life and no basis for morality).

As a member of the British Humanist Association you are familiar with the view of optimistic humanism. Let me share some views on that:

Paul Kurtz – (writer of Humanist Manifesto 2 in 1973 and Dr. Kurtz was a very kind gentleman who took time to correspond with me.)

“The universe is neutral, indifferent to man’s existential yearnings. But we instinctively discover life, experience its throb, its excitement, its attraction. Life is here to be lived, enjoyed, suffered, and endured…Again–one cannot ‘prove’ this normative principle to everyone’s satisfaction. Living beings tend instinctively to maintain themselves and to reproduce beyond ultimate justification. It is a brute fact of our contingent natures; It is an instinctive desire to live.”

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J.P. Moreland – “2 Objections to optimistic humanism: #1 There is no rational justification for choosing it over nihilism. As far as rationality is concerned, it has nothing to offer over nihilism. Therefore, optimistic humanism suffers from some of the same objections we raised against nihilism. Kurtz himself admits that the ultimate values of humanism are incapable of rational justification!!!!!!  #2 Optimistic Humanism really answers the question of the meaning of life in the negative, just as nihilism does. For the optimistic humanist life has no objective value or purpose; It offers only subjective satisfaction, one should think long and hard before embracing such a horrible view. If there is a decent case that life has objective value and purpose, then such a case should be given as good a hearing as possible.  

R.C. Sproul:Nihilism has two traditional enemies–Theism and Naive Humanism. The theist contradicts the nihilist because the existence of God guarantees that ultimate meaning and significance of personal life and history. Naive Humanism is considered naive by the nihilist because it rhapsodizes–with no rational foundation–the dignity and significance of human life. The humanist declares that man is a cosmic accident whose origin was fortuitous and entrenched in meaningless insignificance. Yet in between the humanist mindlessly crusades for, defends, and celebrates the chimera of human dignity…Herein is the dilemma: Nihilism declares that nothing really matters ultimately…In my judgment, no philosophical treatise has ever surpassed or equaled the penetrating analysis of the ultimate question of meaning versus vanity that is found in the Book of Ecclesiastes

The humanist H. J. Blackham was the founder of the British Humanist Association and he asserted: “On humanist assumptions, life leads to nothing, and every pretense that it does not is a deceit. If there is a bridge over a gorge which spans only half the distance and ends in mid-air, and if the bridge is crowded with human beings pressing on, one after the other they fall into the abyss. The bridge leads nowhere, and those who are pressing forward to cross it are going nowhere….It does not matter where they think they are going, what preparations for the journey they may have made, how much they may be enjoying it all. The objection merely points out objectively that such a situation is a model of futility“( H. J. Blackham, et al., Objections to Humanism (Riverside, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1967). Francis Schaeffer comments concerning Blackham’s assertion, “One does not have to be highly educated to understand this. It follows directly from the starting point of the humanists’ position, namely, that everything is just matter. That is, that which has exited forever and in ever is only some form of matter or energy, and everything in our world now is this and only this in a more or less complex form.”

The 5 Conclusions of Humanism according to King Solomon of Israel in the Book of Ecclesiastes!!!!!

The Humanistic world view tells us there is no afterlife and all we have is this life “under the sun.” 

Francis Schaeffer (Christian Philosopher) notes Solomon limits himself to “under the sun” – In other words the meaning of life on the basis of human life standing alone between birth and death. It is indeed the book of modern man. Solomon is the universal man with unlimited resources who says let us see where I go. Ravi Zacharias –

“The key to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term ‘under the sun.’ What that literally means is you lock God out of a closed system and you are left with only this world of time plus chance plus us (Matter)”

1st Conclusion: Nothing in life truly satisfies and that includes wisdom, great works and pleasure. A) Will wisdom satisfy someone under the sun? We know it is good in its proper place. T

But what did Solomon find out about wisdom “under the sun”? Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 (Living Bible): I said to myself, ‘Look, I am better educated than any of the kings before me in Jerusalem. I have greater wisdom and knowledge.’So I worked hard to be wise instead of foolish[c]—but now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. For the more my wisdom, the more my grief; to increase knowledge only increases distress.” (That is NIHILISM!!!!)

—

KJV and Living Bible Ecclesiastes 2:1-3, 8, 10, 11: I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.² I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? ³ I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly,And then there were my many beautiful concubines.¹⁰ Anything I wanted I took and did not restrain myself from any joy…¹¹ But as I looked at everything I had tried, it was all so useless, a chasing of the wind, and there was nothing really worthwhile anywhere…

2nd Conclusion: Power reigns in this life and the scales are not balanced!!!!!Ecclesiastes 4:1 (King James Version): So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
Ecclesiastes 7:15 (King James Version) All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.If you are a humanist you must admit that men like Hitler will not be punished in the afterlife because you deny there is an afterlife? Right?

3rd Conclusion – Death is the great equalizer. Just as the beasts will not be remembered so ultimately brilliant men will not be remembered. Ecclesiastes 3:20 “All go unto one place; All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.” Here Solomon comes to the same point that Kerry Livgren came to in January of 1978 when he wrote the hit song DUST IN THE WIND. Can you refute the nihilistic claims of this song within the humanistic world view? Solomon couldn’t but maybe you can.

4th Conclusion – Chance and time plus matter (us) has determined the past and it will determine the future.By the way, what are the ingredients that make evolution work? George Wald – “Time is the Hero.”

 Jacques Monod – “Pure chance, absolutely free but blind, is at the root of the stupendous edifice of evolution.” 

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 I can not think of a better illustration of this in action than the movie ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute. On May 4, 1994 I watched the movie for the first time and again I thought of the humanist who believes that history is not heading somewhere with a purpose but is guided by pure chance, absolutely free but blind. I thought of the passage Ecclesiastes 9:10-12 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.¹¹ I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.¹² For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

5th Conclusion – Life is just a series ofcontinual and unending cycles and man is stuck in the middle of the cycle. Youth, old age, Death.
Does Solomon at this point embrace nihilism? Yes!!! He exclaims that the hates life (Ecclesiastes 2:17), he longs for death (4:2-3) Yet he stills has a fear of death (2:14-16). 

I first starting studying Ecclesiastes in 1976 when I heard Adrian Rogers give a sermon on the nihilism of King Solomon. These facts in Ecclesiastes inspired the author of the song DUST IN THE WIND. Kerry Livgren of KANSAS, who wrote the song noted, “I happened to be reading a book of American Indian poetry and somewhere in it I came across the line, ‘We’re just dust in the wind.’ I remembered in the BOOK of ECCLESIASTES  where it said, ‘All is vanity,’ ” Livgren said of the passage that it reminds man he came from dust and will return to dust.

I remember a visit in 1976 that Adrian Rogers made to our Junior High Chapel service at EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, and it was that day that I personally began a lifelong interest in King Solomon’s life, and his search for satisfaction as pictured in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

(Kerry Livgren, Dave Hope in back)

Solomon was searching for meaning and satisfaction in life in what Rogers called the 6 big L words in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He looked into Learning (1:16-18), Laughter, Ladies, Luxuries, and Liquor (2:1-3, 8, 10, 11), and Labor (2:4-6, 18-20).

Ecclesiastes 2:8-10The Message (MSG)

I piled up silver and gold,
loot from kings and kingdoms.
I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song,
and—most exquisite of all pleasures—
voluptuous maidens for my bed.

9-10 Oh, how I prospered! I left all my predecessors in Jerusalem far behind, left them behind in the dust. What’s more, I kept a clear head through it all. Everything I wanted I took—I never said no to myself. I gave in to every impulse, held back nothing. I sucked the marrow of pleasure out of every task—my reward to myself for a hard day’s work!

(Edward John Poynter Painting  below of Solomon)

Francis Schaeffer observed concerning Solomon, “You can not know woman by knowing 1000 women.”

King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:11 sums up his search for meaning with these words, “…behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

After hearing the sermon by Adrian Rogers in 1976, I took a special interest in the Book of Ecclesiastes and then the next year I bought the album POINT OF KNOW RETURN by the group rock group KANSAS. On that album was the song “Dust in the Wind”  and it rose to #6 on the charts in 1978. That song told me that Kerry Livgren the writer of that song had come to the same conclusion that Solomon had. I remember mentioning to my friends at church that we may soon see some members of KANSAS become Christians because their search for the meaning of life had obviously come up empty even though they had risen from being an unknown band to the top of the music business and had all the wealth and fame that came with that.

(That is the same reason I am excited about Ricky’s series AFTER LIFE!!!)

_____________________

–

Furthermore, Solomon realized death comes to everyone and there must be something more. I was hoping the members of KANSAS would keep looking for something more than just material pursuits UNDER THE SUN.

Livgren wrote:

“All we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see, Dust in the Wind, All we are is dust in the wind, Don’t hang on, Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and Sky, It slips away, And all your money won’t another minute buy.”

Both Kerry Livgren and the bass player DAVE HOPE of KANSAS became Christians eventually. Kerry Livgren first tried Eastern Religions and DAVE HOPE had to come out of a heavy drug addiction. I was elated to see their personal testimony on The 700 Club in 1981 and that same interview can be seen on youtube today. Livgren lives in Topeka, Kansas today where he teaches “Diggers,” a Sunday school class at Topeka Bible Church. DAVE HOPE is the head of Worship, Evangelism and Outreach at Immanuel Anglican Church in Destin, Florida.

By the way, the final chapter of Ecclesiastes finishes with Solomon emphasizing that serving God is the only proper response of man. Solomon looks above the sun and brings God back into the picture.  
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil

In Steven Weinberg’s Book “Dreams of a Final Theory,” he asserted on page 246:

About a century and a half ago Matthew Arnold found in the withdrawing ocean tide a metaphor for the retreat of religious faith, and heard in the water’s sound “the note of sadness.” It would be wonderful to find in the laws of nature a plan prepared by a concerned creator in which human beings played some special role. I find sadness in doubting that we will.

Dr. Weinberg I have enjoyed reading your books and I want to bring you some hope today. Take a look at this amazing fulfilled Old Testament prophecy! Under the point THE PROPHETIC WITNESS OF THE SCRIPTURES Adrian Rogers talks about Psalm 22:

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The Amazing Prophecy of the Cross

Psalm 22 is an incredible chapter. Perhaps more than any other chapter in the Bible, you cannot read it and come away not loving the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Turn to Psalm 22. Just below the name of a psalm, often the name of the one who wrote it is given. Who is the human author of Psalm 22?

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, almost half (73) of the Bible’s 150 psalms were written by King David.

One thousand years before Jesus Christ, David prophetically foretold His crucifixion.

Since crucifixion was a Roman, not Jewish, form of execution, how is that possible?  Crucifixion was completely unknown to the Jewish culture. It would be another 800 years before crucifixion came into the Jewish world. But here we find by divine inspiration a portrait of the cross.

The answer to find meaning in life is found in putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The Bible is true from cover to cover and can be trusted.

__

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher, cell ph 501-920-5733, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002 everettehatcher@gmail.com

PS: Below are links to the previous 16 blog posts I did on AFTER LIFE and summaries of them.

Part 1 “Why have integrity in Godless Darwinian Universe where Might makes Right?”

Part 2 “My April 14, 2016 Letter to Ricky mentioned Book of Ecclesiastes and the Meaninglessness of Life”

Part 3 Letter about Brandon Burlsworth concerning suffering and pain and evil in the world.  “Why didn’t Jesus save her [from cancer]?” (Tony’s 10 year old nephew George in episode 2)

Part 4 Letter on Solomon on Death Tony in episode one, “It should be everyone’s moral duty to kill themselves.”

Part 5 Letter on subject of Learning in Ecclesiastes “I don’t read books of fiction but mainly science and philosophy”

Part 6 Letter on Luxuries in Ecclesiastes Part 6, The Music of AFTERLIFE (Part A)

Part 7 Letter on Labor in Ecclesiastes My Letter to Ricky on Easter in 2017 concerning Book of Ecclesiastes and the legacy of a person’s life work

Part 8 Letter on Liquor in Ecclesiastes Tony’s late wife Lisa told him, “Don’t get drunk all the time alright? It will only make you feel worse in the log run!”

Part 9 Letter on Laughter in Ecclesiastes , I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” Ecclesiastes 2:2

Part 10 Final letter to Ricky on Ladies in Ecclesiastes “I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, and—most exquisite of all pleasures— voluptuous maidens for my bed…behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” Ecclesiastes 2:8-11.

Part 11 Letter about Daniel Stanhope and optimistic humanism  “If man has been kicked up out of that which is only impersonal by chance , then those things that make him man-hope of purpose and significance, love, motions of morality and rationality, beauty and verbal communication-are ultimately unfulfillable and thus meaningless.” (Francis Schaeffer)

Part 12 Letter on how pursuit of God is only way to get Satisfaction Dan Jarrell “[In Ecclesiastes] if one seeks satisfaction they will never find it. In fact, every pleasure will be fleeting and can not be sustained, BUT IF ONE SEEKS GOD THEN ONE FINDS SATISFACTION”

Part 13 Letter to Stephen Hawking on Solomon realizing he will die just as a dog will die “For men and animals both breathe the same air, and both die. So mankind has no real advantage over the beasts; what an absurdity!” Ecclesiastes

Part 14 Letter to Stephen Hawking on 3 conclusions of humanism and Bertrand Russell destruction of optimistic humanism. “That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms—no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”(Bertrand Russell, Free Man’s Worship)

Part 15 Letter to Stephen Hawking on Leonardo da Vinci and Solomon and Meaningless of life “I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind” Ecclesiastes Book of Ecclesiastes Part 15 “I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind” Ecclesiastes 2:17

Part 16 Letter to Stephen Hawking on Solomon’s longing for death but still fear of death and 5 conclusions of humanism on life UNDER THE SUN. Francis Schaeffer “Life is just a series of continual and unending cycles and man is stuck in the middle of the cycle. Youth, old age, Death. Does Solomon at this point embrace nihilism? Yes!!! He exclaims that the hates life (Ecclesiastes 2:17), he longs for death (4:2-3) Yet he stills has a fear of death (2:14-16)”

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Summaries of previous blog posts on AFTER LIFE:

Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 1 “Why have integrity in Godless Darwinian Universe where Might makes Right?”

If a person lives life UNDER THE SUN (phrase used 29 times in Book of Ecclesiastes) as if there is no God then it makes sense that the Darwinian principle of survival of the fittest is the rule of the day and there is no afterlife where people will be judged by God. Therefore, lying is not looked down upon by Tony in episode 5 when he lies in order to not be punished by his boss Matt.

No wonder in episode 1 we hear these words from Tony: “There’s no advantage to being nice and thoughtful and caring and having integrity. It’s a disadvantage, if anything.”

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 2 “My April 14, 2016 Letter to Ricky mentioned Book of Ecclesiastes and the Meaninglessness of Life”

In my first letter to Ricky Gervais on April 4, 2016 I asked Ricky to take 90 minutes and watch the Woody Allen film Crimes and Misdemeanors because that movie challenges the idea that in a Godless universe there is an argument against Might makes Right! (Greg Koukl also makes that same argument below in this post).  I also mentioned the Book of Ecclesiastes to Ricky and pointed out the idea that life is ultimately meaningless if there was no afterlife. T.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 3 “Why didn’t Jesus save her [from cancer]?” (Tony’s 10 year old nephew George in episode 2)

Daphne who is a good friend of Tony asserted,  Bad things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people… sometimes it’s just no one’s fault.

Episode # 2 of AFTERLIFE:

Below is a discussion between Tony and his ten year old nephew George concerning the passing of Tony’s wife Lisa.

George: Daddy says you are sad since  Aunt Lisa died.

Tony: Yep.

George: I am sad too. I dream about her sometime.

Tony: Me too.

George: Why didn’t the doctors make her better?

Tony: They tried.

George: Why didn’t Jesus save her?

Tony: Because Jesus is a &@$@$&! Don’t tell your Mum and Dad I said that.

George: I won’t.

On Twitter on May 23, 2013 Ricky Gervais wrote:

God doesn’t prevent terrible things because: A) He can’t B) He doesn’t want to C) He causes them D) He doesn’t exist PLEASE VOTE NOW.

3,000 years ago Solomon looked at the issue of the existence of pain and suffering in his Book of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

 Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

Francis Schaeffer: Between birth and death power rules. Solomon looked over his kingdom and also around the world and proclaimed that right does not rule but power rules.

Ecclesiastes 7:15

¹⁵ I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.

Ecclesiastes 8:14

¹⁴ There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.

Francis Schaeffer: We could say it in 20th century language, “The books are not balanced in this life.”

Francis Schaeffer: There is only one reason that viewing life UNDER THE SUN from birth to death causes despair and that is because we live in an abnormal world [since the fall in Genesis 3 when sin entered the world because of rebellion].

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 4, Tony in episode one, “It should be everyone’s moral duty to kill themselves.”

Francis Schaeffer comments on the Book of Ecclesiastes and the subject of death:

Ecclesiastes 9:11

¹¹ Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

Chance rules. If a man starts out only from himself and works outward it must eventually if he is consistent seem so that only chance rules and naturally in such a setting you can not expect him to have anything else but finally a hate of life.

Ecclesiastes 2:17-18a

¹⁷ So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. ¹⁸ I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun…

That first great cry “So I hated life.” Naturally if you hate life you long for death and you find him saying this in Ecclesiastes 4:2-3:

² And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. ³ But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are doneunder the sun.

AFTERLIFE episode #1:

• Tony : Here’s what’s what humanity is a plague. We’re a disgusting, narcissistic, selfish parasite, and the world would be a better place without us. It should be everyone’s moral duty to kill themselves. I could do it now. Quite happily just go upstairs, jump off the roof, and make sure I landed on some cunt from accounts.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 5 “I don’t read books of fiction but mainly science and philosophy”

In the series AFTERLIFE you can obviously see how well read Ricky Gervais is and like many atheists it is obvious that Richard Dawkins is one of his heroes.

I am not an atheist but I have read about a dozen of Dawkins books also. Dawkins’ favorite book in the Bible is Ecclesiastes because of the poetry found in the King James Version and not the spiritual lessons.

Solomon was searching  for meaning in life in what I call the 6 big L words in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He looked into LEARNING (1:12-18, 2:12-17), laughter, ladies, luxuries, and liquor (2:1-2, 8, 10, 11), and labor (2:4-6, 18-20).

Here is his final conclusion concerning LEARNING:

ECCLESIASTES 1:12-18, 2:12-17 LEARNING

¹² I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹⁴ I have seen everything that is done UNDER THE SUN, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶ I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

¹⁸For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

¹²So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. ¹³ Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. ¹⁴ The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. ¹⁵ Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. ¹⁶ For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!¹⁷ So I hated life, because what is done UNDER THE SUN was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

I watched a replay of Ricky Gervais of his March 28th Twitter Live and he said he doesn’t read a lot of fiction but just mainly books on science and philosophy. This is evident in his dialogue in AFTERLIFE:

You can believe in an afterlife if that makes you feel better, doesn’t mean it’s true, but once you realise you’re not going to be around forever, that’s what makes life so magical…. That’s why you should treasure the few years you’ve got because that’s all there is.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 6, The Music of AFTERLIFE (Part A)

I recently watched the replay of the March 25th Twitter Live broadcast by Ricky Gervais and he opened it with the song “Jesus take the wheel” sung by Carrie Underwood. I must say that I have been amazed at the music in the series AFTERLIFE. It is outstanding and the themes of the songs fit the scenes in a special way.

Solomon had it all and especially gold but he said all the fame and fortune is vanity and a chasing of the wind because it will NOT bring satisfaction or even last.

Back in 2001 our friend David Hodges was in a struggling rock band named EVANESCENCE in Little Rock but then they hit it big. Not only did Evanescence sell 20 million records but afterwards David wrote #1 smash singles: Kelly Clarkson’s“Because of You,” Daughtry’s “What About Now,” Carrie Underwood’s “See You Again” and many others. My personal favorite is A THOUSAND YEARS sung by Christina Perri. 

In October of 2016 David Hodges spoke to a meeting I attended in Little Rock. He said the 15 years he lived in Los Angeles had taught him a lot of lessons and the MOST IMPORTANT is the lesson from the BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES that TRUE JOY and HAPPINESS does not come from MONEY and POSSESSIONS.

Solomon was searching for meaning in life in what I call the 6 big L words in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He looked into  learning (1:16-18), laughter, ladies, luxuries,  and liquor (2:1-3, 8, 10, 11), and labor (2:4-6, 18-20). After searching  in area of luxuries Solomon found  them to be  “vanity and a striving after the wind.”

Ecclesiastes 2:7-11 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁷I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. ⁸I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. ⁹ So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem…¹⁰ And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. ¹¹ Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained UNDER THE SUN.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36 (Christ’s words)

God put Solomon’s story in Ecclesiastes in the Bible with the sole purpose of telling people like you that without God in the picture you  will find out the emptiness one feels when possessions are trying to fill the void that God can only fill.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 7, My Letter to Ricky on Easter in 2017 concerning Book of Ecclesiastes and the legacy of a person’s life work

In the April 2nd Twitter Live broadcast Ricky Gervais said in a humorous way that one day some kid will find a DVD of his movie “Ghost town” and the kid will ask his father what is a DVD and who was Ricky Gervais? Ricky commented, “Sad isn’t it.”

Yes it is sad if you are looking at things at a secular perspective UNDER THE SUN like Solomon was in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 2:18-20

18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. 20 Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.

Francis Schaeffer: He looked at the works of his hands, great and multiplied by his wealth and his position and he shrugged his shoulders

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 8, Tony’s late wife Lisa told him, “Don’t get drunk all the time alright? It will only make you feel worse in the log run!”

In episode 1 of AFTERLIFE Tony’s late wife Lisa tells Tony, “Don’t get drunk all the time alright? It will only make you feel worse in the log run.”

Francis Schaeffer discusses the views of Solomon on drinking:

Ecclesiastes 2:1-3

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. ² I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” ³ I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with winewhile my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaventhe few years of their lives.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 9, I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” Ecclesiastes 2:2

In the third episode of AFTERLIFE Matt takes Tony to a comedy club with front row seats and this is what happens:

The comedian is getting huge laughs but Tony never laughs.

Comedian: You are a wonderful crowd. I am glad you are a wonderful crowd. I have had some bad news this week. Friend of mine actually committed suicide last week. He went upstairs and swallowed everything in the bathroom cabinet and choked on a tampon. (Crowd laughs heartily.) This guy in front row absolutely hated that joke. Cheer up mate! What is your name and what is your story?

Tony: My name is Tony. My wife died early this year with breast cancer and it broke me. Not a day goes by that I didn’t think of killing myself. I just don’t see any point in living.

Comedian: (Long pause of silence.) Umbrellas are weird aren’t they?…

Probing the area of LAUGHTER was one of Solomon’s first places to start. In Ecclesiastes 2:2 he starts this quest but he concludes it is not productive to be laughing the whole time and not considering the serious issues of life. “I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” (2:2).   Then Solomon  asserted the nihilistic statement in Ecclesiastes 2:17: “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 10, “I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, and—most exquisite of all pleasures— voluptuous maidens for my bed…behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” Ecclesiastes 2:8-11.

In AFTERLIFE Tony has a warm friendship with the sex worker Daphne (Roisin Conaty) and when he hires her she comes over and he asks her to clean up his kitchen. When Daphne asked if Tony wanted anything sexual he said no. That is when their friendship seemed to deepen. Tony lost a wonderful wife and he passed on a chance for sex without a relationship. Solomon found out long ago that path is just a deadend.

“I gathered a chorus of singers to entertain me with song, and—most exquisite of all pleasures— voluptuous maidens for my bed…behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun” Ecclesiastes 2:8-11.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 11 “If man has been kicked up out of that which is only impersonal by chance , then those things that make him man-hope of purpose and significance, love, motions of morality and rationality, beauty and verbal communication-are ultimately unfulfillable and thus meaningless.” (Francis Schaeffer)

In his review of AFTERLIFE Ben Sherlock notes:

When we experience the darkest moments in our lives, it can seem like things will always be that bad and it’ll never get better. So, we have to just hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

This is what keeps Tony going throughout the six initial episodes of After Life. He holds out hope that he’ll be able to move on from losing the person he cared about the most in the world and get his life back on track. All he has is hope and he holds onto it for dear life. In many ways, hope really is everything.

Can Ricky pull off restoring hope into life with his Humanist point of view?

“If man has been kicked up out of that which is only impersonal by chance , then those things that make him man-hope of purpose and significance, love, motions of morality and rationality, beauty and verbal communication-are ultimately unfulfillable and thus meaningless.” (Francis Schaeffer in THE GOD WHO IS THERE)

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 12, Dan Jarrell “[In Ecclesiastes] if one seeks satisfaction they will never find it. In fact, every pleasure will be fleeting and can not be sustained, BUT IF ONE SEEKS GOD THEN ONE FINDS SATISFACTION”

Tony in the film AFTERLIFE keeps thinking about the good ole days with his soulmate and thinks that everything was great then when it wasn’t. Wade Wainio makes this observation in the following article:

There are, however, signs that Tony was disappointed in life even before Lisa’s death. He hates his job at the Tambury Gazette, saying it’s not journalism. He decries what he considers the awful future of online publishing, including click-bait and angry fools in article comment sections.

How does Tony in AFTERLIFE or Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes get peace in their lives?

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?

Dan Jarrell commented on this passage in Ecclesiastes:

Either way you translate it, it says nothing is so good for us other than a satisfied life but nothing is as impossible for us because it is not in us to be satisfied for who can eat and enjoy life without him?  The answer is NOBODY CAN!!!! So you come down to the idea that if one seeks satisfaction they will never find it. In fact, every pleasure will be fleeting and can not be sustained, BUT IF ONE SEEKS GOD THEN ONE FINDS SATISFACTION. That is my sermon in a nutshell. That is the conclusion. 

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 13 “For men and animals both breathe the same air, and both die. So mankind has no real advantage over the beasts; what an absurdity!” Ecclesiastes

In the beginning of episode 2 Tony is in the bath tub with a razor to his wrist and his hungry dog Brandi walks up and he asks her “Are you hungry?” And she responds with a sad sound.

Tony, “If you could open a tin I would be dead now but you can’t can you because you are useless. Who is useless? You are. You are useless. Good girl.”

Solomon realizes that the earth and moon will go on existing when we are no more and that really we have no advantage over the animals in that respect that we both die. It is ironic that Tony is saved by an animal.

”KING SOLOMON: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11;3:18-19 (Living Bible): 2 In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile. 3-7 For what does a man get for all his hard work?Generations come and go, but it makes no difference.[b] The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere.* The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full, and the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea . .everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself…For men and animals both breathe the same air, and both die. So mankind has no real advantage over the beasts; what an absurdity!”

FRANCIS SCHAEFFER: There is no doubt in my mind that Solomon had the same experience in his life that I had as a younger man (at the age of 18 in 1930). I remember standing by the sea and the moon arose and it was copper and beauty. Then the moon did not look like a flat dish but a globe or a sphere since it was close to the horizon. One could feel the global shape of the earth too. Then it occurred to me that I could contemplate the interplay of the spheres and I was exalted because I thought I can look upon them with all their power, might, and size, but they could contempt nothing. Then came upon me a horror of great darkness because it suddenly occurred to me that although I could contemplate them and they could contemplate nothing yet they would continue to turn in ongoing cycles when I saw no more forever and I was crushed.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of Book of Ecclesiastes Part 14 “That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms—no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”(Bertrand Russell, Free Man’s Worship)

Tony: “Here’s what’s what: humanity is a plague. We’re a disgusting, narcissistic, selfish parasite, and the world would be a better place without us. It should be everyone’s moral duty to kill themselves. I could do it now. Quite happily just go upstairs, jump off the roof, and make sure I landed on some c*** from accounts.”

Bertrand Russell – “That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of Man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the débris of a universe in ruins—all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”(Bertrand Russell, Free Man’s Worship)

Tony is an atheist and has a naturalistic materialistic worldview, and this short book of Ecclesiastes should interest Tony because the wisest man who ever lived in the position of King of Israel came to THREE CONCLUSIONS that will affect Tony.

FIRST, chance and time have determined the past, and they will determine the future.  (Ecclesiastes 9:11-13)

SECOND, Death is the great equalizer (Eccl 3:20, “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”)

THIRD, Power reigns in this life, and the scales are not balanced(Eccl 4:1, 8:15)

Ecclesiastes 4:1-2: “Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet—the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them.” 

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 15 “I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind” Ecclesiastes Book of Ecclesiastes Part 15 “I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind” Ecclesiastes 2:17

Tony quotes from AFTERLIFE:  

I guess a good day is when I don’t go around, wanting to shoot random strangers in the face and then turn the gun to myself.

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Ricky Gervais Show AFTERLIFE in light of the Book of Ecclesiastes Part 16 Francis Schaeffer “Life is just a series of continual and unending cycles and man is stuck in the middle of the cycle. Youth, old age, Death. Does Solomon at this point embrace nihilism? Yes!!! He exclaims that the hates life (Ecclesiastes 2:17), he longs for death (4:2-3) Yet he stills has a fear of death (2:14-16)”

In the beginning of episode 2 Tony is in the bath tub with a razor to his wrist and his hungry dog Brandi walks up and he asks her “Are you hungry?” And she responds with a sad sound.

Tony, “If you could open a tin I would be dead now but you can’t can you because you are useless. Who is useless? You are. You are useless. Good girl.”

Tony hates life and longs for death but he still has a fear of death.

Francis Schaeffer, “Life is just a series of continual and unending cycles and man is stuck in the middle of the cycle. Youth, old age, Death.
Does Solomon at this point embrace nihilism? Yes!!! He exclaims that the hates life (Ecclesiastes 2:17), he longs for death (4:2-3) Yet he stills has a fear of death (2:14-16).”

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Another Honest Leftist Endorses Private Gun Ownership

Back in March, I wrote that the dramatic expansion of concealed-carry laws was the feel-good story of 2022. At least for supporters of the 2nd Amendment.

Of course, that was before the Supreme Court recently ruled against New York’s draconian restrictions on gun owners, so people definitely can make an argument for that being the best gun-related news for 2022.

But allow me to suggest that there is a dark-horse candidate for the year’s feel-good story on the right to keep and bear arms.

Except it’s not a story. Instead, it’s the notion that folks on the left are slowly but surely changing their minds about the right – and desirability – of private gun ownership.

A good example in this column for the New York Times, in which Laura Adkins explains why she wants the right to own a gun for self-protection.

Every month, 70 women on average are shot and killed by an intimate partner. But states like mine make it legally cumbersome to defend yourself with a legally purchased handgun. If my life is ever in danger, I want to be able to protect myself with a gun. And now, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, I am one step closer to carrying one. …I…understand why some of my fellow liberals would like to ban guns outright. But guns are already prevalent among those who don’t follow the rules: Despite strong gun laws in my state and city, illegal trafficking abounds. The reality is that in addition to preventing abusers from owning guns, we must empower vulnerable citizens to protect themselves. …New York’s onerous gun licensing requirements deter law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves.

I applaud the New York Times for being willing to publish a differing point of view.

And I certainly hope Ms. Adkins soon will be the proud owner of her M&P Bodyguard.

While recently visiting a state with less restrictive gun laws, I found exactly the gun I would like to buy: a small Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard, light enough for me to confidently handle and safely store. It sells for about what a handgun license application in New York City costs. And as soon as I am able to legally buy and carry it without too much hassle, I look forward to sleeping soundly.

At this point, some of you may be wondering whether I’m reading too much into one column.

That’s possible, of course, but allow me to suggest it’s part of a trend. I’ve previously written about other folks on the left who have had epiphanies on gun control and gun ownership.

• In 2012, I shared some important observations from Jeffrey Goldberg, a left-leaning writer for The Atlantic. In his column, he basically admitted his side was wrong about gun control.
• Then, in 2013, I wrote about a column by Justin Cronin in the New York Times. He self-identified as a liberal, but explained how real-world events have led him to become a supporter of private gun ownership.
• In 2015, I shared a column by Jamelle Bouie in Slate, who addressed the left’s fixation on trying to ban so-called assault weapons and explains that such policies are meaningless.
• More recently, in 2017, Leah Libresco wrote in the Washington Post that advocates of gun control are driven by emotion rather empirical research and evidence.
• Alex Kingsbury in 2019 acknowledged the futility of gun control in a column for the New York Times.
• In 2020, Charles Blow of the New York Timeswrote about the value of private gun ownership, particularly for minorities.
• Last but not least, Danielle King in 2021 wrote forthe Washington Post about her decision to buy a gun for self-protection.

All of these columns were authored by folks on the left side of the ideological spectrum. And all these columns appeared in media outlets that normally cater to folks on the left.

Are most left-leaning people still on the wrong side on this issue? Yes, but I would be very interested to see in-depth polling data on whether there is more acceptance on the left for the right to keep and bear arms today than there was 10 years ago. I think the answer would be yes.

P.S. And we might convince more leftists if we can help them understand that gun control has a very racist history.

Gun Control Humor

It was back in May when I last shared some satire about gun control, so let’s update the collection.

We’ll start with this very important public service announcement about the horrible consequences of drinking and smoking during pregnancy.

Next, we know that Texans have a gun-loving reputation, both nationally and internationally.

Now they’re taking the right to keep and bear arms to the next level.

Our third item is very clever, though won’t be well received by self-described feminists.

I sometimes joke that I’m a lesbian trapped in a man’s body.

Here’s the gun control version of changing one’s identity.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last.

If I was still doing coronavirus-themed humor, this item would have been very appropriate.

But it also is perfect for mocking gun control.

For what it’s worth, this is both amusing and true.

If you want less crime, make sure there are plenty of law-abiding people with guns.

Gun Control Humor

There are some very serious moral, practical, and constitutionalarguments against gun control.

But I’m a big believer in also using satire to make the case for the 2nd Amendment.

And that’s the purpose of today’s column, which starts with this reminder – as Ron Swanson told us – that bad guys don’t care about laws.

Our second item involves a woman who obviously never studied logic or history.

Makes me wonder if she’s also the woman holding the Trump sign in this column?

Our third item also pokes fun at the logic (or lack thereof) of our leftist friends.

Next, the clever folks at Babylon Bee explain various home-defense strategies for a gun-free world.

Guns are on their way out. And thank goodness! We can’t wait to return to the utopian paradise we lost when guns were invented…Still, once in a great while, you might need to defend yourself against a ne’er-do-well. When those ruffians come kicking your door down, you need to be ready. Here are seven great ways to defend your home against an armed burglar when your guns have all been confiscated.

Here are a few of those options.

Option #3 surely is the best, just as demonstrated in this video.

Yet never forget that there are people who think gun-free zonesare a real answer.

Our next item is for guys, especially libertarian guys.

Reminds me of Barbie for Men.

As usual, I’ve saved the best for last. This meme is a helpful reminder that the Bill of Rights wasn’t limited to the technology of 1787.

By the way, this is an encore appearance for the man and woman in the above meme.

P.S. The full collection of gun control satire is available here.

Communism Humor

I mostly mock socialism, but its authoritarian cousin also is a good target for satire.

So here are some additions to our collection of communism humor.

I’m among the small minority of people who have never watched Game of Thrones, so I don’t know the backstory on these characters, but this meme has a very appropriate message about the nuclear-level naivete needed to believe Marx’s nonsense.

Though maybe the first frame should say “Readers of Teen Vogue.”

Next, we have a contribution from Babylon Bee.

It’s bad news that we’re suffering from a coronavirus that has killed several million people globally, but there’s another virus that has butchered 100 million people.

This next image reminds me of the joke about communism and electricity.

Per my tradition, here’s my favorite item from today’s collection.

I’m always very impressed by the people who are clever enough to create these Venn diagrams, and this one is better than most.

Though I’m tempted to ask who is worse, the soulless Marxist who rambles and can’t be reasoned with, or the people who rationalize, glorify, and justify Marxism?

—-

November 24, 2020

Office of Barack and Michelle Obama
P.O. Box 91000
Washington, DC 20066

Dear President Obama,

I wrote you over 700 letters while you were President and I mailed them to the White House and also published them on my blog http://www.thedailyhatch.org .I received several letters back from your staff and I wanted to thank you for those letters. 

I have been reading your autobiography A PROMISED LAND and I have been enjoying it. 

Let me make a few comments on it, and here is the first quote of yours I want to comment on: Looking back, it’s embarrassing to recognize the degree to which my intellectual curiosity those first two years of college paralleled the interests of various women I was attempting to get to know: Marx and Marcuse so I had something to say to the long-legged socialist who lived in my dorm,”

I noticed you mentioned Herbert Marcuse, and I have read of his influence in Francis Schaeffer’s book How should we then live?:

At Berkeley the Free Speech Movement arose simultaneously with the hippie world of drugs. … but rather a call for the freedom to express any political views on Sproul Plaza. … followed the teaching of Herbert Marcuse (1898-). Marcuse was a German professor of philosophy related to the neo-Marxist.

Bettina Aptheker and Herbert Marcuse  pictured below:

Moral Support: “One Dimensional Man” author Herbert Marcuse accompanies Bettina Aptheker, center, and Angela Davis’ mother, Sallye Davis, to Angela Davis’ 1972 trial in San Jose. Associated Press

_

______________Francis Schaeffer is a hero of mine and I have posted many times in the past using his material. This post below is a result of his material..Communism catches the attention of the young at heart but it has always brought repression wherever it is tried. TrueCommunism has never been tried is something I was told just a few months ago by a well meaning young person who was impressed with the ideas of Karl Marx. I responded that there are only 5 communist countries in the world today and they lack political, economic and religious freedom.WHY DOES COMMUNISM FAIL?Communism has always failed because of its materialist base.  Francis Schaeffer does a great job of showing that in this clip below. Also Schaeffer shows that there were lots of similar things about the basis for both the French and Russia revolutions and he exposes the materialist and humanist basis of both revolutions.

Schaeffer compares communism with French Revolution and Napoleon.

1. Lenin took charge in Russia much as Napoleon took charge in France – when people get desperate enough, they’ll take a dictator.

Other examples: Hitler, Julius Caesar. It could happen again.

2. Communism is very repressive, stifling political and artistic freedom. Even allies have to be coerced. (Poland).

Communists say repression is temporary until utopia can be reached – yet there is no evidence of progress in that direction. Dictatorship appears to be permanent.

3. No ultimate basis for morality (right and wrong) – materialist base of communism is just as humanistic as French. Only have “arbitrary absolutes” no final basis for right and wrong.

How is Christianity different from both French Revolution and Communism?

Contrast N.T. Christianity – very positive government reform and great strides against injustice. (especially under Wesleyan revival).

Bible gives absolutes – standards of right and wrong. It shows the problems and why they exist (man’s fall and rebellion against God).

WHY DOES THE IDEA OF COMMUNISM CATCH THE ATTENTION OF SO MANY IDEALISTIC YOUNG PEOPLE? The reason is very simple. 

In HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture, the late Francis A. Schaeffer wrote:

Materialism, the philosophic base for Marxist-Leninism, gives no basis for the dignity or rights of man.  Where Marxist-Leninism is not in power it attracts and converts by talking much of dignity and rights, but its materialistic base gives no basis for the dignity or rights of man.  Yet is attracts by its constant talk of idealism.

To understand this phenomenon we must understand that Marx reached over to that for which Christianity does give a base–the dignity of man–and took the words as words of his own.  The only understanding of idealistic sounding Marxist-Leninism is that it is (in this sense) a Christian heresy.  Not having the Christian base, until it comes to power it uses the words for which Christianity does give a base.  But wherever Marxist-Leninism has had power, it has at no place in history shown where it has not brought forth oppression.  As soon as they have had the power, the desire of the majority has become a concept without meaning.

Let me share with you the story of Paul Robeson and it demonstrates that he had to lie about how cruel communism was and the killing of his friend Itzik Feffer.

Paul Leroy Robeson (/ˈroʊbsən/ROHB-sən;^[2][3] April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass baritone concert artist and stage and film actor who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political activism  

Robeson traveled to Moscow in June, and tried to find Itzik Feffer. He let Soviet authorities know that he wanted to see him.^[207] Reluctant to lose Robeson as a propagandist for the Soviet Union,^[208] the Soviets brought Feffer from prison to him. Feffer told him that Mikhoels had been murdered, and he would be summarily executed.^[209] To protect the Soviet Union’s reputation,^[210] and to keep the right wing of the United States from gaining the moral high ground, Robeson denied that any persecution existed in the Soviet Union,^[211] and kept the meeting secret for the rest of his life, except from his son.^[210]

Itzik Feffer (10 September 1900 – 12 August 1952), also Fefer (Yiddish איציק פֿעפֿער, Russian Ицик Фефер, Исаàк Соломòнович Фèфер) was a SovietYiddish poet executed on the Night of the Murdered Poets during Joseph Stalin‘s purges. 
The American concert singer and actor Paul Robeson met Feffer on 8 July 1943, in New York during a Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee event chaired by Albert Einstein, one of the largest pro-Soviet rallies ever held in the United States. After the rally, Paul Robeson and his wife Eslanda Robeson, befriended Feffer and Mikhoels.  

Itzik Feffer (left), Albert Einstein and Solomon Mikhoels in the United States in 1943.
https://spectator.org/espn-paul-robeson-stalinist-monday-night-football/

DANIEL J. FLYNN tells a few details in this sad story: 
Why Did ESPN Showcase a Stalinist on Monday NightFootball?Stalin Peace Prize laureate Paul Robeson lauded on America’s No. 1 sports network.
 In 1949, Robeson again traveled to the Soviet Union, where he had sent his namesake to school during the 1930s. Robeson had met poet Itzik Feffer and actor Solomon Mikhoels at a Polo Grounds rally of 50,000 people — the largest pro-Soviet event in the history of the United States — that welcomed their Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee in 1943. But by 1949 Stalin wished to kill Jews rather than use them for propaganda purposes. He murdered Mikhoels and later Feffer — but not before Robeson could visit his old friend the poet one last time.  

David Horowitz describes this meeting in Radical Son:

In America, the question “What happened to Itzik Feffer?” entered the currency of political debate. There was talk in intellectual circles that Jews were being killed in a new Soviet purge and that Feffer was one of them. It was to quell such rumors that Robeson asked to see his old friend, but he was told by Soviet officials that he would have to wait. Eventually, he was informed that the poet was vacationing in the Crimea and would see him as soon as he returned. The reality was that Feffer had already been in prison for three years, and his Soviet captors did not want to bring him to Robeson immediately because he had become emaciated from lack of food. While Robeson waited in Moscow, Stalin’s police brought Feffer out of prison, put him the care of doctors, and began fattening him up for the interview. When he looked sufficiently healthy, he was brought to Moscow. The two men met in a room that was under secret surveillance. Feffer knew he could not speak freely. When Robeson asked how he was, he drew his finger nervously across his throat and motioned with his eyes and lips to his American comrade. “They’re going to kill us,” he said. “When you return to America you must speak out and save us.”

Instead, Robeson, who later confessed what happened to his son, spoke out in praise of his friends’ murderer.

“Yes, through his deep humanity, by his wise understanding, he leaves us a rich and monumental heritage,” Robeson recalled of Stalin. “Most importantly — he has charted the direction of our present and future struggles. He has pointed the way to peace — to friendly co-existence — to the exchange of mutual scientific and cultural contributions — to the end of war and destruction. How consistently, how patiently, he labored for peace and ever increasing abundance, with what deep kindliness and wisdom. He leaves tens of millions all over the earth bowed in heart-aching grief.”

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733 everettehatcher@gmail.com

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—

__

I love the Book of Proverbs and two of my favorite preachers have preached through it and they are Adrian Rogers and John MacArthur. Some of the finest sermons I have heard by Adrian Rogers are in Proverbs such as the Peril of Pride, God’s Grace in the Workplace, God’s Miracle Medicine, God wants me to Prosper, Fathers who teach their children to be wise, God’s Answer to Anger, The Battle of the Bottle, Raising Kids that Count, How to be the Father of a Wise Child, Financial Freedom, What Does the Word of God Say About Government?, Friendship Factor, God’s Way to Wealth, Wisdom and Happiness, The Playboy’s Payday, The Incomparable Worth of Wisdom, How to Answer a Skeptic, How to Guard Your Heart, Treasuring Truth, Finding God’s Way in a Dark Day, Crossing God’s Deadline, Innocent Blood, and Sermon on Gossip.

DAILY BIBLE DEVOTIONS: DAY 4

But the path of the [uncompromisingly] just and righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines more and more (brighter and clearer) until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day [to be prepared]. Proverbs 4:18

If there were ever a life-verse that should define our walk with God, this is it!

The secret gem to take home with you here is that Solomon describes the path of the righteous as a journey. Like Paul said “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.”(Philippians 3:12)

Isn’t that gloriously reassuring!?!

You see? We are all under construction, which means that we should all be patient with each other, and especially with ourselves as well! What a sweet reminder to also embrace the struggles along the way, because they are certainly inevitable.

At the same time, there is a stern admonishment here as well. Our brightness is THE indicator of how closely we are walking with him, and it should be getting brighter every day! If it’s not, then we know something is wrong.

Granted, we all have those occasional dark, crummy kind of days. Just don’t make it your habit, get right back on the horse and start shining for the Lord again! As long as you keep on keeping on, your light will eventually shine through. Even on the cloudiest days, the sun will peak out sooner than later – we need to press through during challenging seasons to, and not let the gloomy seasons get the best of us.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Proverbs 4

 NLT  

< Proverbs 3Proverbs 4Proverbs 5 >

The Beneficence of Wisdom

4¹ My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, ² for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions. ³ For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child. ⁴ My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live. ⁵ Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. ⁶ Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. ⁷ Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. ⁸ If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you. ⁹ She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.” ¹⁰ My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. ¹¹ I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. ¹² When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. ¹³ Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.

¹⁴ Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers. ¹⁵ Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way. Turn away and keep moving. ¹⁶ For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble. ¹⁷ They eat the food of wickedness and drink the wine of violence! ¹⁸ The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. ¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

²⁰ My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. ²¹ Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, ²² for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. ²³ Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. ²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. ²⁵ Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. ²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. ²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

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10 Videos of sermons below by Adrian Rogers on Proverbs:

Related Posts:

April, 16, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY ( PROVERBS 16) 16:28 ”A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;    gossip separates the best of friends!” King Solomon on the scoffer Part 11 of series on King Solomon’s words (Verses listed by Adrian Warnock)(Done 12-20-13) Proverbs chapters 16, 19, 22 and 26

April 16, 2022 – 1:43 am

– Proverbs 16 New Living Translation 16 We can make our own plans,     but the Lord gives the right answer. 2 People may be pure in their own eyes,     but the Lord examines their motives. 3 Commit your actions to the Lord,     and your plans will succeed. 4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,     even the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

April 15, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 15) Things Animals Don’t Do Proverbs 15:13 

April 15, 2022 – 1:29 am

– Proverbs 15New Living Translation 15 A gentle answer deflects anger,    but harsh words make tempers flare. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,    but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. 3 The Lord is watching everywhere,    keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. 4 Gentle words are a tree of life;    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | Comments (0)

April 14, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 14) What Does the Word of God Say About Government? Adrian Rogers Proverbs 14:23

April 14, 2022 – 1:39 am

– Proverbs 14New Living Translation 14 A wise woman builds her home,    but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. 2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;    those who take the wrong path despise him. 3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,    but the words of the wise keep them safe. 4 Without […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | Comments (0)

April 13, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 13)  How to Be the Father of a Wise Child Adrian Rogers Proverbs 1, 13

April 13, 2022 – 1:43 am

— Proverbs 13New Living Translation 13 A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline;[a]    a mocker refuses to listen to correction. 2 Wise words will win you a good meal,    but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. 3 Those who control their tongue will have a long life;    opening your mouth can ruin everything. 4 Lazy people want much but get little,    but […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | Comments (0)

April 12, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 12) Adrian Rogers God’s Miracle Medicine PROVERBS 12:25

April 12, 2022 – 1:44 am

Proverbs 12New Living Translation 12 To learn, you must love discipline;    it is stupid to hate correction. 2 The Lord approves of those who are good,    but he condemns those who plan wickedness. 3 Wickedness never brings stability,    but the godly have deep roots. 4 A worthy wife is a crown for her husband,    but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones. 5 The […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | Comments (0)

April 11, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY ( PROVERBS 11) Proverbs 11:1 “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight” John Hagee “God’s truth is not on a sliding scale; His values never change. What He considered sin in the Garden of Eden is still sin today”

April 11, 2022 – 1:44 am

— John Hagee Devotional 5th October 2020 Today’s Message Scripture: Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight – Proverbs 11:1 God detests dishonest scales; they cause rage and disgust to burn within Him. Why? Dishonest scales give privilege to some and abuse others when “the Lord is the […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | Comments (0)

April 10, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 10) John MacArthur on Proverbs “Pursue your work” (Also Adrian Rogers: God’s Grace in the Workplace) Chapter 10 verse 4, “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely. But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully. Teach your son to work and to plan ahead in his work.”

April 10, 2022 – 1:45 am

– Proverbs 10 New Living Translation Proverbs 10 New Living Translation The Proverbs of Solomon 10 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child[a] brings joy to a father;     a foolish child brings grief to a mother. 2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value,     but right living can save your life. 3 The Lord will not let the godly […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Adrian Rogers, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

April 9, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 9) Adrian Rogers “Friends” Proverbs 17:17  Proverbs13:20 Proverbs 15:12 Proverbs1:20-22 Proverbs 9:1-4 Proverbs 14:15; 22:3; Proverbs 26:11; 27; Proverbs 17:10

April 9, 2022 – 1:09 am

– Proverbs 9New Living Translation 9 Wisdom has built her house;    she has carved its seven columns.2 She has prepared a great banquet,    mixed the wines, and set the table.3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.    To those who lack good judgment, […]

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April 8, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 8) Adrian Rogers God’s Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom – October 2019 Proverbs 2 and 8

April 8, 2022 – 1:49 am

Sermon Overview – Proverbs 8New Living Translation Wisdom Calls for a Hearing 8 Listen as Wisdom calls out!    Hear as understanding raises her voice!2 On the hilltop along the road,    she takes her stand at the crossroads.3 By the gates at the entrance to the town,    on the road leading in, she cries aloud,4 “I call to you, to all of you!    I […]

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April 7, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 7) PROVERBS 7 MY 8/23/16 POSTCARD FROM VEGAS TO HUGH HEFNER

April 7, 2022 – 1:18 am

_____ Proverbs 7 New Living Translation Proverbs 7 New International Version Warning Against the Adulterous Woman 7 My son,(A) keep my words     and store up my commands within you. 2 Keep my commands and you will live;(B)     guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers;     write them on the tablet of […]

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April 6, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 6) Adrian Rogers “The Peril of Pride” Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked 

April 6, 2022 – 1:15 am

— Proverbs 6New Living Translation Lessons for Daily Life 6 My child,[a] if you have put up security for a friend’s debt    or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement    and are caught by what you said—3 follow my advice and save yourself,    for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.Now swallow […]

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April 5, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 5) Adrian Rogers Financial Freedom

April 5, 2022 – 1:02 am

— Financial Freedom Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall […]

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April 4, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 4) My children, listen when your father corrects you verses 1-4 RAISING KIDS WHO COUNT by Adrian Rogers

April 4, 2022 – 1:54 am

— Proverbs 4New Living Translation A Father’s Wise Advice 4 My children,[a] listen when your father corrects you.    Pay attention and learn good judgment,2 for I am giving you good guidance.    Don’t turn away from my instructions.3 For I, too, was once my father’s son,    tenderly loved as my mother’s only child. 4 My father taught me,“Take my words to heart.    Follow my commands, […]

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April 3, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 3) Blessed are those who find wisdom. . . . She is more precious than rubies. — Proverbs 3:13-15

April 3, 2022 – 1:00 am

— Wisdom: More Precious Than Rubies  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:13-20 Blessed are those who find wisdom. . . . She is more precious than rubies. — Proverbs 3:13-15 The book of Proverbs presents two women of different character. One is Wisdom personified. “She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her” […]

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April 2, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 2) My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you . . . then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. — Proverbs 2:1-5

April 2, 2022 – 1:57 am

— Storing Up Truths  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:1-11 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you . . . then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. — Proverbs 2:1-5 A subtle, amusing cartoon shows a group of church elders, tired from a lengthy […]

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April 1, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 1) Adrian Rogers “How to Be the Father of a Wise Child” “scorners delight in their scorning” (1:22)

April 1, 2022 – 2:32 am

— Proverbs 1New Living Translation The Purpose of Proverbs 1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,    to help them understand the insights of the wise.3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,    to help them do what is right, just, […]

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March 31, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 31) Adrian Rogers on Alcohol

March 31, 2022 – 2:09 am

__________ Proverbs 31:4 “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink,”BUT WASHINGTON’S STATE DEPT RUNS UP TAB OF $180,000 FOR MONTH OF SEPTEMBER!!! Proverbs 31 New Living Translation The Sayings of King Lemuel 31 The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message,[a] […]

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March 30, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 30) Scripture Reading — Proverbs 30:7-9; Luke 12:13-21

March 30, 2022 – 1:54 am

— How Much Is Enough?  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 30:7-9; Luke 12:13-21 Godliness with contentment is great gain. — 1 Timothy 6:6 In Jesus’ parable, a man receives far more than he needs for his health and well-being. But instead of sharing his abundance with people who don’t have enough, he hoards the surplus and plans to take […]

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March 29, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 29) VERSE 11 “Fools vent their anger  but the wise quietly hold it back.” Adrian Rogers God’s Answer to Anger

March 29, 2022 – 1:21 am

— Proverbs 29New Living Translation 29 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism    will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. 2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.    But when the wicked are in power, they groan. 3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,    but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted. 4 A just […]

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March 28, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 28) Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.Proverbs 28:26

March 28, 2022 – 1:37 am

— Held by God  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 28:18-28 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.Proverbs 28:26 —  As we rushed to catch a flight out of Brazil, rains pouring down the hillside changed the roadway into a river. Passing trucks threw sheets of water on our […]

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March 27, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 27) As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. — Proverbs 27:19

March 27, 2022 – 1:44 am

— Your “Heart Condition”  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 27:19-27 As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. — Proverbs 27:19 While chasing prey, cheetahs can run about 60 miles per hour, but only in short spurts. This fast cat’s speed is limited to sprints because of its small heart. Endurance at that speed […]

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March 26, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 26) Scripture Reading — Judges 2:16-19; Proverbs 26:5, 11-12

March 26, 2022 – 1:47 am

— Where’s the Problem  A  Scripture Reading — Judges 2:16-19; Proverbs 26:5, 11-12 They would not listen to their judges… — Judges 2:17 God heard Israel’s cries of distress and often raised up judges to lead and save the people from their enemies. Through Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, and others, God gave the land rest for forty and even eighty […]

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March 25, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 25) “Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame” (Proverbs 25:8). Adrian Rogers God’s Answer to Anger

March 25, 2022 – 1:22 am

— Proverbs 25New Living Translation More Proverbs of Solomon 25 These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah. 2 It is God’s privilege to conceal things    and the king’s privilege to discover them. 3 No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth,    or all that goes on in […]

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March 24, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 24) Wisdom’s Rare and Beautiful Treasures “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established” . — Proverbs 24:3

March 24, 2022 – 1:50 am

— Wisdom’s Rare and Beautiful Treasures  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established. . . . — Proverbs 24:3 A Japanese pastor friend, with whom we worked for many years as missionaries, gave us a beautiful bronze statue of hawks lifting off in flight. He had […]

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March 23, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 23)(Proverbs 23:31).”Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.”  Adrian Rogers on alcohol in proverbs

March 23, 2022 – 1:24 am

— Proverbs 23New Living Translation 23 While dining with a ruler,    pay attention to what is put before you.2 If you are a big eater,    put a knife to your throat;3 don’t desire all the delicacies,    for he might be trying to trick you. 4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.    Be wise enough to know when to quit.5 In the blink […]

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March 22, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 22) Adrian Rogers: The Techniques of Training Children Proverbs 22:6 “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

March 22, 2022 – 1:28 am

— Proverbs 22New Living Translation 22 Choose a good reputation over great riches;    being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. 2 The rich and poor have this in common:    The Lord made them both. 3 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.    The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. 4 True humility and fear of the Lord    lead to […]

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March 21, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 21) Adrian Rogers on Proverbs “How To Be The Father Of A Wise Child” PROVERBS 21: “If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wosw”

March 21, 2022 – 1:06 am

Adrian Rogers on Proverbs “How To Be The Father Of A Wise Child” Picture of Adrian Rogers above from 1970’s while pastor of Bellevue Baptist of Memphis, and president of Southern Baptist Convention. (Little known fact, Rogers was the starting quarterback his senior year of the Palm Beach High School football team that won the state title and a […]

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March 20, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 20) The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them. verse 7 RAISING KIDS WHO COUNT by Adrian Rogers

March 20, 2022 – 1:55 am

— Proverbs 20New Living Translation 20 Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls.    Those led astray by drink cannot be wise. 2 The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;    to rouse his anger is to risk your life. 3 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;    only fools insist on quarreling. 4 Those too lazy to plow in the right […]

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March 19, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 19) “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass” (Proverbs 19:11-12). Adrian Rogers God’s Answer to Anger

March 19, 2022 – 1:23 am

— Proverbs 19New Living Translation 19 Better to be poor and honest    than to be dishonest and a fool. 2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;    haste makes mistakes. 3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness    and then are angry at the Lord. 4 Wealth makes many “friends”;    poverty drives them all away. 5 A false witness will not go unpunished,    nor will a […]

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March 18, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 18) Adrian Rogers’ sermon outline for “Raising Kids that Count” v 15 “Intelligent people are always ready to learn.”

March 18, 2022 – 1:03 am

We have to listen to our kids chapter 18 tells us in verse 13: 13 Spouting off before listening to the facts    is both shameful and foolish. Proverbs 18 New Living Translation Proverbs 18 New Living Translation   18 Unfriendly people care only about themselves;    they lash out at common sense. 2 Fools have no interest in understanding;    they only want […]

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March 17, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 17) ADRIAN ROGERS ”The friendship Factor” Proverbs 17:17 “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

March 17, 2022 – 1:50 am

— Proverbs 17New Living Translation 17 Better a dry crust eaten in peace    than a house filled with feasting—and conflict. 2 A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son    and will share the inheritance of the master’s children. 3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,    but the Lord tests the heart. 4 Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip;    liars pay close attention […]

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John macarthur – Walking in Wisdom, Part 1   March 16, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 16) v 22 Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.

March 16, 2022 – 1:33 am

— Proverbs 16New Living Translation 16 We can make our own plans,    but the Lord gives the right answer. 2 People may be pure in their own eyes,    but the Lord examines their motives. 3 Commit your actions to the Lord,    and your plans will succeed. 4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,    even the wicked for a day of disaster. 5 The Lord detests the proud;    they will surely be […]

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March 15, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 15)  “The Lord will destroy the house of the proud” (Proverbs 15:25).  Adrian Rogers “The Peril of Pride”

March 15, 2022 – 1:02 am

— Proverbs 15New Living Translation 15 A gentle answer deflects anger,    but harsh words make tempers flare. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,    but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. 3 The Lord is watching everywhere,    keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. 4 Gentle words are a tree of life;    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. […]

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March 14, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY ( PROVERBS 14)  Adrian Rogers: God’s Grace in the Workplace [#1019] (Audio) Proverbs 14:23 “In all labor there is profit.”

March 14, 2022 – 11:41 pm

—- Proverbs 14 New Living Translation Proverbs 14New Living Translation 14 A wise woman builds her home,    but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. 2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;    those who take the wrong path despise him. 3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,    but the words of the […]

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March 13, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 13) v 24 “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them” John MacArthur article: Parenting in an Anti-Spanking Culture

March 13, 2022 – 1:48 am

— Parenting in an Anti-Spanking Culture Articles  Deuteronomy 6:6–7; Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 19:18; Proverbs 22:15; Proverbs 23:14; Ephesians 6:4 Proverbs 13New Living Translation 13 A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline;[a]    a mocker refuses to listen to correction. 2 Wise words will win you a good meal,    but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. 3 Those who control their tongue will have a […]

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March 12, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 12)

March 12, 2022 – 1:00 am

verse 25 “Worry weighs a person down;” Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Proverbs 12:25 A heavy heart is the beginning of misery, and we were never meant to carry the load. A burdened soul breaks the spirit. A broken spirit thins the immunity of the body. The body then begins to wither, and we get ill. In […]

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March 10, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 10) The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22) Adrian Rogers on Proverbs

March 10, 2022 – 1:03 am

— Proverbs 10 New Living Translation — Proverbs 10New Living Translation The Proverbs of Solomon 10 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child[a] brings joy to a father;    a foolish child brings grief to a mother. 2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value,    but right living can save your life. 3 The Lord will not let the godly go hungry,    but he refuses to […]

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March 9, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 9) v So don’t bother correcting mockers;They will only hate you

March 9, 2022 – 1:02 am

— Proverbs 9New Living Translation 9 Wisdom has built her house;    she has carved its seven columns.2 She has prepared a great banquet,    mixed the wines, and set the table.3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.    To those who lack good judgment, […]

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March 8, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 8) v 11 For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.

March 8, 2022 – 1:01 am

— Proverbs 8New Living Translation Wisdom Calls for a Hearing 8 Listen as Wisdom calls out!    Hear as understanding raises her voice!2 On the hilltop along the road,    she takes her stand at the crossroads.3 By the gates at the entrance to the town,    on the road leading in, she cries aloud,4 “I call to you, to all of you!    I raise my […]

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March 7, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 7) The immoral woman

March 7, 2022 – 1:01 am

— Proverbs 7 New Living Translation Proverbs 7New Living Translation Another Warning about Immoral Women 7 Follow my advice, my son;    always treasure my commands.2 Obey my commands and live!    Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.[a]3 Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.    Write them deep within your heart. 4 Love wisdom like a sister;    make insight a beloved […]

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January 2 Seeking
Today’s Reading: Proverbs 2 Focus Verse: Proverbs 2:2
We all make decisions every day about all sorts of things. Some choices are more mundane, like which type of coffee to buy at the cof- fee shop, but other choices carry risk and unpredictable consequences. We usually make decisions based on the values we carry in our heart. Some decisions may carry lifelong consequences like a career choice or who we decide to marry. Solomon writes in Proverbs 2 that you should hold the ability to make the best decisions in the highest regard. We should want to make wise choices based on the circumstances, the life experience and knowledge about the impact of the various choices we might consider, and our personal values.
Beginning in verse 2 of Proverbs 2:
“Turning your ear to wisdom, and applying your heart to understand- ing—3 indeed, if you call out for insight, and cry aloud for understand- ing,4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.”
A look at these verses reveals that Solomon places understanding the fear of the Lord and acquiring the knowledge of God as highly desired goals. The implication is that every important decision we make in our lives should be measured against these two things…The Fear of the Lord and the Knowledge of God.
Those two bookends of Wisdom don’t come from sitting in a church ser- vice alone or from just reading Christian books alone. The verses say that we need to listen with the intent to understand, and make a con- scious decision in the core of our being to pursue with all our heart to gain understanding…before we find the knowledge of God. To “call out” and to “cry aloud” imply that we search for understanding and in- sight with an urgency, an emotional commitment to acquire them. Solo- mon understood the human heart and wrote that if we look for wisdom like we look for money or wealth, with that kind of dedication, we will find it.
Those who understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God have built a wall of protection around themselves – protection from bad decisions, from the influence of bad advice and protection from the power or your own selfish desires.

Proverbs 2Living Bible

2 ^1-2 Every young man who listens to me and obeys my instructions will be given wisdom and good sense. ^3-5 Yes, if you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you and knowledge of God himself; you will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting him.

⁶ For the Lord grants wisdom! His every word is a treasure of knowledge and understanding. ^7-8 He grants good sense to the godly—his saints. He is their shield, protecting them and guarding their pathway. ⁹ He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time. ¹⁰ For wisdom and truth will enter the very center of your being, filling your life with joy. ^11-13 You will be given the sense to stay away from evil men who want you to be their partners in crime—men who turn from God’s ways to walk down dark and evil paths ¹⁴ and exult in doing wrong, for they thoroughly enjoy their sins. ¹⁵ Everything they do is crooked and wrong.

^16-17 Only wisdom from the Lord can save a man from the flattery of prostitutes; these girls have abandoned their husbands and flouted the laws of God. ¹⁸ Their houses lie along the road to death and hell. ¹⁹ The men who enter them are doomed. None of these men will ever be the same again.^[a]

²⁰ Follow the steps of the godly instead, and stay on the right path, ²¹ for only good men enjoy life to the full;^[b] 22 evil men lose the good things they might have had,^[c] and they themselves shall be destroyed.

I love the Book of Proverbs and two of my favorite preachers have preached through it and they are Adrian Rogers and John MacArthur. Some of the finest sermons I have heard by Adrian Rogers are in Proverbs such as the Peril of Pride, God’s Grace in the Workplace, God’s Miracle Medicine, God wants me to Prosper, Fathers who teach their children to be wise, God’s Answer to Anger, The Battle of the Bottle, Raising Kids that Count, How to be the Father of a Wise Child, Financial Freedom, What Does the Word of God Say About Government?, Friendship Factor, God’s Way to Wealth, Wisdom and Happiness, The Playboy’s Payday, The Incomparable Worth of Wisdom, How to Answer a Skeptic, How to Guard Your Heart, Treasuring Truth, Finding God’s Way in a Dark Day, Crossing God’s Deadline, Innocent Blood, and Sermon on Gossip.

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10 Videos of sermons below by Adrian Rogers on Proverbs:

Related Posts:

April, 16, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY ( PROVERBS 16) 16:28 ”A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;    gossip separates the best of friends!” King Solomon on the scoffer Part 11 of series on King Solomon’s words (Verses listed by Adrian Warnock)(Done 12-20-13) Proverbs chapters 16, 19, 22 and 26

April 16, 2022 – 1:43 am

– Proverbs 16 New Living Translation 16 We can make our own plans,     but the Lord gives the right answer. 2 People may be pure in their own eyes,     but the Lord examines their motives. 3 Commit your actions to the Lord,     and your plans will succeed. 4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,     even the […]

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April 15, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 15) Things Animals Don’t Do Proverbs 15:13 

April 15, 2022 – 1:29 am

– Proverbs 15New Living Translation 15 A gentle answer deflects anger,    but harsh words make tempers flare. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,    but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. 3 The Lord is watching everywhere,    keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. 4 Gentle words are a tree of life;    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. […]

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April 14, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 14) What Does the Word of God Say About Government? Adrian Rogers Proverbs 14:23

April 14, 2022 – 1:39 am

– Proverbs 14New Living Translation 14 A wise woman builds her home,    but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. 2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;    those who take the wrong path despise him. 3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,    but the words of the wise keep them safe. 4 Without […]

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April 13, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 13)  How to Be the Father of a Wise Child Adrian Rogers Proverbs 1, 13

April 13, 2022 – 1:43 am

— Proverbs 13New Living Translation 13 A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline;[a]    a mocker refuses to listen to correction. 2 Wise words will win you a good meal,    but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. 3 Those who control their tongue will have a long life;    opening your mouth can ruin everything. 4 Lazy people want much but get little,    but […]

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April 12, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 12) Adrian Rogers God’s Miracle Medicine PROVERBS 12:25

April 12, 2022 – 1:44 am

Proverbs 12New Living Translation 12 To learn, you must love discipline;    it is stupid to hate correction. 2 The Lord approves of those who are good,    but he condemns those who plan wickedness. 3 Wickedness never brings stability,    but the godly have deep roots. 4 A worthy wife is a crown for her husband,    but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones. 5 The […]

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April 11, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY ( PROVERBS 11) Proverbs 11:1 “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight” John Hagee “God’s truth is not on a sliding scale; His values never change. What He considered sin in the Garden of Eden is still sin today”

April 11, 2022 – 1:44 am

— John Hagee Devotional 5th October 2020 Today’s Message Scripture: Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight – Proverbs 11:1 God detests dishonest scales; they cause rage and disgust to burn within Him. Why? Dishonest scales give privilege to some and abuse others when “the Lord is the […]

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April 10, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 10) John MacArthur on Proverbs “Pursue your work” (Also Adrian Rogers: God’s Grace in the Workplace) Chapter 10 verse 4, “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely. But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully. Teach your son to work and to plan ahead in his work.”

April 10, 2022 – 1:45 am

– Proverbs 10 New Living Translation Proverbs 10 New Living Translation The Proverbs of Solomon 10 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child[a] brings joy to a father;     a foolish child brings grief to a mother. 2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value,     but right living can save your life. 3 The Lord will not let the godly […]

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April 9, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 9) Adrian Rogers “Friends” Proverbs 17:17  Proverbs13:20 Proverbs 15:12 Proverbs1:20-22 Proverbs 9:1-4 Proverbs 14:15; 22:3; Proverbs 26:11; 27; Proverbs 17:10

April 9, 2022 – 1:09 am

– Proverbs 9New Living Translation 9 Wisdom has built her house;    she has carved its seven columns.2 She has prepared a great banquet,    mixed the wines, and set the table.3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.    To those who lack good judgment, […]

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April 8, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 8) Adrian Rogers God’s Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom – October 2019 Proverbs 2 and 8

April 8, 2022 – 1:49 am

Sermon Overview – Proverbs 8New Living Translation Wisdom Calls for a Hearing 8 Listen as Wisdom calls out!    Hear as understanding raises her voice!2 On the hilltop along the road,    she takes her stand at the crossroads.3 By the gates at the entrance to the town,    on the road leading in, she cries aloud,4 “I call to you, to all of you!    I […]

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April 7, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 7) PROVERBS 7 MY 8/23/16 POSTCARD FROM VEGAS TO HUGH HEFNER

April 7, 2022 – 1:18 am

_____ Proverbs 7 New Living Translation Proverbs 7 New International Version Warning Against the Adulterous Woman 7 My son,(A) keep my words     and store up my commands within you. 2 Keep my commands and you will live;(B)     guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers;     write them on the tablet of […]

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April 6, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 6) Adrian Rogers “The Peril of Pride” Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked 

April 6, 2022 – 1:15 am

— Proverbs 6New Living Translation Lessons for Daily Life 6 My child,[a] if you have put up security for a friend’s debt    or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement    and are caught by what you said—3 follow my advice and save yourself,    for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.Now swallow […]

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April 5, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 5) Adrian Rogers Financial Freedom

April 5, 2022 – 1:02 am

— Financial Freedom Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall […]

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April 4, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 4) My children, listen when your father corrects you verses 1-4 RAISING KIDS WHO COUNT by Adrian Rogers

April 4, 2022 – 1:54 am

— Proverbs 4New Living Translation A Father’s Wise Advice 4 My children,[a] listen when your father corrects you.    Pay attention and learn good judgment,2 for I am giving you good guidance.    Don’t turn away from my instructions.3 For I, too, was once my father’s son,    tenderly loved as my mother’s only child. 4 My father taught me,“Take my words to heart.    Follow my commands, […]

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April 3, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 3) Blessed are those who find wisdom. . . . She is more precious than rubies. — Proverbs 3:13-15

April 3, 2022 – 1:00 am

— Wisdom: More Precious Than Rubies  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:13-20 Blessed are those who find wisdom. . . . She is more precious than rubies. — Proverbs 3:13-15 The book of Proverbs presents two women of different character. One is Wisdom personified. “She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her” […]

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April 2, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 2) My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you . . . then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. — Proverbs 2:1-5

April 2, 2022 – 1:57 am

— Storing Up Truths  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:1-11 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you . . . then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. — Proverbs 2:1-5 A subtle, amusing cartoon shows a group of church elders, tired from a lengthy […]

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April 1, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 1) Adrian Rogers “How to Be the Father of a Wise Child” “scorners delight in their scorning” (1:22)

April 1, 2022 – 2:32 am

— Proverbs 1New Living Translation The Purpose of Proverbs 1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. 2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,    to help them understand the insights of the wise.3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,    to help them do what is right, just, […]

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March 31, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 31) Adrian Rogers on Alcohol

March 31, 2022 – 2:09 am

__________ Proverbs 31:4 “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink,”BUT WASHINGTON’S STATE DEPT RUNS UP TAB OF $180,000 FOR MONTH OF SEPTEMBER!!! Proverbs 31 New Living Translation The Sayings of King Lemuel 31 The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message,[a] […]

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March 30, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 30) Scripture Reading — Proverbs 30:7-9; Luke 12:13-21

March 30, 2022 – 1:54 am

— How Much Is Enough?  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 30:7-9; Luke 12:13-21 Godliness with contentment is great gain. — 1 Timothy 6:6 In Jesus’ parable, a man receives far more than he needs for his health and well-being. But instead of sharing his abundance with people who don’t have enough, he hoards the surplus and plans to take […]

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March 29, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 29) VERSE 11 “Fools vent their anger  but the wise quietly hold it back.” Adrian Rogers God’s Answer to Anger

March 29, 2022 – 1:21 am

— Proverbs 29New Living Translation 29 Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism    will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. 2 When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice.    But when the wicked are in power, they groan. 3 The man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,    but if he hangs around with prostitutes, his wealth is wasted. 4 A just […]

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March 28, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 28) Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.Proverbs 28:26

March 28, 2022 – 1:37 am

— Held by God  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 28:18-28 Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.Proverbs 28:26 —  As we rushed to catch a flight out of Brazil, rains pouring down the hillside changed the roadway into a river. Passing trucks threw sheets of water on our […]

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March 27, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 27) As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. — Proverbs 27:19

March 27, 2022 – 1:44 am

— Your “Heart Condition”  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 27:19-27 As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. — Proverbs 27:19 While chasing prey, cheetahs can run about 60 miles per hour, but only in short spurts. This fast cat’s speed is limited to sprints because of its small heart. Endurance at that speed […]

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March 26, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 26) Scripture Reading — Judges 2:16-19; Proverbs 26:5, 11-12

March 26, 2022 – 1:47 am

— Where’s the Problem  A  Scripture Reading — Judges 2:16-19; Proverbs 26:5, 11-12 They would not listen to their judges… — Judges 2:17 God heard Israel’s cries of distress and often raised up judges to lead and save the people from their enemies. Through Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, and others, God gave the land rest for forty and even eighty […]

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March 25, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 25) “Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame” (Proverbs 25:8). Adrian Rogers God’s Answer to Anger

March 25, 2022 – 1:22 am

— Proverbs 25New Living Translation More Proverbs of Solomon 25 These are more proverbs of Solomon, collected by the advisers of King Hezekiah of Judah. 2 It is God’s privilege to conceal things    and the king’s privilege to discover them. 3 No one can comprehend the height of heaven, the depth of the earth,    or all that goes on in […]

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March 24, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 24) Wisdom’s Rare and Beautiful Treasures “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established” . — Proverbs 24:3

March 24, 2022 – 1:50 am

— Wisdom’s Rare and Beautiful Treasures  A  Scripture Reading — Proverbs 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established. . . . — Proverbs 24:3 A Japanese pastor friend, with whom we worked for many years as missionaries, gave us a beautiful bronze statue of hawks lifting off in flight. He had […]

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March 23, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 23)(Proverbs 23:31).”Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down.”  Adrian Rogers on alcohol in proverbs

March 23, 2022 – 1:24 am

— Proverbs 23New Living Translation 23 While dining with a ruler,    pay attention to what is put before you.2 If you are a big eater,    put a knife to your throat;3 don’t desire all the delicacies,    for he might be trying to trick you. 4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.    Be wise enough to know when to quit.5 In the blink […]

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March 22, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 22) Adrian Rogers: The Techniques of Training Children Proverbs 22:6 “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

March 22, 2022 – 1:28 am

— Proverbs 22New Living Translation 22 Choose a good reputation over great riches;    being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold. 2 The rich and poor have this in common:    The Lord made them both. 3 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.    The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. 4 True humility and fear of the Lord    lead to […]

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March 21, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 21) Adrian Rogers on Proverbs “How To Be The Father Of A Wise Child” PROVERBS 21: “If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wosw”

March 21, 2022 – 1:06 am

Adrian Rogers on Proverbs “How To Be The Father Of A Wise Child” Picture of Adrian Rogers above from 1970’s while pastor of Bellevue Baptist of Memphis, and president of Southern Baptist Convention. (Little known fact, Rogers was the starting quarterback his senior year of the Palm Beach High School football team that won the state title and a […]

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March 20, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 20) The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them. verse 7 RAISING KIDS WHO COUNT by Adrian Rogers

March 20, 2022 – 1:55 am

— Proverbs 20New Living Translation 20 Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls.    Those led astray by drink cannot be wise. 2 The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;    to rouse his anger is to risk your life. 3 Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor;    only fools insist on quarreling. 4 Those too lazy to plow in the right […]

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March 19, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 19) “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass” (Proverbs 19:11-12). Adrian Rogers God’s Answer to Anger

March 19, 2022 – 1:23 am

— Proverbs 19New Living Translation 19 Better to be poor and honest    than to be dishonest and a fool. 2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;    haste makes mistakes. 3 People ruin their lives by their own foolishness    and then are angry at the Lord. 4 Wealth makes many “friends”;    poverty drives them all away. 5 A false witness will not go unpunished,    nor will a […]

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March 18, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 18) Adrian Rogers’ sermon outline for “Raising Kids that Count” v 15 “Intelligent people are always ready to learn.”

March 18, 2022 – 1:03 am

We have to listen to our kids chapter 18 tells us in verse 13: 13 Spouting off before listening to the facts    is both shameful and foolish. Proverbs 18 New Living Translation Proverbs 18 New Living Translation   18 Unfriendly people care only about themselves;    they lash out at common sense. 2 Fools have no interest in understanding;    they only want […]

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March 17, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 17) ADRIAN ROGERS ”The friendship Factor” Proverbs 17:17 “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

March 17, 2022 – 1:50 am

— Proverbs 17New Living Translation 17 Better a dry crust eaten in peace    than a house filled with feasting—and conflict. 2 A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son    and will share the inheritance of the master’s children. 3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,    but the Lord tests the heart. 4 Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip;    liars pay close attention […]

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John macarthur – Walking in Wisdom, Part 1   March 16, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 16) v 22 Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools.

March 16, 2022 – 1:33 am

— Proverbs 16New Living Translation 16 We can make our own plans,    but the Lord gives the right answer. 2 People may be pure in their own eyes,    but the Lord examines their motives. 3 Commit your actions to the Lord,    and your plans will succeed. 4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,    even the wicked for a day of disaster. 5 The Lord detests the proud;    they will surely be […]

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March 15, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 15)  “The Lord will destroy the house of the proud” (Proverbs 15:25).  Adrian Rogers “The Peril of Pride”

March 15, 2022 – 1:02 am

— Proverbs 15New Living Translation 15 A gentle answer deflects anger,    but harsh words make tempers flare. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,    but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. 3 The Lord is watching everywhere,    keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. 4 Gentle words are a tree of life;    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. […]

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March 14, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY ( PROVERBS 14)  Adrian Rogers: God’s Grace in the Workplace [#1019] (Audio) Proverbs 14:23 “In all labor there is profit.”

March 14, 2022 – 11:41 pm

—- Proverbs 14 New Living Translation Proverbs 14New Living Translation 14 A wise woman builds her home,    but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. 2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord;    those who take the wrong path despise him. 3 A fool’s proud talk becomes a rod that beats him,    but the words of the […]

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March 13, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 13) v 24 “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them” John MacArthur article: Parenting in an Anti-Spanking Culture

March 13, 2022 – 1:48 am

— Parenting in an Anti-Spanking Culture Articles  Deuteronomy 6:6–7; Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 19:18; Proverbs 22:15; Proverbs 23:14; Ephesians 6:4 Proverbs 13New Living Translation 13 A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline;[a]    a mocker refuses to listen to correction. 2 Wise words will win you a good meal,    but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. 3 Those who control their tongue will have a […]

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March 12, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 12)

March 12, 2022 – 1:00 am

verse 25 “Worry weighs a person down;” Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Proverbs 12:25 A heavy heart is the beginning of misery, and we were never meant to carry the load. A burdened soul breaks the spirit. A broken spirit thins the immunity of the body. The body then begins to wither, and we get ill. In […]

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March 10, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 10) The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22) Adrian Rogers on Proverbs

March 10, 2022 – 1:03 am

— Proverbs 10 New Living Translation — Proverbs 10New Living Translation The Proverbs of Solomon 10 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child[a] brings joy to a father;    a foolish child brings grief to a mother. 2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value,    but right living can save your life. 3 The Lord will not let the godly go hungry,    but he refuses to […]

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March 9, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 9) v So don’t bother correcting mockers;They will only hate you

March 9, 2022 – 1:02 am

— Proverbs 9New Living Translation 9 Wisdom has built her house;    she has carved its seven columns.2 She has prepared a great banquet,    mixed the wines, and set the table.3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.    To those who lack good judgment, […]

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March 8, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 8) v 11 For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.

March 8, 2022 – 1:01 am

— Proverbs 8New Living Translation Wisdom Calls for a Hearing 8 Listen as Wisdom calls out!    Hear as understanding raises her voice!2 On the hilltop along the road,    she takes her stand at the crossroads.3 By the gates at the entrance to the town,    on the road leading in, she cries aloud,4 “I call to you, to all of you!    I raise my […]

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March 7, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 7) The immoral woman

March 7, 2022 – 1:01 am

— Proverbs 7 New Living Translation Proverbs 7New Living Translation Another Warning about Immoral Women 7 Follow my advice, my son;    always treasure my commands.2 Obey my commands and live!    Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.[a]3 Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.    Write them deep within your heart. 4 Love wisdom like a sister;    make insight a beloved […]

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