bethany and fairview united churches of christ

When breaking is the point

The shear pin that connects a post hole auger to a tractor PTO is designed to break when the auger bit hits an obstacle, like a rock or piece of metal. This way, instead of grinding through something important, or damaging the gearbox, the PTO shaft, or the tractor itself, the (relatively) inexpensive shear pin breaks. The digger stops, and the operator can assess the situation, clear away the obstacle and replace the pin, before resuming digging. However, one hot day, I got impatient after shearing three pins while digging post holes through heavy, rocky soil. Grumpy, sweaty and irritable, I made the mistake of replacing that third shear pin with a grade 8 tempered steel bolt of the same diameter. With this unbreakable bit of hardware, I finished digging the post holes quickly and easily, in a fraction of the time.

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An image in the backdrop of a bright orange and yellow sky with three crosses and a silhouette of a figure in the middle of a white light.

Calvary Puts Satan’s Empire Out of Business for Good

The problem with forgiveness is that it puts Satan’s empire out of business. That’s why, since Calvary, Satan and his corporate goons have been feverishly rebranding violence, revenge, addictions, murder, adultery and idolatry, sometimes in packaging that, from sufficient distance and distraction, looks Christian. They’ve even tried to strip “love” of its true meaning, selling us the lie that love is no more than a feeling, or an activity. When we buy into his rebranding campaign, Satan knows we won’t stop to listen to God’s still, small voice. We’ll be too busy, suspending both common sense and compassion, which leads to a gradual descent into savagery and isolation. He’s done it before, and once again, the rebranding seems to be working like a charm.

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