Creating, collecting, and sharing thoughts and ideas. And learning along the way.
The Book of Mormon: Broadway’s Take On It 
The Road to Kalamazoo: Picture Perfect!
1 KINGS 14:1-15:24 | ACTS 10:1-23 | PSALM 133:1-3 | PROVERBS 17:7-8
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No good can come from Jeroboam’s reign. His young son dies suddenly, and there are constant tensions between his kingdom and that of Rehoboam’s in Judah.
On that end, Rehoboam rules Judah for seventeen years, and while Jeroboam is succeeded by another son, Rehoboam’s rule is also maintained by his successors: Abijah, Asa, and Jehoshophat. It is to be seen how the House of David and Solomon might be righteously restored to its former glory.
But turning now to our reading in the book of Acts, we find two very fascinating accounts: one is that of the Italian centurion by the name of Cornelius who receives a vision to send for Peter who is temporarily staying with friends in Joppa; the other is concerning a vision that Peter himself has even before Cornelius’ men arrive to where he is.
Peter’s vision is a most unusual one, but the symbolism it bears is quite straightforward: the many animals on the sheet before him are all sources of food from above, and the old laws of dietary prohibition no longer apply in this new era. The message is clear: eat whatever you wish—you are liberated, indeed!
Dietary rules were of tremendous significance to every Jewish person, but Peter is now going to blaze a new trail wherein the great importance attached to food will no longer be necessary. The new lens by which food ought to be viewed is this: it is all good because it all comes from God. It is another matter, of course, what exactly one chooses to eat. But whatever it is, you shall not be condemned for it!
Turning now to our psalm for the day, we find a very pleasant one that speaks to the blessing and joy of God’s people living together in unity, and compares it to the anointing of the head with oil. The psalmist says:
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Finally, two verses from the book of Proverbs that may serve as food for thought:
7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!
8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.
May God bless the reading of His Word.
Packard Health: Delivering Quality Healthcare to the Community in the Community
1 KINGS 12:20-13:34 | ACTS 9:26-43 | PSALM 132:1-18 | PROVERBS 17:6
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The House of Solomon is no more. Rehoboam, his son, is unable to remain on the throne, and in his place there is another called Jeroboam.
But Jeroboam is not a secure king, and he makes his home not in Jerusalem, where the great temple is and where the royal palaces are, instead, he chooses to live in Schechem, the hill country in Ephraim. But in doing so, he also intends to make that place the center of attention.
For he knows full well that the people will travel to Jerusalem at least twice a year for the holy festivals. And once there, Jeroboam is afraid that there might be a movement to reconsider Rehoboam as king. And so, Jeroboam does a most abominable thing: he installs two large idols—golden images of calves, and introduces these as alternatives for worship and to offer sacrifices to. There is now no need to go down to Jerusalem, you see!
And if you wonder what Jeroboam must have been thinking in doing this, you wonder even more at what the people must have been thinking in going along with this sacrilegious idea! If their two-thousand year old history had taught them one thing, it was this: idolatry is prohibited, and is the numero uno commandment in the set of laws handed down to them.
And yet, time and time again, the people and the kings of Israel have turned away from Yahweh, the living God, to graven and molten images of animals made with and by their own hands. These momentary lapses of reason occur every so often, it seems, but they do serve to make the point that these are people with all the frailties of humanity. They fall and pick themselves up; then, they fall again, and yet again go through the motions.
But there are strange things happening in the kingdom of Jeroboam. Warnings are not heeded; prophesies are made; prophets are deceived; and there is no end to the general disarray among the people of Israel. It is to be seen if the prophecy concerning a new king by the name of Josiah will indeed come true.
Turning now to our reading in the book of Acts, we begin to see the new life of Saul after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Some time has passed, and Saul now returns to Jerusalem and begins to preach this new gospel regarding Jesus Christ being the Messiah to his Jewish brethren, but they will hear none of it. They are quick to make clear their intent toward him: they seek to kill him! And so, Saul must be careful for his life, and he receives support and protection from a young man by the name of Barnabas. We will continue to learn more about Saul in the days to come.
In the meantime, we learn about Peter’s continued ministry of teaching, preaching, and even healing. Does this not sound familiar to you? Is this not what our Lord Jesus himself did while he moved within their midst? And now that Jesus’ work was complete in the great redemption on the cross, and in the new covenant that had been established, his disciples had been endowed by the Holy Spirit to allow them to minister and serve the people and to spread this good news, aka, the gospel, everywhere they went.
In this passage, we learn about how Peter, empowered by the Spirit, raises two people on two different occasions to full health. While the man, Aneas, is paralyzed, the woman called Tabitha is said to be dead. While Aneas is restored to full health, Tabitha is raised from the dead!
This is the first and possibly only account of the disciples raising a person from the dead. Imagine the reaction of the townsfolk, nay, of the surrounding regions to which word about this miraculous act would have been sure to spread.
Turning now to our reading in the book of Psalms, we find a psalm in which David is perhaps speaking of himself in the third person. The psalmist is recounting the great promise made by the Lord to the House of David in these verses:
11 The LORD swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
Finally, a lovely verse that affirms the great gift of parents, grandparents, and children. Each is a blessing to the other.
6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
Eating to Work and Vice Versa
The First LGBT Health Summit in Michigan: Because Quality Healthcare is Every American’s Right 
1 KINGS 11:1-12:19 | ACTS 9:1-25 | PSALM 131:1-3 | PROVERBS 17:4-5
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In his latter years, the contrast between Solomon and his father David is quite remarkable. While David had momentary lapses of reason in his youth, he repented and recovered from them, and as he grew older, he became dedicated in his vision of God’s commandments.
Solomon, on the other hand, appears to have an exemplary reputation in his youth for following God’s commands and in being upright in all his doings, and yet, in his old age, he begins to turn away from God.
The number of wives and concubines that Solomon has is quite mind-boggling: seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines is what the text tells us. Many of these women were from neighboring kingdoms that did not worship Yahweh, the God of Israel. And so, what happens is exactly what God warns him will happen: the most horrific and detestable thing of all—turning to these other gods and building altars and temples of worship for them.
And so begins the unraveling of the kingdom of Israel under King Solomon. There are adversaries that slowly but surely rise up to challenge the Hebrew kingdom. Hadad, Rezon and Jeroboam are some of the men identified as Solomon’s adversaries. This last one will soon be a man to be reckoned with, but before that, we must close the story on Solomon.
It is said that King Solomon reigned for forty years before he breathed his last, and then his son Rehoboam succeeded him on the throne. But Rehoboam’s reign was short-lived because upon taking charge of the kingdom, Rehoboam willfully chose not to heed the advice of the elders in the kingdom, but rather made old wounds fresh. This resulted in open rebellion, and soon there was anarchy in the kingdom. It is to be seen how this will all turn out.
Turning now to our reading in the book of Acts, we encounter the amazing story of Saul of Tarsus. Saul, the zealot, was such a circumspect Jew who awaited the return of the Messiah so fervently, that he took strong exception to the teachings and preachings of men such as Peter, John, Philip and the others—disciples of Jesus—who were presenting Jesus as the Messiah– who had already come and gone.
Saul was therefore on a mission to silence these heretics, and he was therefore becoming known for persecuting these early Christians.
Well, one day, on the way to Damascus, the hunter becomes the hunted– isn’t it strange how these things go? Saul is blinded and falls to the ground. He asks plaintively, “Who are you, Lord?” to which a voice answers: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
And this is the beginning of the metamorphosis of Saul. Saul does go into the city, and after the spell of blindness that lasts three days, his sight is miraculously restored to him through the meeting with Ananias, a local man who receives a vision to seek out this man called Saul.
Ananias is instructed thus: “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Saul is indeed transformed and becomes one just like the disciples in preaching loud and clear the gospel of Jesus Christ, viz. that Jesus is the Messiah who had come not just for the Jews but for everyone who believes in him.
But the devout Jews do not like what they hear and are shocked to see one of their own cross over to the other side! Now, it is Saul that they pursue in order to silence him once and for all. But that will not happen for a while. This was only the beginning of the ministry of the man who would later become known as Paul.
Turning now to our psalm for the day, we find the first three verses of Psalm 131 in which David, the psalmist, adopts a hopeful tone of contentment and assurance in the mercies of God. Would that we might also learn to speak in the same manner of dependence on God’s provision in our lives:
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
Finally, one verse from the book of Proverbs that may seem like it is stating an obvious truth, and yet, it would do us well to be reminded of it:
5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
