Stephen M. Miller for Wednesday, 2 April 2014 "For anyone about to give up"

Stephen M. Miller for Wednesday, 2 April 2014 "For anyone about to give up"
STRIKE TWO. This smashed mailbox is the second of three I’ve had in the past year. Teenager angst, not directed at me as far as I can tell. But certainly at my mailbox. Maybe white’s not the best color in this location. I’ve given up on protecting the mailbox; I’ll just replace it as needed. But no one should give up on the kids.
I HAVE A NEIGHBOR with a troubled son about to turn 18.
Strangest thing. The boy’s dad, who’s a wonderful neighbor, told me the judicial system gave up on his boy. 
The youngster was on probation for drug possession. He also had some problems with a temper. I wrote an earlier blog about how he smashed some mailboxes, mine among them: Police at the door, 3:30 a.m.
Last weekend I saw the boy across the road, while I was changing oil in my mower. He yelled a hello at me. 
“Hey, how ya doing?” I asked.
“I’m wearing a cast.” 
“You gotta stop hittin’ things,” I said. “How’d you do it?”
“I got mad.”
He punched a wall. 
Girl troubles. 
Punching the wall is better than punching the girl. 
But if you’re going to punch the wall, you should probably go to the garage, get the stud finder, and find a part of the wall that doesn’t have a stud.
By that time, you’d probably be calmed down enough to realize that if you break the wall, you’re going to have to fix it. Repair the drywall. Then paint the entire wall. Maybe the whole room.
The dad told me that his son didn’t complete any of the requirements of probation. The boy simply refused to go to the sessions or to perform the work demanded by the court. He got fired from his job, too.
In the short time I’ve known him, he has been in at least three different venues trying to help him finish off his high school education.
Probation was supposed to last another six months, extending into the fall. But the court ended the probation and tagged it “unsuccessful.”
The court stamped two drug possessions on the boy’s record and simply said that once he turns 18, they’ll try him as an adult for any further offenses.
It sounds like they’re expecting to see him again. 
I don’t know enough about the law to understand why the court would pull the plug on probation early and call it “unsuccessful.” 
Give up on a kid?
It doesn’t seem right.
When the dad was telling me about that, I had one thought pop into my head:
“God doesn’t give up on us.”
Others will give up on us. And they’ll give up on the people we care about.
God won’t. 
We shouldn’t, either.
Once upon a time when I hit a rough spot, and felt that people had given up on me and God had taken a hike, I read these words:
“How can you say that the Lord doesn’t see your troubles?….He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint,” (Isaiah 40:27, 29-31).
Good to know.
Visit Stephen M. Miller’s profile on Pinterest.
The post For anyone about to give up appeared first on Stephen M. Miller. 
Newsletter
By Stephen M. Miller on Apr 01, 2014 07:58 am
Here’s the link to my Spring newsletter. Folks who subscribe to this or to my blog (both free) are automatically entered in a 10-book giveaway of my newest book coming on April 15. 
The post Newsletter appeared first on Stephen M. Miller.
http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=177d79624b8a8ca6414a02a27&id=f2ae8707bb
Hi there
THIS IS MY ONCE-IN-A-BLUE-MOON update for folks who read my books...or at least look at the pictures.
   Since you're probably in a hurry, here are the bullet points.
NEW BOOK. 100 Tough Questions About God and the Bible releases April 15.
10 FREE BOOKS. I'm giving away 10 copies to celebrate.
3 FAV BLOG POSTS. For those who don't subscribe to my free blog.
BOOKS COMING SOON. Two in Spring, three in Fall.
PERSONAL NOTES. And a picture of Buddy the Dog.
New Book: April 15
100 TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD AND THE BIBLE generated a tug of war between me and the editors.
   I was pulling for the kind of tough questions that non-Christians ask.
   They were saying I should tone it down a bit. Or risk ticking off old-time-religion Christians.
   I explained that I don't write my books for old-timey Christians, comfy in their beliefs. 
   They pushed back. They said they intend to sell my books to those Christians.
   I could hear my agent shout an Amen from Phoenix.
   I gave a little. They gave a little.
   [Congress, are you reading this?]
   I'm delighted with where the book landed. The questions are still in-your-face. And many of the answers are going to tip over a few comfy Christians. 
   Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to take positions on any of the controversial topics. On many of them, I'm as confused as the next guy. What I did, however, was to report what Christians in different groups say about the matter. And I reported their explanations...if they had any. Sometimes their only answer is "faith," which isn't much of an answer for most souls wearing a thinking cap.
   First tough question in the book:
   "What on earth do Christians mean when they say the Bible is 'inspired by God'"?
   You can read the answer for free.
It's in a flip book on my website.
And in a post on my blog.
   If any question is going to get me in trouble with the comfy Christians, it'll be that one. I don't think they'll like hearing what some of their fellow Christians say about where the Bible got it's inspiration.
If you're into video teasers, here's me pitching the book in about two-and-a-half minutes.
   I know, I look like I'm getting ready to kiss the book, or swallow a fly.
   Optical illusion.
10 Free books
IT'S NOT THAT I'M GENEROUS.  
   The publisher is.
   Those folks give me a bunch of free books, and I give them all away.
   Some writers sell them, my agent tells me. But I have a hard enough time wrting them.
   If you subscribe to this free newsletter or to my blog, your name is already in the hopper.
   I'll pull out 10 names at random, excluding anyone who has already gotten a free book from me.
   100 Tough Questions About God and the Bible releases on April 15, though some sellers like Amazon have jumped the gun and started selling sooner than they agreed to.
   But I digress. I'll pick the winners on April 15, by the end of my workday.
   Good luck. 
3 blog posts readers liked most
MOST OF YOU DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE BLOG. I understand. Who wants three extra emails a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)? You can get highlights in the 4 newsletters a year that I send out.
   That said, I'm hoping these sample posts will tempt you. If they do, here's the link to subscribe to the free blog. You enter only your name and email address. You'll get a confirmation email to click; if it doesn't arrive pronto, check your spam folder. You have to click the confirmation to finish the process.
Why do some Christians doubt Bible history?
Adam and Eve
GARDEN OF EDEN DIDN’T HAPPEN? There are reasons some Christians say they think Adam and Eve were make-believe and that the Creation story was just that: a story. A bit like a parable. With a message: God created everything. Here are some of those reasons, for better or worse.
HEADS EXPLODE over this question. I’ve seen it happen.
   We’ve talked about this question in my Bible study class. People in the group explored reasons why some Christians don’t believe there was a literal Adam and Eve, or a flood that covered the earth, or a lot of other stuff reported in the Bible as history.
   As folks talked, I was watching one of my friends out of the corner of my eye. It was a little like watching a teapot working its way to a boil. When the teapot whistle blew, it commanded the attention of everyone in the room.
   My friend didn’t kick, yell, or blow steam out of his ears, which would have been cool, yet spooky. But he did speak with passion about his frustration over the style of biblical interpretation that allows Christians to reject stories and teachings in the Bible because the ideas don’t seem reasonable.
   As he spoke, out popped the head of one of our pastors who had been working in his office that adjoins the conference room where we meet.
   “I agree with that,” he said, referring to what my steaming teapot friend said. Read more.
Surprise: Tithing is Jewish, not Christian
"YOU DON’T HAVE TO TITHE.” Methodist founder John Wesley (1703-1791) did not tithe. Church history profs say Christian pastors had not invented it yet. On the other hand, Wesley – a preacher who made a lot of money in his lifetime – died broke. That’s because he gave away his wealth to needy folks. Photo by Michael Koolman.
NEXT TIME YOUR PASTOR SAYS God expects you to give 10% of your income to the church, roll your eyes if you must. But try not to be too obvious. The pastor might not know any better.
   That’s pretty much the take of church history profs.
   They know that Christians did not start tithing until the 1800s, though that comes as a shock to most of the rest of us.
   Early Christians did not tithe.
  They considered it one of the many Jewish laws that Jesus retired when he set up a new covenant to replace the old laws of Moses: “When God speaks of a ‘new’ covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date,” (Hebrews 8:13).
   Here’s the surprising Friday Fun Fact:
   You will not find a Christian sermon on tithing until the 1800s. Read more.
Warning, from a father of the bride
Stephen M. Miller dancing with his daughter at her wedding
FATHER/DAUGHTER DANCE. Sometimes you’ve got to cry when you dance. Even when you’re happy. Link to the video.
....HAVING MARRIED OFF MY ONLY DAUGHTER, Rebecca, a few weeks ago, I’m left wondering about an unsung character in that Bible story [Isaac/Rebekah]—someone no one seems to think about.
   Rebekah’s dad, Nahor.
   How did he feel about sending his daughter away to get married?
   Was he sad and happy at the same time, like I was?
   Happy for his daughter, but sad to see her go?
   I knew what I was feeling at the wedding.
   But I didn’t realize how obvious it was until I saw the wedding pictures a few days ago.
   Especially the photos of the father/daughter dance.
   We danced to “Cinderella” by Steven Curtis Chapman. In the background, we played for the guests a video that my wife took of me dancing with Rebecca when she was two years old.
   Once I got the wedding pictures, I patched some of them into that video…a way of trying to capture my pensive feelings of that day. Here’s the Youtube link, if you’re interested. Read more.
Books coming soon 
MAY: Complete Guide to Bible Prophecy, Spanish edition.
SEPTEMBER: Strange and Mysterious Stuff in the Bible
OCTOBER: Who's Who & Where's Where in the Bible 2.0, Spanish edition
NOVEMBER: Complete Bible Guide Handbook (cover yet to come)
On a personal note
Buddy the Dog
FOR THE MANY DOG LOVERS. I'm including this photo of Buddy the Dog only because he outdraws everything I post on Facebook. That includes my best blog features, masterful paintings of Bible scenes, and he would probably outdraw pictures of Sports Illustrated swimsuit ladies if I published that sort of thing...which I don't. Buddy gets more hits, more likes, and more comments than anything I can dream up or quote. If you're a dog lover, this Bud's for you.
IT WAS AN UNSEASONABLY LONG, HARD WINTER here in the Midwest, as it was in many places. I got my fill of my little snow blower ministry.
   I had figured it would be easier to replace my snow shovel with a snow blower. But now I'm not so sure.
   The problem is that I feel bad knowing that my neighbors and my kids are using shovels when I have this machine to do it. So, I've ended up clearing my driveway, the driveways of my cul-de-sac neighbors who don't have a snow blower, and after that, the driveway of my son and his wife, who live about 15 minutes away.
   I just found out a few days ago that my daughter and her husband have bought a house 10 minutes away.
   I am so happy to have both of my children this close.
   However, I have decided to save up enough money to buy both of them their own snow blowers. 
   Folks, have a wonderful spring, light on the sniffles from pollen.
   Back at you in July.
   In the meantime, peace to you, and God's blessing on your months ahead.
Steve
PS: I hope to launch a new and improved website within a couple of months. It's in the hands of the designer and developer now. Once we launch it, I'll send you a note because I'm planning on giving away something nice and techie. Perhaps the latest and greatest Kindle tablet, iPad, or something else fun to use. If you have a suggestion, let me know.
-------
More to read:
Ouch. Why did God order circumcision?
Abraham broken law
Surprise: Tithing is Jewish, not Christian
Our mailing address is: 
Stephen M. Miller Inc
PO Box 2712
Olathe, KS 66063 United States
-------