Example: DIY = Do-it-yourself
1. idk = ____________________________________
2. fyi = ____________________________________
3. bff = ____________________________________
4. lol = ____________________________________
5. COD = ____________________________________
6. jk = ____________________________________
7. ty = ____________________________________
8. OK = ____________________________________
9. g2g = ____________________________________
10. omg = ____________________________________
If there are some of these you didn’t get, just ask someone who does a lot of text-messaging— they’re everywhere— and who knows what else you may learn from them !
On our recent visit to my Aunt Sal in the hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, she was struggling mightily to communicate with us, and to regain her ability to swallow. It was kind of painful to witness just how hard she was trying. In the midst of all this, I heard her son and his wife tossing around a little three-letter expression that they associated very strongly with her: “dyb.”
Did you figure it out ? It took us a minute, but Aunt Sal’s life-long values were unmistakably on display, so we realized that “dyb” expresses her attitude and her expectations of those around her: “Do Your Best.”
Idk if my values as a servant of the Lord would be well summed up as “omg.” Maybe, “ty” - ?
How could the core values of your life be stated ?
$$$ ? XOXO ?
Some of you are avid readers of novels and magazines. I hope that you will take a little time this week and enjoy the Book of Ruth in the Bible. It is a delightful novelette, a time-honored short-story of one family’s saga. On All Saints Day I preached about the blessed faithfulness that Ruth demonstrated toward her mother-in-law Naomi.
See what other remarkable character traits are displayed by the stars of the Book of Ruth. I guarantee that there are plenty of excellent qualities there worthy of our imitation.
As you search for excellence among human beings, however, it is good to keep in mind Hannah’s song, found in 1 Samuel 2:
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
and by Him actions are weighed.
Human cultures almost always assign greatest worth to constructing large, durable buildings, amassing wealth, fathering and mothering admirable families, and exercising power over other people. When we follow Jesus into Jerusalem, we hear his disciples’ awe at the sight of the grand Temple (Mark 13:1-2). If we are followers of Jesus, however, we join the disciples to hear him call us away from the passing show, things that worldly people value most. Jesus calls us to be prepared for God’s action in our lives. Jesus calls us to worship God humbly and to live in peace with our neighbors.
“Beware: keep alert and pray, for you do not know when the time will come.” Mark 13:33
Sunday, November 8
1 Kings 17:8-16
Psalm 40:1-3
Psalm 146
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44