The name Abe Anglin probably means nothing to you, but from the fourth grade on, I knew he just had to be my sixth-grade teacher. He wasn’t much over 6 feet tall, but to me, he was a peculiar, giant of a man because he had a bald head with a large scar on the side due to brain surgery. Little did I know that I would not only be a student in his class, but I would also learn lessons from this man that still shape who I am today.

We are not saved by our work, but we are saved to do good work. Paul makes both points crystal clear in Ephesians 2:8-10.  And God honors our work. Proverbs 12:11 reminds us, “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.” 

​The soloist faced an awkward situation one recent Sunday at Jet Blue Park in Ft. Myers, where the Boston Red Sox hosted the Atlanta Braves in a Spring training game. About halfway through the national anthem, she went blank, paused, and started over.

In 1 Timothy 5:1, the Apostle Paul advises us, “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers.” Growing up, I was taught to always respect my elders. This good advice was based on the Bible’s admonition and the simple reasoning that suggests that anyone older than I has lived longer and has had more opportunity to learn than I have.

As citizens, Christians have a responsibility to participate in government. Part of that participation includes protecting our God-given rights.