κηρυσσων την βασιλειαν του θεου και διδασκων τα περι του κυριου ιησου χριστου μετα πασης παρρησιας ακωλυτως. The underlying meaning of this blog is this: the essential unity of Christians worldwide regardless of race, nationality, or religious denomination. There are real disagreements among us but there is a small remnant in every authentically Christian gathering. The Holy Spirit is leading His remnant into deeper understandings of the "meat" of the Gospel and not just the "milk."
Lewis E. Jones (1865-1934) was a YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) worker who wrote the hymn, There is Power in the Blood (1899). He is recorded as having said, "I want to be so full of Christ that when a mosquito bites me he flies away singing there is power in the blood."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeTE0W7K4sU
Álisson Ramsés Becker. born 2 October 1992, is a Brazilian professional
footballer ("soccer player" for Americans). He plays his professional football for
Liverpool in the English Premier League. Professionally, he is known as Alisson.
On 18 May 2026, he was selected to be on Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Because of his German ancestry, Alisson was nicknamed "The German"
while playing for Roma in Italy. He speaks Portuguese, Italian, Spanish
and English.
Alisson and his wife, Natália, have been WHO advocates for pro-active
care of mental health.
Alisson is mentioned in this blog because he is an outspoken Pentecostal
Christian known to hold baptisms in his
swimming pool. One teammate nicknamed Becker "The Holy Goalie" due to
his outspoken faith.
With so many athletes being known for drugs, domestic abuse, out of
control tempers, personal arrogance, questionable financial dealings, and any
number of other negatives, it is to be praised that Alisson chooses to publicly
serve the Lord.
(This is an English language humorous word play. It may not translate well into other languages. "The Holy Goalie" is an alliterative word play on "the Holy Ghost" or "the Holy Spirit.")
The Bible actually contains many instances of humor which we may not readily recognize today because our modern culture does not understand the ancient worldviews. Their humor was often based on sarcasm, hyperbole, metaphors, absurdity, ridiculous visual images, and displaying idiocy in full view. The humor is intended to make a spiritual point. An example occurs at Proverbs 26:15.
A literal translation of this verse from the Proverbs is: Hides a lazy one his hand in the bowl it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
The pleasure of eating is not enough of a reward for the lazy man to raise his hand to his mouth. He is too much of a sluggard, too lazy to move at all.
This is a warning against spiritual laziness. If you are too lazy to act on spiritual matters of the moment, like prayer, charity, and Bible study, you will miss out on the immediate pleasures of the spirit and will eventually starve.
In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul uses sports examples while speaking about being intentional, practicing self-discipline, and working to win rather than just being a participant, an also ran.
If you enjoy making homemade ice cream, why not be adventurous? Try ice creams made with uncommon ingredients: pickles, corn, carrots, tofu, bacon, ham, avocados, butterbeans, etc. Some of them sound as if they might be quite good.
Japanese Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai is known to have made cod roe ice cream. In 2019, on Iron Chef America, chef Morimoto Masaharu, a fish expert, made trout ice cream. The judges unanimously told him to never make it again.
A Christian understanding which can be taken from this event is that, in our Christian freedom, just because you can do something, that does not mean that you should or even that you must do it.
Surprisingly to me, the Google AI function expressed this very well. "Christian freedom does not mean a license to indulge in sinful desires or do whatever one pleases, but rather a freedom from the bondage of sin and an opportunity for serving others through love, as well as doing what is good, true, and beautiful in obedience to God's will. It is freedom to live a holy life, act in love, and serve others, not freedom to pursue fleeting desires or self-indulgence."
I stay broke more often than the Ten Commandments.
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”
“Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.”
Posts
