Stephen De La Vega

We need explanations. No, we demand explanations. We want equality and justice. We want life to be fair. Well, maybe not fair as much as going our way. We wish life would happen the way we think it should…because it’s ours. It’s ours! I know this isn’t how all of us feel. In fact, I think most of us reading this post are not this way. But there are many who value themselves and their rights so dearly, that they step out of line. We may slip sometimes, too, and veer away from God’s authority system. I’m rewriting two posts from 2017 about honoring the authorities in our lives: 1.  Do We Stick It Where It Suits Us? 2.  A Clarification: Do We Stick ItWhere It Suits Us?, Part 2 I know rewrites are a no-no, but these posts just don’t feel effective. For various reasons, they seem to cause confusion and unsettled emotions. I didn't write what I meant to say (see Melinda Inman’s post called Writing What We Mean ). So, I’m offerin...

  Two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes. Perfect! All is good in the maternity ward. Or so it seemed… When will the crying end? Why do the ‘terrible twos’ last more than a year? Why won’t they listen to me? How did they become friends with ________? Teenagers! Sometimes they grow up, but too many of them just get older. (Sigh) We’re not really cute, little bundles of joy underneath those chubby cheeks. That’s what the Apostle Paul would tell us: As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way o...