Gary F. Ehman (1937–2021)

The winter tide festivities continue on, with people moving almost mindlessly through them—looking neither left nor right, only onward to the end of them, full of parties, food, drink and maxed-out credit cards.

In just a few more days it will be the New Year and the glut of holiday celebrations will cease and we all can get back to normal—at least until Valentine's Day, Easter, Mardi Gras, etc.

Looking back over the years, it has become evident to me that the gap between what the Bible says to do, and what its alleged followers actually do, has reached near absurd proportions.

As an example, God carefully instructed ancient Israel to not seek after the ways of the pagan people they were replacing in the Promised Land, especially in the matter of worshiping their gods. He was painfully explicit about not adapting their perverse ways in terms of worshipping Him.

Sitting here in the midst of the Tucson, Arizona aftermath, and the near-frantic journalistic analysis of every political aspect of this tragedy of human suffering, it is getting difficult to remember just what did happen. The shouts of accusations of what really caused it, for the most part, have diminished the incredible acts of bravery that took place, as human beings reached out to help human beings, regardless of their own lives.