Roger Meyer

Scripture describes how God told Noah that He was establishing a perpetual covenant, and denoting it with a sign.  “And God said: ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-13).

Many have heard the phrase “United we stand, divided we fall.” Perhaps it is best known from a speech given by Abraham Lincoln on June 16, 1858, at the Illinois Republican State Convention. But it is clearly an ancient Biblical precept well worth remembering.

We have all been told we “ought to do” this and we “ought not to do” that. Why? Usually it is because those doing the telling know of the consequences or potential consequences for not performing the right action. But who determines what “ought or ought not” to be done, particularly concerning moral issues?

Some people are helpers by nature. It is part of their personality to be caring, helpful, and insightful regarding the needs of other people. Being a helper is an important aspect of God’s nature, and one to which we should all aspire. How can we help, and why is it important?

The thistle enjoys an exalted position in Scottish heraldry, and is loved by the little passive donkey Eeyore, a character in Winnie the Pooh written by A. A. Milne. Personally, I do not like thistles, but there is a reason for their existence.