I was reading a history of folks in the Appalachian Mountains and was reminded that there are still some
churches that practice “snake handling”. Those of you who know me know that I am repulses by even a
drawn image of a snake…let alone an actual snake. So, I decided to read up on this nauseating practice
and try to understand the mindset of a snake-handling believer.

During the past week there has been a lot of television programming dedicated to significant events that occurred in
2023. It’s good to look back and remember, isn’t it? The Church on the Bluff had some remarkable things happen and
we Do certainly rejoice in them. However, I like what Paul said in Philippians 3:13: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what
is behind and straining toward what is ahead,”
2023

My favorite secular Christmas story is Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. I’ve watched every movie
of the original script as well as many adaptions of the storyline. The premise is a classic: A hardened
heart is softened when the person is forced to take a fresh look at his past, a serious look at his present
life, and a glimpse at the wretched future for which he may be headed. But the ending is beautiful in
that we see that change is possible.

It seems to me that there is a large increase of Christmas decorations this year. We have driven through
several subdivisions and neighborhoods and the decorations are beautiful. As we rode around a place
close to our home, I saw a yard decorated a little differently than the rest: it had two snow men, a large
unicorn, and a rainbow Christmas tree. A few blocks away there was another yard with an inflatable
unicorn. I was curious, of course so I “googled it”.

Another small city has come under fire for having a nativity scene on the city property. An organization
of people who have a strong dislike for Christianity, the “Freedom From Religion Foundation”, has
successfully sued city governments on several occasions to get elements of Christianity removed from
Christmas displays. How blatantly absurd. 

Are Christians “anti-science” if we do not accept evolution as a fact? I’ve heard that many times. First,
let me say that there are Christian scientists in all disciplines of science. Those people have the same
information as their peers yet reach a different conclusion. Why is that do you think? Are the Christian
scientists closed minded and stubborn, refusing to look at the obvious?

Before televised college football games some guys tell the viewers who they think will win the game.
Four or five of them will take some time to explain their decision. These “experts” make a lot of money
doing what they do, yet sometimes they are wrong. In fact, I’ve seen a game where their choice was
unanimous…. but they were all wrong. It’s difficult to predict a football game, isn’t it? A lot can happen
to influence the outcome.

A well-known lady on a cable television broadcast openly mocked the new Speaker of the House
because of his Christianity. She spoke about how dangerous he is and referred to him as a “Christian
nationalist” (there is that scary word again; that wild-eyed zealot that will run roughshod over people’s
lives and force Christianity on the nation). A late-night host even compared the new Speaker to the
gunman who murdered 18 people in Maine, saying that because the Speaker said that God spoke to him
(through the scriptures) he was not any different from the madman who said he heard voices and that’s
why he killed. He literally compared Christianity to insanity.