Seeking Wisdom? Read a Chapter of Proverbs Every Day

Reading a chapter from the book of Proverbs every day is an old-time tradition -- the fact that there are 32 chapters is such a nice overlap with the monthly calendar, after all.  And, it's not hard to do -- the chapters are short (though there's a lot in them to ponder).  In fact, BiblePlan.Org will email you a Proverbs chapter every day (whichever version you prefer) if you subscribe for free to their online service. 

Today's chapter (May 2nd, so Proverbs 2) is a great example. I've cut and pasted a version of the chapter below (from the Bible Gateway), and I've also taken out the standard margins and individual verse references. 

Why?  Not only does it read easier this way, but it's closer to how the author wrote it.  Those verse references throughout the Holy Bible are great for organization, but I find that they can be a stumbling block to me when I'm reading ... so I will often cut and paste portions into a document and take the numbers out.  It's interesting to see what comes through when I do this, and I thought I'd share this learning tool with you, too, Dear Reader. 

Reading Proverbs and Voluntary Simplicity

How does this help in living a simple life?  Live a life of voluntary simplicity means going against the flow of today's modern American culture - and sad to say, there's a lot of foolishness out there.  Probably not new, right? 

For me, starting the day out with Proverbs helps keep me grounded.  It helps me to remember that as I make choices during the day, that I need to ask myself "is this wise?"  and to monitor what's influencing me.  As dedicated to this lifestyle as I am -- and I walk this talk -- I'm only human and I can be influenced into purchasing stuff I don't need, or buying some fast food because I'm running late and there's so much left on the task list. 

Reading Proverbs is a practical tool that really helps me.  As amazing as that is, as I sit here on May 2, 2010, reading words written by King Solomon, son of David, ancestor of Jesus, around 2500 years ago. 

Sidenote

What I find interesting as I write this is how I have come to take for granted how practical it is to live as a follower of Christ -- something that I think gets lost a lot, at least by me.  Living a simple life is living a Christian life from my perspective.  More on this pondering in another post, on another day.....

Here is Proverbs 2 (New Living Translation):

The Benefits of Wisdom


My child, listen to what I say,and treasure my commands.
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.

Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.

For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.

Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.

Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.
Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.

These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths.
They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong.

Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God.
Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.
The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life.

Follow the steps of good men instead, and stay on the paths of the righteous.
For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted.

Image:  The Wisdom of Solomon by James Joseph Tissot (1836-2902), public domain, Wikimedia Commons.

RECALL: Lots of Popular Children's Liquid Cold, Allergy Medicine Recalled Yesterday

Stop what you're doing and go throw this stuff out of your medicine cabinet - there's been another recall.

The children's versions of Tylenol, Tylenol Plus, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl have all been recalled by the manufacturer.

You can read the press release for details on particular products and the identification number shown on their container (the NDC number). For more questions, call McNeil Consumer HealthCare at 1-888-222-6036 or learn more at the company website, http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com./

Lots of Opinion That This Stuff Doesn't Work - So Maybe This Recall Isn't a Big Deal, After All

Of course, there's lots of talk that this stuff isn't effective anyway.  For over three years now, the FDA (among other product researchers and children's health care professionals) has been warning that this stuff doesn't do much good.  Still, if you're giving this stuff to your kids or grandkids, better stop and check on this recall information. 

What To Do Instead?

There's a long article discussing alternative remedies for sick kids at WebMD - one that has been written apparently in response to the growing view that the OTC children's cold remedies are worthless.  MotherNature.com has a nice bit of advice on alternatives, too. 

Tax Day Arrives Today - What Are the Fair Tax and Flat Tax Alternatives to the Federal Income Tax?

It's April 15th once again, and I'm going to avoid that road over by the airport, where the main post office is located -- because we all know there's going to be a line of cars over there today, as folk are mailing their tax returns right on the deadline. 

Like it or not, the government has got to have revenue to keep things running for all of us -- but is there a better way to accomplish that?  We're hearing a lot these days about two options: the FAIR TAX and the FLAT TAX.  I got to wondering what they were, so I went and investigated, and thought I'd share what I found out:

Fair Tax

The Fair Tax is a tax that would be placed on all new goods and services you buy for personal consumption (use). You wouldn't pay the tax until you exceeded a "prebate," which is a monthly amount of personal purchases equal to those tallied to be "the poverty level," so the poor and indigent wouldn't have to pay any tax.

The fair tax would be 23%, which sounds like a lot until you hear the Fair Tax proponents tell you that this reflects the current ratio for federal income taxes -- we pay about that much in income taxes each year on our buying dollars.

Why the proponents say this is great: poor people don't get taxed, but all those folk that don't file income tax returns DO. Criminals (think drug dealers) and illegal immigrants automatically paid their fair share because they're buying stuff at the store just like the rest of us. Meanwhile, we get to keep our gross income. No withholding. No tax payments on April 15th. More cash in the citizens pocket means more purchasing power, which should sound good to everyone.

For more information on the Fair Tax, check out FairTax.org and Wikipedia.


Flat Tax

A Flat Tax is really just throwing out all those different tables on who goes into what tax bracket, and taxing everyone on the same percentage -- it's a Flat Rate Tax.

Households would be taxed at a set percentage of income. Companies would be taxed at another set rate.

Proponents argue that this makes it fair on everyone because everyone is paying the same percentage, or the same tax, and it would exempt those below a certain income level from any tax at all.

For more information, check out Wikipedia.

My Two Cents Worth

I'm no tax expert, not by any means, but it seems to me that either of these options offer a simpler alternative to the gathering of needed revenue for the government than the current Tax Code.  While the flat tax does seem to be popular with other countries, I'm thinking that the Fair Tax seems the better option of the two.  Why?  Easy to administer -- and it corrals all those dollars that aren't getting taxed.

Here in San Antonio, we're all too aware of drug money.  We're close to the Tex-Mex border, and our city hosts the intersection of two major interstates:  IH 10 takes you from the east coast to the west coast, and IH 35 takes you from the country's southern border to its Canadian one.  Drug revenue is huge in the U.S.A., and the Fair Tax means these dollars come into the pot.  I like that idea, seems smart.  And simple.