Ten Sayings from the Bible, Part II

by: Charles Plemons - August 7th, 2008   Filed under: Bible Study Add Comment

Here are ten more common sayings that come from the Bible. All quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted.

  1. Born yesterday.

    2. Job 8:9
    9 For we were born yesterday, and know nothing,
    Because our days on earth are a shadow.

  2. By the skin of my teeth.

    3. Job 19:20
    20 My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh,
    And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

  3. Crafty tongue.

    4. Job 15:5
    5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
    And you choose the tongue of the crafty.

  4. Crying into your drink.

    5. Psalm 102:9
    9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
    And mingled my drink with weeping,

  5. Drop in the bucket.

    6. Isaiah 40:15
    15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
    And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
    Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

  6. Eat, drink, and be merry.

    7. Ecclesiastes 8:15
    15 So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

  7. Empty or hollow words.

    8. Job 35:13
    13 Surely God will not listen to empty talk,
    Nor will the Almighty regard it.

  8. Fly in the ointment.

    9. Ecclesiastes 10:1
    1 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,
    And cause it to give off a foul odor;
    So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.

  9. Gave up the ghost.

    10. Acts 12:23 (KJV)
    23And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

  10. Go the extra mile.

    11. Matthew 5:41
    41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Age of Worms Adventure Path – Game Session 94

by: Charles Plemons - August 6th, 2008   Filed under: Age of Worms Add Comment

Game summary for August 5, 2008; present characters included Lyrin Sinbal (simian incantatrix/ring sage/warmage), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Ranulph Wathbater (human berserker/fighter/hellreaver/paladin of freedom/rogue), Saedd West (human fighter/pious templar/wormhunter), and Taravin Truesilver (human divine crusader/gray guard/paladin of honor/pious templar).

After a respite within the sound walls of Kelemvor’s temple, the Mercenaries moved back out into the streets of Mintarn to fight the minions of Kyuss. In short order, the group encountered a pack of Kyuss’ spawn. A Kyuss high-knight, Kyuss archer, lich archmage of Kyuss, and vampire Kyuss monk engaged the team in fierce combat. The vampire, all but floating across the ground, sprang through the front lines and beleaguered Lyrin immediately. The archer began a barrage upon Ranulph that he would maintain throughout most of the fight. The archmage quickly rendered himself invisible, and the high-knight moved to block any Mercenary advances. Fierce but short-lived chaos ensued, as Saedd drove the vampire back on her heels, Ranulph engaged the high-knight, Lyrin blasted with spells, and Morak’s prayers kept the party in strong condition. Soon, the four minions of the Wormgod were defeated. Another eighteen citizens of Mintarn were safely escorted to the Kelemvor temple.

The group returned to the hunt and found another pack of Kyuss minions: a vampire Kyuss monk, a lich archmage of Kyuss, a lich cardinal of Kyuss, a warlock lich of Kyuss, and a monstrous broodfiend! This battle went poorly for the Mercenaries, with the archmage getting in some early area of effect blasts that hit both Lyrin and Morak. The lich also slaughtered Saedd in a hail of arrow storm magic. Taravin bravely advanced upon the cardinal while the broodfiend dealt nearly lethal injuries upon Morak and Lyrin. Lyrin drove the warlock lich away with his deadly sun magic, but Morak found himself mortally injured. With two companions dead on the ground, the team fell back into a full retreat, using their skeleton keys.

After licking their wounds, the team decided they needed the sphere of annihilation sooner rather than later and recovered it via magic from the Tomb of Horrors. Now, armed with the sphere, the team must decide its next course of action against the wicked Kyuss.

Taking It With You

by: Charles Plemons - August 5th, 2008   Filed under: Bible Study Add Comment

As I ponder this morning, I think about the saying, “you can’t take it with you when you go”. The more I think about that, the more I disagree. There are some things we can take with us. When we stand before the Lord, we’ll have packed two bags. One bag is filled with the bad things we’ve done in this life, the other with the good. That bag of good things is the only gift, sacrifice if you will, we have to present to our Savior in thanks and praise for what He offers us. What is in your bags? I know my “bad” bag currently outweighs the good. I think we should all work harder to pack more things in the good bag, not that we can “earn” Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9), but because it demonstrates the love and faith we have in Christ (James 2:20). By packing the “good” bag, we can avoid be ashamed before Him (1 John 2:28).

When standing before the Lord, we may have to answer these questions. I think about some of my answers and am not pleased. How about you?

  • How many times could you have come to church and chose not to? (Hebrews 10:23-25)
  • How many times have you taught someone about Christ? (Colossians 3:16)
  • How well have you instructed your children about God? (Ephesians 6:4)
  • How many people have you helped come to know Christ? (Matthew 28:18-20)
  • How many times would someone think of you and think of the work of Jesus? (Matthew 5:16)
  • How well have you studied and learned the Bible? (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Ten Sayings from the Bible, Part I

by: Charles Plemons - August 3rd, 2008   Filed under: Bible Study Add Comment

Many everyday sayings or adages of wisdom come directly from the Bible. Sometimes we know more Scripture than we thought! Here are some examples.

  1. A leopard cannot change his spots.

    2. Jeremiah 13:23
    23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?
    Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.

  2. A little bird told me.

    3. Ecclesiastes 10:20
    20 Do not curse the king, even in your thought;
    Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
    For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
    And a bird in flight may tell the matter.

  3. A little bit here, a little bit there.

    4. Isaiah 28:10
    10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
    Line upon line, line upon line,
    Here a little, there a little.”

  4. Apple of my eye.

    5. Deuteronomy 32:10
    10 “He found him in a desert land
    And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
    He encircled him, He instructed him,
    He kept him as the apple of His eye.

    and also in

    Psalm 17:8
    8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings

  5. As good as gold.

    6. Job 23:10
    10 But He knows the way that I take;
    When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

  6. As old as the hills.

    7. Job 15:7
    7 “Are you the first man who was born?
    Or were you made before the hills?

  7. At wit’s end.

    8. Psalm 107:27
    27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
    And are at their wits’ end.

  8. Bite the dust.

    9. Psalm 72:9
    9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
    And His enemies will lick the dust.

  9. Blessed are the peacemakers.

    10. Matthew 5:9
    9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    For they shall be called sons of God.

  10. Blind leading the blind.

    11. Matthew 15:14
    14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

Citrus Cooler

by: Charles Plemons - August 1st, 2008   Filed under: Recipes Add Comment
  • 4 oz real lemonade
  • 4 oz real limeade
  • 4 oz pink grapefruit juice

Chill all ingredients. Pour in cup and mix well.

Taco-Seasoned Chex Mix

by: Charles Plemons - August 1st, 2008   Filed under: Recipes Add Comment
  • 6 cups Corn Chex cereal
  • 2 cups Cheez-It crackers
  • 2 cups pretzel twists
  • 1 cup salted peanuts
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 package (1.25 oz) Old El Paso taco seasoning mix

In a large bowl, mix cereal, crackers, pretzels, and peanuts.

In small bowl or cup, mix vegetable oil, water, and taco seasoning and stir well. Slowly pour taco mixture into large bowl and stir into cereal mix. Stir until everything is well coated with taco mixture.

Pour into large baking dish (11 x 13 works well) and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, taking it out to stir well every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

Variations: You may use any combination of Corn Chex, Wheat Chex, Rice Chex, or Crispex to reach six total cups of cereal. Experiment for your favorite combination.

Age of Worms Adventure Path – Game Session 93

by: Charles Plemons - July 31st, 2008   Filed under: Age of Worms Add Comment

Game summary for July 29, 2008; present characters included Eolas Windmaster (moon elf duskblade), Lyrin Sinbal (simian incantatrix/ring sage/warmage), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Ranulph Wathbater (human berserker/fighter/hellreaver/paladin of freedom/rogue), Saedd West (human fighter/pious templar/wormhunter), and Syvarius Strongbow (moon elf archer-ranger/peerless archer).

The team found an exit from the Unlife Vortex chamber leading to the surface. It was trapped, but the group was able to disarm the magic and emerge from a mausoleum in the Mintarn boneyard. They quickly headed back into the town where they encountered a house full of people under attack from Kyuss minions. The Mercenaries wasted no time engaging.

They found themselves up against another colossal overworm, a pair of Kyuss high-knights, and two strange new enemies. These lightly armored Kyuss spawn carried bows made of human bones with an open skull that the arrow passed through. Instead of arrows, the Kyuss archers plucked worms from their form, which elongated and fired through the bows like projectiles. The worm-arrows attempted to burrow into the team members as they hit, reverting back into Kyuss worms.

Ranulph and Saedd brought the fight to the Kyuss minions, but they seemed more interested in sweeping past the frontline and going after the casters in the rear. Eolas began ray spells such as disintegrate and scorching ray to bring down his foes. Syvarius found himself in a brutal exchange of arrows between himself and the archers. Morak held the middle with healing magic and flame strikes. Lyrin unleashed area blasts and plucked worms off his allies with magic missile. The team brought the Kyuss minions down fairly quickly. The worst injuries were sustained when Saedd took a crippling bite from an overworm and then bravely positioned himself between two Kyuss high-knights and Morak. Beardfist was able to restore him to health as he withstood the assault.

Afterward, the group escorted eighteen Mintarn citizens to the temple of Kelemvor. As the survivors entered, the team could see the fainted glimmer of hope in the eyes of the people. Depleted of mana and resources, the Mercenaries decide to rest within the temple.

You Never Mentioned Him to Me

by: Charles Plemons - July 28th, 2008   Filed under: Bible Study Add Comment

My family and I have been attending Vacation Bible School at Mt. Pleasant Church of Christ this week. Tonight’s guest speaker for the adult class was Shelton Peeler, minister at Scottsville Church of Christ. He had numerous good and thought-provoking points in his lesson this evening, and one of them I found particularly moving. He opened a songbook and read to us the lyrics of “You Never Mentioned Him to Me”. The first verse and chorus are below.

When in the better land before the bar we stand,
How deeply grieved our souls will be;
If any lost one there should cry in deep despair,
“You never mentioned Him to me.”

CHORUS
You never mentioned Him to me,
You helped me not the way to see;
You met me day by day and knew I was astray,
Yet never mentioned Him to me.”

The point was this (refer to Matthew 25:31-46). Imagine yourself at the day of judgment on the right side of God prepared to enter into His presence for eternity. Across on His left side, you see someone you knew in this life, a friend, a loved one, someone you knew day in and day out. Imagine the horror if that person had the ability to say to you, “you never mentioned Jesus to me!”

Now, we don’t know what we will be able to do or say on judgment day; this may not even be a possible scenario. However, I feel it well illustrates the point. Are there people you interact with day-to-day to whom you haven’t mentioned Jesus? Can those around you see Jesus in your actions? Do you talk about the meaning of Christ in your life? Do you invite those around you to come and study with you and your church and learn more of His will? What a tremendous opportunity we have every day to encourage others to seek Christ; how sad it is every chance we take for granted.

I found this portion of the lesson very poignant. I teach an adult Bible class every Sunday morning to all who will come. I preach from time to time as our church has need. I think these are good things, and I speak from the heart to my friends and family at church; however, what about all those dear to me who are not there on Sundays? I’ve known I should be doing more, but tonight’s lesson really helped drive that home.

I also know some friends and family read my blog from time to time. This is one more chance for me to say, “Let me tell you about my God.” I welcome the opportunity to speak more of Christ, answer questions, and do what I can to help you know of His love for every one of us. Romans 3:23 illustrates the need each of us has for our Savior. In 2 Peter 3:9, we see God is willing to forgive every single person who will come to repentance. There is no one who cannot find Christ through learning and obeying His holy Word.

Age of Worms Adventure Path – Game Session 92

by: Charles Plemons - July 24th, 2008   Filed under: Age of Worms Add Comment

Game summary for July 22, 2008; present characters included Eolas Windmaster (moon elf duskblade), Morak Beardfist (shield dwarf fighter/rage cleric), Ranulph Wathbater (human berserker/fighter/hellreaver/paladin of freedom/rogue), Saedd West (human fighter/pious templar/wormhunter), Syvarius Strongbow (moon elf archer-ranger/peerless archer), and Taravin Truesilver (human divine crusader/gray guard/paladin of honor/pious templar).

Wasting no time, the Mercenaries moved forward and found the awesome Unlife Vortex contraption. It was a mechanical monstrosity of steel girders, whirling gears, and complex controls. The room housing the vortex was illuminated by dozens of green flames emitting light but no heat. As the team approached, four ghostly avolakias materialized and launched attacks. Curses and divine fire flowed over the party, but the team remained resolute.

Quickly, the main brawlers of the team charged forward to find themselves swinging right through the ghostly forms. Some blows rang true, but the majority swished through empty air. Syvarius, and his bow, encountered a similar problem, but his ability to launch such a volley of attacks allowed him to drive some of the spirits back. The ghosts moved into positions where negative energy flowed into and healed them. One went into the vortex itself, and two others floated within a circle inscribed on the floor. These used some fell power to shove Taravin into the circle where he became trapped and blasted with negative energy.

Soon, the ghostpriests found themselves over matched, and the Mercenaries began splattering their ectoplasmic forms into puddles of goo. The avolakia in the vortex bought himself some time with a wall of stone, forcing Morak to step into the ethereal plane to pass. Ranulph, on the ghost’s side of the wall, floated up and attacked with his blade. The spirit mystically shoved him directly into the vortex, which ripped asunder his soul, sending pieces of it hurtling into oblivion. The brave warrior barely escaped using his skeleton key.

Taravin went in next, warded by the strength of Kelemvor. Meanwhile, Eolas flitted past the wall with but a thought and a dimension door. Taravin channeled positive energy into the ghost, weakening it greatly. From the ethereal plane, Morak blasted the ghost with scathing divine fire, destroying it.

With the guardians defeated, Saedd was able to discover the secret of the vortex controls and shut it down. The island shook with Kyuss’ screams of rage. When he emerges from his prison, he will no doubt seek to carve out satisfaction to his frustrations from the Mercenaries’ hides.

Restaurants in Panama City Beach

by: Charles Plemons - July 22nd, 2008   Filed under: Food Add Comment

I recently returned from another trip to Panama City and Panama City Beach. I ate at a number of restaurants there, and here are some of my thoughts on them.

  • Bishop’s Family Buffet – We ate at Bishop’s toward the end of our trip. The buffet is very well stocked with a good variety, including steak, spaghetti, fish, crab legs, shrimp, and chicken. I really enjoyed the food, but be prepared to pay dearly for it. The evening buffet is upwards of $23 a person. Part of this is the all-you-can-eat crab legs; since I don’t like crab legs, this is not a selling point for me. Overall a good experience, but the price keeps it from being on my “must return” list.
  • IHOP – We don’t have an IHOP around here, so we try to eat at them when we find them. There is a new one at the end of 23rd street at the junction with U.S. 231, on the left past Panama City Mall. It is your typical IHOP, but I include it here because most people wouldn’t go this far out and stumble upon it.
  • McDonald’s – We went once to the McDonald’s at 16990 Front Beach Road. They don’t have the Dollar Menu, so don’t ever bother going there.
  • Pizza Hut – We called the Pizza Hut at 16726 Front Beach Road at around 7:00 p.m. on a Sunday or Monday evening. They had a two-hour wait. We ordered Domino’s and got it in 30 minutes (just like the commercial).
  • Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-BQ – I ate at the Sonny’s on the corner of Back Beach Road and Beckrich Road. This is becoming one of my favorite restaurants in the area. The food is excellent and prices very reasonable. I was disappointed to find they changed the menu this year and no longer offer the build-your-own combinations that allow you to try several different things at once. However, we ended up eating here twice, and I had the pulled pork one night and pulled chicken another. Both were excellent. If you get cornbread, you get less than if you get garlic bread. The baked beans are very good as well. Overall, I was very pleased with Sonny’s and will certainly eat there again in the future.
  • Treasure Ship – My wife and I love to go to the Treasure Ship on Thomas Drive. The food is really good, and the atmosphere very pleasant. It is not an inexpensive meal, but I’ve always found it worth it. Get the Treasure Ship Trio appetizer; it is cheese sticks, chicken fingers, and fried shrimp. Delicious! This year, for the main meal I got mahi-mahi and really liked it. Their salads, sadly, have a lot to be desired though. Me, my wife, and my two-year-old ate for around $70.
  • Whataburger – We don’t have a Whataburger locally, and I really like the food. We stopped at the one on highway 331 in Defuniak Springs, FL. The food is good, but it is way overpriced. It was $17 for the three of us to eat, and we got nothin’ fancy. I like a good burger, but for this much, you can keep it. I have an idea to save some costs and lower those prices; I don’t need a flat screen TV over the urinal.