March 2023

I had a great line in a sermon a few weeks ago (I say that with all due humility). I said, “Leviticus is the place where New Year’s Resolutions with respect to the Bible go to die.” It’s true. It is a book filled with regulations, laws, and rules. It’s nearly impossible to read. But without Leviticus, one of the most beautiful books of the Bible, Ruth, could not exist. This is what a levitical economy and society looks like: protections for widows, orphans, and immigrants. Take a break from farming the land every seven years to allow the land to produce its bounty on its own literally give the earth a sabbath year every seven years. Restore ancestral property to its original owners every fifty years, and eliminate all debt held by individuals. This makes generational poverty impossible. Allow freedom of movement across borders, so that people can safely settle where there are adequate resources- and it’s safe for their children. Survival is not dependent on the generosity of the wealthy, who can withdraw their support at any time. Protections for the most vulnerable are built in. compare the plight of Naomi and Ruth to immigrants and refugees today; not just those coming to America, but around the world: people fleeing war, climate change, drought, famine, unsafe living conditions, lack of adequate jobs and resources.

The Whitesboro Parks and Recreation Department will host its fifteenth community art show March 10-12 at the Jimmie O. Rector Community Center. The show is open to all area artists to submit their art work for viewing. This event is entirely free; there is no charge to artists submitting their work, and there is no charge to visit and view the art.

Dear Abby: I am a healthy, single, 76-year-old man. I spend lots of time at a local gym. I met a woman there two years ago, and we went out for coffee. She’s a few years younger than I am. She told me she was married, but it was a “complex” marriage. What started as a friendship morphed into an intimate affair.

Dear Dr. Roach: I have a degenerating L5-S1 disc as well as osteoarthritis in my left hip, and both are bone on bone. I will eventually need a hip replacement and possibly back surgery, but I’m trying to prolong anything until I get on Medicare in eight months. I stay as active as I can by walking my dog, exercising (weights and biking), and getting back into yoga after a hiatus due to COVID. I also stretch almost daily and play with my grandsons.

Abkhazia is positioned near Georgia, the Black Sea, the Caucasus mountains, and Russia. But it is not the location of Abkhazia that grabs my attention, but rather one of the things the villagers are known for — the longevity of the people who live there.