Tuesday

Entirely overcast to open Tuesday, 63F and close to 90% but so totally Florida that lying here sitting up stretched out in bed with coffee we have the sliding door open to 7H porch and across St Andrews Bay, Davis Point, Shell-what-for-awhile-was-Island, and beyond where this tiny spot of Creation is out of its mind.

Mark Zuckerberg in a suit? Well, I use FB myself, don't I, though like he seldom wear a suit and less often a tie. But don't he look nice without his gray pullover. I bet he don't wear no pullover when he gets to my age.

Got a commitment this morning, so need to get going. Here's TGBC reading for Tuesday:

Acts 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira

But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

‘Ananias,’ Peter asked, ‘why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!’ Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. 

The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him.


 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.’ And she said, ‘Yes, that was the price.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.

Comment. One of our presidents, reportedly, at a White House dinner, took a large sip from the cup of steaming hot coffee in front of him, and, feeling his mouth blistering, instantly spit it, spewed it out, saying, "Many a damn fool would have swallowed that." Anyone who swallows the notion of "from each according to his ability to each according to his need" and thinks this is okay did not live through the Soviet Union with its endless decades of ruling by cruelty, brutality, and fear. Of course, we rationalize that they never got to true communism, but this all for one and one for all just doesn't work with human beings; perhaps with angels, but never with our human nature; and if I'm going to draw a lesson from this morning's Acts reading, it may be that the early church disproved and documented that communism does not work except with rule by fear. Teamship in games, yes in football and yes in basketball, but not in a real life except in war, battle.

Even in the above story, someone, here Peter, was in charge, and if a human is in command we've got problems.

DThos+