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Fringe: The Fringe Condition of Hunger and Thirst God Favors

Are you hungry?  Are you thirsty?

Let me tell you about a time when I was thirsty.  One of my high school football coaches graduated from the “Pain-is-Pleasant” school of coaching.  He believed the more harmed we were in practice the more hardened we’d be for games.  This was especially true during two-a-days.  Each August, we’d gather twice a day for long practices in hot weather.  What I most remember about those practices is my thirst.  Our coach did not believe in water bottles, water jugs, or water at all.  He thought that having water available during practice was a sign of weakness.  Thus, even during the hot two-a-days, there was no water to drink.  After two hours of drills, plays, and sprints, every electrolyte our bodies possessed had been squeezed out and shot in the back of the head.  In the closing minutes of our practices, when we ran the length of the field again and again, I frequently remember almost passing out.  And when the coach mercifully ended practice, we’d run into the locker room and drink.  We wouldn’t drink from the water fountain.  We’d turn the showers on cold and stand under them and guzzle until our bellies were gorged.

Have you ever been thirsty like that?Read More »Fringe: The Fringe Condition of Hunger and Thirst God Favors

Fringe: The Fringe Conduct of Mercy God Favors (Matt. 5:7) Chris Altrock

In 1981 a young boy named Adam Walsh was abducted and murdered.  The search for Adam’s killer eventually led the father John Walsh to become the host of a popular television series called “America’s Most Wanted.”  In one of his books, John Walsh sheds light on some of the criminals featured on his show—their crimes, their attempts to escape justice, their capture and eventual punishment.  The name of the book is “No Mercy.”[i] The title resonates with many people.  When it comes to America’s Most Wanted, we want “no mercy.”  We want them to get what they deserve.  We do not want to give them mercy.Read More »Fringe: The Fringe Conduct of Mercy God Favors (Matt. 5:7) Chris Altrock

Fringe: The Fringe Conduct of Peacemaking God Favors

I ate lunch earlier this month with a man who had recently moved to Memphis.  His sixteen year old son was having a hard time transitioning to his new school and neighborhood.  His best friends were still back in his Florida hometown and he hadn’t yet made new friends in Memphis.  The son felt like an outsider.  “I guess the move has hit him the hardest of anyone in our family,” the father said.

It’s hard to be an outsider isn’t it?  We want to be included.  We want to be accepted.Read More »Fringe: The Fringe Conduct of Peacemaking God Favors

Fringe: The Fringe Conduct of Persecution God Favors

“Fringe” is a science fiction television series.  It is a mixture of “Twilight Zone” and “X-Files.”  The series is named after a fictitious division of the FBI called “Fringe Division.”  Fringe Division uses methods which are outside the norm in order to investigate unexplained events around the world.  Eventually the FBI’s Fringe Division learns the cause of these unexplained events.  They discover the existence of an alternate earth.  This earth exists in a parallel universe.  In some ways the alternate earth is similar to the original earth.  In other ways it is quite different.  These two earths have recently been interfering with one another, creating havoc on both planets.  Fringe Division learns there are leaders on the alternate earth who are striving to destroy the original earth because the original earth threatens the existence of the alternate earth.  Much of the series revolves around this power struggle between the two parallel worlds.Read More »Fringe: The Fringe Conduct of Persecution God Favors