Shortcuts and Narrow Gates We bought a house in 2016. It seems simple enough, and when you look at the photos I share here, it looks beautiful, doesn't it? But what you don't see are the hidden shortcuts taken by the previous owners. Deadly and costly shortcuts. The RV carport in the picture below was the first thing to go - it was the source of all of the dry rot. Dry rot is a disease to wood, it weakens the wood until the structure is no longer sound. Shortcuts are not an excellent solution to problems. Why show this? Well, because the temperatures are dropping in the Puget Sound and one of the other shortcuts the previous owners took was to install the back door themselves instead of having it done by a professional. This means when the winter wind blows, and yes, it can blow here in our temperate climate, it comes through the bottom of my door, keeping my kitchen cold and making it difficult to keep the whole house warm. Shortcuts a
Jesus: Touching the Untouchable "8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy [ a ] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matthew 8: 1-4 - Christian Standard Bible Leprosy in the Bible was seen as a curse from God and with good reason. When Miriam and Aaron grumbled against Moses, God afflicted Miriam for seven days in Numbers 12. "12 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the