We Skipped A Month
Bro. Yater Taut once said that the way to write an editorial was "place a clean sheet of paper in the typewriter, and then sit there and look at it until you sweat blood." He did not say what to do when your back hurts so you can't sit there, and yet your blood has turned to water (you are scared to death to move lest it hurt some more).
Severe back pains stopped this editor cold last month, so PLAIN TALK was not published in November. A trip to Scott-White is coming up, and we hope future editions will be uninterrupted. He is NOT getting old! (much)
More "Stuff"
Stuff About Things, paragraph 2, says: "It is amazing what brethren will do to satisfy their pride, that they will not do for the Lord." This statement was allowed to remain, with the thought that "in context" readers would understand we meant pride could prompt apparent "doing" for Christ. It may promote better buildings, more effort to enlarge attendance, larger contributions, etc.
But I want to go on record as saying that in reality no real good ever came from (the fruit of) evil. God, in His providence, may "lead captivity captive," but to no credit of the evil forces. If "good comes" as the seeming result of ungodly conduct and attitudes it is in spite of and not because sin produces righteousness. Condensed
With some hesitancy (we don't know just how you'll take this) we suggest you read Plain Talk articles with a little extra concentration. We try to boil a full-length article down to one short page here. It forces us to use a more exacting vocabulary (a few words must say very much) and we can not do much repeating or expanding. But we try to make each article complete within itself; properly outlined, and sufficiently scriptured. Needless to say, we do not always succeed; but please -- don't give up on the first reading. There may be a point somewhere in all this stuff.
Do Us A Favor
If not with that vile pagan holiday spirit, maybe as a New Year Resolution. Send us your change of address before you move, and include the old address in the correspondence. Second class mail is not forwarded; the paper is destroyed, and we pay a dime to learn that you did not get our message. Please make addresses easy to read, and accurate. Thanks!!