Jeremy Pate (Page 2)
TRIPADVISOR: ETERNITY
If you are ever traveling through Stroudsburg, PA, you might want to steer clear of the Pocono Plaza Inn. According to tripadvisor.com (a trusted consumer-based website that ranks hotels, airlines, restaurants, etc.), this hotel is in the top 10 worst hotels in the country. Some of the reviews for this hotel include: “There was a family in the room next to me. I heard them getting a shower. Shortly after the shower turned on I heard a gurgling sound in…
The Not-So-Magnificent Seven
If you are a fan of westerns, you will probably agree that “The Magnificent Seven” is a pretty great movie. In this movie, made in 1960, a poor village hires seven gunfighters to help defend them from a group of bandits who continue to loot and oppress them. Although the gunfighters sustain losses, they are successful in liberating the village from their oppressors. It is an exciting, thrilling, and even heartwarming movie about courage, sacrifice, and standing up for something…
A Quick Checkup
I have been wearing glasses and/or contacts since the third grade. Without corrective lenses, I have trouble seeing anything that isn’t directly in front of me. For those of you who understand prescription strengths, my contact lens prescription is now a -6.5 in my left eye and a -7.25 in my right eye. Yes, it’s bad. Lately, I’ve been using some reading glasses along with my contact lenses because my vision has gotten progressively worse over the past year. Sometimes…
Father Walks Out On Sinning
As I was running on the treadmill this morning, I saw a news story on one of the televisions entitled, “Mom Walks Out on Signing.” It caught my attention, so I watched it for a few minutes. Jacob Copeland is a four-star wide receiver from Pensacola, FL, and he was recently faced with the difficult choice between Florida, Tennessee, and Alabama on National Signing Day. When he revealed his commitment to the Gators by putting on the Florida hat, his…
Cutting Your Losses
What’s the most expensive mistake you’ve ever made? If I had the time, I could tell you about a $12,000 mistake that I made several years ago. It was the result of misplaced trust, and although it seemed like a good idea at the time, it was $12,000 that I will probably never see again. Maybe your “expensive mistake” was in the form of a vehicle, a home, or a piece of equipment that caused more trouble than it was…
What Are You Waiting For?
The Bible tells us that he had been lame since birth. This man was “laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple” (Acts 3:2). Can you imagine living in this kind of situation? Can you imagine what it would be like to depend on others just to take you from one place to the other? Can you imagine having to beg for money every single day,…
Judas Was Cool
Over the past week, I have been studying John’s account of the “Last Supper.” John takes up a considerable amount of space within his Gospel regarding this one event; five chapters, to be exact (John 13-17). Through John’s writing, we are given a window into this intimate, important, and meaningful meal that was shared between Jesus and His disciples. There are many lessons that could be learned from this text, but for the purposes of this article, I would like…
Pride: Four Questions
Last week, we entered into a study on the destructive nature of pride. We saw the dangers and the deceptive nature of this deadly sin, and there can be no mistake that pride is not a trait that a Christian should allow into his or her life. As a wise man once wrote, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Pro. 16:18). The Bible is literally FILLED with warnings concerning pride, arrogance, haughtiness, conceit, boasting, etc.,…
How Are You Tracking?
I began 2018 by purchasing a new fitness tracker. I now wear it on my wrist, everywhere I go. Fun fact: I have the wrist of a 12-year old girl. This amazing device keeps up with my heart rate, calories, and steps; it monitors my sleep patterns, tells me the weather, and it keeps up with how many questions my kids ask me while we’re in the minivan. Ok, that last one isn’t true, but it would be cool if…
Pride (In The Name Of…)?
Pride is a big problem. Although the Bible makes this truth abundantly clear, we often live with a significant amount of self-deception in this area of our lives. We notice pride instantly in someone else’s life, but we tend to either overlook it or blatantly justifyit in our own lives. When we allow pride into our lives, it is typically “in the name of” something else, such as “a healthy self confidence,” “standing up for myself,” or some form of a personal “identity” that we…
Rotten Tomatoes
I love movies. As a lover of movies, I have come to appreciate a website called “rottentomatoes.com.” This is a site that basically collects movie reviews from critics all over the country, determines whether each review is “positive” or “negative,” and then assigns each movie a certain percentage of “freshness” or “rottenness.” These ratings are typically posted at least a week before the movie comes out, which is helpful if you are “on the fence” about going to a certain…
My New Chair
I got a new chair for my office this week! You might be asking, “Why did you need a new chair for your office?” I’m glad you asked. I needed a new chair for my office because, as it turns out, I have been leaning to the left (literally, not politically or religiously) for the last 3.5 years. This constant, daily leaning had basically bent my office chair permanently, and its new shape was beginning to become an issue. It…