Tommy Mann

I have always liked refreshments. Even the word itself sounds promising, like I am about to receive something that will refresh me and make me feel better. When we hear the word refreshments we are almost always talking about snacks: we go to a meeting, and someone says, "Be sure to help yourself to some refreshments." The meeting may be boring, but if they have donuts and coffee, things are starting to look up.  In Proverbs 3 Solomon uses the word refreshment when he promises his son blessings from the Lord. That is the only time we see this word in the entire Bible. This is what the king tells his son in v.7-8 "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." The Hebrew word translated as refreshment appears twice more in the Bible, but both times it is translated as drink, as that is the best definition of the word. Sometimes we just need a good drink. Solomon is offering his so...

“Good grief, Charlie Brown!” Many of us remember Lucy, the snarky character created by Charles Schultz for his Peanuts comic strip. Whether reading the comic in the “funny pages,” or watching the classic holiday cartoons, we commonly see Lucy roll her eyes in exasperation as she repeats her famous catchphrase (she is also fond of calling him a blockhead). Have you ever wondered what the phrase good grief means? More than just an alliterated anecdote, I believe there is such a thing as good grief. Or as Paul put it, there is a godly grief. In II Corinthians 7:10 he said, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” It is important to understand the context here. Earlier in this chapter the apostle mentioned a previous letter he sent to the Christians in Corinth, and after he sent the letter, he sat and worried about their reaction. Was he too harsh calling out their sin? Would they get angry and hate him? Or would ...