In 2023, an Australian man and his dog were rescued after being stranded in the Pacific Ocean for two months. Timothy Shaddock and his dog, Bella, were sailing from Mexico to French Polynesia when their boat was damaged by a storm. Miraculously, Shaddock and Bella subsisted by eating fish and drinking rainwater.

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15, ESV).

 

     I Am a Friend of God. Such is not only a personal statement but the title of a popular Christian song. The song has a strong basis for its claim. “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends” (John 15:15, ESV).

“When they were all full, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces left over; let us not waste a bit” (John 6:12, GNT).

 

My watch is no longer working properly. I have had the device for only a few years. Planned obsolescence is the reason, so I’m told.

 

It seems that many things made today are not built to last. From electronics to motor vehicles, clothing to major league sport rosters, most consumables are produced with a short shelf life in mind. In many instances, it’s more expensive to repair an item than to replace it. Such is life in a disposable society.

“So all Israel was listed in the official records of Israel’s kings” (1 Chronicles 9:1, CEB)

 

The first nine chapters of First Chronicles list several generations beginning with Adam and concluding in the early sixth century B.C. Genealogies can be boring unless the genealogy happens to list your family. The more personal a document is, the more interesting it becomes.