Beverly Joy Roberts

Most people’s views can be summed up in one of three colors; black, white or gray.   Black or white referrers to how we interpret right and wrong.  It’s either one or the other with no place in between unless you find yourself in the gray zone.  (...and you know who you are.) Choosing to be firmly rooted and unmovable in your views can be a very happy place if you are the only human being living on the whole planet.  But, as soon as another person arrives, there will be an opinion different than yours--sooner or later.   ...and how are you going to handle that? Here's how Adam, the first person on earth, handled it.   God said, "It’s not good for you to be alone," So he made Eve for Adam and he was ecstatically happy with his gift.  Until he made a bad choice.  Then Adam said to God, “This woman YOU gave me, made me do it.”  (My paraphrase.) Hum?  It sounds like Adam was neither black or white when it came to his own disobedience.  By blaming Eve, he w

I know it's rude to ask how much something costs, but it's a curiosity that we all have.   Most of us have the decorum to hold back, but sometimes in the right situation, I've been known to ask this question, "How much did that cost?" Recently, I bought a new (to me) old desk off of Facebook Marketplace.  I didn't want to pay any more than the budget I had set for myself.  Then the negotiations began, I ended up paying $10 above my budget because I saw potential in the old desk.  I knew I could clean it up, repair it, and the desk would be beautiful.  It turned out to be an easy job with the help of Old English and some wood glue.  I bet you'd like to know what I paid for it! When you are the one paying for something--you tend to value it differently.  Don't get me wrong, f ree stuff is great,  but when you put down your hard-earned money, that purchase is all the more precious. King David understood this principle.  In 2 Samu

Have you ever looked at someone's outward appearance and made a determination based on that? I have.  Not proud of this--but it's true. I've looked at people who were dressed poorly and decided they were lazy and choose poverty over hard work. I've seen married couples or those dating and wondered what does he see in her or she in him.  What brought them together? I've met people in group settings and made a snap judgment that she's too loud or he's too bossy.  Come on, I know, I'm not alone in this. Actually, if you have felt as I have, we're not alone. In 1 Samuel, David was passed over by his own father.  Jesse, the father of David, called all his sons to be examined by the Prophet Samuel as the possible successor to King Saul.  But guess who was overlooked?  Jesse's youngest son, David, remained in the fields tending the sheep.  His father and brothers didn't even consider him a worthy contender for the job. David was un

Election Day was yesterday. I hope you voted!   In my circle of influence and from my own perspective, I can see things that are wrong.   I may not have a perfect solution for making everything better, but I like to think I try to do the right thing.   The book of Ruth was written during the times of the Judges.  This was a time when everyone did what was right in their own eyes.  That sounds like our society today.  In the time of the Judges, this question was seldom heard,  How can I make this better?    Then the book of Ruth appears as an oasis in the desert--a story of hope, in times of spiritual darkness.  Ruth's story shows us that in spite of what we saw in the book of Judges with the evil and wickedness, there are people of principle and faith to be found.   For the sake of keeping this short, there is one thing that I want to look at in this book--the kinsman-redeemer.  Even though scripture does not record it, I believe Boaz could have easily asked this