The Kiss

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  “Ryabovitch pulled the bed-clothes over his head, curled himself up in bed, and tried to gather together the floating images in his mind and to combine them into one whole. But nothing came of it. He soon fell asleep, and his last thought was that someone had caressed him and made him happy—that something extraordinary, foolish, but joyful and delightful, had come into his life. The thought did not leave him even in his sleep. When he woke up the sensations of oil on his neck and the chill of peppermint about his lips had gone, but joy flooded his heart just as the day before.” The Kiss By Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)

Truth in the Balance

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Years ago, the cover of the Saturday Evening Post displayed a painting by Leslie Thrasher showing a woman buying a Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey was on the scales and the butcher is standing behind the counter. The customer, a lady of about 60, stands watching the weigh in. The butcher and the lady each had a pleased look on their faces, but a closer look reveals they each knew something of a secret. Their faces showed nothing unusual going on, but Thrasher shows us their hands. The butcher is pressing down on the scales with a thumb while the woman is pushing up with her finger. Both would resent being called thieves, or even liars. But neither saw anything wrong with a little deception.

"A little lie is like a little pregnancy--it doesn't take long before everyone knows." (C.S. Lewis)

"A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who tells lies will not escape." (Proverbs 19:5)

"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)

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