What does this mean to you?

One of the first things that they teach us at school regarding hermeneutics (principles of interpretation) is that by focusing on the question, "What does this passage mean to me?", we often miss the real meaning behind a biblical passage. At Georgetown University, Pres. Obama recently gave a speech titled, "Remarks by the President on the Economy," and in it he states:

Now, there's a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells the story of two men. The first built his house on a pile of sand, and it was soon destroyed when a storm hit. But the second is known as the wise man, for when "the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." It was founded upon a rock. We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand. We must build our house upon a rock. We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity -- a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest; where we consume less at home and send more exports abroad.

The section he's referring to comes from Matthew 7:24-27 which actually begins with Jesus' clear statement, "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a a wise man who built his house on the rock."

It seems to me that the exhortation to build a house on the rock is not really about shrewd financial management, but rather, hearing and doing the word of God. What does this passage mean to you?

Are you stressed?

It seems to me that these days we spend much of our time surfing the web, watching something on youtube, downloading some other things from the 'net... all the while putting strain on our eyes/bodies, all the while not learning very much along the way. Can I give you one piece of advice? READ!

According to the Telegraph from the U.K., for reducing stress, reading worked better than listening to music (which reduced stress by 61%), drinking a cup of tea (54%), and even taking a walk (42%). Reading was found to reduce stress by a whopping 68%! Amazing.

So what are you waiting for? Buy some books and go relieve your stress!