Jeff Ragan > Recent Status Updates

"I was proud of the corporation and proud of the men who were its elected officers. Bob Williford, once key clerk at the Dallas Hilton, now executive vice-president of the corporation... Red Ellison, bellboy, Abilene, vice-president in charge of the Western Division; Joe Binns, ex-Colonel in World War II, once manager of the Stevens, vice-president in charge of the Eastern Division" (218-9).

"And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God. Thus he said to him, 'Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father shall not find you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also.' So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord and David stayed at Horesh while Jonathan went to his house." - 1 Samuel 23:16-18

"There are nearly 50 species of snakes in the Hill Country, and the few venomous species are easily recognized. Only two venomous snake species are common across most of the Hill Country - the Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake and the Broad-banded Copperhead. Learn to recognize these two species on sight. They will not chase you; they want to get away from you more than you want to get away from them" (140).

"But David said to Saul, 'Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came & took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him & attacked him, & rescued it from his mouth; & when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard & struck him & killed him...this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.'" - 1 Sam 17:34-36

"...there is something more germane to the nature of prayer indicated by the term 'strive'. It is that earnest and consecrated prayer will be persistent and will wrestle. It is a means ordained of God for the accomplishment of his gracious designs and is the fruit of faith and expectation" (222).

"If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. And if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers." - 1 Samuel 12:14-15

"...the law as found in Exodus 20-24 is not the basis of the divine-human relationship even during the Old Testament period, but rather it is the guide for its maintenance. It is no the key to the establishment of a relationship with God, but rather to its continuance and well-being" (75).

"People can worship pieces of metal that race through space such as automobiles. Or they can worship one part of a person's life, such as sex, until it destroys the rest of their personality. But God won't stand for it. After demonstrating incredible patience, He finally says, 'Because you continually reject me year after year and spit in my face, I do the same to you" (252).

"Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose & went to Eli, & said, 'Here I am, for you called me.' Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, 'Go lie down, & it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say," Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening."'" - 1 Sam 3:7-9

"The mast has practically no taper. An elderly lady, whom I absolve from any rude intentions, once asked me if it had been a telephone pole" (522).

"But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.'" - Ruth 1:16-17

"The demonstration at Riga by General von Hutier's army was convincing proof of the soundness of the plan and of the correctness of the doctrine of training for open warfare that we were so persistently following in France and so continuously trying to impress upon the War Department at home. It simply proved that nothing in the great war had changed this age-old principle of the art of war" (206).

"Charity is an obligation but it is not a tax...It is not in the same category as a commercial debt incurred which we are under contractual obligation to pay. It is the indebtedness arising from benefits received as when we acknowledge our indebtedness to a great benefactor" (219).

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." - Joshua 21:25

"And the Lord said to the sons of Israel, 'Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites...and the Philistines? Also when the Sidonians...oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you...'" - Judges 10:11-14

"Once when Nick showed up with a pair of outrageously expensive alligator shoes (charged to my account) I was absolutely shocked. 'Nick,' I said sternly, 'I have never paid that much for a pair of shoes in my entire life.' 'Ah,' said Nick, who had a kind of candid humor in which there was no trace of impudence, 'but you never had a rich father'" (204).

"But Joash said to all who stood against him, 'Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his alter.'" - Judges 6:31

"The Red Sea crossing is the epitome of God's work of salvation, since in the same act God brings deliverance by splitting the sea and also judgment by causing the waters to close again. It is in this instance that God explicitly shows himself as the divine warrior for the first time" (71).

"Our most abundant oak species, the Plateau Live Oak, keeps green leaves all year long, dropping its leaves in the spring as it grows a new set. Live oaks may not grow especially tall (at least in comparison to many eastern oak trees), but they make up in breadth what they lack in height. Many visitors to the Hill Country marvel at our ancient, twisted, sprawling oaks..." (128).

"It appeared to be difficult for some of the bureaus of the War Department to think in terms of a world war and they naturally hesitated to make decisions on questions involving the large requirements in supply, construction, and material. If they had only realized the pressing necessity for early preparation and had accepted the views of the men on the spot, it would have saved time and patience" (183).

"Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them. And yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do as their fathers." - Judges 2:16-17

"One of the important duties of the Medical Department was the prevention and cure of venereal disease, which in all other wars had caused serious reductions in effectives...our efforts on the whole were remarkably successful. The percentage of ineffectives in our army from this cause was much lower than that of the Allies and surpassed any previous record in the history of wars" (177).

"And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel." - Joshua 24:31

"If Christ has received us, are we to refuse fellowship to those whom Christ has received? If we place restraints upon our acceptance of believers, we are violating the example of that redemptive action upon which all fellowship in the church rests" (203-4).

"Their faith was 'manna faith.' After twenty-four hours it spoiled except on occasion...Faith seemed impossible to teach."

"Being married to Zsa Zsa brought me, in many ways, more laughter and gaiety than I had ever known in my personal life. But it brought headaches and heartaches as well. It was a little like holding on to a Roman candle, beautiful, exciting, but you were never quite sure when it would go off. And it is surprisingly hard to live the Fourth of July every day" (192).