A long time ago I wrote a post called “Why I’d Rather Not Blog.”  It was actually an exercise in self-persuasion.  I talked myself into thinking I had a few things to say that, in their own small way, might be of value in the scheme of things.

I haven’t lost faith in my expressive capabilities or the worth of my observations but I have learned a thing or two.  The first is never doubt Jesus.  Nobody knows what they’re talking about like Jesus.  Sometimes it’s downright shocking how a look at a passage I’ve been reading for over fifty years can deliver fresh, slap-in-the-face clarity and put the world back in order.

The second thing I’ve learned is that I shouldn’t be surprised at surprising things, especially when they’re the very things Jesus tells us to expect.  Hence the title of this piece and its reference to this often…