Hello, I'm John Eldridge, and welcome to the Ransomed Heart Audio Podcast.

For more information on Ransomed Heart Ministries, our resources and events,

please visit us online at W.W.

Ransomed Heart.com.

Hello, this is Craig McConnell and this is the Ransomed Heart Podcast for this week.

And I'm alone today, and what I would like to offer for your hearts encouragement is a reading for my journal and hopefully entries like this will make a book. You can find writing such as this on our

website at ransomed heart.com and check out either John's blog or Craig's block.

I titled this reading of a journal entry,

chessless rats for men.

My wife, Lori, and I,

we took a week's vacation with our friends and family over the 4th of July in Southern California.

On Sunday, we attended the church, my son-in-law is planting in Redlands, California.

As it happens, he's teaching on one of my top ten most disruptive things Christ said. You'll recognize the passage.

Christ says, you have heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that

you may be sons of your father in heaven.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the

tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?

Do not even pagans do that?

Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.

It comes from Matthew Chapter 5.

My first reaction is along the lines of,

...