This Is Destroying Your Life
May 17, 2026Pastor Patrick presented today's message, "This Is Destroying Your Life" A video of today's message is here on YouTube. It may help to be familiar with the message but that is not required to enjoy the thoughts below.
Being very Torah-focused in these here parts, I immediately checked out Genesis 4:24 that Patrick mentioned using the seventy-times-seven expression. As Patrick mentioned, numbers in both testaments of the Bible are often not meant to be literal but a sort of expression. 40, for instance, is not so much 20+20 but rather "a lot" (40 days and nights was "a lot of time"). 7 isn't just one after 6, but rather significant, or holy. So, what is "7 and 70" in Genesis 4:24? In Genesis 4:24, we find Lamech speaking, a descendant of Cain (the Cain who killed his brother Abel), bragging about how much revenge he'll inflict if he is wronged. He's promising over the top ("a great deal of") revenge, similar to what he mentions in the previous verse: "I have slain a man for wounding me." This is outrageous revenge that the "eye for an eye" principle was introduced to prohibit. Under lex talionis ("eye for an eye"), you can't punish the perpetrator with anything more than how the perpetrator harmed the victim. It was a huge step forward in justice from a time when a person/family would wipe out an entire other family for one of that other family harming one of the first family. It's also interesting to note that this is the last time any of Cain's lineage is mentioned in the Torah. Prager also notes that another theme in the Torah is that violence begets violence down through generations. The Cain-Lamech situation would be an example.
For a previous discussion here about forgiveness and forgiving, see Forgive Us Our Sins (10/3/21).
For some in-depth discussion of Old Testament forgiveness, see:
Old Testament Forgiveness of Sins: A Biblical Atonement Guide
Forgiveness in the Old Testament (Part 2 of a 15-Part series on Forgiveness)
Bonus
Holiday Road (movie)
Yes, it's another Hallmark Christmas movie, but... While it does have one romance developing between two of the nine travelers, there's much more to this story. From the IMDB website, "Nine strangers, stranded at an airport during the holidays, unite for a Christmas road trip to Denver. Misadventures lead to unexpected bonds and heartfelt conversations."
The stories represent quite the cross-section of situations and real-life happenings. Here's the Hallmark synopsis: "When bad weather leaves each of them stranded at the airport for the holidays, a tech entrepreneur, a travel writer, a devoted mother and her son, a stubborn senior, an enigmatic woman with a hint of mystery, a couple traveling from Hong Kong, and a social media influencer all agree to rent a shared van to embark on a road trip to Denver. When their unexpected journey brings them into uncharted territory, they navigate a series of misadventures together and form a deeper bond that just might change the trajectories of each of their lives. Inspired by true events."
For sure, it's a love story. Actually, it's many stories about all kinds of love.
It's definitely worth the watch (IMHO). Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 96%. Parade said "Think of it as the Hallmark version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles with an expanded cast."
Holiday Road
And yes, a romance does develop from the very beginning that isn't particularly hard to spot if you're at all familiar with Hallmark Christmas movie storylines.
"You cannot teach someone to dream and not let them dream."
Bonus2
Eric Church's Commencement Speech
A remarkable commencement speech that is probably still being talked about when you read this. I have nothing to add.
Just watch and listen.
Full transcript.
Bonus3
Notes from Nana
For the last year or so, Nana has been texting little motivational sayings and quotes to a text group of grandkids...
Check them out: Notes from Nana.