Wise words to begin the last month of the year

In looking over some old posts at Baylyblog, I came across these words:

Much of what he's written . . .is of a tone and demeanor that would warn any godly souls away. . . .if you come across . . .you may wonder why I don't respond to his specific complaints. The answer is that life is short and it's clear to me that no truthful answer will satisfy him.

I've edited the specifics to highlight Tim's admonition and its applicability to so many situations we allow ourselves to get sucked into with this marvelous tool, the internet.

And, today, I agree with David Bayly who encourages us to go read this post by the ever challenging Doug Wilson.

Now this from my friend, Greg Laughlin, via an email discussion:

My experience is that essential issues are those on which the person making the distinction is orthodox and non-essential issues are those on which he is not.

Finally, via the same email conversation, David Mills gives us an excellent illustration of the just plain wrongness of the high dudgeon some Anglicans are getting themselves into over the Vatican's recent offer to disaffected Anglicans:

This often comes with the news that -- Shock and Horror! -- the offer actually requires agreeing with Catholic teaching. It's like giving your wife a necklace and finding the old lady down the street coming to the door to tell you, "I won't take that. I have my own necklaces.What are you trying to pull?"