I've finally completed my Proverbs 365 project!  In so doing, I've succeeded in fulfilling one of my primary resolutions from a year ago:  cataloguing 365 distinct and separate entries -- short stories, essays, poems, and personal anecdotes -- about 365 distinct and separate proverbs of King Solomon.  And even though some of the entries are better than others, overall I'm very pleased with how the project turned out.

So for the last time, I offer you a monthly review of Proverbs 365 -- from December 2010.  In addition to the exhaustive table of contents below, I want to highlight three of my personal favorites here as well...

Proverbs 6:27 is a brilliant example of what makes the Proverbs so great.  There, it reads:  "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?" But do you know what the verse is actually talking about?  That is, do you know what the context really is?  If you do, the Proverb becomes quite funny.  I do my best to explain things a little bit (without getting too much in the way of the original Proverb) in my post, P627 - Pants on Fire.  It's good realize some of the light-heartedness that can accompany seriousness in spirituality.

Have you ever found yourself in that awkward situation where a parent is publically flaunting their lack of parenting skills?  You know, where the cringe factor is extremely high for everyone within listening distance -- and you just don't know if you should say something about the situation or just try to look the other way?  I write about just such an experience in P907 - Mega-Mart Encounter.  It's a reflection on Proverbs 9:7, where it is written, "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse." As you'll see from the piece that I wrote, the operative question in such a situation is perhaps not so much if abuse is taking place -- but to whom?  Food for thought, at any rate...

When I talk with old friends and family back in America about my life in Amsterdam, one question that comes up from time to time is about the "dangers" of the city's celebrated Red Light District.  Namely:  sexual temptation.  In my post P1122 - Gold Rings and Red Lights, I wrote about this situation, saying: "I live in Amsterdam -- world-famous for its Red Light (prostitution) District... I am also a red-blooded heterosexual man... It would stand to reason that this combination should be something of a problem for me -- at least if you consider the fact that I'm a married man, striving to follow the Bible's guidelines for healthy sexuality... But honestly, it's never really been much of an issue for me." How could this be?  I explain myself further in my reflections on Proverbs 11:22.

Finally, for the complete listing of December's content, here are the titles of all 31 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content:

• P120 - Down to the Last 31 of 365
• P212 - The Meaning of Happiness (or Lack Thereof)
• P318 - The Old Maple Tree
• P424 - Mouth-Heart Seepage
• P511 - Dawn of a New Day
• P627 - Pants on Fire
• P704 - Bros Before Hoes
• P813 - Hating and Fearing
• P907 - Mega-Mart Encounter
• P1031 - Words, Words, Words
• P1122 - Gold Rings and Red Lights
• P1224 - All About the Diligence
• P1309 - Incarnation #2
• P1430 - A Heart at Peace
• P1519 - The High Road
• P1626 - Appetite Lost?
• P1727 - Leading with Balance and Restraint
• P1818 - Paper-Rock-Scissors
• P1922 - The Sociological Effects of Unfailing Love
• P2001 - Everything in Moderation
• P2124 - Mocker Is His Name
• P2206 - The Proverb that Strikes Fear into the Heart of Every Parent
• P2319 - Is God More Like Scrooge or Like Santa?
• P2429 - Reverberations of Reconciliation
• P2506 - No Place Among Great Men
• P2617 - Tussle in Tennessee
• P2722 - Mortar and Pestle
• P2825 - Civic Responsibility
• P2901 - Neck-Stretching Exercises
• P3010 - Minding My Own Business
• P3117 - Addressing the Weakness and Subservience of the Proverbs 31 Woman

If you've been a part of this journey through the Proverbs, thank you for the energy that you've brought into the process.  Any feedback that you might have would be welcomed For the time being, the content from Proverbs 365 will remain intact, at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com -- but I could easily imagine that there will come a time when that space from the website will be reallocated for other purposes.  As much as possible, I will do my best to inform you about any of these changes ahead of time.

Again, thank you for your interest in the Proverbs 365 project.  I'll never forget the year that I spent soaking in the wisdom of the Proverbs... And I hope that in some small way, the same might be true for anyone else who was along for the ride.