Rock or Sand?

“Therefore everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them will be likened to a discreet man, who built his house upon the rock-mass. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and lashed against that house, but it did not cave in, for it had been founded upon the rock-mass. Furthermore, everyone hearing these sayings of mine and not doing them will be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and struck against that house and it caved in, and its collapse was great.” Matthew 7:24-27

Last night I had the privilege to talk to a couple of sisters who are having great difficulties in their life. For them the rain has poured down, the flood is coming in, and the wind is howling at the door.

For one of these sisters the problem is a financial one and due to gross injustice in the world she is suffering. While it would be a mistake to say that she isn't anxious over her situation it would be wrong to say that she is fearful of the hurricane that is about to rip through her life. I admire her faith and when she tells me, "I'm not scared" I sincerely believe her.

Sadly she has been abandoned in her time of need by those who should be blood bound to take care of her. I think of David who was no stranger to adversity and I secretly wonder if there will ever come a time that finds us running around and living in caves like David - our house having turned on us. But should I really wonder when the Lord Jesus tells Christians to expect that very thing? "Indeed, a man’s enemies will be persons of his own household." (Matthew 10:36) As for David I doubt any of us could match the beauty of the lyrics to his song recorded at Psalm 27.

"Jehovah is my light and my salvation.
Of whom shall I be in fear?
Jehovah is the stronghold of my life.
Of whom shall I be in dread?
...
In case my own father and my own mother did leave me,
Even Jehovah himself would take me up.
...
Hope in Jehovah; be courageous and let your heart be strong.
Yes, hope in Jehovah."

Today, in particular those who hope in Jehovah and those who follow the sayings of His son are being targeted by the accuser and his children on the earth. (Rev 12:10) But no one said that this Christian life would be easy. To the contrary our master Jesus asks us point blank at Matthew 20:10, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" He tells us, "pick up [your] torture stake day after day and follow me." (Luke 9:22,23) Following Jesus does not come without hardship and sometimes it may even mean that we have no place to lay down our head. (Luke 9:58)

But the storm of such tribulation can be met as courageously as Jesus met it. And though our house may shake a little bit in the driving wind and battering rain, and though we may startle at the crack of thunder we are confident when the morning star shines our house will still be standing; that is if our house is built on faith - faith in the Son and faith in the Father who sent him.

We are in a long-distance race "pursuing down toward the goal for the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:1) And as is true with physical marathon anyone who wishes to run such a spiritual race must build up endurance - not just in the short stretch but in the long haul. The scriptures constantly motivate us toward endurance as is found in James 1:2,3, "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when YOU meet with various trials, knowing as YOU do that this tested quality of YOUR faith works out endurance."

The Bible book of Revelation prophetically calls for a special time for endurance in the future. It speaks of a period when a worldwide government, symbolized by a seven headed wild beast, will put under compulsion all persons of the earth to receive its "mark" by submitting to its rule and rejecting the Kingdom of God. Regarding this the prophecy reads, "And it [the wild beast] puts under compulsion all persons, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, that they should give these a mark in their right hand or upon their forehead, and that nobody might be able to buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name of the wild beast or the number of its name." - Revelation 13:16,17

This prophecy indicates tests and trials for all for those who will not worship this beast-like Government and will remain loyal to God's Kingdom. We can only imagine what financial hardships will come upon those who would are not able to participate in the day-to-day commerce of buying and selling. Revelation 14:9 therefore contains a call for endurance saying, "Here is where it means endurance for the holy ones, those who observe the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Each day we are given opportunities to build this kind of endurance and faith. But too often we may find that we have spent a lot of time, perhaps all of our lives, building a hollow, lifeless faith - a sand foundation that can in no way last what is to come upon us. We may have built a beautiful sand castle. It looks impressive and yet when the waves wash ashore it instantly dissolves. If water has that effect how then will it be when the day of fire comes upon us? (2 Peter 3:5-7)

Going back to our starting scripture Matthew 7:24-27 our foundation is built on hearing and then doing the sayings of Jesus Christ. Paul says this same thing to the Corinthian congregation, "For no man can lay any other foundation than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood materials, hay, stubble, each one’s work will become manifest, for the day will show it up, because it will be revealed by means of fire; and the fire itself will prove what sort of work each one’s is. If anyone’s work that he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved; yet, if so, [it will be] as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-14)

The second sister I talked to is going through a difficult time in discovering that her foundation might not be as solid as she had once thought. I hesitate to put words in her mouth so I will speak of my own example as it is somewhat similar and in doing so I will attempt to be sensitive to those who read this. I was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and was taught many wonderful Bible truths from an early age. I was excited by the resurrection hope and the thought of living forever in a paradise on Earth. I recognized a God of love who sent his own son to die for us. I was also given a Bible based moral code to live by and while I had my failings all and all I lived a life morally elevated from those around me. Too I was also raised with a set of works that was ingrained in me from an early age - most Witnesses can easily recite this recipe for everlasting life, that is, meeting attendance, field service, personal study, Bible reading, and prayer. I did all of those things - sometimes a lot and sometimes less and occasionally not at all.

The one thing I lacked was endurance. It was not uncommon for me to pioneer for many months and then quickly become irregular in service or I would have a spurt of meeting attendance and then suddenly become absent. I had a history of numerous failed Bible reading programs. (As a result I think I have probably read Genesis more than any other book of the Bible) My prayers were spotty, hit and miss, and normally relegated to times when I felt that I needed something, mostly material. It just didn't seem like I could maintain any one area let alone manage them all.

And even when I was doing these things it was rather hollow and mechanical. The extent of my personal study was underlining a Watchtower magazine. My Bible reading was covering a prescribed amount of chapters each day and counting them down like a prison sentence. When I prayed to God I resorted to a standard set of clichés, saying the same things over and over again. My ministry activity was just passing out literature or quickly blasting through a thirty-second sermon without ever really getting to know my neighbor. And when I met together at Christian meetings I never used these opportunities for Christian fellowship. There too I missed opportunities to get to know my brothers and sisters and to demonstrate the love that was supposed to be the mark of true Christians (Hebrews 10:24,5; John 13:35)

Most of the time I just went through the motions and had fooled myself thinking that I as long as I was doing what was asked of me by an organization of men and fully relying on them that my future was secure. But the things that I was doing to build and demonstrate faith, while good and noble things, were just hay and stubble and sand. I did not have a foundation that would get me through even the smallest of life's problems, let alone the big things that shake us to our core.

One of those big things happened to me in 2004 and it resulted in my house not just giving way a bit but also completely collapsing. It feels weird to think of me then. As it is, I still remember anecdotally how it was for me and yet that person seems so foreign and strange. Was that really me who doubted the existence of God? Was that really me that flagrantly thumbed my nose at God's moral commands? My problem was when I lost my faith - I just didn't lose it a little - I lost every scrap of it. Sadly, a foundation that I had spent twenty-seven years building simply vanished overnight.

And yet here I am now by the grace (underserved kindness) of God assured of His love for me and determined to follow his commands and the words of His son, Jesus. My life has improved so much since then and in every way possible my spirituality has increased to levels I never knew. I don't blow my own horn for it was God who did the calling and the building up. As Paul put it, "You people are God's field under cultivation, God's building." (1 Corinthians 3:9) and again, "For YOU behold his calling of YOU, brothers, that not many wise in a fleshly way were called, not many powerful, not many of noble birth; but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put the strong things to shame; and God chose the ignoble things of the world and the things looked down upon, the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are, in order that no flesh might boast in the sight of God. But it is due to him that YOU are in union with Christ Jesus, who has become to us wisdom from God, also righteousness and sanctification and release by ransom; that it may be just as it is written: “He that boasts, let him boast in Jehovah.” (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Now in retrospect I can see why things went wrong for me. My faith was exclusively in imperfect men. I didn't listen to God who told me again and again and again at Psalms 146:3 "Do not put YOUR trust in nobles, Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs." and yet it was in these noble men that I absolutely staked my salvation. It is so easy to become of follower of men because to some extent it relieves us of any obligation to answer for our own decisions. At 2 Corinthians 13:5 we are told to, Keep testing whether YOU are in the faith, keep proving what YOU yourselves are.. Unfortunately we can rely too much on others to prove to us "whether we are in the faith" and focus ourselves in "pleasing men". (Galatians 1:10) After all it is men who attempt to make us accountable to them, it is men that we can see, and sadly it is these men who can become an idol standing in the way and blocking our vision to "the spiritual realities not beheld" - these very men cutting us off from the "kingdom of the heavens" (Hebrews 11:1; Matthew 23:13) Here we are living the hour, "when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth." and yet we still are tempted worship through the physical people, places, and things as if Jesus never came to earth and showed us the better way. (John 4:21) And although Jesus Christ set us free from law we still seek to gain salvation by an extensive set of rules, codes, and structured systems of works. This can become a "yoke of slavery" that can prevent us from "walking by spirit" in the very same way it proved to be a fatal stumbling block for many Christians in the 1st century. (Galatians 5:1,16-18) All of this constitutes "a form of godly devotion" and yet it is completely powerless and ineffectual. (2 Timothy 3:5)

It is not uncommon upon making these realizations to ask a hard question, "Where should I should I go now?" I asked that question and I'm sure that I wasn't the first nor will I be the last. Some who discover that their system of worship may be flawed are quick to hastily exchange it for another system of worship that is even more flawed then the one they left behind. To me this is contrary to the words of our Lord, Jesus Christ and our obligation to those related to us in the faith.

I ask this, If I were to say, "I'm in the Truth", what would that mean to you? Well you may relate "the truth" to our organization, our religion. But "the truth" as presented in the Bible is none other than Jesus. For Jesus says at John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." We would be quite foolish to attempt to come to the Father through men or an organization when Jesus is the only way. And to say that we are "in the truth" should only mean one thing to us - that we are "in union with Christ" (Galatians 3:26-29)

Again we may ask the question, "Where should we go?" However in truth it is not really a question as to where to go as it is a question of to whom to go to. The apostle Peter answers thusly, "Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life" (John 6:68) How wonderful it is to come to know our Heavenly Father through His representative, Jesus! (John 5:43) How can one not be impressed with the qualities that Jesus displayed, in particular his love and his selflessnes? It was in these things that Jesus set the example and the path for us, such as it is written in 1 Peter 2:21 "In fact, to this [course] YOU were called, because even Christ suffered for YOU, leaving YOU a model for YOU to follow his steps closely. He committed no sin, nor was deception found in his mouth."

We recognize that the brotherhood that we love so much does not belong to a legal body or any men taking the lead among us; but rather it belongs to Christ who is the head of the congregation. (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 1:12,13) Having affection for Jesus means taking care of those whom he loves and we show this by tenderly feeding and shepherding his little sheep. (John 21:15-17) Each and every occasion for gathering together as Christians provides us a beautiful opportunity to build each other’s faith, to encourage one another and "incite to love and fine works". (Hebrews 10:24,25) We strive to provide a good example of Godly conduct so that others can imitate our faith. (Hebrews 13:7) Doing so we build our own foundation by doing the words of Jesus and at the same time we help others to build a solid foundation of faith. Not that we as imperfect men become masters over the faith of others but our aim is to help others stand by means of their own faith. (2 Corinthians 1:24)

So for me I found that after going to the Father through Jesus I really had nowhere else that I needed to go. I was blessed to be in association with a group of people of who for the most part are generally interested in God and the Bible. I'm happy to attend the spiritual meetings and minister on their behalf and serve shoulder to shoulder with them as God's fellow workers in the ministry work. My hope is that in some small way I could serve them, to impart some spiritual gift, and to have a real "interchange of encouragement" through mutual expressions of faith. (Romans 1:11,12). There is an urgency in this because I realize there may come a time when I'm not able to. (John 16:2) In the meantime, I try my best to keep in mind Paul's words at Galatian 6:10, "Really, then, as long as we have time favorable for it, let us work what is good toward all, but especially toward those related to [us] in the faith."

Under the knife, the chisel, the file, the drill ...

Yesterday I had my dentist appointment to remove two very, very bad teeth. The oral surgery went well enough - the worst part being the numerous numbing shots in my gums and the roof of my mouth. My wisdom tooth came out rather quickly. It came in about five years ago and broke off at the gum line. The doctor then went to work on my abcessed tooth. I felt a little pain so we went with another round of shots that left me slackjawed. It took alot of work to get out the tooth out. I left with two prescriptions for pain medicine and my disgusting, corrupted teeth in a little envelope. It wasn't a bad experience and the dentist was nice enough - I would definately go there again but let's hope I don't have to!

New Bible

I've decided to read the Christian-Greek Scriptures through again. (As opposed to my normal routine of reading Revelation over and over and over again.) I read a nice suggestion in the past to read-through using different Bible translations so on Friday at the book store I took some time to check out a couple versions. In particular I looked at a parallel Bible that contained two very popular versions of the Bible, the New International Version (NIV) as well as the "The Message" paraphrase. Since we are currently studying Galatians I read through it in both versions.

The Message Bible was incredibly loose in how it rendered things and was greatly coloured by the translators bias. For instance when Paul enumerates the works of the flesh in Galatians chapter 5, "The Message Bible" subsituted, "repetitive, loveless, cheap sex;" for fornication. Instead of reflecting the Spirit of God the Message Bible reflects the spirit of the world, the improper idea that sex outside of marriage is ok so long as the couple loves each other. Sadly The Message Bible is extremely popular today, especially among young people.

I settled on the NIV translation which seems to be pretty good although I don't like how God's name is removed from the Hebrew Scriptures. Right now I really looking forward to going through the scriptures again. Last night in Matthew I was just absolutely floored by the beauty of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. I was really encouraged by verses 10-12 of chapter 5.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Rough Night

Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of the Christ? Will tribulation or distress or persecution or hunger or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 Just as it is written: “For your sake we are being put to death all day long, we have been accounted as sheep for slaughtering.” 37 To the contrary, in all these things we are coming off completely victorious through him that loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers 39 nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Abcessed Tooth = No iMac

About six months ago I was eating a sandwich at Quizno's and chunk of my tooth broke out. (The bread was really, really hard.) Since then little ugly brown bits have continued to come out until I now have half of a tooth. A few months back I had this awful dull feeling that was nauseating - I gave it a couple days while I debated going to the dentist. The pain went away and cancelled my appointment. Well now the pain is back 100-fold. Last Friday greeted me an intense stabbing feeling on one of my molars.

I went to dentist tonight for the first time in 6 years and I got an x-ray that determined that my tooth was horribly abcessed and that I would need a root canal. I declined the root canal - heard to many awful things about them. So now I'm up for oral surgery in a week or so. In the meantime I've got antibiotics for the infection and vicodin for the blinding pain.

So I guess this means no new iMac for my sorry self.

Sorry for sounding so pathetic and loopy ...

... must be the vicodin kicking in. smiley face. winky emoticon.

A Pale Horse

A CNN news article Bird flu 'could take 142m lives' summarized a report entitled Global Macroeconomic Consequences of Pandemic Influenza by Sydney Australia's Lowry Institute. Therein it suggests a mild pandemic could kill 1.4 million people while a "worst case" pandemic would take 142 million lives, dwarfing the Spanish Flu of 1918.

Now the question is this a legimate assessment or fear-mongering? Time will tell.

"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice as of thunder: "Come!" ... And I saw, and, look! a pale horse; and the one seated upon it had the name Death. And Hades was closely following him. And authority was given them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill ... with deadly plague." - Revelation 6:1,8

"He that bears witness of these things says, 'Yes; I am coming quickly.'"
"Amen! Come, Lord Jesus." - Revelation 22:20

A Week In Photos

Sorry for the slow load times ..

Cliche Photo #1.


Mina is a tiger. (Even gasoline wouldn't take the face paint off.)


Can you dig it?


Waiting in line for the bus.


Mina's "dinner" at the California Grill. (California Grill is quite possibly the only 4-star restaurant where you can colour on the table cloth.)



Riding on the Caroussel.



Cliche Photo #2.


Eating ice cream.


Visiting the UK.


Our English cottage.




Poor man's LOMO.

Carousel of Progress

Carousel of Progress (Adobe Illustrator 2006)

World War III

I woke up thinking on the upcoming world war, particularly how it is commonly felt by Jehovah's Witnesses that a nuclear World War III is Biblically impossible. The reasoning used is that such a war would mean the entire destruction of humanity and the earth and this would contradict what the Bible says about the longevity of the inhabited earth. (Isaiah 45:18; Ecclesiastes 1:4; Psalm 37:29)

This morning I fired up the Watchtower library CD-ROM to find where such a line of reasoning had its origins. It was surprising to discover that the Watchtower publications seem to have acknowledged the possibility of a third World War, even a nuclear one. In the 6/8/81 Awake! article, "Hope of Escaping World Destruction" the following was said "Will this nationalistic "pushing" match result in World War III? Possibly." Additionally the article acknowledged the Bible didn't specify whether an arms race would touch off World War III.

Perhaps the confusion then comes from the Reasoning book that presumes that a nuclear world war would equal the eradication of humanity and the earth. Under the subheading "Earth: Will planet Earth be destroyed in a nuclear war?" The question is raised: "Is there a possibility that, since the nations show little regard for God's purpose, they might completely ruin the earth for habitation anyway?" In answer the book says, "The nuclear power developed by the nations is fear inspiring to men. But billions of stars employ nuclear power on a scale that is beyond our ability to comprehend. Who created and controls all these heavenly bodies? Can He not prevent the nations from using their nuclear weapons in a way that would hinder his purpose? That God would do this is illustrated by his destroying the military power of Egypt when Pharaoh sought to stop the deliverance of Israel."

Such reasoning though is rooted in the old Cold War mentality of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction). MAD was a component of the arms race between the US and the old Soviet Union that maintained a tense state of peace through the idea that if one country used nuclear weapons the other would quickly respond with equal force ensuring the mutual destruction of both. It was basically a "Mexican Standoff" stalemate with both countries pointing a loaded gun at the other. Commenting on the devastating affects of any such war a Soviet Union booklet stated, "The Soviet Union holds that nuclear war would be a universal disaster, and that it would most probably mean the end of civilization. It may lead to the destruction of all mankind"

However now in the 21st-century nuclear weapons are moving from being simply a deterrent to an active part of the modern military arsenal. Many of the larger cold war nuclear missiles systems have been dismantled and phased out in favor of the development of smaller, tactical nuclear devices. A BBC News article "Mini-nukes on US agenda" said "A new form of warfare is coming. It is the extension into the nuclear field of the highly accurate conventional bombs and missiles already in use."

Plans are already on the boards to use such nuclear devices immediately against Iran. The August 1, 2005 issue of the American Conservative commented, "The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney's office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons."

So all that stands between humanity and a nuclear war is another domestic terrorist attack. The likelihood of another terrorist attack was recently expressed by counterterrorist expert Juval Aviv. When asked "Do you believe another terrorist attack is likely on American soil?", Mr. Aviv answered, "I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most." (U.S. Terror Attack - 'Ninety Days at Most' - FoxNews.com) As it presently stands nuclear war is only a matter of time.

What does the future hold? Well God's Word predicted unparalleled time of great tribulation that will soon come upon the earth. This tribulation will be so bad that if it was not cut short humanity would not survive. "for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world's beginning until now, no, nor will occur again. In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short." (Matthew 24:21,22)

Additionally Revelation 11:18 says that God's Kingdom, "will bring to ruin those ruining the earth" In that time in what way will humans be "ruining the earth"? Is it through pollution and environmental ruin as has been often stated? It appears to me that this scripture is specifically speaking of earth being ruined through violence. It is important to keep in mind that much of Revelation finds parallel in other parts of the inspired Bible. So we can compare Revelation 11:18 to Genesis chapter 6:11,12 which states the "And the earth came to be ruined in the sight of the true God and the earth became filled with violence. So God saw the earth and, look! it was ruined, because all flesh had ruined its way on the earth." Notice now the result in verse 13, "After that God said to Noah: "The end of all flesh has come before me, because the earth is full of violence as a result of them; and here I am bringing them to ruin together with the earth."

The days of Noah are directly comparable to the days leading up to Christ's coming.(Matthew 24:37,38) It would not be unreasonable to assume that the earth may be filled with violence just as in the days of Noah. Indeed a comparison or Revelation 11:18 to Genesis 6 give evidence that this will be the case. Jesus' words in Matthew 24:6 give indication that a period of wars will come before the time of the end. He says, "You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet."

Looking at the news it appears as if things are definitely heading toward a period that has been termed, "The Clash of Civilizations". The conflict between Islam and the West is strengthening and increased war and violence loom on the horizon. World War III appears to be right around the corner - or perhaps in retrospect it may have already started.

What can we do? I like how Jesus expresses it at Luke 21:34-36:

"But pay attention to yourselves that YOUR hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon YOU as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth. Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that YOU may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man."

Seriously give consideration to this. For instance how often have you prayed that you and your family will be delivered from the coming tribulations? How often have you heard someone in the congregation pray that we make escape these things? If your answer is, "not very often" or "never" then we really need to note that this scripture says that we should be making supplication "all the time".

There and Back Again

We had our return flight today in the afternoon and it is good to be home. I missed associating with my friends quite a bit so it was excellent to jump right back in with a nice discussion on Galatians today. Galatians 2:6-9 gave me something to think about, how as sons of Abraham we are needing to imitate the faith of Abraham. I don't feel that I given enough attention to the example of Abraham.

Our trip was nice. The weather was usually chilly in the morning but pleasant in the afternoon. At first seven days seemed a bit drawn out but as the week progressed our touring pace dropped to more a relaxing jaunt. Highlights for me included an excellent dinner at California Grill, drinking and eating 'round the world at Epcot, and riding Expedition Everest at the Animal Kingdom over and over and over and over again.

California Grill is billed as market cuisine and I'm still unsure about what that means. They had a brand new menu when we went on Wednesday. We started the meal with cocktails while we ate the Quadruple Cheese Flat Bread with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil Pesto. For the first course Rebekah had Roasted Pumpkin Soup with pumpkin seed pesto and spiced creme fraiche. I don't really like pumpkin but I thought that it was pretty nice and little sweet. I ordered the usual sushi sampler as my first course. As always California Grill had great sushi. For the main course Rebekah got the Oak-fired Beef Filet with Potato and Gorgonzola Pave, Blue Lake beans, and Tamarind Barbecue Sauce. I ordered the Black Grouper with olive oil wrapped potatoes, piperade, merguez sausage and crispy rock shrimp. My grouper was crispy and excellent - all good except for the sausage, it was way too spicy and overpowering for how delicate the fish was. For desert we split Heirloom Apple Tart - Braeburn Apple and Brown Butter Tart - with autumn spiced-apple cider ice cream and caramel sauce. We were able to watch fireworks while dined which is always an added bonus.

Photo pictorial is forthcoming ...

Sick as a dog but looking forward to vacation.

Tuesday night I started getting a runny nose which I initially chaulked up to allergies. Then Wednesday it got worse which tells me I have a cold. Today I woke up and I was congested. That usually means I'm on the mend. So hopefully I will be well when our vacation starts on Saturday. I just hope that I haven't passed anything on to Rebekah or Mina.

Rebekah and I will be going on vacation on Saturday. It has been somewhat of a last minute affair - usually we plan months in advance. These past few weeks have been a lot of scrapping by money-wise in order to make it. Of course I'm looking forward to going on vacation but secretly I have mixed feelings. Like I feel as if I'm trying to squeeze out one last hurrah before the world ends. But it is difficult and stressful to live always in panic mode and I hope I can be forgiven for desiring to get a week's relief. Maybe?

So we are going on vacation and in preperation I'm doing one of my favorite things in the world - Making T-Shirts. Rebekah lamented the fact that she would never find a "Carousel of Progress" t-shirt so I decided that I would try to make her one. Unfortunately I could only find a really grainy image of the ride poster I wanted to use so I decided to try to draw a copy of the poster in Illustrator. I was quite pleased with how it turned out. You can take a look at the copy on my art blog. Not a perfect replica by any means but close enough.

Work has been rough because our NAS server is broken. It kept freezing up during backups and then pretty much everything else. I thought I might try to reinstall everything back to the factory settings. The difficulty is that this device does not have a CD-ROM drive. We had to do a factory reinstall over the network which was a long drawn out convoluted process. I spent all day on the phone with Pat from Dell. We got the server back up and running and I was happy; but my happiness didn't last long. The server started freezing up again so the assumption now is that it is hardware related. So today Dell is sending out a technician with pretty much a replacement part for everything because no one has any ideas as to what is wrong with it. Fun stuff to do right before a vacation when you are already trying to catch up on everything else.

--

While doing research on Nimrod and Babel I happened to run across a web site that literally made me step back and say, "Whoa!". I had thought that the term "paradise earth" was exclusively used by JWs to describe the coming new earth. However it is also used by fomer UN assistant secretary general Robert Mullar to describe his concept of a future world united under a world government like the UN (United Nations) and an interfaith religion like the URI (United Religions Iniaitive). You can read more about his goals at one of his web-sites, www.paradiseearth.us. It almost seems like Satan's objective in the final part of the days is to set up a counterfeit kingdom and faux paradise earth. Time will tell. Regardless, we must be absolutely vigilant and not be deceived, no matter how desirable or good that any such counterfeit kingdom may seem to be. (Genesis 3:6) The real paradise earth will not come from human governments but from Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Scriptures to consider:

Psalms 146:3 "Do not put YOUR trust in nobles, Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs."

John 18:36 "Jesus answered: “My kingdom is no part of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from this source."

1 Thessalonians 5:3 "Whenever it is that they are saying: “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape."

Crafty

I've been spending some time doing what is possible my favourite past-time -- making t-shirts! I'm doing the designs on Illustrator and they are looking good. So far so good as long as I do not screw up the iron-on transfer.

And speaking of crafts I want to pass along this great concept from MommyCoddle. It's called a "Mini-Swap". The idea is that children from all parts of the world exchange arts and crafts and such with one another. Mina simply loves getting packages in the mail so I think that this would be really fun!

And while we are on the subject I want to draw attention to this great illustrator, Claire Robertson. In a perfect world she would be doing the artwork for the Something Felt album. (In a perfect world we would have a drummer and be able to finish our album.)

Additionally I placed the entire 6a2 album 6a2:SixAfterTwo up for free a download, complete with art. Attention ad agencies: I'm totally ready to sell-out and am eagerly awaiting your call! These are great songs for car commercials!

And while you are busy downloading free music be sure to go over to Band Kids Unite and download a new EP from Nathan Lee: "Nathan is an "Umb"", and if you haven't got it already Reed Sutter's "How I Wasted My Youth".

Weekend Update

On Friday we were invited over to a brother's apartment for pizza. It was a real good time and somehow both Rebekah and I managed to avoid eating the pizza, cookies, and cake. Hurray for will power! The association was good but I have such mixed feelings over it.. On the one hand it is great to be around moral people who don't use profanity and yet on the other hand I just wish that somehow our conversations could be more spiritually upbuilding. We talked about food and cars and sports and weather and work; but, outside of the prayer for the food, Jehovah or Jesus didn't get mentioned. I'm willing to share the blame because though I really enjoy speaking about spiritual things I'm always hesitant to bring it up.

Another cause for worry is the teenage boys in our hall are all into violent activities - first person shooter video games and airsoft weapons are their favourite things it seems. It's pretty sad to me when they get together and they all bring out their guns. So I've been kicking myself about figuring out how to help them. I can relate to them; afterall, it wasn't all that long ago that me and my friends were playing early multi-player shooters like Duke Nukem 3D. Yet at the same time that seems so much more innocent than what is going on now. You take a game like "Medal of Honor" were you are playing the role of US military squadron during WWII walking around realistically shooting Germans. Then I think about how back in the 40's our brothers on both sides suffered considerably for not getting involved in warfare but now in the 21st century it is a fun diversion. And I can't help but to speculate about if/when the draft comes how will these young men be able to claim Christian neutrality and opposition to war if they regularly engage in warefare on their X-Box's or in airsoft arenas. I've requested to give an upcoming talk at the meeting on "violent video games" and I pray that I'll be able to help them out without coming down too harshly or alienating them. I can still remember when me and my friends had to sit through a local needs on violent video games and how unpleasant it was for us at the time.

On Saturday Mina went and stayed overnight with her aunt and uncle. Rebekah and I enjoyed a night alone with a DVD and crispy pork tacos with guacamole along with some tasty chocolate covered strawberries. Then on Sunday we went to the meeting and enjoyed a talk by a brother who had just moved away from our hall. This elder was such an asset to our hall it was so incredibly sad for him to leave. He is one of the few that really seemed to get "it" and when he spoke you could tell that he meant every word and the holy spirit was present. We enjoyed taking his family out to eat along with some other in our hall.

At the present I'm still trucking along on a pretty deep study of Nimrod and Babel and I'm looking forward to sharing that information with you when I'm done. In the meantime you'll have to settle for the mundane little bits of my life. But hey - at least I'm giving you pictures!

Partially Cloudy ... Everyday

Is a clear sky too much to ask for?




Keep looking up.

Funny Little Frog

I spent the weekend watching the video for 'Funny Little Frog', the 1st single from the forthcoming Belle and Sebastian album The Life Pursuit. The song is really, really sweet (in the puppy dog sense) and catchy and the video is pretty fun as well. Best line from the song, "I never forget you in my prayers. I never have a bad thing to report."

Also ran across a little blurb for the next generation LEGO Mindstorms line. Mindstorms are a really techy lego component that allows one to literally build and program robots. The new LEGO Mindstorms NXT unit is all tricked out with improved touch sensors, improved optics (It "sees" in colour), and new sound sensors. Best of all the NXT is Mac compatible! If only they had this sort of thing out when I was a kid. And speaking of LEGO, Mina constructed the LEGO version of the New Heavens and New Earth - funny.

Last night I caught the last half of Central do Brasil (Central Station) on IFC. It was cute story set in Brazil about a woman, Dora, who was helping a boy, Josue, find his father after his mother was killed. The characterizations were sharp and natural and toward the end you get a good inside peek at Maryolatry. Interesting. Rebekah disliked the ending because it was "bittersweet". Of course I like that sort of thing.

This isn't really much of an update - I know. The only thing else I can say is that I must of have been half-asleep this morning when I got dressed. I just noticed that I'm wearing two different shoes.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But just as it is written: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” - 1 Corinthians 2:9

I've recently been in a discussion with an individual who questioned my application of 1 Corinthians 2:9 to our respective hopes of a new heaven and new earth. My commentary on this verse from my 12/19/05 entry entitled "Good Gifts" says as follows:

"Certainly we can imagine the splendors of heaven or envision the joys of the new Earth - however the actual beauty of such is incomprehensible to mankind. Take your best picture of the afterlife multiply it by a thousand and you are still nowhere close to the reality of it. It will be THAT good. What a loving Father we have!"

The individual questioned this application in the context of 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and set out to show that instead of applying to future blessings this verse applied to knowledge of Bible truths that Christians have at present. For instance by looking at the very next verse it seems to indicate a state that is enjoyed now: "For it is to us God has revealed them through his spirit, for the spirit searches into all things, even the deep things of God." (1 Cor 2:10) He suggested that it here shows that Paul and those to whom he wrote had the knowledge of what had been prepared for them. Too he pointed out verse 7, which speaks about Christians having "God's wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom, which God foreordained before the systems of things for our glory."

I've taken upon myself to examine this and see if I have made a mistake in my exegesis. It is with the purpose of clarification that I submit the following research on this Bible scripture.

I concur that 1 Corinthians 2 taken as whole is eloquently providing testimony of the ability of God's spirit to reveal his purposes to Christians so that they have a knowledge that the world does not have. This was a cause of joy for Jesus who declared “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes." (Matthew 11:25)

It is certainly true that when Jesus was on earth he attempted to teach his disciples many things regarding the kingdom and God's purpose. In doing so he taught in such a way that these precious Kingdom secrets would be kept from those who were not receptive. At Matthew 13:10,11, regarding his teachings, Jesus disciples asked him: "Why is it you speak to them by the use of illustrations?” In reply he said: “To YOU it is granted to understand the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those people it is not granted."

We see here that use of the term "sacred secrets" in connection with "the kingdom of the heavens". Later on in Matthew 13:44 Jesus again compares the kingdom to something that is hidden. We read, “The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and for the joy he has he goes and sells what things he has and buys that field."

Did Jesus' disciples comprehend the sacred secrets of the kingdom that Jesus was trying to teach them? Evidentially no. While they were able to understand some of what he was saying they were unable to grasp it in its entirety. In part this was due to their false understanding that Jesus as the Messiah was there to install an earthly kingdom that would rise up and free the Jews from the Romans. (John 18:36) They couldn't understand that Jesus had not come to earth to set up a kingdom but that he had come to give his life as a ransom for all mankind. (1 Timothy 2:5,6)

In Luke 9:44,45 their confusion is plainly evident. Their Jesus says “Give lodgment to these words in YOUR ears, for the Son of man is destined to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they [the Apostles] continued without understanding of this saying. In fact, it was concealed from them that they might not see through it, and they were afraid to question him about this saying."

Too we read the more direct words of Matthew 16:21 as to how "Jesus Christ commenced showing his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the older men and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised up." At that time he was plainly making clear to the Apostles that he was to be killed. Did they grasp what he was saying? No. We read at verse 22 how Peter took Jesus aside and said to him, “Be kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have this [destiny] at all.”

It was not until after Jesus had died that the apostles were able to understand this aspect of God's purpose. When Jesus was raised he helped them to understand these things. At Luke 24:25-27 we read, "So he said to them: “O senseless ones and slow in heart to believe on all the things the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?” And commencing at Moses and all the Prophets he interpreted to them things pertaining to himself in all the Scriptures."

What about other aspects of the Kingdom? Did they understand these things? Not at first. For just before he ascended to heaven Jesus' disciples asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?" (Acts 1:6) they were still laboring under false ideas about what the Kingdom was to be. The true understanding of these matters was not to be opened up to them until they received the Holy Spirit. Before his death Jesus made this clear at John 14:25,26 where he said, “While remaining with YOU I have spoken these things to YOU. But the helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name, that one will teach YOU all things and bring back to YOUR minds all the things I told YOU."

When the Apostles and disciples received Holy Spirit during the festival of Pentecost this was the beginning of their growth of knowledge of the Kingdom. At that time did they know everything there was to know? Not at all, for example at first they did not understand at that the Kingdom inheritance was to be opened up beyond the Jews. However with the calling of Cornelius they began to comprehend that the gentiles would also be a part of this kingdom. (John 10:16) Upon his anointing the Apostle Paul developed additional aspects of the Kingdom. Even down to the last apostle John further revelations regarding the Kingdom through the spirit were being made manifest.

Now with that background we return to the original scripture under consideration as found in 1 Corinthians chapter 2.

Jesus' death and subsequent resurrection was the central message of the 1st century preaching work starting in Pentecost and continuing down through the days of Paul. (Acts 2:21-36; 1 Corinthians 1:17) In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 it is interesting because it appears that people were still stumbling over the death of Jesus, just as the apostles once did. The Jews were stumbled by it and the Greeks thought it was foolish. (1 Cor 1:22,23) This sets up 1 Corinthians chapter 2 where Paul sets out to contrast the wisdom of the world verses the wisdom of God.

At 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Paul states that when he originally came to the Corinthians he did not come with "extravagance of speech or of wisdom declaring the sacred secret of God". His message then was a simple one, Jesus Christ, impaled. This was the basic, fundamental teaching of the Christian congregation from its founding forward.

At verse 6 Paul now begins to speak to "those who are mature" able to understand and comprehend, "God's wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom." Calling attention to the blindness and deafness that was manifest among the world he says, "But just as it is written: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” For it is to us God has revealed them through his spirit, for the spirit searches into all things, even the deep things of God." (1 Cor 2:9,10)

Then in verses 11-15 he concludes by elaborating on how "the spirit which is from God" is able to teach "spiritual matters and spiritual words" as well as allowing them to understand what had been given them by God.

So it is indeed true that 1 Corinthians 2 is showing how through the spirit we are able to under the wisdom and sacred secrets of God. But we ask what is the "hidden wisdom" that Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 2? Is it just the overall body of teachings of the Christian Congregation or it something more specific?

As we discussed earlier we see from Jesus that the sacred secret is directly linked to the Kingdom. This is the "hidden wisdom" and "sacred secret" that Paul is addressing. A large part of this is the hope that Christians have of being glorified with Jesus. "But we speak God’s wisdom in a sacred secret, the hidden wisdom, which God foreordained before the systems of things for our glory. " (1 Cor 2:7)

We compare this to Ephesians 1:8-11 where Paul also talks about wisdom and the sacred secret as it relates to the Kingdom hope of glorification in Christ. "This he caused to abound toward us in all wisdom and good sense, in that he made known to us the sacred secret of his will. ... [Yes,] in him [Jesus], in union with whom we were also assigned as heirs, in that we were foreordained according to the purpose of him who operates all things according to the way his will counsels, that we should serve for the praise of his glory, we who have been first to hope in the Christ."

As well we call attention to Paul’s words to Colossians regarding a sacred secret that is related to the glorification of Christians in the Kingdom "I became a minister of this [congregation] in accordance with the stewardship from God which was given me in YOUR interest to preach the word of God fully, the sacred secret that was hidden from the past systems of things and from the past generations. But now it has been made manifest to his holy ones, to whom God has been pleased to make known what are the glorious riches of this sacred secret among the nations. It is Christ in union with YOU, the hope of [his] glory." (Colossians 1:25-27)

So when Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9 "But just as it is written: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” Is he talking about the general body of Christian beliefs? No. It would follow that he is talking specifically about the Kingdom hope. Further evidence can be found when we compare the wording of 1 Corinthians 2:9 with other scriptures that talk about what "God has prepared for those who love him."

"When the Son of man arrives in his glory, and all the angels with him, then will sit down on his glorious throne ... "Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, YOU who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for YOU from the founding of the world. (Matthew 25:31-34)

"At that Jesus said to them: “The cup I am drinking YOU will drink, and with the baptism with which I am being baptized YOU will be baptized. However, this sitting down at my right or at my left is not mine to give, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared.” (Mark 10:39,40)

" Jesus said in answer: “YOU men do not know what YOU are asking for. Can YOU drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him: “We can.” He said to them: “YOU will indeed drink my cup, but this sitting down at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” (Mark 20:22-23)

"If, now, God, although having the will to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known, tolerated with much long-suffering vessels of wrath made fit for destruction, in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, namely, us, whom he called not only from among Jews but also from among nations, [what of it]?" (Romans 9:22)

Listen, my beloved brothers. God chose the ones who are poor respecting the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him, did he not? (James 2:5)

Thus while the whole of 1 Corinthians chapter 2 is a comparison of the wisdom of God held by Christians with the wisdom of the world, verse 9 is specifically referencing the Kingdom Hope held by Christians. This is both in harmony with the context of the chapter as well as Paul's other letters as well as Jesus words as well as the rest of the Christian scriptures.

Now lets consider the following verse 10, "For it is to us God has revealed them through his spirit, for the spirit searches into all things, even the deep things of God." Are we to conclude that Paul is stating that the Holy Spirit has revealed every aspect of the Kingdom to us? To put it simply, do we now know everything?

The holy spirit indeed opened the earlier Christian's minds up to the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures where they were able to understand the Jesus was raised as king of the Kingdom, that Kingdom was to rule from Heaven, that those who die with Christ had the opportunity to be resurrected with Christ, that they would have spiritual bodies, and that they would rule with him. (Acts 2:36, Romans 6:1-11, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44) Through the spirit some of the apostles and disciples were given direct visions into the heavenly things. Peter, James, and John witnessed a vision of Jesus in his Kingdom glory. (Matthew 17:1,2) Stephen saw the heavens opened up and Jesus sitting at God's right hand. (Acts 7:56) Paul and John were taken in spirit into heaven and paradise. (2 Corinthians 12:2,4; Revelation 4:1-11; 21:1) In these direct ways the Holy Spirit showed glimpses of what God had prepared for those who love him.

Certainly the spirit had taught them many things concerning the sacred secrets of God as it related to the Kingdom but was their knowledge complete or was it progressive? Well the scriptures certainly show progressive revelation. The book of Revelation, one of the last Bible books written, provides many details of the Kingdom that are not shown in other portions of the Bible - a major one being that those of the first resurrection to heaven will number 144,000. (Revelation 14:1-3)

We must admit that the scriptures provide us with enough knowledge for the here and now. As well we concur that the wisdom of God possessed by Christians is precious indeed and far superior worldly wisdom. We are granted the privilege of knowing about the Heavenly Kingdom that will usher in a righteous new heavens and a new earth. (2 Peter 3:13) We know that there is a resurrection of the dead through Christ Jesus. (John 5:28,29) We know that some are to be raised to the new heavens and some are to be raised to the new earth. We know that in that next age things will be far better than we have now. Revelation 21 and 22 walk us through the goodness of that time, when God will be us and he will wipe out every tear from our eyes and death and pain will be no more. (Revelation 21:3,4) These things are firm and sure and we can put our faith in them. (Hebrews 6:19)

The scriptures lead us right up until at the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ when righteousness exists across the entire heavens and earth and he hands back the Kingdom to his Father. (1 Corinthians 15:24; Revelation 20:4,6) And then what? The scriptures do not provide the answer. So then do we then really know all "that God has prepared for those who love him"? In the light of these things I firmly believe that 1 Corinthians 2:9 still holds true in regards to our everlasting, bright future.

Yes indeed, "Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”

Some Changes

I finally got around to moving away from a standard Blogger template to something a little more original. So this is my blog with a fresh new look. I added a new section with some of my artwork. They are mostly vector drawings of varying qualities. Please don't expect too much. I also updated my links list with some additonal web sites of varying values. Lastly, I changed my profile picture to possibly one of my favorite pictures of me and Mina. Enjoy.

My life right now is a whole lot of eating spinach it seems. Rebekah and I are doing the South Beach diet. It appears to be doing well - maybe not as effective as not eating or pills but certainly more healthy. The good news is that my sugar cravings seem to be null and void. I haven't touched soda, candy, cookies, or donuts in over a week which is new personal best. I'm still hankering for sausage & egg biscuits from Hardee's. It's a diet not a miracle.

Our iMac of 6-years seems to be on its death knell. The screen has been going dim, streaking, and wobbly for few months. Now it is shutting off completing while the power button rapidly changes color - green, yellow, red. I guess it is time for a trade-up. The new Intel Core Duo iMacs have just been released so I guess I know where my tax refund is going this year.

JVC Videosphere

Adobe Illustrator (2005)

Welltron 8-Track Player

Adobe Illustrator (2005)

6a2:Sitar

Adobe Illustrator (2005)

Mizuku

Adobe Illustrator (2001)

Keiko

Adobe Illustrator (2001)

Option Type 1

Adobe Illustrator (2001)

Maki

Adobe Illustrator (2002)

Fat Lady Stout

Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop (2001)

2005 - Looking Back

I take this time to look back at the previous year. It was some wild ride and a year to remember.

I have been "in the truth" since I was born into this world but this was the year that I came to have the truth within me. (2 John 1:2) Possessing the purity of the truth not simply as something I was born into but something that I received as a gift from the Lord. And it has been such a delightful experience having the spirit reside within me. (1 Corinthians 3:16) Sometimes it feels like it is simply too much for this body to bear. Something glorious and electric that wants to explode out of me at times. My skin is but a thin piece of paper and that which dwells within me is a singularity of pure goodness.

2004 was a year of confusion - a big black hole - and a crisis of faith however with God's help I was able to dig myself out of there. In 2005 He took me as his own through adoption. (Romans 8:15) Can I describe what that feels like? The shock and awe gives way to most wonderful hug imaginable.

Technically I always believed in God, more or less. But He was never real to me - never really, real. Now in retrospect I can picture him standing by my side my entire life - patiently and lovingly waiting on me. This, even when I would go weeks, months, years at a time without giving Him any thought. I truly appreciate these last months of getting to know Him better. My Father is good and I love Him.

This year I have tried to quit lying. I'm still a liar as that is the sinful condition of EVERY man. (Romans 3:4) But I'm trying to tell the truth more often - starting with being honest with myself and my Father in Heaven. What a liar I've been - I've ignored things and pretended like they didn't exist. I never ackowledged things openly before God. I recognized that He sees everything - even the darkest corners of our heart - yet I wanted to go about pretending like these shameful things didn't exist. Now whenever they come in my mind I immediately acknowledge them to my Father and beg for forgiveness and relief through Jesus. And it has made a big difference!

"Keep on asking it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking and it will be opened up to YOU." (Matthew 6:7) I tested that scripture out a lot this past year. In fact I've spent a lot of time testing a lot of things. (2 Corinthians 13:5) The difficult thing has been when I knock and Jehovah opens the door a little bit for me - I've gotten scared of what I saw behind. I'm reminded of what Jesus told his Apostles, "I have many things yet to say to YOU, but you are not able to bear them at present." (John 15:16)

But as much as I have been able I've tried to be brave and keep my eyes open - even when sometimes they desperately wanted to shut. I will say that now, sitting here, I am probably less sure about theological things then I have ever been in my life. But I do know this: There is one God, the creator of the entire Universe, who loves us dearly. He loved us so much that he gave up the most precious thing to him in order to prove his love and redeem us back to Him - His son Jesus. (John 3:16)

It seems funny to be typing that. Even a two year old knows about God and His Son. I suppose that I'm a slow learner. But this past year I've come to realise that I've spent a lot of time "taking in knowledge of" but never really coming to "know" God or His Son. As the scripture says "Now this is eternal life – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent." (John 17:3, NETS)

So even though I admit that I don't know much it was in 2005 that I finally came to know God and Jesus, just a little bit - who really can know the depths of God? (Job 38 - 41) However even with this little bit I'm content that is quite enough to save me. In fact, for the first time in my life I'm confident in my salvation. Even when I was a 16-year-old pioneer, ministerial servant I always had a niggling fear that if Armaggeddon was to suddenly break out that I wouldn't make it. Now I'm nothing in the congregation - sometimes even looked down upon - yet I know that my Father values me greatly. (Matthew 10:29-31) And really, honestly that is enough.

This past year too I've found myself relieved of fear save for the fear of God. The consequence of growing in love is the diminishing of fear. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside." (1 John 4:18) Jesus told us that we have no need to fear those who can only kill us. (Luke 12:4) Part of our Christian heritage is being able to suffer all evil even up to the point of our death. (Philippians 3:10) Doing so we conquer the world. (Revelation 12:11)

Now I recognize that not many people read my blog. But for those few this past year who have let me know that my little ramblings have somehow offered them some measure of encouragement I'm really grateful. I love you. Conversely, I'm also aware that some who read this are at odds with me and are seemingly bent on persecuting me. What can I say? I'm not scared. What can I say? "What you are doing get done more quickly." What else can I say? I love you too.

Now what about 2006?

I walked into the Kingdom Hall this morning and glanced up at the new year text installed the night before.

"We must obey God as ruler rather than men." Acts 5:29

I instantly had a good feeling - now this is a year text to rally behind. Let's see how it goes.

My love to all, particularly my Heavenly Father. I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me.

Seven Times

So what would you like to hear about?

Perhaps I'll start with my back going "out". Saturday morning I was at my parents and my lower back just started hurting - instantly - bad. So bad that I couldn't walk. I could only crawl about the floor - or have Rebekah drag me here and there on her back. I slept on it and Sunday it was a little better - enough for me to stumble into the Kingdom Hall - and amble about. Monday it was an even better and now Tuesday it is the same. I can walk - with a wee bit of discomfort. Strange. As I was crawling about the floor like an animal I imagined that I was stricken in order to teach me some humility - Nebuchadnezzar style.

It was a good week for music. 50FOOTWAVE released an Internet 5-song release called "Free Music" for er, free. I liked it better than their past two releases. Mainly because they seem to have tapered back on the heaviness - just a bit to let melody and vocals come through. It's not Throwing Muses but not bad.

Also I finally got a hold of Akai: Point-Five EP. Loved it and love it. Thanks Hiromi and friends! You make me want to start recording again ... if only.

Not too recently I picked up Hayley Westenra's album Odyssey. It reminds me of the kind of music they play on "Movie Tunes" when you are at the theatre waiting for the film to start. I guess it fills the niche classical vocal section of my CD shelf. A little opera never hurt anybody I s'pose.

As far as study I'm really into the Septuagint at the moment. It seems there is a real interest lately in translating it into English. There are now three fresh English translations that I know of that are in the works. The last English translation before this was done sometime in the 1800's! Up until recently it seemed like the Septuagint was really only used by academics and the Greek Orthodox Church. I'm not going argue the merits of the Septuagint over the Masoretic text; however, we shouldn't discount the value if Septuagint. After all, it was the version of the Bible used by the Apostles and early Christian Congregations.

I discovered the New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS) the other day. I was happy to find that they had side-by-side translations of both the original Old Greek version and the Theodotionic revision of the book of Daniel. For some reason, typically presumed to be because of the poor quality of translation, the Old Greek version was phased out of use in the Christian Churches during the 4th century and replaced by the Theodotion Greek version, a newer translation. As such this was my first time getting to look at the Old Greek rendition.

Just briefly looking over it there appears to be some interesting differences. The Old Greek version has Nebuchadnezzar's Statue dream in his 12th year instead of his 2nd. If there were true it would remedy some difficulties within the chronology of the book of Daniel. The 1st chapter of the book of Daniel has him captured by Nebuchadnezzar and undergoing a 3 year training program and then afterward being brought before the king. (Daniel 1:5,18). But chapter 2 appears to have Daniel providing an interpretation to the King's dream in his 2nd year.

As it stands this apparent discrepancy can be easily explained away using things like ascension/regnal years and father/son co-rulerships. However it would not be surprisingly if the Septuagint contained a more accurate representation of the actual chronlogy because in other accounts it tends to correct discrepencies that appear in the Masoretic text.

One example is in 1 Kings 16 wherein there is a discrepency between the years that Omri and Ahab ruled over Israel in relation to Asa's reign over Judah. In the Masoretic text Omri is said to have ruled 12 years starting during Asa's 31st year. (1 Kings 16:23). Omri's son Ahab is said to succeed him in rulership during Asa's 38 year. (1 Kings 16:28,29) So in one verse Omri's reign is said to be 12 years however the corresponding rule of Asa provided leaves only 7 years. In the Septuagint version there are additional verses that the Masoretic text omit that clear up the matter showing how in the eleventh year of Omri rule of Israel that Josaphat succeeded Asa as ruler of Judah. Then in the 2nd year of Josaphat of Ahab succeeded Omri. Hence the Greek Septuagint records the correct chronology whereas the Hebrew Masoretic is in shown to be in error.

Another interesting variance between the Septuagint and the Masoretic is in Daniel's "70 Weeks" Prophecy. In the Masoretic at Daniel 9:25 it says that Jerusalem will be rebuilt "with a public square and a moat". The Septuagint speaks of the rebuilding with a "square and the wall". It would certainly seem more reasonable for the prophecy to concern the walls of Jerusalem since they were a prominent feature that get mentioned time and time again in the scriptures. (Apart from the book of Daniel I can't see any other mention of a moat in Jerusalem.) Additionally this would lend weight to the suggestion that the 70 prophetic weeks started with Artaxerxes' royal decree that walls of Jerusalem be rebuilt. (Nehemiah chap 1-7)

I've got an English translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls on order. It will be interesting to see how the DSS Daniel matches up to the Septuagint and the Masoretic in these areas. Historically, and quite surprising to scholars, the dead sea scrolls more closely matched the Greek Septuagint than the Hebrew Masoretic texts.

Good Gifts

A couple of months ago I purchased Heaven: A History by Colleen McDannell. It traces human conceptions of the after life from the early Jewish views to that of the early Christians and then progresses through the years down to the modern era. I purchased it as a reference because I've been really interested in how the early (1st, 2nd century) Christians viewed the resurrection. Of particular note is the oral tradition of the apostles and those who walked with Christ that Papias references - that there are different abodes (mansions) for those resurrected to life, some to heaven, and some to earth.

If you ask someone their feelings about the resurrection you are quite likely to get multiple viewpoints. For members of Christendom that believe that all go to heaven you may get different ideas about what they will be doing there. Some envision themselves sitting on clouds, playing harps. Others picture themselves golfing or fishing - doing the things they love to do now on Earth.

For those who believe in a resurrection to life on Earth there also various ideas. Some may picture life as it existed in the 1800's - driving around in carriages and making your own butter. Some picture a world of high technology with individuals zipping around in non-polluting hover cars. And there are others numerous, varying ideas: clothed or naked? meat or veg? changing seasons or temperate?

I was reading this scripture the other day and the beauty of the thoughts struck me:

"But just as it is written: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” - 1 Corinthians 2:9

Certainly we can imagine the splendors of heaven or envision the joys of the new Earth - however the actual beauty of such is incomprehensible to mankind. Take your best picture of the afterlife multiply it by a thousand and you are still nowhere close to the reality of it. It will be THAT good. What a loving Father we have!

Today, due to sin and imperfection of the world and ourselves we certainly go through a lot pain and suffering. Our Father recognizes this. He is ready to make recompense and he gives back like no one else give back. This is seen in the account of Job. Job, a faithful man, suffered to the extreme and lost everything because of circumstances beyond his control. His loss was his 7 sons and 3 daughters, along with 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 spans of cattle, and 500 she-asses.

After Job's trial was over Jehovah compensated Job double for what he lost. We read at Job 42:12 "As for Jehovah, he blessed the end of Job afterward more than his beginning, so that he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand spans of cattle and a thousand she-asses."

We often state that Jehovah will give us back everything that our first parent Adam lost. I believe that. However as seen in the account of Job it would not be unreasonable to believe that God will give us back even more than what was enjoyed by Adam and Eve in that splendid Garden of Eden - all the joys of paradise and then some!

It is interesting that while Jehovah provided double the livestock He only gave back the original the original number of sons and daughters. Job 42:13 continues, "He also came to have seven sons and three daughters." We ask: Why only 10 more children instead of 20? Well this scripture implies that he would receive his other sons and daughters back in the resurrection. On the last day when he is resurrected he will be joined by all 20 of his children!

So through the scriptures we can be assured that even when death takes our family and loved ones that we have the hope of seeing them again.

Job was a righteous man and as such became a target from the Adversary and Slanderer. He did not deserve what befell him. However Jehovah's loving kindness is shown in how even when bad people are reaping what they sow that he is willing to compensate them if they turn around and repent of their sins. This is a common theme of the Hebrew prophets.

At Joel 1:4 a great famine is prophesied against God's wayward people, "What was left by the caterpillar, the locust has eaten; and what was left by the locust, the creeping, unwinged locust has eaten; and what the creeping, unwinged locust has left, the cockroach has eaten." In addition to the famine in Joel 2:1-11 a great, powerful military force is foretold to come up against his name people.

Jehovah implores the people, “come back to me with all YOUR hearts, and with fasting and with weeping and with wailing. And rip apart YOUR hearts, and not YOUR garments; and come back to Jehovah YOUR God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, and he will certainly feel regret on account of the calamity" - Joel 2:12,13

If the people do this what is the result? Jehovah says " And I will make compensation to YOU for the years that the locust, the creeping, unwinged locust, and the cockroach and the caterpillar have eaten, my great military force that I have sent among YOU. And YOU will certainly eat, eating and becoming satisfied, and YOU will be bound to praise the name of Jehovah YOUR God, who has done with YOU so wonderfully; and my people will not be ashamed to time indefinite." - Joel 2:25,26.

Our Heavenly Father is merciful! Even when we do not deserve it if we turn around and make an effort to make our way straight He will pour out his blessing upon us. Why? He does this because He is a loving Father and willing to give good gifts to His Children. He is that loving Father keeping watch for the return of his wayward son.

I love how Jesus expresses it:

“Keep on asking, and it will be given YOU; keep on seeking, and YOU will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to YOU. For everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking it will be opened. Indeed, who is the man among YOU whom his son asks for bread—he will not hand him a stone, will he? Or, perhaps, he will ask for a fish—he will not hand him a serpent, will he? Therefore, if YOU, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to YOUR children, how much more so will YOUR Father who is in the heavens give good things to those asking him?" - Matthew 7:7-11

While we await future blessings we even get good things today. In particular how wonderful it is to have God's complete written Word available to us! We also have the Holy Spirit, the "helper" that Jesus promised to request that his Father send to his disciples. When we make use of these wonderful gifts we can draw close to our Father. The spirit is powerful and can open our hearts to the scriptures. In fact scriptures that we have read one hundred times or more suddenly pop off the page and illuminate our minds and make our hearts leap for joy!

We cannot comprehend the depths of our Father's love for us nor can we fully appreciate all the wonderful things he has in store for us nor can we completely recognize what good things he provides for us each and every day! But we need to keep seeking to get to know Him better to get an even better glimpse into Him.

And while there is a lot of misery that we have to go through we need to keep the future promises in our hearts. Speaking of the heavenly resurrection, Hebrews 6:19 expresses it nicely "This [hope] we have as an anchor for the soul, both sure and firm” We need to continue to hang onto Jehovah and our Lord Jesus because in due to time we will fully get to know all of what awaits us on heaven or earth - even being able to "reside" with God forever!

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” - Revelation 21:1-4


Praise Jah!

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Note: My blog has been down for awhile. I've been super busy with life and work. Then when I finally got time to post again I guess I forgot my password. But things are better now. So sorry for the absence.

-anthony

Marconi Plays The Mamba

Random -

Unfulfilled Goal #1: Purchase a 1977 "Smokey and the Bandit" Pontiac Trans Am Firebird
Unfulfilled Goal #2: Grow a 1977 "Smokey and the Bandit" Burt Reynolds Mustache

So I love November because of nothing else I can buy 1/2 priced Turkey. Which I did last night and which I will cook this weekend. Which I will enjoy considerably because it is good to eat. We invited some people over ... a first for us. If they come over it should be interesting because we have no table and chairs which is generally a prerequisite to having a dinner party. I hope my turkey is big enough. I've got enough yams to feed a village.

I've fallen in love with Stash Fusion Green and White Tea. So, so good and supposedly beneficial to health.

I've fallen under the spell of the band Starship. Working on our office year-end-review video I downloaded rediscovered gems - "Sara" and "We Built This City". If only music could be that good again!

I love my friends!

Catchy Songs That Stick In Your Head

About a month ago as a family we went through the house and cleared away everything related to spiritism ... no matter how small or remote. So yes we are now one of those crazy, extreme, obsessive families that doesn't watch "The Wizard of Oz". (Feel free to poke fun behind our backs - I give you permission.) It was interesting when you got really nit-picky just how much stuff you have that has touches of magic. Especially if you are an individual with a lot of Star Wars paraphernalia! Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!

So I told you that story to tell you this story. Mina was a real trooper and didn't baulk and discarding her beloved Lion King DVD as well as other some other DVD's and since then Rebekah and I have been trying to buy her new movies to replace those that she disposed of. On Tuesday we bought Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which while certainly fanciful wasn't necessarily magical so it met our approval. The movie was a lot of fun. We particularly enjoyed the music.

So I told you that story to tell you this story. I've now got the "Augustus Gloop" song lodged firmly in my head and it absolutely refuses to leave! On the DVD there is a feature where you can learn to do the Oompa Loompa dance that is choreographed to the music! Bonus!

I have a talk tonight, "How To Strengthen A Marriage". Last night I did some research for it. I'm thinking that I'm going to go a different route then the typical way these types of talks are developed. I'll transpose my notes into a blog entry later ...

But I did want to share this little bit of a thought:

God revealed himself to Moses as Jehovah. (Exodus 6:3)
Jesus revealed Jehovah as our Heavenly Father. (Matthew 6:9)
The holy spirit revealed our Heavenly Father as abba - Dad or Papa (Romans 8:15)

I was considering the progress of our relationship between ourselves and our God.

In the beginning we may know of Him as some extract concept, God.
In time we learn that he has a unique name, Jehovah and He becomes more personal.
We make progress in learning about Jehovah God but there is still room to be made.
From there we can begin to consider Jehovah as our Heavenly Father.
At this point just as it becomes unnatural for us to address our earthly father by his name we can't help but to address Jehovah God as "Father" - the way Jesus encouraged us to.
And yet there is room for even more growth.
Through a spirit of adoption we are brought into such a relationship that we relate to our Father by the tenderest of familial expressions - dad, daddy, papa.

How lovely to have that kind of relationship!

True Worship

"The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world" - James 1:27

In our congregations James 1:27 is often quoted in order to establish what to look for in true religion today. Sadly the focus is often on the keeping of oneself "without spot from the world" with little attention given "to look[ing] after orphans and widows in their tribulation". In his letter James highlights the importance of charitable acts such as when he says that faith cannot exist without good works like providing for "a brother or sister in a naked state and lacking the food sufficient for the day". - James 2:15

In Bible times, as is often the case today, widows and orphans are among the neediest of people. These are ones that may suffer from neglect. Our loving Heavenly Father though cares for them deeply. He is called, "a father of fatherless boys and a judge of widows" (Psalm 68:5) His care for them is expressed at Psalm 146:9 where it says "The fatherless boy and the widow he relieves."

Jehovah's care for widows and orphans was reflected in the Law of Moses where the people were ordered to care for widows and orphans. It is emphatically proclaimed at Dueteronomy 27:19 "Cursed is the one who perverts the judgment of an alien resident, a fatherless boy and a widow!"

How serious did Jehovah take this law? Very seriously! The maltreatment of widows and orphans was one of the reasons that Jehovah punished His name people, allowing them to be killed and taken captive by enemy nations such as Babylon. In regards to this Isaiah made the prophetic denoucement, "Woe to those who are enacting harmful regulations and those who, constantly writing, have written out sheer trouble, in order to push away the lowly ones from a legal case and to wrest away justice from the afflicted ones of my people, for the widows to become their spoil, and that they may plunder even the fatherless boys!" - Isaiah 10:1,2

The care of the such needy individuals was a concern for the early Christian congregation. In Acts 6:1-6 we read about how men "full of spirit and wisdom" were appointed to distribute food to improverished widows. The Apostle Paul spoke to Timothy regarding a "list" that honorable widows in need of relief could be placed on in the event that they had no family to provide for them. (1 Timothy 5:3-9)

In our congregations today seldom are appointments made of individuals to spearhead the taking care of the needy among us and there are few lists made to keep such ones in mind. Be that as it may that does not excuse us from our scriptural responsibilities to take care of such ones. As a Christian congregation we have a community responsibilty to take care for them as they are related to us in the faith (Galations 6:10)

And I can honestly assess that from my own experience there is a real and immediate need. Those of us who are young need to step up and provide for them. In my congregation the widows seem to get by financially and they have food on their tables but they are literally starving for attention. Our elderly ones who were the building blocks of our congregation are shown little regard. Those who find themselves in nursing homes are all but forgotten about.

Rebekah and I had the privelege of going out to eat Sunday after the meeting with an elderly sister. Can you imagine this faithful sister questioning whether or not the friends would take care of her when the great tribulation started? That she should even have to question such a thing is a positively sad statement of the reality she faces. That she still comes to the Sunday meeting each and every week despite such discouragement is a testament to her faith.

There is such a great joy and satisfaction in taking care of the needs of others. As John expresses, "for this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commadnments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3) I'm finding out how true that is. At one time it did seemed like taking care of the widows was a burden but this is truely not the case. I'm so happy that some of Rebekah and my closest friends in congregations are such ones. And in taking care of them there is a complete and total mutual encouragement for us as well. Sometimes it seems that we get more out of it then they do.

Let us all look for ways to help out those in need among us, especially our dear elderly sisters! Let us not look down upon them in their days of tribulation. Rather let us include them in our gatherings, speak to them often, keep them in our prayers, and care for their physical needs.

Why do I write these things? I'll conclude with the heart stirring words of our Lord Jesus:

"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in YOU and YOUR joy may be made full. This is my commandment, that YOU love one another just as I have loved YOU." - John 15:11,12

Anthony Needs ...

Ok this is a fun little diversion that is making the blogging rounds. You do a google search on the the phrase "[Your Name] Needs" and see what comes up.

Anthony needs coaching in the game of life.
Anthony needs your feedback!
Anthony needs touches, and to forget the past.
Anthony needs every second to achieve some measure of atonement.
Anthony needs all the help he can get.
Anthony needs a new team.

Wow! Ever so revealing ... this has to be the fortune cookie of the 21st century!

Are Disasters Increasing?

One of the signs culminating in Jesus' presence is "earthquakes in one place after another". (Matthew 24:7) As we have previously discussed the Greek word "seismos" which is generally rendered "earthquakes" at Matthew 24:7 basically means a commotion. At Matthew 8:24 it is used to for a great sea storm. It is used in 2 Kings 2:1 (4 Kings 2:1, LXX) for the great windstorm that carried Elijah to the heavens. Therefore we can understand that Jesus may have been giving as a sign not just earthquakes, but the whole gamut of turbulant disasters including such things as tornadoes, typhoons, and hurricanes.

Jesus called these things "birth pains". (Matthew 24:8, NIV) Labor pains build toward child birth, getting stronger in intesity and closer together. Therefore we can expect that the signs Jesus spoke of to build in severity and increase until the birth the kingdom. At this time the complete number of 144,000 holy ones join together with Jesus in his heavenly kingdom to begin ruling. (Revelation 19:7,8,11-16) This Kingdom will bring about judgment for wicked mankind and long awaited rewards for the righteous.

With this in mind we pay attention close attention to world events, particularly the indicators Jesus spoke of - war, famine, pestilance, and tumultuous disasters. It is interesting that in response to unique happenings in the world today that even people who do not read their Bibles are starting to take notice of what is going on believing that what we are experiencing seems out of the ordinary.

Considering just the natural disasters that are plaguing humanity a recent Newsweek article, The Last Word: Preparing for The Worst, indicates that there is an increase is disasters. Janos Bogardi, director of the U.N. University's Insitute for the Environment and Human Security said in an interview, "There are absolutely clear signs and compelling statistics showing the situation is getting worse. We now are experiencing 2.5 to 3 times as many extreme events of climatic or water-related emergencies per year as we did in the 1970s. At the same time annual economic losses [from disasters] have increased sixfold." When asked why we are seeing this Mr. Bogardi commented, "Climate change certainly plays an important role. That leads to extremes at both ends of the spectrum. We have more floods, more droughts, longer heat spells without rain and more storms."

This compliments the scenario painted in the October 2003 Pentagon study entitled An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security. Therein the report suggests a huge environmental fallout caused by global warming within the next 10 to 20 years. It graphically speaks of various doomsday scenarios including whole countries rendered inhabitable, nuclear wars fought over food and water supplies, and a sharp increase in disasters, famine and disease. So while this report is speculative it is worth noting the national governments are becoming increasingly open to idea that severe climate change may become a reality very shortly.

As Christians we remain aware of the realities of the Lord's prophetic words. We pay attention to the apostle Paul's advice found at 1 Corinthians 7:29-31: "Moreover, this I say, brothers, the time left is reduced. Henceforth let those who have wives be as though they had none, and also those who weep be as those who do not weep, and those who rejoice as those who do not rejoice, and those who buy as those not possessing, and those making use of the world as those not using it to the full; for the scene of this world is changing." And certainly while it would be unwise to be dogmatic about the exact meaning of our times we would be foolish to ignore our surroundings, being like those in Noah's day who were "eating and drinking" - those who "took no note until the flood came and swept them all away" (Matthew 24:39)

Ways To Promote Love

I'm just trying to brainstorm some ways to promote love within the congregation.

1. Give someone a hug.
2. Give someone a card for no reason.
3. Visit a widow.
4. Commend someone.
5. Talk about how Jehovah has blessed you.
6. Visit someone in the hospital.
7. Give money to someone who is out of work.
8. Take an "orphan" to the movies/park/ballgame.
9. Invite a family over for a meal.
10. Speak only good things about a person.
11. Don't participate in harmful gossip.
12. Talk to someone you've never spoken to.
13. Provide upbuilding comments.

Any more?

Hurricanes - Part of the Sign?

We often speak of the sign of Jesus' presence as recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 asbeing wars, food shortages, pestilance, and earthquakes. However a careful look at the Greek word seismos commonly rendered "earthquakes" in these scriptures reveals that this can include other natural disasters such as hurricanes.

Strong's Concordance and Lexicon provides the following definition for Seismos: "a commotion, i.e. (of the air) a gale, (of the ground) an earthquake—earthquake, tempest"

So while this word can mean earthquake it can also mean wind storm. It is used this way in Matthew 8:24 to describe the great tempest at sea that Jesus calmed. (The parallel account at Mark 4:37 describes it as a "great violent windstorm")

Knowing this can help us effectively keep watch as things happen around us.

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As a side point, recently a link has been discovered between hurricane activity and earthquakes. Physicist Randall Peters of Mercer University in Macon Georgia has shown that wind storms can trigger seismic activity and weak earthquake swarms. Earth Trembles As Big Winds Move In - New Scientist; July 1, 2005.

my mundane weekend

The work computers had been running fine since the last meltdown. I got optimistic and thought that the server had been fixed however I have been shying away from even touching the thing lest it bomb out again. I don't know what I was thinking on Friday but I decided that I should change the administrator username and password - afterall it had been the same for the past two years. B-I-G M-I-S-T-A-K-E.

This weekend we had plans to visit Rebekah's relatives in Ohio. Every October they have a small reunion. Usually they have it close to home; however, this year circumstances neccesitated that we go to Ohio.

I pretty much figured that I would have to stay home this weekend and work. Once again I had to leave the computer overnight while it rebooted. An eight hour process. Saturday morning I went in at 5:00am to check on things - things were working so I got to go to Ohio afterwall.

Ohio was uneventful. There was food. There was Karaoke. And yes I did do a not-so-bad rendition of Neil Diamond and not-so-good version of Britney Spears. The motel we stayed at was probably the classiest two star place I have ever stayed at. It was the only non pay-by-the-hour motel in down so we really had little choice. But the joint looked like those rundown motels in the slasher movies were people get killed.

On Friday I received my 10-volume Ante-Nicene Fathers set. I brought volume 1, the 2nd Century writings with me. It is really interesting how similar these writings by the so-called "Church Fathers" matches our (JW) commonly held beliefs. For starters there is a very clear seperation of the Father and the Son. (It took many battles and political wrangling for the trinity doctrine to become dogma - long after the Nicene counsel.) More surprising IIrenaeus expresses that thought of a "gradation and arrangement of those who are saved" wherein some are raised to Heaven and some are ressurected to live on a restored and perfected Earth. Sound familiar? (Papias, who is said to been friends with the apostles particularly John, expresses this view as well.) So while these writings cannot stand on their own they are very useful, particularly the very early writings, in corroboration with the Bible.

Saturday we drove home stopping to visit a friend in Bloomington, Indiana. He took us out for some great Thai food and we got to walk around the square a little bit. I like those little college towns!

drought

Worst drought it decades drying key rivers

it is already the hour for YOU to awake from sleep

Habakkuk 2:3 "For [the] vision is yet for the appointed time, and it keeps panting on to the end, and it will not tell a lie. Even if it should delay, keep in expectation of it; for it will without fail come true. It will not be late."

My friends if you've been reading this blog or my previous one for any length of time you may have noticed a change in focus. This in many ways reflects the changes that I've been going through some big, some small. On an individual level I still enjoy many of the same things I've always enjoyed, such as making music; however these things have taken somewhat of a backseat to my primary focus - the Kingdom of God.

I hope I'm not coming across and haughty or arrogant or "holier than thou". Please understand that I cannot stop speaking about these things. (Acts 4:20) Jehovah has blessed me in so many ways and I'm just trying to do all that I possibly can to make good on that. This is something that weighs on me because it is a heavy responsibility. Particularly in view of times and the work that needs to be done. The end is coming quickly. I firmly believe that "the time left is reduced." (1 Corinthians 7:29)

Let's consider 2 Peter 3:3,4. "3 For YOU know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires 4 and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep [in death], all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.”"

Certainly that scripture applies to the world in general. However there are elements of that mentality today within the congregation. Sone assume that all things are continuing just the same since 1914 when it is believed that Christ's presence began. They are failing to look out and see that things are not the same. That the foretold wars, famine, pestilences, earthquakes that we are experience now or that are on the horizon will dwarf anything we have seen in the past. Indeed it is already the hour for us to wake up! (Romans 13:11-12)

But when we see these things occuring - more frequently, more devastating - there are some things to keep in mind. Jesus likens these events to labor pangs. (Mark 13:8; Matthew 24:8). Labor pangs build toward the birth of child. When the pangs increase and become closer to together we know that the time for the blessed event to occur. Therefore we see these things taking place more and more we know we are getting closer to the end. Things are not the same now as the were in the 1990's which are not the same as they were in the 1950's which are not the same as they were in the 1900's.

Once again I can only encourage all to build faith and love now. Read the Bible daily. When reading the Bible pray for Jehovah's holy spirit to help you. Learn to trust and rely on Jehovah. Keep on the watch. Wake up and stay awake.

"11 [Do] this, too, because YOU people know the season, that it is already the hour for YOU to awake from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than at the time when we became believers. 12 The night is well along; the day has drawn near. Let us therefore put off the works belonging to darkness and let us put on the weapons of the light. 13 As in the daytime let us walk decently, not in revelries and drunken bouts, not in illicit intercourse and loose conduct, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not be planning ahead for the desires of the flesh" (Romans 13:11-14)

Christian Love,

earthquakes

"and there will be ... earthquakes in one place after another." (Matthew 24:7)

Quake toll exceeds 30,000

My prayers to all those who have suffered loss.

Friends we are getting so very close. Stay awake. Keep on the watch.

all the more so

The US media has finally picked up on the story of the avian flu, no doubt in part to the fact that in a speech earlier this week the President held it out as a possiblity that the country should prepare for. (Of course the preperation he spoke of was in the context of giving the military increased ability to operate internally for the purpose of crisis management, quarantine, and innoculation.)

It is believed by health officials that this flu has the potential to be even more deadly than the spanish flu of 1918. As Christians you then have to ask yourselves, If the spanish flu was telling us that Jesus' presence had begun in 1914 what will the avian flu be telling us? More importantly we need to ask ourselves what we should be doing in view of the urgency of the times.

As Christians we need to keep in mind that the judgment begins with the house of God. (1 Peter 4:17) Knowing that, we need to constantly keep an eye on ourselves to make sure that we will fair well in that judgment. A good starting point for self examination is a personal study of the letters to the seven congregations in Asia Minor provided in Revelation chapters 2 & 3. Jesus' words in these letters finds direct application to the Christian Congregation. Through these letters Jesus tells us what we are doing good and what we need to work on.

I just began reading these letters again starting with the letter to the congegation of Ephesus. (Rev 2:1-7) That congregation's biggest strength was that it was zealous for the truth; they didn't tolerate liars and false apostles, apostates. However Jesus cautioned them that they had left the love they had at first. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul specifically commended them for the love they showed to the holy ones (Ephesians 1:15 ASV per NA26 text). However over time this love that promoted good works had evidentally eroded. In the Revelation Jesus encouraged them to return to these former deeds.

Because the judgment is soon to be upon us we need to use the time we have to shore up our congregations by promoting love and faith. We owe this to our brothers and sisters - certainly this is the primary reason for our fellowship. The day of Jehovah is drawing ever near therefore we need to encourage each other ALL THE MORE SO. (Hebrews 10:25) If we have faith then our faith should translate in our rendering good works - love and support to our brothers and sisters. We need to care for them in their time of need or our faith is dead. (James 2:14-17)

For those of us in the US we need to understand what the annual report is telling us. We need to comprehend what 0% growth means. It means for every individual that we reach out the ministry, persuade to accept the truth, patiently study with to bring to accurate knowledge, help toward repentance, and finally baptize into the Christian congregation - for every individual that we bring into the congregation through the front door - one of our brothers and sisters is leaving out the back.

Please look around at your congregation and decide who you would care to lose to the world. Hopefully you would wish none that fate. So let us all try our hardest to encourage all toward endurance and rescue those who have left. Is the ministry within the house somehow less important than the ministry in the field?

Your brother in Christ.

random-x

On Saturday Trey, Mike, and Seth came over. Their band Random-X is playing at a gathering today and wanted to record a quick CD to pass out. So we hammered out three songs. If we had more time we could've polished them up a bit however I like what they came up with. I'm pretty impressed by them considering they are all under 16 years of age. So please check out their myspace page and listen to the songs they have up. Trey wrote and sings on "So Long" and Mike wrote and sings on "Rewind" - both are gems. Good stuff.

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I tried to buy the Concretes CD at Target. I guess I assumed they would have it since the Concretes are all over their TV commercials - but I wrong. I just downloaded it from iTunes. I like it and it reminds me of Mazzy Star a bit. However it makes me miss my organ.

P.S.

We took my organ sale money and bought me a new suit. Somehow it doesn't seem like a very good trade off.