Waycross Botticelli

Waycross Camp
and Conference
Center
Morgantown IN

I grew up spending part of my summers at a wonderful summer camp in southern Indiana, Waycross Camp and Conference Center. 

One of the special sessions was a chance for entire families to come and spend a week (in later years, a weekend) in a place I would put up against any resort for a place to relax without a care.

Among my fondest memories was playing a game called Botticelli.  There are other versions of the game, such as the one here, but the one we played at Waycross was slightly different.  I'd like to share the rules so that you and your family and friends can give it a try.

One of the best things about the game?  No equipment needed!  Just you and a group of as many friends as you have at hand.  I would however say that the game plays best with at least 6-8 people, but you can play with 20+ of the opportunity presents itself!  Just make sure you're some place comfortable, because the game can run as long as people are interested in playing.

The Rules:

• Game play starts with one person being designated as "it".  For the sake of the rules, we'll say that I am it.
• As the it person, I think of the name of a reasonably famous person.  This person can be living or dead, can be real or fictional.
• I tell you the first letter of the famous person's last name.  I'm thinking of Helen Keller, so I tell you that the first letter of the last name is K.  
• Your job is to earn the chance to ask me a yes/no question about my famous person.
• You earn this chance by stumping me with a trivia question that the answer starts with the letter I've given you. (in this case K...)
• One tricky bit:  If your trivia question has more than one correct answer that starts with the same letter, even if the answer I give you is not the one you were thinking of, the answer is acceptable.  (If you were to ask, "What is a marsupial found in Australia?" and I answered "koala", even though you  were expecting "kangaroo", my answer is still correct.)  
• If I answer your question correctly,  it is the next person's turn to try to stump me.
• If instead you do stump me, you can now ask me a question about my person, but this question can only be answered yes or no.  You might ask, "Is this person a woman?" I would answer yes.  If you asked, "Is this person a man or woman?" I would be unable to answer because this was not a yes/no question.  Play then shifts to the next person.
• The game proceeds this way, revealing details of my person.
• Finally, when you think you know and your next turn comes around, you can say "Is it __________________?"  If you guessed correctly, it is now your turn to be it, and you get to choose the next famous person.  If you guess incorrectly, I am still it and play continues.

There is no technical end to the game, nor is there a final winner.  Its simply a chance to gather, have some fun and relax.  Food should be shared.  Other conversation is encouraged.   Enjoy!

Terminus

Review
Book Title: TerminusBook Author: Joshua Graham

From the back cover:

How far can an angel fall to find his destiny?

Having witnessed one too many senseless deaths, Nikolai, a disillusioned Reaper 3^rd Class, resigns his commission with the Angel Forces after a tedious century of gathering souls.

Immediately, another division recruits him with the promise of a more rewarding career, and issues his initial assignments: To bring down a few very dangerous threats to the human race. In the process, Nikolai falls in love with one of his targets – Hope Matheson, a woman who will lead thousands astray.

Caught between conflicting agendas, Nikolai chooses to “fall” from his celestial state and become mortal in order to circumvent angel law and be with her. But for angels and humans alike, things are not always as they appear. Still a target, the threat against Hope's life intensifies.

Now, in order to save her, Nikolai must rally the last remnants of his failing supernatural abilities to prevent her assassination, as well as the destruction of an entire city by a nuclear terrorist strike.

But his time and power are running out.

Terminus is a perspective-altering saga that delves into ageless themes of redemption, destiny and the eternal power of love.

(Any quotations from the book or cover are used for review purposes only, no intent of making money from this work should be considered)

Off the cuff, while the book had a slow start and some bits were a little confusing. However, once I got the characters sorted out and what some terms meant, I found it an enjoyable read.

The book starts with angel named Nikolai (who prefers to be called simply Nick) doing his daily duty; escorting a recently deceased girl to the Terminus, which is a way station of sorts where the departed go. Some to be taken up to Heaven, others maybe to be taken to Hades.

We find out that this job had been a demotion. Nick had previously been a Guardian, one of the highest forms of angels. But, he had followed his heart rather than his orders and had fallen in love with a human woman. Such relationships are forbidden, so Nikolai the Guardian Angel is demoted to Nick, Reaper (3^rd class). For over 100 years – which mind you is a twinkling in the eye of ANY angel – Nick has been shuttling back and forth between the Terminus and various points around the globe.

He is approached by a member of another division … does Nick want the chance to get out of his rat race job and have adventures and excitement? He's given a chance. All he has to do is make sure something happens that otherwise might be stopped. A woman, distraught over the loss of a child is pondering ending her life. Nick is told that if this woman lives, thousands of lives will be forever changed. But things aren't always what they seem.

There's also the story of the pastor of a very large ministry, Pastor Jonathan Hartwell. Pastor Hartwell is followed by millions. Thousands flock to his services. One evening, a young woman came to his office seeking counseling. It was late, so Pastor Hartwell had sent his secretary home. Maria Guzman was running from her family. Temptation rears its head when Pastor Hartwell offers to put Maria up in a hotel so that she can be away from some of bad people in her life. He'd walked her to her room, he unwisely went inside her room. When Maria kissed him, he turned and left. But security cameras see everything, even when things aren't always what they seem.

Carlito Guzman is head of a crime syndicate. His father, whom he knew as Papi, has left control of the family business to him even though he doesn't think his son is hard enough to make the decisions needed. With Papi dead, Carlito finds out that some of his lieutenants are not what they seem.

Each of these skeins of the story culminate in a final confrontation. Things that are not as they seem are brought into the light of Truth in a way that I thought was rather explosive!

If you have a chance to read Terminus, I have every confidence you shall enjoy it as I did.

Rosetta Stone: We meet Samson

There had been several occasions when protesters had tried to break into the facility at Nyxll Road. Usually, their intent was to trigger alarm systems and bring the authorities and the media. The media would record them being seized by the constables as their protest signs waved in front of the cameras. When reporters contacted the Council for a statement, though they never lied, whichever councilor spoke as representative would downplay the importance of what was inside the building. The windows were darkened and it was reputed that all sorts of counter-measures were in place to thwart eavesdropping or other snooping technologies.

For the most part, the worst that had ever happened was one time when a couple of very bold youths brought canisters of aeropaint and reproduced their slogans on a large expanse of wall near the front of the building. It was the Creator's provenance however that a security operator within the building had deduced what was about to happen and disabled the automated mechanism that would have hit the young men with a stun charge that would have knocked them unconscious for several hours. It would not be good for the reputation of the Great Commission project to have that happen … particularly in the presence of media cameras. The protesters had a right to their opinions, allowing them to act would bolster their reputations within their community … and aeropaint was easily washed off.

This particular morning however, protesters were specifically trying to avoid setting off the alarm systems. There were no protest signs and no one had memorized a bit of rhetoric to shout to the media. Bypassing the electrified fencing was the easiest bit. During regular hours, protesters had simply walked in through the gates. But today was the Sabbath. The gates were secured and even the guard booth was locked with no one inside. They chose an hour when the majority of the citizens of Cypress would be at worship services throughout the city. While some of the protesters were non-theistic in their beliefs, the majority were followers of the Prophets. One of these was the young man who previously had been allowed by the disabled security protocols to paint the walls, Pullok was his name.

Pullok's father was a minority member of the Council. His father had brought him up disdaining the teachings of Jesus, believing that the prophesied Messiah would come as a conquering king, not as a lowly servant. Lifting a pair of ceramic metal clippers, Pullok waited as one of his associates attached monofilament leads to a section of the fencing. Once Pullok had cut the fencing, the leads would allow the electrical current to bypass the now damaged section without setting off the security protocols. Or at least, that was what they'd assumed. It was also what Samson, the AI of the security system, had been designed to let them believe. When there were no human security personnel present, Samson's systems were designed to keep a constant vigilance on anything that moved within several meters of even the furthest point in the fencing. By the time the protesters had breeched the fence, each of the four men had been identified (two of them had youth records with the authorities, including Pullok who seemed prone to whatever mischief suited his mood) and Samson had made note of any threatening devices they might have with them.

Thus far, Samson had identified the ceramic clippers, two canisters of aeropaint and a small object carried within a duffel bag. Samson released a cloud of sniffer sensors – nanobots which could identify molecules of any chemical threat, explosives, excellerants or biohazards. The protesters would assume them to be gnats, maybe swat at one or two, and then the breeze would carry the sniffers past them having completed their task. Receiving the results of the sniffers, Samson determined that the object in the duffel as possibly an electronic lockpick, the sort that thieves used in breaking into businesses or homes in wealthy neighborhoods. While Samson could think, he did not have the sort of developed AI that would include a concept like humor. He could understand the concept, but understanding why a joke was funny and thinking it was funny are two different matters. Though it was standard programming to record all incursions onto the property, Samson knew that the security personnel would find humor in what was about to happen.

It was a pity that Pullok and his friends could not see what was behind the door that they were attempting to breech. From their standpoint, with three of them looking out for security people or robots or dogs or whatever, Pullok pulled out the device he was carrying in his duffel. About the size of two fists, it had a keypad, several function keys and a display. The door was flush with the wall, having no door frame as you might find in residential construction. Where a doorknob or some sort of locking mechanism might have been, the door was blank. It essentially looked like a blank rectangle set within a wall.

Touching the power switch on the device, Pullok pressed the device against the surface of the door. Since the door was metallic, the magnets on the back of the device held it securely. Pushing a few of the function keys, Pullok started the process of finding what sort of possible keying system was in use on this door. After a few moments, the display indicated that a three tiered security code needed to be entered. As there was no keypad built into the door or surrounding wall, Pullok deduced that the person wishing to gain entry would be carrying a portable device to input their code. Pullok inquired if the device could produce the required response of such a device? It answered in the affirmative. Pullok pressed a few more keys and the device quietly set about finding the needed security code. After a few moments, it lit a green light on its display and instructed, Security code accepted. Push in on door surface to open.

There was a small 'click' as Pullok's hand pressed against the door. The door recessed about three centimeters back into the wall and then slid to one side. Pullok only just had the presence of mind to grab the lockpick before it was smacked against the door frame now revealed. There was a small problem however. Where they should have been looking into an open doorway, as quickly as the one door slid into the wall, a second door slid into place, moved flush to the outer wall and locked securely into place. Unsure if somehow this was the same door or that the device had not worked, Pullok again put the device on the door and started the process over again. A second time, the door was opened, and a second time it was immediately replaced by a third door. The third door however was helpfully painted with a hand written message:

Samson can do this all day!

Can you?

Working title: Rosetta Stone

An excerpt from a story I'm working on.  I would appreciate your thoughts ... but be kind.

Introduction:

Those who followed the Prophets could never quite understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of the very prophecies they gave! Born the only son of the Creator, he was the door that opened out from a life of nothingness and damnation and onto a life of Grace, forgiveness and joy. Such is as it had been since the earliest days and was so now. Two schools of belief existed on Erets: The teachings of the Prophets (unfulfilled) and the teachings of Jesus (fulfilled prophecies). True, there were those who followed other paths, even those who claimed to follow no path at all ...but even small children understood that in order to follow no path at all, you were in essence following a path. Even if it was a path to avoid all the other paths. But such were the claims of the people who'd gathered on the steps of the Great Temple. The news had gone out that the Great Commission was coming to its final phase, that having reached all of Erets, the next step was to reach out to the stars.

And so we begin:

It had been long believed that on the many little lights visible in the night sky that God had created worlds where other races lived. People such as the citizens of this world, maybe even people who knew of the God of Heaven and Erets. But such was a leap of Faith that many did not wish to take. “Leave the heavens to God, we have enough issues to deal with here.”

The crowds milling on the Temple steps were a diverse group. Physicians, lawyers, common laborers, skilled tradesmen … even students and housewives were there. Far up in the Temple tower, Pahr stood, looking down at the scene below. This had been a long day for him. The Temple gates were locked tightly, fearing a rush of protesters wanting to force their way into the Temple Gardens shouting for an audience with the Council. Some on the Council still followed the Prophets, though more and more were siding with those following Jesus. The Jesuine councilors, Pahr included, presently held the majority of the seats on the Council. As such it fell to them to choose the path that the Council would follow during their tenure.

Many years prior, the government of Erets had been established. Following the traditions of the Prophets, the council had been established with council members being considered Judges. Much of this history was running through Pahr's mind as he watched the crowds below. His revelry did not last long however as his personal comm crackled to life with the voice of his wife Clariss, “Pahr, should the guards disburse this crowd or do you even see what is going on?” Inwardly Pahr sighed. In so many ways, Clariss was the perfect mate for him, but on rare occasions like this she almost seemed to think less of his ability to even recognize what was going on.

“Not to worry Clariss. The guards have assured me that the gates are more than up to the task of a crowd twice as big as this. We are safe here.”

“But what if they were to force the gate? What if they brought explosives or cutting tools?”

Looking down through his window, Pahr acknowledged that that would indeed be a problem. He however also knew that there was sensory equipment installed in every possible hiding place throughout the Temple complex that would reveal the presence of any substance or tool that could potentially be used against either the Temple or its inhabitants. The system, nicknamed “Samson” had been installed over the years, with additions and revisions made as technology brought new options to the fore. 

 

“Not to worry dearest. Samson is watching. We shall be fine.” A small chuckle could be heard through the his ear piece as Clariss responded, “I sure wish you'd put as much trust in me as you do in that machine.” Clariss' aversion to just about anything mechanical, let alone computerized was a trait Pahr had always considered endearing. He had to admit however that occasionally it was somewhat frustrating. But he reasoned, he was sure he wasn't always a barrel of fun to deal with either.

Paying for Propaganda

(Another commentary from Janet Parshall of the Moody Broadcasting Network.)

December 14-21, 2011
Paying for Propaganda
       America is enamored with reality TV but one show is particular just might be anything but reality.

       TLC or The Learning Channel has quite the line-up of reality shows. 19 kids and counting, Kate plus 8, Sister Wives, Long Island Medium, and The Little Couple just to name a few – and there are more!

       But recently the network has added a new program entitled, All American Muslim . The web site for the show says,

        "All-American Muslim takes a look at life in Dearborn, Michigan--home to the largest mosque in the United States--through the lens of five Muslim American families. Each episode offers an intimate look at the customs and celebrations, misconceptions and conflicts these families face outside and within their own community.”

       But some are calling the show, “propaganda.” According to the Florida Family Association, All American Muslim is “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.” Apparently, they are not the only ones who have concerns about what may, in fact, be a program designed to put a new face on Islam in a post-9/11 world.

       The Florida Family Association contacted Lowe’s - the national hardware store chain - and requested that their advertising be pulled from the program. Lowe’s agreed and a cultural firestorm ensued.

       Lowe’s then posted a comment on their Facebook page, apologizing for the possibility of offending some by withdrawing their advertisements. The Facebook statement also stated:

        “Lowe’s has received a significant amount of communication on this program, from every perspective possible. Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lighting rod for many of those views. As a result we did pull our advertising on this program. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance.
       “We strongly support and respect the right of our customers, the community at large, and our employees to have different views. If we have made anyone question that commitment, we apologize.” (emphasis added)

       One California State Senator called the action “bigoted, shameful and un-American” and is demanding an apology from the CEO of the company. But is the Florida Family Association articulating a very real concern?

       All practitioners of Islam are not jihadists but all jihadists are followers of Islam. While the TLC show will follow the lives of 5 Muslim families in Michigan, I doubt the program will discuss the imprisonment of Asia Bibi in Pakistan or Pastor Yousef in Iran. It won’t talk about the lack of protection for religious minorities in Islamic dominated countries. Nor, will it vet the totalitarianism that is Sharia Law.

        Will TLC discuss the case of the Christian street evangelists who were arrested and jailed in Dearborn, Michigan for attending an Arab festival and sharing the gospel? No, that just might be a little too much reality.
        That’s my opinion. I’m Janet Parshall.
                      

© 2011 The Moody Bible Institute of ChicagoUsed as quoting with references.
http://www.moodyradio.org/janetparshallcommentary/

Faith and Politics

A friend recently posted on their Facebook page that there was a poll stating that it seemed people (in this case meaning voters participating in the electoral process) were less likely to elect an atheist to political office.  He expressed it in a way that gave one the impression that this sort of thinking was very ignorant

Janet Parshall discussed this issue in her commentary today:

       A brand new poll just released this week seems to indicate that Americans do care greatly about the issue of faith, especially when it comes to politics.
       Research data that addresses the intersection of faith and politics is always so fascinating and very revealing about what we generally believe as a culture and as a people. The non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute reported this week on new polling information about the role of religion in the lives of politicians.
       Two-thirds of Americans believe it is important for a presidential candidate to have strong religious beliefs. But the data doesn’t stop there – it turns out that voters want religious beliefs in the lives of their politicians – even if the beliefs of the candidate are different from their own.
       The survey also shows that only one in five US Citizens would be less likely to vote for a candidate if the candidate’s religious beliefs were different from their own. Specifically, 29 percent said they would be “uncomfortable” with an evangelical in the White House, 53 percent said the same thing about a Mormon, 64 percent would object to a Muslim and a huge majority of 67 percent said “NO” to the idea of an atheist in the office.
       What issues are on the minds of voters? It comes as no surprise that 8 out of 10 of us believe that creating jobs is the number one issue facing America today. Six in 10 of those surveyed said reducing the government budget deficit is most critical.
       When asked about the so-called “Occupy Wall Street” movement in the country right now, a shocking 6 out of 10 said that the country would be better off if the distribution of wealth was more equally distributed while 39 percent disagreed. On the heels of that statistic, it comes as no surprise that 7 out of 10 Americans think there should be a tax increase on those earning more than $1 million a year – compared to 27 percent who opposed the idea.
       From this survey, we appear to be a people in conflict – we want faith to be instrumental and lived out in the lives of our politicians but we aren’t quite sure about how those faith principles should play out in public policy. The tension between politics and religion is not new.
       George Washington was a reluctant President. He was far more comfortable surveying land in the Shenandoah Valley or leading his men at Valley Forge than he ever was as the first President of the United States. But he too recognized the role of faith not only in our government, but in our personal lives. He said,
              “While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."

How right he was.

That’s my opinion. I’m Janet Parshall.

In The Shadow

Horrible Visit

 At 7:11am on April 28, 2010, a car door slammed as Tom Rivers walked to the kitchen for his morning cup of coffee.  He glanced out the window to see who was outside.  His heart stopped when he saw three Marines walking toward his house.  He called to his wife, Charon, to get dressed and ran to the door.  "Don't tell me you're here to tell me my son is dead," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

School and Training

"I've wanted to be a Marine since I was ten-years-old," Thomas Rivers wrote in a high school essay.  "I believe joining the Marines would be a good experience for me because it would teach me to rely on God to make it through."  Both grandfathers served in the military and after 9/11, Thomas wanted to represent his family in protecting America.  He wrote in his journal that he knew God called him to be a warrior.  There was never any doubt.

Due to a lack of motivation, Thomas struggled in high school until a recruiter told him he needed a diploma to enlist.  After that conversation, low grades and motivation were not a problem.  He graduated in 2007 and fulfilled his dream by joining Marines two weeks later.

Rivers stuck to his strong values in the unforgiving humidity of South Carolina's Parris Island.  "He joined the Marines as a kid," his father said, "but graduated a strong warrior.  I almost didn't recognize him when I saw him at his graduation."  Thomas was ready to defend his country.

Deployed

America took the war to the terrorists overseas and Thomas was deployed to Iraq in July 2008.  The raw desert heat of war-torn Iraq further sharpened him into a true leader.  He returned home to the relief of his parents in March of 2009.

After a year of further training, word came that the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division of the II Marine Expeditionary Force was needed in Afghanistan.  Lance Corporal Rivers was a team leader.  The young Marine, now almost 22, with one combat tour under his belt, prepared for another deployment with the same focus, faith and strength that guided him through Iraq.  In the final hours before before he left, he held hands with his sister, mom and dad and prayed.  In the pit of her stomach, his mother feared it would be the last time she would ever pray with her son.

Afghanistan

Hours of boredom laced with moments of terror sum up the life of a modern Marine and it was no different for Lance Cpl. Rivers.  However, his friendship with Lance Corporal Matthew Proctor made the down time bearable.

The two struck up a friendship while training together in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune.  LCpl Matthew Proctor had stood in front of the whole Alpha Company and invited them to join his Bible study.  Out of the 150 men in their unit, Thomas was the only one who showed up.

They continued their two-man Bible study in Afghanistan, but soon Matthew grew discouraged.  The normally upbeat Proctor approached Thomas.  "I quit.  This Bible study is a joke.  Nobody's coming, so why should we keep it up?"

Thomas stared at him for a few moments, then said, "Suck it up, man.  You can't quit now."

The two continued in their small study until one day, Thomas asked, "Hey Proctor, do you think I'm a Christian?"

Matthew thought a minute and then said, "I know you prayed to ask Jesus to be your Savior, but the Bible also says you will know who are really Christians by their actions.  'A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit.'  You, my friend are a good fruit bearer."

Ouija Board

Although the Bible study wasn't a big hit with the other Marines, another spiritual influence was.  One of the Marines in their division was heavily involved in Satanism.  He even had the name of his personal demon tattooed on his bicep.  Several Marines were fascinated with his Ouija board.  Every night, ten to fifteen of them spent several hours hunched over the board asking questions.  It seemed to know all the answers and the men sensed its supernatural power.

Proctor grabbed Thomas one night and said, "Hey, these guys personalities are changing for the worse.  I think we ought to have our Bible study and pray while they are conjuring demons."

At the same time the Marines questioned the spirits, Rivers and Proctor opened their Bibles and began to pray in the next room.  "Lord, you said where two or more are gathered in Your name, you are with them," Proctor prayed before they began to read Scripture together.

Within fifteen minutes, a cry of frustration arose from the crowd in the other room.  "Hey, its not working.  What happened?"

Thomas grinned at Matthew.  "Looks like the Lord showed up and the demon fled."

Two nights later, the Marines got out the board.  Proctor and Rivers exchanged glances as they went for their Bibles.  This time the Ouija board did not respond at all and most of the Marines lost interest and quit using it altogether.

Mortars

The Taliban set up a mortar position atop a nearby mountain where they could rain down destruction.  Leadership fell to Rivers to set up a security position to stop the enemy.  Proctor, next in command, would follow with a second group of Marines.

The night before their mission, the two men shared their "life" verses.  Thomas pulled his shirt up to reveal a tattoo -- Psalm 91:1.  "This is it for me," he said.  "I love Psalm 91 and my mom prays it for me every day. 'He who lives in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.'" (Psalm 91:1)

Mission

As the sun began to peek over the horizon coloring the sky a vivid red, the Marines prepared to march.  It was a half-hour hike to the shell of a building where they planned to set up.  Proctor, weighed down with the gear he needed for the mission, had a sudden impression he should bring his Bible.  That's crazy, he told himself.  Its just extra weight and there's no chance I'd ever have a moment to read it.  But he grabbed it anyway.

As patrol leader, Rivers arrived first and ordered his men to take their positions.  However, the Marine assigned to stand watch was exhausted.  A patrol leader is never required to stand a post, but Thomas and Proctor had been reading in the Bible about love.  "Love isn't an emotion," Proctor said.  "It is laying down your life for your friends.  'Greater love has no one than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends.'" (John 15:13)

"You rest," Thomas told him.  "I'll stand post for you."

At 6:33 am, Thomas Rivers walked to the designated area to stand security.

From a short distance away, Proctor saw a cloud of dust billow up about 10 feet high.  What is that?, he wondered.  While replacing the exhausted Marine, Rivers had activated an improvised explosive device (IED).  A moment later the concussion boomed.  Proctor ran forward fearing the enemy was shelling them from the mountaintop.

As soon as he secured the perimeter, Proctor entered the compound and saw two men down.  He gasped as if punched in the gut when he saw one of them was Rivers.

Immediately, his training took over.  He took command and ordered the injured to be cared for as he called communications and set up security.

With his duty discharged, he rushed to Thomas and cradled his head in his lap.  He bent down to watch his facial expressions and knew his best friend was in shock.

"Hey Thomas," he said.  "Do you want to me to read your life verse?"

Suddenly, Rivers' eyes gained focus.  He looked straight at Proctor and said, "Yeah, yeah!"  He said with clarity.  "Do that."

Proctor dug out his Bible and read, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."  (Psalm 91:1)

"Now here's my life verse," Proctor said, and with his voice cracking with emotion he read, "For me, to live is Christ, but to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21)

The last passage he read pertained to the question Thomas had asked him several weeks before.

"A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.  Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Matthew 7:17, 20)

When Thomas slipped into unconsciousness, the Marines worked to keep him breathing.  Proctor laid his hands on him and several others placed theirs on his back and he prayed.  In the midst of the noise and chaos, a sudden hush fell as Proctor said, "Lord, we lift Thomas up to you.  We want you to heal him, but may Your will be done."

Lance Corporal Thomas Rivers entered heaven at 7:11 am, April 28, 2010.

New Mission

Back at base that night, Proctor was angry.  "Why God?  Why did you take my one friend?  The only man here besides me who loves you?"  He poured over his Bible and the next day he announced, "Hey guys, I'm going to do a Bible study if anyone wants to come."

Nine Marines showed up.

"'Greater love has no one than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends.'" (John 15:13)  "Just like Thomas died in your place," Proctor said, nodding to the Marine who was supposed to stand watch, "Jesus died for us.  Thomas wasn't perfect though.  He couldn't take on all of the bad things you've done because he had his own problems.

"But Jesus never did anything wrong.  That's why He can die in our place and take onto Himself all the lies, fears and crud that separates us from God.  If you ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord, He forgives your sins and gives you eternal life.  He enables us to have a personal relationship with God.

"Being a Christian isn't a religion, its knowing God and walking in His truths.  If you want to know Him and also know when you die you'll spend eternity with Him in heaven, you can pray a simple prayer.  God knows you and isn't concerned as much with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.

"Pray with me, 'Lord Jesus thank you for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins.  You promised to come into my life, forgive my sins and give me eternal life.  I know you don't lie, so I thank you for coming into my life as you promised.  From this day forward I'm going to believe Your Word that you live in me.  Amen."

At the end of the study, three Marines told Proctor they prayed with him.  One of them was the Satanist leader.  For the rest of their time in Afghanistan, the two became close friends as Proctor taught him to walk with God and study His Word.

"I've done a lot of terrible things," he told Proctor.  "How can God forgive me for it all?"

"The Bible says that we aren't saved by the good things we do.  Jesus paid for it all, past, present and future.  Now we obey Him, not out of fear or duty, but because we love Him."

LCpl Thomas E. Rivers, Jr. gave his heart to Jesus and his life for his country.

Just like the three Marines, you do not have to be perfect to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We hope that you will pray the same prayer the three Marines prayed and invite Jesus into your life to forgive all of your sins and give you eternal life.

If you prayed the prayer, please contact us so we can send you some valuable material to help you grow in your relationship with God.

Dr. Thomas E. Rivers, Sr.

email:  moosetracts@mail.com

For further information on LCpl Thomas E. Rivers, Jr.  go to the following links:

• http://www.unknownsoldiersblog.com/2010/05/iron-man.html
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCH4rrwFIU
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7xPFJYJJag
• http://www.dvidshub.net/news/49580/marines-remember-and-honor-fallen-brother
• http://www.dvidshub.net/video/85310/lance-cpl-matthew-proctor
• http://www.dvidshub.net/video/85307/rivers-memorial
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGrWPaMhQdE
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU9IakBkOwQ

Propaganda in the Public Schools

The following commentary is by a well known Christian broadcaster and former board member of the Religious Broadcasters Association, Janet Parshall.  More information is available about Mrs. Parshall at http://www.janetparshallcommentary.org/

October 19-26, 2011

Propaganda in the Public School

       The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network of New York is sponsoring a day of propaganda and sadly, most parents don’t even know it is happening.
       The event is slated for November 8th and it’s tied into legislation signed into state law in New York last year. The law required all schools – K-12 - to implement what they identify as an all inclusive code of conduct and civility curricula. The law also required that all staff members undergo diversity and human relations training.
       There will be a variety of workshops offered to staff, among them are ones entitled “Bisexuality Explored” and another called “The Damage of Reparative Therapy.” Another workshop will examine how Biblical Scripture – in their words – promotes bigotry and discrimination. Tax payer funded workshops promoting hatred toward Christianity – and most people don’t even know this is happening!
       But the story doesn’t end there. On October 1st, GLSEN lead a discussion during a Union theological Seminary Conference that was designed to address issues in Catholic high schools. The conference was entitled “Pro-Queer life: Youth suicide Crisis, Catholic Education and the souls of LGBTQ People.”
       Invitations went out to multiple parochial high schools in New York. Recipients included teachers, students at the Union Theological seminary, theologians, writers and activists. The goal of the conference was to look at challenges facing LGBT students in Catholic schools and to look for solutions.
       An education manager at GLSEN, who travels all across the country to promote conferences like one at Union Theological, wanted the attendees to discuss the issues of harassment of gay students. The presenter alleged that the majority of religious schools where gay students were harassed were Catholic.
       But things got particularly interesting when attendees were encouraged to write messages to the absent high school students on a white cloth draped over a dining room table.
       Listen to some of the messages that were left: “Gay is a gift of God!” or “Jesus is moving in and for you in exactly the places of yourself that others reject or shame.” Another one said, “Look at history to understand sometimes people. e.g. homophobes have got it all wrong.” Or this one, “when considering the voice of the ‘church’ do not forget to listen to the most important one: the voice of the Christ within.”
       Here is where the Catholic Church and the Church universal is going to have to decide how it will handle this most contentious of issues. Either we love our young people enough to tell them the loving Truth articulated in the Word of God or we do what is politically correct and ‘pretend’ that somewhere along the line God changed His mind about sin.
       God’s word is ultimately very protective. Sex outside of marriage (marriage defined by Scripture as one man and one woman) is declared by God Himself as sin – and that is something the Church should neither facilitate nor celebrate.
       That’s my opinion. I’m Janet Parshall.

                       © 2011 The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago

Some of my personal testimony

(note: pictures used in this post are not mine. I have tried to locate open resource images. Ownership of these images can be located by right clicking on the image and clicking "properties" to find their information.)

This one could get a little bit interesting.

I grew up in the Episcopal Church, which is another name for the Church of England (Anglican Church) in the United States. I guess when you look at it...the Anglican Church was the State Church of early Great Britain, and so it was this church that the earliest settlers of the American colonies was fleeing. I know, an odd way of looking at it, but anyway...

I grew up in the Episcopal Church. At one point as a young teen, I had considered the Episcopal priesthood, as one of my favorite uncles, Uncle Al, is a priest (he has since retired, but once a priest, always a priest). I felt very comfortable in the Episcopal church, much like the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churchs, the worship service focused around litergy as a means of worship...singing hymns and anthems, reading passages of scripture and receiving the sacrement of communion...and of course sleeping through hearing a sermon by one of the priests of the church. It was comfortable, just about everyone I knew was in our church.

I had attended services in other churches. During my freshman year in college, I began meeting new friends. Friends who WEREN'T Episcopalians! This was all fine and good of course. I would go home on weekends (Ball State was among other nicknames called the "Suitcase College", because a good number of its students were from communities close enough that they'd go home on weekends...) and be back in my little safe zone.

I even had a response for those that asked me if I'd been "Saved"...I'd tell them, "Why yes I was, it was about 2,000 years ago..." From my experience, the Episcopal church's teaching doesn't so much focus on the personal relationship with the Lord, but rather to service to others by the body of the church--just my observation.

So anyway, I met friends of different faiths in college, I would go to some of their church services, and as often as not, they'd tag along with me to visit with my family on weekends and would come to church with us.

A funny brief story on that line...One of my college friends, Mark, was raised in the Friends Church--what is also called the Quakers (yeah, like the guy on the oatmeal boxes), and after having spent a weekend visiting with his family, a few weeks after, he came and visited with mine. That Sunday, Mark came with me to church at the Cathedral. After services, there was a coffee hour, a chance to fellowship with church friends before returning to that outside world.

Well, we were mingling with my friends, I was introducing Mark around, and just about every girl I would say hi to, would give me a big hug (and a couple of them a little peck ) and when I'd introduce them to Mark...well they'd give HIM a little squeeze as well! After we were back in the car and headed back to campus, I asked Mark what he thought about it. He asked me some questions about the service--which is VERY different from a Friend's meeting I had learned-- and then he asked me what I think had really been his biggest concern, he asked me, "Are the girls always that friendly??" I couldn't help but chuckle.

By the time I came through my Junior year at Ball State, I was a little more receptive of others speaking about their faith, and I acknowledged that maybe, just maybe the Episcopal church didn't have absolutely all the answers I was looking for. As God's timing would have it, it was also around that same time that I started dating a very wonderful woman. Very accepting, very loving, and very "Born Again" Those around here know her, she's my wife Beth. As boyfriends sometimes do, at her mother's invitation, I would visit with Beth's family on some weekends and go to church with them.

Mind you, I was used to church being...
Choirboys in robes..


Pipe organs..


and priests in vestments..



We went to Beth's family's church (First Assembly of God, Logansport IN) and found things like guitars, pianos and banjos and a set of drums!


and people raising their hands praising God!


And the other thing I found there...I could never find a good picture so I won't even try, but before I'd said a word to anyone, as I entered the sanctuary of that church, it was like stepping from a freezing cold blizzard into a house warmed by a roaring fire. The blizzard was forgotten and the warmth came straight to my bones. It was very different...but very much what I had needed but didn't realize.

So, in November of 1986, we were attending a dramatic performance at church. It was a play about what life would be like AFTER the Rapture...but this was NOT the 'Left Behind' books, but a similar concept. Church members played the parts of persecuted Christians as well as some really NASTY people who were hunting the Christians and the story told of the events of that time ... the gist of the play was how dire and necessary it was to make a decision to follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior NOW, while you still had the chance to MAKE a choice.

After the performance, the Pastor came to the front of the sanctuary and gave an explanation of what many of us know as the "Roman Road". How it is not by our own works that we get into Heaven, but it is by faith in Jesus, so that no man should boast...that it didn't happen 2000 years ago, that it is happening right NOW if you would choose to let God have control in your life. I was almost so much so aghast that it had been right there in front of me, that I sat there for a moment not knowing what to do. But God knew how to show me, the Pastor said, "Now with every head bowed, and every eye closed, I want you to consider what you've seen tonight. If the Rapture would occur now ... do you know where you would be? If you don't know I'd like for you to raise your hand, just for a moment, then I'll have you put your hand down..." I raised my hand.

The Pastor then explained that there were members of the church that would like an opportunity to pray with you (meaning ME), "And so again, with every eye closed, and heads bowed, if you would like to make a commitment to follow the Lord, to give your heart to Him, I will ask you to stand. Don't leave your seat, just stand up, and one of our church members will come and stand with you to pray with you." I stood. It may sound cliche' now, but my knees shook a little. I felt a hand upon my shoulder, and found that Kerry, the man who'd played the leader of the persecutors in the drama (and still in his frightful costume I might add!), was smiling at me. That evening, we prayed together...with Beth at my side and crying her eyes out, as I gave my heart to Jesus.

Life since then hasn't been perfect. As a dear friend once told me, "Watermelon still has seeds..." but by God's grace I am living my life to the best of my ability and in the love of my Lord!

Ockham's Razor

I have come to the conclusion that much of what I believe can be best described using the principle called Ockham's Razor which states:

… entities should not be multiplied needlessly. … that the simplest of two or more competing theories is preferable and that an explanation for unknown phenomena should first be attempted in terms of what is already known. Also called law of parsimony.

In simpler terms; the simplest explanation is (most often) the correct one.

For example: Evolutionary theory states that life on Earth formed originally when amino acids combined to form proteins, which in turn formed single cell organisms, which (I'm a little unclear on how here) joined to become larger and successively larger animals until finally life evolved into that which we know today. Compare this to the Bible:

Genesis 1:20-22: And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created the great sea monsters, and every creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every bird after its kind.” And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

Genesis 1:24, 25: And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind …” And God saw that it was good.

(verses quoted from the American Standard Version, the ASV)

Let me answer a question with a question: Which would be easier to consider? That I took flour, egg, sugar, milk and a pinch of salt and made a cake by mixing the ingredients together in the right amounts and baking them in the oven; or that I dumped all the ingredients into a pan (no idea of how much of what) and stuck it into the oven … and expected it to evolve into a cake? If you picked the second option, the next time my wife and I come for dinner I'm bringing dessert because I don't think yours will turn out all that well.

Why?

This morning, our pastor was looking at the story of Lazarus.

John Chapter 11 tells the story. Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha. We've read of them before; Mary was the woman who anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. Her sister Martha I think was fairly well named. I could just imagine if they were living today, Martha's last name would probably be Stewart ... Always busy, making sure everything was set perfectly.

Well, Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus wasn't doing so well. In fact, he was dying. So Martha whips out her iParchment and texts Jesus a message:
THE 1 U LOVE IS SICK

But Jesus didn't seem too concerned. He stayed where he was another couple of days saying He's not going to die. This is all so God's glory can be seen. Well pretty much as he's saying this, Martha sends another text:
THE 1 U LOVE IS DEAD
CAN U DO FUNERAL?

By the time Jesus and his disciples had returned to Judea, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Both Mary and Martha came to Jesus and said, "If you'd just been here, our brother wouldn't have died." Its about here that, if you ever have to memorize Bible verses, is the easiest verse to memorize: John 11:35: "Jesus wept." (its the same no matter which translation you're using!) The verse is also poignant in that its shortness speaks of the lack of need for additional description. Jesus wept. He wept because someone He loved was gone. He wept because Mary and Martha (and the other family members not named around them) were crying.

There was no doubt that Lazarus had actually died. He wasn't just asleep. In fact, he'd been gone so long that the odor of decomposition was strong. Or as Pastor Walt would say "for surely, he stinketh!" In fact, as Lazarus' body was bound for burial, it wasn't just that Jesus had to bring him back to life, he loosened the grave clothes so Lazarus could move.

But Jesus had men move the stone away from the grave, and after praying he shouted, Lazarus, COME FORTH! And Lazarus came out. I'm sure he might not exactly have smelled like Madagascar cinnamon, but he was alive after having been dead.

We all have days like Mary and Martha. We find ourselves in a situation, one that we clearly cannot get ourselves out of, and we wonder how on earth we could have gotten in this far over our heads.

Sometimes, God will give you a way to get through a situation without even knowing that its happening. Sometimes something will happen and you will finally realize that there's only one way OUT of those situations. Yes, Jesus could have simply spoken the word, and Lazarus would have gotten better (he did it for the centurion's servant after all...), but sometimes the things we can understand the least, the things we're absolutely powerless against, are the things God puts into our lives for us to have the chance to see His glory in our lives.

Carmen - "Lazarus"

One of the very few things I've ever done that I was ashamed of myself

Reposting this from Hatfield's little corner of the WWW, a blog I used to maintain on Crosswalk.com, a part of the Faith Community Network and Salem Web Networks. I have considered sharing this HERE on my Blogspot blog for a while, and have felt lead to do so today. The blog was originally written August 5, 2005, so tag 5 years onto any date references...

First a tiny bit of background information: One of the biggest things I like to do online is play online interactive games more commonly refered to as "MUDs" (Multiple User Devices), these games are text based (no gee-wizzy graphics like video games) and share many elements of Role Playing Games. You solve mysteries, fight bad guys and you also chat with people from all over the globe, much like we do here on FCN/Crosswalk. [and on Facebook and Blogspot...]

Shortly after we'd moved here to our present home, but before we had our own personal computers, we would go online from our local public library. One afternoon I was surfing around and came across a page listing free games for people to play online. Having played as much Solitaire and read as much email as were available to me, I checked out the webpage of a game (won't give the full name, for I wish them no ill will) with the initials TF.

Their introduction stated that they were an online adventuring game, and invited the reader in to explore and see how well they could survive and thrive! I logged on (this was THE first place I used the name "Hatfield" which I still use to this day), and after finding my footing I was pretty much hooked. There were things to explore, and lots of people to talk to. I learned that the hosting computer for this game was actually over in England, and as a result, the majority of the game's players were also english. But they didn't seem to mind a couple of Yanks coming around once in a while. And so I invited my wife to join me there(for her, that was also the first time she used the screen name of Scarlett)

Between the two of us, we explored, we solved puzzles and we just generally had a ball. After we'd been there for a while (most of a year as I recall it) we had many people on the game that we considered friends. One of MY friends was a 26 year old woman who lived in the UK. She was having relationship issues with her then-fiance and would seek my counsel on what she was supposed to do. I would suggest things like counseling and maybe spending some time OFF the computers with him and so forth, but after a time nothing seemed to work out with them, and since they weren't married, they ended their relationship.

Having to pause to think for a moment, this is the first time I've spoken of this in a forum that wasn't specifically just between myself and someone specifically being addressed.

We would talk about her issues, and sometimes about my life. I didn't see myself as having any issues, but she encouraged me to speak when I had something on my mind.

This woman and I became closer and closer 'friends', to the point that I felt I needed to hide my feelings about HER from my wife Beth. This woman and I would correspond via email, or we'd visit while on this game (one advantage of her being 6 hours ahead of me, on days I was off work, she would be home AFTER work during her evening hours.) Our relationship developed to the point that while there were miles separating us, we were for all intents having an affair.

I'm not proud of it now, and if there were any way I could make that bit of time just go away, I would do it. It almost cost my wife and I our marriage.

Here on THIS side of the CRT, I had pretty much shut down emotionally. We would go to church, not because I wanted to worship the King of kings. I still felt that so long as I was married, that I needed to take care of my wife. She wanted to go to church, we went. At the end of every service, our pastor would give an altar call, every service, I would remain seated but Beth would go forward to pray for us.

After a time, the woman in England ended our 'relationship' because she'd met someone locally, and to be frankly honest about it, her new boyfriend was THERE, and I was HERE...with very little chance of getting over THERE any time soon. I cried.

A few months later I started the same cycle all over again, THIS time with a woman in California. Same stuff, different place...But Beth KEPT praying for me. Almost another full year later, as I was being the dutiful husband yet again, we were in Church, Beth was at the altar praying for me--her worthless no-good cheating husband, and I was just sitting in my seat.

A voice spoke in my ear. I looked around, but there was no one standing close enough to have spoken this clearly.

You have not loved Me as you've loved your self,
and you have not honored your marriage as I have commanded you to do.

I knew I still had issues, but it was as if the scales fell from my eyes and I understood not only what I had been doing wrong, but I understood how it was crushing my wife's heart. I broke down in tears like I have never cried before. Snot all down the face, scarlet red cheeks--only holding back the hollering by a force of will crying. I walked up beside Beth at the rail, and knelt beside her, and begged her to forgive me for the garbage I'd put her through. She held me in her arms while I cried, adding her tears to my own.

We agreed that we needed to seek counseling with a Christian counselor. And we attended sessions with a wonderful man for the better part of 6 months. At the time however, our finances were a bit tight and we almost wound up losing our house! So we had to stop counseling, but I think we got the basic message that we needed...that's been almost 5 years ago I think. And I thank God for my Beth every day!

To you dear reader,
If you and your spouse are having troubles, even if you're NOT having the same sort of experience we had, seek counseling; preferably with a Christian Counselor (your pastor/minister/priest should be able to refer you to someone in your area) Marriage is like a garden. When the weeds come--and trust me they will-- you don't till the whole garden under, you pull the weeds. Work with your spouse. Pray for them daily and even when you might not feel like it, tell them how much they mean to you and how much you love them. The time will come when you WILL mean it, and you WILL feel like it.

I will hold you in my prayers.
-R

What I believe

In “Why I believe”, I explained my reasons for why I accept the authority of the teachings of the Old and New Testaments (the combined work that Christians refer to as “The Bible”).

Today I would like to look at what I believe.

First, let me take a look at the leaders of some of the other faiths that are out there:

The Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam: Born in the Arabic city of Mecca in 570 AD. At the age of 40, he received a revelation. Teaching this revelation, his followers believed that it was through the works of service performed for God that one might achieve salvation (and with it, entry into paradise upon your death). Muhammad's teachings are the basis of the Qur'an, Islam's scriptures. On June 8, 632 AD, Muhammad died in the city of Medina, and is buried there.

Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha (in Sanskrit, “The Awakened One”): Gautama was born, according to the most commonly accepted references, in 563 BC in the town of Lumbini. He was raised in Kapilavastu, both of which are in present day Nepal. Depending upon who's information you read, Gautama's family was either nobility or was aristocratic. Either way, his father did not wish for his son to see the reality of how harsh the world was, and so forbade his son to ever leave their estate. Unbeknownst to his father, Gautama had secretly been taking trips out into the towns and countryside. It was during those journeys that he learned exactly what his father had tried to hide from him. That there is suffering and pain in the world. Leaving his father's home, Gautama set out on a pilgrimage to find a means to end suffering in life. Following the teachings of several sects of his day however, Gautama never found the answer that he sought. Finally, he found his enlightenment in what is now known as the Eight Fold Path. Through eight disciplines, each achieved in succession, one was supposed to find a means to become “one” with all of life, and in so doing find an end to suffering. After years traveling throughout the northern Indian continent, Gautama died at the age of 80 (483 BC) in Kushinagar, India.

The faith of Hinduism does not really have a religious founder per se', but is a belief system with many forms. One of the tenets of Hinduism is the concept known as Karma. In a nutshell, Karma teaches that the amount of good works (or bad works) you do in this life determines what your life will be like in the next life. That when your body dies, your essence is reborn to live another life. If you've lived a good life, your next life will be a better one. IE: If you are a poor man, but live a good life, you might be reincarnated as a rich man, or at least a not-so-poor one. If you are a poor man, and live a bad life, you could well be reincarnated as an animal... or a rock.

All of these faiths rely on the works that you do in order to achieve salvation/paradise/Nirvana. What else did these leaders all have in common? They died. You can go to their tomb and see that their remains are still there. But there is one tomb that you can go to that is empty! In Matthew's Gospel we read that on the third day after Jesus was crucified, the two Marys went to the tomb. When they arrived, the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. Lets look at what it says in Matthew 28:5-10:

(5)The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. (6) He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (7) Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
(8) So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (9) Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. (10) Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

(New International Version)

If you've seen the motion picture The Passion of the Christ directed by actor Mel Gibson, you will likely have be repulsed by the brutality with which Jesus was beaten prior to his execution. You will see the excruciating pain which he endured, all the way to having a spear thrust up into his side to assure his death. There is no doubt about the fact that Jesus did die from the injuries inflicted upon him by the Roman soldiers. And yet … Jesus' tomb is empty!

All four of the Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus proclaimed time and again that it is through faith in Him that we might be saved. Not from how many prayers we pray, not from the amount of good works we might do in our lives, but simply by taking responsibility for our own lives, admitting that we are sinners and want to accept that Jesus is the only way to be forgiven of that sin. Once you have made this confession, unfortunately, this will not mean that your life will suddenly turn out perfect. As a minister in my youth once put it, “Watermelon still has seeds ...”

Clearly, this is not a subject that can be covered with any sort of competence in one blog post. I am no theologian, but I will be sharing my thoughts and what I have learned in the coming weeks and months. I hope we can all learn something from these posts.

In His Service,
Ron Stone

I'm Reading More And Dusting Less (shared from a friend)

I'd actually read this originally when a friend had emailed it to me a couple of years ago, but a friend recently reposted this in their blog. I enjoyed it so much originally that I thought to share it as well. Originally, it came from Mikey's Funnies, a Christian email group.

I'm Reading More And Dusting Less

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip.

It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached. "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion."

He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me.

"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special. I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life.

I'm reading more and dusting less.

I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event--such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends. "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary.

If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food.

I'm guessing--

I'll never know. It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with--someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write--one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.

Enjoy today's gift~

Laura

Why I Believe

During the process of working on my NaNoWriMo project for this year, I
had asked my Senior Pastor a question that one of my characters poses to a
minister in my story. Long and short of the question was: Why do we
believe?

The following is excerpted from his answer:

As you know, we live in a world that would lead us to believe that all
religions lead to the same place. Many would insist that it doesn't matter
what you believe because ultimately, we all die and go to heaven (90% of
Americans believe this). However, my observation is that many of our
mainstream institutions of higher education speak out of both sides of
their mouths. At the same time they teach that all roads lead to God --
they often offer a disclaimer in regard to Christianity. They warn about
the close-minded teachings of the Bible... after all, it has so many errors
and contradictions and focuses too much on the supernatural... in short,
the Bible is not something intellectual people can place [their] faith in.
I would disagree wholeheartedly!

Peculiar: Over 1/3 of the world has based their eternity on the Bible.
Are we all so shallow? Or is there a vacuum in my life that all the
relationships, money, prestige, etc cannot fill but the love of Jesus can?

How is it that the Bible can be so easily discredited by so-called
intellectuals... and yet millions are reading it and following the
teachings of Jesus Christ? Could it be that Rick Warren's quote is true?
”Some people are so open-minded that their brains fall out.”

In a court of law, we are not required to prove that something actually
took place. It is impossible to prove that anything in history has taken
place. Instead, we must look at the past through the eyes of reliable
witnesses and evidence on-hand. These witnesses must simply prove beyond a
reasonable doubt that the evidence is legitimate. With this in mind, let us
take a look at the first 4 books in the New Testament -- Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John, and let us consider if these eye-witnesses to the life of
Jesus Christ are indeed reliable testimonies (records) of someone/something
that actually happened in history just over 2,000 years ago.

I would argue that the Gospels are a reliable record of actual events
and actual conversation. If this is true, then what the Bible says about
Jesus is true. If what the Bible says about Jesus is true, then in fact, He
must be the Son of God based upon the claims He made, the miracles He
performed, and the fact that he was crucified on a cross and later He
raised from the dead. If all of this is true, then what Jesus said about
the rest of the Bible and God must be true as well.

Although this may be considered simple from our intellectual friends,
we have a choice to make. We can put our trust in a man with a PhD or we
can put our trust in the man who healed the sick, raised the dead, and
predicted his own death and resurrection. (For me personally, I think I'll
go with the guy who raised from the dead.)

Serious Question: Can we trust what these books say about Jesus?

Lesson from History: Whenever we talk about historical events, we
cannot prove what has happened in the past, it is not a matter of proving,
it is a matter of looking at the evidence. Like in the courtroom
illustration given earlier, you present evidence and the jury uses that
evidence to come to a conclusion. So, whenever we look at the past, we must
ask what the evidence is pointing toward. (The trustworthiness of any
account is based on the reliability of evidence, not the proof.)

Illustration: One of my coworkers comes up to me and tells me they had
attended my church's Christmas Pageant. I tell him that I didn't see him
there, so he wasn't there. He shows me the bulletin from the program, but
he could have swiped that before or after the fact. “I have the recorded CD
of the pastor's message.” (still doesn't prove anything, that wasn't
available till after) “I saw your friend Spencer, he will tell you I was there!” (he could have asked Spencer to lie about it)

Science reminds us that you can only prove what is observable and
repeatable. You cannot observe what has happened in the past so you make
decisions based upon the evidence available to you in the present.

The second step in proving the reliability of history: When drawing
conclusions about evidence, probability takes precedence over possibility
(We must look at what is most probable -vs- what is possible.)

Back to our illustration: My coworker could have stolen or forged one
of the church's bulletins. He could have stolen the pastor's CD. He could
have even convinced my friend Spencer to lie for him. These things are
indeed possible. But what is probable, is that my coworker was at church
for the Paegent.

This might be why in legal terms we speak of Probable Cause rather than
Possible Cause.

Another Illustration: You are sitting at a stoplight, when a car behind
you locks on his brakes and slams into the back of your car. The front of
his car has wedged under the back of yours, lifting your rear wheels off
the pavement.

The police come. The man driving the second car claims that you
suddenly put your car into reverse and backed into him! True, this is
possible. It is also possible that a helicopter with a giant magnet flew
overhead, picked up your car and dropped it on top of the other car!
Now, in light of the evidence presented (skid marks matching his car,
no skid marks matching yours, your car on top of his ...)what is the
PROBABLE cause of the accident? (I'd say the other driver didn't use his
brakes soon enough and wound up underneath your car)

As I stated earlier, you can not prove anything from history, simply because proof is a term used in science and math for things that you can observe the result and repeat the action getting the same result.

Example: My friend Mr. Van Ostrand likes to take small chips of dry ice and put them with a small amount of water into a closed two liter soda pop
bottle. He observed that doing so creates carbon dioxide gas. He also
observed that doing so inside of a closed two liter bottle will create
enough pressure inside the bottle that within a few minutes the bottle
explodes!

Mr. Van Ostrand explained to me what he did, what he observed and how I
could duplicate his experiment. From Mr. Van Ostrand's experience I not only got a wonderful lesson about the explosive pressure that can be created by
carbon dioxide, but also a good lesson in safety practices and how to keep
from blowing a finger off. (drop the bottle and get AWAY)

History cannot be proven because it cannot be duplicated.

Like the court of law, we must rely on determining which resources are
the most trustworthy. The question then is, how do you determine whether an
ancient manuscript is trustworthy?

1. You look at the actual manuscript, determine its date of writing and
how widely it was distributed (how many copies are there)

2. What do you know about the author of the manuscript? (is this person
reliable, do they have a motive for their writings, were they paid by
someone to write it, etc)

Most of us during our High School education had the joy(??) of studying
Ancient Roman History. You will have likely read something that sounded a
bit like this:

Caesar realized that he could not win power without a royal army, so he made himself pro-council of Gall, a region of present-day France. In his 10 years as pro-council, Caesar brought all of Gall under Roman rule and showed his superior ability as a military leader. Caesar issued written reports about his campaigns and victories to keep the people of Rome informed. Students of Latin can still read these clearly detailed reports in what is known as the Gallic Wars

Where did the textbook get these details?

(story continues)

Pompey meanwhile grew jealous of Caesar's rising fame. To head off his rival, Pompey made himself sole pro-council. Then he persuaded the senate to order Caesar to return to Rome without his army.

Where did they get their information?

Answer: From ancient manuscripts.


Many High School history texts refer to the Gallic Wars. It is
interesting to me that this work is a manuscript with only ten known copies
to exist, and the author was hired (and presumably paid) by the emperor to
write a history about him! (can you see where there might be a just a
little narcissistic favoritism going on here?) Also, of the ten copies, the
earliest copy is from around 900 AD!

Question: Would you expect Rome to keep a good record of history? Would
you expect those records to be preserved? Would you expect these documents
would be considered so valuable to the empire that they would do all they
could to preserve them?

Question: Would you expect anyone to keep such detailed records and
protect with any measurable quality the writings about a common man from
Galilee, a carpenter's son? He didn't lead any campaigns, he didn't write
anything, and yet there are four detailed accounts of his life.

Reality: We have more written records about the life of Jesus Christ
than we have about the Roman emperors of his day!

Roman history is based on a few copies of records nearly 900 years old.

The Gospel manuscripts (unlike the Gallic Wars) we don't have ten
copies -- we have hundreds of copies!! Some of the earliest pieces of the
Gospel writings do not come from 900 years after the fact, they come from
within the lifetimes of people who were THERE. (some from as little as 10
years after Jesus' death)

Why in the world would there be such emphasis on the life of one Jewish
carpenter? Even if he was a fake, even if he was a rebel, even if he was a
prophet ... why in the world would there be such desire for detailed
information about a three year span of one man's life?

These records have survived through the ages, not because of Roman
protection, but because of its historical value.

A critic might ask: But aren't those copies of copies? What about the
mistakes and errors that would come from copying these manuscripts?

Good news: Unlike secular history (if only there was the documentation
for any other time in ancient history like there is for the time of the
Gospels!), there are amazingly few discrepancies in the Gospel accounts.
True, there are some differences, but few discrepancies.

Pastor Walt teaches that in Bible College, an example of the
differences that you might face as a student learning Textual Criticism are
things such as:

[in] the Bisintine manuscripts, the text says 'spirit' while the Western manuscripts say 'Holy Spirit'. Which one did the author intend? This is one of the toughest areas to have to face in Textual Criticism!

Reality: If you were to take a letter and copy it, you might make a
mistake, maybe transpoes a letter, but by the end of the day you've not
changed the meaning of the letter. It doesn't suddenly mean something else
entirely. And if it did, wouldn't you dispose of it?

Using an example I read somewhere, let us say that you were to receive
an letter from a reliable source. Maybe Western Union comes to your door
with a telegram (I know, I don't think they still DO telegrams, but for the
sake of my example ... lets assume they do!) The telegram informs you:
You haew von a milion dolars.

The sentence has 23 letters and four misspellings. There are plenty of
errors there. But I bet you could figure out what you needed to do next
don't you? Hope they sent directions to pick up your check!

The Western Union people could have likely had several people copy your
message. But by the end of the day, it doesn't change the meaning of what
is said. In that sentence, errors make up just over 13% of the total
message. But you still understand what it is telling you. You can go to a
bookstore and purchase a Greek New Testament. The footnotes will give you
all the variant readings (singular -vs- plural, etc but nothing significant
in regards to either history or theology)

Because of the volume of copies available, it is very easy to check
from one to another to find where errors may have occurred in the
duplication process and errors could be weeded out.

The thing is, if it is that obvious that the Gospel manuscripts are
accurate, why don't secular historians use them as a historical reference?
If they were recorded by more reliable sources, been more widely
distributed and more accurate, surely they would be invaluable as a
reference tool?

Problem: There is a prejudice against things that are supernatural.
Historians give little or no credit for things that happen by means they
cannot either comprehend or explain. Without my faith, I would find it hard
to believe that a man could walk on water. It would be nearly impossible to
conceive that a multitude of over 5,000 people could be fed on the contents
of a little boy's lunch pail -- and have baskets full of leftovers after
the fact!
The blind are cured of their blindness?
The lame are told to get up and walk?
The dead are brought back to life?
All four of the Gospel manuscripts give credence to such supernatural
acts, and so secular historians cannot trust them.

This however, is not a problem with the Gospels. It is a problem with
our society's orientation. I admit, I've never seen a blind person's eyes
being cleared after having mud rubbed in them and a command to go and wash. I've not seen a man walk across the waves of a sea without even getting the hem of his garments wet. My Mom, nor my Grandma or anyone else I know hasn't seen it happen. The secular historian would surmise that if it cannot happen in the present day, it could not have happened in the past. I on the other hand would surmise that if the man who walked on water was also the man who told the lame to walk and made the blind to see, and told the dead man to Come Forth! then maybe it wasn't something wrong with the accuracy of the manuscripts. Maybe it was something right about the man who proclaimed to one and all that He was the only son of the Living God.

I've not seen these miracles performed. But I know a man who has fallen
from the roof of a five story building. The doctors told his wife to gather
his family and make sure his affairs were in order, because there was
little hope of his surviving the night. With nearly every bone in his body
broken, several organs injured and his head swollen as large as the pillow
it rested upon. His family gathered and the word went out to their
community ... Pray. The man not only survived. He was in church less than
nine days later giving praise to the King of kings and Lord of lords who
had given his life back to him! He wasn't rolled out on a gurney. He wasn't
wheeled out in a wheelchair. He walked out of the hospital and straight to
the church he and his wife were attending. I have not only met this man. He
is my Pastor, mentor and I am blessed to consider him a personal friend.
Walt Weaver.

Question: Why would you take the word of someone who was paid by a
Roman emperor and who wrote history for that emperor over the record of the
Gospels? Tasadus was a fine historian. But Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
each died a martyr's death because of their witness and what they had
written. Even under the threat of being martyred, ten of eleven disciples
were willing to die for what is recorded in these manuscripts. But
so-called intellectuals would tell us that these Gospels cannot be trusted
because the writers experienced and believed in the supernatural?

To reject the Gospels is comparable to saying, "I don't believe the
Holocaust happened." Even though we have pictures, witnesses, written
records and even still a couple of survivors. It is hard to believe that
people could have that sort of hatred of someone. I have never experienced
that sort of hatred of someone simply because of their ethnicity or
beliefs. My family has never experienced that sort of hatred. But sadly, we
know it has happened and we weep for those who died.

I guess I will simply conclude that the world will tell you their
reasons why they do not accept the witness of the Gospel manuscripts. They
will tell you that any reasonable thinking person cannot believe in fairy
stories. But I will tell you that these aren't fairy stories. That the
supernatural is actually quite natural. And history has shown us that there
is a man who died so that we might live. You can read about it if you want
to.