Beauty in learning

Blue, blue and more blue!! This picture of a glacial Chilean lake gives blue a new meaning to me. Until I saw this, the only thing I really knew about Chile was my former supervisor, Myriam L. who moved there. Now, Chile takes on a new meaning to me and that is one of spectacular grandeur and breathtaking beauty. We think we know things and then something happens and a whole spectrum of meaning is unveiled to us. Job was a righteous man and thought he knew a lot (at least he argued pretty well with his three "friends"). But, when he questioned God, he was put in his place. This passage shows the first of a series of questions that GOD asked him?


Job 38:1-6 WEB (R)
(1) Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,
(2) "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
(3) Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you, then you answer me!
(4) "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.
(5) Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?
(6) Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,


OK, there is more than one question here, but it does a central thought: Where were you when.... The good news is that when all the questions God asks Job are put together, Job realizes he doesn't know as much as he thought he did and repents. Life is full of moments when we are forced to re-access our ideas of something and grow. Growth is good and change from growth is better! Lord, please send more things like glacial lakes my way; I still can learn!

Bank on it!

How do you spell o-s-t-e-n-t-a-t-i-o-n? Perhaps something a bit simpler would do; such as PRIDE? On the positive side, at least the colors are nice! Today, banks should not be too prideful; except perhaps in their ability to wield enough political clout to manage a massive bail out (or was that payback?). Whatever you call it, the attitude of self-aggrandizement seldom has a positive outcome. Take this prime example from the book of Acts.


Acts 12:20-23 WEB (R)
(20) Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus, the king's personal aide, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.
(21) On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them.
(22) The people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!"
(23) Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn't give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.


Herod was a typical eastern potentate; filled with his own importance and ready for a fall. In his case an angel did the trick, but it was inevitable that Herod was going to end badly! Why? Because of his pride and arrogance. You can bank on it!!!

What's it worth to you?

This Aquamarine and diamond engagement ring is a beauty; it must be quite expensive! Its a far cry from the ring I gave my fiancee; you could hardly see the stone! She loved it though. For our 25TH anniversary I gave her a new one that had a diamond that our oldest daughter spent the better part of a day choosing from a diamond merchant. To this day I am so proud of what she did for us and I never would have obtained such a nice stone (although still somewhat small) without her help. I have to ask myself, though, was I any better at my 25TH anniversary than our first? Sure I had a few more dollars and had raised three children (my wife deserves all the credit) but fundamentally, I WAS THE SAME! What difference does it make if you are poor or rich, young or old? For many people, the answer is A GREAT DEAL; and that would be the WRONG answer! James addresses the issue of favoritism based on money and appearance in chapter 2.....


James 2:1-10 WEB (R)
(1) My brothers, don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.
(2) For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in;
(3) and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, "Sit here in a good place;" and you tell the poor man, "Stand there," or "Sit by my footstool;"
(4) haven't you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
(5) Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn't God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
(6) But you have dishonored the poor man. Don't the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?
(7) Don't they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?
(8) However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.
(9) But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
(10) For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Money can be a trap, not only for those who may be blessed by God with an abundance of it, but also for those who place an undue importance on it! Money should be spent out of love from the heart and recognized for what it is; a necessity and not an obsession! Jesus said a lot about money, but I really like this passage from Matthew:

Matthew 6:1-4 WEB (R)
(1) "Be careful that you don't do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
(2) Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don't sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
(3) But when you do merciful deeds, don't let your left hand know what your right hand does,
(4) so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

If you consider the innate worth of a human being based on the spiritual worth God places on them, money, position, power... all are really unimportant! What you may have is not as important as how much you love and are loved. Having said all this, I still appreciate LOOKING at the finer things in life, but I am NOT going to run right out and buy something like this ring, for openers, I don't have the money!

Darkness or light

This picture of the horse just seems to draw you into it. By showing less of the horse you just want to look deeper and see what it is all about. Perhaps it is the contrast of the horse against the black background that has something to do with it. Christians are to stand out in a world of blackness as well. I like what Peter has to say in chapter two.


1 Peter 2:9-12 WEB (R)
(9) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
(10) who in time past were no people, but now are God's people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
(11) Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
(12) having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they see, glorify God in the day of visitation.


Simple, when Christians practice what they purport to believe, they stand out in stark contrast to the worldliness around them. Like the picture, you tend not to look at the blackness (sin) anymore, but rather to look at the one being showcased in light. Question: Are you in the darkness or light?

Mixed messages

Mixed messages; our society is full of them. My wife and I have been watching Dr.Oz lately and I enjoy his "take" on things, even if he does "preach" sometimes. Then a commercial comes on and somebody is trying to get you to do something that is good for their bottom line and NOT NECESSARILY GOOD FOR YOUR WAISTLINE! Then Dr. Oz comes back on and then the guilt starts. I really wish they wouldn't put fast food commercials on in between health shows. Reminds me of this billboard!! They didn't have TV in Jesus' day, but that doesn't mean there were not mixed messages out there. This passage from Luke is an example.


Luke 16:13-17 Complete Apostles' Bible
(13) No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
(14) Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and they were mocking Him.
(15) And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. Because that which is exalted among men is an abomination before God.
(16) The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone enters forcibly into it.
(17) And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.


A Pharisee who was really one at heart was a person who earned respect. This genuine "separated one" was a person dedicated to serving God wholeheartedly. There were those however, who did all the outward observances of the LAW correctly, but INSIDE they harbored evil. Again, MIXED MESSAGES! Jesus confronted those who did this time and time again and did not mix his message to them; hypocrites he often called them! In this passage they are likened to an abomination before God; OK, he didn't call them a hypocrite, but abomination isn't much better. God knows both your heart as well as mine and I pray that neither of us could ever be referred to in this way. Tomorrow, its going to be a little harder to visit Mickey D's for my Egg McMuffin and OJ. Maybe I'll go later and get a salad instead!!!

Gadgets come and go

Today I was presented with one possible future of the computer. Something we carry around in our pocket and use with any flat surface. Amazing! I wonder if it will be the ultimate evolution of the computer? Something tells me that computers of the future will be even more amazing than we could possibly imagine. But what if we knew our own future? Would we do things differently? Think of Jesus for a moment, He knew this Psalm and yet he went to the cross anyway.


Psalms 22:1-31 WEB (R)
(1) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
(2) My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don't answer; in the night season, and am not silent.
(3) But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.
(4) Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted, and you delivered them.
(5) They cried to you, and were delivered. They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.
(6) But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.
(7) All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,
(8) "He trusts in Yahweh; let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him."
(9) But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust at my mother's breasts.
(10) I was thrown on you from my mother's womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.
(11) Don't be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is none to help.
(12) Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
(13) They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.
(14) I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.
(15) My strength is dried up like a potsherd. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have brought me into the dust of death.
(16) For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
(17) I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
(18) They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
(19) But don't be far off, Yahweh. You are my help: hurry to help me.
(20) Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.
(21) Save me from the lion's mouth! Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen, you have answered me.
(22) I will declare your name to my brothers. In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you.
(23) You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!
(24) For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, Neither has he hidden his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard.
(25) Of you comes my praise in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.
(26) The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.
(27) All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
(28) For the kingdom is Yahweh's. He is the ruler over the nations.
(29) All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he who can't keep his soul alive.
(30) Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
(31) They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.

As fantastic as the little gadget in the picture may seem to us, it is in reality only a small thing. Jesus knew what his death would mean and the untold billions or perhaps trillions it would affect. The love of God for you and me has been proclaimed by HIS resurrection of Jesus and although it has been 2,000 years and counting, that message is still a force that is changing lives today. Gadgets come and go, but eternal life is literally forever!!

Thank you, Brittany for the picture!

A happier life

What struck me at first glance was the softness of the water. Somehow it conveys gentleness and blessing unrivaled in anything I have seen recently. Lives can be like that as well, as the first Psalm reveals.


Psalms 1:1-6 WEB (R)
(1) Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
(2) but his delight is in Yahweh's law. On his law he meditates day and night.
(3) He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
(4) The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
(5) Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
(6) For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.


Why? What causes the difference? The answer is simple, God's word is what is best for us. Naturally, those who think about it constantly would tend to follow it and receive blessings from God. Who wouldn't want blessing, except someone exceptionally wicked. The end result of a life will be its judgment by God; either eternal life or death. I think most people would want life, but people will do what they want. As for me, I like the idea of being blessed by God forever. Sounds like a happier life, now and hereafter.