A star, a bow and an attitude

This picture was taken high atop a mountain in Hawaii. The two points of interest (besides the mountains and the sheer altitude that the picture was taken) is the bright star at the left (Mars at its closest to Earth) and the rainbow which is really not a rainbow called a fog bow. Understanding how Mars can be so bright is easy because of its closeness to Earth, but the fog bow?? Frankly, I am not sure I understand the reasons for its formation, but I know such a thing exists and perhaps someday I will do the research and know. But not today; I am tired and just don't feel up to it. Ever feel like that? You have just had enough and need to come to an acceptance of truth without knowing everything. If you have, then you and the patriarch Job have something in common. Here is an interesting passage from the book that bears his name.

Job 42:1-8 WEB (R)
(1) Then Job answered Yahweh,
(2) "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be restrained.
(3) You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I didn't know.
(4) You said, 'Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'
(5) I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.
(6) Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
(7) It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.
(8) Now therefore, take to yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept him, that I not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has."


For me, the book of Job has always been a hard one to read because of the complexity of the argumentation and the wordiness of it. Yes, even I have my limits and although I like to think I understand the book, yet its middle eastern methods of expression I find difficult at times. This much is certain, Job reaches a point of humility and repentance, which is exactly where he needed to be. God gives him credit for speaking that which is right and the question of why do the righteous suffer is resolved in the answer that only God really knows. Its not up to us to know everything; you can't. What we all can do is trust God and do the right thing. You see it really doesn't matter how God makes a rainbow or a fog bow for that matter; but it does matter how we respond to him. Therein lies true the true beauty of the human being and that is better than the brightest star in heaven or the most unusual bow we may ever be blessed to see.

Reflections, insight and reality

Since I was a boy I have loved to look at the heavens. Its hard not to gaze at them for long without thinking of their organization and creation. People for thousands of years have perceived shapes, patterns and signs written upon the the skies. I have grown especially fond of the "Northern lights" over the years and marvel at their patterns and eerie glow. This picture caught my eye, not because of the lights (although they are beautiful!!), but rather because of their reflection on the water. This reverse image looks like "Nessie" to me; crazy, I know, but, but, it does! No, I am not out of my mind, just a bit imaginative this early in the morning. All this reminds me of a passage in the book of Acts, where Paul was thought to be "crazy".


Act 26:1-32
(1) Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand, and made his defense.
(2) "I think myself happy, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defense before you this day concerning all the things that I am accused by the Jews,
(3) especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.
(4) "Indeed, all the Jews know my way of life from my youth up, which was from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem;
(5) having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
(6) Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,
(7) which our twelve tribes, earnestly serving night and day, hope to attain. Concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, King Agrippa!
(8) Why is it judged incredible with you, if God does raise the dead?
(9) "I myself most certainly thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
(10) This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.
(11) Punishing them often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
(12) "Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus with the authority and commission from the chief priests,
(13) at noon, O King, I saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who traveled with me.
(14) When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
(15) "I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' "He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
(16) But arise, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I will reveal to you;
(17) delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you,
(18) to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
(19) "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
(20) but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
(21) For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple, and tried to kill me.
(22) Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen,
(23) how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles."
(24) As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!"
(25) But he said, "I am not crazy, most excellent Festus, but boldly declare words of truth and reasonableness.
(26) For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner.
(27) King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."
(28) Agrippa said to Paul, "With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?"
(29) Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these bonds."
(30) The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.
(31) When they had withdrawn, they spoke one to another, saying, "This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds."
(32) Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

Crazy? I think not! Paul's life was changed by God himself! But, to those who will not believe, well, they just will NOT BELIEVE! People see things the way they want to and that is that! Even when Agrippa realized that Paul really wasn't crazy, he still would not believe. Based on the facts however, he did realize his innocence. It is the facts of Christianity that make sense to me as well; for Jesus really did live, die and rise again. Testimony abounds as to this truth; and life for ever to those who obey its Gospel. I wish everyone could see both the truth and my "Nessie" as well, but I will settle for one out of two! Guess which one??

Cloudy skies and loving eyes

Valentine's day will be here before you know it. Just look in the stores and you will see all the candy ready to be purchased for some sweetheart. Reality is that about the time of year the weather is less than wonderful, its cold, cloudy and in many parts of the country its snowing. For Juan and Maria the weather doesn't matter; they can only see one another and when the heart is full of love, other things just are not very important. Which, of course reminds me of a passage from the New Testament. Read what the apostle Paul has to say and I think you will see the connection.

Php 1:12-18
(12) Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News;
(13) so that it became evident to the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ;
(14) and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.
(15) Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.
(16) The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;
(17) but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.
(18) What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.

Sometimes circumstances really don't matter; Paul didn't care why people were proclaiming the Gospel, he was just happy it was being done. He knew, just as the couple in the picture do, that the ultimate goal of love is love and even though the surroundings may be unpleasant, love sees only the ultimate good. Having said all that, be sure to buy an extra large box of candy for your sweetie this upcoming holiday, you probably won't even notice the slight increase in her waistline. Besides, she might even give you something??

Open or closed "tires"

If you just looked at the top car quickly, you probably wouldn't notice anything unusual; but if you look at the close up on the lower picture you will notice something strange...the tires! Could this be the future of tires? I don't know, but it sure makes you wonder doesn't it? New things are like that for most of us; we think about them and consider the "what if's". That is, if you are an open minded person. Not everyone is, as this passage from the book of Acts reveals.
Act 17:14-33
(14) Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.
(15) But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed.
(16) Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
(17) So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
(18) Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be advocating foreign deities," because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
(19) They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you?
(20) For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean."
(21) Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
(22) Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, "You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
(23) For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
(24) The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn't dwell in temples made with hands,
(25) neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
(26) He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,
(27) that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
(28) 'For in him we live, and move, and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
(29) Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.
(30) The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
(31) because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead."
(32) Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, "We want to hear you again concerning this."
(33) Thus Paul went out from among them.

For the Athenians, life was exciting, each day had something new to discuss. But as we can see from their responses, not everyone was open to a new idea, regardless of how much conversation might take place. Could the resurrection really be true? Some belittled even the very thought of it and others.... were thinking. Its just like the tires in the picture above, if you are open minded you will see it as possible, if not, then you will probably criticize even what you see. As Jack Palance used to say at the end of every Ripley's show: "Believe it or not"!!

You do...what?

A few weeks ago, I went on a "photo shoot" with two of my grandchildren. This picture was taken near the courthouse in Dade City. Why this picture? Because it says something about Southern culture, that is why. Notice all the trucks? Well, it seems to me that there are a lot more than I remember seeing in either New York or New Jersey. I am unsure as to what it means, but I am guessing its an expression of male dominance (but I could be wrong). It takes a long time to get acquainted with the nature and customs of any culture and sometimes there can be problems. This passage is the story of culture and perhaps more than that. Read on and decide for yourself.

Gen 29:12-27
(12) Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.
(13) It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.
(14) Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. He lived with him for a month.
(15) Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"
(16) Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
(17) Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.
(18) Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."
(19) Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."
(20) Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.
(21) Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."
(22) Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.
(23) It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.
(24) Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.
(25) It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"
(26) Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.
(27) Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

Jacob was a trickster and by his trickery he had obtained the firstborn birthright and his father's blessing. So, its a little ironic that from the beginning Laban tricks him. (and who says God doesn't have a sense of humor) This story probably seems a little strange to most of us because of the father's control over his children and the practice of polygamy, but that what they did in the middle east in those days. The bottom line is that we need to try to understand others in the context of their culture before we pass judgment. Besides, its good to experience something new once in awhile and I do kind-of, sort-of like that red truck in the foreground. Humm, maybe if I buy a truck I might fit right in down here (or maybe it will just be another mid-life crisis raising its ugly head) More about this later.....

Politics under a beautiful sky

What a grand sky! Too bad the building has signs all over it; especially those pesky political ones. Like it or not, politics somehow manages to infiltrate our everyday life. Today was no exception; as I sat down to watch TV, the presidents inaugural address was on. I liked much of what he said, (which is unusual for me) but somehow something just didn't seem to ring true. I went away with the feeling that nothing has changed and nothing will until we have a true three party system in this country. Politics is nothing new, its even in the Bible. Consider the book of Acts for example.

Act 24:22 But Felix, having more exact knowledge concerning the Way, deferred them, saying, "When Lysias, the commanding officer, comes down, I will decide your case."
Act 24:23 He ordered the centurion that Paul should be kept in custody, and should have some privileges, and not to forbid any of his friends to serve him or to visit him.
Act 24:24 But after some days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus.
Act 24:25 As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, "Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you."
Act 24:26 Meanwhile, he also hoped that money would be given to him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore also he sent for him more often, and talked with him.
Act 24:27 But when two years were fulfilled, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and desiring to gain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul in bonds.

Felix was a consummate politician. He put off what he did not want to hear, longed for money and allowed the powers that be a say in his decisions. Sound familiar? It should; it heard the something similar on the TV tonight. Democrats and Republicans will do what they have to do to get re-elected. Like Felix, I have do doubt that they know right from wrong; they just lack to political will to do it! We need people in office who have Christian values, Christian ideals and will have a Christian agenda. Not a popular view to hold, but then again, I don't have to deal with the same people that Felix did. I just have to listen to Christ; I wonder if the people in Washington will listen?

A different king

The Washington memorial makes a very nice picture! Yet it is only a building, but the man for whom it was erected is its greatness. George Washington led a rebellion against England that led to the formation of an entirely new nation. Yet, he did it humbly. You might find it odd that I refer to his humbleness, but at one point it was suggested to him that he become king of the new nation. I am very happy to say that he refused and I hope no leader of ours will ever WANT TO BE KING!! But, what if you really were a KING by BIRTHRIGHT? What then?

Mark 15:1-20 WEB (R)
(1) Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate.
(2) Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered, "So you say."
(3) The chief priests accused him of many things.
(4) Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!"
(5) But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled.
(6) Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him.
(7) There was one called Barabbas, bound with those who had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder.
(8) The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them.
(9) Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"
(10) For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up.
(11) But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead.
(12) Pilate again asked them, "What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?"
(13) They cried out again, "Crucify him!"
(14) Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they cried out exceedingly, "Crucify him!"
(15) Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.
(16) The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort.
(17) They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him.
(18) They began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
(19) They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him.
(20) When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him.

Jesus was a king by right of his birth and yet in this passage does not claim the identity; Why? Several reasons. First, his kingdom was not of this world; it was a spiritual kingdom. True, he had power over the elements (changing water to wine, walking on the water, causing the sea to calm, etc.) but his was a spiritual mission; one that sought to win the hearts of men. Second, if he had claimed kingly status in the here and now, Israel would have rebelled and ultimately been destroyed by her Roman masters. Lastly, it was not in his nature to demand obedience; he sought out those who wanted to seek God. Jesus was a different king; a king of the human heart; one who re-united the spiritual realm with that which is Incorporated within human flesh. His monument is not found in any Earthly building, but rather in the hearts of those who love God. Buildings will crumble, monuments may tumble, but true love goes on forever. Nice picture, too bad I don't have a spiritual camera!