Golden

If this picture is manipulated, somebody really knows what they are doing because the shadows on the water look real to me. And its the shadows that make the picture because they are GOLD. If this picture is unaltered, the gold must be a reflection of a golden sunset. Gold has always fascinated me, not just because of its color, but due to the way it reflects light. Ask most people and they will tell you they like gold because of its beauty and ITS WORTH! However, gold is NOT the most important thing in life, because life itself is. Read on for more...

1 Peter 1:15-19 (WEB)
15) but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior;
16) because it is written, “You shall be holy; for I am holy.”
17) If you call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judges according to each man’s work, pass the time of your living as foreigners here in reverent fear:
18) knowing that you were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from the useless way of life handed down from your fathers,
19) but with precious blood, as of a faultless and pure lamb, the blood of Christ;
(1 Peter 1:15-19, WEB)

We measure value in terms of longevity, for gold is worth more than straw and diamonds worth much more than lawnmower shavings. So, if this life is valuable, how much more will the life that is everlasting be worth? To obtain that which is eternal, a better, more valuable sacrifice is needed and The Christ of God has paid the bill for everyone. Every time I think of that, I feel like the richest man on Earth and a wave of joy overflows in my being. You know... I feel golden!!!

Plain and simple might cut it?

Interesting: a sign from God. Actually, there are billboards all over the country with messages like these. I first encountered them at cracker barrel. Some enterprising person had the idea of taking pieces of slate, painting them blue with a few clouds thrown in and putting a message from God on it. Bought several, keep them in my study and look at them every so often. I find its good for me and always puts me in a spiritual mood. But, what if God actually did give you a sign, would you listen or understand. He has and some will and some will not get it. Here is one.

John 2:13-22 (WEB)
13) The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14) He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers of money sitting.
15) He made a whip of cords, and threw all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables.
16) To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!”
17) His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will eat me up.”
18) The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”
19) Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20) The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?”
21) But he spoke of the temple of his body.
22) When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
(John 2:13-22, WEB)

For some, Jesus scourging the temple was quite a radical thing to do. So, the Jews questioned his authority (in the guise of sign-giving). Jesus pointed to his own temple resurrection but the Jews just didn't get it. I can't help but wonder if they ever could get it, even if Jesus spoke even more plainly. Maybe even as plain as putting his message in simple terms might have helped, I don't know. Perhaps a black and white sign might have worked.... naw!

The cake eaters

At first glance you see a spotted dog, but when you look at the shadow, the photoshop holes are obvious. No this isn't a holy dog and a spotted dog is what it is. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a spotted dog, its just the shadow makes him to be something he may not be. Today, my wife and I watched a movie called "The cake eaters". When the credits came on, neither one of us could seem to relate the title to the content of the movie. Later, I came up with an answer; I still don't know if it was right, but it did make me think of the book of Jude.

Jude 1:1-25 (WEB)

1) Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
2) Mercy to you and peace and love be multiplied.
3) Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
4) For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5) Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who didn’t believe.
6) Angels who didn’t keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
7) Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, having, in the same way as these, given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8) Yet in the same way, these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings.
9) But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”
10) But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. What they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, they are destroyed in these things.
11) Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
12) These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13) wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.
14) About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15) to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
16) These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaks proud things), showing respect of persons to gain advantage.
17) But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18) They said to you that “In the last time there will be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.”
19) These are they who cause divisions, and are sensual, not having the Spirit.
20) But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
22) On some have compassion, making a distinction,
23) and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
24) Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,
25) to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
(Jude 1:1-25, WEB)

Summarized, this chapter seems to say: There are people among you who are not what they seem to be, but you do what you can about the situation and leave the rest up to God. When I thought of the movie once again, I realized that the three interpersonal relationships in the plot all had one thing in common; they just did what they wanted, regardless of the cost to others. While their actions may seem enviable to some, sooner or later their life will be full of holes (I don't mean HOLY ones either) and their spotty character will be made manifest. Even though the movie didn't show the consequences of their actions, sooner or later God will judge us all, including them.

The skinny

Art imitates life; a very old (and perhaps a bit overused) but very true statement. This little cartoon caught my attention for several reasons: Its cute, its funny, its modern, its true, its the future. In short, it is what is happening now. Communication is changing! I grew up with a transistor radio by my side and when I was 11 or 12, that was the cool thing to do. Today, High definition TV, Netflicks, Pandora, blogs, twitter, and e-mail have come into our lives. Wow, have things changed! Changed from what? Old ways of doing things, like writing with a paper and pencil or doing math WITHOUT A CALCULATOR. When I was thinking about this, the following came to mind.

2 Timothy 4:1-13 (WEB)
1) I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom:
2) preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching.
3) For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts;
4) and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables.
5) But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
6) For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come.
7) I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.
8) From now on, there is stored up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day; and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.
9) Be diligent to come to me soon,
10) for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
11) Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.
12) But I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
13) Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus when you come, and the books, especially the parchments.
(2 Timothy 4:1-13, WEB)

Paul didn't have long to be in this world and he knew it. Yet, his mind was focused not only on a review of some of the last things he had to do, but on the future. He thought of books and especially of parchments. What books, what parchments? Doesn't say, so I don't know. I do know that he used both the Greek bible (Septuagint) and the Hebrew Bible, so they may have been what he asked for, but this is speculation on my part. What matters is that he had a mind-set for learning, for thinking, for personal growth. If he were alive today, I wonder what HIS BLOG WOULD BE ABOUT? Maybe, Hebrews for heaven? Who knows, but I would like to read it, whatever it was called.

Its all in the funny papers??

This young man is doing what kids like to do: read the funnies. Perfectly natural thing for him to do and just an ordinary picture. Yet it does say something about him; he likes to read. From the intensity of his effort, I would say he REALLY LIKES TO READ! When I saw this picture, I asked myself, what makes us who we are? Is what we do the sum and substance of our identity? After a little thought, this passage from the book of Luke came to mind.

Luke 3:23-38 (WEB)
23) Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
24) the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25) the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26) the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
27) the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28) the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,
29) the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30) the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,
31) the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32) the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33) the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34) the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35) the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36) the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37) the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
38) the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
(Luke 3:23-38, WEB)

Where we come from is also important! This is why two genealogies of Jesus are found in the New Testament, one in Luke and one in Matthew. The people who have contributed to our genetic makeup have contributed to our life! We still have choices and will reap the consequences of our actions, yet knowing something about our ancestry will add another dimension to our self-understanding. Who is this boy? My grandson, Mike! If you don't know him, don't worry about it, by this time you know me and therefore you know something about him. One more thing, a few years ago he looked exactly like I did when I was young. Fortunately, he has overcome that obstacle and has become better looking now.

A bridge over troubled waters

When you first look at this picture, what do you notice? Is it the rushing water, or the vegetation, maybe even the rock in the foreground, or perhaps the sunlight streaming the mist in the background. For me, it was that little bridge. Why? Because I thought of the Simon and Garfunkle song: "Bridge over troubled waters". In the song, a true friend is likened to a bridge which gets you through danger and is there when needed. This led me to think of this passage from the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 43:1-2 (WEB)
1) But now thus says Yahweh who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.
2) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.
(Isaiah 43:1-2, WEB)

Sure, this is aimed at the nation of Israel, but by extension it also applies to those of our era as well. God has a way of "being there" and helping in ways that we never would have thought of. He is our help in time of need, a true bridge over the troubled waters in our lives. Something to think about in these turbulent times; we are never alone, never forgotten.

Squiggles

I grew up in upstate New York in the fifties; very long ago and far from my home in Florida. TV was black and white then and one of the shows that I enjoyed most as a kid was Freddy Freihoffer. Basically, there was an artist who interacted with a group of kids by asking one of them to make a "squiggle" on a very large tablet. From their very simple drawing he would make a picture and talk about it. Oh, what he could do with even the simplest scratches. This picture reminds me of those days, except, this is in color of course. I wonder, if God made squiggles, what would one look like? You know, HE is pretty good at creating things. Check out the following verses.

Genesis 1:6-8 (WEB)
6) God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7) God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8) God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
(Genesis 1:6-8, WEB)

Think about it; a squiggle that is continually changing, in size, shape and color. WOW! Somehow makes the Freddy Freihoffer show seem tame. What next? Consider...land. But that's the stuff of another blog. As a side note... if anyone knows what the above picture is... please let me know.

Thanks a lot... Gary