More than a twenty dollar bill

This picture was very nice to see for many reasons.  First, it was nice to see some non-Caucasians doing something for a "White Guy".  Most of the time whites are the object of hatred (on TV) and this is a refreshing change.  Also, it seems as if there were more than one person helping (neighbors).  Again, very nice.  If you watch crime shows on TV, most of the time, the perpetrator is black, so, its nice to see non-whites in a different light.  All this reminds me of the following parable of Jesus...

Luke 10:29-37 (WEB)


29) But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

30) Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31) By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32) In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33) But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion,

34) came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35) On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’

36) Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”

37) He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Samaritans had been Jews, but had not followed faithfully.  This doesn't mean that some (perhaps, even most) of them were not GOOD PEOPLE, it just means that they were not as religious as the JEWS thought they should be.  So, they were hated.  Jesus shows they were the JEWS neighbors and worthy of praise by this parable and strikes at the heart of prejudice everywhere.  I like the picture because it shows that everyone with a good heart will show it... no matter what their ethnic background.  They found common ground in the flag and realized that America is the land where many different people work together for freedom.  In one sense, we are all "family" because we are human beings and someday we may actually be able to overcome our differences completely.  I can't wait...

Purity, the Bible and understanding

Seems a little far fetched, doesn't it?  How could anyone come to the conclusion to do this to a teacher?  Yet, far worse has been done in the name of God, so misinterpreting the Bible is no surprise.  Remember the crusades, or how about the inquisition?  When it comes to correctly understanding the message of the Bible, a heart unadulterated by the world is a necessity.  Consider this passage from the book of Titus...

Titus 1:15-16 (WEB)


15) To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.

16) They profess that they know God, but by their works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

To me, these verses explain how so much evil can be done in the name of God.  Sin corrupts the mind as well as the body and leads to error upon error.  As far as the picture goes, I am reminded of the first line of the Christian hymn: Nearer my God to thee "...even though it be a cross...".  There are worst things than dying for Jesus... review verses 15 and 16 to see what I mean.

Get to work!

Thomas Edision's lab; how quaint!  Yet, at one time it was "state of the art" and we all know that he contributed a great deal to our society.  For most people this picture may seem strange, but not for me.  I worked over 25 years in chemical labs and some were not much more advanced than this!!  So, when I look at this picture, I think "WORK".  Yuk!!!  But even though I am headed towards retirement soon, I will always have to "work".  Read on to see what I mean.

Philippians 2:12 (WEB)


12) So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

You have to work at your life; it doesn't just happen.  Others may influence you, but your own heart drives your actions.  Each of us is different; we have different levels of physical and mental capabilities, varying social skills and habits.  In short, we are unique!  Since we will be known by what we do, let your "work" in life always have a spiritual focus and you will reinvent yourself on a daily basis.  You may not be a Thomas Edision, but your life is what you make of it, so get to work!!!

Disaster

Even though I downloaded this picture quite some time ago, it is still current.  Recent events have made us think a lot recently about disaster.  What would we do if placed in a situation like this.  Here is one Biblical example.

Nehemiah 1:1-11 (WEB)

1) The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

2) that Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3) They said to me, “The remnant who are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

4) It happened, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,

5) and said, “I beg you, Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments:

6) Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father’s house have sinned.

7) We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances, which you commanded your servant Moses.

8) “Remember, I beg you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you trespass, I will scatter you abroad among the peoples;

9) but if you return to me, and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts were in the uttermost part of the heavens, yet will I gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen, to cause my name to dwell there.’

10) “Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand.

11) Lord, I beg you, let your ear be attentive now to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cup bearer to the king.

Nehemiah 2:1-8 (WEB)
1) It happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad before in his presence.

2) The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.

3) I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why shouldn’t my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?”

4) Then the king said to me, “For what do you make request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

5) I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may build it.”

6) The king said to me (the queen was also sitting by him), “For how long shall your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

7) Moreover I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah;

8) and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.

Nehemiah knew of some disaster that bothered him a lot, he prayed about it and when the opportunity arose, did something about it.  He was a brave man, because the king could just have ordered Nehemiah's execution.  But God was working through both the king and Nehemiah to restore the kingdom and temple in Judah.  Things may look bad, but when you look up, an answer will become evident eventually.  Pray about it; watch what happens.

Cheap, fast or good?

Interesting sign!  I wonder what they are REALLY saying about their service?  Notice, the sign doesn't say you MUST pick any two, but rather that you MAY pick any two.  So, is their service fast cheap or good?  Tough question!  I could be wrong, but my best guess is that their service isn't fast or cheap, just good. The best things in life take time; tomatoes are grown reasonably fast, yet they are not as valuable as natural diamonds, which take a long time to make.  So it is with the things of God; sin was a BIG problem and took thousands of years to be successfully overcome.  Consider this passage from the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians 3:1-12 (WEB)


1) For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

2) if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;

3) how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

4) by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;

5) which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

6) that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

7) of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

8) To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9) and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ;

10) to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

11) according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;

12) in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

It wasn't enough for God to his his own chosen people (the Jews), HIS love extended far beyond them to all human beings.  This took time to work out; several thousand years in fact.  It wasn't easy to accomplish, took a long time and cost a lot, but GOD did it!  As far as our human condition goes, life can very complicated, with many conflicting signs in our life, pulling us in many directions at one time.  Don't be down on yourself if everything doesn't seem to fall into place by the time you are 20 or 30 or even 40; be patient!  Remember, God didn't call Moses until he was 80 and didn't complete his work until he was 120.  Fortunately, we have a sign that not quite as complicated or confusing as the pictured one, its called The Bible and if you keep reading, sooner or later you will understand!  One thing is for certain, The Bible doesn't encourage a life that is cheap or fast, JUST GOOD!

Fetch!

But I just said "fetch" and look what happened!!!  How was I to know he would take me seriously???  Sometimes life is full of surprises and so it is with this dog.  People are like that too; sometimes they amaze you!!!  Here are a few examples...

2 Samuel 23:8-39 (WEB)


8) These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb Basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.

9) After him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.

10) He arose, and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand froze to the sword; and Yahweh worked a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.

11) After him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. The Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.

12) But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and Yahweh worked a great victory.

13) Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

14) David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

15) David longed, and said, “Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”

16) The three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Yahweh.

17) He said, “Be it far from me, Yahweh, that I should do this! Isn’t it the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.

18) Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. He lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three.

19) Wasn’t he most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: however he didn’t attain to the three.

20) Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

21) He killed an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.

22) Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name among the three mighty men.

23) He was more honorable than the thirty, but he didn’t attain to the three. David set him over his guard.

24) Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

25) Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

26) Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27) Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28) Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29) Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,

30) Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash.

31) Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

32) Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

33) Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,

34) Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

35) Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

36) Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

37) Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armor bearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah,

38) Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39) Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

Talk about your "A" team!!!  Its hard to fathom what the first few in the list did.  Even the last one in the list (Uriah the Hittite) was someone who had quite an attitude toward war.  After looking at all this, I wonder how the God of Heaven looks at what I have done with my life.  Good question and somehow the word "fetch" will never quite seem the same to me again.

dogs of a feather...

When I saw these dogs, I immediately thought of my Granddaughter's dog Hercules.  He is hard to forget, not only because he is affectionate, but because he had been abused by a former owner and has some people issues.  The good news is that he is getting better and his prospects for a full recovery seem bright.  But the picture made me think not only of him, but of families in general.  And so I came to the question:  What makes a family, anyway?  That of course led me to the following passage of Scripture from the book of Ephesians...

Ephesians 5:22-33 (WEB)


22) Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

23) For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.

24) But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it;

26) that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,

27) that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28) Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.

29) For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly;

30) because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.

31) “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.”

32) This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly.

33) Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Love is the answer.  It starts with the husband loving his wife and ends with everyone loving everyone.  Love holds families together, so naturally they come to love the same things; in this case... dogs.  In case you are wondering, Hercules looks a lot like the dogs in the picture.  Humm, maybe someday I will get a dog... I wonder what kind???