Everyone knows that we need aerobic exercise of some sort several times a week, but I recently learned that we need other forms of exercise equally as much. There are five main areas of exercise that we need to keep in mind when we are getting our bodies into shape and keeping them as strong and healthy as they should be. (I'm talking about a reasonable amount of strength here, not body-building.)
Cardio-respiratory exercise, otherwise known as aerobics, is what gets you breathing harder and your heart rate up.
Muscular strength exercises, preferably using your own body weight for resistance, is what makes us strong. Push-ups are a great form of this type of exercise.
Muscular endurance exercises helps us to be able to work for longer periods of time and is the real muscle builder. Sitting in the squat position for as long as you can hold it will definitely build endurance!
Flexibility, or stretching exercises, improve our overall tone and flexibility, but mostly prevent us from getting hurt. A good stretch before and after exercise will help prevent the sore muscles that are a result of lactic acid build-up.
Neurological training keeps us coordinated, improves our balance, sharpens our reflexes, increases our body's speed to run or work, and helps make us more aware of the kinesthetics of our own body. Juggling and jumping on the trampoline might be good examples of this.
As I was contemplating these five areas, I realized that my favorite exercise is the only one that I could think of that incorporates all 5 areas into one training session. It is NOT necessary to do all 5 of these every time you exercise, but we should have a balanced approach to exercise on a weekly basis, at least.
Tae-Bo, by Billy Blanks, is my favorite exercise because it is just plain so much fun! However, it does clearly incorporate all 5 areas into nearly every workout. I like Billy's enthusiasm a lot. He really knows how to motivate! He is careful to teach how to accurately do the moves, so you won't risk injury. He goes through the moves slowly first, which help you learn them easily, but also he emphasizes the slow moves as a time of building strength, and when he speeds them up, as a time of aerobics. There are some exercises that he does for quite a while, working on endurance, and he always has plenty of neurological training incorporated as well. The warm-ups and cool-downs do what they're supposed to do. I was just looking at his website and noticed some testimonies of many people who have lost a lot of weight using Tae-Bo. That's a great benefit for those of us who need it!
Just as a side note here: once I took my children to a Christian Tae-Kwan-Do class to see what it was like, and they already knew everything they taught them because we had already learned all those moves in Tae-Bo. So, if you want to learn a little self-defense, Tae-Bo might be a good way to learn!
He has a children's version, which I haven't used, and a couple military versions for those like that type of exercise. Tae-Bo is equally good for both men and women, and older children.
I will not pretend that I endorse everything about these videos. I will list a few cautions here, so you know up front, if any of these might be a concern for you. Billy Blanks is a Christian and he does have some explicitly Christian videos. I have only done his very first Christian video and it was on the very easy side. I know he has several more out, but I don't know what level they are. His regular videos are not Christian, but they are not un-Christian in any way whatsoever. The music has a good strong beat, which is good for exercising, but there are no lyrics (of the ones I've done anyway), and I find the music reasonable for the situation (I'm a little picky about my music!). He does not use the mirror effect in aerobics that you may be used to, so it is a little difficult to follow sometimes. He will call out "left hand," for instance, and you would use your right hand to mirror him. It's fine once you get the routine down. Every once in a while, he says something a little humanistic (believe in yourself-type) and has a stretching exercise like the rising sun, which I don't really like, but I'm not sure if he really means anything eastern by either one of those; he doesn't appear to have any eastern tendencies in that direction otherwise. Although I am not thrilled with the clothes they wear on these videos, they are much better than most exercise videos.
I love Tae-Bo, especially on rainy days, or days that are either too hot or too cold, or when I'm not able to do other kinds of exercise.
Jun 25, 2006
The Memory of an Elephant
I have not exercised for almost a year now. Last summer, I had severe adrenal exhaustion and could no longer exercise, let alone even function! Shortly afterward, I had a foot injury called plantar fasciitis, which got so bad that there were days I would have to crawl because my feet hurt too much. In my research, I found that this can often be permanent. Between those two, I have not been able to exercise for almost a year, and so have gained a few ounces (OK, maybe more than a few!). I thank God that my adrenals are greatly improved now, and I was able to find some exercises that greatly improved the pain in my feet, but they still hurt and I cannot even walk one mile at an exercise pace.
I have been quite reluctant to even try aerobic exercise of any kind because I was afraid it would make my feet worse (which is unthinkable) and, from experience, I know that over-exertion one day can cause an adrenal relapse for many days. But I knew I desperately needed to do something, especially after a one-hour tour I took last week that left me totally exhausted.
Before I continue, I should give you a little background. Beginning in high school (many, many years ago!), I was in extremely good condition, lifting weights, walking 8-10 miles daily, jumping on the rebounder 30-60 minutes daily, and being on a volleyball or track team. After school, I joined the Army and continued working very hard physically and working out daily. After leaving the Army, I continued some sort of aerobics at least one hour daily, and was never afraid of good, hard, physical labor. I could work 18-20 hours a day, if need be, doing hard labor, and not take a break (sometimes I would get so caught up in what I was doing, I would forget to take a break!). In other words, for many years, I have been physically strong and healthy.
Until I got sick several years ago. I was able to recover after almost a year, but I have never been quite as strong. I did continue to exercise every day and work hard, however, until last summer, when it felt like my body just quit. My batteries ran dry and I just couldn't recharge them.
Fast forward to this week. I thought to myself, "I wonder what would happen if I tried some Tae-Bo?" I didn't have anything pressing for the next week, so I was willing to take a risk.
Did you know our bodies have a fantastic memory system? This can either be good news or bad news, depending on your past health, but your body remembers everything that has ever happened to it. For instance, if you are a mother who has been pregnant more than once, you may understand this well. For the first baby, it may take several months before you show, before you need maternity clothes. You may get back into your regular clothes, after the birth, quite quickly. However, when you get pregnant the 2nd time, and thereafter, your body says, "Aha! I remember doing this before!" And it quickly goes into pregnancy mode, you find yourself wearing maternity clothes much earlier on, and it takes a while longer to get your figure back after the birth.
Our bodies also remember lots of other things, too: the most we ever weighed, and the least we ever weighed (as adults); the healthiest we've ever been, and the sickest we've ever been; the strongest we've ever been, and the weakest we've ever been; etc. If you haven't been on a bicycle for a few years, you don't forget how to ride it, do you? You may wobble a bit at first, but you soon find your sense of balance again. You don't have to learn how to balance all over again, because your body remembers.
So, I decided to experiment with Tae-Bo this week. I hadn't done anything but sit on the couch for a year, so I thought I would just try 10 minutes the first day. I actually was able to do 15 minutes, after stretching my feet real well so there would be less risk of injury. From my research regarding plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the tendons and ligaments in the back of the calf and bottom of the feet), I read that it can take up to several hours after doing something to irritate the tendons and ligaments before you may feel the pain, so I gingerly waited all day for the pain to come. No pain.
I held my breath.
And the next day, I had enough energy to try again - the full 30 minute workout this time, and I could have gone even longer! I was pumped now! I had energy all day long!
Next day: no pain in my feet, no sore muscles, lots of energy! My body remembered doing this Tae-Bo workout time after time after time, and it very quickly went right back into the groove!
One more day of a full work-out and for the first time in almost a year, my feet are totally pain-free! I have lots of energy already, I am psyched up to work at getting in shape again (which will be easier for me than for someone who has never been in good shape to begin with), and I lost 1.2 pounds in 3 days! I don't know if my feet are ever going to hurt again, or if I will ever have adrenal problems again - I very well may - but I do know that I am on the right track again, and my body is anxious to get back to where it should be! I will keep in mind, though, that if I ever get lax, my body will be just as quick to revert to couch-potato status, since it remembers that extreme as well.
I don't know about the memory of an elephant, but I praise God for making our bodies with an incredible memory system.
I have been quite reluctant to even try aerobic exercise of any kind because I was afraid it would make my feet worse (which is unthinkable) and, from experience, I know that over-exertion one day can cause an adrenal relapse for many days. But I knew I desperately needed to do something, especially after a one-hour tour I took last week that left me totally exhausted.
Before I continue, I should give you a little background. Beginning in high school (many, many years ago!), I was in extremely good condition, lifting weights, walking 8-10 miles daily, jumping on the rebounder 30-60 minutes daily, and being on a volleyball or track team. After school, I joined the Army and continued working very hard physically and working out daily. After leaving the Army, I continued some sort of aerobics at least one hour daily, and was never afraid of good, hard, physical labor. I could work 18-20 hours a day, if need be, doing hard labor, and not take a break (sometimes I would get so caught up in what I was doing, I would forget to take a break!). In other words, for many years, I have been physically strong and healthy.
Until I got sick several years ago. I was able to recover after almost a year, but I have never been quite as strong. I did continue to exercise every day and work hard, however, until last summer, when it felt like my body just quit. My batteries ran dry and I just couldn't recharge them.
Fast forward to this week. I thought to myself, "I wonder what would happen if I tried some Tae-Bo?" I didn't have anything pressing for the next week, so I was willing to take a risk.
Did you know our bodies have a fantastic memory system? This can either be good news or bad news, depending on your past health, but your body remembers everything that has ever happened to it. For instance, if you are a mother who has been pregnant more than once, you may understand this well. For the first baby, it may take several months before you show, before you need maternity clothes. You may get back into your regular clothes, after the birth, quite quickly. However, when you get pregnant the 2nd time, and thereafter, your body says, "Aha! I remember doing this before!" And it quickly goes into pregnancy mode, you find yourself wearing maternity clothes much earlier on, and it takes a while longer to get your figure back after the birth.
Our bodies also remember lots of other things, too: the most we ever weighed, and the least we ever weighed (as adults); the healthiest we've ever been, and the sickest we've ever been; the strongest we've ever been, and the weakest we've ever been; etc. If you haven't been on a bicycle for a few years, you don't forget how to ride it, do you? You may wobble a bit at first, but you soon find your sense of balance again. You don't have to learn how to balance all over again, because your body remembers.
So, I decided to experiment with Tae-Bo this week. I hadn't done anything but sit on the couch for a year, so I thought I would just try 10 minutes the first day. I actually was able to do 15 minutes, after stretching my feet real well so there would be less risk of injury. From my research regarding plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the tendons and ligaments in the back of the calf and bottom of the feet), I read that it can take up to several hours after doing something to irritate the tendons and ligaments before you may feel the pain, so I gingerly waited all day for the pain to come. No pain.
I held my breath.
And the next day, I had enough energy to try again - the full 30 minute workout this time, and I could have gone even longer! I was pumped now! I had energy all day long!
Next day: no pain in my feet, no sore muscles, lots of energy! My body remembered doing this Tae-Bo workout time after time after time, and it very quickly went right back into the groove!
One more day of a full work-out and for the first time in almost a year, my feet are totally pain-free! I have lots of energy already, I am psyched up to work at getting in shape again (which will be easier for me than for someone who has never been in good shape to begin with), and I lost 1.2 pounds in 3 days! I don't know if my feet are ever going to hurt again, or if I will ever have adrenal problems again - I very well may - but I do know that I am on the right track again, and my body is anxious to get back to where it should be! I will keep in mind, though, that if I ever get lax, my body will be just as quick to revert to couch-potato status, since it remembers that extreme as well.
I don't know about the memory of an elephant, but I praise God for making our bodies with an incredible memory system.
Jun 21, 2006
Living Soberly
"I'll talk to him later when he sobers up." No one enjoys being around a drunk for long.
The biblical definition of "sober" is not a term we hear preached much any more. When I asked my children recently what they thought "sober" meant, one answered "not drunk," which is a pretty typical response, I'm sure. I started to say that that's what most people think of, when I realized that it actually is a good definition for the biblical use as well.
Consider a couple verses: we are told to think soberly, to watch and be sober, be sober-minded, and to live soberly, among several others.
But what does this really mean? If we consider the common definition as not having consumed alcoholic beverages, we can picture the behavior of someone who is not drunk, especially in comparison with the drunkard. We picture someone who is serious, who has self-control, who walks uprightly, who speaks clearly and distinctly, who thinks logically, and who is in his right mind. Would this also accurately describe how a Christian ought to live?
Webster's 1928 dictionary describes sober as "not under the influence of passion; serious; solemn; calm; temperate." Not under the influence of passion. So much of today's life seems to be controlled by one passion or another, one lust or another. We are an entertainment-driven society. We want to see exciting movies; hear loud, pounding music; experience body-tingling thrills, have our taste buds continually excited; arouse all kinds of passions and sensations within us.
Now God certainly does not want us to be passion-less, but we should not let our passions, our emotions, our sensual selves, be in control either. We should have a deep, abiding passion for the things above, not the things that are temporary and of no eternal value.
Being sober also must not mean being so serious we cannot have fun or be happy. Paul tells us over and over again to rejoice in the Lord always; while at the same time telling us to be sober. Our joy in life should come from the Lord. Our passion in life should be for the Lord. We should be dead serious about what the Lord has called each of us to do in this life, and at the same time, we should be full of joy in every minute of serving Him.
We only have one life to live. We can live it for the passions of this passing world, or we can live it for the passions of eternity.
Be sober and love life!
The biblical definition of "sober" is not a term we hear preached much any more. When I asked my children recently what they thought "sober" meant, one answered "not drunk," which is a pretty typical response, I'm sure. I started to say that that's what most people think of, when I realized that it actually is a good definition for the biblical use as well.
Consider a couple verses: we are told to think soberly, to watch and be sober, be sober-minded, and to live soberly, among several others.
But what does this really mean? If we consider the common definition as not having consumed alcoholic beverages, we can picture the behavior of someone who is not drunk, especially in comparison with the drunkard. We picture someone who is serious, who has self-control, who walks uprightly, who speaks clearly and distinctly, who thinks logically, and who is in his right mind. Would this also accurately describe how a Christian ought to live?
Webster's 1928 dictionary describes sober as "not under the influence of passion; serious; solemn; calm; temperate." Not under the influence of passion. So much of today's life seems to be controlled by one passion or another, one lust or another. We are an entertainment-driven society. We want to see exciting movies; hear loud, pounding music; experience body-tingling thrills, have our taste buds continually excited; arouse all kinds of passions and sensations within us.
Now God certainly does not want us to be passion-less, but we should not let our passions, our emotions, our sensual selves, be in control either. We should have a deep, abiding passion for the things above, not the things that are temporary and of no eternal value.
Being sober also must not mean being so serious we cannot have fun or be happy. Paul tells us over and over again to rejoice in the Lord always; while at the same time telling us to be sober. Our joy in life should come from the Lord. Our passion in life should be for the Lord. We should be dead serious about what the Lord has called each of us to do in this life, and at the same time, we should be full of joy in every minute of serving Him.
We only have one life to live. We can live it for the passions of this passing world, or we can live it for the passions of eternity.
Be sober and love life!
Weekly Recipe: Basil Pizza
We make homemade pizza every Friday night. This is our favorite, hands down! (The dough recipe is really for those who already know how to make bread.)
Basil Pizza
1 scant T. yeast
3 c. flour (I use ½ spelt, ½ hard red)
1 t. sea salt
3 T. olive oil
1 scant T. honey
1 c. warm water (use slightly less if using spelt)
After initial rising, roll dough onto oiled stone (or oil with cornmeal).
Preheat oven to 500 deg.
Mix together:
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
¼ c. Parmesan
4 tomatoes, diced
1 pkg. fresh basil, sliced
1 can sliced black olives
Salad Dressing:
2 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
Mix all together and spread evenly over pizza dough. Bake at 500 for 10 minutes.
Basil Pizza
1 scant T. yeast
3 c. flour (I use ½ spelt, ½ hard red)
1 t. sea salt
3 T. olive oil
1 scant T. honey
1 c. warm water (use slightly less if using spelt)
After initial rising, roll dough onto oiled stone (or oil with cornmeal).
Preheat oven to 500 deg.
Mix together:
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
¼ c. Parmesan
4 tomatoes, diced
1 pkg. fresh basil, sliced
1 can sliced black olives
Salad Dressing:
2 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
Mix all together and spread evenly over pizza dough. Bake at 500 for 10 minutes.
Jun 20, 2006
Field Trip Review: Cascade Caverns
Today we went to the Cascade Caverns up in Boerne. Although it was nearly 100 degrees out when we arrived, as we started down into the cave, there was a sudden downshift to 68 degrees, but still very humid.
Here is the original opening of the cave, where people were lowered in buckets with a pulley. A fugitive hermit lived here for many years!
The giant molar!
Stalactites dripping into a mineral-rich, 98% pure water lake. There was water and/or mud everywhere.
The end of the cave was lower and about 48 degrees. This room was used as a church sanctuary during World War II. I could just imagine "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" echoing and booming throughout the cave as they sang their hearts out.
This visit to the underground world was well worth the trip. We saw a woolly mammoth tusk that had neither petrified nor disintegrated over the years, but was fully preserved. We saw other evidence of woolly mammoths, clams and other sea creatures (complete with evolutionary commentary, of course!). We saw all kinds of cave rocks, minerals, and formations. We ducked and slid and got a little muddy, but it was a great time!
Although this cave has the potential to be a great tourist attraction, the business end of it was a bit lacking. The facilities were old and run-down and, quite simply, very trashy. It might be good to be aware of that before you arrive. The signs weren't always easy to follow to get there.
So, above ground, they need a lot of work, but underground, it is a wonderful tour, especially on a hot summer day!
Here is the original opening of the cave, where people were lowered in buckets with a pulley. A fugitive hermit lived here for many years!
The giant molar!
Stalactites dripping into a mineral-rich, 98% pure water lake. There was water and/or mud everywhere.
The end of the cave was lower and about 48 degrees. This room was used as a church sanctuary during World War II. I could just imagine "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" echoing and booming throughout the cave as they sang their hearts out.
This visit to the underground world was well worth the trip. We saw a woolly mammoth tusk that had neither petrified nor disintegrated over the years, but was fully preserved. We saw other evidence of woolly mammoths, clams and other sea creatures (complete with evolutionary commentary, of course!). We saw all kinds of cave rocks, minerals, and formations. We ducked and slid and got a little muddy, but it was a great time!
Although this cave has the potential to be a great tourist attraction, the business end of it was a bit lacking. The facilities were old and run-down and, quite simply, very trashy. It might be good to be aware of that before you arrive. The signs weren't always easy to follow to get there.
So, above ground, they need a lot of work, but underground, it is a wonderful tour, especially on a hot summer day!
Jun 19, 2006
Find of a Lifetime!
It appears that Noah's ark has finally been discovered! I suppose there is no way of knowing for sure, but if what this article says is true, and this is an extremely trustworthy source, then I am cautiously optimistic that this is the real thing! Dr. Bob Cornuke, the discoverer, began looking for Noah's ark many years ago with astronaut Jim Irwin. On at least one of those expeditions, my uncle, Dick Ewing, and my step-dad, Dave Smith, went with them to search on Mount Ararat in Turkey. Too bad they were looking in the wrong place!
Chalk up a big one for the truth of the Word of God!
Chalk up a big one for the truth of the Word of God!
Jun 15, 2006
My Shopping Treasure
"Love where you shop!" is the motto of my favorite store, Whole Foods Market. I often hear from friends that they think it is too expensive, and so they don't go there. I grant that it used to be very expensive, but Whole Foods has introduced their own store brands in the last couple years, which has added a whole new reason to shop there - competitive prices! 365 and Whole Foods/Whole Kids are not only mostly organic and incredibly delicious, but very reasonably priced. For instance, a half gallon of delicious ice cream is $3.99 (at the San Antonio store, at least)! Hey, that's a better price than Blue Bell, and we like it even better than Blue Bell, as well. If you need something in a package, consider Whole Foods own brand. You won't be disappointed!
I also greatly enjoy the atmosphere of Whole Foods, especially in comparison to other food stores. The employees work hard at making you feel welcome. I have had no problems with exchanges. They will stop and help you at any moment. They will special order something with a smile. And they know my children by name. When I went today, they even asked where my children were. What a pleasant experience each week!
I love where I shop!
I also greatly enjoy the atmosphere of Whole Foods, especially in comparison to other food stores. The employees work hard at making you feel welcome. I have had no problems with exchanges. They will stop and help you at any moment. They will special order something with a smile. And they know my children by name. When I went today, they even asked where my children were. What a pleasant experience each week!
I love where I shop!
Jun 14, 2006
Deaconess?
God's Word does not give us the "office" of deaconess; however, I have always thought this was an interesting verse.
Romans 16:1-2 says, "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also."
Now if Paul thinks it necessary that all the Roman Christians assist a woman who is a servant of the church, in whatever business she needs you, I suppose this would be similar to what we may call a deaconess today. The Bible does not use as many "labels" as we modern-day Christians do, but we can certainly see distinct principles as we study His Word. There is a lot of controversy on the role of women in the church; God does speak to this directly in many different passages, but we need to be careful not to just pick and choose those that we favor, without comparing the rest of Scripture with Scripture.
Whether you call her a deaconess or not, Phebe was definitely a role model for women in the church.
Romans 16:1-2 says, "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also."
Now if Paul thinks it necessary that all the Roman Christians assist a woman who is a servant of the church, in whatever business she needs you, I suppose this would be similar to what we may call a deaconess today. The Bible does not use as many "labels" as we modern-day Christians do, but we can certainly see distinct principles as we study His Word. There is a lot of controversy on the role of women in the church; God does speak to this directly in many different passages, but we need to be careful not to just pick and choose those that we favor, without comparing the rest of Scripture with Scripture.
Whether you call her a deaconess or not, Phebe was definitely a role model for women in the church.
Jun 6, 2006
True Character
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. ~ Abraham Lincoln
Jun 4, 2006
Happy Birthday, Called Out Ones!
Today is the day of Pentecost, according to God's Word. Most Christians know that God sent His Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, but there really is much more to it than that.
Leviticus 23 outlines all of God's holy days for us. The timing for Pentecost is tricky, and it took me several years to get it figured out (at least, I think I have it figured out now!). We need to start at verse 5, where God first explains Passover, which is on Nisan 14 (around March/April timeframe), which is Christ's death. God then explains that Nisan 15, the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasts for 7 days, is a day of holy convocation, or a Sabbath day. The Sabbath can mean the last day of the week (Saturday) or it can mean a holy day, certain holidays God sets aside to be holy. Then in verse 11, He explains about the Feast of Early First Fruits, which is Christ's resurrection. This takes place on the day after the Sabbath. Which Sabbath? The first regular sabbath after the holy Sabbath of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so generally it is the first Saturday after Passover. So the Feast of Early First Fruits (Christ's resurrection) is to take place on the first Sunday after Passover.
Now we come to verse 15, which tells us how to count the days until Pentecost. "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath." So to figure out the right date, we start with Passover, go to the first Sunday after the first Sabbath after Passover, and count 50 days to the day after the 7th Sabbath. Normal Sabbaths are always on Saturday, so the day after would have to always be on a Sunday.
(I digress here: I have heard both sides of the "worship on the Sabbath/worship on Sunday" argument. With both Early First Fruits (Christ's resurrection) and Latter First Fruits (Pentecost) ALWAYS falling on a Sunday, this is the strongest argument FOR Sunday that I see in Scripture. I, personally, have not come to a firm conclusion either way at this point.)
I put so much into figuring out the date because if you look on a calendar, you will find Pentecost on any day of the week, and the beginning of the counting time doesn't always seem to mean anything either. Even Jewish calendars do not use God's reckoning of time for Pentecost. My Jewish calendar says it falls on June 2 this year, while God's time would put it on Sunday, June 4. We'll see more later about why that is important.
The very first Pentecost (Greek for 50 days) , or Feast of Weeks (counting the 7 weeks), or Feast of Latter First Fruits (wheat harvest), or Shavuot (hebrew name), took place 50 days into the wilderness trek, when Moses brought the Law down to the Israelites. God writing the Law in stone was a very significant day for all Israel, but they were impatient in waiting for it and easily turned to idolatry and wicked, vile behavior before Moses returned. So God told the sons of Levi to put every man to the sword for this wickedness and about 3000 were killed that first day of Pentecost.
Fast forward about 1476 years to the second major Pentecost festival, which is one of the 3 main Feasts that God requires all Jewish men to attend in Jerusalem each year. Acts 2 is the famous "birthday of the church" event, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all who believed. What an incredible fulfilling of the prophecies of Pentecost! Until this time, God's chosen people were Israel. There were a few Gentiles here and there who chose to believe in God, such as Ruth, but those who mostly belonged to God were Jews. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Not only did God send His Holy Spirit on Pentecost, but He chose this day to include Gentiles in His family, as many as He will call. The word church, as used in Acts 2, literally means the "called out ones," which is different from the other New Testament uses of the English word church, which usually means "belonging to the Lord." Although Pentecost is recognized as the birthday of the church, there were really already many people, mostly Jews and a few gentiles, who belonged to the Lord before Pentecost, but now God was calling out both Jews and Gentiles.
Although God wrote His Law on stone on the first Pentecost, He wrote His Law on our hearts of flesh on the second great Pentecost. And while the Levites killed 3000 souls that first Pentectost, after Peter preached his great sermon, Acts 2 tells us that about 3000 souls were added to them that day. What a restoration!
Leviticus 23:17 tells us to celebrate Pentecost with "two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD." In other words, bake 2 loaves of leavened bread, 16 cups of flour each, and wave them before the Lord as an offering. We use unleavened bread at Passover as a symbol of the sacrifice Lamb being without sin; we use leavened bread at Pentecost as a symbol of believers still being sinful. The 2 loaves represent the Jews and the Gentiles, coming together for the first time. So we now have sinful Jews and sinful Gentiles, together, with the Holy Spirit, as the called out ones, believers together in Christ Jesus, believers with God's Law written on our hearts of flesh, celebrating Christ's resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit to the called out ones both on the first day of the week, Sunday.
Have you ever wondered why this great Acts 2 sermon included references to King David's death and burial and tomb? It is well known among the Jews that King David died on Pentecost, so his death is commemorated that day as well; hence, Peter would naturally have mentioned it in his sermon.
Another aspect of Pentecost is found in Leviticus 23:22 - "‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.’” This is a time of year to focus on helping the poor and the strangers, especially the widows.
Most Jews celebrate Pentecost by reading the book of Ruth. Not only was Ruth probably the most well-known Gentile convert before Pentecost, this story takes place at the time of the harvest, which is a main part of the celebration of Pentecost, and it explicitly tells about Ruth gleaning from the corners of the field, but also of helping the poor and the stranger. We read the book of Ruth aloud today, with a new perspective!
Leviticus 23:21 tells us that Pentecost "shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. " The Law, the Holy Spirit, the harvest, the union of the Jews and Gentiles together in Christ. There are many great reasons to celebrate God's holy day of Pentecost!
Leviticus 23 outlines all of God's holy days for us. The timing for Pentecost is tricky, and it took me several years to get it figured out (at least, I think I have it figured out now!). We need to start at verse 5, where God first explains Passover, which is on Nisan 14 (around March/April timeframe), which is Christ's death. God then explains that Nisan 15, the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasts for 7 days, is a day of holy convocation, or a Sabbath day. The Sabbath can mean the last day of the week (Saturday) or it can mean a holy day, certain holidays God sets aside to be holy. Then in verse 11, He explains about the Feast of Early First Fruits, which is Christ's resurrection. This takes place on the day after the Sabbath. Which Sabbath? The first regular sabbath after the holy Sabbath of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so generally it is the first Saturday after Passover. So the Feast of Early First Fruits (Christ's resurrection) is to take place on the first Sunday after Passover.
Now we come to verse 15, which tells us how to count the days until Pentecost. "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath." So to figure out the right date, we start with Passover, go to the first Sunday after the first Sabbath after Passover, and count 50 days to the day after the 7th Sabbath. Normal Sabbaths are always on Saturday, so the day after would have to always be on a Sunday.
(I digress here: I have heard both sides of the "worship on the Sabbath/worship on Sunday" argument. With both Early First Fruits (Christ's resurrection) and Latter First Fruits (Pentecost) ALWAYS falling on a Sunday, this is the strongest argument FOR Sunday that I see in Scripture. I, personally, have not come to a firm conclusion either way at this point.)
I put so much into figuring out the date because if you look on a calendar, you will find Pentecost on any day of the week, and the beginning of the counting time doesn't always seem to mean anything either. Even Jewish calendars do not use God's reckoning of time for Pentecost. My Jewish calendar says it falls on June 2 this year, while God's time would put it on Sunday, June 4. We'll see more later about why that is important.
The very first Pentecost (Greek for 50 days) , or Feast of Weeks (counting the 7 weeks), or Feast of Latter First Fruits (wheat harvest), or Shavuot (hebrew name), took place 50 days into the wilderness trek, when Moses brought the Law down to the Israelites. God writing the Law in stone was a very significant day for all Israel, but they were impatient in waiting for it and easily turned to idolatry and wicked, vile behavior before Moses returned. So God told the sons of Levi to put every man to the sword for this wickedness and about 3000 were killed that first day of Pentecost.
Fast forward about 1476 years to the second major Pentecost festival, which is one of the 3 main Feasts that God requires all Jewish men to attend in Jerusalem each year. Acts 2 is the famous "birthday of the church" event, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all who believed. What an incredible fulfilling of the prophecies of Pentecost! Until this time, God's chosen people were Israel. There were a few Gentiles here and there who chose to believe in God, such as Ruth, but those who mostly belonged to God were Jews. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Not only did God send His Holy Spirit on Pentecost, but He chose this day to include Gentiles in His family, as many as He will call. The word church, as used in Acts 2, literally means the "called out ones," which is different from the other New Testament uses of the English word church, which usually means "belonging to the Lord." Although Pentecost is recognized as the birthday of the church, there were really already many people, mostly Jews and a few gentiles, who belonged to the Lord before Pentecost, but now God was calling out both Jews and Gentiles.
Although God wrote His Law on stone on the first Pentecost, He wrote His Law on our hearts of flesh on the second great Pentecost. And while the Levites killed 3000 souls that first Pentectost, after Peter preached his great sermon, Acts 2 tells us that about 3000 souls were added to them that day. What a restoration!
Leviticus 23:17 tells us to celebrate Pentecost with "two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD." In other words, bake 2 loaves of leavened bread, 16 cups of flour each, and wave them before the Lord as an offering. We use unleavened bread at Passover as a symbol of the sacrifice Lamb being without sin; we use leavened bread at Pentecost as a symbol of believers still being sinful. The 2 loaves represent the Jews and the Gentiles, coming together for the first time. So we now have sinful Jews and sinful Gentiles, together, with the Holy Spirit, as the called out ones, believers together in Christ Jesus, believers with God's Law written on our hearts of flesh, celebrating Christ's resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit to the called out ones both on the first day of the week, Sunday.
Have you ever wondered why this great Acts 2 sermon included references to King David's death and burial and tomb? It is well known among the Jews that King David died on Pentecost, so his death is commemorated that day as well; hence, Peter would naturally have mentioned it in his sermon.
Another aspect of Pentecost is found in Leviticus 23:22 - "‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.’” This is a time of year to focus on helping the poor and the strangers, especially the widows.
Most Jews celebrate Pentecost by reading the book of Ruth. Not only was Ruth probably the most well-known Gentile convert before Pentecost, this story takes place at the time of the harvest, which is a main part of the celebration of Pentecost, and it explicitly tells about Ruth gleaning from the corners of the field, but also of helping the poor and the stranger. We read the book of Ruth aloud today, with a new perspective!
Leviticus 23:21 tells us that Pentecost "shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. " The Law, the Holy Spirit, the harvest, the union of the Jews and Gentiles together in Christ. There are many great reasons to celebrate God's holy day of Pentecost!
My Creation Science Treasure
We've been studying creation science for almost ten years now and have used many different sources. We thought we had a pretty good handle on the whole issue, until a friend recently lent me a video series by Kent Hovind.
Talk about a steep learning curve! I watched the first video 3 times and still didn't get it all! This guy has SO much to teach about creation science that I didn't realize was even related. Here a few things he covers in his 17-hour seminar:
6 day literal creation
evolution
age of the earth
gap theory
the flood
dinosaurs
Grand Canyon
the Ice Age
900 year old people
lies in the textbooks
marxism
communism
socialism
New World Order
marriage licenses
vehicle license plates
Pangea theory
magnetic fields
plate tectonics
continental drift
petrified wood
geological columns
fossil dating
layer dating
... and much more!
I am learning so much, I am really getting interested in science for the first time in my life!
He also brings everyday life according to God's Word into every aspect of what he teaches. I really think that God's Word applies to everything that I do, so it was quite refreshing to see him live it out.
A word of caution: you must have a well-developed sense of humor to appreciate this guy's corny jokes! He does tend to be a little sarcastic now and then, and he doesn't quite have my theology, but since I am not one to throw the baby out with the bath, I still heartily recommend his video series.
I haven't tried any of his other products yet, but they look like they will be life-challenging material. I'm up for a good challenge about now! He also has a dinosaur creation-science theme park in Pensacola, where we are headed in July. I will post a field trip report afterward.
Talk about a steep learning curve! I watched the first video 3 times and still didn't get it all! This guy has SO much to teach about creation science that I didn't realize was even related. Here a few things he covers in his 17-hour seminar:
6 day literal creation
evolution
age of the earth
gap theory
the flood
dinosaurs
Grand Canyon
the Ice Age
900 year old people
lies in the textbooks
marxism
communism
socialism
New World Order
marriage licenses
vehicle license plates
Pangea theory
magnetic fields
plate tectonics
continental drift
petrified wood
geological columns
fossil dating
layer dating
... and much more!
I am learning so much, I am really getting interested in science for the first time in my life!
He also brings everyday life according to God's Word into every aspect of what he teaches. I really think that God's Word applies to everything that I do, so it was quite refreshing to see him live it out.
A word of caution: you must have a well-developed sense of humor to appreciate this guy's corny jokes! He does tend to be a little sarcastic now and then, and he doesn't quite have my theology, but since I am not one to throw the baby out with the bath, I still heartily recommend his video series.
I haven't tried any of his other products yet, but they look like they will be life-challenging material. I'm up for a good challenge about now! He also has a dinosaur creation-science theme park in Pensacola, where we are headed in July. I will post a field trip report afterward.
Jun 1, 2006
The Old Paths
I liked the old paths, when Moms were at home.
Dads were at work. Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married BEFORE having children!
Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.
Moms could cook; Dads would work;
Children would behave.
Husbands were loving; Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.
Women wore the jewelry; And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies; Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.
People loved the truth, And hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN, Not to get OUT!
Hymns sounded Godly; Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal; And crying sounded sincere.
Cursing was wicked; Drinking was evil;
and divorce was unthinkable.
The flag was honored; America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!
We read the Bible in public; Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house.
To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!
Sex was a personal word.
Homosexual was an unheard of word,
And abortion was an illegal word.
Preachers preached because they had a message;
and were not afraid to preach the truth, even if it got on people's toes...
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!
Preachers preached from the Bible; Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!
A new birth meant a new life; Salvation meant a changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.
Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!
Laws were based on the Bible; Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.
Preachers were more interested in new converts,
Than new clothes and new cars.
God was worshiped; Christ was exalted;
and the Holy Spirit was respected.
Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's Day,
Rather than in the garden, on the creek bank, on the golf course,
Or being entertained somewhere else.
I still like the old paths the best.
~author unknown~
Dads were at work. Brothers went into the army.
And sisters got married BEFORE having children!
Crime did not pay;
Hard work did;
And people knew the difference.
Moms could cook; Dads would work;
Children would behave.
Husbands were loving; Wives were supportive;
And children were polite.
Women wore the jewelry; And Men wore the pants.
Women looked like ladies; Men looked like gentlemen;
And children looked decent.
People loved the truth, And hated a lie;
They came to church to get IN, Not to get OUT!
Hymns sounded Godly; Sermons sounded helpful;
Rejoicing sounded normal; And crying sounded sincere.
Cursing was wicked; Drinking was evil;
and divorce was unthinkable.
The flag was honored; America was beautiful;
And God was welcome!
We read the Bible in public; Prayed in school;
And preached from house to house.
To be called an American was worth dying for;
To be called a Christian was worth living for;
To be called a traitor was a shame!
Sex was a personal word.
Homosexual was an unheard of word,
And abortion was an illegal word.
Preachers preached because they had a message;
and were not afraid to preach the truth, even if it got on people's toes...
And Christians rejoiced because they had the VICTORY!
Preachers preached from the Bible; Singers sang from the heart;
And sinners turned to the Lord to be SAVED!
A new birth meant a new life; Salvation meant a changed life;
Following Christ led to eternal life.
Being a preacher meant you proclaimed the word of God;
Being a deacon meant you would serve the Lord;
Being a Christian meant you would live for Jesus;
And being a sinner meant someone was praying for you!
Laws were based on the Bible; Homes read the Bible;
And churches taught the Bible.
Preachers were more interested in new converts,
Than new clothes and new cars.
God was worshiped; Christ was exalted;
and the Holy Spirit was respected.
Church was where you found Christians on the Lord's Day,
Rather than in the garden, on the creek bank, on the golf course,
Or being entertained somewhere else.
I still like the old paths the best.
~author unknown~
A Win, Win Situation
1. Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border
2. Take the dirt and raise the levies in New Orleans
3. Put the Florida alligators in the border moat!
(This is just a joke, so take it in stride!)
2. Take the dirt and raise the levies in New Orleans
3. Put the Florida alligators in the border moat!
(This is just a joke, so take it in stride!)
May 31, 2006
Movie Review: The Water is Wide
"The Water is Wide," a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, is a movie I feel comfortable recommending in this world of mostly evil entertainment. While not a Christian film, this true story has a lot each of us could learn from, especially homeschoolers. A white man, Pat Conroy, takes a position teaching in a 2-room schoolhouse on an island in an all black, poor, illiterate community in the 1970s. Watching the remarkable metamorphosis of children who live in constant dread and drudgery to, well, you're just going to have to see it! Anyone who teaches, in any capacity, will be deeply moved.
May 29, 2006
I Wish You Enough
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."
I wish you the presence of the Lord in all your trials and the wisdom of God to know what to do with them.
Blessing by Bob Perks; last line by SM Davis.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."
I wish you the presence of the Lord in all your trials and the wisdom of God to know what to do with them.
Blessing by Bob Perks; last line by SM Davis.
May 27, 2006
Character Treasures
For church right now, our family is watching SM Davis videos. I believe that God has given SM Davis an incredible wisdom to be able to clearly see character truths in God's Word in a way I've never heard from the pulpit before. It seems that every message we hear changes our hearts to become more like Christ! SM Davis is a very passionate preacher, but not a hell-fire and damnation type. Oh, he absolutely believes the truths of God's Word regarding sin and salvation, but he will never beat you over the head with it. This is a real treasure in my life right now and I wanted to share the titles of his character messages with you. It is a long list, but I didn't know which titles would catch your attention, so here goes:
Anger, the Destroyer
Are You a Giver or a Taker?
Bible Pictures of Godly Children
Bible Principles That Relate to Getting to the Marriage Altar
Bible Teachings About the Bride Price
Breaking Family Curses
Changing the Heart of a Rebel
Christ, the Husband’s Example
Conquering Satan’s Strongholds
Deliverance From the Destructiveness of Lust
Dig Another Well
Expectations, the Enemy of Relationships and Gratitude
Foreseeing the Problems That Could Wreck a Marriage
Freedom From the Spirit of Anger
God’s Plan for Finding a Mate
God’s Seven Purposes for Authority
God’s Viewpoint of the Church
God’s Viewpoint on Having Babies
God’s Way to Deal With Your Wrong Emotions
God’s Weightiest Commands to Husbands, Wives, and Parents
How a Wife Can Use Reverence to Build or Save Her Marriage
How to Avoid Confusion Concerning Betrothal
How to Avoid the Destructiveness of a Wrong Self-Image
How to Be Reconciled to Your Friend or Enemy
How to Bless Your Children and Others
How to Build a Storm-Proof Marriage
How to Develop Character in Your Children
How to Get or Give Wise Counsel
How to Help a Man Deal With His Anger
How to Help Weak Children Become Strong
How to Humble Yourself
How to Increase Your Life’s Potential
How to Keep Children From Getting Bitter
How to Lengthen Your Life by Honoring and Obeying Your Parents
How to Parent as a Team
How to Pass On Your Convictions to Your Children
How to Rebuild Broken Trust
How to Tell Right From Wrong in Confusing Areas of Life
How to Tell the Right Kind of Music
How to Tell True Repentance
How to Train Children to Refuse Evil and Choose Good
How to Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go
How to Treat a Wounded Spirit
How to Use Acceptance to Build Others
Integrity, the Parent of Character
Key Character Qualities of a Godly Man
Knowing When to Let Go
My Son, Give Me Thine Heart
Nothing Shall Offend Them
Overcomer or Survivor?
Overcoming Discouragement
Personal Responsibility
Questions and Answers About Betrothal
Repairing Really Rotten Relationships
Satan’s Plan to Destroy the Husband-Wife Relationship
Seeds of Disintegration
Seven Bible Truths Violated by Christian Dating
Seven Keys to Unlock Doors of Communication
Seven Reasons Why a Man’s Home is a Biblical Priority
Strategy for Victory in Spiritual Warfare
Ten Steps to Victory Over Lust
The Attitude No Lady Should Have
The Danger of Sinning Against Great Spiritual Light
The Influence of Older Children on Younger Ones
The Kingdom of Your Influence
The Language of the Christian’s Clothing
The Mistakes Rebels Make
The Providence of God
The Seven-Fold Power of a Wife’s Submission
The Sin of Silence
The Two Trails in Every Trial
Three Key Elements of Successful Parenting
Twelve Reasons Why I am For the Permanence of Marriage
Understanding Biblical Leadership
Understanding How Homes Relate to Each Other and the Church
Understanding Loyalty in a Disloyal World
Understanding the Hazards of Friendships
Understanding What the Bible Has to Say About Scorn and Mockery
Victory Over the Dating Spirit
What Bitterness Does
What Character Is and Does
What God Expects from a Twenty Year Old
What Impatience Does
What Pride Does
What the Bible Has to Say about Spanking
What to Expect From a Twelve Year Old
When Forgiveness Won’t Work
When God's Will Becomes Multiple Choice
When You Have to Drink the Bitter Cup
Why Satan Wants the Firstborn
Why Should I Repent?
Why the Will of God is Best
Why You Keep Sinning and How to Stop
Anger, the Destroyer
Are You a Giver or a Taker?
Bible Pictures of Godly Children
Bible Principles That Relate to Getting to the Marriage Altar
Bible Teachings About the Bride Price
Breaking Family Curses
Changing the Heart of a Rebel
Christ, the Husband’s Example
Conquering Satan’s Strongholds
Deliverance From the Destructiveness of Lust
Dig Another Well
Expectations, the Enemy of Relationships and Gratitude
Foreseeing the Problems That Could Wreck a Marriage
Freedom From the Spirit of Anger
God’s Plan for Finding a Mate
God’s Seven Purposes for Authority
God’s Viewpoint of the Church
God’s Viewpoint on Having Babies
God’s Way to Deal With Your Wrong Emotions
God’s Weightiest Commands to Husbands, Wives, and Parents
How a Wife Can Use Reverence to Build or Save Her Marriage
How to Avoid Confusion Concerning Betrothal
How to Avoid the Destructiveness of a Wrong Self-Image
How to Be Reconciled to Your Friend or Enemy
How to Bless Your Children and Others
How to Build a Storm-Proof Marriage
How to Develop Character in Your Children
How to Get or Give Wise Counsel
How to Help a Man Deal With His Anger
How to Help Weak Children Become Strong
How to Humble Yourself
How to Increase Your Life’s Potential
How to Keep Children From Getting Bitter
How to Lengthen Your Life by Honoring and Obeying Your Parents
How to Parent as a Team
How to Pass On Your Convictions to Your Children
How to Rebuild Broken Trust
How to Tell Right From Wrong in Confusing Areas of Life
How to Tell the Right Kind of Music
How to Tell True Repentance
How to Train Children to Refuse Evil and Choose Good
How to Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go
How to Treat a Wounded Spirit
How to Use Acceptance to Build Others
Integrity, the Parent of Character
Key Character Qualities of a Godly Man
Knowing When to Let Go
My Son, Give Me Thine Heart
Nothing Shall Offend Them
Overcomer or Survivor?
Overcoming Discouragement
Personal Responsibility
Questions and Answers About Betrothal
Repairing Really Rotten Relationships
Satan’s Plan to Destroy the Husband-Wife Relationship
Seeds of Disintegration
Seven Bible Truths Violated by Christian Dating
Seven Keys to Unlock Doors of Communication
Seven Reasons Why a Man’s Home is a Biblical Priority
Strategy for Victory in Spiritual Warfare
Ten Steps to Victory Over Lust
The Attitude No Lady Should Have
The Danger of Sinning Against Great Spiritual Light
The Influence of Older Children on Younger Ones
The Kingdom of Your Influence
The Language of the Christian’s Clothing
The Mistakes Rebels Make
The Providence of God
The Seven-Fold Power of a Wife’s Submission
The Sin of Silence
The Two Trails in Every Trial
Three Key Elements of Successful Parenting
Twelve Reasons Why I am For the Permanence of Marriage
Understanding Biblical Leadership
Understanding How Homes Relate to Each Other and the Church
Understanding Loyalty in a Disloyal World
Understanding the Hazards of Friendships
Understanding What the Bible Has to Say About Scorn and Mockery
Victory Over the Dating Spirit
What Bitterness Does
What Character Is and Does
What God Expects from a Twenty Year Old
What Impatience Does
What Pride Does
What the Bible Has to Say about Spanking
What to Expect From a Twelve Year Old
When Forgiveness Won’t Work
When God's Will Becomes Multiple Choice
When You Have to Drink the Bitter Cup
Why Satan Wants the Firstborn
Why Should I Repent?
Why the Will of God is Best
Why You Keep Sinning and How to Stop
May 26, 2006
The King's Assignment
In general, we use the Charlotte Mason method of education. One of the joys of life for me has been to discover Charlotte Mason's method in the Bible. This was the first aspect of the Charlotte Mason method I discovered in God's Word, and I can still remember how excited I was that day!
The background of this story is that God is telling Moses that when the Israelites get to the Promised Land, they are going to ask for a king. Therefore, God lays out some instructions for what He expects of the kings of Israel.
“Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel." Deut. 17:18-20.
God actually expected each king to write out a copy of the law, which is Genesis through Deuteronomy, in his own handwriting. I wonder how many kings actually did that? I don't believe we have record of any kings actually doing that, but some may have. I wonder what would have happened differently if they had obeyed the Lord in this. Well, I guess we don't have to wonder too long, because God tells us all the benefits that He promises to the kings that do obey Him in this.
Charlotte Mason calls this copywork; we call it "The King's Assignment." We each copy God's Word for 15 minutes a day. I know one young man who had an attitude problem and his parents told him his assignment to graduate from high school was to copy Genesis through Deuteronomy. By the time he finished, he was a changed young man, and is diligently serving the Lord today, many years later.
It takes quite a bit of work and effort to write the Bible yourself, but do we really have more to do than the king of Israel did? Think of it this way: if you are a son or a daughter of the King of Kings, shouldn't you tackle the "King's Assignment," too?
Writing out God's Word in my own handwriting has provided more benefits than I ever dreamed of. Rather than tell you what they are, I shall encourage you to give it a try for yourself, and see what God reveals to you!
The background of this story is that God is telling Moses that when the Israelites get to the Promised Land, they are going to ask for a king. Therefore, God lays out some instructions for what He expects of the kings of Israel.
“Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel." Deut. 17:18-20.
God actually expected each king to write out a copy of the law, which is Genesis through Deuteronomy, in his own handwriting. I wonder how many kings actually did that? I don't believe we have record of any kings actually doing that, but some may have. I wonder what would have happened differently if they had obeyed the Lord in this. Well, I guess we don't have to wonder too long, because God tells us all the benefits that He promises to the kings that do obey Him in this.
Charlotte Mason calls this copywork; we call it "The King's Assignment." We each copy God's Word for 15 minutes a day. I know one young man who had an attitude problem and his parents told him his assignment to graduate from high school was to copy Genesis through Deuteronomy. By the time he finished, he was a changed young man, and is diligently serving the Lord today, many years later.
It takes quite a bit of work and effort to write the Bible yourself, but do we really have more to do than the king of Israel did? Think of it this way: if you are a son or a daughter of the King of Kings, shouldn't you tackle the "King's Assignment," too?
Writing out God's Word in my own handwriting has provided more benefits than I ever dreamed of. Rather than tell you what they are, I shall encourage you to give it a try for yourself, and see what God reveals to you!
May 25, 2006
The Town of Allopath
There once was a town called Allopath. It had many people, streets and cars, but due to budget limitations, there were no stop signs or traffic lights anywhere in Allopath. Not surprisingly, traffic accidents were common. Cars would crash into each other at nearly every intersection. But business was booming for the auto repair shops and local hospitals, which dominated the economy of Allopath.
As the population of Allopath grew, traffic accidents increased to an alarming level. Out of desperation, the city council hired Doctor West, a doctor of the Motor Division (M.D.) to find a solution.
Dr. West spent days examining traffic accidents. He carried an assortment of technical gear -- microscopes, chemical analysis equipment, lab gear -- and put them all to work as part of his investigation. The townspeople of Allopath watched with great curiosity while Dr. West went about his work, meticulously documenting and analyzing each traffic accident, and they awaited his final report with great interest.
After weeks of investigation, Dr. West called the people of Allopath to a town meeting for the release of his report. There, in front of the city council and most of the residents of Allopath, he announced his findings: "Traffic accidents are caused by skid marks."
As Dr. West explained, he found and documented a near-100% correlation between traffic accidents and skid marks. "Wherever we find these cars colliding," he explained, "we also find these skid marks."
The town had "Skid Marks Disease," the doctor explained, and the answer to the town's epidemic of traffic accidents would "...require nothing more than treating Skid Marks Disease by making the streets skid-proof," Dr. West exclaimed, to great applause from the townspeople.
The city paid Dr. West his consulting fee, then asked the good doctor to propose a method for treating this Skid Marks Disease. As chance would have it, Dr. West had recently been on a trip to Hawaii paid for by a chemical company that manufactured roadaceuticals: special chemicals used to treat roads for situations just like this one. He recommended a particular chemical coating to the city council: teflon.
"We can treat this Skid Marks Disease by coating the roads with teflon," Dr. West explained. "The streets will then be skid-proof, and all the traffic accidents will cease!" He went on to describe the physical properties of teflon and how its near-frictionless coating would deter nearly all vehicle skids.
The city council heartily agreed with Dr. West, and they issued new public bonds to raise the money required to buy enough teflon to coat all the city's streets. Within weeks, the streets were completely coated, and the skid marks all but disappeared.
The city council paid Dr. West another consulting fee and thanked him for his expertise. The problem of traffic accidents in Allopath was solved, they thought. Although the cure was expensive, they were convinced it was worth it.
But things weren't well in Allopath. Traffic accidents quadrupled. Hospital beds were overflowing with injured residents. Auto repair businesses were booming so much that most of the city council members decided to either open their own car repair shops or invest in existing ones.
Week after week, more and more residents of Allopath were injured, and their cars were repeatedly damaged. Money piled into the pockets of the car repair shops, hospitals, tow truck companies and car parts retailers.
The town economic advisor, observing this sharp increase in economic activity, announced that Allopath was booming. Its economy was healthier than ever, and Allopath could look forward to a great year of economic prosperity!
There were jobs to be had at the car repair shops. There were more nurses needed at the hospital. "Help wanted" signs appeared all over town: at the paramedic station, the tow truck shops, and the auto glass businesses. Unemployment dropped to near zero.
But the traffic accidents continued to increase. And yet there were no skid marks.
The city council was baffled. They thought they had solved this problem. Skid Marks Disease had been eradicated by the teflon treatment. Why were traffic accidents still happening?
They called a town meeting to discuss the problem, and following a short discussion of the problem, an old hermit, who lived in the forest just outside of Allopath, addressed the townspeople. "There is no such thing as Skid Marks Disease," he explained. "This disease was invented by the roadaceuticals company to sell you teflon coatings."
The townspeople were horrified to hear such a statement. They knew Skid Marks Disease existed. The doctor had told them so. How could this hermit, who had no Motor Division (M.D.) degree, dare tell them otherwise? How could he question their collective town wisdom in such a way?
"This is a simple problem," the hermit continued. "All we need to do is build stop signs and traffic lights. Then the traffic accidents will cease."
Without pause, one city council member remarked, "But how can we afford stop signs? We've spent all our money on teflon treatments!"
The townspeople agreed. They had no money to buy stop signs.
Another council member added, "And how can we stop anyway? The streets are all coated with teflon. If we build stop signs, we'll waste all the money we've spent on teflon!"
The townspeople agreed, again. What use were stop signs if they couldn't stop their cars anyway?
The hermit replied, "But the stop signs will eliminate the need for teflon. People will be able to stop their cars, and accidents will cease. The solution is simple."
But what might happen if stop signs actually worked, the townspeople wondered. How would it affect the booming economy of Allopath? Realizing the consequences, a burly old man who owned a local repair shop jumped to his feet and said, "If we build these stop signs, and traffic accidents go down, I'll have to fire most of my workers!"
It was at that moment that most of the townspeople realized their own jobs were at stake. If stop signs were built, nearly everyone would be unemployed. They all had jobs in emergency response services, car repair shops, hospitals and teflon coating maintenance. Some were now sales representatives of the roadaceuticals company. Others were importers of glass, tires, steel and other parts for cars. A few clever people were making a fortune selling wheelchairs and crutches to accident victims.
One enterprising young gentleman started a scientific journal that published research papers describing all the different kind of Skid Marks Diseases that had been observed and documented. Another person, a fitness enthusiast, organized an annual run to raise funds to find the cure for Skid Marks Disease. It was a popular event, and all the townspeople participated as best they could: jogging, walking, or just pushing themselves along in their wheelchairs.
One way or another, nearly everyone in Allopath was economically tied to Skid Marks Disease.
Out of fear of losing this economic prosperity, the townspeople voted to create a new public safety agency: the Frequent Drivers Association (FDA). This FDA would be responsible for approving or rejecting all signage, technology and chemical coatings related to the town's roads.
The FDA's board members were chosen from among the business leaders of the community: the owner of the car shop, the owner of the ambulance company, and of course, Dr. West.
Soon after its inception, the FDA announced that Skid Marks Disease was, indeed, very real, as it had been carefully documented by a doctor and recently published in the town Skid Marks Disease journal. Since there were no studies whatsoever showing stop signs to be effective for reducing traffic accidents, the FDA announced that stop signs were to be outlawed, and that any person attempting to sell stop signs would be charged with fraud and locked up in the town jail.
This pleased the townspeople of Allopath. With the FDA, they knew their jobs were safe. They could go on living their lives of economic prosperity, with secure jobs, knowing that the FDA would outlaw any attempt to take away their livelihood. They still had a lot of traffic accidents, but at least their jobs were secure.
And so life continued in Allopath. For a short while, at least. As traffic accidents continued at a devastating rate, more and more residents of Allopath were injured or killed. Many were left bed-ridden, unable to work, due to their injuries.
In time, the population dwindled. The once-booming town of Allopath eventually became little more than a ghost town. The hospital closed its doors, the FDA was disbanded, and the Skid Marks Disease journal stopped printing.
The few residents remaining eventually realized nothing good had come of Skid Marks Disease, the teflon coatings and the FDA. No one was any better off, as all the town's money had been spent on the disease: the teflon coatings, car parts and emergency services. No one was any healthier, or happier, or longer-lived. Most, in fact, had lost their entire families to Skid Marks Disease.
And the hermit? He continued to live just outside of town, at the end of a winding country road, where he lived a simple life with no cars, no roads, no teflon coatings and no FDA.
He outlived every single resident of Allopath. He gardened, took long walks through the forest, and gathered roots, leaves and berries to feed himself. In his spare time, he constructed stop signs, waiting for the next population to come along, and hoping they might listen to an old hermit with a crazy idea: ...that prevention is the answer, not the treatment of symptoms.
This fable was authored by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and is posted with permission by Mike Adams at www.NewsTarget.com
As the population of Allopath grew, traffic accidents increased to an alarming level. Out of desperation, the city council hired Doctor West, a doctor of the Motor Division (M.D.) to find a solution.
Dr. West spent days examining traffic accidents. He carried an assortment of technical gear -- microscopes, chemical analysis equipment, lab gear -- and put them all to work as part of his investigation. The townspeople of Allopath watched with great curiosity while Dr. West went about his work, meticulously documenting and analyzing each traffic accident, and they awaited his final report with great interest.
After weeks of investigation, Dr. West called the people of Allopath to a town meeting for the release of his report. There, in front of the city council and most of the residents of Allopath, he announced his findings: "Traffic accidents are caused by skid marks."
As Dr. West explained, he found and documented a near-100% correlation between traffic accidents and skid marks. "Wherever we find these cars colliding," he explained, "we also find these skid marks."
The town had "Skid Marks Disease," the doctor explained, and the answer to the town's epidemic of traffic accidents would "...require nothing more than treating Skid Marks Disease by making the streets skid-proof," Dr. West exclaimed, to great applause from the townspeople.
The city paid Dr. West his consulting fee, then asked the good doctor to propose a method for treating this Skid Marks Disease. As chance would have it, Dr. West had recently been on a trip to Hawaii paid for by a chemical company that manufactured roadaceuticals: special chemicals used to treat roads for situations just like this one. He recommended a particular chemical coating to the city council: teflon.
"We can treat this Skid Marks Disease by coating the roads with teflon," Dr. West explained. "The streets will then be skid-proof, and all the traffic accidents will cease!" He went on to describe the physical properties of teflon and how its near-frictionless coating would deter nearly all vehicle skids.
The city council heartily agreed with Dr. West, and they issued new public bonds to raise the money required to buy enough teflon to coat all the city's streets. Within weeks, the streets were completely coated, and the skid marks all but disappeared.
The city council paid Dr. West another consulting fee and thanked him for his expertise. The problem of traffic accidents in Allopath was solved, they thought. Although the cure was expensive, they were convinced it was worth it.
But things weren't well in Allopath. Traffic accidents quadrupled. Hospital beds were overflowing with injured residents. Auto repair businesses were booming so much that most of the city council members decided to either open their own car repair shops or invest in existing ones.
Week after week, more and more residents of Allopath were injured, and their cars were repeatedly damaged. Money piled into the pockets of the car repair shops, hospitals, tow truck companies and car parts retailers.
The town economic advisor, observing this sharp increase in economic activity, announced that Allopath was booming. Its economy was healthier than ever, and Allopath could look forward to a great year of economic prosperity!
There were jobs to be had at the car repair shops. There were more nurses needed at the hospital. "Help wanted" signs appeared all over town: at the paramedic station, the tow truck shops, and the auto glass businesses. Unemployment dropped to near zero.
But the traffic accidents continued to increase. And yet there were no skid marks.
The city council was baffled. They thought they had solved this problem. Skid Marks Disease had been eradicated by the teflon treatment. Why were traffic accidents still happening?
They called a town meeting to discuss the problem, and following a short discussion of the problem, an old hermit, who lived in the forest just outside of Allopath, addressed the townspeople. "There is no such thing as Skid Marks Disease," he explained. "This disease was invented by the roadaceuticals company to sell you teflon coatings."
The townspeople were horrified to hear such a statement. They knew Skid Marks Disease existed. The doctor had told them so. How could this hermit, who had no Motor Division (M.D.) degree, dare tell them otherwise? How could he question their collective town wisdom in such a way?
"This is a simple problem," the hermit continued. "All we need to do is build stop signs and traffic lights. Then the traffic accidents will cease."
Without pause, one city council member remarked, "But how can we afford stop signs? We've spent all our money on teflon treatments!"
The townspeople agreed. They had no money to buy stop signs.
Another council member added, "And how can we stop anyway? The streets are all coated with teflon. If we build stop signs, we'll waste all the money we've spent on teflon!"
The townspeople agreed, again. What use were stop signs if they couldn't stop their cars anyway?
The hermit replied, "But the stop signs will eliminate the need for teflon. People will be able to stop their cars, and accidents will cease. The solution is simple."
But what might happen if stop signs actually worked, the townspeople wondered. How would it affect the booming economy of Allopath? Realizing the consequences, a burly old man who owned a local repair shop jumped to his feet and said, "If we build these stop signs, and traffic accidents go down, I'll have to fire most of my workers!"
It was at that moment that most of the townspeople realized their own jobs were at stake. If stop signs were built, nearly everyone would be unemployed. They all had jobs in emergency response services, car repair shops, hospitals and teflon coating maintenance. Some were now sales representatives of the roadaceuticals company. Others were importers of glass, tires, steel and other parts for cars. A few clever people were making a fortune selling wheelchairs and crutches to accident victims.
One enterprising young gentleman started a scientific journal that published research papers describing all the different kind of Skid Marks Diseases that had been observed and documented. Another person, a fitness enthusiast, organized an annual run to raise funds to find the cure for Skid Marks Disease. It was a popular event, and all the townspeople participated as best they could: jogging, walking, or just pushing themselves along in their wheelchairs.
One way or another, nearly everyone in Allopath was economically tied to Skid Marks Disease.
Out of fear of losing this economic prosperity, the townspeople voted to create a new public safety agency: the Frequent Drivers Association (FDA). This FDA would be responsible for approving or rejecting all signage, technology and chemical coatings related to the town's roads.
The FDA's board members were chosen from among the business leaders of the community: the owner of the car shop, the owner of the ambulance company, and of course, Dr. West.
Soon after its inception, the FDA announced that Skid Marks Disease was, indeed, very real, as it had been carefully documented by a doctor and recently published in the town Skid Marks Disease journal. Since there were no studies whatsoever showing stop signs to be effective for reducing traffic accidents, the FDA announced that stop signs were to be outlawed, and that any person attempting to sell stop signs would be charged with fraud and locked up in the town jail.
This pleased the townspeople of Allopath. With the FDA, they knew their jobs were safe. They could go on living their lives of economic prosperity, with secure jobs, knowing that the FDA would outlaw any attempt to take away their livelihood. They still had a lot of traffic accidents, but at least their jobs were secure.
And so life continued in Allopath. For a short while, at least. As traffic accidents continued at a devastating rate, more and more residents of Allopath were injured or killed. Many were left bed-ridden, unable to work, due to their injuries.
In time, the population dwindled. The once-booming town of Allopath eventually became little more than a ghost town. The hospital closed its doors, the FDA was disbanded, and the Skid Marks Disease journal stopped printing.
The few residents remaining eventually realized nothing good had come of Skid Marks Disease, the teflon coatings and the FDA. No one was any better off, as all the town's money had been spent on the disease: the teflon coatings, car parts and emergency services. No one was any healthier, or happier, or longer-lived. Most, in fact, had lost their entire families to Skid Marks Disease.
And the hermit? He continued to live just outside of town, at the end of a winding country road, where he lived a simple life with no cars, no roads, no teflon coatings and no FDA.
He outlived every single resident of Allopath. He gardened, took long walks through the forest, and gathered roots, leaves and berries to feed himself. In his spare time, he constructed stop signs, waiting for the next population to come along, and hoping they might listen to an old hermit with a crazy idea: ...that prevention is the answer, not the treatment of symptoms.
This fable was authored by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and is posted with permission by Mike Adams at www.NewsTarget.com
May 24, 2006
Boycott Ford
It is very rare that I participate in a boycott, since I don't think they work unless there is a really worthwhile cause and in-your-face type sin involved, and unless they are widespread enough to make a difference. I boycotted both Disney and Pampered Chef a while ago and was very pleased to see that, although their pocketbooks were ultimately more important to them (which is why the boycotts worked), they both gave in to the demands of the boycotters. This boycott of Ford and the other automobiles they manufacture is far more serious than the previous two I participated in, I think. The following is from the Boycott Ford website.
Several pro-family organizations are boycotting Ford Motor Company automobiles because of Ford’s support of homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage. For a more detailed review of Ford’s promotion of the homosexual agenda, go to BoycottFord.com on the internet.
Ford’s commitment to the homosexual agenda was summarized by the Detroit Free Press: “Ford Motor Company, led by Chairman Bill Ford, donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to homosexual groups, sponsors gay pride parades and holds mandatory diversity training for employees…"
One would be hard-pressed to find a company which has done more to support the homosexual agenda than Ford Motor Company. The Human Rights Campaign (a national homosexual organization whose goal is homosexual marriage) gave Ford a 100% corporate rating. Ford makes not only Ford, but also Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover.
When asked by 44 pro-family leaders to remain neutral in the battle over homosexual marriage, Ford refused to do so. The company chose to continue to support the homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage. Ford has every right to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to groups promoting homosexual marriage, but individuals have the right not to purchase automobiles made by Ford Motor Company.
From redefining family to include homosexual marriage, to giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to support homosexual groups, to forcing employees to attend diversity training on how to promote the acceptance of homosexuality, to sponsoring Gay Pride Day parades, to sponsoring a “commitment (marriage) ceremony,” Ford leads the way. The goal of every homosexual organization supported by Ford is to get homosexual marriage legalized.
Yes, I’m supporting the boycott of Ford Motor Company automobiles until Ford stops supporting homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage.
If you want more information, or need to see the proof, check out Boycott Ford.
Several pro-family organizations are boycotting Ford Motor Company automobiles because of Ford’s support of homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage. For a more detailed review of Ford’s promotion of the homosexual agenda, go to BoycottFord.com on the internet.
Ford’s commitment to the homosexual agenda was summarized by the Detroit Free Press: “Ford Motor Company, led by Chairman Bill Ford, donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to homosexual groups, sponsors gay pride parades and holds mandatory diversity training for employees…"
One would be hard-pressed to find a company which has done more to support the homosexual agenda than Ford Motor Company. The Human Rights Campaign (a national homosexual organization whose goal is homosexual marriage) gave Ford a 100% corporate rating. Ford makes not only Ford, but also Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover.
When asked by 44 pro-family leaders to remain neutral in the battle over homosexual marriage, Ford refused to do so. The company chose to continue to support the homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage. Ford has every right to give hundreds of thousands of dollars to groups promoting homosexual marriage, but individuals have the right not to purchase automobiles made by Ford Motor Company.
From redefining family to include homosexual marriage, to giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to support homosexual groups, to forcing employees to attend diversity training on how to promote the acceptance of homosexuality, to sponsoring Gay Pride Day parades, to sponsoring a “commitment (marriage) ceremony,” Ford leads the way. The goal of every homosexual organization supported by Ford is to get homosexual marriage legalized.
Yes, I’m supporting the boycott of Ford Motor Company automobiles until Ford stops supporting homosexual groups promoting homosexual marriage.
If you want more information, or need to see the proof, check out Boycott Ford.
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