tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27305137858325534082024-03-05T01:20:35.161-06:00What's It All About?Trying to find a handle on the world in which we live. Feel free to pass this on.Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-64061381851625799802021-05-07T11:33:00.000-05:002021-05-07T11:33:46.377-05:00"Made In the Image of God"<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><i>• By Tony Harriman /
May 2021</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">As you look around the
world today, you see a broad mix of beauty and of ugly. It wasn’t always
this way, and it wasn’t meant to be this way. And it won’t stay this way. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">In the beginning God
concluded that everything He had made was, not just good, but VERY good.
When God says something is very good, you can believe that it was outstanding.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s springtime right
now, and life—beautiful life—is returning to our neck of the woods. Left
to itself, nature has a way of cleaning itself up and chasing away the cold,
the dark and the ugly. Those of us with any kind of a green thumb
(terribly interesting expression), or green little finger, or whatever, are
anticipating buying flowers and bushes and tomato plants. We want to do
our part to make our world beautiful, and maybe feed ourselves at the same
time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">This desire is a
God-given urge to manage the world we were given all those many years
ago. “Have dominion,” was the counsel. What that really means is
for us to assume the role of caretaker—or, more accurately, Care-GIVER. I
suppose our Father could have made the world in such a way that it was
self-sustaining, with all of the creation able to take care of itself.
But, no, in the wisdom of God, He decided that we should be responsible for the
world we had been handed. Not only are we servants of God, we are also
servants of our world, and of our neighbors, and of ourselves. It is my
responsibility to manage and care for, to the best of my abilities, the portion
of the world with which I have been entrusted.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s not terribly clear
what it means to be “made in the image of God.” But I think we can
conclude that a part of us has been so constructed that, not only should we be
a vessel in which God can live and shine out of, but that we should also be
endowed with the same attributes and attitudes that our Father has.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">How might the verse
read? God doth not prepare a candle, and light it, and hide it. But
He lights it and sets it on top of a hill for all to see, and it gives light to
all that sit in darkness and of the shadow of death. This appears to have
been the purpose of God in making man. As a lighthouse, guiding travelers
away from the rocks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">As the attributes and
attitudes of our Father are revealed in us, the desire for the salvation of
ourselves and of others ceases to remain buried and floats to the surface.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">We love “because He
first loved us” is a fitting example of what it means to be “made in the image
of God.” We care because He cares for us. If we cease to resist, we
are drawn to Him because everything about us responds to Him, we are naturally
drawn to Him because, deep down, on levels we don’t fully comprehend, we are
made in His image.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Any tendency toward
altruism is not a product of Evolution, where only the fittest are deemed
worthy of survival. Altruism is software installed by our Father in the
beginning; it just needs to be mined out and brought back to the surface.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">For so long, much of
the world and the people in the world have been buried alive, so that the Image
and fingerprints of God are hardly seen. We are buried by ugly. We
are buried by greed. We are distracted on so many levels by, not the
cares of Heaven, but the cares of the world. Our enemy, the Devil, has so
arranged our world that we are constantly busy with the affairs of
surviving. Most of us rarely have “enough” money. Day by day and
year by year we are engaged in an ever-increasing struggle against poor
health. Even those of us, who right now, enjoy the best of health, have some
disaster patiently waiting just over the horizon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Our outlook would be
pretty bleak if we didn’t have a Saviour Who also is patiently waiting, not
just over the horizon, but right here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">John the Baptist said
to the people, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world.” Not just the sin of the people, but also the sin of the
world. He came to take away, not just the ugly of the people, but also
the ugly of the world. In His wisdom, He is seeking ways to expose the
ugly—so He can deal with it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m reminded of
something I once learned about Michelangelo, the sculptor. Not only was
he a gifted sculptor, whose classic works are with us to this day, but he also
had a beautiful imagination. Consider this observation he made:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">"Every block of
stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover
it."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">And this one: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">"I saw the angel
in the marble and carved until I set him free."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">He stood before many a
block of rock and pecked away until an object of beauty emerged.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Twenty-odd years ago
Cindy and I sold a home in England and purchased 12 acres of Alabama. We
wanted to build a home where we could safely raise our children, and have a
place of refuge from our broken world.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">When we were first
considering the ground and the lay of the land, we were less than
impressed. It was scrubby, rocky, swampy. There were brambles and
weeds and mud and what-not. But it was ours. And we set about
clearing a spot for the house, then began the process of building a home that
has never been completely finished.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Slowly but surely we
pecked and sculpted and trimmed and planted. We opened channels for water
to drain. Working with nature and the passage of time, we set about
revealing the beauty that had been hidden.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">To look at our place
now, you would have no idea about how much work went into that
revelation. It didn’t always have the trickling streams and the buzzing
of honeybees, and the birds with their beautiful songs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m reminded of how we
used to have to wait for our photographs to come back from the photo
center. Remember we used to use film for our pictures. Then we sent
them off to be developed. The process of developing did not put the
pictures on the photographic film; it merely revealed what was already there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s a lot like the
Bible idea of buying from Jesus “Gold tried in the fire.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">I wonder if schools
still offer the kind of instruction many of us with a few years on us once
received.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">In my school we had a
metalwork class. In that class was a small foundry which was able to get
really hot, hot enough to melt metal. From time to time we melted all the
scrap metal in what I imagine was a cast-iron pot. Thus began the process
of trying the metal; it’s hard to find that definition in today’s dictionaries.
Once it was melted, it was then tried. It was the job of one of the kids
to scoop away the crud and dirt and ash that floated to the top of the
metal. This we did several times until all that was left was the pure
metal. Sometimes it took a lot of heat and a lot of time, depending on
how dirty the metal was. But eventually all the crud was removed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">I think of this when I
consider the idea given to us by John: “The Lamb of God Who scoops away the
crud” as it comes to the surface. Forgive my bending of a Scripture, but
I think you get the idea.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Often in our lives,
Jesus turn up the heat, and as He does so, all the crud comes to the surface:
bitterness, hate, prejudice, jealousy, and on and on. There it sits on
the surface for me to see, and for everybody else to see. This heat may not
feel very pleasant, but this experience is for our benefit. We can’t take
this crud to the other side, so Jesus is doing His best to help us get rid of
it, and if we ask Him, once it’s on the surface, he’ll scoop the crud
away. If He doesn’t get rid of it, we’ll be left with it sitting right
there on the surface. And when He finally comes to erase the sin of the
world, we’ll be erased with it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s not the fault of
God that the Devil will not survive the fire at the end. All of the
Devil’s crud is on the surface, and the rest of him is riddled with crud.
The hand of God is not shortened that it cannot remove the Devil’s crud, but
the Devil, if I read it rightly, has no desire for the crud to be taken
away. It’s really sad ... I imagine ... from the Father’s perspective.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">God has a Law; we are
out of harmony with that Law. He wants to save us. He can’t change His
Law, so He has to change us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">But once this crud is
all gone from our lives, what’s left, once again, will be the image of God.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Right now, it appears
to me, the major purpose of our cooperation with God as caretakers of the
planet and caretakers of ourselves, is to reveal the beauty that doesn’t
readily lie on the surface. Ugly has taken over much of our lives, but,
if you’ll permit me to make a very realistic observation, beauty is more than
skin deep; sometimes we have to dig a little.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s just like our
relationship with our Father and the Heaven He dwells in. As honest
seekers after God, the more we look, and the deeper we dig, the more beauty we
find. Often it takes time to clean things up, and often it requires
patience … on lots of levels. But, rightly employed, patience brings all
things back to perfection, says our Brother James.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">In time, all things
will be restored. And the beauty that for so long has been so woefully
hidden from our senses, will one day be restored to all its former glory ...
and more … so much more.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">“Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard ….” we are counselled. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">But one day soon, we
will see, and we will hear, and our imagination is going to explode. In
time.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p>Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-77288995027574124132020-04-09T15:21:00.000-05:002020-04-09T15:27:13.452-05:00Essential Workers<b><i>• By Tony Harriman</i></b>"<br />
<br />
<i>Ye are the salt of the earth ... Ye are the light of the World ... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:13, 14, 16.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzb8Id61J1AGZGNyyUxtB0eNfHzLAOn99JGZ4DXbwGE1fHJCPUOhxCqpf6PXTJ-XQaHqftPKmAhPFTEyXNzj8q_FymaVaEXXRisqFDFm3q8lvQUPlHGntodS0j37DR8Il10wjwjO7g6A/s1600/salt-rainbows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1266" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzb8Id61J1AGZGNyyUxtB0eNfHzLAOn99JGZ4DXbwGE1fHJCPUOhxCqpf6PXTJ-XQaHqftPKmAhPFTEyXNzj8q_FymaVaEXXRisqFDFm3q8lvQUPlHGntodS0j37DR8Il10wjwjO7g6A/s320/salt-rainbows.jpg" width="320" /></a>You hear that term bandied about a lot right now: <i>"Essential Workers."</i> What exactly does that mean -- essential? Well, very basically, it means you can't do without it. Right now, around the world, great numbers of people are dying for lack of oxygen. Oxygen is essential for the life of the human being; just as, with few exceptions, a fish out of water will not survive for long. Right now front line healthcare workers, striving to provide that oxygen, are essential in the fight for life.<br />
<br />
I'm sure we'll agree, <i>"essential"</i> is a relative term. A soldier is essential for the safety of most modern nations. A gas station is essential to keep the world moving. A hotel is essential for the business person who needs a place to stay while away from home. But couldn't we also agree that those things are only essential as they, and many others, are there only to help maintain the world as it is?<br />
<br />
A handful of church congregations across the USA have defied the order to temporarily cease holding public services, stating that it's their constitutional right to congregate and that God will protect them (Heaven forbid the people should discover that their church's input was not so essential after all, and that the people should learn to live without a priest offering their petitions to the Throne of God). The majority of churches have joined the internet ranks and have taken to streaming services online -- nothing really new about that. I have three daughters, each of whom is no stranger to streaming their church services. Personally I would prefer they enjoy the fellowship of a church congregation, but I suppose it could be argued that even God streams to us His services, albeit living streams. But that's another conversation.<br />
<br />
If a person could consider him or herself a soldier in the army of Heaven, or as a shepherd stationed to keep the sheep safe, then yes, under the present spiritual reality, that person is essential.<br />
<br />
But you say, <i>"If I were not here, the work would go on without me. I'm not essential to the Gospel progress."</i> Perhaps, but for sure, without your input the work would go on differently. Your single presence among the many thousands aboard one of these enormous cruise liners might not seem to make much of an impact; but make no mistake, as you lean against the rail at the side of the ship, you actually cause just enough of a list that the helm must make a very slight -- even minute -- adjustment. Your presence and efforts, or lack thereof, make a difference.<br />
<br />
There's coming a time when those kinds of efforts will not be needed, but that time is not yet. Right now you are a Necessary Element, an Important Contributor, a Key Factor in the spreading of light around you and beyond.<br />
<br />
And we have not been left alone to wander through life guided by the lights from the sparks of our own making. We have a Companion who, though He be beside the Throne of God, He also be by our side, always, causing the wind to blow where it lists, unafraid of the waves the wind causes in this dark and dreary world. <i>"What manner of Man is this ...?"</i> they asked when the tempest ceased.<br />
<br />
If you've ever watched parasailors at the beach or lakeside, you will have witnessed a beautiful object lesson in the use of air currents, or wind. The wind is blowing all around, yet only those parasailors with the right equipment are caught aloft. And once aloft, all the parasailor has to do is tilt the wings to guide him or herself through the air. Beach- and lake-goers all around are feeling the same breeze, but are unable to rise with it. We are invited to spread our spiritual wings, catch the breeze, flee the nest, and do great things for our Lord and Master.<br />
<br />
YOU are a spreader of salt.<br />
YOU are a light bearer<br />
YOU are an alabaster box.<br />
YOU are causing the ship to list.<br />
<br />
<b><i>YOU are an Essential Worker.</i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">And that's just my take on it ....</span></i></b>Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-32858842886480317432020-01-15T13:45:00.000-06:002020-01-15T13:45:04.843-06:00"Do Something!"<br />
<b><i>• By Tony Harriman</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38NZjjPZyjMhXh3Ok9Mf8RkYtkPvW1O0wCtHcu6Qqc2FFgOghPzi03ru-r-fvv4B6XwUxHGwvt6W5ixIl2XkfIK29IcaV1LOfIrDeCYuh-sRWAKJdon9l-7aks3vZpgyrdmcuwE4eJ4w/s1600/broken-heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38NZjjPZyjMhXh3Ok9Mf8RkYtkPvW1O0wCtHcu6Qqc2FFgOghPzi03ru-r-fvv4B6XwUxHGwvt6W5ixIl2XkfIK29IcaV1LOfIrDeCYuh-sRWAKJdon9l-7aks3vZpgyrdmcuwE4eJ4w/s1600/broken-heart.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span face="Times New Roman" size="3" style="font-size: 10pt;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the wake of yet another random act of gun violence in the USA, a town hall meeting was recently held somewhere in Iowa. The finer details are unimportant, but in a nutshell, a local official was leading out, trying to make some kind of sense of the shooting, or maybe just trying to keep the people calm. The people were not angry. Voices were not raised. But from somewhere in the hall a demand went up: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>"Do something!"</em></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quickly, more people joined the chorus of desperate voices. At the time my first thought was, <em style="font-size: 11pt;">"D</em></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">o what?" "What exactly do you want the man to do?"</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
And there's the problem; the problem is the problem, and we all want something done about the problem. Our problem is, we are better at pointing out that there's a problem than we are at offering solutions. Perhaps this is the human condition; we know something is broken in the world, we can feel it, from the moment we wake till the moment we sleep. But we can't quite put our finger on exactly what the problem is. And that's the reason we have such a hard time finding solutions -- we can't quite focus on the problem.</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Recently, during the service of one of the churches my family and I visit, we were treated to a beautiful song by the choir. I love a chorus of singing voices, and this offering was especially delightful on the ear. I was moved. A part of my soul that delights to be set free wa</span>s fully abroad that day. I don't know much at all about the math of music, but my ears have a lifelong degree in all tones bright and beautiful. As I listened, my mind drifted. I wondered about music in Heaven -- the Heavenly choir. I wondered if tones and frequencies, now hidden from human ears, might one day be included in music and enjoyed by immortal men and women, or whatever form we'll be in. And I wondered how that might sound.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Occasionally our thoughts are elevated to consider life in a better place, a better existence, better minds. And as I sat there listening to the choir, I wondered if there could ever come a time when, during my mortal existence, I might actually enjoy that Heavenly peace that passes understanding, and become a more useful person in the hands of Heaven. Those of you who know me a little know nothing about the concerns I carry around. You know nothing about my childhood or what things were like at home. Like you, I have fears, doubts, aspirations, things that disturb me, things that make me angry, things that make me weep. You also know nothing about my wishes, those things I would like to make happen, or how much I would pay some of these holy healers to walk through the children's ward and cure all the children.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There I was in the pew, and those words, with no effort on my part, tapped themselves out on my mental keyboard, the one reserved for my conversations with Heaven:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>"Do something!"</em></span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The thought that followed was immediate, almost like an answer:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>"What?" "What do you want me to do?" </em></span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><em>"Fix me. Make me a better person. I have far too many broken pieces. My mind is stuck with the junk of earth, while my heart yearns for something better."</em></span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A sigh is a curious thing, expressed in grief and joy alike. We sigh as a result of loss, and as a result of love. Much like tears of joy and of pain, sighs are self-existing, not only in the human heart, but also in the hearts of those creatures we call pets. It is perhaps because of the capacity to sigh in pain and in contentment with their keepers, that dogs and cats are high on our emotional comfort animal list. I imagine Jesus as being a Person well acquainted with sighing, on so many levels. He has peace beyond understanding, but I'm sure He also experiences disappointment -- for now, anyway.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is there anything worse than feeling helpless? Helpless to heal a broken heart; a broken bone; <span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Helpless as a child lies dying;</span> and helpless to stop foolish people doing stupid things.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There's no earthly cure for foolishness; never has been. Although, in a bizarre twist, a side effect of foolishness is that it helps to clean up the gene pool. Unfortunately, foolishness is no respecter of collateral damage, and so we end up losing a lot of innocent people as foolishness goes out to play. Would we be happier if fools would keep to their own kind? Hurt only their own? Keep to a well insulated corner of the planet? Probably not. Many of us are fools in our own right, and seem unable to leave foolish-enough alone. And a part of us wants to help Heaven deliver those who are stuck in Foolville by no choice of their own. After all, Jesus came not for the sane, but for the fool; not to leave us as fools, but to wipe away the insanity and install software that will never wear out, break down or get old. Born again; eternal life; new hardware and software. The ultimate "Do Something!" And the only something that will last.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We can't help but feel sympathy for the heart behind the voice in the Town Hall. Foolishness and evil rear their ugly heads every day; we see it on the evening news, in the daily paper, and through our favorite online news sources. Eventually evil arrives at our own front door, and we quickly join the chorus of voices seeking change. But nothing gets better; nothing worthwhile, anyway. Broken human beings are unable to fix broken human beings. And sometimes it seems the only thing that becomes more skilled and refined is evil itself. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Try as we might, human beings are unable to put Humpty back together again. The only hope we have is found in Revelation 21:5 -- <em>"Behold, I make all things new."</em> We look for a new Heaven and a new Earth, one where, once again, God will declare: <em>"This is very good!"</em> And it will stay that way, never to be broken again -- ever.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The call, <em>"Do something,"</em> really translates down to, <em>"Stop evil people doing evil things!"</em> In this Town Hall case it's to take all the guns away so that evil people won't use them to do evil. But you can't stop evil just by removing opportunities to do evil; evil itself has to be removed, otherwise it just finds another outlet. We won't stop punishing lawbreakers, or stop putting up lights and cameras. Punishment is a deterrent, not a cure. But it's a necessary deterrent; without it there would be much more mockery and blatant ungodly behavior. Broken human beings cannot cure evil; only God can do that. We have to recognize that we are powerless to stop this runaway train. The train will eventually, by God's good grace, run out of track; and that's the time God will make all "ALL" things new. No more evil, no more sin, no more sickness. The "Something" will have been done to put an end to evil. Thank God.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
</span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><strong><span face="Times New Roman" size="3" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that's just my take on it ....</span></strong></em></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><strong><span face="Times New Roman" size="3" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></strong></em></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><em><strong><span face="Times New Roman" size="3" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></strong></em></span></div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-84964447695747232782019-03-20T16:15:00.000-05:002019-03-25T11:36:28.342-05:00Anchor Men & Women<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>By Tony Harriman</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-JMRMlBK7szOhB65KMhiiFwi4IDRU1AdHIjK_3U6zE_JWxObzcEFfXClfauGvPaUe38dAUJY6-A01F-_G7nTP7x7Pbxi-Ez7cTsk4od2EVkvxpruugBy020jJ0zwXy20Sux57ZQl6tY/s1600/news-that-sells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="708" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-JMRMlBK7szOhB65KMhiiFwi4IDRU1AdHIjK_3U6zE_JWxObzcEFfXClfauGvPaUe38dAUJY6-A01F-_G7nTP7x7Pbxi-Ez7cTsk4od2EVkvxpruugBy020jJ0zwXy20Sux57ZQl6tY/s320/news-that-sells.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Around
the world there are thousands of what are known as “News Anchors.” These
are the men and women who are given the job of delivering the daily offerings
of worldwide or local news items. If you didn’t know it, you need to
know, all these people are actors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are paid to read scripts, usually displayed on what are known as
“teleprompters.” The news anchor usually is largely unfamiliar with the
items on the menu, other than what he or she has been scripted to repeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t confuse a news anchor with a
“journalist;” we’ll talk about journalists in a moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Most news
anchors are mediocre, or typical. But some news anchors stand out among
the crowd. These are the men and women who land the big jobs at the big
networks -- and accordingly get paid the big paychecks, because </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">advertising</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> companies will pay well for a well-groomed actor who they think will keep the punters (you and me) returning to watch the news desk. These men and
women didn’t wake up one morning, walk into the network news facility and
announce that he or she was the person for the job in front of the camera.
Quite often years of grooming can be the only cause of a great
performance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
network news organizations are not much unlike Hollywood and the Oscars,
offering awards for this, that and the other thing news related. Great
actors are able to deliver stella performances that move us as human
beings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some actors are able to be
absorbed by their roles so completely that the viewing audience sees right past
the actor. This is true for both the news people and Hollywood actors. In
the immortal spirit of Bob Costas, “Had there been no awards, there would be no
great performances.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Great
sales people have skills that often are the result of hard study -- study of
your product, of your delivery, of your audience. And quite often a basic
knowledge of psychology won’t do a bit of harm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Understanding why we do what we do and why we think the way we think is
increasingly necessary for navigating through humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The law
schools and the medical institutions also gush out a similar breed of actor,
and the better ones also get paid accordingly. Though in medicine,
aptitude and application are necessary in order to get it right, and to succeed
in the realm of research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good
attitude doesn't hurt a bit, either. But at the end of the day, both are
still following a script.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
today’s Western society the audience has a certain amount of expectation --
from the silver screen to the operating theater to the courtroom to the pulpit.
All actors go to an acting school of some kind or other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Preachers go to seminary -- usually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Let’s
talk about those “preachers” and that “usually.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Interested
as I am in the human beings with whom I share the planet, I occasionally pick
up an audiobook course on human behavior and listen as I travel. Recently
I was interested to hear a story involving what is termed “Chauffeur
Knowledge.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t bore you with the
details, suffice it to say that there are people who have paid the price (be what
it may) to learn the material. And then there are people who have simply,
through exposure to the speaker, learned the talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chauffeur who has “learned” the talk well can just as easily stand up and “give” the talk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Most of
us who fill the pews during any given sermon have chauffeur knowledge.
And, dare I say it, most of the preachers also have chauffeur
knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scholar with the
ever-so-many letters after his or her name would probably beg to differ right
here, but it would be worthwhile for him or her to remember that he or she did
not invent the information or develop the condition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">We’re all
in the same category. Lay-people, preachers -- professional or otherwise --
are all reading from a script which is thousands of years old. We may be
very familiar with the script, may be able to quote large portions of it at a
moment's notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we're still reading
a script. We have no real knowledge of most of the things we speak about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like an astronomer can tell you with
convincing detail almost everything that may be known regarding the cosmos,
never having left planet earth. We cannot speak with any authority
regarding the place we call Heaven, or the materials that exist there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of us were eyewitnesses to any of the
historical events spoken of in the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When it comes to the Holy “Script”-tures, the Bible, we are all on level
ground. Today, in free societies, we can all read the Bible for
ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same Spirit that inspired
the words in the beginning can inspire your mind to understand them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>“But I
went to school for years to study Greek and Hebrew and Ancient Chaldean!”</i>
Yes, the Holy Spirit knows those languages, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>“But I
spent a fortune on my seminary education!”</i> Yes, and Jesus gave up a lot
to learn it, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Nowadays,
everything that is known about the Holy Scriptures may be learned in a library
or in the ubiquitous realm of the internet. You just need to know where
to look and be willing to devote the time for research.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciRiQY4p6YHo6W6UoVzUnLRPeBt5-YuU8G34aiPiW-nfM_THny01HVSxz0MlMIf621-xo6sJiAKK7pPwa07ZC4IP1v_Y3hcfaL1SNVtpBKb8ICDg69wKjgZS2I3f5xtqTP9LP1mp5qWo/s1600/wolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="720" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgciRiQY4p6YHo6W6UoVzUnLRPeBt5-YuU8G34aiPiW-nfM_THny01HVSxz0MlMIf621-xo6sJiAKK7pPwa07ZC4IP1v_Y3hcfaL1SNVtpBKb8ICDg69wKjgZS2I3f5xtqTP9LP1mp5qWo/s320/wolf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Let's not confuse preachers with pastors. These are not
necessarily the same creature. Pastors (or shepherds) are pastors
24/7/365.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shepherds are concerned for
the sheep all the time. Shepherds always have an eye open for the health
and safety of the flock -- no matter the weather, the season or the terrain.
A preacher, on the other hand, is useful for one hour per week, unless he
or she is an evangelist engaged in an evangelistic campaign, which might last
perhaps a few weeks. A preacher will often spend more time preparing his
lecture than tending the flock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don't
confuse an evangelist with a pastor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Very few evangelists make good pastors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We need good preachers and evangelists. We also need good pastors,
whether they can preach or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very few
conscientious shepherds could have given us the Book of Psalms.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">A gifted
preacher (not to be confused with a polished lecturer) did not get that ability
from text books or school. The gifted preacher is working in tandem with
the Holy Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man or woman is
using words to reinforce the working of the Spirit in your mind, while at the
same time the Spirit is confirming the words spoken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dare I
say it, but the Holy Spirit can do for you in a moment what you will never be
able to do in school, no matter how big the tab. The gift of
tongues?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gift of prophecy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You want love?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patience?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wisdom?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These may never be found in books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are gifts from God, and are given freely to whom He chooses.
<i>Knowledge</i> is found in books, not gifts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Spiritual
realities are spiritually comprehended. They are introduced to us usually
through spiritual experiences, ones that cannot be found in text books.
Spiritual experiences are spoken of in the Bible, but are not contained
within its pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no safety in
an intellectual knowledge of the Scriptures. If there were, then the Devil
himself would be far ahead of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are unseen predators waiting to hurt you at every moment and at every turn, but
attempting to stay protected by surrounding yourself with umpteen versions of
the Bible -- in any language -- will make as much sense as leaving unopened
cans of bug spray around the house hoping to deter roaches and fleas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Bible
is not the key to Heaven; it is the map to the key. The same is true for
the hymnal and the Book of Nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
these things point the way to the Throne of God, but will all eventually pass
away. Everything that has been created testifies of its Creator, but
contains no means for salvation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Salvation is a gift of God, not the wages of education. All these
things show the way to our Father, but the journey is ours alone to make.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">If you
want to learn to be an authority on the material contained IN the Bible, you
can learn THAT in school. But you will not be of much use to the king of
the land who's had a dream he can't remember and is looking for solutions.
A Bible study?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, you can give
him that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, then, so can all his
devilish prophets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">If you
honestly believe that you must devote untold hours and days and months and
years of study before you can be useful to God, then you’d better be about it,
‘cause you’re running out of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Let’s
talk about that Journalist.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Most
journalists ARE familiar with the subject material. It’s the journalist
who goes out and often puts his or her life on the line to bring back the
script for the actors. Many journalists have lost their lives in the
course of their duty, though they are often the unsung heroes who don’t get their
pictures pasted onto the front cover of TIME Magazine dressed as one of the
opposite gender. Journalists take the time to do the research into
life-changing and heart-breaking material, while the bigwigs in their
air-conditioned offices back home determine whether this or that report is
worthy of their sponsors’ support. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>We’re not
going to waste any keystrokes talking about politicians.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">We could
talk about teachers and professors right here, but we’re going to run out of
time in this short collection of opinions, though the same relevance would
apply. Let’s just say that great teachers and professors would love to
break from the script they’ve been offered, but rarely get the opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Let's talk about those preachers a little more.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">For me,
preachers are curious creatures. Preachers are dealing in life or death
knowledge -- sometimes. Preachers must study, not only their material,
but also their audience. The audience, the congregation, is full of the
preacher’s sponsors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the preacher
gives the sponsors what they want, the sponsors keep buying airtime. If
the preacher deviates from the company line, the sponsors look for somewhere
else to go -- unless the preacher is gifted by God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These gifted preachers have little regard for
the sponsors. Their message is from the Father above, and the Father has
ways of supporting his faithful shepherds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Father has an interest in the sheep of all flocks that He has shed
his blood for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The worldwide sheep of
the flock are in constant danger from unseen predators, and can never consider
themselves safe. The faithful shepherd cares about the flock, because he
or she shares an interest in them with the Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The faithful shepherd is more than just an
employee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fQxubnRgVy9QjVqyypXuiJyo2_88WtvxzrkSEHjW9UxDwbZI1u9Yh3L55fdbGByOEgofH4pS5iIDMXteG-TPW2dxHQ7jQMLkMHKvtwI7YrwHLBz66mq25D_3HOYt-QMOIvLok5ZmPVU/s1600/bubblegum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="720" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fQxubnRgVy9QjVqyypXuiJyo2_88WtvxzrkSEHjW9UxDwbZI1u9Yh3L55fdbGByOEgofH4pS5iIDMXteG-TPW2dxHQ7jQMLkMHKvtwI7YrwHLBz66mq25D_3HOYt-QMOIvLok5ZmPVU/s200/bubblegum.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b><span style="color: #20124d;">Bubblegum Pop and Bubblegum Preachers.</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
pop-music songwriting, there are great songs, and then there is “Bubblegum
Pop.” There are songs that have tremendous meaning (the songs that stick
around), and then there are songs that have a handful of words repeated over
and over and over for three or more minutes, usually whining about this
boyfriend or that girlfriend. Once the flavor's gone, the gum is tossed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">By the
same token, there really are some great preachers. But then there are an awful lot of bubble-gum preachers. Great preachers move
us to do more meaningful things with our few remaining hours on the planet.
They urge us to get to know our Heavenly Father -- through His Word, His
works and His children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great preachers
encourage us to be responsible -- on all levels. Bubblegum preachers talk
to us about Biblical characters, Biblical times, Biblical themes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of them encourage us to spend countless
hours sifting through mysterious Biblical innuendo. They have numerous
rabbit holes to send their listeners down in search of vague references which
are unenlightening, albeit interesting, regarding messy cultures of the day
from thousands of years ago. But at the end of their messages, they have told
us nothing about our Father or the world in which He lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our cooperation with the forces of Heaven are
a mystery to them, so they make only vague references to the powerful realities
of the Plan of Salvation. Bottom line: They haven’t told us anything that
matters for the times in which we’re living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are no solutions offered for the child living in abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No hope for the person about to take his or
her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No answer for the desperate situations
in which many of us find ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Some
preachers speak to you in a manner that all but convinces you that they were
the actual originators of this verse of Scripture or that. When the truth
is, like we've observed, we are all just reading a script.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us know the script better than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here is a point where the insufferable
prig raises his or her ugly head: “We all have a knowledge of the information --
but I know it better than the rest of you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s
true, some people ARE able to wrap their heads around some subject material
better than are some others. But there’s a Scripture to help with that:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him [or her] ask of God, that giveth to all …
liberally, and it shall be given ….” James 1:5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, you say, that verse isn’t for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a barbarian, a
gentile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m the child of unbelievers
and alcoholics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dare I say, the verse is
ESPECIALLY for you, since you have greater need of it. There’s a verse
for that, too: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:28.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Perhaps we just need a little more honesty.</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">We need
the news anchors, honest ones at least. We want to know what’s going on
in the world around us. We’d like to think that we get more than bubblegum
news stories -- stories that are full of words, but really tell us nothing
worthwhile. Quite often we suffer the news because we like the news
anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I particularly liked Brian
Williams with NBC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked his delivery,
his manner, his connection with his audience. I was saddened when he came
under fire -- appropriately -- for fake reporting, and for me there really
hasn’t yet been a suitable substitute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
would have sat happier with Brian condemning Apple for not hacking the phone
than I did with David Muir at ABC. I’m probably biased like that with
preachers, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s face it, some are
just easier to listen to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Stepping
away from the news anchors, would it be too much to ask to demand this rule of
thumb with doctors and lawyers and preachers: If it cannot be understood
by the people to whom it matters most, then keep it to yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interesting though it may be, I don’t have to
understand all the technical terminology regarding the procedure necessary to
deliver me from brain cancer, in order to be saved from it. Nor do I have
to understand all the technical details (even though they are terribly
interesting) regarding the ancient names and spellings for articles in the
Hebrew Wilderness Sanctuary, in order to have the Sanctuary mechanism be
applied to the saving of my soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Bible
contains no bubblegum news reports. There is nothing in it especially
garnered to make anyone rich in earthly treasure. There is no local
weather report, nor information regarding the stock market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only news you'll find within the pages of
the Bible is Good News. “Things are bad right now, but, Praise God,
things are going to get better.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
matter our circumstances, they are not going to remain this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This world will not go on like this forever,
of that you may be assured. No matter how broken you may know you are --
whether through circumstance or your own practiced effort -- there is peace
available such as we have never known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Things are going to get better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This Universe is going to heal -- everywhere -- from the very small to
the very large. From the very near to the very far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And for sure, some things are very far away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">As you
encourage people to read the Bible, you are pointing them to the place where
they can read for themselves the best news report that exists. Yes, there
are all kinds of rabbit holes to go down as you read the sacred report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may read of wars and rumors of wars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A person may read of famines, pestilences,
and more. But a reader of the Bible will quickly become convinced that
there are two wars being fought right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One is an earthly war for lands and properties. But there is another war
being fought, a more important war, though not so easily seen. This is a
war between unseen warriors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One side is
seeking the destruction and loss of human souls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other side is seeking to save those
souls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible opens our eyes to the
important issues and instructs us in how to cooperate with angelic warriors and
the Spirit of our Father; Both are seeking to keep us safe in this dangerous
realm, and to encourage us regarding a better world that is soon to come. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."</i> James 4:7. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">That's a verse you can safely rest on, no matter your age or station.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>"Dear Father, here am I, take me."</i> followed by, <i>"Get thee behind me, Satan."</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">That simple? Apparently.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rMIqTDyn9cKBqpoUqYVpBGASaIjLVBEPJ9uqIuLhXkNJ_gTKFKKYAXTKQzsBTS3KgN_wNkz5dw6nhyp-lj1Q1xS_euNevkLj0ziBwQ5DKQKcC-3rNfYMPHqpTX4diFuyght2xLH1sW0/s1600/best-news.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="554" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rMIqTDyn9cKBqpoUqYVpBGASaIjLVBEPJ9uqIuLhXkNJ_gTKFKKYAXTKQzsBTS3KgN_wNkz5dw6nhyp-lj1Q1xS_euNevkLj0ziBwQ5DKQKcC-3rNfYMPHqpTX4diFuyght2xLH1sW0/s320/best-news.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There’s
only One Anchor that truly matters: Jesus Christ and Him crucified, the only
Anchor necessary for the comfort and saving of the soul. If you keep that
reality uppermost on your spiritual to-know list, your world will start to look
a little different, and your evangelism will take on a bigger meaning than it
perhaps has till now. Learn your craft, but also read the Script.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Learn the Script.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Share the Script.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Script will give your life meaning.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And that same Script will give meaning to the
lives of others, too.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Especially share
the Script with those who don’t have it. Share books and papers that
encourage people to read the script.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The
Script doesn't contain the Kingdom.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The
Script points the Way to the Kingdom.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Script contains the Testimony of and about Jesus, in Whom only there
is life.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Search the Scriptures … they
are they which testify of me.” John 5:39.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b><i>Bottom
line:</i></b> You may understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and you may have all
faith, so that you could remove mountains. But if you have not the love
which comes from the indwelling of Jesus in your life, you really have nothing
at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is sad, because the love
of God is freely offered and freely given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just accept it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b><i>And
that’s just my take on it.</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-89841028651511469182019-02-06T10:38:00.003-06:002019-02-14T10:29:31.563-06:00“Our Father Who Art In Heaven”<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By Tony Harriman</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOgFs8DqfblntrRS4ul11gjmL-AJ10PReWz8sz_Yn9Y0ktSdMarOwZVaPs_mmdpfjxemHKAVXKbcI4TAXIPeanxxnnHqJd8seJQkfafGD-G7wVp9rlEStqgh7_VbAzlmqY1MCkgAhpq4/s1600/universe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1280" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsOgFs8DqfblntrRS4ul11gjmL-AJ10PReWz8sz_Yn9Y0ktSdMarOwZVaPs_mmdpfjxemHKAVXKbcI4TAXIPeanxxnnHqJd8seJQkfafGD-G7wVp9rlEStqgh7_VbAzlmqY1MCkgAhpq4/s320/universe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #20124d;">The societies of earth seem fashioned (and that really is the right word) to draw the mind to what’s going on and what’s (supposedly) important.</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If you don’t know what to believe, some form of media will attempt to educate you and “tell” you what’s currently acceptable and what you should believe. If you don’t happen to agree with the status quo, well, too bad for you; just suck it up and deal with it. In an attempt to keep the peace, most of us can usually find a way to keep our opinions to ourselves if we really try.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the religious world it’s a little more complicated. Generally there are centuries of tradition to wade through as you make your way to Paradise. Though there appears to be an ever-flowing fountain offering new variations on old themes, the basic way to Heaven, we are told, is through the preacher and the forms and ceremonies. I have nothing against religious innuendo or forms and ceremonies; we need order and timetables and schedules to keep us on track in our busy world. But when you’re developing a relationship with the Author of the universe, a structured church service is not enough. Remembering birthdays and anniversaries will not tell you anything much about the person to whom those things pertain; they only tell about events in that person’s life.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Worship the Creator, Instead of the Creature</b></i></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Take a brief look around our world and you will quickly recognize that the earth is filled with individuals who want to feel accepted, wanted and loved. Quite often those of us with these needs gravitate toward some type of religion as we search for purpose and meaning in our lives. Those of us who choose Christianity quickly find ourselves worshiping the Creator, instead of the creature. We learn of a God Who so loved us that He gave His only Son that we should not perish in our sins, but that we should live eternally. Quickly we find meaning for our lives as we seek ways to share that eternal truth with those with whom we share the planet.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mEg8x-jjKpLaMzav4zWzms6x2xpBIdkK9CmgIxpmSJGz02Q3TbpgPgCGVM4BxJJVPEua-cYgIxJJa78a80HRxFGDKIZJFW4GdiZeZzaeIs__XunvJzA4RSmVIiQYoZpBiPTLAwyOWQU/s1600/society.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="570" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mEg8x-jjKpLaMzav4zWzms6x2xpBIdkK9CmgIxpmSJGz02Q3TbpgPgCGVM4BxJJVPEua-cYgIxJJa78a80HRxFGDKIZJFW4GdiZeZzaeIs__XunvJzA4RSmVIiQYoZpBiPTLAwyOWQU/s320/society.jpg" width="320" /></a><b id="docs-internal-guid-97709908-7fff-2289-731b-651e5ba1f269" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we engage in the Christian life, we learn more about the Bible. We learn bigger words, bigger themes. We learn that God, in the Person of Jesus, created the vast cosmos that goes on without end. We learn Biblical history with its forms and ceremonies. We learn of a Plan of Salvation as illustrated in the Hebrew Sanctuary constructed in the wilderness. Some of us go on to spend countless hours and days and weeks and months and years nourishing our minds with Godly Names and spellings and Heavenly tools as offered to our intellects in that same wilderness Sanctuary. Things begin to get even more complicated. Some of us, in a moment of intellectual overload may get overwhelmed with it all. And one day we find that we’ve lost our jobs and our families due to the strain of mind and of time. We might even toss it all away saying it’s really not worth the trouble.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>What's In a Name?</b></i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps of all the themes in the Hebrew Bible, none are as interesting as the many Names and Titles belonging to the King of the Universe. “Lord” and “God” are perhaps the most commonly used, but these are titles that could actually be used for the deity of just about all religions on the planet. “Jehovah” is more specific, but isn’t used much by most Christians because of the use of the Name by Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Name “El-Shaddai” is used mostly in the Jewish religion as is “Jehovah-Elohim” and “Adonai-Jehovah.” A name is important, as is evidenced by the many name-changing moments that occurred in Old and New Testaments alike. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qAOYEKaASpBhWb00dJMkr89LA7Ii_0Kl9Pqeetnr8nZfavofl3eewoasE7kWE7mC8Rd8yXbwZP_cC7eY0HWhnnc0cKZ25xxBQjBJnulWzSsG0WzRCfybwdgGIsIovFuQZ6Sq5qd03dU/s1600/names.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1048" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qAOYEKaASpBhWb00dJMkr89LA7Ii_0Kl9Pqeetnr8nZfavofl3eewoasE7kWE7mC8Rd8yXbwZP_cC7eY0HWhnnc0cKZ25xxBQjBJnulWzSsG0WzRCfybwdgGIsIovFuQZ6Sq5qd03dU/s320/names.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some religious Jewish people have special spellings for the Name of God, and some will not use the Name at all, either in writing or speaking. It’s too holy, they say. Some Christian people embark on a similar course and have developed what’s called a Holy Name Bible, where all the Names of God and of Jesus are spelled out in their phonetic originals.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After listening to Jesus pray on one occasion, a disciple came to Him and asked that He teach them all to pray. The response of Jesus speaks volumes. “When you pray,” He said, “Say, Our Father which art in Heaven….” He didn’t say that they should offer their petitions to: “The Almighty God,” or to “The Creator,” or to “Jehovah,” or to “I Am,” or to any other title we might use for the Deity. He simply said we should speak to “Our Father.” And if you take the time to read again the Gospels in this light, you will find that this is exactly how Jesus Himself addressed His Father. Time and time again Jesus used the words, “My Father,” “My Father,” “My Father.” And likewise, “Your Father,” “Your Father,” “Your Father.” An exception to the rule appears to have been at the Cross: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Though it’s unclear if Jesus is quoting the Book of Psalms (Psalms 22:1), or if the Book of Psalms is quoting Jesus.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Some verses you’ll be familiar with:</b></i></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" –Luke 2:49</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." –Luke 23:34</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” –Matthew 5:16</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven ….” –Matthew 5:45</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” –Matthew 5:48</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” –Matthew 6:26</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” –Matthew 23:9</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” –Mark 11:26</span></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jesus invited us to refer to our Father in just that manner: “Our Father.” We are not encouraged to use any language that would cause a distance between us and our Father in Heaven. He may be in Heaven, but He is still our Father and He would like to be known to us as our “Father.” He cares for us as a Father such as we have never known on the earth. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>The Fondness of the Father</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The term "Our Father" has a completely different Spirit about it, don't you think? "Our Father" has a much more personal meaning, like the Person we are addressing had, and has, a whole lot more to do with my life, knows who I am and where I am. Though my life or yours may be far less than our Father desires, still He is interested in and concerned about our needs and our heartaches. The story of the Prodigal and his father (Luke 15:11) pictures the fondness our Heavenly Father has for us his children, wayward though we may be. The story may not portray absolutely exactly every aspect of the watchfulness of our Father, but still we get the idea that our absence from His Presence is felt more keenly than we can imagine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make no mistake, though. Our Father <i><b>is </b></i>The Creator. He <i><b>is </b></i>the Sovereign of the universe. He <i><b>is </b></i>the Great I Am. He <i><b>is </b></i>The Redeemer. His <i><b>is </b></i>the only Name under Heaven whereby we must be saved. He <i><b>is </b></i>the Alpha and Omega. He <i><b>is </b></i>the God Who sent His only begotten Son. He <i><b>is </b></i>the only One Who lives beyond time and space and everything we have an instrument to measure. His <i><b>is </b></i>the still, small Voice. He is these and so much more. But more than anything else ….</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white;">He is our Father, and we are His children.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>And that's just my take on it ....</i></span></span></h3>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-59128466579488383822018-03-13T16:06:00.000-05:002018-03-13T16:06:48.736-05:00"A Work Second to None"<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><b>• By Tony Harriman</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56VcWRA71fPdVJaS4oPrtKEGo0j0kogD4gKFqnwoDAYL6JWZUHgGTJtB_gOFElQ-OftoWmwhqgiY2D00q5c4wZLlD7UwbRh1MfmMi2ENLFM5rnzrceoX2DZ47wF00l9F0iCY5De57iD0/s1600/men-at-work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="386" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56VcWRA71fPdVJaS4oPrtKEGo0j0kogD4gKFqnwoDAYL6JWZUHgGTJtB_gOFElQ-OftoWmwhqgiY2D00q5c4wZLlD7UwbRh1MfmMi2ENLFM5rnzrceoX2DZ47wF00l9F0iCY5De57iD0/s320/men-at-work.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
For more than thirty years my wife and I have been
actively involved in front-line evangelism involving the distribution of
truth-filled books. We've been to more countries than I can remember without
stopping to think about them all. We've personally scattered a half million
publications across the British Isles — satellite islands included. We've
distributed books in many languages from Greenland to the Caribbean.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
Once in a while over the years I've been met by a well-meaning brother or
sister asserting, "You can't just scatter your books willy-nilly. There
has to be careful preparation of the ground before you can expect any kind of
growth from your seeds. If you want your seed to live, you're going to have to
break up the ground FIRST."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
From time to time I've been slowed in my personal evangelistic progress as I've
thought about how true those words might be. I say "slowed," but not
stopped. Recently I had an experience that confirmed for me that what I
have been engaged in these many years is absolutely the thing to be doing. Let
me tell you what happened, bear with me:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
Several years ago my wife and I began spreading seed — literal seed — around
our place in anticipation of obtaining some honey bees. We've enjoyed local
honey for the longest time, and each year spend a fair amount of money on it.
So we thought we'd invest in something that will give us a return — honey
bees. We scattered the seed — all kinds of seed — and we waited ... and
waited ... and waited. We got nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
Last year the moment came when my family decided to finally embark on this
journey of beekeeping. Just a couple of hives, we thought. That should keep us
supplied with all the honey we need.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
Well, before long, we're reading books about bees; watching videos about bees;
talking to people about bees. We even joined the local Honey Bee Association.
After all the watching and listening you finally realize that this handful of
acres you live on would be better suited to honey bees if you would throw a few
seeds in and get some flowering plants growing ... the bees can feed on the
blossoms, we reasoned. So we bought some seed and went about the place
broadcasting that seed from one side of the property to the other. Then we
stood back waiting for the sprouts to spring up. We waited, and we waited.
Again, nothing. Wrong time of year, we thought. So later in the year we bought
more seed and scattered that. Nothing ....<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
In the back of my mind I'm hearing this voice repeating, "Can't just
scatter your seed willy nilly. Nothing will come up." I was becoming more
and more convinced that I've been doing a whole lot of things the wrong way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
About fall time last year, my wife and I, along with the bank (mostly the bank), invested in a small tractor with a bucket on the front and a tiller attachment
for the back. We tilled a few places on the property that we hadn't ever done
anything with. We scattered manure, then we broadcast seed and tilled it in. It
wasn't but a week or so and small green seedlings littered the ground.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
We were enthused. So I visited the local farm store and started to ask
questions about the soil. We had soil tests done. We broadcast about four tons
of lime on the ground. It came time to think about sowing some seed. I shared
with the Farm Store people my experience with seed scattering and how I wanted
to do it right this time. The owner of the place gave me a look and asked,
"When did you start putting seed out?" "Two or more years
ago," I said. "The seed's still down there," the owner said,
"Just till it in. Something will come up."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
So that's what I did. I tilled, scattered manure, pulled out the rocks, tilled
some more, then stood back. Now, we're talking about the time we're coming to
the end of the growing season. But, wouldn't you know it ... a lot of all that
old seed sprouted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
Recently I turned my attention back to the ground on the hilltop. I had already
enjoyed two crops of buckwheat up there from one late planting. Then last year,
just before the cold came in, I scattered a little more manure, tilled it in
and walked away. I really didn't pay much attention up there until recently. We
were having a stump dug out and started thinking about a new crop for spring.
Wouldn't you know it ... there on the top of the hill, from last year's plants
gone back to seed, after this horrible winter we've endured, was a half field
full of buckwheat seedlings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
Before we got our bees last year, we scattered a couple of bags of pollinator
wildflower seed. In our ignorance we just scattered it there on the ground,
expecting at least something to come up. Nothing. Six months later, in the
fall, I tilled that area with the wildflower seed in anticipation of putting
more seed in later. The ground sat through the months of withering frost. But
wouldn't you know it, a little more light and a little warmth, and some of
those flowers are coming to life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
<b>
Matthew 13:3-8 reads like this:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
<i><b>
3</b> And he [Jesus] spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold,
a sower went forth to sow;<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
4</b> And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came
and devoured them up:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
5</b> Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and
forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
6</b> And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no
root, they withered away.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
7</b> And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
8</b> But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an
hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
So Jesus speaks of a sower going forth to sow. The sower scatters seed <i>everywhere</i>.
The seed falls on dry ground, rocky ground, hard ground, weedy ground. Yet
still the scattering goes on. Much of the seed doesn't survive ... it's choked,
burned, eaten and who knows what else. But some of that seed falls on good
ground, where it produces a crop beyond wildest wishes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
But I have noticed a story beyond that recorded in the Parable. This is the
untold story of a Cultivator coming through AFTER the sowing. This is a similar
ministry to that of the vineyard dresser in Luke 13:6-9. It reads like this:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
<i><b>
6</b> He [Jesus] spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted
in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
7</b> Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years
I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why
cumbereth it the ground?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
8</b> And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till
I shall dig about it, and dung it:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br /><b>
9</b> And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut
it down.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
For three years there had been no produce coming from that one fig tree. The
vineyard owner decides to have it cut down, yet he asks, in essence, "Why
bother keeping it?" This is an unusual dialogue for the Master to enter
into, don't you think? The master generally gives the orders; he doesn't
usually ask for counsel. The query "why?" is a question that causes
the brighter mind to light up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
The teacher, the preacher and the lawyer don't ask the "Why?"
Question ... unless they are ready with their own answer. Or ... they really
are open to honest, down-to-earth solutions. Smart people ask questions, not so
they can hear their own remedies, but probably for at least two reasons: they
have no real suggestions to offer ... or: they want to inspire other smart
minds to provide a remedy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
The vineyard dresser, probably the planter of the tree, the trimmer of the
tree, the pruner of the branches, the carrier of water to the tree in dry
times, responds with the suggestion that more attention be given to this one
fruitless tree. Maybe there is hope where it looks like there is none. The
dresser is interested perhaps, not so much in the produce, as he is in the
producer. If he takes care of the producer, the produce will take care of
itself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
As Adventists we have a fondness for the power of the book work. Many of us are
the fruit of the power contained in the books we continue to scatter. In our
younger years we have pounded the pavements of the world and scattered books
over all kinds of ground. In our later years we have given of our means to
support other young people as they, too, go forth and pound the same pathways.
We do it because we believe in the power of the One behind the information
contained in these books. These books have the power to change things ... to
change circumstances ... to change people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
<b>
Maybe you're familiar with the expression, "Second to none."</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
What does that expression mean? If you're second to none, what are you? You're
number one. You're the first. There's no one and no thing before you. In
the book, <i>Colporteur Ministry</i> by Ellen White, on page 7, under the
heading "Second to None" appears this short passage:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
"If there is one work more important than another, it is that of getting
our publications before the public, thus leading them to search the Scriptures
.... When church members realize the importance of the circulation of our
literature, they will devote more time to this work. Papers, tracts and books
will be placed in the homes of the people, to preach the gospel in their several
lines ...."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
<b>
And there is another promise just a few pages away on page 128:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
"The results of the circulation of <i>'The Great Controversy'</i> are not to be
judged by what now appears. By reading it, some souls will be aroused, and will
have courage to unite themselves at once with those who keep the commandments
of God. But a much larger number who read it will not take their position until
they see the very events taking place that are foretold in it. The fulfillment
of some of the predictions will inspire faith that others also will come to
pass, and when the earth is lightened with the glory of the Lord, in the
closing work, many souls will take their position on the commandments of God as
the result of this agency."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<i><br />
The Great Controversy</i> (GC) was introduced to the world in various forms
more than 100 years ago. Many canvassers, God rest their souls, have gone into
the grave awaiting the fulfillment of the grand themes presented in the GC. As
have the people to whom the book has been delivered. Can we agree that most of
the predictions made in the GC are still awaiting fulfillment? Has the Papacy
been reinstated in its former glory? Has the USA thrown away the Constitution?
Has Satan personated Jesus? Some of these things have looked awful close from
time to time, but we're still waiting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
With so many people coming into the world daily, can we honestly say,
"We've done enough"? Of course not. We are still here because clearly
ALL which has been predicted has not come to pass, and ALL the Heavenly work has not yet
been completed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
Obviously, book distribution is not the only work the Christian will find to be
successful, but, for whatever reason, it appears to be an important one. God is
interested in getting the truth contained in the Scriptures into the minds of
the people — not just my interpretation of the truth. He wants the soul to have
a personal relationship with the Scriptures, and with the Creator to be found within the pages of Scripture.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
As a group involved in the distribution of truth-filled literature, we've
scattered lots of seed — more than 50 million publications and counting. Some
of the seed has sprung to life immediately; some took a while. But, if the
author of the books is correct, much of that seed is sitting awaiting a
Cultivator. We've seen wonderful results, but there is yet a tremendous harvest
just ahead.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
<b>
Through the years we have noticed these few things:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
• Anyone with natural endowments can give a book away, or ...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
• He or she can support another person in his or her mission to give a book
away, or ...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
• He or she can simply offer a prayer to the throne of grace for the spiritual
support of the work of giving books away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
This short article is coming to a close. And, like it or not, our own personal
clock is coming to its fulfillment also. Time is running out. It's time to bear
some fruit and to give the world something wholesome. The world is tired of fig
leaves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
May God grant us wisdom and strength to endure the digging around us, and may
He grant us peace and fortitude as we put forth our own effort to be all that
we can be in the army of Heaven. We shall see Him by and by. Amen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-pagination: none;">
<br />
<i><b>
And that's just my take on it ....</b></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-70267116779235571132018-01-31T09:27:00.000-06:002018-03-13T15:47:20.820-05:00"Gifts"<i><b>• By Tony Harriman</b></i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFD5lP7uUPyHrOfL2WKEI5IlrZenbNCrjP_o02Fb-_k1QVZkXDsuSIXAvogiUgK9uxm0Efm7N5vOji-ajzZEUaTAZdx-iT3PgjDSMsPkTh2UIkw5O2Ljfh6-PrAfEGnTYrhI-qNxYJc68/s1600/gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFD5lP7uUPyHrOfL2WKEI5IlrZenbNCrjP_o02Fb-_k1QVZkXDsuSIXAvogiUgK9uxm0Efm7N5vOji-ajzZEUaTAZdx-iT3PgjDSMsPkTh2UIkw5O2Ljfh6-PrAfEGnTYrhI-qNxYJc68/s320/gift.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
You can't earn a gift. You receive a gift whether you deserve it or not. It's also not like the lottery, where you invest a little amount in hope of receiving a much larger payout.<br />
<br />
A gift requires no merit, no qualifications, no social standing. It does require one thing, though ... being in the right place at the right time. And, of course, you have to be known by the giftgiver.<br />
<br />
Being blood related to the giftgiver can also be helpful. Not to mention being known by, or related to, someone who actually has the capacity to give a gift in the first place.<br />
<br />
Those of you who know me a little bit know where I'm going with this: Heavenly gifts. Those of you who don't know me a little bit ... well, I ask your forgiveness and your indulgence.<br />
<br />
<b>Heavenly gifts are not like earthly gifts. </b><br />
<br />
With a little effort and good fortune we can usually acquire earthly gifts for ourselves. We might receive as a gift a pair of socks or some kind of tool or gadget. But, given time, we could probably have worked out these acquisitions for ourselves.<br />
<br />
Heavenly gifts, on the other hand, are of a totally different quality. Heavenly gifts are beyond the normal realm of rocks and trees and skies and seas. In its simplest form, life is a gift which is given to inanimate objects, or more realistically, groups of inanimate objects.<br />
<br />
The miracle of life might seem, on the surface, to be the result of conditions or consequences. But fruit from the ground is much more than just the result of planting seed. Granted, conditions proved to be conducive to life, but the conditions weren't the cause -- they were the vehicle. Life — all life — is a gift from God ... the Lifegiver. The gift is given where it did not exist before it was bestowed. That's what makes it a gift.<br />
<br />
Life doesn't earn life in order to exist. Life doesn't buy its way into being. Life doesn't learn how to be alive. Life is given the gift of life by the Lifegiver. Granted, learning how to stay alive can be a useful pastime, but simple survival can take many forms.<br />
<br />
There are specific gifts that Heaven hands out to humans from time to time that, also, are not earned. The gifts of the Spirit (or gifts of God ... same thing) — gifts of wisdom, healing and faith, for instance. The gift of tongues (foreign languages ... a gift the lack for which I have sadly suffered the need) is more than attending a class to learn a language. The gift of tongues is a given reality which a moment before did not exist. People learn languages all the time (children more easily), usually by exposure to a language. Learning — or earning — a language is different from being gifted, or given, a language.<br />
<br />
<b>Let's talk a bit more about life.</b><br />
<br />
The opposite of life is not simply death. Death is an acquired condition, acquired only by living things. We don't say that because the rock is not alive, it is, in fact, dead. The rock has never been alive (as we know life). For the rock to "experience" death it would have to have been alive in the first place.<br />
<br />
The wages (not gift) of sin is death. The gift (not reward) of God is eternal life. These two things contradict each other. One cannot be earned, and one cannot be bestowed, but both may be acquired. And both are directly opposite to each other. Death doesn't seem to me to be a decent paycheck, though the payment lasts forever ... the payment that keeps on taking.<br />
<br />
The Bible speaks of mankind as having two births, one birth from the material of the earth, and another birth from the material of Heaven — the Spirit. This would seem to contradict the notion of reincarnation, where the spirit supposedly keeps on going from birth to birth. It also gives grief to the notion that a child may be lost or saved (depending on the parents) even before birth. Everyone brought into the world is given a shell into which may be poured the Spirit, but this pouring (at least for most of us) doesn't take place until later on when we've lived a little.<br />
<br />
<b>Let's talk about that eternal life.</b><br />
<br />
Everything physical about us is going to perish ... eventually. That's what physical things do — they wear out. But not so with the Spirit. It's the Spirit that gives substance to the physical things of the world. The Spirit makes things work. The Spirit gives — eternally — so that everything that has any kind of being can keep on existing. Atoms, molecules, planets, suns and galaxies keep on spinning because the Spirit makes it happen. If the Spirit stops giving life (or perpetuation), living things will die.<br />
<br />
Right now we live in the part of this grand equation where everything appears to be broken. Nothing works right anymore ... except decay — the compost is still very active. But everything else? Not so much. No one gets along with anyone else hardly. The planet's breaking down; society is breaking down; morals are broken down, and those who would say they live morally will cut your head off for disagreeing. What a mess.<br />
<br />
<b>Let me sow a seed with you — a living seed. If you don't want the seed, then stop reading right here, 'cause this seed is alive and won't stop growing:</b><br />
<br />
This life we're living right now is so very, very temporary. In fact, it's so brief, we might ask, "Why bother with this bit?" I have no idea how to answer that, so I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about it. What I do think about is doing all I can to get to know the Lifegiver, you know, the one who made it all in the first place and keeps it all going. He's the One who lives outside of the church six days of seven. To live in the presence and favor of the Lifegiver is to live forever. The natural condition of living the life of the Lifegiver is exactly what you might imagine: life. Right now we don't enjoy the bliss of eternal life; you can know that by the pain you feel in your heart, your head ... and your joints. If you're young enough to not understand pain yet, just wait a while, pain will arrive in good time. God, the Lifegiver, lives forever, and He wants to live forever in you. God will do everything He can to give you the opportunity to live forever.<br />
<br />
If you're resisting God — stop! If you have a notion that you don't want to live forever — stop that too! The Kingdom of Heaven should not be compared to anything in this world or any of the people in it. The Kingdom of Heaven and the place of Heaven is far better than anything we have ever experienced. Let that seed be in you, and let it grow, for good things will come of it.<br />
<br />
As a final sowing-of-seed moment I invite you to look around at the tapestry of the natural world. In the realm of nature may be seen the fingerprints of its Creator. There you may learn of the Lifegiver, at least a little bit. And when at last He returns to hit the reset button on the planet, He will not seem to you to be a stranger. The Giftgiver knows you well, and if you give Him a chance He will prove it to you. You'll know when He does, I promise. Live well, my friend.<br />
<br />
<b><i>And that's just my take on it ....</i></b>Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-27094738787633226052017-08-02T10:06:00.000-05:002017-08-02T15:34:33.142-05:00The Book of Nature<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><i><b>• By Tony Harriman</b></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMK6CebhAwgdE2ypZ_C0ysc5YnnmEZov08gCUQCm5F-E8DDbnUj5309O7xxIdflTL8wodNdgKLBwRUGSjkBPxVdlowDKB7vzy2Yxd1irj-jiEFszjK8AdnAkT94ivj5tr_JGWkxFNpNY/s1600/121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMK6CebhAwgdE2ypZ_C0ysc5YnnmEZov08gCUQCm5F-E8DDbnUj5309O7xxIdflTL8wodNdgKLBwRUGSjkBPxVdlowDKB7vzy2Yxd1irj-jiEFszjK8AdnAkT94ivj5tr_JGWkxFNpNY/s320/121.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><b>Seems like the Book of Nature is designed to give us illustrations,</b> not only of a good spirit, but also of a bad one. There's a lot of beauty, but also a lot of ugly. We see benevolence, but also a large amount of malevolence. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;">For the longest time I have believed that Nature is an illustration of its Creator ... and ONLY of its Creator. But I have never been able to account for all the apparent cruelty and injustice that we witness from one end of the planet to the other. What in the world would all the horrors be telling us about nature's Creator?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><b>I feel myself settling into another, broader picture of what stories the Book of Nature might be telling us.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;">Perhaps the broader view is that everything we have a sense to behold is a physical illustration of a much broader, sometimes darker, spiritual reality. A bit like Newton's apple demonstrating the unseen reality of gravity — gravity which keeps our feet on the planet, but gravity which also breaks us to pieces if we abuse it. In the case of visible nastiness, we see a manifestation of a nasty unseen reality -- evil. Surely nastiness is not a manifestation of some aspect of a good Creator, right? Clearly there is no holy intent or righteous lesson bound up in the nastiness that abounds on the planet. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;">There are different views we can take of the creation we live in. The very, very small and the very, very large present to us unerring mathematics. There appear to be no variations on the way things work in the sub-atomic world or on the galactic plane.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kd_pNAwwqBxTCemxj3txOVB5RlkvzCUdnw-snICLGi-Ytd7vEl8L81GjXdt5uHxMdMGruGzrLl4LcJ7X6zcDFsArGOQuHOHmLypxoH2mE07HfAtquoXKGqjaWLkbbr9ZT7IQJP3BLak/s1600/5269007-lions-and-cheetahs-chasing-gazelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="792" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kd_pNAwwqBxTCemxj3txOVB5RlkvzCUdnw-snICLGi-Ytd7vEl8L81GjXdt5uHxMdMGruGzrLl4LcJ7X6zcDFsArGOQuHOHmLypxoH2mE07HfAtquoXKGqjaWLkbbr9ZT7IQJP3BLak/s320/5269007-lions-and-cheetahs-chasing-gazelle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;">It's the world we live in, the random one, in between the very big and the very small, where things are seemingly out of single control. We have helpful people, and we have leeches. We have creatures who exist without taking a life to sustain their own, and creatures who have to slay in order to stay alive. And still some other creatures who often kill or maim simply because they have a nasty disposition. We share the world with parasites that often take the life of their hosts. The evolutionist would describe this latter behavior as an evidence that we live in a world where only the fittest survive. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><b>A word describing a behavior that mystifies evolutionists is that of altruism —</b> behaving in a manner that benefits another and gaining no apparent benefit for the giver. Where does altruism fit in a world where only the fittest survive? Altruism reveals a spirit of benevolence, alien to the notion of a dog-eat-dog supremacy. Altruism suggests the mathematical input of a being who cares. Altruism does not develop in a mindless society where only the big dogs win.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25ehJIsSgPfV8R4Cd2NSIc0a4dY4RIr3bosfpujIUmI7VxqA-OUkCkWvGNpz8rPWHgm0Z6IkFKPaBSOpfR7QQzOsv46UDOURhDbz5tQwXaNd1PIPQjGiJoTCMRO06bnkFuOYzf0tW0RA/s1600/lotus_flowers-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25ehJIsSgPfV8R4Cd2NSIc0a4dY4RIr3bosfpujIUmI7VxqA-OUkCkWvGNpz8rPWHgm0Z6IkFKPaBSOpfR7QQzOsv46UDOURhDbz5tQwXaNd1PIPQjGiJoTCMRO06bnkFuOYzf0tW0RA/s320/lotus_flowers-wide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;">Right now I am parked on the notion that when in nature we witness beauty that takes nothing from its fellows in order to be beautiful, that is clearly an illustration placed there for us to learn something about nature's Creator. When we witness an action that is harmful to another sentient being, then that is an illustration telling us something about nature's enemy -- that old evil spirit we call the devil.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;">Nature appears to be a physical tapestry singing songs about the world we cannot see with our eyes. That world must be seen with the mind and imagination.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 15px;"><b><i>And that's just my take on it ....</i></b></span></div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-18463838984243020562017-07-26T15:48:00.000-05:002017-07-26T15:48:01.176-05:00Aliens Have Rights, Too — Don’t They?<b><i>• By Tony Harriman</i></b><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>A thought emerged in my mind recently that at first seemed quite absurd.</b> As I’ve mulled the idea over for a while, it doesn’t seem quite so “out there” as it did. See what you think:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1rrg3CE7YaXSEpoHQqqJ9RYJ4Um-a_3lUdd2K4sxz2bWD4Yccj_akOZNlTGUoV54_l8mWKg-rEQcYnBY7oVf1UgjJd1Ys7H03RlAYSnBRufKVFwh-ticp2AyXgNJ05f9lCQDRioSGTo/s1600/war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="550" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1rrg3CE7YaXSEpoHQqqJ9RYJ4Um-a_3lUdd2K4sxz2bWD4Yccj_akOZNlTGUoV54_l8mWKg-rEQcYnBY7oVf1UgjJd1Ys7H03RlAYSnBRufKVFwh-ticp2AyXgNJ05f9lCQDRioSGTo/s320/war.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the battlefield there is a protocol: the enemy is fair game; if he or she intends me or my side harm, then I am at liberty to take his or her life — immediately. No committee meeting necessary to give me the go-ahead.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Off the battlefield there is an assortment of ways to handle the taking of human life, ways that have changed from time to time throughout history.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Historically, European kings and queens took to themselves the right to judge whether or not a subject should live or die. If necessary, trumped-up charges of treason could be applied to various wives and courtiers, resulting in the loss of a head at dawn the next day.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Convicted pirates were granted an immediate hanging wherever they were found by officials of the British Empire.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the American Colonies were being founded, the life of the Native American had little or no value for the longest time. Scalps were taken and traded freely.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the American northeast a woman (usually) could be hanged, burned or drowned for being unable to disprove the charge of being a witch. Often the taking of the woman’s life was granted by a jury as the result of a short trial. Many times the life was freely and quickly taken at the whim of villagers, quick to quote the Bible and unwilling to “Suffer a witch to live.” Exodus 22:18.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the southern states of the USA the life of the slave was at the mercy of his or her owner. If the owner deemed it necessary, the slave could be awarded the original meaning of the word for letting an employee go — he or she was terminated, and perhaps died on the spot, by bullet, beating or hanging.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JoKn9mJJP_x56kC5aFjwm1VG9wJtMccT8VaMl_DBTedtM3bhkLPUkiNZmV8bRvsi5QoZaYxEygCcCR0Y46PhtDaQuFaw_Qkx2SR2qCgm-XX7EBE5ecCIzws1m5a_mOVRdpzrJafxuHE/s1600/Anti-Communist_Poster_from_Birmingham_KKK_ca_1934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="823" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JoKn9mJJP_x56kC5aFjwm1VG9wJtMccT8VaMl_DBTedtM3bhkLPUkiNZmV8bRvsi5QoZaYxEygCcCR0Y46PhtDaQuFaw_Qkx2SR2qCgm-XX7EBE5ecCIzws1m5a_mOVRdpzrJafxuHE/s320/Anti-Communist_Poster_from_Birmingham_KKK_ca_1934.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the same southern states — in my lifetime — black people, young and old, men and women, were lynched (hung by a rope thrown over a tree limb) or pulled apart by wild horses for the minutest of causes with or without proof of guilt. This so-called “justice” was swift and often without right to appeal. If someone had a rope, it was used — right away. Law enforcement officers were often guilty of turning a blind eye to this practice.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In much of the Middle East — TODAY — a woman may be stoned or beaten to death ON THE SPOT as a result of ANY accusation from a man who testifies that she did something irreverent or blasphemous. Homosexuals, or others accused of deviant behavior, are often seen hanging by the neck from makeshift gallows in centers of commerce.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the civilized world, the wanton taking of life is not now so easily achieved, and the death penalty is slowly being stricken from the books of justice — at least for now.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>So here’s where my thoughts took what I considered to be a strange turn:</b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In past decades, The Gospel According to Hollywood depicted the arrival of aliens from other planets as a thing to be feared. The aliens were here to take over. Bodysnatchers would inhabit our bodies if we went to sleep after their arrival, etc., etc. The life of an alien, in the movies, could be taken without hesitation. Allowing the alien to live would have placed the people of earth in peril.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lately, from time to time, a movie or TV program hits the screens that portrays the visiting aliens as beneficent to the human race; all these modern other-worldly tourists want to do, says Hollywood, is help us make our planet a better world. They want to ease our social problems and help clear up rampant sickness.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmMnA8i9Sb20fr3RZLC_3PF-GstPhUgitPh-CezQ-4L_KaOdaRYw5Zxqe3Y9JOxBL2_X5qRRhpATfGphQ25VBE-KfDf_Hh9RWEaQEXKh5ZMBNNeAf2x-fBAy3g0rOaOrCxkrj6z6xL2s/s1600/ufo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmMnA8i9Sb20fr3RZLC_3PF-GstPhUgitPh-CezQ-4L_KaOdaRYw5Zxqe3Y9JOxBL2_X5qRRhpATfGphQ25VBE-KfDf_Hh9RWEaQEXKh5ZMBNNeAf2x-fBAy3g0rOaOrCxkrj6z6xL2s/s320/ufo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You have to wonder, is there a law on the books protecting the rights (if they would actually have any) of visiting aliens? Or, since they aren’t even human, is the life of these visitors deemed of no more value than the subject, the witch, the slave, the woman, or the Afro-American? I guarantee you, a peon behind someone in one of the big chairs has drafted a protocol for how to handle this anticipated eventuality.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You may not have given much thought to how the world should handle the arrival of so-called visitors from other worlds. You may subscribe to the shrinking contingent of believers in the notion that planet earth contains the only life forms in the universe.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand, you may see the UFO phenomenon as a manifestation of evil spirits, pretending to be friends, but bent on the quiet destruction of the inhabitants of our Godly Creation — a theory I presently subscribe to.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Congratulations if you’ve read this far. Now try this next small section:</b></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, the whole notion of alien equality is really “out there.” But judging by the craziness portrayed in the daily news, it won’t be long before we see a whole slew of new crazies coming out of the closet claiming to be from another world and demanding equal rights to life and welfare and more. Then they’ll announce that their “brothers and sisters” are due to show up anytime soon, and that we should prepare ourselves to meet them.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sound ridiculous? Yes, it does … just like the reports we see right now on the evening news, reports that we never imagined we would be seeing, reports that I suppose even Hollywood is having a hard time keeping up with. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Alien equality is just going to be the next chapter. And beyond that ... even stranger.</b></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>And that’s just my take on it ….</i></b></span></div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-50292713498386775292017-07-11T17:09:00.000-05:002017-07-12T16:03:20.318-05:00If I Ruled the World ....<div dir="ltr">
Occasionally a line from a popular song takes on a life of its own and lingers long after the song's writers and singers are long gone The song I'm thinking of right now appeared in the sixties and is entitled "If I Ruled the World." The song has been sung by many big names, and has enjoyed success beyond the writers' wildest dreams. maybe you know the song (the lyrics appear below). The song was popular when I was a boy and, like many of the songs of our childhood, did much to shape the gray matter between my ears.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The song, of course, is purely subjective. What if other people weren't particularly warmed by the phenomenon of spring? What if other people weren't happy with the idea of ... being happy? What if other people didn't like the idea of being free?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>You get the idea. My view of a perfect world might be someone else's idea of hell. </b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
So if I were in a position where I could "make the world a better place," what would give me the right to decide what "better" actually means? Surely some things we could quickly agree upon: feed the hungry; end the wars; be more environmentally aware. Sure. But beyond those, what exactly is it that makes for a better world? I mean, some people are, believe or not, quite happy being at war. Dumping cigarette butts and candy wrappers out of the open car windows seem to be a delight for some of the planet's citizens.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
It gets deeper. Many of us are happy to be on the receiving end of charity, but not so quick to dish it out. Many people are happy to live off the fruit of the labors of others — "You go to work ... I'm going fishing." </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The world we live in has legitimate needs, clearly. But on a very basic level, people have needs too. We all need food, clothing and shelter. But we aren't just animals; we have greater needs. We need a purpose. We need hope. If we allow ourselves to think about it, we see that we have vision, on all kinds of levels, from our youngest days to our last. Many of us go into the grave when we're out of time, not when we're out of ideas and plans. This is what makes us human and alive. This is what makes us different from the cat or the dog lazing in the sun. We are set on this corner of the universe as caretakers, or better said — care-GIVERS. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Here's an idea that could easily be argued against: the duty of man is to care for his or herself, his fellow man, every creature on the planet, and, dare I say it, the very world that gives him or her any existence at all. We are all made from the same stardust, consuming the same starlight, drinking the same Hydrogen and Oxygen and breathing the same air and all that it contains. All of us are floating in this boat adrift on a vast cosmos with no obvious or apparent compass (could develop that thought, not right now though).</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b>Make your own list, but here's mine, partially:</b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
• As soon as possible, educate people regarding our physiology—what makes us work and how to keep things going.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
• Educate people regarding the biology, ecology and mechanics of the natural world around us.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
• Teach people how to produce for their own needs and a little bit extra.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
• Teach people the mechanics of the celestial world above us and of which we are a part.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
• Encourage people to acknowledge the idea that a Being with vast intelligence and creative ability has been responsible for the existence of everything that drifts into the range of our senses.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
• Help people realize that the random world (the one we live in — between the very big and the very small) does not always work in our favor: the weather is out of control; there are geological problems; atmospheric problems; occasionally large rocks from "out there" drift hurriedly into our world and cause devastation, the evidence of which is scattered across the surface of the earth.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Someone says, "Who's going to teach them religion?" Hmmm, there's a tricky question. By religion, you mean, a framework of doctrines regarding the Being mentioned above. Honestly, I don't know how to include religious or philosophic ideas into the nuts-and-bolts world we live in. Religion involves conviction. Conviction is difficult, if not impossible, to teach in a classroom. Conviction settles into the seat of our being, the seat that gets us out of bed in the morning, that trundles us off to work in the city day after day, that marches us off to war and to a battle that might not be won. Conviction enables the martyr to sing amid the flames that will snuff out his or her mortal life. Conviction is different from staring into the eyes of inevitability. Conviction drags the boxer off the canvass in the eleventh round and sends him to victory in the twelfth. Conviction pulls the tennis player off his seat to win the match in the closing games of the fifth set. Champions "believe," but that belief cannot be taught in the classroom or during practice; belief and conviction cause their owners to see something that has not yet appeared to them. Religion is tricky, because its pupils can be abused by its teachers. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Suppose I rule the world and someone has a different ideal than mine? What if convictions and beliefs other than my own are suggested and espoused? I'm in charge. I'm the ruler. What am I going to do with these dissidents threatening my perfect world?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Very quickly we realize that being the one in the Big Chair is a very scary notion; a role that Man is perhaps ill equipped to play.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Check out the song lyrics:</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
If I ruled the world<br />
Every day would be the first day of spring<br />
Every heart would have a new song to sing<br />
And we'd sing of the joy every morning would bring</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
[Hook]<br />
If I ruled the world<br />
Every man would be as free as a bird<br />
Every voice would be a voice to be heard<br />
Take my word we would treasure each day that occurred</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
[Verse-2]<br />
My world would be a beautiful place<br />
Where we would weave such wonderful dreams<br />
My world would wear a smile on its face<br />
Like the man in the moon has when the moon beams</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
[Chorus]<br />
If I ruled the world<br />
Every man would say the world was his friend<br />
There'd be happiness that no man could end<br />
No my friend, not if I ruled the world</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
[Bridge]<br />
Every head would be held up high<br />
There'd be sunshine in everyone's sky<br />
If the day ever dawned when I ruled the world</div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-72490607138605990502017-05-24T11:07:00.001-05:002017-05-25T09:57:43.707-05:00The World Has a Disease<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>By Tony Harriman</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinv14V_3fFQmzQgV7cDhjc-BQrnQHYzYYfPnjcrBjJcWxCTgOWKFwOyphcYjMM4QjTGIwNK1eca02-eKc1ffpPi4IZ5RI2qkRaqb0fJGgXZhG96zwRxadHcMe25qCb19DSbUCop_mXXY0/s1600/493x335_parkinsons_disease_overview_slideshow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="400" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinv14V_3fFQmzQgV7cDhjc-BQrnQHYzYYfPnjcrBjJcWxCTgOWKFwOyphcYjMM4QjTGIwNK1eca02-eKc1ffpPi4IZ5RI2qkRaqb0fJGgXZhG96zwRxadHcMe25qCb19DSbUCop_mXXY0/s320/493x335_parkinsons_disease_overview_slideshow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our world has a disease, a mind disease — a deadly disease. More security, more bag checks, more
stripping before you can get on a plane, more gun control, more X-ray machines …
all these are doing no more than help us BELIEVE we are dealing with the
symptoms of the disease. Rather than
just handle the symptoms, what if we put more focus on wiping out the
disease? What if we did more than just
make statements like, “People need God in their lives.”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The people with the disease on the planet appear to have
lots of SOME kind of god in their lives, and the fruit of that relationship is
the CAUSE of the disease. So what are we
to do? What’s the cure? The people following this god believe that
their god would like everybody with a different faith to be wiped out. No middle ground. No compromise. No discussion. You do it this way — or else. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There’s a temptation to believe that we’re talking just
about the Islamic faith. Not so. It might be surprising to learn that there
are many cults around the world who are awaiting simply the opportunity to openly
exercise their nutcase-ness and force you and me to follow their way — or
die. It might also be a surprise to
learn that mainstream Christianity once embraced this elitist attitude. Many American nations — North, Central and
South — were overrun and wiped out in the name of God and some European king or other. Old Testament history is full of the fodder
which has fueled many a massacre across what is now the USA. This same fodder is fueling the current strange Dark-Age attitude so
prevalent on the planet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is not enough to say to a religious nutcase, “Okay, you
stay here, and the rest of us will pack our bags, move out and start a new life
for ourselves somewhere over yonder.”
The religious nutcase must track you down and rid the planet of the
disease that he believes YOU are carrying.
He or she believes you are broken beyond repair and his or her god is
offended that you should be using up the planet’s good air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More religion is not enough.
We’ve got more than enough religion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What we need is a change of heart and mind, a common belief
— among all residents of the planet — that we all have a soul to save, that we
all have a part to play and a place to live in this ridiculously-small portion
of the known universe. We need to know
that there is indeed a Heavenly Benefactor Who is interested in every … single …
person on the planet. Why our Benefactor
allows us all to treat each other so badly is, I must admit, still a mystery to
me, and I imagine we shall have to wait for answers that currently, humanly, we
are unable to process.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just like a person with gum disease or broken teeth, we cannot fix ourselves. We need divine intervention. We are broken and have no no glue sufficient for the job. Only the Being Who made our mind can fix our mind. Unlike flesh and blood, attitudes are spiritual (like it or not), and can only be fixed by a Spirit greater than the one we possess. A broken spirit cannot fix itself, any more than Humpty can put himself back together.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Things on our little world are rough sometimes, so rough, in
fact, that we wish we could jump off. We
can’t jump off. There’s nowhere to
go. Besides, those of us who survive need
each other. We need each other to dress
our wounds, wipe our tears and lift us up — for now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There’s a verse in the Christian New Testament that points
to a time when God Himself, our Heavenly Benefactor, will wipe every last tear
from our eyes. When the planet’s reset
button is hit, when the universe is finally rebooted, and God once again declares
everything to be “Very good,” our Father’s own hand will take on the task of
calming the last troubled mind. This
task will be delegated to no one.
Picture that: the Creator of EVERYTHING that has any kind of existence
will personally wipe away ALL tears and ALL CAUSES of tears. I don’t know about you, but I have a few
tears that sit so close to the surface that I can be reduced to a helpless
wreck in less than a moment, right out of the clear blue. I’d like for those to be gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There’s going to be more nutcase-ness running about the
planet for who knows how much longer, simply because human beings don’t have a cure
for nutcase. We’re better at mopping up
the flood than we are at turning off the tap.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On a recent trip to Cuba I was given an opportunity to
relive a reality experienced by many of us who travel. The road surfaces in Cuba are awful, full of
potholes, road material worn well down to the dirt and beyond. The Cuban driver observes that he or she must
have one set of eyes on traffic conditions and one set of eyes on the condition
of the road. Both may be hazardous. In the troubled world in which we’re living
we need to keep one set of eyes on the road ahead, one set on the conditions
around us, and an additional set on the condition of our own vehicle — our own
mind. Because just as easily you and I
can embrace some kind of nutcase philosophy that convinces us that we are
better than others, and that the behavior of “those over there” is worthy of
death … cold-blooded death … strap-a-bomb-to-myself kind of death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Be patient. All
things will be set straight. Nature will
take its course. We have no need to try
to help God open the roses ahead of time.
He’s got that covered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i>And that's just my take on it ....</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-60368152656986956192017-05-04T14:09:00.000-05:002017-05-25T10:00:00.229-05:00Speak English, Please<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>By Tony Harriman</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">More than once in my life, on both sides of the Atlantic, I’ve heard
the assertion made to visitors who speak a foreign tongue: “This is England --” or “This
is America -- speak English.” I’ve
thought about that long and hard, and I’ve come to the conclusion that people
who believe and say such a thing really don’t know the history of the English
language -- at all. Of all languages on
the planet, English is the one that has undergone the most changes. The earliest we know of the language gives us
its roots in Celtic Germanic. But the language has never parked and festered. English speakers have wandered in and out of communicating
(mostly) in Celtic, Latin, Scandinavian (Danish and Norwegian), French, German,
Anglo-Saxon (Old English), Chaucer’s English (Middle English), Shakespeare’s
English (Elizabethan), until we arrive at the many dialects we hear widely
spoken today. We might not think of these languages as being English, but the inhabitants of Britain probably didn't give it much thought -- this was simply the local lingo spoken in the British Isles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">English explorers frequently wandered the globe and came back from distant lands with
scores of new words -- constantly. We’ve
mixed and matched the language to suit various (and varying) needs. Some old rules from different eras are partly the reason we have so many versions of the sound made by the letters "ough." Rough, thought, bough and though are given their pronunciation from very different ideas -- clearly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Consider for a moment how
English speakers define food: an Anglo Saxon sheep when prepared for eating
becomes the French mutton; an Anglo Saxon ox becomes the French beef; the Anglo
Saxon Pig becomes the French pork. Of
course, the spelling has changed a little, but not the root.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The English language took a huge leap when French was added to its use,
especially in the arts (Poetry, music, dance, etc.). Because of its broad language, England became
a land of such sought-after folk as the Venerable Bede. English monasteries and churches became healthy places of learning, and remained so until Henry the Eighth finally shut them
down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some foreign words used in the English language need no replacement: Ricochet,
Silhouette, Hamburger, Pretzel, House, Mouse, Buffet, and Assassin. We may not know where these words came from,
but we know what they mean. Some words may
not be as obviously foreign as, say, Filet Mignon, but no matter how they sound, we have no doubt as to
the intended meaning. You might be
surprised to learn that Algebra -- both the math and its name -- was given to us
by the Arabs. The lowly and ubiquitous dandelion gets it name from the French description of the shape of its leaves: dent-de-lion -- lion's tooth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Other words we have adopted include: Pizza, Paella, Diesel,
Fest, Burrito, Tortilla, Pasta, Kaput; or how about Kindergarten? Totally German, that one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Come across the Atlantic to the United States and we have another
dilemma for the “English” speaker -- more than half the States’ names are of
Native American origin, to say nothing of just about every city and town name
in the Southern States. Of course, there
are English names too: New York; New Jersey; New Hampshire -- all named after the original places in
England, which in turn were given their names from a language that wasn’t
quite English as we know it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Someone (not British) once asked me, “How does it feel to be pure
British?” To which I responded, “You
clearly don’t know the history of Britain.”
Every British person in Britain today came from somewhere else many
miles from the British Isles. Just like the rest of the world, Britain has been overrun and ruled by many foreign monarchs. My own
personal blood contains a lot of Roman and Scandinavian, and I can claim no part of my British blood as belonging to any part of Britain from more than a couple of thousand years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now, I recognize the need for border rules in our present world; without them the many nations of the planet would still be engaged in a constant struggle for autonomy. And I understand that there has to be a standard way of communicating,
especially regarding the rules of the road, sea and sky. And for the sharing of ideas, small and
great, there has to be what’s known as the Lingua-Franca, the language of
common use. But to say that you may speak
in only one language would put an immediate stop to the growth of ANY language.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To my fellow Earthlings out there I would say this: those people whose
language you don’t understand ARE speaking English; you just aren’t yet
familiar with it, because right now your personal (or national) vocabulary hasn’t
yet included the words. But know this,
your children WILL understand more of the words, and your grandchildren will DEFINITELY
be more savvy regarding the use of MOST of those words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From a Godly perspective I have a very difficult time with the notion
of national exclusion. “God loves you. Now go back Home!” is an attitude I have a hard time seeing
Jesus allowing to fester in His heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I suppose we should be careful not to fall into the trap of making “myself”
of more importance than others. The Scripture
reads: “…he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God
whom he hath not seen?” 1 John 4:20. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ah, but you say, “I love my brother, I just don’t want him here, he
wants to change the way we do things. We
have our own customs, and if these foreigners come here, then they should do
things our way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a Biblical concept of a thousand years in Heaven before we
return to what will become a New Earth, where we’ll make our new home. I’ve wondered if during those thousand years we
won't be spending an awful lot of time UN-learning how to live, because the
attitude rendered above is not one we can expect to endure throughout the
ceaseless ages of eternity. If we have
any of that kind of junk on us, we’re going to have to be scoured before we can
ever be rendered safe to live among the Godly inhabitants of the universe.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a closing thought, you have to wonder what is meant by "The UNITED Nations." United in or by what, exactly?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And that’s just my take on it ….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-61283504304845787332017-01-11T16:18:00.000-06:002017-03-22T16:03:40.551-05:00The Atheist ....<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>By Tony Harriman</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjosHl2TcRcUdmP5tEvKPax8ty472VLAtfi3e6TjrblsKflR_zJ3T6dnv8hP6Tuvh2HvW3nIs-D80pff2SoUQfDLUAmvpkPRN1tsa-t2qt7rV2yGSBZUCFiWXisafjCILd_xCV-ePWfBM/s1600/you-made-me-an-atheist-logo-900x471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjosHl2TcRcUdmP5tEvKPax8ty472VLAtfi3e6TjrblsKflR_zJ3T6dnv8hP6Tuvh2HvW3nIs-D80pff2SoUQfDLUAmvpkPRN1tsa-t2qt7rV2yGSBZUCFiWXisafjCILd_xCV-ePWfBM/s320/you-made-me-an-atheist-logo-900x471.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Seems to me that an Atheist is not born. An Atheist is caused ... or made (created, if you don't mind putting those two words in the same sentence). People might for a long while be indifferent toward the existence of God, mainly because they have no proof, or because they simply have no reason to believe in someone they can't capture with the senses. The idea of a Creator doesn't just simply occur to a person; the seed has to be sown by an entity outside of themselves. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Most of us will give God the benefit of the doubt, and give Him the credit for the beautiful things on the planet and beyond. But a large number of earthlings (Atheists included) just don't understand why a Being with such incredible power as to breathe suns and galaxies into life wouldn't clothe and feed a cold and hungry child. Why would such a Being be more interested in how humans eat, drink and make merry, than in the welfare of the many intimidated innocents on the planet? The witness of the atrocities of evil and the selfishness of Man is no inspiration to any human being with an ounce of compassion.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Philosophers and religionists alike have offered scores of ideas for why the world as we know it continues the way it does. All of these ideas CANNOT be right, nor may they all be necessarily wrong. And most honest-hearted people will at least listen to an idea, hoping to find some consolation—at least for a while, anyway.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But there inevitably comes a time when grief, heartache, and sometimes even shame or pain, show up on the doorstep of each one of us. And that is the moment that truth is revealed. Will a person cling to an idea they've held on to for a while but cannot prove? Or will the person weigh anchor and drift off to another, maybe better, idea? Of course, that's very personal and totally subjective. In other words: you'll have to wait and see, and maybe not for long.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I feel that there should be different classifications of Atheists, and maybe there already are, and I'm just not aware of them. Maybe the category of Intelligent Design (ID) would be a good place for some people to moor their boat. ID people might be happy to give credit to a creator, but not to a deity who makes claims on our time and energies. Not a God, but a Power, has been responsible for all that exists.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recently I was blessed to have been listening to a series of lectures by a microbiologist and geneticist who is also a Christian. And I have to be honest, while listening I had all my shields up and filters in place as this man spoke of the incredible complexity in nature as viewed through the Theory of Evolution. And honestly, I'm not sure I can tell you what this speaker truly believes about the seeming millions of years of "evidence" in the rocks of earth. But this scientist's appreciation for a Being who has such creative capacity was really refreshing.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There's probably a large place for "adaptation" in the study of organisms on the planet; truly, it would probably be very difficult to study medicine without embracing the idea that germs and viruses "change," often in a very short space of time. But I am not a believer in what is known as Evolution Theory and the idea that life on this planet started as a very simple electrically-charged cell and went on to become multiple beings with the capacity to be aware of their surroundings, or that discovered and developed the capability to calculate vast distances across the cosmos. I am not a person of great faith, and the idea of such a fantastic metamorphosis is too great of a leap for me. My apologies to my friends who understand the concept far better than I do.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have my own set of frustrations regarding the Heavenly realms and their interaction with Planet Earth, as I'm sure you do. But I once lived life without a knowledge of a beneficent Being in my consciousness, and I would find it very difficult, if not impossible, to step back into that cold, dark existence. I've had my own losses and heartaches; some really hard to stomach. But the experiences have not caused me to look down—only up. Those of you who know me a little bit will readily acknowledge that there are more questions floating about between my ears than there are answers. This life is a puzzle to me. Questions regarding why God would do things this way in the first place, and then leave Himself to sort it out are a mystery to me.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But I really don't feel like I have to have answers before I can believe. Belief doesn't work that way. Belief that has to be pasted on is not belief at all. If you believe it, you believe it—and that's that. Your belief may change over time. But a person doesn't wake up one morning and tell his or herself to believe a certain way. Beliefs become more refined, or more fuzzy, depending upon "education" — education in the sense of the things you learn about a subject.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An Atheist has learned things that have not led the mind toward Heavenly things. But there is no need for the believer to "fear" the Atheist and his or her views. Certainly God is not affected by people who don't believe in Him. If you have concerns about the Atheist, the concern might not really be about the views of the Atheist; the concern might actually be with the fragility of your own views, and what you truly believe -- or think you believe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Atheist is on a similar path to that of the believer in Heavenly things. Science, and its method for proving that things exist and have a meaningful function, is unable to prove or disprove that God exists, so the Atheist must put his or her trust in a theory that is inherently shaky at best. The belief that God doesn't exist is as surely a product of faith as is the belief that He <i>does</i> exist.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bottom line: there are many things we know very little about. But we don't have long to wait before we DO know what is, and also what ain't. In the meantime, if you feel God should be doing a better job of caring for the beings of the planet, maybe you could help Him out for a while. Maybe He'll get the idea once he sees what you're about.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>And that's just my take on it ....</b></i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-22894964008760107312016-12-19T16:16:00.003-06:002017-01-18T14:25:38.634-06:00"Ignorance" and "Want"<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8g8sg" data-offset-key="2g1ti-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="2g1ti-0-0"><i>By Tony Harriman</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="2g1ti-0-0"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="2g1ti-0-0">"A Christmas Carol" has to be one of the best surviving allegories on the market today. So many lessons to draw from the characters.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="2g1ti-0-0"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6Jd1ktaJgdAKiorguPL_frk3GsHMkJHvFDY0YLQ3jCAIeFhOEb3V_wjJARRZNvM1s_wXFr5eIKSpl8jjlf8tt1epO6gQaGzi5Yj1TLkbzh5hG_1sKIKbB6H3-r5swYfc1ziuRqp3QQs/s1600/frayed-rope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6Jd1ktaJgdAKiorguPL_frk3GsHMkJHvFDY0YLQ3jCAIeFhOEb3V_wjJARRZNvM1s_wXFr5eIKSpl8jjlf8tt1epO6gQaGzi5Yj1TLkbzh5hG_1sKIKbB6H3-r5swYfc1ziuRqp3QQs/s320/frayed-rope.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Ignorance" is one of the creatures below the robe of Dickens' character, "The Ghost of Christmas Present" — the creature to beware of most — alongside another creature: "Want."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />This is just a small observation, but I have seen that the study of the Sciences and the study of Religion have been two separate fields of interest mainly because of the ignorance of each toward the other. I have learned that many scientific minds are NOT engaged in a war to keep God hidden and banished from the text books. Many of those scientific minds are simply seeking to reconcile what they believe with what they see. </span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />A human mind that can comprehend the vastness of the Cosmos, and perhaps can see the fingerprints of a Grand Designer, has a very difficult time confining his God to a box in which only one language is spoken; only one kind of people is accepted; and Who only shows up when called upon, like a genie who jumps out of the bottle when it's rubbed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiUk9D8yP5nezyb3P9Zfm_5V692dylGgVqy406aoEoxPkCTSd-kI5lofuNbKKlG9G1-eHT8FGp-aJZ0RsnYxxz3bQ1Z92DrTJSAqp_iuEieXLae6QBlhEih3NE0lsISNedTMzUUBopwM/s1600/natural-sciences-course_106450_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiUk9D8yP5nezyb3P9Zfm_5V692dylGgVqy406aoEoxPkCTSd-kI5lofuNbKKlG9G1-eHT8FGp-aJZ0RsnYxxz3bQ1Z92DrTJSAqp_iuEieXLae6QBlhEih3NE0lsISNedTMzUUBopwM/s320/natural-sciences-course_106450_large.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If it could be true that scientists are not looking for God, then it is more true to say that religionists are not looking to understand the science of the world in which they live. For the religionist, too much in the scientific world smacks of witchcraft or sorcery. This is part of the reason Jesus was accused of casting out demons through the power of the master of demons. Jesus worked outside of established understanding. He didn't perform miracles through witchcraft or sorcery or any other kind of Hocus Pocus; He used the same power which was evidently available to human beings—because His followers went out and did EXACTLY the same things when He commanded them to do so.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Ignorance of ANYTHING causes the mind to care very little about the thing. Think of that in terms of medical science, astronomy, geology, and perhaps most of all: Ecology. The less we know about these things, the less we seem to want to know, and the less we care. But these things matter. These things urge us toward the answers to the questions we ask most: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />The world right now is full of stocking-stuffing attention-getters that are well equipped to divert us from finding out about things that matter. The medical world continues to frame knowledge of its findings in language foreign to the average mind. Math and physics are still frequently taught by teachers looking down their noses at their pupils. Biology and all of its siblings are ever-so-gently being pushed off the list of things to study that matter. Language sciences and poetry have been hijacked almost totally by a bizarre gaggle of songwriters who want to tell us how much they want to love their Mister or Miss Right Now. The average mind doesn't have time, space or interest to devote to things in a foreign language, so usually dwells on the mundane, or commonplace.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Planet Earth is a mess right now, held in a strange stranglehold that is taking up our entire attention. Most of the planet's inhabitants have no clue where their next meal is coming from. A smaller group lives from paycheck to paycheck, while another, much smaller group, DECIDES who gets to eat and who doesn't.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />More than once I've been told, "Look, Jesus didn't have running water to His house; He didn't have indoor plumbing in any sense. And electricity? Forget about it."</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />It's true, the people in Jesus' day didn't have those things—and much more. But look at what was done by the followers of Jesus for the progress of mankind AFTER Jesus left. For 4,000 years the people of earth had lived in ignorance of so many things. That ignorance caused humanity to give credence to the likes of witch doctors, astrologers and alchemists. It took a while, but all that and more changed when the Spirit of Jesus got into a person.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />It didn't take long, though, and humanity was once again baptized and held under the water by the Dark-Age religious folk. These folk went on a quest to burn the witches and convert the heathen—or kill the heathen in the process.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">An ignorance of the Christian Bible kept priests and popes safely and warmly tucked in their beds for centuries. But then came Christian Protestantism, a movement more suited to study and </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">inquiry</span></span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the world outside the Church Confessional. At last! The believer in God was encouraged to study the works of God. Protestants translated the Bible from the dead Latin language into languages that people actually spoke (modern-day medicine men and women could take a cue from that observation), and gave the average person a window into the thing that mattered most—instruction from Heaven itself! The average mind learned from those translations of the Bible that Jesus drew many lessons from the Book of Nature, and that the ways of God and of Heaven could be understood as the seeker after God studied the things which were being continually opened to his or her senses. Man developed microscopes, telescopes, and machines to calculate huge portions of mathematical data—data which is not intimidating or mysterious to the One Who created it.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Bottom line:</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />If you honestly believe it matters—<i>whatever it is—</i>help us understand it. Our ignorance of that which is really simple is not helping anything. Because "What the world needs now is love, sweet love" of things that matter, and that tend toward making things better.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Recently I returned from a trip to Cuba with somewhat of a heavy heart for the people who were forced to live in what we in the Western World would call "substandard conditions." They endured restricted access to fresh, running water; clean public toilets; hand soap, and the like. I have shared my burden for the Cuban people from time to time, and have been disappointed on occasion to meet the ever-present self-righteous prig who can't help but counter my observations with another: "So what? Most of the world lives like this." These prigs are easy to identify; they say things you might never expect to hear from the mouth of Jesus. If you can imagine Jesus avoiding town, uttering the words, "So what? Everyone gets sick, hungry and has demons," then you will be very comfortable in the company of the prig.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />The world understands "Want." "Want" causes the belly to growl, the shoulders to shiver. But "Ignorance," on the other hand, is crafty. We really don't know what we don't know—ignorance of heat will cause many of us to sit in the cold. But some people DO know, and we just wish you'd put what you know into a language we can understand. We don't need or WANT to know everything, but we DO want to know about things that matter. Things like how to take better care of ourselves, and how to better take care of the world we live in. We're not asking much.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Once again, though, history is held in chains by the religious folk who are out there shouting, "My god is greater than your god. My god helps my football team more than your team. My god helps my business more than yours. And, of course, "My god helps me make better bombs than yours." These religious folk come in all shapes and sizes. And many of them speak English.</span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Humanity is tired of ignorance. And we're tired of being held in the past as we mop up religious mess after mess across the face of the earth. </span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-size: 14px; position: relative; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />What's the answer? Teach us about things that matter, and perhaps we'll finally have the opportunity to get our heads out of our own noses.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>We're due—<i>totally!</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
</div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-18158875045430679362016-10-24T14:44:00.002-05:002016-10-25T09:30:44.312-05:00Miscarriage of Injustice in Cuba<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Tony Harriman</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-Xbmp-uFxuhAU7mvbnByxUrk72H9fIUwNAsX-i3hnsDG-_euNbC2VDIMkSBerQOclFnf589pGXEf89qhq1B-AyUXb36rLDkH4nCuUYzRqYAi94_liQMkPHHGrAhyphenhyphenjaiMjzxB_Gmeghg/s1600/Boat-Baby-Cradle-11.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-Xbmp-uFxuhAU7mvbnByxUrk72H9fIUwNAsX-i3hnsDG-_euNbC2VDIMkSBerQOclFnf589pGXEf89qhq1B-AyUXb36rLDkH4nCuUYzRqYAi94_liQMkPHHGrAhyphenhyphenjaiMjzxB_Gmeghg/s320/Boat-Baby-Cradle-11.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Miscarriage of Injustice in Cuba ... </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm going to continue my report on Cuba, and begin with an account that I will never be able to share by voice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>(To read more posts regarding my trip to Cuba, move your mouse to the right and scroll down to "Blog Archive").</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When human beings are separated by language there is a belief perhaps on the part of all of us that we do not share the same head space with our fellow beings, that maybe we aren't all affected by the same things. What remained of that notion for me came crashing down one evening when my Cuban companions and I visited the family of a young couple in the neighborhood. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Earlier in the day I had been invited to join a small group that was to visit a family that coming evening who had recently experienced a loss. I wasn't exactly sure what kind of loss; details had either been unheard by me, or misunderstood due to my sad lack of Spanish vocabulary. Just before my small group left for the meeting the power went out in the area and stayed out until early next morning. The countryside neighbourhood started to fill with people carrying flashlights and people pushing bicycles. We arrived at the home and were welcomed warmly. Several church members, many with flashlights, had gathered with the family to sing and pray and offer a shoulder of solace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The more I listened, the more I realized that the young wife had, within the past couple of days, experienced a miscarriage and lost the child she had been carrying—with perhaps the worst possible timing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The young husband was there along with all the parents. Early on there were no tears, no strong sense of grief. My first thought was that perhaps these Cuban people are gritty and tough and don't hurt the way the rest of us do in the Free World. We sang. We prayed. We offered testimonies of praise. When it came time for the young wife to say a few words she thanked everyone for coming, and shared with us her hope of the resurrection. As she spoke her voice grew quieter, and began to tremble. She didn't weep, but her voice and her eyes were full of tears, and it was obvious her heart was breaking. She spoke of the angels on that resurrection morning bringing children to the arms of their parents, and she hoped this would be true for her, too. This brave young mother-to-be had lost her child toward the end of the ninth month of her pregnancy. All the joy, discomfort and anxiety had been experienced. All the usual preparations had been made during the past nine months. She had all the baby things that were available to the Cuban people — gifts from family at home and abroad. The home was ready. The clothes were ready. The hearts were ready. The only missing ingredient was the child itself. In that small family room I, too, had a heart full of tears for this loss, and felt the sadness that is common to man. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I later learned that the mother-to-be took the clothes she had gathered for her expected newborn and gave them to a sister in the church who needed them more than she did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not sure how much bigotry and self-importance there remains yet in my heart, but in that flashlit evening in a 60-square-foot corner of the planet in a place called Cuba I felt much of this spirit leave the building. Until the day of this writing I have had not the strength of voice to share this experience with the many people who have been interested in my trip, so you are one of the first to read about it. It's funny, but I find that I have also a sad lack of the English vocabulary that prevents me from adequately describing the effect of that event on the world in which I live.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Next I tell you some of my observations of the island country of Cuba.</span>Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-20480364512194092462016-10-20T15:37:00.000-05:002016-10-25T09:29:47.708-05:00Cuba Book Project<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>By Tony Harriman</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDzaKVIKTAUIkw6hcrnyG9gOvAmaXh_qT9SoZ0lyJN4t_6avK7fT8SPOdYCf9ZOS_mu7VHlapuKKao7l1gBJuh5UZJoSh9pkdXIBYwGary0ZGh_SHTy-qHojrHn3Ut7wQqifhbLdDvpg/s1600/cuba.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDzaKVIKTAUIkw6hcrnyG9gOvAmaXh_qT9SoZ0lyJN4t_6avK7fT8SPOdYCf9ZOS_mu7VHlapuKKao7l1gBJuh5UZJoSh9pkdXIBYwGary0ZGh_SHTy-qHojrHn3Ut7wQqifhbLdDvpg/s320/cuba.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Project Cuba — Where to Begin ...</b></span></h2>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Where shall I begin to tell you the tale of my recent visit to Cuba? Perhaps I shall start with my pre-trip expectations. In following posts I'll share my experiences with the Cuban people. In this post I want to share with you what the basic church situation is in Cuba, and I want to tell you how simply we can make a difference.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>(To read more posts regarding my trip to Cuba, move your mouse to the right and scroll down to "Blog Archive").</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I knew about Cuba really didn't amount to much. I knew Cuba was a Communist country led (for most of my life) by Fidel Castro. I knew that Cubans spoke Spanish. I knew (from talking to my Cuban friends in Miami) that most of the people living in Cuba wanted to leave. And that was about all I knew.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My pre-trip plans involved taking as much as I needed, and nothing more. The idea of having my Bible or laptop confiscated by the Gestapo at the airport was not appealing. My carry-on contained mainly socks and underwear, no liquids or gels, no foods, and nothing overtly religious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I did have one small experiment traveling with me: In my checked baggage I included an entire case of my company's publication <i>"Buscando la Paz Interior"</i> (BLP). BLP is the Spanish version of my company's <i>"Finding Peace Within"</i> (FPW). FPW is made up of the book <i>"Steps to Christ"</i> and twenty Bible studies. In English or Spanish this is an excellent devotional aid. I had 72 copies of BLP in a half dozen Ziploc bags. At a glance a screener at the airport might have mistaken these bags for packets of illegal drugs. I wanted my books to be seen so that I could know if it would be a problem carrying the books into the country like this. The reason I wanted to know that was because my company is willing to supply thousands of copies of BLP to be carried in to the country by a large group of local church members on an evangelistic trip later this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The end of this part of the story is that all my things went through the entire airport system without any trouble at all, and when I retrieved my luggage on the way out everything was intact, books'n'all. Had I been lucky? I wondered. I wasn't out of the airport yet; there was still a way to go. But the rest of the way out to the meeting area was just as trouble-free as the rest of the trip had so far been. Where were all the police and men in black hats and raincoats? Everybody was moving around the airport, inside and out, in a very laid-back fashion. Even the airport inspectors, who seemed to be all young ladies dressed in short skirts and tight tops, were very casual. Truth be told, though you might not have recognized it, I was probably the most uptight person in the place. If government agents were waiting to pounce on me and take me to some Gulag somewhere for interrogation, they were staying well hidden. Probably hiding in the many shadows. Better stay alert, I thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another reason for my trip to Cuba was to find out how difficult it would be to send evangelistic books to the Island Nation. Though the past couple of months had seen access granted for the first time in fifty years for Americans to travel to Cuba, I had heard stories of Christian persecution and the confiscation of Bibles and devotional books, and it would have made no sense to ship books to people who would never receive them, or might even get locked up because they <b><i>had</i></b> received them. I intended to land in Havana and begin asking questions of shippers and importers regarding getting large quantities of books into the country.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My first call was to the Church Union Office in Havana and establish a dialog that would give me a person and an address to ship books to. I don't speak Spanish fluently, so I have to rely on translators any time I visit a Spanish-speaking country. In this manner I met and spoke with the Ministerial Director and the Youth Director for the Church who told me that getting large quantities of books into the country was not a problem, and was not illegal. They told me they receive large containers of books and Sabbath School materials from time to time, which surprised me. Cuba is a well-kept secret from Americans, so we really don't know how to make things happen down there. But the Union people also said that anything they receive they have to pay for; nothing comes to them free of charge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My ears pricked up at that news.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My company has been in business for nearly 30 years. Throughout that time we have printed in excess of 40 million publications in more than 100 languages. We have conducted free distributions of our books on six continents from Australia to Greenland, east to west, top to bottom around our world. We waited patiently for the Iron Curtain to come down, then we went with more than a million publications across 11 time zones in Russia. We did the same thing in East Germany, Poland, Hungary and every other former member of the Soviet Union. It was exciting. We've taken free books to every country in Europe, Mediterranean islands, Caribbean islands, Pacific islands. We've blanketed South and Central America.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But we've never done any real work in Cuba. We've sent the ocassional packet of a couple of books to a handful of Cuban residents; sometimes the books got through, sometimes they didn't. But we've never had the opportunity that we have now to send large numbers of books into the country. Doors are open for American trade and commerce. At least, they are open for now. Who knows if the next president will be as open-minded to maintaining diplomatic ties with a Communist nation just 90 miles off the Florida coast. Time will tell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let's return to the Union Office: As I shared my tale of wonderful worldwide distributions, I could see the story really meant nothing, until I offered to send books to the Cuban people at no charge. Eyes opened wider and each of us moved closer to the front of our seats. We talked thus:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q. How many members do you have? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A. Thirty-two thousand. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q. Where are they located on the island? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A. All over the forty-two thousand square miles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q. If I send books for each church member, how will we get them to the church members? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A. A youth rally is planned for next year; every church member on the island could receive a book at that time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q. Next year? Why such a long wait?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A. If you send the books now, we might wait as much as six months before they come out of Customs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q. Why so long?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A. Because the Customs official has to open every container and every box and check the contents. Nothing happens quickly in Cuba.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Q. If every church member had a book for themselves and one to give away, would they be willing to do that?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A. Oh, absolutely. This would be a dream come true for them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I learned that the church members are very close in spirit (I'll tell you more about that in additional posts). The members are busy in their personal ministry for the spiritual well-being of non-members. Of the 32,000 members, most of the adults have active studies going on with friends and family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I wondered how realistic it would be for me to plan to send a few thousand books by sea cargo to meet the evangelistic group from America in early December. Not realistic at all, since the anticipated delay, even for a small shipment, is many months. So there is not enough time to make this happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So here's the bottom line of our meeting: my company, Inspiration Books East, will print and ship to the Union Office in Cuba sixty-five thousand copies of our book "Buscando la Paz Interior." One for every church member to keep, and one to give away. We will include the Church contact information in the book. The books will be for free distribution only.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We're going to raise the money to do this. a figure of $65,000.00 is being floated around right now. This figure will cover the costs for this initial distribution (inland and overseas) and will provide a springboard for the next stage of distribution which will include another Spanish publication of ours: <i>"Quienes son los Angeles?"</i> In English <i>"Who are the Angels?"</i> (WAA). WAA is made up of excerpts from Great Controversy dealing with the existence of angels in our world, and who might and might not be a visitant from Heaven. WAA is an excellent study on the state of the dead. $65,000.00 is not a lot of money for Americans to raise. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you want to and can help (and I hope you can), do one of these:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">• Send a tax-deductible donation to: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Project Cuba</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mission World</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PO Box 352</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jemison, AL 35085</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(make checks payable to Mission World and mark Project Cuba)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">• Log in to PayPal and make a donation to:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">elmira@inbookseast.org (Elmira is the little lady who manages our PayPal account.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">• Call our office @ (205) 646-2941 and make a credit card donation over the phone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">• Email us at ibe@hiwaay.net. Give us your contact information, and we'll contact you, if you prefer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">• There's also a GoFundMe Project set up for your convenience. Click the image below and go straight there:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/cuba-quality-of-life-items-2uuza2k" target="_blank"><img alt=" Go Fund Me - Cuba Book Project" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ryCkSEL7FhfCK4S7R3sFF2No1EVTV5OfO999gXMvwwaiwEI85LoGDRC-5P-uu-sEJkLbfRCwJbjifiWGjepDEnoHvTRAMZuQasQ4XX5X8qUJl0WGecdf9D8tXPMzd2VT2oBc5MCQC5c/s400/go-fund-me.jpg" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your gift, large or small, will go to an incredibly good cause. Trust me, there's a whole lot of "doesn't really matter" going on in our lives every day. But this one DOES matter. Cuba needs lots of work on so many levels: social, political and religious. And, of course, no one can fix everything. But if you aren't afraid to step out of your comfort zone I encourage you to take the 45-minute flight from Miami to Havana, spend a few days outside of the city of Havana, and have your world expanded. I guarantee you'll see somewhere where you can make a difference to someone. If you return home without a conviction of where you can be useful, I will be very surprised. Click to make a difference:.<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/cuba-quality-of-life-items-2uuza2k?utm_medium=wdgt" style="border: none;" target="_blank" title="Visit this page now."><img src="/css/3.0_donate/brown/widget.png" style="border: none;" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've left out of this post all the details of my experience with the Cuban people. In the next post I'll tell you some stories that will warm your heart, and sometimes break it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Signing off for now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blessings to you all,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tony Harriman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-87915503025751891792016-06-14T11:22:00.000-05:002016-06-14T11:22:12.115-05:00"Just an Observation"<div style="background-color: white;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>By Tony Harriman</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgqXXyMd2cnLtY43o66pshNmsfJ_tsNzjpOp5fEXwEM36wwvwbuqWYx60GkFlXecya_iz_HLrTW-aSS54h9D5yy274UIbMEtBIM9R_26QV6nOcHBHhjzXQqp1F9W3P_VQEE47n91P2Ss/s1600/Raising-The-Dead.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgqXXyMd2cnLtY43o66pshNmsfJ_tsNzjpOp5fEXwEM36wwvwbuqWYx60GkFlXecya_iz_HLrTW-aSS54h9D5yy274UIbMEtBIM9R_26QV6nOcHBHhjzXQqp1F9W3P_VQEE47n91P2Ss/s320/Raising-The-Dead.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>It’s just an observation,</b> but when Jesus personally sent His followers out to work the works of God, miracles took place: the sick were healed; the dead were raised; demons were cast out. There’s no record of followers being paid for their efforts, or of them getting rich from working these works of God. No one had to invest a small fortune in “learning” how to work the works of God. They simply went out and “did” marvelous things “in the name of Jesus.” The training from Jesus was wrapped up in a handful of words: “Go out and do <i>this </i>…!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So what in the world happened? Today a person has to go to school and seminary to “be taught,” not how to work the works of God, but how to be a pastor and manage church affairs and business — the person is taught to be an "Administrator." When the learning is over, the “pastor” is qualified, not to be a healer, a raiser of the dead, or a caster-out of demons, but he (or she) is qualified only to “talk” about what wonderful things Jesus did and said while He was here. Or perhaps they are now qualified to dazzle their audiences with the grasp of deep prophetic utterings or vast prophetic timelines. The lack of power is matched only by the size of the debt left to be paid for the privilege of learning how to “talk about” what Jesus did and said — <i>in three languages.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you can’t see a huge shortfall here, then you’ve clearly never spent time reading the Gospels and the Book of Acts, where real human beings lost their lives for working the works of God. Once you land on the writings of Paul, it becomes obvious that most of the space in the rest of the Books of the Bible is going to be taken up “talking” about the past and what Jesus did while He was here, and (at least in the writings of Paul) what the intellectual problem is regarding sin and the heavenly Sanctuary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I know, and have known, many good pastors (across denominational lines) who lament the lack of the Spirit in their lives and in their churches, and who see no clear indication from Heaven of how to fix the problem and get plugged in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Are our schools and seminaries only to be places where a person can learn how to give a polished speech on the necessity of clean living? Can a person be taught to shout loud enough so that the entire congregation can clearly know how lost each one of us is? Shall any one of us settle for paying to be taught that, in actual fact, the original meaning and translation of that verse doesn’t actually say what it says today?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Seriously, we know what a mess the world is in; what we need are solutions — <i>that work!</i> Most of us understand (unless we are seriously deceived) that if any of us shall inherit eternity, it will be by a miracle beyond the kind we can generate for ourselves. Perhaps, then, one answer to our dilemma is to stop focusing on the problem — whatever it is — and start looking up for a solution.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe there are no solutions. Maybe we just have to deal with things the way they are. And obviously doing the works of God is not all that is necessary for the salvation of the soul; didn’t Judas go out on more than one occasion in the name and power of Jesus doing the works of God … healing the sick and casting out demons? Yes, that Judas, the one that betrayed the Son of God in the Garden.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like I said, though, it’s just an observation — which might not amount to much. We know how to make observations; what we need is to be shown — not told — how to get plugged in to the Spirit of Beneficence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hmmm … but, the schools, the schools .... Yes, the schools. The Schools of the Prophets. The Schools of the Rabbis. One of the objections (and perhaps one of His greatest qualifications) regarding the ministry of Jesus was that He HADN'T attended the revered schools of His day; He HADN'T learned the Letters, at least, by the reckoning of the priests. And, yes, the disciples spent a lot of time (though perhaps not years before they were first sent out) at Jesus' feet; but when He sent them out, it wasn't to train people to sit at the disciples' feet, or to JUST "talk" about what Jesus had "said" to them. There was so much more to their ministry.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm reminded of the LifeLock Identity Theft Protection commercial. The security "guard" looks so very official and impressive. But his job is merely to inform his employers that there is a problem; he does nothing ABOUT the problem. When Jesus sent out His disciples, their job was to "tell" what wonderful works Jesus had done, AND to "do" similar works. At one point Jesus informed His followers that they would eventually do GREATER works than those which He had done. The disconnect here is so outrageous that in order for one to call oneself a Christian, one has to completely reinvent the definition of Christianity. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">For a modern interpretation of Christianity to make sense, t</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">he Sermon on the Mount has to be all but erased from the record of Scripture, or at least confined to the idea that Jesus really couldn't have meant what He said, and the original intent was "Blessed are the rich;" "Blessed are they who are well spoken of;" "Blessed are the warmongers." The list goes on, but you get the idea. I have a sense that Paul would approve of the present scholarly debate, but I also have a sense that the original disciples (one of whom Paul was not) wouldn't recognize Christianity even a little ... as it is practiced in the world of Christendom today.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">And just a gentle tongue-in-cheek observation: I can't imagine how inconvenient it would be for a person to have the power to raise back to life one who had been murdered, only for the former-corpse to quickly identify his or her murderer. I suppose the order of business would be to quickly eradicate the person who had the power to raise the dead, lest dirty deeds be exposed. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">Perhaps we've lived without the power of God for so long, we've actually convinced ourselves that this is the will of God. Perhaps.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;"><b><i>And that's just my take on it ....</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-2057326989102415172016-01-31T19:00:00.000-06:002016-04-25T10:24:20.187-05:00The Greatest of Influences<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By Tony Harriman</i><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">When we think about the people who have had the greatest impact or influence in our lives, we usually don’t think of just one person. There's more often what we see as a team of individuals, all unknown to each other, who have worked on our behalf. What’s intriguing to me, though, is who <i>first</i> springs to mind when we are posed with the question of who has had the greatest impact. Intriguing because the chances are, that’s the person who has caused you to make those final choices that have truly helped you become who you really are.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Most of us want to mull over the question, because we begin to look through our minds for the person who we think has had the greatest effect. Was it a parent? A teacher? A friend? Co-worker? Philosopher? Religious teacher? When you take time to think about it, the question is not an easy one to answer.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">The people who have had the most influence in my life are few in number, so this short writing really may not be of interest to many people. Most of the people who know me well will be unsurprised by what follows. Maybe I’m writing this so that I don’t forget where I came from, and who I used to be—and who, without these influences, I might have become.</span></span></span></span></span></span> And perhaps, more importantly, I simply don't want to forget these special people.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Let me take a few moments and tell you about my own experience of changes:</span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">I was five years old before I found out that my mother had been married once before and that I had a sister who was five years older than me. I couldn’t have been happier when she was introduced to my life, and I was thrilled when she came to live with the only family I had known. At the time we lived in a two-bedroomed flat in South London. Up to that point I had been an only child, and, had things gone on that way, likely would have grown to be even more selfish than I am. But no, very quickly I learned to share everything I had: bed and bedroom, bathroom, parents, toys. I was young enough to not really think about what I was “sacrificing” at the time; the gain, to my mind, eclipsed any loss I could have dwelt upon. This young lady experienced life five years ahead of me, so even though I didn’t think about it at the time, I had the opportunity of seeing how I might respond when my time came to “grow up.” Of course, much of what I learned about life from my sister wasn’t truly realized until much later. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t change a thing about her or our circumstances.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">John Bunyan —</span></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">A few years later, one Easter when I was nine years old, my Mother gave me a paper-wrapped gift of a book, just a small book, but a book that required the stretching of the mind, both in language and in metaphor, to grasp its meaning. The book was the original English version of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. My mother had bought me this book and encouraged me to read it, because she could see that my feet were tending in a way that would not lead to either peace or happiness. My young self was making poor choices in friends and pastime. I had very little interest in things academic; in fact, I had very little interest in just about anything. Psychologists would say I was a classic case of a child raised in a troubled home. Alcohol and tobacco were frequent visitors to our home, and they brought all the troubles that generally travel with them: arguing; suspicion; yelling; never enough money for a working-class family.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Though John Bunyan lived hundreds of years before my time, his influence was still tugging on this bedraggled member of the human family. His language was not easy to be understood, so I had to pause long enough to let his thoughts sink in. His metaphors caused my mind to think in a manner that saw things that might not lie readily-seen on the surface. I have since learned that much of the world we live in is unseen, but that its influence is felt nevertheless. As a child I had no real religious education, and really felt no lack, though I had an interest, sort-of, in spiritual things; and I have since learned that "religious" and "spiritual" are not the same thing.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress was written shortly after the King James Version of the Bible was printed, but because the Bible had not yet made its way onto every shelf in every home, Pilgrim's Progress didn’t contain chapter number and verse every other line. Had it done so, I might not have been as interested in it as I was. I still have the book my mother gave me, and I still read it. I also have a dramatized version that I have listened to countless times, and did so as recently as a week ago.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Bunyan’s influence is still appreciated in my life, and I see no waning of interest in the near future.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<h4>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mark Twain —</span></h4>
<div style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0mm 0mm 3.52mm;"><span style="text-indent: 0mm;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">The next biggest influence (in time, though not necessarily in importance) was from another book my mother gave me as a birthday present when I was twelve years old. This book was Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This was my first introduction to Mark Twain, and his version of the English language I found to be most entertaining. The characters in the book are rich and diverse, and the one I most wanted to be like was Huck Finn. The idea of rafting the mighty Mississippi without much of a care in the world was a universe away from the troubled world I lived in. Mark Twain, being the brilliant writer that he was, weaved into this story, not just adventure, but values; values that I didn’t have; values that placed friendship above the supposed needs of the individual; values that placed a price upon the head of a man—a black slave named Jim—that could be esteemed of far more value than could be counted in money. When Huck decided he’d rather go to Hell than betray the only person who had ever really done right by him, well, I do believe I had some mighty fine software installed right there, software that I still don’t have to dig very deep to find. This software causes me to drive an extra minute, pay an extra dime, and climb an extra step in order to put my business with people who have taken the time to treat me with courtesy and kindness.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Though Twain, too, was from another century before my own time, his influence is still very hard at work in my life.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<h4>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">John Shepherd —</span></h4>
<div style="color: black;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">What followed was a very long, dry period of just getting by, socially, economically, even spiritually. Then when I was twenty-one years of age I was deputy manager at a restaurant complex: Ye Olde Rose Inne in Wokingham in Berkshire, England. Up to that point this was the most stimulating job I had ever worked. The complex had three restaurants and four bars which were handled on a full- and part-time basis by 80-90 members of staff. As deputy manager, my job was to make sure that all the staff had everything they needed—before and after the doors opened to the public. I'd love to re-live so many of the details, but suffice it to say, I was responsible for keeping the wheels of the machine greased, and I loved it.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">The man I worked for at this complex is the person who springs instantly to my mind when I think about the people who have had the most impact on my life. Mr. John Shepherd was very ordinary. He was shorter and smaller in stature than me, but what he lacked in size and strength, he made up for in experience and uprightness. Though he didn't smoke (a strange thing at that time for a publican), he did enjoy a small drink with a few of the regulars in the smallest, coziest bar in the place. He was very capable of doing any of the jobs on the property; he could cook, clean, pour drinks, serve food ... whatever might be needed, and from time to time he <span style="line-height: 27px;">exercised</span> those abilities.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="line-height: 27px;">Occasionally</span> we had to deal with members of the staff who were "fiddling" —stealing money or products, the absence of which wasn't really detected until times of stock-taking. Our management team (there were seven or more of us) was answerable for "business done" to higher-ups—the Area Execs and Regional Directors, so a day of reckoning always beckoned. In any business that handles products there are many ways to "cook the books" when things get out of whack, and many business people take that route, promising to make it up once they get things straight.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #010101; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">One time when we discovered that we had been royally ripped off by certain of the crooked staff among us, I was introduced to a side of Mr. Shepherd that I had not yet seen. Instead of trying to cover anything up, Mr. Shepherd immediately called upon the arm of our company responsible for weights and measures, and alcoholic gravities and the like to find out how much we had been ripped off and where to go from here to fix things. Mr. Shepherd was the first person I had met who truly wanted to know how bad things were, so he could figure out what to do. He had no desire to cover anything up. This was a strange attitude for me ... and I liked it.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #010101;"><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Setting things straight can be a painful, embarrassing process—for everyone involved. Through this and other experiences Mr. Shepherd taught me that nothing gets better by continually trying to cover things up, and until someone takes an honest look at the situation—as bad as it may be—nothing can be done to fix the problem. I found this attitude to be one that suited me perfectly, and have leaned on this mentality ever since.</span></span></span></span><span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"> I can sadly say that</span></span></span> <span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">I</span></span></span> <span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">have been unable to fix every problem that has attached itself to my life, but at least</span></span></span> <span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">I</span></span></span> <span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">feel like</span></span></span> <span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">I</span></span></span> <span style="word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="-webkit-nbsp-mode: space;"><span style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">had a fair understanding of the situation at the time.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Perhaps Mr. Shepherd springs first to mind because he was so much not like me at the time. He had his feet planted squarely on the ground, whereas I had virtually no anchor ... and no compass—moral, spiritual or otherwise.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spiritual Awakening —</span></h4>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In my twenty-sixth year I had a spiritual awakening. The sister I had found just a few lines up in this writing was taken from my family by a run-in with cancer. She was thirty-one years of age when she stepped out of our lives. All of us—friends, family and everyone in between—were devastated. Perhaps for the first time in our lives we were confronted with the fragility of our mortality. Surprisingly, my first reaction was to blame God for his "mistake." Were there not others more worthy of losing their lives? What had she done to deserve this? I was angry with God. What was surprising to me about this reaction was that I really had no idea who God was, and there I was blaming Him for something I had not seen Him do. It was confusing ... and eye-opening.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Needless to say, Heaven was very silent concerning my complaint about this order of business. I wasn't struck dead for blasphemy. No lightning bolt silenced my insolent tongue. What <i>did</i> happen was there was born in me a growing curiosity regarding things in the spirit world. Who was this God I had ignorantly confronted? What kind of a world does He live in? Who are these people we call angels? And, of course, top of the curiosity list: what happens to people when they die? Where had my sister gone? Could she see me? Could she interact with me?</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once again, the first person on my list of people who've had the greatest impact on my life ... was back on the list. My loss of her had caused me to reach up and out. Here she was once again changing my life, this time from beyond the grave.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Initially my world fell apart. While something inside me was born, at the very same time I started to die. For the longest time I was slowly shrinking away inside a facade. Brokenhearted, broken spirit, no real reason to live. My parents resorted to the alcohol that had faithfully supported them for most of their adult lives, so there was no help there.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The urge to launch into recalling a long series of unbelievable events is strong, but that's not what this piece of writing is about—not really. So let's pick up here:</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn't get "saved" in the traditional sense. What I did get was an introduction to the God who claimed to have created all of the world we live in. Those questions that were awakened in me were somewhat addressed in what we call the Christian Bible. And here began the journey with the Person who, by far, has had the biggest impact on my life.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I suppose, concerning my understanding of God, for most of my life I had been an agnostic: I believed the world had come from something or someone; there was far too much beauty, order and math in the natural world for me to believe there wasn't a designer of some kind. But I was fuzzy on the details. English people really don't have religious conversations, so any interest I might have had as a youngster soon got lost in the business of life.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've never seen God. Never heard His voice. Don't know what language He prefers to speak. Don't know what color His eyes are, or what His favorite color is. Beyond the brief description of what God is like — kind, long-suffering, merciful, loving, and more — I really don't know much about Him at all. But I can discern His handiwork in everything we have a microscope or a telescope to see; His <span style="line-height: 27px;">mathematical</span> fingerprints are all over the scenery ... in the very close ... and in the very far.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I discovered in the Bible a pen pal, a Father, from Whom I enjoy one-sided descriptions, not so much of who He is and where He lives, but of how well He knows my name, where I live, and what my aspirations are. This Being we call God appears to live outside of time and place, and uses no ink in trying to describe to us a reality we have no way of understanding.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's true, I have never "sensed" God, but I have had the experience of "knowing." Through a series of very personal experiences God has been made "known" to me in a manner beyond the senses, just like when you sit in a familiar room, close your eyes, and "know" where things are in the room. You couldn't prove your experience to anybody else, especially if that somebody else had never been familiar with the same room. Imagine the amount of times you might have sleepily, but safely, wandered into the bathroom at home during the dark of the night, then compare that with how different your experience has been in a darkened hotel room. Yes, I've walked into a few strange walls a couple of times myself.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Bible speaks of God having a Son, Jesus, and of God giving that Son for the redemption of the dying human race. I have become familiar with all the human answers for why Jesus had to die, but I can honestly say I don't understand it. Surely One Who is all powerful, all wise and all knowing could fix things without having to resort to this horrible act of barbarism. But I am convinced, because of the greatness of the One in command, that if there was a better, more efficient, more effective way for the human race to be saved ... that's the way things would be working.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not All the Answers —</span></h4>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Contrary to popular belief, the Bible doesn't contain all the answers. Perhaps it contains all the answers I need to know, but God has caused me to think further, and to ask questions regarding the world we live in, why things work this way, and if there's a way to get something done that will be more agreeable to my personality and abilities. What's out beyond that horizon? Why are there so many languages? Why so many stars? What kind of light appeared on the first day of Creation when the sun didn't appear until the fourth day? Is the universe some kind of giant timepiece—a clock? Some would say, "What's the meaning of life?"</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">God has had a tremendous impact on my life, one that keeps on vibrating. And perhaps without all these other influences in my life I wouldn't have so much interest in being less selfish, or have a desire for things to be better, or have any wish to behave in a more noble manner.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pain and sadness that creep into my life and into the lives of those I love are no greater nor lesser than anyone else's. My tears are just as real and stinging as yours. But what makes such a big difference in the way I manage my corner of life on earth, is that I don't have to do it alone; there is a shoulder, bigger than mine, that I "know" is there. Though I cannot see them, I "know" there are arms long enough to wrap entirely around me. And I "know" that things will not go on this way forever; the God who made everything right in the beginning will put everything right in the end.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I thank God for the people who have stepped into my life, and I thank God for being interested enough to step into my timeline and to help me recognize and appreciate those people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">And would it not also be fair to include my mother who especially had a tremendous influence in my life? How would my list look had not my mother given me life and love in the first place? Suppose she had not given life to my sister? Or had not given me that first book? Or the second book? All of a sudden our list of influential people takes on a very 3-dimensional look, doesn't it? </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you've got this far in the reading of this piece, I thank you for your time, and I would just encourage you to consider the people who have made a difference in your life. If you can, while you can, thank them for being who they are. And, if you wear one, tip your hat to a God who has had an interest in you for longer than you know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-40741673889104116832014-07-14T10:57:00.001-05:002014-07-14T11:02:01.104-05:00Mirrors<div dir="ltr">
<b><i> • By Tony Harriman</i></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpF-L_WpO6Sm6QdU4iIIuxbGfK3qB8rnAigjm2b8qLuVwS11lk9y9AtgncMD2fArmPpF7t31GRx_7Qr3eHuD8jN-PVVSeWvETRpXps3AaTa0BAxpE-r5jFx3ex54tPTl97uH7tXOly80/s1600/eye_reflection_by_katy57-d5jyzys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpF-L_WpO6Sm6QdU4iIIuxbGfK3qB8rnAigjm2b8qLuVwS11lk9y9AtgncMD2fArmPpF7t31GRx_7Qr3eHuD8jN-PVVSeWvETRpXps3AaTa0BAxpE-r5jFx3ex54tPTl97uH7tXOly80/s1600/eye_reflection_by_katy57-d5jyzys.jpg" height="230" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>It seems to me that any discussion on the topic of light has to include at least a mention of mirrors. Mirrors quite cleverly reflect images in the form of light waves.</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Mirrors, in effect, are curious things. When we look at ourselves in a mirror, we see everything about us reflected horizontally. Our left shoulder now looks like our right shoulder, and so on. Because of the way our eyes work in our heads, the mirror does not reflect our image vertically; in other words, we don't see our head where our feet should be, etc.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
As common as modern domestic mirrors are, the earth actually survived a long time without them, relying largely on buffed-up metal surfaces. The foil-backed glass and plastics that comprise what we generally think of when we think of mirrors actually show up almost everywhere:</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
• Vehicles<br />
• CDs (Compact Discs)<br />
• Cameras<br />
• Telescopes<br />
• Security Systems<br />
• Public Restrooms</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
To name just a few.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
In common mirrors the reflective surface is applied behind the glass, and a very faint second image is produced by the reflection of the glass surface itself; the reason being that a very slight refraction is caused by the light passing twice through the glass surface of the mirror. Mirrors which are to be used in astronomical telescopes are either produced using highly-polished metal, or have the mirrored surface applied to the front surface of the glass, or whatever substrate is to be used.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFavW2PRQDgpv4pzOvq04BWoX1paxjumwhzhL4vogKYTN7mLTjouD7fM9pZo52X8KvlFd07UWQkUpnJxwq_OsQZ8h_qIkAchbpjzgoGistpmAc48BnUJq_l33DqzxUczE4_pJO1POXlw/s1600/howl,moon,art,silhouette,wolf,wolves-d98e871227aace4be0b4f7438295707d_h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFavW2PRQDgpv4pzOvq04BWoX1paxjumwhzhL4vogKYTN7mLTjouD7fM9pZo52X8KvlFd07UWQkUpnJxwq_OsQZ8h_qIkAchbpjzgoGistpmAc48BnUJq_l33DqzxUczE4_pJO1POXlw/s1600/howl,moon,art,silhouette,wolf,wolves-d98e871227aace4be0b4f7438295707d_h.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
All of the planets and moons in our solar system have no light of their own; the only reason we see them as they shine at night (and sometimes during early evening and morning, as does Venus) is because their surfaces act like mirrors, and the light of our sun reflects off of them. Our moon is as bright as it is because it reflects light from our sun. Though a very dim representation, the moon and planets are in a sense acting as mirrors; there's no high definition of images, but definitely lots of light.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I once read an article about a mirror which had been set up on the moon, and which pointed at earth. The purpose being that a beam of light may be sent to the moon, and its speed measured by how long the beam took to return. That's the simple version; but it took some clever, engineering minds to work it out.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Mirrors really are everywhere in the natural world, from the still, calm surface of a lazy summer lake, to the northern harbors of North America; in fact, just about every body of water -- large or small -- offers itself as a reflector of something in the distance. Even the lowly puddle will look back at you if you look into it. Some liquids, such as mercury, will cast a gorgeous reflection; some of you may remember that all thermometers contained mercury before it came to be recognized as a toxic substance -- hence the expression, "the mercury is rising," meant that summer was coming. Mercury's molecular structure is so dense that its surface is super smooth looking just like a silver mirror.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Here's an interesting observation: most of us know what a mirage is. A mirage, in simple terms, is what appears to be a reflection off of the atmosphere showing objects and events which exist perhaps many miles beyond where the reflection of them is actually seen. A real curious phenomenon which many times I have promised myself I would investigate further is that of reflections which may be seen on hot road surfaces. The phenomenon I'm referring to is the one that makes the road look like there's a huge puddle of water in the distance in front of you as you drive. As you approach the puddle, it disappears. What's really curious about this is that the puddle of water ... which isn't really there ... reflects objects which are beyond itself, so that you may see the colors of distant signposts, or the images of cars traveling toward you. I used to think that, for this oddity to appear, the sun had to be behind you just a little; but these mirrors in the road (mirages) even show up at night, and it seems not to matter whether the air is cold or hot. In a documentary I watched recently, evidence was presented that the iceberg which sank the Titanic was hidden from the view of the lookouts for a full thirty minutes by a cold water mirage, where the air in front of the ship acted as a lens, masking the deadly iceberg with a reflected image from a long way away. I'm seriously going to have to investigate this a little further.<br />
<br />
Some other time I suppose someone should raise the discussion of cloaking technology which is designed to bend light around an object, making it appear that the object is not there at all. But not right now.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnQqka9B38gHDXGHf3HrGeu8mqXa8kIiY8YDf7M4WwrWwQUJ6TKp0twv59vRgE7l52YUetrEBIKqurDPv3jrew6qrLFyyUtqYSpia3X_GrZx-idOO-O60m3xLM3LjhKxw-fvPnuL2lQU/s1600/light-of-the-world1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnQqka9B38gHDXGHf3HrGeu8mqXa8kIiY8YDf7M4WwrWwQUJ6TKp0twv59vRgE7l52YUetrEBIKqurDPv3jrew6qrLFyyUtqYSpia3X_GrZx-idOO-O60m3xLM3LjhKxw-fvPnuL2lQU/s1600/light-of-the-world1.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a></div>
Right now, let's consider a spiritual application of the mirror, how will reflected spiritual light from God be seen by those looking at Him through us? Won't people have a distorted view? Won't everything seem backward? Well … yes — and no. Light from God doesn't come directly from God to us. If I understand my Bible correctly, light from God begins its journey to the human family as a reflection off of the person of Jesus. So if I am acting as a mirror, then by the time the light reaches another soul the adjustment will be made naturally before it reaches that soul, much like a periscope works on a submarine; multiple mirrors are set up so that the image seen is a true picture of what's going on above the surface of the water; turn the periscope left ... and you'll see left. It seems that God had this thought in mind when He made us, since Jesus very plainly stated that a person who sees Him will be seeing the Father. it would seem, then, that our responsibility as those who see God through Jesus, should spend our energies turning others to Jesus so that they may see the Father for themselves. The Father, of course, probably doesn't need an elaborate setup of spiritual mirrors to communicate with us, any more than a computer would need its data streamed in back to front. But because I am a believer in the idea that all created things are telling us something about their Creator, I have to stop and wonder what is being taught by the concept of the mirror.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Reflecting the light of God appears often to be an involuntary action on the part of human beings. Though the meaning is not fully understood, mankind has been made in the image of God. In our frame appears to be the ability to, not only act as prisms giving definition to the light shining in and out of us, but also to reflect the light off of us. God has made us so, and there is probably very little we can do about it. I imagine we could be an excellent surface in the service of God, off of which He might fully shine ... if we'd just keep still and cooperate. I'm reminded of a verse, "Be STILL and KNOW that I am God."<br />
<br />
There is another avenue we might travel as we explore the mirror phenomenon: and that's the avenue down which we may consider the idea of God actually hiding His people from those who would do them harm at the close of the world's history.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IBL3essrxAWMsJktVpec8MpFJmt8jQZjoiWbyHR90U6VS8qxvlH2H2OiQiAnTeIuRSDBxX3cVSp-fLQD3UxKdcNRl17AuoVMKt08664CSmVBpboaSCYmTcwQBHI05fQ1LgkkZ1fuTCM/s1600/Sears_magician-en.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IBL3essrxAWMsJktVpec8MpFJmt8jQZjoiWbyHR90U6VS8qxvlH2H2OiQiAnTeIuRSDBxX3cVSp-fLQD3UxKdcNRl17AuoVMKt08664CSmVBpboaSCYmTcwQBHI05fQ1LgkkZ1fuTCM/s1600/Sears_magician-en.jpg" height="153" width="200" /></a></div>
Obviously God doesn't need to use smoke and mirrors such as a magician might do; but it would be a big mistake to ignore the very real notion that God has ways of hiding and revealing things from human eyes as He sees fit. To my mind the Bible is full of accounts where the senses of human beings were either closed or opened as the need arose: <br />
<br />
• Elisha's servant had his eyes opened to the reality of an entire army fighting for them (2 Kings 6:17).<br />
<br />
• God opened the eyes of Hagar and she saw a well of water (Genesis 21:19).<br />
<br />
• God opened the eyes of Balaam (Numbers 22:31).<br />
<br />
<b>There are also many accounts of God closing or opening the eyes of perception: </b><br />
<br />
• Isaiah prophesied of the closing of the people's eyes of understanding (Isaiah 29:10). <br />
<br />
• Daniel was told that the words he was inquiring about were closed and sealed till the time of the end; so it wouldn't have mattered how clearly the words were explained, Daniel would not have been able to understand them at that time (Daniel 12).<br />
<br />
• The eyes of Adam and Eve were opened as they ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:7).<br />
<br />
So read again the verse: "Be still …," and picture a moment when God has His hand around you, shielding you from your enemies. You can see them, but they cannot see you. At that moment … be still … don't make a sound; because if you do, someone will hear you. Does anyone remember the accounts of Jewish families hiding in the attics and cellars of Samaritans in an attempt to escape the slaughter of the Nazis? Have you ever read books about how the families had to be motionless during the daytime so they wouldn't be heard? God is well able to protect you … just shut up and be still. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu3K0tGgPGwyk3It4L8AkHRDF-8HosTPIdb8pMHVH5y_0HpKi1VmPqKnB72AvVIYlllN-0J4skB0qJJxLQGnzRk3yQTqAv9ARTx8QucYBU8iZQaF4QN4ZZuE-k0WO_82MqVunBaGGniY/s1600/Roberts-Jewish-War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyu3K0tGgPGwyk3It4L8AkHRDF-8HosTPIdb8pMHVH5y_0HpKi1VmPqKnB72AvVIYlllN-0J4skB0qJJxLQGnzRk3yQTqAv9ARTx8QucYBU8iZQaF4QN4ZZuE-k0WO_82MqVunBaGGniY/s1600/Roberts-Jewish-War.jpg" height="115" width="200" /></a></div>
Josephus, a Bible-times historian, wrote of the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70; he recorded that in the sky were seen images of Roman armies gathering for battle. Obviously the armies weren't in the sky; they were just reflections, supernatural or otherwise. So whatever you want to make of that, you shouldn't miss the fact that people in Jerusalem were given a glimpse of an imminent attack, and if they were going to get out, now was the time to do it. And many did … and lived to tell the tale.<br />
<br />
Just a snippet of an observation worth mentioning, though maybe unnecessary, is that a person may not see his or her reflection in either a photograph of a mirror, or in a video recording of a mirror. You have to stop and think about that thought for a moment, and maybe you've never considered it before, but it's worth thinking through -- because somewhere in that reality, God has provided Himself a way of protecting you.<br />
<br />
From the idea of mirrors we can see how God, the Inventor of mirrors, can make something seem very close when it's not close at all. We can also see how something may be hidden from our eyes completely. The thing or person may still be present, but cannot be seen because of a very simple introduction of the shield and buckler of the Lord, hidden under the shadow of His wings. Perhaps these verses with which we are very familiar, even though they have a spiritual counterpart, actually mean exactly what they say. I'm willing to place my trust in that. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<i><b>And that's just my take on it ....</b></i></div>
Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-28117335150573892562014-04-09T15:12:00.001-05:002014-04-09T15:12:32.792-05:00Prism Breakout!<b><i> • By Tony Harriman</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOlIZqk-XTRbpbvtEJsJKNxO04xY946RL7hBDyBu0SX5U7cJFh0POxusjeAKn_32GnT29oJz3I8slJ-ivXrEEPsDen7F8-lYN5p1pPuTUjvaPK1p5ET0LSDzhGyj9CBBV57qvz-LZPjI/s1600/Light_dispersion_of_a_mercury-vapor_lamp_with_a_flint_glass_prism_IPNr%C2%B00125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOlIZqk-XTRbpbvtEJsJKNxO04xY946RL7hBDyBu0SX5U7cJFh0POxusjeAKn_32GnT29oJz3I8slJ-ivXrEEPsDen7F8-lYN5p1pPuTUjvaPK1p5ET0LSDzhGyj9CBBV57qvz-LZPjI/s1600/Light_dispersion_of_a_mercury-vapor_lamp_with_a_flint_glass_prism_IPNr%C2%B00125.jpg" height="320" width="262" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: #20124d;">If you weren't listening closely, you could easily confuse the sounds of the words "prism" and "prison."</span></b> Though very close in sound, these two words couldn't be farther apart in meaning. If you wanted to have a little tongue-in-cheek wordplay, you might say that these two words are antonyms of each other.<br />
<br />
A prison is designed with the intention of keeping something in. The effect of a prism is to set something free.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Let's explore ….</b></h3>
<br />
There comes a time in a person's life when they are introduced to the idea that there are bad people in the world, people who intend to do us harm, and prisons have been built to house them and keep them away from the rest of society. The worldwide prison system idea has been around a long time … because bad people have been around a long time. Once a person goes behind the gates, unless they break out, there they will stay until their sentence is completed. The prison is specifically designed to keep them in.<br />
<br />
There comes another time in a person's life when they are introduced to the concept of the prism. A person doesn't have to go very far, or spend a lot of money on college courses, before they can see a prism at work. Prisms are doing their thing almost every time we turn around. When light hits a prism, wonderful things happen.<br />
<br />
There are so many observations that can be made about the wonders of light that would take far more time than I want to invest right here; so this will be brief. I know for a fact that some of you reading this short piece will have all kinds of lights going on regarding this topic, and I invite you to share those observations in a short paper — because they're worth sharing. I'd like to park on a few of my own observations for just a couple of minutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIbtOwgsNIDNAMT7VpXglMse2CG8J7K4sqctHl19FcSVrLCqj92X-uupIKfVJrKqpAflschSOfvIDNZWC6js5ouMao3rrRUnrbA62nzZoHyUu-FJwzhfx6pu7z6bH4ed9IOcrrmqPVBs/s1600/Rainbow-View-HQ-Wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIbtOwgsNIDNAMT7VpXglMse2CG8J7K4sqctHl19FcSVrLCqj92X-uupIKfVJrKqpAflschSOfvIDNZWC6js5ouMao3rrRUnrbA62nzZoHyUu-FJwzhfx6pu7z6bH4ed9IOcrrmqPVBs/s1600/Rainbow-View-HQ-Wallpaper.jpg" height="120" width="200" /></a></div>
Probably the first place any of us notice a prism at work is in a sunny sky after a rain shower; that huge multi-colored bow is caused by the reflection and refraction of light passing through and among tiny water droplets in the sky. Countless droplets are producing the behavior of prisms and, acting together, they cause that dazzling phenomenon we know as … a rainbow. <br />
<br />
With the sun at your back, rainbows are only ever seen in the sky in front of you; a rainbow caused by the sun never appears between you and the sun. The colors are always in the same order in a rainbow: red on the outside, blue on the inside. Occasionally a second rainbow appears outside of what is known as the "Primary Rainbow," and the colors are then reversed: red on the inside, blue on the outside — reversed, but always in their order.<br />
<br />
Since the rainbow is also a product of our eyes — our perception — it may never be approached. One can never dig up the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, because one can never stand at the end of a rainbow he or she can see with the eyes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQ7BiRD0Do1ClTE9tufV39mYXqCTm6ts__A2mPnFhx9FgwPv89PODJI08pFI0bQEsmsOwMa2CvaAkY7kfkKuRnlt7ixhwgNL0UTKKdOg1aec3BRqf_qkA91i_5UWU7tsuHhl543Vtd24/s1600/Color-Black-and-White-Rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQ7BiRD0Do1ClTE9tufV39mYXqCTm6ts__A2mPnFhx9FgwPv89PODJI08pFI0bQEsmsOwMa2CvaAkY7kfkKuRnlt7ixhwgNL0UTKKdOg1aec3BRqf_qkA91i_5UWU7tsuHhl543Vtd24/s1600/Color-Black-and-White-Rainbow.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></div>
A black-and-white photo of a rainbow produces no perceivable banding such as can be seen in a color photo, just a gradual intensity and less intensity of image.<br />
<br />
Rainbows can be caused by any form of airborne water, including the jet of mist coming from that little hole in the garden hose.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvFbcIKhc_06s6XZxdNx4WmIXsKW6WeObnjxNwVJvUhZpMLv87hlI3ShRO-eFxUNxwpM_sxxpPUuOKRtP6c57CYVtyCj8A1PBEeYu2LNnvZ9NS0yCrtfncULLjgh258F1L5gQPIj96-4/s1600/Soap_bubbles-jurvetson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvFbcIKhc_06s6XZxdNx4WmIXsKW6WeObnjxNwVJvUhZpMLv87hlI3ShRO-eFxUNxwpM_sxxpPUuOKRtP6c57CYVtyCj8A1PBEeYu2LNnvZ9NS0yCrtfncULLjgh258F1L5gQPIj96-4/s1600/Soap_bubbles-jurvetson.jpg" height="139" width="200" /></a></div>
The application of some serious math causes what we know as rainbows. Should a person be dropped off on a desolate, unorganized world somewhere out yonder and be told to make it pretty, that person would be hard pressed to invent some of the serious calculations needed to make even a start on a rainbow. Imagine if that person wanted to invent a soap bubble; not only would he or she have to invent the math necessary to enclose a lump of gas in a non-solid object, but now a way has to be found to have the inside and outside surfaces of the bubble produce … a rainbow. It's just a simple bubble — but not so simple to invent. Bubbles and rainbows have been around a long time, and were probably on the mind of King Solomon when he observed that there was nothing new under the sun. Human beings invent cell phones, computers and televisions (out of existing material, we might add); we don't wake up one morning and introduce the world to a whole new natural phenomenon we just invented — like floating axes or jugs of oil that never run dry.<br />
<br />
My wife is a person who enjoys the beauty of light reflecting off the many shiny things of our world, so this past Christmas I bought her one of those wind chimes that comprises a sparkly butterfly and a small multi-sided crystal. The sound of the chimes is delightful in the breeze, but the instrument really comes to life when the sun hits the crystal; the whole side of the house gets covered in a living tapestry of moving rainbows — totally delightful! And the colors? Always in their order. The little crystal is acting as a prism, casting forth small packets of colors as it turns.<br />
<br />
One may ask, "Where do all the colors come from?" The truth is … all the colors of the rainbow are contained in a single beam of light; all the colors mixed together produce what we see as white (at least as close to white light as seems natural). On the other side of the prism, the side toward the light, the light in appearance is actually colorless to our eyes. All the colors are there, but, unaided, we are unable to see them.<br />
<br />
My mind is brought back to the passages in the Bible stating that "God is Light;" that Jesus is "The Light of the World;" that the disciples of Jesus were to continue the quest of being "The Light of the World;" that they are to "Walk in the Light" as He is "In the Light." Though definitely not fully comprehended in its day (or even in this), the concept, to my mind, was definitely an inspired idea.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>So with that thought in mind, let's explore how we might find spiritual parallels in the world of light.</b></h3>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoshEdbqW9UHLipSz-4bJTV3EI2nYyuB8068V50K7rumrGwk21yjsRzU0VP-jxsWsugKyWeve2IPIXLZP33vS8SP21XxT_TBgmiEi6_xe6o_v0rgfn6Q73aB9Sp7DJmZ14AF4dfuHAjU/s1600/Prism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoshEdbqW9UHLipSz-4bJTV3EI2nYyuB8068V50K7rumrGwk21yjsRzU0VP-jxsWsugKyWeve2IPIXLZP33vS8SP21XxT_TBgmiEi6_xe6o_v0rgfn6Q73aB9Sp7DJmZ14AF4dfuHAjU/s1600/Prism.jpg" /></a></div>
God, of course, is the ultimate source of light — spiritual light — light that matters to the heavenly welfare of thinking beings. Human beings might be regarded as the instruments — the prisms — being used on earth to set loose among the people the many aspects of that light … at least, the light we can see (remember, in the physical world, the human eye can distinguish only a fraction of the light available). So, in a sense, it's our job to keep our surfaces clean and polished so that all the available light can get through to us — and also get out of us. Knowing some of you as I do, I don't doubt that many of you who are reading this just dusted off many pages of mental information regarding what must be done to keep the windows un-misted. That's not where I want to go, so let me pull your attention back to the light.<br />
<br />
One of the ways investigators in the policing world determine whether or not a suspect is telling the truth is that the suspect is asked to give an alibi … what was he or she doing at the time of the crime being investigated. After the suspect gives an account, he or she is then asked again to gives details of the time in question — but in reverse order. A made up story will be very difficult to keep track of, even under the best of circumstances. A suspect who leaves out a detail — however minor — will quickly get attention from those who are paying attention. By contrast, if light from God enters the mind of a human being, then that light will always tell the same story, whether it starts at the beginning, or the end. Light from God never lies; it always tells the same story. Heavenly light shared by a human being may be a little dim; the colors may not be so vivid … but all the colors will be there nevertheless — in their order. Once you become acquainted with the orderliness of the colors of the rainbow, you recognize the pattern every time you see it. If you should ever be introduced to a rainbow whose colors where not lined up correctly, you would spot the error immediately. The colors may be in a different order than you are used to, but once you understand why, then the fix in your mind is easy to make.<br />
<br />
As far as we can tell, human beings get heavenly light from one or more of three sources: The Book of Nature; the Book of the Bible, and from mental inspiration and stimulation. These three God-given methods, if they are from the same source, will always tell the same story, never deviate from each other. If one of these methods appears to contain a unique snippet of information, then that snippet should be added to the information offered by the other two methods. If the Book of Nature appears to tell a story which differs from the other two stories, then I believe close examination should be made of my interpretation of the story given by the Book of Nature. If my mind wakes one morning with the flash of an idea, an idea I believe has been given by inspiration from God, but the idea conflicts with the lessons offered in Nature or the Bible, then I really ought to give some serious consideration regarding where that inspiration might have come from … because there is evidence of another spirit, a darker spirit, seeking to enlighten my mind to who knows what end — certainly not Heavenward.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysQc8OIdmr8oKPF1SBgsCaOw6xSTBAJ3-eFwOQDd73_njSkAoUgTQ6tmeZXkvFrcAeNmNZgWayb1QGYnFzb2ZBSphoHnWHF8C8Bz-dTyUGLTHE6zuph7MNiyTGO7J9Pl3PYTxn_V1CJI/s1600/img_119488_b06cd9d1b838324de251845ce1987fe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysQc8OIdmr8oKPF1SBgsCaOw6xSTBAJ3-eFwOQDd73_njSkAoUgTQ6tmeZXkvFrcAeNmNZgWayb1QGYnFzb2ZBSphoHnWHF8C8Bz-dTyUGLTHE6zuph7MNiyTGO7J9Pl3PYTxn_V1CJI/s1600/img_119488_b06cd9d1b838324de251845ce1987fe2.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
To my mind, the Word of God — in the Bible, the Book of Nature, or inspiration — should always paint the same picture. Take the colors of the Ten Commandments as an example; they always read the same. Actually, all the colors of the Commandments read the same … even if you jumble the colors up. What lesson from the rainbow might we apply to the Commandments if we are introduced to the idea that one of the colors doesn't belong in the rainbow? What might we conclude about an artist who paints a rainbow for us, but leaves out one or more of the plainly-visible colors? Well, of course, that math is easy to do, isn't it? The artist has unwittingly, or otherwise, filtered out part of the light. Perhaps the artist is color blind — a color-blind person would probably not be a reliable artist.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Occasionally accounts arise in the Bible that seem most unreasonable:</b></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• An ax head that floats when sought by someone tossing a stick (<span style="background-color: white;">2 Kings 6:4-6).</span></span><br />
<br />
• A cruse of oil that never runs dry when blessed by the prophet (1 Kings 17:16).<br />
<br />
• Manna that falls from heaven for six-day sessions, but not on the seventh day (Exodus 16).<br />
<br />
• A child born from a virgin (Matthew 1 & 2).<br />
<br />
• The feeding of 5,000 men from the lunch of a young boy (Matthew 14).<br />
<br />
• The raising of Lazarus four days after his death (John 11).<br />
<br />
These Biblical accounts, and many others like them, may baffle us. Though unlikely, not one of them is a direct contradiction to any other part of inspiration — be it in the Book of nature or due to direct inspiration from heaven. In other words, just because our understanding of reason and physics dictates that the world should behave in a certain way, doesn't mean that there is no more to learn. Our understanding of physics dictates that water shall boil at a certain temperature; but one day a man realizes that the water he is heating begins to boil at less than the prescribed temperature. Eventually it is realized that the man was half-way up a mountain, where the differing atmospheric pressures change things — the physics don't change … but the physics have additional math applied which, up to that point, no one knew existed. There is no command in the Bible forbidding the floating of ax-heads; no command forbidding the "actual" raising of the dead; no command saying how many may be fed from a plate of food.<br />
<br />
There is evidently no color in the light which is of more importance than any other. The fact that the light travels packaged together should be an indication that it's all necessary — even the light we are unaware of. Just because we can't see it, doesn't mean we don't need it. If the colors of the rainbow had each a mind and a mouth, they would think and state that they are each a part of the body of the beam of light; no color would feel more important than any other. Each color is different — but no lesser, nor greater than the neighbors.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPwrYGZ6Xzs5F4QyLSN3UbUConQHoNzdZhhokrVtgWCHfpxBrYBjPXVrDMphBHYBCHesDP1hZK4sCzuHByAxFtjaJwwHWR14TgeKn6fEEuPseZtsWO31ohXVCGvw38NOMHO9NnlBQGR0/s1600/Light+Spectrum+Abstract+Background_110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEPwrYGZ6Xzs5F4QyLSN3UbUConQHoNzdZhhokrVtgWCHfpxBrYBjPXVrDMphBHYBCHesDP1hZK4sCzuHByAxFtjaJwwHWR14TgeKn6fEEuPseZtsWO31ohXVCGvw38NOMHO9NnlBQGR0/s1600/Light+Spectrum+Abstract+Background_110.jpg" height="125" width="200" /></a></div>
In a manner of speaking, the prism is setting the colors free. The colors are being defined for us by an object outside of us. In reality, the prism doesn't separate the colors; it just spreads the colors out so that they may be more easily defined — but the colors are inseparable.<br />
<br />
Someone should share with us their thoughts on the marvelous math and machinery of the lighthouse … the one keeping the sailors aware of the rocks beneath the waves.<br />
<br />
Someone should share their observations regarding the beauty and power of what we know as a laser beam, able to cut a hole through steel, and yet be gentle enough to allow the skillful performance of eye surgery.<br />
<br />
And someone should seriously investigate what might cause a green rainbow around a throne in Heaven (Revelation 4:3).<br />
<br />
Because the lessons of light being continually unlocked by modern science appear to me to have no ending.<br />
<br />
<b><i>And that's just my take on it ….</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-4297912815713741962014-02-27T20:20:00.001-06:002014-02-27T23:22:19.196-06:00We're Better than This!<i> • By Tony Harriman</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsfku6O2DBzSwq1retcqO3cjEeGMUxHj1GX9DgB2b-GYdBT0ebT0q1Oo4YHfvcVCL7TaTn0R71ZxJWXfA-DaBNkcMwWUWq3vcvs7CzKT232M1uVSKVjvSBcNnUFxgCU6pRJ-YYS_aDz0/s1600/Sochi+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsfku6O2DBzSwq1retcqO3cjEeGMUxHj1GX9DgB2b-GYdBT0ebT0q1Oo4YHfvcVCL7TaTn0R71ZxJWXfA-DaBNkcMwWUWq3vcvs7CzKT232M1uVSKVjvSBcNnUFxgCU6pRJ-YYS_aDz0/s1600/Sochi+2014.jpg" height="191" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: red;">Last weekend, in one of the largest stadiums in the Russian Federation,</span></b> the Winter Olympic Games for 2014 came to a close with the usual call to the youth of the world to assemble at the next venue four years on. It was quite an impressive sight to see so many nations of the world represented by a handful of young nationals, one of whom from each nation having the honor of bearing the flag for his or her country. There were the usual celebrations of joy … and tears. National pride meets individual determination, and the crowd cheers for those who do well … and those who come close to doing well.<br />
<br />
The Olympic Games have come a long way since their humble beginning in Greece almost three thousand years ago. Now, just about every nation in the world sends delegates to either the summer or the winter Games, including Jamaica, which actually sent a bobsled team. Right now, the Games are the only opportunity the people of the world have where they can come together for a common cause. Yes, everyone is competing against each other, and we would all like our own country to do well in the competition, but recognition is given by all to those who succeed, regardless of the country of origin.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20AMXdxezuq35eliZs7pEEF6ELaEmD9WK_lijnAp0OwjV5VwvelkIytJqaTuLj_yd2ooxXk3CwG_tGMIgowTdceWeXmX8WsymGZALRHAZ2shynA9CqHSSec0QhjgvL-qX0bjPHclaEro/s1600/Hate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg20AMXdxezuq35eliZs7pEEF6ELaEmD9WK_lijnAp0OwjV5VwvelkIytJqaTuLj_yd2ooxXk3CwG_tGMIgowTdceWeXmX8WsymGZALRHAZ2shynA9CqHSSec0QhjgvL-qX0bjPHclaEro/s1600/Hate.jpg" height="138" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>It's sad that 7 billion+ earthlings can find so little reason to assemble themselves together.</b> Of course, it's not really the fault of the average people; it's the result of centuries of disagreement and distrust among the elders. Children have to learn prejudices; they have to learn to be bigots, racists, chauvinists, or supremacists. And do you think they learn those behaviors from other children? Possibly. But I would place a hearty bet on the reality that those other children learned those behaviors from adults. Wouldn't you agree that bullies learn to be that way because they see that behavior in an adult? A spouse physically or verbally abusing a partner is installing that same warped mental software in his or her children. Eventually those children leave the playground and go on to lead some portion of the world — maybe just their own family … but maybe to lead some major area of the planet. And maybe one day they wake up with a grand idea to rid the world of all the troublemakers, whose only fault is that they don't fit the ideal of the person in the Big Chair. This grand idea was the fuel which powered the Nazi machine, and time hasn't yet healed the wound.<br />
<br />
<b>The mindset that should disturb you more than any other is the one that rests on any one of these pillars:</b><br />
<br />
<b>• My toys are better than your toys</b><br />
<br />
• My Dad is stronger than your Dad<br />
<br />
<b>• My school is better than your school</b><br />
<br />
• My team is better than your team<br />
<br />
<b>• My town is better than your town</b><br />
<br />
• My country is better than your country<br />
<br />
<b>• My language is better than your language</b><br />
<br />
• My kids are better than yours<br />
<br />
<b>• My skin color is better than yours</b><br />
<br />
• My ethnicity is better than yours<br />
<br />
<b>• My gender is better than your gender</b><br />
<br />
• My line of work is better than yours<br />
<br />
<b>• My religion is better than your religion</b><br />
<br />
• My church is better than yours<br />
<br />
<b>• My view of the world is better than yours</b><br />
<br />
• My understanding of things is better than yours<br />
<br />
<b>And, of course, the platform being supported by all these pillars, though not easily seen:</b><br />
<br />
<b>• I'm better than you — I … am better than you!</b><br />
<br />
I don't think it would do any of us any harm at all to try to realign our minds to the true realities of life. For instance, next time you have to fill in some official form, try to think of things in these terms:<br />
<br />
<b>When asked —</b><br />
<br />
<b>• Race? Answer:<i> Human</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>• Citizenship? Answer: <i>Earth</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAjvx187DgBiJqnJnLB3SAOp8sqUtXmtWw2u9kOjMxJtxWTHWseabY7PLxRw0h1vg02pQUU72AnJY9OQFmmVzCtSEJfJ6ZHGA0-LyJXUc37EDODshiz_qOXrsxMO-B8lOafEzbJ3lGZo/s1600/Galaxy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAjvx187DgBiJqnJnLB3SAOp8sqUtXmtWw2u9kOjMxJtxWTHWseabY7PLxRw0h1vg02pQUU72AnJY9OQFmmVzCtSEJfJ6ZHGA0-LyJXUc37EDODshiz_qOXrsxMO-B8lOafEzbJ3lGZo/s1600/Galaxy.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>I'm not sure who's responsible, but there are minds on the planet that have a very "small" view of things.</b> These minds spend very "little" time considering the grand design of creation. Consider that our own galaxy would take 100,000 years to cross traveling at the speed of light, and that the galaxy contains some 400 billion (with a "B") stars similar (though many incredibly larger) to our own sun. Then think about how petty and insignificant my views of my own superiority really are, in the light of the fact that there are innumerable galaxies just like our own spread across a universe that appears to have no end — NO END; that's a pretty long way to go on any tank of fuel.<br />
<br />
It's unfortunate that we humans are so high-minded. There would be no need for all these many thousands of languages on the planet if our goals were loftier than simply those of trying to save our own skins, and to be better than everyone else. But, no, I think MY way of doing it is the best way. It's true, my way may BE the best way, but I don't have the right to force others to do it MY way. The world has endured more than its fair share of Hitlers — even the religious kind — throughout its long history, and we don't care for any more, thank you very much!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2eo2ATdWw88jfBVu9xKLcerj1KI_wAInj5rxNucU29UgA5ZoJkrbkpCh0iDHqQOX9wIGEXYYDUB4OMDK4Ptayddx53QGp0nmw-VS70M_IkQWCI2ZdEijXLf94Jn613qZ3wo3R94Is4Q/s1600/illuminati.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2eo2ATdWw88jfBVu9xKLcerj1KI_wAInj5rxNucU29UgA5ZoJkrbkpCh0iDHqQOX9wIGEXYYDUB4OMDK4Ptayddx53QGp0nmw-VS70M_IkQWCI2ZdEijXLf94Jn613qZ3wo3R94Is4Q/s1600/illuminati.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>The conspiracy theorist might tell you that any plan to get the world on the same page has been devised by the Devil, and to a point I would have to agree.</b> After all, on what meaningful, grand idea would human beings want to work together in the first place? Well, how about human rights? And could we come up with a plan that will help people feed themselves without having to rely on a handout of some kind? How about just keeping the place clean? Or some environmental plan that will help us stop killing ourselves and other creatures sharing the air? Might we now avoid the spread of many common diseases through simply teaching the world the basics of personal hygiene? Let's face it, teaching people to wash their hands after they evacuate should be right up there with teaching drivers to use a turn signal on a car, right? The neglect of one of those two is possibly more dangerous than the other, and infinitely more stomach-turning. Is it really so hard to consider working alongside someone who is "Not like me"?<br />
<br />
Personally, I enjoy the concept of the Olympic Games. I wish the road to the podium were not fraught with so many bruises and disappointments, but the pain seems par for the course. One has to lift a pound or two before he can push a ton or more. The Apostle Paul likened the race of the runner to that of the seeker for an immortal crown. Paul observed that he who sought the mastery would be temperate in all things. Paul is definitely making reference to the Greek Olympic Games, but he's clearly trying to help the Corinthians see that there is something better to strive for — not a rusty medal … but eternal life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvupIIaloaukKtM53ZYXZNuuud-7KJj4w30x8OFZoszyPy6gJEyVfhAdXYZ2hzxDSMeeo1PrS0_Qjfee-r-r7fkXufQR5MgGNIFwiYfcW26jMvvyFW1fPL_tFLOTJEhBDC5d3ptNq5oRg/s1600/Metal+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvupIIaloaukKtM53ZYXZNuuud-7KJj4w30x8OFZoszyPy6gJEyVfhAdXYZ2hzxDSMeeo1PrS0_Qjfee-r-r7fkXufQR5MgGNIFwiYfcW26jMvvyFW1fPL_tFLOTJEhBDC5d3ptNq5oRg/s1600/Metal+Man.jpg" height="200" width="166" /></a></div>
<b>Just a little aside here: I have wondered why an iron medal hasn't yet been added to those medals that are awarded to the winners. </b> Those familiar with the Biblical Book of Daniel will remember the metal man in Daniel 2; he has a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly of brass … and legs of iron — seeming to represent a succession of earthly kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar. This image may have nothing to do with anything at the games, but, being a curious soul, I have wondered why there aren't more medals awarded to those who fall even farther behind; it would certainly give the conspiracy theorist something to chew on, don't you think? Where would you stop with the awards though — <i>clay medallions?</i><br />
<br />
To close on a very serious note, we've got to find a way to stop being so stuck in a rut of our own making — all these walls and fences … some keeping people in … some keeping people out. This may be who we are, but this isn't who we ought to be. We may be mammals, but we aren't dumb animals. If you want to confess that you're better than something, confess this: We're better than this, and it's time we started acting that way.<br />
<br />
<b><i>And that's just my take on it ….</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-55436711201584267022014-01-24T22:18:00.002-06:002014-01-27T23:26:55.939-06:00"The Living and the Dead"<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>• By Tony Harriman</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAQs0rmUyq3dITAZaV-N4YOKj88psYsAYyAVsTPs6bcspCR_uaPX576cQdRW6-3Q_te19qFcpl3-FCJusXZKyGGsz4ot8wRxAGmi39r1RNCFmLRqS8wAJv6MjJhwoSXvhgzMTC2K4Qmc/s1600/new-home-interior-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAQs0rmUyq3dITAZaV-N4YOKj88psYsAYyAVsTPs6bcspCR_uaPX576cQdRW6-3Q_te19qFcpl3-FCJusXZKyGGsz4ot8wRxAGmi39r1RNCFmLRqS8wAJv6MjJhwoSXvhgzMTC2K4Qmc/s1600/new-home-interior-original.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;">In 1998 my family and I finished building our home and moved in just before Thanksgiving of that year. </span></b><span style="color: #37404e;"> It was a thrilling experience; everything about the place was so shiny new. The paintwork was clean and fresh. The carpet throughout the house looked new; smelled new; felt new. The bathroom and kitchen furniture was sparkly and squeaky clean. The cement of the garage floor still had that freshly-poured look and smell. One of the last things to be finished was the decking out the back of the house. The deck boards were beige-colored and straight, and allowed us to enjoy the great outdoors without having to share our food with the fire ants. The warmth lingers a little longer in Alabama in November, and as the sun heated the deck boards the sweetest aroma of freshly-cut wood rose into the air; it was a treat to go outside.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Well, time has gone on. We've repainted, several times in some areas. Some rooms in the house have better-looking carpet than do others, since it takes a little more effort to get that kind of stain out of that particular carpet; the concrete around the house looks pretty much like you would expect after all this time. And the decking — let's talk about the decking, because I believe there's a wonderful illustration lying on the deck boards waiting to be picked up.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Perhaps nowhere else around the house is the evidence of time more clearly revealed than on the deck boards. All of the wood is gray, despite my best efforts to pressure wash and seal it. All of the boards and spindles have a curve or a twist, some more than others, but none of them are straight anymore. The top handrails are especially in need of attention, and the reason for that appears to be that they are first in the line casting a shadow caused by the sun; in other words, the sun hits them full on.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iRLv0FqqwSsdSYsbu8vicbKOT1vP2gnrbunmSa7Mxlq4dSHI0T8taYm26ib94kYFkvU5RD0I2FIZ4wxxxB0DSlHcoobzEsvS0rUMzJJoYS-aKA9LStnJJ5eWgSvREbiNmSh0ZyNADKE/s1600/Fairy-forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iRLv0FqqwSsdSYsbu8vicbKOT1vP2gnrbunmSa7Mxlq4dSHI0T8taYm26ib94kYFkvU5RD0I2FIZ4wxxxB0DSlHcoobzEsvS0rUMzJJoYS-aKA9LStnJJ5eWgSvREbiNmSh0ZyNADKE/s1600/Fairy-forest.jpg" height="125" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">When I look around the forest from our back deck, I see a lot of wood absolutely thriving. There are huge trees swaying in the breeze, their long, waving branches providing homes for birds and squirrels. Some of these trees have been there almost as long as I've been alive; why haven't <i>they</i> grayed up and turned to dust? Well, of course, the answer is obvious: they are alive, and the sun nourishes them with its rays.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>And therein lies the incredible contrast between the living … and the dead.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">All the while the tree remains alive, it thrives on the rays of the sun. But once the tree is cut down, cut up, trimmed and nailed to the framework outside my house … a process and a battle begin to keep it looking nice. Even though the tree is now dead, I can, for a while, keep it looking respectable; but only for a while, because, no matter how hard I try, eventually the wood is going to return to the dust from whence it was taken. The light from the sun will whittle away at the surface of the wood until all integrity is gone and, in some cases, all that's keeping the fibers together is the paint. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Hopefully nobody will break a leg by falling through a part that looks solid but is actually rotted out.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">To my mind, the spiritual application is begging to be applied. Spiritual light from the Throne of God is constantly pouring into our world. Whatever the verse fully means in First John which reads that "God is light …," we shouldn't miss the face value of the text. Whether spiritual or literal, without light our world as we know it would cease to exist. Perhaps we can break the spiritual concept down: Spiritual light pours from the Throne, and all things which are conscious and spiritually alive are nourished and live a spiritually thriving life. You've probably unknowingly spent time around these people; body language and words issuing from them tend toward higher purposes; more attention focused on the well-being of others than on their own spotless behavior. Someone once made the observation in my hearing that if Jesus were here today, the chances are we wouldn't recognize Him. I've thought about that over the years, and I tend to agree. My view of the world and its needs are far too selfish, and I have trouble getting my head out of my own nose long enough to recognize when a good, meaningful work is being done — or <i>needs</i> to be done. And the chances are that Jesus would want to spend time in places and around people that are beneath my dignity. That sounds so pathetic; I should consider deleting the thought.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimevePlmbnKqIo9qfVG0CNMBaLsA1lYMYSWR9g9QRp7rsdVX3tb5xNKGfE2c3jNApYAaQ1wkBKYoClqzIw07IECzEI7W6101PUhZ-EFVG-ydliPG_YvbKD98W0PrHC3MzIdaJgSvnR16Y/s1600/sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimevePlmbnKqIo9qfVG0CNMBaLsA1lYMYSWR9g9QRp7rsdVX3tb5xNKGfE2c3jNApYAaQ1wkBKYoClqzIw07IECzEI7W6101PUhZ-EFVG-ydliPG_YvbKD98W0PrHC3MzIdaJgSvnR16Y/s1600/sunrise.jpg" height="130" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">What happens when spiritual light falls on someone who's spiritually dead? I suppose for this exercise I have to try not to be too judgmental, because I can only use myself and my own senses to find an example. I have to safely assume that there was a time in my life when I was spiritually dead; I had no interest in Godly things and was tending more toward the grave than toward Heaven. One day, perhaps in a moment, the light from Heaven crept over my horizon and touched that little part of my spirit that was not completely dead — it had to be there, otherwise nothing would have been nourished. Perhaps the conditions were so arranged that the seed of Heaven which had lain dormant for so long was finally warmed and nourished. And just like seeds that awaken in the ground, when they burst forth into life … everything around them gets shifted — literally. I love that thought, and invite you to dwell on that concept for just a quiet moment.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">It has been my observation that when the Lord steps into a person's life, things are never the same afterward. Things aren't always better, but they often are, and these better things cause believers to carry their testimony to the prison and the stake.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">But let's talk more about what might happen when Heavenly light falls on the spiritually dead. If we can gain anything from the lesson in the physical world, we can find insight into what might happen in the spiritual world. I believe it would be fair to say that if a dead piece of deck board should be nailed up outside my house, then that piece of decking would have once been alive. You have to have life before you have death. So my illustration above should be squinted at. In other words, I wasn't spiritually dead, I just hadn't been spiritually awakened — my feet and brain were firmly planted on the solid earth, and really couldn't see much higher.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cpfLHvZ4P4wS22a_C-wENYY3QFWtL0HIINgQqFqzlt401VOq8OMDjAw5zMoQAcVAm7fMIUfsAXyqRzpngB0SmbvcJ15kyXPRBkCMNefzDZWkx79dGpv9GPb0sUkUd1TJh2S4cQqdkTU/s1600/101_0860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cpfLHvZ4P4wS22a_C-wENYY3QFWtL0HIINgQqFqzlt401VOq8OMDjAw5zMoQAcVAm7fMIUfsAXyqRzpngB0SmbvcJ15kyXPRBkCMNefzDZWkx79dGpv9GPb0sUkUd1TJh2S4cQqdkTU/s1600/101_0860.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">So then it appears that a person who has been very much spiritually alive … can one day wind up very much spiritually dead. And once that happens, a period of decay — sometimes a very long period — sets in until there is nothing left of the person at all. I suppose one would have to be careful to avoid spiritual death at all costs, because, in the illustration of the tree … there's no coming back — no return to swaying happily in the breeze. The dead tree eventually provides food for worms, and nutrients for other vegetation of the forest.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Is it even fair to think about who might be </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">spiritually </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">dead? Probably not. Though when you look at the behavior of some individuals around the world, and you consider some of the body language and words spilling off some people, you have to wonder if their anger and lust is the fruit of death, hate and self-righteousness; or is it indeed the fruit of a Holy Spirit of a Holy God? How can I know who to rely on? Is this person solid wood? or just pretty paint covering up rotten wood? If I lean on this person, humanly-speaking, will he or she uphold me? Or will I fall through and break a leg? Personally, my philosophy is that if I don't like the fruit of the person, I don't spend much time around them or feeding on their food. Yes, I realize that can be construed as immaturity, because how can I be sure that their hideous fruit is not the result of insanity, rather than bad food? Fair question. Answer: I don't know. Have to poke out a toe and test the integrity, I suppose.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_n6SGT4N3xAzwjGKDEpQ2JD6G92ITLrFUoU0hgwDfResgxOyB8h-24VMEUDDfFXuWqYOeuP4Zb6fvb6cUpmCao5-vLzMl0Dgj8B8M91cR8R9Y2moZmzNmv3V5Yn9MW99P5Odd4uWI0w/s1600/sunburn3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_n6SGT4N3xAzwjGKDEpQ2JD6G92ITLrFUoU0hgwDfResgxOyB8h-24VMEUDDfFXuWqYOeuP4Zb6fvb6cUpmCao5-vLzMl0Dgj8B8M91cR8R9Y2moZmzNmv3V5Yn9MW99P5Odd4uWI0w/s1600/sunburn3.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">A final thought: While we are alive physically, light changes our appearance. Just take a look in the mirror after you've spent a day working under the hot, bright sun. The physical sun in our lives changes the pigment in our skin — the Spiritual Son in our lives changes the appearance of our soul.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>And that's just my take on it ….</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-91929830323335847592013-12-24T23:34:00.002-06:002014-01-07T13:54:13.921-06:00Power Up!<i> - By Tony Harriman</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjs-UPHKAcmInQjsXDodRbJd7Dt-yZ6a4VenzHufnzi_aJ4AJz_w_Vrrcon4hwRuomcZkk9ECCKcLiMBlek72UDHDoc4T-81A1vhPIXDZ0T9RNavoD0A5e_Qt3YfwEkH7x5LW-jn98t1E/s1600/SolarEnergy_Advantage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjs-UPHKAcmInQjsXDodRbJd7Dt-yZ6a4VenzHufnzi_aJ4AJz_w_Vrrcon4hwRuomcZkk9ECCKcLiMBlek72UDHDoc4T-81A1vhPIXDZ0T9RNavoD0A5e_Qt3YfwEkH7x5LW-jn98t1E/s1600/SolarEnergy_Advantage.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>From watching the prices in the electronics stores we gather that before long we'll be able to affordably include the use of solar panels to power some of the appliances around our home.</b> Our home is well insulated and we have plenty of windows letting in the daytime light, so our energy bill for the month is usually less than what one might expect to pay for power if they were living in a 16x80 mobile home. Nevertheless, we would like to use more of the free amps falling from the sky. We've more-or-less convinced ourselves that we'd like to at least experiment with solar power; it's just a matter of wading into that unknown realm and making a start. If we were building a home right now, solar panels would definitely make up part of the roofing material.<br />
<br />
Electricity is such a readily-available energy to the average Western home, that we really don't think much about it; we get home, flick the lights on, drop the air, fire up the oven, open the fridge. We hardly give a thought to what it takes to get those things working, so there's a real desire to leave well-enough alone; just pay the bill at the end of the month and get on with your life. But what if it were more affordable to install solar? That would change the game, don't you think?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPqg8iZn8ZKCAnw9xKDuGCYcPjh6C8qS0m8AoCia7PUa5d-AKasAje1LvEWy05EA4pAhoyLetQuI7MPVoNAb8xI7-PDzpxDBNg6WFjEpjomvb2Pgq4t5qMfl6BPlytSFXr0LQ8t2sIK0/s1600/GA-139-n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPqg8iZn8ZKCAnw9xKDuGCYcPjh6C8qS0m8AoCia7PUa5d-AKasAje1LvEWy05EA4pAhoyLetQuI7MPVoNAb8xI7-PDzpxDBNg6WFjEpjomvb2Pgq4t5qMfl6BPlytSFXr0LQ8t2sIK0/s1600/GA-139-n.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
For my last birthday one of my daughters bought me a solar-powered tiki lamp; I love it. We set it up so we can see it from the back of the house. It gets enough sun through the day to charge it, then when the sun goes down, it shines out … for most of the night. But occasionally I've looked out at it in the wee hours and it's not burning quite so brightly. It's not a problem with the bulb; it's that the battery won't store energy for long enough to keep the bulb burning till its next rendezvous with the sun. There's a lesson for us there, and I'd like to explore it for a minute or two.<br />
<br />
All of the usable energy on the planet comes from our sun. The vegetation of planet earth is so designed that it converts the light from the sun into energy that can be eaten by some form of life or other. The vegetation takes that light and clothes it with material taken from the soil and quite cleverly camouflages it so that it will appeal to a wide variety of plant-eating creatures. When you take a moment to think about how brilliantly this plan has been worked out, the mind spins. It's not that we're <i>actually</i> eating light; we're eating what the light is carrying — energy.<br />
<br />
The plants take some of that energy and somehow compress it into the atoms that form the building blocks of matter; but I reckon we'll talk about that some other time.<br />
<br />
Vegetation on the planet is a storehouse for light. When we eat the vegetation, we are actually providing ourselves the purest form of energy that we can assimilate. Some of the energy is stored in our bodies for a very short time, but most of it is used pretty quickly. Unlike plants (which more closely resemble what we know as batteries), our bodies are designed to be more like living machines, and have to be energized on a fairly regular basis. And because we are more like machines, we work best when we are kept in motion. kept in motion, that is, until we need maintenance, which appears to be carried out while we sleep.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweBwlEt3z1xwQ0uz5_lcAeVv5JjVfn5KNV16zao02Rj29y_Jd-9r44AgDi2NSCZ1m09sXC6PCv8c_lZHqzPA1hta5gn5Xpv7YxABquR81lPipa3-xNnRHq8qLwnrxHXMmWyM9sg3SolI/s1600/Digest3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweBwlEt3z1xwQ0uz5_lcAeVv5JjVfn5KNV16zao02Rj29y_Jd-9r44AgDi2NSCZ1m09sXC6PCv8c_lZHqzPA1hta5gn5Xpv7YxABquR81lPipa3-xNnRHq8qLwnrxHXMmWyM9sg3SolI/s1600/Digest3.gif" height="320" width="267" /></a></div>
The miracle of digestion is one of the better-kept secrets on the planet, and remains so all the while people who understand its functions continue to clothe this grand orchestral symphony with fancy, uncommon language. I'm reminded of some elaborate and expensive recipes I've seen for making compost. Seriously? Compost happens — regularly. The same is true with digestion. The digestive system is designed to extract light/energy/power from what we eat. The food is designed to release that energy when mixed with a variety of chemicals produced in the body and introduced throughout the process of digestion.<br />
<br />
Let's face it, most of what is advertised (at great cost, we might add) on the TV and billboards is engineered mainly to appeal to the taste buds, not the digestive system as a whole. On an atomic level, a box of crackers contains a lot of energy, but contains no power that the body can break down and use; we aren't designed as nuclear reactors … right now, anyway.<br />
<br />
Is it any wonder that we feel run-down all the time when our bodies aren't being energized with anything useful? I suppose a similarity might be gained in concept if we considered the idea of trying to charge your car battery with cables connected to a Double-A.<br />
<br />
So what's a person to do? On one side of the food isle we hear voices telling us that animal (flesh) food is the best for us; on the other is a choir singing the praises of the fresh fruits and veggies. And somewhere above the entire procession is the religion that tells us that planet earth is wearing out, that it's not possible to get everything we need from food grown in the ground, so we have to spend a small fortune on multivitamins. Forget the conversation about pesticides, hormone use and GMOs.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Rf26X1UNFOIPFuTjK_JVmE32YNA9ti-JPOzDCHwk0evyCN1uDWfpzp39E4lsH3T68Ey-o_PrWLFKe5tAMt-vKolKGppzgHZRdCuZ4iRiZL8IywPNV5fa75nG3gi6uXfd-6TlqThA1s/s1600/VeganFoodPyramid.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1Rf26X1UNFOIPFuTjK_JVmE32YNA9ti-JPOzDCHwk0evyCN1uDWfpzp39E4lsH3T68Ey-o_PrWLFKe5tAMt-vKolKGppzgHZRdCuZ4iRiZL8IywPNV5fa75nG3gi6uXfd-6TlqThA1s/s1600/VeganFoodPyramid.png" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
Yes, we need more than just canned light to keep us alive; we need minerals, acids, live enzymes and the like. But without that light we will be dead while we're still on our feet walking around. And the light is best given to us by vegetation.<br />
<br />
Right here I feel I'm sounding like what some people might call a tree-hugging "Greenie." I'm not on a quest to save the planet, but without the planet we won't have a place to call home. What I really feel like is taking another look at what I use to power up my engines. I'd like more affordable choices for what I put on my plate. I don't want to pay $3 for an organic avocado, when a regular one costs less than a dollar. It seems to me the only people who can afford to eat organic-only have no children, no mortgage, and no vehicles to feed — either that or they have no life other than the one which involves the preparation of food for their tables.<br />
<br />
Life shouldn't be all about eating, but eating should satisfy more than just a growling belly. As human machines we have needs. This matters, and someone who understands the physiological mechanisms ought to step up to the plate and put the science into a language that can be understood by the single mom who's trying to keep her kids fed and well and happy, all the while she's running two jobs with no time to go back to school and learn about the miracles of physiology. We don't care about your degrees in medicine, public health or nutritional sciences — come down out of the clouds, get your head out of your nose and help us get our lives back.<br />
<br />
<b><i>And that's just my take on it ….</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-29434450263458486302013-08-30T17:40:00.000-05:002013-08-30T17:40:25.383-05:00"The Right to Bear Weapons is a God-given Right"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjQ8m0W0gZIRyKdgdOviT6izz-V29jNAAnzxFllcs-_rfncBa1jnJlmSiyx8_qb6sTnEp5CzxL4rsXUapGi6RHGuKcluQuXFOp0Aox5jF-vyhOQVRh4_uwSB7W3t5K9ZZ2X6XK5rV5AA/s1600/tonypicpreach.jpg" height="166" title="" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">"The Right to Bear Weapons Is a God-given Right"</span></b><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b> • By Tony Harriman</b></i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVy-LLOn-8k" target="_blank"><b>Click Here</b></a> and watch a thirty-two minute presentation including thoughts on "God's Wish for Our Lives," "the God-given Right to Bear Weapons," and a brief window into Tony's history.<br />
<br />
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730513785832553408.post-82394266435679047322013-08-18T22:37:00.001-05:002013-08-18T22:37:31.296-05:00"Breakfast Links"<i> • By Tony Harriman</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YzJIIkHEtkPQlaQtjdDhijLqpvCF4fnsMfdt4Qe0cZAkrKZuL9YoNJtHB-07KIgCAGnBJ3rux-bFtLNmbeqrKiS7zzf94116Qm7yHEEObWfXswBxlsHu3dK3FC0wN6kTAI_7uYTrUM4/s1600/foodchain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YzJIIkHEtkPQlaQtjdDhijLqpvCF4fnsMfdt4Qe0cZAkrKZuL9YoNJtHB-07KIgCAGnBJ3rux-bFtLNmbeqrKiS7zzf94116Qm7yHEEObWfXswBxlsHu3dK3FC0wN6kTAI_7uYTrUM4/s1600/foodchain.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Living here in a world apparently designed to teach us about its Maker, I've never been able to find a happy place in my reckoning for the Food Chain. "That's just the way it is," we explain to ourselves, "It's always been like this." I don't honestly believe for a moment that the food chain was in the original plan for the universe. I think the food chain is a symptom of something that's gone horribly wrong with the design.</b><br />
<br />
With the exception of plants (which feed mostly on inanimate material) every organism on the planet feeds on some other organism — from the very small to the very large. The very small being the microscopic life which eats other microscopic life. And the very large being, say, a whale. In between these two extremes are many creatures which rely on the death of others to keep themselves alive. Not all animals take the life of others; some are vegetarians whose systems are not suited to the consumption of animal flesh. Some animals are totally carnivorous, such as lions and tigers (not bears—necessarily), dogs and cats, and many water-dwelling creatures; these creatures must survive by consuming the flesh of other creatures. You've probably seen what happens when a dog or a cat eats grass. Some creatures in the animal kingdom are omnivores, most notably those of the primates on the planet. Human beings dwell in this realm; we can survive on zucchini or zebras — the choice is ours.<br />
<br />
Those of the miniature variety, like flies and roaches, usually feed on the filth and rottenness left over from the meals of larger critters. In turn these flies and roaches are eaten by bigger critters which are also eaten by bigger bodies, until they eventually reach the dining table of the average couch potato anywhere in the world. Chickens and water-fowl, especially, have diets that are fully laden with bugs of every kind; those of us who've spent time around chickens will have noticed what they eat — yuck!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RXfkPMUdpc5fmocU0dYXe6ozqz-TMrh8_w7eIZNRwysofOvsh1cccJrmGC_sxW0AnJAXgGHFIupNJ5tDpkr7rdnCqsc48fkVf82159GHU8i7EPV_qIfAY7fNJ-hFD21aJGeR678GoL4/s1600/eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RXfkPMUdpc5fmocU0dYXe6ozqz-TMrh8_w7eIZNRwysofOvsh1cccJrmGC_sxW0AnJAXgGHFIupNJ5tDpkr7rdnCqsc48fkVf82159GHU8i7EPV_qIfAY7fNJ-hFD21aJGeR678GoL4/s1600/eagle.jpg" height="147" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm going to leave out lots of paragraphs right here — the reading of which would only turn our stomachs — and jump right into a spiritual explanation that I think I can see hanging from a low-lying branch. I'm still desperately trying to work this out, so here goes:<br />
<br />
Most of the people I know who will read this are personal acquaintances; some of you have known me most of my life. Many of you remember me as a bratty teenager who had not a care for the world in which he lived, and not much more of a care for the rest of the people in that world. As a young man in my mid-twenties I was introduced to a much bigger picture of this thing we call life. I was introduced to a Creator who I believe actually knows my name and GPS coordinates. I became acquainted with the Christian concept of a sacrifice being made on my behalf so that I might enjoy eternal life. And here I am still struggling to get my reasonable thoughts together, because many spiritual things still don't make sense to me, even though I've taken a lot of time to learn many of the reflex-reaction Scripture verses.<br />
<br />
In a simple statement (which I'm trying to keep a grip on) is that perhaps the picture — horrible though it is — being painted by the food chain, is that many of us creatures owe our physical survival to the taking of life of something else. Most of us realize that we will die if we don't eat something that has a little bit of life in it. But that's just physical. The other half of us, the spiritual side, does not owe its existence to meat and three veg. In the Christian arena, the sacrifice of the life of Christ gives the possibility to many others a chance at life — eternal life — beyond a physical existence. And though the Sacrifice was made for all, not everyone will take advantage of it. How does that work? How does a person remove his or her self from the nourishment of the sacrifice? How does a person consume the life of Christ so that they may live? You might remember the crowd going home when Jesus spoke to them of eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Strange thing to say. Still trying to work that out. What's that? His words are spirit and life? Yes, I get that; but He said "flesh and blood." I don't want to sound pedantic; just trying to figure it out.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5xDZqvOCbQ4WsbrjzzESyppja46eI8UlmJIxHsNZTugqK4dnzJ7klD4uLUCIIOJYC__HY-y1AUeHRkqvDXU92vVVnRqtVL3NLG4rE8U9GNKybBvdK2Y_mJM1cYjCXvXBlyt5rWZS5Ek/s1600/ladder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5xDZqvOCbQ4WsbrjzzESyppja46eI8UlmJIxHsNZTugqK4dnzJ7klD4uLUCIIOJYC__HY-y1AUeHRkqvDXU92vVVnRqtVL3NLG4rE8U9GNKybBvdK2Y_mJM1cYjCXvXBlyt5rWZS5Ek/s1600/ladder.jpg" height="200" width="166" /></a></div>
Well, right up front I'm going to tell you I don't currently believe you have to eat something physical in order to live forever spiritually. I'm not sure the food chain is intended to illustrate for us a ladder to Heaven. What I do believe is that there's nothing going on down here that isn't illustrating something that has a much bigger counterpart, a counterpart that we don't have eyes for, a counterpart that is only comprehended once we've installed in our minds the software designed to awaken our spiritual microscopes — and, dare I say, telescopes. The grand cycles of life on the planet appear to me to be offering a peek behind the drapes that are filtering out the marvelous intellectual and spiritual light reaching our minds.<br />
<br />
I read somewhere once that the botanist and biologist may have a profound appreciation for the workings of the natural world on the planet, but that it is the person who sees the fingerprints and handwriting of the Creator of the natural world who receives the greater blessing. I think this observation still has a lot of mileage left.<br />
<br />
Hold on, though. Let's back up to that part about installing the software designed to awaken our spiritual microscopes. How does that happen? My belief on that point is found in the teachings of Jesus, and His continual use of the workings of the natural world to illustrate the parallel workings of the unseen Kingdom of Heaven. Had there been access to microscopes and telescopes two thousand years ago, I dare say the teachings of Jesus would have been even broader and deeper than they already were; but we'll have to speculate on that for now. If, when we make an observation in the natural world, we allow our minds to think of a larger, spiritual reality, then I think we will have begun the process of installing the right software that will make our minds work properly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AA9rzX8TNWxtj4zvmOcgN886K-f2Emuhf9spZUVeJpA7ipWf5_-gnLYuDNjZ1Ea86pvBLcQkZV86DzIOWNC8HsM7czRH-z49I4NFBV3xpeQvoOIi2ySyJK9U54okBsBf8CMupoiVuw0/s1600/humming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9AA9rzX8TNWxtj4zvmOcgN886K-f2Emuhf9spZUVeJpA7ipWf5_-gnLYuDNjZ1Ea86pvBLcQkZV86DzIOWNC8HsM7czRH-z49I4NFBV3xpeQvoOIi2ySyJK9U54okBsBf8CMupoiVuw0/s1600/humming.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
So what about that food chain? Do I think it's going to work this same way on the other side, throughout eternity? No, I really don't. My belief is that, on the other side, when the birds stop to feed, they won't have to worry about predators. The squirrels won't be continually looking over their shoulders as they forage. The baby seals won't be concerned about the killer whales. And on and on and on. What place will there be for the carnivore? I really don't know, because the dog cannot currently feed on the same food as the rabbit. The dog would have to have most of its digestive system replaced, as would the lion and the rest of the big cats. Right now the digestive system of, dare I say, ALL the creatures on the planet, is sadly inefficient; so it would seem that all of us are going to have to be changed, right? Some of the buzzards and bacteria that feed on dead bodies are going to be out of a job, just like the doctor, the fireman, the police officer and the preacher — oh, and the attorney (thank heaven).<br />
<br />
<b><i>And that's just my take on it ....</i></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Tony Harrimanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04676435184520088593noreply@blogger.com0