The Weight of the World!

I have been watching a series of DVD's a friend loaned me a couple of weeks ago. It was produced by Focus on the Family. The speaker on the series in Ray Vander Laan. He is leading a group of visitors through the Holy Lands, sharing with them stories from the Bible while at or near the scenes of the stories.

In the segment I watched tonight, I learned some things I had never heard before and was impressed at the application of the information. The group was in Capernaum, the city Jesus used as his base of operations during His years of ministry. They were gathered around an olive press. Vander Laan began his discourse by telling the group that the Hebrew word for an olive press is gethsemane. He then told about the way the olives were first ground by a mill stone to crack them. From there they were placed under a large pillar of stone, the weight of which pressed the oil from the olive.

Vander Laan then went to the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night before his crucifixion. He related Jesus to the olive, placed beneath the great weight that pressed him so, to the point that His sweat was as drops of blood.

The personal application is that I was the great weight on Jesus that night, my sinfulness, and yours is what put Him in such distress. And yet the weight of the world did not dissuade Him from the task at hand, surrendering His life as payment for my sins.

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Odd News Clips

Do you enjoy quirky news stories. When I see one I usually just shake my head and wonder how such things get put on the air as though it is news. But the fact that I stop to watch and shake my head probably answers the question of why it was aired.

In fact I sometimes to to the web site called the News Room to find interesting or funny stories to post on my blog. Check out the one below for the amusement. And if you would like to embed it on your web site or blog, just click on the embed button to receive the code. It is free and it can add some fun to your posts!

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Paying the Price For Not Taking a Stand

In the next lesson in the series of lessonsfrom Ray Vander Laan, he relates the stories of what happened to Israel when God judged that their culture had gone astray from his plan. He used archaeology, history and Scripture to show the brutality of the Assyrians against the Israelites, who had taken up idol worship and child sacrifice.

Sennacharib was the Assyrian king God allowed/used to devastate/punish his people who had rejected his way. In the midst of all the ruins there is evidence that some families in cities like Lachish did not forsake God. But they did not escape the horrors of the destruction. They died right along with the evil doers. And not just the men, but also women, children and old people.

The message seems clear, if we want our culture to survive, we must influence the culture in a direction of morality and righteousness. If we do not take a stand, for instance for the sanctity of life and against the shedding of innocent blood, our culture will be following the path of Ancient Israel. And if our culture is punished/devastated, all will suffer together.

There is the comfort that we will have an individual judgment at the end of time that will have to do with our lives within a sinful culture, but that does not take away the danger in this life.

I am being challenged to think by Vander Laan.

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Am I Really Any Different?

I was watching a DVD by Ray Vander Laan a little while ago. He is a scholar and teacher associated with Focus on the Family. The DVD is a recording of some classes he presented in the Holy Lands, describing some of the activities of the prophets and kings of Israel in Old Testament times.

When describing the brazen way in which the nation of Israel would offer their children to idols in hope of personal gain, I thought to myself how could folks do that or even stand by and watch it being done. Then I realized that it is not much different than a modern couple aborting a baby because of inconvenience. That happens every day and I stand by and do nothing.

In watching the video I was outraged that the Israelites could in the one moment participate in paganism and then on the same day go to the Temple to present themselves and their worship to Jehovah God. But then I had to stop and consider how often my personal actions do not really fall in line with my practice of Christianity.

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Fifteen Years Ago Today

I dropped my wife off at the airport so she could fly to Amarillo and get to our daughter's side in time. We had just gotten the call that she had gone into labor and was on her way to the hospital in Pampa. I drove through the night, and a snow storm to meet the granddaughter we had seen on the ultrasound picture.

I arrived about seven am and went in to find my family. When I entered the room, my daughter asked, "Did you see my son?" I was dumbfounded. Ultrasound pictures do not always do justice to a young man. When they placed the little fellow in my hands for the first time, I felt as if all my work was done, that all that meant anything to me would go on through this child. And to hear that his middle name is my surname; sweet icing on the cake!

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Sharing the Zodiac Meme

I have been tagged by Hi Fidelity in the zodiac meme. See if you think I see myself as you see me!


Rules:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months.
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve done it.

I was born in AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.



JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.


FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.


MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.


APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.


MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.


JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.


JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.


AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.


SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.


OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.


NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.


DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

I hereby tag: Oh Pen Yin, Lyndsey M , Darius,

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A Stroll Through Minsk

A couple of years ago I was blessed to be able to make a trip to Belarus to do some humanitarian aid and share my faith with those that asked questions on the subject. We provided quite a number of children's vitamins and peanut butter to the national Special Olympics organization there.

Our trip was to the capitol city of Belarus. Minsk was surprisingly pretty to me, I enjoyed walking along the streets there. You can take a stroll through the city by checking out this you tube entry.

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An Auspicious Award!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been honored by the illustrious Pinhole with a ROAR award. One of the obligations as a ROAR winner is to share three writing tips and then name five other bloggers I deem worthy of the ROAR.


1. Write about things that you really interest you, not about things you think others will appreciate.

2. Be succinct.

3. Enjoy the process as well as the finished product.


Now to get the really good tips, check with these ROAR award winning bloggers:

Silken--the down to earth mom and wife who is far more talented a writer than she realizes!

Inklings--knows the craft and is always fun to read!

Sharon Hurley Hall--this lady is one of the most helpful and skillful writers in blogdom!

Sire--especially if you want to be up on the latest way to make money with your blog!

Trick Falls--novelist, blogger and southern gentleman!

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