Guess We'll Always Have Football

After being a Detroit Lions fan for over 60 years I've learned one important lesson.  The world will not end after your team loses.  We always have those high draft picks to offer us hope.  But what if the world is supposed to end and then doesn't?  This time we still have those college bowl games to look forward to, ready to live or die with our strange loyalties while eating yet another piece of pizza.  

Guess We'll Always Have Football

The world didn't end

so will you be my friend?

You couldn't ask for anything more.

After twelve twenty one

still the hot Mayan sun

is there anything else now in store?

I've heard my dear friend

that the Irish will send

their best to battle the Tide.

To hold back the oceans

they'll need leprechaun potions

Vegas margins are really that wide.

But should they prevail

look for lightning and hail.

Be careful, don't fall on your bum.

If the sun doesn't shine

and your engine won't whine

I'll come running to save you dear chum.

Tidings Of Comfort And Joy

Christmas will never be the same for the many families who recently lost their loved ones.  What makes it even more difficult is that we all know that this is supposed to be a season of anxious anticipation, overflowing joy, a time when we share those experiences with the ones that are close to us.  When family we love can no longer be with us there will be pain.

I want to share with you the Christmas story from Matthew.  This is a story of great joy mixed with  tremendous sorrow, but in the end it is a story of hope.  That hope is brought about by a Father who loves us. Unfortunately His eternal plan is opposed by the father of lies, who scripture says was a murderer from the beginning.  That dear friends, is the world we still live in.  But lies cannot live in the light that is the Father.  Love will always comfort hurt.  Our hope is powerful because it is not based on imagination but rather on what is true, "the substance of things not seen".

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:

When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.  And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.  But when he had considered this, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife;  for the child in her is of the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a Son;  and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel", which translated means, "God with us."

And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son;  and he called His name Jesus.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea;  for this is what has been written by the prophet;

'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;  For out of you shall come shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.' "

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child;  and when you have found Him, report to me so that I too may come and worship Him."  After hearing the king they went their way;  and the star which they had seen in the east went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.  When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother;  and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.  Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod the magi left for their own country by another way.

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up!  Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you;  for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.  So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt . . .

Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all it's vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time he had determined from the magi.

Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled;

"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children;  And she refused to be comforted, because they were no more."

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, "Get up, take the Child and His mother and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead."  So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother and came into the land of Israel.  (NAS)

May the Father of life give it to you in abundance this Christmas season.  May the Hold Spirit bring Jesus into your heart so that for you He will truly be, Immanuel, God with us.  May His comfort carry you through your pain.  And may His joy knock you off your feet.

The Annual Christmas Letter

We have family who live far, far away in a galaxy called Iowa. In what seems almost forever we have been receiving enclosed with their annual Christmas card (now photo page) a long letter, signed - Jon, Nancy and family - but written of course by my sister-in-law Nancy. We also have been receiving, for a long time but not forever, an annual Christmas letter from family that live a little closer in Chicago. That one is signed by Ed and Carol. In the earlier years I wasn't quite sure which one had been doing the writing but now the prose is definitely from my brother-in-law Ed.

Both letters came on the same day this year. I sat in my rocker/recliner, put on my reading glasses, and thoroughly enjoyed updates on the various family activities (Nancy's specialty) and far flung travel adventures (Ed could and maybe should write for the kind of magazine that has those beautiful color pictures of French cathedrals or Peruvian llamas).

This year after finishing the second letter a warm feeling tweaked my otherwise Christmas Grinch heart. After having read those letters for all of those years this had now become for me an enjoyable Christmas tradition. I'll admit it wasn't always so. One year I wrote a parody of a Christmas letter (would I do that?) telling exaggerated stories about one family disaster after another - “We are so proud of Carrie. She tried out for the volleyball team and although she got cut she wisely used the next three weeks alone in her room to reconsider her priorities.”

Ah, warm feelings. For the last couple of years that seems to have been the underlying theme of Ed and Carol's travels. For example, this year they went on a tour of “the Villages and the Vineyards of Eastern France” where there would always present itself a need to “sip a wee bit of wine”. Now I myself do not imbibe but wine is like a big deal on my side of the family. One of my cousins married into a family that owns a vineyard set among the redwood forests of Northern California. They are one of the pioneers of organic grown wines and you can check out their beautiful web site at www.freywines.com.

My brother Jim lived in Florence, Italy for a year and is the type of guy that while dining out will choose the year and vintage for the entire table. The wine guy will present the bottle to my brother, pour him a little, and then we all watch as Jim swirls the liquid around the glass while holding it up to the light, sniffs the contents, then takes a sip. He pulls his head back, eyes closed, and we are silent seeing that the wine must be really good because Jim is having himself a moment. Moment over Jim's eyes will pop open, a smile will cross his face and he will in true LaBarge style announce that fortunately it had been a very dry year when those grapes were grown and the wine master handled the crush expertly.

Social media has helped a lot in keeping up with far flung family. We now have access to a lot of cute pictures and precious stories and when we are fortunate enough to actually press the flesh we feel that we are already so much more up to date on what is happening and what that little nephew bugger really looks like. Maybe that has made me enjoy those letters even more.

Mayan Calendar Miscalculation

Oops! Perhaps the world is not going to end on 12/21/12 after all. Researchers at MIT Community College have uncovered a shocking new development that relates to the interpretation of Mayan glyphs that directly affects precisely how one should read the soft limestone artifacts purporting to be their universal calendar.

It seems that back in 1961 when the stone pieces were first discovered the archeology team responsible for excavating the particular calendar section of glyphs from the ruins of Building number 17 had no idea what information the pieces conveyed. Centuries of jungle growth, mold and dirt did not allow for any accurate type of photography so the ancient writings needed to be transported to a location back in Mexico City where they could be carefully cleaned, analyzed and preserved.

From his death bed last month Chas Gilligan Johnson, who at the time was a student apprentice working on the project for the Mayan Guppy project, told this story through his girl friend Mary Ann for the first time.

As the pieces were chiseled out of the base limestone and carefully placed on the wooden donkey cart he accidentally bumped the cart causing all of the stone pieces to fall off. He then tripped over the pile thus scattering and chipping most of the lot. Without informing the project's Captain he put them back together as best he could. They had found and transported hundreds of other stone pieces with this strange and then indecipherable pictorial imagery and Chas thought that overall his little mistake would not make any difference. He was going to take his secret to the grave but in the end he wanted to go out with a clear conscience.

Dr. Antiono Gesiepe-Riveria Gonzalez, the original MIT professor credited with deciphering the Mayan graphics and ferreting out the complicated code for the dating system used by the Mayan, using funding provided by a mysterious millionaire only identified as “Lovey”, had determined that pieces from Building 17 depicted what could be described as a type of dating calculator, used for establishing future advantageous times for agricultural plantings and religious ceremonies as well as a way to predict astrological signs, periods of famine, wars and catastrophes such as earthquakes, floods and even plagues. Dr. Gonzalez, who died in 2010 was the first to proclaim that this Mayan calendar ran out of time on 12/21/2012. If the calendar ran out of time it could only mean one thing - THE VERY POSSIBLE END OF THE WORLD!

The newest revelations by Chas “Little Buddy” Johnson set in motion a frantic reevaluation conducted by a top team of MIT scientists of the data first collected by the famed archeologist. They had the original limestone pieces on loan from the University of Mexico City, Cuidad Campus. Using current laser and infrared technology they were able to reassemble the pieces in the proper order and were shocked to find that these icons presented quite a different end of the world scenario than purported by Dr. Gonzalez.

At a press conference this week called by a once beautiful but now aging actress the scientists showed charts and graphs of the new findings. The calendar did not end on 12/21/12. Indeed, the images did not depict a calendar at all. It turns out that in the latest and now indisputable (by ALL the worlds scientists) analysis the following conclusion can be made.

The pieces were from a practice wall for young and upcoming stone carvers. After they had mastered chiseling the numbers 0 to 9 they would be put to work on the real parts of the massive Mayan Pyramid and Temple complex, and then when finished be sacrificed to the Jaguar god by having their still beating hearts ripped out and put on their chest. Knowing that this would be for them – THE DEFINITE END OF THE WORLD! - the young men practiced chiseling over and over – 1,2,1,2,12. One poor sucker messed up with 1,2,2,1,1,2 and the gig was up.

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The Keys, Oh Please!

I was born and raised Roman Catholic, became an agnostic while in high school, was an atheist throughout my four years at Aquinas College, asked Jesus into my heart and was baptized in the Holy Spirit 6 months after graduation, worshiped as a Catholic for the next 10 years while helping lead a charismatic prayer group that met at a Catholic church for most of that time and have spent the last 30 years worshiping outside the Roman Catholic tradition.

I know how it felt growing up as a faith minority in a largely Protestant town. I remember that leaving Catholicism was difficult for my parents to understand and almost impossible for us to talk about. I had left a faith culture handed down thru my father's family for centuries and one chosen by my mother, and had crossed over to the dark side. My parents still loved me and we got along great as long as we didn't talk theology.

I married a Catholic girl whose faith in Jesus as her Lord and Savior was solid for as long as she can remember. She was baptized in the the Holy Spirit while I was still an atheist in college but made a risky move and married me right after graduation. Jackie's parents were both Catholic the same as mine, one the continuation of generations and the other by choice. Her father, the one by choice, was my mentor in learning how to study the Bible and how to compare scripture to scripture. He readily understood our eventual decision but it was and still is difficult for her mother to accept.

I know what Catholics believe, how they look at what their church teaches and why they can feel comfortable ignoring certain church teachings and still feel themselves to be fully Catholic. I understand, probably much better than most of you reading this, what the doctrines of the Catholic Church are and the logic that ties all the parts together. I own and have studied Roman Catholic catechisms printed before and after Vatican II and have made an effort to study church history as well.

I know people still in the Catholic Church who have a personal relationship with Jesus although I believe this comes about mostly despite and not because of Catholic doctrines and practices. I use to know a lot more but it seems that most have done what Jackie and I have. If you go to almost any large non-denominational church you will find that a significant percentage of their members are ex-Catholics. Most didn't leave because they had a bad priest or inadequate religious training. Some who left were searching to fill a spiritual void in their lives. Some like Jackie and I left, first - because of the growing conflict between our interpretation of Sacred Scripture and official Catholic teaching and second - because the Holy Spirit finally said to us - Now is the time.

God will find an open heart where ever it is and will move in the life of that person, spirit, soul and body, without regard to the theological knowledge or the religious practices of that person. Every person needs new life to become acceptable to the Father and that life must come through faith alone. Faith that Jesus died for me (you) personally. Faith that His death and resurrection have taken away the punishment that we deserve for our sins. Faith that He has made us a part of his family, his church, his eternal plan for redemption. And faith that God rewards those who honestly seek Him.

Religion however seems to do an awful good job of confusing the simple truth of the gospel. It's their business after all to make sure the faithful live out their salvation. The problem though is when the living out becomes the means to.

This difference is what should make Christianity altogether unique from every other religion. Salvation, harmony or whatever else you want to call it does not come from sacred acts or good and noble intentions. There is no scale that weighs out good verses bad and tilts the scale toward Heaven. Our sinful hearts are separated from The Father and they need to be reborn to fellowship with Him. This rebirth happens through repentance and faith.

Everyone first needs to repent of their rebellion toward God. The good news of Christianity is that God loved us even before we repented. He sent His only Son at a particular point in history to suffer and die for each of us, because we all fall far short of His will no matter how much effort we put into being righteous. He wants us to come to Him in humility, not based on any thing we bring to the table except the simple faith that leads us to confess that He died for us. He wants us to proclaim Jesus as our Lord and has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us in the life that we live in Him. And He will provide us with a community of other believers to help us in our lives.

My favorite scripture verse has always been Romans 8:1-2.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

If I had a chance to preach only one sermon it would be based on this verse and I would call it "The freedom we have in Jesus".  Like everyone I mess up and fall short of what my Lord desires for me. This may for a time affect my fellowship with Him but it in no way condemns me or in anyway changes my relationship with Him. My relationship makes me hungry to be close to Him. I live a life secure in the knowledge that He loves me and I love Him and there is wonderful, wonderful freedom in that. The veil in the Jewish Temple that hung before the most Holy Place, that separated man from God, was torn in two at Jesus death. There is no longer any need to make continual sacrifices by a priesthood to appease for sins. Jesus, our high priest, has already done it, once, for all.

My prayer for my Catholic friends is that you can experience that same freedom. It's not enough that you believe in God if that belief hasn't led you to surrender your heart to Jesus. And if you have surrendered your heart you are being robbed of great joy in your life if you think you need to pray and do religious acts to pay for a debt you do not owe.

Pope Benedict XVI has declared the year beginning in October 2012 as “The Year of Faith”. In honor of The Year of Faith he will grant plenary indulgences (time off of Purgatory because he's got the keys man) to those who perform four different “faith-related” activities. The activities include attending a certain number of sermons or lessons on Vatican II documents, visit a papal basilica or other designated site and while there pray certain designated prayers, make a pious visit to the place one received the sacrament of baptism and while there renew one's baptismal promises, or participate in a celebration of the Mass at any designated sacred place, adding a profession of faith in any legitimate form.

If you spend the entire year doing as much of the above as possible you will, in Catholic teaching, reduce yours or Aunt Minnie's stay in Purgatory by X amount of time to take care of Y amount of punishment (unspecified of course), and you are still left with an undetermined number of days of future suffering before you would be allowed the fellowship of Heaven after death.

Or - you can find a quiet place now and take an hour to examine your heart, confess your sins, ask Jesus to forgive you, promise that from now on you will try to the best of your ability to follow His will, and then ask Jesus to come into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit and tell Him you are open to receiving any of His good gifts. Then tell someone about what you did.  You've now got the rest of the year free to praise Him from the overflow of His grace.

Duck Dynasty

After reading comments from a couple of my friends that the A&E show Duck Dynasty was their new favorite I found some time last Friday night to view about 4 episodes.  Cable is now chock full of reality shows showing real men doing real men stuff in the out-of-doors.  There must be almost a dozen alone set in the rugged wilderness or stormy waters of Alaska.  DD is filmed in the backwoods and bayous of Louisiana and follows the adventures of the Robertson family - bearded men, loyal women, cute kids - who made it rich by making and selling duck calls and decoys.

That night I woke up at about 4 in the morning with the jarring thought that what I had viewed was really much closer to a TV sitcom like the Beverly Hillbillys than it was to a true reality series.  My father was friends with some good old boys who were furniture manufacturers based in North Carolina.  He told me that a visit to one of their homes was just like the TV show.  After chatting for awhile inside the biggest house on the block with the Mrs. he and Wayne would walk past "the fancy eating table" and take a nice walk around the property where they would find the various alcohol stashes hidden by Wayne.  This was Bible Belt country and the women folk didn't believe in the devil's brew so the men folk would hide a jug of moonshine down a well or up in a tree.  Then my dad would say; "And do you know what their favorite TV show is?"  You guessed it. 

I had been thinking about the Duck Dynasty show where Willie, the family CEO, had a meeting with a big chain store buyer.  He is running late so he tears out of his mansion, pass the C Ment Pond, clothed in his best camouflage pants and boots, his camo shirt covered by an open white sports jacket, into a waiting helicopter which then takes off and lands in an open clearing in a swamp to pick up his father, the inventor of the Duck Commander duck call and creative genius of the whole lot of Robertsons, who was hunting and dressed in his wet and dirty camouflage outfit (without white sports jacket of course), flying then to the big city where the buyer informs the bearded boys that sales are great and he wants to increase by a factor of 10 the amount of duck calls, decoys, DVD's and clothing he is buying.  "When can you fill the order?"  "Tomorrow!" Willie assures the man (pan to shot of the father scratching his beard and rolling his eyes).  Big order in hand Willie flies back to his huge warehouse/factory to tell the laid back bearded family and bearded backwoods friends that they now need to "automate", which they do with the typical Robertson mindset - it will be silly, it will be fun, in the end everyone will be Happy, Happy, Happy.

The Robertsons are real people with real beards who are making a lot of real money selling their hunting related stuff from the Bayous of Louisiana.  Although it's my opinion that most of the situations the show films are actually scripted and edited, the Robertson philosophy of life is so strong and so genuine that everything they do seems believable.  Each episode ends with the whole family sitting around the dinner table while a blessing is given, thanking God for all He has given.  This does happen in their real life and although the producers edit out the "in Jesus name" ending of grace, mainstream America fills in the blanks and understands that this is a faith based family.  That's why I find it a little disturbing that the A&E producers feel a need to edit out the "In Jesus name" phrase at the end of grace while trying to, by creative editing, make it appear that the straight laced family will swear from time to time in their misguided effort to appeal to the part of the country that wouldn't know where in a gun you would load a shot gun shell into.

In real life the beards lasted only through duck season but when the family posted their adventures on U Tube sales of their hunting products increased.  A&E made it into a cable show and the beards stayed year round.  In real life the family finances were quite modest until sales of the Duck Commander took off, but their faith was always solid.  It turns out that most of the boys have been active for years in leading people to come to know Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord.  I bet A&E won't pick that one up unless they can edit in a money hungry, Elmer Gantry type evangelist.

So anyway, when one wakes up at 4 in the morning in shock the neural connections start firing off in one's brain making it almost impossible to lapse back into that dark oblivion.  I start thinking about the difference between believing fiction and discovering reality and, like the ghost of Christmas pass I see myself as an 8 year old talking to my mother while she is doing laundry.  I asked her if there was really an Easter Bunny and she told me the truth.  It took me about an hour before this thought occurred to me -  'If the Easter Bunny is fake then maybe I need to rethink this Santa thing'.

At least my revelation came a lot sooner than it did for a certain guy I know.  Dan was the oldest of 12 children and was defending the truth of Santa to other classmates when he was in 8th grade.  I mean, why would his parents lie about something like that?  Needless to say he was horrible embarrassed when he found out the real deal.  In 9th grade Dan entered a seminary located on a 200 acre wooded estate near the shoreline of Lake Michigan in nearby Saugatuck to train for the Catholic priesthood.  He stayed with the other seminarians at the former estate manor house for a few years until his father died and he left the priesthood training because his family needed him.

The stay did provide Dan with a great story to tell any girls he was now happy to date.  At night they would drive the back roads to the edge of the old estate.  As they got out to walk Dan would start telling them a seminary story about "The Mellon Heads".  It seems that many years ago the original owner had kept wild animals in special stone pits scattered throughout the property.  Dan assured the girls that the animals were long gone but there was a local family whose children became afflicted with water on the brain.  They eventually went "feral" and were known to roam those woods.  After sharing a beer while walking around one of the old stone pits they would inevitably hear something in the woods and would have to run as fast as they could back to the car to escape the Mellon Heads.

Reality or fiction - Sometimes it takes awhile to figure it out.  I read today that 56% of Americans under the age of 26 believe that the Bible teaches the same spiritual truths as all other religions.  The article goes on to say that "people find it increasingly acceptable to define truth by their own standards.  Right and wrong become a matter of personal conviction."  The result is something that I've heard expressed twice in the last 2 days.  A large portion of our youth that have come out of a church background have chosen to believe a  negative picture of Christianity.  The world beats hard on that drum and our kids learn the dance.

The great news is that The Holy Spirit has been finding a new generation of lost souls who have been brought back to the truth by finding a living Savior.  They understand the walk and the talk of their peers and are learning the unchanging and eternal truths of the Word of God.  These young men and women are being equipped to share the hope and joy and peace that only Jesus can provide.

Praise the Lord.  Santa Clause is just a story but Jesus Christ is my glory!     

      

The White Hanky

Maria was waiting for me when I showed up at our test site this morning to set up.  She is from the Dominican Republic and speaks very little English and I speak very little Spanish but my un po keet toe has been enough to navigate hundreds of tests without a translator over the last dozen or so years.

Our office had informed me earlier that Maria had taken the test before with another organization and she felt that she had been discriminated against.  When she asked if we had someone who spoke Spanish they remembered that I was willing and mostly able to do tests by myself in Spanish and they routed her my way.

With tears in her eyes Maria hands me a handwritten letter on white notebook paper written in English by her school age daughter which says in effect - My mother is very nice, she needs a driver's license, she gets very nervous, she really is very nice, we don't have a lot of money, she needs a license to drive to work, please pass my very nice mother.

I read the letter and hand it back to Maria and she then explains to me in Spanish what is in the letter and what most every immigrant says after they have struggles passing their driver's test.  Only bits and pieces of what she is actually saying are clear to me, but they are enough.  "Mucho Nervoso" means she is very nervous.  "No carro No tra ba ho" means she can't get to work without her car and she can't drive her car without a driver's license.  And "Mucho dinero" while rubbing her two fingers together means that all of this testing business is taking money that she really doesn't have in the first place.

In response I spread out my arms and say:  "Everyone says Mucho Nervoso.  Everyone says No carro No tra ba ho.  Everyone says No Dinero."  I put my hands on an imaginary steering wheel, turning it left and right and say:  "Bien Bien, Si.  No Bien, Mass Mass, No."  Through her tears Maria nods her head.

Before she gets into our rental car Maria has me stand next to her while she says a very long, expressive and emotional prayer in Spanish, ending with something like "In nombre Patre e Filio e Spiritu Santo.

Maria ends up passing the parking maneuvers so I get into the passenger seat to start the driving portion of the test.  Maria is still crying.  We pull out of the parking lot and turn a few streets later into a residential area.  Maria is still crying.  Being the gentleman that I am I offer her my handkerchief which she takes without hesitation.  Maria rubs her teary eyes with it and then each time we stop at a light or a stop sign Maria uses it to blow her nose, emitting a loud honk each time.  This goes on through the entire test.

It turns out that Maria does well enough to earn a passing grade.  I have her park the car and then pressing my body against the passenger side door because I suspect what might happen next I inform Maria that she has passed her test.  Her puffy red face and nose seem very happy with the news and she reaches over to hug me but I extend my arms to give her a more long distance hug.  I do this because I once was hugged by a very large African American woman and it took me several minutes to break free.

I point to the center drink holder in the rental car and tell Maria that she can put my handkerchief there.  "Oh no!" was her reply.  Holding the wet and limp hanky in the open palm of her right hand she places the palm of her left hand on top of it, then moves both hands and hanky to her heart and says that she must take it home with her.  I say OK because I know that I really have no choice in the matter.

I say goodbye and God Bless You in Spanish to Maria and once again the tears come.  I'm hoping that my hanky gets washed and finds a good home and that she's not the type that would put it as part of a little shrine in her home that honors nice people like me.  After all, she did earn the passing grade.     

You Must

YOU MUST

If I have a joy in my life that would far exceed anything else I would say it's that all of my five children came to ask Jesus into their hearts at a young age and that even now grown they know how to go to the Father in prayer for all of their concerns, praying in the name of their Lord.

I was thinking and chuckling one day about some things daughter Becky wrote after my mother's funeral and so I wrote a poem that shares some of her observations.

A young girl at nine

as she sat by my side

thought about life

and the changing tide

of promise and hope

and much more besides

while we wept cause my mother

her grandmother died.

It was Easter when Heaven

swung opened it's doors

to the woman who cancer

had sent to the floor.

And my father knew well

what had severed the cord

Twas the smoking that got her

on the way to the Lord.

While there in the church

it was hers to make sense

of vestments and flowers

and rising incense.

Of uncles who talked

and pews like a fence

from the grandmother loved

and a heart that was rent.

So she poured out her feelings

onto paper with trust

what she heard say the preacher

with words that were just:

"Ashes to ashes

and dust to dust

when it's your time to go

you must, you must."

I Almost Won The Lotto

As I'm writing. the multi-state lottery amount is up to $540 million.  The time to buy tickets is over and someone may or may not hit the big jackpot tonight.  A guy on TV at about 6:30 tonight said that the after tax haul would be about $234 million, which sparked my interest because I once prayed for $234 million.  It was a number that popped in my head some years ago after I thought that if I could pray for any specific amount of money then I might as well pray for - How much? - $234 million.

There is a big lottery billboard that I pass on the way to work and it gives the running jackpots for both the Michigan lotto and the multi-state lotto.  When I pass it I've prayed, Lord if the time is right let me know and I'll plop down a buck or two at the corner gas station.  He hasn't yet said the time is right but when I heard that TV guy say "$234 million" I thought, hmm, maybe that's a sign.

I was about to get off my butt and drive a few blocks to a local lotto outlet when I remembered another guy on TV say yesterday that my odds of getting hit by lightning were 1000 times greater than winning the big bucks.  The odds of course would not be a problem for God and the odds of winning are obviously zero per cent if you don't play, but apart from the number being right I didn't have a strong feeling about it and I was a little worried about that lightning.

Thinking about the odds and getting hit by lightning I remembered something I heard on the radio earlier this week.  In 1859 there was something called a "Coronal Mass Ejection" or CME for short.  An English astronomer by the name of Carrington spotted flashes of intense light coming from some sun spots and 17 hours later the Earth was hit.  The night skies were lit up by intense Aurora lights and so much energy was transferred via telegraph wires that one guy had a arch of fire that jumped from his head to the telegraph equipment.  If we got hit by the same thing today it would take out all of our satellites, destroy most of our power grid, ruin anything electronic, cost trillions of dollars and leave us without communication and power for years.  The odds of another Carrington Event are thousands of times higher than me cashing in my $234 million.

Well, good luck to you guys who have those hot tickets.  If you win please buy me some candles and a box or two of freeze dried food.

The Day Of The Lord

Jesus came into my heart 40 years ago near the end of November. One of my interests since then has been the study of End Time theology. Are we now close to the time period know as The Day of the Lord? Perhaps. We certainly are a lot closer than we were 40 years ago!

It can be difficult to comprehend what Sacred Scripture says about the end times because, like the Thessalonians, we get a lot of how we shape our viewpoints either from church tradition, traveling preachers or even the secular world.  If I was still Catholic and believed in the teaching authority of that Church my understanding of Biblical prophecy would be much different.  If I belonged to a mainline Protestant denomination and studied faithfully the writings of our esteemed theologians I would still not have a clue as to why Israel has been reborn in this day and age.  I respect the wisdom found in so many areas of both traditions, but I look at Scripture from a literal viewpoint and that makes a big difference in my understanding of the end times.

"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the Day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist) is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God". (2 Thessalonians 2: 3-4)

The Day of the Lord is a time when God will remove the spiritual blindness from the eyes of the Jewish people and as a nation they will call upon the name of the Lord. Jesus will descend from the clouds, returning to Jerusalem and defeating the armies of the world gathered against Him. At this time the unholy trinity; the evil one, the Antichrist and the False Prophet, will be bound and Jesus will rule on the Earth, which will then be unaffected for about a thousand years by the rebellious leadership of the evil one. At the end of the thousand years the evil one will be released to once again deceive the nations and gather them together to wage war against Jesus, the saints and the holy city of Jerusalem. This time God will bind and seal away the evil one for good. There will be a resurrection and a judgment of all mankind who did not have a reborn spirit and then God will end the world as we know it, creating a new Heavens and a new Earth. Those whose names were written in the book of life will go into eternity with the Lord Jesus and those whose names were not will suffer eternal separation from God and His people.


The beginning of the Day of the Lord will be a time of great trouble in the entire Earth, but especially in Israel. There will be wars and earthquakes, giant hailstones and meteor impacts, demon armies and famine, and depending on how one calculates scripture one quarter to three quarters of the world population will die within a seven year period. Death by martyrdom will be common for all who confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and lawlessness will be everywhere.


The Thessalonians were going through a great period of persecution and hard economic times. They had been taught by Paul on one of his previous visits about the Day of the Lord and evidently after Paul was gone they came under the impression from other sources that they were now in The Day of the Lord. Paul wrote to reassure them that The Day had not yet begun and also that those in their community who had recently died had not missed out on being gathered to meet the Lord. "Now we request you brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, that you not be so quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has begun". (2 Thessalonians. 2: 1-2)


Paul goes on to say that the Day of the Lord will not come until "the apostasy" comes first, and the man of lawlessness, who is called elsewhere in scripture, "The Antichrist", is revealed. The word "apostasia" has been translated into English in our current bibles as "apostasy". The word has the sense of "falling away from" or "being removed from", and so the understanding we get from the word apostasy is that of a falling away from the faith. But English translations before the King James version rendered the translation as "the removal". This is interesting because if that is the proper rendering of "apostasia" Paul is telling the Thessalonians that the Day of the Lord cannot begin until something is removed that is restraining the coming of the Antichrist, an idea consistent with verse 6; "And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed".


There are different opinions as to who or what that restrainer is. Some early church fathers believed it was human government as represented by Rome. Roman law prevailed throughout the world known to those early theologians and the might of Rome kept lawlessness in check. Others believe that it is the archangel Michael who is holding back the spirit of the Antichrist until the proper time. A third opinion is that the presence of the Church, or the Body of Christ, being indwelt with the power of the Holy Spirit, is now restraining the worldwide lawlessness that will accompany the arrival of the Antichrist, a condition that must precede the return of the Lord. "And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work . . . that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish". (2 Thessalonians. 2: 6-9)


In my opinion it was the third one that Paul was telling the Thessalonians. The Church (which included them) must be removed before the revealing of the Antichrist and the resulting worldwide rebellion against God that he would help bring. God had been patient with rebellion and lawlessness but He will not let it go on forever. Just as the evil one was allowed to deceive one third of the angels to follow after him, so would the evil one, with the help of the Antichrist and the False Prophet, be allowed to deceive the nations. This must first happen so that truth could finally conquer falsehood and light could finally roll back the darkness. The Holy Spirit will be present in the hearts of those who become reborn after the removal but the intercession of believers will not hold back the culmination of rebellion that God will now allow. Because of rebellion the world and all who lived in it had been subject to fear, corruption, pain and death. But Jesus was going to return as Redeemer King, and all rebellion would be dealt with. Although the condition of the Thessalonians was harsh, the world wide condition of lawlessness, as led by the Antichrist, could not begin until they are removed. And they can know that God's promise for their removal, as well as for the resurrection of their loved ones, was still valid because the Antichrist would exalt himself above every so-called god, and place himself in the Jewish temple to be worshiped, and that obviously had not yet happened.


As I said previously, all English translations prior to the King James rendered the word apostasia as "the removal". This was not done by the translators to further a "rapture" theology since at that time the early reformers still favored Roman Catholic doctrine on the interpretation of what would happen in the last days and what was the timing of the return of Jesus. Fourth century Catholic theologians had a world view that did not include the rebirth of Israel or the regathering of the Jewish people into that land, or a physical return of Jesus as the longed after Jewish Messiah, finally accepted by them, who would rule the Gentile nations from Jerusalem for 1000 years. The book of Revelation was not to be taken literal nor were the numerous end time prophecies found in either the Old or New Testament.  That view point remains the same even today.

Catholics do teach that there will be a future apostasy, or falling away from the Roman Catholic faith, with a coming of an Antichrist, who may even be a false pope. But God will protect the true "institutional" Church during that time until the Antichrist is bound by the archangel Michael.


Catholic theology views it's institutional Church as having replaced Judaism as God's pattern of worship, sacrifice and moral teaching. Theirs is the new priesthood and Jesus will not physically return until the final judgment (just prior to the new Heavens and the new Earth) because He is already present on the Earth through the sacraments, especially communion and the display of the host. Although most Protestants have a historical rejection of the pope, the apostolic priesthood and the sacramental system, they have still retained a theology that transfers God's unrevokable promises for the Jewish people and nation upon the Church, although Protestants define what is the Church differently. The majority of Protestant denominations still do not take literally many parts of scripture, including most or all of the prophetic passages.


The Catholic Church explicitly rejects the idea that Jesus will return to earth to rule for 1000 years. Point 676 in the Catechism Of The Catholic Church states; "The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millennial ism, especially the intrinsically perverse political form of secular messianism". (It is "intrinsically perverse" because the return of Jesus to rule on the earth would upset the need for apostolic succession, sacraments, etc.) Catholic theology accepts a tribulation period, which is defined as a period of apostasy from Catholicism, perhaps accompanied by other worldwide disasters, and led by an Antichrist. That period will end when the Antichrist is bound by the archangel Michael. This will usher in a universal Time of Peace, when the nations will flock to the presence of Christ as found in the sacraments and the priesthood of the Catholic Church. At the end of that undetermined time Michael will release the Antichrist, who will gather the nations against the Church, which is ruling from Jerusalem at this time, for the final war of Gog and Magog. It is at this time that the Church will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. The Bride will then immediately return with Jesus to do away with all rebellion. There will be a final judgment, and finally "a cosmic upheaval of the passing world".
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I believe that there is coming a specific point in time when everyone who has a reborn spirit will be physically removed from the Earth to meet the Lord in the clouds, and thus to reside with Him in His Kingdom forever. This will be proceeded by a resurrection of the physical bodies of all those from the time of Jesus until now who had a reborn spirit at the time of their death.  There will be left many people at that point in time who did not have a reborn spirit, which comes about through faith and not through baptism or obedience to the tenants of any particular faith tradition. The day after the removal all of these places of worship will be filled and there will quickly arise false teachers and prophets, some even accompanied by false signs and wonders, who will deny the truth and confuse those who honestly desire to turn to God.
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But scripture also shows that God will have numerous ways during this awful time to proclaim the eternal gospel throughout the whole world. Many who receive that good news will be killed, choosing light and truth over darkness and lies. Paul told the Thessalonians that, although they too might have to die for their faith, they could not now be in that time of lawlessness and judgment.
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"But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification, by the Spirit and faith in the truth". (2 Thessalonians. 2: 13)
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"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word". (2 Thessalonians. 2: 16-17)

Are There Broncos In Western Michigan?

Driving with Jackie from Grand Rapids back home to Kalamazoo I notice a large billboard advertising the Western Michigan Broncos.  Kalamazoo is my current home but I've spent the better part of my life in Holland.  I realize that I have no idea why WMU would call itself the Broncos so I ask my gal from Kalama zoo, zoo, zoo.  Jackie has no idea.

I figure there must be some logical answer and so I run through the options in my head.  There were few available to this feeble mind.  Could it be that they are called the Broncos because the school is located in the Western side of Michigan?  Well then, if a university was situated, let's say in Western Maine, would they be just as comfortable calling themselves Broncos? 

There is a town in the Grand Rapids area named Wyoming and they use to have an annual rodeo so I could see where maybe an adjunct campus of Davenport or Grand Valley State might go with Broncos.  But as far as I know we have had no rodeos or wild west shows or mass immigrations from Texas or Oklahoma into Kalamazoo.  I can't remember the last time I bumped into a stray horse on one of my walks.

When we got home I saw Jackie's brother Jerry, who as it happens graduated from Western, as did some of his children.  When I asked Jerry why WMU called themselves Broncos he told me he had no idea, then asked;  "Does there need to be a reason?"

Well, maybe for a high school, no.  But most of the colleges that immediately came to mind had obvious connections to their nicknames.  I went to Aquinas College.  While I was going there the powers that be changed the teams names from the Saints (Catholic school, what we aspire to) to the Tommies (St. Thomas Aquinas).  When in the early 1970's the students heard that the new name was the Tommies we said, "The Who?" (You need to tear down that wall one brick at a time(:

Michigan's Wolverine is our state animal.  The Central Michigan Chippewas come from a local Indian tribe.  My children went to Hope College in Holland and were the Dutchmen.  Becky and for awhile Carrie went to Marquette University in Milwaukee and when there, bowing to pressure from their Native Americans, the name changed from the Warriors to the Golden Eagles, which I can kinda figure out.

Notre Dame's Irish is no mystery.  At one time Michigan State was an agricultural college so we all know about Spartan brand foods, and that Southern Cal's teams are named after the brand name of a product dispensed from vending machines in public restrooms.

But why the name Broncos?  I Googled the question and found out that prior to 1939 WMU went by the name Hilltoppers.  Well . . . Kalamazoo is located in an area known as the Kalamazoo Valley, and for good reason.  There are a few hills around the campus so I guess Hilltoppers was a better choice than say  Valleydogs.  The football team was pretty good around then and there were two other major universities that also went by the name Hilltoppers;  Western Kentucky and the aforementioned Marquette.   To avoid confusion a name change was desired.  An assistant football coach suggested Broncos and the rest is, as they say, still confusing to me.

We Love You

We Love You

How can I escape

to a quiet place

where no one has to know

that my heart still aches

and it doesn't race

and my smile's just for show?

How can I sing

to an awesome King

when my eyes stay focused low

and each day brings

a thousand more things

that require me to go?

Necessities tug

and my love needs a hug

but my energy is only just so.

While the seasons end

I still miss my good friend

and I'm glad the healing is slow.

How can I escape

to a quiet place

where no one has to know?

I'll just find a way

while I pray through the day

letting the Spirit flow.

A Prayer For America

I was hoping for a season of grace.

Perhaps it is still coming.  God seems to do things His way in His time.  I personally think that time is running out quickly - but no one made me an expert.

I had a dream last week where I was in a waiting room in the White House.  There were some mirrors on the wall and I noticed that someone had removed the mirror glass.  I left the room and saw President Obama leaving his office, dressed in a white shirt, black pants and dark tie.  I followed him and said;  "Mr President, there is something private I need to talk to you about."  He kept walking and I followed him and we went into a conference room where there were a bunch of other people.  I noticed that this room also had some mirror frames without the glass, and they happened to be LaBarge mirrors, so I asked again.  "Mr. President, this is really very personal to me.  Our family had a mirror business and we are quite honored to have some of our pieces in the White House, but someone has removed the mirror glass, and that upsets me."  Mr. Obama and I walked over to the waiting room and I said; "See, here as well."  He told me that he would check it out.

This was a week before the election and I wondered when I woke if there was any meaning to my dream.  What came to mind was the idea that looking in a mirror without seeing yourself is like being self deluded.

We are not seeing reality if we think that the day of reckoning will never come, that things will go on the way they always have.  While there are many believers and lots of other fine people here, having the fear of the Lord as a percentage of our population grows less and less.  The overall acceptance of sinful lifestyles grows more and more, even with believers.  It's just as a saying I saw on one of those outdoor church signs - "What the parents tolerated, the children embraced."

A Prayer For America

Father, will you forgive our nation for the tens of millions of innocents that have lost their lives? Will you bless us as we proceed to murder tens of millions more?

Will you forgive us for choosing prosperity over moral truth? Will you bless us when we don't clearly teach our children your will by word and by example?

Will you listen to our prayers for this nation when we don't listen to you? Will you send your Holy Spirit when we close all doors to Him?

Will you look the other way when our government continues to try to divide the land you promised to your chosen people. Will you defend us when we abandon that people in their time of need?

Will you bless us when we worship the false gods we have fashioned in our own image or when we set up idols in our own high places?

Will you bless our land when we forget the truths by which we were founded? Will you heal our land when we don't honor you for your past blessings?

Father, do you honor those who murder? Do you bless those who lie? Do you make whole what we divide? Do you heal what we choose to corrupt? Do you look the other way when we sin? Do you restore what we throw away? Do you remember those who forget you?

Father, today I plead for your mercy on my country. I have no reason to believe that we deserve one ounce but I plead none the less. Do not put us at the mercy of the enemies that hate us. Do not leave us to suffer at the hand of the evil one. It is you Father we trust no matter what your judgment may be.

And may my Lord Jesus become known soon in a hundred million more hearts throughout this land.

Amen.

Hope And Change

This is for anyone today who is hurting or depressed, anxious or fearful. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits -

  Who pardons all your iniquities;
  Who heals all your diseases;
  Who redeems your life from the pit;
  Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
  Who satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the
  eagle.

The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed.

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness.

He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.  (but)

He has not dwelt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

FOR AS HIGH AS THE HEAVENS ARE ABOVE THE EARTH, SO GREAT IS HIS LOVINGKINDNESS TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST, SO FAR HAS HE REMOVED OUR TRANSGRESSIONS FROM US.

Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  For He Himself knows our frame;  He is mindful that we are but dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;  As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.  When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer.

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children's children, to those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them.

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.

Bless the Lord you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!

Bless the Lord all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will.

Bless the Lord all you works of His, in all places of His dominion.

BLESS THE LORD O MY SOUL.

Psalm 103  NAS

Don't Even Go There

 As we approach the annual candy and costume fest I want to re post a blog article I wrote 5 years ago.  Warning!  My views are very conservative.  Reading them may cause your nose to bleed.

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord". (Deuteronomy 18: 10-13)

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The last Harry Potter book has finally arrived, prefaced by weeks of speculation as to the fate of the young wizard, with last minute shots of anxious young kids and adults dressed as characters from the series waiting near midnight at Barnes and Nobles to satisfy this particular fantasy addiction. Part of the devoted newsprint was an article by a local minister who applauds the positive messages of friendship, devotion and sacrifice which enable good to triumph over evil. She freely admits to mining this potter's field for sermon illustrations. It seems somewhat ironic to me that in doing so she ignores the warnings that the Holy Spirit gives us through Holy Scripture about being deceived by anything connected with the occult.

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God hates those things, and the reason He hates them is because association with them always leads people away from God and toward bondage, fear, sickness, and sometimes even death. They are connected to the world of the evil one and are accompanied by evil spirits, yet are never advertised as such. There is a spiritual war going on that involves and impacts every living person. The main weapon for the enemy in this war is deception. He has established strongholds and maintains certain territorial rights. When we venture without protection into his strongholds or territory it gives him what I like to call a legal right to oppress us. I am a mature Christian and put on the armor of Ephesians 6:12 daily, yet the Holy Spirit tells me to avoid those strongholds and territories. And if they are dangerous for me, why would I want my children or grandchildren exposed to them?

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After becoming a believing Christian and being filled with the Holy Spirit I began to gradually grow in spiritual maturity as led by the Spirit. Along the way God would show me things and I would have to make decisions as to how I would respond to those revelations. One day the Spirit put it in my mind to examine the music I listened to. So I decided it would be a good idea to toss out everything that sang about sex, drugs, Eastern religion or the occult, thinking that a few albums might have to go. As I began to look over the song titles it occurred to me that maybe the only thing to remain of my collection would be the Christmas albums. Ninety percent of the rest did end up in the trash. My bohemian brother-in-law almost cried when he found out. "You could have given them to me!" Of course that wasn't the idea. Now much of that music is coming back, considered by today's standards classic but tame.

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Another time the Spirit had me examine my past and I prayed that He would bring to mind anytime that I had participated in where the evil one could have gained a foothold in my life. Some were obvious such as playing with a Ouija board or a time when I was a child and a neighbor invited me over for a seance where they did some table lifting, or the time I went to see the movie Rosemary's Baby. But I recalled other involvements as well where God wanted me to seek forgiveness and cleansing. 

My cousins and I would get together almost every Sunday afternoon from the time we were little until we started college. We made up a make believe world which we called "the ghost club". Although I cannot recall much about what we did in our ghost club, we were smart and creative kids and I'm sure we invented some great characters who had amazing adventures. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with kids using their imaginations, or with fictional stories, or with having fun by being silly. It is very possible that we never crossed the line where imagination leads to actions that cross over to the spiritual. But if we did then I sure want to have the Father's forgiveness and cleansing from any residual effects that would cause lifelong afflictions. As parents we need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we will be able to teach our children principles that will protect them from the attractive deceptions of the evil one.

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We tried to teach our children the principles of the spiritual war that we are involved in so as they grew they would know not just "the what not", but also "the why for".  We also put a fence of protection around them as well. That fence included our prayers, our examples and our guidance. It also involved decisions on what they could read, or watch, or listen to, and where they could go and with whom. Anything that portrayed witches, magic and such in a positive way were out of bounds. We would also not let our children go to slasher movies because those types of experiences of intense fear can also be entry points for demonic spirits. We did not withdraw from the world but we always had to work to discern what was in the will of God and what was not. Acceptance by the culture was not a gauge we used.

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It is very difficult to raise children in our secular world and not have them be involved in certain cultural things that most of their friends are. We can lay down a law as a fence to protect them, but we must also lead them to the helmet of salvation, and show them how to put on the coverings of truth and righteousness, and teach them how to use the shield of faith. And as they grow in being guided by the Spirit they will be less inclined to sneak over that fence. Instead, they will learn to wield the sword of the Spirit. That sword will be for protection, but it will also be used by those young boys and girls, chosen by the Lord God Almighty in this special day and age, to tear down the strongholds and destroy the territory of the enemy. Truth is more exciting than fiction, and the stories of the adventures that God has for our young will fill much more than seven volumes.

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"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever our obedience is complete". (2 Corinthians 10: 3-6)

Will The Grill

I've lived most of my life in Holland, Michigan, a nice little Mid Western burg where pristine waters lap against white, sandy beaches and tulips bloom in May.  I've been to New York City just once, took a memorable taxi ride across some famous bridge, glanced at the teeming masses, and then bid it a fond adieu.

When I was 17 I headed out via train to an Outward Bound camp in Colorado.  It was on that train that I met Juan, a Puerto Rican kid from New York who was heading to the same camp.  I was going by choice.  Juan was being sent.  I later found out after arriving that a good portion of the campers were actually, how shall I say it, juvenile delinquents who authorities had given a chance to be toughen up by 14,000 foot mountains.

What a shock.  My parents were happily married.  The only argument I had ever heard between them was one time with my dad and mom at dinner, beginning with my dad.  "Eat your peas.  I don't want to eat my peas.  You better eat your peas or you'll get sick.  I'm NOT going to eat my peas!"   I thought this was pretty normal.  I didn't even know anyone else whose parents were divorced.

Then at Outward Bound there were statements like this from a pretty big guy:  "If I ever see my dad hit my mom again I'm going to take a base ball bat and beat the crap out of him."   Needless to say, when our group would get lost on a ten mile hike and two type A junies were arguing over how to read the compass I would from the background politely suggest that maybe we should try Pete's way first and then give Nick's plan a go.  Lucky for me Pete was a much better navigator than Nick.

Juan was not in our group at camp but while on the train, like a normal 17 year old, he wanted to talk music.  He would ask me if I had heard this Latino sounding group or that Latino sounding group, on and on, all apparently very popular in New York.  "Um, no.  I do like, you know, groups like The Beetles," trying to sound cool.  "Who?"  Ah, the chasim is wide and deep tween urban city East and Mid West.

This week a very big and imposing black dude comes in for a road test.  William has recently moved to Grand Rapids from New York.  I asked him what he does for work and he tells me he has a clothing store downtown.  "What kind of work did you do in New York?"  William tells me that he sold gold grill work.  I had no idea what he was talking about so he tells me that he sold gold teeth and gold caps which could cover the entire top and bottom of your teeth with 24 caret gold.

"Are you a dentist?" I naively ask.  "No man!  I take a powder and make impressions of their teeth.  I send the impressions to my father who melts the gold, does the work, and then sends them back to me.  In New York they call me Will The Grill."

This is totally a different world than I'm use to.  I imagine if one of my brother in laws showed up one day to a family gathering sporting a new, beautiful gold grill, that the rest of the brother in laws would play rock, paper, scissors to see who would get to file the papers to have him committed.

"Did you make pretty good money at that?" I inquired of Will.

"I did until, well, you know, the economy."

"How is your clothing store doing?"

"Well, you know, the economy."

New York, Grand Rapids.  I guess some things are the same everywhere.

 

       

Say What?

I learned a new saying which just might come in handy someday.

Kid comes for a road test.  His grandmother is driving the car they are going to use.  Grandmother has these very large, red lipstick coated lips, blotchy skin and short black hair tightly wrapped in pink curlers.  She gets her tall thin frame out of the vehicle and is wearing a coat that looks very much like a bathrobe.

Grandson says something to her which I did not hear and grandma replies; "Can't do that.  I'm dysfunctional."

Dating Da Deluge

Fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls, showing a portion of Genesis.

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"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually . . . Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence because of them, and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth . . . I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life . . . But I will establish My covenant with you" . . . Then the Lord said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household; for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time" . . . In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the flood-gates of the sky were opened, and the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights . . . And all the flesh that moved on the earth perished . . ."

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"Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth . . . Then God spoke to Noah, saying, "Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you . . . that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth". So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark . . . and God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth". (Genesis; 6:5 - 9:1)

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Some years ago I went to Barnes and Noble and bought a book that was on sale called - The Time chart History Of The World (6000 Years Of World History Unfolded) - a 12" wide x 18" high book consisting of glossy Victorian style art, charts, timelines, maps and graphs that could be unfolded to 15' (plus another 15' of other interesting stuff on the flip side). The Time chart was based on a Victorian wall chart that was published in 1890, using dates calculated from the Bible and known history by an Archbishop Ussher in the seventeenth century.




Genesis presents a history of a righteous line that goes from Adam's son Seth, all the way to Abraham and to his descendents. Other books in the Bible also provide clues and information which pave a way straight through to Jesus. Scripture seems to go to great lengths to present this ancestral trail. Genesis was written by Moses who would have used information passed down from his Hebrew ancestors. But Moses also spent two sessions of 40 days in the presence of God while at the top of Mt. Sinai, as well as being in His presence many other times in the tent of meeting, helping us to have trust in the historical information Moses provided as author of the 1st 5 books of the Bible. It sure seems to me that God had a purpose to put specific dates, times and ages into the accounts. And Archbishop Ussher used that information to create a timeline from creation until his day, also showing the origins and development of other major early civilizations as they progressed along that timeline.

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Ussher came up with an exact day and hour for the creation of the earth and of Adam, and the year he came up with was 4004 BC (BCE). The flood of Noah is dated at 2348 BCE. Abram (Abraham) is born around 2000 BCE, and Jesus was born close to 4 BCE. These calculations have been used by many who study Biblical prophecy and who are looking for the soon return of Jesus to set up His 1000 year reign on earth. The idea is that if we take the verse in scripture that says that "with God, a day is as a thousand years", and if we see the 6 days of creation in Genesis as being a pattern for the age of mankind on earth, then it would be logical to assume that since it was 2000 years from Adam to Abraham, and 2000 years from Abraham to Jesus, and 2000 years from Jesus to the present day (a total of six 1000 year days), then Jesus could return at anytime to rule for the last 1000 years (the seventh day.)

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While this is a nice tidy way to look at things it can easily be seen that even for those of us who believe in the inspiration of the sacred scriptures, who believe that everything contained within them is there for a reason and a purpose, who see a literal Adam and a literal Noah, with a deluge that destroyed all land life save that on the ark, that there are some difficulties with this seven, 1000 year day plan. One is that we are already well into the last 1000 year day, and another is that a flood date of 2348 BCE does not look very probable. Yes, we need to trust in scripture, even when it may not agree with what science and history teaches. We need to also realize that science and history should agree with scripture. Certain scientific and historical conclusions may be tainted by prejudices of long time frames, uniformarinism, and atheistic viewpoints, but our scriptural interpretations may also be influenced by someone else's conclusions, or by limitations inherent in translation of language, text, or culture.

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Archbishop Ussher calculated his dates using a translation of the Hebrew scriptures known as the Masoretic Text (MT). From the MT, depending on how certain things are interpreted, one can date Adam anywhere from 4004 BCE to 4118 BCE, and The Flood anywhere from 2348 BCE to 2462 BCE. Of the different texts used for translating the Old Testament, and calculating in the same manner, the MT provides the shortest time frame from now, then back to the flood or to Adam. A second source is the Samaritan Text which dates the flood at 3112 BCE, and Adam at 4419 BCE. And a third source is the Septuagint (LXX) which can date the flood as late as 3242 BCE, or as early as 3547 BCE, and Adam as late as 5484 BCE or as early as 5803 BCE.


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Most of the Old Testament was in Hebrew, a language with an alphabet that did not use vowels or punctuation marks in it's written form. This allows for many words to have multiple meanings, understood by context, pronunciation and tradition. The originals were made by hand then recopied and passed on for generations and the material used was subject to decay and destruction. The Hebrews were very concerned that the copies would be exact, letter for letter, and had come up with different methods to insure accuracy. Even so, mistakes can happen over time. Yet even if the copies are perfect there are always the questions - What was the original meaning of a word or phrase and how should the words be pronounced when read in public? The oldest surviving texts in the original Hebrew only go back to the 1st century BCE, found in the pieces and sections known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. I remember from visiting the traveling exhibit that came to the Grand Rapids museum that, although the shapes of some of the Hebrew letters had slightly changed, the scrolls and fragments do show that the texts of the 1st century BCE were very close to those of the 10th century CE.


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The Septuagint (LXX) is a translation into Greek of Hebrew texts done in the 3rd century BCE by a group of 70 Jewish scholars. The Greek empire was ruling the Holy Land and many copies of the scriptures were made, some which have survived. This brings us closer to the original texts time wise. Although it is not the original but a translation it does show how the Jewish scholars of the day interpreted the text they had. Commentators say the LXX was the text used by the Jews in Jesus day and that many Old Testament quotes found in the New Testament come from the LXX. The LXX was favored by some of the early fathers of the Christian Church and was used as well by the Jewish historian Josephus.

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The MT was compiled much later in the 7th to 10th century CE, partly as a reaction by the Jews who saw the LXX being used by the Christians and who wanted a purely Jewish translation. They included in the MT not just the Hebrew letters, but notations in the borders indicating 7th-10th century CE Jewish understandings of interpretation, punctuation and pronunciation. This included a dating bias made by a prominent Jewish high priest earlier to prop up support for the timing of a false Messiah. The Protestant translations of Archbishop Ussher's day used the MT as a primary source. Most of scripture is identical between what ended up in the MT and the LXX but what concerns us are differences in the ages recorded for some of the personalities and for the time frame between certain events. I have no way of knowing which text is more accurate but the LXX is certainly more in line with what seems logical in recorded history.


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Three of the oldest civilizations with recorded history are the Egyptian, the Sumerian, and the Chinese. As far as I can tell we cannot be too sure on any of their records that predate 2800 BCE, and perhaps even earlier than that. There is a list of rulers carved into an Egyptian tomb. If accurate the list of kings for Egypt may be dated to a first ruler named Menes, about 3100-3150 BCE. The 1st Chinese dynasty was the Xia, dating from 2000 - 1500 BCE. Their Longshorne culture may predate that to 2500 BCE and their Bronze Knife culture may go back to 3000 BCE. Evidence seems to indicate that the Sumerians became an organized society around 2800 BCE. If we look to date the spread of civilization listed in the Bible we must first have time to build up family groups from the three sons of Noah. They had to be gathered together to build the tower of Babel and then they needed to disperse to the rest of the world, eventually developing organized civilizations.

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It is interesting that history shows that not only do those 3 civilizations begin at about the same time but that we know nothing about any other organized civilizations that predate those. A flood date of 2348 BCE does not seem defendable whereas the LXX date of 3242 - 3547 BCE should fit quite nicely with current interpretations of historical evidence. The only scientific obstacles are the claims of humanoid remains dating thousands or tens of thousand of years earlier and fossilized tree ring theory. These are dependent on the accuracy of Carbon-14 and Radiometric type dating and the presuppositions they are based on. While these can't be ignored they should certainly be open to question.

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It seems to me that scripture, science and history can fit quite nicely with a fairly recent flood and a fairly recent Adam if we are not bound by someone's teaching that requires a 7000 year time frame. Mankind is still suffering the consequences of a sin that happened perhaps 7500 years ago. Our present world geography was formed by a judgment against wickedness that happened perhaps 5250 years ago. We all have hope because of a redemption, brought by the second Adam, that happened about 1980 years ago. The time of decision, for each of us, is today.

Driving Distractions

Did you know that the average time a driver looks away from the road while texting is 5 seconds?  Yup, enough time to take you and me into a very happy place.  Well, at least me.  If I'm lucky enough to die instead of getting crippled.

Texting is a relatively new driving hazard.  How new?  My spell check underlined texting and gave me the following options:  testing - exiting - taxing - jesting and  tasting.  To remember my options I've come up with the following sentence.

While testing a young lady and exiting the freeway we slammed on our brakes to avoid a driver who while texting cut us off, taxing our ability to keep jesting and tasting life to it's fullest.

A much older obstacle to safe driving is the behaviour I noticed yesterday.  I'm sitting at a corner and the car passing in front of me appears to be driven by a big shaggy dog, paws on the steering wheel, happy face looking out the open driver side window.  I say appears because I never actually saw the stupid human who must at least be working the gas and brake.  There was no way he could have seen me.

Feline lovers at least keep their driving buddies out of sight, one hand on the wheel, the other rubbing the furry beast.  I think this is more the choice of the cat.  They don't like wind, they don't look happy but sometimes they do want to know what's going on so they sit in the back window, creeping me out as they stare at me.

One of the latest fashions for people who wear glasses are frames with these very wide side brackets.  They look nice but like the idiot with the dog on his lap the glasses offer no peripheral vision. At least these fashionistas (machinists in my spell check) can learn to move their head to compensate and don't have to worry about what will happen to their lap if a dog gets frightened or a cat gets frisky.

I won't bore you with statistics concerning gory death and cell phone while driving usage.  Do you really care?  Does the average person think, "Oh, this may end my life.  It would be wise to pull over and talk."  I would say that maybe 20% of people that come in for road tests between the ages of 18 and 24 actually keep their iPhone on their lap when driving, ON THE ROAD TEST!  They don't use it but you know this is their life.

I bet when they leave me they have one hand on the wheel, one thumb changing screens and doing all the other stuff I wouldn't know because I don't have an iPhone.  This prompts an interesting thought.  Your driving attention while you are on your cell phone is maybe 50% and theirs is at 10%.  What are your odds of finding that happy place?

25 Points That Guide My Voting

I cannot vote for a person or a party that encourages abortion.

Same sex orientation should not be given the status of marriage.

Education is more a local matter than a Federal matter.

We must help the poor to get out of their situation.

We should revise policies that encourage a culture of single parent families.

Protection of our borders should have priority over votes.

Revenue for social programs come from tax payers, not the government.

Our rights come from the Creator, not the government.

Our country should be able to pay for everything it provides without needing to borrow or print money.

If we don't have the money we need to first cut back on spending.

Spending can be added if and when revenues increase, not on promises.

Because we can't have everything we need to prioritize, have a say in the process, and go without.

16 Trillion in debt is going to destroy this country, hurting everyone, the poor first.

Inflation (rising gas, utilities, food prices) hurt everyone, the poor first.

Becoming energy independent must happen soon.

We are responsible for protecting our environment, but there must be balance.

Solar and wind requirements should not be mandated.

Gas millage should not be mandated.

Social engineering should not be mandated.

In today's world we need a strong military.

We should not apologize to the world for our values or history.

We need to stand with and support our allies.

We need to seek the will of God for us and for our country.

We need to cry out to Him for forgiveness and mercy.

We need to thank Him for placing us in this place at this time.