Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Walter
Walter Ericksen married my Aunt Rose late in life.
Walter was a big man with thick-lidden eyes. (When a writer uses that expression to describe a character, Uncle Walter's face immediately flashes before me.) With his soft, kind voice, he was a "gentle Ben" type of man.
Walter worked on the ore boats that traverse the Great Lakes, where he would sign on for a tour of duty and be gone for months at a time. What made him the happiest was his pleasure at finding something special at an auction or garage sale. He would stop at the farm and show Mother and Dad what he had found, leaning against his truck, reliving the purchase with them.
Poor health plagued him, probably because of his weight; he sank into depression, became cranky and impossible to live with, so his last days were spent in a nursing home. Mother or Aunt Rose would visit him, but otherwise he was alone. When he died he was buried in the Stonington Cemetery, a small, lovely place far down on the Stonington Peninsula, where he had been born and grew to manhood.
I heard that on his gravestone were the words, "LIFE'S NOT FAIR." Mother said she thought that was on his gravestone, although she couldn't be sure. Walter must have picked it out himself before he died.
Was this his testimony to the world--this tragic epitaph? I purposed to go and see for myself the next time I was home.
My next visit my sister Lolly, Mother and I, set out on a Sunday afternoon for the cemetery. The cemetery is a twenty or so mile trip down the peninsula, and as we drove we reminisced about who had lived here and there, and where they were now--a real, old-fashioned Sunday drive. The cemetery road came up on our right and soon we were walking among the graves of old friends and family. I passed Jim Johnson's stone. He was a school classmate who had died in a car accident on the Stonington road when he was 16 years old. I had forgotten him. Rest in peace, Jimmy.
Then I saw the stone, WALTER C. ERICKSEN 1928 - 1992, and sure enough it said, "LIFE'S NOT FAIR."
Those words had laid heavy on my heart since I first heard them. Life certainly is not fair, but to leave them as your last words to the world was such a sadness to my soul. But there was a second line on the stone which gave flight to my soul. I shouted to Lolly and Mother and we stood before the stone and read:
LIFE'S NOT FAIR
BUT GOD IS GOOD
That last line made all the difference. Why had no one remembered the last line! The summation of Walter's life was totally changed by that line. To have God, and account that He is good and that He is the measure against all the world can throw at us, is indeed a blessed place for our soul to abide. Walter had a hope and a testimony of God's goodness.
We left that cemetery with our souls in communion with Walter; life might not fair, but praise His name, God is good!
"The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."
(Lamentations 3:25,26)
Walter was a big man with thick-lidden eyes. (When a writer uses that expression to describe a character, Uncle Walter's face immediately flashes before me.) With his soft, kind voice, he was a "gentle Ben" type of man.
Walter worked on the ore boats that traverse the Great Lakes, where he would sign on for a tour of duty and be gone for months at a time. What made him the happiest was his pleasure at finding something special at an auction or garage sale. He would stop at the farm and show Mother and Dad what he had found, leaning against his truck, reliving the purchase with them.
Poor health plagued him, probably because of his weight; he sank into depression, became cranky and impossible to live with, so his last days were spent in a nursing home. Mother or Aunt Rose would visit him, but otherwise he was alone. When he died he was buried in the Stonington Cemetery, a small, lovely place far down on the Stonington Peninsula, where he had been born and grew to manhood.
I heard that on his gravestone were the words, "LIFE'S NOT FAIR." Mother said she thought that was on his gravestone, although she couldn't be sure. Walter must have picked it out himself before he died.
Was this his testimony to the world--this tragic epitaph? I purposed to go and see for myself the next time I was home.
My next visit my sister Lolly, Mother and I, set out on a Sunday afternoon for the cemetery. The cemetery is a twenty or so mile trip down the peninsula, and as we drove we reminisced about who had lived here and there, and where they were now--a real, old-fashioned Sunday drive. The cemetery road came up on our right and soon we were walking among the graves of old friends and family. I passed Jim Johnson's stone. He was a school classmate who had died in a car accident on the Stonington road when he was 16 years old. I had forgotten him. Rest in peace, Jimmy.
Then I saw the stone, WALTER C. ERICKSEN 1928 - 1992, and sure enough it said, "LIFE'S NOT FAIR."
Those words had laid heavy on my heart since I first heard them. Life certainly is not fair, but to leave them as your last words to the world was such a sadness to my soul. But there was a second line on the stone which gave flight to my soul. I shouted to Lolly and Mother and we stood before the stone and read:
LIFE'S NOT FAIR
BUT GOD IS GOOD
That last line made all the difference. Why had no one remembered the last line! The summation of Walter's life was totally changed by that line. To have God, and account that He is good and that He is the measure against all the world can throw at us, is indeed a blessed place for our soul to abide. Walter had a hope and a testimony of God's goodness.
We left that cemetery with our souls in communion with Walter; life might not fair, but praise His name, God is good!
"The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."
(Lamentations 3:25,26)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Death Takes a Holiday
April 23, 2009
There were no obituary reports for Thursday, April 23.
(Escanaba Daily Press, Escanaba, Michigan)
I found the above listing as I logged on to check the obituaries of my hometown. It put me in mind of the old movie,"Death Takes a Holiday," which is quite dark, but a newer version has a bit more glamour.
Meet Joe Black (1998)is a modern remake of the original "Death Takes a Holiday" and it stars Brad Pitt as Death. Worth a view.
Death Takes a Holiday (1934) is a romantic drama starring Fredric March, Evelyn Venable and Guy Standing, based on a play by Alberto Casella.
After years of questioning why people fear him, Death (March) takes on human form so he can mingle among the mortals and find an answer. However, events soon spiral out of control as he falls in love with the beautiful young Grazia (Venable), the only woman unafraid of him. As he falls in love with her, her father, Duke Lambert sees him for what he is and begs him to return to his duties. Given that with Death temporarily occupied, people have stopped dying, thus interrupting the natural order.
There were no obituary reports for Thursday, April 23.
(Escanaba Daily Press, Escanaba, Michigan)
I found the above listing as I logged on to check the obituaries of my hometown. It put me in mind of the old movie,"Death Takes a Holiday," which is quite dark, but a newer version has a bit more glamour.
Meet Joe Black (1998)is a modern remake of the original "Death Takes a Holiday" and it stars Brad Pitt as Death. Worth a view.
Death Takes a Holiday (1934) is a romantic drama starring Fredric March, Evelyn Venable and Guy Standing, based on a play by Alberto Casella.
After years of questioning why people fear him, Death (March) takes on human form so he can mingle among the mortals and find an answer. However, events soon spiral out of control as he falls in love with the beautiful young Grazia (Venable), the only woman unafraid of him. As he falls in love with her, her father, Duke Lambert sees him for what he is and begs him to return to his duties. Given that with Death temporarily occupied, people have stopped dying, thus interrupting the natural order.
William Shakespeare day...
Portia:
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
(The Merchant Of Venice Act 4, scene 1, 180–187)
May God's mercy be falling gently on you this day. We bless God, as He has first blessed us, in Jesus Christ.
Mercy there was great and grace was free,
Pardon there was multiplied to me,
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary.
- William Newell
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
(The Merchant Of Venice Act 4, scene 1, 180–187)
May God's mercy be falling gently on you this day. We bless God, as He has first blessed us, in Jesus Christ.
Mercy there was great and grace was free,
Pardon there was multiplied to me,
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary.
- William Newell
"Was not spoken of the soul..."
Oh, how small a portion of earth will hold us when we are dead, who ambitiously seek after the whole world while we are living!
-Philip of Macedon, king, father of Alexander the Great (382-336 BCE)
-Philip of Macedon, king, father of Alexander the Great (382-336 BCE)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Revelation 21 & 22
New JerusalemRevelation 21& 22
These chapters concerns both ages: the 1000 year Kingdom (Millennial) and the eternal age.
Chapter 21:
1 - New Heaven & New Earth. Adam’s curse has been removed and now it is possible for God to dwell with man. The universe is sinless except for the containment of the Lake of Fire.
“first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Heb 1.10-12)
perish = shall be changed (2 Peter 3.10-13).
new = Greek kainos, fresh life rising from the decay
no more sea = (Genesis 1.6-8) firmament of water above 2nd heaven & below. The universe is in the shape of the Tabernacle.
2 - New Jerusalem = Cf. Abraham looking for a city – Heb. 11.10. This city will be the Throne & Palace of God. This city will illuminate the millennial earth and afterward the New Earth.
3 - Tabernacle from heaven which was the pattern of the earthly tabernacle. (Heb. 8.1-5; 9.23-24).
4 - No more tears, death, sorrow, pain (Isaiah 25.8).
5 - “all things new” Cf. us today in Body of Christ. We are a “new creature”; in Christ, “old things passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5.17).
6-8: “He that sat upon the throne (Jesus Christ) said…It is done” Cf. “It is finished”
“water of live freely” = John 7.37 “…if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.”
An invitation to all.
“…all liars” = 2nd death
9-23: Description of New Jerusalem, the Holy City, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife. Cf. 19.7 w 21.9. The City has God’s glory.
# 12 = number of governmental perfection.
24-27: Those who enter the City—“no wise enter into it any thing that defileth” - only the redeemed will enter.
Chapter 22:
1-5: The New paradise: pure river; water of life; tree of life; no more curse (Genesis 3.17; Romans 8.18-23) “for ever and ever”. Joy to the world! the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King.
6-20: The Epilogue
6 - “These sayings are faithful and true…must shortly be done”
7 - “I come quickly” The age of Grace interrupted Prophecy.
8-9: John again falls to worship the messenger (angel) and is rebuked. Cf. 19.10.
10 - “Time is at hand – seal not” Cf. Daniel 12.9
11-12: There will be no time to trust Jesus Christ when He returns—people’s eternal destiny will be set. and never change. He comes quickly with rewards for service.
13 - “I am Alpha and Omega” = Deity
14-15: “right to tree of life” Without are the unbelievers.
16-17: Final invitation to come to Jesus. “I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” “whosoever will” may come.
18-19: Do not add or take away the Words of this prophecy.
20-21: “Surely I come quickly.” Our response: “Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.”
These chapters concerns both ages: the 1000 year Kingdom (Millennial) and the eternal age.
Chapter 21:
1 - New Heaven & New Earth. Adam’s curse has been removed and now it is possible for God to dwell with man. The universe is sinless except for the containment of the Lake of Fire.
“first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Heb 1.10-12)
perish = shall be changed (2 Peter 3.10-13).
new = Greek kainos, fresh life rising from the decay
no more sea = (Genesis 1.6-8) firmament of water above 2nd heaven & below. The universe is in the shape of the Tabernacle.
2 - New Jerusalem = Cf. Abraham looking for a city – Heb. 11.10. This city will be the Throne & Palace of God. This city will illuminate the millennial earth and afterward the New Earth.
3 - Tabernacle from heaven which was the pattern of the earthly tabernacle. (Heb. 8.1-5; 9.23-24).
4 - No more tears, death, sorrow, pain (Isaiah 25.8).
5 - “all things new” Cf. us today in Body of Christ. We are a “new creature”; in Christ, “old things passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5.17).
6-8: “He that sat upon the throne (Jesus Christ) said…It is done” Cf. “It is finished”
“water of live freely” = John 7.37 “…if any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.”
An invitation to all.
“…all liars” = 2nd death
9-23: Description of New Jerusalem, the Holy City, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife. Cf. 19.7 w 21.9. The City has God’s glory.
# 12 = number of governmental perfection.
24-27: Those who enter the City—“no wise enter into it any thing that defileth” - only the redeemed will enter.
Chapter 22:
1-5: The New paradise: pure river; water of life; tree of life; no more curse (Genesis 3.17; Romans 8.18-23) “for ever and ever”. Joy to the world! the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King.
6-20: The Epilogue
6 - “These sayings are faithful and true…must shortly be done”
7 - “I come quickly” The age of Grace interrupted Prophecy.
8-9: John again falls to worship the messenger (angel) and is rebuked. Cf. 19.10.
10 - “Time is at hand – seal not” Cf. Daniel 12.9
11-12: There will be no time to trust Jesus Christ when He returns—people’s eternal destiny will be set. and never change. He comes quickly with rewards for service.
13 - “I am Alpha and Omega” = Deity
14-15: “right to tree of life” Without are the unbelievers.
16-17: Final invitation to come to Jesus. “I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” “whosoever will” may come.
18-19: Do not add or take away the Words of this prophecy.
20-21: “Surely I come quickly.” Our response: “Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.”
Irena
By Marc Sheppard
Monday night, CBS aired the Hallmark Channel presentation of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, the amazing story of the Polish Roman Catholic nurse and social worker who smuggled thousands of Jewish children to safety from the Warsaw Ghetto.
Before being captured by the Nazis, Irena Sendler managed to deliver 2,500 children and infants to Polish Catholic families who kept them from the gas chambers by raising them as though their own. She even supplied the false documents necessary to sustain the new identities. Hopelessly optimistic, she actually buried records associating each child's assumed and birth identities in glass jars, hoping to one day reunite children with parents.
But in 1943 she was arrested by the Gestapo, who tortured and beat her to the point of breaking her arms and legs, but never her loyalty to her humane cause. Refusing to betray accomplices, she was sentenced to die. Fortunately, by bribing a few German guards, Sendler's underground organization managed to rescue her while keeping her name on Nazi bulletin board execution lists. Believed dead, she managed to live in hiding until the fall of Berlin, reportedly continuing her work keeping Jewish children out of Hitler's ovens.
After the war she stuck to the plan and unearthed the jars, hoping to return the children to their parents. But as nearly all of the Ghetto's 400,000-plus population had perished from starvation, disease, random sadistic killings, or mass deportations to the extermination camp at Treblinka, few, if any, such reunions ever took place.
The fact that she risked her life daily to save thousands from Hitler's Final Solution is nothing short of gallant and that she did so under the scrutiny of the Gestapo is nothing short of momentous.
In 2007 and at the age of 97, the brave and selfless hero was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
A post in response to the above article:
She would take Jewish children by the hand, and risking her own life, would secure not only their life, but also the lives of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It is necessary to remember this to understand the words of the Talmud: “He who saves one life, saves the entire world.”
Irena Sendler saved this world day-by-day, child-by-child.
Monday night, CBS aired the Hallmark Channel presentation of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, the amazing story of the Polish Roman Catholic nurse and social worker who smuggled thousands of Jewish children to safety from the Warsaw Ghetto.
Before being captured by the Nazis, Irena Sendler managed to deliver 2,500 children and infants to Polish Catholic families who kept them from the gas chambers by raising them as though their own. She even supplied the false documents necessary to sustain the new identities. Hopelessly optimistic, she actually buried records associating each child's assumed and birth identities in glass jars, hoping to one day reunite children with parents.
But in 1943 she was arrested by the Gestapo, who tortured and beat her to the point of breaking her arms and legs, but never her loyalty to her humane cause. Refusing to betray accomplices, she was sentenced to die. Fortunately, by bribing a few German guards, Sendler's underground organization managed to rescue her while keeping her name on Nazi bulletin board execution lists. Believed dead, she managed to live in hiding until the fall of Berlin, reportedly continuing her work keeping Jewish children out of Hitler's ovens.
After the war she stuck to the plan and unearthed the jars, hoping to return the children to their parents. But as nearly all of the Ghetto's 400,000-plus population had perished from starvation, disease, random sadistic killings, or mass deportations to the extermination camp at Treblinka, few, if any, such reunions ever took place.
The fact that she risked her life daily to save thousands from Hitler's Final Solution is nothing short of gallant and that she did so under the scrutiny of the Gestapo is nothing short of momentous.
In 2007 and at the age of 97, the brave and selfless hero was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
A post in response to the above article:
She would take Jewish children by the hand, and risking her own life, would secure not only their life, but also the lives of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It is necessary to remember this to understand the words of the Talmud: “He who saves one life, saves the entire world.”
Irena Sendler saved this world day-by-day, child-by-child.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Beware the caterpillar...
Side-Lines: Bugs used as secret weapons of interregation.
Even I could make it through this torture session.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Man and glory...
Romans 12.2
The Doctrine of Man
Dr. Boice speaks about the glory of man. Very inspiring, I think.
The Bible Study Hour (Dr. James Boice) - Broadcast Archives
The Doctrine of Man
Dr. Boice speaks about the glory of man. Very inspiring, I think.
The Bible Study Hour (Dr. James Boice) - Broadcast Archives
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Come To Jesus
A beautiful song, simply sung today at a young woman's funeral. Life ends too soon for some, it is urgent to know where we will spend eternity, we may not have tomorrow.
YouTube - Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)- Chris Rice: "Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)- Chris Rice"
Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!
Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!
And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!
Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!
O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Praise to Jesus
Praise to Jesus
Praise to Jesus and live!
And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!
YouTube - Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)- Chris Rice: "Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)- Chris Rice"
Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!
Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!
And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!
Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!
O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Praise to Jesus
Praise to Jesus
Praise to Jesus and live!
And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!
What is truth?
Can we ever really know anything?
How do we know when we don’t know anything?
What is the difference between belief and knowledge?
Is truth possible?
Does truth evolve or is it unchanging?
Can there be different “truths” for different people or is “truth” the same for all?
Defense and Confirmation
The above link is from my Pastor's blog. He covers the philosophical thinking and reasoning we need to come to a conclusion...a true conclusion. Lots of connecting links to books on the issue. Heavy stuff, so you'll need a clear head and a strong cup of coffee if you read in the morning hours.
How do we know when we don’t know anything?
What is the difference between belief and knowledge?
Is truth possible?
Does truth evolve or is it unchanging?
Can there be different “truths” for different people or is “truth” the same for all?
Defense and Confirmation
The above link is from my Pastor's blog. He covers the philosophical thinking and reasoning we need to come to a conclusion...a true conclusion. Lots of connecting links to books on the issue. Heavy stuff, so you'll need a clear head and a strong cup of coffee if you read in the morning hours.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
John Galt
Here's Ayn Rand once more....
People are going Galt...i.e. opting out of the system.
As Christians we are to be looooooong suffering, patient, kind, temperate. Now is the time to shine out the salvation we have inside. Don't "Go Galt".
Pajamas Media » Tax Receipts Plummet as Americans ‘Go Galt’: "Tax Receipts Plummet as Americans ‘Go Galt’"
People are going Galt...i.e. opting out of the system.
As Christians we are to be looooooong suffering, patient, kind, temperate. Now is the time to shine out the salvation we have inside. Don't "Go Galt".
Pajamas Media » Tax Receipts Plummet as Americans ‘Go Galt’: "Tax Receipts Plummet as Americans ‘Go Galt’"
An amethyst day...
A DAY
I’ll tell you how the sun rose, -
A ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst,
The news like squirrels ran.
The hills untied their bonnets,
The bobolinks begun.
Then I said softly to myself,
“That must have been the sun!”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
But how he set, I know not.
There seemed a purple stile
Which little yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while
Till when they reached the other side,
A dominie in gray
Put gently up the evening bars,
And led the flock away.
- Emily Dickinson
Enjoy the ribbons and subtle dimensions
of your day.
I’ll tell you how the sun rose, -
A ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst,
The news like squirrels ran.
The hills untied their bonnets,
The bobolinks begun.
Then I said softly to myself,
“That must have been the sun!”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
But how he set, I know not.
There seemed a purple stile
Which little yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while
Till when they reached the other side,
A dominie in gray
Put gently up the evening bars,
And led the flock away.
- Emily Dickinson
Enjoy the ribbons and subtle dimensions
of your day.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Reflection
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.
Anton Chekhov, short-story writer and dramatist (1860-1904)
Anton Chekhov, short-story writer and dramatist (1860-1904)
Beware the rational man...
[The Devil said:]
Hell is a conspiracy. Like all good conspiracies, its first requirement is that nobody shall believe in it. Well, we have succeeded so well that for centuries there has been no Hell, and there is scarcely a rational man in the world today who, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, believes that the Devil exists.
-Whittaker Chambers-
Monday, April 13, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
He's alive!
He's Alive (through Peter's eyes)
Don Francisco
The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down,
I spent the night in sleeplessness and rose at every sound,
Half in hopeless sorrow, and half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' through to drag us all away.
And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall,
The gate began to rattle and a voice began to call.
I hurried to the window, looked down into the street,
Expecting swords and torches and the sound of soldiers' feet.
But there was no one there but Mary so I went down to let her in,
John stood there beside me as she told me where she'd been.
She said they might have moved Him in the night and none of us knows where,
The stone's been rolled away and now His body isn't there.
We both ran toward the garden then John ran on ahead,
We found the stone and empty tomb just the way that Mary said.
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in was just an empty shell,
And how or where they'd taken Him was more than I could tell.
Oh, something strange had happened there, just what I did not know,
John believed a miracle but I just turned to go,
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high,
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him, then I saw Him die.
Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came,
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame,
When at last it came to choices, I denied I knew His name,
And even if He was alive it wouldn't be the same.
But suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume,
Light that came from everywhere drove the shadows from the room,
And Jesus stood before me with His arms held open wide,
And I fell down on my knees and I just clung to Him and cried.
Then He raised me to my feet and as I looked into His eyes,
The love was shining out from Him like sunlight from the skies,
Guilt in my confusion dissappeared in sweet release,
And every fear I'd ever had just melted into peace.
He's alive! He's alive!
He's alive and I'm forgiven, Heaven's gates are open wide,
He's alive! He's alive!
He's alive and I'm forgiven, Heaven's gates are open wide,
He's alive! He's alive!
Hallelujah, He's alive!
He's alive and I'm forgiven, Heaven's gates are open wide,
He's alive! He's alive!
He's alive!
Don Francisco
The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down,
I spent the night in sleeplessness and rose at every sound,
Half in hopeless sorrow, and half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' through to drag us all away.
And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall,
The gate began to rattle and a voice began to call.
I hurried to the window, looked down into the street,
Expecting swords and torches and the sound of soldiers' feet.
But there was no one there but Mary so I went down to let her in,
John stood there beside me as she told me where she'd been.
She said they might have moved Him in the night and none of us knows where,
The stone's been rolled away and now His body isn't there.
We both ran toward the garden then John ran on ahead,
We found the stone and empty tomb just the way that Mary said.
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in was just an empty shell,
And how or where they'd taken Him was more than I could tell.
Oh, something strange had happened there, just what I did not know,
John believed a miracle but I just turned to go,
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high,
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him, then I saw Him die.
Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came,
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame,
When at last it came to choices, I denied I knew His name,
And even if He was alive it wouldn't be the same.
But suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume,
Light that came from everywhere drove the shadows from the room,
And Jesus stood before me with His arms held open wide,
And I fell down on my knees and I just clung to Him and cried.
Then He raised me to my feet and as I looked into His eyes,
The love was shining out from Him like sunlight from the skies,
Guilt in my confusion dissappeared in sweet release,
And every fear I'd ever had just melted into peace.
He's alive! He's alive!
He's alive and I'm forgiven, Heaven's gates are open wide,
He's alive! He's alive!
He's alive and I'm forgiven, Heaven's gates are open wide,
He's alive! He's alive!
Hallelujah, He's alive!
He's alive and I'm forgiven, Heaven's gates are open wide,
He's alive! He's alive!
He's alive!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A Wednesday Good Friday
"A most compelling Biblical Prophecy is found in Daniel, chapter 9, verse 25. Written 500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ (the oldest preserved copy dating 200 years before the birth of Christ), it foretells the very day Christ would enter Jerusalem. The prophecy states: 69 weeks of years (69 x 7 = 483 years) would pass from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, until the coming of the Messiah. This is according to the Babylonian 360-day calendar, since Daniel was written in Babylon during the Jewish captivity after the fall of Jerusalem. Thus, 483 years x 360 days = 173,880 days. According to records found by Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson in the Shushan (Susa) Palace, and confirmed in Nehemiah 2:1, this decree was made on March 14th, 445 BC, by Artaxerxes Longimanus. Exactly 173,880 days later, on April 6th, 32 AD, Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem upon a colt (fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9). The world celebrates this day as Palm Sunday." http://www.allabouttruth.org/Biblical-Prophecy.htm
Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, April 9, 32 AD. This was the Preparation Day for Thursday’s Passover, a Sabbath. Friday was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a Sabbath, and Saturday was a Sabbath. There were three Sabbaths, three days of rest, in a row. These three days of rest perfectly match the three days that Jesus’ body rested in the tomb.
Kind of works out pretty well. Easter Sunday, Resurrection day, was Firstfruits.
(This from Historic Christianity blog (address above) which has an extensive chart on these dates.)
Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, April 9, 32 AD. This was the Preparation Day for Thursday’s Passover, a Sabbath. Friday was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a Sabbath, and Saturday was a Sabbath. There were three Sabbaths, three days of rest, in a row. These three days of rest perfectly match the three days that Jesus’ body rested in the tomb.
Kind of works out pretty well. Easter Sunday, Resurrection day, was Firstfruits.
(This from Historic Christianity blog (address above) which has an extensive chart on these dates.)
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Fear no more...
Mary Hambleton
July 23, 1917 - April 4, 2009
Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home you've gone, rest is thy wages.
Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak.
Fear no more the lightning flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finish'd joy and moan.
(Cymbeline, Wm. Shakespeare)
"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11.28)
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5.1).
Mary, we say goodbye to you on earth,
but, in Christ, we'll see you in heaven's glory.
July 23, 1917 - April 4, 2009
Fear no more the heat o' the sun,
Nor the furious winter's rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home you've gone, rest is thy wages.
Fear no more the frown o' the great;
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak.
Fear no more the lightning flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finish'd joy and moan.
(Cymbeline, Wm. Shakespeare)
"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11.28)
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5.1).
Mary, we say goodbye to you on earth,
but, in Christ, we'll see you in heaven's glory.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Beware of experts...
"That is the biggest fool thing we have ever done...the [atom] bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives." -- Admiral William Leahy to President Truman (1945)
Armageddon
The velley of Megiddo, west of Jordan in the plain of JezreelRevelation chapter 19
(Verses 1-10 parenthesis: looks back on Babylon destruction and forward to the Kingdom.)
1-6 The four Alleluias! Greek, alleluia; Hebrew Hallelujah
Hallel = praise; Yah = Yahweh, Praise the Lord for righteous judgment of the whore. “Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God”
7-10 Marriage of the Lamb (Lord Jesus Christ) and His wife = holy Jerusalem (21.9-10), to take place on earth after Jesus Christ’s return.
wife = Isaiah 62.l-5 land called Beulah; Hosea 1.2-10; 2.14-23, Israel, the adulterous wife is to be restored.
(Abrahamic Covenant unconditional (Genesis 12.1-3); Moasic Covenant (Moses Law) conditional (Exodus 19.5-8; Deuteronomy 28) - blessed if obey, cursed if disobey.)
10 John gives worship to the angel and is rebuked – Cf. 1.10-18 where John fell and worshipped the “I am He that liveth…”
11-16 Return of Jesus Christ to earth in glory! Cf. Zech. 14.1-5.
11 “white horse”= see counterfeit white horse of Antichrist, Rev. 6.2. This Rider is “Faithful and True and in Righteousness He doth judge”
12 “eyes as flame of fire” “many crowns” New name = 3.12; Isa 62.2.
13 “vesture dipped in blood” Cf. 17.6 “woman drunken with the blood of the saints” Cf. 6.10 “How long, O Lord, …dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”
“and His name is called The Word of God” The Logos of God - Jn. 1.1.
14 “armies…clothed in fine linen, white and clean” = clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand— All other ground is sinking sand.
15 “sharp sword” of truth of the Word of God , Hebrews 4.12
“winepress” = the “cup” of the wrath of God.
16 His name: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
17-19 The Battle of Armageddon in the valley of Megiddo.
Psalm 2: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His Anointed (Christ)”
17 Calls the fowls that fly to “the supper of the great God”
18 “eat the flesh of kings…”
19 “beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.”
A great battle to deliver the Jewish remnant from the world powers under the beast (Antichrist) and the False Prophet (Rev. 16.13-16; Zech 12.1-14)
20 Doom of the beast (Antichrist) and false prophet. Cast into the lake of fire where they will stay until the1000 year kingdom is over, then they will be joined by the devil (Rev. 20.10) “for ever and ever”.
These are two super-human people.
Beast = little horn of Daniel 7.24-26
desolator of Daniel 9.27
abomination of desolation - Matthew 24.15
man of sin - 2 Thessalonians 2.4-8
He was Satan’s instrument of hatred against God and the Jewish saints. Revelation 6.2 he is the rider of the white horse riding with peaceful conquest of 3 of the 10 kingdoms, but soon he establishes ecclesiastical and political governmental tyranny. To him Satan gives the power which he offered to Christ (Matthew 4.8, 9; Rev. 13.4).
21 Doom of the kings, slain by the sword of truth.
(Verses 1-10 parenthesis: looks back on Babylon destruction and forward to the Kingdom.)
1-6 The four Alleluias! Greek, alleluia; Hebrew Hallelujah
Hallel = praise; Yah = Yahweh, Praise the Lord for righteous judgment of the whore. “Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God”
7-10 Marriage of the Lamb (Lord Jesus Christ) and His wife = holy Jerusalem (21.9-10), to take place on earth after Jesus Christ’s return.
wife = Isaiah 62.l-5 land called Beulah; Hosea 1.2-10; 2.14-23, Israel, the adulterous wife is to be restored.
(Abrahamic Covenant unconditional (Genesis 12.1-3); Moasic Covenant (Moses Law) conditional (Exodus 19.5-8; Deuteronomy 28) - blessed if obey, cursed if disobey.)
10 John gives worship to the angel and is rebuked – Cf. 1.10-18 where John fell and worshipped the “I am He that liveth…”
11-16 Return of Jesus Christ to earth in glory! Cf. Zech. 14.1-5.
11 “white horse”= see counterfeit white horse of Antichrist, Rev. 6.2. This Rider is “Faithful and True and in Righteousness He doth judge”
12 “eyes as flame of fire” “many crowns” New name = 3.12; Isa 62.2.
13 “vesture dipped in blood” Cf. 17.6 “woman drunken with the blood of the saints” Cf. 6.10 “How long, O Lord, …dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”
“and His name is called The Word of God” The Logos of God - Jn. 1.1.
14 “armies…clothed in fine linen, white and clean” = clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand— All other ground is sinking sand.
15 “sharp sword” of truth of the Word of God , Hebrews 4.12
“winepress” = the “cup” of the wrath of God.
16 His name: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
17-19 The Battle of Armageddon in the valley of Megiddo.
Psalm 2: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His Anointed (Christ)”
17 Calls the fowls that fly to “the supper of the great God”
18 “eat the flesh of kings…”
19 “beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.”
A great battle to deliver the Jewish remnant from the world powers under the beast (Antichrist) and the False Prophet (Rev. 16.13-16; Zech 12.1-14)
20 Doom of the beast (Antichrist) and false prophet. Cast into the lake of fire where they will stay until the1000 year kingdom is over, then they will be joined by the devil (Rev. 20.10) “for ever and ever”.
These are two super-human people.
Beast = little horn of Daniel 7.24-26
desolator of Daniel 9.27
abomination of desolation - Matthew 24.15
man of sin - 2 Thessalonians 2.4-8
He was Satan’s instrument of hatred against God and the Jewish saints. Revelation 6.2 he is the rider of the white horse riding with peaceful conquest of 3 of the 10 kingdoms, but soon he establishes ecclesiastical and political governmental tyranny. To him Satan gives the power which he offered to Christ (Matthew 4.8, 9; Rev. 13.4).
21 Doom of the kings, slain by the sword of truth.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
The World's Prince
(Satan's dialogue from the movie, The Devil's Advocate. Al Pacino played the part of His Infernal Majesty, i.e. the Devil.)
"Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven, is that it?--
Why not? I'm here on the ground with my nose in it since the whole thing began. I've nurtured every sensation man's been inspired to have. I cared about what he wanted and I never judged him. Why? Because I never rejected him. In spite of all his imperfections, I'm a fan of man! I'm a humanist. Maybe the last humanist. "
From One Cosmos:
What can one say about the archfiend that hasn't already been better said by Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, or Al Pacino? Now first of all, the Serpent is a genial fellow who is always willing to "work with us." After all, he is the prince of this world -- a man of wealth and taste, a cultured man, an aesthete and silver-tongued littérateur. He never forces the issue, but meets us where we are and presents us with what he calls "options," but we call supreme "temptations." He is a seducer and flatterer, always.
"Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven, is that it?--
Why not? I'm here on the ground with my nose in it since the whole thing began. I've nurtured every sensation man's been inspired to have. I cared about what he wanted and I never judged him. Why? Because I never rejected him. In spite of all his imperfections, I'm a fan of man! I'm a humanist. Maybe the last humanist. "
From One Cosmos:
What can one say about the archfiend that hasn't already been better said by Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, or Al Pacino? Now first of all, the Serpent is a genial fellow who is always willing to "work with us." After all, he is the prince of this world -- a man of wealth and taste, a cultured man, an aesthete and silver-tongued littérateur. He never forces the issue, but meets us where we are and presents us with what he calls "options," but we call supreme "temptations." He is a seducer and flatterer, always.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Life for Tiger Stadium?
Carl Levin and the ruins of DetroitBy Matthew May
Sen. Levin may well indeed wish to preserve something of Tiger Stadium. He has spoken movingly on its importance in his own life, growing up a Jew in Detroit and watching with pride and awe as Hank Greenberg was lifted up as a hero of the city, so much so that after one important game the Detroit Free Press ran a headline wishing him a happy Jewish new year in Hebrew. Nobody wishes to diminish the personal significance Tiger Stadium holds for Sen. Levin, as it does for countless Detroiters. But he is an influential man, no? Could he not lead or organize a private effort that could raise double the earmarked funds? Or would it not be time to stiffen up a bit and acknowledge that nothing lasts forever?
Sen. Levin may well indeed wish to preserve something of Tiger Stadium. He has spoken movingly on its importance in his own life, growing up a Jew in Detroit and watching with pride and awe as Hank Greenberg was lifted up as a hero of the city, so much so that after one important game the Detroit Free Press ran a headline wishing him a happy Jewish new year in Hebrew. Nobody wishes to diminish the personal significance Tiger Stadium holds for Sen. Levin, as it does for countless Detroiters. But he is an influential man, no? Could he not lead or organize a private effort that could raise double the earmarked funds? Or would it not be time to stiffen up a bit and acknowledge that nothing lasts forever?
But no. Sen. Levin's plea on the Senate floor for an earmark to try and preserve a half-demolished relic is perfect, really. It is the perfect summation of the mindset and actions threatening to turn the nation into a giant Detroit. Here is the power-mad, lordly Senator-from-on-high arguing for the necessity of further tax confiscation in a boondoggle spending bill to save a building that was last barely useful at the end of the previous century. The disfigured stadium remains as but the freshest gaping wound on a clinically dead patient. Such an earmark passed through with nary a thought, least of all from the president - the same man who vowed to eliminate such provisions with his exacting scalpel. And there it stands.
Take a good look, fellow citizens. If you like what you see on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, you will love the landscape of Obama's America.
GraceLifer
He did not die because He could not help it, He did not suffer because He could not escape. All the soldiers of Pilate's army could not have taken him, if he had not been willing to be taken. They could not have hurt a hair of His head, if he had not given them permission.
(From my friend, Rick Jordan at GraceLifer)
The wonder of the cross of Jesus Christ is many faceted.
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Tow'ring o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that thru all time abide.
(John Bowring)
(From my friend, Rick Jordan at GraceLifer)
The wonder of the cross of Jesus Christ is many faceted.
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Tow'ring o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that thru all time abide.
(John Bowring)
Exploring self
You know it's true. We have to forgive emotions more often than we have to forgive actions.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Self deceived...
What others think of us would be of little moment did it not, when known, so deeply tinge what we think of ourselves." - Seneca
What God thinks:
"For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." -Galatians 6:3
"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
Therefore let no man glory in men. Ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." - I Corinthians 3:18, 19,23
What God thinks:
"For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." -Galatians 6:3
"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
Therefore let no man glory in men. Ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." - I Corinthians 3:18, 19,23
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Innocent Blood
"How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" - Revelation 6:10
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war."
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."
And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." - Revelation 19:11, 13, 15,,16
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war."
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God."
And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." - Revelation 19:11, 13, 15,,16
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Time
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future is contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is redeemable --Eliot
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15,16).
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future is contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is redeemable --Eliot
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15,16).
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