Loving God Holy

Urgent Request

2007-06-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

I have just found out that a couple of days ago a very good friend of mine was hospitalized and had triple by-pass surgery on his heart. I am begging for everyone who reads this to please pray for John Darby's speedy recovery. This means I expect him to recover.

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are the Supreme Doctor. You can hear our prayers, and You can Heal anyone of anything. Please hear my petition for John Darby. God, I know I've been away far too long, but please do not punish John for my sins. Please Heal him, Lord. Hear our prayers. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

PS. I am still over at word press. I just posted this here in case someone stops by. Please pray for John. Thank you, and God bless you.

Dear Friends,

2007-01-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

I have just turned on my comment section. Apparently some of you have been leaving comments, while I have been writing at Loving God Holy over at WordPress! Please feel free to visit me over there.

I must be honest, however. I have not been writing very consistently. I will answer your questions, though. My homepage is My Newz 'n Ideas, and I have several other sites I write for, edit, and/or manage. :) God bless you all.

Dear Oleg,

2007-01-09T23:56:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't been back here. I have changed to Loving God Holy on WordPress. It isn't that I don't want to speak with you, it's that I wasn't aware anyone was commentting! I disabled the comment section. lol. Hope to see you over there. Have a great day.

Hello Everyone

2006-12-31T20:28:00.000-08:00

If you would like to continue reading my writings, I have moved to Loving God Holy at WordPress. Thank you.

It appears I have forgotten to let you know I have been posting over at Loving God Holy. It is WordPress. That is the difference. I am switching over to there. If you would like to read what I've written, please come visit me there. God bless you and take care.

Operation: Love from Home (Sticky til Nov 30)

2006-11-30T23:43:00.000-08:00

For those of us who know Kathy Orr, this will not be news. However, you must also read what she has written. For those of you who do not know Kathy, she is a wonderful person who tries to reach-out to the communities to help them get involved with helping the troops.

She has a special project planned for this Christmas holiday, and it is a very popular and simple one. Please continue reading to find out what you can do. Thank you for all of your help for all of those who deserve our eternal thanks. God bless you all.

November 7, 2006

2006-11-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

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VOTE TODAY

Editorial from a Romanian newspaper, 9/24/2001

2006-09-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

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My brother seems to think I work magic with these sites, and I think he works magic with his programs. I am no more wiser than he. It would just seem that way due to my curiousity. lol. Which leads me to this.

He has found this amazing article that was written two days after listening to the celebrity marathon in New York City for the victims of 9/11/2001. It was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu, the managing director of the daily newspaper Evenimentul Zilei — News of the Day. [Read the rest of this article.]

PR: We haven't forgotten

2006-09-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

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Have you ever wondered what happened to the unity we all shared right after that tragic day? Tonight, Gregg and Kevin will take a look back to that awful day. They will examine what happened to us, our political parties, and the facts. The evidence as we all saw with our own eyes. Can we allow the media to deceive us?

At 7pm EST, Pundit Review will be providing sounds from that day. Try to remember where you were, how you felt, what you thought.

At 8pm EST, one of the most influential members of the new media, Scott Johnson of Powerline. He will be discussing what happened that day, what went right, what went wrong. He will also discuss the emergence of the blogosphere.

At 9pm EST, we will turn our attention to Matt from Blackfive. He will bring us his weekly "Someone You Should Know." We will also be discussing Matt's new book (which I already have in my possession!), "The Blog of War."

What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Hailed as “Groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Leader.

You may listen to the program by streamlining here. May all of your loved be safely with you. If you are not geographically close, may they be close in your hearts.

Remember

Sign the Petition for the Release of Friar Sirop

2006-09-06T02:12:00.000-07:00

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Please, we need all of your help. Fr. Saad Sirop of the Chaldean community in Iraq has been kidnapped. They have started a petition for his release, and you may sign it here.

Please pray for his safe release. If you believe, truly believe with all of your heart, he shall be freed. Continue to pray non-stop. Keep him in your heart. To learn more, please click onto the first link above.

For Thee I Pray

2006-09-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

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To ye He hath chosen to guard over His flock. Tis you whom my prayers go forth tonight. As you comfort and prepare your daily duties alone with care, may God's gentle hand be your guide.

So much is expected from one man, 'tis true. So much shall be your reward. Let not frustration nor guilt be thy stumbling block. Look up. Be still. Know that He is God, and He loves you.

If I could take that weight off your shoulders, I would in an instant. I know of a better friend. He said, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Mt. 11:27-30.

God bless all the Pastors and Priests and Deacons in the fields of battle and here at home. God bless them throughout the world. May He strengthen you, love you, refine you, have mercy upon you, and guide you with knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

We need you. We love you. We appreciate you. Thank you. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

A Plea and a Prayer for Darfur, Sudan

2006-08-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

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I have completed the five-part series with Mr. Jay McGinley on Darfur, Sudan. You will find it at Knickerbocker News. Please start with Part 1 and read through to Part 5.

He is an amazing man. He is willing to lay down his life in a peaceful form of protest until these lawmakers get moving and put troops in the Darfur region that are there to PROTECT (not rape, plunder, sell into slavery, etc.) these beautiful people. What are you willing to do? Have a blessed day.

The Fall and Redemption of Man v Evolution

2006-08-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

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Genesis 2:15 and Romans 5:12, 18-19

Please take the time to read the whole chapter(s). I always recommend this, because it is not good to grab a verse out of the Bible and use it for a certain goal. Our Pastor did this today due to the restraint on time. He expects us to do the same.

1. Doubt: Did God really say...
2. Denial: You will not surely die!
3. Defame: God knows you will be like Him.

1. Let us discuss doubt. When Adam was alone in Paradise, he did not sin against God. He trusted God, and he was satisfied. So what brought doubt into his life?

When Satan approached the scene, he waited for the woman to be alone. Why? Was she not there when God told Adam the consequences of the ONLY commandment? No, she had not been created yet. She had been taken from the side of man, not in the same manner as man was created.

So what does this mean? It is my great suspicion that when we listen to people we know have no integrity and faith in the Lord, they are liable to attempt to mislead us. If we are not solidly grounded in the Lord, we will end up being one of those people who falls into the theory of "whichever way the wind blows." Why does this happen?

That is one of the amazing things about humans. They (we) have a deep-seated need to believe in something. Unfortunately, some of us end up believing in anything. There is an empirical thirst inside of us to question everything for some, some things for others, but always to question. To some people's dismay, on both sides of the discussion, one cannot see the other's side as feasible.

Now we are coming into the denial aspect.

2. Denial of God. Satan told the woman that she would not surely die. Is this true? Let us explore this in more depth. The woman already has doubt about God from listening to Satan in the first place without her husband to protect her. Now she is being told that all she had believed was wrong. But how could this be?

We all have what is known as a sinful nature. But this was before the fall of man, you say? That is correct, so how did it occur?

While we may wish to know the answers to questions pertaining to the origin of evil, Moses had no intention of supplying them for us here. The point God wishes to make is that we are sinful. To pursue more distant causes only removes our responsibility for sin from the focus of our attention. [continue reading]

This is so powerful to me. I love to read Bible.org. I was searching for when Satan actually fell from Heaven, and this is what I came upon. lol. Pretty cool.

I do believe the point is that what is true, it is true. To deny truth is to lie oneself. This is a very painful and lonely existence.

3. Oh really? Does God say we will be like Him, or does He say, "We cannot allow them to eat from the tree of eternal life"? Actually, He does say both. Why, then, would He not want people around who are just like Him? Ah, and that is where the sin problem shows it's ugly face.

Are you happy? Do you ever notice any of the burdens around the world? Do you know what causes most of them? No, it is not lack of money, but the corruption of the hands to whom the money fell. It is corruption, hatred, jealousy, violence, lies upon lies, and many other sources caused by sin. God is pure and Holy. He cannot look at sin, therefore, how could He possibly allow mankind to live forever?

I realize I am not saying this properly, and I know there are much better people than I that can explain it to you. Our message today was about the entrance of sin into the world by one man and the redemption of life by one man. It was through the sinless life and the evil cruxifiction of Jesus Christ.

Yes, I called His death evil. It was a necessary evil. That is one thing many people just cannot wrap their heads around. Especially those of us who would rather seek excuses not to obey God than to live by His Peace.

This is where evolution has filled the gap of the seeking unbeliever. You cannot challenge this theory, which has been debuncked for quite a while now, by our college professors. Darwanism was debunked several years ago.

Please, if you can show me evidence of a big bang or some other absurdity, then show me by all means! They cannot. Alas, they accept it as fact without the scientific process. This, my dear, is a faith for which I will not indulge.

Allow me to ask you one question to ponder. Do you believe in little green men? No? Do you spend your life's work trying to prove/disprove their existence?Hmm. Atheists do just that with our beloved God.

Part 2 is ready

2006-08-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

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I've been working on my new template on my cyber newspaper. I hope you like it. Part 2 of the interview I did with Mr. Jay McGinly. It is now ready to be read. He is quite an interesting man, indeed.

4. Would you like to tell us why you are on a hunger strike for the people of Darfur, Sudan?
I reject the notion that we have no responsibility for our brothers and sisters, no matter their location or the color of their skin. Just as in the parable of the Good Samaritan, who is my neighbor? Those who live next door to me? Should I treat those who do not live next door by a different standard?

There is more to this man than this. He is being unselfish in his efforts and desparation, as am I, to help the people in Darfur, Sudan. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did working on it. Have a great day.

For the Love of God

2006-08-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

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Below is a copy an e-mail I received from TownHall.com. This is one of the reasons I have many problems with India:

While distributing Christian literature, Pastor M. Aharon, was mercilessly assaulted by a group of militant Hindus. He was assaulted for converting Hindus and Muslims to Christianity. His face was covered with blood from heavy blows to his mouth and nose. He survived the brutal attack at the hands of Hindu radicals in the town of Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh, located about 300 miles east of Bombay in central India.

During this violent incident, a mob of over 100 Hindu radicals cheered and yelled in support of the attack on Pastor Aharon, inciting the rest of the crowd to turn against him. Police stood by as the extensive attack was being carried out, and the constables even prevented the pastor from escaping. Only after Aharon could barely hold himself up did police begin to escort him from the tumultuous scene.
Pastor Aharon, who has led 700 Hindus and Muslims to Christ and has established 12 churches in this community, has outraged radical Hindus and Muslims. When a VOM contact asked Pastor Aharon what was going through his mind during the attack, he said, "I remembered Christ and many others persecuted for their faith in the last twenty centuries."

Every month The Voice of the Martyrs reports on what is really happening around the world where our brothers and sisters are persecuted for their faith. Now you can receive a free subscription to The Voice of the Martyrs award winning monthly newsletter. You will be inspired, and even discover practical ways to get involved. Sign up today!

Please pray for this Pastor, that his strength is renewed everyday by the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless him. Thank you.

When Johnny Comes Marching Home...

2006-08-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

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I am so proud of each and every one of our brave men and women who serve this country, but are we forgetting something? Are we only caring about them while they are at war? While they are deployed? What about when they come home? Do we keep in touch? How do they adjust? These are questions that must be answered.

There is a very special lady who is reaching out to her hero after his return home in May. As an example, he is having a very hard time readjusting. Are we making it any easier with our petty bickering? Is it because of what his "team" went through over there? It may be both.

The point is, it is out there. It is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I do not believe anyone of us can truly understand, nor appreciate, what this is doing to our Military. To be even more specific, to one very special man.

He has a special lady, a Soldiers' Angel (please go here, and adopt a Soldier!), who has not forgotten him. How many of us do? She is still writing to him, and she is now trying to gather enough e-mails of gratitude to send him for his birthday on the 19th of this month. Is she incredible, or what?!

In his depression, she refuses to forget about him. That would be easier, no? Not for her. That would be the hardest thing for her to do. If you would like to help in this birthday e-mail gathering campaign, please go here: Happy_Birthday_Hero@yahoo.com. The deadline for all e-mails is August 11, 2006 at 6pm, because she will be going to the Post Office at 9am the next day. (The 11th is this Friday. Thank you.)

Help us to help her try to bring a brightness on his birthday. After all he has seen, he was in one of the worst areas in Iraq, he deserves our gratitude and our best. They all do.

We just to let him know that he is appreciated and not alone in this world. It may not seem like much after all he's seen, but could it hurt?

Calling all Vets! I need some advise here. What can we do once they come home? What is PTSD? What should we expect? How can we best help someone with this? What are the symptons?

We need classes and information available to all Americans on this issue. Maybe we could petition the government for some PSA's about it? I can really use your help, you in the know. Thank you for your service, thanks everyone else, and have a great day.

FBI NationWide Alert

2006-08-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

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The FBI has now ordered a nationwide alert pertaining to these 11 Egyptian men. They are to be detained when apprehended, but recommend that YOU do not approach them. They are wanted for questioning only at this point.

We are told that there is nothing worry about, but they may be armed and dangerous. They simply do not know. There is, however, a nationwide alert.

Do you think the FBI puts out a nationwide alert to capture just any old illegal? I dun't thin' so!

Six of the eleven have Mohammed somewhere in their five names. Seriously, do not approach these men. Call your local FBI office. If you do not have one, call the police. Thank you.

H/t to Rush and a day old CBS News report. I heard this on Rush's program, but I could not find it at the AP.

A Few Little Known (or ignored) Facts About Israel

2006-08-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

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ISRAEL AND JERUSALEM FACTS

1. Israel became a state in 1312 BC, two millennia before Islam.

2. Arab refugees from Israel began calling themselves "Palestinians" in 1967, two decades after (modern) Israeli Statehood.

3. After conquering the land in 1272 bc, Jews ruled it for a thousand years and maintained a continuous presence there for 3,300 years.

4. The only Arab rule following the conquest in 633 bc lasted just 22 years.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem was the Jewish capital. It was never the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even under Jordanian rule, (east) Jerusalem was not made their capital, and no Arab leader came to visit it.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Bible, but not once is it mentioned in the Qur'an.

7. King David founded Jerusalem; Mohammed never set foot in it.

8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem; Muslims face Mecca. If they are between the two cities, Muslims pray facing Mecca, with their backs to Jerusalem.

9. In 1948, Arab leaders urged their people to leave, promising to cleanse the land of Jewish presence. 68% of them fled without ever setting eyes on an Israeli Soldier.

10. Virtually the entire Jewish population of Muslim countries had to flee as the result of violence and Pogroms.

11. Some 630,000 Arabs left Israel in 1948, while close to a million Jews were forced to leave the Muslim countries.

12. In spite of the vast terrories at their disposal, Arab refugess were deliberately prevented from assimilating into their host countries. Of 100 million refugees following WW II, they are the only group to have never integrated with their co-religionists. Most of the Jewish refugees from Europe and Arab lands were settled in Israel, a country no larger than New Jersey.

13. There are 22 Muslim countries, not counting Palestine. There is only one Jewish State. Arabs started all five wars against Israel, and lost every one of them.

14. Fatah's and HAMAS' Constitutions still call for the destruction of Israel. Israel ceded most of the West Bank and all of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority, and even provided it with arms.

15. During the Jordanian occupation, Jewish Holy sites were vandalized and were off limits to the Jews. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian Holy sites are accessible to all faiths.

16. Out of 175 UNSC Resolutions up to 1990, 97 were against Israel. Out of 690 Gen.Assembly resolutions, 429 were against Israel.

(17. seems to have been temporarily misplaced. I am awaiting a response. lol)

18. The UN was silent when the Jordanians destroyed 58 Synagogues in the old city of Jerusalem. It remained silent while Jordan systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, and it remained silent when Jordan enforced Apartheid laws preventing Jews from accessing the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall.

I would like to thank Greg Jackson for this list. I know it is out there, but I did not know where. Thank you for thinking of me. God bless your family, Kevin, and you. God bless America, and God bless all His children.

Lebanon Rejects UN Ceasefire

2006-08-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

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The Lebanese Parliament rejected the ceasefire out of hand, saying it was not in Lebanon's best interest. Need I say more?

This you've got to read to believe

2006-08-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

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Religious freedom judges blast infamous Ninth Circuit

The few good judges on the West Coast’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals are fed up with the majority of bad judges on the bench. On Monday, five judges issued a rare public opinion -- which they want you to read -- accusing their liberal colleagues of an anti-religious bias. The five judges say the Ninth Circuit is promoting censorship by refusing to hear the appeal of a Christian high school student.

The student, Tyler Harper, was barred from wearing a T-shirt about what the Bible says about homosexualityand homosexuality, despite his Poway, California high school allowing students to wearing pro-gay shirts. Last year, Harper lost when federal judge Stephen Reinhardt of Los Angeles (who’s married to ACLU activist Ramona Ripston) said the Biblical T-shirt might “cause young people to question their self-worth and their rightful place in society.” And now, because the appeals court – the infamous Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals -- is dominated by liberals, Harper’s right of appeal has been functionally denied.

“School administrators are now free to give one side of debatable public questions a free pass while muzzling voices raised in opposition,” Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain wrote in his August 31 rebuke of the Ninth Circuit. “No Supreme court decision empowers our public schools to engage in such censorship nor has gone so far in favoring one viewpoint over another.”

Underneath the Ninth Circuit’s series of outrageous rulings, which includes removing “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance in 2002, is a strong Democrat core. Of the 12 federal appellate court districts in the United States, the Ninth Circuit has the most Democrats. Two-thirds (16 out of 24) of its active judges were appointed by a Democrat President.

Do ya think I should have another category by the name: "Un-freakin'-believable!"?

Beloved student leader dead due to brutal torture: Iran

2006-08-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

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IRAN PRESS NEWS EXTRA
Student Committee of Human Rights Reporters

On Sunday night, July 30th, imprisoned student activist Akbar Mohammadi, who was on his 9th day of a hunger strike died of a massive coronary while in the prison shower. The prison doctors were not able to revive him. He passed away in the late hours of the night, in prison.

His body has been transferred to the coroner’s office at a hospital in the Saadatabad area of Tehran.

On Sunday, members of the Islamic parliament visited Evin prison, where Mohammadi was being detained. Mohammadi had just been returned to his cell in ward 350 after a brutal torture session where he was black and blue, swollen and bleeding from cuts he had sustained under torture; the jailors had chained him to his bed and his mouth had been gagged.

Student Committee of Human Rights Reporters and Iran Press News condemn this inhumane and barbarous act and while offering condolences to the freedom loving people of Iran holds the murderous and criminal authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran directly responsible for the death of this patriot.

He gave his life for freedom and will forever live on in Iranian history as a national hero.

Editor's Note: Reprinted here to serve the Iranian people who knew him or of him. Also, for those of us who are continuing to fight in his cause. Yes, he shall remain forever in our hearts and memories. Good-bye, dear friend. Even though we never met, I have respected and amired you. You did well.

H/T to Banafsheh.

"In God We Trust"

2006-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

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I have received an e-mail from Jay Sekulow of the ACLJ (NOT the ACLU!) which informs me that today is the 50th anniversary of our National Motto: "In God We Trust."

While the ACLJ is committed to preserving our Motto, you can bet the ACLU is dead set against it.

Use of the slogan "In God We Trust" dates back to the War of 1812. Fearing for the fate of America while watching the British attack Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key penned the words to the Star Spangled Banner. One line in the final stanza says, "And this be our motto - In God is our trust."

On July 30, 1956 - 50 years ago today - Congress passed legislation making "In God We Trust" our National Motto ... to reaffirm America's unique history and to distinguish us from atheistic nations who recognize no authority higher than the State.

It is a wonderful tribute to the morals and principles upon which our nation was founded.

And yet, there are certainly those who would like to eliminate "In God We Trust" from our country's landscape.

Just recently, Michael Newdow challenged our National Motto in a federal district court in California.

With the help of ACLJ members across America, we responded immediately. We filed an amicus brief on behalf of 47 members of Congress ...

... and the case was dismissed, as it has been time and again over the years. The court ruled that our National Motto has nothing to do with the establishment of religion.

Happy 50th Anniversary to our National Motto!

Read more about the history of our National Motto and the ACLJ's efforts to protect it.

Thank you, and have a good night.

Child Custody Protection Act; Parental Notification

2006-07-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

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Many of you know that I support the right of child to be born. After this time, they grow-up. Before they are allowed to vote, get surgery, sign a binding contract, etc.; they are often told it is simple and easy to just discard the child they are carrying. This is not so.

Some states have decided it would be in the best interest of the child to at least let their parents be aware that they are pregnant and/or want an abortion. This is reasonable. It does not say the child may not move forward with the procedure. It only states that you must let them know your intentions.

After all, your parents are the ones who raised you, not the government or the abortionists. Well, the Child Custody Protection Act is designed to do just this. After all, 80% of the American support parental notification.

The Democrats, however, are burdened by their pro-abortion constituents (big money). While these people do not represent any people in a large number on this topic, they pull the purse strings. So what can you do?

Child Custody Protection Act

Click Here

Contact Democrat Leadership

Contact your State Democrat Senator(s)

visit our website

This is an e-mail I received. I have done everything it asks and more. Will you please join me in the protection of our daughters? Thank you, and have a nice day.

Films from the SWC that are very good

2006-07-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

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I have received an e-mail from the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) that I would like to pass on to you. May it richly bless you.

SWC Films: The History of the Current Crisis
Israel is in crisis once again facing rocket attacks on her own cities. People everywhere are focused on the Arab-Israeli conflict. An excellent way for you to share with family and friends the history of this conflict are three important films from Moriah Films, the Academy AwardTM winning film division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

THE LONG WAY HOME
Narrated by Morgan Freeman
Academy AwardTM Winner for Best Documentary Feature

The Long Way Home examines the critical post-World War II period between 1945 and 1948 and the struggle of the tens of thousands of displaced Jewish refugees to find dignity and renewal in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust. Click here to purchase the film...

IN SEARCH OF PEACE: 1948-1967
Narrated by Michael Douglas

"In Search Of Peace" chronicles the first two decades of Israel's existence, offering new insights on the origins of the Middle East conflict. The film weaves together historical narrative, anecdotes and dramatic personal stories, drawing on interviews with the leaders who helped make that history. Click here to purchase the film...

EVER AGAIN
Narrated by Kevin Costner

Ever Again examines the resurgence of violent antisemitism and terrorism which is at the root of the current crisis that threatens Europe and all of Western civilization. It exposes the dangerous Islamic extremism and culture of death being preached from the mosques of Europe’s major cities and its impact on the recent attacks in Madrid and London. Click here to purchase the film...

If you already own these films, please donate them to your synagogue, church, local library or school by clicking here....

Germany to unseal Nazi archives to researchers

2006-07-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

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This is a great step forward for the world. Up until last year, Germany was resistent to the pressures by several groups to release the archives of what truly happened during the Nazi era. For history's cause, it is very important to understand the who, what, when, where, why, and how of it all.

It does not mean that this is the Germany of today. Certainly not! Maybe this was their fear? Whatever the case, the 11-nation governing body of the International Tracing Service will formally sign the agreement Wednesday, July 26, 2006. This agreement was reached back April 2006. The archives will remain sealed until all 11 nations have their own state's vote to okay the agreement.

The Holocaust survivors have had access to these archives, while the public has not. This was in order for them to find out what happened to their family, relatives, and things they owned. It was only for the survivors, though, because Germany was trying to protect the right of privacy for her citizens and those affected. This is their claim, and I will not question it. Not now.

What is important is that the world may finally learn what really happened, how it happened, and we should learn-not condemn-from this history. After all, would you like to be held accountable for something that someone you never knew did? No, you would not. Neither should the German people, except those of the Nazi party that are still living.

We must make sure this never happens again, like it is happening today in Darfur, Somalia, Zimbabawe, Iraq, Afghanistan, China, North Korea, Kasmir, Pakistan, etc. The world is asleep while people are being slaughtered by terrorists as though they were chattle. Why?

Maybe, just maybe, we will find some of those answers in these archives. Then, we must pay attention, stand up and scream at the top of our lungs "NO!", and do all that we possibly can to prevent it from happening again.

Source: Germany to sign protocol opening Nazi files to researchers.

No Peace for Lebanon due to Hizbollah

2006-07-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

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The next time you wish to blame Israel for the war between Hizbollah and the sovereign country of Lebanon, please remember this: Ha'aretz.

It turns out that even the mumbling of George Bush, in between bites, that Syria must be told to cut "that shit" out, is not exactly practical. Syria will be willing to negotiate if the boycott and threat on the nation is lifted, and the international investigation into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is called off and all plans to bring the accused before an international tribunal are scrapped. Some of these conditions, especially canceling the international tribunal, is the precondition with which Hezbollah confronted Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora in return for its cooperation in government and peace along the border with Israel.

This is a non-starter, and it comes from inside Lebanon. Please tell me, what does Israel have to do with Syria and the murder of Hariri?

This is a war not of Lebanon and Israel, but of Iran and Syria against the world. You can be certain of this.

Source: Ha'artz and The Washington Times (registration may be required, but it is free).

Israel and Lebanon: The News

2006-07-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

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There are several sides to this news article, so the facts shall speak for themselves. Israel left Lebanon after having a buffer for 18 years, only to allow Hizbollah to claim a victory due to terrorism and continue to recruit young, influential minds to become suicide bombers, murderers, and haters of Israel.

Many people in the south of Lebanon did not hate the Israelis, just as the Israelis do not the Lebanese. The problem, it appears, is Hizbollah. They do not want Israel to exist as they are puppets of Iran supported by Syria.

Does this mean Israel has always been right? In protecting herself, yes, in her policy, who knows? Unless we have been within the government or lived there, it is hard to say; but it is well known that no government is 100% right. That is just absurd!

It appears that the Arabs and other Muslims believe this to be an incursion by Israel, while Israel is the country that has lost 1500 people to terrorist attacks in the past few years. Some of the articles on the side with Hizbollah are Musharraf, Abdullah discuss Lebanon, Syria will step in if Lebanon invaded (as if they ever left), Aid stuck in transit to traumatised Lebanon and REGION: Iran tells Israel to ‘pack up and go’. These articles were found in The Daily Star and the The Daily Times (Pakistan).

On the Israeli side of the story, we have (Haaretz Daily Paper) Peretz: Hezbollah has fired 2,200 rockets at northern Israel so far, Report: Nasrallah says IDF incursions won't stop rocket fire, PM: Media biased, doesn't show 'murderous viciousness' of Hezbollah, (Jerusalem Prayer Team) Iran's Hizballah Ready to Attack Israel and U.S., A Strategic Assessment of the Hizballah War: Defeating the Iranian-Syrian Axis in Lebanon and Hizbollah is Here.

Reading these, one might be led to believe they were in the Twilight Zone. We hope when this matter is resolved, it is truly resolved. Until that time, we will be forced to write more fiction than is desired.

PS. Many of these articles are short in length. That is one of the reasons I chose them, so view a few. Thanks.

Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies

2006-07-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

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This fabulous book has just been released this week, and we would like to get it on the papers #1 list. I need your help. I was not asked to promote it for that purpose, but I know the author from Pundit Review. Gregg is a remarkable person, and a very special man.

Now about the book. You may take a peak at some of issues that he covers by clicking on the picture. I believe he did a magnificant job laying out the facts in an easy-to-read style. Many thousands of hours of research, sleepness nights, and many cups of coffee went into the creation of this book.

He will be on a book tour starting in August. He has plans to do interviews on both TV and radio. If you would like an interview, their is a place for you to make an appointment right there on his site.

Why don't we surprise him by buying more than one book? You could always buy one as a gift for a liberal friend or as a birthday gift. Please help me spread the word. Write about his book if you have a site.

You don't know him? Listen every Sunday night from 8-10 EST on WRKO. You may also read some of his postings at Pundit Review. This will give you a sense of the man. He is a good man. Let us help him in this race to the top. Thank you.

Progress Report on Pro-God, Pro-Life and Pro-Family

2006-07-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

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This is an e-mail I have received from the ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice). I want to share it with you. Have a blessed day.

In God We Trust? Yes!
Our National Motto, "In God We Trust," came under attack from Michael Newdow - but with the backing of ACLJ members, we filed a an amicus brief in support of 47 members of Congress asking a federal district court to dismiss the suit. We're pleased to report that the court agreed with the ACLJ.

If there is an appeal, we'll continue to fight for what is right. In the meantime, we thank our ACLJ members for supporting this effort and enabling this great victory!

On Pro-Life Protests: It's Unanimous.
For more than two decades, we've been litigating a "R.I.C.O. case" brought by the National Organization for Women (N.O.W.) - and have taken the case to the Supreme Court of the United States on three separate occasions. Now the high court has ruled in our favor again - unanimously - declaring that the racketeering law intended to fight organized crime cannot be used against pro-life protesters. This is a huge and significant victory for the pro-life movement.

Partial-Birth Abortion: A New Review.
The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear a second partial-birth abortion case, out of the Ninth Circuit, which will put all the issues surrounding partial-birth abortion front and center. In our amicus brief for the original case (out of Nebraska) already before the high court, we are representing members of Congress as well as ACLJ members who have signed a petition in support of our arguments. We will also file an amicus brief in the second case, out of California, representing members of Congress.

The combination of the two cases means that the Supreme Court may not only determine whether Congress acted appropriately in enacting the partial-birth abortion ban, but may also bring an end to the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion.

Progress on Public Display of the Ten Commandments.
In a Kentucky case, the ACLU sued Mercer County, and a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the county, sharply criticizing the ACLU (calling its position "tiresome"). The ACLU decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court as a defensive measure.

In Utah, we successfully defended a small town that sold part of a city park containing a Ten Commandments monument to private owners as a means of avoiding removal of the monument - a common practice across the country as ACLU lawsuits proliferate. The Utah case is now on its way to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. And in Ohio, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in our favor against the ACLU on the constitutionality of a monument outside the Lucas County courthouse.

Stay Extended in Mt. Soledad Cross Case.
San Diego's Mt. Soledad cross has been granted a permanent stay by Justice Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States. The stay, in place for the entire appeals process, not only supports all the hard work of our ACLJ team, it also sends a very strong message to the lower courts: The majority of the Supreme Court views the Mt. Soledad memorial to be constitutional.

Victories for Marriage.
Courts in Connecticut, New York, Georgia, and Nebraska all ruled in favor of the traditional view of marriage. In a bold move, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision that had declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. That Act, which the ACLJ helped draft, was passed by Congress and said no state should be required to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state. Even the Massachusetts Supreme Court is supporting the right of citizens to vote on the definition of marriage, which should set back the redefinition agenda considerably.

Tension Builds in the Middle East
Israel has announced they are sending in ground troops to the Lebanese border. This is a critical time for Americans, and especially Christians, to stand with Israel. Already more than 50,000 have joined our nationwide campaign - so add your name to the ACLJ's PROCLAMATION OF SUPPORT for Israel today.

Visit www.aclj.org or call 1-888-873-8698 today for more news. Thank you so much for being a part of each advance we've been able to make for the cause of religious freedom.

Now I invite you to "keep up the good work" - enabling our dedicated teams of attorneys to continue representing your values in the courts of our land, from the local school district all the way up to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Today, your online contribution to the ACLJ will be matched dollar-for-dollar through our $350,000 STOP THE ACLU! Matching Challenge. Please give as generously as you can.

Life and liberty will triumph!

The European Jews in 2006

2006-07-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

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It is eerily familiar to a time lost in mind and history. It is as if no one remembers what happened nor how. Today, again, we are faced with the people who desire to blame the Jewish people for all of their own failings and the people who support the Jewish people because they are human too.

Take for example France. In the 1930's, they were eager to give Czecklosavakia to Hitler. Why not? They were safe. Today however, we find in France Muslim organizations who are threatening the government and the Jewish citizens.

Next we have Britain, who should know better. They stood tall only after the snake came for them. Today they are concerned with the terrorist strike in India, because they have amassed Pakastani and Arabs into their country. Notice I did not say into their communities? I am not quite sure if they have chosen to assimilate. They certainly may have. Still, that does not alleviate their fear, becauce some of the "radical Islamist spokesmen blatantly use the fear factor of renewed terrorism to demand anti-Israeli measures."

Germany is home to many Kurds and Turkish Muslims who believe that the American Jews are in control of the Iraqi war. Amazing. I never knew I was Jewish!

A member of the political party in Belgium, who is also the leader of the Arab European League, is leaving his job to join Hizbollah. His home is Belgium, but he wants to start a Belgian Jihad.

Boycotts against Israel and all Jewish people are spreading from Britain and Scandinavia. Life is becoming very difficult for my brothers and sisters. Why? Why, damn it?

Because when people started blowing themselves up, and they were murdering the Jews; no one said a thing. Not a word. Oh, those of us who spoke out were drowned out by cries of, "What did the Jews do now?" Outrageous! Everyone took the side of the murderers.

Well, this is what you get when you invite multiculturalism into your schools. When you consider every culture as having the same and equal relevance. This is not true. Arabs, you are wrong. Not all of you, but you know who are when I say this. Either way, I don't care if it like it or not. It is the truth.

You have no right to treat another person, no matter the color of their skin or religion or height or gender or anything else. If we wanted, we could wipe you off the face of the earth, but we do not desire this. We value you. Now it is time for you to start finding the value within yourselves.

Get rid of the Madrassas. Learn math, language, art, science, philosophy, etc. If war is what you demand, then that is what it shall be. I am just saying it does not have to be so.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have mercy upon you. May He forgive your sins, and may you find Him. Have a nice day.

israelstruggle AT wiesenthal DOT net

If you would care to read the e-mail I received from the Simon Weisenthal Center, it shall be posted at my other site. I will be back with the link. Thank you.

Comment Modifications

2006-07-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

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I'm really sorry to inform that I've had to use the comment modification, because on this site of all my sites people have decided it was safe to put in my comments section sites that are diametrically opposed to the Bible and my beliefs! I hope you will understand. I will try to be swift about posting your legitimate comments. Thank you for your understanding and patience. God bless you all.

Day 40, Revival

2006-07-03T02:01:00.000-07:00

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First of all we want to express our deepest gratitude to you for participating in these 40 days of prayer and fasting for Iran. We are overwhelmed with so much love and prayer support that you have showered on Iranian people. We believe your prayers, together with many thousands of others, have been heard and the Lord will answer. This most generous investment of your time and prayers will impact Iran beyond description. THANK YOU.

Though the forty days are over, we hope and trust that Iran will continue to have a special place in your heart and that you will remain in prayer for the nation. The prayforiran.com website and the forty subjects for prayer will stay live indefinitely as a resource for you and others to use.
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Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus." Acts 3:19-20.

On this final day we want to cry out to the living God on our knees for Christian revival to sweep through Iran.

In the last forty days we have praised God for many of the blessings Iran enjoys. But we have also asked the Lord of compassion to have mercy on the suffering of the nation.

It is obvious that Iran needs a radical spiritual transformation, revival and restoration. For this to happen, the nation is in need of deep conviction of sins, rather than condemnation, so that the people will humble themselves before the almighty and merciful God and repent. Then times of refreshing will come.

Oh living, compassionate and all powerful God, who spoke and the universe came into being, who desires all men to be saved, and who responds to the prayer of the righteous, hear our prayers:

We pray that the Good News of the Gospel will spread all over the land. That every person will have an opportunity to hear and understand the work of Jesus on the cross, His death and resurrection, and the Good News of salvation provided for everyone.
We pray that every Iranian Christian will be filled with God's love and passion to declare Christ. We pray that every Iranian church will become a training centre for evangelists and that men and women will be sent to take the Good News all over the land.
We pray also for nationwide distribution of the Word of God and Christian literature, for the effective use of the internet and 24 hour radio and satellite television programmes so that all of Iran and Iranians worldwide will hear His Voice.
We pray that God the Holy Spirit will bring about a deep conviction to the heart of the nation as never before. We pray that the whole nation, young and old, men and women in the cities and rural areas of Iran and Diaspora will fall on their knees individually or in households and groups and cry to God and repent. We pray that like an avalanche a national spiritual revival will sweep the country.
We pray that You, oh God, will forgive Iran and wipe away all sins. We pray that You will give the nation a new heart to seek after You and become an instrument of righteousness to love and to do Your will.
We pray that You will pour out Your Spirit upon Iran and anoint the nation and that Iran will become a major missionary sending country to take the Gospel all over the Islamic world and beyond.

Thank you so much for praying for Iran.

Click here to view today's slide show.

Day 39, Love Iran

2006-07-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

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"The best three weeks of my life were spent in Iran in 1973" - an elderly American lady sharing recently with an Iranian Christian leader.

Years ago, when the former Shah of Iran had opened up the Iranian domestic markets to western products and was encouraging consumerism, when tourists were returning home from the sunny beaches of the Caspian Sea to narrate their tales of Arabian Nights, and when foreign missionaries were amazed at the level of freedom; they were given in an Islamic country, it was very easy to love Iran.

But after 1979, it all suddenly changed. On the news bulletins of the western media. there appeared images of young bearded Muslims brandishing Kalashnikovs and shouting "Death to America!" Pictures of Iran's serene beaches and welcoming coastal cities gave way to images of American hostages, war-ravaged cities, and Ayatollahs calling for the destruction of Israel and America. Iran became synonymous with terrorism, religious fanaticism, and more recently, with nuclear bombs.

Iranians quickly lost the respect they once enjoyed in the world, and anyone holding an Iranian passport was viewed with great suspicion. Soon even the Christian world was convinced Iran is a closed country. After all, it was a country where the government had closed down the Bible Society, arrested and killed Christian leaders, and were discriminating against Christians. Most missionary organizations and donors were happy to dedicate their resources to other parts of the world, but Iran was out of the question.

Yet Iranians today are more open to the Gospel than they were before the revolution. After years of war and fighting and hatred, Iranians, most of whom were never even born when the revolution started, feel deceived and let down by those who were promising an Islamic utopia, and are craving for alternatives. And when they see the love of Christ as exhibited by Christians in their midst, they sense the difference immediately and are drawn to it like a magnet.

Paul says that the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. With this in mind, let us go before our loving Father:

Pray that God would convict the global church to reach out to Iranians in faith and love so that they can taste and see that the Lord is good. Pray that fear and negative perceptions about Iran will be replaced with God's deep love and concern for the people.
Pray that both Iranian and non-Iranian Christians and churches will practically demonstrate their love for Iran by devoting adequate resources for mission to Iran.
Pray that Christ's love will compel Christians around the world to reach out to Iranians in their communities. Pray that God would give them passion, boldness and wisdom to share the Gospel with individuals and families and win them for Christ.

Thank you so much for praying.

Click here to view today's slide show.

If you would care to view all the prayers of the 40 days, please visit Pray for Iran. Please ask your friends, Pastor, Priest, family, and everyone to continue to pray for Iran even after these 40 days. Let us bring about the revival to revive all Christians all over the world! Thank you. God bless you, and have a nice day.

Day 38, Ethnic Minorities

2006-07-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

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"And with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." Revelation 5:9

Iran is a beautiful tapestry of different ethnic and linguistic groups which have lived together in harmony and mutual respect for centuries, while sharing a common patriotism for the country. In addition to Persians, there are 50 or more ethnic groups in Iran which together make up approximately half of the population. These include the Azeri, Gilaki, Mazandarani, Luri, Bakhtiari, Baluchi, Turkmen, Kurdish, Qashghai, Jewish, Armenian, Assyrian, Arab and Parsi (Zoroastrian) ethnic groups.

Biblical history makes us aware that Persians, Medes (probably the Kurds of today) and Elamites inhabited the region we know today as Iran. Throughout the centuries these early inhabitants sub-divided into different ethnic groupings. Segments from other people such as Jews, Arabs, Turkic peoples, and Armenians have also integrated over time and in more recent years Iran has welcomed large numbers of Afghans and Iraqi Kurds who have sought refuge there from conflicts in their homelands.

While Persian is the national language loved and spoken by almost all, most ethnic groups have retained their own mother tongue in spoken form as the language of their heart and home. This means that the message of the Gospel and basic Christian teaching may have more impact if delivered in the mother tongue, though participation in the wider fellowship of believers and on-going spiritual growth will naturally be in Persian.

In His covenant with Abraham, God promised to bless all the ethnic peoples of the earth. In realisation of this promise many people from various ethnic groups have been added to the Church in recent years. However, there are still a number of groups where there are no known Christians.

So today we want to pray that the Gospel will reach every ethnic group in Iran. Please join us in prayer and praise:

Praise God for the harmony which exists between the various peoples of Iran, and pray that this can be maintained in both the political and Church domains.
Pray for wisdom for Christian leaders, evangelists and broadcasters to discern how best to minister to the various regions and communities of Iran. Pray they will recognize the opportunities for use of the heart languages where appropriate alongside the use of Persian.
Pray for those involved in production of Scripture portions in audio/visual formats (such as the Jesus Film) and other ministry materials in various languages of Iran. Pray in particular for the production of the Scriptures in Azeri spoken by over 20 million people in Iran.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

Click here to view today's slide show.

Day 37, Villages

2006-06-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

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Jesus went through all the towns and villages - preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. Matthew 9:35

Despite massive urbanisation, still 38% of Iran's 70 million population live in the country's 68,000 villages. Some are barely hamlets, while others are quite sizeable with up to 5,000 living in them.

To the tourist these villages can seem almost idyllic. You will see the shepherd strolling on the hills with his flock of sheep; old men sitting in the streets making shoes or a handicraft; a small group of school children dressed in a simple uniform returning home.

But behind this seeming tranquility, there are painful problems. There is wide-spread poverty, high unemployment, and very little proper health-care. In the 1960's the Shah gave a lot of land to the villages, but this led to subsistence farming as the economies of scale were too small. Then in the 1970's and 1980's, manufacturing and the construction industry in towns and cities began to boom and there was a mass exodus from rural areas as young people went in search of work. Though both Ayatollah Khomeini and now President Ahmadinejad have made promises to inject economic life into these villages, little has actually happened.

So though many people still live in rural areas, they are usually the elderly, often having to care for themselves. If there are some young people, most are unemployed and many have turned to opium or heroin to escape the monotony of life, because there is little else for entertainment.

Iran's villages are full of vulnerable people; just the sort that Jesus ministered to as he went from village to village. They are the most unreached people in the world. Thousands of them will not be able to have an internet connection or a satellite dish; they will only hear the Gospel if someone goes and tells them. So today let us with a loud voice intercede for the villages of Iran:

Pray that the Lord will raise up labourers who will follow in the footsteps of the Master and go and preach the Gospel in the villages. Pray they will be able to bring practical help to those who are suffering.
Pray for young people who have left the villages to work in cities. Pray they will hear the Gospel in the city and return to preach.
Pray that the light of the Gospel will dispel the deep rooted superstition in rural areas which holds people in darkness and controls many lives. Pray that fear and worry will be replaced by the liberating joy of the Lord.
Pray especially for the headmen and the Mullahs of the villages who have a lot of influence. Pray that they will see the light of glory of Christ and that whole villages will turn to Him.

Once again, we are so thankful for your prayers.

Click here to view today's slide show.

If you would care to see each day's pray, please visit the site of Pray for Iran. Keep these Christians in your hearts and in your prayers. Let us be the ones to help them appeal to God to heal their land, as we pray to Him to heal our own land. God bless you, and have a nice day.

Day 36 Mullahs

2006-06-29T03:13:00.000-07:00

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"So the Word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7

About 200,000 Mullahs (Islamic clergymen) work in over 50,000 mosques and seminaries in Iran. They lead the Friday prayers; deliver sermons; officiate at weddings and funerals; and they are very active in numerous Muslim schools and charities. All of this means they have tremendous influence in the cities and particularly in the towns and villages.

As many of the government positions in Iran are held by Mullahs, some of these men are motivated by political power. However, we must remember that thousands of Mullahs are men who have never heard the Gospel and sincerely believe in the religion they were brought up with. Many have a longing to please God, and as their religion teaches, they strive to ensure that their good works outweigh their bad.

Many of these Mullahs can become obedient to the faith. Like religious men in Paul's day they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. So today we want to pray for them with unceasing anguish in our hearts that they will understand the righteousness that comes from God and stop seeking to establish their own.

Let us go to prayer fully assured that our God is able to do far more than we ask or imagine. Let us also remember that we are praying for ordinary men with wives and children, with family problems, with financial challenges, with work pressure. They are people who face the inevitability of death with no assurance of sins forgiven.

As you pray with a loving spirit you will be part of what is probably the largest number of people to ever pray for Mullahs in Iran. So let us expect miracles and transformation in the lives of Iranian Mullahs and the masses they influence.

Lord "with one voice we pray":

That the Mullahs of Iran will hear the Good News. We pray that they will find copies of the Word of God, and learn about the Gospel from the Internet, Christian TV or radio programmes. We pray that they will meet and be impacted by the lives and testimonies of Christians. We ask that the Holy Spirit will speak to them in dreams and visions.
We pray that a large number of Mullahs and their households will become obedient to the faith. We pray that the Holy Spirit will convict them of sin, convince them that Jesus is the Son of God and give them the grace to repent and confess Him as Lord and Saviour. We pray that they will find joy and peace in Jesus and that their needs will be met.
We pray for the 23,000 young men and women studying Islamic theology in Islamic seminaries in Iran. We pray that as they study they will discover the freedom that comes by knowing the Truth in Christ.

Thank you so much for praying.

Click here to view today's slide show.

Day 35: Repentence

2006-06-28T04:28:00.000-07:00

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June 28, 2006.

"O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act!" Daniel 9:19

Throughout the Bible it is clear that for God to bless a nation, there must be repentance. In the book of Daniel, we see that though he himself was a godly man. Daniel identified himself with his sinful nation, and he confessed the sins of his people (Daniel 9:20). He then asked God to remember His promise and restore his nation. So with this in mind, today as Iranian Christians we would like to humble ourselves and confess the sins of our nation and ask the Lord to forgive Iran.

God has placed bountiful natural riches and resources in Iranz; enough for the nation to be a huge blessing to the region and the world. However, this is not happening. Our hearts are grieved as we think of the fact that for more than twenty-five years our nation's policy has been to declare death and curses to some other nations. Even children in our schools have been taught to chant curses to these countries.

As a result, our own people are suffering and languishing in sin, drug addiction, depression, poverty, prostitution, and economic hardship. There is moral failure, corruption and deceitfulness. Furthermore, contrary to the friendly and hospitable Iranian culture, atrocities have been committed against religious minorities and other groups including Zoroastrians, Baha'is, Christians and minority Sunni Muslims. In particular, the hatred of Jews has been fostered.

Therefore today we want to confess the sin of our nation to God and plead with Him to forgive Iran. We want to pray that in His great mercy, the Lord will reverse the situation and cause Iran to be a blessing to others. We bless other nations and pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for peace in Iran.

Please join us in prayer:

Pray that as Iranian Christians confess the sins of their nation, God will bring conviction and repentance throughout Iran.
Pray that God, in His great mercy and love will forgive and heal Iran and make the nation a blessing to other nations.
Pray for the establishment of the Kingdom of God in Iran - His righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Thank you again for supporting Iranian Christians in prayer today.

Click here to view today's slide show.

If you would like to read the other days, you may go to Pray for Iran. Please continue to pray for revival in Iran. These are our brothers and sisters, and they need our prayers desparately. Let us break the backs of the mullahs who crush their spirits and bones all day long. Thank you.

Day 34, Government and people of influence

2006-06-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

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"˜The LORD controls rulers, just as He determines the course of rivers." Proverbs 21:1 (CEV)

Today we want to pray for all those who hold public office in Iran and other people of influence in Iranian society. Though Iran is led by a Supreme Ruler who controls all the key levers of power, there are many thousands of other people who work in Iran's various branches of national and local government and they need our prayers.

The President runs the Executive branch with a cabinet of over 20 people. The "Assembly of Experts" comprises 86 "virtuous and learned" clerics who are elected for eight year terms, and their role is to appoint the Supreme Leader, monitor his performance and remove him if he is deemed incapable of fulfilling his duties.

Another key body is the Council of Guardians which comprises of six theologians appointed by the Supreme Ruler and six jurists nominated by the head of the judiciary (who is also appointed by the Supreme Ruler) and approved by parliament. This council studies and interprets the constitution and can veto parliament. They also have to approve all candidates for the Assembly of Experts and parliament.

The parliament comprises 290 officials, including women, who are elected every 4 years. Minority groups, including the Jews (1 member), Assyrians (1) and Armenians (2) have representation in parliament. The "Expediency Council," which is appointed by the Supreme Ruler, is one of the most powerful bodies in Iran and is responsible to settle disputes between parliament and the Council of Guardians and also advises the Supreme Ruler.

Apart from central government, there are also numerous people working at regional and local levels of government. They are involved in most aspects of people's lives, including business, education, transport, law enforcement, entertainment and health.

In addition to those with government positions, there are other intellectuals and opinion-makers with influence in Iran. In recent years there has emerged a growing group of intellectuals who are striving to reconcile tradition with modernity. These are people with revolutionary backgrounds who believe the regime has failed to deliver on true political liberty and social justice and are therefore trying to rethink the revolution. Though they have faced fierce opposition, their viewpoints are having an increasing impact in Iran and this can be seen in the Iranian film industry, arts, literature, as well as in the political world.

So today we want to join and pray that God will direct the rulers and people of influence in Iran.

Pray for all those who work in the various branches of government. Ask the Lord to bless them with His wisdom to serve the people of Iran. Pray that truth and integrity will permeate through every level of government.
Pray for those government officials and intellectuals who are boldly confronting injustice in Iran, and pray for protection of these individuals and their families as they face threats and opposition. Pray that God would establish his peace and good will among Iranians through the wisdom entrusted to them.
Pray that the Lord will raise up men and women who will champion the cause of truth and righteousness in all levels of government.
Pray that Iranian Christians will be able to communicate clearly to Iranian society the Biblical view of freedom, human rights, and religious liberty.

Thank you so much for praying.

Click here to view today's slide show.

This is the 34th day of committed prayer for Iran. The Christians who are doing this tremendous work can be found at Pray for Iran.org. Please visit them. There is an English version.

Day 33, Monday, June 26, 2006

2006-06-26T02:04:00.000-07:00

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"I am 22 years old, I always watch your TV programs. I desperately ask you to show me the way to join the Christian faith and spend the rest of my life in peace and holiness, where there is no doubt."

In recent years Christian satellite TV has emerged as perhaps the most effective way of reaching large numbers of Iranians with the Gospel. Satellite dishes are very popular in Iran. Despite the fact that the government has banned dishes, there is an estimated potential 30 million viewers.

To reach this vast audience several ministries have worked to produce and broadcast Persian Christian television programs in the last few years. Now with 24 hour TV broadcasts into Iran many Iranians learn about the Christian faith in the privacy of their homes and as a result thousands are making decisions to follow Christ. Hundreds of phone calls and emails are received each month as people respond and ask questions or request Bibles and other Christian materials. Many write just to share their joy and how they found the Lord, like the young lady who wrote:

"My sister and I became interested in Christianity through watching your programs. As a result we started researching the claims of Jesus. I have some good news: my sister and I have believed in Jesus. We love to worship Him.

For many believers, Christian TV provides their main source of teaching and encouragement for their walk with Christ and often house churches will gather around the TV. Broadcasts include preaching, Bible teaching and evangelism programs, discussion panels, leadership training, Christian worship and music videos, programs for youth and children as well as programs dubbed into Persian from other languages. But there is still a great need for more programs that will speak to the hearts of the people and that will help establish them in Christ.

So today, let us pray that God will use Satellite TV in increasing measure to reach Iran with the message of Christ:

Pray for all those already involved in TV ministry for Iran. Pray that they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit as they write, produce, direct and edit programs. Pray they will be led to deal with the topics and issues that will impact people in Iran. Pray the Lord will raise up more mature and anointed labourers who can develop new programs and shows.
Pray for families and house churches that regularly gather together to worship and learn from the Christian TV programs. Pray that they will be strengthened and will become established in the Word of God and will lead others to a saving knowledge of Christ. Pray also for isolated believers whose only church family is on the TV. Pray they will soon be able to fellowship with other believers in their communities.
Pray for those who live in the countryside and far reaches of Iran who have access to satellite dishes. Pray that they would stumble across Christian programming and be drawn to the love of Christ. Pray that through TV programs the Gospel will be preached into homes of unreached towns and villages. Pray that all attempts to block Christian programs will not work.

Thank you so much for praying.

Click here to view today's slide show.

Day 32, Sunday, June 25, 2006

2006-06-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

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There are 122 cities in Iran with populations of 50,000 or more and so today we want to pray for the people who live in these cities. The four largest cities after Tehran are Mashad, Esfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz.

Mashad is Iran's second largest city with well over 2 million people. Situated in the North East of Iran, it is regarded as one of the holiest cities in the Shia world. In 823AD it was renamed Mashad (place of martyrdom) in reference to the death of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Shia Islam and today the city is the centre of pilgrimage for Iranian Shiite's. Before 1979 there were at least three active churches in the city, but all were forced to close. However, many God-fearing people in this city have accepted Jesus as their Saviour since then.

Esfahan is a former capital of Iran and today it is a centre of tourism. The saying in Persian goes: ˜Esfahan equals half of the world's and the city's ancient sites, beautiful handicrafts, and amazing architectural masterpieces make this a fitting epithet. In 1605 King Shah Abbas forcibly brought over 250,000 ethnically Christian Armenians to Esfahan from Armenia. They have maintained their Christian identity and contributed much to the community. The many beautiful church buildings they have constructed, 13 of which survive today, are a silent witness.

Tabriz is the largest city in North-West Iran and has a population of over 1.2 million. The city is the capital of Iranian Azerbaijan and most of its inhabitants are Azeri's, the largest minority group in Iran. There is also a small ethnic Christian Assyrian and Armenian community. Christian workers were serving in this city before the revolution and many heard the Gospel, though now the government has closed the evangelical church there.

Shiraz sits in South West Iran. The ancient monuments of Persepolis and Passargard give the city special historical significance. Shiraz has always been a fertile ground for poetry and two of Iran's greatest poets, Hafez and Sadie, are buried in this city. Before the Islamic revolution, Christian missionaries were serving in a Christian hospital and the church, and many people in Shiraz and surrounding towns have received spiritual as well as physical healing as a result of the work of these Christians.

We wish we could write about all the cities of Iran, but unfortunately that is not enough room. However, let us unite in prayer together for them all:

Pray for 60% of Iranians who live in urban areas. Pray for those who have heard about Christ or received a copy of the Scripture as a result of the presence of the church and Christians among them. Pray that they would be drawn to the love of Christ.
Pray for the Christians in different cities of Iran. Ask the Lord to give them special favour and grace to be a blessing in their communities. Pray for the growth of house churches. Also pray that new believers can come into contact with other Christians and start having fellowship with them.
Pray that spiritual strongholds in different cities will be broken and people will come to the knowledge of the truth. Pray also for the official churches in the cities that have been closed down by the regime. Pray that they would be allowed to re-open.

Thank you again for praying for Iran.

Click here to view today's slide show.

A Blessing

2006-06-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

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A couple of days ago, I was stunned by a piece of mail I received. It was by my Pastor from over 2 years ago!

See, I had stopped going for a while, because I had fallen ill. Then, there was no follow-up. No one missed me. No one even knew I was gone!

Well! You can only imagine how that made me feel. I am home-bound, and no one cared. This is before my blogs. I thought I would just wait around for God to declare, "Okay, you have suffered enough. Come home!"

This obviously did not happen. Instead, what did happen, is the Pastor of my Church made an appeal to me to return to Church.

In case you are wondering what my answer to him is, it is, "YES!" I have stopped feeling sorry for myself. Someone has remembered me, and they care that I do not go to hell.

Happy Birthday USA Army and USA Flag

2006-06-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

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Today, 231 years ago, the men (and women) of our country came together to form a more perfect Army to be honored with our blessed Flag. At that period in time, men and women understood what it meant to sacrifice for that which was worth the sacrifice. They honored each other and the United States (although she was not yet the United States). There was no shame in defending one's country, one's family, one's self.

Today, I still hold these truths to be as valuable. America is indeed beautiful, but she was purchased through the blood of many whose boots I am not worth to clean. I honor you, Military. I respect you, and I know you are the only ones standing between harm's way and me. I give you my deepest gratitude. Thank you.

We have heard so many stories about our flag. Some even try to dismiss them, while others disrespect her by setting her aflame. As you do this to a symbol that is so dear to us, please remember this: Without those whom you protesting, you would not carry the freedom with you to do such a thing. In some countries, you would receive the death penalty.
So treat her with respect. Understand that we do not worship our flag, but we love her. It was the flag who inspired Francis Scott Key on that battle at Fort Henry of the shores of Baltimore Harbor in 1812 to write our national anthem. It was the sight of our flag that let them know, that inspired them to carry on with strength, that we still held the line.

You see, if we had lost that one particular battle, we would have lost it all. So be thankful. Understand what you are doing before you do it, and thank those brave men and women whom give you the opportunity to act like an a**.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, AND GOD BLESS THE USA ARMY!

Now for some remarkable remembrances: Blackfive, Theodore's World has one for Flag Day and one for the Army's 231st Birthday and Euphoric Reality.

PS. I cannot get blogger to allow me to publish a flag. :( Sorry.

Newdow's at it Again...

2006-06-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

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Here we go again:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge on Monday rejected a lawsuit from an atheist who said having the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins and dollar bills violated his First Amendment rights. [continue reading]

Well, we won this round. We are going to need all of us. We cannot afford to rest on our laurels! So what is the answer?

Pray, write and call your Congressperson, and VOTE for the person who is best qualified. We need to stop voting for the person who is most likely to win. This is why we have primaries. So we the people may determine who is going to best represent us, not the politically dumb, blind and deaf! God bless you, and have a great day.

Vote on Judges, Not Flags, Say Conservatives

2006-06-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

This story, written by Monisha Bansal of CNSNews.com, takes the words right out of my mouth.

"Our constituents will not be put off by being told that the Senate has more pressing business than judicial nominees," said Jan LaRue, chief counsel for Concerned Women for America. "We know that judges affect every area of our lives and certainly the most important issues of life, liberty and property.

"We want actions, not excuses," LaRue said at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "If Americans continue to see obstruction and hear excuses rather than debate and votes on nominees, senators should not be surprised that come November 8, the votes they want may not be there." [continue reading]

Now doesn't that sound about right?

Update: I am aware that the link is not working as of right now. Please be patient. I have e-mailed CNSNews.com to find the URL of where they moved the actual article. I didn't want to steal it by copying the whole thing. I am not, after all, the New York Times. lol. I will post it and let you know as soon as I have it straightened out. Thank you, and God bless you.

Category: Politics & Debate.

President Bush Addresses Troops in Iraq

2006-06-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

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Green Zone, Baghdad

In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thank you for the warm welcome. Thought I'd stop in to say "hello." (Laughter and applause.) I bring greetings from a grateful nation. (Applause.) I thank you for your sacrifice, I thank you for your service, I thank you for making history.

You know, one of the things I try to do is put good people in place who accomplish hard jobs. And I can't think of two better leaders than Zal Khalilzad and General Casey to lead this important effort. (Applause.) I thank you all very much for your service to our country. Your sacrifice is noble and your sacrifice is important.

I understand long deployments are tough -- they're tough on you and they're tough on your families. And so the first thing I want to tell you is the American people are incredibly grateful for what you do, and I bring their greetings and their thanks for the sacrifices you and your family make.

These are historic times. The mission that you're accomplishing here in Iraq will go down in the history books as an incredibly important moment in the history of freedom and peace; an incredibly important moment of doing our duty to secure our homeland.

You know, right after September the 11th I knew that some would forget the dangers we face. Some would hope that the world would be what it's not -- a peaceful place in which people wouldn't want to do harm to those of us who love freedom. I vowed that day, after September the 11th, to do everything I could to protect the American people. And I was able to make that claim because I knew there were people such as yourself who were willing to be on the front line in the war on terror. [Continue reading]

Offend Christians, tough. Offend Muslims, they sue

2006-06-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

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It is so amazingly un-American and un-democratic that I am shocked Italy would even consider the thought of hearing this case. I am very disappointed.

Oriana Fallaci's trial started today in Italy. Her charge? She wrote a book that had a few paragraphs which offended Islam. Oh? No one sued Adel Smith, president of the Muslim Union of Italy, when he called for the elimination of all Christian reminders in Italy! THAT is offensive.

Michelle Malkin has her finger on the pulse of this story. So does Robert Spencer. I wonder, where are all the free-speech activists? Where are all the women's rights activists? Where are all the media (she is a journalist)?

Another case in point. Korosh, an Iranian from Love America First, has shown us what it is truly like to fight for women's rights. Have we forgotten so quickly that not even 100 years ago we were not allowed to vote, to own property, to get a divorce, etc.? Many of these rights are new. Some of them are certainly abused, but that is the price we must pay for freedom.

After all, freedom has never been free. There has alway been a price to pay. Should the women of Iran suffer in silence because we don't want to think about them? I say, "NO." Please call your Congressperson and Senators. Express your concern. Speak up for those whom have no voice...yet. God bless you.

Need prayers quickly: Roethlisberger in bike accident

2006-06-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

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There has been a terrible accident. Somehow, Pittsburgh's star QB was in a motorcycle accident just a few hours ago. There is no news on his condition. No one is talking. Maybe this good? They did say he was conscious when they arrived on the scene.

I know it isn't done on purpose (most of the time), but you car drivers need to LOOK when you're driving. I have almost been killed by you son's of a no-brained Mother! (It's better than what I really want to say.)

Ben is 24 years old. This is what ABC News has to say (after slurring him by saying he prefers not to wear a helmet):

In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger helped guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl championship last season

I ask you, what is the importance of stating that he once commented he preferred not to wear a helmet? That is my position as well! However, I wear one. My preferences do not rule the day.

So could it be someone is looking for a new law at the expense of Ben's tragic accident, when you should actually be out there teaching people how to freakin' drive? Hmm...

Update: The Pittsburgh Channel has picked up the story. Ben is undergoing surgery as I am writing this. He has suffered a broken jaw, broke his left sinus cavity, suffered a 9-inch laceration to the back of his head, lost many teeth and has severe injuries to his knees from hitting the pavement.

"On behalf of everyone within the Steelers organization, I want to express my concern for Ben Roethlisberger. I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery.

It was reported that upon his arrival, he was in serious but stable condition. Keep those prayers coming!

Source: ABC News and The Pittsburgh Channel.

Sudanese Refugees Jailed in Israel

2006-06-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

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About 220 men, women and children have escaped the genocide occurring in Sudan's Darfur region. They first went to Egypt where they were denied refugee status. Then some of them paid Bedoins to escort them to Israel. Upon arrival, once caught, they were improsed in an Israeli minimun security jail.

The reason for this is because Sudan is considered part of the Arab League, which is an enemy of Israel. However, there is a debate in Israel over whether or not these people should remain in a prison. After all, Israel, of all nations, understands better than anyone the high cost of genocide.

There are phone calls being made to third countries to try to find homes for these refugees. They need asylum. Please call your Senators and Congressperson at 1-888-355-3588, and let them know you want these people to come to America.

After all, the only thing they really want is freedom. That sacred thing we love so much we are willing to die for, or send our young men and women to die for us to preserve it.

You can read more about this situation in y-net news.com. There is also an article in CNN news.

Please pray for a swift resolution to this issue. Thank you, and God bless you.

Dear Heavenly Father,

2006-05-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

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Thank you for another day of life on Your glorious creation. I come to You this morning to petition for Your Pastors and all the men and women who are doing Your work this morning. Please watch over them. Help them to make themselves an empty vessel for You to help all of us.

Lord, they need Your Love and Strength just as much as the rest of us do. Let us forget to pray for them. They work so hard, and sometimes it gets very hard. Help them to be still and know that You are God. Help them to hold onto their Faith.

I pray for the Online Pastor. Please protect him from all harm and evil; spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. As well as our (the USA) men and women in the Military, their families, and loved ones. Also, I pray for their coalition partners who are fighting against The Enemy.

I pray the people whom work so hard trying to save those who do not know You. May they have a renewed spirit day by day. You are so faithful, Lord. Thank You so much.

I also pray for those who have been injured and those families of the ones who have come home. Please Comfort them, Love them, ease their pain, and put a hedge of Your Love around them. Grant them the will to carry on. I pray this also for those who are thinking about suicide. Help them to feel Your presense and know this is not the answer. Help them to hold on just a little longer until they can see past their pain.

God, why do people want to kill us? Why are they so evil? I know the answer, but sometimes this weighs heavy on my mind. Like the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and the Ayatollahs in Iran. Won't You please crush them? They are our enemies. They are the children of Satan, I do believe.

I do not believe all Muslims are of this mind. That is something I cannot wrap my mind around. I know some very kind and gentle people who happen to be Muslims. I cannot even imagine them to be my enemy. Please lead me.

Help us to renew our minds and please purify our hearts. Make us white as snow. Ready at all times to do Thy will. I love You so much, Lord. Help me to be a better witness for You. I know I am missing the mark. I repent not reading Your word everyday. I also repent the evil thoughts of hatred I hold onto. Except the hatred of the enemies, for I am not ready to release that hatred. Please forgive me, but I will not. I do not believe I am supposed to.

Did You not say, 'To hate the things the Lord hates is the beginning of wisdom'? Is this what you meant? I pray it is. Please help me, Lord.

Thank You for being all powerful, all knowing, omnipresent, loving, the same yesterday-today-and tomorrow, and for loving us enough to give Your One and Only Son to go to the Cross in our place, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. I have no words to express my gratitude. It is overwhelming. Thank You loving us this much. In Jesus' Precious name I pray.

Amen.

Pope Ex-communicate Four Chinese Bishops

2006-05-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

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Yesterday, the Vatican excommunicated two Chinese Bishops which the Chinese government had ordained without any consultation with the Pope. (The nerve of this Communist government, eh?) The Vatican also excommunicated the two Bishops whom ordained the two.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls cited Article 1382 of the Roman Catholic Church's canon law. That article states that "both the bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a 'latae sententiae excommunication,'" which means they are automatically excommunicated. <...>

The ordinations come as China and the Holy See try to re-establish ties that ended after communists took control of China in 1949.

Formal ties would give some security to Vatican loyalists in China, who are frequently harassed and fined and sometimes sent to labor camps. Most Chinese Catholics are only allowed to worship in government-controlled churches, but millions are loyal to the Vatican.

But the Vatican said any dialogue was at risk now. <...>

The Holy See also expressed alarm at reports that 20 more bishops might be ordained without Vatican approval and stressed "the need for respect for freedom of the church and for the autonomy of its institutions from any external interference."

It added the Vatican "sincerely hopes that there will not be a repetition of these unacceptable acts of violence and inadmissible acts of coercion." [article by Alessandra Rizzo]

China is trying to squash religious freedom. Period. That is unacceptable. If these Communists won't listen President George W. Bush, maybe they will listen to the Vatican. After all, the Vatican has many more followers. God has many! It is wise not to mess with Him!

Jerusalem Prayer Team-Scripture 4/29/2006

2006-04-29T03:53:00.000-07:00

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The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. (Psalm 27:1-2)

Jerusalem Prayer Team-2 4/29/2006

2006-04-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

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Pray for President Bush. Pray that God will give him wisdom in the choices he makes, and the advisors to whom he listens. Pray for our members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and state and local officials. (I Timothy 2:1-2)
Please pray for Ehud Olmert, new Prime Minister of Israel. Pray that he will surround himself with wise counselors. And, pray for the peace of Jerusalem according to Psalm 122:6
Pray for the families of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan this week. Pray that the Holy Spirit will comfort them, and give supernatural peace. (Philippians 4:7)
Pray for the safety of our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. Pray that God will protect and guide them daily. (Psalm 5:11)
Pray for revival worldwide according to II Chronicles 7:14. Prayer, intercession and God's divine intervention is our hope.
Pray for the victims of anti-Semitism worldwide who have been touched by the hatred of bigotry. Pray that God will heal the wounds, both physical and psychological. Only God can heal the hurting hearts. (Psalm 140:6)

Jerusalem Prayer Team 4/29/2006

2006-04-29T03:34:00.000-07:00

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A Letter To Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin – Part 1
Michael D. Evans
My dear friend, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was asked by President Clinton to take a “brave gamble.” I appealed to my dear friend, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in person and by letter not to believe that lie…Read More

New Iranian missiles put Europe in firing range
Iran has purchased ground-to-ground missiles from North Korea with a range of 2,500 kilometers, the head of the Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Branch, Major General Amos Yadlin, said yesterday. Read More

Islamist protest in N.Y. – 'Mushroom cloud on way'
Rally at Israeli consulate features pictures of Muslim flags flying over White House. Read More

Why We Fear Iran
Most of the Arabs outside of the Gulf region believe that Iran's possession of a nuclear weapon is a positive development that achieves a balance of power with Israel. The Gulf Arabs, however, believe that the power of Iranian nuclear deterrence represents the biggest danger of a military threat. Read More

The problem is: Iran does pose a threat in every way Iraq did not
True, the Iranians claim that all this work is merely in pursuit of civilian nuclear power. But it's hard to believe that a country drowning in oil is running short of energy. I spoke this week to an expert in the field, who estimates that Iran will have the technology to make nuclear weapons "before the year is out". Read more.

Rally for Darfur April 30, 2006

2006-04-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

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If you would like to help in anyway and cannot make it to the rally, please post this on your site. If you need help posting it, e-mail me or click on the picture. Thank you.

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If you have your own site, you may want this one:

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God bless you.

People of the Book

2006-04-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

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Psalm 119:89-96

What if there never was a Bible? What would the world be like? Would there be an America? Would we have civil liberties, hospitals, schools, literacy, science, etc? Would we have been better off? Madeline would say, "Yes." She is a famous atheist.

She disappeared a long time ago. Six hundred thousand dollars also disappeared at the time from the place American Foundation for Athiests. What was to keep anyone from stealing? The is no law against it, not morally, unless you believe in God.

People that reject going to Church have a 36% higher death rate, while Church goers are much more healthy. This was found in a Time magazine.

Since God was forced out of schools, we have 16,000 crimes PER DAY. They carry guns and knives to school instead of Bibles.

I'm sorry I cannot provide sources yet. I am watching Church at the moment. I want to capture it's essence for you. I am watching Dr. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Church.

Today's service is "If The Bible Had Not Been Written." I'm not sure, but I think everything is for sale. That is the one thing I do not like about Churches, but they do need to get their message out. This Church does several community and national activities, so I support them. You do not have to. :)

I hope my dribble makes sense. I've never been good at taking notes. lol. Have a good day, and God bless you.

Articles I may have left out

2006-04-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

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I Am Resolved to Follow Jesus 1/1/2006
Iran's Call for England to Leave Iraq Angers Iraqis 2/18/2006
Church Wins! 2/18/2006.
He Is Risen! Hallelujah! 4/16/2006.
Justice Carr says Ten Commandments can stay 4/21/2006.
It has always been somewhat disturbing to me that the only way we can have the 10 Commandments is if they mean nothing. Why bother? Well, anyway...

Last June, the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the US) declared that the motives for having the 10 Commandments would determine whether or not they could remain.

The Supreme Court in June allowed a 6-foot granite monument to remain at the Texas Capitol. Justices said Ten Commandments exhibits would be upheld if their main purpose was to honor the nation's legal, rather than religious, traditions, and if they didn't promote one religious sect over another.

(I am so glad Sandra O'Connor is gone.) This is a very confusing message.

In Toledo, Ohio, there was a federal case to bring down a 50 year old monument of the Ten Commandments given by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles as part of an effort to combat juvenile delinquency.

U.S. District Judge James Carr said Tuesday [April 18, 2006] that the monument can stay because the motives for placing it outside the Lucas County courthouse were secular and not an endorsement of a specific belief.

Motives??? Are you going to tell me that our constitution is not valid because at the time of its signing, many had the abolishion of slavery as a motive? What do you mean motives? Are we not allowed in this free society? Why bother having any commandments if they mean nothing at all?

Please forgive my outburst. I was going to write another victory article for the Church but as you can see, this is no victory at all. Not if you have to EXCLUDE God. No, I want no part of that freedom.

***These are Chapters I have written also, but I have yet to finish the book. Once I finish the book, I shall write the whole thing backwards as I did with Genesis. It will make it easier for you (and me) to read. lol.

Mt. 1-17 The Genealogy of Jesus 2/11/2006.
Mt. 1:18-25 The Birth of Jesus Christ 2/13/2006.
Mt. 2:1-12 The Visit of the Magi 2/15/2006.
Mt. 2:13-18 The Escape to Egypt 2/16/2006.
Mt. 2:19-23 The Return to Nazareth 2/16/2006.
Mt. 3:1-12 John the Baptist Prepares the Way 2/17/2006.
Mt. 3:13-17 The Baptism of Jesus 2/17/2006.
Mt. 4:1-11 The Temptation of Jesus 2/18/2006.
Mt. 4:12-17 "Jesus Begins to Preach" 2/20/2006.
Mt. 4:18-22 "The Calling of the First Disciples" 2/20/2006
Mt. 4:23-25 "Jesus Heals the Sick" 2/20/2006.

The Sermon on the Mount

Mt. 5:1-12 "The Beatitudes" 2/21/2006.
Mt. 5:13-16 "Salt and Light" 2/21/2006.
Mt. 5:17-20 "The Fulfillment of the Law" 2/21/2006.
Mt. 5:21-26 "Murder" 2/21/2006.
Mt. 5:27-30 "Adultery 2/21/2006.
Mt. 5:31-32 "Divorce" 2/21/2006.
Mt. 5:32-37 "Oaths" 2/21/2006. (I must fix the vv. to 33.)
Mt. 5:38-42 "An Eye for an Eye" 2/21/2006.
Mt. 5:43-48 "Love for Enemies" 2/21/2006.
Mt. 6:1-4 "Giving to the Needy" 2/25/2006.
Mt. 6:5-15 "Prayer" 2/25/2006.
Mt. 6:16-18 "Fasting" 2/25/2006.
Mt. 6:19-24 "Treasures in Heaven" 2/25/2006.
Mt. 6:25-34 "Do Not Worry" 2/25/2006.

Category: Religion, Other and New Testament.

Gen 1:1-23 In the Beginning

2006-04-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Can you believe in my arrogance I did not want to read Genesis, because I had read it so many times before? Well I just saw something I could never answer before!
People (and I) would ask, "If the earth was already here, did God just shape it? If the earth was already here, where did it come from?" In the first sentence is the answer. GOD CREATED IT. How empty is my arrogance!
I must change my attitude about what I know and what I do NOT know. Oh whoa to the proud in spirit.

"To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." Proverbs 8:13

"Pride goes before destruction, a hauty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18

Just so we know, I am clear on this issue of pride. I have known this. It just amazes me how many times and in how many ways I have to relearn it.

3And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness He called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.

6And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.

9And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters He called "seas." And God saw that is was good.
11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegeatation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.

14And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.

20And God said, "Let the water team with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teams according to their kinds, and every winged bird accorording to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fil the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day.

The next part is the beginning of the creation of mankind. I will save that for later.
If you are wondering why I am typing the Bible, I'm kind of surprised myself. I started to quote just the first two verses when I realized, "Maybe some people have no Bible!" What a shame it would be to have such refined gold and to not share it with others. Also, I have found that repetition is a good thing. I must read the Bible as I type it. lol.
I will be writing, at other times, just about my own thoughts. For right now, I find this is also a good discipline to make sure I read my Bible. Who knows? Maybe I will type the whole Bible. At least that way, I can look for key words on the computer when I cannot remember them by myself.
I noticed one thing while I was typing. I turned on the radio a minute ago. They started talking about the 9/11 Commission, and I began to angry. They did a very poor job, as far as I am concerned. What about Able Danger? They are trying to destroy all evidence of it. They knew about Mohammed Atta ONE YEAR before the attacks. Now they want to investigate our President who is trying to keep us alive so they can grandstand? I get very angry.
This is one of my problems. I get angry, even if it is a righteous reason, too easily. That is not righteous. No matter how I try to explain it away. ie. "Well ya know, Jesus had righteous anger!" No where close do I fall into this category.
I repent of my sin of anger. It keeps me from being wise in my decisions, it keeps me isolated, it keeps me poor is spirit. Please Lord, cleanse my heart. Make me pure, white as snow. Help me to pick up my own cross and follow You. In Jesus name I pray.
Thank you. Everyone have a great and blessed day!

Update: There is an introduction to Genesis at Bible.org I have included.

Originally posted 1/2/2006 @ 4:50 am

Category: Religion and Old Testament.

Gen. 1:24, 25

2006-04-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

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24And God said,

Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind

I have chosen to 'block quote' the text today, because I knew it was going to be shorter than the rest of my writing. I may be wrong! lol.

Yesterday I stopped, because I thought I knew so much about the Bible. I thought for sure the next verse was about mankind. Oops! Guess I'm not so smart after all, eh? Such arrogance!

Allow me to explain. I've always had a problem with perfectionism. If something isn't absolutely right, I get very frustrated. I forget that God does not expect perfection from me. I was not taught this as a child.

I was taught that if you are going to do something, you had better do it right the first time, or else you would have to go back and redo it. Don't get me wrong, but thanks Dad! LOL.

Only kidding. All people are affected differently when confronted with instruction. Only some of us take every word literally. Even then, only some of those take it to the extreme, which in my case is perfectionism.

I have had a long, drawn out struggle with this. I'm not quite sure if it is a sin, but I do know there is only One who is Perfect! He is the One who came to earth as a lowly man, nothing to be admired, no good looks, yet the people who met Him, heard about Him, saw Him, knew their was something distinctively different about Him. He is indeed our Lord and Saviour, God of all.

Oh how I love Him. Dear God, I praise each morning I awake in Your presence, be it here on earth or in Heaven. We are together no matter where. I pray for Your Kingdom to come, and that Your will, not mine is done each day.

My friend is suffering a great loss. Her Mother has come to spend eternity with you. God, please comfort her, heal her broken spirit. Touch her hand as she reaches for her coffee. She is not feeling well, so I don't know if she will drink any coffee today. In this case, touch her hand as she lay gentle in her bed. Let her know everything is going to be okay.

Help her, strengthen her with Your strength. Wrap her in Your arms, and let her share with you her sorrow. Then help her to move forward. God, please protect her at this vulnurable point in her life. Keep Satan away from her. Love her, protect her, counsel her, hold her in Your loving arms. You, oh Lord, are the only One who can.

Please God, forgive us tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever and ever. In Jesus' name I pray. And everyone said, "Amen."

Originally posted 1/3/2006 @ 4:06 am

Category: Religion and Old Testament.

Gen. 1:26--2:3 Let Us Make Man In Our Image

2006-04-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

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Let us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground

27So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground

29 Then God said,

I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.

2By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work.

And God blessed the seventh day and made it Holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done.

The underlining is the same as the underlining I have in my Bible. I have underlined 2 places in this passage.
The first place I underlined is where I noticed a difference in how God stated that His work was good. When He created mankind, He declared it was VERY good! The other place I underlined was to become one of the 10 Commandments. (Remember the Sabbath, and to keep it Holy.)
Did God want us to stop work because He did? NO. He wanted us to remember and reflect upon Him and His creation. At least that is my understanding. I may not be explaining it exactly the right way, so if you would help me I would appreciate it. lol.
I also notice this is almost like a summary, because then He goes into details. Sort of like an overview. Let us find what kind of adventure we will travel, eh? Have a good night.
PS. Sorry for the shortness. I am feeling sad. Thank you, Rosemary. I have been watching the news about the miners. Well, I've been listening on the radio. I don't generally watch TV. It is indeed a very sad situation. Please keep praying for a miracle.

Originally posted 1/3/2006 @ 6:32 pm

From Fact Age to Data Age

2006-04-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

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Last night it was reported that 12 of the 13 miners had survived. The news people ran with the story, only to find out 3 hours later that the facts were incorrect. The facts were downright wrong and devastating.

There is a rumor going around that someone overheard a conversation of one of the rescuers. This is data. Wrong data. This is what we call GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out.

ABC News Correspondent Vic Ratner (sp?) has stated that the company itself had told the people in the Church that there were 12 people who survived.

I had incorrectly blamed the news conglomerates, because they are always trying to put 'data' out there instead of waiting for the facts. I was wrong. They were told by people you should be able to rely on with the truth.

I have just heard that the one man who did survive has not suffered any brain damage, although he did suffer a collapsed lung. I do not know if this is true. It is just what a group of people called news people have said. There was a clip of a doctor stating these bits of data, but I have little regard for doctors. Long story!

Now, to get to my point. I pray for each and every person who were praying for these miners, especially the families and friends of these men. God, You are the Great Counselor. Please comfort them. You are the Great Physician, Lord. Please Heal their hearts.

I do not know their grief, I can only imagine. I know my own devastation due to the MISINFORMATION. I am hurt, but my faith has not been shaken. I was so full of joy I broke out in song! Now I cannot even remember the song. That is a sad commentary of me.

I even e-mailed a friend, blaming the 'main stream media.' I was wrong, but so were they. Why do they not wait for facts? Why do they not wait for physical evidence? Why do they listen to one person? (No matter who he is!)

I don't know if I am being fair because had I been in that positition, I might have done the same thing. God help us al to remember to be fair, to be accurate, and to do no harm. Thank you.

Originally posted 1/4/2006 @ 7:50 am

One Miracle, Lest We Forget

2006-04-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

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Randal McCloy, 27, was taken from the mine with a collapsed lung and kidney trouble due to dehydration.

While the tragedy of losing 12 miners is still fresh in our minds, let us not forget about the prayer God DID answer.

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (CNN) -- The 27-year-old survivor of a coal mine explosion that killed 12 miners was able to squeeze his wife's hand Wednesday after doctors temporarily decreased his sedation, according to the doctor treating him. [continue reading]

What a great miracle! In our grief, we ignored what God has done. He has saved one of the men. One husband, one father (?), one son, one brother. Praise God!

I am guilty of allowing my sorrow to take over my joy of God's miracle. I just thank God it did not take too long for me to get my mind back. Yes, sometimes I do lose it and have to go looking for it. lol.

I wanted to share with you this story. Thank you, and have a great day.

Originally posted 1/4/2006 @ 2:57 pm

Brother, Can You Spare a Miracle?

2006-04-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

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Dear Heavenly Father,

There are 13 miners in West Virginia trapped in a coal mine. They have been there for over 30 hours. I pray, Lord Jesus, You would be with them. I pray they are saved, and they are in Your hands. Please God, bring them back to life if they have expired. We need You. We all know the only way for them to have escaped this terrible fate is by Your Saving and Loving Grace. Oh Lord, my God, protect them please. Grant them oxygen, and bring them back to us. Thank You.

In Jesus Precious Name I Pray,

Amen.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16

Originally posted 1/3/2006 @ 1:04 pm

Gen. 2:4-25 Adam and Eve

2006-04-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

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4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens--5and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground--7the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Notice that the LORD has rested in the previous chapter. Now we learn that there is nothing on the earth yet, such as trees and bushes. This leads me to believe that the first chapter is a summary of the creation.
I can reconcile this with the fact that we do not know how long those evenings and mornings were. Remember, one day to us is like a thousand days to God. I do not believe there is time in Heaven. I do believe it was also created for man's benefit, so he would be able to diffirentiate between the seasons. Also, who knows God's mind or thoughts? Not I!

8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed. 9And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

I have been questioned on whether there were two trees in garden or one. Here is our evidence.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

It is important to know the names and places of things from an historical perspective. This way, we may be able to grasp the 'what' and 'where' certain events occured, and their importance according to their location and culture.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Here we have one of the first commandments given by God. If we do not count the commandment I see in Gen. 2:2, where the LORD rested, then this is the first and only commandment given to the man.
Think about that. He was given one commandment. We now have 10. If he could not keep one, how are we supposed to keep ten! No, this is not to trap us. Rather it is a way to form the way for His precious Son to enter the world in God's time.

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20So the man gave names to all the livstock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

But for Adam, no suitable helper was found. 21So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.

23The man said,

This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called 'woman,'
for she ws taken out of man.

24For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

That last line always get to me. Without sin in the picture, there is no shame. Oh what a relationship that must have been!
Also, the whole passage means so much to me. It appears marriage is a religious thing. Wife, husband, and all that jazz. So why do those who are not religious desire what we have? Hmm.
Could it be envy? Could it be to destroy what we have? I believe they care nothing the sanctity of our way of life. I do believe that Satan has thrown in this straw man to show how intolerant and inclusive we are. Is this so? Let us look to the Word of God to find the answer, always.
While it is true we are to take the Good News to all who seek to hear it, it is true, as well, that we are not to waste our time on those who do not care to listen. Remember, what has darkness have in common with light?
No, do not accept the false accusations based on lies. We care about everyone, for they are our neighbors. We do not fellowship with Satan, or those who do not seek our LORD. (It does not matter what denomination you belong to, for there are 7 Churches in the book of Revelations. At least that is my understanding.)
If I have said anything you disagree with, please politely bring it to my attention. I am always open for further understanding on most issues. Not all, this is true! I believe God created the universe and all that is in it. If you have a disagreement with that, well we will never see eye to eye. Please move along. lol. I am speaking of issues that can be debated by other Christians. Thank you, and God bless all of you.

Originally posted 1/5/2006 @ 9:46 am

Gen. 3:1-24 The Fall of Man

2006-04-21T12:29:00.003-07:00

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Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'"

2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Can anyone name the 3 things Eve did wrong? That's okay. I don't like those type of questions either! lol.
First of all, she should not have spoken to the serpent! Where is her husband? We will see why in just a moment. Secondly, He specifically stated, "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Did you notice even Satan knew this? Look at 3:5! Where did he come up with the knowledge of good and evil? Hmm. Also, He did not say you would die if you touch it.
Thirdly, she starting to doubt God by listening to Satan. As she continued to listen, she also became envious. She wanted to be like God! She believed God was holding back. This is why we do not listen to gossip, ugliness, lies, and the such. Also, always check it with the Word of God. Do not just try to make it the way you want it to be. I know. I've made that horrible mistake! I have always ended up the worse off for doing so.

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some ot her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

I guess he was right there with her! Why did he not act as a husband should, and protect his wife? Why did he allow her to stray from God? It appears he was not a very good husband.

7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

They see their sin. I try, whenever that happens, to repent at once. Sometimes I have a problem with pride, however. I do not care how common it is here on earth, I must rid myself of it.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

10 He answered, "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."

Note that many of us have a problem with taking responsibility for our own actions.

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"

The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

No, dear. You allowed yourself to be deceived. He did not put a gun to your head. You wanted to be like God. You chose to sin against God.

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,

"Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel."

16To the woman He said,

I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you wil give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

17To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,

"Cursed is the ground because of you, through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
18It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to that you will return."

20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

22And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24After He drove the man out, He placed on the East side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Wow. I cannot imagine how that feels. The closest I can come is when I sin big time. I know the devastation inside. The emptiness, lonliness, anger at myself and the world, fear, and utter defeat.
Do we ever really consider what it must be to disappoint God? We know what it is to disappoint a loved one. Is not God our first love? If not, why not?
This passage is sure more powerful when you type it than when you just glance over it. Even when I read it, it did not weigh so heavy on my mind. It was heavy, trust me. Maybe it is because it has been so long since I have been in the Word? Either way, it is a profound passage. Have a great and blessed day.

Originally posted 1/6/2006 @ 3:23 am

Gen. 4:1-26 Cain and Abel

2006-04-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

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Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

3 Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Right here I learned that it is possible to overcome sin. God said so. If I am going to a Christian, I must believe the Word of God, and He has said, "I must master [sin]." Wow!
This brings joy and hope to my heart. God would not say it was possible to do if it were not. However, He did NOT say it would be easy!

8 Now Cain said to his Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Why? Because of sin. While murder is a sin, so are the things that led up to the act itself.
There was jealousy, angry which leads to hatred, and the grip of Satan that he allowed to overcome him, because he was not thinking clearly. He was not thinking in a Godly way.

9 Now the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

I believe God saw this coming and tried to stop it in the previous verse. God knows our hearts, so there is no sense is lying to Him!
Do you remember when Adam blamed Eve for his sin? (Gen. 3:12) Then Eve blamed the serpent? (Gen. 3:13) Is it possible that it is innate that people do not desire to take responsibility for their own actions?
Could this be why some religions will blame the whole family for the sins of one person? We do not do this in America, because when we left England that practice was put to a stop. Thanks be to God!

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14Today You are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from Your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Methujael, and Methujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the fahter of Lamech.

19 Lamech married two women, one was named Adah and the other Zillah. 20Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. 22Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kind of tools of out bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.

23 Lamech said to his wives,

Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech sevety-seven times."

25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." 26Seth also had a son and he named him Enosh.

At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.

First of all, I would like you to know I am neither a Pastor, nor a teacher of the Bible. My only qualification is my love for Christ. Please, I beg of you, do not take what I say as truth. Be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-15. They tested everything against the Word of God. That was their standard. I would hope for it to be yours as well.
The reason I underlined the names is because, if you haven't noticed yet, there are many of them! Keeping them searated and/or together according to which clan they belong is rough work. Especially if you cannot find them! lol. It is as simle as that.
I pray for PM Arial Sharon. Lord, please have mercy on him. I thank You for Word. I thank You for the new insight I receive each time I read the same passage! Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Everyone have a blessed and glorious day.

Originally posted 1/7/2006 @ 8:15 am

Gen. 5:1-32 From Adam to Noah

2006-04-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

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This is the written account of Adam's line.

When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, He called them "man."

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

12 When Kenan lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.

18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.

28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the land the LORD has cursed." 30After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.

32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Originally posted 1/8/2006 @ 10:04 am

Gen. 6, 7, and 8 The Flood

2006-04-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

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Yes, this is going to be a long one! That happens sometimes, but it is necessary. It is also good. Imagine if you did not have a Bible? At least this way, they have the opportunity to read about our Faithful Father!

1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6The LORD was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled pain. 7So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them." 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

9 This is the account of Noah.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. 19You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."

22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

7 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."

If you will notice here, there is a correlation in the amount of days, 40, between then and Jesus. The first time is to flood the earth of sin, the second time--like the second birth--is to test Jesus in the wilderness to prove Him worthy. (He is worthy!) Jesus did not fail. He is the only One who could have done this. Thank you, God, for sparing us all from certain death.

5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9male and female, came to Noah and enteresd the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month--on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth and the floodigates of the heavens were opened. 12And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

It is my understanding that until that day, there had never been rain. Can you imagine how it must have appeared to the people? No one was prepared for rain, because there was no need!

13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings.

Is this where those bugs with wings come from? Hmm...

15Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah.

17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. 21Every living thing that moved on the earth perished--birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

8 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.

6 After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 7and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 10He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. 12He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.

Noah knew that the water was receding when the raven did not return, because ravens can live higher up in the mountains. There had to be a mountain showing for the raven to perch. When the dove returned with a fresh olive leaf he knew the earth was recovering, but it was still damp or wet. Doves generally live closer to the earth, and they will not stay in water if they have a choice.

13 By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 14By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.

15Then God said to Noah, 16"Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 17Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you--the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground--so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it."

18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. 19All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds--everything that moves on the earth--came out of the ark, one kind after another.

20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 21The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in His heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

22As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

The end of the history of the flood, for now. lol.

Update: There is also an account of Noah's sons and daughters in Bible.org.

Originally posted 1/9/2006 @ 7:42 am

Gen. 9:1-17 God's Covenant with Noah

2006-04-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

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Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

4 But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of hes fellow man.

6"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

7As for you, be frutful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9"I now establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on the earth. 11I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; nrbrt again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant for all generations to come: 13I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16Whenver the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures of every kind on the earth."

17 So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between Me and all life on the earth."

Originally posted 1/10/2006 @ 2:26 am

Gen. 9:18-28 The Sons of Noah

2006-04-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

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18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceded to plant a vineyard. 21When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked it in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said,

"Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers."

26He also said,

"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. 27May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave."

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. Altogether, Noah lived 950 years, and then he died.

Originally posted 1/11/2006 @ 5:19 am

Gen. 10:1-32 The Table of Nations

2006-04-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

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This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japeth, Noah's sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.

The Japhethites
10:2-5--1Ch. 1:5-7

2The sons of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.3The sons of Gomer:

Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togar-mah.4The sons of Javan:

The Hamites
10:6-20 1Ch. 1:8-16

6The sons of Ham:

Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan.7The sons of Cush:

Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca.The sons of Raamah:

Sheba and Dedan.8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the LORD." 10The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. 11From that land he went to Assyria where he built Nineveh. Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12and Resen, which is the great city.

Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

20 These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

I am going to tell you something you may already know. This was hard to do! I fell asleep at the computer. These are names that I am not familiar with, nor am I quite sure how I am going to keep them together.
I have thought about making a chart, and as we go further, just add the names to the top of the names already present, according to their clan. Do you think this work?
I noticed before, when I was reading my Bible, that it helped me to be historically acurate. The only problem I really had was I could not remember who came from where! lol. Have a great day.

Update: Um, I forgot the Semites. Beg pardon.

The Semites
10:21-31

21 Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

22 The sons of Shem:

Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.23 The sons of Aram:

Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshech.24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber.

25 Two sons were born of Eber:

One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.26 Joktan was the father of

30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

31 These are the sons Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

32 These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

Originally posted 1/12/2006 @ 6:53 am

Gen. 11:1-9 The Tower of Babel

2006-04-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

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Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

3They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

Did they want to be like God?

5But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

Did God understand that if He left us up to our own 'free will,' we would find ways to go astray? Was He trying to help us? I believe so.

8So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9That is why it was called Babel--because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

And that is how I ended up here!

Originally posted 1/13/2006 @ 3:12 am

Gen. 11:10-32 From Shem to Abram

2006-04-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

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11:10-27pp--Ge 10-21; 1Ch 1:17-27

10This is the account of Shem:

Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad. 11And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 13And after he became the father of Shelah, Araphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

14When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 15And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

Did you notice that Shelah and Eber both lived 403 years after their firstborn? I had to go and check, and it is true. However, they did not both start having children at the same age. It is just one of those things I have noticed since I decided to type the Bible. Probably because I do not want to make a mistake.

16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 17And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber livid 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

18When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 19And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and other sons and daughters.

20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 21And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 23And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

That name sounds familiar...

24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 25And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

So that is why it sounded familiar! Have you ever met people with the same name? In the Bible, that occurs frequently. That is why I would like to keep a chart as to who is who. (If I can figure out how.)

27 This is the account of Terah.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.

It would appear that Milcah married her Uncle, but I am not so sure. Earlier we discussed how many people have the same name. I just cannot answer this for you or me.

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Today's Verse:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 NIV

Originally posted 1/14/2006 @ 10:10 am

Gen. 12:1-9 The Call of Abram

2006-04-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

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The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."

12:1 had said. God had spoken to Abram "while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran." (Ac 7:2). Leave...show you. Abram must leave the settled world of the post-Babel nations and begin a pilgrimage with God to a better world of God's making. (see 24:7)

2"I will make you a into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will a blessing.
3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

12:2,3 God's promise to Abram has a sevenfold structure: (1) "I will make you into a great nation," (2) "I will bless you," (3) "I will make your name great," (4) "you will be a blessing," (5) "I will bless those who bless you," (6) "whoever curses you I will curse," and (7) "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." God's original blessing on all mankind (1:28) would be restored and fulfilled through Abram and his offspring in various ways and degrees, these promises were reaffirmed to Abram. (v. 7; 15:5-21; 17:4-8; 18:18-19; 22:17-18;) to Isaac (26:2-4), to Jacob (28:13-15; 35:11-12; 46:3) and to Moses (Ex 3:6-8; 6:2-8). The seventh promise is quoted in Ac 3:25 with reference to Peter's Jewish listeners (see Ac 3:12)--Abram's physical descendents--and in Gal 3:8 with reference to Paul's Gentile listeners--Abram's spiritual descendents.

4So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

12:4 Abram left as the LORD had told him. see Heb 11:8. Prompt obedience grounded in faith characterized this patriarch throughout his life (see 17:23; 21:14; 22:3). Lot went with him. See 13:1,5. Lot at first was little more than Abram's ward. seventy-five years old. Although advanced in age at the time of his call, Abram would live for another full century (see 25:7; see also note on 5:5).
12:5 people they had acquired. Wealthy people in that ancient world always had servants to help them with their flocks and herds (see 15:3; 24:2). Not all servants were slaves; many were voluntarily employed.
At this point I would like to introduce to you History. If you will notice, there are many things which occur in the lives of the people throughout the Bible which do not fare well with people of today. (In reference to the people they had acquired.)
This is realized, yet the Bible is a record of the history of the people at that time, as well as God's Word, which cannot be changed. It shall not be changed to be politically correct, not will it hide it's sin.
One of the purposes may be for you to see what sin actually looks like so you may avoid it. When you create an entire universe, come back and maybe we'll talk. Until then, I already know that man is flawed. If you will read Genesis 3, you will also know!

6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he bulit an altar there to the LORD, Who had appeared to him.

12:6 site of the great tree of Moreh. See perhaps 35:4; Jds 9:6,37. A famous sanctuary was located at Shechem in central Canaan, and a large tree was often a conspicuous feature at such holy places. But Abram worshipped the LORD there, not the local deity.
12:7 The LORD appeared. The LORD frequently appeared visibly to Abram and to others, but not in all His glory (see Ex 33:18-20; Jn 1:18). an altar. The first of several that Abram built at places where he had memorable spiritual experiences (see v. 8; 13:18; 22:9). He acknowledged that the land of Canaan belonged to the LORD in a special way (see Ex 20:24;Jos 22:19).

8From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

12:8 Bethel. Just north of Jerusalem, it was an important town in the religious history of God's ancient people (see, e.g., 28:10-22;35:1-8; 1Ki 12:26-29). Only Jerusalem is mentioned more often in the OT.
12:9 Negev. The dry wasteland stretching southward from Beersheba. The same Hebrew word is translated "south" in 13:14.
We don't know exactly how much time was spent near the great tree, or at least I do not know. I do know that Abram was moving in faith to a place the LORD has not yet revealed.
Can you imagine having such faith? At that period of time, no one was particularly Godly. I think it would help if I also wrote my notes. Here goes.

...yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from Whom all things came and for Whom we live; and there is but one LORD, Jesus Christ, through Whom all things came and through Whom we live.
1Ch 8:6 NIV

Originally posted 1/14/2006 @ 7:43 pm

Gen. 12:10-20 Abram in Egypt

2006-04-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

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12:10-20Ref--Ge 20:1-18; 26:1-11

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

12:10 went down to Egypt...because the famine was severe. Egypt's food supply was usually plentiful because the Nile's water supply was normally dependable.
12:11 beautiful. see v 14. She was 65 at the time (see v 4;17:17). The Genesis Apocryphon (one of the Dead Sea Scrolls) praises Sarai's beauty. Abram's experience in this episode foreshadows Israel's later experience in Egypt, as the author of Genesis, writing after the exodus, was very much aware. Abram was truly the "father" of Israel.
12:13 Say you are my sister. If Pharaoh were to add Sarai to his harem while knowing she was Abram's wife, he would have to kill Abram first.

14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. 15And when Pharaoh's officals saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.

12:16 Livestock was an important measure of wealth in ancient times (see 13:2). camels. Although camels were not widely used until much later (see, e.g., Jds 6:5), archeology has confirmed their occasional domestication as early as the partriarchal period.

17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. 18So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?" 19"Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" 20Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

12:19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister'...? Egyptians ethics emphasized the importance of absolute truthfulness, and Abram was put in the uncomfortable position of being exposed as a liar.

'Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.'
Philippians 3:13-14 NIV

Originally posted 1/15/2006 @ 11:38 pm

Gen. 13:1-18 Abram and Lot Separate

2006-04-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

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So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.

13:2 had become very wealth. Abram left Egypt with greater wealth than he had before--even as Israel would later leave Egypt laden with wealth from the Egyptians (Ex 3:22; 12:36).

3 From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier 4and where he had first an built altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.

13:4 Abram called on the name of the LORD. As he had done earlier at the same place (see 2:8).

5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

13:6 the land could not support them. Livestock made up the greater part of their possessions, and the region around Bethel and Ai did not have enough water or pasture for such large flocks and herds (see v 10; 26:17-22,32; 36:7).
13:7 Perizzites May refer to rural inhabitants in contrast to city dwellers.
This is why I want to build that life-line chart. I believe one of the sons was name Periz. I am going to have to look that later and get back to you. Thanks.

8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."

13:8 brothers. Relatives (as often used in the Bible).
13:9 Abram, always generous, gave his young nephew the opportunity to choose the land he wanted. He himself would not obtain wealth except for the LORD's blessing (see 14:22-24).

10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11So Lot chose for himself the whole plain o the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.

13:10 plain. The Hebrew for this word picturesquely describes this section of the Jordan Valley as oval in shape. like the land of Egypt. Because of its abundant and dependable water supply (see note on 12:10), Egypt came the closest to matching Eden's ideal conditions (see 2:10). The LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. See especially 18:16-19:29. The names Sodom and Gomorrah came proverbial for vile wickedness and for divine judgement on sin. Archaelogy has confirmed that, prior to this catastrophe, the now dry area east and southeast of the Dead Sea (see note on 10:19) had ample water and was well populated.
13:12 Lot...pitched his tents near Sodom. Since the men of Sodom were known to be wicked (see v 13), Lot was flirting with temptation by choosing to near them. Contrast the actions of Abram (v 18).

14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."

13:14 Lift up your eyes...and look. See Dt 34:1-4. Lot and Abram are a study in constrasts. The former looked selfishly and coveted (v 10); the latter looked as God commanded and was blessed.
13:16 like the dust of the earth. A simile (common in the amcient Near East) for the large number of Abram's offspring (see 28:14; 2Ch 1:9; see also Nu 23:10). Similar are "as numerous as the stars in the sky" and "as the sand on the seashore."
13:17 walk through...the land. Either to inspect it or to exercise authority over it, demonstrating the promised ownership.

18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an alter to the LORD.

13:18 Mamre. A town named after one of Abram's allies (see 14:13)
For reasons that are many, I will not be writing all the commentary for each verse, should it appear viable. It may be redundant. If you would like to check on the meaning, location, usage, etc. of a word, feel free to use the "Search The Bible" link at the top of the page.
I thought it might have been a good idea, but I am not so sure now. It isn't actually explaining much, except for tellng me to go to places where I can find it written again! Um, how does that explain it to me? I'm sorry. I will continue to use the ones which help, while leaving the others on the page from whence they came.

Originally posted 1/16/2006 @ 12:04 pm

Gen. 14:1-24 Abram Rescues Lot

2006-04-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

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At this time Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Golim 2went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinah king of Adnah, Shemeber king of Zeboilim, and the king of Beia (that is, Zoari). 3All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). 4For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

14:1 Amraphel king of Shinar. Not the great Babylonian king Hammurapi, as once thought. Golim. The Hebrew word means "Gentile nations" and may be a common noun here (as in Isa 9:1).
14:3 Salt Sea. The Dead Sea, whose bromide salts, making it the densest large body of water on earth.

5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriahaim 6and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert. 7Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

14:6 Horites. Formerly thought to be cave dwellers (the Hebrew word hor means "cave"), they are now known to have been the Hurrians, a non-Semitic people widely dispersed throughout the ancient Near East.
14:7 En Mishpot. Another name for Kadesh, it means "spring of judgement/justice." It is called Meribah Kadesh, "quarreling/litigation at Kadesh," in Dt. 32:51 (see Nu 27:14). Kadesh. Located in the southwest Negev. It was later called Kadesh Barnea. Amalekites. A tribal people living in the Negev and in the Sinai peninsula. Amorites. See note on 10:16.

8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar--four kings against five. 10Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. 11The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.

There is too much written in the notes to re-write. I think I will just include what may help clear any confusing issue. I don't know what is confusing to each one, so please feel free to ask.

13 One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of the Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.

17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying,

"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
Who delivered your enemies into your hand."

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself."

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me--to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share."

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Col 3:16 NIV

Originally posted 1/17/2006 @ 12:14 am

Gen. 15:1-21 God's Covenant With Abram

2006-04-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

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After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward."

2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can You give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."

4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then He said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

15:5 count the stars--if indeed you can. See 22:17. More than 8,000 stars are clearly visible in the darkness of a Near East night. So shall your offspring be. The promise was initially fulfilled in Egypt (see Ex 1; see also Dt 1:10; Heb 11:12). Ultimately, all who belong to Christ are Abram's offspring (see Gal 3:29).

6 Abram believed the LORD, and He credited to him as righteousness.

15:6 Abram is the "father of all who believe" (Ro 4:11), and this verse is the first specific reference to faith in God's promises. It also teaches that God graciously responds to a man's faith by crediting righteousness to him (see Heb 11:7).

7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."

8But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"

9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a pigeon."

10 Abram brought all these to Him, cut themin two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."

17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- 19the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

Some of the references I find in the lower section of any Bible are still up to scrutiny. They are still okay for some items, such as dates, culture, etc., but I sometimes think they settle on things that others are still debating. How can this be?! Well, that's just the way I see it.

2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col 4:2-6 NIV.

Originally posted 1/18/2006 @ 1:09 pm

Gen. 16:1-16 Hagar and Ishmael

2006-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

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Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2so she asid to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."

6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar, so she fled from her.

7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.

9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."

11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:

"You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall
name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be
against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will
live in hostility toward all his brothers."

13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." 14That is why the well was called Beer Labai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Even though he had already given Sarai as the Pharaoh's wife, it is at this time where I can see the trouble between women and men starting. Actually, it started back in the garden when Adam, instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, pointed the finger at Eve, and vis versa.
Yet this practice was to continue until this day. How can a man claim to love one, yet lay with another? How can a woman not feel awful? This is one thing I do not understand.
Another thing comes into my mind as a question. Is this where Muslims come from? Or do cousins still need to be Christians? I know there is only one way to enter Heaven...
The real problem I have with this is exactly this: If people could get to Heaven without the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, then why did He have to die for our sins? This is something we do not earn, for God did not give this to us because of our works but our faith.
If He did not have to die, then the whole thing is foolish, and we are fools. This, however, is not so! For it is written from the beginning:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. 12Yes to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-- 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision of a husband's will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:1-14

I believe this. With every cell of my body, so I cannot accept that the other is true as well.
What can I do? I can pray, I can befriend people, I can offer, I can be bold, I can be wise as to when not to be so bold (I'm still working on that one), there are many ways we can effect other's lives. If only by our actions, I have had people come up to me after I accepted Jesus back into my heart and say, "What happened to you? You have changed. I want to be happy like you are!" That opens a door for at least a conversation.
Why is it this way? Why do some go to Heaven and others do not? When I figure out how to make a universe out of nothing, I'll try to answer that for you. Right now I believe it is our choice. We cannot demand choice, and then cry because we have it. Life is very fragile, yet it is very strong. We are to go out and make disciples of all the peoples. Let us hope and pray we do a well job. Thanks.

9Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in Heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:9-11 NIV

Originally posted 1/19/2006 @ 12:58 am

Gen. 17:1-27 The Covenant of Circumcision

2006-04-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

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When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be blameless. 2I will confirm My covenant between Me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."

3Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4"As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram; you will be called Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of the descendants after you. 8The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

9Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner--those who are not your offspring. 13Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

15God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

17Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" 18And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under Your blessing!"

19Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." 22When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

23On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day. 27And every male in Abraham's household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

What I receive from this, beside obedience, is that even at ninety-nine years of age it is never too late to seek and find God. That is powerful to me, for it gives me hope for the world.
No one is too far gone, too old, too bad, too sinful, or anything else. The only thing keeping people from Heaven is themselves. Their refusal to accept Jesus Christ as their LORD and Saviour.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your life, grace, humility, obedience, strength, love, and so many things I cannot write them all! You did this for me. I was lost, and You found me. I was hungry, and You made sure I had food. I was sinful, and You died on the cross for my sins.
I repent of my sin of lust. I know it is not toward anyone in particular, but the thought of being alone is very hard. I know I am not alone as long as I have you, but You understand my heart. I thank You for that also. I repent of my sin of anger and yelling at my brother and the world. I do not know what is wrong with me.
Is it possible I have not let go from something long before? Am I hiding? I repent my fears of being caught by my ex. I know I should trust You more than I really do. Please forgive me, God. I love You. Please purify my heart. Make my spirit white as snow. In Jesus' Precious name I pray. Amen.

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
1Co 2:1-5 NIV

Originally posted 1/20/2006 @ 4:25 am

Gen. 18:1-15 The Three Visitors

2006-04-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

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The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

18:2 three men. At least two of the "men" were angels (see 19:1). The third may have been the LORD Himself. hurried. The story in vv. 2-8 illustrates Near Eastern hospitality in several ways:
1. Abraham gave prompt attention to his guests.
2. He bowed low to the ground. (I have my own little input on this.)
3. He politely addressed one of his guests as "my lord" and called himself "your servant," a common way of speaking when addressing a superior.
4. He acted as if it would be a favor to him if they allowed him to serve them.
5. He asked that water be brought to wash their feet, an act of courtesy to refresh a traveler in a hot, dusty climate.
6. He prepared a lavish for them (who did?!).
7. He stood nearby assuming the posture of a servant, to meet their every wish.

Hebrews 13:2 is probably a reference to vv. 2-8 and 19:1-3.

3He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way--now that you have come to your servant."

"Very well," they said, "do as you say."

6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread."

7Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

9Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him.

"There, in the tent," he said.

10Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance at the tent, which was behind Him. 11Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"

13Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

15Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh."

But He said, "Yes, you did laugh."

I love this passage. It reminds me so much of the last supper. There is much packed into this and the next chapter that I must wait to speak upon it. Oh well. God bless everyone.

18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent
I will frustrate."

20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1Co 1:18-24 NIV

Originally posted 1/21/2006 @ 2:25 am

Gen. 18:16-33 Abraham Pleads for Sodom

2006-04-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

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16When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19For I have chosen him, so he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about what He has promised him."

20Then, the LORD said, "The outcry against Sadom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

22The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23Then Abraham approached Him and said: "Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25Far be it from You to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

26The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."

27Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the LORD, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will You destroy the whole city because of five people?"

"If I find forty-five there," He said, "I will not destroy it."

29Once again He spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?"

He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."

30Then he said, "May the LORD not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?"

He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

31Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the LORD, what if only twenty can be found there?"

He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."

32Then he said, "May the LORD not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?"

He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

33When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, He left, and Abraham returned home.

16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all He created.
James 1:16-19, NIV

Originally posted 1/20/2006 @ 5:22 pm

Gen. 19:1-29 Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

2006-04-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

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The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2"My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning."

"No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square."

3But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

Here it appears that Lot did not express the same zeal as Abraham did. Whereas Abraham ran to greet them, Lot waited for them to come. Also, Abraham bowed low to the ground, whereas Lot only bowed. Yes, his face was was to the ground, but he did not bow to ground.
Abraham hurried to get things ready, even before they accepted their offer. Lot made it sound as if they could do the washing themselves. Also, Abraham offered food, while Lot was in a hurry to get rid of them in morning!

4Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house. 5They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."

6Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

9"Get out of our way," they replied. And they said, "This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We'll treat you worse than them." They kept bringing perssure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

This reminds me of the radical homosexuals of our day. (I said radical, so if you are a homosexual and you are not a radical one, that does not include you.) There is no discussion on any subject. No morality except theirs. They do not want to be judged, okay. Why are they always judging our motives? Why do they always challenge our beliefs? Are we not allowed to have them? Then they are not allowed to have theirs!

10But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

12The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here--sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it."

14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy it."

15With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished."

16When he hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!

18But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! 19Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. 20Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it--it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared."

21He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar.)

23By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the heavens. 25Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities--and also the vegetation in the land. 26But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

27Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the placewhere he had stood before the LORD. 28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

29So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

Originally posted 1/23/2006 @ 1:39 am

Gen. 19:30-38 Lot and His Daughters

2006-04-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

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30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. 32Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father."

33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." 35So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

36 So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. 37The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

12 For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; It judges the the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.
Heb. 4:12-13 NIV

Originally posted 1/24/2006 @ 3:31 am

I Believe

2006-04-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

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My dear friend, PebblePie sent me this list of 'I Believe,' and I would like to share them with you.

I believe that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while, and you must forgive them for that.
I believe that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I believe that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for the rest of your life.
I believe that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you ever see them.
I believe that you can keep going long after you think can't.
I believe that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I believe that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion will fade, and there had better be something else to take its place.
I believe that heroes are the people who do what has to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I believe that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe that my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.
I believe that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back on your feet.
I believe that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but I never have the right to be cruel.
I believe that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all that they have.
I believe that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we alone are responsible for who we become.
I believe that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I believe that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe that two people can look at the exact same thing and each see something totally different.
I believe that your life can be changed in a matter of minutes by people who don't even know you.
I believe that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I believe that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I believe that the people you care about most in life are taken from you far too soon.
I believe that no matter how badly your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

And I would like to add: I believe in God, and I believe in you.

Originally posted 1/25/2006 @ 2:05 am

Gen. 20:1-18 Abraham and Abimelech

2006-04-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

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20-1-18ref -- Ge 12:10-20; Ge 26:1-11

Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

3But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman."

4Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, "Lord, will You destroy an innocent nation? 5Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister, and didn't she also say, 'He is my brother'? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands."

6Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die."

8Early the next morning, Abimelech summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 9Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said, "What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done." 10And Abimelech asked Abraham, "What was your reason for doing this?"

11Abraham replied, "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' 12Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother." ' "

14Then Abimelech brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15And Abimelech said, "My land is before you; live wherever you like."

16To Sarah he said, "I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated."

17Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, 18for the LORD had closed up every womb in Abimelech's houlshold because of Abraham's wife Sarah.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverence the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Heb 12:1-3 NIV

Originally posted 1/25/2006 @ 2:13 pm

Gen. 21:1-34 Three Sections

2006-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

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The Birth of Isaac

1Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. 2Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commended him. 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." 7And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egytian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac."

11The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring."

14Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.

15When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, "I cannot watch the boy die." And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob.

17God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from Heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation."

I do not know for certain whether or not it is God speaking, the Holy Spirit speaking, or just an angel. Should I change the color of the text? Should I leave it as it is? Oh my, decisions!

19Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

The Treaty at Beersheba

22At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do. 23Now swear to me hear before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you."

24Abraham said, "I swear it."

25Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water Abimelech's servants had seized. 26But Abimelech said, "I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today."

27So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. 28Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29and Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?"

30He replied, "Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well."

31So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.

32After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. 34And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

13 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were there fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Heb 13:1-3 NIV

Originally posted 1/26/2006 @ 6:45 pm

Priest on Trial; Claims Christ is Real

2006-04-21T06:41:00.000-07:00

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VITERBO, Italy — An Italian judge heard arguments Friday on whether a small-town parish priest should stand trial for asserting that Jesus Christ existed.

I do believe that some atheists are mentally ill. What is it they always tell us about the travesty of trash they put on our airwaves and movies? If you don't like it, you can always change the channel or turn it off. I say to you, Mr. Luigi Cascioli, "If you don't like it, don't go to Church. However, leave us alone." Good grief.

Update: The case has been thrown out. Here is the link to the report.

Gen. 22:1-24 Two Sections

2006-04-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

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Abraham Tested

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

2Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

This is where I see the promise of God unfolding. He has asked Abraham to take his one and only son, which he has waited for a lifetime to have, to offer as a sacrifice. In this same way, Christ was offered as a sacrifice. He took all the sins of the world upon His shoulders. All of them. Thank You, God.

3Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.

I see faith here. When Abraham says, "We will come back to you," I believe he trusted God to save his son. Maybe he did not know how, just like we don't know how to get through some situations, but if we only had that much faith!

6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together. 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

8Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

It is at this point, if this were a movie, I would have lost it. Can you imagine what Isaac's father must have been feeling? Was he praying? Did he know? Did he really trust God that much? Did he lie to Isaac? I want answers! lol.

9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," he replied.

12"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

This is how I get confused about the angel of the LORD and God Himself. The angel is speaking to him, right? Then why is he speaking as though he were God?

13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

15The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from Heaven a second time 16and said, "I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will blessed, because you have obeyed Me."

19Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Am I the only one who is curious about what Isaac thinks about this whole matter? I cannot imagine my father bounding me up on an altar! Did he have any scars emotionally, or is this a new phenomena?

Nahor's Sons

20Some time later Abraham was told, "Milcah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kamuel (the father of Aram), 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidiaph and Bethuel." 23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham's brother Nahor. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maachah.

Please remember to check Bible.org's reading/discussion of Chapter 22. It is very thought provoking.

Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Heb. 13:1-3

Originally posted 1/28/2006 @ 9:53 pm

Gen. 23:1-20 The Death of Sarah

2006-04-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

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Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven yers old. 2She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

3Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead."

5The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6"Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead."

7Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8He said to them, "If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you."

Notice how Abraham would take nothing from anyone that was not purchased? Is this an introduction to the way we are to behave? It brings shame and/or hardship when in debt to another. Hmm.

10Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11"No, my lord," he said. "Listen to me; I give you the field and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead."

12Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13and he said to Ephron in their hearing, "Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there."

14Ephron answered Abraham, 15"Listsen to me, my lord; the land is four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bur your dead."

16Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

17So Ephron's field in Machpelah near Mamre---both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field---was deeded 18to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

The gate of the city (or any city) is the place where people took their complaints to be judged. It was also a place where many did their business.
Gen. 23 and 24 in are discussed by a One Year Bible Study (group?). I have joined up!
Bible.org also has a section on dealing with death. It is very good.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 NIV

Originally posted 1/28/2006 @ 10:52 pm

Gen. 24:1-67 Isaac and Rebekah

2006-04-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

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Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. 2He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh. 3I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of Heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac."

5The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?"

6Make sure that you do not take my son back there," Abraham said. 7"The LORD, the God of Heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, 'To your offspring I will give this land'--He will send His angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there." 9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

10Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor.11He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

12Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'--let her be the one You have chosen for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."

15Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. 16The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

17The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give a little water from your jar."

18"Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

19After she had given him a drink, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." 20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful.

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka [half a shekel] and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23Then he asked, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?"

24She answered him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor." 25And she added, "We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night."

26Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives."

28The girl ran and told her mother's household about these things. 29Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31"Come, you who are blessed by the LORD," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."

32So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. 33Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say."

"Then tell us," Laban said.

34So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 35The LORD has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys. 36My master's wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37And my master made me swear an oath, and said, 'You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 38but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.'

39"Then I asked my master, 'What if the woman will not come back with me?'

40"He replied, 'The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father's family. 41Then, when you go to my clan, you will be released from my oath even if they refuse to give her to you--you will be released from my oath.'

42"When I came to the spring today, I said, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. 43See, I am standing beside this spring; if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, "Please let me drink a little water from your jar," 44and if she says to me, "Drink, and I'll draw water for your camels too," let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master's son.'

45"Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'

46"She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too.' So I drank, and she watered the camels also.

47"I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?'

"She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.'

"Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, 48and I bowed down and worshiped the LORD. I praised the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. 49Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn."

50Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed."

When Abraham's servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. 53Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.

When they got up the next morning, he said, "Send me on my way to my master."

55But her brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl remain with us ten days or so; then you may go."

56But he said to them, "Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master."

57Then they said, "Let's call the girl and ask her about it." 58So they called Rebekah and asked her, ""Will you go with man?"

"I will go," she said.

59So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham's servant and his men. 60And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

"Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies."

61Then Rebekah and her maids got ready and mounted their camels and went back with the men. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

62Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63He went to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65and asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?"

"He is my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

66Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
1Pe 3:13-16 NIV

Originally posted 1/29/2006 @ 6:05 am

SCOTUS Unanimously Finds USA a Christian Nation

2006-04-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

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In the third part of a decision rendered unanimously by the SCOTUS that the USA is indeed a Christian Nation, a country of a religious people. Hallelujah!

If you would care to research this for yourself, I used the words: "1892" or "scotus" or "trinity." David Josiah Brewer was the associate justice who wrote the opinion.

The first link appears to be the actual text. Help Save America has a nice discussion about this topic.

I hope this helps you in your walk and understanding of our heritage. God bless you, and have a blessed day.

Originally posted 1/29/2006 @ 2:02 pm

Justic Carr says Ten Commandments can stay

2006-04-21T03:20:00.000-07:00

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Justice Carr says Ten Commandments can stay 4/21/2006.
It has always been somewhat disturbing to me that the only way we can have the 10 Commandments is if they mean nothing. Why bother? Well, anyway...

Last June, the SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the US) declared that the motives for having the 10 Commandments would determine whether or not they could remain.

The Supreme Court in June allowed a 6-foot granite monument to remain at the Texas Capitol. Justices said Ten Commandments exhibits would be upheld if their main purpose was to honor the nation's legal, rather than religious, traditions, and if they didn't promote one religious sect over another.

U.S. District Judge James Carr said Tuesday [April 18, 2006] that the monument can stay because the motives for placing it outside the Lucas County courthouse were secular and not an endorsement of a specific belief.

Gen. 25:1-34 Three Sections

2006-04-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

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The Death of Abraham
25:1-11; 25:1-4--1Ch 1:32-33

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

5Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

7Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

Ishmael's Sons
25:12-18; 12-16--1Ch 1:29-31

12This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Sarah's maidservant Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

13These are the names of the sons Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15Hadad, Tema, Jetut, Naphish and Kedemah. 16These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

Jacob and Esau
25:19-34

19This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

21Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.

"Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you
will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and
the older will serve the younger."

24When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebakah gave birth to them.

27The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. 28Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.)

31Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."

32"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"

33But Jacob said, "Swear to me first." So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strenth God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the Glory and the Power for ever and ever. Amen.
1Peter 4:7-11 NIV

Originally posted 1/31/2006 @ 6:40 am

Gen. 26:1-35 Isaac and Abimelech

2006-04-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

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Now there was a famine in the land--besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time--and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My requirements, My commands, My decrees and My laws. 6So Isaac stayed in Gerar."

7When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister, because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on acount of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."

8When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?"

Isaac answered him, "Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her"

10Then Abimelech said "What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us."

11So Abimelech gave orders to all the people: "Anyone who molests this man or his wife shall surely be put to death."

12Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. 13The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.15So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.

16Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us."

17So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Phlistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

19Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land."

23From there he went up to Beersheba. 24That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham."

25Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

26Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?"

28They answered, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, 'There ought to be a sworn agreement between us'--between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD."

30Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.

32That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We've found water!" 33He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.

34When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35They were a souce of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconcilliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
2Co 5:21 NIV

Originally posted 2/1/2006 @ 2:11 am

You Are My Rock and My Salvation

2006-04-20T15:40:00.001-07:00

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Dear Heavenly Father,

I am disturb about many things. There are peoples in the Darfur region of Sudan that are being stolen and sold into slavery, raped, and murdered, yet we do nothing. Talk is cheap, and I've been doing all that I can to let people know. Please Lord, come to their aid. Rescue these poor children of Yours.

Many people liked the State of the Union last night. I did not. I liked the foreign policy part, but he keeps talking about spending! We simply do not have the money, and the government is not supposed to be spending our money in most of these ways.

I am very frustrated. As a Christian, it is my duty to help my fellow man. My government steps in and takes that duty and privilege away from me. We have corrupt organizations, such as the Red Cross, who do not spend our money where and why we send it.

I did not give any money to the victims of Katrina. I did not know where to give it, and then the government stepped in, the state had their hand out, and everyone was blaming the one person who had nothing to do with it! Our President.

I feel very badly that I did not help. I do not like this feeling. It isn't fair. God, please prevent them from coming up with new programs that will not work. If You see a program that will be successful and is constitutional, by all means, let it succeed! Otherwise, let them all fail.

God, I do not know who else to cry out to, because I've tried talking to the people in power. That is a joke. I do not want to give up hope! I know I can trust You.

Please help the citizens in Iran to overthrow their government. Help them to uprise against their government and the mullahs, so the peoples can be free. Only by freedom's call, can they know You.

Did You know it is the death penalty to change from Islam to Christianity? Of course You know. You must help, O Lord. Free Your people. Make them let Your people go!

Lord, please help the poor people in North Korea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Burma, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Yemen, all the states in the ME, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Viet Cong, Cambodia, Laos, Philipians, Indonesia, Turkey, help the Kurds to gain their freedom and their own country, Kosovo, Serbia, all the Balkin states, Nigeria, Liberia, Lybia, Somalia, Chad, Sri Lanka, China, Mongolia, and all the countries. We need You desparately!

Please do not delay. You, who is all Powerful, full of Justice and Mercy, full of Wisdom and Hope and Love. I love You, Lord. In Jesus' Precious name I pray. Amen.

Originally posted 2/1/2006 @ 6:14 pm

The Presidential Prayer Team

2006-04-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

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Give thanks for the excellent State of the Union speech delivered by the President last night...and for the swearing in of Judge Alito...pray for him as he prepares to step up to the Supreme Court bench...Pray for the loved ones of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King as they mourn her death...Pray for the loved ones of those who lost their lives in the postal service shooting in Goleta, CA yesterday...

President Bush Tells Collegians to Pray

Earlier this week President Bush spoke to 9,000 people attending the Alf Landon Lecture at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. After a keynote address on the war on terror, the President fielded questions from the audience. One student asked the President’s advice to them as future leaders saying, “As a leader, as many of us are going to need to know, because we're going to be leaders in just a few years, what's the best way that you go about preparing yourself for attacks on your character, and how do you deal with others in those matters?”

President Bush: Yes, I appreciate that. I would summarize it: faith, family and friends. I am sustained mightily by the fact that millions of citizens -- for whom I'll never get to thank personally -- pray for me. It's hard for me to describe why I feel that way, why I'm so sustained. I guess it's just called faith. And I'm sustained by my family. And there's nothing better than going home to somebody who understands and is sympathetic and is part of -- we're working together. I mean, Laura's job is just as important as mine in many ways.

The girls still love me. I really love them. And then there's my man, Barney, a little Scottish terrier. I say this -- and Laura will be furious at me -- he's the son I never had, you know?

I believe in what I'm doing. And I understand politics, and it can get rough. Click here to read more of President Bush’s response to the question.

Chaplains Reassured Regarding Prayer in Jesus’ Name

The White House has agreed to pressure the Pentagon to put an end to discrimination against chaplains who pray in the name of Jesus Christ. In a story reported by the Washington Times, White House domestic policy adviser Claude Allen promised Rep. Walter B. Jones of North Carolina that the President will take up the issue personally with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Click here to read more.

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A side note: There has been a Pastor on a fasting strike because he was told he could not pray in Jesus' Name. He refused to do otherwise. God has seen this atrocity, and He has had mercy! Thank You, Jesus, for interceding! In Jesus' Precious name I pray. And everyone said, "Amen!"

Originally posted 2/1/2006 @ 6:35 pm

Gen. 27:1-40 Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing

2006-04-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

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Working Like the Devil, Serving the Lord (Genesis 27:1-46)

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son."
"Here I am," he answered.

2Isaac saic, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. 3Now then, get your weapons--your quiver and bow--and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die."

5Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' 8Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies."

11Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. 12What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing."

13His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me."

14So he went and got them and brought them to his mother and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she made.

18He went to his father and said, "My father."
"Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?"

19Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing."

20Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?"
"The LORD your God gave me success," he replied.

21Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not."

22Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 23He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24"Are you really my son Esau?" he asled.
"I am," he replied.

25Then he said, "My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing."

Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here, my son, and kiss me."

27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,

"Ah, the smell of my son is like
the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.
28May God give you of heaven's dew and
of earth's richness--
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29May nations serve you and peoples
bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers, and may the
sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed and those
who bless you be blessed

30After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, "My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing."

32His father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?"
"I am your son," he answered, "your firstborn, Esau."

33Isaac tremled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him--and indeed he will be blessed!"

34When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me--me too, my father!"

35But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing."

Wait just one minute! Did not he sell his birthright for a bowl of red stew? It did not matter then, so why should it matter now? Maybe there is a lesson in this for us. What could it be? Maybe, just maybe, everything should be considered through prayer!
When we take the time to pray, we are also taking the time away from whatever has us up against the wall. It is wrong to make rash decision and judgements, although I am very guilty of this.
This is one of the reasons I have not yet written my opinion (except in a prayer) for my newspaper. It may be out of date by the time I write it, but at least it will be considered and prayed about!

36Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?"

I thought the meaning of the birthright was to receive the blessing?

37Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?"

38Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud.

39His father Isaac answered him,

"Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness,
away from the dew of heaven above,
40You will live by the sword and
you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless, you will
throw his yoke from off your neck."

Warning of Coming Destruction
2"I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,"

declares the LORD.

3"I will sweep away both men and animals;
I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea.
The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the of the earth,"

declares the LORD.
Zephaniah 1:2-3 NIV

Please do not forget that by clicking on the title, you will find more study notes. They are from Bible.org. One Year Bible.blog is a wonderful site as well. If you are looking for discipline in your walk and study buddies, this is the site for you.

Originally posted 2/2/2006 @ 5:51 am

Gen. 27:41--28:9 Jacob Flees to Laban

2006-04-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

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41Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

I seem to remember reading something like this before…ah ha! Remember Cain and Abel? It would appear in those days many people solved their problems with murder. Seems things haven’t changed that much. This is a sad shame.

42When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. 43Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”

28 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2Go at once to Paddan Aram to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4May He give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham.” 5Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” 7and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8Esau then realized how dispeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaoith and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

This is one of the reasons it is necessary to understand where everyone come from. Was his next wife a Canaanite? I cannot believe that everywhere I searched has no answer one way or the other! I guess everyone is looking more closely at Jacob right now. Why is it I always have to come up with the odd-ball questions? lol.

Originally posted 2/3/2006 @ 6:34 am

Gen. 28:10-22 Jacob's Dream at Bethel

2006-04-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

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10Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13There above it stood the LORD, and He said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.

16When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of Heaven."

18Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. 4God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.
Heb 2:1-4 NIV

Please read The Seeker Is Sought by Bob Deffinbaugh , Th.M. for further study. Have a wonderfully blessed day.

Originally posted 2/4/2006 @ 2:08 pm

Gen. 29:1-14 Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

2006-04-20T14:53:00.000-07:00

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Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4Jacob asked the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?"
"We're from Haran," they replied.
5He said to them, "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?"
"Yes, we know him," they answered.
6Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?"
"Yes, he is," they said, "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."
7"Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture."
8"We can't," they replied, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep."

9While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10When Jacob saw Rachel of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. 11Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told father.

13As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, hes sister's son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14Then Laban said to him, "You are my own flesh and blood."

Wow. We are going to have to continue the reading to find what happens next and why. This is an awesome chapter, although some may not think so. We shall see...

Originally posted 2/5/2006 @ 4:44 am

Gen. 29:15-30 Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

2006-04-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

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After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be."

16Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel."

19Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." 20So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

21Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her."

22So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. 24And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant.

25When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?"

Aha! Where have we heard these words before? Hmm. I do not believe in karma, but I do believe that the way we treat people shall be the way we are rewarded, whether good or bad!

26Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work."

28And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Originally posted 2/5/2006 @ 5:34 am