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Getting somewhere requires effort, it takes
faith to push on, it's easy to screw up,
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Friday, March 30, 2012
A Babel Fish that actually works! In the “hitchhikers guide to the galaxy”,
author Douglas Adams describes a fictitious animal, a “Babel Fish” that performs instant translations when inserted
into a person’s ear.
Wouldn’t we like
a Babel Fish?
Have you ever quite honestly said something innocently and had it taken completely out of context by the listener,
causing them to get upset?
Have you also perhaps noticed how upset people rarely then actually listen to the person they are upset with?
We are all subject to the distortions
in our communications aren’t we?
The written word is difficult to interpret because we cannot see the person who is penning the
words, and so fail to assess their body language and culture.
Our spoken word is better, but even then, we assume so much. Meaning associated with the words
that two people from different backgrounds can hear is often vastly different.
Add to this cultural differences and world beliefs, and this gets much
more complex!
Words are
not the only thing causing issues. . .for example, if you show the soles of your shoes in some Arab countries, you have just
insulted someone.
Wow!
Imagine how those Arab folk feel traveling in western countries. It must be like a
Christian walking through a room full of people cursing and swearing! Traveling in that environment could be nasty. Think
of a modern subway, how many insults per second would a person get?
Communication is difficult isn’t it?
Maybe the internet can help?
Today, there are applications like Googles Babel Fish. With it you speak into it on your phone, and it sends it back
to the person that you hand the phone to. They hear what you are communicating, translated.
Somewhat
translated that is!
Background
noise, accents, and other aspects make it come up with some weird translations and some languages are just hard to
translate. Think of those that have different genders for the same object, depending on context. (Those complications do exist!)
Maybe that’s why God goes to extremes
to make sure we know his message to us!
Have you ever considered why Jesus didn’t arrive on Earth in the 21st
century?
How would he have
been able to give a message out, How would it have had traction throughout the world, if he had?
By blogging on the internet? Not likely!
By doing a movie? We all know movies have made up stuff, even documentaries
change the content of truth, by editing.
To get the message to the world, a historically embedded truth, that has application to everyone would have to have
come at a point in time that mankind was developed enough to record it faithfully. It would have to have come on mediums that
could be durable, and mediums that can be proved to have their original format in future years to come.
The message would need to have been heard and understood by a small
enough group of people to be cohesive, but by a large enough group, that when dispersed they could influence everyone in the
world.
The population size
would need to be just right, wouldn’t it?
Then, the means of getting the communications out, needed to be fairly good.
People struggling to cut their way through jungles don’t
really move fast and messages die out before they get out.
So the Roman Empire with its magnificent roads were needed. That took time to form and do the work of preparing those
roads didn’t it?
The Roman
period also provide relative peace in the world, so there was time for the message to disperse.
Then, a common language would be good as well wouldn’t it?
The Greeks who conquered the world
before the Romans provided that and they had translated the bible texts into Greek. Greek was the business language of the
day. Christians had Greek to communicate to others with helping the message stay true.
All of this is still not sufficient! The words could get distorted when they did get
out, couldn’t they?
Meaning could vary over years, and the original words could be horribly distorted as time went by.
How does God ensure that does not occur?
Jesus explains it as follows when others asked 'Show us the Father'? he replied. . .
"Don't you believe that
I am in the Father? Don't you believe that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. The Father lives
in me. He is the One who is doing his work. Believe me when I say I am in the Father. Also believe that the Father is in me.
Or at least believe what the miracles show about me.
"What I'm about to tell you is true. Anyone who has faith in me will
do what I have been doing. In fact, he will do even greater things. That is because I am going to the Father.
"And I will do anything
you ask in my name. Then the Son will bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name. I will do it.
"If you love me,
you will obey what I command. I will ask the Father. And he will give you another Friend to help you and to be with you forever.
The Friend is the Spirit of truth. The world can't accept him. That is because the world does not see him or know him. But
you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you.
So
how does this help us understand God’s communication with us?
Notice that God leaves us the Spirit of Truth, or, as others say, Holy Spirit!
This Spirit
lives with us, and takes the words we hear and forms their meaning in our hearts, to align with the original meaning
as closely as our sin filled lives will let it happen.
God inspired those original writers, and God inspires the final readers.
Since God is part of both sides of the communication, the message is true.
Notice it is only true, to those that have Holy Spirit in their
lives, the rest get a distorted message. Even those with Holy Spirit can only get it right to the extent they are righteous.
Since we all sin, it means we all screw up getting some of it right.
However, God in many people, makes sure that the message as a whole never loses its overall truth or vitality.
It’s a bit like everyone who
sees an amazing Olympic record set, may each explain it slightly differently, but taken as a whole, the true replication of
the event can be agreed upon as truth.
God,
selected the time, the places, the people and Jesus his son to ensure a high fidelity message would resonate into, and throughout
the ages.
Aren’t we privileged
to be part of that process?
Let’s go have a lovely day and perhaps look for an opportunity to pass the message on!
Fri, March 30, 2012 | link
Thursday, March 29, 2012
When we are in pain. . . Agony! Pulsing shards of slicing pain cuts into our bodies, sucking energy from us, slowing our thoughts and muddling
them.
Pain is horrible as
experienced isn’t it?
Yet pain can also be a warning to us and can be used to build us up as well!
Pain comes because we can feel! Without feeling, we would do what lepers do and damage themselves significantly. Leprosy is a disease
we can treat today, but in the past, people who got it lost feeling, which in itself was not dangerous. However, because they
could not feel, they would damage themselves with cuts, bruises and worse. These would get infected! Soon serious damage would
result.!
We need to feel pain to
live effectively.
Yet when it is the pain of irrecoverable disease or injury it is horrible to experience, or even to watch
others experience.
It is
interesting to me that we as people became pain in God’s life. Just
after man became sentient and walked with God, and sinned and left the garden of Eden, it says in Genesis 6:5-7
The Lord saw how bad the
sins of man had become on the earth. All of the thoughts in his heart were always directed only toward what was evil. The
Lord was very sad that he had made man on the earth. His heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I
created man on the earth. But I will wipe them out. I will destroy people and animals alike. I will also destroy the creatures
that move along the ground and the birds of the air. I am very sad that I have made man."
Think of it this
way… God felt the agony, the pulsing shards of slicing pain cutting into his heart, due to our evil ways.
Yet, as he cleared the Earth of this first
great illness and evil, he found people he loved and saved them. They broke his heart again, as did their ancestors.
Again and again, the pain we cause cuts into God!
Finally, God decides to come to Earth in human form, as Jesus, to completely identify with, and be part of
the experiences, but without the horrible nasty sin part.
What do we do, we cause him more pain!
We whip him with a whip of many tails, having sharp objects in them, cutting his back open horribly; we force a crown
of thorns down into his skull and mock him!
We force him to carry heavy logs out to the site where he must die.
Then we smash nails through his feet (probably the heel bones) and hands to pin him
to the tree, with nails, after we have stripped him naked.
Then while he is in extreme agony, we hoist him up into public view, where he is naked and exposed to ridicule.
He dies slowly, in pain, gasping because
to breathe he has to push on those nails in his smashed heels.
Extreme pain! Pain from which the word excruciating was formed!
God knows pain!
So when we cry out to our God in pain, he understands! He understands
in ways we cannot comprehend.
Yet,
despite this extreme pain he cries out, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing."He thinks of others and loves us, at this time of his worst pain!
When we are in pain, do we do this?
I find this the hardest of things to do! To consider others and
empathise with them, when I am in pain, is not my strong point. I have to love others greatly to achieve this!
God loves us greatly! Jesus died because
of this love!
What
are we doing about this love? How do we respond?
What will we do today to show our identification with and respect for this love of God?
That’s the question for today!
Will the pain in our life build us or destroy
us?
Thu, March 29, 2012 | link
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Reaction to certain types of prostitution having being legalized. . .
The National Post article says our Ontario appeal courts have ruled;
- LEGAL: Hiring drivers, bodyguards and support staff
- ILLEGAL: “Exploitation” of sex workers by pimps
- LEGAL: Working
in organized brothels or “bawdy houses”
- ILLEGAL: Openly soliciting
customers on the street
On September 30, 2010, I wrote a lengthy blog on the subject
“Another prostitute scandal? How would Jesus react? ”
The appeal courts
have now ruled. I will re-iterate some of what I said in that blog to give context and then explain how I am reviewing my
thoughts.
As
Christian’s they expect us to react and we should!
The question is how, since there is definitely
a precedent in the bible to stop a nation falling into the prostitution trade. Doesn’t our bible speak against this?
For example doesn’t it say. . .
Leviticus 19:29 (NIV)
Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or
the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
So this is a warning that this course of action will lead to wickedness
in the land (as if there isn’t plenty of that already).
But then it also says
Deuteronomy
23:18
You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your
God to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.
So it seems that this was a means of doing business in those days as well
right?
I guess the point is that we should try and avoid promoting prostitution, and we should not
allow the church to benefit from this activity, and if a country degrades itself to permit this to become a norm, only wickedness
will grow from the practice.
Now let's be honest, this practice will never go away until the human race dies out. There will always be desperate people who have
to make money and find getting naked and doing things for people who are to inadequate to find a true partner is a way of
making money. Then, when they overcome their decency and allow this to occur, they quieten their conscience and so damage
themselves further.
The final stage of pain is when they decide that they want others to be like them and
start to shout it out and in this case “fight for rights”.
Now let me say, I don’t
agree with mistreating prostitutes.
I think the law does do this! They are not given fair hearings and
justice they rightfully should get. But that’s not a reason to make the practice legal! That’s showing
us this is time to update and train our police force in true handling of the situation. It’s a failure of
policing that needs to be remedied, not a promotion of prostitution!
What did Jesus
say on the matter?
If I remember there was one statement that said in Matthew 21:30-31. . .
"I tell you the truth, the tax
collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness,
and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent
and believe him.
A
repentant prostitute is free of guilt and sin, and can enter heaven according to Jesus.
This seems
to have been his treatment of these ladies of the street.
How would Jesus deal with it?
I think of two situations where immoral woman are brought to or came to him (Where were the cases of immoral men? Doesn’t
it take two to do it? men seem to be good at staying in the background don't they?)
Luke 7:36 on, talks of
one who could be considered a prostitute who came to Jesus, repented, washed his feet with her tears and very expensive perfume,
and of whom he said
"Your
sins are forgiven" and "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Later a women caught in adultery is brought to him. First Jesus sets up the criteria
for convicting her by saying
"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
Then after this gets rid of the crowd (who obviously understood
he would be able to point out every occasion when they thought of illegal sex [since he had warned people that thinking of
it was enough to sin]), Jesus says to her,
"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."[2]
So, Jesus loves people that are hurting! We should
too!
Jesus doesn’t want us condemning others when we all have thoughts that are sexually inappropriate
to others. Holy Spirit know these thoughts we have!
Jesus would not want us to support people continuing
in a profession that degrades and damages them and the country, but would want to see them helped and loved (correctly).
Then what about our relationships with prostitutes. Paul comments.
1 Corinthians 6:16
Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one
with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."
He points out our bodies belong to Jesus and
we should not abuse them.
So sex with prostitutes is out for Christians!
Then should we
protect them? Well remember that Paul also reminds the Israeli's that
Hebrews 11:31
By faith the prostitute Rahab,
because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
So there is a precedent for treating them
right, if they treat society right.
Where does this leave us?
I think it leaves
is wanting the prostitutes better protected, but without having a way to promote their activities.
Now originally the way the law
was structured I stated;
This is not the intent of the new law, so I cannot support it!
However, reading the new structure layout in the post, one gets the understanding that the law is attempting to protect prostitutes
and limit their activities to a specific area.
I am still not in favour of prostitution because of the degrading
of the women and men who take part in it, but I am for their protection. We as Christians should simply teach those around us not to get involved or use the services.
Satanists are legal, but we don’t attend their services and we love the people who are taking part even if we
totally detest their practices.
We should have a similar attitude to prostitutes I believe.
That said, let’s
pray for a reduction in this sad situation in our country, and that our men and women would chose righteousness over self
abuse!
Wed, March 28, 2012 | link
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Jeremiah, a great man of the past that few know, but many should! Many think
that important and influential people live on in the memories of people after they have died, but rarely do they remain significant.
It
often takes a well placed event to make them remembered
Jeremiah was an ancient Jewish priest or kohen.
More than that, he was a man who foretold the future. He was an interesting
person because like many, he was continually harassed for doing what God asked him to do.
He was attacked by his family, Judah’s officials, and even
imprisoned by the King.
The
reason he was disliked, is that he knew that Israel was going to fall as a nation and be taken into captivity, and he warned them that if they didn’t change their ways this would happen.
Like parents warning a teenager against the ravages of modern societies ill influence, Jeremiah wanted Israel to avoid the
practices that could take it down. Like the rebellious teenager, Israel didn’t listen and the bible records how Nebuchadnezzar
took Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Some of
us may know this, but it rarely comes home to us, and even less do we try to understand the man and his times. It’s
just so foreign and distant isn’t it.
Well, in Jerusalem, an archeological discovery has shone the light on Jeremiah again.
Two
seal impressions were found .
These are small clay seals
that people used to prove that things had not been opened. People took clay and then impressed it with a seal that was theirs,
to prove that the item would stay closed until they opened it again.
These seals called bullae, have names on them. The first says “Yehuchal
ben Shelemyahu” and the second says “Gedalyahu ben Pasur”.
So what? It doesn’t seem important
does it?
Okay let’s read a bit of the words Jeremiah wrote in the bible;
“Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehucal and Pashhur heard what I was telling
all of the people. Shephatiah was the son of Mattan. Gedaliah was the son of Pashhur. Jehucal was the son of Shelemiah. And
Pashhur was the son of Malkijah. Those four men heard me say, "The Lord says, 'Those who stay in this city will die of
war, hunger or plague. But those who go over to the side of the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives.
They will remain alive.' The Lord also says, 'This city will certainly be handed over to the armies of the king of Babylonia.
They will capture it.' "
Then those officials said to the king, "That man should be put to death. What he says is
making the soldiers who are left in this city lose hope. It's making all of the people lose hope too. He isn't interested
in what is best for the people. In fact, he's trying to destroy them."
"He's in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "I can't
do anything to oppose you."
So they took me and put me into an empty well. – Jeremiah 38:1 onwards.
“Shelemyahu” is translated in English as “Shelemiah”, and “Gedalyahu” as “Gedaliah”.
“Yehuchal” is translated
“Jehucal” , and “Pasur” as “Pashhur” .
Ben means "son of" so “Yehuchal ben Shelemyahu” means “Jehucal
son of Shelemiah”, and “Gedalyahu ben Pasur” means “Gedaliah son of Pashhur” proving the bible
to be accurate.
We have
historical proof in our hands of the times of Jeremiah.
Why could this be significant?
It has taken years to uncover these irreplaceable treasures and they point fundamentally
to a great man that is respected by the followers of three
religions, Moslems, Jews, and Christians.
The message he gave to Israel is applicable to the world today.
We need to understand our world is partying on, and rejecting God. People often only pay lip service to the moral guidelines
of the bible. Just yesterday, I hear a court of appeal in the province I live, is further legitimizing open prostitution.
This is only one minor example!
We
don’t need to be Jeremiah to know that this trend will result in horrible downfall
throughout the world, if it is allowed to continue.
In the past, God used more righteous Godly people to clean up the mess that evil people had made.
Today, the mess is inherent is almost all world cultures. What will God use this time, perhaps the end of the world as we know it.
We can let our world know God loves us and is willing to help us return to righteous living,
if we will!
So today, as we go about
or tasks of life, let’s thank God he is patient and try to inject a little light into every place we
work or play.
Let’s have God focussed, healthy day living in the glow of
Holy spirit’s Guidance and Jesus’ example.
Have a good one!
Jeremiah, prophet of the Bible, Brought back to life
accessed at http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/jeremiah-prophet-of-the-bible-brought-back-to-life/
Tue, March 27, 2012 | link
Monday, March 26, 2012
Destroy “Churches”, a call to Muslims in Saudi Arabia Wow! Christianity must really be powerful if one of the most influential men in the Moslem world Sheik Abdul Aziz
Bin Abdullah says it is necessary to ““necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.”
How much world news have you heard in this regard?
A whisper?
Amazing how if a Christian threatens to burn a Koran the whole
world screams (not that I agreed with that guy) but when a major leader in the Moslem world calls for destroying of whole
churches, we hear nothing!
What is
wrong with the world? Selfish, ignorant and nasty. . .Sin!
What will this achieve?
Selective hearing!
Christians are unpopular because we call for truth at ANY cost. Sacrificial love is central
to a true Christian’s life. As such, there is more focus on truth, and less on selective hearing.
Many people want security in their life like
that of little children, they want to draw a blanket over their heads to try to make out that if they don’t see and
hear, then it isn’t happening.
Folk,
the big bad Satan man is actually out there! Even if we are hiding behind our warm cozy security blanket!
Also
want you to know that I am NOT talking of Sheik Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah. To him I say “God loves you!”, and that
God is stronger than any call to war you may issue. Love of others is deep in the Christian heart, so attempts to build hate
are about all that you can do. We understand! but hate cannot destroy true love!
That is our challenge today as Christians, to love and not hate, to care
and not reject, to take the pain and not to complain!
We as Christian’s have a high calling,
one that is set by the God of the universe and it is to introduce true love in the world.
We will not respond by outlawing mosques in
our cities
because we love people even if they don’t love us.
The Washington times says “The mufti based his decision on a story that on his deathbed, Muhammad
declared, “There are not to be two religions in the [Arabian] Peninsula.” This passage has long been used to justify
intolerance in the kingdom. Churches have always been banned in Saudi Arabia, and until recently Jews were not even allowed
in the country. Those wishing to worship in the manner of their choosing must do so hidden away in private, and even then
the morality police have been known to show up unexpectedly and halt proceedings.”
Well Sheik Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah, we Christians have a different
instruction that says;
“Here
is what he has given you to do for Christ. You must not only believe in him. You must also suffer for him.” Philippians
1:29 NIRV
And we have another that
says;
Matthew 5:43-44
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor.—(Leviticus 19:18) Hate your enemy.' But here is what I tell
you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.
So Sheik Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah as you go about this abhorrent business, know that you will be
loved!
Strange people Christians!
The more adversity placed in our way, the more we allow
God into our lives and the love flows. That’s what win’s war’s my friend, love, not hate, vile
laws and suppression.
Today as we
go out in our world we will war with true love, and from the deepest points in our lives we will love and not hate.
That
is the Christian way!
Mon, March 26, 2012 | link
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If you want to see a short blog describing a perspective on what I believe click here
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Rift in Evil
By Ken
X Briggs - Published: September, 2010
- Format: Perfect Bound Softcover(B/W)
- Pages: 208
Size:
6x9 - ISBN: 9781450250894
Available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iUniverse. |
Credit cards are acceptable on sites having Ken's books: 
:)
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on XML Click here =>  to be told of new blogs
| Ken's book covers are displayed below. . . | |  This
suspense thriller centers on Kiara, a beautiful young woman pursued by a murderous group of people, who relentlessly and ruthlessly
hunt her and her sisters. Kiara has no idea why she is being targeted! When Kiara and her family turn to the law for help,
this fails. Her pursuers’ powers reach deeply into the political and law enforcement world. Family support for her dwindles
when they too have to flee her pursuers. Can Kiara escape the clutches of both the law and dishonest big business? With the
media broadcasting that Kiara and friends are dangerous and subversive, can Kiara clear her name and bring her pursuers to
justice?
| | | | | To purchase Kiara's Pursuer ebook
@ $1.99 kindle version click here, To contact the author contact Author@KenXBriggs.com | | | | | | | | The town of Zinaville is dropped into a spiral of evil causing a young man and a beautiful but abused woman
to launch into an investigation that unveils an evil conspiracy. A horrific mining accident results in Joshua
Robyn's father being killed. Joshua struggles both with himself and his townsfolk as he tries to make sense of an incomprehensible
situation. Is it an accident or a murder? Why is there a seeming link to evil? Why is his work environment suddenly threatening?
What is the conspiracy about and what are they trying to do? As action moves dramatically from exotic African grasslands to
the heart of North America's cities, the plot unfolds and the pace quickens. Will there be time? Why is a beautiful abused
young woman in the center of this plot? Evil tendrils tighten on their lives and the interplay between the visible
and invisible world shows opposing forces at work. Will there be a rift in evil? Will they be able to stop the
evil in time? | | - Published: September, 2010
- Format: Perfect
Bound Softcover(B/W)
- Pages: 208
Size: 6x9 - ISBN: 9781450250894
Available
from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iUniverse. Chapters | | | | |
| Frugal Eating Advice |
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| Good advice for students living on limited $'s. Click on the image! |
May you be blessed today!
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