Friday, February 28, 2014

The Death of Death

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1 Cor. 15:26

I'm sure I told you of a group who heard these word's and gasped, "death an enemy?" Isn't it amazing how many people know more than Paul?

Nice people, too, but nice people are often the hardest to reach. Wouldn't be surprised to hear their excuse, "the preacher never told us about that one." The "preacher only" crowd are to be pitied.

Young people often explain their ignorance of a subject by saying that "they didn't teach us that in school." I guess it's the teacher's fault, as if all learning stops when you get out of school.

A simple concordance search of "death" is very helpful. Of course it is only for the strong--those who are willing to depart from the traditional teaching of the corporate church. Few are. I understand how people work all week and on Sunday want to relax and listen to someone that they hire, to think for them.

But the Word tells us of a glorious day when death its self shall die, never to return again.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

How Much Are You Asking for Your Thyine Wood?

The Merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen. and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, Revelation 18:12

In chapter 18 we find a list of the items of commerce of commercial Babylon of the latter days. In verse 13 we find listed "and souls of men". Much has been made of this. Some say immortal souls are for sale. Imagine, non-material souls for sale!

Some even attribute this passage to the Roman Catholic practice of selling indulgences. According to this a shopping list would include: "And be sure to pick up an indulgence for getting Uncle Henry out of Purgatory. They're on sale."

The return of indulgences? A simpler and Biblicly correct interpretation can be found in the Revised Standard Version. It says, "and slaves, that is, human souls."

Sometimes I hear a medical rescue helicopter go overhead. My scanner picks up the pilot's message "with four souls on board." Leave it to them to get it right. They are not transporting immortal souls, but living human beings.

The RSV tells us that in the latter days, people will be sold for slaves. Certainly not anything new, but then, neither is thyine wood.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Wycliffe, Hus, and Zwingli

It is an extreme honor to be able to write these names, though it makes me sad to think about the others, so influential, that I could also write about. My best friend's son sent me an e-mail today with an attached article concerning the rise of Calvinism in churches. But there is also an attendant hatred of its very mention. YouTube had an entry that asked, "Is Calvin in Hell?"

My friend's son was astounded that in the article some were quoted as asking "Who was Calvin?" He is to be forgiven for his astonishment. He is young and has not yet plumbed the depth of ignorance in churches.

When I was younger I was so naive as to think that if you proved a fact in the Bible, we would all agree. But as I aged I found this is not so. No matter how plain a scriptural doctrine is, you discover that you are not disagreeing over evidence. You are struggling with human nature that will resist truth until death.

Those who are familiar with this, speak of upbringing, psychology, and Satanic influence as causative factors. Catholics call it "invincible ignorance". But all agree that it is there. The Bible is periferal in such encounters. And so we have all kinds of theology and churches, supposedly based on the same book.

Bible translators are not exempt from these snares. You can see why it is good to search our Greek texts to eliminate errors.

What difference does it make? Ask any cook if correct ingredients matter in preparing food.

Back in the hippy era there was a lot of long hair worn by young me. A mother objected to her son's very long hair. He asked, "What's the big deal about hair any way? Why is it so important to everybody?" The wise mother approached him with her scissors. "Then let me cut some of it off." He covered his head with his hands as he screamed, "No, no."

Those who say that Bible doctrine does not matter, are the first to resist the truth that would change it. In the time of Wycliffe, Hus, and Zwingli, men were willing to die to correct error. Now we fight to retain it.

To find out more about Wycliffe, Hus, and Zwingli, watch the following videos.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Elephant Head

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. Genesis 1:29, NIV

You know how fascinated I am with certain plants. I order seeds that I may never plant, but that I hope someone will. Just a night ago, on a whim, I ordered seeds of Amaranthus gangeticus, also known as Elephant Head for its very large seed head. I was thinking of a large seed harvest per plant.

After the order I thought that maybe it was just a novelty item. So I looked it up and saw the abbreviated word "Linn." after the name. This was a reference to Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist who had catalogued it. Since Carl lived in the seventeen hundreds, I knew that this was no modern hybrid or "invented" variety.

A little further search turned up screens of scientific articles on the medical value of this plant. One was from the Journal of Medicinal Food and was titled, "Radioprotective Role of Amaranthus gangeticus Linn.: A Biochemical Study on Mouse Brain." All this from ordering a little pack of seeds!

Radioprotective? I began to search for more health benefits and found that there is much information from the Caribbean, from India, and China too. A number of references are made to the above-mentioned mouse brain study. Why mice? It turns out that mice are very good indicators for certain diseases that this plant can treat.

Don't look for an article on Elephant Head in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Most of the pages of this magazine are composed of advertizing for so-called "Big Pharma". They have a right to be so inclined. But would it not be wonderful if scientific and traditional medical articles would also get wider attention in reference to this medicine that God created?

Monday, February 24, 2014

Killing Us Softly

The only thing that matters is the world of politics. Except of course that the Canadian women's hockey team beat the American women's team. Imagine, Canadians winning at hockey! Some day some kid may write a story about it, called "My Mother the Hockey Champ".

But, back to politics. This subject is not only the most important subject in the world, it is the only subject in the world.

Why is this ? I believe it is because there are no other issues to even consider. There is no radiation spreading throughout the northern hemisphere. There is no geo-engineering causing violent weather, and Monsanto is not genetically modifying our food crops (thanks Monsanto!).

I pay absolutely no attention to such threats. If they were real, surely our conservative talk show hosts would have mentioned them.

Since there is no "Soft Euthanasia" going on, we are free to concern ourselves with the next Winter Olympics. I hear they will be held in snowy Southern California.

See the following:

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Death of a Snake Handler

Jesus answered, "It is said: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Luke 4:12, NIV

He had, oh so much faith, and he was oh so wrong.

Headline reads, "Snake-handling Ky. pastor dies from snake bite." This happens from time to time. Someone reads the Bible where Jesus says, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." and then proceed to put God to the test. "Do not" to them means "do".

Part of the passage concerning immunity to snake bites mentions poisons also. You can get lucky with snakes for awhile, but poisons are not forgiving. I would suggest drain cleaner, or straight potassium hydroxide dissolved in water. Copper sulphate solution is good also. These can't be "fudged" and provide a quick remedy for those promoting such false doctrines.

You can see what happens when a profoundly ignorant person chooses out a certain scripture and does not read the rest of the Bible. The signs that would follow the apostles were temporary. Already in Paul's time the signs were fading. We are to follow the Bible and not misuse sign gifts.

Can you imagine any of the apostles deliberately putting themselves in harm's way so that God would rescue them? Can you picture Paul having snake handling as part of a Bible meeting?

These terrible practices cause people to laugh at our faith and its believers. This is another example of an ignorant pastor misleading his people, and of the lack of discernment of the congregation. They followed a man instead of the Bible.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

It's so Paleolithic! The Digging Stick

"When Adam delved and Eve Span
Who then was the gentleman?"

Please don't laugh at me, I've been praying about this. What if the most down and out people in the world could grow some of their own food? Not a new idea? But people make it so complicated, especially companies. There is money in complication.

At this ending stage of my life I have time to really look into things. A lot of these things are so bad that people don't want to talk about them, or even think about them. But if you were not tough-minded and open, you would not be reading this.

What is the most basic way people could raise food? Grow weeds that farmers cannot eliminate, and the relatives of these plants. The so-called weed form is called Palmer Amaranth. It has many relatives. Some of them are beautiful flowers, but they produce tons of edible seeds.

Imagine a totally down and out homeless person or a newly released prison inmate who cannot get a job. A church says, although we don't have much space, we will ask our members if they do. Even a front yard flower bed could be used.

A flower form of one of the great plant families in the world can be grown in towns and will produce a lot of seeds. No tools? Make a furrow with an ancient digging stick. After all, who plants weeds? They grow by themselves. Leaves can be used as mulch, if you want.

Suppose no one wishes to donate garden space? Then let the church pay the property owners a little from church funds. Almost everyone would appreciate a little money.

A tiny space the size of a table top could produce a million seeds or more. These could be used by others. This Garden Plan could flow from a church and benefit so many. This too could be a missionary project, one literally in your own backyard.

People don't just hoard money. Some of us hoard land, in the form of garden space. These gardens, once planted would be labor free. Once watered the amaranths will grow on their own without watering or weeding. Some of them grow 2 to 3 inches per day.

The project would be a two day project--planting day, and harvest day. Surely someone has a little space that is not being used. I would like to help a little by providing seeds.

See Survival Skills: How to Make a Digging Stick.

Friday, February 21, 2014

When He Comes

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:3, NIV

A car pulled up to the side of the street. The driver rolled down the window and asked how to get to Ivy Avenue. I told him to turn right at the light and it was three blocks down. He thanked me, and when he came to the light turned left. He must have been angry at me for giving him wrong directions, but I had been born in this town and my friend lived on Ivy.

No matter how plain the words--and John 14:3 is quite plain--we will interpret them according to our pre-existing beliefs. Jesus says that we will go to be with him when he returns. A giant chorus--millions of people--will say, "But that's just the body!"

Whatever we may believe, we are not with Jesus until he returns. Some find this impossible to accept. Most reject it.

When I was a kid, I saw a Tom and Jerry cartoon where the cat dies and nine "cat souls" rise from his body and go to the gates of heaven. That's a lot to show to a child, but all our lives in one way or another we are told variations of this theme. We are drenched, soaked, and marinated in the idea of immaterial souls going to heaven when the body dies.

Depending on whether we have been good or bad, St. Peter, and old man with a white beard and a quill pen, will let us in the gate of heaven or send our soul to hell.

Jesus tells us otherwise. So does Paul, in I Cor. chapter fifteen.

The devil, in Eden, was the first to deny death. People have avidly believed it ever since. They have accepted a "two part" man. Only the body dies. The other part goes to heaven or hell.

There is nothing like this in the Bible.

It all depends on whether you accept the plain words of scripture, or choose to believe the ancient myth represented in the cartoon.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Who Put the Overhauls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?

I checked seventeen Bible translations for a rendering of Acts 12:4. Since I don't read Greek, make that sixteen translations. Only the King James uses "Easter" instead of passover.

Now why do I think this is important--(and I do)? Because it shows that the King James Translators inserted Easter where it ought not be. "Maybe the Jews kept Easter," a friend said to me. Maybe they did, but Luke is the author, and he wrote "passover". Even the New King James gets it right.

Someone may ask "What difference does it make? This is not a diatribe on Jewish practices. Rather, it illustrates that the KJV had an agenda, apart from literal and accurate translation? In fact, I know they did. This, to those who have made a cult of infallibility around my favorite Bible.

So, if they did it one time, did they mistranslate other words? Check them out, many have. "Hell" is not in any original translations. It too was inserted.

Strangely, when anyone has a different translation than the King James, they are attacked as "liberals" and charged with altering God's Word. But it is the KJV translators who have altered God's Word. Those who get it right are the true conservatives.

View the following charts and article on Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Your Own Seminary

Maybe you shouldn't tell anyone you have a seminary in your house. It might make them jealous. I am not saying that you can set up a great institution of learning on your bookshelf. Far from it.

And therein lies your advantage. You will not steep yourself in tradition and error.

To some this would be a terrible thing, but we won't talk about them. This is about you and your own personal place of learning. This could be nothing more than one shelf, but its learning possibilities will be life long.

A disadvantage will be that there are no caps and gowns. No letters after your name. Just knowledge. In fact more knowledge than, say, ninety percent of the pros. And no junk associated with the pros. Just the pure stuff.

So what is to be on your book shelf? The Bible, first of all. A bunch of them is a good investment.

Then a Septuagint, already hundreds of years old in the time of the church age and quoted from by Jesus. A Septuagint (I got mine from Amazon) is what separates the men and women from the boys and girls. Looking up what the Greek scholars translated from Hebrew texts will not only give you great truths, but eliminate terrible errors.

One of my favorites is to totally get away from "hell". It will be gone (sorry Dante) as it is in some translations already. So much of study involves eliminating error. But you will do this easily in your seminary.

A study Bible, or several, and maybe a Bible Dictionary are helpful. And the Big One, an exhaustive Concordance.

Now that is not so bad is it? I know someone whose seminary is on his dining room table. He has one of those pull-down lights that gives him perfect illumination.

Almost forgot. A really neat thing about your seminary, is its head man. You will be the Dean.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Just When I Thought I Had Calmed Down

"Who plants a garden, still his Eden keeps."

I have been dreaming of free food from a special plant. It would need to grow in zones from 2 to 11 (this leaves out the north and south poles), not need watering, after its first year plant itself, grow in soils either alkaline or acidic.

Oh yes, it would be nice if it had almost 16% protein and vitamins and minerals too.

While I am dreaming, it would be really neat if the crudest tools could be used to plant it and harvest it, like sticks and buckets.

You know me by now, I am speaking of my love affair with the amaranthus varieties, from the so called "pigweed" to the showy and beautiful Love Lies Bleeding flower.

While I am dreaming, I have another thing I would like to see happen. It would be that homeless people, released prisoners, and all the unemployed could find work as "garden hands".

There is so much idle property, much of it idle because it is not suitable for farming through quality of soil, location, or dry conditions. Maybe you could rent it?

Amaranths are equal opportunity plants. They don't care who plants them or harvests them. They will happily grow where other plants will not. I just read an article by a brilliant and diverse man (Willem Malten) who decided on amaranth flour to bake special bread for his Mexican neighbors. The bread has become very popular.

Not farming with millions of dollars of equipment, chemicals like herbicide and insecticides, or fertilizers. Amaranth needs none of these. It will not poison your groundwater like they do.

Garden hands can work anywhere--in vacant lots, backyards, any fallow land. They can drive to work on bicycles.

Agriculture in the U.S. is chemical-crazy, and it is killing us, physically and financially. A weed or cultivated pseudo grain is available and ready to grow. It is free and very nutritious. People in India and Africa know amaranth is far superior to rice, soy or wheat, and infinitely easier to grow.

I may not be around to see a harvest, but I hope to be around for planting time. God has provided a way out of our GMO crops and chemical poisons. An almost forgotten plant could help save almost forgotten people.

View a short video on the Amaranth Harvest!!

Monday, February 17, 2014

If We All Get Together and Work Really Hard, Then Prophecy Won't Come True and Jesus Will Be Proven Wrong!

For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. Matt. 24:21, NIV

First of all, this greatest of prophecies pertains to the Jews and the Gentile nations. When Jesus gave it, there was no church.

How many prophecies do you know of that contain a warning like this: Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceive you..." (Matt. 24:4). He goes on to warn of false Messiahs, but the warning of deception applies even to our age.

But it is not false Messiahs that are the main problem now. It is misguided (idiotic) misapplication of the prophecy to the church and the world in which the church now lives. So why do I quote it then? Because it is the most extreme example of a prophecy that will come true despite the efforts of people.

I just watched a long You Tube video on global warming. Talk about an issue that divides people! The extremely cold weather we are having in the USA this winter is cited by scoffers as proof that there is no global warming. Kind of like denying tornadoes exist because your town has not been hit by one. When new heat records are set in much of a nation, the doubters are silent.

Again, why do I mention these things? Because certain things--very big things--are in store for the world. These will occur because Jesus said they would, just as Paul and Peter said the church will decline at the end of its days.

Do you wish to be concerned with efforts to change the inevitable? Or do you want to get to know your own family better? How about the lonely, unnoticed people in your congregation?

Speaking to cause-involved people now--please slow down and pay attention to those around you. Being a little person myself, I like small people, in the Bible or out.

Can you hear the "world changers" and "kingdom builders" protest, "What do you want us to do, just lie down and die?" Lying or standing, you're going to die anyway. Please think small before you do.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Good Ship Lollipop Theology

As I woke up this morning I turned on a local religious station to hear a preacher saying that the parable of Lazarus and the rich man shows that, when we die, two angels carry our souls to paradise. "There is no soul sleep!" he said.

Quickly, I turned to NPR and heard a memorial to Shirley Temple. The only child to be America's favorite star for three years in a row. She wrote in her biography that when she was taken to see Santa Klaus, he asked for her autograph.

I feel Shirley did a lot of good cheering people up in the depression and was extremely talented. The segment closed with the playing of "On the Good Ship Lollipop" as a tribute to her.

I thought of the two items I had just heard. Miss Temple fooled no one, she just entertained them. No one went down to the docks expecting to see the Lollipop tied to a wharf.

Lobbyists for the corporate church are also diverting us, but with horrible, unbiblical lies. A little fantasy can be good. I like the original Star Trek, for instance. But must we be marinated in unreality from the pulpit? Isn't the truth good enough?

Where are the Watch Dogs of Biblical Orthodoxy? Why, I do believe they have sold out and checked their brains in the lobby.

Can I see any virtue in the lies that preachers so vigorously promote? Well, they pay well, at least in this life. Pleasing the devil by advertising for him kind of takes the pressure off. No one will be burned for promoting these lies. But when it comes to unreality, I prefer Captain Kirk, Spock and Shirley Temple.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

A Friend in Trouble

Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. Jer. 30:7

A very dear friend is going through a terrible time. Her childhood friend just died. Someone she had known for about fifty years. In this sad time she has been bombarded with warning lectures from an ignorant woman. The latest are about the trumpet sounds videos on YouTube.

It is very common to say that these represent the trumpets in the Book of Revelation. Timing is everything in our understanding of this book, and number or quantity is also. There are lots of sounds and have been for years. Weird they are, and not all of "trumpets".

This hectoring, ignorant woman is trying to frighten my friend by telling her that we're about to be plunged into the Great Tribulation. Very simply, this period will come. It is the time of Jacob's Trouble, and we will not go through it.

How can I say this? Anyone can. Go to the Word, study it for years, love it, avoid speculations or church teachings, and the answer will be there for you.

Unbelievers and those in worldly churches laugh at those who study this subject, but it is a science, and just like geometry has rules. It should be the area of reading and understanding. A few decades of such study can really open things up.

To deride these endeavors is like turning your back on beautiful art because someone does art poorly. To the "eye rollers" out there, this can be a wonderful subject of study. It brings peace out of chaos.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Revelation 3:10

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10, NIV

Friday, February 14, 2014

Bishop, Well Kiss My Crozier!

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Matt. 20:25

When my wife was a little girl out walking her terrier, she was scared by two Great Danes. "They were at the Bishop's house," she told me. The Bishop she mentioned was not in authority over her, but his mansion was near her house.

I happen to like Great Danes, but am very concerned over the modern use of the term "bishop". It really means an elder of a church, and not a successor to one of the disciples, living in a mansion and presiding over a number of subservient churches. I believe in apostalic "cessation".

With Peter as the first pope, the power grab is still underway. No one told Paul or James, the brother of Jesus, that Peter was a "pope". You have to watch these guys, they'll run right over you if they have a chance.

Paul tells how he corrected Peter, who had not been proclaimed "infallible" yet. I know about ex cathedra doctrine and that Peter was "elevated" after his death, but it still won't wash.

As for croziers, what are they but an emblem of the occult Spiral Dance?

I no longer wonder that the church has become so corrupt. Now I am amazed that it retains any truth at all.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Relax!

Sounds kind of sloppy, doesn't it? There used to be a cartoon called "But Oh That Second Child". A typical one showed first time parents wearing surgical masks as they prepared their baby's bottle. The next block showed a baby on the floor being licked by the family dog as he drank his.

This is just to say that so many, new to the faith, worry too much. You have seen them agonizing over a bunch of things they must not do, fearing perhaps, loss of salvation. "Gotta be perfect. Don't want to go to hell." Such a joy to see such as these becoming secure in their faith, and doing good works out of joy and love instead of fear.

I once rode a tourist bus to the top of Mt. Washburn in Yellowstone park. As the bus threaded along the narrow, single lane dirt road, a lady in great distress begged the driver to stop and let her walk back down. I felt sorry for her as I too get scared of high places.

But the bus driver put us all at ease. Soon his banter gave us things to laugh about. He answered a question about the identity of local wildflowers. He said he divided them into two classes, "near roaders" and "far roaders". To the little kids he advised, "If you have to go, go ahead. Our seats are highly absorbent." We became more confident as the trip progressed.

Please, preachers and church members, don't try to control people with fear. Jesus died for us so we do not have to be afraid.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The New Covenant - The Church's Declaration of Independence

By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. Hebrews 8:13, NIV

The King James says the same thing, but I like the plain rendering of the NIV in this case. First of all, you may rightly say, "Who doesn't know this?" The New Covenant is as basic to theology as the letter "A" is to the alphabet. This is true. I learned the letter "A" a long time ago, but I still use it today.

For this old man to even dare to write about our church's covenant could be interpreted as very bold or very stupid. I came out of a Covenant church, and they are highly educated classical scholars who despise my understanding of the term. Who am I to question the teachings of the great ones?

A pastor in my old church told me that he had always wanted to belong to a "limestone church". He finally made it. Of course marble, as in tombstones, would be better yet. For, to me, so called covenant theology is dead.

One of the greatest of such theologians in America was a pastor in my church. He keeps sending me Spam, asking for money. I delete them. Nothing personal of course, but he goes out of his way to mock the dispensationalists, of whom I am one. What sin did we commit?

Our division of the Bible into periods of time--in fact the very act of teaching the Bible at all--caused a division in his church. People found that they could study and understand the Bible without hearing it from a PhD. We are the hillbillys of theology. We often go to wooden or brick churches. All this over a silly subject of time!

People of this time division idea teach and believe that the New Covenant is New. There was a time when man was under the Old Covenant. When Jesus died he created a new covenant, simple as that. There is a whole theology that says Moses was in the church, that all the saints were under the New Covenant, all along.

Time, one of my favorite four letter words, changes things. It changes how God deals with man. A Bible search of the word "law" or the word "circumcision", quickly brings this out.

So why would a nationally famous "limestone church" man ask a dumb dispensationalist like me for money? Maybe to help repair his crumbling church.

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Luke 22:20

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Abraham's Lie to Abimelech

Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
Genesis 20:9

I took a class on the Bible with some ladies who were quite ignorant of it. I mean that they had not read it. They were "educated" by what they had heard in church and held convictions of how the great people of the Bible "ought to be".

How shocked they were to find the truth--the cast of the Bible contains real people! They have done the things that real people do, including lying and murder. I remember the blushing and twittering when they discovered the fallen human nature applied to the great ones just as it does to us today.

This misconception, of course, has arisen from the false plaster saint image we often receive from preachers and from literature. If I could think of one word to describe Biblical people, it would be "passionate", either for good or for bad.

Today it seems that Christians are noted for comparative lack of passion, as if lack of true emotion is a virtue. Jesus says just the opposite in Revelation, pertaining to Laodicea.

So, righteous Abraham lied to Abimelech, in a very strange passage of Genesis chapter twenty. He had to be rebuked and corrected by one outside the Covenant. It almost makes one believe that sometimes the church can be corrected in the same way.

Monday, February 10, 2014

My Fellow Americans, and Guns

National Geo did a story about some folks from Poland traveling through the American West. They received welcomes wherever they went and had a good time. But they were "troubled" by the extent of gun ownership among people in the USA. At the time I found this funny, as it showed how little anyone outside the country (and many inside) understand the American culture in this regard. That anyone would be surprised at the so called "gun culture" here is like being shocked that Polish people here like polkas, or Chopin.

My father had a little Fox Terrier puppy named Wynn. Around hunting time he decided to check out his shotgun and removed it from a closet. As he did so, Wynn, who had never been hunting, or even seen a gun, became extremely excited. He barked, danced around, and began to lick the gun. My father was amazed at this response by his dog's at his first time exposure to a shotgun. It sure makes you think of "racial memory" doesn't it?

I'm certain this applies to people as well, even more so. For guns are so much a part of the American psyche, that I wonder if other peoples can begin to understand it. It is not just acculturation, or conditioning, but I believe it is organic.

The image of the gun user that is promoted by anti American media is of agitated nut cases, barely under control. I have found just the opposite is true. I visited a local gun shop out of curiosity and found it as relaxed as a barber shop. The owners and customers spoke in soft voices, as I have found gun owners always do. As I left, I looked at the window display. It was a hand carved wooden manger scene. Perfectly fitting, I believe. There might be some atheist or agnostic gun owners, but I have never met one.

An interesting psychological study of anti gun people revealed a belief that owning a gun would tempt them to murder someone. Google Larry Pratt, for details on this one. Turns out that many "peaceniks" are potentially violent people. Gee, who would have thought of that? I believe they project their feelings onto others.

If faced with gun confiscation I would try to get off one shot before the militarized police killed me. Those who use drones to murder wedding parties and routinely slaughter innocent civilians are controlled by a "disarm,. then enslave" group. They would take me out without a thought. But then, thinking is not what they do.

I once asked my mother and my aunt if they would care to try my .22 rifle. Reluctantly, these dainty ladies agreed. They fired at a piece of cardboard on a stake. Later, my mother asked, "Didn't I do better than she did?"

Watch The Real Louisiana Life! (The LaCroix Family Story)

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Von Flanningan's Theory

Fred Von Flanningan (I just made him up) was a logical kind of thinker. He was an expert on pre-flood times. When people talked about monoliths built with huge stones, or about giant birds and dinosaurs of long ago, he had a theory that helped to explain them.

For instance, when it is asked, "What happened to big, heavy dinosaurs? How could a heavy bird-like creature such as a Pterodactyl fly?" Or "How were the pyramids built?" Fred turned to his simplistic, but logical reasoning. He asked, "What if the Earth used to rotate faster than it did after the flood?"

This is not so fantastic an idea as it might first seem. When I took a college course on astronomy, the professor told us of an interesting fact. In the spring, the Earth's rotation slows down. It regains speed in the Fall. He figured that most of the deciduous trees are in the northern hemisphere where Winter causes their leaves to fall. In the Spring, when their leaves return, the elevated weight slows the Earth a little, like a spinning ice skater extending her arms, or pulling them in to vary her speed of rotation. The weight of leaves and rising sap is sufficient to explain the change in the Earth's rotational speed.

What if the pre-flood Earth spun faster? The effect would make gravity seem less. The waters of the flood were much greater than leaves and sap. Add in, that giants (look them up to see their skeletons) with less gravity could more easily lift heavy blocks.

What about the Pterodactyls? A denser and more oxygen rich atmosphere--which some experts posit--coupled with less gravity, could give them the ability to fly. Heavy dinosaurs could live under the same conditions.

That is Von Flanningan's theory, what do you think of it?

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Bardos and Kharma - from "Thou Art" to "Hey!"

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. John 5:28

Thought you would be interested in a video I ran across. I think it shows how bizarre and misleading certain cults can be, though gaining in popularity. The subject is The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Timothy Leary of LSD fame thought a lot of it. So did Carl Jung, the analyst.

A few years back I read an interesting book by Leary. There must be a lot of biographical truth in Tim's book, because he says he never could "make it with the chicks". Now, what man would lie about a thing like that?

Of course,Jung has some ideas that are useful, to my way of thinking. Like "archetypes". Maybe they could explain some of my dreams? Just kidding. Even Carl couldn't figure them out.

If you watch the video, you will hear repeated references to "the mystery of death", such as Shakespear's calling it the land from which no one returns. This simply is not true. A number of people have returned from the dead. Our Lord did, Lazarus did, and a number of people came out of their graves after the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:52). Yet, the Tibetans are credited with deep knowledge of what happens to a person after death.

After hearing this very "profound" knowledge extolled (in King James English), we find that the "mystery" has been solved. I am so thankful that we have the answer in the Bible. We sleep in Jesus, waiting for His return to wake us up.

View the History Channel documentary, Secret Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Friday, February 7, 2014

A Wonderful Question

If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
Job 14:14

There are, of course, many questions in the Bible, and answers to them as well. But one gets right down to the basics. It is a very old question asked, and beautifully answered, in this instance, in the book of Job. He asks, If a man die, shall he live again?

It is hard to find a more universal question than this. Yet the assumption that man does not die has been fundamental since God said we do, and Satan said we do not. Seems like an easy choice as to who is right.

But the Devil's challenge to God's statement is almost universally believed. Many religions have developed based upon the idea of man's natural immortality. It has become a method of enslavement, and a huge industry. There's money in immortality.

I have told you of my mother and sister who, though they attended a main line church, were troubled by thoughts that their immortal souls would go to hell. There they would suffer agony for eternity. So you see, my concern is not as a theoretician, but as one who has seen great harm come from these devilish doctrines.

Yet it is not out of pity that I have come to disbelieve in natural immortality and its possibility of eternal torment. Since I found terrible flaws in the corporate church, I have not looked there for my answers. I have, as others have, turned to the Bible.

There was, in a nearby community, a man who was a very good high school teacher. He was well educated and well liked. The school decided to honor their teachers, beginning with the publication of their educational backgrounds. But when they checked this teacher's, they found that he had not even been to a teachers' college! He freely admitted that he was self educated in his chosen field of teaching.

The matter went to court. The teacher said his family had a private college in their home. He and his children went there. After all, a true college is a collection of books, he maintained. Surprisingly, the court agreed. Yet he was fired because, the school said, his college was not accredited.

The same goes for the knowlege of God's Word. Though your college may not be accredited, it can lead you to the truth about the nature of man and the promises of God.

Mine showed that man is mortal, until he is resurrected, and alive in Christ. The Lake of Fire is the fate of unbelievers. It is not torment, but the Second Death.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Walk Like an Onion

A dear friend, now widowed and living alone, called me yesterday. She has a vigorous mind, and a sense of humor, but gets a little down sometimes. My panacea for such a situation is to grow something--anything. A pot of grass seed, which I have done, is so delightful and green in the chill of winter.

I asked, "Do you like onions?" Turns out she loves them. I listened to her rave for a time, then asked, "How about Egyptian walking onions?" She said she had not heard of them, so I gave her a brief description of their growing habits and their vigor.

"They are very strong," I warned. "Stronger the better," she answered.

I only have one problem with this marvelous plant. I love them so much that I want to replant them rather than eat them. They are like a mother and her babies, and I want to see the offspring survive to have their own "children". I mean, what other onion replants itself, can withstand cold winter, heat and drought of summer and keep on multiplying? You don't need to dig them, just pick off their clusters at the top of the stem.

This is probably old hat to you, but to think that there are people in their 70's who have not even heard of them is so sad.

While we talked on the phone, I got online and typed in "onion sets" on Amazon's site. There they were, leading the parade. I selected her name and address from my online file and with one click ordered them to be sent to her. Now she can become a fanatic too.

Find Egyptian walking onions on Amazon here.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

How Come You're All the Time Usin' Words I Don't Know What They Mean?

This was what a script writer attributed to a chauffeur on a 40's soap opera. The writer wanted to be sure people understood that he was an ignorant man. Even as a kid, I got the point.

I fear the same two-tiered level of culture is still maintained in some churches today. I was a member of such a church. It had two distinct groups--the highly educated elite, and the dumb asses. At least that was what some thought.

The elite knew all about using Latin words and phrases to keep the lower level folks in their places. Now I'm all for using a little Latin to keep things straight. A number of plants are called "pigweed", but one called Amaranthus palmeri, a common, invasive weed is edible and nutritious. I believe it will some day rescue many of us from starvation.

So Latin, especially for plant names, can be very useful. But it can become a barrier too.

I remember one of the elite lamenting that a compatriot just couldn't accept the "hypostatic union". Oh my, listen to the effete elite's lament.

Has anyone numbered the vocabulary of Jesus? Though He created everything in the universe, and was God in human form, He did not use complicated speech. Not only did He eat with "sinners", but I am certain that they understood Him.

There is a Chinese proverb, "Where there is much ceremony, there is much deception." As a lowly dumb ass, I tangled with the elite. I found over dependance on degrees and a facade of intellect that was not there. I was even invited to join them, but found greater joy in being just what I was.

Do we really need a vocabulary greater than the one Jesus used?

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Ministry of Jesus, After His Crucifiction

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:3

...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
1 Cor. 15:3-6

It has been my experience that many Christians ignore these passages, or have not heard of them at all. To millions, Christ's ministry ended at the cross. As important as this is, because He died for us, let me say that He also lives for us. The overwhelming proofs offered by His ministry on the earth, after he arose, left no room for doubt in those who saw Him. Still, this is looking backwards.

The wretched church I grew up in taught that Jesus came to set the ultimate example of how we should live, in order to earn our salvation. His life and the Sermon on the Mount, showed us the way. Now it was up to us to try real hard to be as good as we could. If we did our best, surely God could ask no more.

How many years were required for me to escape this goody, goody religion! I knew absolutely nothing of blood atonement, the present ministry of Christ, or of His return for his saints in the Rapture. Not grace, but human effort was the key to being saved.

Brother Gadd said it so well. "It's not hard getting people saved. What's hard is getting them lost."

Since His ascent into heaven, what is the present ministry of Jesus? What is He doing now? Paul makes it very clear that our salvation is no longer at risk. It is a finished work. So, does Jesus have a ministry now, today, in our behalf? We can say, with confidence, that the work of the believer's salvation is over. Jesus said "It is finished". Jesus is now our Advocate. This is His present ministry.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father---Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
1 John 2:1, NIV

Monday, February 3, 2014

Pilate's Wife

And when he was set down on the judgement seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. Matthew 27:19

Can you even imagine one of the Jews' wives saying such a thing? Those who wanted to crucify Jesus had no such reservations. First we find that Pilate's wife was outspoken, then that she had a troubling dream about Jesus. Furthermore, she called him a "just man". Later, when a Roman soldier declares his belief, we see God opening the eyes of the Gentiles, while keeping the Jewish authorities in darkness.

A great transition is soon to take place. For it was long ago predicted that the Jews would be blinded, while the Gentiles would see the truth. It is a temporary hiatus, not a permanent casting off, though many would argue this. We Gentiles have seen a great revelation, and I like to think that Pilate's wife was one of the first to see it.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

It's a Shame He Had to Die So Old, He Had His Whole Afterlife Before Him

Or words to that effect. The old guy had to wait so long to go to where he had wanted to go since he was a child. Maybe the old crank will finally be happy now, except there won't be anything to complain about or to try to correct in the next world.

Oh, there will be jobs looking over people in the millennium. That will be good for a thousand years. He said he would like to get a job teaching. Something like that, but we'll see.

Didn't he argue that there was no intermediate state? I'm sure he did. Yes, but those asleep in Christ won't know how long they have been dead, so to them they will wake up right away. It's kind of a relative thing. Paul and the disciples will wake up at the same time as the youngest Christian child. We'll all go up together, like he always said.

Meanwhile, do you think radiation from Fukushima will interfere with the Super Bowl commercials?

Saturday, February 1, 2014

We Pay You, You Lie to Us - Is it a Deal?

I know from experience--both my own, and those close to me--that one can go to church for decades and be told many lies and have the truth obscured. Proof beyond my experience? How about the fact that denominations, supposedly, deriving their doctrines and practices from the Bible, go in many directions. Diversity is good they say. But to what extent?

My best friend was told by a lady that his non-participation in a local church showed that he was "proud" in thinking he knew more than the church. We both laughed at this. Of course he knew better and more. He has read and studied more.

Some time after getting out of theological "cemeteries ", the education of many preachers stops dead. It must stop for the priorities of the corporate church--attendance, entertainment, and the acquisition of property. And why not? People are content with this arrangement. So why not keep it this way.

May I suggest a reason? I do not feel that people should stop learning the Bible from someone whose mind ceased functioning when they graduated. A sample of what I mean, is that this church has no library. Rather they function under the faulty guidance of a head man who believes that he is the sole interpreter of doctrine.

It is easier to rule over ignorant people. The people seem to be content with this, but this is not a popularity issue.

I ask this. Does God want his people to be ignorant and misinformed?

Though I don't go to bars, I believe I could have a better discussion there than in a mind numbed church. Bars and churches--I don't go to either.