Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Spring visits

'Tis the season for tornadoes, rain, new green, flowers,
allergies, and this year, inch worms.

Of the latter, we must be having an eruption. They're everywhere, hanging down from trees, just waiting to stick onto a passer-by, waving good-bye as they hitch a ride somewhere into the unknowns of inchworm land.  Cute, but destructive.  I hope the birds are having a feast!  Someone always benefits....That's the beauty of this world - it seems to balance out eventually.
A couple deer at Enterprise South nature park


Our Japanese maple
We had some visitors from Florida this past week.  They left this morning for Arkansas - hopefully missing some of the storms I see featured there today.  We had a good time with them. C and Grandma enjoy each other so much.  Too bad they live so far away...we always say.  But Grandpa loves his warm weather, counting each time he has to scrape frost off his windshield. "I had to scrape frost off 5 times this winter", he'll say.  That'll be a bad winter.  Usually they might do it only once or twice, I guess, who knows?  They live south of "Frostproof" but from time to time, that's a misnomer.

Enjoying supper with friends and family

Grandma did all of our mending!  Thank you Grandma!



C played "Gavotte" by David Popper, for Grandma
(It may or may not be on YouTube... I'll add it here if it is!)
Gavotte in D major by David Popper 

The obligatory first picture of the garden - still a lovely weed-free brown

We'll keep you updated, I'm sure!
Until next time, keep safe!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

More stats continued.

 From the past few days.
 
 
 
United States                          101
                        
Hungary                                      
8
Canada
                                       7
Philippines                                  
4
Singapore                                   
4
Denmark                                     
3
France
                                        3
India
                                            3
Iran                                             
3
Russia                                        
3

Some Prophecies regarding the end times Part 2

Continuing on with the next endtime prophecy:


7. Matt 7:24-27 (also in Luke 6:46-49) Foolish man/house on sand; Wise man/house on rock


Means of Investigation: Did the house fall or stand? (Does the character stand the test of crisis {at the end of time}?)
Point of Division: The storm/rain.  (a coming crisis that will test character)
Classes separated: Foolish/wise (shaky character/firm character)
Results of separation: House fell or stood (character crumbles/fails, or it stands the test - being built on the "rock" which is Jesus)

8.  Matt 7:16-21  Fruit trees - good or corrupt.




Means of Investigation: Looking at the fruits (are we doing the will of the Father?)
Point of Division: Harvest time (time of the end)
Classes separated: Good fruit vs bad fruit (results of doing God's will or doing evil)
Results of separation: The bad trees are cut down and cast into the fire (the evil will be cast into the fire/rejected)

9. Mark 13:34-37  Man left on a journey and returned


Means of Investigation: The man returned and checked on his workers (Christ investigates those on the earth)
Point of Division: When he suddenly returned unexpectedly (Christ will "return" unexpectedly - His judgment will take many by surprise)
Classes separated: Servants who were sleeping and those watching and waiting (Some of his workers are found sleeping and some are watching, alert and waiting)
Results of Separation: No results given in these verses but assumption is - do not be found sleeping/not being aware of the lateness of time.

10. Luke 12:35-48  Wise stewards waiting for their Lord to return from the wedding.

Means of Investigation: The Lord returns from the wedding (Christ comes at an hour "we think not")
Point of Division: Found servants either faithful and ready, or merrymaking (Will Christ find us hard at work for his kingdom, or "merrymaking" with the world?)
Classes separated: Diligent vs slothful (those found diligently working for his kingdom vs those not caring to)
Results of separation: The slothful were beaten by many stripes (Those not working for his kingdom will be punished)


11. Luke 14:16-24  The great banquet


Means of Investigation: The invited ones refused the invitation (Those who are invited to God's kingdom but who refuse the invitation)
Point of Division: Those who made excuses were rejected for others (Those of us who refuse God's invitation will be passed over for others who will be eager to accept his invitation)
Classes separated: Those busy with worldly business and those poor, maimed, halt and blind - the outcasts among us (Sometimes it's the rich and worldly who don't have time for God, and those who are simple and poor are more ready to accept it fully)
Results of separation: Busy ones couldn't feast and celebrate with the man; those who accepted the invitation had a wonderful banquet to enjoy. (The feast represents heaven and God's reward - it is up to us to accept the invitation wholeheartedly and not with reservations and distractions that keep us from it)

12.  Rev. 14:6-14  The 3 angels' messages to the earth


Means of investigation: 3 angels give a warning to the earth (3 messages about the end time come to us through messengers sent from heaven)
Point of Division: The hour of judgment is coming, and has come. (God's hour of judgment is here NOW.  We must separate ourselves from "Babylon" - false Christianity/religion, and follow the Creator God now.)
Classes separated: Those who stay in Babylon vs those who "come out of her" (Those who stay in apostasy of false religion and those who come out and worship the true God, and don't receive the mark of false worship - of worshipping the "beast")
Results of separation: Will drink the wine of the wrath of God (God's wrath without mixture (or dilution) will be fire and brimstone (v.10) when all evil will be destroyed forever. On the other side are those saints who "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus")

These are just 12 parables of the end times which warn us to be ready for Christ's coming - not only the second coming but his coming to judgment.  Remember, when Jesus comes, he brings his reward with him - people are already judged by then.  The investigation of the "sheep and goats" will happen just before he comes, at which time the separation will be made manifest. I hope you and I will heed these warnings and be ready for the sudden coming of the end.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Some Prophecies regarding the end times


I know you've been waiting for something on last day prophecies! So here are some parables that Jesus told concerning the last days. I'll leave you to read the actual parables in the Bible, so here are the references: (The template used (with Red letters) is from Medical Missionary Press in NC). The blue font color explains the meaning of the symbols (as I see it, or as explained in the parable itself) used in the parables. Many of the parables have the explanation right there.

1. Matt. 25:1-13  The 10 virgins

Issue of Investigation: Did they have oil in their lamps to last them the whole night? (Holy Spirit - in another symbolic "story" in Zech, the oil represents God's Word)
Point of Division:   The bridegroom arrived (Jesus work {represented by the legal aspects of a marriage typical in the middle east} is over and he is coming to the feast)
Classes separated: Foolish vs. Wise (prepared vs unprepared)
Results of Separation: The foolish virgins were shut out of the banquet feast. (the unprepared will be shut out of eternal life)


2.  Matt 25:14-30  The use of "Talents"

Means of Investigation: What was done to invest the money given them. (What have we done with the light, means and talents God has given us)
Point of Division: The master returned and asked for an account (It will be "asked" what we have done with our "talents" - an accounting/a "judgment", so to speak)
Classes separated: Two who had doubled their talents and one who had buried it (2 classes - those who have invested their talents and those that did nothing).
Results of Separation: The latter was cast out into outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth. (This group will be cast out of the running for heaven and must face eternal separation from God, with weeping and gnashing of teeth).

3.  Matt. 25:31-46  Sheep and Goats



Means of Investigation: Whether they were kind to people and showed love to them (sheep) or the opposite (goats).
Point of Division: An investigative court scene at the end to see if they had the above characteristics.
Classes Separated: Sheep/Goats (those who are loving and those who are not)
Results of Separation: Heaven or everlasting fire (everlasting separation brought about by destruction)


4.  Matt. 22:1-14  Marriage Feast invitation


Means of Investigation: Invitation to the feast and then checking on wedding garment (have we accepted God's invitation to the "feast" {eternal life}, and are we eligible for it by wearing the garment of Christ's Righteousness and not our own)
Point of Division: Whether they accepted the invitation; then whether they wore the garment provided. (We can accept God's invitation to eternal life, but then try to get there by our own inadequate righteousness)
Classes Separated: Accepted/not; Wore garment/did not.  (Accept invitation or not;  trusting in Christ's merits, or not. A quote from Christ's Object Lessons, p 310 says: It (the wedding garment) is the righteousness of Christ, His own unblemished character, that through faith is imparted to all who receive Him as their personal Saviour.)
Results of Separation: Those who refused invitation were not worthy to partake of the feast; those who didn't wear the provided garment were thrown into outer darkness. (Those who come trusting in their own merits are instead cast into outer darkness, and those who refuse the invitation are not included in the feasting /are not found worthy - note that it is by their own choice.)

5.  Matt. 13:24-30 and 37-43.  Wheat and Tares



Means of Investigation: At the end, dividing the wheat and tares (at the end, the division of the righteous and the wicked)
Point of Division: Harvest time (harvest of the righteous at the end of time)
Classes Separated: Wheat and tares. (the righteous and the wicked)
Results of Separation: Tares are thrown into the the furnace, wheat to the kingdom (the wicked are, as such, thrown into the furnace to be destroyed, and the righteous to God's kingdom)

6.  Matt. 13:47-50  Dragnet.



Means of Investigation: Sorting the good and bad fish/creatures (distinguishing between the worthy and the unworthy)
Point of Division: End of the harvesting (End of the world. Angels will sever the wicked from the just)
Classes Separated: good fish/bad fish (wicked/just)
Results of Separation: the bad were cast away and the good were kept (wicked cast into the furnace of fire).

7. Matt. 7:24-27 (Luke 6:46-49)  Foolish man/sand and wise man/rock

I'm going to continue next time when the sandman leaves me alone.....

Update

 This e-blogging template has the funniest, most strangest formatting I've ever seen anywhere!!!! It decides for me whether I want a table or not, and then makes me stay in it whether I want to or not, LOL.
United States                     69
                       
                     
Canada                                
5
Germany
                              4
Philippines
                           4
Slovenia                               
4
India
                                     3
Australia
                               2
Bermuda
                              2
China
                                   2
France
                                 2

So here I am still stuck inside this very funny "table".  I'm going to leave it this way just for laughs.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

More stats

Here are some interesting countries visited from in the past few days:


United States                               
62
Slovenia                                         
8
Germany                                        
4
United Kingdom                             
 4
Australia
                                         2
Bermuda
                                        2
Canada                                          
2
Iran
                                                2
Austria
                                           1
China                                            
 1

Bermuda is a new one, I think!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Field trip number 12

Well, we seem to be doing a fair bit of galavanting lately.  Our latest field trip was about four rolled into one.  On Tuesday we decided to visit several businesses/factories in the local area.

First we visited the local classical music radio station, WSMC.
A very kind Emily took us on a full tour of the place, including passing through the main studio where Jason Dedeker was busy keeping things moving on air.  The girls were fascinated, especially C, who listens to 90.5 every evening to help her get to sleep!

Then we were off to the College Press. 

Again, another WONDERFUL and detail filled tour given by one of the sales managers, Louis Licht.  We went all the way from the computer type-setting room to the stapling and folding at the end.  The laser machines,the mail room, the presses with thick gooey, paint-like ink, and the folders and cutters were all very interesting.  At one of the cutting machines, we were given some lovely white card-stock that was heading for scrap.

After that it was a stop at the local tracker organ workshop.


Another fascinating tour of the shop and all it's intricate and hand-made parts, given by Patrick (who is originally from France).  The metal pipe maker is from England.
The pipes behind Patrick are for the "new" organ

He showed us the organ they're busy with now - one for a church in London where Handel used to play.  They're refurbishing it -  basically re-building all the innards completely, even the pipes.  He gave us a good explanation of how a tracker organ works, including showing us the voicing "organ" where they voice the pipes at the end.  Here we had an organ in miniature and could see the mechanical action beautifully.  The company is Richard and Fowkes, by the way - world renowned - and local for us!

Our last stop was a treat.  A real treat, that is.  We drove down towards town for a donut with our sack lunches at Krispy Kreme.  There we could look through the windows, watch the "line" and see how the donuts are made.  We all had one each.

At noon, we raced back to be in time for orchestra rehearsal and made it with minutes to spare!

Stat review

From time to time I'll post where the visits are coming from based on the eblogger (google) records. This is from the past few days:

United States
                       70
Slovenia
                                5
Germany                               
3
United Kingdom
                    3
Canada
                                 2
Egypt
                                    2
Ukraine
                                 2
Australia                               
1
China
                                    1
Iran
                                      1


Maybe I'm interested in Geography and stats by inheritance - my dad passed that on to me!

Friday, April 1, 2011

For serious readers only - The Nature of Man.

Today I'm going to talk about the state of the dead and the nature of man.  Deep, huh? Well, I'm not an authority on this topic but will be gathering information from a variety of Biblical sources and hopefully will have some cohesion on the subject by the end!  WHY this subject is important will have to be discussed at another time. Feel free to add comments and questions at the end.

We first need to discuss the nature of man.  Is he immortal (eternal life in himself), or is this life given him by God?  In Genesis it says we were made from the DUST and God breathed into man and he became a living soul. Gen. 2:7. (note it doesn't say he HAD a soul). We know from the Bible that immortality is something we don't have now, but must strive for.


Rom 2:7 "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life."  And that only in the Son, Jesus, do we have life:  1 John 5:11,12  says, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life".

So life now, and then later, is different. Even before sin, Adam did not have immortality. His life was even then sustained by God and prolonged by eating from the tree of life. He was dependent on God before he sinned, and even more so after sinning.


{This makes it clear that the so-called eternal hell is a lie of Satan and not of the Bible.  Unless this eternal time in ever-burning hell is not "life" but death, then what IS death?  As far as I know, one cannot experience pain and suffering while dead.  Ecclesiastes 9:5 says "The dead know NOTHING". Most people I know who believe this, believe that the people in hell are alive - yes, and suffering eternal torture! Unfortunately they have misunderstood the symbolic "eternal fire whose worm shall not die" and the "smoke which rises forever and ever".  This will have to be explained by showing examples in the Bible where cities and people were thus described - which are now long burned up, etc. - another study.}

So yes, in Jesus we have everlasting life.  John 3:15-17 "...That whosoever believeth in him should not perish (it doesn't say live in hell forever) but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved."  A beautiful promise from a loving God - provision is made for ALL - but not all will accept it.

Those who believe we have immortality (just like God himself), must believe Adam had it before the fall too, and that we only lost it after the fall.  So what was the tree of life for?

But now people believe we have immortality because of Jesus - and yes, that is the reason he came down to earth - to earn it for us - but there is a specific time when we will receive it!

WHEN will we have eternal life?  John 14:1-3  "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.


If you believe Jesus "comes again" at every man's death to take him to heaven, then you will have peace with your interpretation of this verse. However, I don't believe Jesus is saying this here. The rest of the Bible confirms a one-time second coming which will be visible to all - "as lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be"  and every eye shall see him. Matthew 24:27 and Rev 1:7.  (Read more here)


And more in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, (be dead, in other words. He's saying some of us will still be alive at his coming) but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible (this decaying body) must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

Verse 26 of this same chapter says "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death".


So, bottom line, man's nature is mortal - subject to death; and only God can give immortality because only he HAS it to begin with. This immortality is only given him at Christ's second coming. 

More on this topic will be forthcoming, Lord willing, because we have only scratched the surface!

Happy Sabbath!  Enjoy the great outdoors if you can!  Our weather promises to clear up at least for the next two days so we plan to get outside!