Maybe you saw the TV special a while ago about mermaids. I believe it was shown on the Animal Planet Channel.
The premise was that sailors' stories, pictures, and lore about mermaids might have some basis in fact. They tell a story about two boys who were wandering about the beach one morning and they had a camera/phone with them, a very new technology for the time that this happened. One of the boys saw something on the beach and went closer to investigate. It was a human-like creature with a tail and it was lying on the beach motionless. The boy reached out to touch its hand and the creature suddenly sprang to life and raised itself up, showing its teeth and making strange sounds.
Then they used the military to further the story, saying that there was evidence that the creature was captured by the Navy and kept for six years until its death. All very hush-hush, of course.
The backdrop to finding the mermaid was that the Navy had discovered a powerful weapon, a sound wave device that when unleashed in the ocean caused the death of many whales and apparently mermaids too. Independent researchers had learned of this and had proof, but the Navy showed up one day and took all of their pictures and notes. Only the boys' phone pictures remained.
Mermaids, one researcher said, moved about with the dolphins and they were friends. They could "speak" to one another and they had some recordings of mermaid sounds that were different from other sea creatures. They had recordings made during the sound wave weapon testing that showed creatures in terrible pain. They had rudimentary weapons found in sharks that had been crafted by mermaids.
My husband and I watched the special and it was absolutely riveting. One of those edge of your seat kind of TV events. We never saw any kind of disclaimer before or after the broadcast. We rarely sit through the credits if that is when a disclaimer was shown. It was not a documentary as one would think -- it was a docudrama. To this day I don't know if any part of it was real or factual. It was a "hoax," according to later reports that I found about it. The channel was criticized for what they did. An online poll showed that people did not approve of the docudrama, especially by a channel like Animal Planet. Or just maybe if they had been totally upfront about it, and said clearly at the beginning, there would not have been as much outrage. In other words, people were angry because they had been duped. They believed what they saw, kind of like that ad about the Internet, "They can't put anything on the Internet that isn't true."
Apparently, this special was a tryout for a new kind of television. Not like the "reality" shows nor like the typical drama but a reality science meets sci-fi thing.
There are many, many times in life when we are drawn into something completely and believe what someone has told us, only to find out later that the whole thing was a lie. It's not a good feeling being duped. After a while, it is easy to get kind of crusty and wary of just about anything. Discovery made people feel stupid, never a smart thing.
Animal Planet recently broadcast a sequel to the first one and 3.6 million people watched. It was more manufactured evidence that mermaids exist including faked skeletal remains.
Since then, experts have insisted that there is no evidence of any humanoid sea creature, however there is evidence of a sonar weapon killing whales.
Real truth is compelling. The real truth for us to hang onto for all that we are worth is that God is real and that Jesus became man and bore our sins on the cross so that we might be reconciled to Him. The real truth is that love is the strongest weapon against the forces of evil.
Light of Christ
Friday, August 9, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Console
Near my sister's house in Westlake, there is a most unusual consignment store called Chelsea's. In fact, it is the front and center, featured store in a small shopping plaza. They sell fantastic used furniture, glassware, lamps, and artwork.
My sister found it because at the time she was going to Curves right next door. Although she really didn't buy anything there, she wanted me to see it on one of my visits. And see it, I have -- many times over. So far, I've purchased a double bed frame, a dresser, and a mirror and display case.
Chelsea's puts pictures of their items on the website and so I check it out every so often. The empty spot is in the dining room where "something" would look ever so nice. It isn't a large area so a typical piece of dining room furniture wouldn't be right at all. A couple of weeks ago, I spotted what they called a "console" on the website -- a dark piece of furniture with two wide drawers on top and two shelves on the bottom. Great for baskets to hold sundry items.
I must have checked it out 10 times before our trip to Westlake yesterday, to be sure it was still there and to be sure it was the perfect piece for that space. But we didn't rush over there. We went to Bob Evans first and had a nice meal. Then we stopped at my nephew's business place nearby, and THEN we went to Chelsea's. In the first area of display furniture, nothing. In the second area, nothing, and in the final area where the piece might have been -- nothing. The clerk verified that the piece had been sold.
The last couple of days, I'd been a little uneasy about buying this furniture. It would have been put to good use, and it might have also had another purpose down the road. Our basement television is about 11 years old and once it goes, we'll have to replace it. The console was the perfect spot for a flat screen and the underneath storage perfect for DVDs, controllers, etc. Still, something bothered me. Finally, as we walked into Chelsea's, I told my sister and husband that if it was meant to be, then it would still be there. If not, then it wasn't mean to be. Still, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed, since I've been searching for something for that spot for years.
Well, here's the good news!! My husband said last night that he would make something for me. He's just finishing up some storage cabinets for the laundry area and so after that, he'll get some wood and make a console. And just the right size for a lamp to sit on too!! He thought it was a bit silly to buy the console, but once he heard my rationale about using it as a TV stand, he changed his mind. See, one of these days we are going to move to something a little easier to care for. Something with a little less property and the challenges that go with it.
We had a great visit yesterday! I hated for it to end because spending time with my sister is so special. Thank you, Lord, for everything!!
And thank you, Lord, for the Community Pregnancy Center! Remember this place in your prayers.
My sister found it because at the time she was going to Curves right next door. Although she really didn't buy anything there, she wanted me to see it on one of my visits. And see it, I have -- many times over. So far, I've purchased a double bed frame, a dresser, and a mirror and display case.
Chelsea's puts pictures of their items on the website and so I check it out every so often. The empty spot is in the dining room where "something" would look ever so nice. It isn't a large area so a typical piece of dining room furniture wouldn't be right at all. A couple of weeks ago, I spotted what they called a "console" on the website -- a dark piece of furniture with two wide drawers on top and two shelves on the bottom. Great for baskets to hold sundry items.
I must have checked it out 10 times before our trip to Westlake yesterday, to be sure it was still there and to be sure it was the perfect piece for that space. But we didn't rush over there. We went to Bob Evans first and had a nice meal. Then we stopped at my nephew's business place nearby, and THEN we went to Chelsea's. In the first area of display furniture, nothing. In the second area, nothing, and in the final area where the piece might have been -- nothing. The clerk verified that the piece had been sold.
The last couple of days, I'd been a little uneasy about buying this furniture. It would have been put to good use, and it might have also had another purpose down the road. Our basement television is about 11 years old and once it goes, we'll have to replace it. The console was the perfect spot for a flat screen and the underneath storage perfect for DVDs, controllers, etc. Still, something bothered me. Finally, as we walked into Chelsea's, I told my sister and husband that if it was meant to be, then it would still be there. If not, then it wasn't mean to be. Still, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed, since I've been searching for something for that spot for years.
Well, here's the good news!! My husband said last night that he would make something for me. He's just finishing up some storage cabinets for the laundry area and so after that, he'll get some wood and make a console. And just the right size for a lamp to sit on too!! He thought it was a bit silly to buy the console, but once he heard my rationale about using it as a TV stand, he changed his mind. See, one of these days we are going to move to something a little easier to care for. Something with a little less property and the challenges that go with it.
We had a great visit yesterday! I hated for it to end because spending time with my sister is so special. Thank you, Lord, for everything!!
And thank you, Lord, for the Community Pregnancy Center! Remember this place in your prayers.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Divine Mercy
The other day while driving it occurred to me that I could fill pages with all of my sins. Sometimes without any warning, a vivid memory of one of them crosses my mind and is actually physically painful. I think to myself -- who was that horrible person? And of course, why? And then I'm flooded with embarrassment and shame.
Divine Mercy is God's gift to us in that He forgives us our sins, if we but only repent of them. For Catholics, that means a trip to the confessional. Honestly, it isn't as bad as you might think. It is humbling but oh so cleansing!! We have a choice to go either face-to-face or behind a curtain. I prefer face-to-face because being inside the small cubicle is far worse for me.
After a recent memory of a sin, that's when I started thinking about the list of sins. And then I thought about Divine Mercy and what God wants of us. It is right that we remember our sins, even though they are forgiven. The memory of our sins is what makes us appreciate His Divine Mercy in our lives. But for that mercy for which Jesus paid such a high price, we would have no way to reconcile ourselves with God. And without repenting of their sins, that's the weight that many people are carrying around with them all the time.
Divine Mercy Sunday is one way that Catholics commemorate this mysterious and precious mercy. Another way is to say a series of prayers called the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It is not hard to do at all, and you can use a rosary if you wish to follow along a little better.
The following is the Divine Mercy Chaplet -- a very powerful instrument of prayer:
Divine Mercy is God's gift to us in that He forgives us our sins, if we but only repent of them. For Catholics, that means a trip to the confessional. Honestly, it isn't as bad as you might think. It is humbling but oh so cleansing!! We have a choice to go either face-to-face or behind a curtain. I prefer face-to-face because being inside the small cubicle is far worse for me.
After a recent memory of a sin, that's when I started thinking about the list of sins. And then I thought about Divine Mercy and what God wants of us. It is right that we remember our sins, even though they are forgiven. The memory of our sins is what makes us appreciate His Divine Mercy in our lives. But for that mercy for which Jesus paid such a high price, we would have no way to reconcile ourselves with God. And without repenting of their sins, that's the weight that many people are carrying around with them all the time.
Divine Mercy Sunday is one way that Catholics commemorate this mysterious and precious mercy. Another way is to say a series of prayers called the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It is not hard to do at all, and you can use a rosary if you wish to follow along a little better.
The following is the Divine Mercy Chaplet -- a very powerful instrument of prayer:
| 1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, one Our Father, one Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed. 2. Using your rosary beads (and see the illustration at the top of the blog), focus on the second bead by itself (after the cross) and say: "Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world." 3. On the 10 Hail Mary beads say the following: "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world." (Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades). 4. Conclude with (three times): Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen. | ||
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Greed's Grasp
In church on Sunday, one of the readings was about greed. It said that greed is idolatry.
So let's just look at this "deadly" sin and see what it all means. Greed by definition according to thefreedictionary.com is: "An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."
Because of this excessive desire, we are putting the acquisition of material things over everything else, including God. Obtaining an overabundance of material things equals idolatry because at that point, we basically kneel at the altar of materialism. Material things replace God in our lives.
When I worked at the newspaper all those years ago, the editorial page was an important feature. My boss had his column, "Never worked and never will." This was a nod to the fact that when we are doing the kind of work that we love, it doesn't feel like work at all. He was one of the lucky ones who found just that kind of work. And so was I.
So when he told me that it was my time for a column on the editorial page and I had to find a name for it, I had to really give it some thought. My first inkling was that it should be something from my faith experience -- something from the Bible. From Ecclesiastes, I happened upon a reading that stated that all is vanity -- a chasing of the wind. "Chasing the Wind" became my column's name -- a reference to the fact that we should be humble creatures and rely on the Lord. When we do otherwise, all of the things we try to do are like chasing the wind, rather impossible.
On another website, agodman.com, I found a reference to the quote about vanity that frames it a little better -- If we do not find our content with God, then all is vanity. Makes sense to me.
Back to the reading from Sunday. Vanity and greed walk hand in hand. Carole King wrote, "You're so vain. You probably think this song is about you." Then she auctioned off the name of the person she wrote the song about and gave the money to charity. Critics panned the song, saying it was one of the worst ever written. I kind of like it -- and like the fact that it brought the word "vain" back into circulation. We don't hear much about vanity these days -- because "I'm worth it."
We don't hear much about greed either. The reading was about a wealthy man who had a huge silo of grain, and he wondered what he would do with another bountiful crop. So he tore the first silo down and built a larger one to store the grain. He was saving it for his future meals, when what he really had was only that last day to live. It is indeed food for thought, for each one of us. This life is all about keeping our priorities where they belong.
Thank you, God, for forgiving me all of my sins!!
So let's just look at this "deadly" sin and see what it all means. Greed by definition according to thefreedictionary.com is: "An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth."
Because of this excessive desire, we are putting the acquisition of material things over everything else, including God. Obtaining an overabundance of material things equals idolatry because at that point, we basically kneel at the altar of materialism. Material things replace God in our lives.
When I worked at the newspaper all those years ago, the editorial page was an important feature. My boss had his column, "Never worked and never will." This was a nod to the fact that when we are doing the kind of work that we love, it doesn't feel like work at all. He was one of the lucky ones who found just that kind of work. And so was I.
So when he told me that it was my time for a column on the editorial page and I had to find a name for it, I had to really give it some thought. My first inkling was that it should be something from my faith experience -- something from the Bible. From Ecclesiastes, I happened upon a reading that stated that all is vanity -- a chasing of the wind. "Chasing the Wind" became my column's name -- a reference to the fact that we should be humble creatures and rely on the Lord. When we do otherwise, all of the things we try to do are like chasing the wind, rather impossible.
On another website, agodman.com, I found a reference to the quote about vanity that frames it a little better -- If we do not find our content with God, then all is vanity. Makes sense to me.
Back to the reading from Sunday. Vanity and greed walk hand in hand. Carole King wrote, "You're so vain. You probably think this song is about you." Then she auctioned off the name of the person she wrote the song about and gave the money to charity. Critics panned the song, saying it was one of the worst ever written. I kind of like it -- and like the fact that it brought the word "vain" back into circulation. We don't hear much about vanity these days -- because "I'm worth it."
We don't hear much about greed either. The reading was about a wealthy man who had a huge silo of grain, and he wondered what he would do with another bountiful crop. So he tore the first silo down and built a larger one to store the grain. He was saving it for his future meals, when what he really had was only that last day to live. It is indeed food for thought, for each one of us. This life is all about keeping our priorities where they belong.
Thank you, God, for forgiving me all of my sins!!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
...And He Went To Church
One of the details that we got this past week about Ariel Castro is that he went to church every week. He went to God's house and prayed ... for what? In his twisted mind, one can only wonder.
Most people who move away from God avoid church because going there becomes a reminder of everything that they are doing wrong. The "guilt" comes to roost. Instead, people steeped in a sinful life seek out the company of others who play the same game. Castro apparently is a little different.
The three girls come from the same general area of Cleveland and they were young. They all share something else in common -- they accepted a ride from Castro. And that was the beginning of their horror and ten years of abuse.
There is a wonderful gift that comes from God -- discernment. Discernment gives us insight into all sorts of things without any special sort of educational process. Some might call it a sixth sense because it functions like the other five as far as providing a warning that something might not be right. The way that it works might be an idea that pops into our heads or perhaps that hair at the back of our heads or just a visceral reaction. In any case, it would be almost impossible to explain.
What made it really difficult for the three girls is that they had seen this man around. At least one of them knew him to a degree. They didn't suspect a guy who lived in their neighborhood and seemed so normal. A musician, a church goer, a friendly "older" guy.
Sometimes with our kids we just try to bypass any lack of discernment that they may have and set up rules to protect them. I'm sure that the three girls had those same rules too, like don't accept rides from strangers. Or don't walk home alone; someone will pick you up from work. In the three cases, nothing worked and their lives were forever changed from accepting that one ride.
Pray for the gift of discernment. It is an invaluable gift. A mysterious gift. A gift that keeps on giving all through our lives, and keeps on giving by helping us help the ones we love.
From everything that's been on the news, the three young ladies are doing things right. They are getting the help that they need to heal and strengthen. They remain with their families and are surrounded by love and support -- including the support of many people who have poured out their concern with a contribution. I pray that they will find the one other thing that would help ensure a deeper healing -- a deep relationship with God.
While they move on with their lives and begin to venture out, their captor moves into his 5 x 8 cell at Grafton Correctional Institution where he will be in solitary. Michelle Knight was right, his hell is just beginning.
Most people who move away from God avoid church because going there becomes a reminder of everything that they are doing wrong. The "guilt" comes to roost. Instead, people steeped in a sinful life seek out the company of others who play the same game. Castro apparently is a little different.
The three girls come from the same general area of Cleveland and they were young. They all share something else in common -- they accepted a ride from Castro. And that was the beginning of their horror and ten years of abuse.
There is a wonderful gift that comes from God -- discernment. Discernment gives us insight into all sorts of things without any special sort of educational process. Some might call it a sixth sense because it functions like the other five as far as providing a warning that something might not be right. The way that it works might be an idea that pops into our heads or perhaps that hair at the back of our heads or just a visceral reaction. In any case, it would be almost impossible to explain.
What made it really difficult for the three girls is that they had seen this man around. At least one of them knew him to a degree. They didn't suspect a guy who lived in their neighborhood and seemed so normal. A musician, a church goer, a friendly "older" guy.
Sometimes with our kids we just try to bypass any lack of discernment that they may have and set up rules to protect them. I'm sure that the three girls had those same rules too, like don't accept rides from strangers. Or don't walk home alone; someone will pick you up from work. In the three cases, nothing worked and their lives were forever changed from accepting that one ride.
Pray for the gift of discernment. It is an invaluable gift. A mysterious gift. A gift that keeps on giving all through our lives, and keeps on giving by helping us help the ones we love.
From everything that's been on the news, the three young ladies are doing things right. They are getting the help that they need to heal and strengthen. They remain with their families and are surrounded by love and support -- including the support of many people who have poured out their concern with a contribution. I pray that they will find the one other thing that would help ensure a deeper healing -- a deep relationship with God.
While they move on with their lives and begin to venture out, their captor moves into his 5 x 8 cell at Grafton Correctional Institution where he will be in solitary. Michelle Knight was right, his hell is just beginning.
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Blame Game
The old soap opera, "Days of Our Lives," has one thing right -- the title. Our lives are indeed made up of individual days and if we aren't careful one goes into the other and so on without much thought or reflection.
Do you know anyone who constantly harps on the negative in their life? No conversation that you have with this individual can go on for too long without being brought back to the focus of their negative attention. Sounding familiar? How about you try to give them some advice, or at least something to chew on for a while? Oh, no, that never works. They have an answer for everything you mention -- tried that, didn't work, never going to try it again, waste of time, etc.
There is a name for this sort of individual -- a negaholic. They are people who just feed on negative energy and obsess on every little detail. To some real extent, negaholics are addicted to the "nenergy" and push everything else aside to focus on it.
Not too surprisingly, people who know and love negaholics tend to avoid them after a while. Because they exude negativism being in their presence for too long is very uncomfortable. People who know and love them have drained their own energy in trying to help the person out of the well of destruction with absolutely no success. Eventually, to preserve what little positive thoughts they still have, they distance themselves. They have to drink from the well of hope and love to restore themselves. The negaholic's reaction -- "No one cares about me."
Negative people take little responsibility for what they have done in their lives and find someone or something to blame. There is no shortage of targets to choose for this blame and when one doesn't work so well anymore, they'll just find another one. Negative people are often the ones who prompt a person who tried to help say, "Oh, well, no good deed goes unpunished."
Negaholics to a very real extent become victims all through life. Since they never take the blame for anything, all of the "wrongs" that have been done to them build up and become the basis for their life experience. With each new experience, rather than hope for something good, they immediately look for something to go wrong. If they are fortunate enough to get a new car, they keep a log book detailing all of the things that aren't right so they can write the company. If they buy some new clothes, they don't fit right, don't launder well, and aren't well made. And if they have a friend, the friend is full of faults too!!
My husband worked for a woman like this. Her house was a disaster because her deceased husband, a chronic do-it-yourselfer, didn't really know what he was doing. She qualified for some government assistance to repair her house and undo some of the mistakes, and my husband became the hapless person who tried to assist. He fixed her bathtub and she accused him of making it drain the wrong way. He repaired some other areas of the home which were not plumb or level and then her son came over and "showed" his mother all of the "mistakes". Finally, she contacted the Franklin Township Trustees about her dissatisfaction with the work my husband did at her home. The woman loudly complained at a public meeting about the quality of work my husband did. An inspector came out and met him there to go over the work, and the inspector said that the work was very good, especially given what he had to work with. But there was no way to discuss any of this with the woman; she was in third gear riding along in her negaholic world. And her son was right behind her.
The blog about Charley should make any one of us take note. Charley has found joy in life!! Even confined to a cot, he smiles and appreciates. God so loves Charley.
What we can do to reflect back to God the love that he showers on us is to love others. While we are doing that, there is no room in our hearts for negativism. If we are praying for others, the hope that is Christ floods our minds and drives out all that pulls us away. In a quiet moment of the day, we relish the silence and recall what Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive; seek and ye shall find; knock and the door shall be opened for you." Please Lord -- help those whose eyes are blinded to Your goodness.
On another note -- my niece tends to find helpless kittens a lot. Her neighbor recently found four little ones, and she again raised this litter herself. She says that they are gentle and love to sleep with her and follow her around the house. She showers these kittens with love so that they become exceptional adult cats who trust humans. They've already been to the vet's and had their first shots. There are two girls and two boys. The pet shop that usually sells her kittens (she takes no money from them) is full right now. She is looking for good homes. If you are interested in a special little kitten (or two), just let me know at knelsen@uakron.edu and I can make arrangements.
Thanks.
Do you know anyone who constantly harps on the negative in their life? No conversation that you have with this individual can go on for too long without being brought back to the focus of their negative attention. Sounding familiar? How about you try to give them some advice, or at least something to chew on for a while? Oh, no, that never works. They have an answer for everything you mention -- tried that, didn't work, never going to try it again, waste of time, etc.
There is a name for this sort of individual -- a negaholic. They are people who just feed on negative energy and obsess on every little detail. To some real extent, negaholics are addicted to the "nenergy" and push everything else aside to focus on it.
Not too surprisingly, people who know and love negaholics tend to avoid them after a while. Because they exude negativism being in their presence for too long is very uncomfortable. People who know and love them have drained their own energy in trying to help the person out of the well of destruction with absolutely no success. Eventually, to preserve what little positive thoughts they still have, they distance themselves. They have to drink from the well of hope and love to restore themselves. The negaholic's reaction -- "No one cares about me."
Negative people take little responsibility for what they have done in their lives and find someone or something to blame. There is no shortage of targets to choose for this blame and when one doesn't work so well anymore, they'll just find another one. Negative people are often the ones who prompt a person who tried to help say, "Oh, well, no good deed goes unpunished."
Negaholics to a very real extent become victims all through life. Since they never take the blame for anything, all of the "wrongs" that have been done to them build up and become the basis for their life experience. With each new experience, rather than hope for something good, they immediately look for something to go wrong. If they are fortunate enough to get a new car, they keep a log book detailing all of the things that aren't right so they can write the company. If they buy some new clothes, they don't fit right, don't launder well, and aren't well made. And if they have a friend, the friend is full of faults too!!
My husband worked for a woman like this. Her house was a disaster because her deceased husband, a chronic do-it-yourselfer, didn't really know what he was doing. She qualified for some government assistance to repair her house and undo some of the mistakes, and my husband became the hapless person who tried to assist. He fixed her bathtub and she accused him of making it drain the wrong way. He repaired some other areas of the home which were not plumb or level and then her son came over and "showed" his mother all of the "mistakes". Finally, she contacted the Franklin Township Trustees about her dissatisfaction with the work my husband did at her home. The woman loudly complained at a public meeting about the quality of work my husband did. An inspector came out and met him there to go over the work, and the inspector said that the work was very good, especially given what he had to work with. But there was no way to discuss any of this with the woman; she was in third gear riding along in her negaholic world. And her son was right behind her.
The blog about Charley should make any one of us take note. Charley has found joy in life!! Even confined to a cot, he smiles and appreciates. God so loves Charley.
What we can do to reflect back to God the love that he showers on us is to love others. While we are doing that, there is no room in our hearts for negativism. If we are praying for others, the hope that is Christ floods our minds and drives out all that pulls us away. In a quiet moment of the day, we relish the silence and recall what Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive; seek and ye shall find; knock and the door shall be opened for you." Please Lord -- help those whose eyes are blinded to Your goodness.
On another note -- my niece tends to find helpless kittens a lot. Her neighbor recently found four little ones, and she again raised this litter herself. She says that they are gentle and love to sleep with her and follow her around the house. She showers these kittens with love so that they become exceptional adult cats who trust humans. They've already been to the vet's and had their first shots. There are two girls and two boys. The pet shop that usually sells her kittens (she takes no money from them) is full right now. She is looking for good homes. If you are interested in a special little kitten (or two), just let me know at knelsen@uakron.edu and I can make arrangements.
Thanks.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Amazing Earthenware Pot
Archeologists and language experts have apparently been trying for about a year to determine what the fragments of an earthenware pot say on the side of it. Some thought it was the language of the Canaanites but that was proved false.
Recently, Douglas Petrovich believes that he has cracked the code and traced the inscription to the earliest form of Hebrew. It would mean that the pot which is about 3,000 years old and found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem last year puts the Israelites in Jerusalem much earlier than believed. They would have been there during the time of David and Solomon.
And the significance of this is very great for Christians. Why? To quote from an article on foxnews.com, "If Petrovich's analysis proves true, it would be evidence of the accuracy of Old Testament tales. If Hebrew as a written language existed in the 10th century, as he says, the ancient Israelites were recording their history in real time as opposed to writing it down several hundred years later. That would make the Old Testament an historical account of real-life events."
This might explain why a number of Old Testament places have been found and authenticated. It makes the Christian Bible much more authoritative and impactful.
Apparently, other archeologists are unwilling to label the language Hebrew, because the climate right now is against attributing much to the early Israelites. Even a Tel Aviv archeologist, Israel Finkelstein, warned against romantic notions about early history and its link to the Bible, stating that scientific methods must be used.
It's interesting how often science and faith clash, but it is neither science nor faith that cause the clashes. It's us.
And by the way, on another matter relating to faith -- a text used in advanced placement classes offered to ninth graders in Brevard County, Florida, spends 32 pages on Muslim civilizations and its culture. No space was devoted to Christian faith and culture, and none to the Jewish faith and culture. Wow. The content includes information about Mohammed as God's messenger and explains jihad as a holy war to defend the Muslim faith ... kind of like Christianity and the Crusades. Another wow. The book tells about how wonderfully women are treated. The publisher is Pearson, no small player in the textbook business. Todd Starnes from Fox Radio told Hannity on last night's show that at least 80 textbooks show Muslim bias.
Be watchful, those of you with children in school. There is no guarantee that the books used in your child's school are historically accurate. There is no excuse for so-called educated people to veer away from the facts. Remember what the archeologist said in an earlier paragraph? Stick to scientific methods? How about at least stick to the facts.
Recently, Douglas Petrovich believes that he has cracked the code and traced the inscription to the earliest form of Hebrew. It would mean that the pot which is about 3,000 years old and found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem last year puts the Israelites in Jerusalem much earlier than believed. They would have been there during the time of David and Solomon.
And the significance of this is very great for Christians. Why? To quote from an article on foxnews.com, "If Petrovich's analysis proves true, it would be evidence of the accuracy of Old Testament tales. If Hebrew as a written language existed in the 10th century, as he says, the ancient Israelites were recording their history in real time as opposed to writing it down several hundred years later. That would make the Old Testament an historical account of real-life events."
This might explain why a number of Old Testament places have been found and authenticated. It makes the Christian Bible much more authoritative and impactful.
Apparently, other archeologists are unwilling to label the language Hebrew, because the climate right now is against attributing much to the early Israelites. Even a Tel Aviv archeologist, Israel Finkelstein, warned against romantic notions about early history and its link to the Bible, stating that scientific methods must be used.
It's interesting how often science and faith clash, but it is neither science nor faith that cause the clashes. It's us.
And by the way, on another matter relating to faith -- a text used in advanced placement classes offered to ninth graders in Brevard County, Florida, spends 32 pages on Muslim civilizations and its culture. No space was devoted to Christian faith and culture, and none to the Jewish faith and culture. Wow. The content includes information about Mohammed as God's messenger and explains jihad as a holy war to defend the Muslim faith ... kind of like Christianity and the Crusades. Another wow. The book tells about how wonderfully women are treated. The publisher is Pearson, no small player in the textbook business. Todd Starnes from Fox Radio told Hannity on last night's show that at least 80 textbooks show Muslim bias.
Be watchful, those of you with children in school. There is no guarantee that the books used in your child's school are historically accurate. There is no excuse for so-called educated people to veer away from the facts. Remember what the archeologist said in an earlier paragraph? Stick to scientific methods? How about at least stick to the facts.
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