This is the story of two people I know.
It is true.
Some details are omitted to protect their privacy.
.................................
They were an unlikely couple.
They met in 2008 at church.
It started with just polite conversation.
He was much older than she.
Almost twice her age
She was seeking someone her age, he was interested in finding someone closer to his.
So they simply spoke to each other from time to time with no intentions of going further.
But she was polite and friendly and funny.
And she found that he acted and thought much younger than his numerical age.
And the more they talked, the more they found that they were similar.
Seeing things the same way.
Thinking the same thing at the same time.
Finding the same things humorous.
They started trading emails, still not thinking that a relationship was under construction.
But is was.
Within two months they realized that "something" was happening.
Against all odds.
Against all logic.
In spite of their innocence and lack of intent.
In spite of their age difference.
They soon found themselves in love.
But they knew it could not progress beyond a certain point.
They were an unlikely couple and they knew it.
They saw the looks they got from others.
But they did not care.
They talked about it.
They laughed about it.
And enjoyed what they had, no matter how strange it looked to others.
It was sweet while it lasted.
Oh, it was so sweet.
So easy and comfortable.
They just fit.
They meshed with each other in so many ways.
On food, politics, music, religion, dieting, exercise, home decorating.
And on dozens of other little things.
They cooked together.
They prayed together.
They laughed together.
She could make him laugh.
They just fit.
He found out what it meant to have a soul mate.
He had read about such a thing.
And he believed it was possible.
But he had never experienced it.
Until now.
She was it.
And she said the same thing about him.
And it was so nice.
It amazed him because he was just being himself.
But somehow that delighted her.
Up until now, being himself had always caused a problem with the other person on some point or other.
Not this time.
He could do no wrong, it seemed.
It felt strange and, well, nice.
He learned how it felt to be loved.
(not that he had not been loved before. But somehow this was different.)
And she knew how to pet his ego.
She made him feel like a new man.
A younger man.
When he was with her, he forgot how old he was.
He felt like a kid with her.
It was like high school all over again.
Except this time he knew what was going on.
He loved her.
He loved her in every way he could.
He loved her every way he knew how.
Love was something he was never comfortable with.
He felt he was not good at it.
That he failed to express it well enough.
That he never seemed to get it right with his mate.
He was too self-centered.
But somehow, this time, he got it right.
She, somehow, brought it out of him.
And he loved her with everything he had.
And she loved him.
Even though he was much older than she.
She stopped seeing an older man and saw the kid that was still in him.
She appreciated things about him that no other woman had.
She called him her "sweet man".
No woman had ever called him that.
For his part, he could not understand how she could love him like this.
No one else ever had.
Not like this.
At first he was embarrassed and skeptical.
He wondered if he had somehow deceived her.
Or if she was just putting on an act.
No woman had ever loved him like this.
Could it really be genuine?
But as they spent more time together, he came to accept the authenticity of her feelings.
And he loved it.
In their few months together, they never argued.
They never had a disagreement.
It was not because they were on their best dating behavior and holding back.
They were way past that (if they ever did it).
It was because they were so similar in so many ways.
It was because they thought alike.
It was because they saw so many things the same way.
It was just the way they were.
They had questions, too.
Why did God bring them together?
Why?
Knowing they could not marry (the logical/emotional conclusion of such a pleasant relationship.) because of his divorce years ago.
Why did he allow them to become so connected?
He could have stopped them at a hundred different points.
But he just let them grow together.
They knew that they would probably never know.
So they just accepted the strange circumstance and let the relationship grow as much as the Bible would allow.
And they stopped where it would not permit them to go further.
They never sinned.
They never violated their understanding of the Bible.
They never tried to push the boundaries.
He honored and respected her.
She honored and respected him.
And that just made them love each other more.
But they knew the ending was inevitable.
They knew they could not go on as they were going.
The Bible put limits on how far they could progress together.
And they choose to conform to those constraints.
That meant they could not be married.
At least not until another circumstance changed.
And that was not something they could control or felt free to ask for.
(if this makes no sense to you, I understand, but I don't want to go into the details as that would delve into the privacy of some other people)
She was the one who jumped first.
He was afraid that he would have to be the one to pull the plug.
But she spared him the unpleasant task.
There were reasons why it was just not realistic to prolong an incomplete relationship any longer.
He understood.
He did not argue.
He knew she was feeling the frustration.
So she decided she had had enough.
He knew it would have to end sometime for some reason and this was as good a time and reason as any.
He did not want to see her suffer any more.
He knew it would be painful - and it is.
Like open heart surgery with a ditch digger.
So here he is hurting.
And crying.
And wanting to call her and comfort her.
And wanting to go to her and hug her and tell her it will be all right.
But he is the problem.
So the more he is with her, the more problems she will have.
Thus, he must stay away.
And let her grieve alone.
He had seen her cry too much already.
It hurt him so much to see her cry.
He wanted to do something to help her stop crying.
But he could not.
It has to end this way.
And this way hurts.
(But there is no other way to end it that does not hurt)
So now it is ended. (or ending...)
He sits and cries.
Sometimes he cries hard.
So hard his body shakes.
And then, after a minute or two, it passes and he just sits.
And stares.
And hurts.
Empty.
Miles away, she cries.
Maybe in the same way.
(He really does not want to know)
For her it is a bit different.
Life will go on.
Life has to go on.
She is still young.
There is much of life to be lived for her.
She has a career to pursue.
And time.
Time to heal,
Time to grow,
Time to change.
Hobbies, talents, skills, ministry.
Maybe she will find someone else and they will be able to be happy together.
Happily ever after and all that.
Maybe.
He wants that for her.
He wants her to have what she could not have with him.
For him, life is just about over.
Not really.
He could live another thirty years.
But emotionally, he is finished.
There will never be another woman like her for him.
For him, the remaining years of his life will be empty and boring and pointless.
He really has no interest is living anymore.
Not that he wants to kill himself.
It is just that the rest of his life will be in the shadow of this beautiful few months he shared with this delightful woman.
Who is now gone.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
SOME THOTS ON JOHN 15:1-13
INTRODUCTION
In my spiritual experience I have heard the following scripture passage interpreted in several ways. Let us look at these verses and see what they actually say.
THE TEXT
I will use the New King James Version of the Bible rendering of this passage.
John 15:1-13
COMMENT
The term that is translated “prune” (NKJV) in verse two is the Greek term “kathairo”. It is translated “purge” in the KJV. It literally means, to cleanse or prune. The determining element stated in this passage is that each “branch” bears “fruit” (vs 2, 4, 5, 8). Without defining what this “fruit” is, if a branch produces SOME fruit, it is “purged” – cleansed or pruned – so that it will produce more fruit. If the branch does not produce ANY fruit, it is “taken away” – removed from the vine – Christ (vs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
The Greek word translated "takes away" (v 2) is "aheero", which means, to lift, to take up, take away, remove.
It should be pointed out here that verse three of chapter 15 states that the disciples were “already cleansed by the word” spoken to them. The bearing of fruit is presented as a function of God working through each of them over time(vs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) hence, the emphasis that each of them “abide” in the vine. Stated another way, they should stay put and God will work through them to produce more fruit (v 2).
A key concept in this scripture is the term "abide". The word "abide" is used eight times in this passage (vs 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10). Every time it is translated from the Greek word, "meno", which means, to stay, to continue, to dwell, to endure, to be present, to remain, to stand, or tarry. Thus, we are urged to "abide in me (Christ)" (v 4a, c, 5, 6, 7), "abide in the vine" (v 4b), And to have Christ's words abide in us (v 7). We are also encouraged to "abide in [Christ's] love" (v 8, 9, 10).
Failure to stay pure by virtue of our salvation from sin, and obey the commands of God and his word, to grow and produce fruit, leads to backsliding and removal from the vine.
Interestingly, Jesus turns a corner in verse 7. He ties staying in the vine ("abide in me") with obedience ("my words abide in you") and links them with answered prayer. Thus, one way to ensure that our prayers are answered as we desire is to build a long-term relationship with God/Christ.
Verse 8 takes these concepts a step further and relates our bearing of fruit to glorifying God. This verse also gives a definition of a "disciple" - one who bears much fruit and thereby glorifies God.
In verse 9, Jesus goes a step further. He associates love, obedience and abiding with him. God has expressed his love to Christ. Christ has expressed his love to his disciples in a way similar to the way God did to him. We are encouraged to remain in his love. From this we can see that it is assumed that part of love is a bond between two individuals. This bond creates an attraction between the two such that they want to be physically close to each other. This implies a desire to become more aligned spiritually and morally. And that implies a behavioral likeness, as well. Thus, we will become more like God/Christ.
In verse 10, Jesus restates these concepts and clearly presents the linkage between keeping his commandments and love. This definition stayed with John because he repeats a similar thought in 1 John 5:2-3. We demonstrate our love for God/Christ by obeying ("keeping") his commandments.
Verse 11 ties the concept of joy with abiding in the vine, and keeping the commandments of God. Jesus specifies that the joy goes two ways. We have a joy from Christ and we possess our own joy. From this we see that joy is both a gift and a human reaction.
The Greek word that is translated "joy" in both instances is "kharah". It means, cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness, joy. From this we get a picture, not of laughter or strong outward expressions of pleasure or amusement, but, rather, a more subdued pleased contentment. And something or a circumstance that provides a long-term environment of pleasure, will induce us to remain there and "abide".
So in these last three verses, he has linked stability, obedience, love, and joy.
Some teachers see a spiritual/moral cleansing in a "second work of grace" tied to the term "prune" or "purge" in this passage. For those who embrace the second work view, the term “purge” here means an instantaneous moral/spiritual cleansing after initial conversion. This takes place in the "soul" or "heart" of the person. What is removed is variously called a "carnal nature", "adamic nature", "fallen nature", or the "old man" which we inherited from Adam. A careful reading of these verses will reveal nothing to support any of these concepts.
While there are many references in the Bible to the utterly total, helpless moral depravity of all people (Romans 3:23), there are no scriptures that clearly link this situation to Adam. This passage alludes to this situation also (vs 4, 5). Certainly, many passages in the Old and New Testament do, indeed, present the concept of a moral/spiritual cleansing event. That event is conversion (1 John 1:9).
Rather than this scripture passage being a picture of a second spiritual/moral cleansing of a carnal/perverted nature inherited from Adam, this is more clearly a picture of obedience, stability and progressive growth in spiritual matters. The keys to our successful progress in the Christian life and the attainment of heaven in the end are contained in this passage, where we are urged to stay with Jesus/God, the vine (vs 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10), and produce the fruit of obedience (v 7), love (v 9) and joy (v 11).
In my spiritual experience I have heard the following scripture passage interpreted in several ways. Let us look at these verses and see what they actually say.
THE TEXT
I will use the New King James Version of the Bible rendering of this passage.
John 15:1-13
1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
COMMENT
The term that is translated “prune” (NKJV) in verse two is the Greek term “kathairo”. It is translated “purge” in the KJV. It literally means, to cleanse or prune. The determining element stated in this passage is that each “branch” bears “fruit” (vs 2, 4, 5, 8). Without defining what this “fruit” is, if a branch produces SOME fruit, it is “purged” – cleansed or pruned – so that it will produce more fruit. If the branch does not produce ANY fruit, it is “taken away” – removed from the vine – Christ (vs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
The Greek word translated "takes away" (v 2) is "aheero", which means, to lift, to take up, take away, remove.
It should be pointed out here that verse three of chapter 15 states that the disciples were “already cleansed by the word” spoken to them. The bearing of fruit is presented as a function of God working through each of them over time(vs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) hence, the emphasis that each of them “abide” in the vine. Stated another way, they should stay put and God will work through them to produce more fruit (v 2).
A key concept in this scripture is the term "abide". The word "abide" is used eight times in this passage (vs 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10). Every time it is translated from the Greek word, "meno", which means, to stay, to continue, to dwell, to endure, to be present, to remain, to stand, or tarry. Thus, we are urged to "abide in me (Christ)" (v 4a, c, 5, 6, 7), "abide in the vine" (v 4b), And to have Christ's words abide in us (v 7). We are also encouraged to "abide in [Christ's] love" (v 8, 9, 10).
Failure to stay pure by virtue of our salvation from sin, and obey the commands of God and his word, to grow and produce fruit, leads to backsliding and removal from the vine.
Interestingly, Jesus turns a corner in verse 7. He ties staying in the vine ("abide in me") with obedience ("my words abide in you") and links them with answered prayer. Thus, one way to ensure that our prayers are answered as we desire is to build a long-term relationship with God/Christ.
Verse 8 takes these concepts a step further and relates our bearing of fruit to glorifying God. This verse also gives a definition of a "disciple" - one who bears much fruit and thereby glorifies God.
In verse 9, Jesus goes a step further. He associates love, obedience and abiding with him. God has expressed his love to Christ. Christ has expressed his love to his disciples in a way similar to the way God did to him. We are encouraged to remain in his love. From this we can see that it is assumed that part of love is a bond between two individuals. This bond creates an attraction between the two such that they want to be physically close to each other. This implies a desire to become more aligned spiritually and morally. And that implies a behavioral likeness, as well. Thus, we will become more like God/Christ.
In verse 10, Jesus restates these concepts and clearly presents the linkage between keeping his commandments and love. This definition stayed with John because he repeats a similar thought in 1 John 5:2-3. We demonstrate our love for God/Christ by obeying ("keeping") his commandments.
Verse 11 ties the concept of joy with abiding in the vine, and keeping the commandments of God. Jesus specifies that the joy goes two ways. We have a joy from Christ and we possess our own joy. From this we see that joy is both a gift and a human reaction.
The Greek word that is translated "joy" in both instances is "kharah". It means, cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness, joy. From this we get a picture, not of laughter or strong outward expressions of pleasure or amusement, but, rather, a more subdued pleased contentment. And something or a circumstance that provides a long-term environment of pleasure, will induce us to remain there and "abide".
So in these last three verses, he has linked stability, obedience, love, and joy.
Some teachers see a spiritual/moral cleansing in a "second work of grace" tied to the term "prune" or "purge" in this passage. For those who embrace the second work view, the term “purge” here means an instantaneous moral/spiritual cleansing after initial conversion. This takes place in the "soul" or "heart" of the person. What is removed is variously called a "carnal nature", "adamic nature", "fallen nature", or the "old man" which we inherited from Adam. A careful reading of these verses will reveal nothing to support any of these concepts.
While there are many references in the Bible to the utterly total, helpless moral depravity of all people (Romans 3:23), there are no scriptures that clearly link this situation to Adam. This passage alludes to this situation also (vs 4, 5). Certainly, many passages in the Old and New Testament do, indeed, present the concept of a moral/spiritual cleansing event. That event is conversion (1 John 1:9).
Rather than this scripture passage being a picture of a second spiritual/moral cleansing of a carnal/perverted nature inherited from Adam, this is more clearly a picture of obedience, stability and progressive growth in spiritual matters. The keys to our successful progress in the Christian life and the attainment of heaven in the end are contained in this passage, where we are urged to stay with Jesus/God, the vine (vs 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10), and produce the fruit of obedience (v 7), love (v 9) and joy (v 11).
Thursday, January 21, 2010
THE MONSTER HAS ARRIVED
No, I don't mean Scott Brown, the "unknown" Republican who was elected Senator in Massachusetts Tuesday. (THAT is a whole notha topic...)
The Monster is my new (used, actually) synthesizer.
I am in the process of selling my two other toys and combining the best features of both of them in one instrument.
I have been wanting to do this for a couple of years but did not have the opportunity.
I wanted a machine that had an 88 key, piano-weighted keyboard, and a sequencer (a type of digital recorder).
A couple of years ago, an instrument with both of these features cost over $2,000.00.
I was not going to spend that much.
It was cheaper to buy two instruments, each having the feature I wanted.
Which I did.
So I had a 88 key, piano-weighted keyboard with no sequencer, and a 61 key non-weighted keyboard with a sequencer.
By plugging them together, I had basically what I wanted.
But it was not an ideal set up and it took up a lot of room.
That was three or four years ago, or so.
Then things changed.
Yamaha came out with new models with more features and priced them higher ($3,000+).
In addition to the new models, they reconfigured a couple of older models (taking out a few features) and lowered their prices.
One of the reconfigured models was/is renamed the MO-8.
It is basically the same as the "old" Motif 8 (minus the ability to add sampled sounds - which I did/do not care about).
The old Motif 8 cost $3,200.00 back in 2002.
The "new" MO-8 has an "official" list price of about $2,000.00 but almost everyone sells it for $1,600.00 or so.
That is almost half the price of the original Motif 8.
Getting close...
That was still a bit steep for me, but I found a used one at a music store for less.
I took the chance and bought it.
The beast arrived yesterday.
It is huge!
After checking out the keyboard to see if all the keys work (they did) I played it a little before going to church.
SWEET!
I spent about three hours this morning going through all the 500+ sounds to see what it could do.
As I expected, there is a lot in it.
Hopefully this one will last me the rest of my life.
Now all I have to do is modify my cabinet to accommodate my new, simpler setup.
In God we trust.
.
The Monster is my new (used, actually) synthesizer.
I am in the process of selling my two other toys and combining the best features of both of them in one instrument.
I have been wanting to do this for a couple of years but did not have the opportunity.
I wanted a machine that had an 88 key, piano-weighted keyboard, and a sequencer (a type of digital recorder).
A couple of years ago, an instrument with both of these features cost over $2,000.00.
I was not going to spend that much.
It was cheaper to buy two instruments, each having the feature I wanted.
Which I did.
So I had a 88 key, piano-weighted keyboard with no sequencer, and a 61 key non-weighted keyboard with a sequencer.
By plugging them together, I had basically what I wanted.
But it was not an ideal set up and it took up a lot of room.
That was three or four years ago, or so.
Then things changed.
Yamaha came out with new models with more features and priced them higher ($3,000+).
In addition to the new models, they reconfigured a couple of older models (taking out a few features) and lowered their prices.
One of the reconfigured models was/is renamed the MO-8.
It is basically the same as the "old" Motif 8 (minus the ability to add sampled sounds - which I did/do not care about).
The old Motif 8 cost $3,200.00 back in 2002.
The "new" MO-8 has an "official" list price of about $2,000.00 but almost everyone sells it for $1,600.00 or so.
That is almost half the price of the original Motif 8.
Getting close...
That was still a bit steep for me, but I found a used one at a music store for less.
I took the chance and bought it.
The beast arrived yesterday.
It is huge!
After checking out the keyboard to see if all the keys work (they did) I played it a little before going to church.
SWEET!
I spent about three hours this morning going through all the 500+ sounds to see what it could do.
As I expected, there is a lot in it.
Hopefully this one will last me the rest of my life.
Now all I have to do is modify my cabinet to accommodate my new, simpler setup.
In God we trust.
.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Some Comments About Skin Color
The following email exchange took place between myself and a friend regarding an article written by Ann Colter on the subject of Senator Harry Reid's comments about Barack Obama's race. The Senator's comments were intended to be positive and supportive. But some (many?) in the media and elsewhere have been critical of his comments. I, personally, do not find them reason for offence.
After reading the article I replied thus -
She is right, of course.
Personally, I am tired of white people having to tip toe around black-skinned Americans.
Many dark-skinned Americans need to grow up.
It is a fact that they look different than the majority of the American population.
They need to get over it.
They need to get used to others making jokes or comments about their color, just like we whities make comments about uncle Herman's big nose, etc.
Dark-skinned Americans need to deal with the fact that approximately one-fourth of them are criminals.
It is a large enough percentage of them that many other Americans do not trust/are not comfortable around many of them.
This is not Negrophobia.
This is common sense.
It is the dark-skinned Americans that invented Rap and its glorification of gangster behavior/mentality.
This genre of "music" also glorifies rape as a common activity.
It is the dark-skinned Americans that authored the baggy pants style/fad in clothing, that makes them look like former employees of Barnum and Bailey.
And they wonder why other citizens distrust them?
And many dark-skinned Americans need to learn how to speak English.
The word "for" has an "r" in it.
They need to learn how to say it.
It might help if they learned how to behave in school.
It also might help if they stayed in school and tried to learn something.
And many of them need to get over the idea that anyone of a different skin color that looks at them the least bit sideways is a "racist".
Some people may, indeed, be prejudiced against them simply because of their skin color.
That is their defect.
They will miss meeting many good people who happen to have dark-skin.
But it is also true that many dark-skinned Americans seem to work very hard at trying to portray themselves in an as offensive/isolated manner as possible.
My friend then responded -
The problem seems to be that rather than being PROUD of all these "accomplishments" some of folks seem ashamed of them and run the other way.
Yet, they don't stand up and say they have problem; just look for excuses.
Perhaps the funniest thing about this simply is that what Mr. Reid said is a simply statement of accurate political fact.
Perhaps some were offended at HIS using the word Negro (even though many Negroes wrote it in on the last census, so it is being included as an option this time around).
Other than that, what is the basis for any claim of offense?
To which I responded -
Current events of success among the race seem to work both ways for these people.
They brag/celebrate the success of their sports stars/singers/politicians but bemoan the disparity between their millionaire heroes and their own personal relative poverty.
Many (not all...) seem to not be able to draw inspiration from their heroes to apply effort to lift their personal accomplishments.
To which he replied -
It IS interesting that there exists a dichotomy and divergence of opinion on the meaning and interpretation of accomplishment.
If we are going to denigrate those who succeed, often referring to them as 'acting white" when such occurs, then that element of the black society will never succeed in anything other than complaining and failure.
I suppose that is not a racially-distinct problem, however. :-)
To which I replied -
On your point, yes, there seems to me an ingrained sense of victimhood in many (not all) dark-skinned Americans accompanied by an expectation of entitlement to some vague general distribution of wealth to them, based on, again, some vague reparation for the slavery experiment in the early period of United States history.
But the words of (some in) the black community give them away.
If getting good grades in school, etc. is "acting white", then "acting black" must mean the opposite.
From this I see this as absolutely a racially distinct problem.
But it is social/philosophical, not genetic.
And if their measure of racial allegiance is sub-average performance, then they seek (as you said) to maintain and enforce a status quo of poverty, ignorance, dependence and self-perception of victimization.
This dichotomy is interesting in that it requires the dependence of the "poor" black community on the "rich" white community, the very ones they disdain.
This way of thinking is self-perpetuating - as we have seen in the near-constant percentage of "poor" people in our population ever since the "war on poverty" in the mid-60's.
To be sure, many dark-skinned Americans have escaped the poverty mentality and cycle (not just Tiger and his sports chums).
To me this is the best result possible.
It rescues an individual, who likely marries another individual of similar philosophy, who, in turn, have children who are raised with a different mindset, in spite of pressure they may encounter at school, etc.
Also, others looking on have evidence that such a perception of life can reap rewards that they could also attain if they changed their attitude about "blackness" vs "whiteness".
Success is colorblind.
And they call us racists.....
After reading the article I replied thus -
She is right, of course.
Personally, I am tired of white people having to tip toe around black-skinned Americans.
Many dark-skinned Americans need to grow up.
It is a fact that they look different than the majority of the American population.
They need to get over it.
They need to get used to others making jokes or comments about their color, just like we whities make comments about uncle Herman's big nose, etc.
Dark-skinned Americans need to deal with the fact that approximately one-fourth of them are criminals.
It is a large enough percentage of them that many other Americans do not trust/are not comfortable around many of them.
This is not Negrophobia.
This is common sense.
It is the dark-skinned Americans that invented Rap and its glorification of gangster behavior/mentality.
This genre of "music" also glorifies rape as a common activity.
It is the dark-skinned Americans that authored the baggy pants style/fad in clothing, that makes them look like former employees of Barnum and Bailey.
And they wonder why other citizens distrust them?
And many dark-skinned Americans need to learn how to speak English.
The word "for" has an "r" in it.
They need to learn how to say it.
It might help if they learned how to behave in school.
It also might help if they stayed in school and tried to learn something.
And many of them need to get over the idea that anyone of a different skin color that looks at them the least bit sideways is a "racist".
Some people may, indeed, be prejudiced against them simply because of their skin color.
That is their defect.
They will miss meeting many good people who happen to have dark-skin.
But it is also true that many dark-skinned Americans seem to work very hard at trying to portray themselves in an as offensive/isolated manner as possible.
My friend then responded -
The problem seems to be that rather than being PROUD of all these "accomplishments" some of folks seem ashamed of them and run the other way.
Yet, they don't stand up and say they have problem; just look for excuses.
Perhaps the funniest thing about this simply is that what Mr. Reid said is a simply statement of accurate political fact.
Perhaps some were offended at HIS using the word Negro (even though many Negroes wrote it in on the last census, so it is being included as an option this time around).
Other than that, what is the basis for any claim of offense?
To which I responded -
Current events of success among the race seem to work both ways for these people.
They brag/celebrate the success of their sports stars/singers/politicians but bemoan the disparity between their millionaire heroes and their own personal relative poverty.
Many (not all...) seem to not be able to draw inspiration from their heroes to apply effort to lift their personal accomplishments.
To which he replied -
It IS interesting that there exists a dichotomy and divergence of opinion on the meaning and interpretation of accomplishment.
If we are going to denigrate those who succeed, often referring to them as 'acting white" when such occurs, then that element of the black society will never succeed in anything other than complaining and failure.
I suppose that is not a racially-distinct problem, however. :-)
To which I replied -
On your point, yes, there seems to me an ingrained sense of victimhood in many (not all) dark-skinned Americans accompanied by an expectation of entitlement to some vague general distribution of wealth to them, based on, again, some vague reparation for the slavery experiment in the early period of United States history.
But the words of (some in) the black community give them away.
If getting good grades in school, etc. is "acting white", then "acting black" must mean the opposite.
From this I see this as absolutely a racially distinct problem.
But it is social/philosophical, not genetic.
And if their measure of racial allegiance is sub-average performance, then they seek (as you said) to maintain and enforce a status quo of poverty, ignorance, dependence and self-perception of victimization.
This dichotomy is interesting in that it requires the dependence of the "poor" black community on the "rich" white community, the very ones they disdain.
This way of thinking is self-perpetuating - as we have seen in the near-constant percentage of "poor" people in our population ever since the "war on poverty" in the mid-60's.
To be sure, many dark-skinned Americans have escaped the poverty mentality and cycle (not just Tiger and his sports chums).
To me this is the best result possible.
It rescues an individual, who likely marries another individual of similar philosophy, who, in turn, have children who are raised with a different mindset, in spite of pressure they may encounter at school, etc.
Also, others looking on have evidence that such a perception of life can reap rewards that they could also attain if they changed their attitude about "blackness" vs "whiteness".
Success is colorblind.
And they call us racists.....
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Plan for 2010
The workout plan for 2010 (I know you both have been wondering about this...) will expand on the trend that started in 2009.
In 2009 I found that my body seemed to want more volume, the more I worked out.
Too much volume in a single workout caused fatigue after a few weeks, but spreading the same volume out over more days seemed to mitigate that reaction.
So in 2009 I went from three days a week, to four days a week, to six days per week.
And I did not become fatigued like I did around mid-year.
So.... for 2010 I am going to maintain the six-workout-per-week (Monday through Saturday) pattern.
I will work only one or two areas each workout, but, contrary to modern programs, I will work each body area twice each week.
I have been doing this for over four months now, and it seems to work for me.
So I will continue.
But NEW for 2010, I will increase my workout sets from three to four.
I tried this last week and it increased my week weight total to 205,196 pounds.
This will give me the option of increasing my load volume on certain exercises if I feel frisky some days.
Or not.
Well, time to hit the weights.
Today is Leg day - squats and heel raises.
In God we trust.
.
In 2009 I found that my body seemed to want more volume, the more I worked out.
Too much volume in a single workout caused fatigue after a few weeks, but spreading the same volume out over more days seemed to mitigate that reaction.
So in 2009 I went from three days a week, to four days a week, to six days per week.
And I did not become fatigued like I did around mid-year.
So.... for 2010 I am going to maintain the six-workout-per-week (Monday through Saturday) pattern.
I will work only one or two areas each workout, but, contrary to modern programs, I will work each body area twice each week.
I have been doing this for over four months now, and it seems to work for me.
So I will continue.
But NEW for 2010, I will increase my workout sets from three to four.
I tried this last week and it increased my week weight total to 205,196 pounds.
This will give me the option of increasing my load volume on certain exercises if I feel frisky some days.
Or not.
Well, time to hit the weights.
Today is Leg day - squats and heel raises.
In God we trust.
.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Statistics
I know you both have been waiting with great anticipation for this.
Last year I began to gather some statistical data about my spending to see if there was any areas of imbalance or excess.
The goal/plan was to adjust "things" if such a problem presented itself.
Well, the results are in, and here they are.
In my total budget spending the categories break out like this:
24.87% House (mortgage)
17.47% Alimony
14.57% Visa
11.73% Food
6.88% My stuff - tools, wood, stain, CDs, DVDs, electronics, toys, etc.
5.91% Utilities
5.73% Phone/internet/cable
4.90% Insurance - car, house.
4.56% Church offerings
3.69% Donations - to church and individuals, Rescue Mission, veterans groups, etc.
2.54% Car Gas
2.12% Medical/dental
2.08% Travel - one trip to Oklahoma, and one trip to Ohio campmeeting.
2.07% Car repair
2.06% Eat out
1.77% Other
0.86% Clothes
0.76% House maintenance
It is possible that some items in My Stuff are duplicated in Visa because I buy much of my toys on the internet.
I am still working on a system to better isolate Visa payments from other categories so they are not entered twice.
I also did a detailed analysis of my food shopping in 2009.
This was also to see where the bulk of my food dollar went.
Here are the results:
6.43% Milk, gallon
5.25% Beef, steak
3.79% Bread
3.63% Turkey breast, sliced
3.54% Eggs
3.44% Nuts, cashews
3.14% Tuna
3.13% Protein bars
2.84% Chicken
2.67% Apples
2.38% Nuts, peanuts
2.05% Hamburger beef
2.01% Salad/slaw
2.01% Ice cream
1.91% Soup
1.90% Cheese
1.72% Glutamine
1.68% Peanut butter
1.32% Beef, pot roast
1.10% Bananas
1.09% Cottage cheese
1.03% Lettuce
0.93% Various other
0.90% Bell Pepper
0.90% Milk, half-gallon
0.89% Jam
0.89% Salad dressing
0.81% Relish
0.69% Canned fruit
0.63% Spices
0.63% Turkey breast, whole
0.56% Bacon
0.56% Cookies
0.53% Buns
0.42% Oatmeal
0.38% Crackers
0.38% Chili
0.37% Spaghetti, canned
0.29% Orange juice
0.26% Steak sauce
0.26% Celery
0.25% Mustard/mayonnaise
0.24% Chips
0.21% Root beer
0.20% Tamales, canned
0.18% Butter
0.15% Sweet potatoes
0.12% Sausage
0.12% Cooking oil
0.09% Cornbread stuffing
0.09% Onions
0.06% Carrots
0.06% Rice
0.04% Tomatoes
0.04% Pork & beans
0.04% Potatoes
0.03% Worcestershire sauce
It is interesting, but not surprising, that many of the top items on my grocery list are high protein foods.
You can also see that I am not a big vegetable eater.
Of course, even if one was, carrots are cheaper than meat.
The good news for you vegetarians is that as GLOBAL WARMING! gets worse and worse, the warmer temperatures will make the vegetables grow faster and bigger. ("greenhouse effect")
This will also make hay and pasture feed more abundant for the cows, so they will get bigger also.
But, this will be offset by the federal tax on cow farts, which will make meat more expensive.
I am watching these trends closely.
In God we trust.
.
Last year I began to gather some statistical data about my spending to see if there was any areas of imbalance or excess.
The goal/plan was to adjust "things" if such a problem presented itself.
Well, the results are in, and here they are.
In my total budget spending the categories break out like this:
24.87% House (mortgage)
17.47% Alimony
14.57% Visa
11.73% Food
6.88% My stuff - tools, wood, stain, CDs, DVDs, electronics, toys, etc.
5.91% Utilities
5.73% Phone/internet/cable
4.90% Insurance - car, house.
4.56% Church offerings
3.69% Donations - to church and individuals, Rescue Mission, veterans groups, etc.
2.54% Car Gas
2.12% Medical/dental
2.08% Travel - one trip to Oklahoma, and one trip to Ohio campmeeting.
2.07% Car repair
2.06% Eat out
1.77% Other
0.86% Clothes
0.76% House maintenance
It is possible that some items in My Stuff are duplicated in Visa because I buy much of my toys on the internet.
I am still working on a system to better isolate Visa payments from other categories so they are not entered twice.
I also did a detailed analysis of my food shopping in 2009.
This was also to see where the bulk of my food dollar went.
Here are the results:
6.43% Milk, gallon
5.25% Beef, steak
3.79% Bread
3.63% Turkey breast, sliced
3.54% Eggs
3.44% Nuts, cashews
3.14% Tuna
3.13% Protein bars
2.84% Chicken
2.67% Apples
2.38% Nuts, peanuts
2.05% Hamburger beef
2.01% Salad/slaw
2.01% Ice cream
1.91% Soup
1.90% Cheese
1.72% Glutamine
1.68% Peanut butter
1.32% Beef, pot roast
1.10% Bananas
1.09% Cottage cheese
1.03% Lettuce
0.93% Various other
0.90% Bell Pepper
0.90% Milk, half-gallon
0.89% Jam
0.89% Salad dressing
0.81% Relish
0.69% Canned fruit
0.63% Spices
0.63% Turkey breast, whole
0.56% Bacon
0.56% Cookies
0.53% Buns
0.42% Oatmeal
0.38% Crackers
0.38% Chili
0.37% Spaghetti, canned
0.29% Orange juice
0.26% Steak sauce
0.26% Celery
0.25% Mustard/mayonnaise
0.24% Chips
0.21% Root beer
0.20% Tamales, canned
0.18% Butter
0.15% Sweet potatoes
0.12% Sausage
0.12% Cooking oil
0.09% Cornbread stuffing
0.09% Onions
0.06% Carrots
0.06% Rice
0.04% Tomatoes
0.04% Pork & beans
0.04% Potatoes
0.03% Worcestershire sauce
It is interesting, but not surprising, that many of the top items on my grocery list are high protein foods.
You can also see that I am not a big vegetable eater.
Of course, even if one was, carrots are cheaper than meat.
The good news for you vegetarians is that as GLOBAL WARMING! gets worse and worse, the warmer temperatures will make the vegetables grow faster and bigger. ("greenhouse effect")
This will also make hay and pasture feed more abundant for the cows, so they will get bigger also.
But, this will be offset by the federal tax on cow farts, which will make meat more expensive.
I am watching these trends closely.
In God we trust.
.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
CUTE
I stumbled upon this video while looking for something else.
I thought it was a hoot.
You may have already seen it.
If so, sorry to bore you.
If not, enjoy....
I thought it was a hoot.
You may have already seen it.
If so, sorry to bore you.
If not, enjoy....
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Good News and Bad News
The bad news -
It is Winter.
Winter is cold and windy and this Winter is setting up to be a particularly cold one.
There is lots of good news.
First, a savior was born, to save his people from their sins, and to take away the sin of the world.
We are celebrating that event (even if it does not coincide with the date of the actual event).
and
While it IS Winter, the days are getting longer.
This is a good thing.
In God we trust.
.
It is Winter.
Winter is cold and windy and this Winter is setting up to be a particularly cold one.
There is lots of good news.
First, a savior was born, to save his people from their sins, and to take away the sin of the world.
We are celebrating that event (even if it does not coincide with the date of the actual event).
and
While it IS Winter, the days are getting longer.
This is a good thing.
In God we trust.
.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Yes, I am paying Attention
I have not said much lately, but I am still paying attention to the political events taking place around me.
This morning I sent the following email to one of my local representatives:
Dear Senator Shelby,
I was extremely disappointed to see that you voted in favor of the recent spending bill. I realize that several programs of local interest were included, but you and your fellow senators have already spend us into a debt level that defies the imagination. You need to be working on how you can reduce federal spending, not increasing it. I don't want to hear from you about how much you have "done for Alabama" by increasing the spending of money we do not have. It is MY money and you did me no favors by approving more spending without offsetting cuts. By one estimate we are now $12,000,000,000,000 in debt.
So just to remind you (again), I urge you to vote AGAINST any "health care" proposal currently before the Senate. I urge you to vote AGAINST any "energy conservation" bills that may be submitted that include "cap and trade" plans (by this or any other name), federal aid for ethanol production, carbon taxes, utility taxes, etc.
You do not need to reply to this message.
............................................
I like the good ol boys in Washington to know that I am paying attention to their doings.
In God we trust.
.
This morning I sent the following email to one of my local representatives:
Dear Senator Shelby,
I was extremely disappointed to see that you voted in favor of the recent spending bill. I realize that several programs of local interest were included, but you and your fellow senators have already spend us into a debt level that defies the imagination. You need to be working on how you can reduce federal spending, not increasing it. I don't want to hear from you about how much you have "done for Alabama" by increasing the spending of money we do not have. It is MY money and you did me no favors by approving more spending without offsetting cuts. By one estimate we are now $12,000,000,000,000 in debt.
So just to remind you (again), I urge you to vote AGAINST any "health care" proposal currently before the Senate. I urge you to vote AGAINST any "energy conservation" bills that may be submitted that include "cap and trade" plans (by this or any other name), federal aid for ethanol production, carbon taxes, utility taxes, etc.
You do not need to reply to this message.
............................................
I like the good ol boys in Washington to know that I am paying attention to their doings.
In God we trust.
.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Stuff For Sale
Due to recent acquisitions and adjustments, the following items are for sale:
Solid/veneer oak entertainment center - 55 x 45 x 18. Asking $200.00 Or Best Offer.
17" Hyundai LCD monitor. Excellent condition. Asking $100.00 OBO
17" Optiquest CRT monitor. Good condition. Asking $50.00 OBO
Windows PC, 2gb ram, 80gb hdd, 40gb hdd, AMD K6 processor. Asking $100.00 OBO
28" Sanyo CRT television set. Great picture. Asking $100.00 OBO
Serta Perfect Sleeper mattress, twin size. Excellent condition. Asking $100.00 OBO
You can email me at steev45@gmail.com if you are interested in any of this stuff.
Solid/veneer oak entertainment center - 55 x 45 x 18. Asking $200.00 Or Best Offer.
17" Hyundai LCD monitor. Excellent condition. Asking $100.00 OBO
17" Optiquest CRT monitor. Good condition. Asking $50.00 OBO
Windows PC, 2gb ram, 80gb hdd, 40gb hdd, AMD K6 processor. Asking $100.00 OBO
28" Sanyo CRT television set. Great picture. Asking $100.00 OBO
Serta Perfect Sleeper mattress, twin size. Excellent condition. Asking $100.00 OBO
You can email me at steev45@gmail.com if you are interested in any of this stuff.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
A New Bible Study
I am posting this both here and on issuu.com.
While I have not written much on the subject of "religion" that will change in the next few months.
The longer/larger studies will be posted only on issuu.com, the shorter ones will be posted on both sites.
.......................................................
INTRODUCTION
Several days ago I heard a preacher on the radio quote 2 Corinthians 10:4 during his sermon. He quoted it, mentioned the small portion that related to his main point and went on. I, however, was flooded with thoughts about how much we can derive from this verse. I have heard this verse quoted and expounded upon many times. I am sure I have never heard anyone dissect these verses in the following way.
Wording quoted here is from the New King James version of the Bible.
THE UNDERSTANDING
2 Corinthians 10:4-6
1 The word "for" indicates that the following statements are the logical result of statements that immediately precede this verse. (see v.3)
2 "Weapons" indicates that we are engaged in a battle or struggle which we cannot win without assistance. This fight requires tools or implements to assist us in overcoming that which opposes us. And we have more than one weapon.
3 "Our warfare" indicates that this is not a single event. It is not a battle, it is a war. It is a process. It will take effort over a period of time. "Warfare" implies an ongoing struggle. It implies that this is not a simple task, it is an extended conflict involving many people. "Warfare" is translated from "strateias", (Greek), a campaign, expedition, or military service. It implies the gathering of many fighters for a common purpose; the movement of armies from one place to another; the engagement of many fighters against many other fighters; the goal of victory over or defeat of the enemy; and the threat of death or loss if they fail.
4 "Not carnal" indicates that this is not a conflict with an enemy that can be defeated with earthly weapons. The word "carnal" is translated from the word "karkeekos", (Greek), of the flesh, bodily, temporal, animal, unregenerate.
5 If our weapons are not "carnal" they are not physical weapons.
6 Our weapons do not have the same limitations that physical weapons have.
7 If our weapons are not carnal or earthly or physical, then our enemy must not be carnal, earthly or physical.
8 If our enemy is not of the physical earth, then it must be spiritual.
9 "But mighty" clarifies the strength and value of the weapons we have. They are "mighty", translated from the word, "doonatos", (Greek), able, powerful, capable or possible. This confirms the superiority of our weapons over physical weapons.
10 "In God" ("through God" - KJV) further explains the type and source of our weapons. A weapon in God implies a spiritual weapon, for a spiritual battle, against a spiritual enemy.
11 "For pulling down", further explains the purpose and use of our weapons. "Pulling down" implies that something is built up against us. Our weapons will help us undo what has been built up.
12 "Strongholds" describes the nature of the enemy we face. It is established. It has taken territory. It has constructed a stronghold - "ochuromaton," (Greek), a fortress, a strong place of safety, a castle. Our enemy has a place of protection from its enemies. It is prepared to defend itself. It expects to be attacked.
This next verse further clarifies the nature of our warfare and the use of the weapons we have been given by God.
1 The war also involves "casting down", "kathairountes", (Greek), taking down, pulling down, destroying, debunking, discrediting, refuting, showing as false, the spiritual or intellectual strongholds we face.
2 The strongholds are thoughts and ideas, "Arguments" ("imaginations" - KJV), "logismous", (Greek), speculations, reasonings, ways of thinking, ideas. But these are not just any thoughts or ideas.
3 These ideas are "every high thing", "upsoma", (Greek), high thing, lofty, lifted up, highly thought of, revered, respected, exalted by other people.
4 But these "high things" are of a particular sort. They are ideas and concepts that exalt "epairomenon", (Greek), raised up, "against the knowledge of God". These are thoughts that oppose the evidence, logic, concepts, and principles that God has given us to live our lives as he wants us to.
5 One way we battle and overcome these thoughts and ideas is bring them into "captivity", to control, limit, subject, or restrain them, such that they conform to and submit to the "obedience" of the anointed one on God - Christ.
6 One way we do this is to ignore and not respond to thoughts and ideas that would cause us to think or act against the will of God we already know and understand.
7 Basically, this is how we are to deal with temptation. If we see temptations as a kind of warfare, we will take them more seriously and apply ourselves more earnestly to resist them.
Next, we get a glimpse of the duration of this warfare.
1 We are "ready", on guard, prepared, equipped and inclined, to oppose, contradict, refute, and reject, any thought or idea that is unlike that which we have learned from God or his word.
2 We "punish", "ekdikesai", (Greek), to vindicate, avenge, punish, opposing thoughts and ideas by rejecting them, opposing them, and offering and supporting alternative thoughts that support and defend the knowledge of God we have been given.
3 We will continue to withstand and "punish" these opposing thoughts and ideas until we die, when our obedience to God will be "fulfilled", completed, filled up.
4 Ultimately, those spirits and people who oppose God will be sent to hell where they will be punished forever.
CONCLUSION
Wow. That is a lot to get out of three little verses, 54 words.
The end.
While I have not written much on the subject of "religion" that will change in the next few months.
The longer/larger studies will be posted only on issuu.com, the shorter ones will be posted on both sites.
.......................................................
INTRODUCTION
Several days ago I heard a preacher on the radio quote 2 Corinthians 10:4 during his sermon. He quoted it, mentioned the small portion that related to his main point and went on. I, however, was flooded with thoughts about how much we can derive from this verse. I have heard this verse quoted and expounded upon many times. I am sure I have never heard anyone dissect these verses in the following way.
Wording quoted here is from the New King James version of the Bible.
THE UNDERSTANDING
2 Corinthians 10:4-6
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
1 The word "for" indicates that the following statements are the logical result of statements that immediately precede this verse. (see v.3)
2 "Weapons" indicates that we are engaged in a battle or struggle which we cannot win without assistance. This fight requires tools or implements to assist us in overcoming that which opposes us. And we have more than one weapon.
3 "Our warfare" indicates that this is not a single event. It is not a battle, it is a war. It is a process. It will take effort over a period of time. "Warfare" implies an ongoing struggle. It implies that this is not a simple task, it is an extended conflict involving many people. "Warfare" is translated from "strateias", (Greek), a campaign, expedition, or military service. It implies the gathering of many fighters for a common purpose; the movement of armies from one place to another; the engagement of many fighters against many other fighters; the goal of victory over or defeat of the enemy; and the threat of death or loss if they fail.
4 "Not carnal" indicates that this is not a conflict with an enemy that can be defeated with earthly weapons. The word "carnal" is translated from the word "karkeekos", (Greek), of the flesh, bodily, temporal, animal, unregenerate.
5 If our weapons are not "carnal" they are not physical weapons.
6 Our weapons do not have the same limitations that physical weapons have.
7 If our weapons are not carnal or earthly or physical, then our enemy must not be carnal, earthly or physical.
8 If our enemy is not of the physical earth, then it must be spiritual.
9 "But mighty" clarifies the strength and value of the weapons we have. They are "mighty", translated from the word, "doonatos", (Greek), able, powerful, capable or possible. This confirms the superiority of our weapons over physical weapons.
10 "In God" ("through God" - KJV) further explains the type and source of our weapons. A weapon in God implies a spiritual weapon, for a spiritual battle, against a spiritual enemy.
11 "For pulling down", further explains the purpose and use of our weapons. "Pulling down" implies that something is built up against us. Our weapons will help us undo what has been built up.
12 "Strongholds" describes the nature of the enemy we face. It is established. It has taken territory. It has constructed a stronghold - "ochuromaton," (Greek), a fortress, a strong place of safety, a castle. Our enemy has a place of protection from its enemies. It is prepared to defend itself. It expects to be attacked.
This next verse further clarifies the nature of our warfare and the use of the weapons we have been given by God.
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
1 The war also involves "casting down", "kathairountes", (Greek), taking down, pulling down, destroying, debunking, discrediting, refuting, showing as false, the spiritual or intellectual strongholds we face.
2 The strongholds are thoughts and ideas, "Arguments" ("imaginations" - KJV), "logismous", (Greek), speculations, reasonings, ways of thinking, ideas. But these are not just any thoughts or ideas.
3 These ideas are "every high thing", "upsoma", (Greek), high thing, lofty, lifted up, highly thought of, revered, respected, exalted by other people.
4 But these "high things" are of a particular sort. They are ideas and concepts that exalt "epairomenon", (Greek), raised up, "against the knowledge of God". These are thoughts that oppose the evidence, logic, concepts, and principles that God has given us to live our lives as he wants us to.
5 One way we battle and overcome these thoughts and ideas is bring them into "captivity", to control, limit, subject, or restrain them, such that they conform to and submit to the "obedience" of the anointed one on God - Christ.
6 One way we do this is to ignore and not respond to thoughts and ideas that would cause us to think or act against the will of God we already know and understand.
7 Basically, this is how we are to deal with temptation. If we see temptations as a kind of warfare, we will take them more seriously and apply ourselves more earnestly to resist them.
Next, we get a glimpse of the duration of this warfare.
6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
1 We are "ready", on guard, prepared, equipped and inclined, to oppose, contradict, refute, and reject, any thought or idea that is unlike that which we have learned from God or his word.
2 We "punish", "ekdikesai", (Greek), to vindicate, avenge, punish, opposing thoughts and ideas by rejecting them, opposing them, and offering and supporting alternative thoughts that support and defend the knowledge of God we have been given.
3 We will continue to withstand and "punish" these opposing thoughts and ideas until we die, when our obedience to God will be "fulfilled", completed, filled up.
4 Ultimately, those spirits and people who oppose God will be sent to hell where they will be punished forever.
CONCLUSION
Wow. That is a lot to get out of three little verses, 54 words.
The end.
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