5 Ways to Keep Your Alumni Base Lively

I love these Infographics......I belong to a few alumni groups and this is all valid advice.

Via: iContact

Misidentified Mary

Mary Magdelene is one of the most misinterpreted individuals in Scripture. She’s been called a prostitute, and she’s been confused with the woman who shed tears on Jesus’ feet.   I can understand the confusion…..there were several Marys and through the ages women took a backseat role where the church was concerned, however, the importance of Mary of Magdalene in the ministry of Jesus….especially during those last days cannot be discounted or swept away, but folks sure do get confused regarding who she was.

Here are some facts to ponder.

Mary’s entire name denotes her hometown.  She was Mary from Magdelene, and who could blame Jesus for calling her this.   There WERE several Mary’s milling about at the time, right?

Magdalene was a town many historians term as wealthy.  People living there mainly worked in agriculture, fishing, in shipbuilding or in trade.   The town was located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.   The Talmud states that Magdalene was a short distance of three miles from Tiberias, and the name in Greek means tower and fortress in Aramaic.

Mary Magdalene by Bernardio Luini...notice the alabaster jar that shouldn't be there.

The Bible relates how Jesus drove seven demons from Mary Magdalene. 

Seven!   Can you imagine?

Of course when you and I think of demons we think of lizard like creatures erupting from someone’s torso as in the Alien movies, but actually the New Testament presents demon-possession as someone diseased or victim to an alien and evil power.  The person was not an accomplice of it. 

As to the number of demons there are those that interpret the number seven to mean completeness…and those that say the number indicates the severity of Mary’s problem, but the cause is never disclosed.

Whatever Mary’s ailment she became healed and was not a social derelict.  There is no evidence to refute that her malady was a phyisical illness of which she was healed. 

In some circles Mary has a bad reputation.   Some people hold her on the same level as Mary the Sinner and she has been identified as the penitent woman who anointed Jesus. 

But there were two anointing were there not?   Two anointing performed by two different women.  Matthew and Mark both tell the story that occurred at Bethany where Jesus’ head was anointed at the home of Simon the Leper by the unidentified woman……Matthew 26: 6-13 and Mark 14: 3-9.

John discusses Bethany as well stating that Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume….John 12: 1-3.

Luke, however, told of Jesus dining at the home of the Pharisee when an unidentified woman who had lived a sinful life wet his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.  She then poured expensive perfume on them….Luke 7: 37-38.

There are theories connecting Mary of Magdalene to these anointing, but they are just that…..theories.

Going all the way back to the first Christian century, folks have been falsely identifying the unknown woman in Luke’s account with Mary Magdalene.   Luke only identified her in a list of women who helped support Jesus and the disciples out of their own money…..Luke 8:2-3.

Mary of Magdalene by Frederick Sandys 1858-60

There is nothing in the Biblical text to connect Mary Magdalene with the woman in the preceding story involving the unknown woman who anointed Jesus’ feet.   Luke actually provides a formal introduction of Mary in 8:2, and it shows no indication she had already been introduced in 7:36-50.     

I believe firmly that the unknown woman referred to as “a sinner” in Luke 7:37 and Mary with “seven demons” in Luke 8:2 are two entirely different women.

What we do know for sure John describes Mary of Magdalene as a woman of means who used her money to support the ministry of Jesus.  After the Galilean ministry she and other women  went along with Jesus to Jerusalem during that last week of His earthly ministry and was there for His crucifixion and His resurrection.

Mary of Magdalene never turned away from Jesus as other did in those last hours.  She bravely stood at the cross and witnessed everything.   This was a dangerous thing to do, but she did it.  It needs to be remembered that most of the male followers turned away and deserted Jesus…..but many of the women were self-appointed watchers and were faithful to the end.  

When Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus made the request for the body of Jesus and buried him in the tomb it was Mary of Magdalene who watched and observed the location.   After the Sabbath had passed it was Mary of Magdalene who planned to return to the tomb to properly prepare Jesus’ body for permanent burial with spices.

It is not by chance that all of the Synoptic gospels mention that Mary along with some other women went early to the tomb that Sunday morning.  Only John stated that it was still dark and made no mention of the other women.   When Mary of Magdalene saw the stone had been rolled away she ran to tell Peter and John. 

After the men visited the tomb and found it empty they were confused, but returned home.  It was then that the two angels appeared to Mary.   Jesus approached and made His first resurrection appearance to Mary but she mistook Him for the gardener until He spoke her name.

Mary then gave the very first confession of faith in the risen Lord when she said “Rabboni” in Aramaic.

I sincerely don’t believe it just happened that a woman was the first to do so.

Jewelry Find at Megiddo

Hot off the presses…..or screen since this is a digital world…..pieces of gold and silver jewelry have been found at Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel.   The find actually occurred back in March, but it has taken this long for folks in the know to take a closer look.

They’ve determined the jewelry dates back to 1100 B.C.E.   It was found wrapped in fabric and hidden in ceramic vessels in what is described as a private home dating from the Iron Age.   Researchers believe the jewelry belonged to a Canaanite woman.

Did the owner die?   Was she forced to flee suddenly?   Why did they hide it?

One of the most exciting pieces is a gold earring decorated with molded ibexes, or wild goats.   

Usually, in a find like this researchers already have something similar they can compare objects with to place them in the proper cultural and chronological settings.   In the case of the “goat” earrings there is NO comparison item.

The most amazing thing is the container where the jewelry was found has been in the hands of archaeologists since 2010 and has been sitting around waiting for a molecular analysis of its content.

It is believed some of the collection could have originated in Egypt due to beads made from the carnelian stone.  The style of the jewelry is consistent with Egyptian designs from the same period.   Another hint regarding an Egyptian origin has to do with the large number of gold items.  If the items didn’t originate in Egypt then the designer was at least influenced by Egyptian styles of the time.  There were instances of trade between the Egyptians and Megiddo during the Bronze and Iron Age.

Tel Megiddo was an important Canaanite city-state until the early 10^th century B.C.E. 

During the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 9^th and 8^th centuries B.C.E. Tel Megiddo continued to be an important center.   

It was easy for the researchers to date the jewelry since layers of archaeological matter exist at the site and are very easily dated. 

  

The jewelry in question was found in a layer that researchers have identified as 11^th century about the time of an Egyptian withdrawal or when the people who owned the jewelry would have been influenced by Egyptian culture.

Visit the Tel Megiddo expedition website here.

Peniel Pillows

See this pillow……it’s one of my most prized possessions

.No one bought for me….I found it and purchased it. 

  

Sometimes those little discoveries are the most precious, aren’t they?

I bought it mainly for the colors…..and then I got it because of the pineapples.

Another reason why I purchased it had to do with the story that surrounds the pillow’s creator.

Rushan Smyth began Peniel Pillows when she needed a gift for a friend.  Rushan states at her website, “My dream was to create pillows that would tell a story from the Bible, thereby becoming a source of encouragement.  I couldn’t even sew, but through that one simple gesture, the company now known as Peniel Pillows was born, and I learned something very important.   This is not about ‘sewing’…it is about ‘Sowing’!”

The name Peniel comes from Genesis 32:30…..Jacob named the place Peniel (The Face of God), for he said, “I have seen God face to face and yet my life is spared.  The website continues….“Like Jacob we all wrestle with the care of this world.  Our hope at Peniel Pillows is that these keepsakes will be constant reminder of God’s promises as you read the scripture passage individually selected for each unique pillow.   Know God’s word is the key to life…..We pray that you too will see His face and live.”

Each pillow follows a theme….mine follows the word hospitality and is based on the words from Hebrews 13:2….Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it, and Luke 12:35-40….Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.   It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.   Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.  It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak.  But understand this:  If the owner, of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.  You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

The description of my pillow at the website states:  The pineapple, a universal symbol of “Welcome!”  Whether a cup of tea, cold water, or just a listening ear for a hurting friend, “Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamp burning”.   Open your heart to make someone feel comfortable in your presence.  “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some people have entertained angels without even knowing it.”  You may never know until eternity, what a difference your gift of hospitality has made.   Another gift is waiting.

All of the pillows come with a descriptive hangtag referencing the name, scripture passage, and symbolism of each individual design.   A small New Testament is placed inside every Peniel Pillow which serves as an ideal place for a person inscription.

…and of course each pillow comes with the little key emblem as well

I’m beginning to think the Lord wanted to share with me some lessons regarding hospitality, and that was His reason for putting the pillow in my path that day.  Over the last couple of years I’ve learned a little more about hospitality… more on the downside than the up…..but that will come later...there's time.  

Damaris and the Cartoons

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when I say the word “cartoon”?

Depending on your age you might say…..Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, or Sponge Bob, right?

However, my subject matter doesn’t refer to those types of cartoons today.

Look at this Raphael painting below:

Raphael's depiction of Paul teaching at the Areopagus

THIS painting is referred to as a cartoon.  

Seriously…..a cartoon.

The dictionary advises a cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art.  While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or the artistic style of such works.   The term actually originated in the Middle Ages and was used to refer to a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco tapestry, or stained glass window.

The above painting is part of a series referred to as The Raphael Cartoons he prepared for the Sistine Chapel, and shows Paul giving his sermon at the Areopagus or “Rock of Ares” which served as the High Court of Appeals for criminal and civil cases in the city of Athens.

Paul’s sermon is related in Acts 17: 16-34.  He drew inspiration for his sermon from the alter to the unknown god…..”The God who made the World and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.”

    

Upon entering Athens Paul had been upset by seeing the city full of idols.   He was taken to the Areopagus or High Court to explain himself.   What we have in Acts is one of the most full and most dramatic speeches Paul ever uttered.  He must have been very convincing because many in the crowd were converted.

Now look back at Raphel’s painting again. Notice the couple in the lower right corner.   Yes, a couple….as in husband and WIFE.    Art historians are certain this couple was added later by Raphael’s pupil, Giulio Romano because the man and woman don’t seem to fit in with relation to position or scale.

The couple is mentioned in Acts 17:34……Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.  Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Demaris, and a number of others.


The woman's name is important.   She's listed with men in a place where men congregated in Athens.   


Why  was she mentioned?


It's very evident that she was a woman of high status or she wouldn't have been at the Areopagus.  In fact, John Chrysostom, the Archbishop of Constantinople, made the connection that Demaris was actually the wife of Dionysius thought Luke doesn't tell us.


Historians today aren't so sure.  Authors such as Robert Paul Seesengood, a biographer of Paul, agree there are no hard details to link the two......though in the whole scheme of things it doesn't really matter. 


What matters is Paul spoke...and people listened and were saved.


The cartoon detail is kind of interesting, too!!!

Using Technology to Piece the Past Together

This is an interesting article detailing how thousands of fragments of ancient scrolls are spread out across the globe, and how a computer program can virtually "glue" the pieces back together  even though the pieces belong to different museums and storage facilities and never physically meet up again.

Too cool.

The researchers are now applying the … technology to fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of hundreds of text found along the Dead Sea in the 1950s, as well as other scrolls.

"It's a more complicated challenge," Wolf said, referring to the Dead Sea Scrolls. "The fragments are for the most part much smaller, and many of the texts are very unique. These texts shed light on the beginnings of Christianity."

Technology…..a curse at times, but such a blessing , too!

Paul's Secretary

My mom was a marathon letter and journal writer.  I can still see her seated at our kitchen table each morning writing, writing, writing.  Even after Dear Sister gave her a computer, Mother continued to scribble away in her spiral notebooks she always seemed to have on hand.  I have to agree with her.  There is something about moving a pen across a clean page of paper and making it all your own.

Mother created the most interesting letters regarding what was going on in our lives, pondering current events of the day, or relating some little anecdote from her past. 

When I meet up with one of her dear friends they all tell me the same thing - I miss her letters so much.  I know how they feel.  I LONG for one myself. 

Mother didn't just love to write letters.  She loved to read them as well.  Paul was her favorite letter writer with his letter to the Romans as a particular favorite.

While Mother did all of her letter writing at a kitchen table Paul would have followed the custom of the day and would have sat with his writing perched in his lap or on his knees.   Yes, I know there are very famous paintings of Paul sitting at a desk with an oil light, but it just isn't an accurate picture regarding most of the letters.

13 Things Regarding the Sinai Peninsula

The Search For The Real Mt. Sinai

1. The Sinai Peninsula is an important region to readers of the Bible and also serves as a land bridge between Africa and Asia.  Notice on the map the region appears to be an upside down triangle. 

2. Three significant events occurred there regarding the Israelites.   First the Peninsula is the location where Mount Sinai is located…the place where God appeared to Moses more than once.  Moses interacted with God for the first time while he was on the mountain herding sheep for Jethro.   The second time Moses was there God established his covenant with the Israelites at the foot of the mountain after their exodus from Egypt. Sinai is also the place where Moses ascended the mountain and God gave him the Ten Commandments.

3. Mount Sinai is referred to as “the mountain”…. Exodus 19:2; “the mountain of God”… Exodus 3:1; “the mountain of the Lord”…Numbers Numbers 10:33; and “Horeb”…Exodus 3:1.

There are five areas mentioned in the Bible in relationship to the mountain.

4. The Wilderness of Shur is the location on the northern border of Egypt where the Israelites found themselves after crossing the Red Sea.   This place was between the Red Sea and Marah where the people complained because there was no water…. Exodus 15: 22-24.

5. The wilderness of Sin is a region between Elim and Sinai where God provided food for the Israelites…Exodus 16:1.

6. The Wilderness of Paran is where the Israelites camped after they left Mount Sinai, and is the location where they were sent out to explore the land.

Where Can I Find a Urim and Thummim?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just go to God and ask Him to lay it all out for us regarding the directions we need go when we reach a crossroad?

What subjects to study in school?   Which jobs to take?   How to discipline and advise our children?    When we should take action or just sit back and observe our surroundings?

Sometimes we know the right thing to do, but the actions of others….justified or not….keep us from acting.   Sometimes our own wants….our selfishness… takes over preventing us from hearing God.  Sometimes as the background noise in our lives becomes louder and louder it becomes more difficult to hear God.

Why can’t the path be clear instead of clear as mud?

Reading through the Bible it seems the ancients had several opportunities to hear God when they needed guidance, and the Pentateuch was very clear on what NOT to do when seeking answers.

Deuteronomy 18: 10-13 provides a list of things that were detestable including interpreting omens, witchcraft, casting spells, and consulting the dead.    These practices were so detestable they were punishable by death per Leviticus 20:6.

The people of Babylon practiced divination so well they are the go-to culture when researching various ways the ancients used to contact the gods.   They used astrology, analyzed cloud formations, the peculiar actions of animals and pouring liquid into basins to read the bubbles that were formed.   There were even specially trained priests who read the livers of sacrificed animals.   To the ancients it appeared the liver was the source of blood in the body and therefore must be the seat of life.

A Diet of Worms? Hardly....Just Remember the "V" Sound

Worms Cathedral….Just the name alone doesn’t sound very religious or very soul soothing, does it?

The place IS very historic and as far as cathedrals go, and it is beautiful.

The name comes from the Latin Borbetomagus which means “settlement in a watery area” which eventually morphed to Vormatia……

Vormatia. Now when you realize that you don’t pronounce the “W” when saying the word “Worms” and you substitute a “V” sound as in Vorms it all makes sense……

Actually….it should be pronounced “Varms”

There are no worms and there never were any. :)

In fact, Worms Cathedral is also known at St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Worms Cathedral…consecrated in 1110…. is known as an Imperial Cathedral which means it was built under the reign of an emperor. The building is unique in that it has two quires or choirs…..one at each end of the nave. The second choir was set aside for the emperor to attend church.

The oldest section of the cathedral….the east choir…..is an example of an architectural trick. The walls are straight on the outside of the building but are rounded on the inside.

Speaking of emperors there are a few royal members buried at Worms Cathedral……

*Conrad I and II, the Dukes of Carinthia

*Conrad, Duke of Lorraine

*Queen Matilda, consort of Henry I of France (she was also the daughter of Conrad II the Holy Roman Emperor

Sadly the original windows were destroyed in 1943 by the bombs of World War II, but over time during the 1960s they were all replaced.

The major historical significance of the Worms Cathedral is that it was the location for the Diet of Worms in April 1521.

Ugh. Again, it doesn’t sound too appealing, right?

The Diet of Worms was called by the Holy Roman Emperor who was actually the German king, Charles V. It is helpful to understand a Diet was a general assembly of the Imperial states of the Holy Roman Empire. So, a diet is a formally called meeting. There were many different diets that took place at Worms Cathedral, so like many treaties that share the same name it is important to know which year you are talking about.

The Diet of Worms in 1521 is significant in church history became it the meeting where Martin Luther was required to answer the papal bull of Pope Leo X.

A bull is simply a form of communication sent out by the Pope, and this particular bull……also referred to as Exsurge Domine (Arise O’ Lord) denounced Martin Luther’s 95 Theses on the Power and Effacy of Indulgences Luther had nailed to the door at Wittenberg (again, the “W” is pronounced with a “V” sound).

The whole “nail” thing is still argued by historians…..we aren’t sure if Luther really nailed his theses to the door, but church doors were commonly used as bulletin boards at that time and the story does make sense.

….and what happened to Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms? A formal statement was issued condemning Martin Luther, but he was allowed to leave Worms without being arrested. It was commonly known, however, that at some point he would be arrested and punished.

His supporters hid him away at Wartburg Castle (again…..remember the “V” sound) and while there Luther began his German translation of the Bible.

Athiest Don't Have No Songs......

This is an interesting song with Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers

Jeremiah's Confessions

I receive an email everyday from Merriam Webster’s Word of the Day and along with an entymology.

Today’s word was jeremiad which means a prolonged lamentation or complaint; also : a cautionary or angry harangue.

The email goes on to explain:

Jeremiah was a naysayer. That Jewish prophet, who lived from about 650 to 570 BC, spent his days lambasting the Hebrews for their false worship and social injustice and denouncing the king for his selfishness, materialism, and inequities. When not calling on his people to quit their wicked ways, he was lamenting his own lot; a portion of the Old Testament's Book of Jeremiah is devoted to his "confessions," a series of lamentations on the hardships endured by a prophet with an unpopular message. Nowadays, English speakers use "Jeremiah" for a pessimistic person and "jeremiad" for the way these Jeremiahs carry on. The word "jeremiad" was actually borrowed from the French, who coined it as "jérémiade."

Now…..regarding those confessions of Jeremiah. He’s not confessing all….telling us his sins. He is sharing the struggle of his soul……similar to those dialogues we all have with God and with ourselves regarding how we relate to God and if we are on the right path for God’s will or not.

These verses are usually noted as Jeremiah’s Confessions and can be found at the following links:

Jeremiah 11: 18

Jeremiah 12: 6

Jeremiah 15: 10-21

Jeremiah 17: 14-18

Jeremiah 18: 18-23

Jeremiah 20: 7-18

The picture with this post is Jeremiah as he appears on the Sistene Chapel by Michelangelo….

Cha cha cha Changes

Though I was in the fourth grade in 1972 I remember vividly the song Changes performed by David Bowie being played on Atlanta radio stations over and over…..I believe my sister and I had the single, and even today it’s still played on various classic rock stations.
Believe it or not Changes is one of David Bowie’s best known songs, but it failed to make the Top 40. In the book Strange Fascination-David Bowie: The Definitive Story, David Buckley reports the lyrics are often seen as a manifesto for his chameleonic personality throughout the 1970s. I can understand this as it seemed Bowie remade himself everytime you saw him during the 70s and 80s, but John Mendelsohn wrote in a Rolling Stone article from 1972 that the song could be construed as a young man’s attempt to reckon how he’ll react when it’s his time to be on the maligned side of the generation.

Well, Bowie’s certainly there by now, isn’t he? Born in 1947 he’s not exactly the younger generation anymore. He’s still producing music though and still changing with the times. He’s the same David Bowie….he’s just merely presenting himself using modern methods
Bowie has branched out as an actor over the years most recently playing the role of Nikola Tesla in The Prestige released in 2006. If you are a SpongeBob Squarepants fan you heard Bowie’s voice used for the role of “Lord Royal Highness” in the episode titled SpongeBob’s Atlantis SquarePantis. Many of my students came to school talking about the soundtrack to Shrek2 in 2004. They told me all about a great song titled Changes, a duet by Butterfly Boucher and SOME OLD GUY. They’d sing it over and over on the playground. They were amazed when I told them about “the old guy” and that I listened to the same song in 1972 or as one child remarked, “Oh, in the olden days.”

Changes….sometimes we do have to turn and face the strange.

Ecclesiastes 3, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. Perhaps it ranks right up at the top of meaningful text because it involves the concept of time…a concept which is always near and dear to the heart of any history teacher such as myself.

The passage reminds us everything has its own time during the span of our lives. Sadness, happiness, death, new life, planting and harvesting, love and hate, war and peace----they all have a place at one time or another in our lives since Scripture tells us God created those things to be appropriate in their time and for His purpose.

In order to experience these things we have to also experience change. You can’t get from death to healing without change. You can’t get from throwing stones to gathering stones without change. You can’t get from tearing down something to building something up without change. None of it will happen without change. Life can’t exist without change.

Even so, many of us spend a large amount of our time here on earth resisting change, including myself.

I actually hate change. Change is the unknown. Change is scary. Change is uncomfortable, but the Bible shows us that change is necessary, and my own life experiences have shown me this is true. You can probably think back on great and not so great changes in your own life and see that while there were negatives with the change there were also postive things as well even though it might take some time for those results to be seen.

Last Sunday’s Bible Study lesson involved Abram and changes he made in his life. It was titled “Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone”. Using Scripture from Genesis 12 and 13the lesson reminds us about God’s call to Abram to leave his homeland and his people in order to follow a promise God has made to him.

Genesis 12:4 explains Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

Between verses one and four of Genesis 12 we see the Lord commands and Abram goes. He doesn’t question, he doesn’t do any research, he doesn’t argue, he doesn’t discuss God’s command with a focus group, and most importantly he doesn’t ignore God’s command. God said go, and Abram went.

We see that Lot goes with Abram with no reservations as well. This amazes me. How many of us would pack our things and move simply based on the fact a relative told us God had spoken to him and promised he would become the father of many nations?

The most interesting thing is the last part of verse four……Abram was 75 years old. This isn’t exactly a time in someone’s life when change is easy. Now I’ve never been 75. I hope I get to 75 and beyond, but one thing I know from being around many who are 75, 85, 95, and even one important lady in my life who made it to 102, change isn’t easy for these folks even though they have the most wisdom to provide regarding life.

Yet we see Abram at at 75 setting out on a journey that our lesson compared to what we know about Columbus and his journey to the New World. I’m not sure I really know what I would do if the Lord spoke to me today, and told me to tell my family to pack up because we have to go on journey.

How many of us truly like getting outside of our comfort zone?

As an educator I have survived a firestorm of change in the last ten years. American History is still American History, but due to needed reforms I go about teaching it differently than the teachers who taught me. Instead of just reading a textbook or “sit and get” type lessons where students listen to me, I provide guided situations where students uncover content on their own. I provide opportunities for students to be motivated and involved in the learning process through various strategies that hit on multiple intelligences and learning styles. I don’t demand that students meet me at my level…I hunker down and meet them where they are even if that means providing content five different ways.

Now, don’t for one minute think that I and my colleages accepted these types of changes willingly. Believe me when I tell you there was much gnashing of teeth, snarling, and to and froing. I’ve stamped my foot and kicked my fair share of door jams over the last few years because I hung onto the notion that patience was the watchword. At some point and time I would receive that group of students that would be successful simply because they did it my way. I didn’t want to change, but I’m awfully glad I did because the benefits were amazing.

Reasons for the changes weren’t merely because legislators and educrats up on high told me to. It wasn’t really due to the latest research or fad. The changes were necessary because our clientele---our students---had changed. You cannot use early twentieth century methods with early twenty-first century students. Folks today aren’t just merely the television generation. They are the instant and constant information generation via their cell phone, their Ipod, their video games, their Internet, and any other type of technology I could list.

So, if the folks outside the school walls are looking for something particular does it make sense for me to say leave technology out and forgo various teaching methods because I’m not comfortable with them. Instead of merely leaving a child behind it’s more like I would be tuning the student out and off.

With that in mind do we tune people out and off due to a resistence in the church regarding change?

I think we do.

Over the last two thousand years there have been great upheavals and change in the church, and yet it’s still here. It’s not going away. Those changes were necessary to allow God’s plan to come to fruition.

Where would the Christian church be today if we still ignored Paul’s encouragement for congregational singing (Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19) and only opted for liturgical hymns sung by the special few who could sing in Latin?

Where would the church be today without the struggle that was created with the Protestant Reformation? Back then the slogan was “the reformed church, always being reformed by the church of God.”……always being changed by the church of God…..

Where would we be if Martin Luther had not prepared a Mass in German, so that ALL of the congregation could recite and sing the texts?

Where would we be without Charles Wesley’s hymns that actually provided a new focus….one that expressed personal feelings in the relationship with God as well as simple worship seen in much older church music?

Where would we be without Wesley’s new style of hymn and a period of history in America known as the Great Awakening which led to another distinct style of church music we know as gospel?

Thomas Aquinas said, “If the primary aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.” Applying this idea to the church how sad it would be if in our zeal to not bend to the needs of congregants we run the ship aground.

In his book, A Church for the 21st Century, Leith Anderson questions the goal of a church. If the goal is to preserve everything in pristene condition then it will be “defensively protected.” However, if the goal is to go out and do something those involved will be willing to take the risk.

Change, of course, does not mean turning your back on the foundation of Christianity. There are certain things that cannot be denied or ignored. Much like my subject matter of American History…..I can’t change the events, but I can change the methods I use to convey the foundational doctrine (John 3:16). The New Testament provides for us two things Jesus told us the true purposes of the church. Those are the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) These two things are paramount were until Christ returns. Over the years God’s people have stayed true to these purposes through ever changing styles and methods, but their eyes were always on the same common mission.

It’s clear to me from reading Acts 2 and listening to Bible scholars teach the text the church membership must be of one mind as the disciples were …..all together in one place. This is reemphasized at the end of the passage…..all the believers were together and had everything in common.

As believers we are all given the Holy Spirit, our guide to help us lead a Christian life. The Holy Spirit strengthens us, and it can be used to do things we have never done before. I’m just thinking that in order for the Holy Spirit to move within us we have to be open and willing for change to take place.

Are we, no matter our generational experiences, willing for that to happe

Grandmother's Hands

This post first appeared here in September, 2007…..HERE

Last night at church one of our associate pastors read the following poem. Even though it is about a grandmother’s hands I couldn’t help but think about my own mother and her hands. She passed away in July, 2006, and I think I miss her hands most of all…..They did so much for me.

The pastor had to stop a couple of times as he read the poem, and I simply lost it.

At first I thought, “Durn, why did you go and read that? I certainly didn’t need to cry.” However, after some reflection time I realized I should be grateful that the pastor did read the poem because anytime something can trigger a memory of Mother it is indeed time well spent....even if it is also a tearful time.

The only copy of the poem I could find has been altered a bit from the one the pastor read but the majority of it is intact.

Grandmother’s Hands


I saw my grandmother sitting alone staring at her hands. I thought something was wrong and asked her about it. Grandmother asked, “Have you ever really looked at your hands?”


Grandmother continued, “Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout the years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled, and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.”


“They embraced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.”


“They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.”

“They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

“These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of my life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when He leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.”

I don’t think any Christian after reading this could ever look at their hands the same way again.

I Think My "Wanter" Is Stuck....AGAIN

This post first appeared here in August, 2009. Look for the link to the second part at the end. Both postings were written after hearing a great sermon from my pastor.

By Friday evening I was worn down…..Dear Daughter had had a bad case of the “wants” all afternoon. She wanted to talk to me which in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, but conversation isn’t all she wanted. She wanted a snack, she wanted to be taken out to eat, she wanted a replacement pet for our dear kitty that has gone missing, she wants her room painted, and she wants to decorate it in black and white (always wanted a black and white room).

Then she wanted to drive My car over to a friend’s house – seems the friend had wrecked her car and Dear Daughter wanted to see it. No, she didn’t get to go. Then she wanted another friend to come over and spend the night. I said yes. Then she wanted to go out to eat for dinner. I said no. Then there were the reminders about her class ring needing to be paid for, and I had forgotten to order her letter jacket (for golf) once again.

After dinner she wanted to drive MY car to get some cookies. We (by this time Dear Husband was home) said no.

She argued. I blasted her. I had had it with the “Can I?”, “I want”, “Get me”, “Can you”, “Let me” direction of every single thing out her mouth since 3:30 that afternoon. I went through the long laundry list with her of everything she had wanted since she arrived home from school.

I ended my listing by telling her, “Sweetie, I think your “wanter” is stuck.”

Don’t we all do that, though? Think about all the things or situations you want right now. I bet we could fill up a page or two with all the things we want from the insignificant (removing a hangnail) to the very significant (world peace)…..from the small (a bracelet at the local department store) to the very large (a new car, a cruise, or a new home).

Yes, from time to time my “wanter” gets stuck. I get into an acquiring mode where I hunt and gather little treasures as I shop. My closest friends joke about my very large collection of jewelry, and I do seem to have a bunch of stuff. I eye my friends and their stuff, and from time to time I see something I covet and simply must acquire for myself.

Covet….now there’s a Bible term for you. Exodus 20:17 tells us in the big 10….You shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t covet a friend’s possessions to the point that I might slip a lace napkin or silver creamer into my purse and walk away with it, but I do usually try to find where they got the item and attempt to purchase my own.

But is this a good habit to get into? Is the hunting and gathering of “stuff” a good thing?????

To covet means you have an uncontrolled desire to acquire. Notice I bolded “uncontrolled”……this is where the word covet takes a very negative turn and it’s the negative part of wanting something that the covet commandment addresses, and like all of God’s commandments there are very valid reasons why we need to keep our “wanter” from getting stuck.

Always wanting more causes fatigue. Proverbs 23:4 advises…Do not wear yourself out to be rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. This verse isn’t telling us that wealth is wrong….it’s telling us there is a smart way to riches and a not so smart way.

Always wanting more causes debt. For some reason our “wanters” get stuck and our wants exceed our needs and that leads to greed with a capital “G”. Ecclesiastes 5:11 states the truth…..The more money you have, the more money you spend…..

Always wanting more causes worry. This effect of a broken “wanter” would naturally follow debt, wouldn’t it? Greed leads to exceeding our needs and we can become overextended and exceed our finances as well.

Always wanting more can lead to conflict. What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the desires that battle with you? …..so says James (4:1). Hmmmm….one of the leading causes of divorce involves money, doesn’t it?

Always wanting more can lead to dissatisfaction. You will never be satisified if you long to be rich. You will never get all you want….Ecclesiastes 5:10

No, I don’t take all the verses I’ve referred to here as a condemnation of being rich. These verses do not mean I should throw out everything I own, down-size my residence, or become complacent with a minimum wage occupation.

Hardly…..

These verses refer to riches as in the over-acquiring of stuff and financial means. There is a fine line regarding being successful or having all you want, and you can cross that line very easily.

That is when our “wanter” gets stuck.

So, how do we unstick our “wanter”?

One way is by remembering the words of Jesus….A man’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be……Luke 12:15

….and we need to learn how to be content. I address contentment in part two of this post found here.

Memorial Day-2010

We honor and remember today.......

The scum walks a prior viewer.

13 Events in the Bible That Are Confirmed Elsewhere...

It often amazes me when people try to tell me the Bible is just a fairy tale. There are numerous events that can be found documented in other places.

Check these events out by following the links to other sources.

1. 1 Kings 14:25-26 advises in the fifth year of King Rehobaom, Shishak king of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem. He seized the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything. He took all the gold shields that Solomon had made. This campaign of Pharoh Shishak is also recorded on the walls of the Temple of Amun in Thebes, Egypt seen in the picture to the left.

2. During the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign a king of Assyria named Sennacherib attacked cities of Judah and captured them. When the King Hezekiah said, “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me. Whatever you demand from me, I will pay” the Assyrian king demanded 11 tons of silver and one ton of gold. King Hezekiah had no choice but to strip the gold from the doors of the Lord’s sanctuary (see 2 Kings 18: 13-16). This entire episode is recorded on the Taylor Prism.

3. The Moab Revolt against Israel is found in 2 Kings 1:1 and 2 Kings 3:4-27. It is also recorded on the Mesha Stele.

4. The Fall of Samaria to Sargon II, King of Assyria is recorded on his palace walls, but it can also be found in 2 Kings 17: 3-6 and 2 Kings 18: 9-11.

5. Also on Sargon’s walls is the account of his defeat of Ashdod. It’s also found in Isaiah 20:1….In the year that the commander-in-chief, sent by Sargon, king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it.

6. The Lachish Reliefs. records the Siege of Lachish by Sennacherib just as 2 Kings 18: 14, 17……See number 2 above.

7. One day, while he was worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. Then his son Esar-haddon become king in his place…..states 2 Kings 19: 37. This account refers to the assassination of Sennacherib and is also recorded in the court records of his son Esarhaddon.

8. The prophets Nahum and Zephaniah (Zephaniah 2:13-15) predicted the Fall of Ninevah. The prediction was also recorded on the Tablet of Nabopolasar.

9. 2 Kings 24: 10-14 tells of the Fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Bablyon. Of course it is also listed in the Babylonian Chronicles.

10. Ever hear of the Bablyonian Ration Records? They confirm the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in Babylon. It is also mentioned in 2 Kings 24; 15-16.

11. The Fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians was mentioned in Daniel 5: 30-31...That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of 62...the Babylonian Chronicles also provides the account.

12. Ezra 1:1-4 and Ezra 6:3-4 recounts how the captives in Babylon were freed by Cyrus the Great. Once again the Cyrus Cylinder provides an accounting as well.

13. The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John give us the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The writings of Josephus, Seutonius,Thallus, Pliny the Younger, the Talmud, and Lucian mention Jesus as well.

This post first appeared here at “Got Bible?” in November, 2007.

If you are wondering why I’m re-posting past articles read the explanation HERE .

Being Thankful for My Southern Heritage

The following post first appeared here in March, 2007as part of a weekly blog activity I was taking part in called Sunday Seven. For this particular “Seven” I decided to discuss my Southern heritage. The picture that appeared with this post is my cousin Ray on his bike in front of my great grandmother’s home.

Here in the great state of Georgia it would seem that we are still trying to come to terms with our ugly past regarding slavery and our secession from the Union. Currently many African American groups are demanding that our General Assembly make a formal apology for slavery. It looks like a done deal and I have no problems with this at all. What I do take issue with is some of our Southern heritage groups have tried to retaliate by demanding their own month long observance for the history of their heritage. I could go on and on and on about this issue and how absurd it all is but I won’t. I would like to show in my seven though there is much more to southern heritage than some might imagine…..

1. I am thankful for my father who has researched our family back at least seven generations. There is something quite satisfying to know how you are connected to the early history of a place and to know that your children have that family history to hold on to and to pass on.

2. I am from a long line of English men and women who tilled the land. They arrived in South Carolina and at one point crossed the mountains into Georgia where they obtained land in the lottery. I know that they were made of much sterner stuff than I…..before the advent of superhighways and Wendy’s drive-thrus they trekked across mountains that I now vacation in and rent fancy cabins with fantastic views from my outdoor hot tub (not to mention the funnel cakes).

3. I’m thankful for my grandfather many times over named Isaac who fought in the American Revolution at the Battle of Cowpens and other places in the South. I’m also thankful for my ancestors who fought in the Civil War. Sadly I have no journals, letters, or other primary sources to let me know why they fought. Census reports from the years before the war do not indicate any slaves were owned so it can be concluded that they didn’t have a stake in the outcome of the war in that regard, however, they did fight for the south. Was it states rights? Was it hope that their fortunes would improve allowing them the same lifestyle of the minority wealthy planters? I’ll never know, but obviously they felt a certain way and made a stand and stuck to it. I guess all Americans must grapple with this problem since many of the architects of our liberty from English tyranny held slaves while stating all men are created equal. I guess you just have to put yourself in the context of the times.

4. I’m thankful for my Great-Uncle Homer who could always be counted on to gather up young and old alike following our dinner-on-the-ground during our annual family reunions. He would shoo us all into the church for singing. He couldn’t sing a lick but it was such fun to see how enthusiastic he was standing up and leading all of us while we melted in the hard backed pews since there was no air conditioning for the church back in the 70s. There were always plenty of the paper fans with funeral home advertisements on one side and pictures of Jesus on the other for us to revive one another with though.

5. I’m thankful that here in the south you can get away with more political “UN”correctness as far as talking about Jesus, the Bible, and other matters of church without offending anyone. I mean when you live in a small town and everyone goes to one of the three or four churches, well……it’s just not that big of a deal, you know. The biggest religious controversy is which denomination lets out first and takes up all the booths at the diner.

6. I’m thankful for the 89 acres that has been in my father’s family for three generations. The picture with this post was taken back in the 1960s on ‘the place”. The view is looking across the street from my grandfather's house to his mother's place. It was built in the late 1890s. Since my dad is now surrounded with country club communities I doubt it will stay that way for long, but my children enjoy walking over the same fields their grandparents, great-grandparents, their great-greats, and their great-great-greats planted, plowed, and harvested by hand…….no slaves, no workers----just them and a mule and a plow.

7. Finally, I’m thankful for the heritage of food in the South. Cornbread, Vidalia Onions, creamed corn, fried okra, green beans, Cole slaw, fried apple pies, fried green tomatoes….I could go on and on…..all types of wonderful foods my ancestors never went to the store to buy….they raised it all themselves on the land and prepared it themselves.

It would seem that as I come to the end of this Sunday Seven focusing on heritage you could say mine is tied up in land and God. These are two of things that brought Englishmen to America, so how could my heritage be anything else. God and land…..God and country……God and the United States of America!

If you are wondering why I’m re-posting past articles read the explanation HERE

50 Words Summarizing the Bible

This particular post first ran in April, 2007. If you wanted to complete a quick read of the Bible this would be it…….however, the longer version is much better.

God made
Adam bit
Noah arked
Abraham split
Joseph ruled
Jacob fooled
Bush talked
Moses balked
Pharaoh plagued
People walked
Sea divided
Tablets guided
Promise landed
Saul freaked
David peeked
Prophets warned
Jesus born
God walked
Love talked
Anger crucified
Hope died
Love rose
Spirit flamed
Word spread
God remained.

If you are wondering why I’m re-posting past writings click
here

Mulligan Season...

Over at History Is Elementary I’ve declared this spring to be the season of the mulligan – see my explanation here.

Basically, it means I will be re-posting past articles here at Got Bible? as well as History Is Elementary and Georgia on My Mind.

I’m doing this so I can concentrate on a book project with a looming deadline.

Don’t worry though….I’ll be checking in often….