tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155884622024-03-12T21:18:19.001-05:00Musings by BobBe not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Hebrews 13:9Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.comBlogger579125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-4210336736701381412011-01-27T12:09:00.003-05:002011-01-27T13:22:49.309-05:00How a Body is Made<p>Many years ago, sitting through an AP Biology class in High School, I saw the Creator in every turn of the page. I still think it’s a paradox how some people could turn the pages of a Biology textbox and see no God, while others (like myself) see nothing but God. Biology became one of my favorite subjects. </p> <p>This post gets down into the nitty gritty details of some fascinating Biology about how your body was made. But before we start, let’s pause to review a small glossary of terms…</p> <ul> <li><strong><em>Gene</em></strong> <br />Genes make up the blueprint of your body. There are genes that provide detailed instructions for how your cells should replicate, and genes that define what eye or hair color you have. It would take you almost <strong><em>10 years</em></strong> to read all of your genes, out loud, without stopping. In a nutshell, your genes contain the portions of DNA needed by your cells to live. <br /></li> <li><em><strong>DNA</strong> <br /></em>DNA is what genes are made of. You might think of DNA has the whole library (containing books of every detail about you), while a gene is one book in the library. But DNA is also a bit more than that: part of your DNA makes up your genes (the blueprint of your body); the rest of your DNA is involved in <em>how your genes are expressed</em>. <br /> <br />DNA looks a twisted ladder. The ladder is made up of 4 chemical bases abbreviated as A, T, G, and C. These four bases are paired in different combinations to make the code that represents <em>you</em>. Put another way, <em>the alphabet of your body has only 4 characters</em>, A, T, G and C. <br /> <br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/TUGmp-vWFTI/AAAAAAAAATM/E9iAHwomsOU/s1600-h/dnaillustration2.gif"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="dnaillustration" border="0" alt="dnaillustration" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/TUGmqQv1h6I/AAAAAAAAATQ/ATMIFQeQySU/dnaillustration_thumb.gif?imgmax=800" width="170" height="244" /></a> <br /></li> <li><strong><em>Chromosome</em></strong> <br />In the nucleus of each cell, the DNA molecule is packaged up nice and neat in what is called a chromosome. Normally you can’t see a chromosome even under a microscope, but when a cell begins to divide the DNA in the chromosome packs tight enough to become visible under a microscope. If you could pull and tug on a chromosome until it was stretched out, it would be about <em>3 inches long</em>. A human zygote will contain 23 chromosomes from the mother, and 23 from the father, which together make 46. <br /> <br />A chromosome looks like this. <br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/TUGmqwbM8_I/AAAAAAAAATU/5bFPpkhAOuM/s1600-h/chromosome100.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="chromosome" border="0" alt="chromosome" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/TUGmrTtNChI/AAAAAAAAATY/auBPbYhallY/chromosome_thumb98.jpg?imgmax=800" width="146" height="133" /></a> <br /></li> <li><strong>Egg (Ovum) <br /></strong>The human egg cell is one of the largest cells in the human body. It’s so big, you can see it without a microscope (but you might have to squint)! The egg contains 23 chromosomes from the mother, waiting to be paired with 23 chromosomes from the father to produce a zygote with 46 chromosomes. The egg doesn’t move, it just sits around waiting for sperm to come by; it’s been described by some scientists as an <em>"inert globule of organic matter”.</em> It’s waiting on a spermatozoon to bring it life. <br /></li> <li><strong>Sperm</strong> <br />A sperm cell (spermatozoon) contains 23 chromosomes from the father. A spermatozoon has a long, whip-like tail that propels it to an egg cell by an amazingly complex series of chemical processes. A sperm cell has no intelligence of its own to guide it to its goal, but is directed completely by outside forces. </li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>Overwhelming Odds</strong></p> <p>A single male or female can produce up to <em>8 million</em> different combinations of chromosomes. Out of around 300 million sperm, only about 1% (about 3 million) actually find their way into the uterus. And if they make it that far, the 3 million still have to swim to one of the fallopian tubes, where hopefully an egg is already making its way down to meet them. If not, they wait, and wait, for up to three days. If an egg shows up and fertilization occurs, there are <em>70 trillion possible chromosomal combinations</em> that can result from the sperm and egg uniting.</p> <p>Already, it should be apparent that <em>it’s a miracle that you were every born</em>. But let’s take a closer look at your odds.</p> <p>If you go back just 10 generations (250 years), the chance of you ever being born at all is <em>at most</em>… </p> <p><span >1 <span >in</span> 600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.</span></p> <p>I don’t even know what number that is, but it means that 250 years ago no one would have made any wagers on you ever being born, no matter who you are or what your ancestry. </p> <p>But wait, it gets even more amazing! The above calculation only takes into account the father’s lineage; your father, his father, his father, and so on. The mother’s contribution isn’t accounted for. Also unaccounted for are men and women that died as a result of disease, war or famine, which in some generations was around <em>50% of humanity</em>. Or men and women who died from natural causes, children who died before the age of reproduction, or fetuses or fertilized eggs that died and were naturally aborted. All of your ancestors have something amazing in common: they survived long enough to reproduce part of the genes you now have. </p> So, in the past, the predicted likelihood of your ever being born would be essentially zero. Think about that. <br /> <blockquote><em>This is a part of His way. This is the way that He manifests Himself to us, manifests the Eternal Word, God, Jehovah made flesh. Like in Saint John 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the... In the beginning was Elohim, and Elohim was... became the Word, and the Word was Elohim. And the Word was made Elohim." See? It's the same thing, just unfolding. Like the attribute, see, it is in God. A attribute is your thought. God in the beginning, the Eternal, He wasn't even a God. He was the Eternal. He wasn't even God; God is an object of worship, or something. See? So He wasn't even that. He was Elohim, the Eternal. But in Him was thoughts He wanted to become material. And what did He do? Then He spoke a Word, and the Word was materialized. That's the whole picture, from Genesis to Revelations. Is nothing wrong. It's Elohim materializing so He can be touched, feel. And in the Millennium, there is Elohim sitting on the Throne, see, that's right, with all of His subjects around Him, that He predestinated before the foundation of the world. Like a man building chimes or making chimes, the molder. Each bell has got to ring different from the other. The same materials, but so much iron, so much steel, so much brass, to make it give the "ting." That's the way God did. He bred this one to that one, to this one to that one, to this one to that one, till He got exactly what He wanted. That's how He come down. God unveiled Himself in a Pillar of Fire down through the prophets, then into the Son of God, which, He was God. See, it's the same God bringing out exactly, from perfection to perfection, from glory unto glory. That's the way the Church goes. <br /></em><strong>The Unveiling of God – 64-0614M</strong> </blockquote> <p><strong>Run Fast, Run Well</strong></p> <p>Sperm are not “normal” cells, and so are covered with a glycoprotein that acts like a sign-post to the immune system. The sign reads: “Do not attack!” The glycoprotein sign will be read (and honored) by literally any body, anywhere; no one’s immune system will attack when they see this glycoprotein. Satan saw this cool trick and decided to copy it and use it, and so we find some cancerous and bacterial cells, some parasitic worms, and HIV-infected white blood cells using the same glycoprotein to keep the immune system from attacking. What a nasty trick!</p> <p>As the sperm get closer to the egg, a combination of calcium ions, hormones (progesterone), and other chemical processes cause the sperm to enter <em>hyperactivity</em>, which means they swim faster and harder. The race is on. It’s literally a matter of life and death, because if you don’t finish you die. </p> <p><strong>Sealed In</strong></p> <p>To get into the inner-most chamber of the egg, a spermatozoa has to break through two layers: the <strong>jelly coat</strong>, and the <strong>vitelline layer</strong>. Just beyond the vitelline layer are the <strong>cortical granules</strong>, which are the gatekeepers to the inner chamber. Once a spermatozoa reaches the cortical granules, they release enzymes that cause the space between the jelly coat and the vitelline layer to become depolarized, <em>closing the door</em>. The front runner is sealed in, all others are sealed out, and the sperm and the egg have become one.</p> <blockquote> <p><em>The seal has a mark on it, shows ownership. When you are bought by the Blood of Jesus Christ and sealed by the Holy Ghost, you no longer belong to the world or anything pertaining to the world. You are owned by God. And another thing is: a seal is a security. Seal means you are secured. Now, you that don't believe in eternal security, I don't know, but now... But a seal signifies security to its destination. Woe unto that guy that would try to break that seal. And the Holy Spirit Seal cannot be broken. You all have heard me say that people said, “The devil made me do this.” No, no, the devil didn't do it. You just wasn't sealed in, so then (You see?), 'cause when you're sealed in, he's sealed out. See? </em> <br /><strong>63-0317E</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Once fertilization occurs, the egg is not an egg anymore, because it’s been fertilized. That’s right, it’s <em>literally not an egg anymore, </em>because now its chromosomes have doubled; its been completely changed from what it used to be. It’s still a single cell (not for long, though), and might still look like an egg on the outside, but now it’s called a <strong>zygote</strong>, and is now capable of reproducing itself by cellular division. </p> <blockquote> <p><em>And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.</em> <br /><strong>Mark 16:15</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Over the next few weeks the zygote will divide into two cells. Then those cells divide into 4, then 8, until there is a mass of millions of identical cells. Cells that, until now, had never really been given anything purposeful to do besides making copies of themselves. But then comes <a href="http://biology.kenyon.edu/courses/biol114/Chap14/Chapter_14.html" target="_blank">gastrulation</a>.</p> <p><strong>Positioning</strong></p> <p>At this point, the zygote is made up of millions of roughly identical cells, all stuck together in a ball the size of a pinhead (called the blastula). But all at once, the cells begin to form into three groups. The ectoderm, which will become the skin, nails, hair, and nervous system. The mesoderm, which becomes muscle tissue, blood and blood vessels, and bone and connective tissue. And the endoderm, which becomes the digestive and respiratory systems. The cells that form each are not necessarily the cells <em>you would think</em> would form that group. For example, many of the cells that form the skin may at first be nowhere near the outside of the blastula. Likewise, many of the cells that will form the internal organs may start out on the outside.</p> <p>During gastrulation the chromosomes in any particular cell will begin to selectively activate or deactivate, <em>just like someone is switching on or off a light switch</em>. This is necessary for each cell to become part of a toenail, an eyelash, or part of the heart, and switches the cell from being <em>just another cell</em>, to <em>part of the body</em>. After gastrulation, each cell has been given a very specific purpose.</p> <blockquote> <p><em>That's pulling His Bride out, now. He's creating His Bride. Justification under Luther; sanctification under Wesley; and so forth, you see. He, the evolution of the Spirit being given more and more, 'cause the Body is building, coming to the Head, which is Christ, the Body of Christ.</em> <br /><strong>65-1125</strong> </p> </blockquote> <p>Once each cell takes its place in the body, it’s only a matter of time before the complete body comes fully into view. </p>Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-51403316529978427382010-07-22T08:42:00.001-05:002010-07-22T08:42:04.997-05:00The Davidic Cipher<blockquote> <p><img style="display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px" align="right" src="http://www.harrariharps.com/pictures/hplayr.jpg" width="163" height="240" /><em>And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. <br /><strong>Samuel I 16:23</strong></em></p> </blockquote> <p>We can read the songs David sang, and add our own tunes to the words, but we don’t know the music David himself played.</p> <p><em>Or do we?</em> Dennis McCorkle thinks the answer to hearing the Psalms lies in Hebrew <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantillation" target="_blank">cantillation symbols</a>, small symbols that appear in certain books of the Bible to guide the chanting of the text during public worship.</p> <p>I’ll spare you the details; you can find out more at <a href="http://www.musicofthebible.com">www.musicofthebible.com</a>. </p> <p>Here’s a recording of Yakov singing Psalm 23 using the Davidic Cipher. Imagine that you’re eavesdropping on a little shepherd playing his harp and singing to a king.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:cc234ceb-b311-4ba6-8a17-67c15357c483" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div id="da2d6315-cbc8-422d-84ea-6048e1ef448f" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvj_Isa9xJw" target="_new"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/TEhKrIOhGgI/AAAAAAAAASU/H-4mo3GM3AQ/video691282477dde%5B14%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('da2d6315-cbc8-422d-84ea-6048e1ef448f'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/Xvj_Isa9xJw&hl=en\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/Xvj_Isa9xJw&hl=en\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"425\" height=\"355\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" alt=""></a></div></div></div> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-12757791296347517092010-01-20T14:23:00.001-05:002010-01-20T14:23:01.883-05:00The Found Umbrella<p></p> <p><em>That chokes you, I know. But--but that's true. If you believe, all things are possible. You're afraid to take God, friends. You're scared. Now, I might've left that knife laying on the dresser where I changed clothes awhile ago. But just as sure if that knife is on the dresser right now, if I believe it with all my heart, it'll be in my pocket. That chokes you. But God is able to put it there if you believe it.</em></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:8747F07C-CDE8-481f-B0DF-C6CFD074BF67:290c1f2d-92d7-448c-92d0-24cbe32a0aa9" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/S1dYEhTNP6I/AAAAAAAAARQ/cwx8MV1D0Y0/umbrella1161.png?imgmax=800" /></div> I came out of the door, and it was raining. It was pouring, in fact. I looked down at my laptop bag where I always kept my little black collapsible umbrella, and noticed in dismay that it was missing. <p></p> <p></p> <p>I’ve learned from experience that losing my umbrella is a very bad thing. More than once, I’ve emerged from the depths of the Midtown train station to find torrential sheets of rain blocking the way between me and my office building (a 10 minute walk away). And more than once the security guard as outright laughed at me as I came running into the parking garage, totally out of breath, looking like a drowned rat. “<em>You’re gonna need a new shirt, Mister!</em>”</p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:8747F07C-CDE8-481f-B0DF-C6CFD074BF67:5f079169-9e36-4704-b0be-2823b61fd905" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/S1dYE8GrdWI/AAAAAAAAARU/bMjp_tb7oA0/umbrella223.png?imgmax=800" /></div> Not fun. So I prayed a quick prayer to find my umbrella. As I turned my head in the garage, there behind me on the wall hung my wife’s pink umbrella. At that particular moment I couldn’t have cared less that it was pink; it was an umbrella, and if I dawdled much longer I would miss the bus, so I grabbed it and away I ran. <p></p> <p>Once I got to work I took my laptop out of my bag, installed it in its docking station, and got to work. Later on, I looked at the pink umbrella and thought how grateful I was for not having to run through the rain. The last time that had happened it had taken me until noon to dry out. And that was in the summer. Suddenly it occurred to me that I had asked God to help me find <em>my</em> umbrella, not my wife’s pink one. “Well,” I thought to myself. “I know I’ll find it sooner or later because I asked Him.”</p> <p>And then just as clear as a bell something said, “<em>Look in your bag</em>.” </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:8747F07C-CDE8-481f-B0DF-C6CFD074BF67:87d24ec3-4335-4a02-a585-56f10a62d290" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_pq7dluZnkA8/S1dYFPx0wiI/AAAAAAAAARY/mwjp7x1J1hU/umbrella349.png?imgmax=800" /></div> <p>My bag was sitting on the floor where I had left it after I had removed my laptop from it just a few hours before. Laptop bags usually have a very snug and very padded compartment to protect your equipment, and as you can see from the picture, when my laptop is in the bag, there isn’t any room for anything larger than a pencil. </p> <p>So I grabbed my laptop bag and looked inside in the compartment where my laptop usually resides, and there, to my infinite surprise, was my umbrella!</p> <p>Just for “fun”, I tried to put my laptop back in the bag with my umbrella in there too, and it wouldn’t fit. There was <em><strong>no way</strong></em> to get the umbrella and my laptop in the bag at the same time (the laptop stuck out at least an inch too far to zip the bag; see the last picture on this page). Of course, that’s beside the fact that <em>I would never have tried</em> to put my umbrella in there with my laptop.</p> <p>How did it get there? I can’t say, all I know is it wasn’t there before.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-35469725600494207862009-10-12T09:07:00.001-05:002009-10-12T09:07:12.154-05:00An Unexpected Help<p>As the sun rolled a burning path across the sky, a man lay in a ditch by the roadside, groaning in agony. A few flies had begun to buzz about. Once all was quiet and he knew his attackers had left, he tried to slowly roll over. Something wet was under his hand, and as he looked down at the patch of desert underneath he saw a slowly widening pool of blood. He had seen firsthand why this shortcut from Jerusalem to Jericho was aptly called <em>The Way of Blood</em> because of the highwaymen that traveled it.</p> <p>He groaned again, and as a cool breeze swept by he realized with horror and shame that his clothes had been taken. They had taken everything from him: his money, his dignity, and now his life was seeping out into the dust. </p> <p>But surely help would come. He coughed out a gasping prayer to Jehovah to have mercy, and almost immediately heard footsteps. </p> <p>Footsteps! He lifted his head from the dirt just only enough to see the familiar trappings of a priest walking swiftly down the road from Jerusalem. His voice creaked in his throat as he tried to voice his thanks, but the noise soon became one of despair and disbelief as the priest moved to the other side of the road, disgusted by the poor man’s condition. Too much blood. Too much inconvenience. He had somewhere important he needed to be, and he most certainly couldn’t arrive at his destination with his priestly garments soiled.</p> <p>As the sound of the priest’s footsteps were carried away by the wind, the man lay there choking and gasping, the sun baking his open wounds and bare skin.</p> <p>After much time, at last there came to his ears the sound of more footsteps. He looked and, through his blurred vision, made out the form of a Levite he had recently seen in Jerusalem. In exhaustion and silent jubilation, his head fell back against the ground as he heard the Levite approaching where he lay. <em>Thank you God.</em> The feet halted for a moment, and he heard the Levite gag. The footsteps moved away and the Levite gagged again, and spat on the ground. And then, as if in a nightmare, the feet began to move further away down the road.</p> <p><em>I am lost, lost. God has deserted me. True men of God that serve Him in the Temple have hide their face from me.</em></p> <p>The deafening silence of the desert around him ate at him. Nose crushed against the grainy sand, he began to wish death would come quickly. A cloud covered the sun for a moment and in his grief and desperation he called out to God again. His head fell into the sand, and everything went black.</p> <p>When his eyes next opened he was astounded to discover he was no longer lying naked by the roadside, but in a comfortable bed. A cool breeze through an open window replaced the burning sun. His blood no longer soaked into thirsty sands; his wounds were gently wrapped in fine bandages. And a man was mixing oil and wine into a poultice. </p> <p>“You should thank God you were found and brought here when you were.”</p> <p>At the sight of the man a jolt of surprise went through him, and his mind began to trace over the stories he had heard. He remembered how it was written that, since the time when the King of Assyria brought men from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to live in Samaria to replace the Israelites that had been removed, that they had never feared the Lord as true Israelites (II Kings 17:34). And that, only 200 years prior, the Samaritans renounced any connection and kinship with the Jews to save themselves from Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ declaration that he was the god Zeus; that all who refused to worship him must die. This had caused a great rift between the Jews and the faithless Samaritans. Half-breeds with pagan ancestry from the land of Assyria.</p> <p>He would never associate with a Samaritan (John 4:9). Why, “y<em>ou’re a Samaritan</em>” had become the worst form of insult. A multi-barbed attack which implied the target was both a half-breed and an infidel.</p> <p>And now a Samaritan was tending to his wounds.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-6677502895391766182009-01-07T17:06:00.001-05:002009-01-07T17:06:24.098-05:00You Are What You Eat<p>Did you know that for every eight ounces of golden raisins you eat, you also eat about 10 or more whole insects?</p> <p>Or that, for every pound of spices you eat, a milligram of rat and/or mice poo goes down with it?</p> <p><em>Yum!</em></p> <p>There are 10 or more maggot eggs in every 500 grams of canned tomatoes!</p> <p>A kilo of wheat can contain as much as 9 milligrams of rat stank!</p> <p><em>Double Yum!</em></p> <p>How do I know this? ‘Cause the FDA has lovingly put together a little booklet with all these wonderful details, which you can peruse here: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dalbook.html">Food Defect Action Levels</a>.</p> <p>Bon Appétit!</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-29237926667862088572008-12-24T13:57:00.001-05:002008-12-24T13:57:12.424-05:00I Stood Up<p>“Monica, she has a stinky”, I mouthed to my wife. She took Zoe from me, fumbled around in her bag for her various accoutrements, and hurried off to the nursery.</p> <p>At just the moment when my wife rose to exit, the song leader began a new song. I was tired or something, and for some reason I thought we had been invited to stand for this song.</p> <p>And so, I stood up.</p> <p>Which would have been fine, except for the small fact that <em>nobody else stood up with me</em>.</p> <p>I couldn’t find the song in the songbook, so it took a while for me to realize that I was a lone citadel standing on a great windswept plain. I looked up and found the song leader was looking back, quizzically. Someone behind me let loose a titter.</p> <p>And so, I sat down.</p> <p>And then I decided to try something new. I thought it would be fun to see if I could burrow under the floor boards. The heat of a thousand suns slowly made its way up my neck to engulf my head.</p> <p>And I felt like I was back in school again.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-29434732868540040432008-12-20T17:24:00.001-05:002008-12-20T17:24:42.976-05:00The Story of Cliff Young<p>If you're interested in an inspiring story, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.elitefeet.com/the-legend-of-cliff-young-the-61-year-old-farmer-that-won-the-worlds-toughest-race">here's one</a> you should check out.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-24398513135763391372008-11-10T08:06:00.001-05:002008-11-10T08:07:42.153-05:00A Good Wife<p>What a woman!</p> <p><img height="199" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3015163529_34c2258ebc_o.jpg" width="300" /></p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-60192618311967282342008-09-30T12:38:00.001-05:002008-09-30T12:38:06.887-05:00Gas Relief Coming<p>You gotta love these headlines. Anyway.</p> <p><a href="http://www.wsbtv.com/news/17579433/detail.html" target="_blank">QT announced</a> that all of their Atlanta stations should have gas by tomorrow. Woohoo!</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-19796872989436595092008-09-30T08:05:00.001-05:002008-09-30T08:05:32.190-05:00Gas, Sweet Gas<p>Bro. Trevor and his family are staying with us this week while he attends a training class in Atlanta. We've been riding the bus/train into the city to save on gas, because the gas situation in Atlanta is still pretty horrible. A brother from church pointed me to a gas station last Sunday that had no lines(!!), which was a great blessing, but that afternoon we drove by again and that station, as well as the two across the street, had all run out of gas.</p> <p>When we got off the bus yesterday evening we passed a gas station that had gas! My "commuter" car was almost empty, so we jumped in line and sat there for a few minutes before we realized this was going to take a while. And we were hungry, so we decided to head on to the house, where the ladies had cooked up some good eatin'.</p> <p>Once my belly was full I decided to head back out, and Bro Trevor graciously decided to accompany me. The line was a couple of cars shorter, but still fairly long, so we pulled in and waited.</p> <p>And waited.</p> <p>An hour later, the attendant came out of the store and was heard to say that the station had only <em>70 gallons</em> left. In the <em>whole station</em>! There were still a couple of cars in front of us (there was also another long line of cars into the station from the opposite direction), and the few pumps that were still operational were moving very slowly.</p> <p>After another 10 or 15 minutes we made it to the pump. I jumped out, swiped my credit card, and got the pump started; drop after precious drop of the sweet nectar dripped into my car. I got 12 gallons by some miracle. My car wasn't technically "full", but I figured I could last on that for another month of trips to the bus stop, so I stopped the pump. </p> <p>It took an hour and a half to get gas.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-84119285784094890482008-09-29T15:14:00.001-05:002008-09-29T15:14:26.164-05:00Look at the Pretty Colors<p>Sept. 29th, 2008</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/rmblack/SOE3IflwM5I/AAAAAAAAALU/YTTmyo3vbf8/s1600-h/image%5B4%5D.png"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="154" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/rmblack/SOE3IZGk8bI/AAAAAAAAALY/MwQS_8-SKoQ/image_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="372" border="0" /></a></p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-64178830908158189792008-09-26T22:25:00.001-05:002008-09-26T22:25:51.502-05:00VGR Launches Streaming Audio<p>The Voice of God Recording's new web site has a lot to offer, including streaming video, and notably <a href="http://branham.org/MessageAudio" target="_blank">streaming audio</a> of all of their high quality recordings of Bro. Branham's sermons.</p> <p>And most exciting of all is that now anyone in the world can <strong><em>download every sermon that's included in the seed library</em></strong> (see screenshot)!</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/rmblack/SN2nvdiwA7I/AAAAAAAAALM/jCEkRVztEpo/s1600-h/image%5B7%5D.png"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="181" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/rmblack/SN2nv8sWAwI/AAAAAAAAALQ/syjaT5z0PY8/image_thumb%5B5%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="350" border="0" /></a>  </p> <p>From the VGR web site...</p> <blockquote> <p><em>We consider it a great honor to make these sermons available online at the same quality as you would receive if you ordered them from VGR. These sermons are not intended to replace The Table, but if you do not have access to the CDs and you have an internet connection, you will now be able to hear the Voice no matter where you are.</em></p></blockquote> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-47413814753724719862008-09-26T19:32:00.001-05:002008-09-26T19:32:29.136-05:00812 degrees<p> <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/rmblack/SN1_Fn2kUCI/AAAAAAAAAK8/Reg2PaLJR90/s1600-h/image%5B15%5D.png"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="148" alt="image" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/rmblack/SN1_GYE78zI/AAAAAAAAALA/cir5MdfGGZU/image_thumb%5B9%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="240" align="right" border="0" /></a>A few months ago firefighters in a section of Los Padres National Forest responded to reports of a blaze; someone had reported smoke arising from the brush.</p> <p>But when they arrived, they discovered the brush wasn't smoking... the ground was. In spots it was quite hot enough to melt shoes or boots, and instruments measured a temperature reading, a foot below ground level, of <em>812 degrees</em>!</p> <p>Umm... you can cook a turkey at only 165 degrees. So, yeah... that right there is what I would call <em>hot</em>.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/rmblack/SN1_GiuT77I/AAAAAAAAALE/SCY9gV7Smts/s1600-h/image%5B21%5D.png"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="240" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/rmblack/SN1_HIb_k_I/AAAAAAAAALI/viIep6nAfik/image_thumb%5B13%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="176" align="left" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>So where is this mysterious occurrence located, you might enquire?</p> <p>Just down the road from this little place called <strong><em>Los Angeles</em></strong>.</p> <p>Read more <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hotground5-2008aug05,0,4689903.story" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p>You might also find <a href="http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/Turkey/Techniques.html" target="_blank">this</a> helpful. ;-)</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-87643967933548190392008-09-26T07:27:00.001-05:002008-09-26T07:27:09.487-05:00Here weeee ggooooooo!!<p><img src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:fIy2s-Gu_zzVrM:http://breathewithme.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/roller-coaster.jpg" align="right" /> </p> <p>Let's recap...</p> <p>China <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSPEK16693720080925?rpc=64" target="_blank">has instructed their banks</a> to stop lending to US banks.</p> <p>The US economy <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/26/campaign.wrap/" target="_blank">bailout talks are going nowhere</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hurricane/ike/6019127.html" target="_blank">250,000 in the Houston area</a> are still without running water after Hurricane Ike.</p> <p>A <a href="http://www.kxan.com/global/story.asp?s=9074796" target="_blank">severe gasoline shortage is causing panic across the Southeast</a>, in particular Atlanta and Nashville, where people have resorted to following tanker trucks around in the hopes they can score some gas before anyone else.</p> <p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601170&refer=home&sid=ao0E1sRCSORQ" target="_blank">Washington Mutual was forced to auction itself, and snatched up last night by JP Morgan for $1.9 billion, a super steal</a>. The deal was announced after markets closed for obvious reasons.</p> <p>Possibly <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-onthemedia26-2008sep26,0,3542588.story" target="_blank">the worst candidate ever</a> is running for a (Vice) Presidential slot. And it's a woman.  A woman that's <a href="http://musingsbybob.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-ready-for-war-with-russia.html" target="_blank">open to war with Russia</a>.</p> <p><a href="http://www.inteldaily.com/?c=117&a=1431" target="_blank">Martial Law</a> may <a href="http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/" target="_blank">already be upon us</a>, and except for a rumor that President Bush plans to halt the Nov. elections around the first week in Oct to seize power due to the troubled economy... </p> <p>...all of this <em>is happening now</em>. </p> <p> Better hang on to something.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-23043778971926590652008-09-24T11:52:00.001-05:002008-09-24T11:52:06.810-05:00What did they say?<p>A new service from Google, <a href="http://labs.google.com/inquotes/" target="_blank">InQuotes</a>, allows you to compare recent quotations from political figures on a variety of topics.</p> <p><a href="http://labs.google.com/inquotes/" target="_blank">Check it out</a>.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-30791014169611158502008-09-24T06:40:00.001-05:002008-09-24T06:43:23.298-05:00Martial Law has Arrived!<p>Ok, maybe the title is a little sensationalist, but see for yourself. Times, they are a'changin'!</p> <p>If you don't have the bandwidth to watch the video, you can <a href="http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/" target="_blank">read the article</a>.</p> <p></p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:6d470be7-74d1-4740-b520-ae4790df1cf6" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jYxTzDFofZQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jYxTzDFofZQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></div></div> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-45067583223186860022008-09-19T07:23:00.001-05:002008-09-19T07:27:18.743-05:00Roll 'em Girls<p>My bro-in-law, Willy, sent <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAceqH2atQM&feature=related" target="_blank">this link</a> to a recording of the infamous song. </p> <blockquote> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:8747F07C-CDE8-481f-B0DF-C6CFD074BF67:ff2226cb-63d4-46b9-92fb-b61ca8d5b645" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; float: right; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/rmblack/SNOZrEsjM-I/AAAAAAAAAKg/73EGJ1aOpBQ/clarabow%5B25%5D.png?imgmax=800" /></div> <p><em>And this fellow with his wine bottle up, drinking, having a big time, he said, "Just a minute. All you all, listen to me. Turn your radios on now." The vulgar, dirty, filthy things that's permitted, uncensored programs... When did it start? Look back through the history. It started back there in the days of Clara Bow. And with this scheming, ungodly Texan, went out there and made these women's underneath clothes that made them look sexy... <b>And this begin the first vulgar song, they let pass, was about the ladies rolling down their stockings and showing their pretty knees. They've got by with that. And now it's uncensored: they can say and do what they want to. The devil's took the thing without firing a shot. That's right. </b>What do you think them Hollywood prostitutes in hell today would do if they could return? They'd make it different. But their influence upon the world, has set the world in a flame of corruption.</em> <br /><strong><em>- William Branham</em></strong></p> </blockquote> <p>I took a few minutes to transcribe the lyrics, which I think you'll find quite surprising. But first, some historical perspective.</p> <p>In 1925 Tennessee schoolteacher John Scopes was arrested for violating state law <em>by teaching the theory of evolution</em>. William Jennings Bryan, an attorney for the state, famously defended the Bible on the stand, but was targeted by the media (in particular by writer H.L. Mencken) as an example of Southern ignorance and stupidity. Five days after the trial Bryan died in his sleep.</p> <p><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Zj5QxjMh9aAC&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=%22roll+'em+girls%22+lyrics&source=web&ots=bm-Dn3fe1A&sig=i89BaFES1Fuo7ohYTdBSr13dDpk&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result" target="_blank"><em>American History in Song</em></a> has this to say about the trial...</p> <blockquote> <p><em>During the trial, young women arrived at the courthouse with a new slogan and a song, called Roll 'Em Down, Girls, Roll 'Em. The women rolled their hose down below their knees in defiance of old-fashioned ideas. The song by Bobby Heath, Micky Marr, and Archie Fletcher had some bold lyrics.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>And here are those lyrics (as best I could tell)...</p> <blockquote> <p>Listen girls, listen girls <br />I've a word for you <br />Just because you're up to date <br />And do the things you do <br />Don't let anyone tell you <br />That you don't act nice <br />For you're as sweet as grandma was <br />So take my advice </p> <p>Roll 'em girls, roll 'em <br />Go ahead and roll 'em <br />Roll 'em down and show your pretty knees. <br />Roll 'em girls, roll 'em, everybody roll 'em <br />Roll 'em high or low just as you please. </p> <p>Don't let people tell you that it's shocking  <br />Paint your own Sweetie's picture <br />On your stocking <br />Laugh at ma, laugh at pa, <br />Give them all the haha. <br />Roll 'em girlies, roll 'em, roll your own! </p> <p>Roll 'em girls, roll 'em <br />Go ahead and roll 'em <br />Roll 'em down and please the traffic cop. <br />Roll 'em girls, roll 'em, everybody roll 'em <br />When you cross the street the traffic stops. <br />Even grouchy traffic cops get jolly <br />When they see you step into a trolly. <br />Red lights on, red lights off, <br />Cops are only human. <br />Roll 'em girlies, roll 'em, roll your own. </p> <p>Listen girls, listen girls, when you bobbed your hair, <br />You were criticized a lot, but still you didn't care! <br />When you shortened your dresses, <br />You gave us some shocks, <br />But we never thought that soon, <br />you'd be wearing socks! </p> <p>Roll 'em girls, roll 'em <br />Go ahead and roll 'em <br />In the winter, summer, spring or fall. <br />Roll 'em girls, roll 'em, everybody roll 'em <br />Anywhere or time or place at all. <br />Young girls, old girls, sweethearts, wives and mothers, <br />Young maids, old maids, even our grandmothers. <br />High or low, rain or snow, <br />Girlies must be stylish. <br />Roll 'em girlies, roll 'em, roll your own. </p> <p>Roll 'em girls, roll 'em <br />Go ahead and roll 'em <br />Roll 'em where you think they look the best. <br />Roll 'em girls, roll 'em, everybody roll 'em <br />Roll 'em north and south and east and west! <br />Nowadays you girlies have your freedom <br />Don't wear things if you don't think ya need 'em. <br />Laugh at ma, laugh at pa, <br />Give them all the haha. <br />Roll 'em girlies, roll 'em, roll your own. </p></blockquote> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-54994881767610065082008-09-18T06:35:00.001-05:002008-09-18T06:35:29.530-05:00Spice up your meals with Heinz!<p>They sure don't make ads like this anymore...</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/rmblack/SNI9AJN3FYI/AAAAAAAAAKY/jHYdsXpLmZE/s1600-h/HeinzWifeBeater%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="520" alt="HeinzWifeBeater" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/rmblack/SNI9AbMVCrI/AAAAAAAAAKc/crUkXRYL9mw/HeinzWifeBeater_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="432" border="0" /></a></p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-18662234916656369232008-09-12T07:12:00.001-05:002008-09-12T07:12:36.742-05:00Sarah Palin Ready for War with Russia<blockquote> <p>When asked if Georgia joined NATO, whether the United States should go to war if the country was again invaded by Russia, Palin responded: "Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help."</p> <p>"And we've got to keep an eye on Russia. For Russia to have exerted such pressure in terms of invading a smaller democratic country, unprovoked, is unacceptable," she said.</p> </blockquote> <p>Link: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/Story?id=5778018&page=2">http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/Story?id=5778018&page=2</a></p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-88511553444149046092008-09-05T22:05:00.001-05:002008-09-05T22:05:46.035-05:00Your Personal Info<p>Please, please, I beg you, don't plaster your personally identifying information all over your Facebook account. Or wherever.</p> <p>Like your home address, home phone, cell phone, employer. All information that a nasty could do nasty things with.</p> <p>What could somebody do with that info, you say?</p> <p>Type your phone number into Google, press enter, and see what comes back. </p> <p>No phone number? Try your name, along with your city and state.</p> <p>Dude... Google gives back <em>a map to my house</em>! Along with a satellite photograph!</p> <p>And that's just with Google. With other "services" available on the 'Net, it's insanely easy to find out all kinds of information on complete strangers.</p> <p>Please don't make it easier for people to find out where <em>you</em> live, and work, and bank, and so on. Keep your private details private.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-77816303514686347032008-09-05T07:14:00.001-05:002008-09-05T07:14:32.774-05:00The Little Mermaid<p>Did you know the original story of Cinderella involved the evil step-sisters bloodily hacking off parts of their feet to get them into the glass slipper?</p> <p>Or that another popular fairy tale, the name of which escapes me, involves the main character's head getting lopped off in combat? But then the little forest creatures helpfully and quickly reattach it... <em>but backwards</em>. So they have to take it off again, turn it around, and reattach it. It's all good in the end!</p> <p>Who wrote this weird stuff anyway? Methinks fairy tales are <em>not</em> for kids.</p> <p>Take <em>The Little Mermaid</em>, for instance. In the original story, the Little Mermaid <em>doesn't get the prince</em>. And... <em>she dies</em>!</p> <p>But it's ok, 'cause she gets a soul for her good deeds, and gets to go to heaven. This really isn't a story about a little mermaid's quest for true love at all, but her quest for life after death. And how very highly valuable and precious that is.</p> <p>Along with lots of stuff to traumatize small children. Imagine little Mary Sue lying awake all night worrying about the mermaids and mer-men that won't go to heaven when they die. Because Mer-people don't have souls.</p> <blockquote> <p>Mary Sue: Why don't they have souls, Mommy?</p> <p>Mommy: Because Hans Christian Handersen didn't want them to.</p> <p>Mary Sue: But why didn't he want them to, Mommy?</p> <p>...ad infinitum...</p> </blockquote> <p>Here's what the <em>The Little Mermaid</em> has to say about souls...</p> <blockquote> <p>"Yes," the old lady said, "they too must die, and their lifetimes are even shorter than ours. We can live to be three hundred years old, but when we perish we turn into mere foam on the sea, and haven't even a grave down here among our dear ones. We have no immortal soul, no life hereafter. We are like the green seaweed - once cut down, it never grows again. Human beings, on the contrary, have a soul which lives forever, long after their bodies have turned to clay. It rises through thin air, up to the shining stars. Just as we rise through the water to see the lands on earth, so men rise up to beautiful places unknown, which we shall never see."</p> <p>"Why weren't we given an immortal soul?" the little mermaid sadly asked. "I would gladly give up my three hundred years if I could be a human being only for a day, and later share in that heavenly realm."</p> <p>"You must not think about that," said the old lady. "We fare much more happily and are much better off than the folk up there."</p> <p>"Then I must also die and float as foam upon the sea, not hearing the music of the waves, and seeing neither the beautiful flowers nor the red sun! Can't I do anything at all to win an immortal soul?"</p> <p>"No," her grandmother answered, "not unless a human being loved you so much that you meant more to him than his father and mother. If his every thought and his whole heart cleaved to you so that he would let a priest join his right hand to yours and would promise to be faithful here and throughout all eternity, then his soul would dwell in your body, and you would share in the happiness of mankind. He would give you a soul and yet keep his own. But that can never come to pass. The very thing that is your greatest beauty here in the sea - your fish tail - would be considered ugly on land. They have such poor taste that to be thought beautiful there you have to have two awkward props which they call legs."</p> </blockquote> <p>You can read the whole story in about 15 minutes, if you <a href="http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheLittleMermaid_e.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-54531594620231560302008-08-13T07:08:00.001-05:002008-08-13T07:08:36.637-05:00Reaction to California Homeschool Ruling<p>After <a href="http://musingsbybob.blogspot.com/2008/08/homeschooling-wins-in-california.html" target="_blank">the recent victory in California</a>, a few senior officials shared their opinions...</p> <blockquote> <p><em>This is a victory for California’s students, parents and education community. This decision confirms the right every California child has to a quality education and the right parents have to decide what is best for their children. I hope the ruling settles this matter for parents and homeschooled children once and for all in California, but assure them that we, as elected officials, will continue to defend parents’ rights. <br /></em><em><strong>Gov. Schwarzenegger</strong></em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><em>I am pleased that the courts have clarified the right of California parents to homeschool their children. I have respected the right of parents to make educational decisions they feel are in the best interest of their children. I recognize and understand the consternation that the earlier court ruling caused for many parents and associations involved in homeschooling. It is my hope that today’s ruling will allay many of those fears and resolve much of the confusion. <br /><strong>Jack o'Connell <br />State Superintendent of Public Instruction</strong></em></p></blockquote> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-22540377033651355162008-08-08T20:51:00.001-05:002008-08-08T20:51:56.018-05:00Questions<p>Broadly speaking, it's been my observation that the more you learn, the more questions you have.  Peculiarly, I believe the inverse is also true: that the <em>less</em> you know, the <em>fewer</em> questions you have. </p> <p>For example, if you don't know anything about quantum physics, you have only one question on that topic: <em>what is it</em>?</p> <p>The answer to that question brings the realization that there's a whole new branch of knowledge you previously had no idea even existed. And so now you have many more questions.</p> <p>In my way of thinking, God being infinite and eternal, there will always be <em>at least one</em> unanswered question about Him. The revelation of the answer to that question will only give rise to more unanswered questions, ad infinitum.</p> <p>So when I'm relaxing on a hillside staring at the clouds rolling by, I like to imagine myself sitting among thousands upon thousands of saints, as the prophets and apostles of old take turns unfolding the riches of God down through the endless ages. </p> <p>Who do we want to hear next? Paul? Elijah? John the Baptist? It really doesn't matter... it's not like we're pressed for time.</p> <p>And we sit, and stand, and sing and shout, and never get tired. And never grow old.</p> <p>And never run out of questions.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-51698997651778770002008-08-08T20:43:00.001-05:002008-08-08T20:43:28.179-05:00Homeschooling Wins in California<p>Earlier today, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District ruled that “<em>California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education.</em>”</p> <p>This means that this same three judge panel <strong>reversed their earlier opinion</strong> of last February which, had that opinion remained in effect, would have made California the only state to outlaw homeschooling.</p> <blockquote>“<em>It is unusual for an appellate court to grant a petition for rehearing as this court did in March, but it is truly remarkable for a court to completely reverse its own earlier opinion. We thank you for your prayers and give God the glory for this great victory.</em>” <p>Mike Farris <br />Chairman <br />Home School Legal Defense Association</p> </blockquote> <p><strong><em>Indeed.</em></strong></p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15588462.post-8749981060500387452008-08-08T08:47:00.001-05:002008-08-08T08:47:55.612-05:00How Lightning Works<p>Check out this slow-motion video of lightning. You can see how the burst of energy searches for the best path to the ground, and once it finds it, sticks to exactly that path for several milliseconds. The last few seconds of this video <em>are not </em>a single still frame - it's the bolt holding to the path it found.</p> <p> <div class="wlWriterSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:474239b1-e78f-4c86-80fd-509936d31b61" style="padding-right: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-top: 0px"><div><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/luydcXrI6fk&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/luydcXrI6fk&color1=11645361&color2=13619151&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></div></div> </p> <p>A bolt of lightning is powerful enough to generate x-rays, and heats the surrounding air hotter than the surface of the sun. Hot air expands: when this super hot air collapses after the bolt leaves the premises it creates the deep rumble of thunder.</p> <p>No, it's not really the devil beating his wife.</p> Bob Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12460497023523414578noreply@blogger.com0