Saturday, June 30, 2012

BE SAFE!!!

Saturday June 30, 2012 6:23 pm


I am sitting here spinning my wheels because I cannot go any further with school work until I get some feedback from a couple of professors... and, I'm not holding out hope that will happen this weekend. Regardless, I have a Sunday 11:59 pm deadline and I still have a three hour timed test, and one power-point presentation to do in one class, and an annotated bibliography due in another: then, I will be done for this week and I will be exactly half-way to ending this summer semester.

Before I write another somewhat aimless and most probably pointless blog, I wanted to comment on something else. The last time I saw anything on Facebook was a few days before Christmas, and I spent probably more than two straight hours on it looking at something. Now though, the only news I get from that site is if Deb comments about something she read. Last evening she said there were many reports from people in places we used to live and they had a terrible storm pass by and a lot of them were without power. (And being without power in this extreme heat is really bad!) After she told me I came to my office, closed and locked my door, then I knelt down and earnestly prayed for those I love best!!!!!!!

So, if you are someone I love... I pray you are safe!!! In fact, even if you are reading this and I don't know, or love you (I guess) I still hope that you're safe? (Lol) Seriously, I pray that everyone I know, and even those I don't know, came through it okay?

There is a weekly report sent to my email every Saturday that I usually delete without opening. It probably has been a couple of months since I last looked at it... however, this morning I did. The report is from the tracking company for my blog and it tells me the number of people who opened my blog within the last seven days to read... it also tracks the number of countries besides those in the United States who have logged on. Last week there were 119 people and four different countries represented.

So... if you are one of the fortunate ones to have their power... else, you wouldn't be reading this (lol) please take some time from your day and pray for the people in the area of the storms. Please... please... pray that they will be okay... and if they are without power that their power will be soon restored!

Even if there had not been an email comment to me this morning I still would have blogged today and asked people to pray for my friend(s) and other loved ones I know. I do this because I know that some of you have covenanted and prayed with me in the past about other things and it has helped... that is why I do this. Now, I'll tell the other reason I am writing today.

Today I received an email about a blog I wrote the other night when I had reproduced one of Poe's poems. Because of that I was curious about how many people had read it that week. Usually it takes about 150 people to read before even one might respond? There was a time long ago that a lot more people were reading this blog every week and I would get quite a few emails. Today... not so much.

Anyway... she said she wanted to ask me a question and her question was to know if I thought Poe was wrong to have married his young cousin? Then, she said she liked the poem... and she also thought it was sad.

I gave her my answer and I haven't heard back yet... I assume I will though? I suppose it is really two questions, even though it is framed as one. At least I think she is asking two... and that is how I gave my answer. She used the words, “... young (and) cousin...” First, if I read the family history correctly, this young girl he fell in love with was a (removed) cousin on the father's side: so, no “blood” would have been involved. Ethically, morally, I don't know... honestly I don't... but if they were too have had any children there would have been no risk for mental or physical handicap because of their lineage. At least no more so than with any other two people who marry.

The other answer had to do with the word she used, “young.” Again, it was a different era and people did not live as long... so, a lot of girls married quite young and many times they were wed to a guy who was several years older and already established in the world.

Of course, not so much in our own country but in many parts of the world (even today) it is still a very common practice for girls to marry young and for the guys to be older. (However, for the happiness of the girl I am sure they would prefer someone closer to their own age.) But, in other countries today many of these girls are not given that choice.

Anyway... thinking of Poe while I am waiting to see if a professor emails me with the information I need, I will include another of Poe's love poems.

TO HELEN
Helen, thy beauty is to me
Like those Nicean barks of yore,
That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,
The weary, wayworn wanderer bore
To his own native shore.

On desperate seas long wont to roam,
Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,
Thy Naiad airs have brought me home
To the glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome.

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche
How statue-like I see thee stand,
The agate lamp within thy hand!
Ah, Psyche, from the regions which
Are Holy Land!

(Whether Poe's love was satisfied, as it was with his child-bride Virginia, or forever unrequited as it was with the object of his affection and the person for whom he wrote the above poem... I think from reading what Poe wrote that at least he knew what it was to actually be in love!!!!!!! But, that's just my opinion. lol)

Because some already think him odd, I'm a little hesitant to even tell who it was that Poe was thinking about when he wrote of this “perfect beauty” Helen. It was his first real love, and that was when Poe was only fourteen-years-old. Though there were many girls in Poe's life after her, from that time and forward all of them were always compared to her... she was, to Poe, the epitome of physical  and spiritual beauty.

Her name, in real life, was Mrs. Stannard... and she was the mother of one of Poe's boyhood friends. Later in life, and by his own hand Poe described her as, “... the first, purely ideal love of my soul – Helen Stannard.”

Yep... crazy or not, I think he understood what truly loving someone meant

Friday, June 29, 2012

THANKFULLY... GOLDFISH ARE HARDY LITTLE FELLAS

Friday June 29, 2012 9:40 pm

The oldest (continuous) thing I've had in my possession is (at least) 53-years-old. It is a fish-bowl that we had goldfish in when we first moved to Parkersburg from Ohio. I've told the story before of how there was only an old stove in the main room of the house and if you strayed more than a few feet from it you would practically freeze.

Our move from the old farmhouse in London was in the wintertime and it was one of those very hard and cold winter seasons. (I really will get to the point of what I am writing about very shortly.)

At that time that particular fish-bowl had goldfish in it. Of course, they are not the same goldfish we have today. If that were the case this might really be an interesting blog? Anyway, the bowl evidently set too far from the stove and one freezing night the bowl completely froze over... with the little guys still in it.

The next morning my dad chipped through about a half-inch of solid ice on the top and the goldfish were fine! After hearing that story I know what you're thinking... "Hallelujah!" No... that's not what you were thinking? Okay, I'll continue.

The reason I told you that is to show just how sturdy these guys must be. Before I tell you what I did... let me tell you something about myself. From the time I was young I have always loved animals: all kinds. And I have always told everyone that if you are going to have animals you need to take care of them.

I'll give you an example of what I mean. No matter how tired I am when I get home... if the animals need fed or watered or anything else... I will always take care of them before I do something that I might personally need to do. I mean, it only seems fair: don't you think?

So, this week it was on me to do my job and the myriad other things I have to do... and... and... make certain all of the animals are cared for. Pretty simple stuff... right?

So, I dutifully and faithfully fed, walked, and cleaned up after our one cat... and five dogs. HOWEVER, I forgot we also have a few goldfish which sets in one corner of the living-room. That's right... Saturday/Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday and until a few minutes ago on this day... Friday: they were not fed! Now, for fish water is not really an option or needed, but food: c'mon!

I didn't realize or remember that we even had fish until I was shopping a few minutes ago and as I passed the frozen food aisle I saw a can of concentrated orange juice and I thought that it looked like the goldfish flakes which come in a similar can. Then I remembered... GOLDFISH!!!

So, I drove home feeling very guilty and expecting to see three floaters on the top of the water, else two dead and partially eaten goldfish which had been cannibalized by the alpha fish in the bowl? (Not that I know for sure if there is an alpha among goldfish: but, it was my first thought and it is my own imagination... so, leave me alone. lol)

With trepidation I entered the living-room and what do you suppose I saw? There were three little goldfish, apparently, no worse off for their forced fast? I even imagine they might have gotten in some serious praying this long week, "please, someone, anyone... feed me!"

After hearing that story about my three goldfish surviving I know what you're thinking... "Hallelujah!" No... that's not what you were thinking?

Thursday, June 28, 2012

NEEDING A RESPITE!


Thursday June 28, 2012 10:30 pm

I had to take a break... school is killing me! This week with the dogs, work, school, and the oppressive heat... it has been a long one. I needed to rest my mind so I thought I would reproduce for anyone who reads this one of my very favorite Poe poems.

At 27 Poe had married his great love... his 13 year-old cousin – Virginia Clemm. And in case you were wondering: NO, they were not from Tennessee or West Virginia! Lol The poem was written and released soon after she died. Poe, according to who you want to believe... was a confirmed alcoholic, and (or) drug user. His detractors say he was even worse than that... and his many defenders say he wasn't that bad?

However, if you do nothing more than read his own letters by his own hand... he certainly had his demons. Anyway, this is a beautiful and yet heartbreakingly sad poem ):

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me -
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud one night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we -
Of many far wiser than we -
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling -my darling -my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea -
In her tomb by the sounding sea. 

Sometimes... I think life is too sad for words. I hope everyone has a good night and a blessed weekend!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

I FORGOT TO INCLUDE SOMETHING?

Tuesday June 26, 2012 11:57 am


All of my dogs were taken care of this morning with the rising of the Sun. That part of me taking care of them they might not like, because I get 'em up early. But the rest I think they appreciate: fried egg sandwiches for all five of them this morning.

After that I have been steadily working on school work until I had to walk Virgil and Stella again a few minutes ago. The day is absolutely perfect weather so far. Later in the afternoon we will have a scorcher, but for now it is wonderful outside!!! High 70's, gentle breeze, the Sun was warm on my face and back... but not yet hot. This day seems to hold so much promise? It's a shame that I will either be inside at home, else at Ivy Tech this afternoon for an appointment to register for fall classes.

From yesterday's blog I wanted to include one very obvious thing I left off my eclectic mix of odd furnishings in my office. I mean, talk about the elephant-in-the-room. Have you ever seen something so often that it seems to almost disappear. An example of that would be if you've been married for a very long time and this is what often-times happens with your spouse? I mean, you know that they are there, and they might even be talking... but you really don't see a thing and all that you hear is white-noise. Kind of like that. (lol)

Behind my chair as I sit and type I have a safe, mid size, but very heavy. It is hard to move around and that is why it sets in one spot... the same spot that it has been in since the day we moved here. Before that it occupied the same spot (once it was set down) in all of the different houses we have ever lived in. I purchased it when the girls were babies so it is about 33 years old. Several years ago I needed some heavy-duty casters for something I was building and I took them off of the safe. Now, it can only squat where it is planted!

Late last night after posting I had gone to the kitchen to get a cold drink and when I returned the first thing I saw was the safe... and I thought, how in the world did I forget to write about something as big and ugly as it is. I am so used to it being there that I am not even certain if I have opened it since we moved here. The combination is an easy one to remember because it can be logged as a telephone number: 944-8366. Although that is the numbers for the safe and in their proper sequence... that is not the block sequence you would use to spin the dial and open it up. In reality though it wouldn't matter if I lost all that is in it. There is absolutely nothing of monetary value: there is, however, one piece in  it which holds great sentimental value for me.

Late last year I separated and sorted through all of my old gold, silver coins, and bars that had any real dollar value and I sold them. (Besides, I never kept those in my safe anyway.) Last night I pulled out my papers and glanced through what was still in the safe. Among other things there are rejection letters from story ideas, my passport (in case I am ever able to enact my great escape), a canceled check, dated 35 years ago in the amount of $225.00. That check was from another of my failed inventions. $225.00 today is nothing, but for me and back then it was a lot of money to waste.

There was that one thing I found which would only be of value to me. It was  from another of my failed tries at inventing something. This time though because of the money I had wasted in trying to get other projects started I thought I would have a notarized document drawn up... then, I would try to sell my idea rather than a prototype invention. My dad was a Notary Public and he signed the papers that were drawn up and affixed his state seal to them. (That idea, like the others I had were busts but his signature and seal to me are still important.)

Speaking of my dad... I didn't mention it on yesterday's blog but not because it was an oversight. I just didn't include it because to me it was not weird to have it, like some of the other things I have which obviously are. On the very top of my bookshelf is a properly folded American flag. This was the flag soldiers had covered his casket with: after removing it they had given it to me.

I'll finish with what I wasn't going to include. Now, though... who cares? (lol) My desk is a glass and steel frame desk and it has two tiers. Approximately 15 inches in front of me and at about the 1:00 o'clock position sets a ????? One of my granddaughters, Rachel or Hallie (upon first seeing it) said, “Papaw, it looks like an exploded baby doll head.”

Now, do you see why I was reluctant to admit having it? One day I was scavenging along the Ohio river when I saw a white piece of bone (?) half buried in the muck. I extricated it and upon closer examination I found that I had no idea on Earth what it was? I couldn't even tell for certain if it was bone or merely a man-made plastic. It had been in the water for some time though because algae and some crustaceans were growing on it. Well... I certainly had my prize for the day! (lol) It has a nice round globe on top and great looking growth(?) protruding from the bottom of it. Pocketing it I headed for home.

As soon as I got home I took it into the kitchen for cleaning. When Deb saw it she was freaked out and wouldn't go near it. The thought crossed my mind to try and make her touch it... then, if she refused I would chase her through the house with it in my hand. Then I thought, “I'm probably too old to be doing that sort of stuff, and if I'm not, well... she is!” Instead of that, I put it in a pot with some chemicals which I have mixed before that are good for cleaning things that I find. I brought it to a slow boil while scrubbing it and it ended up being perfectly bleached.

However, even though it was now pristine it had coated her pan with a black oily residue that will not come off. The best advice I gave her that day was that she probably shouldn't use that cooker again because I wasn't sure... but, it would probably contaminate whatever food was in it? As usual, that day she was exceedingly happy with me (:

I just realized something as I glanced around the room again. When I die there is not a single thing I have in this room that will be worth anything to anyone else.  Really, it's nothing more than just an odd collection of junk. There are a couple of metal jars on one of my shelves and I just looked inside to see what is in them? They are full of small rocks which (over the years) I have collected from various hikes and jaunts through the woods.

My latest addition to this junk room, which now adorns a library shelf is a small red and white plastic cup with a lid. When I got home from work this past Sunday it was sitting on my library table. I opened it and it is full of sand from the beach. Three of my very young granddaughters who just came back from the beach had brought it for me. They knew I didn't get to take Virgil there and I suspect they didn't want me to be disappointed? God bless them!

I put a few grains of sand on the top of Virgil's head and told him that's what we missed out on. (lol) Recently I saw a television commercial that will come in handy to the person who, one day, will be responsible for cleaning out this room. (1-800-GOT-JUNK)

Monday, June 25, 2012

MY OFFICE IS WEIRD

Monday June 25, 2012 10:40 pm

If my office is an extension of myself... I am truly weird. And, I must admit that it has to be as I am the one who has collected the odd assortment of items that I am looking at. The next several days will be more hectic than usual because I still have school, work, and now, the care of all the dogs this week. Because of that a smart person would not waste any of his time just looking at the peculiar things in his office... then, taking the necessary time to blog about it? But, I never said I was very bright.

In a sense I am blogging because of an assignment I did first thing this morning after I got in from walking Virgil and Stella for their... ahem, “morning constitutional.” I write it like that just in case Stella, who is staring intently at me as I type, has indelicate sensitivities? Virgil, as a guy could probably care care less than nothing about what I type... but he is sound asleep by my feet. I suppose I ought to clarify that I am only joking about Stella & Virgil knowing what I am typing... especially since I am writing about personal weirdness. On the other-hand, I try not to give too much thought what anyone thinks of me anyway. So, for the sake-of-argument, let's say I'm serious.

It will be a stretch for me to get in everything this week that I am needing to get done. This morning at 6:15 I had to let the three (outside) dogs out of their pens in the garage and allow them to get some exercise before I put them up in their outdoor runs. For a breakfast snack I gave them toast, with butter and cheese. It's probably a good thing Deb never reads anything I write: else, she would hate to know what all they get to eat whenever I am taking care of them. Although, I think that is why all of them get excited when they see me! (And girls... or Preacher, you can't tell her either.)

Virgil and Stella just had some chicken (boiled) with pasta, rice and peas. There really is a reason why I just wrote and told what my dogs had for breakfast. It is just that taking care of all of them is time consuming. So, after I got in from walking my two inside dogs I sat down to try and get in one assignment before I had to leave for work... and that is what prompted me to write this blog.

In this particular class I had an assignment to take an online personality test and to publish the results in a discussion board post. The instructions did not say to do this, but I waited about 30 minutes after taking the test the first time and I took it again. I just wanted to see (because the answers and the assessment is subjective) if the results were the same, or nearly so? In both examples, I, according to them, am in a 2% to 5% group (ENTP). Now, that doesn't necessarily mean 5% in a good way either. It could be that I am in the bottom-dwelling 5% and not in any higher echelon group. The score did cause me to wonder which end of the spectrum I might be at. And that, in turn, caused me to start looking at the environment which I created: hence, my office.

Thankfully, I have gotten rid of a lot of things I had: else, my assortment would even be more odd. Those who only know me by my writing and have never been to my house, I want to explain something. If you picture “my office” please do not imagine it is anything fancy. It is just that there happened to be an extra room in the back of the house and I converted it into an office.

The latest addition to my room is an 80 pound glass and metal conductor by the Lapp Company. It set for several days (un-bought) in a second-hand store for the amazing price of only $6.99. Every other (normal) person passing by only saw an antique electric conductor... worth nothing. Whereas... I saw “lamp” as soon as I saw it! As of this moment it is now securely bolted through the inkwell on an antique library table I picked up at auction a few years ago... for... wait for it... $2.00! That's right, another man's junk is my treasure! The conductor is the very same type that you see on huge power plants alongside the highways. They are able to carry great amounts of current through them. I do have some normal things I guess: I have a few pictures on my wall and desk: fairly normal stuff I suppose. My guitar hanging on the wall, nothing abnormal with that. An old Army cot... again not certifiable items.

I do know that my office would be a nightmare for any person who is stylish or into themes. Laying beside my chair is a gold Zero Halliburton briefcase that I won in a sales contest several years ago. At one time as I attended speaking engagements and meetings I guess it wasn't out of place for me to carry it. Today though, I would never have a reason to keep it with me. I do have a couple of my prized possessions I keep locked in it.

I have an old wooden tea box on my desk with 8 separate compartments. I have collected many dozens of pins, coins, and odd pieces of memorabilia to give to the grandchildren when they are old enough to want to play with the pieces.

In front of me I have an even dozen fossils I have found while out searching the local fossil beds... “shh” don't pass that last bit of information to anyone. It's sort of funny, but they don't like it when I take pieces with me that I have dug out of the ground.

I have a large piece of ????? I also dug this 94 pound piece of metal... rock... meteorite... slag... who knows out of the ground several years ago. I don't know what it is: but I like the looks of it, so it's in my office.

I have two large beaker bottles sitting atop my book shelf. Imagine an old movie with Boris Karloff... perhaps, The Bride of Frankenstein? Remember the mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius and his awesome laboratory. Do you have that mental picture? Okay, my room looks nothing like that, except I do have two large beaker bottles I took from an abandoned factory (:

I used to like it whenever a show would cancel and I was free for a couple of hours before my next appointment. Many times I would head to old Louisville and search through the long-abandoned factories that litter Louisville's west side district. Some of those old building have been abandoned for 20 years or more. Picture the blighted side of Detroit after the auto industry began to die... that is old Louisville. Now, to me what is amazing is that some of them, to this day, still have old things left behind in them.

A few years ago I was trekking through one of them and I had passed through what was apparently an old locker room and dining area. It was huge! In its heyday this business had employed hundreds of workers. (This same business is still in operation today but they moved to the Indiana side of the river.) In the main rooms there was enough ambient light to see okay... but in the basement area where I was searching, it was fairly dark. Ahead of me I saw the stairs and I picked up my pace and stepped on someone! I had seen something on the floor several feet in front of me but I figured it was just some clothes that years before had been discarded. It turned out to be some drunk guy and he screamed at me when I stepped on his leg.

Normally I am not a person who scares easily... but this really gave me a start! I mean, a bag of clothes hollering at me! After I realized what had happened I regained my composure. I laughed about that for several days every time I thought of the old sot.

Anyway, on that same scavenger trip and on the fourth floor of that old building is where I found my two beakers. I have a horse made of leather that sits beside my Eiffel Tower clock... don't ask. I have an assortment of staffs for hiking leaning against one wall. One of them was given to me by a friend and I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for it. (I used it on my short hike with Virgil on the AT.) I have some Mickey and Minnie Mouse items sitting in different spots. There is a dragon on my desk, inches from my keyboard. It sets beside an old Roman coin in a frame that is from the days when Christ walked the Earth.

I have a pencil box with an inscription on it from Ernest Hemingway, “The writer must write what he has to say. Not speak it.”

I have an hour-glass I bought several months ago, it was purchased to replace one I had owned for many years. Beside it is a small juke-box radio/lamp with an eye pod (sic) dock I use to listen to music as I sit and type. Across from me is a large framed picture of me and Virgil. It was given to me as a gift when I was first published. Several different people had read the book and in their own hand they wrote their thoughts about it. I have a large dream catcher on the wall, also given me as a gift from a friend... it doesn't work ):

On another wall I have a very old picture by Robert Wood. It depicts woods exactly like what I would like to find and hike through... they are pristine! I haven't even talked about my gas pump, Superman mug, or my several old steins. Anyway... I guess I'm just weird.

The sad thing is I can't simply be eccentric. I mean, that would have a certain Je ne sais quoi quality to it. The problem is if you are quirky or weird you have to be independently wealthy to be considered eccentric: else, you're just crazy.

So, here I sit... a crazy guy surrounded by some junk I have collected over the past several years. Well, I guess I'll quit this foolishness and start working on an English assignment: UGH

Sunday, June 24, 2012

LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME... ANY VOLUNTEERS?

Sunday June 24, 2012 9:45 pm

Sometimes in the past whenever I have planned to do something that I wanted, it seems to me that I was always “needed” by another and my plans changed. This time, however, what happened was 100% my own fault!

But, it's hardly as much fun for me if I can blame no one else for my woes besides myself (: I keep telling Virgil that I am taking him to the beach... and yes, he knows what I'm saying. (Lol) Against all odds I asked for a week's vacation during one of our blackout periods at work and I was approved! Well, that must surely be some sort of sign... right?

So, I began planning. Five days on a beach in North Carolina... I can hardly wait!!! I Googled and found several interesting places I wanted to go while I was there with him. I began by telling Deb that I was going there and would be back home by the sixth day. In the back of my mind I knew that summer semester was going to be starting, but really, how hard could that be?

Four days into school and about 35 hours already on the computer and I knew that a week away would be impossible. So, I changed it to three days at Daytona and one day at Gatlinburg on the way back home. There is only a difference of a few miles from my house to the beach in North Carolina, and Daytona Beach in Florida. But, from here to Daytona it is all Interstate and I can travel much faster... so, it seemed a better choice. The biggest negative was I had to wait until after five o'clock pm to take Virgil to the beach with me as they had restrictions that the beach in North Carolina did not. But, it still seemed doable?

Nine days into school and in one class I was barely hanging onto a “B” (at 80.11) and I saw the handwriting on the wall. So, I said, “DEFINITELY, I am still taking him somewhere with me! So, I decided on a quick drive to Gatlinburg and I would be back in two days!

June 16... the day we were supposed to leave. I still had about 10-12 hours left on the computer in two classes and I had an 11:59 pm Sunday deadline ): We were done... DRAT!!! Now, all that I do is I keep telling him how sorry I am that I screwed up and didn't get to take him again this year.

The problem is I can't keep telling him “next year” because how many next year's do any of us know that we have?

The good news is he still seems to love me, regardless the fact that I keep lying to him: albeit, even if I don't ever mean to do that.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

SHOULD I OR SHOULDN'T I?

Sunday June 17, 1:27 am

A few minutes ago I finished uploading my last paper for this week on a very boring peer-reviewed article I had for an assignment. The only thing left for this week is a lock-down test that we are allowed 2 hours and fifty minutes to complete. I am hoping that only means there is a lot of writing involved and not that there are a trillion questions on it. (I am planning to take that test tomorrow afternoon.)

 Now, for the main point of this morning's blog. Until now I have never removed a single blog after I had posted one: even though some I probably should have never written, or at least taken them down after I considered more carefully.

Although I have written a few dozen that I had no intention of ever posting. Those were either a practice in futility or good for my soul... I guess the jury is still out on that thought? Unless you are a late night, or early morning person... this is one post that might last no longer than whatever hours I will sleep until I am supposed to be awake.

It isn't that this one is particularly bad, or any more stupid than many others I have written. It is just that it allows a little more insight into the crazy thoughts which endlessly tumble through my disturbed mind.

Thursday morning I was working and I had a work companion tell me that she has never seen me upset... even while dealing with contentious people? I grinned while she was saying that to me and she said, "See, that's what I mean, you smile all the time, and even while talking to the worst people."

I told her that I had a "secret" and I might share it with her some day? I don't know if it was some sort of a test, trial, or just a happy accident, but the very next person I saw was extremely upset! In fact, she was so angry I think she was having difficulty trying to find the right words to describe her feelings. (Apparently she had not been able to find anyone to help her?)

As I approached: this person said to me... and I quote, "I'm so mad... I'm... I'm, getting bent!" (Those were her exact words.) As I usually do I began to smile and say the right words to try and placate her and to finally make the sale. With that little story in mind, I think I will let all of you know my secret and what I told my co-worker that I might let her in on one day?

Here is my secret: the reason I am able to smile and say "all the right things" even to the worst people, is that my words I am speaking and my thoughts in my head are going in opposite directions, and at the very same second.

All the time I am finding out what this lady needs by asking questions... my mind had been captured by her description that she is, "bent." Though I never gave voice to the thought, instantly I knew what had caused her to be "bent": hence, the reason I was smiling.

In my mind I am imagining trying to (patiently) explain to her exactly why she is bent? "Ma'am, (I'm thinking) the reason you are bent is that you are grossly overweight, and this has caused you to be somewhat bow-legged. In addition, your back muscles are too weak to support your ponderous stomach, therefore, you tip a little forward at the waist and it gives you that bent feeling."

I really don't know what else to say. It is just that things like that help me through my day (:

 

Friday, June 15, 2012

FOURTEEN IS A MAGICAL NUMBER

Friday June 15, 2012 11:45 pm


I write a lot about not sleeping for long periods of time and how it doesn't bother me? I think mostly that is true when it is just my body that gets tired. But, now I think because (all kidding aside) I really have been applying myself and doing the best I can to both get in all of the assignments on time and score the best grades I am capable... I think right now I am mentally tired as well.

After a long day and late night yesterday, I awoke and went to work (at 6:00 am) on about three hours sleep. After I got home I showered, dressed in shorts and tee-shirt and (almost) non-stop I worked eight and one-half hours on school work sitting at my computer.

This morning I awoke early and have been almost all day sitting here and typing. I'm not done with all of the assignments yet, but, I wanted to take a break and finish this 14th part on Christ's Second Coming. It is now  getting late again: I guess I wanted you to know that in case this blog makes no sense whatsoever. Of course, to most people trying to set any type of a hard date when Christ will return seems preposterous. So, just in case this blog is even less lucid than others I have written in the past... well, give me a break as I'm trying to come up with excuses so you will cut me some slack? lol

(I will pick up at the point I left off on part 13 of my blog.) In verse nine we read: “And Enos lived 90 years, and begat Cainan. This makes 325 years from Creation. (235 + 90)

In verse 12 we read: “And Cainan lived 70 years, and begat Mahalaleel.” We are now at 395 years.

Verse 15 reads: “And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared.” Now... we are at 460 years.

Verse 18 speaks of Jared's firstborn: “And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch.” We are now at 622 years from the first day of Creation.

In verse 21 we learn of Methuselah, which is Enoch's first child: “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah.” We are now at 687 years. Now, Methuselah does not have a child until he is 187 years old.

Verse 25: “And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. 874 years has now passed since Creation.

Lamech, Methuselah's son has his own son when he is 182 years old: “And Lamech lived an hundred and eighty and two years, and begat a son.” (verse 28) We have now passed 1,000 years and we are at 1.056 years since Creation.

Who was the son Lamech had? Verse 29: “And he called his name Noah, saying. This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.”

Noah was considerably older than the men who came before when he had his firstborn son... verse 32: “And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” (Of course, Japheth was born first and Shem was the second son born and Ham was the youngest of the three boys.) There have now passed 1,556 years since “God created the heaven and the earth.”

The Bible is also very clear on the date of the Great Flood. Genesis 7:11: “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, (May 17) the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. We know Noah's age when he had his first son and we know 100 years passed from that time until the Great Flood... so we know that the year of the Flood upon the Earth was 1,656 years from Creation! Right? Well... maybe? Let me explain.

For the most part, anyone who is curious and has just a few minutes to read that portion of Genesis in the Bible can come up with the dates I just gave... that part is simple. But, what seems to have escaped most observers and the main reason we can not be 100% certain of the number of years from Creation to the Great Flood is because the Bible does not tell us how many months had passed after each man turned another year older before they had their own sons.

Two of the great Bible scholars I have read extensively are Bishop Ussher and John Lightfoot! Yet, even those two seemed to miss the obvious. Let me illustrate. Let's suppose Creation began with me... I mean it did, right? Seriously though, here would be my time-line:

Birth: day one of Creation... my, I feel awfully important!

19 years (+ one-half month passes) and I have a child!

19 years (+ 10 more months pass) and I have another child!

If the Bible were recording the two daughters who were born to me it would only state I was 19 years old. Therefore, 19 years from Creation would have passed... right? No, the correct answer would be 19 years + 11 months have passed... for I would be 20 years old in less than a month after my second daughter was born.

There are ten generations listed: Adam/Seth/Enos/Cainan/Mahalaleel/Jared/Enoch/Methuselah/Lamech/and Noah. The only way Bible scholars could be correct to say that 1,656 years had passed from Creation to the Great Flood is if all ten men had their own children within 35 days of their most recent birthdays, and I much doubt that was the case. (10 x 35 = 350 days which is less than one lunar year.)

Also, if each of the ten men who were recorded in the Bible had their children just one day shy of their next birthday, that would add nine more years to the calendar and bring it to the year 1,665. (Again though, I doubt that scenario as well.)

Because the Bible does not record individually months which passed, the most accurate answer would be 1,656 years (+ 1 to 9 more years) passed from Creation to the Great Flood. That is the reason that preachers who try to be too exacting with numbers will always fail because the Bible did not record all of the necessary information which would be needed in order to get an exact date. Therefore, from the beginning of time until the Great Flood was upon the whole Earth was between the dates: May 17, 1,665 to 1,656 BC.

Because of the given time line in the Bible, Lightfoot, Ussher and many others place Creation at 4,004 BC. That is 1,656 years from Creation to the Flood and 2,348 years from the Great Flood until the birth of Christ. So, they say: 1,656 + 2,348 = 4,004. Then, if you add those years to the years after the birth of Christ you would have … 4,004 + 2,012 = 6,016 years from Creation until this year. Because they did not take into account the men's ages... not only in years but adding the months, the actual time we have been on Earth lies somewhere between 6,016 to 6,025 years from Creation!

Before continuing I will give you some other important time lines that can be gleaned from the Bible.

God's call to Abraham was 1,921 years before Christ was born.

The children of Israel fled Egypt 1,491 years before Jesus was born.

The temple, in Jerusalem, was founded 1,012 years before Christ's birth.

Finally, for this brief list, the start of the Babylonian captivity was 586 years before Jesus was born on Earth.

What follows this paragraph is copied from a Web page that  I am hoping you can access directly from my blog. I only included this because there are some interesting facts. In Revelation chapter 8:10-11 the Bible declares, “And the third angel sounded and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters: And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis

99942 Apophis, previously known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) is a near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 because initial observations indicated a small probability (up to 2.7%) that it would strike the Earth in 2029. Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon in 2029.
However, a possibility remained that during the 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole, a precise region in space no more than about a half-mile wide, that would set up a future impact on April 13, 2036. This possibility kept the asteroid at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006, when the probability that Apophis will pass through the keyhole was determined to be very small.
Apophis broke the record for the highest level on the Torino Scale, being, for only a short time, a level 4, before it was lowered. Its diameter is approximately 270 meters (885 ft). As of October 7, 2009 the probability of an April 13, 2036 impact is considered to be 1 in 250,000. Of objects not recently observed, there are 7 asteroids with a more notable Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale than Apophis.
Apophis is named after the ancient enemy of the sun-god Ra. Apep was the Uncreator, an evil serpent that dwells in the eternal darkness of the Duat (earth's middle) and tries to swallow Ra during his nightly passage.

Another danger of a large space rock hitting our Earth is what is called an “impact winter”, that is a period of extended cold weather brought on by dust and particles shrouding the Earth and blocking the Sun. A rock the size of Apophis hitting the Earth is estimated to have the same effect as 65,000 nuclear warheads striking the Earth at the same time.

The verse following in Revelation which describes the impact of Wormwood striking the Earth tells of the third part of the Sun, the Moon and the stars being darkened. (v. 12) “And the fourth angel sounded , and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for the third part of it, and the night likewise.”

Keep in mind what I have written before in this series. Those prophets of God who saw visions tried to describe in the language of their own day what they were seeing. They didn't use terms like, “impact winter.” All that John knew was that after this “star” fell to the Earth, the Sun and the Moon were not giving their same light. Why? It is because of the great cloud of dust which will be picked up and carried high into our atmosphere.

Also, before I give you all a date … lol I want to explain one other thing. I'm not basing His soon return on the rock I am telling you about which might, or might not hit the Earth in 2,029? I am saying that based on all ten signs and the fact that this approaching asteroid coincides very well with the time I think He will return? Ready, here goes.

The flyby(?) of Apophis over the Earth is expected to happen on April 13, 2,029. If I am even close to being right, then that would mean the Rapture will have taken place 3 and ½ years before... as Wormwood will strike the Earth midway through the Great Tribulation. Therefore, I think the Rapture will happen in October 2,025.

Which of course would mean that I would miss my 70th birthday. What a crying shame, I was sort of looking forward to that party!

I still have another 2 pages of notes I was going to include but the honest truth is I am just tired of typing. In a nutshell they had to do with the Jewish homeland from 1948 until 2,025... and that is another perfect time-line fit.

Also the age of the Earth (6,016-6,025) is another great fit. God created everything in six literal days and rested on the 7th. We are told that with the Lord “... a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day.” Therefore, mankind has had six days (6,000 years) to labor and the seventh day, or the 7,000 year will be a day of rest. (The millennial reign of Christ for 1,000 years on Earth will fulfill that as well.)

If I am right we have a little more than 13 years from today. The Lord began His public ministry on Earth when he was thirty years old and He preached for 3 and ½ years on the Earth. That also fits well into the idea of six “days” being six thousand years. If Apophus is the Wormwood John described, then it striking in 2,029 puts the middle of the Great Tribulation at 6,030 years from the beginning of time.

One more thing. Don't imagine that we have that much time and put something off... I honestly do not know. The Lord could return before I post this. Or, he might not return in the lifetime of anyone who reads this? Either way though, He is coming back! If I die before 2,025, and you are still alive in November of that year and the Lord hasn't returned... well, you can just record one more thing that you know for certain I was wrong about during my lifetime! And, if I am counting correctly that would bring the total things I have been wrong about to... two! (:

One last thing... I promise. In 2,025 If I am not still around and you are: eat a piece of cake for me on November 12... for it's what I would have done if I could. Make it either a piece of chocolate or carrot cake: my two favorites! If it is chocolate make sure the icing matches... and if it's carrot cake, well I especially like sour cream frosting. To those I love and all of my friends... have a good night!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

13 OF 14 ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST


Tuesday June 12, 2012 10:04 pm

I thought I would make one more post (with this the 13th one) and that will prepare the next post, which will be last one for this series on the Second Coming of Christ.

Before I do that I will give a brief update on my first week of being graded. So far... in one class I have an A with nothing missed. Another class with 4 tests taken, 5 writing assignments and a slew of articles submitted for peer-review in the Discussion Board... out of a possible 295 points, I have scored 292. So far, so good. Now, for the class that I thought I would be okay in and perhaps even excel? Ready? If I drop just one more point I will be at a “C.” That's right boys and girls... I am at the very bottom of a “B.” HAHAHAHAHAHA!

While still a young man I was actually bored with school work because it wasn't very challenging? I could miss school at will... hardly ever crack a book and still pass all of the exams rather easily. Today... right now, I am trying as hard as I can to keep up: yet, by next Sunday in that one class I might be no better than a “C” student!

Years ago I used to enjoy watching a show called “Branded.” It starred Chuck Connors and he was drummed out of the service because of a charge of cowardice under fire. Of course, the viewers all knew the charges were groundless, yet he never could clear his name. The opening scene was always the same. A superior officer with an apparently very sharp sword cutting away the buttons from his shirt. (I guess this act signified that he was branded?)

In much the same manner I am now expecting a visit from Ms Rudolph or someone like her demanding I return any and all paperwork from her organization which would show I am a member. Instead of a saber she would probably have sharp scissors in her hand as she turns my hard earned certificates into confetti. All the while shaking her head and looking woefully disappointed. I would probably be red-faced and stammering, “But, but... I tried my best, does that count for nothing?”

Because I apparently lack the needed skills in mathematics I have decided to introduce my own equation and name it after me. It is: (RJ=Stoopud²) Eat your heart out Diophantus! Move over Einstein... there's a new math whiz on the block and I am now starring in my very own equations! Although I think it's great fun (really) to learn my own limitations... if I really do dummy any of my classes to a “C” … I'm not sure I will think that is as funny as I do right now as I sit here and poke fun of myself. Lol

Alright, after this post... and most probably by the week-end I will type the 14th and last blog on this series that I have been working on.

Now, for the point of my next blog. There are a few books in the Old Testament with several verses that recorded there was going to be the Son of God born into the world. And, of course, we know that event took place 2,000 years ago. I am only wanting to make the point that a very small number of books and verses in the Bible spoke of His first Advent... and yet, that came to pass. By comparison, in the New Testament I found that 17 of the 27 books and 93 verses foretells His Second Coming! And, I am not stating or even implying that I found all of them. That list is just the ones that I searched and found in my own studies. Perhaps there are many more verses and books that I did not find? 

 
I am going to type just one more paragraph to show how I am going to make the case for the time-line of the history of the Earth. Then,  in my next blog I will continue with this list and also show some “clues” from the Bible and try to make a case as to why I believe we are nearing the very end-of-time.

Genesis 5:3: “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth...” So far we have 130 years from Creation. (verse 6) “And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos.” Now, we are in year 235. (130 for Adam and 105 for Seth)

Sunday, June 10, 2012

FINALLY... THREE QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Sunday June 10, 2012 9:27 pm

For this week all of my school work is complete... whew! However, it starts all over tomorrow: UGH!

The only part I now have left to type is my thoughts on the approximate time of the start to the end of the world, and that is the Rapture of the church. As I can, and between work, downloads for school... and of course I mustn't forget spending time with my little man... Virgil. I will try to get my last post done on this subject as soon as possible and upload it as well 


Whenever I am reading (even a fictional book) I always imagine what the characters are going through. I try to envision their surroundings, thoughts, course of actions, etc. And sometimes I carry with me what I have read my entire lifetime. As I am typing this I am remembering a book I read when I was no more than 20 years old and at that time I identified with one of the main characters. I could tell he was about to make a terrible and forever life-changing mistake.

As I was slowly turning the page to see what happened I was hoping he wouldn't be that dumb... but he was! I remember thinking, “You fool!” I never once dreamed then that I would actually live something in my own life which was very similar. The reason I told you that is two-fold. First: In the spirit of being honest sometimes I just can't help myself! And whenever I think of something as I am typing I include it. (lol) Secondly: and the more important reason is that I also do the same thing whenever I am reading the Bible. That is... I try to picture what is happening to these people during the time the Bible is recording their acts. With that background, I want to talk to you about Noah and the Ark.

I know that from experiences I have had even in my day as I have tried to witness to people that it is not much different than it was in the days of Noah. And that is the heart of man has always had doubt and there have always been scoffers. I know this for a fact because Noah preached many years during the entire time the Ark was being built, and he apparently didn't have a single convert!

In your mind what do you see whenever you think of the Ark being built? I know it would have been started in an area where there would be plenty of trees for harvesting. And he certainly didn't have to worry about an ocean to launch his boat because God was going to provide a beach front everywhere on Earth.

We don't know a lot about Noah other than he was “a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9b.) I also imagine his testimony was real: for his wife, his three sons, and their wives all believed him enough to board the Ark. In my mind I picture as the months drew down to weeks, and then to days... the crowds began growing exponentially. This Ark being built was not done in a vacuum, and crowds love to mock. Honestly, I know myself that I love to laugh so if I had lived at that time I know for certain I would have been there laughing along with the rest of the people, at least until the time the old man entered the boat for the last time.

Of course the Bible nowhere states how many years it took to build the Ark, but it was no small challenge and it might well have been decades. Noah is first mentioned in Genesis 5:32 and he is 500 years old at that time and when he enters the Ark it is his 600th year. So, a period of no more than 100 years the boat was being prepared. (Now, how many scoffers do you think this huge boat being built on dry land over an extended period of time would have drawn?)

As the time began to grow short... perhaps the strangest sight for all of the believers, (besides this huge boat and Noah's crazy ramblings about “rain” going to fall) was the steady advance of animals that had been showing up for several days now, and they had been coming from all directions. And some of them were even walking up the gangplank and boarding this crazy contraption.

(Keep in mind that it was not until AFTER the Great Flood that animals and people had any fear of each other. All creatures... man and beast (before the Flood) were vegetarian (Genesis 1:29-31). Then, for the first time after the Great Flood man was given permission to kill and eat certain types of animals.)

Genesis 7:15-16: “And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the lord shut him in.” (AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN)

Now that was the part that for a long time I could not grasp the significance of the act: I mean, Noah and his sons were all physically capable men, yet, they did not close the door after they were safely inside... God did! The Bible also declares that on the “selfsame day” that Noah and his family entered the Ark that, “... the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” I now want to try and explain the two scenes in my mind I have from this great and terrible day! First, what those on the outside were seeing.

I imagine it was a great carnival atmosphere outside the boat as Noah had been warning people time was growing shorter. Perhaps thousands had gathered just to see this crazy old man exit the boat after nothing bad happened.

Then, with baited breath by some and probably many jeers and snide remarks by others who shouted toward Noah's back as he entered the gangplank for the last time... something strange happened? Of its own accord this massive gangplank began to lift off the ground and within seconds the door was tightly sealed... then it happened.

The ground began to shake and suddenly something started happening which had never before been seen... rain began to fall. But not just rain, it was a deluge! (The windows of heaven were opened.) I think men and women began to run gathering their families. I think that in any crisis if you are with people you love more than life itself, then “home” always sounds safe. I think that is what was on everyone's mind, get home and fast! I bet they did not run ten feet in the direction of home before they realized home was not a safe place at all. The only safety was the Ark, which was now sealed.

In voices that because of fear had great strength and they began to outshout the storm and to plead and beg Noah to open the door and let them in.. perhaps they were telling him they were sorry and they hadn't meant to make fun? Many who couldn't swim, and small children along with the aged were already succumbing to the waters: animals, men, women, and children were beginning to drown. There were bodies floating everywhere. A great many trees in the nearby woods had been harvested for the building of the Ark, but maybe some of the young men who were stronger might have started running in the direction of what trees remained. Maybe they thought that the old man was only partly right and though this water was bad, surely it couldn't reach them in the high branches? Outside there was wails and crying, and death... everywhere!

Inside the Ark I think it was completely different. I believe there would be a hushed awe... even the animals were silent. There is something about death that does this.

Several years ago we raised dogs. If you do that and if you have a lot of dogs, there will be death. Our high number at the same time on our yard was 33 dogs. Normally whenever I would go onto the yard there was a great cacophony of sound: barks, yips, shrieks... the dogs were all excited and vying for my attention. I had two acres and there was a place in the bottom end of the property that we were not doing anything with. Anytime a dog would die, I had to carry him through the middle of the runs I had built which were on opposite sides of the yard. Not once did I ever carry a dog who had died where any of the other dogs could see what I carried. I always wrapped them before burial. Yet, as soon as I approached the back yard to walk to the end of the property to dig a hole and bury the dog... I was met with stony silence. Somehow they knew? And it wasn't because of any smells. I never waited to take care of the hard part of burying an animal when something bad happened, I did it immediately.

As I passed by some of the dogs would quickly turn away and go back out of sight, and into their houses. A few would lay down and put their chin on their outstretched paws and quietly watch me as I passed. But, always they were very quiet. I think that is how it was on the Ark that first day. Even the animals knew a lot of dying was happening outside the walls of the Ark.

I don't even know if Noah and his sons stood near their wives? Each was probably lost in their own thoughts trying to understand what was happening outdoors. They could still hear some terrified screams, so they knew some had not yet perished. They might have heard people who were no longer begging for their own lives... but please, would Noah open the door and save their young children... their little babies... please!

A window was built high on the side and it ran around the boat. I imagine Noah scrambling up the scaffolding to the third story parapet and trying to peer out. I think the image of people who could swim holding children just out of the water, and begging for his help seared his mind.

Now, He was a preacher of righteousness and he had for many years warned them of the coming judgment. But, I think he thought to himself... was he really so very different than those outside? He was just a man after all.

I think at some point Noah fled to the door and began to push with all his might: the screams and what he saw was too much... he was going to save who he could. In my mind I can hear him screaming for his three boys to lend their strength to the door: it must be stuck. But you see, it was God who shut the door and if Noah had with him an army of capable men to help, the door would not have budged a single inch. Soon, the only sounds coming from outside were the sounds of an end-of-the-world storm: all people, animals... everything was now dead!

Noah and his family was on the Ark just a few days more than one year, and that is a lot of time to just think. Maybe he hadn't done enough? Maybe if he could have somehow warned people a little better, with more urgency? Maybe... maybe... what might have been... if only... all of these seeming possibilities of how things might have turned out better?

All I know for certain is that once Noah and his family were safely on the other side of the Great Flood that Noah planted a vineyard, then he harvested the fruit and he made alcoholic drinks with this fruit. After that he drank himself into a state of drunkenness! The Bible says nothing more about Noah and drinking after that episode. But we do know he lived 350 years after the Great Flood and maybe he never could get those awful images from his mind and he often repeated this act?

I had earlier said that all three things I would answer would tie together. God shutting the door, Noah becoming drunk... and every saved person's biggest regret as the “snatching away” (Rapture) is happening.

I found my answer one day while reading a very familiar passage in the Bible. Revelation 3:7-8a: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it...” (HE THAT OPENETH AND NO MAN SHUTTETH, AND SHUTTETH, AN NO MAN OPENETH)

Noah and the Ark, while not a true archetype of the Rapture... because Noah and his family who had found grace (Genesis 6:8: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”) had to ride out the storm on Earth, while those in the Rapture will be carried safely away before the Earth is laid desolate. Incidentally, the grace Noah found is the same grace that is available to all who want it today. Simply put, it is “unmerited favor.” Christ did all of the redemptive work... your part is only to believe and accept.

You see the regret all who are saved and are taken in the Rapture will be the same angst Noah felt. Did he do enough to try and see people safely on board the Ark. Have you done enough to try and see your friends, work companions, loved ones saved... have you done enough? Have I? Although I would not try and speak for you, my own answer is a resounding, “NO!”

Maybe for mere seconds as the Rapture is happening there will be great joy, perhaps even a feeling of vindication? But, even though for those who are saved “time” as we now know it will no longer be in use after the Rapture. Yet, I think no more than what we would now call mere seconds will have passed before we might be sending our prayers to God for another day. “Please Lord... just one more day: an hour Lord... please, there is someone I love and need to talk with. Lord, just time for one phone call... please!”

As I sit here and type he has not yet closed the mercy door he has left open to all of us. That is to be saved or tell another person how to be born-again. But, believe this... as it was in the days of Noah... when God shuts the door man has no strength to open it!

And at the Rapture that door is forever shut... now is your only opportunity! It's sort of funny, but I hear some Christian's getting all worked up because some agnostic is threatening to do this or that and somehow forever harm Christianity? What a joke! All men, lost or otherwise have little strength. Some agnostic will get the ear of some local judge and a Gospel opportunity will be shut... then across town three more opportunities will open for the Gospel to be preached. Russia will close its borders to preachers and at the same time China will open theirs. It happens all day and every day all around this globe. 

All of the Voltaire's, O'Hare's, Hawkings's in the world (if their numbers were ten thousand times ten thousand) could not close the open door of the inviting Gospel until the Rapture comes to pass. At that time though, the open door of God's mercy will be shut. Because, remember: It is God who will be closing that door!!!

ALMOST THERE

Sunday June, 10, 2012 2:49 pm

I had to take a break from school work for a little while so I thought I would post the answer to the three questions I began all of this with.  But, I didn't quite make it that far: hence the title... ALMOST THERE.

I have finished all school assignments for the week, except one entire chapter to read, one 35 power point slide presentation, and then another 50 minute timed test. I finished the other one about 90 minutes ago and I desperately needed a break from thinking, (lol) so I started on this blog. (I wrote the last part of that sentence for my new 'best-friend' ........!) She thinks I am sooooo dumb! I love it!!!


I will tell you though I used to think I liked learning? At least until last Monday evening and I started these classes... I have to tell you that learning is overrated! Instead of trying my best on my placement exam I now wish I had completely made a mess of it and last night instead of staying up most of the night studying and typing papers I could have been reading, “Run Spot run! (Unless you are about my age that probably won't mean anything to you.) And for math perhaps I would be doing my two times two tables? (lol) So, even though I am already over any excitement I might have had about school... I still like learning truth from the Bible. And that is what this blog is going to be about: telling (three) true things I learned from God's Word.

One of the things I love about the Bible is that there are no “extra” words in it just for the sake of adding words. However, there are hundreds and hundreds of small phrases or words that are somewhere in a verse, and it is as if they were an afterthought? It is those words and phrases I find most intriguing, because I know they are there by Divine insight and each one poses some mystery that is just begging to be solved.

I suppose I like that so much because I find I am constantly doing that in my own writings. There are many phrases, sentences, certain spacings, etc. which I write that I could state better... and I know how to do that. Yet, I sometimes write this way because it holds something special to me that I alone might see. And I see it, not because I am especially bright, I'm not: just ask ….....! (She is a recent letter writer to me and she thinks I am plenty stupid! Lol)

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I don't even tell people why I write like this and there is a valid reason for that. I would hope not to go from only a person some might believe is somewhat strange (or probably weird) to becoming certifiable? (My mind's eye) I am running (outside) one day and looking behind I see a few men chasing me, and they have these impossibly large nets... and they have one quest, it is to bag me, like what is done to capture butterflies!

I guess that once trapped in a net there would not be any use crying out and saying, “Je ne suis pas fou!” (I am not crazy) I mean, just the fact that I might repeatedly say that sort of belies that truth... don't you think? As I haven't a single time tried speaking in the French language. So, by using such a phrase would (by itself) be crazy! I hope that once wrestled to the the ground I would just submit and allow them to dress me in that nice white coat with the impossibly long arms! (At least it has some neat buckles on it.)

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(I used the last two paragraphs to express what I mean by saying I write things that I alone might see?)

Again though, I only see certain things in what I have written because I know what I am looking for. I think that is the way it is with God. He records a lot of mystery in His Book, and it is there for us to see as well... but, we have to know how to look for it.

Knowing that there are no superfluous words with God is another reason I could never understand the way certain modern preachers think nothing of adding, updating, and (or) deleting words from the Bible. Of course, they do this in the guise of making it easier to read? They treat God's Word and words as if they were only man's words, and they change them at will! (Of course this is mostly done to suit their own belief and their own man-made doctrines.)

And what is also upsetting is that some of these same men would think it profane to try and modernize writings from men of the past like Shakespeare, Sophocles, and many others. To them it is fine to change the Word of God... but, by no means should a single word of Homer, or any other larger-than-life writer be changed! (I guess that shows where their heart really is... don't you think?)

If your pastor is well-read, and... if you want to find out if (in private, regardless his public stance) he is really a non-believer in the Word of God: here is a way to test him. Tell him you recently saw an article where some were trying to update all of Shakespeare's works to make them easier to understand. See what he says. You will find right away that most of these pretenders hold well-known writing's of ordinary men to be sacrosanct, and therefore should not be tampered with. Of course, that means that all men who hold such views are placing all such writing's of classic literature far above that of the Word of God!

With the thought in mind that EVERY word God recorded in His Book is important... I will now tell the two things from the story of Noah and the Ark that for many years I never understood. First, why did God shut the door?

Perish the thought... but I have rested enough and I must now return to preparing to take another test. "Why, God, why..." did I ever think I might like going back to school when I didn't like it the first time around? Maybe ........ is really onto something and I am stoopid! I mean stupit... I mean stoopit. There, that's better.

Saturday, June 09, 2012

TIDYING UP

Saturday June 9, 2012 7:41 am


Last evening, after I finished posting my blog about a couple of emails I had gotten I worked for about an hour on my time-line for end-time events... and then I remembered something else. Because the post about the approximate time I believe Jesus will return will wrap up this short series: first I wanted to answer the three questions I had posted on my April 18 blog ... TIME.

(After I write that blog then I will finish writing my thoughts on an end-time date.)

The only problem though was by the time I thought of that I was getting sleepy and I didn't have the heart to start typing anything else. Neither do I have the time this morning to actually answer the three questions because I have to go to work. But I thought for any who reads this and did not see the first post about the three questions... I do have the time to state what the three questions are that I will be answering.

First: Why did God shut the door of the Ark, and not Noah?

Secondly: One of Noah's first recorded acts after he and his family were safely on the other side of the Great Flood was to drink (alcohol) until he was very drunk. Why did Noah do that?

Thirdly: What will be every believer's biggest regret as the Rapture is happening?

Even though those three events, at first blush, might not seem related... really they are. And I didn't see that until just a few years ago while reading a familiar verse in Revelation. As I was reading it I then (finally) knew why God shut the Ark's door. (It might seem like a small thing to some people but it had always puzzled me why a physically capable man like Noah had not done that himself?)

As the persons emails to me yesterday attempted to point out, I might not be “qualified” to speak about the Bible and its teachings... apparently that should be some priests job! (What a joke!!!) But, capable or not I do have the answer to the above three questions and I will try to make that post and answer those questions soon.

This evening as soon as I am home I have to do a lot of reading from the book Criminology Today – Frank Schmalleger. My assignment is the first two chapters – 51 pages, then I have to take two (50 minute timed) tests in order to finish the work I have to have done by tomorrow. I think I will be up most of the night ):

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!!!

Friday, June 08, 2012

2 EMAILS TODAY

Friday June 8, 2012 9:23 pm


She began her first email questioning how I could “know” that what I was writing was true? I politely emailed her and honestly said that no one can “know” with certainty, and (at best) what I was writing were educated guesses based on the Bible and history. (I suppose that the word “educated” I used struck some nerve or other because her next email was nastier and she asked for my “credentials” as it related to religion?) I thought about that before I answered her and said that I have none... yet, not being credentialed does not mean that it is impossible to excel at any given field. Then I told her a story: it was about about one of my very favorite... and least favorite presidents.

Example: R.R. (Ronald Reagan) who was most notably an actor and public speaker in Hollywood: the land of make believe. Yet, he is on my short list of the five best presidents this country has ever known. Even those who are on the other side of the aisle give him his due for his accomplishments and restoring America to a super-power in the world again. After the Carter fiasco, this nation had to have someone like him. The reason I told her that was he was not a person in the political arena with gravitas and great political acumen... yet, the world has not seen a better leader in the last 150 years of its history!

Another example: I can not think of any president (besides Carter) who has done more harm to America than the man we presently have in office. Yet, he (supposedly) has all of the qualifications to be a world-leader? Why then does he repeatedly fall flat in politics as a leader of this nation? Even those who want to prop him up are hard pressed to find anything that is better in this country today than it was when he took office.

What about you?- I (for one) couldn't care less what “credentials” any person has as long as they can get the job done. I know a lot of boys and men who might imagine they had a father who was brilliant... and they might believe that only because they loved their dad and that is how they thought of him. I am no different than any who feel that way with (perhaps) one exception... my dad really was brilliant! It isn't hero worship on my part to say he was bright: it was obvious to any person when they met him. Yet, I don't think he even finished high-school?

She made a point... still it has never mattered to me what sheepskin hangs on a wall. The only thing which I have ever taken into account is whether or not a person can do what they claim they can. I too would be more impressed with a person who was dedicated enough to go to school and get their degree than someone who would not. Yet, I would never imagine that such a person with an earned degree would necessarily be any more qualified to do a particular work.

She said she would just love to see my face one day after my prediction of the date that He will return and (if) it doesn't happen? Two things: it is still  somewhat distant into the future when I think He will return, and I most probably won't be alive? So, depending on how long I might have been dead, (and knowing what happens to corpses in decomposition) it is I who would like to see her face after seeing me in that state! lol

I emailed and said it appeared you are apparently upset at the thought of His return... is it because either you, or someone you love is not saved? That was in my last email to her and I haven't heard anything on that last thought. Of course it could also be that she jumped on Camping's recent bandwagon and perhaps she gave away a fortune believing it was all going to end? I suppose the reasons for her anger could be myriad... but, she is certainly upset.

I cannot imagine why anyone would be very angry while imagining that Christ is going to return to the Earth... unless they are lost. I have a relative who is saved and doesn't like to think about His return, at least until she has a baby? That I might understand, sadness perhaps... but certainly no anger at the thought.

Such harsh words for simple posts seemed too much! I mean... I don't mind criticism and I enjoy debate: but there must be some underlying problem that is making her afraid at the very thought of the Second Coming! I guess I am not very much looking forward to facing Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ. But, I still want to see Him return and claim all those He died and redeemed to Himself.

In my postscript I sent her the following symbol ): And I told her how she could turn that frown into a (: Do you think that might be why she has not emailed me again? lol

I really was polite to her and I closed with - Yours truly, Robin