This Christmas ...

         

          I was reminded and had my eyes opened this last Christmas - as we read through the Bible story of Jesus' birth and circumcision - how Mary was always wondering and mulling over the instances of Jesus' birth being published and spread to poor, humble folk and those who were far away from the place.

 

Every aspect of Mary's character was taken into account when she was selected to be the mother of Jesus, so I believe that this is an important idea to point out.

 

"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Luke 2:19

(when the shepherds had explained their knowledge and went their way)

 

"And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him."

Luke 2:33

(when Mary and Joseph met Simeon in the temple for Mary's purification and Simeon had spoken to them about Jesus)

 

"...but his mother kept all these  things in her heart."

Luke 2:51

(when Mary and Joseph "lost" Jesus and found him speaking to the elders in the temple)

 

How many things have we learned from meditating on God's Word?

How many amazing things have been created due to the ideas that others have thought about? 

 

How many things have we discovered in the created things around us, because we were curious?

How must we question every aspect of the world's thinking in order to prepare ourselves with strength for Christian battles?

 

 

These instances - recorded in the Bible - are an important reminder that we must not be blinded by a certain way of thinking and that we should not become stagnant in the faith.

 

Instead, we should remember that there is always more and more to discover and put out for others and remember that God gave us the ability to think and to appreciate the natural world around us much more.

   

A Time for War and A Time for Peace (Bible Verse Reference)

          This is a very controversial subject among Christians, and it appears I opened a can of worms with my last post, "We Are the Dead."

          Please take note of my words here at the beginning: I don't believe in starting war; I believe in peace and promoting peace above all things. Peace pacts are just a paper, however, and no matter what you say, evil will still come to those seeking revenge, power, etc. (Modern examples, e.g. Russia over Ukraine, ISIS).

          As I said in an earlier comment, Jesus does not condone war, but neither does he condemn it; which is why, by the way, that we have to go to war when the government calls us - we are to obey the authority, so long as it doesn't interfere with God's commands (Romans 13:1-2, Acts 5: 29), which war and fighting is not a part of.

          If he would be completely against war, surely he would not have praised the centurion for such great faith (Matthew 8:10), surely he would not have used war as a metaphor when speaking about the Christian life (I. Timothy 6:12, Ephesians 6:13, II. Corinthians 10:4). What about the battle of Armageddon (Revelations 16:16)? - surely, if God condemns war so much, then there would be no last battle. To say the least, Jesus is constantly warring with Satan so that we do not come to harm (Deuteronomy 20:4, Psalm 138:7, Isaiah 42:13) - what is this called; sparring?

          If someone curses in my presence, I will tell them that I do not wish to hear them; if I find someone being beaten to death, I will definitely try and intervene - would you say that I shouldn't be defending this person? Or wickedness? Or evil? How are we to stop it if we tolerate it?

       
          Finally last, but not least, anyone who says that Jesus never resorted to violence should take a look at Matthew 21:12 again. 

Yellow, to Orange, to Green, to Blue, to...

Brown!

Blog "Birthday"

     Now, I am not much into this thing called "blog birthday," but I came across this verse on the 4th Sunday after Epiphany: "But the men marvelled saying, What manner of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him" (Matthew 8: 27). 

     I am curious to see who reads this blog, and I would love to read what you think Jesus is (feel free to type as much as you think)

 

. Please don't be shy about typing your first name, either.

 I'll start it off:

Jessica

Jesus is the highest, yet the humblest.

I have found a verse ...

that seems to fit very well with on of my previous posts, "The [Great] Scientific Debate." I have added it to that post, as well.

 



He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11


We will never gain the full knowledge of how everything works in this world, due to Adam and Eve's initial falling out with God. Their clouded judgment was passed down to us, and we will never be close to God as long as we are on this earth.

A Good Little Reminder

          (Proverbs 17:20 - ...and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. , James 1: 26 - If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain., James 3:5/6/8 - Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, hoe great a matter a little fire kindleth!/And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell./But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison., I Peter 3: 10 - For he that will love life, and see good days let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Proverbs 21: 23 - Whosoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from trouble.).

There are so many times I fall in sin because of my tongue. I always regret it, but today I found this on Pinterest, and I think that it is an excellent reminder.

DON'T OPEN YOUR MOUTH:

1. In the heat of anger - Proverbs 14: 17.

2. When you don't have all the facts - Proverbs 18:13.

3. When you haven't verified the story - Deuteronomy 17:6.

4. If your words will offend a weaker brother - I Corinthians 8:11

5. If your words will be a poor reflection on the Lord or your friends and family - Peter 2: 21-23

6. When you are tempted to joke about sin - Proverbs 14:9.

7. When you would be ashamed of your words later - Proverbs 8:8.

8. When you're tempted to make light of holy things - Ecclesiastes 5:2.

9. If your words would convey a wrong impression - Proverbs 17:27.

10. If the issue is none of your business - Proverbs 14:10.

11. When you are tempted to tell an outright lie - Proverbs 4:24.

12. If your words will damage someone's reputation - Proverbs 16:27.

13. If your words will destroy a friendship - Proverbs 25:28.

14. When you are feeling critical - James 3:9

15. If you can't speak without yelling - Proverbs 25: 28

16. When it is time to listen - Proverbs 13:1

17. If you may have to eat your words later - Proverbs 18:21

18. If you have already said it more than one time (then it becomes nagging) - Proverbs 19:13.

19. When you are tempted to flatter a wicked person - Proverbs 24:24.

20. When you are supposed to be working, instead - Proverbs 14:23.

I believe I have become better at thinking before I speak, but sometime I still speak, even though I know it will be wrong.

And believe me, I have for all of these reasons when I shouldn't have.

At least once.

I regret it.

EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I have hurt many, or ruined the reputation of some because of my words.

The [Great] Scientific Debate

          

          First of all, why am I bringing this up? Because it's so important and so overlooked. People want scientific evidence to prove something. If there's evidence, it's right. - This is today's mentality; we want proof for everything, just where different people get that proof is a different story.

One day, I will be a scientist, and this will be part of my everday life. 

So let's deal with it right now and here.

          Any arguments on specific issues almost always end up having something to do with some sort of discussion on "evidence." 

"Where's the evidence"?

"Science says this..."

"Of course this is true; the geological column says it all"!

This whole scientific logic is flawed! 

          As my teacher recently stated in class (and as I have thought so many times over), "Science is all theories; they can be "disproved" at any time." Even tomorrow, some established scientific theory could suddenly be "wrong"! (Even scientific laws have been disproven!)

          Yes, you can say that a scientific theory is different from a "normally-constructed" theory, and it is; a scientific theory is "proven" by tons of observations and experimentation, whereas a theory to an average person would be more of a scientific hypothesis. But the reality is that it is science!

          It is observed and constructed and experimented through human senses and intelligence, and as we know, humans are imperfect. Flawed. Every piece of evidence is seen through human understanding, which is a tiny, tiny fraction of what actually goes on in nature. 

          There is no such thing as "evidence," really. It is just a form of trying to understand what goes on in life. We will never even come close to understanding and explaining everything in life. It's just too much for our puny little brains to understand.

          So that's why I don't put my faith in science. Yes, I can learn about it, and marvel at how we think things work, but we might be thinking it all wrong. What we learn may be completely different from how it actually is; perhaps we may come up with some novel tools to help explain it more accurately, or to disprove something, but those novel tools could end up being replaced by other more highly intelligent tools (which could negate current results). We really will never be completely sure about the scientific realm. Ever.

Biblical Reference 

(Just for curiosities sake; I was writing this post before I read these verses, but I thought they fit perfectly for my little lecture)

          I. Corinthians 13: 9 - For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

          I. Corinthians 13: 12 - For now we see through a glass, darkly;...

          Ecclesiastes 3: 11 - ...he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

And yes, I am writing (or rather, finished writing) this at 1:30 am; that's when my thoughts seem to run the best. :D

The Long - Awaited Reformation Post

     "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Revelation 14: 6, 7

     Many people believe the first verse to be about Martin Luther. There is no doubt about it - he accomplished many things in his lifetime. The church needed a reformation. The Catholic church was the "original" (so to speak) Christian church, and was actually established by the Roman emperor Constantine who was so taken by the Gospel that he converted. The problem was that he was so zealous, he forced people to convert to Christianity; I think that this is where the problem began - the nonreligious people began bringing their "customs" into the church, which then turned into false practices and beliefs. 

          Martin Luther is recognized by almost all denominations of Christians. Apparently, John Huss, who had first started to protest against the church, said as he was burned on stake, "You are now burning a goose ["huss" meaning "goose"], but there will come a swan, which you will not be able to kill." On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther sparked the reformation of the Christian church by posting his 95 Theses protesting the wicked practices that had seeped into the church on the church door in Wittenberg. After finally finding the verse stating that justification is obtained by faith, not by works, his dissatisfaction with the church had hit downhill at a high rate of speed (the Catholic church teaches that all works and deeds are the gateway to heaven; protestant churches teach that faith [which will then manifest itself in works and deeds] is the way to heaven).

          The Catholic church, of course, did not like the bad publicity it was getting and tried all sorts of ways to rid Luther of his ideas. Some church leaders ordered him to be arrested; he participated in debates where people would pretend to diligently (and slowly) look at his ideas, but then say he was wrong; in the final straw, he was brought to the emperor - Charles V - to renounce his thoughts. He had prepared for this and written the long statement, the Augsburg Confession, in which he closes it with the famous words, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen!" From then on, he was declared an outlaw, in which anyone could kill him without being punished.

          Thankfully, Luther had several protectors, including the prince of Germany (Frederick the Wise). On his way home from the emperor's meeting, Luther was "falsely" kidnapped and taken to a castle for protection. While there, Luther translated the New Testament into German so that people could understand and wrote much more. A year later, the church was considerably weakened and Luther began a more public life. He did a lot of preaching, publishing (one book described it as "Luther made good use of the newly-invented printing press), and "counselling." He also married a former runaway nun - Katharina von Bora - and had 6 children, although I believe 2 or so died in infancy. My mother often told me that he only slept 3-4 hours per night. He worked too hard though and was often sick. At the age of 63, he passed away from an illness.

All those books on the top two shelves are Luther's writings (in German).

       Luther's writings are, among others: the translation of the Bible into German, the Large and Small catechisms, many tracts, and many hymns (along with the well-known, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God") - to which he often wrote the music, as well. On top of all that, he preached 180 sermons in a short time span, and spent time travelling where he was needed.  

Thanksgiving (Monday, October 10th, 2016)

 

"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."

1. Timothy 6: 8

"...be content with such things as ye have:..."

Hebrews 13: 5

 

 

          Germany celebrates in September, America celebrates in November, and Canada celebrates in October; but no matter when it is celebrated, I think that it is important to keep a day for Thanksgiving aside in all countries. This year, we had a near drought; nevertheless; we had many, many tomatoes and blackberries, and we had an okay amount of other crops. We won't starve.

          What I have also discovered is that thanks comes from the ability to be content with what we have. Our country is probably ten times richer than half the countries in the world, and though we live below the poverty line in our country, we are still many times richer than those in some other nations.

          Along the same lines: our rich countries do not know the value of preserving things, and we become wasteful of our blessings. Being citizens of some of the richest countries in the world, we must share our abundance with those who have less and make sure that we - as God's stewards - may never treat our gifts as something to be careless about.

          Now, my excuse for not posting in months: school - I am hoping to keep my grades up, and it requires some effort to do that.

 

As an aside: I made horseradish yesterday - fun but teary.



 

Johnston's Cranberry Marsh and Muskoka

 

Thanksgiving Day we spent up north in Muskoka and at Johnston's Cranberry Marsh.

The scenery is breathtaking, and I am considering moving up there to live. ...

 

Aren't those roadside rocks amazing?!



Cranberry sorting.

I LOVE this picture - it shows how much all of us adore our older sister.

Tadpole :D

They had helicopter rides, but really?! In a big family, you can't afford 6-8 minutes of flying for $60 per person.
Cool to watch, though.

Walking the marsh

Some of the cranberries that missed collection.

Beautiful fall colours.

Raking the bushes.

This corner was missed for the moment.

This shot is so typical of northern Ontario: rocks, trees, lakes.

These pictures all show my efforts at getting the raking operation and the colourful trees in the same picture.

They have a bunch of ducks here; I am not sure, but I suspect that they may be there to eat the insects off the cranberry plants.

Submerged cranberry bushes.

This machine lifted the boats out of the water and dumped them into the truck
(whose driver enjoyed honking that wonderful Mr. Toad horn)

The operation

Of course, little boys cannot keep their eyes off moving things. :D

I always knew our house was a zoo!

Rocky fascination

The old raker. It was enjoyed by this little boy. :D

The "beater."