O-Dark-Thirty

There are questions no one can answer, and I shy away from the person that assures me they do know. I draw upon ancient sources, including the Bible, for the names of sagacious men, men of great knowledge. Abraham was a man of great knowledge in the ancient times.  Josephus says this of Abram: Berosus mentions our father Abram without naming him, when he says thus: "In the tenth generation after the Flood, there was among the Chaldeans a man righteous and great, and skillful in the celestial science." But Hecatseus does more than barely mention him; for he composed, and left behind him, a book concerning him. And Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his History, says thus: "Abram reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land above Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans: but, after a long time, he got him up, and removed from that country also, with his people, and went into the land then called the land of Canaan, but...

God is. That is actually His name: I AM. YHWH. Did you know that God is a PERSONAL God? You might think "Oh, He can't have time for me and my problems, then. There are too many people..." We're not talking about the same God. YHWH is infinite in power, which means He can devote 100% of His attention to each person - and never feel overwhelmed. (Yes, I know the math doesn't add up. That's the point. Though we ascribe human elements and limitations to God, YHWH is God - not human.) This all leads up to a story. It is one story of many in my life, but this one just happened, so here goes. Our number one prayer - always - is for us to be in the center of God's will. It is often difficult to determine where that is, but we always pray for direction. So we did some car shopping. We chose a 2018 Toyota Highlander - a very nice vehicle. Darling does all the hard lifting. I just needed to test drive it. We went last Friday for me to test drive t...

On the surface, Revelation reads like the fevered dream of someone at the doors of death. In a way, it is. God sent His angel to John the Revelator ( also known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" in John 13:23 ) with the details of this final prophecy, and John shares it as He is told. Though shrouded in mysterious comments, some of the book is simple. Here are my notes for the simple bits for the  The Seven Churches for whom Jesus has direct words. Ephesus 2:2-5 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people , that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first . Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. Though Jesus commends the church for their perseverance, He does point ou...

The Youngest went with us to lunch the other day. As we were leaving, I held the door open for a cute little girl, probably about three or four years old. I continued to hold it open for the girl's mother and grandmother. They thanked me. An elderly gentleman followed in their wake, using a cane to walk slowly to the door. Of course, I held the door open for him also. He looked into my eyes just before he passed through the doorway. "Thanks," he said. "Us old guys need to stick together." I stumbled over my reply, something like "You're absolutely right." The Youngest grinned widely, chuckling. Really, do I look that old?  I mean, I know I'm getting up there, but ... These are the stories that make life fun.