text:
Our Baby Bottle Campaign is one of our annual fundraisers that we do between Mother's Day and Father's Day. It's easy! Just let us know how many bottles your church or organization needs, and we will provide those to you to pass out starting on Mother's Day. Your members will then take them home and over the course of 6 weeks, they will fill them with any loose change, cash, or checks that they wish to donate to us. On Father's Day, everyone brings them back! Return the bottles to us, whether they are completely full or empty. Each bottle helps support mothers who are facing crisis pregnancies by providing much-needed free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, baby supplies, life skills classes, and much more. If Mother's Day kickoff doesn't work for you just let us know we can do it anytime of year. Please prayerfully consider having your church or organization partnering with us for Baby Bottle Campaign 2017!
Jim Daly Story
Jim Daly's personal journey from orphan, to author of The Good Dad, to head of an international Christian organization dedicated to helping families thrive, is a powerful story. After enduring several tough years in foster care, Daly became a Christian in high school and found meaning, purpose, and a sense of belonging. After graduating from California State University, Daly worked in the private sector for a FORTUNE 500 company.
Daly assumed the presidency of Focus on the Family in 2005 after 16 years with the ministry. He started his career in 1989 as an assistant to the president, and since then he has held several roles and titles from Field Director for Asia, Africa and Australia to Vice President of the International Division, and many more. In 2004, he was named Chief Operating Officer, the role he held until he was hand-picked by Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson to be the ministry's president.
"I am living proof," he wrote in his 2007 autobiography, Finding Home, "that no matter how torn up the road has already been, or how pothole-infested it may look ahead, nothing – nothing – is impossible for God."
He holds a MBA in International Business and several Humanitarian Awards. Daly has been married to his wife, Jean, since 1986. They have two sons and reside in Colorado Springs, CO.
We are honored to have him as our guest speaker this year at our 2017 AWC Banquet. Reserve your seat today to hear his passion for life and the rest of his testimony live.
Take Back the Break!
Last week, four students from Union University chose to serve at A Woman's Choice and Necole's Place over their spring break. The young women were part of Love Thy Neighborhood's "Take Back the Break" program, and throughout the week they supported our staff and served our clients at Necole's Place in a number of ways. The students worked in childcare, assisted with tutoring in our GED program, and helped prepare lunch for our clients and their children. They also participated in the daily Bible study and put together special Easter gifts for each of our clients. Meghan, one of the students, said of her time at Necole's Place, "The fact that this organization offers many helpful classes like GED, a nice lunch each day, and a Bible study are simple ways the people at Necole's Place love their clients. They truly walk with women in what may be one of the most challenging times of their life. This was a great opportunity and I'm thankful for a Christ-minded organization serving and loving those in Louisville." We are so thankful that these young ladies were willing to use their spring break to serve our clients and their children. It was a blessing to watch them love the women and children at Necole's Place and experience the joy of working in a Christian ministry.
Miracle Adoption
" I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually
be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;….
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together"
Psalm 34:1-3
PROVERBS 3:5,6 God truly directed our ways as we walked along Lauren
through her drug addiction, her treatment and her decision for life for her
new baby and to place her for adoption.
On March 24, 2017, Stephanie Virg, Case Manager and I (Susie Dempsey, Associate Director for Client Resources) were blessed to be apart of Lauren's baby girl's delivery and to witness Elle & Noah meet their new daughter. God had provided a beautiful Christian family and an unselfish, loving birth mom, Lauren to bring this new family together. What a beautiful picture of God's Grace and Provision!
We are blessed to continue Lauren's journey into healing and a healthier life for her and her 2 year old daughter. Please pray for her and for Elle & Noah with their new addition.
The Reliability of the New Testament
AWC's Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Jim Tipton, is working on his Doctor of Educational Ministry Degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. As part of his study requirements he has written three blogs that can help you too in your discipleship. This is part three of three.
Kathy Quiano and James Griffiths reported for CNN on December 2, 2016 that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as Ahok), the governor of Jakarta, faced demonstrations by fellow Indonesians calling for his removal from office and arrest for blasphemy. Ahok, a Christian who is up for reelection, was accused of insulting the Quran in a speech when he quoted a verse from it and "said that the people had been 'lied to' by those saying they would go to hell for voting for him."[1] Why the outrage? Because adherents to a religious faith are naturally sensitive to perceived attacks on their respective holy books and are protective of the teachings they communicate. To question the foundational documents of a religion is to question the validity of the faith of a follower of that religion. In this respect, Christianity is no different from Islam or any other religion. As Christians, we bristle at comments from unbelievers and liberal Christians that our holy book, the Bible, is not reliable and authoritative. Fortunately, Christians who want to believe in the reliability of the Bible as truth are on firm footing in that belief. Following are some reasons why we can trust the reliability of the New Testament.
Internal Sources of Reliability for the New Testament
Like the Old Testament, the New Testament claims divine inspiration. A claim is nothing more than an assertion if there is no proof to support it. Such proof for a holy document will always be challenged by those outside that religion. The proof for the divine origin of the New Testament's writings lies in the wisdom and dependability of its words and council, but ultimately, it is a matter of faith. A claim of divine inspiration, by itself, will be unpersuasive to nonbelievers, but to believers, it is a critical piece of the foundation for their religion. For both believers and unbelievers seeking to determine the reliability of the New Testament, it is a piece of internal evidence that must be evaluated. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul claims that "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness . . ."
More objective evidence lies in the identity of the authors of the New Testament's Gospels. The authors of the four books called "the Gospels" – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – were eye-witnesses to the events recorded in their books, even though they were written three to six decades after Jesus' death and resurrection. These are the primary sources for our information concerning the life and ministry of Jesus. Several leaders in the early church – including Papias, Polycarp, and Irenaeus – confirmed that the Gospels represent eyewitness testimony.[2] Luke, Matthew, and John reflect the testimony of their authors, and Mark reflects the testimony of Peter recorded by Mark.[3] Liberal Christians in our contemporary culture challenge the identity of the Gospels' authors in spite of the confirmation of the early church fathers and two thousand years of Christendom's acceptance.[4] Their challenge is noted here in order to both acknowledge that the claim of reliability is questioned, and to highlight how the following evidences of reliability are not so easily challenged in comparison.
Scholars identify three tests for determining the reliability of biblical manuscripts: the number of extant copies, how close to the original writing the copies were made, and the accuracy of the copies.[5] Application of these tests to the New Testament reveal the following:
- Number of extant copies: Like the overwhelming number of copies we have of the Old Testament compared to other ancient documents, we have an impressive number of copies of the New Testament – nearly 5,700. In comparison to the number of copies we have of other ancient documents, we have "only 7 [copies] for Plato, 8 for Thucydides, 8 for Herodotus, 10 for Caesar's Gallic Wars, and 20 for Tacitus. Only the works of Demosthenes and Homer number in the hundreds."[6] Geisler claims, "The reliability of the NT [New Testament] is established because the number, date, and accuracy of its manuscripts enable reconstruction of the original text with more precision than any other ancient text. . . The NT is simply the best textually supported book from the ancient world."[7]
- How close to the original writing the copies were made: The John Rylands Papyrus, dated to the early second century, is the oldest manuscript of the New Testament we have. Some books dated around AD 200 have been found, and copies of most of the New Testament date to AD 250. Geisler quotes the British manuscript scholar, Sir Frederick Kenyon, as writing, "'The interval then between the dates of the original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible.'"[8] Geisler concludes, "No other ancient book has as small a time gap between composition and the earliest manuscript copies as the NT."[9]
- Accuracy: Like the Old Testament, the New Testament has been copied accurately. Geisler writes, "The NT scholar and Princeton professor Bruce Metzger made a comparison of the NT with the Iliad of Homer and the Mahabharata of Hinduism. He found the text of the latter to represent only 90 percent of the original (with 10 percent textual corruption), the Iliad to be 95 percent pure, and only half of 1 percent of the NT text to remain in doubt."[10]
Clearly, the New Testament passes each of these tests of reliability.
External Sources of Reliability for the New Testament
The writings of numerous non-Christians of antiquity confirm the history provided in the New Testament. Among these authors are Tacitus, a Roman historian; Suetonius, Emperor Hadrian's secretary; Josephus, a Pharisee and ewish historian; Thallus, a historian; Pliny the Younger, a Roman governmental administrator; the emperor Trajan; Lucian of Samosata, a Greek writer; and Mara Bar-Serapion, a Syrian.[11]
Archeological finds have also confirmed the accuracy of the New Testament. In 1990, a chest called the "Caiaphas Ossuary" was discovered. Two inscriptions were found on the chest "Caiaphas" and "Joseph, son of Caiaphas." These are the remains of the high priest, Caiaphas, identified and quoted in John 11.[12] Other notable archeological finds that support the reliability of the New Testament text are the discovery of the court of the Tower of Antonia where Jesus was tried, two ossuaries discovered in 1945 dated to the mid-first century on which Christian graffiti was recorded, an inscription identifying Pontius Pilate as "Prefect of Judea" discovered in 1961, the burial site of an individual discovered in 1968 that confirmed the details of crucifixion as recorded in the New Testament, an inscription identifying Erastus as a city official who could have been the same Erastus Paul wrote about in Romans 16:23, and the discovery of the Pool of Bethesda discovered in 1888 in Jerusalem.[13] Archeologists have also found the three coins referenced in the New Testament: the denarius, pieces of silver thought to be shekels, and the small coin described as the "widow's mite" in Mark 12 and Luke 21.[14]
The reliability of the New Testament is supported by both internal and external evidence. Internal evidence includes claims of divine inspiration; the eyewitness testimony of the Gospels' authors; and the tests of number, dating, and accuracy of the copies. External evidence includes the writings of non-Christians and archeological discoveries that confirm the accuracy of the New Testament. Certainly, such strong evidence for the reliability of the primary source for Christian claims of truth warrants careful consideration by all.
[1]Kathy Quiano and James Griffiths, "Indonesia: 200,000 protest Christian governor of Jakarta," CNN, accessed December 20, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/asia/jakarta-indonesia-protest-ahok/.
[2]Timothy Paul Jones, Why Trust the Bible? (Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing, 2007), 2.
[4]The web site, Religious Tolerance.org, states that "There is near consensus among liberal, and some mainline theologians, that: The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were not written by Jesus' disciples but by person or persons whose names are unknown [and] Neither Paul nor any of the Gospel writers had been an eyewitness to Jesus' ministry, execution, or after-death appearances." "Jesus' resurrection: Alternate beliefs by some liberal & mainline Christians, secularists, etc." Religious Tolerance.org, accessed January 24, 2017, http://www.religioustolerance.org/resur_It.htm.
[5]See Norman L. Geisler, "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied Down Through the Centuries?" in The Apologetics Study Bible, edited by Ted Cabal (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 468, and John Blanchard. Why Believe the Bible? (Webster, NY: Evangelical Press USA, 2004), 7.
[6]Geisler, "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied?" 468.
[8]Sir Frederick Kenyon, quoted in Geisler, "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied? 469.
[9]Geisler, "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied? 469.
[11]Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), 54-59.
[12]Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., "How Has Archaeology Corroborated the Bible?" in The Apologetics Study Bible, edited by Ted Cabal (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1149.
[13]Ibid., 66-68.
[14]Ibid., 68.
Blanchard, John. Why Believe the Bible? Webster, NY: Evangelical Press USA, 2004.
Geisler, Norman L. "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied Down Through the Centuries?" in
The Apologetics Study Bible, edited by Ted Cabal. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007.
"Jesus' resurrection: Alternate beliefs by some liberal & mainline Christians, secularists, etc."
Religious Terance.org. Accessed January 24, 2017. http://www.religioustolerance.org/ resur_It.htm.
Jones, Timothy Paul. Why Trust the Bible? Torrance, CA: Rose Publishing, 2007.
Kaiser, Walter C. Jr., "How Has Archaeology Corroborated the Bible?" In The Apologetics Study
Bible, edited by Ted Cabal. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007.
McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1999.
Quiano, Kathy and James Griffiths, "Indonesia: 200,000 protest Christian governor of Jakarta."
CNN. Accessed December 20, 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/asia/jakarta-indonesia-protest-ahok/.
The Reliability of the Old Testament
AWC's Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Jim Tipton, is working on his Doctor of Educational Ministry Degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. As part of his study requirements he has written the following three blogs that can help you too in your discipleship. This is part two of three.
On a Saturday morning this past summer, I had a brief conversation with an escort for the local abortion clinic. I explained that I believe all people, including babies in the womb, are made in the image of God and are therefore special to God. This man proceeded to ridicule me for believing in God. He said, "I used to be a Christian like you, but then I grew up and realized that there is no God!" I tried to talk to him about the design that is apparent in God's creation, but he was unmoved. When I asked him what had happened to him that caused him to lose his faith, he replied that "life happened" and repeated that he had "grown up."
Perhaps you too once had faith in God but no longer do, or you may have never believed in God. If either is true, I'm sure there are numerous reasons you can give for your unbelief. One reason claimed by some is that the Bible is not reliable and factual. This is a common belief among those who attend liberal Christian churches that have supplanted the authority of Scripture with the authority of cultural norms. Whatever your reason, I want to reassure you that Scripture is reliable and can be trusted as authoritative. In the following, I will summarize reasons you can trust in the reliability of the Old Testament. This is the section of the Bible where we learn about God, His nature, and His position as Creator of the Universe and all that exists.
Internal Sources of Reliability
The Bible claims divine inspiration. The books of the Old Testament were written by men but these men were inspired by God. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16 that "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, . . ." The word translated "inspired" actually means "God-breathed."(1) Men wrote the words but they are the words of God. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:21, ". . . no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God." In Exodus 31:18, the Ten Commandments are described as having been written "by the finger of God." It is written in 2 Samuel 23:2 that "the Spirit of the Lord spoke through [David], His word was on [his] tongue."(2) So, when we talk about Scripture, we are talking about truth – not from the men who wrote the words but from God Himself.
Additional sources of reliability from within Scripture include the coherency of the Bible's message from beginning to end. Given that the books of the Bible were written by numerous human authors over an extended period of time, one would expect some conflict and incoherence in their overall message, but that is not the case. The metanarrative of the Bible is accomplished through the complementary nature of the component books that make up the canons of the Old and New Testaments. Relative to the coherence of the message, J.I Packer writes, "[The Bible has] an organic coherence that is simply stunning. Books written centuries apart seemed to have been designed for the express purpose of supplementing and illuminating each other. . . .Truly, the inner unity of the Bible is miraculous: a sign and wonder challenging the unbelief of our skeptical age."(3)
Scholars identify three tests for determining the reliability of biblical manuscripts: the number of extant copies, how close to the original writing the copies were made, and the accuracy of the copies.(4)
- Number of extant copies: Over 11,000 Old Testament manuscripts have been discovered. We normally have only a few copies of documents from antiquity. Compare the thousands of copies we have of the Old Testament to the number of copies we have of other ancient manuscripts: "only 7 for Plato, 8 for Thucydides, 8 for Herodotus, 10 for Caesar's Gallic Wars, and 20 for Tacitus. Only the works of Demosthenes and Homer number in the hundreds."(5) Clearly, the Old Testament passes this test easily.
- How close to the original writing the copies were made: Until 1947, the oldest copies of the Old Testament dated to around A.D. 1000. Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran provided us copies of much of the Old Testament that date back to B.C. 250 to A.D. 50. We also have a segment of the book of Numbers that dates to the seventh century B.C.(6) We now have copies that date to before Jesus' birth. These very old documents of antiquity add strength to the Old Testament's reliability.
- Accuracy: Discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has also provided a means of testing the accuracy of the contemporary version of the Old Testament. Examination of the Dead Sea Scrolls reveals that the texts we have today have been carefully preserved. For example, comparison of the Qumran copy of Isaiah to today's version reveals only three minor spelling changes in one of the longest books in the Old Testament.(7) In addition, the Septuagint (The Greek version of the Old Testament) and the Samaritan Pentateuch also match closely our text of the Old Testament. The Old Testament passes this third test of reliability easily.
As compelling as the evidence already presented is in establishing the Old Testament's reliability, perhaps the most compelling evidence is its prophetic content. Unique among the holy books of the world's religions, the Old Testament includes 2,000 specific prophecies about geographic entities such as cities and nations, about Israel, and about the Jewish Messiah.(8) Following are some examples of fulfilled prophecies:
- Places: The complete destruction of the city of Tyre was predicted in the 26th chapter of Ezekiel. Tyre was later destroyed as foretold through the successive efforts of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great.(9) The destruction of Babylon was predicted in Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 51. Today, there are only ruins where Babylon once stood.(10)
- Israel: The defeat of Israel and the exile of its people were prophesied in Deuteronomy, Hosea, and Jeremiah; and Jeremiah 31 predicted the restoration of Israel.(11)
- Jesus, the Messiah: The book of Isaiah includes predictions about Christ's life, ministry, death, and burial. Psalm 16:9-10 prophecies Jesus resurrection: "Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay." Micah predicted that Christ would be born in the relatively obscure town of Bethlehem.(12)
For those who conclude that Jesus is, indeed, the Son of God, His view of the Old Testament is critical. The New Testament reveals that the Old Testament, the only Scripture Jesus had, was sacred to Him. John Blanchard identifies five pieces of evidence to support that claim:
- Jesus accepted the reliability of history in the Old Testament. He referred to at least fifteen events recorded in the Old Testament to illustrate His teachings.
- Jesus acknowledged the unchanging authority of the Old Testament. In John 10:35, Jesus is quoted as saying, ". . . the Scripture cannot be broken."
- Jesus corrected those who misused the Old Testament.
- Jesus claimed that the Old Testament prophetically pointed to Him. In Luke 24:44, He said, "These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
- Jesus accepted the Old Testament as the Word of God.(13) In Matthew 5:18, He said, ". . . I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished." Little notes, "He quoted Scripture as final authority, often introducing the statement with the phrase, 'It is written,' as in His encounter with Satan in the temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4). He spoke of Himself and of events surrounding His life as being fulfillments of the Scripture (Matt. 26:54, 56)."(14)
External Sources of Reliability
Sources of reliability outside the Old Testament itself includes the Old Testament's presentation of history and archaeological finds that have verified its claims. The Old Testament has proven to be historically reliable, particularly in the chronology of the kings of Israel and Judah. Blanchard reports of forty-five years of research on the Old Testament's historical record conducted by a Princeton Theological Seminary professor, Robert Dick Wilson: "After exhaustive research into the Bible's record of about forty kings who had lived over a period of 1,600 years, he came to the conclusion that while there were errors in other records, the Bible's data was perfect . . . Weighing this up, he added, 'No stronger evidence for the substantial accuracy of the Old Testament record could possibly be imagined than this record of kings.'"(15)
Many people and places mentioned in the Old Testament once thought to be of dubious validity have been validated through archeological finds. Persons identified through archeology include King Sargon (Isaiah 20:1), Sanballat (Nehemiah 2:10), Tobiah the Ammonite, Geshem the Arab, the prophet Balaam, and the kings David, Ahab, Jehu, Hezekiah, and Menahem. People groups include the Hittites and the Horites. Places include Ophir and sites along the route the Israelites took as they wandered in the desert.(16)
The reliability of the Old Testament is confirmed by both internal and external sources. Internal sources include Scripture's claim to be divinely inspired, the coherency of its message, the number of extant copies we have of this ancient document, the proximity of when copies were made of the originals, the accuracy of those copies, fulfilled prophecies, and Jesus' own view of Scripture. External sources include the accuracy of its historical content verified by external sources and archeological finds that confirm the Old Testament's accuracy. The collective weight of this body of evidence presents a formidable argument for the document's reliability.
[1]Paul E. Little, Know Why You Believe: A Clear Affirmation of the Reasonableness of the Christian Faith (Wheaton: SP Publications, 1987), 51.
[2]Kaiser, "Is the Old Testament Trustworthy?" 346, and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. "How Has Archaeology Corroborated the Bible?" in The Apologetics Study Bible, ed. Ted Cabal (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007) 345.
[3]J. I. Packer, in foreword to Edmund P. Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery, (P & R Publishing, 2013), 8-9, quoted in John Blanchard, Why Believe the Bible? (Webster, NY: Evangelical Press USA, 2004), 21.
[4]See Norman L. Geisler, "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied Down Through the Centuries?" in The Apologetics Study Bible, edited by Ted Cabal (Nashville: Holman Bible
Publishers, 2007), 468, and John Blanchard. Why Believe the Bible? 7.
[5] Geisler, "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied?" 468.
[6]Kaiser, "Is the Old Testament Trustworthy?" 345-346.
[7]Ibid., 346.
[8]Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), 12. See also D. James Kennedy, Why I Believe, (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999), 3.
[9]Little, Know Why You Believe, 58.
[10]Kennedy, Why I Believe, 9-11.
[11]Little, Know Why You Believe, 58.
[12]Ibid., 57-58.
[13]Blanchard, Why Believe the Bible? 25.
[14]Little, Know Why You Believe, 53.
[15]Blanchard, Why Believe the Bible? 16.
[16]Kaiser, "Is the Old Testament Trustworthy?" 346, and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. "How Has Archaeology Corroborated the Bible?" 1148-1149.
Blanchard, John. Why Believe the Bible? Webster, NY: Evangelical Press USA, 2004.
Geisler, Norman L. "Has the Bible Been Accurately Copied Down Through the Centuries?" In
The Apologetics Study Bible, edited by Ted Cabal, 468-69. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers,
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. "How Has Archaeology Corroborated the Bible?" In The Apologetics Study
Bible, edited by Ted Cabal, 1148-49. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007.
_______. "Is the Old Testament Trustworthy?" In The Apologetics Study
Bible, edited by Ted Cabal, 345-47. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007.
Kennedy, D. James. Why I Believe. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999.
Little, Paul E. Know Why You Believe: A Clear Affirmation of the Reasonableness of the
Christian Faith. Wheaton: SP Publications, 1987.
McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1999.
Packer, J. I. in foreword to Edmund P. Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery, P & R Publishing,
2013, 8-9. Quoted in John Blanchard, Why Believe the Bible? Webster, NY: Evangelical
Press USA, 2004.
The Importance of the Resurrection
AWC's Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Jim Tipton, is working on his Doctor of Educational Ministry Degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. As part of his study requirements he has written three blogs that can help you too in your discipleship. This is part one of three.
An article by Krissah Thompson in the December 19, 2016 Washington Post reported on an exit interview of first lady Michelle Obama conducted by Oprah Winfrey. In the interview, Ms. Obama expressed concern over whether the nation still had "hope," given that Republican Donald Trump had won the election over Hillary Clinton. Ms. Winfrey asked Ms. Obama if she believed that her husband's administration had fostered "hope" in America. "'Yes, I do. Because we feel the difference now,' she said . . . 'See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept. What do you give your kids if you can't give them hope?'"(1)
In this interview, it is clear that Ms. Obama was referring to the hope fostered by a certain political ideology. Specifically, she questioned whether the ideology of the Republican Party would provide the same amount of hope for America's welfare that her husband's Democratic party had provided during his administration. Her comments about the importance of hope, however, transcend the political process and are true about life itself. "Hope is necessary." Yes, hope is necessary for all humans who question the meaning of life and their place in the universe.
Why the Resurrection Deserves Your Attention
Whether you are a Christian, a follower of a different religion, or a follower of no religion, it is important that you understand the importance of Jesus' resurrection for Christian believers. You may ask why understanding that importance is important for non-Christians. There are numerous answers to that question – for better understanding of others' beliefs, for promoting dialogue among members of different faiths, and for clearer understandings of why Christians act and believe as they do. All of these important benefits accrue from understanding the importance of the resurrection to Christians. They all pale in comparison, though, to the potential benefit that learning the importance and understanding the significance of the resurrection may produce. In learning why it is important to Christians and why Christians believe it, the non-Christian may be convinced that the resurrection is true. If it is true, the non-Christian's hope for eternity, just like the Christian's hope, hinges on this truth. If one decides that Jesus did rise or even may have risen from the grave, he must at least consider the possibility that Jesus is who He says He is – the Son of the one true God. If that is true, Christianity deserves your evaluation.
You may say, "Wait! Hold on there! You're encouraging me to try to understand the importance of the resurrection as a means of converting me to Christianity. You Christians are always trying to tell others they are wrong and you are right!" My response is that I do believe that Jesus rose from the grave and sits at the right hand of God in heaven, I do want you to believe that too, and I do believe that an understanding of its importance may motivate you to consider whether it is true or not. But I cannot convince you of the truth of the resurrection; that requires a work of the Holy Spirit in your heart. If I can convince you of its importance and explain to you why it is important, you may be motivated to explore the evidence for the resurrection further, and through that exploration, you may be touched by the Holy Spirit and believe. My motivation is not to convince you but to ask you to consider the evidence. In doing so, you may be convinced that the resurrection is true. Why is it important? Because eternity hangs in the balance!
Why the Resurrection Provides Christians Hope
Christians refer to the story of Jesus as the "Gospel," which means "Good News." The story of Jesus is that He is the Son of God who came to earth in human form; He lived a sinless life and died a substitutionary death for all sinners taking our sin on Him; He was buried but He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He sits at the right hand of God; Whoever accepts His free gift of grace can be forgiven of their sins, receive the Holy Spirit while here on earth, and spend eternity with Him in heaven.
Of all the elements of the Gospel story, none is more important than Jesus's resurrection from the dead. Josh McDowell notes that of all the world's religions, only four (Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam) focus on persons, and of those, only Christianity claims its founder rose from the dead.(2) Jesus' resurrection is proof that Jesus has overcome death and that those who accept Him as their Savior can have eternal life. In addition, Paul Little sums up the importance of Jesus' resurrection well: "If Christ rose, we know with certainty that God exists, what he is like, and how we may know Him in personal experience; the universe takes on meaning and purpose, and it is possible to experience the living God in contemporary life. . . . On the other hand, if Christ did not rise from the dead, Christianity is an interesting museum piece – nothing more."(3)
It is the resurrection that gives Christians hope because it is the resurrection that proves Jesus defeated death by rising from the grave. Without the resurrection, Jesus would certainly have been an influential teacher, an honored rabbi, and His would have been an interesting story of antiquity. But because of the resurrection, we know that Jesus is God. By His death in which He took on Himself the sins of the world, He provided a way for humans to be reconciled to God, a way that humans could not provide for themselves. By His resurrection in which He defeated and overcame death, He provided a way for humans to also overcome death by placing our faith in Him and accepting His gift of grace and forgiveness – again, a way that humans could not provide for themselves.
Where to Find Evidence for the Resurrection
If you understand why the resurrection is so important to Christians, and you are motivated to investigate the evidence, where can you find that evidence? The primary source of knowledge for the resurrection is the Bible. The Old Testament tells about how God created the universe and everything in it, how humans rebelled against God's authority and were separated from God by sin, and how God chose a people through whom a Messiah (Jesus) would come who would reconcile humans to God.
The New Testament tells about Jesus' birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. It tells about the birth of the Church, its early struggles, and the expansion of Christianity throughout the world. It also provides instruction on how to live in accordance with Jesus' teachings, and provides insight into the end times when Jesus will return to judge all humanity.
Each of the four Gospels provides an account of Jesus' own prediction of His death and resurrection (Matt. 17:22-23 and 20:18-19, Mark 9:9-10, Luke 9:22-27, and John 2:18-22), as well as an account of how Jesus' tomb was found empty on the third day after His crucifixion (Matt. 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-10, and John 20:1-10). Jesus' ascension into heaven is described in Mark 16:19 and Luke 24:50-53.
In addition to the evidence provided in the Gospels, other New Testament books provide additional evidence. Paul's encounter with the risen Jesus and his consequent conversion is told in Acts 9:1-9, 22:1-11, and 26:9-19. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul confirms the truth of Jesus' resurrection and reports of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances to Peter, James, and over 500 other Christians at one time. The book of Acts reveals how the resurrection of Jesus was central to the belief of the early church.
Additional evidence outside the Bible includes the writings of Tacitus, Suetonius, Juvenal, Pliny the Younger, Martial, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius that all attest to the early Christians' willingness to die horrible deaths rather than to recant their belief in the resurrected Jesus. Additional evidence of the early church's belief is the conversion of the Lord's Day from the Sabbath to Sunday (the third day), and the replacement of Pentecost with Easter as the most significant holy day of the year. The existence of the Church is evidence that many believe in the resurrection of Jesus, just as the changed lives of millions who have accepted Jesus as their Savior testify to the power of the resurrection.
Hope is important for all of us. Christian hope springs from the truth of the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is important to Christians because it is the focal point of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, Jesus no longer lives and Christian faith is belief in a lie. Evidence of the resurrection can be found in both biblical and non-biblical writings from antiquity. Although the evidence cannot prove the truth of the resurrection, consideration of the evidence can open the non-believer's mind to the possibility of its truth. The opened mind and heart provide an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to draw to Him those He will. The stakes could not be higher. It is important that you consider the truth of the resurrection.
End Notes
[1]Krissah Thompson, "Michelle Obama gave a somber exit interview to Oprah Winfrey," The Washington Post, accessed December 20, 2016, https://washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/ michelle-obama-gave-a-somber-exit-interview-to-oprah-winfrey.
[2]Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), 205.
[3]Paul E. Little, Know Why You Believe: A Clear Affirmation of the Reasonableness of the Christian Faith (Wheaton: SP Publications, 1987), 41.
Little, Paul E. Know Why You Believe: A Clear Affirmation of the Reasonableness of the
Christian Faith. Wheaton: SP Publications, 1987.
McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1999.
Thompson, Krissah. "Michelle Obama gave a somber exit interview to Oprah Winfrey." The
Washington Post. Accessed December 20, 2016. https://washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/ michelle-obama-gave-a-somber-exit-interview-to-oprah-winfrey.
All Things New at Necole's Place
"We have been making some exciting changes here at Necole's Place", said Education and Discipleship Director, Sandy Gross. "We kicked off 2017 with a brand new approach to our Bible Study program and our clients seem to be loving it".
Bible studies are a foundational component of what we offer at Necole's Place and have been since the inception of the ministry. Every week – Monday through Thursday – Necole's Place provides our clients with the opportunity to learn more about the hope of the gospel and the love of Jesus Christ through studying the Bible. In the past, the study materials have been left in large part to the discretion of our volunteer teachers. "This has worked beautifully in the past, but 2017 is a time for New Things", said Sandy.
"The changes are pretty simple. We have taken the Bible study classes internal. Meaning staff is now responsible for leading the daily sessions. This allows us to take a much more coordinated and thematic approach to our teaching," said Sandy.
Each month the staff at Necole's Place, in conjunction with the client leadership team, selects a new theme for the upcoming month. All of the Bible Studies then focus on that same theme throughout the month. January was "All Things New", February was "Break Every Chain" and March will be "Growing In Love". If you visit Necole's Place, you will see a brand new board promoting the monthly themes and outlining the activities for the week as you walk into the front door.
"We have also added a new Biblically based class led by our own Dr. Kaufman. This class targets our GED students who don't generally make it to an afternoon Bible Study class. We call the class Living God's Way. It follows the same thematic approach as our weekly Bible Studies but from a more therapeutic reference point".
This new integrated approach is gaining momentum. The staff at Necole's Place believe that this level of Biblical intentionality will help to draw their clients closer to God and to better influence their choices in life.
Purpose & Hope: Client Spotlight
"If you could paint God's grace, what would it look like? As the Master-Creator knew us before the world began, He also knew what our lives would look like, and where we would begin to trust is plan in our lives. The God Who Sees Me knows that I want to fulfill His purpose for my life, and so after many years of denying His existence, I have been given an amazing opportunity to do something I love to do: create art."
Annie had begun college in 2005 with the goal of being a dental hygienist, but after she was not selected for the limited program, she began to fill in her Associates of Arts criteria by taking as many art electives as possible while moving on with her degree goals to pursue pre-medical curriculum. She took one drawing class, only to give up because of the rigid coursework. Envying the painting class happily painting in bright blues and soft tans off in the corner studio, while she was making charcoal drawings of the classroom chairs, she quit making art. It wasn't until 2010 after life turned upside-down that she acquired a new canvas from a friend's garage. It was 24 x 30 inches and a blank slate. Just what she wanted! It was also that year that she would need God more than ever and He would lift off the veil of atheism once and for all.
Annie moved to Kentucky in 2011. "Last year I went through a lot of challenges, had a car accident with a brain injury, and became a single parent. Necole's Place was there for me as I made the transition from stay-at-home mom with no family, friends, or acquaintances, into working mom while my baby is in daycare." It felt insurmountable to do. "I spend as much time as I can in the Necole's Place Bible studies and leadership team meetings when I'm not working. Sometimes I'll even be given the luxury to work my schedule around the Necole's Place classes so that I can remain a part of the amazing ministry going on there. Everything I learn, do, and hear there is relevant and empowering.
"During that transition I was told to set goals, and one of the goals was searching for income opportunities in art. I thought at the time I would enter a poster contest, but it was cancelled that year. While browsing that same website, I decided to apply for a mentorship program called Emerging Artist. After being congratulated on making it into the Emerging Artist program, I saw a new door open in my life.
"I was at work cleaning a bathroom shower stall when God once again intervened for my future. I work as a housekeeping manager for a vacation rental home business- a job that is flexible enough to be a single parent and still get the chores done, yet also affords some stability. Feeling drained, I took a lunch break and checked my email for my 2-year-old son's pre-school announcements. What I found instead was so encouraging!
"God has a plan for me! I was awarded an art scholarship for Professional Development, notified by email of a $500 grant, which I may use in what will best serve to improve my induvial artistic endeavors! Me? A professional artist! Could it really be?! Isn't that impossible?
"With the scholarship from Fund for The Arts of Louisville, I decided to redeem that time of my life that I quit on myself and enroll in a professional drawing class. Going back to the drawing board will give me the skills I never learned and couldn't teach myself, and combined with the techniques that I have learned, I will be able to create the paintings I envision.
"God is laying the path for me to be a reflection of Himself in my art and to share who He is in the community of conversation that art creates. Knowing the times to come when I can declare that, "There is a God! He is Majestic! He Loves YOU!" and share the many parts of my story through my art images gives me a clearly defined place and purpose in His Kingdom! For that I am grateful, for that I am humbled, and for that He astounds me even more!"
Annie was awarded the Professional Development Scholarship from Fund for the Arts in February 2017, the St. James Court Art Show Emerging Artist 2016-2017 Mentorship Program, and has shown work locally at Nulufest, First Friday Hop, Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop, and The Rudyard Kipling. Annie will be exhibiting on October 6-8th at the St. James Court Art Show 2017. Check out her Facebook page at https://facebook.com/ProfoundPace.
Showing God's Love
For several years Susan Rennie has brought her 6th grade class from Christian Academy to serve at Necole's Place on Valentine's Day. The students take a tour and find out about the ministry. They play with our nursery children, clean toys, bring Valentines for our clients, and make & decorate cupcakes for our noon lunch. The students also write Scripture on the Valentine bags to share with our clients. We love that Christian Academy has joined us in sharing with their students what God is doing through this ministry and sharing God's love.


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Not twice this day.
Inch time foot gem.
This day will not come again.
Each minute is worth a priceless gem.
-- Koan
Stepping outside after the fall of near dark. Rose and gold leaves shrugged off the beech and the Japanese maple glimmer on the damp pebbled walk in the soft light from the porch. I turn west along the sidewalk towards the corner and glide into the brief shadows of the cedars. Beyond their edges as I glance up. There, behind the nimbus of mist haloed around the streetlight, the new moon rises tilted like some open supplicating palm against the darkening last faint line of day far away.
Above the arc of the new moon I see, faintly, the orb of the Earth's shadow dark against dark. I'm out on a very small errand for a quart of milk at the corner store. Only a few seconds, a few steps, in the night when going either to or from. And yet here I am, he we all are, for one more day of the Earth turning before the sun, for one more cycle of the moon turning around the Earth, in and out of the shadow obscuring and then revealing and the again obscuring its face, one of twelve that adds up to one more cycle of the Earth around its single star.
You say you don't believe in grace, in miracles? Walk with me to the store in the glow from the night lights. Open your eyes. Open all your eyes. Look outside -- look beyond -- yourself. Behold.
HT: Miss Cellania
Dear Occupy Punks, This is what real street battles look like....Continued...
It's gray. It's drizzling. It's all socked in inside Seattle. It's as clammy as the slick insides of a gutted salmon. The sun has issued a signed affidavit that it will never, ever, shine again. It's so cold and damp that it's depressing the kindergartners at the school across the street. They're having milk and mood elevators. Instead of napping, they're going on the nod. Even the slugs are complaining about the rain and the finest forest flowers are all blooming inside the moss. It's not a nice day. Nope. But that's still what the woman at the cash register at the store on the corner has to ask me as I let her wand my coffee and doughnut to the beat of the beep.
"How is your day going? Is it a nice day?" she asks. She always asks that. She has to ask that. They all have to ask that. It's a retail option that somehow got made into a federal regulation. I got used to not hearing it and grunting my "It's okay" back long ago.
How was my day then? Was it a nice day then? I guessed that it was. Even if it wasn't I usually said that it was. Saved on the brain cycles. Who wanted to know? Not the person who was asking, that was for sure.
"How is your day? / Have a nice day." Post-modern mantras to the mediocrity of life. "Have a ho-hum day" was what they meant if they meant anything at all. And I did. Most days. Most of those old days.
But that was before I was dead. After being dead I've noticed a sea change into something rich and strange when it comes to the days that now unfold. I never have a "nice" day anymore. Instead I always have a "GREAT" day.
Now I might have some moments of anxiety, some instants of insecurity, some passing seconds of sadness.... all those and more. I'm no Pollyanna. But try as I might I can't get them to add up to a "bad" day. There's just too much in a day, it seems to me, for everything to be ruined by a bit of bad here and a soupcon of sad there. If it ever starts to trend too much that way, I just remember some of my really great days before I was dead and, poof, the gloom and doom of now just evaporates.
Displacement or denial? Maybe. Maybe not. It's up to you. Have a
nice GREAT! day.
"I can remember what the people did,
Way back when I was a little kid.
They didn't ask you to be always high,
They just said, "thank you" and "goodbye."
You can get as uptight and concerned about Newt, Mitt, Herman, Rick, Ron, Michelle, and all the others that you want. I'm taking a nap. You can follow the up-trend, the down-trend, the around-the-bend-trend, or the down and out and flushed away trend. I'm kicking back on the beach. You can follow the come back, the back down, the buck up and the suck up to your heart's content. I'm rolling into the hammock for the duration. You can get uptight, out of sight, bent out of -- or bent into -- shape. I'm taking the seventh inning stretch for months. You can be pissed off, pissed on, or just pissed. I'm staying high and dry.
The long or the short of it all is that between now and the elections almost one year from now the frantic antics and the doings and undoings of whomever the Republicans nominate for president can be spun until you come all undone.... and it won't make one thin dime's worth of difference to me. You know right now if you've got a smidgen of a scintilla of the sense God gave a goober that you will vote for that candidate and against Barack Obama come hell or high water. And if you know that, knowing who is really just a detail. Vlad the Impaler? Sounds like he's got just the accessory those Occupiers need.
Me? I know I am voting for NotO. It came over me today like a thunderclap. And now that I know it I also know that I can relax about this whole circus that's currently being spun around the "nominating" "process." Why? Because now that I know I'm voting for the candidate no matter who -- or even what -- it is, I don't care who -- or what -- it is. As long as it can be categorized as "Not Obama," I'm for it. That's a very relaxing thought. All I need to do now is just kick back and wait for election day. All this other stuff is simply postmortem effects and the noise made by beating cold dead horses on dull old anvils. Wake me when it's time to vote. Until then just refill my pina colada from time to time. Thanks.
The Proposal -- Accepted Back in June:
The Promise Kept:
Sgt. Scott Moore and his guest, actress Mila Kunis stand during the National Anthem at the 236th Marine Corps birthday ball for 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division in Greenville, N.C., on Friday Nov. 18, 2011. -- Daily scoreboard ォ Don Surber
"Look not too long in the face of the fire, O man! Never dream with thy hand on the helm! Turn not thy back to the compass; accept the first hint of the hitching tiller; believe not the artificial fire, when its redness makes all things look ghastly. To-morrow, in the natural sun, the skies will be bright; those who glared like devils in the forking flames, the morn will show in far other, at least gentler, relief; the glorious, golden, glad sun, the only true lamp- all others but liars!
"Nevertheless the sun hides not Virginia's Dismal Swamp, nor Rome's accursed Campagna, nor wide Sahara, nor all the millions of miles of deserts and of griefs beneath the moon. The sun hides not the ocean, which is the dark side of this earth, and which is two thirds of this earth. So, therefore, that mortal man who hath more of joy than sorrow in him, that mortal man cannot be true- not true, or undeveloped. With books the same. The truest of all men was the Man of Sorrows, and the truest of all books is Solomon's, and Ecclesiastes is the fine hammered steel of woe. "All is vanity." ALL. This wilful world hath not got hold of unchristian Solomon's wisdom yet. But he who dodges hospitals and jails, and walks fast crossing graveyards, and would rather talk of operas than hell; calls Cowper, Young, Pascal, Rousseau, poor devils all of sick men; and throughout a care-free lifetime swears by Rabelais as passing wise, and therefore jolly;- not that man is fitted to sit down on tomb-stones, and break the green damp mould with unfathomably wondrous Solomon.
"But even Solomon, he says, "the man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain" (i.e. even while living) "in the congregation of the dead." Give not thyself up, then, to fire, lest it invert thee, deaden thee; as for the time it did me. There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness. And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he for ever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than other birds upon the plain, even though they soar." -- Moby Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville - Chapter 96 - The Try-Works
This morning at Atilla's The Weekend Word: Rejoice she has chosen Psalm 118. Why she has done so is a mystery to me, but then of late many things once clear and obvious have become mysteries to me. Many things but not Psalm 118. Psalm 118 is clear and obvious to me when I read:
The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.
You see it was one month ago today that I lay down on my bed, died there, had my body pulled out of the bed and onto the floor of the kitchen five minutes later, my sternum and ribs pounded without mercy by a series of strong men, a tube rammed down my throat and into my trachea, and then my chest shocked and shocked again until I was, through His Grace, returned to life.
You can call this a miracle, as I do, since "luck" had nothing to do with it and the hand and will of God everything. And like some half-price, knock-off Lazarus in old jeans and a faded t-shirt I have returned to tell thee:
The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.And I will also say, in the words of Psalm 118,
Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:
This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.
I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118 is evidently not the only Psalm to play a role in my life in this last month in which the door of my life swung on its hinges. According to the woman who was staying with me when I died and who noticed I had stopped breathing and who called 911 and the people who returned me to life (Yes, that would be the woman who saved my life), she also heard in the background as my body was being beaten, pummeled, shocked and stirred back into breath, heartbeat and the light, the 23rd Psalm being recited somewhere in the room at the time. Recited by whom? By no one, by everyone, by something, by some Presence.... she's not sure but she is sure she heard it.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
As it has and as it does... every moment of every day when I am mindful enough to see it; a mindfulness I am trying to learn.
For what reason and for what purpose was I returned? Perhaps it is just to know the day and to praise it as, "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." I do not know if it is that or more than that, but I pray that, in time, I shall find out.
Today, all I can tell you for certain is that this morning, one month after death, is as fine and as bright a morning as any I've seen and hope to see. Get up. Go outside. Take a look. Take a good look.
Fifty minutes and worth every second. HT: Curmudgeonly
Sorry but I'm not sold by this morning's autofornication festival among the pundit Republicans. They'll have to try much harder to convince me they are anything other than blood simple and bone stupid. From a glance around the sphere I take it that because Rick Perry didn't have bad Fed agency number 3 dripping off the tip of his tongue that he's out of the game. Is that the deal? Is that the requirement? Is that the one item that undoes the incontrovertible success of years of successful governance? Really? If that's what you think join the ever lengthening Republican line to tongue kiss Barack Obama.
I don't think the end of the Perry candidacy has been reached for one single solitary rooten-tooten moment. Indeed I think that those who are whipping out their "He's Toast" fork are only competing for the Drool Cup awards of 2011. To my mind, not being able to come up with the necessary smooth palaver 99.9999% of the time is a positive recommendation to the office of President. Indeed I don't know why the current field of Repubs subject themselves to these "anything but debates" debates time after time. I don't notice the current resident doing so and, if anyone is unfit to be president, it's the current resident.
Or have we some how all forgotten how clueless Obama actually is when it comes to things like basic arithmetic, the history of the United States of America, the history of Europe, the state of Israel, capitalism, and a dozen other items he knows zip, zero, nada about? Is that it? Do we think that the his three years of being in the job has actually made him less stupid? Is that how stupid we've become?
In the past week death loving Republicans and those who would kill Republicans have worked together hand in glove to damage at least two of those running in this mug's game leading up to Iowa. They've done a great job repeating and magnifying slander when it comes to Herman Cain, and now a similar host seem to want to make people believe that Rick Perry is also somehow "unfit."
Really? All I can see are a bunch of bozos who don't belong on the conservative bus spending a lot of time free-riding everyone towards certain defeat. Excuse me if I don't buy into the blather this AM. It's beyond stupid. It's vintage DUMBTH. It's typical Republican. You know, the losers.
SCOTT M COMMENTING IN "Liberals barely glance at the black conservative hanging in the courthouse square. Nothing new to see here," writes:
"Conservatives are confused and charge liberals of hypocrisy because conservatives are looking at the world from their internal perspective. Once you understand and ACT as if you recognize liberals act in furtherance of their power, and use all situations toward that goal, it's much easier to understand the liberal world. NOW, NAACP, PETA, etc, they will each demand destruction of their constituents if that is what advances liberal hegemony.
"When conservatives charge liberals with being hypocrites it's exactly like the rural goobers from Dirtpatch, Indiana charging the Three Card Monty players with dishonesty. YEH, that's the point of the game. Why didn't you know that before you started playing with them? Are you going to lecture the TCM players on good sportsmanship? Don't you think the TCM players are laughing at you while you tell them to give up the money from the game so they can win the admiration of those with middle-class values?
"If recognizing liberals as rank hypocrites was the way to victory, why are they still occupying civil society and all levers of power? Maybe "discovering" liberal are hypocrites and trying to convince conservative-minded people that acting in a conservative manner is consistent isn't a winning strategy? Maybe occupying liberal seats of power with disruptive behavior and hounding them at every waking moment works better? It sure worked to take over the culture.
"We outnumber liberals 2-1. But liberals get off their rears and do things. We tell each other our behavior and ideas are more pleasant and successful, and then ignore the fight until election day. We pretend if we win the election, we've won the argument and it's safe to go home. We are almost as weak and useless as our RINO officeholders. When you hide from liberals you surrender to liberals. Every moment of peace and comfort you allow liberals is a refuge liberals use to continue to ruin the country. Conservatives seem more interested in being right than achieving a victory. The people we are fighting with and the people we hope to win over are not logic and fact driven. If they were they would already be on our side. The moderates and independents, not to mention the Democrats, are the people that saw the 20th century and still aren't sure if big government statism is the answer to all of our problems. They don't lack for facts. They've avoided the facts. That's why they aren't conservative.
"You can't pick a candidate that will preempt liberal smears, so pick a candidate that will fight and win. Romney isn't electable. Romney is the man that lost to the man that lost to Obama. Conservatives are so afraid of a fight they hope to find a candidate that hits all the check marks so nobody will attack him. The desire for a candidate the libs can't attack should be proof your worldview is dysfunctional.
I am not a patient man. In counting from one to ten I tend to skip five, six, and seven. I've always had a great deal of difficulty comprehending the persistent gap between desire and gratification. When it comes to pleasure, "now" is always on a bit too much of a lag while pain "later" is never quite far enough removed. The only time that patience seems to be my strong point is when it comes to elective pain. In that case, procrastination is my destination.
I know that "Patience is a virtue," but only because I was assured it was thousands of times by my mother while growing up. She would inevitably follow her remonstration with the phrase, "And virtue is its own reward." It took me decades to catch the sardonic tone to her voice on that one, but not nearly as long to determine that while virtue may be "its own reward," I never made a dime off the deal. I guess when it came to long-term investments in virtue I was always too impatient. My mother saw early on that the solid career opportunities implied by the term "Swiss Watch Repairman" were probably not for me.
Not having the gene or the genius for patience, the virtue of it eluded me for many decades. It is only in the last few weeks that the virtue of patience is beginning to dawn on me. That virtue is, "If you are patient with yourself, you may live. If you insist on running the 4 minute mile this afternoon, you will be checked out of here in a wicker basket." In short, "patience" is no longer an option but a requirement. My previous reaction to illness has been to get over it and then get back to work. No such option here. There's no "getting over it," there is only "re"-"covery" -- a kind of slow tempo cover of the Beatles' "Get Back."
Want to walk around the block at a decent clip? Tough. Walk to the end of the block and back slowly first. Repeat it about 20 times over 20 days. Then go for the round the block.
Want to sleep through the night? Tough. Sleep for 60 minutes, get up, stretch. Lay back down carefully, carefully... now sleep for another 60 minutes. Rinse, repeat.
Want to take a bath? Really? Are you strong enough and healed enough in your upper arms and upper chest muscles that you can actually pull yourself out of the tub? No? Better keep up those showers then. Patience. Patience. Patience.
Don't feel immortal? Don't feel like you've got oceans of time left to you? Tough. Waste it on getting slowly, slowly, slow...ly better. Otherwise you will have less time in the long run. Patience please. Patience.
A glance at the literature counseling patience reveals a host of stern admonishments such as :
Patience! why, it is the soul of peace; of all the virtues it is nearest kin to heaven; it makes men look like gods. The best of men that ever wore earth about Him was a Sufferer,— a soft, meek, patient, humble, tranquil spirit; the first true gentleman that ever breathed. -- Thomas DeckerI don't know about you but that sort of thing sets my teeth on fire. I just have no patience for that sentiment.
And yet.... and yet.... I must. What I want is no longer in the driver's seat, but what I need. And what I need is patience... patience enough to learn how to be at last... patient.
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait."
Pace, John Milton. Here I stand. I can do no other. Maybe I am not learning "patience"so much as I am, finally, learning "Not my will, but Thine." Either way it's a long hard lesson. You need to be patient to learn it.
Time to take a walk to the end of the block and back.
Slowly. Patiently.
There might have been sex or there might have been autofondling, or fondling in an auto. It was a he or a she or an it that the unsourced source might have seen being fondled or spoken to or otherwise sexually bareassed or harassed or something fondling. The source or the non-source or the source of the source said he, she -- or even it -- was getting into a cab or a rickshaw or a refrigerator box that was hanging around Herman Cain sometime in the mid to late 1990s. Some say it was a Herman Cain branded cab. Some say Cain was driving it, or in the trunk, or making weird statements about the person that may or may not have been getting into the cab after Cain slipped them the sekrit sex sign which would be a chin wag with the hand.
Others say it was an unsourced cab aka a TAXI. Pa-Yammas Media was reporting something about something about someone who might have seen or said something sometime somehow that included Herman Cain in the deep background playing a harmonica. The Pa-Yammas story required corrections and retractions but it only got corrections which were, in the final analysis, inncorrect.
Bottom line: Herman Cain was a Republican and a black man which made him fit for immediate deblacking. Something or someone got into some cab somewhere at some time in the late 1990s and went back to Herman Cains' home, apartment, condo, mansion, pizza parlor, Airstream trailer, neighborhood, city, state, region, or planet. He, she or it stayed there for a minute, an hour, overnight, or perhaps longer or shorter, and was seen at work the next day looking like he, she or it was at work. Of all this our reporters are absolutely sure except when we are not and need to issue a correction. And another correction. And another. Stay tuned. This just in...
As I have mentioned in passing, the middle and end part of last month was marked, at least for me, by my heart stopping dead and then being restarted by a series of brilliant and wonderful people. For the time it was stopped I was, as they say, dead.
What that means I have, so far, little to say and a lot to learn. And the learning -- since this process is not a "cure, but a "recovery" -- is something that takes a lot of time, comes slowly, almost as slowly as I now walk to the corner store. What once took me a minute now takes three to five. That's neither good nor bad, but just the way it is when you are returned to life.
In the few moments that I'm at my peak I am learning, still slowly, what happened and what I can expect. In this I am aided by a host of friends and relatives so numerous that I am amazed to find myself at the center of such a cloud of caring. I asked what I ever did to deserve friends and family like this and I learn that deserve has nothing to do with it; this is just how many people are made.
One of these people is a cousin in the Southwest who has spent decades as a trauma and cardiac nurse. Yesterday she mailed me some of her thoughts about lives and hearts and nursing learned across the decades. There's no improving on them. Presented here for your perusal:
"I was touched when you talked about nurses, how they go to work and save lives... well sort of. I can tell you from now decades of being a nurse/paramedic/healthcare person, that we are really just technicians. We learn the steps to take, the drugs to give, the rhythms that are the story of a heart getting better.
"What sets a lot of us apart is that we really CARE about the person in the bed, on the exam table, walking down the hall with the IV's swinging. And with the caring, there is some intangible part of that nurse that connects with the essence of the patient. It's a will to live that is found within the patient, and really good nurses know how to appeal to that will to coax it out. But the healing is something that comes from within. I was continually amazed to see who was able to live through the ICU or ER experience, and who wasn't. We nurses can guide the energy, show it how to move again, take away some of the pain, but the healing is the Work the patient must do.
"Hearts are amazing personalities. I've seen many during heart surgeries -moving around in a chest under bright lights while surrounded by blue drapes as if they were actors on a stage. They resembled little animals that wanted to scurry around on their own. They are very selfish too, giving themselves oxygenated blood before the rest of the body can have any. And they are at the center of our being. "Into the Silence" is a wonderful piece - your descriptions resonate with what I know about that space between being and not being. And for healing, one needs to start at that place.
"In the true healing, there is a necessary letting go, something that is not always easy to do. The obvious losses will be Lady T and all her smoke, some lifestyle changes, but there will be less obvious letting go - of the way you used to define yourself, a letting go of impatience with healing as Mr. Heart will let you know if you go too fast. The healing takes time. It's a different sort of work than you've ever had to do. It's getting to the core of you and finding the acceptance of a body that is different from what you've had these last decades, acceptance of a different routine for everyday life."
God may have said "vengeance is mine" but I would damn my soul to Hell to get even with anybody who attacked my family. So the passivity and magical invocations of the Progressives grates on my nerves. It's disgustingly naive and utterly insane. It is the man who passively bows down to his executioner instead of fighting to the last. I don't understand it. I can't fathom it.Candlelight Progressive Magic... Again | Declination
"We already interact with technology all the time," Epicenter employee Hannes Sjoblad told the BBC, in 2015. "Today it's a bit messy – we need pin codes and passwords. Wouldn't it be easy to just touch with your hand? That's really intuitive." "We want to be able to understand this technology before big corporates and big government come to us and say everyone should get chipped – the tax authority chip, the Google or Facebook chip," Hannes added, convinced that this way he will be able to question the way the technology is implemented from a position of much greater knowledge.
This was the start of a new phase in which the lower classes were mostly ignored, as the new ruling class consolidated its power. That may be what we are seeing with our managerial class as they largely ignore the results of recent elections and enforce discipline in their own ranks. Ruminations On The Way Down The Mountain | The Z Blog
For now he's at: HappyAcres (@HappyHectares) | Twitter I tried to tell him that he needs to get his own platform. If on Twitter tell him too. We will need the sites we like to survive and not be killed off by Jack and other Neojacobins of his ilk.
Maxine Waters, Nacy Pelosi, Barbra Boxer and Al Green, are so far removed from traditional America as to be alien life forms. Outside of the 6 -7 major media/political centers in the US, the rest of the population simply do not factor into the equation until election time returns. The Price of Delegitimization â The Virginia Freeman's Society
Manchester: This Time They Came for Our Children
Politicians and the media particularly must face reality. We may not like it but we are at war. You should behave accordingly. This is Topic A -- and there is no Topic B until further notice... that is unless you want Manchester actually to be the "new normal." It pretty much is already. How horrible is that for all of us, how horrible for our children. Why don't we all get together and put an end to it? It's even more important than impeaching Trump.
because our institutions of higher learning have turned their energy to licensing managers to serve as the officers of our managerial oligarchy. According to Patrick Dennan, students these days are "…the culmination of western civilization, a civilization that has forgotten nearly everything about itself, and as a result, has achieved near-perfect indifference to its own culture." If You Don't Read Books… | Joel D. Hirst's Blog
In this case, the visuals will be provided by future terror attacks.
That reinforces the "evil" part, obviously. But more importantly, the Losers will be doing nothing but losing on the battlefield from now until "annihilation." They are surrounded, and the clock is ticking. Oh, and the press isn't allowed to watch the final battles. In other words, we won't need to build new holding cells on Guantanamo Bay this time. No press means no prisoners, if you know what I mean. (American soldiers won't be shooting the prisoners. We have allies for that sort of thing.)Goodbye ISIS, Hello Losers | Scott Adams' Blog
Does each year of being an adjunct professor feel less fulfilling than the last? Starting to think that no amount of Adderall can launch you past the boredom of your role as a research assistant? Could it be that so much time has passed since you last picked up your guitar that it wouldn't even be possible to get the old band back together again?
Do you seek validation? Are you hungry for permanent and hip confrontational posturing? Still having dreams about the glory of radical nonconformity? Eager to purge your upper-middle class and white guilt? Want to do something new with your life, but want to rely on the skills you already have instead of learning new ones?
I've got just the thing for you: become a left-wing critic of the mainstream American Left. It's easy, really, and no matter what, your Twitter following will increase at least five-fold. How To Make It As A Left-Wing Polemicist - Social Matter
Heartbroken thoughtsprayers hashtag TownNameStrong buildinglightshow candlelightvigil bewarebacklash lather rinse repeat— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 23, 2017
In otona maki, participants lie down on a large, sheet-like piece of cloth. An attendant then wraps them up snugly, leaving their face completely obscured their knees tucked up near their waist, and their overall posture resembling the fetal position. The only openings are two small gaps near the participantsâ midsection, left over from how the cloth is tied.
A Catholic seminary converted into a hostel in the old Belgian administrative center called Lubero tucked in the highlands of eastern Congo – blue helmets and razor wire waiting to accept the genocidaire; monsters who had decided upon the extinguishing of another race. Eating escargot and drinking warm beer with the priests. The cement and zinc-roofed house of a witch in a village in northern Nicaragua, sitting in front of her on a rocking chair imploring her to release the sick under her spell so I could take them for hospital care. The King of Lost Places | Joel D. Hirst's Blog
The likeliest would be a Vichy-type puppet government that took care to mimic our current structure and outward forms. Just as in France, they'd have little trouble finding reliable, unprincipled opportunists already in place and eager to serve. Woodpile Report
because it only seems to care about black lives that are ended by white people.
And that, of course, is because Black Lives Matter isn't about justice, but about racial agitation."But the routine taking of black lives by other blacks generates no interest in the mainstream media. Forty-three hundred people, including two dozen children under the age of 12, were shot in Chicago last year. Had 4,300 white people been shot, there would have been a revolution, and the media would have set up headquarters in the city to cover the breakdown of law and order. But because the victims were nearly all black, few pay attention—besides the police. Some Black Lives Don't Matter | City Journal
At least nothing of physical context to anyone, cept maybe a couple pisswillys that needed it. On a large scale, say, several hundred people? Not hardly. Look cross eyed at em and they'll be slip-slidin in their own loose fecal matter. Then, with gas mask applied and industrial grade boot covers, just walk amongst them with a 28" Louisville Slugger crackin heads in both directions. Posted by: ghostsniper at May 20, 2017 8:25 PMIf they do break Trump, I don't think the genie goes back in the bottle.
I think the days of leftist pissants grinding our faces in the dirt under the threat of government coercion are over. How it will evolve, I don't know but I don't think it will be peaceful. Posted by: Bill Cox at May 21, 2017 5:13 AMThe Top 40: This is not about Donald Trump's alleged character defects.
Why does the brutishness of our ancestors offend so?
And why do the stories of tremendous resilience, of family and purpose and fight and faith offend them? We are told that because they were not perfect – that they held prejudice in their hearts or often misbehaved – we are not to look to them; certainly not as a means to better understand ourselves. As if we are not even now brutish and vile – albeit in different ways. As if the progress we have been sold, so carefully scraped of all vestiges of the past, is even healthy – even progress at all really, instead of another dark age served to us by know-nothings.Castles, Civilizations and the Know-Nothings | Joel D. Hirst
He named his creation after the Bikini Atoll, which was the site of nuclear weapon tests, as he felt his new swimsuit would create an "explosive commercial and cultural reaction."
Its lone pilot, a VNAF major, pushed its four Allison T56 turboprops to full throttle and began his takeoff down the 10,000 foot runway. At the opposite end of the runway, the airplane still hadn't taken wing. But in the runway's 1000-foot overrun, the C-130 staggered into the air. After a harrowing flight, it touched down three and a half hours later at U Tapao Royal Thai AB, southeast of Bangkok. On the ramp, American personnel were visibly surprised as they watched 452 people disembark. With herculean effort, the C-130 had lifted more than 20,000 pounds above its operational limit. -- Popular Mechanics
It is a cold civil war against a majority of the American people and their way of life. The members of the Resistance mean to defend their power. Their practical objective is to hamper and otherwise delegitimize 2016's winners. Their political objective is to browbeat Trump voters into believing they should repent and yield to their betters. This campaign might break the Trump presidency. The Cold Civil War
It's a safe space for the unaccomplished. That's why there's been such an explosion of racism on the left, especially among some of its less successful demographic groups. When you have nothing to offer, or when you just don't want to make the effort to be successful or productive, well…at least you have your skin. And the left has proved to be expert at making everything about skin. With so many layabouts, welfare cases, entitlement whores, and blame shifters among the masses, leftist intellectuals in politics, the media, and academia gain lots of traction by continually reassuring certain constituencies, "Hey, man, your skin color makes you special! Your skin color makes you deserving!" - David Cole
In the hands of criminals, they are the tools of evil. In the hands of the free and decent citizen, they should be the tools of liberty. Weapons compound man's power to achieve whatever purpose he may have. They amplify the capabilities of both the good man and the bad, and to exactly the same degree, having no will of their own. Thus, we must regard them as servants, not masters–and good servants of good men. Without them, man is diminished, and his opportunities to fulfill his destiny are lessened. An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." — Attributed to Col. Jeff Cooper [via Power Tools – waka waka waka]


text:
This property has been removed by the agent. It may be sold or temporarily removed from the market
4 bedroom semi-detached house for saleVictoria Drive, Horsforth LS18
Sold STC £331,000
Property Description
Key features
Full descriptionHunters are delighted to offer for sale this four bedroom semi- detached home. Offering great family living accommodation, this home lies within extremely popular school catchment areas. Situated on a quiet street, yet only a quarter of a mile from Horsforth's vibrant New Road Side area which is awash with cafes, bars and shops. Just nearby, the River Aire and the Leeds/ Liverpool Canal provide for those Sunday afternoon adventures and walks with the family!
The position offers good access to Leeds city centre and commuter links such as the Ring Road, Horsforth train station and Leeds/ Bradford airport lies only 4.5 miles away.
Having a gas central heating system and double glazed windows the accommodation provides an entrance hallway, which leads to the open plan style kitchen/ dining room, which opens furthermore in to the bay fronted living room – creating a superb space for the family and great to play host too!
Upstairs the master bedroom has fitted wardrobes and enjoys views of the pleasant rear garden. The second bedroom also has fitted wardrobes and the bathroom and fourth bedroom/ study make up the first floor accommodation. The converted loft space has created a third double bedroom with two Velux windows and an additional bathroom.
Outside there is a front driveway and garden consisting of hedges and shrubs, a pond and neat gravelled areas. The driveway continues through gates down the side of the house to the detached garage and via another gate leads to the rear garden. The rear garden offers 'an oasis' for a family and friends get together. There is a decked seating area, lawn and plenty of shrubs, trees and flowers, with gravelled paths winding through the verandas and trellises – a private and peaceful place to relax in, something the current vendors will certainly miss!
This delightful home, will in our opinion, make a fantastic family home! The sought after location, and 'family friendly' neighbourhood will only add to the already wide appeal, so please call us now to view before it's too late!
More information from this agent
To view this media, please visit the on-line version of this page at www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55987301.html
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Disclaimer - Property reference HORSP202763. The information displayed about this property comprises a property advertisement. Rightmove.co.uk makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the advertisement or any linked or associated information, and Rightmove has no control over the content. This property advertisement does not constitute property particulars. The information is provided and maintained by Hunters, Horsforth. Please contact the selling agent or developer directly to obtain any information which may be available under the terms of The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 or the Home Report if in relation to a residential property in Scotland.
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Hi Everyone,
Lets follow on with Valerie's question put to me during yesterdays Harvest Show about the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan's visit to Egypt.
There is a large amount of press about his visit here in the Middle East. Many in the Arab media are welcoming it, some are skeptical, and it seems that the consensus amongst the leaders of the Arab world is to stay quite in a posture of disregard of the affair.
There is still suspicion of Turkey in general amongst some in the Middle East as the Turkish Ottoman Empire ruled here for 400 years until after World War I.
Some are going as far as to call the leader an actor. Others refer to Mr. Erdogan as a Sultan – the stereotypical Arab leader.
People are worried that Mr. Erdogan will use his visit to Cairo to show more disdain toward Israel.
For many, this will increase his popularity in the region – something he is counting on as he is accompanied by a fairly substantial military and commercial entourage.
For some in the populace he will be welcomed in Cairo as a national hero – but many commentators are saying that is not what the Egyptian leadership needs or wants right now.
Anything done against Israel will further complicate relations with America – and the Military rulers understand that they can't do that.
Because of that, this visit by the Turkish Prime Minister will probably not translate into any kind of huge daring alliance between the two countries.
American interests have already canceled the once floated idea of Mr. Erdogan visiting the Gaza Strip from Egypt. Rumor has it that the Egyptian generals who lobbied against the trip.
Some in Israel are a fearful of a Turkish presence ruling this region again. For too long the peoples of this region have tolerated foreign interference.
Lets hope that that will translate over not only to the perceived Turkish goals – but also the Iranian ones.
Brian Bush
Middle East Correspondent
LeSEA Broadcasting


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