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Tonight we come to the last in our series on the Gospel of Matthew, looking at the great highlights of this tremendous, tremendous treatise on the life and ministry of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We come to the last chapter for this final message, Chapter 28. And I want to read to you the first ten verses which chronicle for us, Matthew's wonderful revelation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"Now after the Sabbath, at is began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred. For the angel of the Lord and descended from Heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightening and his garment as white as snow.
"And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid. For I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen just as He said. Come; see the place where He was lying. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.'
"And they departed quickly from the tomb, with fear and great joy, and ran to report it to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they shall see Me.'"
The world has heard many important messages. The world has learned many great truths and seen many dramatic, life-changing, history-making events. But nothing in the history of the world even comes close to the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
You see, Jesus claimed to be God in human flesh. He claimed to come to pay the penalty for sin, conquer sin, conquer Satan, conquer death, and conquer Hell. The resurrection proved that His claim was accurate. The resurrection by the power of God, the Father, was also the affirmation of God, that the work of Christ was done.
In fact, in Romans 1:4, the Apostle Paul wrote that Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. There can be no question about deity of Jesus Christ when you look at the resurrection. There can be no question about whether or not He accomplished His work of paying the penalty for sin, conquering sin, Satan, death, and Hell, when you look at the resurrection. It verifies everything.
In Romans 4, we read in Verses 24 and 25, this summation. It says, "God raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, He, who was delivered up because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification." In other words, God raised Him, not only to attest that He was the Son of God in human flesh, but that He had perfectly accomplished the work of salvation.
His resurrection is also the guarantee of our resurrection. In 2 Corinthians 4:14, the Scripture says, "He, who raised the Lord Jesus, will raise us also." Summing those things up, the resurrection proves that He was God. It proves that He finished his work. And it guarantees our own resurrection. In fact, the resurrection of Jesus is mentioned at least 104 times in the New Testament. And there is one entire chapter devoted to the significance of the resurrection, and it a long chapter, namely 1 Corinthians 15. It deals with the historicity of the resurrection, the facts of the resurrection, and the immense and far-reaching and eternal implications of the resurrection.
It is then, unarguably, the single-greatest event in history. To those who believe, it, of course, becomes the source of their hope. And you remember the promise of Jesus to the grieving people who stood beside the grave of their beloved brother, Lazarus. And Jesus, knowing that He would raise Lazarus from the dead by the very power of resurrection, said this, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me shall live even if he dies. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."
Do you believe this? And thus, in resurrection, power is the hope of eternal life. Now the resurrection is recorded in each of the four Gospels, each writer looking at the resurrection from a unique perspective, with different details, different purposes in mind, viewing the very same event. And when you put all four together, you get the composite record of this momentous and marvelous miracle.
Matthew has a most-fascinating look at it. He centers his look at the resurrection in the feelings and attitudes of a group of women. How interesting? They are central to Matthew's account. Even Jesus is not central in Matthew's account, although obviously, He is the focus of attention of the women. Instead of focusing on, for example, how Jesus was raised from the dead, or what happened when He raised from the dead, or how He got out of the grave clothes, or how He got out of the tomb, or what He was doing when He was moving around and they saw Him. He focuses, rather on Jesus, on the women.
Instead of focusing on the men, who were the apostles and their interaction with the risen Christ, He focuses on the women and particularly, on their attitudes and on their feelings. And so we get in this view of the resurrection, their responses to this great event.
Let's look at the setting in Verse 1. Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, that's the setting. It was the day after Sabbath, and He was buried the day before Sabbath. He was buried at the end of the day on Friday, was in the grave all day Saturday, and came out on the third day, which was Sunday, the day after Sabbath, Sabbath being Saturday. This is then the third day after His burial. He, Himself said, He would be in the grave three days. And indeed, He was.
And so, as dawn begins to arrive, announcing the first day of the week, we enter into the resurrection from the perspective of the women. Verse 1 says, "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave." And by the way, Mark adds that a woman named Salome came, the mother of James and John, the apostles, and the wife of Zebedee. Luke adds that another woman named Joanna came, the wife of Chuza, who was a steward in Herod's court.
John mentions only Mary Magdalene, but implies the others by using the pronoun, "we." So there was a group of women here, women who, by the way, had come all the way from Galilee where they lived, all the way down to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. They had ministered alongside Jesus during His ministry in Galilee. They had come all the way down to the Passover.
They were there at the cross when He was dying, while most of the disciples were scattered, and only John remained at the foot of the cross. The women were there demonstrating their great love and their great courage. The rest of the apostles didn't show up at the cross, or for that matter, at the burial. But the women were there. They were there at the burial attending to His body and putting some spices on it, knowing the decay that was going to come about.
Since the Jews did not embalm, they wanted to do as much as they could to care for the one they loved so greatly. There were there at his burial. And some of them, apparently, lingered past the darkness on Friday night, in grieving love, standing opposite the tomb, as Verse 61 of Chapter 27 says.
Now they're back. It's nearly dawn on Sunday. They must have started out when it was dark. And by the time they arrived, the light is just beginning to break. It is morning and they've come to look at the grave. They didn't come to see a resurrection. They just came to look.
They just wanted to make sure everything was still okay. Now you remember they had purchased spices the night before. Mark tells us that in his Gospel. And they waited 'till the Sabbath was over to come back for one final anointing. Their desire was to refresh the decaying body of Jesus, which would be in serious state of decay now, the third day.
The anointing on Friday, though profuse, would be affected by the decay, and they wanted to express one more act of sympathy. And so the first emotion we see is sympathy. That's the first resurrection attitude that we see in these women, sympathy. They came, not in great faith that they would see a resurrection. They didn't come even in weak faith, hoping they would see a resurrection. They just came to make one more effort at honoring the body of their Lord, one more act of sympathy.
And you remember in the case of Lazarus, who being in the grave for four days, would be in a serious state of decay, which was noted when one of his sisters commented by saying, "By this time, his body stinketh." And at that point, it would be too late to do much prevention. They came, knowing it was only the third day, and early that third day, and wanting to express an act of compassion.
And Mark tells us in Chapter 16, Verse 3, is he looks at it that they had no idea the tomb had been closed and a stone had been rolled across. And they had no idea that it had been sealed by the Romans. And they, therefore, had no idea that they would be unable to go in. And I suppose they thought that if they had to do something, they could find somebody who would push the stone away.
In fact, they said, "Who will roll the stone away for us? It's so large. We really can't move it." They would need the strength of a man. So the first emotion that you see with these women as they look at the event of the resurrection is that of sympathy, loving compassion toward Jesus.
Frankly, they should have been coming to see a resurrection because He told them there would be one. And if they had believed the Lord, they would have come in that anticipation. They would have understood His promise. And by the way, they had seen Him raise Lazarus from the dead. So it wasn't a question of whether or not He had the power, it's just hard to believe that, even though you've seen one.
What they did lack in faith, they certainly made up for in courage and in sympathy in comparison to the rest of the disciples. And so we see their sympathy. Sympathy doesn't last too long. It turns to a second emotion, fear, or terror. And Matthew alone gives us these details. Verse 2, "And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred. For an angle of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it."
While they were on their way, wondering how they were gonna get in, and if, indeed, the stone had been rolled across the entrance, how it was going to be removed, an angel had already done it. "Behold," again, emphasizes the startling character of this event, "there was a great earthquake." Though still approach the garden where the tomb was located in proximity to Golgotha, where Jesus had been crucified, they must have felt the seismic waves rumble through the earth. And by the way, earthquakes are common in Israel. It's kind of like California.
They must have felt those radiating waves rolling beneath their feet as they moved toward the epicenter, which was the tomb. And here was another supernatural earthquake, a severe one, a "mega," in the Greek. What caused the earthquake? An angel of the Lord descended from Heaven. This earthquake was, by the way, not caused by Jesus leaving the tomb. It was not caused by Jesus leaving the grave.
It was caused by the arrival of the angel -- listen -- to open the tomb to show that Jesus was already gone. Nothing says that the angel let Him out. The angel didn't roll the stone away to let Him out. The angel rolled the stone away to let people in. By the time the angel came and hit the tomb and created a supernatural earthquake, the Lord was already gone. He had already risen. He had already left.
The angel just opened the tomb to let the people in. No one saw the resurrection. No one was an eyewitness to the event itself. Every once in a while, I'll see a picture, supposedly depicting the resurrection, and the stone is rolled away and the Lord is emerging. There's nothing in the Scripture to indicate that that is correct.
He seems to have left the grave in glorified form before the angel moved the stone at all. You remember that it isn't long after this, matter of just a week, He came into the room where the disciples were gathered, the door being, what? Shut. He doesn't need open doors to go in and out.
Jesus had already left behind the linen clothes lying exactly, without being displaced or disturbed, as they were when they were wrapped around His body. He came right out of those clothes without even distressing or disturbing them at all, and right through the walls of that tomb, without the stone being removed. He came forth in glorified form, seen only by God, and perhaps, the holy angels.
Then the angel came, then the earthquake. The stone is rolled back and it is set aside, in some manner, flatly on the ground so that the angle can sit on it. And there sits the Heavenly witness to the resurrection to greet the women as they arrive. What an amazing scene. What an amazing scene.
Think about the Jews. The Jewish leaders must have been thrilled, because all day on the Sabbath, they knew Jesus was in the grave. The one who had for three years been such an immense problem to them, the one who has so consistently confronted their hypocrisy, the one who had convinced many people that they were fakes and frauds and the agents of Satan, and not God, was incarcerated in a tomb. But little did they know that their efforts would only increase His influence.
Well, when the women arrived, in Verse 3, they would have seen an angel sitting on the stone. "His appearance was like lightening; his garment as white as snow." Supernatural brilliance adorns this angel. Divine glory is translated from His holy person, not unlike the transfiguration of Jesus, which Matthew describes in Chapter 17. This angel takes on the character of deity, manifesting the very glory of God through His holy person, "His raiment as white as snow," speaking of His holiness and His purity.
"And the Roman guards," Verse 4 says, "shook for fear of Him and became like dead men." They were shaking. By the way, the same root word as the word "earthquake," the root is "seism," from which we get seismic. The earth quaked, and so did the guards. "And they became like dead men."
What does that mean? They went into a coma. They became comatose. They were paralyzed in unconsciousness by the sheer fright. It scared them into a coma. It was so frightening that their entire system went instantly into shock. This is not an unfamiliar scenario. It happened to Ezekiel when he had a vision of God. It happens in the Book of Revelation to John when he sees the glorified Christ.
It happened to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of transfiguration. They went into an immediate coma because their body literally went into shock at the fear of seeing the glory of God manifest. And that's what they saw in the case of this angel as he reflected the glory of God and they went into an instant coma.
Verse 5, "The angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid.'" Obviously, the women were in terror. It's remarkable, and I suppose, it's the purposes of God that they didn't go into a coma, too. The scene was absolutely paralyzing. But the Lord had a purpose for preventing them from going into total shock. Though they were certainly in a condition of terror, or the angel wouldn't say to them, "Do not be afraid," or, "Stop fearing. Fear not."
Now by this time, Mary Magdalene has gone. We know that from the other Gospel accounts. But the rest of the women are still there. Mary Magdalene got a glimpse of this thing and she was gone. She was on her way to find Peter and John to investigate what she assumed was foul play.
Meanwhile, the rest of the women stay and the angel calms the fears of these wonderful ladies. Nobody calmed the fears of the soldiers. Nobody said any comforting words to them. But to those who loved the Lord, there was comfort coming from an angel, who from Hebrews 1:14, we know, are sent to minister to the saints. And they certainly did on this occasion.
The angel knows who they are. Believe me; the angel of the Lord knows who belongs to God. And so the angel says, "I know you're looking for Jesus who was crucified, who has been crucified." And that's true. They did come expecting to find His dead body, expecting to put some more spices on it. They thought of Jesus only as, "The one who has been crucified, the one who is now dead." They really didn't understand the promise. They didn't believe the promise of resurrection. They loved Him so much they just came out of sympathy.
We might have expected, and I suppose it would be fair, we might have expected the angel to just say to them, "You know, you're a rather faithless bunch. Here you are coming expecting to find a dead body, when Jesus, Himself, promised that He would be raised from the dead." We might expect a rebuke by an angel to condemn their feeble minds and their feeble faith.
But to these loyal, loving, sympathetic, compassionate women whose devotion to Christ is so clear there is no rebuke, there is only comfort, and the comfort comes in Verse 6, "He is not here, for He has risen." Literally, an eras tense, He was raised. He was raised by his own power. John 10:18, "By the power of the Father." Romans 8:11, "By the power of the spirit." The whole Trinity is involved in the resurrection. "He is not here for He has risen." And then there is this direct confrontational statement, "Just as He said," reminding them that He had indeed promised it.
And Luke 24:8 says, "When the angle said that, they remembered Jesus' words." It was a terrorizing moment until the angel calmed their fearful hearts and prevented them from going into shock like the soldiers, by saying, "He has risen, just as He said."
And then the glorious evidence, Verse 6, "Come, see the place where He was lying." Luke tells us that the women went into the tomb and the same angel appeared on the inside and gave them again, the same message. I suppose twice, to emphasize the incredible reality that was so stunning and shocking to them.
The message didn't come easily to their startled minds. And so the angel went on the inside to repeat it. And by the way, Luke adds another interesting note that on the inside the first angel, the angel who spoke, was joined by a second angel, also in shining clothes.
And John adds, in Chapter 20, that one of them was at one end of the place her Jesus lay, and the other at the other; one at the feet and one at the head. And there, they were like the cherubim who covered both sides of the Mercy Seat, signifying indeed, that He had been supernaturally raised from the dead.
And then in Verse 7, the angel says, "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead. And behold, He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Behold, I've told you." The first angel concludes this encounter with a command, a very specific and exact command, "Go tell the disciples He is risen and He's going before you into Galilee where you're going to see Him." That's the message.
In fact, Mark records the same message and adds, "Go tell His disciples and Peter. And say He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him just as He said to you." And then Mark adds this, "And they went out and ran from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them. And they said nothing to anyone for, they were terrified."
Fear, terror at what they had just seen. And they went away and were speechless in their terror. But they had this command. And fascination and fear eventually gave way to proclamation. Finally, they did speak, but it took them a while. At this point, it strikes me that we might want to ask the question, "Why would Jesus choose to involve these women? Why would go choose these women to be the first witnesses that the resurrection had happened? Why not the disciples? Why not Peter, James, and John, who were the leading disciples?"
And I suppose you could make a little list of why He chose these women. And the first part of the list might be, "Because God likes to choose the weak over the strong. Or God rewards those who are most faithful, and the women were more faithful during the time of Jesus' suffering than the apostles were." Or someone might suggest, after all, death came by a woman in the garden. And now life is announced, first of all, to women.
Or someone might say that women seem to carry the deepest sorrow, and the deepest sorrow deserves the highest joy. And maybe God gave them the joy because they had known the sorry. And perhaps we might say supreme love deserves supreme blessing. All of that is possible in answering the question, "Why did the resurrection first come to women?"
But I'll give you even a better reason. They were there. (Laughter) Not too profound. (Laughter) The reason they were the first witnesses to the resurrection was because they were there. That's a great spiritual truth. God uses and blesses the people who are there. If the 11 had been there that morning, they would have experienced this initial incredible miracle. They were there.
And the angel said, "Now you have to go. You have to tell the disciples that He's going to meet you in Galilee and there you'll see Him. Galilee will be the place where Jesus risen from the dead, will meet all of His disciples." And that's exactly the way it happened.
Back in Chapter 26 Jesus had told them He was going to be betrayed and executed. But in Verse 32 of Matthew 26, He said, "After I have been raised, I'll go before you to Galilee." The meeting place is Galilee. Why Galilee? Why is that the place? Galilee of the nations? Galilee, which unlike Jerusalem, was populated with so many Gentiles. Galilee, which was so unsophisticated. Galilee, which was so rural and uneducated and unrefined. Galilee, which was a melting pot of people from all over the world. Galilee, where the Lord first ministered and performed His miracles and redeemed souls and was first hated and rejected. Galilee, the microcosm of the world?
In that place, that's where He would see them all. That's where He would give them the great commission to reach the world. Galilee, Galilee where it all started. It wouldn't be to the elite leadership in Jerusalem. It would be to the trained theologians. It would be Galilee.
The greatest number of Disciples of Christ, those who loved Him and followed Him and believed Him were in Galilee anyway. It would be in Galilee that all the believers would gather to see Him for the sending out, the commission to reach the whole world with the Gospel.
This doesn't in any way, by the way, deny that Jesus met with his disciples on several occasions in Jerusalem after the resurrection, before that gathering in Galilee. Indeed, He did. He met them on that Sunday afternoon of His resurrection. He met them, according to John's Gospel, on the Sunday evening. And a week later met them again on the following Sunday evening, according to John 20.
So there were several occasions when He met with them in Jerusalem. But it was the 11. It wasn't until Galilee that the whole group was gathered together. And that's where we find the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 describing that event when he says that after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, "He appeared," Verse 6, "to more than 500 brethren at one time." That was the meeting in Galilee.
Every meeting in Jerusalem was a small meeting in preparation for the great assembly in Galilee where most of the believers lived. The angel then seals this command with its promise that the Lord would meet them in Galilee with a word of divine authority when he says, "I have told you. You have your orders."
Just a note, I told you that Mark adds that the angel said, "And tell Peter especially." That's a marvelous touch, because it was Peter who was most vociferous in his denial of Jesus Christ. What grace and what forgiveness. So with that command, they left. They were speechless. They left with terror, astonishment, trembling, and amazement. But as they went, that began to be mingled with a new emotion. And that's the third emotion that Matthew focuses on in Verse 8.
"And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear" -- and the transition begins -- "and great joy, and ran to report to His disciples." Their silence turned to proclamation. Their fear turned to joy. Joy is the third emotion. The main verb says, "They ran." They ran to reach the disciples. First in fear and shock, and as the reality began to settle, then in joy.
Now the rest of the disciples, by the way, were not with Peter and John, because Peter and John were on their way to the tomb with Mary Magdalene, who having seen the tomb, had hurried away before this whole scene unfolded, to tell them that somebody had stolen the Body, and here come Peter and John. So they're not there at the first meeting when they reported to the disciples Jesus' resurrection.
It's enough to know that the reality of it has settled in their hearts and they're filled with joy. They are believers now. The evidence is overwhelming as it begins to sink into their mind, and the shock begins to dispel itself a bit. They now have this clear vision of this blazing angel, these two blazing angels sitting on either end of the slab where the Body was lying, the grave clothes unruffled and unmoved as if He had come through them, for indeed, he has. He isn't there. He is alive. The supernatural message has reached their hearts and they are in a hurry to let the disciple know.
Joy is the expression of faith. They believed. And it's important to note that because they came not believing. Initially, they came purely out of sympathy. And the next emotion was terror. But even in their terror and unbelief and fear, even thought they must have been shaking like the ground shook, even though they must have been on the brink of pure shock, even though they had not expected a resurrection, they came to believe it. The evidence was overwhelming. It overrode their emotions. It overrode their fears. They were convinced.
This is an important apologetic for the resurrection, because you have to remember, these are not people coming expecting a resurrection. These are people coming who don't expect a resurrection, and leaving convinced that one occurred.
Their joy, then, turns to a fourth emotion, and that's the motion of worship, the expression of worship. An amazing thing happens as they're running to the disciples. Verse 9, "And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them," literally said, "Hello." If He were saying it in our vernacular, He would meet them and say, "Hi." (Laughter)
Perhaps they were headed to Bethany. Maybe the disciples were there. 'Bout a two-mile walk or run. And Jesus met them. And he met them in resurrection glory. And He permitted them to recognize Him. And they knew He was their Lord, alive from the dead. And they knew there had to be a resurrection. Remember, these are the ladies who had put the spices on the corpse. These are the ladies who'd wrapped that dead body. They knew. They knew.
And He gave them the common greeting, "Kirote." Now the old authorized says, "All hail." It means, "Hello, hi, good morning," just a very common, normal everyday greeting, the ordinary salutation of the marketplace, the highway, and the home. Three He was, the King of Kings, the Glorious Lord, out of the grave and He speaks to them as their friend.
They knew and they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. This is no spirit. This is not apparition. This is no phantom. This is no figment of their imagination. This is a living, bodily-resurrected Christ. And they grasped His feet. And Matthew wants you to know that. "He had feet and they held onto them."
"They seized His feet with adoring love," like a person who recognized sovereign king would come up and bow before his feet, and perhaps even kiss his feet. In ancient times, they fell at His feet in the symbol of homage, overwhelmed with thanks, overwhelmed with wonder. They fell at His feet and worshiped Him.
There must have been out outpouring of praise, and outpouring of gratitude and thanksgiving and joy that is indescribable. I wish there were a few more verses describing it. It just says, "They worshiped Him." "Proskenau," to offer homage, or worship. And would you please notice that He accepted it? He accepted it.
In the Book of Revelation, John tried to worship an angel and an angel said, "Stop that. Worship God." Jesus accepted it. You remember the words of the Apostle Paul, who in speaking of the humiliation of Jesus, in Philippians 2, said that Jesus was humbled to the point of death, even the death on the cross. But he said then, speaking of the resurrection, "God also highly exalted Him, bestowing on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow." And these knees bowed at the resurrected Christ. They're convinced, and they worshiped Him.
Then Jesus said in Verse 10, "Don't be afraid. Kill the last vestiges of fear. Go and take My brethren, the Word, to leave for Galilee and there you'll see Me." So the emotions and the attitudes of those women demonstrated how anyone should approach the resurrection. This is almost a normal pattern. Anyone approaching this tremendous event would come, first of all, with sympathy, sympathy for the excruciating, agonizing suffering that Jesus endured on the cross, and the terrible, undeserved death which He died.
You should approach this monumental time in the life of Christ with sympathy for the cross. And anyone would approach as well, this open tomb and a blazing angel, with fear, a fear of supernatural power. And when the reality of resurrection dawns, that fear would turn to joy. And upon a firsthand meeting with the risen Christ, it would turn to worship.
That's how it is. That's the process. It's not enough to come to the cross with sympathy. It's not enough to come to the open tomb being startled and astonished and amazed. It's not really enough, really, even to rejoice over this great event. Lots of people do. It demands worship, that you fall on your face at the feet of Jesus Christ and embrace Him as Savior and Lord and King.
And by the way, the evidence of His resurrection is overwhelming. The tomb was empty and He was gone. The grave clothes were undisturbed. The whole Roman guard was in a coma. The testimony of angels, holy angels, and now, the testimony of some women who came expecting anything but this, and were so absolutely convinced.
How conclusive is the evidence for Christ's resurrection? A lawyer by the name of Sir Edward Clark wrote, "As a lawyer, I have made a prolonged study of the evidences for the events of the first Easter Day. To me, the evidence is conclusive. And over and over again in the high court, I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling. Inference follows on evidence. And a truthful witness is always artless and disdains effect.
"The Gospel evidence for the resurrection is of this class. And as a lawyer, I accept it unreservedly, as the testimony of truthful people to facts they were able to substantiate," end quote.
Professor Thomas Arnold, the author of the famous three-volume history of Roman, and an appointee to the chair of modern history at Oxford University in England writes, and I quote, "The evidence for our Lord's life and resurrection may be, and often has been, shown to be satisfactory. It is good according to the common rules for distinguishing good evidence from bad. Thousands and tens of thousands of persons have gone through every element of it, piece by piece, as carefully as every judge summing up a most-important case.
"I have, myself, done it many times over, not to persuade others, but to satisfy myself. I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them. And I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence than the great sign which God had given us that Christ died and rose from the dead," end quote.
Charles Hodge, the brilliant theologian says in reference to the resurrection, "It is the best authenticated event in ancient history," end quote. Why? Because of massive evidence from eyewitnesses. Well, armed with firsthand evidence and personal audience with the Risen Lord, they had a new emotion, a brand new emotion.
And that emotion, I think, can be seen in Verse 10, or felt in Verse 10, and it's hope. And Jesus said it, "And don't be afraid. Go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee and there they shall see Me." The last vestiges of fear are gone and hope is alive because Christ is alive. "Stop being afraid. Go tell My brethren. Get up to Galilee. I'm gonna meet you there. Hope is alive. Hope is alive."
We're all gonna see Him again in Galilee. And so we view the resurrection in this way. And it is precisely how the resurrection is to be viewed. When you fall at His feet and you embrace Him as the Risen Lord, your heart is filled with hope, because if He lives, you shall live also. Everything depends upon the resurrection.
Because He rose from the dead, we know the Word of God is true, because it promised His resurrection. Because He rose from the dead, we know that He is God in human flesh, who demonstrated His deity and power over death. Because He rose from the dead, we know that salvation is complete. He has conquered death and sin.
Because He rose from the dead, we know that we have eternal life. We know that we have forgiveness of sins. We know that we have an interceding high priest. We know that the Holy Spirit was sent, that we have been granted spiritual power. Because He rose from the dead, we know that He can build His church. Because He rose from the dead, we know that judgment is coming on the ungodly, and a time of rewards for His own. Because He rose from the dead, we know that we shall rise and Heaven waits for us.
The emotion of the women ended in hope. And that is the culminating emotion for anyone who understands the resurrection. I trusted it's yours. Let's bow in prayer.
Father, our hearts rejoice in the greatness of this monumental event. Everything in our salvation hinges on this. He was raised for our justification, to make us right with You. Oh Lord, move us through these same emotions, beyond sympathy, beyond fear, beyond joy, all the way to worship, and finally, to hope, a hope which is an anchor to the soul, a hope which enables us to look death in the face with the anticipation that it's not the end, it's only the beginning.
It's not a going alone. It's a going in the divine companionship of the Son of God. It's not an entrance into darkness, but into light. It's not the end of joy, but the beginning of it. Father, give us hope, hope because Jesus lives. And be He lives, so shall all who are His. We thank You for the promise that Jesus made to You, the Father, when He said, "I will lose none of Mine, but raise them up at the last day." It's in that hope that we live and face life and death in the confidence that whoever believes in Christ will never die.
We thank You for our great hope in a Risen Christ. And we give Him all the glory and all the honor, Amen.
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Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource.Publisher Information


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I'll be away from the blog for pretty much all the rest of the month, as I've been hired as 2nd assistant director on an independent feature film shooting in northeast Texas. However, I fully expect the rest of the crew (especially Tracie and Russell, who've been very active lately) to keep the blog's momentum going and be vigilant about moderating out the occasional bit of Asian pornspam and trollish ravings of you-know-who. I'll be posting regular Facebook updates (via the miracle of cellular phone technology) about on-set hijinks all month, though. So if you haven't friended me on FB yet, what're you waiting for?
I do plan on co-hosting tomorrow's show as scheduled, after which I'll be immediately on the road. Expect me back here after the 4th of July holiday. Everybody have fun while I'm gone! Just mop up the blood where necessary.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Myer family of Wichita Falls, TX's Holiday Portraits Session!
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This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Front - Dual 220 mm ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic twin-piston calipers
Rear - Dual 220 mm ventilated disc brake with hydraulic single-piston caliper
Maxxis Bighorn 2.0
Front - 27 x 9 x 12 in. (68.6 x 22.9 x 30.5 cm)
Rear -27 x 11 x 12 in. (68.6 x 27.9 x 30.5 cm)
True 4-mode Traction System - 2x4 open rear differential, 2x4 locked rear differential, 4x4 open rear differential, 4x4 locked rear differential
Visco-Lok auto-locking front differential
Lighter type DC outlet in console (20A)
Multifunction Digital: Speedometer, Tachometer, odometer, trip and hour meters, fuel, gear position, seat belt, diagnostics, clock, auto shut off
Front - Double A-arm; 10 in. (25.4 cm) travel
Rear - TTA-HD with external sway bar; 10 in. (25.4 cm) travel
Front / Rear Shocks - Twin tube gas charged
3 Person Capacity
VERSA-PRO bench seat with passenger seats flipping up, underside hooks and contoured bench to improve entrance/exit of the cab.
Payload - 1,500 lb. (680 kg)
Tailgate load capacity - 250 lb. (113.4 kg)
Total - 10.4 gal. (39.5 l)
Under dash - 6 gal, (22.8 l)
Dash - 1.8 gal. (6.9 l)
Water-resistant and removable toolbox - 1.7 gal. (6.3 l)
Armrests and cup holders - 0.9 gal. (3.5 l)


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I posted a fun and easy Letter Craft. Letter Crafts are great because they teach your children about the letters in a fun creative way. This craft P is for Pumkin is also a great one to do as a Halloween Craft to create and display at home.
It is important to reinforce the letters with kids and do it in a variety of fun ways, so they aren't even aware they are learning.


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Obstacles remain in Congress to gun legislation
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have talked more openly about gun control and safety since Friday's mass shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn., than they have in years, but many obstacles remain before any new laws are passed.
The hurdles begin with the House, where anti-regulation Republicans still dominate, and continue into the Senate where, in addition to Republican opposition, vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in 2014 have not openly supported any change in the law.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., and more than a dozen other House Democrats called on Republicans to join them in backing measures that would ban high-capacity magazines and improve background checks for prospective gun buyers.
FULL COVERAGE: Connecticut school shooting
MORE: Obama outlines effort to stem gun violence 'epidemic'
Of the handful of gun-control bills introduced in the House in the 112th Congress, all are sponsored by Democrats. McCarthy's bill to ban high-capacity magazines has more than 130 co-sponsors, none of which are Republicans.
While several prominent Republicans have publicly said there needs to be an examination into what cultural and policy failures have contributed to the recent spate of mass shootings, few have said they would support renewing the ban on assault weapons or limiting high-capacity magazines.
Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said they will "take a look" at the proposals they present.
"Right now our focus is, and should be, on the victims, their families, and their community," Steel said.
McCarthy said she planned to meet with Boehner after the New Year to discuss the best way to work with Republicans on gun-related legislation.
"We are looking over those that voted for gun bills before, we're going to wait until after the first of the year and then I'll have time with the bill, look at it, talk to them about and we'll get some people on there," she said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he opposed another assault-weapons ban and wasn't sure a ban would stop anyone determined to kill.
"It's a horrible thing that happened in Connecticut but I don't want to create a false sense of security out there about passing something that really won't change things," Graham said. "But I don't know."
Gun sales, including assault rifles, have spiked since the Newtown, Conn., shooting. Many people are citing personal protection and fear of gun control as reasons for their purchase. WTSP
"I think when we come back next year we are going to be looking at every facet of the causes of what happened there and in multiple places," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn."I don't want to answer questions right now about specific things that are driving some agenda, I want to look at everything."
Among Republicans in the Senate, only Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has said she would support renewing the assault weapons ban, according to National Journal.
In a statement on her Senate website following the shootings in Newtown, she noted she had also supported instant background checks to help ensure that guns are not sold to felons or the mentally ill.
Collins is also one of the only vulnerable incumbents in the Senate to take a position on the issue.
Others, such as Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, who backed a House-passed bill making it easier for those with concealed-weapons permits to cross state lines, have said there will be discussion going forward but has not elaborated.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., told the Associated Press in a statement that the shootings "raised serious questions about the culture of violence in our society — questions that deserve careful reflection on everything from access to mental health care to the video games our children play."
Former representative Mike Castle, R-Del., who voted for the first assault-weapons ban in 1994, predicted some members of the GOP could eventually support more background checks. "It's hard to find a real rationale for assault weapons … if you used those types on a deer it would just blow it apart," he said. "It was pretty close before but I think there has been a change in momentum."
There is more interest among Republicans on addressing the role of mental illness in mass shootings.
Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., said his colleagues on both sides of the aisle wanted to do more on mental illness. .there was broad interest among his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the role of mental illness in mass shootings.
"I've already asked to review every federal program that we have that puts money into mental health programs … is the money being spent wisely? Is it getting into communities, is it effective?," said Murphy, a psychologist before entering politics. "The common link between all these mass causalities has been mental illness of the perpetrator."


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int pmtracebegin(const char *tag); int pmtraceend(const char *tag); int pmtraceabort(const char *tag); int pmtracepoint(const char *tag); int pmtraceobs(const char *tag, double value); int pmtracecounter(const char *tag, double value); char *pmtraceerrstr(int code); int pmtracestate(int flags);
character*(*) tag integer code integer flags integer state character*(*) estr real*8 value
code = pmtracebegin(tag) code = pmtraceend(tag) code = pmtraceabort(tag) code = pmtracepoint(tag) code = pmtraceobs(tag, value) code = pmtracecounter(tag, value) pmtraceerrstr(code, estr) state = pmtracestate(flags)
f77 ... -lpcp_trace or f90 ... -lpcp_trace
import sgi.pcp.trace; int trace.pmtracebegin(String tag); int trace.pmtraceend(String tag); int trace.pmtraceabort(String tag); int trace.pmtracepoint(String tag); int trace.pmtraceobs(String tag, double value); int trace.pmtracecounter(String tag, double value); String trace.pmtraceerrstr(int code); int trace.pmtracestate(int flags);
The monitoring of transactions using the Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) infrastructure is initiated through a call to pmtracebegin . Time will be recorded from the end of each pmtracebegin call to the start of the following call to pmtraceend , where the same tag identifier is used in both calls. Following from this, no visible recording will occur until at least one call to pmtraceend is made referencing a tag previously used in a call to pmtracebegin .
A transaction which is currently in progress can be cancelled by calling pmtraceabort . No transaction data gathered for that particular transaction will be exported, although data from previous and subsequent successful transactions with that tag name are still exported. This is most useful when an error condition arises during transaction processing and the transaction does not run to completion.
The tag argument to pmtracebegin , pmtraceend and pmtraceabort is used to uniquely identify each transaction within the pcp_trace library and later by the trace PMDA as the instance domain identifiers for the transaction performance metrics which it exports. These routines are most useful when used around blocks of code which are likely to be executed a number of times over some relatively long time period (in a daemon process, for example).
pmtracebegin has two distinct roles - firstly as the initiator of a new transaction, and secondly as a mechanism for setting a new start time. Similarly, pmtraceend is used to register a new tag and its initial state with the trace PMDA, or alternatively to update the statistics which the PMDA currently associates with the given tag .
A second form of program instrumentation can be obtained from pmtracepoint . This is a simpler form of monitoring as it exports only the number of times that a particular point in a program has been passed. This differs to the transaction monitoring offered by pmtracebegin and pmtraceend , which exports a running count of successful transaction completions as well as statistics on the time interval between the start and end points of each transaction. This function is most useful when start and end points are not well defined. Examples of this would be when the code branches in such a way that a transaction cannot be clearly identified, or when processing does not follow a transactional model, or the desired instrumentation is akin to event rates rather than event service times.
The pmtraceobs and pmtracecounter functions have similar semantics to pmtracepoint , but also allow an arbitrary numeric value to be passed to the trace PMDA. The most recent value for each tag is then immediately available from the PMDA. The only difference between pmtraceobs and pmtracecounter is that the value exported via pmtracecounter is assumed to be a monotonically increasing counter value (e.g. the number of bytes read from a socket), whereas the value exported via pmtraceobs can be any value at all.
pmtracestate allows the application to set state flags which are honoured by subsequent calls to the pcp_trace library routines. There are currently two types of flag - debugging flags and the asynchronous protocol flag. A single call may specify a number of flags together, combined using a (bitwise) logical OR operation, and overrides the previous state setting.
The debugging flags to pmtracestate cause pcp_trace to print diagnostic messages on the standard output stream at important processing points. The default protocol used between the trace PMDA and individual pcp_trace client applications is a synchronous protocol, which allows for dropped connections to be reestablished at a later stage should this become possible. An asynchronous protocol is also available which does not provide the reconnection capability, but which does away with much of the overhead inherent in synchronous communication. This behaviour can be toggled using the pmtracestate call, but must be called before other calls to the library. This differs to the debugging state behaviour, which can be altered at any time. pmtracestate returns the previous state (setting prior to being called).
The following table describes each of the pmtracestate flags - examples of the use of these flags in each supported language are given in the demo applications (refer to the ``FILES'' section below).
Should any of the pcp_trace library functions return a negative value, an error has occurred. This can be diagnosed further using the pmtraceerrstr routine, which takes the negative return value as its code argument, and in the C-callable interface returns a pointer to the associated error message. This points into a static error table, and should therefore not be passed to free (3). The Fortran-callable interface has a slightly different syntax, requiring the destination character array to be passed in as the second argument. The Java-callable interface returns a UTF-8 string, created using the JNI (Java Native Interface) routine NewStringUTF .
Success is indicated by a return value of zero.
pmtracestate also returns an integer representing the state flags which were set prior to the call.
Applications that use gethostbyname (3) should exercise caution because the static fields in struct hostent may not be preserved across some pcp_trace calls. In particular, pmtracebegin , pmtraceend , pmtracepoint , pmtracecounter , and pmtraceobs may all call gethostbyname (3) internally.


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Donning glasses and a fake goatee, world famous NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon pranks a car salesman into taking a test drive with him in a 2009 Chevy Camaro.
"I don't know if I can handle it," said a disguised Jeff Gordon to the unsuspecting car salesman. "I've never driven anything like this before."
"I think a way to really make you feel comfortable would be to put you behind the wheel," replied the salesman.
And off they went doing wheelies and sharp turns while going at max speeds.
The video, of course, was sponsored by Pepsi Max, which previously disguised NBA All Star Kyrie Irving as an old man named "Uncle Drew" who dominated streetball games.
Pepsi may have lost a ton of market share to a knockoff brand in Thailand, but with viral videos like these, the fizzy drink stands to gain more popularity stateside - or, at least in NASCAR country.
[UPDATE: The entire stunt was faked, according to Jalopnik. Still fun to watch, though.]
Watch the Pepsi-sponsored prank with Jeff Gordon below:


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Authorities Search Storm Lake for Missing Hawarden Man
Authorities are searching for a missing Hawarden, Iowa man following a boating accident on Storm Lake.
According to the Sioux City Journal, the 28-year-old- man went into the water around 4:00 p.m. Thursday.
The man went into the water when a boat capsized while he and another person were fishing near Sunrise Park Road about 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the Buena Vista County Sheriff's Office. The boat's second occupant was rescued by a nearby boater.
The search resumed Friday morning. The man's name is not being released pending family notification.
View Storm Lake in a larger map


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Golden State Warriors (26-34) @ Washington Wizards (33-25)
Start time 10:00 AM PST @ The Verizon Center
Probable starters for the Golden State Warriors
PG - Monta Ellis
SG - Kelenna Azubuike
SF - Jason Richardson
PF - Al Harrington
C - Andris Biedrins
Probable starters for the Washington Wizards
PG - Gilbert Arenas
SG - DeShawn Stevenson
SF - Caron Butler
PF - Antawn Jamison
C - Brendan Haywood
Team leaders this season
PPG - B. Davis (20.7) | G. Arenas (28.9)
RPG - A. Biedrins (9.5) | A. Jamison (7.9)
APG - B. Davis (8.7) | G. Arenas (5.9)
SPG - B. Davis (2.0) | C. Butler (2.2)
BPG - A. Biedrins (1.9) | E. Thomas (1.4)
Game Thread: Warriors @ Washington Wizards 2007-03-04
Talk about the upcoming Warriors game here
Moderators: Mr. Crackerz, JREED, Guybrush, 32
JSU2004 wrote:I actually give the Ws a chance in this game. Arenas has been struggling with his shooting, and the Wiz are bad at defense too. Ws win in a close one by 8.
You know, I'd do too... if not because we're now in full TANK MODE.
btw, welcome to the board.
32 wrote:If Baron suits up for this game, I'll be shocked. The Warriors are 8 games under .500. Ususally, when that happens, he doesn't rush himself back.
Wizards by 10+. With Mickael Pietrus guarding him, Arenas will go for 36 and 8.
Nellie ruled him out of this game but a possibility of his return for the Pistons game.
CjR wrote:Baron would be a much welcomed sight. Where are now, about 4 ½ games back? I'm hanging on a thread, but no tanking here--at least not at this stage.
I respect your faith but I reckon the chances of making the playoffs are now very slim and it is better aiming for a top 6 pick as a quality PF should be able to be attained but most likely not at pick 10th


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This website section is intended to help you as you begin to care for the poor and needy as a recently called bishop, Melchizedek Priesthood leader, or Relief Society leader. Links to key sections of Handbook 2: Administering the Church are included. You are encouraged to prayerfully study the entire handbook chapter pertaining to welfare principles and leadership.
Purposes of Church Welfare
The purposes of Church welfare are to help members become self-reliant, to care for the poor and needy, and to give service.
In 1936 the First Presidency outlined a welfare plan for the Church. They said:
"Our primary purpose was to set up . . . a system under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 3).
Of the spiritual purpose of welfare work, President David O. McKay (1873-1970), then a counselor in the First Presidency, taught:
"It is something to supply clothing to the scantily clad, to furnish ample food to those whose table is thinly spread, to give activity to those who are fighting desperately the despair that comes from enforced idleness, but after all is said and done, the greatest blessings that will accrue from the Church [Welfare Plan] are spiritual. Outwardly, every act seems to be directed toward the physical…but permeating all these acts, inspiring and sanctifying them, is the element of spirituality….
"The development of our spiritual nature should concern us most. Spirituality is the highest acquisition of the soul, the divine in man….There is more spirituality expressed in giving than in receiving. The greatest spiritual blessing comes from helping another" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 103,105).
President Harold B. Lee (1899-1973) also taught that the purposes of the Church's welfare efforts go beyond just providing temporal assistance. He said:
"The welfare program has a great significance in the Lord's work. We must take care of [people's] material needs … before we can lift their thinking to a higher plane. Therein is the purpose of the Lord's welfare program that He has had in His Church in every dispensation from the very beginning….
"When a home is shattered because of the needs of food and shelter and clothing and fuel, … the first thing we have to do is to build a sense of security, a sense of material well-being, before we can begin to lift the family to the plane where we can instill in them faith. That is the beginning, but unless we have the objective of what we do as to the building of faith, the mere giving of material aid fails. Now, we must understand that, if we just try to build faith without first filling their stomachs and seeing that they are properly clothed and properly housed and properly warmed, perhaps we will fail in the building of faith." 4 ("Chapter 18: Providing in the Lord's Way," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee, [2000], 168)
Basic Welfare Principles
You should be guided by basic welfare principles as you care for the poor and needy such as work, self-reliance, love, and service.
- Love: The first measure of our love for our fellowman and for the Lord is what we do for others, especially the poor and the distressed.
- Service: Imparting of one's substance to the poor and the needy is an important part of service.
- Work: Work brings happiness, self-esteem, and prosperity. It is the means of all accomplishment.
- Self-Reliance: Self-respect and increased spirituality are the benefits of self-reliance.
- Consecration: Giving of our time, talents, and means to help others spiritually and temporally are ways to live the principle of consecration.
The Bishop
In your calling as bishop, you have a divine mandate to seek out and care for the poor (see D&C 84:112). It is your responsibility to direct the welfare work in your ward. Your goal is to help members help themselves and become self-reliant. (In branches, the branch president has these same welfare responsibilities.) To fulfill these responsibilities you should:
- Know in your heart that you are the one the Lord has called to take care of the poor and needy in your ward.
- Pray for and serve all of the people in your ward, especially those who might be in need. Truly love each member and learn of their needs.
- Seek the impressions and feelings of the Holy Ghost to help seek out any problems of ward members that may be hidden. Many times, the conditions you see will reveal problems that otherwise are hidden when members are in the chapel or your office.
- Respond to individual and family needs immediately.
Your counselors, the Relief Society president, the high priests group leader, the elder's quorum president, and other members of the ward council assist you in fulfilling these responsibilities. You should teach and train them so they share the responsibility to take care of the poor and the needy under your leadership.
As bishop, you are blessed with the gift of discernment to understand how best to help those in need. Each individual circumstance is different and requires inspiration. Guided by the Spirit and the following principles for providing welfare assistance, you determine whom to assist, how much to give, and how long to assist.
- Seek out the poor
- Promote personal responsibility
- Sustain Life, not lifestyle
- Provide commodities before cash
- Give work opportunities
More information about your welfare responsibilities is in Handbook 1, 5.2.
High Priests Group, Elders Quorum, and Relief Society
Welfare is central to the work of the high priests group, the elders quorum, and the Relief Society. As a Melchizedek Priesthood or Relief Society leader you have the responsibility to help members become self-reliant and find solutions to short-term and long-term welfare concerns. You do this under the direction of the bishop.
You have a special responsibility to help members address long-term welfare concerns. Your goal is to address long-term concerns in ways that lead to lasting change. As you become aware of long-term needs, you should:
- Respond compassionately to help individuals and families.
- Pray for guidance to know how to provide assistance.
- Visit members who have welfare needs to gain a better understanding of how to help.
- Use resources available in your organizations and in the ward.
- Report to the bishop and seek his continued guidance.


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'Round the town
Kings Daughters celebrate Christmas
'Round the Town correspondent
(620) 947-2701
Durham Baptist Church Kings Daughters met Dec. 13 for a Christmas meeting. Twenty-seven members and one guest were present. Officers Donna Diener, Marcella Mohn, Edie Ollenburger, and Dorene Joy were hosts.
Andrew Pankratz of Emporia was a visitor and dinner guest Dec. 13 of Arlene Pankratz. He was en route to visit his parents, Herb and Trudy Pankratz of Abilene.
Duane and Shirley Hamm and Greg, Charlene, Dyland, and Whitney Thiessen of McPherson attended the graduation Dec. 8 of Ty Goossen, son of Tim and Sherie Goosen of Hillsboro, at Kansas State University in Manhattan.
The Hamms attended a Christmas cantata Dec. 9 at First Baptist Church in McPherson. Their daughter, Charlene, and granddaughter, Whitney, sang.


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ADDISON — A Lincoln woman sustained what Vermont State Police called "a serious leg injury" in a two-vehicle crash that shut down traffic on Route 17 in Addison for around two hours this morning, March 3.
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FERRISBURGH — A Vergennes resident died during the evening of Tuesday, June 2, after driving a vehicle off Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, according to Vermont State Police.
Authorities identified the deceased as Dana S. Phillips, 55.
It was at around 8:40 p.m. that Vermont State Police responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash, with injuries, at 5371 Route 7 in Ferrisburgh.
MONKTON — The family of a Monkton teen severely injured in a car accident last week is grateful for the outpouring of community support they have received.
Julia Rickner, 18, was one of three University of Vermont students in a car that veered off of Interstate 89 in Colchester on April 4. The driver, 19-year-old Jacob Dahreddin of Bethesda, Md., was critically injured and the other passenger, 18-year-old Christina Menke of Essex, was killed.
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury police said four people were injured in a Tuesday morning, two-vehicle accident near Middlebury Beef Supply that closed Route 7 to traffic for more than five hours.
CORNWALL — Vermont State Police have identified speeding as a factor in a tractor-trailer rollover that temporarily closed traffic on Route 125 in Cornwall on Tuesday morning.
MIDDLEBURY — Fortunately no one was injured when a Toyota Prius crashed through the front window of the National Bank of Middlebury's Court Street branch Monday afternoon, scattering glass in the lobby of the building.
Originally published 8/16/12 | Updated 8/17/12
BRISTOL — A New Hampshire man was listed in "guarded" condition with second-degree burns at Massachusetts General Hospital on Thursday afternoon after driving his tractor-trailer truck off Route 116 in Bristol, resulting in a fiery crash and a massive response from multiple fire departments, rescue organizations and at least one heroic witness.
SHOREHAM — Two adults sustained injuries — one requiring airlift transport to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. — but an infant was miraculously unhurt in a severe three-car crash on Route 74 in Shoreham on Thursday.
Vermont State Police responded to the crash at around 8:30 a.m. on Route 74 in eastern Shoreham, near Tottingham Road.
FAYSTON — A Starksboro man died after driving his vehicle into a telephone pole off Route 17 in Fayston on Tuesday evening.
Jonah Rule, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.
Vermont State Police said they were called to the scene of a one-car crash on Route 17 at around 8 p.m. There, they found a white, 2008 Subaru Impreza overturned on its roof off the south side of the roadway.
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text:
Product Code: CPCNR45_GB
Product Description: Rectangle box with clear window and flap lid. The box is filled with Gummy Bears and branded with a custom printed sticker or sleeve. The flap lid has insertions where a customer supplied business card is inserted.
Filling / Type: Gummy Bears
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Drawn from the Crawford Gallery's permanent collection, "The Eye of the Artist" gives an insight into how artists represent the world around them. Most of the works are watercolours or drawings, although there are also two photographs by the pioneering photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879).
While many of the artists were professionals, who made their living from exhibiting or teaching, some of the most interesting work in "The Eye of the Artist" was done by dedicated amateurs, notably Joseph Stafford Gibson (1837-1919) whose views of Spanish and French landscapes and towns show a very individual approach.
Among the other artists represented are Mainie Jellett (1897-1944), Daniel Maclise (1806-1870), Hercules Brabazon Brabazon (1821-1906), Evie Hone (1894-1955), Margaret Clarke (1888-1961), Nathaniel Grogan (1740-1807) and Kathy Prendergast (b.1958).


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text: Description Polo shirts look just as good under a V-neck sweater as they do on their own or under a jacket, so why not maximise the flexibility of your wardrobe by treating yourself to one in every colour Specifications Shirt: Soft handle. Machine washable. Composition: 100% Pique Cotton. Sku: 7787A


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Undercover Mosque
I know, I know. It's Friday and I'm in a really good mood, too. Nevertheless, the following documentary which goes undercover in to some of the mosques in the UK isn't something that should be ignored, especially in light of the recent worldwide and homegrown protests we've seen that coincided with the 11th anniversary of 9/11.
A teaser: Check out 12:18. He was quoted out of context!
Sure, it's a minority and all that – namely the Wahabists coming out of Saudi Arabia – however it is a significant minority.
H/T Sean (via Facebook)


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The talented and intelligent character actor, Stephen Tobolowski, recently signed in to Reddit for an Ask Me Anything forum. Known best for (as he puts it, his favorite role) Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, he's also turned in great performances in Sneakers, Single White Female, Memento, and the television series' Deadwood and Californication. Some great dialogue was had with him and the reddit community:
Q: How many times a day does someone stop on you on the street with some manner of reference to Ned Ryerson?
A: Probably on an average of five times a week. That means I mathematically have a couple days off.
Q: Does it annoy you that people on the street approach you so regularly?
A: I think the answer to that is no, because everybody who approaches me is generally so pleasant. The only time it's difficult is when they interrupt dinner at a restaurant, saying "I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt your dinner, but…" and then they stay and chat for 30 minutes. Otherwise, it's great!
Q: How was hugging Bill Murray?
A: It was actually fantastic, because Bill improvised that in the moment. That scene was shot in one take. It wasn't written that way.
Q: Which do you prefer as an actor and as a "get out of bed and go to work" guy, live "full" acting or voice-only work? Also, can you do me a favor? I've always wanted to hear someone type the word "Passport".
A: For me, nothing beats getting up at dawn and driving to the set of DEADWOOD, rehearsing in the dark, and shooting when the sun rises. Also: Passport.
He spent a lot of time answering questions and talked about things like working with Christopher Nolan, how supporting actors don't make as much money as they used to, and an incident where he was almost killed by a man, and used that experience as inspiration for a character in a movie I have yet to see him in, The Glimmer Man.


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The integrated Translink public transport system is both highly efficient and good value. The computerised SkyTrain (light rail) has underground downtown stops as well as an elevated track. Its latest addition, the Canada Line, now connects downtown to Vancouver International Airport. The Translink system also includes buses; electric trolley buses; West Coast Express trains (weekdays only); and SeaBus passenger ferries that connect downtown to North Vancouver. The network reaches every part of the city, including the beaches and ski slopes. After midnight the regular bus system is replaced by a limited 'Owl' night bus service on main routes. Fares are based on a zone system and tickets are valid for buses, the SkyTrain and SeaBus with transfers valid for 90 minutes from the time they are validated. Taxis are easy to come by at taxi stands, hotels or by telephone, but can be difficult to hail outside of the downtown area. Vancouver's traffic and road network is fairly well-ordered, but hiring a car is not necessary in the city because the public transport is more than sufficient.
GMT -8 (GMT -7 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November).
Electrical current is 110 volts, 60Hz. American-style flat two-pin plugs and a plug with a third round grounding pin are standard.
The currency used is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). Banks and bureaux de change will change cash, as will some hotels. Major credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs are widespread. US Dollars are widely accepted.
The international access code for Canada is +1. The outgoing code is 011 followed by the relevant country code. The outgoing code is not necessary for calls to the US and the Caribbean. Internet cafes are widely available. Most international mobile phone companies have roaming agreements with Canadian operators, however it will be cheaper to buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card if visiting the country for long periods.
Emergencies: 911
Everything about travel documents
The Canada Line connects the airport to downtown Vancouver in about 25 minutes. The service runs every 8-20 minutes and costs roughly C$10 to downtown. Scheduled buses are available to downtown Vancouver, Whistler, Vancouver Island and Washington State. Courtesy shuttles transport passengers to the Long-Term Parking Lot, South Terminal, local hotels and other destinations near the airport. Public bus services to Vancouver, Richmond and further afield are available at the Airport Station Bus Terminal.
Car hire companies Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National and Thrifty are represented next to the terminal building on the ground floor.
Metered taxis are available around the clock outside the terminals. Look for the green signs which indicate a taxi pick-up position. Taxis charge around C$27 for the 30 minute journey into downtown. Price and journey time is higher during rush hour. A tip of 10 to 15 per cent is expected.
A courtesy shuttle is available to the Airport South terminal.
The main terminal has ATMs, bureaux de change and a bank. There is a selection of bars, restaurants and fast food outlets scattered throughout the airport, as well as a variety of shops, including duty-free, baggage storage and a medical centre. Children's play areas are also available.
Vancouver International Airport offers a range of parking options in the parkade directly opposite the terminals. Hourly parking starts at C$8 per hour, but reduced daily and weekly rates are also available. The cheaper economy lot is within short walking distance from the terminal, while the long-term parking lot is conveniently connected to the terminals via a shuttle bus.
Wifi is available free of charge throughout the airport.


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After a fantastic afternoon session at Scott Creek yesterday (Sun 9/16), I managed to drive off with my wetsuit drying on the roof -- so, it's either lying there at the pullout, or somewhere on Rt 1 on the way to Waddell!
If anyone happens to be driving by there and sees it, let me know. I was parked on the southbound side of Rt 1 just above the rock "steps" that lead down to the sand (the first parking spot in the paved pullout heading south)


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Craven County Board of Commissioners plan to consider Craven County Board of Health recommendations for fee adjustments at clinics operated by Craven County Health Department to ensure they be equal or greater than the reimbursement rate by Medicaid and Medicare.
Craven County Board of Commissioners plan to consider Craven County Board of Health recommendations for fee adjustments at clinics operated by Craven County Health Department to ensure they be equal or greater than the reimbursement rate by Medicaid and Medicare.
Commissioners meet at 8:30 a.m. Monday in regular session to consider that, and an assortment of matters. They include public comment on a Community Development Block Grant application for a $750,000 infrastructure project for water improvements on Henderson-Godette Road; replacement of a sewage disposal system in the James City Community; and a water and sewer line relocation and upgrade and NCDOT improvement of Dudley Street in James City.
The county submitted a preliminary application and N.C. Division of Community Investment and Assistance has requested that the county submit a full project application following their review, which planners and consultants feel is a positive indication for project funding.
The county is required to hold a second public hearing prior to submitting the full application. A preliminary public hearing was held on Sept. 17, 2012.
Some of the other concerns scheduled for commissioners� consideration include contracting with an economic development consulting firm to help the county develop a comprehensive economic development strategy.
The county issued a request for proposals in October for a consultant to help the county develop a plan that can let it capitalize on Craven County strengths and identify steps to enhance them in a way that will attract versatile industry that will stay and grow in the county.
One of the requirements of the plan suggested by a special work group appointed by commissioners which has consulted with the UNC School of Government economic development staff is to include a method of measuring performance to make certain efforts are being successful.
The group has interviewed four respondents to the request and is recommending that commissioners award the contract to RKG Associates of Alexandria, Va., a firm that reportedly has nationwide experience in performing economic development analysis and developing plans like the one the county seeks.
Currently Assistant County Manager Gene Hodges is serving as interim county economic development director since commissioners severed the county�s formal ties with Craven County Committee of 100 and sought a new director who would work directly for the county.
County Manager Jack Veit and the work group offered the director job to one of the applicants in the first search following retirement of former director Jim Davis, but the offer was rejected, so they hope to get a plan in place and resume the search with Hodges at the helm until then.
After working with county planning and information technology department personnel, Hodges is recommending that the board approve access to a database of available property so the county can respond quickly to requests for information related to economic development opportunities.
Commissioners are expected to hear a brief presentation on the program along with discussion of the next steps the county should take in its economic development recruiting.
They will also hear an update from Craven County Sheriff�s Capt. Jesse Pittman and Sgt. Steve Wallace on the electronic offender monitoring program and consider resolutions and proclamations for Craven County to become a Purple Heart County and recognize the Havelock High School Rams for winning a state high school football title.
Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5665 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter@SueJBook.


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It's time for me to get a powerful freeride kite for 17-25 knots. These are the last days for my 12mSlingshot Rally and I would like to replace it with a new machine. I want a bit more power, a bit faster but easy – to -relaunch kite. I have 87 kg and most of the time I ride twin-tips (143/43, 140/42…). I haven't deepened in unhooked tricks but I like high jumps and hanging in the air. I like to feel the power in my kite, several times I challenge the kite's limit – this also means that the good quality is crucial.
I have a 10m Bandit5 which meets my expectations in 22-30 knots.…except its upwind performance and the quality.
I rode Best kites but those were used in a kite school so, it wouldn't be fair to evaluate them.
I demod a Gaastra Jekyll6 but it was not fast enough for my taste.
The shops nearby also sell F-One and Ozone kites.
I've mentioned my experience with Bandit5 so, I suppose the Bandit6 is good as well. Can anyone comment the upwind abilities of a 12m Bandit6?
The other option: 2013 Ozone Catalyst. Never had the chance to demo one. What I found about it: is not so powerful, not so fast. I don't want to be misguided by only one opinion so, can somebody share some live experience with 2013 Catalyst? I try to keep it on my list as I read good reviews about Ozone bar and I think the quality is superior comparing to Bandit6. If it isn't so powerful then I should consider a 14m….but 14m is already a big canopy which might have a hit on its relaunch abilities…and for sure it won't be so eager as a 12m one. I don't consider Edge as I do silly things very often which results in a couple of relaunch during a session. And as I read relaunching an Edge is not smooth....
I would appreciate if those who have tried 2013 Ozone Catalyst (14m) or 12m Bandit6 could share the experiences.


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Dr. John Lunn, who is the Robert W. Haack Professor of Economics at HopeCollege, has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Association of Christian Economists (ACE).
ACE aims to encourage Christian scholars to explore and communicate the relationship between their faith and the discipline of economics, and to promote interaction and communication among Christian economists. The association currently has approximately 300 members, who are Christian economists in academia, business and government.
Lunn most recently served the ACE as a member of the editorial board of "Faith and Economics," the review published by the association twice a year. Through the years he has also organized sessions and presented papers during the group's annual meeting.
He will serve as president through 2012.
Lunn has been a member of the Hope faculty since 1992, when he was appointed the inaugural recipient of the Haack Professorship. He teaches the senior research class, microeconomics and industrial organization, as well as a course on the history of economic theory.
His scholarly specializations include microeconomics and industrial organization. His current research interests include the self-employment of immigrants, for which in 1998-99 he received one of only 700 U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar Program awards so that he could spend time in Europe to collect comparative data, and the question of why theologians don't like markets.
Lunn has published in a number of economics journals, including "European Economic Review," "Southern Economic Journal" and "The Journal of Legal Studies," as well as scholarly journals that focus on faith and economics, including not only "Faith and Economics" but also "Christian Scholars' Review," and "Markets and Morality." In 1995, he provided expert testimony before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee examining the issue of race and gender preference programs.
Prior to coming to Hope, Lunn was a member of the faculty at LouisianaStateUniversity for nine years. He had also taught at Miami University, the University of British Columbia and California State University-Fullerton.
He holds his bachelor's degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala.; his master's degree from California State University, Hayward; and his doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles.


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Talk show bloviator Rush Limbaugh calls 30-year-old Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a slut for advocating insurance coverage of contraceptives. Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus compares women to caterpillars. And the Augusta National Golf Club's perfectly manicured greens remain firmly planted among those last bastions protecting male hegemony over society's most powerful economic and political institutions.
The all-male golf club, based in Augusta, Georgia, has failed once again to award its coveted green jacket to a woman who clearly deserves club membership—IBM's president and CEO Virginia "Ginni" Rometti. IBM is one of three major corporate sponsors of the club's vaunted Masters golf tournament, and Rometty is Big Blue's first female CEO.
But as much as I've excoriated Augusta's male leaders for perpetuating this exclusionary practice, and as much as I believe IBM's board is culpable for not standing up for their own CEO, I'm even more distressed over Rometty's failure to take this unprecedented opportunity to lift up not only herself but all women aspiring to the upper echelons of corporate leadership.
NEW! Listen to this TakeAway podcast with Gloria Feldt and Nicole Neily : Accusations of Sexism for All Male Augusta National Golf Club.
Rometty missed a historic chance to "sit in the high seats," as Frances Perkins described it when tapped by President Franklin Roosevelt to be the first-ever female cabinet secretary in 1933, the same year Augusta National Golf Club was founded. Perkins took the challenge visibly as a woman because of her sense of obligation beyond herself. "I had a kind of duty to other women to walk in and sit down on the chair that was offered," she said, "and so to establish the right of others long hence and far distant in geography to sit in the high seats."
Women have advanced tremendously since Perkins' time, not because high seats were offered but more often because women themselves opened doors, broken through glass ceilings, challenged discriminatory laws, brought their own chairs in, and risked being ridiculed in the ensuing controversy.
Rometty herself stands on the shoulders of those brave women, whether she acknowledges it or not.
Thus far, she has not. Her response to calls for comment about being excluded from the golf club have been met with "no comment." What a shame. And what a missed opportunity to sit in the high seats on behalf of women now and those yet to come.
For until women have reached full parity in top leadership positions across all sectors, each of us—especially a woman like Rometty who has broken through that proverbial thick layer of men to earn a place at the top of a major corporation—still bear responsibility to other women to take every opportunity to push the fulcrum of justice toward greater fairness and full equality.
Kathy Groob, publisher of ElectWomen Magazine says we should call Augusta's exclusion of women what it is: sexism.
For years, women have been excluded informally from golf course business deal-making arenas because women typically didn't play golf and golf courses have been somewhat of an all-male sanctuary for men. The number of women golfers is increasing as women now make up approximately 22% of the golfers in the United States.
Rometty happens to be among that 22% of women who golf. But whether she plays golf or not is not the most relevant factor. The power of access and access to power are.
Because the symbolic importance of that green jacket is not about golf, as Martha Burk, the former head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, is fond of pointing out. It is about power.
When power brokers hang together, they naturally do business deals together. So it's a big deal negative for women when power-brokering sources like Augusta National hang out the "No Girls Allowed" sign.
Sure, women have single-sex clubs too, but rarely does any man clamor to get into, say, the Junior League or Business and Professional Women or even a Curves workout studios that might be conveniently located in his neighborhood. The stature of Augusta's all-male entity comes from its power and influence that no women's group to date is perceived to have.
And while Augusta as a private club might have the legal right to discriminate, it's still wrong for them to exclude women. For in doing so, they keep women from accessing a main source of power in business: the human connections that are made when 300 of the nation's most powerful business leaders bond on Augusta's greens and in its clubhouse.
As a woman who has more than earned the right to be among them, Rometty should stand up and speak out now for the inclusion of women.
She can start by signing this petition that has been started to get her into Augusta.
About Gloria Feldt:
Gloria Feldt is the author of No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power. Interested in learning more tips and power tools that have worked for other women? Buy the book here. Engage Gloria for a Speech or Workshop here. Tweet @GloriaFeldt and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+


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Thanks Giving
November 24, 2010 - Dennis Gingerich
Depending which history book you read Thanksgiving was first celebrated in St. Augustine, FL in 1565 or on the Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts in 1621. Whether it was 389 or 445 years ago, Thanksgiving has become an integral part of our American culture. Your traditions may include fixing turkey, dressing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and watching football…or none of those. But hopefully, you pause to give thanks for the many ways you've been blessed.
I happen to believe that there are three different levels of gratitude we can live at. The first level is to stop complaining about what we don't have. Many of us waste way too much energy just griping. We grumble because our homes aren't worth what they once were or the weather is too hot or too cold. We complain that our favorite football team isn't undefeated this year or ranked in the top twenty five. Whatever we tend to moan about, we would all do well to take inventory and maybe take some steps to improve our attitudes. Now, that would make our homes and our community a lot more pleasant place to live. But just managing our negativity isn't really the level that God has called us to stop at.
God has called us to a much higher level of gratitude. We should start expressing thankfulness for what we do have. God calls us to be thankful in all things…at all times. The Psalms in the Jewish scriptures repeat this phrase over and over - "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever." We are to be filled with gratitude for the gift of God's grace. We are to be thankful for life itself and the people that God allows us to do life together with. We are to be grateful for the resources that God entrusts us with – to manage and steward them on His behalf. Think about it, wouldn't it change our world if we stopped whining about the things we don't have and regularly gave thanks for the incredible blessings we do have?
This past year, I've been blessed to travel far more than usual – all over the world – China, Ethiopia, Egypt, India, Israel, Nepal, Sudan, France, etc. I'm always astonished by the intensity of the gratitude that is expressed by people in extreme poverty and those who have so few resources. Six percent of the world's population controls sixty percent of the wealth, but we tend to express the least amount of gratitude. While in Ethiopia a few weeks ago, I was moved to tears when I met a pastor who had walked with his wife and 10 month old baby four hours one way just to personally say thank you to me for paying $125 for his books and education so he could be trained to start a new church.
Which leads to the third level of gratitude that I believe God wants all of His fully devoted followers to learn to live at – Sow generously so as to create a harvest of thanksgiving in others. Jesus said it this way, "When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required" (Luke 12:48).
Let me very specific and practical. In comparison to many right here in our own community, most of us have been given much. Did you realize that in our mostly middle class community, we have some elementary schools where over half of the students qualify for free lunch. That means, the total household income for a family of four is approximately $28,000 or less. The need isn't just over on the other side of the river. There is need right here in our own community.
The Bible says it this way, "What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, 'Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well'—but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless" (James 2:14-17). Our faith is to be more than talk, it is also walking it out in practical actions.
Think what could happen in our community if all of us, through generous acts of giving, helped hundreds of families who need help right here in our own city. There are dozens of ways to help. Through your own place of worship, giving to those collecting gifts or money at the entrance of stores or in other ways. There will be no lack of opportunity, only a possible lack of generosity.
I can't wait to see how God will bless the generosity of each of you over the next weeks. Good things will happen in both you the giver, and in those who receive. And you and I, will complain a whole lot less and find ourselves more thankful and there will be a harvest of thanks giving right here in our own city.
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