Friday, December 29, 2006

Friday Foto: Is That A Blackberry?

This photo reminds me of the frequently told story of the conversation between Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter. As the story goes, Begin told Carter that God is easier to reach from Jerusalem: "We have a direct line from Jerusalem."

I wonder who this man stood conversing with during his prayers at the Western Wall.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Friday Foto: Eye-Bex

This ibex was photographed at the park in Tel Aviv. The thing that caught my attention was the rectangular shaped pupil.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Foto Friday: Burgers or Buckers

This herd of young bulls has reached the moment of truth: They prove they can buck or they make their way to your grocer's freezer.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Telephone Tax Rebate

For once, one of those pesky email pass-alongs was real and worth reading. For some reason, this one caught my eye and I didn’t do the normal speed delete, and saw something that was a little unbelievable. But, having checked it out, I can say that it is real and worth the effort to fill in a couple of lines on your tax form.

Three Reasons It Was Unbelievable:
1. It was an email pass-along. I think I can count on one hand the number of “forwards” that have really been worth reading. No matter how much the sender thinks his/hers is different than all the rest, they almost always are just like all the others. You’ve seen the stuff too: 10 Reasons Coca Cola is Better For You Than Water; The Secret to Being Rich; Joey Wants to Get 1 Million Valentines Before He Dies; etc., etc., etc.

2. It suggested that a government tax had outlived its purpose AND by court order was rescinded. Everybody knows that once the government implements a tax, it never rescinds that tax – even if its intended purpose has been met.

3. It suggested that it would be quite simple to get this particular tax refund from the IRS. No muss, no fuss, just show me the money!

Well, it’s true. You can check out Snopes.Com’s explanation, but you might be more convinced by reading the IRS page about this tax rebate.

The long and short of it is, if you have paid for any type of long distance phone service in the United States between February 28, 2003 and August 1, 2006, you are entitled to a one-time tax refund from the IRS. Strange as it sounds, the government has been wrongly taxing long distance telephone service and the federal courts have put a stop to it.

The easy claim is:
$30 for one person
$40 for two persons
$50 for three persons
$60 for four or more persons.

If you actually have your phone records for the 41-month period covered by this refund, you can get all the tax you paid on long distance refunded.

Please let your friends and family know of this. After all, it is your/their money to begin with.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Friday Fotos: Thanksgiving Treat

While other birds were being stuffed in most American kitchens, Grace and I took a trip to the local duck pond and stuffed birds of another kind.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Scary Quote

"Every religious Jew knows that when you keep the Shabbat, the Shabbat in turn keeps and protects you."
Background: Due to a recent public sector labor strike, workers at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport refused to process passengers and aircraft coming or going. This work stoppage caused a tremendous backup that stranded passengers from all airlines.

Once the strike ended, all the airlines, including El Al, Israel’s recently privatized, national carrier, worked overtime on Shabbat (Sabbath) to get their stranded passengers to their destinations. El Al’s “desecration” of the Sabbath has stirred quite a controversy in Israel, particularly but not exclusively among religious Jews.

On Monday, following the perceived Sabbath desecration, a New York bound El Al aircraft had to return to Ben Gurion Airport due to a landing gear malfunction and some (perhaps, many) among the religiously observant community saw it as a sign that God was displeased with El Al.

Minor Question: Is this any different than Pat Robertson suggesting that Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke demonstrated God’s displeasure with his handling of Gaza and the West Bank?

Real Issue: Is it appropriate to suggest that the Sabbath has such powers? Did God intend for the Sabbath to watch over the nation of Israel? Can it really watch over Israel? It is commonly said that if all Jews would observe the Sabbath two consecutive times, Messiah will present himself. While this is clearly an unbiblical assertion, it is dramatically different than suggesting that the Sabbath has protective power.

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills –
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of Heaven and Earth.

He will not let your foot slip –
He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, He who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you –
The LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm –
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

If I've got a choice between trusting the Sabbath and trusting the LORD, I'm going with the LORD every time.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Friday Fotos: A Little Over the Top?

Explanation: This "toilet target" is apparently located in the restroom of a very devoted University of Oklahoma fan. (For those not from those parts, the longhorn is the mascot for the University of Texas, the longtime rival of OU.)

Question: Is this just a little over the top? Not just the clash of colors and lack of interior design, but the target itself?

I know it's all just fun and a little rivalry, but really. Maybe, I've become a soft OU fan as a result of Texas' recent success.

Confession: My wife and I got up early to watch last year's NCAA national championship game and ran around the room hollering when Vince Young scored the go-ahead touchdown, that eventually proved to be the game winner. That was clearly one of my favorite sports moments since moving to Israel.

Having said all that, we're definitely watching the Big 12 Championship Game and cheering for Oklahoma over Nebraska. Go Sooners!

Thursday, November 30, 2006

My Trip to Space

For as long as I can remember, I have been intrigued with looking into the skies. I remember as a youngster laying on the porch or in the yard and staring off into the blue skies, following the clouds or planes as they passed overhead. I can stare at a full moon for hours just wondering what it would be like to walk on its surface.

Since I’m a realist, I realize that I have no chance in this life to experience a moonwalk or fly on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic civilian space flights. However, I did get a pretty good substitute when I got an insider’s look at the NASA Johnson Space Centerin Houston.

One of the members of a church we were visiting in Houston is a senior engineer at NASA and he generously gave us a tour through the Space Shuttle training facility. The Houston training center is where the astronauts learn the ins and outs of going into space. Their training includes everything from how to put on their space suits (which cost 12 million dollars each) to making emergency exits from the shuttle aircraft.

Our guide told us that it is common to see astronauts moving about the floor doing various training exercises. However, he said we may not recognize them because they wouldn’t necessarily be dressed as astronauts. So, I questioned everybody that we met: “Are you an astronaut.” Unfortunately, “no” was always the answer I received. Not meeting a real live astronaut may have been the only disappointing thing that happened (or didn’t happen) that day.

During our tour we were allowed to go into the training module where the astronauts learn to flip all the switches that control the aircraft, which was really impressive. With so many switches, how do they remember which is which? From this same cockpit, they fly the shuttle and control the mechanical arm in the work bay. Just below the flight deck is a storage area, which is also where the astronauts sleep and go to the restroom. Really cool stuff.

The kids in our group were most impressed with the shuttle restroom. It was quite compact, smaller than a Johnny-on-the-Spot portable potty. The seat was very small, but adequate for its purpose. On either side of the seat are two L-shape bars, which rotate over the astronaut’s thighs to hold him/her appropriately in place. Don’t forget, the shuttle travels at 17,000 miles per hour and is in a zero gravity environment, which means it might not be easy to stay in place.

The adults snickered most at the restroom’s “rear-view” mirror, which is exactly that – a rear-view mirror. This particular tool helps the astronaut make sure his/her hygienic needs are adequately managed.

After the shuttle restroom, we had the opportunity to walk through the training module for the next section of the Space Lab. The Japanese science lab is the next section scheduled to be added to the Space Lab. I was probably most surprised at how small this section really is. I can’t imagine being confined to this small area for six months. And I’m guessing it seems much smaller when you realize you are surrounded by the vastness of outer space.

If you ever get to tour the Johnson Space Center, I would definitely recommend doing so.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

What I Learned at Chuck E. Cheese's

As a reward to Grace for graciously spending so many hours locked down in her car seat as we travel the country, I try to find a Chuck E. Cheese’s or something similar along the way, or in our destination city. Grace runs from game to game pressing buttons, watching flashing lights and occasionally she will park long enough to play a game.

In a recent trip to the pizza arcade, I learned a couple of things. The first thing I learned is how to guarantee a higher skeeball score, thereby increasing the number of tickets distributed by the machine.

I’m not sure if the manager of the establishment would approve, but I learned that if you walk up the deck and simply place the balls in the highest number hole (as demonstrated by the girl in the photo at the top right), you can really run up the score.

It’s not a very competitive approach, but it does increase your average score.

The second thing I learned is that there is generally a big difference in the way men and women approach playing arcade games with their children. My observation is that women tend to patiently watch their children play the games and rarely interfere, regardless of the outcome. By that I mean, it matters not if the child wins redeemable tickets or not. On the other hand, men tend to “help” their children play the games, eventually taking over for the child. It seems that the dads have good motives: they want the kid to get as many redeemable tickets as possible, and there’s no sense in not winning tickets just because a kid can’t push a button quick enough or throw a ball through a particular hole.

I’ve also noticed that dads scan the games for tickets that have been carelessly left behind by inattentive children. Women, it seems, couldn’t care less if 100 tickets sit abandoned in front of an arcade game – they will not touch them. Let’s just say that men will generally react to said find in a completely different manner.

At first, I thought this was simply a difference between Colleen and me. But, after taking a step back and watching many families at different pizza arcades, I’ve come to believe that my observations reveal a general rule. Obviously, there are exceptions, but they are just that, exceptions.

There is one rule, though, that has NO EXCEPTIONS: No matter how many tickets you win, the amount of tickets it takes to get any prize is not reciprocal to the value of the prize. No exceptions.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Monday, November 20, 2006

Why I Don't PS3

The events that occurred here, here, here, here and here are some of the reasons I don't Playstation 1, 2, or 3.

The limited release of Sony's PS3 (Playstation 3) has been described as mayhem, dangerous, even deadly by various news agencies. From what I have seen those are true descriptions.

Question: Why would anyone camp out for 3 days to get the chance to buy a PS3? Is it really worth all the trouble? Surely, there will be plenty of opportunity to get this vaunted gaming machine in the near future.

In addition to my desire to avoid the danger, save the money and not waste my time, I don't know how to play the games on PS3, or 2 or the original Sony Playstation. Until about 2 months ago, I had never even touched one of Sony's machines and that encounter proved fruitless. I couldn't figure out which button to push to get started.

Besides that, these are my favorite games. Additionally, I like the original Asteroids and Galaga. Yes, I'm old school in my gaming choices.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Friday Fotos - Keep Smiling

Things are so good in Texas that even on an overcast day, this water tower in Bastrop can't keep from smiling.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

You Know it is Hunting Season...

You know it’s (deer) “hunting season” in Texas when you see 50 lb. bags of corn stacked like this in front of all the convenience stores.

Hunters use this corn to draw deer closer to their stands. While it is sometimes scattered by hand, the corn is most commonly distributed by automated feeders like this one. These feeders are generally located in a clearing that allows the hunter a clear shot at the deer as it munches on the bait.

Some hunters are critical of this method, suggesting, “It isn’t really hunting.” But I don’t have a strong opinion since I have only hunted deer for one (unsuccessful) season.

In my one-season foray into deer hunting, I did use a feeder, but never saw a single deer in about 8 trips to our lease. The reason? Hunters with whom I shared the lease sabotaged my site. They realized early in the season that I had some deer coming to my feeder and none had been to theirs. So before I got the chance to see any deer, my “partners” decided that if they weren’t going to see any deer, then no one would. Nice guys, they were.

In case you are wondering how I responded, for the first time in 20 years, I’ll publicly admit to using all my unused ammo on their stands and feeders. By the time I was finished pulling the trigger, there wasn’t enough of their stands or feeders left to take anything home after the season ended.

After that bad hunting experience, I sold my gun and haven’t been in the woods since.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

A Personal Psalm

Following is a personal psalm that I wrote ten years ago for the occasion of my ordination. It is based on the model of Psalm 136 and served as a wonderful opportunity to identify and proclaim the many ways that God has worked in my life. I commend the exercise to you for your personal edification.

A Psalm of Thanks

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods; for he is good: for His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for His mercy endures forever.

To Him who alone doeth great wonders: for His mercy endures forever.

To Him who has given me loving parents: for His mercy endures forever:
Who have always been supportive even when they didn’t understand the direction of my life: His mercy endures forever.

To Him who gave me someone who would become a “best friend”: His mercy endures forever:
Who first invited me to church: His mercy endures forever:
And expressed a concern for my soul: His mercy endures forever.

To Him who sent a preacher with the message of salvation: His mercy endures forever:
Who preached with passion and love: His mercy endures forever:
And clearly communicated to me salvation in Christ: His mercy endures forever.

To Him who gave me men and women who would train me in godliness: His mercy endures forever:
Who opened the Holy Scriptures to me: His mercy endures forever:
And guided me in wisdom: His mercy endures forever.

To Him who allowed me to live in Zion: His mercy endures forever:
And gave me a family and ministry in the Holy City, Jerusalem: His mercy endures forever:
And set within my heart a love for his people, Israel: His mercy endures forever.

To Him who shall sustain me through trials and temptations: His mercy endures forever:
When the tempest shall rage about me, He is sure: His mercy endures forever:
When burdens are heavy, He is strong: His mercy endures forever:
Though darkness may encompass me, He giveth light: His mercy endures forever.

To Him who now sends me out by the laying on of hands: His mercy endures forever.

O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for His mercy endures forever.


Modeled after Psalm 136 by Craig Dunning - October 30, 1996

Friday, November 10, 2006

Friday Fotos - Cowboy Up

Though they are harder and harder to come by in America, there are still some real, live cowboys left. (Click here to see a larger version of this foto.)

Bonner Bolton (at left) had just helped his dad, Toya Bolton, move a small herd of cattle across the highway near Odessa, Texas.

Bonner and his brother Brody are following in their dad's footsteps as professional bull riders. Bonner also rides bulls on scholarship at Odessa College, the winningest junior college in the nation.

More fotos from the life of a modern cowboy are available here.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Mine is Bigger Than Yours

In an effort to be faithful to Deuteronomy 6:9 ("And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates."*), Jews typically attach a "small" box, containing Bible texts from Deuteronomy**, to most door frames in their homes. (NOTE: Technically, the parchment paper with the Bible texts is the mezuzah, but it has become common practice to refer to the box containing the paper as the mezuzah as well.)

In Israel, it is unusual to find a home or building without a mezuzah, so it is quite easy to recognize that there is “freedom of expression” allowed in the design of a mezuzah; and that freedom extends to the color, size, symbols and type of material used. For example, some are fun like the 4.5 inch (11.43cm) ceramic Noah’s Ark mezuzah (at the right), which is available from The Mezuzah Store. Additionally, The Judaica Mall has a collection of over 250 to choose from. If you are interested in more details about the ins and outs of the mezuzah you can see their information page here.

I’ve heard it said, “There’s always room for a little healthy competition.” However, I never expected to find such competition in the world of the mezuzah. After all, isn’t it enough to “do the commandments” without rubbing your friends’ noses in it that you can do them bigger and better than they can? Well,…apparently not.

I recently came across the following advertisement (bold added for emphasis):

Adorn your mansion with a Mezzuzah Fit for a King.

We know that BIG is BEAUTIFUL.
A BIG lulav. A BIG succah. A BIG shul.

The standard size mezuzah is 12-15 cm. Twenty cm would be a big
mezuzah. Now you can get a HUGE Mezzuzah. Forty centimeters tall,hand-written on hand-crafted parchment.

Honor Hashem [G-d] in a scale that none of your friends or neighbors have yet achieved. Show your love for the Mitzvot by proudly displaying a mezuzah that can't be missed.
Maybe, I’m missing something, but this advertiser seems to suggest that a major reason to purchase their particular mezuzah is to show off. Is that the purpose of the mezuzah?

"It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what HaShem doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy G-d."***

Footnotes:
*The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society, © 1917, 1945, 1955.
**The passages contained in the mezzuzah are Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21.
***Micah 6:8, JPS Electronic Edition ©1998 by Larry Nelson, emphasis added

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

And the Winner is...

Now that the winners of Iran’s “Holocaust Cartoon Contest” have been announced, does anyone think the reaction from the Jewish world will be similar to the Muslim reaction (February 2006) to cartoon depictions of Muhammad that were initially published in Denmark and subsequently in many newspapers around the world?

Hamshahri, the Iranian daily newspaper who co-sponsored the contest, suggested the motivation behind the event was to test the West’s tolerance of the cartoon depictions of the Nazi efforts to eliminate the Jewish people, eventually killing some 6 million Jews and others.

While many (perhaps, most) in the West will find these cartoons despicable or worse, I’m certain that there will be VERY few, if any, violent responses. In fact, if there are any violent responses, they will be the exceptions and NOT the norm.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Changing the World Through Marketing?

Is it just me, or have others noted the irony of trying to “ELIMINATE AIDS IN AFRICA” by using sexually seductive models/images to sell merchandise?

I’ll not link to the advertising campaign, but I will tell you that the GAP is using sex to raise money for themselves and to eliminate aids in Africa. And that’s just stupid. That’s like throwing water on a person who is drowning, or gasoline on a person trapped in a burning building.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Preaching Abstinence

The Gap clothing company has begun a new marketing campaign that they suggest can “help eliminate aids in Africa.” This new effort is being marketed as (Product) Red and it offers their customers a unique opportunity to “make a difference in Africa.”

According to their web page, The Gap will be “contributing half the profits from Gap (Product) Red products to the Global Fund, to help women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.”

The (Product) Red campaign was brought to my attention by Michael Medved who was offering his critique of this apparently noble effort on his radio program. One particular caller who objected to Medved’s critique (should we say cynicism?) really captured my attention. Part of Medved’s critique of this campaign was concerning the lack of effort to call upon people to assume personal responsibility and modify their behavior. Medved was specifically suggesting that abstinence is the best weapon against HIV/AIDS and a caller phoned in to object.

The caller suggested that the “abstinence crowd” was both naïve and foolish. “You can’t expect that teenagers aren’t going to have sex” he insisted. Understand his position: Even though the practice is killing people by the millions every year, it is foolish to think that suggesting abstinence, unquestionably the very best HIV/AIDS prevention tool, is a reasonable practice.

Contrast that position with the way abstinence from spinach is currently being practiced in the United States. According the CDC’s last intended web update for the latest E. coli outbreak, “As of 1 PM (ET) October 6, 2006, Friday, 199 persons infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported to CDC from 26 states.” Among those 199 cases, 3 have resulted in death.

Under the heading “CDC Advice for Consumers” notice the first point of advice: “Consumers should not eat, retailers should not sell, and restaurants should not serve spinach implicated in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Products implicated in the outbreak include fresh spinach and spinach-containing products from brands processed by Natural Selection Foods.”

The CDC is preaching abstinence when it comes to spinach consumption. And, as we have been traveling (more than 8,000 miles in the car) over the last 6 weeks, I have discovered that restaurants are responding to the CDC’s abstinence message. In fact, it has become a bit of a game for me to ask the server if there is any spinach in the salad that will be served. In the course of our travels, we have eaten out a lot and not once has spinach been available.

To be sure, 3 people dying from bad spinach is terrible, but that doesn’t compare to the death toll of HIV/AIDS. Yet, abstinence is generally accepted as a reasonable method of prevention only in the former, the much less deadly situation. I wonder why.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Friday Fotos - U-Haul Texas Style

Over the course of the last six weeks, we have travled more than 8000 miles by car. During that time, we have seen so many interesting and fun things, and this sign was one of them.

Ya'll Haul is an Odessa, Texas trailer rental company that has cleverly put a Texas spin on the name of U-Haul, a nationwide trailer rental company.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Closed for the Summer

Rather than let this thing limp along as it has over the last month, I've decided to shut down for the summer. When I feel better physically and things have slowed down a bit, I will jump back in to blogging.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Friday Fotos - This Ain't Jed Clampett

With the theme song of the Beverly Hillbillies playing in the background, I can say: This isn't a picture of Jed and family making their way to Californy. Instead, it is me on the way to a festival. As you can see it takes a lot of stuff and a good bit of effort to make an impression at the festivals.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Victory is so Sweet

This is a picture of a very happy and satisfied victor. I recently challenged my players (Israel U21 national baseball team) to a test of athletic prowess at the local bowling lanes. Unfortunately, some were too afraid to answer the call, fearing exactly what the others got - a smashing defeat!

In the end, everybody had a great time and our team had an opportunity to bond a little while seeing the coach perform under pressure. Everyone was out to beat me because I had offered to pay for anyone who could beat me in total score for the night.

I didn't have the high game of the night (182), that belonged to Moishe Lewis, but I consistantly scored at the top - 144, 153, 176, which hopefully taught my players the important lesson of being consistent and getting better as you go along. By the way, I only paid for myself - no one beat me.

The night was particularly enjoyable for me because this washed up athlete had the chance to step into the arena of competition once again - the same butterflies, adrenalin rush and drive to win that were present so many years ago, came back like they had never had a break. I know that I can't compete athletically like I once did, but it was fun to wear the victor's crown again - even if it was only for the moment.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Friday Fotos - You Might Be A Redneck...


...if your satelite dish is bigger than your trailer.

This nice little setup is located just outside of town, SOUTH of Nazareth, Israel.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Friday Fotos - I Call It Thistle


I call this thistle.

The flower guide book* identifies it as Tragopogon Coelesyriacus Boiss (Compositae [family]). The book describes it as a "perenial, 30 to 70 cm, glabrous or with scattered tufts of hair and an erect, unbranched stem. The lower leaves, arranged in a rosette, are widened at the base; the caulene leaves are lanceoate with acuminate tip. The rayed florets are grouped in flowerheads surrounded by bracts; the external bracts are long and triangular-acuminate, and much longer than the rays; the flowerheads are dark pink on the outside tending to purplish-brown centrally. Flowers in March and April."

Does that mean it isn't a thistle?

* Flowers of Israel. Boneichi & Steimatzky, Firenze, Italy, no date, pg. 59.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Friday Fotos - Land Rover Ad


This is a picture of my truck, which appeared as a Land Rover advertisement in a major outdoor magazine*.

For those interested in the details: 1995 Land Rover Defender 110. It has 400,000 km, a 2.5 litre diesel engine, factory air conditioning that doesn't work, seatbelts for 9 (licensed for 7 pax) is fulltime 4 wheel drive and gets about 18 miles per gallon. It currently has no GPS system, trusting solely on the navigator's map-reading abilities and has traveled Israel from border to border – north to south and east to west.

* Just kidding about the magazine advertisement, though I think this foto would look nice on slick magazine paper.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Sumo in Israel

A group of 15 Japanese sumo wrestlers are planning to come to Israel in June. They are part of an effort to boost Japanese tourism in the Holy Land.

Being a people watcher by nature, this is definately a group I would like to follow around. They are supposed to do the regular tourist route, including the Dead Sea. Now, that will be a sight: Fifteen sumo wrestlers floating on the Dead Sea!

Monday, May 08, 2006

I'm So Lucky!

I'm so lucky. Over the last few weeks, I have been offered the opportunity to help several people from different parts of the world. I know that there are always people around who need help, but these people are different.

What makes my recent opportunities so different – so "lucky” for me - you ask. I’m not sure how much I should reveal on the Internet, so I’ll only say that I have received confidential letters from Eastern Europe, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and South Africa written by the widows or children of recently deceased, wealthy businessmen whose wealth is currently tied up in and about to be lost to bureaucratic red tape. (Having traveled a good bit outside the USA, I understand what these poor people mean by red tape.) The stories are so compelling: One man was a diamond merchant who was murdered while on a clandestine meeting with his business partners who have yet to be found; another man, a widower, died from an apparent broken heart; and another died from an undetermined medical disorder that kept him in a degenerative, vegetative state for nearly a year, all the while unable to communicate more than a faint sparkle in his eye.

In all of these cases, multiple millions of dollars are at stake and the rightful heirs are soliciting my help in getting their money. While I don’t understand all the reasons of why they need a foreign bank account to get the money out of the red tape mess, each of the letters offered me half of the money for my assistance. The way I figure it, even if they don’t give me all they promised I should still be a multi-millionaire by the end of the year.

As if this isn’t enough, I received an email today announcing that my “email address has been selected as one of the lucky email addresses in the category ‘B’ of the online lotto conducted by EURO MILLIONS INTERNATIONAL.”

The long and short of it is that I am “entitled to a prize money of 466.812,79 Euros (Four hundred and sixty-six thousand, eight hundred and twelve euro, seventy-nine cent) only.” So, as soon as I send them my bank details and a little more personal information, I’ll be $594,917.65 richer.

Why do all these good things keep happening to me? Oh, this just in: I just got an email telling me that a finance company will loan me any amount of money I want, and they aren’t interested in my credit rating. Can you imagine? Too bad, I won’t need their services. After all, I just won $594, 917.65. Can anyone tell me if this money will be tax free and/or why I'm so lucky?

Friday, May 05, 2006

Friday Fotos - Do You Remember When...


This farmer is from a generation of farmers who plow the "old fashioned" way: behind a mule. Don't be fooled, this foto didn't come from an old book. I took it earlier this week.

We met this farmer whose name is Na'am, in a small field outside of Shechem. Mr. Na'am was very friendly when we stopped and asked if we could take his foto. He was happy to speak with us, though I couldn't understand much of what he said. My Arabic skills are fairly thin and he couldn't speak English.

Unintentionally, I demonstrated the cultural divide when I asked the name of his mule. He did a double take and looked at me as though I had just parachuted in from Mars before answering, "Mule." I guess Arab farmers don't name their animals.

Friday, April 28, 2006

Friday Fotos - Spring is in the Air


It seems that bees aren't the only ones gathering pollen in the spring.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

I Wonder Why

UPDATE: Reader Doug Tygar has pointed out that the JPS translation that I provide below in my essay is from the 1917 edition [republished in 1955], and is different from the updated JPS (1985/1999), which reads, "For a child has been born to us, A son has been given us. And authority has settled on his shoulders. He has been named "The Mighty God is planning grace; The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler."

UPDATE #2: The Jerusalem Bible (Koren Publishers Jerusalem LTD., Jerusalem, Israel ©1992) [Hebrew/English version p. 487] maintains a transliteration policy similar to the JPS (©1917, 1945, 1955) at this particular passage.

UPDATE #3: In this essay, all references to the JPS Tanakh are specifically limited to the JPS Tanakh (©1917, 1945, 1955). I have not seen the JPS Tanakh (1985/1999) and, therefore, cannot comment on its contents.

"For a child is born unto us, A son is given unto us; And the government is upon his shoulder; And his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom;" (Isaiah 9:5, Jewish Publication Society)*

I recently pointed out in the comments section of a friend’s blog that the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) failed to translate a portion of Isaiah 9:6 (verse 5 in the JPS and the Hebrew)* in their English version of The Holy Scriptures (Old Testament). Rather, they chose to transliterate it. Having offered a rather minimal comment about this topic there, I thought it might be worth a slightly more detailed offering here at Pardon the Interruption.

This particular editorial decision is strange enough that it warrants the question of why it was made. Why did the editors decide to transliterate this particular verse, rather than translate it?

The words in the verse above that look strange to most of my readers are easily translated into English. For example, “Pele” is commonly translated as wonderful, while “joez” is most commonly translated as counselor. In fact, every other time “Pele” or “joez” occur in the Old Testament, the JPS chose translation over transliteration and translated the words as “wonderful” or “marvelous” (for example, Is. 25:1 and 29:14) and “counselor.” Why not translate the same words in Isaiah 9:6 (vs. 5 in JPS and in Hebrew)* rather than leave them in an undiscernible format for most English speakers? The objective, I thought, of an English translation is to put the Hebrew into understandable English. In this case, the JPS failed their readers, unless they felt obligated to confuse their readers.

What I think is even more striking is the fact that in chapter 9 the JPS chose not to translate “el-gibbor” (usually translated as “mighty God”), but did translate it in chapter 10. If you read Isaiah 10:21 in the JPS edition, you will read the following: “A remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto God the Mighty (emphasis added).” The exact same Hebrew words: transliterated in chapter 9; translated in chapter 10. Why?

Given the fact that the Hebrew of Isaiah 9:6 (vs. 5 JPS and in Hebrew)* is easily translated into English and the JPS chose to translate the same words booth in Isaiah and the rest of the Bible, I can only conclude that something deceptive is in the works? Some have asked me why I believe in such a conspiracy theory. “Surely, you don’t think the JPS would handle the Bible in a dishonest way,” they enquire. Well, actually, given the evidence cited here, I do think something dishonest is going on. And the reason is that Isaiah 9:6-7 is one of the most well-known Old Testament passages commonly suggested to reference Jesus:

And unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom
To order it and establish it with judgment
and justice
From that time forward, even forever,
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

If there is no intentional effort by the JPS to hide this wonderful messianic passage from their Jewish readers, the irony is dramatic. I’m open to be persuaded otherwise, but until a convincing argument for the editorial decision to transliterate Isaiah 9:6 (vs. 5 in JPS and in Hebrew)* is presented, I will contend that the JPS has been dishonest with their offering.

* In most English translations of the Old Testament, Isaiah 9:6 corresponds to Isaiah 9:5 in the Hebrew chapter/verse designation. However, the JPS edition of The Holy Scriptures (Old Testament) follows the Hebrew chapter/verse designation. Therefore, what is rendered as Isaiah 9:5 in the JPS is generally 9:6 in most other English versions of the Old Testament.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Friday Fotos - You Weren't There

I came, but you weren't there. Messiah

In an effort to jump on the bandwagon of posting a photo on Friday, I'll offer this picture of a bumpersticker that I saw on a truck in the Negev desert. It is also a bit of a followup to my last entry about the Chabad group.

The sticker says: I came and you (plural) weren't there. The Messiah...

The design is a spinoff of Chabad's "Prepare for the Messiah" campaign from the early-mid 1990's. The gold background with words above and below the rising sun was the graphic layout of their banners, posters, flags and stickers.

As one who believes Jesus to be the Messiah, this particular sticker communicated to me a bit of razzing the Chabad. In other words, "Jesus already came and you didn't receive Him." However, I'm not certain that was the intended message.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Everybody’s Talking About the Resurrection

Since Sunday, April 16, was Easter Sunday, you might not think my title is strange. Perhaps where you are, everybody is talking about the resurrection. However, here in Israel, even on Easter Sunday, everybody isn’t usually talking about the resurrection, unless, of course, you were one of 10,000 people packed into Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena on Sunday night.

One of the organizers, Yoni Kahana, happily described the evening as “an amazing turnout.” He went on to say that that “Everyone came away with renewed faith in the imminent coming of [the messiah]. He may not have come on Sunday night. But he will truly be revealed any second.” Wow, ten thousand people gathered together in Tel Aviv, Israel excitedly anticipating the return of the messiah. Now that is something that will even get a Baptist to shout “amen,” maybe even clap.

The interesting twist on this, however, is that on this Easter Sunday they weren’t talking about Jesus’ resurrection and imminent return, they were talking about the (hoped for) resurrection of the late Rabbi "Messiah" Menahem Mendel Schneerson, who died in Brooklyn in June 1994.

This kind of resurrection talk isn’t new; it's just different in that it is open and public. In the years since Schneerson’s death, particularly in the days immediately following, many of his followers proclaimed their belief in Messiahhis identity as Messiah, but it was almost an “in house” discussion. A discussion that, at times, grew to more than a friendly discussion, which threatened to completely split the Chabad movement.

In recent years, though, I have noticed a growing number of posters along the highways proclaiming The Rebbe, as his followers know him, as Messiah. Some are more subtle than others, like the one on the right, for example: On this flag, the word Messiah (in Hebrew) is written under the royal crown. If you don’t have more background information on this campaign, it would be easy to dismiss this as a fervent, religious Jew simply flying his colors.

This poster (below), commonly seen all over Israel, King Messiahfits into the less subtle category as it says “King Messiah” under the photo of The Rebbe. I’m not certain that this particular poster was at the convention hall on Sunday night, but the sentiment certainly was. Rabbi Zalman Notik of the Torat Emet Yeshiva in Jerusalem spoke openly of Rabbi Schneerson as the messiah. Furthermore, he supported the missionary zeal for which Chabad has become known when he said, “…the most important mitzvah [commandment] is to publicize the idea that the Rebbe is messiah.” No wonder Chabad is often characterized as the Jewish evangelicals: They believe that Rabbi Schneerson is the messiah and that he is good for everyone, particularly Jews.

A religiously observant, Jewish friend once told me that he didn't agree with Chabad's or my desire to tell others about our faith. "I believe" he said "that what I believe is good for me, but not necessarily for everyone else." I pointed out that that is one major difference between us: I believe that Messiah is not only good for everyone, but necessary. Apparently followers of the Chabad sect of Judaism believe more like I do about messiah in that regard. Our disagreement comes in the identity and function of the messiah, The Messiah is good for everybody.not the desire for others to know about him.

This poster (right) includes with The Rebbe's photo the words, "Messiah is good for everybody."

Rabbi Schneerson Quick Facts:
Date of Birth: April18, 1902
Place of Birth: Nikolaiev, Ukraine
Visits to Israel: None
Date of Death: June 12, 1994
Place of Death: New York, USA

Monday, April 03, 2006

Abortion on the Reservation

With the new additions to the Supreme Court of the United States, apparently some state legislatures are making overtures to outlaw abortion in their particular states. They are doing this based on the assumption that the newest members of the courts, if given the opportunity, will vote to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which opened the flood gates of murder on countless millions of unborn babies.

Today, I read an interesting twist in this story, one that I had not considered previously. According to an article at MSNB.com, Cecilia Fire Thunder, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe says that if the South Dakota legislature votes to ban abortions in their state, she will establish a women’s clinic that offers abortions and other women’s services on sovereign tribal land where state law doesn’t apply.

The article is unclear on how much federal law would apply on the reservation if/when Roe vs. Wade is overturned by the US Supreme Court, but that isn’t what caught my attention. What caught my eye was President Thunder’s justification for her potential actions:
"We just want to make sure that something is done for women who make that decision. All we can do is provide that to them, no questions asked. It's their choice. It's between her and God and that unborn baby. And I honor that."

Am I the only one that sees the fallacy of her statement?

All we can do is provide that [abortion service] to them, no questions asked.”

WRONG! There are other options - not providing abortion services, being the most obvious other option.

It’s between her [the mother] and God and that unborn baby. And I honor that.”

WRONG again! Once President Thunder provides abortion services to circumvent the law of the state, it is no longer only between the three parties she mentioned: mother, God, and baby. She and her clinic workers (some would call them murderers and accomplices to murder) have entered into the equation. Additionally, if it is only between the mother and the baby (and God) and she honors that, why is she helping the mother eliminate one of the parties in the equation? Who is listening to the baby’s voice in this discussion?

I’m sorry President Thunder, you haven’t taken the moral high ground as you try to persuade in your explanation of your intended actions. Your tribe should be embarrassed at your shameful leadership and threat to their future existence.

In the circles I move, it is common to bless a person we admire with the words, “May your tribe be increased.” I couldn’t say this to you because your threatened actions and attempt to justify such is so morally reprehensible. However, I’m sure some will think you are a “god-send” and want to bless you in such a way. Strangely, though, in your case it would be terribly ironic because Native Americans identify themselves by tribes and the clinic you are offering to open will be used to kill future generations of the Oglala Sioux Tribe as well as outsiders. In other words, the more tribal leadership like yours prospers, the less chance of survival for the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Please, for the sake of the future of your tribe, for the sake of babies not of your tribe, and for the sake of what is right under heaven, rethink your position.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Election Souvenir 2006


The sign above (scanned and reduced) is my souvenir from yesterday's Israeli Parliamentary Elections. I didn't vote because I don't have that right, but I did end up with the polling place sign. It had been thrown over the fence into our yard from the school behind our house. I'm not sure if it was thrown in exuberance or exasperation at the results. Perhaps it was simply easier to throw it over our fence than put it in the trash can. In any case, I have a neat souvenir from the 17th Knesset election.

Some have asked what I think of the results. I'm no political expert, but it seems clear that the turnout was disappointingly low, particularly for the Likud (Bibi Netanyahu's party, Sharon's former party). Ariel Sharon's new party, Kadima, came out the winner, but not the big winner. In fact, their 28 seats are less than 1/3 of the seats in Parliament.

This is the second weakest winner in history. The lowest number of seats by a winner is 26, won by the Labor Party (Ehud Barak) in 1999. A note of warning: That government lasted only 18 months.

When I use the word winner it means that a particular party, the Kadima party in this case, has the responsibility of bringing together a coalition of parties to form the government. (Ideally, the winning party would win 61 seats themselves, but that is really unlikely these days, and clearly didn't happen this time.) The less seats a winner has, the more unstable the government seems to be because in order to get the necessary 61 seats, they typically have to bring other parties to the table that have different (sometimes opposing) agendas, which work contrary to each other. And this is when politics really becomes politics.

I'm not making any predictions of brevity or longevity, other than to reference the apparent weakness of winning parties with so few seats.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

No Chance for Peace?

While visiting the Old City of Jerusalem today, we stopped to visit a young, Arab shopkeeper (probably not the one you’re thinking of). During our visit, I asked him a number of specific questions regarding his current job, potential careers for young Arab men like him, and his overall impression of the “situation” in the region, specifically Israel and the West Bank.

It was interesting to hear his answers to my questions and to see him become more transparent, offering heartfelt answers to very probing questions about war and peace once he realized that there was no trap or debate at the end of my enquiry. He realized that I was simply interested to hear what he thought about something that millions of people think about around the world – the Arab-Israeli conflict. For once, he had a genuinely interested audience.

He started with a very typical line of argument among Arab shopkeepers in Jerusalem: If the Israelis would stop doing “X, Y, and Z” and start doing “A, B, and C” there can be peace. When I began to probe below the surface of this argument, asking for definitions and specifics about “X, Y, and Z,” as though he were in a confessional he suddenly said, “There can’t be peace!” In an effort to make sure that I had heard him correctly, I asked him to repeat himself. “There can’t be peace. Oh maybe, one or two years, but real peace is not possible. The Arabs hate the Jews, and the Jews hate the Arabs and the two simply can’t mix - not even side by side.”

While only one young man verbalized this today, I think it represents the core thought and feeling of many (perhaps most) on both sides of the divide. And, if that is true, whether or not Iran is disarmed, or the mess in Iraq is finally cleaned up, doesn’t really have a great bearing on peace in the Middle East, though many politicians keep talking as if the resolution of either or both of those situations will bring forth “peace in our lifetime.” Do they really believe it, or are they just trying to get elected?

I wonder how such a conversation, if broadcast widely on television and radio, might influence the Israeli elections next week. Would it make the more left parties try even harder to prove that they can cut a deal with the Arabs? Would it make the right parties try even harder to prove that the Arabs can’t be trusted? Would it matter at all?

Friday, March 17, 2006

Israeli Elections 2006

Simply put, Israeli politics are not boring. It's probably true that "politics is politics, no matter where you are," but the political structure in Israel does offer some distinct differences from the American system.

One of the things you will probably not see in American politics is the political rival illustrated as a mokey as in this advertisement:


The caption says, "Enough of ignoring corruption." By the way, the three "monkeys" are the leaders of the three largest political parties (r to l: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Olmert, and Amir Perez). I can't see either Republicans or Democrats not demanding an apology and the withdrawal of an advertisement like this.

One thing you may see in American politics is the message of this advertisement:


"I believe in God, but I will seperate between religion and government." Unfortunately, too many politicians say they have religious beliefs that they can dismiss in order to fulfill their political responsibilities.

Finally, an advertisement that is on the agenda in America:


"Sleep with whomever you want..." This is a platform for civil weddings (currently not available in Israel) that include homosexual marriages.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Screwtape Letters Part 10

Chapter 20

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it (I Corinthians 10:13 NASB).
Uncle Screwtape apparently has this verse in mind as he explains to his nephew that their best weapon against Christians is “the belief of ignorant humans, that there is no hope of getting rid of us except by yielding.”

Sunday, February 26, 2006

She Said "I Love You"



This is what I saw the first time Colleen whispered in my ear, "I love you." If you want to see what we were looking at when that happened you can click here.

We had spent the day touring the Judean Wilderness and were returning to Jerusalem from Jericho when we briefly stopped to see St. George's Monastery in the Wadi Qilt.

That was the best day of touring I have ever had!

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Screwtape Letters Part 9

Chapter 12

This chapter offers a disturbing, yet enlightening look at how men can be deceived, distracted, and destroyed by Satan’s lifeless offerings. While Screwtape is writing specifically about a “lukewarm Christian,” I think the illustration is also valid for professed unbelievers who believe their own moral values sufficiently replace the “need” for God.

After bringing his project to be sufficiently dull toward his relationship with God, Demon Wormwood is told that he “will be gradually freed from the tiresome business of providing Pleasures as temptations…[you] will find that anything or nothing is sufficient to attract his wandering attention.”

Screwtape continues,
“You no longer need a good book, which he really likes, to keep him from his prayers or his work or his sleep; a column of advertisements in yesterday’s newspaper will do. You can make him waste his time not only in conversations he enjoys with people whom he likes, but in conversations with those he cares nothing about on subjects that bore him…All the healthy and outgoing activities which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at last he may say, as one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, ‘I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.’”
Screwtape’s conclusion is that, “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

To be continued…

Saturday, February 11, 2006

Amazing Love! How Can It Be...?

Charles Wesley wrote one of my favorite hymns, And Can It Be, in 1738 at the age of 20 years. It is astounding that a 20 year old could pen words with such depth, but obviously, Wesley wasn’t the average 20 year old - of any time period.

The whole song, every verse, is worthy of consideration and public singing, but I normally can’t get beyond the first verse’s “Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?” As the congregation continues to sing the particular verses that the song/worship leader has selected (rarely, if ever today, do they choose all of them), that question continues to reverberate through my heart and thoughts: How can it be, that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

The answer to this profound question is only found in Scripture, it can’t be derived from human reasoning. Simply put, the answer is found in God’s sovereign love.

You can hear this hymn here.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Dragging Me Into the Future

I’m unhappy with my Israeli bank today. I knew it was inevitable, but I’m still not happy.

I went into the bank today to make a deposit (some cash and a check) and as I approached the teller, a woman I didn’t recognize, dressed in a bank-issued logo shirt stepped in front of me and asked what I wanted. I thought it was only too obvious since I was in the teller line, so I was caught a bit off guard.

When I told her I wanted to make a deposit, she told me I couldn’t make a deposit with the teller, only through the ATM. In an effort to clarify the new procedures, I asked, “I’m not allowed to make a deposit with a teller?” She was puzzled by my question and answered, “It’s not that you aren’t allowed to make a deposit with the teller, you just can’t do it anymore.” She offered to guide me through the new procedures at the ATM.

Now, I have to deposit checks at the machine inside, and cash at the machine outside. This is all for my benefit and convenience the manager assured me when I went to offer my complaint about the new way of doing things. I didn’t expect her to reverse the decision to “advance technologically,” but I felt it important to let her know exactly why I was disappointed.

Many of you know that I have a lot of technology gadgets and do a lot on the Internet, including banking. So, you might be wondering what is the big deal for me to move into the age of technology and make deposits via the ATM rather than through a teller. First the ironic point: The manager said the changes were to improve convenience. So, lets see how well the changes meet that goal: Instead of one transaction at the teller like before, I had to make two – one inside and one outside. The machine inside is only accessible during banking hours and the one outside has no way to supply envelopes for the deposit, which means it only “works” during banking hours unless I make a special visit to stock up on envelopes. Additionally, each transaction at this bank has a service fee. Now, I have two compared to only one prior to the changes. Additionally, self-service deposits prior to the changes were without charge, but not anymore. What happens if there is a discrepancy when I deposit cash in the outside ATM? There is no way for me to witness them counting my money, so any discrepancy becomes my word against theirs. My evaluation: The changes don’t meet the goal of customer convenience.

The second point is what I came to realize only today and is by far more important than the first. The truth is, I go to the bank so seldom that convenience isn’t a real issue for me. Then what’s the big deal? Human contact is my answer. As a foreigner here, I realized today that it has been an important thing for me to know that people know me when I go into the bank, even if only once a month or less. Without me needing to remind them, the tellers know that my account is on a passport number and not a national identity number. This information is important because bank accounts are located according to identification numbers, even though each account has a specific number of its own.

If I hadn’t had human contact in the bank, I wouldn’t have been able to get approved for an Israeli credit card, which has been more important for us as a symbol of stability here than for purchases. Our account numbers here, particularly as foreigners, don’t justify a card, but contact with people gave us enough credibility to be approved. When we had to put down a large security deposit for our current house, we had been directed to put it in an account that would have been to our disadvantage. A clerk, who recognized me, gave me some good direction on a type of secured account that would be better for us financially, and meet our security deposit needs. I will not have these things – the service or personal contact – anymore because our bank is moving into the future, also known as technology and automation.

I know I probably sound like an old-timer or a person full of self-contradictions, but I’m not happy about this “progress.”

Monday, January 30, 2006

Screwtape Letters Part 8

Chapter 9

Uncle Screwtape says,

“Never forget that when we [demons] are dealing with any [human] pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s ground.”
Emphasis has been added to draw your attention to the critical wording of this sentence. These three words – healthy, normal, satisfying – dramatically qualify the statement. Without these qualifiers, the sentence takes on a completely different and opposite meaning.

Take some time to let this settle into your heart.

Further to the topic of the Christian and true pleasure, I recommend John Piper's book, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Don't be fooled by the title, there is nothing immoral within. Quite the opposite, in fact.

To be continued...

Monday, January 23, 2006

Screwtape Letters Part 7

Chapter 8

“The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10 NKJV).”

In his effort to explain the essential difference between the demons and God, Screwtape captures the truth of Jesus’ words in John 10:10 when he says, “We [Satan] want to suck in, He [God] wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over.”

Isn’t it interesting how, in our modern day, the two parties are usually described in the opposite way? Generally, we hear God described as one who wants to take things away, when He really wants to give us real life. Unfortunately, Satan has deceived so many to buy into the lie that he, the Destroyer, has more to offer than God, when, in reality, he is the one taking way.

So many times I have heard someone say, “If I can’t do X, Y, or Z in heaven, then I would rather be in Hell doing those things with my friends.” And every time, “X,” “Y,” or “Z” was simply one of Satan’s cleverly disguised efforts to suck real life out of that person. In the end, these poor souls will only discover that “X,” “Y,” or “Z” are not just life takers, but life destroyers.

How sad that Jesus extends a hand saying, “I have come that you might have life, and that you may have it more abundantly” and so many people mistake that as something other than an offer of true reality – true satisfaction – TRUE LIFE. Satan is a liar; don’t be deceived.

To be continued...

Friday, January 20, 2006

Screwtape Letters Part 6

Chapter 7

“All extremes except extreme devotion to the Enemy [God] are to be encouraged. Not always, of course, but at this period. Some ages are lukewarm and complacent, and then it is our business to soothe them yet faster asleep.”
In this excerpt, Uncle Screwtape is teaching his nephew the art of discerning the times. What he wants Wormwood to understand is that at times it is better to direct the Christian’s attention toward absolute devotion to a cause, even a “good” cause, rather than toward God.

My observation is that usually in the beginning, the cause is justifiable because it generally fits within the framework of being a “biblical responsibility.” For example, many times I have seen Christian men become so engaged in their jobs that they eventually lose both their spiritual life and their families because of absenteeism. They presumably devoted themselves to their job in order to fulfill their biblical responsibility of providing for their family, but their devotion to their job became increasingly larger than their devotion to their family, or to God. The demands of the job grew to the point that there was no time to pray or meditate on Scripture, or spend time with the family. Next thing you know, the husband/father is hardly ever home and is trying to fill his absence with stuff. Of course, it takes more money to buy more stuff and the cycle is spinning out of control.

Sadly, many pastors fall prey to this, putting their devotion to “ministry” above their devotion to God. The results of this are staggering: no prayer, no meditation, no spiritual life, and no joy – only rigorous, legalistic efforts at ministry.

Unfortunately, the examples of extreme devotion to a cause being destructive to a devotion to God are legion and are not limited to dads and pastors. I’m sure that anyone reading this can think of several examples of their own. Beware, lest we too fall prey to extreme devotion to something other than God!

The second point that Uncle Screwtape makes about discerning the times is that of mediocrity. In other words, if a Christian is lukewarm about his devotion to God there is no need to spark his devotion to become extreme toward another target. From a demon’s perspective, it is sometimes better to “let a sleeping dog sleep.” The dysfunctional state of the American church and popular Christianity is, I think, the result of “Wormwood & Sons” simply allowing lukewarm Christians to continue in their slumber. John gives us a warning of the danger of staying comfortably lukewarm:

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I ill grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (Revelation 3:14-22 NASB)"

To be continued.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

He Was a Gentle Soul

I first met Phil Berg in August of 1990. At that time, he was working at the Institute of Holy Land Studies (currently known as Jerusalem University College) as the campus manager and all-around odd-jobber. We both lived upstairs in the main building of the old Bishop Gobat School on Mount Zion. At the top of the stairs our doors faced each other, his on the north, mine on the south. Phil’s door was almost always open throughout the day and late into the nights. He was a quiet, contemplative man, a voracious reader and usually could be found in his room reading a book about the Middle East.

One of the things I remember most about Phil is that he was always even tempered with a selfless spirit, ready to help in whatever way had been requested of him. Whether it was carrying luggage up or down the narrow and steep stairs, shuttling people to or from the airport, or opening the Oasis at an odd hour, Phil was willing to serve.

Phil served me in a different way, though. During the fall 1990 semester, the prospects of war in Iraq were growing every day. Frequently, Saddam Hussein published threats to launch an assault on Israel. Tensions among Israelis were growing in a noticeable way, and I wasn’t terribly affected by all the threats of destruction…until one particular day when I became pretty anxious about the whole thing. On that day, Phil had opened the Oasis and I was the only customer. We struck up a conversation about the white elephant in the room, the pending war, and in a moment of vulnerability, I shared with Phil how I was feeling about it all. I don’t remember what he said, but I do remember the effects of his message: my soul was instantly calmed.

I was so moved by that moment that I wrote it up in a short story and sent it to Decision magazine, thinking it might be published. It wasn’t, but that doesn’t reduce the importance of what I learned when Phil demonstrated two Bible verses for me:

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver (Proverbs 25:11 KJV).”

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29 NASB).”
Phil, I’m a better person for having known you. Thanks.

You can read Todd Bolen’s tribute to Phil here.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Persecution in Israel

Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake (Matthew 5:11 KJV).”

The latest group who were blessed in this manner in Israel was the Beersheva Congregation. You can see some photos and videos of this orchestrated protest turned assault here. [Update: The link is no longer good.]

The Beersheva and Arad congregations have been particularly targeted over the last couple of years and seem to be growing more vulnerable to such attacks. The police have been fairly ineffective at protecting the congregants in these cases. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but it probably will not be long before that changes. Mob violence can get out of hand very quickly, even unexpectedly.

Persecution in Israel is primarily accomplished through social pressure intimidation, and ostracism, but occasionally manifests itself in violence. There is a tremendous amount of social stigma placed upon Jews who believe in Jesus.

Currently, it is legal for Jews to believe in Jesus and promote that belief through many different means, except toward those under 18 years of age. However, over the last eight years there have been a few attempts in Parliament to make it illegal to evangelize at all, or in another case to possess literature that might be used to encourage one to convert. So far, all political attempts to silence Jews who believe in Jesus have failed.

Please pray that the believers in Israel would “Remember the word that I [Jesus] said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me (John 15:20-21 KJV).”

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Screwtape Letters Part 5

Chapter 5

Once again, Uncle Screwtape is disappointed with the work report of his nephew Wormwood. However, in the light rebuke that he drafts, Screwtape attempts to mitigate some of the blame that he is placing upon his understudy:


“Reading between the lines in your very unbalanced account of the patient’s sleepless night, I can reconstruct your state of mind fairly accurately. For the first time in your career, you have tasted that wine which is the reward of all our labours – the anguish and bewilderment of a human soul – and it has gone to your head. I can hardly blame you. I don’t expect old heads on young shoulders.”
I have no idea if demons age or mature as illustrated here, but I think Lewis accurately points out something that would encourage a demon, if they could be encouraged: “the anguish and bewilderment of a human soul.” The reason I think that this might encourage a demon in his labors against a Christian is that an unsettled soul is the opposite of what we are supposed to have.


“O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in Lord; He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield (Psalm 115:9-11 NASB).”

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:4-5 NASB).”

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB).”
Throughout the Scriptures, we are directed to trust in the Lord in all circumstances. The trouble is that the Bible doesn’t offer us wiggle room to trust the Lord when things are good and trust Him less when things appear to be bad, which, unfortunatel, is a common pattern among many professing Christians.

It seems that we are often like the proverbial pouting child: happy when things appear to go our way, and pouty when they don't. Yes, there is too much of the consumer culture's "the customer is always right" among us. In our relationship with God, He is not a clerk and we are not customers. He is Lord and we are His servants. He is the potter, we are clay. How are you doing in this regard? Are you encouraging Wormwood & Co.?

In this regard, I was greatly encouraged when I read John Piper’s announcement that he has cancer because he is encouraged by the news. Don’t misunderstand, though, he isn’t giddy over the doctor’s findings. He is encouraged by this new avenue available to God to show His mercy, faithfulness, and strength. You can read his letter of explanation here.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Is “Pro Life” Against Private Ownership?

Today, while trying to catch up on any news related to Ariel Sharon’s health, I stopped by Fox News and happened upon one of their weekend business shows, Cashin’ In, which is hosted by Terry Keenan.

The format of the show is to discuss the US stock market in the context of current political and social developments. On today’s broadcast, the host and guests were discussing how the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the US Supreme Court would affect business in the United States.

When asked his thoughts on this topic, I was shocked to hear Jonathon Hoenig say that he thought Alito’s nomination would be terrible for the US economy because, “anyone who is pro-life is by default against private ownership.” (Note: this is not a direct quote, but certainly captures the essence of Hoenig’s reply.) This statement is so patently false (see why below), that I was almost beyond words, when the host asked Wayne Rogers, another regular guest, if he agreed with Mr. Hoenig and he replied in the affirmative.

We need to go no further than the ten commandments to see that Mr. Hoenig’s statement is wrong: Among the ten, we find “thou shalt not murder” and “thou shalt not steal.” The foundational premise of the pro-life movement is found in the following statement: “We are not allowed to murder, and abortion is, in fact, murdering an indefensible human being.” Additionally, the command not to steal presupposes private ownership: it is impossible to steal if nothing is owned. We could also offer the prohibition against coveting your neighbor’s stuff as evidence in our favor. If he didn’t own things, they wouldn’t be identified as his.

Therefore, we can easily say it is not only possible to be pro-life and pro-private ownership, but it is a biblically defensible position. In other words, it is the correct position. I would also add that within the framework of private ownership we are free to give our stuff away as was demonstrated by the early followers of Jesus in Acts 2:37-47.

It didn’t take long for me to track down Hoenig’s source for this type of belief. On his website, CapitalistPig.com, we find the following:

“We advocate and practice Objectivism, the moral philosophy developed by Ayn Rand.”
Ayn Rand summarizes her Objectivism philosophy in this way:

"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."
Some might be like me, a little fuzzy on what Objectivism posits, so I’ll add a clarifying statement from the “What is Objectivism” website:

“There is only one right from which all others are derived, and that is the right of self-ownership (protection of life) - the principle that each individual owns himself. This is the very definition of freedom. Laws against abortion, drug use and sexual freedom are predominently (sic) objections to this right.”
Okay, who protects those who can’t protect themselves? This goes beyond the infant in the womb. As you can see this philosophy is self-contradictory in that the right to kill the unborn, if carried out, would by default deny the victim any of the rights of “self-ownership.” I’m sure that proponents of Objectivism will step around this contradiction by suggesting that an unborn baby isn’t a human and, therefore, isn’t granted rights. Even if one accepts that argument (I don't!), it still doesn't address the issue of the weak.

By its very nature, freedom is limited. Your freedom can only extend outward until it interferes with my freedom, and vice versa. So that means that logically speaking, your sexual freedom can only extend outwards until it interferes with mine, which might be considerably less free than yours by personal/religious choice. Additionally, your freedom to drug yourself can logically only extend to the point that it interferes with my right to drug myself, which might be, by my personal/religious choice, considerably less free than yours .

God created people to live in community, and that necessitates limits on our behavior. Perhaps one can successfully argue that government restrictions are currently going beyond the bounds of reason, but that seems to me to be a different thing than saying any law against abortion, drug use and sexual freedom are objections to the right of self-ownership.”