what is a blog you say? well its sort of an "online diary" type thing where you can post up stuff that everyone can read... its an easy way for others to know what you're upto.. without them having to ask.... hahahah... how's that for laziness?... anyhoo... here it is:
Q. Why does Daniel 9:25 state the time determined as 7 weeks, then 62 weeks instead of just 69 weeks?
A. The first 49 years (7 weeks) are the time during which the city was being rebuilt. These were the “times of trouble” mentioned in Daniel 9:25 and recorded in Nehemiah 2-7 as consisting of constant efforts by Israel’s enemies to prevent them from completing the project. Nehemiah tells of workmen building with one hand while holding a sword in the other, and sleeping on site in their clothes, for fear of a surprise attack. The remaining 434 years (62 weeks) began when the city and its walls were complete and ran to the time of the first Palm Sunday when Jesus presented Himself to Israel as their Messiah.
wow... i present to you, the results of bad evangelism and bad preaching:
Another victim of the modern gospel?
Brett attempts an interview in Santa Monica California at the third street promenade with a girl whose name is Katie She claims to be a Christian. Is your church or crusade producing these types of Christians?
this makes me very sad for this poor girl.. and for the state of preaching and evangelism.. this is why having good doctrine in evangelism is so important
In 1998, when Smithsonian Institution conservators took a close look at the fossils in Dinosaur Hall, they were astonished by the sad state of the Triceratops. The ancient glue used to harden the bones in the 93-year-old, 8-foot-high display was deteriorating, and the evaluators worried that the ancient relics were on the verge of falling apart.
[...]
Many of the popular ideas about how the dinosaur looked derive from the Smithsonian's original mount of the Triceratops, which was unveiled in 1905. Curators put the exhibit together from the bones of perhaps 20 different dinosaurs that paleontologists had collected in the 1880s and 1890s at six sites in eastern Wyoming. Chapman says the exhibit was the first attempt at an accurate, full-scale reproduction of the animal.
Despite having parts from so many animals, the 25-foot-long Triceratops that stood in the Smithsonian for nearly a century was far from complete--and it was far from perfect. For example, Chapman says, only a dozen or so of the bones in the mount's spine were real. The others, built out of plaster by the museum, were modified versions of the vertebrae at hand. The best skull available in 1905, the one that ended up in the exhibit, came from an animal now recognized to be a young adult that wasn't fully grown.
If the bones on display had suddenly sprung to life, they would have walked with a severe limp, if they could have walked at all. One humerus--the single bone in the upper forelimb--was much longer than the other because the two bones came from different animals. Furthermore, none of the Triceratops fossils found before 1905 included rear feet, so museum personnel attached feet from duck-billed dinosaurs instead.
very interesting video. two flaws though, first was in referencing those who think theism=morality, or more simply, that believing in God (or eternity, as is more generally stated in the video) will make you "better", however the bible never states such a thing, quite the opposite, James2:19 says that even the demons believe! so, clearly, its not enough to just believe. consequentially biblical christianity is the only belief system which contradicts all religions, in saying that "good deeds" are useless, actually in the book of isaiah it says that God considers our good deeds as a dirty rag (yes, "that" kind of rag).. it says that it is impossible not only to "deserve" or "earn" heaven by our good deeds, but that it is impossible to do what is good, and that further, there is NONE who does what is good, and NONE who seeks God. (romans 3:10-12)
this is in complete contradiction to perhaps everything you have ever heard from other "christians", but its what the bible says. it is only in the bible where you find a God that openly states He hates the sinner, and yet then goes and lays down His life to receive the full deserved punishment of the law for that hated enemy, who He then goes to call not just friend, but beloved son (or daughter). suddenly, Jesus command to "love your enemy" becomes a more profound statement, where He set the ultimate example of this sacrificial agape love.
you cannot earn heaven because it is impossible to do enough good deeds to make up for the infinite transgression against God's holiness. like a mass murderer coming to a judge and saying "judge, you must let me free because i gave $5 to charity"
now, what kind of judge would let such a man free? what if he gave $1million to charity? or did everything "else" right? should he be left off the hook? no. so it is with the God of the bible. the penalty must be paid in full, and our offense against God is infinite, because He is infinite. there is absolutely nothing we can do to make up for it. nothing.
added the bucketlist!! dont freak out, im not dying.. (that i know of.. or, well in a general sense, the same way that we are all dying every day.. well, not really since i have life in Christ.. anyhooze, go check it out!!)
baron sent me this and i just thought it was amazing. as far as i know this is a true story, and a quick search didnt show any proof that it isnt:
Two young Moravians heard of an island in the west indies where an athiest British owners had 2000-3000 slaves, and the owner had said, “No preacher, no clergyman will ever step foot on this Island. If he’s shipwrecked we’ll keep him in a separate house until he has to leave, but he’s never going to talk to any of us about God. I’m through with all that non-sense.”
3000 slaves from the jungles of Africa brought to an island in the Atlantic and there to live and die without hearing of Christ. Two young Moravians heard about it. They sold themselves to the British planter and used the money to buy passage to the island, for he paid no more than he would pay for any slave and wouldn’t transport them. And as the ship left the pier at the river Hamburg, the Moravians had come to see the two young lads off. Never to return again for this wasn’t a 4 year term. They’d sold themselves into lifelong slavery, simply that as slaves, they could be as Christians were these others were. The families were there weeping for they knew they’d never see them again. And as the gap widened and the hawsers were being curled up on the pier, and the young boys saw the widening gap. One lad, his arm linked through the arm of his fellow raised his hand and shouted across the gap the last words that were ever heard from them… They were these:MAY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN, RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING. This became the call of Moravian missions, and this is the only reason for being, that the lamb that was slain, may recieve the reward of His suffering.
From Paris Reidhead’s Ten Shekels and a Shirt
THIS is the love of Christ, amen! i hope one day i can claim to have this love
The Inigo Montoya Guide to
27 Commonly Misused Words heres the list, click on the link to see why/how they are misused and learn some inglish you immigrants! (even though i know baron doesnt read this blog.. but i challenge you to go through the whole list without finding one you commit!)
wow.. just crazy.. but here it comes.. get ready for some real persecution in the only part of the world where there wasnt persecution against christians.. sort of like that song "nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide!"
All mammals drink the milk of their mothers until they are weaned. Unlike all other mammals though, humans continue to drink milk after weaning and into adulthood, and not just that, we drink the milk of another species! To state the obvious (but often overlooked fact) cow’s milk has evolved to help turn a small calf into a cow in less than a year. That’s why cow’s milk contains around four times as much calcium as human milk. Calves need a huge amount of calcium to promote the massive level of skeletal growth required over the first year of life. A human infant does not require such high levels of calcium; indeed the high mineral content of cow’s milk puts a strain on the human infant kidney which is why most governments strongly recommend that children do not drink normal ‘off the shelf’ milk in the first year.
Don’t children need milk for calcium?
No, what they do need is exercise and ahealthy plant-based diet. A recent review on dairy products and bone health (Lanou et al., Pediatrics 2005) shows that there is very little evidence to support increasing the consumption of dairy products in children and young adults in order to promote bone health. This review examined the effects of dairy products and calcium on bone strength in children and young adults and found that physical exercise is the most critical factor for maintaining healthy bones, followed by improving the diet and lifestyle; this means eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and for young adults cutting down on caffeine and avoiding alcohol and smoking.
Doesn’t most of our calcium come from milk?
No, less than half (43 per cent) of the calcium in the average UK diet comes from milk and milk products. This was reported in 2004 in the Food Standards Agency’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey. So despite the misconceived notion that milk is the best (or only) source of calcium the facts show that a large share of the calcium in our diets is derived from sources other than dairy foods. This is not surprising as most people in the world (around 70 per cent) obtain their calcium from plant-based sources rather than dairy products.
What is lactose intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, the sugar in milk. In order for the sugar in lactose to be digested it must be broken down in the gut by the enzyme lactase into its two component sugars (glucose and galactose). Most infants produce lactase for a while but lose the ability to digest lactose after weaning (commonly after the age of two). Losing this ability is a clear indication that after weaning, milk is not a natural food for us. Lactose intolerance occurs in around 90-100 per cent of Asians, 65-70 per cent of Africans, and 10 per cent of Caucasians. Symptoms include nausea, cramps, bloating, wind, and diarrhoea. If you suffer from lactose intolerance you should avoid all dairy products.
What causes milk allergies?
Milk allergies occur when the body’s immune system perceives one of the proteins (casein or whey) in milk as a foreign invader and launches an attack. Symptoms are usually more extreme than in lactose intolerance and include excessive mucus production resulting in a runny nose and blocked ears. More serious symptoms include eczema, colic, diarrhoea, asthma and vomiting. The milk protein casein is difficult to avoid as it is commonly used in the production of bread, processed cereals, instant soups, margarine, salad dressings, sweets and cake mix.
[...]
What if we don’t eat enough calcium?
When the diet does not provide enough, calcium is reabsorbed from the bones to restore blood levels and maintain calcium-dependent functions. If enough calcium is then supplied in the diet, bone levels are restored, but if the diet fails to supply sufficient calcium, bone loss persists.
Doesn’t cow’s milk protect against osteoporosis?
No, osteoporosis occurs most commonly in countries where they drink the most milk! American women are among the biggest consumers of calcium in the world yet they suffer one of the highest levels of osteoporosis, while African Bantu women eat almost no dairy products at all and have a relatively low calcium intake from vegetable sources yet osteoporosis is virtually unknown among Bantu women. Increasing milk consumption does not protect against bone fracture, in it may be that an increased calcium intake from dairy foods increases the risk of fracture.
What increases our risk of osteoporosis?
Calcium loss from the bones is promoted by high intakes of animal protein. By the age of 80, vegetarians tend to have lost less bone mineral compared to omnivores. Research suggests that the more animal protein you eat, the higher your risk of hip fracture becomes. Cross-cultural studies show strong links between a high animal protein diet, bone degeneration and the occurrence of hip fractures. In a rural community in China where most of the protein in the diet came from plant foods rather than animal foods, the fracture rate was one-fifth of that in the US.
While milk and dairy products do contain calcium, plant-based sources provide a much healthier source. Good plant-based sources include green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spring greens, cabbage, parsley and watercress. Also rich in calcium are dried fruits such as figs and apricots, nuts, particularly almonds and brazil nuts and seeds including sesame seeds and tahini (sesame seed paste). Pulses including peas, beans, lentils and calcium-set tofu (soya bean curd) provide a good source of calcium as does molasses.
wow.. so interesting.. i had no idea that malaysia was mostly muslim.. and all the other stuff this video talks about..
Religious tensions are rising in Malaysia following a High Court ruling which declared non-Muslims could use the Arabic word 'Allah' when referring to God. [14 Jan 2010]
so, on bahb's suggestion, i added the ability to chat with me on the left.. we'll see how good an idea that will turn out to be.. i might also be changing a few things, including disabling the guestbook and comments section.. we shall see.
im thinking of changing the format of the blog a bit, specifically make it a bit more "grammatical", so, having correct punctuation and capitalization.. and also making the posts more complete (like other blogs do it) and less like a train of thought.. what do you think? please advise, you are the readers, and therefore you have 50% of the vote (i have the other 50% hehe) send me a quick email on your thoughts and which way i should lean..
im also thinking of getting rid of the tags or doing something less annoying with them.. i dont think the tags are useful enough to be worth the hassle, do any of you use the tags at all? do you think its a good idea? and also im thinking of separating the posts into their own pages or something similar, but i think that wouldnt be such a great idea.. anyways, let me know
i need to be blogging my dreams up.. cuz ive been having some really crazy ones.. ho-sham-bo!
for example, today i had a dream ive had before, where i was trying to kill my dad.. because he was trying to kill/hurt me.. and i was trying to protect my brother. and so i was trying to throw forks at his head, while hanging from the ceiling on the second floor (one of the apts he lived in had a second floor with an internal balcony type thing) and so i was nailing some of the forks to the top of his head.. but yet he wouldnt die.. and i kept explaining to my brother how i was in the future, and this father was not like the father we would have in 2009 (not that he was a different person, but that he would be a better person.. something like that) and so i had to kill him.. but he kept chasing me and i was really scared in the dream.. it was crazy. i kept trying to throw things or hit him with stuff while trying to evade him, all this going on while hanging from rafters on the ceiling, etc. until at some point i saw ice forming on some gaps in the ceiling rafters and i dropped a large chunk on my dad's head.. and then i yelled at my brother to kill him.. and so my dad had turned into a block of ice, and my brother cracked it at the part which wouldve been his head, and i finished breaking it up into tons of pieces.. so strange..
i then had another dream where i was a nazi.. again. i had another dream last week that i was a nazi too. and this time i was trying to kill some soviet guy.. the whole time i was running away from him, but i managed to kill him by shooting him with one of those super ugly lugers (a type of handgun that the nazis used) shooting him in the chest and face.. and i could see the 3-5 little red dots the bullets made..
yeah so im not sure what this is all about.. but its definitely weird.. oh and while im at it..
some dreams i didnt blog yet.. at least the one i can remember right now.. (i think i didnt blog this one yet, but if i did, you can just enjoy it again).. so i was at my house (dont know where, it didnt look like anywhere ive lived in, at least that i can remember, since i had this dream a while ago) and billburt, bibis, baron, and maybe even my wife were there, at some corner of the house/apartment, and baron started doing some random explanation of pipes or heating or one of those things he loves to rant about, and suddenly i could see in the heating vents that they led to another part, much like a cave or dungeon, which was flooded like a lake, and quite dark, but still the size of about a large room, no bigger. so somehow the whole became bigger or we all went in, and i was for some reason climbing across a fence that divided it.. and thats where i saw that there were alligators there! so i started fighting the alligators, and thats when sheldon appeared in my dream, while i was fighting these alligators. and then i cant remember how it was that my dream ended but my wife woke me up then..
the last dream, and we should be mostly caught up to the best of my memory, was one i had much much longer ago, where i was being chased by pitbulls, back in the neighborhood i used to live in the previous country i used to live in last. the odd thing about this dream is that i was able to soar in the air in order to escape the dogs, and i was able to get up on trees and stuff, sort of like the ability to fly, but not really flying, at least, not exerting the ability in the dream. there were some other things in this dream, but i cant really remember.. i think a former classmate was there in my dream explaining something, or saying how she was the owner of one of the pitbulls or somehting.. i cant really remember right now.. strange though, huh?
so just a little update, bahb was in town, with his lovely wife, whom we will refer to as bahb's wife.. and so we went (ice)skating two days ago.. and so as not to bore you i will share with you a bit of detail.. we were going to go get used skates since renting would have cost us 9 money units, whereas to buy them used could be some 10 money units.. and if we use them twice, *POOF*, we are already in the black (ie, money saved vs spent/wasted -- generally referred to as "being in the red") so we were waiting for baron to drive us (cuz i dont have a license yet.. ugh.. dont get me started..) so we could go to a store known for selling used sporting goods.. so we look em up on the interwebs, find the address, and just in case, i figured id write down the address for another one, and the number for the first one. so we head out to the place.. and hmm.. the place doesnt exist.. so, prepared as i am, i whipped out the number and began dialing on our emergency cell phone.. but the weirdest thing happened, the call wouldnt go through.. i dont mean that nobody answered, or it would sound busy.. but rather that it didnt ring at all.. it would just hang up immediately. hmm.. so we head to the second location.. and ugh.. if it isnt also closed.. ie, non-existent.. apparently it had been turned into a video store (which is coincidentally where we happened to ask what had happened to the store.. and they said.. "oh, it actually used to be here")..
hmm.. i seem to have forgotten the point to writing this post.. heh.. (i started writing this post a couple days ago).. in any case, bahb was here with his wife.. the end.
oh no, wait, now i remember! yeah the point was to say that we didnt find skates, and instead ended up going downtown to skate.. and it was basically my first time skating (at least it felt like it, but its actually my third time.. in my life.. counting the time when i was ten and the time 4 years ago where i wore skates waaaay too big for me, and which were therefore too wobbly to skate) in any case.. (talk about excessive verbiage..) it was awesome.. i really enjoyed myself and i didnt even fall once! yay! now i seem to have a bit of a skating bug.. good thing we have a skating rink just around the corner from my house.. now i only need some skates.. which baron says he can give me a pair.. hopefully SOON~!
theres that new trend to, for some reason, NOT say "merry christmas" which is really enraging that this would be the only holiday this is done for, and its really the most celebrated "religious" holiday (dont get me started on the people in the news who keep saying the true meaning of christmas is "presents!!" agh! so enraging!) and its not enough that christmas is just so little about christ that its turned into this celebration of some magical fat bearded elf who lives in the north of canada and wears a red suit and black booties, and who for some reason shares a lot of properties with the creator God (can deliver presents to ALL the boys and girls in one night *cough*omnipresence*cough*, he knows when you are sleeping *cough*omniscience*cough*, he's making a list, and checking it twice, to see who's been naughty or nice *cough*judges the world*cough*.. ) and now we cant even hear "merry christmas" either anymore.. well i say stick it, and lets celebrate CHRIST!
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (God among us)."
Isaiah 7:14
"For to us a child is born,to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderf...ul Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6
and so when they say "happy holidays!" you can say "oh, which one?" "well.. uh.. all of them!" "well, i dont celebrate the 4th of july.."
or:
seasons greetings.. "like when curry says "hello" and thyme says "whaddup".. and pepper gives everyone props..?"
or:
"merry x-mas", "oh, that day when we celebrate the birth of x, who was born to redeem all those who belong to x, and are therefore known as x-tians, cuz they are no longer tians..?"
so, (and yeah, i almost did that to a girl at some shop, but she was just so nice about saying "happy holidays" that i didnt want to be a jerk..) instead, lets be radicals and celebrate the CHRIST in Christ-mas:
Ironically, successful people tend to fail a lot more than unsuccessful people. They also tend to ask a lot more questions.
theres some other good points there too:
23) When you move, sell, throw away, and give away as much as possible or you'll just end up moving boxes from one closet, where they have been sitting for five years, to another closet, where they'll be sitting for the next five years.
24) Don't ever loan your friends money if you want to keep them as friends. After all, if they were good with money and were likely to pay you back in a timely manner, they probably wouldn't need the loan in the first place. If they really need the money, you want to help them, and you can afford it -- just give it to them.
[...]
34) If you get into a business deal with someone who goes to unusual lengths to convince you of how honest or Christian they are, watch your wallet and make sure you have an iron clad contract. They "doth protest too much."
35) "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." - Jim Rohn
36) If you want to do something exceptional, don't expect anyone to believe you can do it until you've done it. Unless you're already perceived as exceptional, most people won't believe in you. That's doubly true for the people who know you best and have therefore seen you at your most mediocre, like your parents, family, and friends.
Ukraine - A Ukrainian chemistry student who had the bizarre habit of chewing gum after dipping it in citric acid, has been found dead with his jaw blown off.
The student's jaw was believed to be blown off by exploding chewing gum.
Officers found citric acid packets and a similar-looking unidentified substance, believed to be some kind of explosive material, on a table near the 25-year-old's body, Russian news agency Ria Novosti said.
Investigators suspect the student confused the packets and put gum covered with explosive material into his mouth.
im studying for my hebrew test.. err.. "studying" is such a strong word.. in any case, its slowly becoming clear that one day, google will BE the internet.. yeah, you can quote me on that one.. heres why i say that: google translator.. just start typing.. the thing will not only "translate" but figure out the correct grammar of what you are saying, all of this while you type!! amazing.. this blows morfixalmost out of the water (the dictionary is more complete in morfix)
its been a while since i was up for so many hours.. im at 32 right now, planning on sleeping post haste.. oh and i really need to blog my dreams.. holey ga-moley!
An executive has won the right to sue his employer on the basis that he was unfairly dismissed for his green views after a judge ruled that environmentalism had the same weight in law as religious and philosophical beliefs.
In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice Michael Burton said that "a belief in man-made climate change ... is capable, if genuinely held, of being a philosophical belief for the purpose of the 2003 Religion and Belief Regulations".
The ruling could open the door for employees to sue their companies for failing to account for their green lifestyles, such as providing recycling facilities or offering low-carbon travel.
[...]
John Bowers QC, representing Grainger, had argued that adherence to climate change theory was "a scientific view rather than a philosophical one", because "philosophy deals with matters that are not capable of scientific proof."
That argument has now been dismissed by Mr Justice Burton, who last year ruled that the environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore was political and partisan.
this part was interesting:
His lawyer Shah Qureshi, head of employment law at Bindmans LLP, argued that if the ruling had gone against them, "the end result would be that the more evidence there is to support your views, the less likely it would be for you to enjoy protection against discrimination".
GENEVA – The United Nations called Switzerland's ban on new minarets "clearly discriminatory" and deeply divisive, and the Swiss foreign minister acknowledged Tuesday the government was very concerned about how the vote would affect the country's image.
U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Sunday's referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in Switzerland was the product of "anti-foreigner scare-mongering."
The criticism from Pillay, whose office is based in the Swiss city of Geneva, comes after an outcry from Muslim countries, Switzerland's European neighbors and human rights watchdogs since 57.5 percent of the Swiss population ratified the ban.
The Swiss government opposed the initiative but has sought to defend it as an action not against Islam or Muslims, but one aimed at improving integration and fighting extremism.
"These are extraordinary claims when the symbol of one religion is targeted," Pillay said in a statement. She said she was saddened to see xenophobic arguments gain such traction with Swiss voters despite their "long-standing support of fundamental human rights."
The referendum doesn't affect Switzerland's four existing minarets, or the ability of Muslims to practice their religion. It only bans the towers used to put out the Islamic call to prayer.
But wealthy Arab tourists might think twice now about spending their money in Geneva and other Swiss cities, and the neutral country's efforts to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could also suffer.
In Athens on Tuesday, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said the government was worried about the ban.
"We are very concerned with this referendum. The reality of our societies in Europe and throughout the world is that each limitation on the coexistence of different cultures and religions also endangers our security," Calmy-Rey said during a meeting of foreign ministers of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
"Provocation risks triggering other provocation and risks inflaming extremism," she added.
Sunday's referendum, which was backed by nationalist parties, forced the government to declare illegal the building of any new minarets.
Calmy-Rey stressed that Muslims were accepted in Swiss society, and the decision would not change the foreign policy of the country, which would continue to maintain close relations with Muslim nations.
"Swiss Muslims are well integrated and will continue to attend the 200 mosques in the country," she said.
The minister said if an appeal against the referendum is lodged at the European Court of Human Rights, it would be up to the court to decide on its legality.
oh wow.. switzerland is now in trouble! see what happens in a perfect democracy? ie, when every important decision is made by the people and not the government? switzerland has now declared to be making a stand against islam.. man, this means that now everyone will have to watch out for the nutters who for sure will attempt something against it.. of course, most these terrorist idiots (the ones who pay others to blow themselves up) have their money stored up in swiss banks anyways, so i doubt they will do anything big.. also, if theres one thing about swiss people, is that you do NOT push them.. else they will push back harder.. and muslims in switzerland will have a harder time still.. as the public opinion then sways further and further away..
it seems switzerland is the last european bastion in the defense against the islamic conquest
to be honest, i can totally see a complete funds freeze for arab bank accounts if anything were to happen in switzerland.. dont mess with the swiss!
(maybe that last one was a bit exaggerated.. but, i wouldnt try them either..)
today i received what could easily be the coolest wedding invite ive ever seen.. today there was a parcel note on our mailbox.. so we went to pick it up. thinking, who could send us a parcel? we didnt order anything from ebay... then we saw the sender.. it was bahb's mommah! ive never really received anything from her, so i was really curious.. not to mention how HUGE a box it was! so i had really no idea.. i was expecting the invite, but not so soon.. and not something that would require such a huge box.. then i thought.. "maybe its a present! a token of bahb's love for me!" but i had no idea what it could be, since i didnt tell him i wanted anything.. then my mind started trying to find a solution to this great mystery, as i got home and started opening the box and removing bubble wrap, packing paper, styrofoam.. etc.. "maybe its something i left at his mom's house when i went to visit there.. 7 years ago.." hmm.. nop, probably not.. eventually it was down to some bubble wrapped bunch of mysterious mystery.. and as it got smaller and smaller.. i started thinking.. "ah gosh, dont let it be one of those 'ha-ha, i sent you an empty box full of wrapping stuff' prank" but then, just when it was about too thin to be anything.. *poop* a little glass bottle with some sand and a little rolled up paper inside popped out.. it was sooo great! i honestly got all excited when i first saw it.. it was really the coolest thing you ever saw, with a little cork stopper, and a dangly string holding the paper, so when you remove the stopper the paper comes out smoothly (so people dont get the bright idea to smash the little bottle to get at the paper..) i unrolled the paper, and it was an invite! im invited! (cant make it though, but dont tell him.. ) truly a nice touch.. i salute you my friend!
wow cool, i just learned that theres such a thing as chalkboard paint.. stuff that when you paint something with it, it turns the surface into a chalkboard.. pretty crazy, huh?
all moved in.. sort of.. all our stuff is moved, lets put it that way.. still no internet, no bed, no drapes, tables, etc.. yeah.. sleeping on the floor.. and the phone has been misbehaving.. but still same number.. yay for that. will post later..
today is the day when it is said that in 1517, martin luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the "all saints' church", in wittenberg, saxony (in present day germany), thus starting the reformation
we have been moving to a new place.. but since i dont have a license *cough* then we have to wait for my lovely wife to get back from work to drive us and move us.. since we dont have time on saturday to move (we've been summoned to be part of a play which is for evangelistic purposes.. plus, who doesnt love being in a play, and serving the Lord in one go??) soo, we've been doing the moving in the wee hours of the night.. ie, midnight.. and its just me and my lovelier (and weaker) half.. which means i carry and load and unload everything.. which means i have been more physically tired than im used to (which i hadnt realized until like today, the 5th day of doing that).. but the point of all this is saying that because of exhaustion, ive also been sleeping more deeply.. and you know what happens when i do.. yeah.. the crazy dreams!
so in recent years ive started having recurring dreams.. something that i used to never have.. in other words, i have dreams now that ive had before.. i used to never have that happen unless it was to like reveal things about those dreams i wouldnt have known before (like people who had appeared and that i would later meet in real life.. yeah.. talk about prophetical dreams..) and this week.. its been pretty crazy in my dreams..
when my dad was here last week for our graduation, i was telling him about this person (non believer) who goes to our church with a troubled past. and how there is evidence that he mightve been the one who attempted to steal my wife's laptop.. AT CHURCH.. we have a great love for this guy, and so the pastor was told to let him know he was still welcome at church but that "no more shenanigans" (thats how the pastor put it). so some time later we (pastor, him and me) were helping someone from our church to move out.. and during the lunch break, i shared the Gospel with him. at first he was closed and having trouble even listening to it.. but by the time i was done presenting the Gospel, he was literally yelling out "how can i be saved!!"
of course, i used that opportunity to share the Gospel with my dad (for those who dont already know, my dad is also a non believer, and in my time i lived with him back in 2001, this caused a LOT of trouble.. ). my dad patiently listened.. but who knows how much of it actually went in.. he definitely did not have the same response as the guy im mentioning here
in any case.. the point is to say that yesterday (or the day before?) i had one of these recurring dreams.. where this guy was there, and he was stealing people's watches.. oh WOW.. i just realized the significance of this! well, in last week's lesson of the evangelism course i was teaching, i gave the example of how even a free gift has value, and carries a responsiblity.. much like a gold rolex! (where you wouldnt leave a gold rolex just lying around for someone to take it, clarifying of course, that nobody can take your salvation away, but that its something we have to look after with "fear and trembling" --philippians 2:12) haha.. i guess thats why it appeared in my dream..
so he was just standing there, in this thing that looked like a small theater (hmm, maybe a reference to the imax 3d movie we went to see with my dad? but the orientation was different to the theater itself) and he was standing there holding several watches, and as people came in he held out the hand holding them, as if saying "valet parking for your fancy watches" and people would just give them to him.. but his intent was to steal them.. and in the dream i was there knowing this.. then we exited the building.. and it became sort of like an action movie.. where there was this cliff to the side, and it became really intense.. but the whole time i was preaching the Gospel to him.. but i began to get a crowd, and at one point we were all floating in a pool that had formed in the river next to the cliff.. and it was really interesting because in the dream i shared the full Gospel!! to the point where i saw a couple of the people visibly upset and leaving. but it was weird because i think they were all men, and had a distinct 50s style. i remember that i was answering questions as i presented, and said that we MUST repent.. i remember stressing that point, and that there was a single guy who was asking the questions..
when i woke up, i was thinking "wow! i shared the full Gospel in my dream!!". yeah it was awesome..
how interesting, huh?
oh whoa!! i just had the craziest deja vu too! creeepy! i need to go check my blog and see if i havent already typed all this.. because this is just weird!! where's bahb??
What would you be prepared to do for money? For $6,500 (£4,500) a month, to be precise?
How about the following: locking yourself inside a small metal container for three months without any communication with the outside world, with electronic monitors attached to various parts of your body and with frozen baby food and cereal bars for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
imagine getting paid to spend 3 months studying your bible almost without distractions??? maaaan..
in any case, the purpose of the experiment (was) to see the effect of isolation as part of the goal to get humans to mars one day
'No fun'
The Mars 500 experiment here in Moscow will focus on the psychological difficulties of prolonged isolation and claustrophobia.
"It's a real probability that a flight to Mars would fail if the very serious problem of isolation is not investigated first," says Oliver Knickel, an army engineer from Germany who is one of the volunteer "astronauts" for the experiment.
"The impact of the isolation would almost certainly kill the crew on board."
"If traditional religion is absent from the public arena, secular religions are likely to satisfy man's quest for meaning. ... It was an atheistic faith in man as creator of his own grandeur that lay at the heart of Communism, fascism and all the horrors they unleashed for the twentieth century. And it was adherents of traditional religions - Martin Niemöller, C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, Martin Buber - who often warned most clearly of the tragedy to come from attempting to build man's own version of the New Jerusalem on Earth."
oh wow.. this is so refreshing.. this is true conversion! (please ignore the lady in the middle of the video.. with the red hair.. agh.. shes bad news.. but you wouldnt be able to tell from this video)
Jim Bakker Renounces The Prosperity Gospel As A Lie
thats right, this officially kicks off my youtube channel! ENJOY!! (and dont forget to subscribe, rate 5 stars, comment and make each video a favorite.. this helps get more attention to the vids in the youtube search bots.. so more exposure)
KISMAYU, Somalia, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The 17-year-old winner of a Koran recital and general knowledge competition organised by al Shabaab rebels in Southern Somalia got an AK-47 gun, two hand grenades, a computer and an anti-tank mine as prizes.
The runner-up in the month-long competition aimed at 10-25 year olds, a 22-year-old, received an AK-47 and ammunition at the ceremony, where the rebels urged parents to allow children to learn how to handle weapons and fight against the enemy.
hahah awesome! nothing like the hollywood classics to teach some basic logic to thems atheists..
The Sound of Music is a wonderful movie for the whole family. Maria is constantly teaching the children to use their common sense.
Maria also has some "sound" advise for the Professor, Richard Dawkins, that even a child can understand -- use the common sense you were born with.
the mona lisa smile..
and the 80millisecond monalisa:
NVIDIA: Adam and Jamie, hosts of the known mythbusters show compared a CPU vs a GPU to explain parallel processing and the GPU drew an ACTUAL mona lisa drawing using paint balls in 80 milliseconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this was for NVIDIA's NVISION Show
does this sound ridiculous? "not all the years in 1900s were in the 20th century.. but most were!" cuz it does to me! and thats what people who say that the millieniums start with the year ending in 1.. in other words, 1900 was not in the 20th century, ah, but 1901 was..
soooo.. you mightve already heard by now, but none other than obama has received the
nobel peace prize.. yeah, no joke.. or maybe that IS the joke.. that its for real.. in any case, this is really blowing my mind.. and you know how i get when that happens.. heres my last two status messages on my social networking site of choice:
yo man, if theyre just GIVING these peace prizes away, then i want one too! i think i heard my sister's puppy is getting one as well.. he accepted it saying "how did you know i had intentions of perhaps doing something that might one day lead to peace if everything works out fine?"
and:
in other news.. obama also got the nobel prize for chemistry... not shocked, obama had this to say "uhh.. the nobel committe and i, we got great chemistry, what can i say?.."
and also in response to bahb's response, which read thusly:
I guess killing babies doesn't disqualify you from a Nobel peace prize... so they must be awarding him for making peace with "older" humans.
i responded thusly:
or maybe its cuz they know that perhaps in the future one of those babies mightve done something really bad, and in ridding the world of it he kept the peace.. the world peace
and of course my brother had this to say:
so I get a Nobel prize for saying I'm going to close Guantanamo but not doing it, for saying I'm pulling out the troops from Irak [sic] but not doing it, for actually having in my plans a war in Afghanistan, and for having a beer and hamburgers with politicians yet with no peace agreements of weight signed?....sounds like a good deal to me..
and mike the jew weighed in too:
Obama awarded Nobel Peace Price for not being Bush... I think it's only fair that I receive one also... add the Nobel foundation to the list of irrelevant world bodies alongside the UN.
and then of course, i had to make my own kanye vs obama pic
however, this got me thinking right away.. due to something they said right at the end..
"fun can obviously change behavior for the better."
hmm.. but just push it a little further.. fun can change any sort of behavior in any sort of direction.. just make it fun, and people will veer toward it..
my immediate first thought was, "holey! entertainment!" you know? just push any sort of message through the pipes of entertainment, and you have behavior modification the easy way! think about it.. 50 years ago, homosexuality was a shameful, unspeakable behavior.. and now, since the media (entertainment.. "funness") is all over it (try watching a movie without a gay character.. come on.. i dare ya.. try and find one) and so, if you can laugh about it.. it becomes ok.. and so thats what we have now.. just make it fun, people will jump on it (no pun intended.. the video, of course)
what other examples do you know of stuff like this.. ? where making something "fun" also made it ok?
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
happy bday to joelie!! sorry about beating you at bowling.. but at least i let you have your honor.. dont forget, im only the Lord's servant, here to break your pride! plus, the trophy should be consolation enough, dont ya think? :D
one for the women, the men, and everything in between.. i call it, "respecting women"
Mark Driscoll goes after the men at his church who have attended for years and yet still abuse, neglect, and dishonor the woman in their life. Mark has had enough of this.
maaan.. i cant believe i missed out on blog posting about Jesus' birthday on the 3rd (saturday)!! gah!! what was i thinking?? i shall be posting the article i wrote about it too.. very soon.. i guess i "could" post it right away.. fiiine: Jesus' birthday -- Christmas in October?.. enjoy!
