Inevitable

 

That's a screen capture of a template document available free to use in Word for a single person's will. I'm using it as an example to be certain my hand-written will (just as legal) has all the right legal information. I need to do this even though my husband and I have a simple and conjoint will done almost twenty years ago. Things change. But needing a will is inevitable because death is inevitable.

One of my past hobbys was genealogy - a deep look into family history. I've blogged on that several times, and have a link to a website I used for several years, leaving it up in case someone searches. My parents, their siblings, their parents, their siblings, and all generations previous, died. All humans have in the past and continue to do so today. We've lost extended family in our generation, and within my children's. Dear friends have passed, too.

A will simple lays out what I want done with my real and personal property - my name on a deed is real property, my wedding ring is personal. There are specific people I would like to have what I have now.

That goes for knowledge and faith. That's nothing new - Beloved Husband's grandfather mentioned such in his will. The legalese pages were properly written, then he added:

January 21, 1932

To my dear family survivors; the greatest asset I can hand down to you is to commend you to the Lord Jesus Christ whom I have tried to serve from childhood. He is the only rock or foundation you can safely build or rely upon and you should love Him with all your Might.

In writing my will I could have made disposition of various small things but I recall that at various times I have given some of the children things, therefore after I have passed away I desire that whenever any child says I gave them certain things to let that be final. Any other personal things of mine let my beloved ones select time about, but reverse the old order of things, having the youngest select first, and then up the line instead of down the line.

M T Blickensderfer

That first paragraph reminds me of verses that means a great deal to me:

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:1-3 KJV)

All religious beliefs can be taught, from childhood or later, but every individual has the ultimate responsibility to choose which one to accept as willed by a deity. MT made a personal choice to include Jesus Christ as Lord in his own life. He felt sufficiently strong about it to include what he had shown them in life in his last words to them. John knew how MT felt:

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3 John 1:4 KJV)

John's reference is to brothers and sisters in Christ. Both MT and I felt the same about our children. And others that we know can benefit from the love of God Jesus taught, the Apostles who saw/heard Him wrote about, and the people we know who serve Him in our world today.

I cannot prove to anyone what I accept on faith, but I read Hebrews chapter 11 and I can see faith lived in people who carried it through millennia. A study of historial references confirm a great deal of both the Old and New Testament, but it still comes down to faith:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

Christians cannot be truthful in boasting of their works. There is a marvelous combination:

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:17-19 KJV)

Neither fear nor dwell on any inevitable event. Be aware, and understand your obligations - one of which is leaving a will. It will help your family, as anyone whose loved one died without a will can explain.

A Little History and Some Genealogy

 

by way of FamilySearch.org

It was October 2009 I read the article on CNN that Yahoo! was shutting down GeoCities. I wrote about it 27 October 2009:

In 1997, GeoCities hosted my first website – a copy of the genealogy workbook I was creating. I found several excellent sources, filled in pedigree and family sheets in a well-designed program then posted photos from more than a century before to share with family members.

I moved then to a site called Multiply, which also shut down and I had to move to Yahoo!360, which - as you may guess – shut down. By then, I had started this Bible Study blog, so I added a tab at the top with some information and requests for more about my family’s history.

Mine isn’t newsworthy.However, this week I received an e-mail from a genealogy site with the information that I have several tenth cousins – some once removed, some more than that, others  were closer, others further away.

None are really important, because by the time we get ten generations back, tens of thousands of people can track the same relationship, and hundreds of thousands couldn’t care less. I find history interesting, but I admire my listed cousin Elizabeth II much more interesting for her lifetime history than for any distant relationship.

However, in some instances, such as Matthew 1:1-16, Joseph’s genealogy is very important. Jesus is shown to descend in a manner very important to Judaism – as the Pulpit Commentary explains:

As St. Matthew was writing only for Jews, and they, by reason of their Old Testament prophecies, looked for the Messiah to be born of a certain family, he begins his Gospel with a pedigree of Jesus. In this he mentions, by way of introduction, the two points to which his countrymen would have special regard—the descent of Jesus from David, the founder of the royal line, him in whose descendants the Ruler of Israel must necessarily (2 Samuel 7:13-16) be looked for; and also from Abraham, who was the head of the covenant nation, and to whom the promise had been given that in his seed all the nations of the earth should bless themselves (Genesis 22:18; Genesis 12:3).

But the genealogy given in Luke 3:23-38 gives the genealogy from a different perspective. Mary’s genealogy is different, yet similar to Joseph’s, and again the Pulpit Commentary gives an explanation of Luke’s written genealogy:

His work was evidently most carefully and skillfully arranged upon the lines of formal history. Up to this point the story was mainly concerned with other personages—with the parents of the great forerunner John, with Mary the Virgin and Joseph, with the angels, with the shepherds, with Simeon and with Anna, and especially with the work of John the Baptist. But from henceforth all the minor persons of the Divine story pass into the background. There is now one central figure upon whom the whole interest of the Divine drama centers—Jesus. This, the moment of his real introduction on the world's stage, was, as St. Luke rightly judged it, the time to give the formal table of his earthly ancestry.

Both gospel authors saw the importance of Jesus being created by God as all men have been, descended from Abraham as a Hebrew, descended from David  - perceptively through both parents, and lived among mankind as a slightly different kind of man.

The other two gospels are not interested at all in genealogy. Their fellow followers of Christ covered it well through God’s inspiration. With the question being of the lineage of David – important to prophesy – all four move on to what Jesus came to show, and tell, mankind about Himself, God’s relationship, and God’s love for His created.

There is no value for me in any relationship to any ruler of England. There is, however, an eternal relationship for me and you as the adopted children of God:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:14-17 KJV)

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:4-7 KJV)

How would you describe the spirit of adoption?

Things I Don't Remember, and Things I Do

I ran across this post of mine from September, 2012. I had completely forgotten the subject matter, and can't remember what prompted this topic. In fact, as I read from years past, I can remember more about what we had done, than what I wrote.

October 2010 my husband and I made our last trip to his home town, to visit his brother and family. It was a good visit, got a lot of genealogy information and visited a number of places we hadn't been. By the time we saw them again in May, 2011, at our home, Beloved Husband was show symptoms hard to explain - and we were seeing specialist after specialist. That September he was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis - click on the link and you will learn more than I'll tell you about that autoimmune disease. It took from January to September to get the right test, and the right diagnosis.

By September, 2012, Beloved Husband had been in ICU for two MG crises and one instance of sepsis. However, by then treatment had brought him through all that and symptoms were close to under control.

Looking back now, I can praise God for His excellent greatness in providing us hope as we rollercoastered between 2011 and 2012. I  can confine it to that year, either. God has the capability to see us through everything that comes our way. I could make a list of specific times/items/heartbreaks in our lives, but those aren't important to you. How God works in your life is very important, especially to you.

So, look back over ten years. I can name specifics that affected the world as a whole, but what do you remember about finding God working in your life? Be serious about it, and share in Comments if you wish us if you found things you didn't remember among the things you do.

Are you able to rejoice? I was, and I still am. God be with you when you need Him most. Every day.

From September 11, 2012:

Have you ever looked around to see that everyone – yes, every other person in the whole world – seems to have more?  Not that they all have everything, but each one has something that we either need, want or could put to good use. We see a lacking in our lives.

The media is filled with people losing jobs, losing homes, unable to provide. A family flees fire or flood, leaving their home to possible destruction. They saved valuable memories as well as their lives. Crops are failing in one spot because of drought, in another because of too much rain. Stories abound about those who have lost, but overcome.

We look toward our lack – and rejoice:

Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines;
the labour of the olive shall fail,
and the fields shall yield no meat;
the flock shall be cut off from the fold,
and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Why?

The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:17-19 KJV)

That alone is a wonderful thought – in spite of all we lack, we rejoice in the Lord.

But, I fell in love with the last line when I pictured God as the chief singer on my own, personal stringed instrument.  I know, I know – that’s not what Habakkuk was thinking when he wrote it.

I hear the touch of wind against leaves, creating music to match that of the birds on branches. The slap of raindrops on a variety of surfaces, echoing with thunder. The sound of waves against the shore, never ceasing, ever changing. The music God creates in nature soothes us, causing us to listen for that still, small voice.

I see God’s hands working in our lives, bringing forth beautiful music on the strings of our heart. Bringing from the stillness within us music we never thought of ourselves.  Yes, He is the chief singer, the creator of all that causes us to rejoice. 

Doesn’t matter what we lack, He provides what we need and enriches our lives with what He has created. 

We rejoice, in the Lord.

Tears In A Bottle

I've used this graphic before - although I have no idea what source. In that blog two years ago, "I Still Miss Her," I wrote of my sister-in-law, Janice Grove. She was one to share the good news of Jesus' resurrection and the promise that faith would keep us eternally. 

I really like the way my sister-in-law worded Pascal’s Wager (the emphasis is her own) on her own blog in 2011:

“I WOULD RATHER LIVE THINKING THERE IS A GOD AND DIE TO FIND OUT THERE ISN'T THAN TO LIVE THINKING THERE ISN'T A GOD AND DIE TO FIND OUT THERE IS.”

She found the answer October 18, 2011. I missed after that - and found that I still miss her, painfully, often afterward. I could speak to her about many subjects - and we shared a love for family history, to the point we referred to it as genealogy. We filled in many blanks.

She is on the very top of my mind, has been since last Friday, when her beloved husband, Kenneth Grove, made the same discovery she did.

There is so much to be told about our husbands, separated when they were pre-schoolers. In and out of a children's home in Maumee, Ohio during the first part of World War II, then separated by a divorce where their father took the two older sons to Oklahoma, leaving her husband, the youngest, with their mother. There wasn't a reunion for thirty-five years, after all three brothers had grown children.

Can you see how many tears our Lord has put in His botttle, how much is written in His book? And there are two less people who share our interest in sharing the work of the Lord. She would have loved discussing Pascal's wager in another blog:

An atheist commented as to how surprised Christians are going to be when they die and find there is no God.  To me, that shows he hasn’t thought through his own argument.  If death is the end, no eternity beyond, Christians will not be surprised, nor will anyone else.  However, if Christians are correct, eternity does exist as explained by them, I would not want to be an atheist.  Of course, that’s Pascal’s Wager.

My concept of the “play it safe rather than risk being sorry” is to study what is offered about God.  Others have done so and chosen different religious views.  I will but simply state my own beliefs and their source.

I still run across other articles, opinions, studies, refutations, and debates on Pascal's Wager, such as this one just two days ago. Check out Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy's "Pascal's Wager about God." It opens with:

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) offers a pragmatic reason for believing in God: even under the assumption that God’s existence is unlikely, the potential benefits of believing are so vast as to make betting on theism rational. The super-dominance form of the argument conveys the basic Pascalian idea, the expectations argument refines it, and the dominating expectations argument gives a more sophisticated version still.

 I will admit I've given you a lot of background and a lot of reading. I hope it makes you thinkk about what you would say if, as Paul was, you are brought before an authority, as Agrippa was, and you have the opportunity to explain what you believe, and why, as Paul did before Agrippa - and I give you more to read in Acts 26. Will you start an outline now? What do you believe about what the Bible says about Jesus - and why?

Memories

 

Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash

I was looking for a "Memory Lane" sign, but ran across this Katie Moum photograph and thought it would be a great lead to a discussion of memories. They do become foggy when we look back upon them. If you take four people who spent several years together, sit them down to write their memories, you will end up with four different viewpoints even though the request was expected to return similar experiences.

Beloved Husband and I have been married for sixty-two years this coming May - but we don't have the same memories. My interests include genealogy. I can assure you, what I find isn't trusted by another researcher without a good citation of source and clarification how what I found fits into the story. He isn't interested at all, so our memories of our parents, grandparents and extended family is not the same.

My memory bank (what there is left of it) is better at older memories than what I was doing before I sat down at this computer. Thus the view up this road matches more my view of my day. There will be fog banks along the way. Other people would be able to see this road much more clearly - and our memories would not match.

So what scriptures would run across my mind after thinking: My memories are my own. When I'm gone, no one will have access to what I know, when I knew it, and what I did with the knowledge I acquired?

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13 KJV)

John, Peter's brother, wrote that. almost a shortened version of his introduction at the first of this letter:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (1 John 1:1-4 KJV)

Luke opened Acts with:

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (Acts 1:1-4 KJV)

John wrote in first person, Luke usually didn't. Every once in a while in Acts he uses "we" but most of the book is written as heard from someone else. He wrote about what he heard and believed. The rest of the New Testament was written by people who walked with Jesus, heard His words, had memories of interacting with Him, and wrote those memories down when inspisred by God. Not dictated by God, but inspired by Him. The words used are important today, too. They had meaning when used, had meaning when translated, have been compared for centuries, and mean the same today as they did then.

I believe that, and 1 John 5:13 is the same reason I write this blog. No, I do not believe God inspires the actual words here, but I do believe he inspired me through the Apostle's writings to share scripture and what it means to me. 

There are two immediate results of your reading this - a lack of interest and it doesn't cross your mind again; or a bit of interest and you think about what is written. After that, the possibilites divide exponentialy. Some paths lead to learing more, others run off into dead ends - but all are in memory. One memory that we do share that may lead to:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11 KJV)

What Is Fake About The News?

Newspapers and Periodicals - 1915 Issue

This blog started as a result of a Lexis/Nexis article, “A Little Truth About Fake News—and the Law”.  My first thought was about how applicable validation was to my genealogy research, which sent me to a good article by Family Search Organization’s  “Rookie Mistakes”. I know – a lot of reading, isn’t it? A little more generalized education that you expected? Well – as a Christian, truth is very important. Especially now with such wide divisions in our county and it’s impact when semantics make a difference.  Not all we take into our minds is worth being there. So, let’s take time to learn to discern:

Barbara Gray, associate professor and chief librarian at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, recently spoke on a LexisNexis webinar titled 10 Tips for Fighting Fake News: How to Fact Check Like a Pro. Gray offered these tools for smart and efficient research to help validate “news”:

1. Be skeptical
2. Create your own habit of fact checking
3. Ask yourself "who says" and "are they biased"?
4. Use your gut
5. Look for citations of sources of information
6. Be aware of your own confirmation bias
7. Take notice if you are feeling emotional after reading the information—it could have been manufactured to exploit your bias
8. Write fast, but fact check slowly
9. Check primary sources such as government reports, court documents, and scholarly articles found in databases such as those provided by LexisNexis
10. Always give attribution, and be transparent about where you get your information

There are "red flags" to look for in web pages - most in blogger pages, but some "news" sources display these, too. This list was compiled by Thomas O’Toole, founder of Second Chair Media LLC.

1. Suspicious domain names
2. No "About Us" Page
3. Missing byline and contact information
4. Questionable currency or lack of post dates
5. Lack of sources and hyperlinking
6. Lack of uniform style
7. Poor design aesthetics
8. Headline and social media misdirection

O'Toole voiced hope for the future: " [T]he way to combat false or misleading speech is with more speech, offering rational, factual information."

Reminds me of genealogy research. It is easy to use another's research to increase our family trees - but that opens us up to errors. Which is one reason I pulled my tree from all but one online location. I know mine is a "work in progress" and contains errors that I continue to work to prove or disprove. Which brings us to a "Rookie Mistakes" quote:

"Experienced researchers should realize that solid evidence from multiple sources is needed in order to draw valid conclusions about individuals and family relationships. Since all the needed information may not be available, this means that a tentative conclusion is put into their research logs indicating that more sources are needed. They look for multiple records for individuals, including birth, marriage, death, and census records. They use these records to create a complete picture of individuals and families so that the conclusions they draw are strongly supported by the evidence. The more sources you can cite, the less likely your conclusions will be over-turned later by yourself or someone else." [Italics are my added stress to article.]

The same is true if you are researching today’s news, any era in history, a family’s genealogy, or biblical doctrines.

Yes – you knew this would come back around Bible reading, didn’t you? We need to understand the source of anything we are going to accept as “true”, “valid”, “real”, and that we will make part of ourselves to support. What you do about politics is not in my interest – and mine should not affect you. But – what we believe about the Bible, God, Jesus, salvation, and punishment has an impact on how we see eternity.

What do we want to do with it? Deny, embrace, or ignore? When we decide, shouldn’t we validate what sources we use to make that decision?

Acts chapter 17 opens with Paul and Silas arriving in Thessalonica, and the city was not happy about their being there. They rejected what he was telling them – both politically and violently. For their safety:

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:10-12 KJV)

Which brings me to a steady theme I’ve written for decades now – search the scriptures daily simply to determine if what Christians believe are true. Learn how they were written. Why they are held as valid. Be skeptical about them, but do the research. Find out what Paul was teaching, why he chose to, and the results. Be a Berean.

Why 501(c)(3) of Title 26?

Two career changes ago I got to give money away through a 501( c )3 foundation – and there were multiple rules for how that should be done. Our particular foundation had to be doubly careful where the contributions went – or they could lose their own IRS ruling that allowed people/corporation’s donations to them to be tax-deductible.

That has absolutely nothing to do with reading your Bible – except as an example as to why it is essential to have chapters and verses in Bible study.

Suppose I said to you that I’d like for you to read the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus in the book of John? I know (as most Christians know) that you could turn directly to chapter 3, and those sample people could tell you from their memory verse 16.

While speaking with someone wanting a donation from the foundation, I would explain they needed to comply with 501(c)(3). Rather than read the entire IRS code, or even Title 26, and figure out what was required, they could go directly to the section/paragraph/sub-paragraph of Title 26.

That’s why chapter and verse numbers are convenient – even though they are not included in the original documents. It is interesting to read the Bible without the inserted verse numbers – or arbitrary paragraphs. Yes, even paragraphs were not part of the original documents. Nor commas, semi-colons or periods. Today’s rules of grammar did not apply.

However, don’t you find them easier to keep track? At least of where you are? Even those pesky page numbers that are not original.

My thoughts on this were generated by someone who expressed a concern that doctrine is based on single verses. And I looked at that concept in a number of blogs. My favorite also mentions John’s third chapter, and this paragraph:

Read the chapter – not just that one awesome and beloved verse. Find out to whom Jesus was speaking, why the man came to see Him, the answers Jesus gave. Put the verse in context. It increases our knowledge when we do, but it doesn't change the message of the verse as it stands alone. As someone mentioned in another thought today, “It is what it is.”

No matter what verse(s) are posted in any blog or article, read them in context. In the above blog, I mentioned verses in Genesis, John and Revelation. To understand them, you need to read them in context. My personal preference is to read the Bible through at least once a year, which puts it all in context, even all the lists of names and genealogy in the Old Testament!

Since I won’t blog without scripture, here are two important ones – from that third chapter, and another about what to do with it:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Then do as well as the Bereans:

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:10-11)


Do not remove the verses from their context. Who is God? What is the world? How do we not perish? What is everlasting life? Go ahead – see if these things are so.

Notes on Note Taking

My father was a note taker. The habit started when he was a teen and survived a traumatic brain injury that affected his short term memory. He would study each morning, take notes and eventually was valedictorian of his graduating class. Twenty years later, when he went to work for American Airlines, he kept a notebook with daily tasks to be certain he accomplished them all. One of the last things he used in 2000 was a small old notebook where he wrote down the jobs he had, from picking cotton to American Airlines Security, followed by retirement. I picked up some of his habit.

I take notes. From these notes come almost all I write here, though some catch my attention on the ‘net. I keep sermon notes – usually three times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, but always there are reminders of scriptures and references of things I think are important. My current notebook begins December 3, 2015 when we were studying Proverbs chapter 18. I noted several verses, but marked:

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. (Proverbs 18:13 KJV)

When reading a commentary on this verse I found a reference:

Many mighty men have been greatly disgraced; and the honourable delivered into other men's hands. Blame not before thou hast examined the truth: understand first, and then rebuke. Answer not before thou hast heard the cause: neither interrupt men in the midst of their talk. Ecclesiasticus 11:8

Along with an explanatory note about the Apocrypha in the original 1611 King James Bible, removed in 1885. And, there was a note in the commentary – originally in Latin, but I found a translation:

The one who decides in any case, without hearing the other side of the question, though he might determine justly, is not therefore just (Seneca)

Research takes multiple paths and keeping notes on those paths (the reason for taking them, the results of taking them, and the changes caused/not caused) are important. I know that from my genealogy research but particularly for my Bible study and research.

Another example is in older GPS instructions for finding the First Baptist Church of Cottondale. The earliest online mapping apparently thought the street address being in Paradise also placed this church in Paradise. As John Wayne used to say, “Not hardly.” Taking someone else’s word, no matter how technologically/scientifically advanced, sometimes sends us in the wrong direction.

Jesus gave us some specific travel advice:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 KJV)

“Strait” does not mean “straight.” It means “… limited spatial capacity; narrow or cramped.” Sort of the same as narrow “… limited in extent, amount, or scope; restricted.”That could be why followers of Christ are often called narrow-minded. We do decline to accept the widened view of “anything goes,” or as the Bible puts it:

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. (Deuteronomy 12:8 KJV)

Yet, they did:

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 KJV)

Until even Solomon notes:

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. (Proverbs 12:15 KJV)

Do be cautious about that counsel. We can find people that agree with us – just ask the question on FB or Twitter and thousands will agree that the moon is made of green cheese. Seek wise counsel for wise counseling. Especially as it refers to God:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17 KJV)

How’s your fruit?

Sunday Thoughts

No, today’s not Sunday – but I made some notes yesterday and want to go over them this morning.

First – we were in church on a Sunday, the first day of the week – not Saturday, the seventh, Sabbath. Yes, I believe the Bible and the Bible says:

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11 KJV)

However, things changed that first day of a week. Before that Sunday, a new covenant was given:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:26-29 KJV)

Wait – I wrote new covenant and English translators used testament – which is correct? Take a look at:

Strong's G1242, the Greek διαθήκη (diathēkē) dee-ath-ay'-kay
properly a disposition, that is, (specifically) a contract (especially a devisory will): - covenant, testament.

We read that it was the first day of the week the disciples discovered the empty tomb (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1). They did not come to see an empty tomb, but to do a belated burial preparation. Each one who came to the tomb expected to find His body there. He was not to be found – although they had been told what to expect. And, God’s third day of creation brought forth life. 

It was that first day of the week that the resurrected Jesus was seen by His disciples:

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (John 20:19 KJV)

The disciples continued to attend synagogue on the Sabbath, but they also met each first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2), the Lord’s day.  Justin Martyr is said to have written:

"On the day which is called Sunday, all (Christians) who dwell either in town or country come together to one place. The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read for a certain time, and then the president of the meeting, when the reader has stopped, makes a discourse, in which he instructs and exhorts the people to the imitation of the good deeds of which they have just heard."

It is this desire to remember the new testament, our Lord’s resurrection and to gather with His followers that has me in our congregation each Sunday morning worshipping the Lord of the Sabbath:

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.(Mark 2:27-28 KJV)

(Yes – these thoughts were prompted by questions from a loved one as well as genealogy research prompted by an ancestral member of the Seventh Day Baptist Church.)

Wrong

I had ordered the package a week before. It was already a day late and as we drove home, we passed a UPS truck leaving our area. An expectation had been set. Nope – nothing on the porch, and UPS is used to leaving packages there.

I go to the trusty PC, bring up the order site, check the shipping – and their site says it was delivered, and has a tracking number. I take the tracking number to the UPS site to make a complaint. The entries’ response was “Not available.” I was becoming frustrated! I went back to the order site, to be certain I had the tracking number correct – and noticed I had misread the carrier. It was USPS, not UPS.

I was wrong. I had an expectation set in my mind and filtered what I quickly glanced over to fit my expectations.

How often do we do that with scriptures? Or, take one bit out of context since it does fit our expectations? That’s why I strongly advocate personal study based on a desire to learn more.

One example is the ever quick to be used:

Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1 KJV)

It is not good to create a doctrine on a single verse. Look to the surrounding verses to know the subject matter, the speaker, the audience as well as the rest of the lesson. It will take several verses to understand that judgment is not condemned when it is done correctly. Besides, that same lesson is found in Luke:

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (Luke 6:37 KJV)

Once again, there’s an introduction to the lesson, and additional informational information follows:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38 KJV)

It’s also not good to seek out a verse that agrees with a specific purpose. We still need to check the surrounding verses and the other criteria. A small example is a verse often used in wedding vows:

…whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

The whole verse:

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: (Ruth 1:16 KJV)

… was said by a Moabitess to a Jewess, a widowed daughter-in-law to her widowed mother-in-law. A commitment from King David’s great-grandmother to his great-great-grandmother. Go back a little further in the genealogy in Matthew and we find:

And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; (Matthew 1:5 KJV)

That Rachab is also known as Rahab – remember her from Jericho?

And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. (Joshua 2:1 KJV)

… mentioned again several times in the New Testament. My favorite is in Hebrews:

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. (Hebrews 11:31 KJV)

Take time to pay more attention than I did between UPS and USPS. While you may follow “rabbit trails” down different paths, it is best to realize differences. The difference can be a simple verse or two between right and wrong.

Dilemma – Day 5 – On His Father’s Side

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (Philippians 2:5-7 KJV)

We hear them – “What Child Is This”, “Mary, Did You Know,” “Away In A Manger”, etc. – and we picture the child in the nativity set. We know His story, but there are at least two sides to every story. Pastor reminded us of this during last Sunday’s sermon when he spoke of a song: “On My Father’s Side”.

I heard that for the first time this October. We were on our way to church with my sister-in-law, listening to her husband’s favorite radio station. We both enjoy genealogy as a hobby and are used to the phrase. This is a good time of year to consider Jesus’ genealogy – it played a role in His death.

Jewish leaders charged him with blasphemy – for making statements that equated Him with God. Certainly, His disciples did, and I do, too. His crucifixion, however, was under Roman law. Had it been under Jewish law, the punishment would have been stoning, not in keeping with several prophecies (no, I’m not going to list them here.)

I see Him as God. I worship Him as God. Even as described by Paul, in the form of a servant, looking as any other man, I agree with John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 KJV)
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 KJV)

In flesh, He called God “Father”, even as He died:

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34 KJV)

He prayed to His Father for us:

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:20-21 KJV)

On His mother’s side He was made flesh and dwelt among us. On His Father’s side He is King and Lord:

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:14 KJV)

He is that Lamb, as recognized by John:

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29 KJV)

Can you see that in each manger scene? The mother at His side, pondering in her heart all that occurred the night He was born? The Father, one with Him? Can you see Him with the woman at the well:

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. (John 4:25-26 KJV)

Can you see that, in this child?

Dilemma – Day 4 – Who Is He?

Chronologically, I’ve reached a fourth thought from Sunday morning – pastor’s sermon, “Who Is That Baby, Really?”

We all know that baby in the manger. Christian or not, we know His name is Jesus. We also know He changed the world. For we Christians, His title is Christ, His father is God and He is, too. There are several verses that explain much about Him.

Matthew begins with paternal genealogy, establishing male links to David’s throne and describing the heavenly message provided the magi as well as Herod’s destructiveness.

Mark skips all that and jumps straight to the prophetic message that the Messiah would come – and was right there, right then.

Luke, from my point of view, interviewed Mary, who had been pondering things in her heart since the birth – and surely after the death – of her firstborn. Luke tells us personal things, as viewed by a loving mother.

John begins with the divinity of our Lord:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3 KJV)

Isn’t it wonderful that all of these descriptions, by four men who walked with Him, are provided in order for us to see Jesus as they saw Him. How about those who came later?

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:12-17 KJV)

Paul pretty much includes it all. God is. He has given us an inheritance in His kingdom. All things were created by Him – for Him. The answer to why we are here – because God created us for Him.
Which is why we pray for others:

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Colossians 1:9-10 KJV)

No. This does not close my dilemma. No. The sermon wasn’t longer than any other Sunday – there simply were so many lifting thoughts that there are more days to fill. You’ll see more, tomorrow.

“It Is A Shame”

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. (Ephesians 5:11-12 KJV)

Beginning in Genesis 2:25 where the man and his wife were not ashamed, ending with 1 John 2:28 where we will have confidence and not be ashamed at His coming, there are 111 verses using the word "ashamed." I was surprised at how many spoke of NOT being ashamed, though most spoke of how people were a shamed. Ninety-eight verses contain the word "shame"

I like Strong's definition of the Hebrew שׁמצה (H8103) from Exodus 32:25:  Scornful whispering (of hostile spectators). And בּוּשׁ (H954) from Psalms 119:31: To be disappointed ... be confounded. Then there's the Greek αἰσχύνη (G152) from Hebrews 12:2 - which Christ despised: Disgrace.

We've gotten away from this feeling. There are things spoken of in our homes that are shameful. Well, maybe not in homes without television, computers or smartphones. Those communication devices bring programming and social media that often display things we would not invite into our homes, but there they are.

I find them in mine. I enjoy Facebook, but there are posts that contain words I will not speak. Often they are posted by family members. When that’s consistent, I’ve had to “deFriend,” causing rifts. But I don’t want to appear to support such words/photos. It’s biblical:

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, (Ephesians 5:15 KJV)

And, as always, there’s more to it than one simple verse:

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Ephesians 5:16-20 KJV)

How can we possibly understand what the will of the Lord is until we know what has been written about Him? Not just one person’s interaction with Him, but hundreds, across even more hundred of years. Look at a preponderance of evidence. That’s a process used in genealogy as well as trials:

… the greater weight of the evidence required in a civil (non-criminal) lawsuit for the trier of fact (jury or judge without a jury) to decide in favor of one side or the other. This preponderance is based on the more convincing evidence and its probable truth or accuracy, and not on the amount of evidence.

Of course, I’m a very biased reporter – I have personal evidence of what a difference God makes in lives. I know specific prayers and their answers – some not positive, but obviously within His will. I believe because I’ve done my own searching, learning, studying, praying and understanding. Thus I know this is a personal journey as each one moves along those paths. I’ve seen loved ones side-tracked by huge stumbling blocks and I pray for their return to:

Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; (Psalms 105:4-5 KJV)

The Right Words

I often stumble over right wording, trying to express myself while not knowing how my reader will interpret words, phrasing and concepts. What I’m thinking as I write is not always conveyed with the words I choose, and my reader’s view is impacted by personal thoughts and experiences. We don’t see the same subjects in the same way.

In the above graphic – what is shown? Why? I know the story, the names of the men and why they are sitting on the cowcatcher of the engine. Some of my readers will not be familiar with the term cowcatcher and spend time on that word. I know their legs are wrapped in a buffalo robe, not a blanket. Part of the story is on an update in my genealogy website about this photo. Even with that update, this photo’s story is incomplete.

Just as each day I write a blog about Bible verses, and those blogs are incomplete. The Bible itself cannot contain all that God is. One day’s blog is a tiny facet, and I never know if my original thought is conveyed.  I do not, however, concern myself with having written the right word once this is published. If a typo is found, or an error, those will be corrected.

The rest is done after prayer and Bible reading. Though I am not before a magistrate, I do have a critical audience, so I depend on scripture:

And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. (Luke 12:11-12 KJV)

I depend on Bible verses and prayer when telling what the verses mean to me. I depend on the Comforter:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26 KJV)

All of this is done without knowing who will read each day’s entry, so all of what I read and right begins for me. It’s not something I think readers will enjoy, heed or even return for tomorrow’s.  It is what I’m thinking about and what I need for my life.  Because It has been good for people for thousands of years, it’s good for me and will be good for my readers.

All I hope for is that my readers will take their own Bible – any version – read the verses I’ve used, reading them in context. Do surrounding verses impact what I’ve written? Are the verses useful in understanding what I have in mind?  Do you get a different meaning from the verses? Tell me about it, please.

Mourning

Parting from one's beloved. The Entombment of Atala 1808
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson

Most of my readers are aware of my interest in genealogy. One of my 6th great grandmothers was Mourning Lewis, born about 1694 in Henry county, Virginia, married Robert Adams 4 February 1711/12 (the date looks odd because of calendar differences), and passed away in 1764 in Albermarle, Virginia. Why would her parents, William Lewis and Elizabeth Woodson, name a child ‘mourning’? Were they in mourning themselves?

My fourth great grandfather, Joseph Timberlake (1752-1841) and his wife Anne Douglas (1761-1815) named their seventh child Mourning Timberlake.  Were they, too, mourning?

Smelling Coffee posted a blog about Matthew 5:4 that speaks of those who do mourn:

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 KJV)

We all do mourn.  I mourn the loss of my parents, though Mom has been with our Lord since 1995, Dad since 2000 and time should have lessened mourning – but it hasn’t.  I have, however, been comforted.

I mourn the more recent loss of a dearly loved sister-in-law, also a sister in Christ, at home with the Lord just this fall. I miss them all. I am comforted, not only by the above verse, but by the very presence of our Lord in my life.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:15-18 KJV)

Did you notice that He never told us NOT to mourn?  He knows we will. There are so many things to be mourned.  In the midst of all, though, we are comforted.

Where do you find the best comfort? 

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4 KJV)

When we received comfort from our Lord, we are to pass it along, too, comforting those we find in need:

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 KJV)

There are many more verses – look for them and find comfort:

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 KJV)

Then, look for those you are able to comfort, seeing that as good word and work.

In The Lord’s Sight

I was cleaning up some genealogy papers and ran across the memorial sheet of my husband’s aunt. This photo was undated, but appears to have been take in the early1920’s.  Mayme was born in 1905, and went home to her Lord in 2009.  Included in her obituary was:  “Mayme was a long-time, active member of First United Methodist Church in Lebanon.”  That’s a town, too, not the country!

Do you think you could be considered a long-time, active member of your church?  If not, why not?  It really doesn’t take much to be considered an active member.  The majority of those simply show up for services on Sunday morning and bring an offering of some kind.  They consider this sufficient, for Paul wrote:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV]

So, in order for no one to consider them boasting, they simply attend.  Perhaps they didn’t read what James wrote:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. [James 1:27 KJV]

Or, from another of his chapters:

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. [James 2:18 KJV]

The people who know you best will probably write your obituary.  What will they say about your faith?  Is it displayed in any work you do to bring glory to your Father in heaven?  Not works accomplished in obedience to laws without faith, dependent upon them for salvation, but obedience to the word of Jesus:

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. [Matthew 25:40 KJV]

Also note in James 1:27 it says “fatherless”, not orphaned nor motherless.  I can assure you there are fatherless children in your church.  And, there are widows, too.  How much pure religion are you practicing today? 

It really is a simple thing to become active in your church.  The first step is building your faith:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. [Romans 10:17 KJV]

Then by praying:

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. [1 Timothy 2:8 KJV]

By then you’ll know where to serve Him. There’s a place waiting for you, both here and in heaven.

Yahweh Is My Strength

There are so many kings in Israel’s history that we tend to overlook them, skipping from Solomon to the prophets, with just a few lessons in between. We are neglecting excellent lessons by doing so. I was reminded of this recently with an introduction to Uzziah, one of David’s descendants listed in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus.

His name means ‘Yahweh is my strength.’ We are introduced to him at age sixteen.

Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. [2 Chronicles 26:3-5 KJV]

A great start, isn’t it? He listened to others, selecting those who could achieve what was needed.

Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry. [2 Chronicles 26:10 KJV]

Strong. Powerful. Capable. All attributes of a great leader.

And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. [2 Chronicles 26:15 KJV]

Lord Acton’s dictum comes into play right after this. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. [2 Chronicles 26:16 KJV]

As Saul did before him, Uzziah made the mistake Lucifer stated aloud.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. [Isaiah 14:14 KJV]

Authority is granted by God, not taken from Him.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. [Romans 13:1 KJV]

Uzziah did not have the authority given to the priests to burn incense upon the altar. Usurping that authority cost him his health and his kingdom.

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land. [2 Chronicles 26:21 KJV]

He forgot that as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. [2 Chronicles 26:5 KJV]

Detail of Uzziah from Michelangelo Buonarroti's Sistine Chapel, Vatican (1511)

The Tale

Last night’s Ladies Meeting theme came from:

we spend our years as a tale that is told. (Psalms 90:9a KJV)

Everyone has a story. One of the more interesting ones I found doing genealogy is that of Blanche Blick, from a side of my husband’s family who shortened the name long before others thought of doing so. Blanche was born in 1862 in Iowa, but spent her life traveling the world, from Capetown, South Africa to the gold fields of Klondike, she followed her husband, Frederick R. Burnham. From a Wikipedia article, we know several people who told the tales of adventure based on his experiences.

Quoting some of an article from Miners News "The Arizona Miner and Indiana Jones", Wikipedia states:

"Rider Haggard's fictional Allan Quatermain character was heavily influenced by his close friendship Burnham. Quatermain and Burnham were both small and wiry Victorian adventurers in colonial Africa, both sought and discovered ancient treasures and civilizations, both battled large wild animals and native peoples, both were renowned for their ability to track, even at night, and both men had strikingly similar nicknames: Quatermain, "Watcher-by-Night"; Burnham, "He-who-sees-in-the-dark". But Burnham’s influence on fictional adventurers wasn’t to end there. In the 1970s, a young movie director, George Lucas, decided to write the ultimate adventure film. The template for his hero, Indiana Jones, was the hero of the H. Rider Haggard books, Allan Quatermain."

Do any of us expect that from our life story? A clear, resounding “No!” can be heard.

Last night the question was asked, what do you tell your grandchildren about your mother? What will your children tell their grandchildren about you? How does that balance against what you want them to tell?

What are the things in your life that you want to be passed down to following generations? Have you told your children they are important to you?

For me, the most important thing is what I’ve learned from the Bible. In many instances, it is a case of “Do as I say, not as I do” for I’ve failed to achieve so many of the goals laid out for us in His word.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48 KJV)

Blew that one early on – with decades behind me and fewer years ahead to continue trying.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:4 KJV)

There’s that perfection thing again, with patience thrown in!! What is one to do? David wrote of Him:

Be still, and know that I am God: (Psalms 46:10a KJV)

Christ taught us how to speak to God:

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)

These things I would have my children tell their grandchildren of me.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)

Major Frederick Russell Burnham DSO 1904 (Wiki Commons)

Census and Genealogy

I’m part of United States' 2010 Census. All citizens are. All of us are to complete the questionnaires, just as we have done since 1790.

I have found some ancestors in each of the American Census records. I think there was one, even, in the remnants of the burned 1890 census. I really miss that one. It would have connected my grandmother with her family. She was born in 1881 – missing the 1880 census – and married in 1899, so she shows up with my grandfather.

I was working on the 1930 census (laughter from my daughter – “You are that old?”) when I found entries that were very legible (we appreciate that!), very thorough – every field completed and readable – and an excellent example of penmanship (well, we just don’t do that much any more.)

I checked the enumerator – and found my grandmother’s name. She died the year I was born and I had never seen her handwriting. I did keep a copy, not just for the names on it.

Last Sunday’s lesson touched on genealogies, as did Timothy a couple of weeks ago.

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. (1 Timothy 1:4 KJV)

But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. (Titus 3:9 KJV)

Genealogies were important in Judaism. Moses used pedigrees when numbering the children of Israel:

And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. (Numbers 1:18-19 KJV)

Genealogy was important to show Christ’s lineage through David to Abraham:

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:17 KJV)

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph … which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
(Luke 3:23 … 38 KJV)

There really isn’t a devotional thought today, just random thoughts about how past census taking has helped in my own genealogy studies and how both census taking and genealogies run in the Bible. Perhaps, after these few days of work, my mind is capable of nor more than that!

One last thought for my American readers – be kind to the census workers you meet. State representation and budget apportionment hinge on the count submitted. Accurate counts mean those items will provide fairness to both.

Now – back to the car and out to the field – literally, my assignment areas are rural, the “blocks” are miles in circumference. No walking door to door without miles of driving. Prayers and/or kind thoughts much appreciated.

(1850 Census from my research files)

My Words Gone, Not His

Yahoo! is shutting down GeoCities. I dislike that. In 1997, GeoCities hosted my first website – a copy of the genealogy workbook I was creating. I found several excellent sources, filled in pedigree and family sheets in a well-designed program then posted photos from more than a century before to share with family members.

I had to move away this year as Yahoo! support failed, as it has on several of their platforms. Fortunately, I had discovered Blogger a while back and my genealogy is being migrated over, a little at a time with a change in format and additional information. But, I shall miss those days of coding and designing a website to share our family secrets.

This loss is an example of how quickly a person’s thoughts waft away into nothingness. Isn’t it awesome, then, that God has preserved His word for our use today? Moses, writing the history of his people, David writing his songs to God, Solomon leaving us Proverbs, the prophets – all those beautiful prophecies that have been fulfilled, and the ones yet to come. The gospels, the works of His son, the letters to the churches, the revelation of John at Patmos – what a great wealth has been preserved generation upon generation, for thousands of years.

The Dead Sea Scrolls gave us comparisons across two thousand years to show an example of that preservation. Those of faith enjoy the confirmation, but it isn’t necessary. He told us the way it would be:

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Matthew 24:35 KJV)

That’s important, so it was repeated:

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Mark 13:31 KJV)

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Luke 21:33 KJV)

So very important that the last book, last chapter, contains:

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19 KJV)

Why preserve His word? The answer includes the answer given by Christ to Satan:

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4 KJV)

Indeed, that was written, and preserved:

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3 KJV)

Just as He is truth, this is truth: For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalms 100:5 KJV)

So, many of my words are gone. But not His.