Offended?

It is not a hot topic in the news right now, but it has been in my heart and on my mind. Please understand early that what I write may be offensive to some. I regret that stating such openly will offend – especially by some who continually opt for diversity, yet do not wish to hear what I have to say. Nor do they wish to know many others share this view.

I want to consider DNA. It is different in every individual that has walked upon the face of this earth. Nothing lives without it. People have died because of it. A recent DNA study of a hair from a death-sentence case indicates that the hair did not come from the man executed for the crime. DNA results can help clear or convict people of crime because no two people carry the same DNA.

Recent studies have shown that monozygotic twins have differences in copy number variations. According to Science Daily in 2008, these variations occur when a set of coding letters in a twin’s DNA are missing or when extra copies are produced. Thus, “identical” twins sometimes aren’t. One may develop a disease such as Parkinson’s, the other, not.

Human beings receive one chromosome from each parent. Both a father and mother are required, whether it be through natural or artificial insemination. Cloning appears to preclude that statement, but the cloned cell did require two donations of DNA.

Even the cloning of animals such as Dolly, the first sheep cloned, requires an unfertilized egg from a donor, removal of the nucleus and insertion of the nucleus of a cell containing DNA from a male and a female. Cloning of a human through such a process has thus far failed.

The combination of human DNA cannot change into a frog or dog. It cannot be born a cat or rat. Instead of becoming a fish or fowl, it will remain human through all the progressive stages from conception to birth. It is human DNA from conception.

So we are left with a scientific fact that, to date, all humans walking upon this earth have half their DNA from a mother, half from a father. It’s part of what makes us human. People have battled for decades in favor of human rights. Within my lifetime there have been marches and protests, speeches and writings, all supporting human rights. There are international non-governmental human rights organizations, from Amnesty International to Womankind Worldwide and hundreds in between, worldwide.

Why, then, simply because this human is carried within the female body, are the cares of the father ignored? Why is it a woman’s right to choose an abortion when that same woman chose to offer her body to a man? Please do not digress at this point to rape or incest. Those situations are different and are not part of this discussion. Stick to the stated consensual situation that covers the majority of American abortions.

Do human rights begin solely at a live birth? If that is so, why do mothers grieve at the loss of an unborn child? If that is not so, why is abortion allowed as birth control?

After all that, simply because I believe this verse, my views and my questions are considered closed-mindedly right-wing conservative:

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psalms 139:14 KJV)

I despise being labeled.

(PS: I've tried a new linking for Wikimedia Commons -- please leave a comment if it does not load correctly, or too slowly, for you. Thanks!)

Como Estas

"Como esta?” (How are you?)
“Muy bien, gracias. Y usted?” (Very good, thank you. And yourself?)

That’s part of my very first lesson in high school Spanish decades ago. A simple greeting that stuck with me. I took two years there, and one in literature in college, and haven’t utilized it in a half a century since. Oh, now and then I’d speak a word or two with English-speaking friends, or translate in my mind a magazine or newspaper article headline. Maybe even a paragraph or two, but nothing else.

Until we were in Cozumel. Everyone knew we were tourists. We were in groups, all with cameras, stopping now and then to get photographs of family in front of something. We were with Beloved Husband’s brother and wife from Tulsa, having a grand time.

I became separated from them as they moved down a shopping lane and I remained inside a jewelry store. Such lovely rings! I do love rings. A gentleman stopped behind the counter and said, “Coma esta?”

My high school years kicked in and I replied, without looking up and without hesitation, “Muy bien, gracias. Y usted?”

His reply was a blur of syllables filled with vowels and consonants that sped past me without leaving a track. I began to apologize and explain we had reached the limit of my language abilities.

Has this ever happened to you while reading or hearing Bible verses? Would you find yourself agreeing with Peter as he wrote about Paul’s epistles?

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16 KJV)

It takes study and using those studies to retain and learn more, whether it’s lessons from high school or lessons from the Bible.

I agree with Peter, some things are hard to be understood. Working toward understanding takes learning more and wrestling with the difficulties that arise. We work hard at other things, things that interest us, things that help us at home or on the job.

Those of us who enjoy cooking work hard to create dishes our family and friends will enjoy. The first attempts may be difficult, may reach the table much less palatable than the picture that first caught our eye. Chefs go to school for years to ply their trade. Study and understanding go into placing food before us. How much more should be done in feeding our spiritual life?

There are more opportunities to learn today than ever before. In most countries education is more available today that it ever has been in the history of mankind. Of course, there is more to study today than ever before. We have choices before us.

How many will choose to study God’s word?

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

A World Upside Down

Our world has turned upside down in many ways. Beloved Husband sleeps in his recliner – on doctor’s orders – to ease his shoulder. He is first up around 4:00, when his evening pain pill wears off. I’ve been sleeping until 7:00 instead of being up at 5:00. I hope we can soon average that out!!

His dress is different – right now he’s wearing a series of Hawaiian shirts that are loose fitting, not tucked in, and gray sleep pants. Not having one arm available changes a lot of things. He can’t use a knife and fork, so I’m cooking differently. Multiple adjustments had to be made.

Paul experienced this in Thessalonica, where (as his manner was, the Bible says) he went to the local synagogue and reasoned with the Jews over three Sabbath days, citing scriptures. Remember, those were what we now call the Old Testament – using what we call Exodus, Isaiah, Psalms. Paul was:

Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. (Acts 17:3 KJV)

And, as some things happen today, that’s when the trouble started. Others in the past – and more would come in the future – claimed to be the Messiah, the one promised by God and sent from God. Unfortunately, people looked then – and continue to look today – for an earthly kingdom. Why they do so when we served a spiritual God sometimes overcomes me.

Anyway, there were converts.

And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. (Acts 17:4 KJV)

Look at that! Women in a place of leadership, listening to the gospel, and responding. They didn’t wait for their men to step out first. But that didn’t go over well either. Soon there was a response to these changes.

But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. (Acts 17:5 KJV)

Is that what we fear? That what we say will bring out those baser sorts and they’ll create an uproar? That we will hear people say:

And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; (Acts 17:6 KJV)

Are we unprepared to have people point at us and say, “Look! They are acting like Christians.”

Is that why some don’t say grace in public places? Are they concerned that they will be noticed?

Is that why religion isn’t discussed within families or with close friends? Are we concerned we might offend?

When we select Christmas cards do they celebrate a non-specific Happy Holidays? Are we changing celebrating Christ’s birth into a winter carnival?

Are we able to discuss our beliefs based on scripture? Do we open the Bible to refute erroneous statements? Do we even carry a Bible regularly?

When will we turn the world upside down for Christ?

Shema - The Lord is One

I’ve been thinking about Shema: "Sh'ma Isroel, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai, Echod." – “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Which brought to mind the writings of Dr. Max Wertheimer, former Rabbi of Temple Israel in Dayton, Ohio. I’ve enjoyed reading and re-reading his “How a Rabbi Found Peace” at http://www.menorah.org/rabbimaxwertheimer.html.

I like what he had to say about the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. After questions arose in his mind, he decided to re-read Isaiah from the beginning. He got to 6:9 before stopping, being confronted with the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Just as Christianity rises or falls upon the acceptance of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with the Son being the Messiah, Judaism stands on “the Lord is one.” Dr. Wertheimer’s article continued.

"Upon that word "Echod" (one) the entire philosophy of Judaism is based. I had been taught by the rabbis that echod means absolute unity. I began to study that word and found to my amazement it was used of Adam and Eve, who became one. It was used again when the spies returned from Canaan with a cluster of' grapes (Eshol Echod). It was used again when the "men of Judah" stood up as one man" (Ish Echod). Suddenly I was struck with the error I had believed and proclaimed all through my ministry. Echod cannot mean absolute unity, but a composite unity."

Menorah.org also has a PDF (http://www.menorah.org/54ReasonsWhyYeshuaIsTheMessiah.pdf) showing 54 Bible prophecies and their fulfillment. If you look them up, note some differences between verse numbering. The wording within the verses are the same.

It was on this site that my attention was caught by another verse in Isaiah:

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2 KJV)

I, too, need to spend more time studying, not just reading, Isaiah. For in this simple verse I see a promise fulfilled by the birth of God the Son, where truly the Lord Jehovah, who is my strength and the songs in my heart, He also became my salvation through Jesus Christ.

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. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5 KJV)

The Knesset Menorah, Jerusalem (detail - Shema Israel) (Wiki Commons)

Our Lord

Paul wrote his letter to the church at Ephesus. The church members had chosen to follow Christ through the preaching of the Gospel and were very young Christians. In what we call Ephesians 3:14-20, Paul tells them how he’s praying for them to grow in their spiritual lives, strengthened by Christ, and their comprehension increased.

He continues in chapter four, earnestly urging them to follow Christ’s example and reminding them they were – and we are – all called for a single purpose.

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:1-6 KJV)

Paul had to address a similar issue within the house of Chloe in Corinth.

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:12-13 KJV)

He mentions again that though one might plant and one might water, it is God who provides.

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7 KJV)

It is true there are doctrinal differences between denominations, and between churches within denominations. To be called a Christian does require belief of, faith in and service to a single foundation.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11 KJV)

Cite chapter and verse of God’s word in discussions of doctrinal differences, but to be a follower of Jesus, God’s Messiah, it is necessary to acknowledge Him as the centurion did.

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:54 KJV)

He did so as Christ died. Surely we can do so knowing of His resurrection? Knowing the church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, Her Lord?

(Christ at the door, a German engraving (Wikimedia Commons))

The Source

(No, this is not the farm described below -- but it's within the same time frame, 1953, but in Germany. This is from Wiki Commons)

Grace and Lawrence, my Dad’s sister and brother-in-law, had a dairy farm in southwestern Oklahoma. It had been Lawrence’s parents’ farm. He returned to run it when he was blinded in an accident. I cannot stress enough what a remarkable man he was to overcome such a physical handicap and run a successful dairy operation. I remember the “dark” rooms we had to go through to get to the milking area. One door would not open until the other closed so that no flies would find their way into the milking room. Lawrence was so gentle with the cows as he put on the milking machines to relieve pressure for his cows and provide milk for lots of families, including his own.

One of my cousins visited the farm as a child and wouldn’t drink a drop of milk while she was there. They went on to my grandmother’s home, again a country farm, on a much smaller scale, and she drank milk for every meal. When asked “Why?” the child explained:

“Aunt Grace gets her milk from dirty old cows. Grandma gets hers out of a well.” Yes, she did actually – the even temperature kept milk without using her icebox and a long rope served her well.

In a way, we’re the same as this cousin, misunderstanding the source of so much good. In our country, the government cannot establish a religion for the nation. That has been so misconstrued that our government can hardly acknowledge the source of much of our laws. They go back thousands of years.

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exodus 20:12-17 KJV)

I believe there are no laws regarding honor for parents, and coveting is done daily through advertising. But the other four are on the books pretty much as Moses received them. They are more concise than Hammurabi’s code, and we have more of his than his predecessor, Ur-Nammu. Yes, Ur, as in the home Abraham left.

Does their existence negate the Ten Commandments in any way? I think not. God is the source of laws that should govern each of our lives. One portion of His law is spelled out in the first four Commandments, the second portion in the last six. Christ brought them together in one answer.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:36-40 KJV)

We have written hundreds of thousands of pages of laws within our country alone. Each time a human finds a way to hurt his fellow man, a new law is put on the books in an attempt to keep that from happening again. Yet we continue to find new ways to circumvent these laws and new ones are written, when following the two Christ listed would solve our problems.

The source of these laws appear to be a problem to some people who do not wish to acknowledge the existence of a Creator who cares enough to provide for His creation. They prefer the cleaner-looking legalese that omits an intelligence beyond our comprehension.

Not for me. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15 KJV)

Wonderfully Made

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psalms 139:14 KJV)

Indeed, we are. As the doctor explained how he changed some of the bone structure during Beloved Husband’s surgery, and how the ball and socket joint worked with the rotator cuff, this verse came to mind.

The human body is so very intricate. A little here, a little there and we are each unique. Yet in this Psalms, David acknowledges that God knows us all. Knows us so very well.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. (Psalms 139:4 KJV)

To know this also tells us that we cannot know completely know God.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. (Psalms 139:6 KJV)

Even when we don’t understand, we see Him as precious.

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (Psalms 139:17 KJV)

Can we, as David, ask God to know us completely?

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalms 139:23-24 KJV)

After acknowledging that God cares for us, that He knows all there is to know about us, David asked to be search for wickedness – and by thus admits God is aware of our shortcomings. How often do we admit that to God? To show our awareness that just as our bodies are intricate yet fallible, so are our hearts.

The more aware we are of our failings, the more we can agree with another request David made:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10 KJV)

God does not move away from us – we leave the path He laid out. Welcome His search of our hearts, prepare for His cleansing, and rejoice in the renewal of His right spirit. Oh, Lord, forgive us wherein we have failed thee!

"Study of Arms and Hands", a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci (Wiki Commons)