Field Notes

A Real Live Miracle

2010-09-06T19:03:00.000-07:00

I have recently had the privilege of seeing a miracle. A genuine, only-God, miracle. Here's what happened. Friends of mine were traveling from MN to WA to see their family when they ended up in a severe rollover. Three of the seven in the vehicle had to be life-flighted to hospitals. The injuries were life-threatening, but they all survived (miracle). Not only that, but the spinal injury to one individual was so severe that it usually results in paralysis, but today (two weeks after the crash) she is walking (miracle). There have been other miracles: swelling going down around the spinal cord in another individual, no brain injury in a third individual with head trauma, and no major injuries in a fourth who had tire tracks on her arm. It is all by the hand of the Lord.

In addition to that, those who were not in the crash have been deeply affected. Faith has been built up, hearts have turned to the Lord, relationships have been restored, and lives have been changed. Other families in the ICU waiting room have experienced the love of God and presence of the Holy Spirit through this family. Praise the Lord that what was meant for evil, God will turn to good.

This incident brought me to my knees in prayer in a deeper way as well. I am so encouraged by the many miraculous answers to prayers. Seeing the body of Messiah coming together is so powerful. I continue to pray for wholeness and healing. May the Lord bring about restoration to this family, physically and emotionally, for His glory. I am in awe.

Trumpet Blasts

2009-09-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

I felt like the Lord gave me a new insight this past Yom Teruah. This time when I heard the trumpets blown at the service, I was struck by the fact that there were numerous trumpet blasts and not just one. The way that we typically talk about Yom Teruah (day of blowing) is that it is a way to train our ears to hear the trumpet blast when Jesus (Yeshua) will return. However, the Scriptures say He will return at the last trumpet. I believe we are in a period of time where we are hearing multiple trumpets being blown, calling people to repent and turn to the Lord. We do not know when the last trumpet will be blown, so we need to be ready when the final call is made and the Lord returns in the air. Today is the day of grace. Turn to the Lord now before it is too late.

Feet first into hell?

2009-09-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was walking to my office, I walked past a sign that said, "ODST, Feet First into Hell." Then there were some stanchions set up for a line to form. Three people were in lawn chairs waiting by the door. I was shocked. People were waiting in line to go feet first into Hell? Why?

I started praying for them. When I got to my office, I thought, "I should go talk to them and ask them why they are there." I made my way back (only two were there when I got there). I told them that I saw the sign and was wondering why they wanted to be in a line to go "feet first into hell." They then informed me that this was the line for the release of the new Halo game. What kind of marketing slogan is that?

I then told these men that I know a way to go straight to heaven: through Jesus. "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9).

Maybe they thought I was a bit crazy, but I don't care. "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

The Romans 11 Challenge

2009-09-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

After our recent congregational retreat, I felt challenged to memorized Romans 11. I started on September 1, with a goal to memorize one verse per day. It has gone pretty well, but I am one day behind, so I better catch up. It has been a while since I have memorized a longer passage of Scripture, but I find it to be so beneficial. Letting Scripture go down deep strengthens a person's mind and spirit (and maybe even body). If you want to join the challenge, here is the passage.

Rom 11:1-36 ESV
(1) I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
(2) God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?
(3) "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life."
(4) But what is God's reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
(5) So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
(6) But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
(7) What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
(8) as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day."
(9) And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
(10) let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever."
(11) So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.
(12) Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
(13) Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry
(14) in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them.
(15) For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
(16) If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
(17) But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,
(18) do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
(19) Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."
(20) That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe.
(21) For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
(22) Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
(23) And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.
(24) For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
(25) Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
(26) And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";
(27) "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
(28) As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.
(29) For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
(30) Just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,
(31) so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.
(32) For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
(33) Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
(34) "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
(35) "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"
(36) For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Getting some rest

2009-09-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last January I came down with pneumonia. It really knocked me down physically, I was in bed for two weeks and on shortened days for the third week. It was a forced staycation. In between the coughing, I slept, read books, and checked out Facebook. I had some difficulty staying in bed, but I had no other option but to rest. However, one good thing came out of the midst of that trial. I learned the importance of getting sleep.

College and graduate school ruined my sleep. I became very accustomed to staying up very late, working around the clock, and cramming as much work into as little sleep as possible. The habit was very hard to break, and it wasn't until I got pneumonia that I realized how harmful bad sleeping habits can be. I decided that I was going to make a concerted effort to get more sleep. However, it wasn't until June that I really put this into practice (I decided to try to be in bed before midnight--targeting between 10 and 11 pm). I have been able to keep this habit going (with only a few random nights staying up into the wee hours of the morning).

What are the results? Well I actually feel better, more alert, and less irritable (that is good for others). I get tired earlier, and it is hard for me to stay up so late. Life seems to be a little more manageable. Funny how it took so many years to realize that God's order of evening and morning at creation (rest and then awake) works the best.

Back to Blogging

2009-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

It has been while since I have blogged. I will start with the mundane: finding precious lost items. In the past year I have become a crossword puzzler. I never thought I would get such a kick out of it. Now I look forward to the Sunday puzzles. Yesterday, a near panic occurred when we couldn't find the section of the newspaper with the Sunday crossword puzzles. My roommates and I searched until the section was found in the recycling bin. We were all pretty excited when it was found.

The day before, it was my cell phone. When I went to service on Shabbat, I had it and then it was gone. I became a bit panicky. A lot of my life is on that phone. It was difficult to focus on the worship and message because my mind would go back to "what happened to my phone?" I kept praying, "Lord, You know where that phone is, help me to focus on You." After the service, I found it after diligent searching (and by using someone else's phone to call it). It was in the bottom of a clay pot surrounding a flower pot--the phone slide to the bottom in between the two pots. I would have never found it without hearing the ringer on my phone going off. Even after hearing the noise, it wasn't easy to locate, I followed the noise with my hand, and got it out (it was in a tight spot). There was much rejoicing in my heart.

I thought of the parable of the woman who searched for her lost coin and when she found it, had a party. The Lord is calling the lost with His voice and waiting for us to respond, so he can pull us out of a dark tight spot. Then there is great rejoicing.

On second thought, finding precious lost items is not mundane. It is actually rather miraculous.

A Personal Passover

2009-05-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

Can I share a "God moment" with you? I was driving to Vancouver last March and was asking the Lord some questions. One of the things I asked was "Are you punishing me?" As soon as I asked the question, I saw a Highway Patrol car, so I looked down and saw that I was driving 80 mph in a 70 mph zone. I was sure I was going to be pulled over. As I was pass the car, I kept watching my rear-view mirror. The patrol car pulled onto the highway, and I figured it was coming after me. Then it turned on its lights and pulled over the car three lanes away. The Lord spoke to me in the moment and said, "See I am not punishing you. You deserved to be punished, but I do not delight in punishing you." I cried (and slowed down).

Be Still

2008-10-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Observing Yom Kippur this past week had a way of focusing me that I did not expect. I woke up on Thursday morning hearing the Lord speaking over and over to me, "Be still and know that I am God." I lay frozen in my bed for quite a while. While I lay under my cozy blankets, I experienced a peace and calm that was wonderful. Although the phone calls that had gone to my voicemail earlier that morning plagued me a little, I realized that those calls could wait until the next day. Since then, I have felt a sense of calm that I haven't had for a long time. It is a realization that God is in charge and I need to trust Him. If I get fully stressed about a situation, it does not change what needs to be done to accomplish the task. Why do I work myself into mental exhaustion? What is the benefit?

One of the things that I have realized from observing God's appointed times is that I am more open/able to hear what He is saying on those days because distractions are nearly gone. The best part is that He speaks, wants to communicate with us, and desires good things for us. Blessed be His Name.

Speaking the truth

2008-10-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

The period of time between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur is know as the "Ten Days of Awe." This is a time of introspection; a time to examine ourselves and ask the Lord to show us areas of sin. This year has been particularly interesting in that I am encountering some emotionally intense situations. When emotions rise to the surface, underlying motives are sometimes more readily identified. I have also been observing how delivering the same message in even slightly different ways can produce dramatically different results.

There are a few Scriptures that I have been mulling over lately.
"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (Pro 27:17 ESV)

"but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Messiah; from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love." (Eph 4:15-16 HNV)

"For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12 HNV)

Sometimes, truth is cutting, but if it is spoken in love and humility, it is easier for the recipient to accept and incorporate the truth into his/her life. If both the truth teller and the truth receiver remain humble, the sting will be lessened. It is the difference between gently removing a sliver from the hand of a person who is remaining still, and brusquely pulling the sliver out of the hand of someone who keeps moving around. In both cases, the sliver may be removed, but the amount of emotional and physical pain present in the process will be significantly different.

Clean, purposeful, pruning hurts and may not be pretty in the moment, but the results are beautiful.

From the Archive

2008-09-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Because tomorrow at sundown begins another Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing), I thought I would repost something I wrote a couple years ago relating to this day. It was one of those "aha moments" for me in the desert. Maybe it will speak to you as well.

I had a memorable experience as I was making my way back to the US from Kenya. I needed to get to Nairobi from the remote area where I had been, which was about 16 hours by land vehicle, but only about 3 hours by plane. A Mission Aviation Fellowship plane made a stop every Tuesday and Friday at Korr. The missionary I was visiting had one of the ambulance drivers take me to catch the 6-seater propeller plane. He drove me two hours in the sand and heat to Korr.

I was told that the plane could arrive anytime between 11 am and 1 pm (typically). We (the ambulance driver and I) got to Korr a little before 11 am. For the first 20 minutes or so, the driver took care of a couple errands and I visited with someone I had met a year earlier. I was a little nervous because I didn’t know exactly where the plane would land, and I didn’t want to be preoccupied with something else when it came. My driver assured me that we would know when the plane arrived. Nevertheless, I told the driver that I wanted to wait close to the airstrip. He drove me to a Catholic compound, which was right next to the airstrip and where there was some shade. We sat and waited. I looked in the direction of the "runway," or where I was told it was. It just looked like a flat open space of sand right next to another flat open space of sand. Cattle were walking along a path near it.

As I sat in the dusty heat in a Toyota Land Cruiser ambulance waiting for the little propeller plane to appear in the clouds, I began to doubt. Airplanes in the northern desert of Kenya are not a common sight. The only things I saw in the sky were a few clouds, birds, dust, and the hot sun. I kept watching the sky while I listened for an airplane. I started to wonder if it was really going to come. You never know in Africa what type of delays can take place and there is no fast or reliable way to communicate a delay in that part of the country. What an unlikely place for an airplane to land--in the middle of the desert. Still, there shouldn't have been much reason to doubt since I arrived in the same place two weeks prior in a plane operated by the same organization. It was only 12:20, so it was still within the expected arrival time, but for some reason, I was really starting to worry. How long would I wait? What if it got to be 2, 3, or 4 pm and it hadn’t arrived yet? At what time would I decide to quit waiting? Then what would I do?

I started thinking about how much faith it required for me to believe that the plane would actually arrive. It was much more difficult to believe it here in the desert than at “real airports” where monitors list the expected arrival time and gate agents assure customers that the plane is coming. This time I was trusting the word of a person I talked to a week earlier on a satellite phone.

As I sat there and looked at the sky, I realized that it was just a few days before Yom Teruah or Day of Blowing (Sept 2006), where we look forward to the day when the trumpet will sound, the whole world will hear it, and the Lord will return in the clouds. I was actively listening & looking at the sky waiting for a plane...do I wait and watch as intently for the Lord to return? Do I believe God's Word that the Messiah is coming again? How often do I grow impatient and start thinking that maybe He really isn’t coming?

Suddenly, the driver said, "It's coming. I hear the plane!" I didn’t hear anything. But as I listened I started to hear it. The driver heard it much sooner than I did because his ear was trained to hear the plane. In a similar way, I want my ear well-trained to hear the Lord.

I was reminded of these verses:
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” (2Pe 3:8-14 ESV)

New way to make stem cells is safe: research

2008-09-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Another interesting article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080925/sc_nm/us_stemcellssci

I have been of the opinion for the last several years that there can be much gained from taking the time to really understand how stem cells actually work. There is so much that is not known in the area of adult stem cells, which makes wanting to use embryonic stem cells rather reckless. We are now seeing more and more what can be done with regular old skin cells. The fact is that people around the world have been doing research using embryonic stem cells, and it does not seem that they have had any greater advances than those researchers using adult stem cells.

Too Busy

2008-09-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Clearly I haven't posted anything for a while. There is a reason for that--I have been very busy. I thought my busyness would be through August and then ease up in September, but that did not prove to be the case. September has been almost more stressful that August was. When will it end? I guess there is a point where I have to say "enough is enough--I need my life back." I want to blog again. I want to sit and think about things other than the mountain of work sitting on my desk. I recall those projects that I put off several months ago thinking that I would get to them in September, and now it is almost October. They say time flies when you are having fun. It also flies when you are really busy.

Interesting study

2008-08-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Antibodies still protect 1918 flu survivors: study
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1647217720080817?sp=true

A woman in a male-dominated field

2008-07-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me know that I work in male-dominated fields (engineering and construction). For the most part I feel like I am treated fairly and am respected by the men with whom I work. However, there continue to be remnants of male chauvinism that rear their ugly heads. Even though I am the one making the final decisions, some of the men tend to ask the other men on my team rather than talking to me. The other day, one of the engineers with whom I am working blatantly challenged my request, but listened to the men who reiterated what I had requested of him. I try not to be paranoid about it, but sometimes it is hard to ignore the fact that being a woman in this field is still a bit of a novelty, and some men don't know how to respond. When I see or hear gender-biased responses toward me, I usually choose to ignore them and act as if the person didn't mean it. I am of the opinion that if I act with the expectation that they respect me, they will in respond in such a manner. Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't happen, but I am learning to live with it.

The day that went wrong

2008-07-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

I had one of THOSE days. You know the type--when it seems that everything that can go wrong does. Some things that I didn't think were possible to go wrong went wrong today, or so it seemed. I made my list, and from 7am until 9:30 pm the number of items on my "went wrong" list was over 14. These were not little items either. Ugh. Sometimes I wonder if I can face another day of such problem solving. I guess the good news is that I was able to reach a semi-reasonable solution for most of the items on my "went wrong" list. The problem is that these solutions will definitely have a negative impact on my schedule--just when I thought I had a schedule that would work. Maybe tomorrow will be a day when everything goes right for once. I hope I can write that post.

A modern day moral tale

2008-07-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I gave an employee a coupon, which I had been given, for a $2 grande cold beverage at Starbucks. He proceeded to try to determine the most expensive drink he could order to maximize the coupon. He returned from his trip to the coffee shop with his receipt in hand telling me that he had ordered a 13 shot, venti, soy, hazelnut, vanilla, cinammon, white mocha, with extra white mocha, caramel beverage. The total price of the drink was $11.50. He was upset that they did not honor the coupon by giving him that drink for $2. I was not surprised that he had to pay for such a crazy order, especially when he ordered the wrong drink size (venti rather than grande). I was however rather dumbfounded that he even attempted such a strategy. He said the drink tasted terrible, and after he had drunk just a little from the top his hands were visibly shaking. I told him he couldn't finish the drink on the job because I wanted him to be able to think clearly. So, I retell this tale because it is so outrageous and because it illustrates a moral lesson. Don't try to take advantage of someone else's goodwill. You will probably end up paying for it in the end, and the other party will be less likely to offer their benevolence again.

Wasted Energy

2008-07-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

If you have worked in a wood shop you have probably heard the saying "Measure twice and cut once." I wish there was more of this type of attitude in industry. I have to believe that if we were to live by this motto a little more often we would consume less of our precious resources. One obvious area of savings would be time. I don't know how much time I have spent fixing other people's gross negligence. It is very frustrating. We all know that time relates to money, so we could save some of that too. In a more subtle way, it could be the new motto for "going green." Think about the amount of electricity, gasoline, and raw materials that are wasted by producing and transporting products that are not made to specifications. I would venture to say that the amount of precious natural resources that are wasted due to people's careless inaccuracy is astounding. Maybe we could start a new saying "Think twice, act once." That's something to think about.

Percentage Errors

2008-07-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

I have been surprised lately by some common errors made when people are calculating/reporting percentages. At first I thought it was just one person who made a simple mistake, but in a matter of a week, I saw 4 people make similar errors. Maybe those are the only 4 people to make this mistake, but I had to post this in the event that I might spare you from making this type of error too. Here is an example:

By what percentage is $1400 higher than $600?
Typical incorrect response: (1400-600)/1400=57%
One way to show that this is incorrect is to add 57% of 600 to 600: (600 *0.57 )+ 600=943
The correct response is: (1400-600)/600=133%

Now, if the question was phrased as "By what percentage is $600 lower than $1400?" the answer of 57% would be correct. It is all about choosing the correct base number to answer the question being asked.

Familiar Features

2008-07-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

Recently I was able to see relatives from both sides of my family. As our extended family expands, I am noticing strong familial traits. Of course physical similarities are present, but the more interesting ones come in the form of common behaviors, thought processes, and methods. It is quite intriguing to try to determine how much is passed on by environment or genetics. My immediate family is a laboratory of sorts in answering the nature vs. nurture question. Of us four children, two are biologically linked and two are not, but we all were raised by the same parents and lived in the same home. I see the influence of my parents on all of our behavioral patterns in one form or another. I wonder about my grandparents and great grandparents. Did they have any idea as to what behavioral influence they would pass on to the next generations? Could the familial behaviors be teased apart and be attributed to specific ancestors? What if one of the prevailing familial traits is one that the ancestor did not wish to possess and never wanted his/her children to receive?

Facing a giant

2008-06-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

I had to "face a giant" recently. It was not easy. Actually it was with much fear and trembling that I did it. I know that I could not do it by my own strength, but the Lord was with me. The giant doesn't seem so large and looming anymore--funny how that works.

Cooking for engineers

2008-06-08T22:15:00.001-07:00

I found a website this weekend called "Cooking for Engineers." It presents recipes in a way that is absolutely wonderful--so succinct and logical. The recipe format takes away the the need for including paragraphs of instructions after the ingredients list. Tonight I made ratatouille using this recipe card. Check it out.

Polishing a diamond

2008-05-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

The message at the service this weekend was very thought-provoking. In a nutshell, the speaker talked about how we are being shaped and polished as diamonds. The process is not easy. Because the diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material, it is not easily scratched or marred by its environment and it can only be polished by another diamond. Chipping away the impurities and getting to the pristine core leaves only a fraction of the rough stone. In the same way, we as believers are being refined and polished, so that we will reflect the Light of the Lord while remaining uncompromised by the world.

When all the pieces fit

2008-05-20T01:02:00.000-07:00

I have been in a situation at work where I always feel overworked and understaffed. I have recently hired 2 more people to off-load some of the work, and they were immediately very busy (and I am still very busy). What was I thinking? I guess I bite off more than I can chew sometimes. It all sounds simple on paper.

I have learned a couple things from this experience. The first is that I can be many times more effective by delegating (I have had to work on retraining my brain in this area because as a grad student I had to do everything myself for my projects). The second lesson is that there is no substitute for quality workers. Finding people who are dependable and attentive to details is not always easy but so valuable. I don't know what I would have done at this point in time if I had not taken the risk to hire more people. Fortunately, the Lord put good people in my path--I am blessed.

When God doesn't answer

2008-05-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about a few situations where I or others have been praying, and the answer is not coming the way that I would want or expect. Clearly, I know that God has a plan that is far greater than what I could ever imagine, but I feel confused. Why do we feel compelled to pray for something when the outcome doesn't happen? Are we praying the wrong things or with the wrong motives? Maybe.

But I think about the Scripture that tells us to "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." People have been praying that for millennia, but it has not been fully answered yet. Still, the Scriptures instruct us to pray for it. If we don't see the answer we are expecting, does that mean we shouldn't pray for it? From this example, I believe it is clear that we should pray for it regardless of what we see.

We are to pray God's will. The difficult thing for me is knowing God's will in a situation. Is it God's will that we should never experience pain or suffering? I know that He is a good God and does not cause harm for His children, but He allows us to be tried and tested, which we see in the book of Job. God did not forget His servant Job, but He allowed him to endure much sorrow and pain. So, how do we pray? We cannot pray according to what we see, but according to the Spirit of God. Sometimes I wonder why we even pray if God is going to do what is best anyway. But then I think of how much I have grown through those moments of deep intercession even if what I was praying was not granted.

Great Orchestration

2008-04-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

I think of when I was in concert band in high school and the marvelous feeling that I felt when the band was "on" --the timing and notes were right. It was a feeling of awe to be part of beautiful music when we played our parts according to the direction of the conductor. I felt a similar awe over the last few days as I traveled to little Helena's funeral and then visited my family. I saw how the Great Conductor was orchestrating people to intersect at the right time, how weather was changed in a moment, and how seats on a plane opened.

One notable happening was when I was returning home last night. I had a small little paperback book that was evangelistic in nature. I was wondering who the Lord wanted me to give it to. I wasn't sure, so I kept it in my hand rather than put it in my backpack as I got off the plane. I was talking to the man who had been sitting next to me on the plane as we took the train back to the main terminal. He asked me, "What is that book that you have in your hand?" I said, "Do you want it? Here you can have it." He was a little surprised at my offer but gladly took the book. How easy was that? May the Lord work in that man's life.

I wasn't booked for that flight but I got on as a standby passenger even when one of the agents told me that my chances of getting on were slim. I see it as the Great Conductor doing some intricate orchestration. I am left with a sweet feeling of awe.

Fragility and Resiliency

2008-04-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

I was thinking in light of yesterday's sad news how the human body is both resilient and fragile all at the same time. These are very opposite properties (it reminds me a little of the light/particle discussion I posted a few months ago). I think of Helena and how her little body went through so many medical procedures and rebounded quite well. Then it was over, and they don't know exactly know why. Her heart and lungs seemed to be functioning fine independently, but somehow she wasn't able to maintain high enough blood O2 levels. I imagine that God decided she had endured enough, and He took her home.

His ways are not our ways

2008-04-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today is a sad day for my mother's side of the family. My cousin's 19-month-old daughter died of a cardiac arrest a couple days after she had undergone a seemingly successful heart surgery. Although I never met little Helena, she looked like a little sweetheart in photos (see her blog). I talked to my cousin (her mother) today and was moved with compassion for her and her husband. I was reminded that our Father in Heaven knows what it is like to see his Son die, and He will help them through their grief.

I must remember that God has a plan through it all even if we can't see and understand it. It is at times like this where all I can do is lean on the fact that God is good, and He will never leave or forsake His children.

3 days and 3 nights

2008-03-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

It was probably 10 years ago when I was plagued with a question that I asked everyone I saw (including pastors and theologians). The questions was this, "If Jesus died on a Friday how can you reconcile the fact that Jesus said 'Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so must the Son of Man be in the heart of the Earth.'" No one that I asked at that time had a satisfactory answer for me. The responses were either that Jesus was speaking figuratively, or else you had to do some fancy way of counting partial days and forget about the nights.

A year or so after I first had the question, someone pointed out to me that in John it is noted that Jesus died the day before a "Special Sabbath" and not on the 6th day of the week. Now, there was some hope for me to be able to reconcile this seeming inconsistency. Naturally, my next question was, "Why does the church so dogmatically say that He died on a Friday then?"

It wasn't until I started attending a Messianic congregation that I was finally able to see how the Christendom has made a lot of things fit the stories that it wants to tell. Well-meaning believers swallow the stories without checking out the facts. The Scriptures never say that "Palm Sunday" happened on the first day of the week. The "Last Supper" was not eaten as depicted in the paintings and did not happen on a Thursday. Jesus death could not have been on a Friday if we take His words literally. The time of the resurrection was during Passover, not set according to the vernal equinox (as is the case with Easter). Yet, if someone who is just reading the Bible points out these inconsistencies, he/she is labeled as a trouble-maker or as someone who is trying to stomp on tradition. I think tradition is fine if it does not contradict with Scripture.

It seems to me that remembering Jesus death and resurrection at the time of Passover is a logical thing to do. Why not actually be reminded that Jesus is the Passover Lamb? Why not eat the Passover meal? Why not use the Biblical calendar rather than a pagan calendar to remember His death and resurrection? Instead, the church has decided to remember a day based on the cycle of the sun rather than the moon , serve up an Easter ham rather than lamb, and promote a fictitious bunny who brings children candy in eggs that represent the goddess of fertility...I am confused.

Bumper Sticker Inspiration

2008-03-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

My neighbor's car has a bumper sticker that says, "The meaning of life is to live it." This has made me think. Usually bumper sticker messages are read and then forgotten, but this is a simplistically profound statement. Sometimes we over-think our existence. Don't get me wrong, I believe God has designed us with purpose and each person has tremendous value. I just think that we are sometimes putting too much focus on doing something grand or accomplishing the "one thing" you have been placed on the Earth to do. We forget that our value is not in "doing," rather our value is intrinsic to who we are as human beings. A flower is not any more beautiful because it was in the White House. It is beautiful because it is beautiful. We are not made more valuable by what we do. The Scriptures say that those who have been redeemed by Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) are children of God. By faith we can know that by living our lives to the glory of God, even in the little things, our purpose is being fulfilled.

Experience or Watch

2008-03-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here is the question of the day: "Do you live life or observe life?" I must admit that my tendency is to observe rather than to be "living in the moment." The funny thing is that I have now observed myself observing. It seems safer. If we watch, we don't have to take as many risks. The problem is that observing is not as rewarding as engaging. Sometimes we can "seemingly engage," but just be going through the motions. I want to live life to the fullest and experience full joy. What about you?

Daylight Saving Time

2008-03-11T23:34:00.001-07:00

For some reason I have been especially impacted by the change to DST this year. It could have something to do with the fact that I stayed up way too late on Saturday night/Sunday morning, but nevertheless, I feel the loss of that hour. I still don't understand why we change our time. Does it have something to do with the fact that we wish we could be like God and make time stand still? Probably not. The true reason is probably as ridiculous. People taut it as energy savings, but in today's world our schedules do not hinge that much upon daylight hours (well, maybe a little bit). Manufacturing and shopping happens around the clock. People work and play 24 hours a day. Back before working to a clock, people adjusted their day according to the position of the sun. Ok, maybe it is a silly thing to get worked up about, but the whole concept seems rather silly to me.
If we don't like the fact that it is dark at 10pm, then maybe we should just move our clocks 5 hours ahead and it would be light at 10 pm all year long.

I just saw that a new study shows that implementing DST can actually affect health. Check it out

Back at home

2008-02-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

So now I am back to the northwest United States after being in Finland for a couple weeks, and it feels like spring here. After being in the cold and snow, coming back to 50 degrees feels very nice. It has even been a little sunny. The worst part about traveling is readjusting. A 10-hr time change can have a dramatic impact on a persons physiological responses. I am now very tired early in the evening and fully awake at 6 am. Is that what it's like to be a morning person? I am not quite sure what to do with myself so wide awake at that time in the morning. The other part of readjusting is catching up with things at work. So much to do...I even tried to keep up a little while I was away.

Such is life--full of adjustments. We like to be in a routine and tend to be creatures of habit. It is really amazing how God created us to have bodies that are programmed according to the sunrise and sunset. Physiologically we adjust to the world around us. At the same time, we have been created to be able to adjust to changes as well. There are always changes (seasons, weather, etc.) around us, which provide interesting variety. However, it nice to know that we have a God who is constant.

"for 'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.' And this word is the good news that was preached to you." (1Pe 1:24-25 ESV)

Some Finnish Observations

2008-02-18T22:33:00.000-08:00

I have been enjoying my trip to Finland. It has been interesting to see it now with new perspective. The last time I was here was in 1996. Below is a brief list of some of my current observations (although my window of observation has been only one week).

1. Finnish people are very punctual--much more so than Americans. We attended a conference this past weekend, and I couldn't believe how every session started and ended on time (to the minute). It seems that every conference or retreat I have attended in the US starts a little late and the sessions and breaks go overtime.

2. Finns are direct and to the point. They say what they mean without beating around the bush. They don't waste a lot of time with flowery speeches. This probably helps them to be punctual.

3. Finns take hospitality very seriously. People go out of their way to make their food look beautiful and taste wonderful. Coffee is served with home baked goods and served in a creative way. Last night I got to eat smoked reindeer baked with cheese and onions on a rye crust--it was excellent. Tea and coffee is always accompanied with nice breads, cheese, meat, and some vegetables (usually cucumbers, tomatoes, and red peppers). Coffee also usually includes multiple dessert options with perhaps some sort of tort, cake, ice cream, chocolates, fruit, etc. Of course they are served with the proper silverware and dishes. A guest feels quite special here.

4. Traffic seems to be remarkably light here. I have a hard time believing how such large cities could have such little traffic. Cars, parking fees, and gasoline are not cheap. In addition, public transportation is readily available. When I think about it, much of American life is spent in an automobile. I think about all of the time per week that I spend in my vehicle going from place to place and sitting in traffic. It seems that the radius of daily activity is much smaller here than in America.

5. Design is sleek, simple, efficient, of high quality, and practical. This makes me feel quite at home. I like the sensibility of being efficient, practical, with a streamlined pleasent appearance in households and clothing. Wood, glass, and brushed metal are common materials.

6. Finns appear to be as informed and maybe more informed about American politics than the majority of Americans. In nearly every conversation I have had, one of the first questions that comes up is related to the Presidential candidates. They all want to know what we think about Hillary and Obama. The general thought here is that Obama will win (probably because of the media hype in the US about him). I of course let them know that I support Mike Huckabee. Many say they like him, but have not heard much about him (that seems to be a consensus in the US as well). One man told me that he heard that Huckabee has some ancestors who were from Finland. I have not been able to confirm this, but that would be pretty cool. I had one man ask me to help him understand a caucus, a primary, and super delegates. Most Americans would probably have the same question. Finland currently has a female president, so they are of course interested to know if the US will vote one in as well.

Below are a few pictures from my trip thus far.

Above is a pen pal from when I was about 8 years old who I was able to visit. She is a 3rd cousin once removed who found me a few months ago on Facebook after over 20 years. It was a lot of fun to meet her husband and to stay at her home (the conversation and hospitality were delightful).

Above are photos of a newly installed sauna that uses fiber optic lights in the ceiling. The design was very nice.

Above is a photo of the coffee table at one home. This woman does some catering, so her spread was a bit more extravagant than at other homes, but here you can get the idea as to some ideas here regarding evening coffee.

A little family history

2008-02-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today I had a chance to see the hotel that my great grandfather helped to construct in the late 1880s. I understand he was some type of foreman or construction manager for the Hotel Kämp in Helsinki. Now this is considered as one of the top hotels in Helsinki. They have restored it, and it is quite impressive. It was a lot of fun for me to see how he left his mark in this part of the world. As I looked at the columns, stairways, and exterior, I thought about how much effort he put into getting it all looking so beautiful. Above is a photo from inside the lobby.

Above is a view of the stairways upward from the lobby.
My parents sitting in the lobby. Below is a view of the exterior of the building.

Washington Republican Caucus Results

2008-02-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

Again, people are projecting winners prematurely. The Washington State Republican party has declared McCain the winner with 87% of precincts reporting and only a 242 delegate difference between McCain and Huckabee. I sent the following email to Luke Esser (luke@wsrp.org) of the Washington State Republican party. See reported results.

See what Mike Huckabee's website says about this.

Mr Esser,

I am very disappointed that a winner of the Republican caucuses was projected to the press prematurely. According to the numbers reported, if 13% of the precincts have not reported, approximately 1750 delegates have not been counted. It is hardly possible to accurately predict the winner when the spread between McCain and Huckabee is only 242 delegates (less than 14% of the outstanding delegates), and the difference between McCain and Ron Paul is only 669 delegates.

The state of Washington does not have a good record for counting ballots, and we as the Republican party do not want to be accused of pulling similar tricks as what happened in the last governor's race. Please rescind your projected winner statement, and at least wait until all precincts have reported.

In addition there are a large number (1729) of "uncommitted" delegates who will be free to vote as they wish in the next round. As I understand it, we do not know a "winner" in Washington until the convention process has been completed.

Just in...Romney leaving race

2008-02-07T09:59:00.001-08:00

The latest headline is that Romney is leaving the race.

Now some of his delegates will be free to vote for Huckabee! This is really getting exciting.

The most efficient candidate

2008-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

Check out this article in the NY Times today. It begins like this, "If political victory was measured in the wise use of scant financial resources, Mike Huckabee would be the front-runner in the presidential race." Then goes on to compare how Huckabee has spent $45,000 per delegate in comparison to Mitt Romney's $654,000. Ouch, that hurts for businessman Romeny.

I want someone running this country who is fiscally responsible--don't you too? I can't understand why radio talk show hosts keep saying that Romney is more fiscally conservative--that is not evidenced by his campaign management. Actions speak louder than words.

By the way, money does actually help the campaigns, so consider chipping in to Mike Huckabee's campaign (use donor code: R6111). He will effectively use your donation.

A little surprise for the pundits

2008-02-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

I am guessing that the political pundits were a bit surprised by the results of Super Tuesday because it didn't go exactly they way they were predicting. In fact, Huckabee did much better than they expected. This proves that this is not a 2-man race. I am tired of the media calling Huckabee a spoiler. He is a real candidate. Now its on to my state of Washington (Feb 9) where I am hoping we can surprise some more people.

It's not over

2008-02-03T23:50:00.000-08:00

The primary race is not over yet. Political pundits are claiming that the race in the Replican party is between McCain and Romney, but I beg to differ. Only a small percentage of the overall delegates have been determined. Some people say they like Huckabee, but aren't going to vote for him because they don't think he will win. That is crazy. Vote for who you believe will be the best candidate! Below is another reason why I am supporting Mike--once again he demonstrates forward-thinking ideas.

Most people are aware of the recently announced economic stimulus package that our government is planning to implement. I am a bit skeptical of how effective such a package actually will be. From what I have read, the average American will get about $600 with the idea that we will spend it. But the larger question is "how will each American spending a quick $600 help us in the long term?" I think there are other methods for strengthening the economy rather than trying a quick-fix solution. Unfortunately, America is known for its "I want it now" attitude. A little patience would do us a lot of good. Rather than sending checks to each individual, what if the government was to offer funding for developing alternative energy technology. It could be like the space program twenty some years ago (the entire country benefited in numerous ways because of the development for NASA). Not only would it provide jobs to those developing the new technology, but it would be a huge benefit to our country in the long run to not be so dependent on foreign oil. We could save a tremendous amount of money by moving to more renewable energy sources--the problem is that the initial costs for converting technology is high. The US as a whole would benefit from such a program in many ways.

The idea that Huckabee has suggested is also intriguing--to improve our national infrastructure (such as roads and bridges). Many American jobs would be created by requiring the use of US materials and labor. People would benefit from these improved systems for years to come.

It seems to make much more sense to look further ahead than just a couple months. We will soon forget what we bought with our rebate check, but just think of what could be done with a little more patience and careful thought.

Who won the debate?

2008-02-01T09:55:00.001-08:00

This is a very interesting video of a focus group who watched the debate the other night.

A Biased Debate

2008-01-31T00:18:00.000-08:00

I was totally disgusted by the moderating of the CNN Republican debate in CA. Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul were barely included in the discussions. Anderson Cooper blatently cut off these candidates after a very short amount of time and then let Romney and McCain ramble on for minutes. At least Huckabee stood up for himself during the debate and was able to communicate part of his message in spite of the bias. The most disappointing thing is that Anderson shot down the ones who actually had something to say to make the debate interesting. I thought a debate was supposed to be an honest exchange of ideas. It is unfortunate that America was robbed of a good solid debate by silencing candidates who make thought-provoking comments. Even if I may disagree with some of Ron Paul's statements, I still think he should be allowed the opportunity to state his opinion.

The Republican race is still far from over although the media would like everyone to believe that this is just a 2-person race between Romney and McCain. However, the reality is that in terms of delegate count the story has not been told. Huckabee has strong support in southern states, which could earn him a lot of delegates. The main problem is that the media is portraying him as not having a chance, which is absolutely not true. Don't buy the lie that he can't win. Now is not the time to switch because you don't think he has a chance. Now is the time to stand up and support Huckabee by voting, volunteering, or donating.

Rewarding Irresponsibility?

2008-01-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

There is a local insurance company's slogan that is "Rewarding Responsibility." That is a pretty good principle to stand on. I think most people would agree that the fundamental purpose of government is to encourage good behavior and punish evil. Sometimes I think that we get a little confused as to what we should expect from the government and what its role should be. Should the government bail people out for making poor decisions? For example, the housing industry is struggling right now because people made some poor decisions. Is it the government's responsibility to keep people from foreclosures? I know it sounds harsh, but I don't think so. That would be rewarding bad behavior on both the part of the borrower and the lender, which in turn, punishes those who have maintained good behavior. Perhaps it could be argued that the government should have stepped in sooner to punish the bad behavior of the lenders before this happened, but now to bail them out would be inferring that what they did was not their fault.

Objective observers of the housing market predicted that it was overinflated because of the low interest rates and easy credit. However, many people chose to ignore the signs because they were hoping to make a bunch of money. The market will eventually correct itself. Yes, some banks and some people will probably lose in the process, but that is the risk they took when they decided to loan/borrow high-risk mortgages.

There are some Presidential hopefuls encouraging a bailout of the mortgage industry, but I don't think there is a enough money in the already depleted coffers to easily remedy this situation. Plus, as I said above it will only continue to encourage irresponsibility.

FYI: Listen to this interesting interview on NPR that I heard in December.

Does it really matter?

2008-01-20T23:28:00.000-08:00

I have had people ask me several times "Does a President's position on abortion really matter? They can't really do anything about it anyway." My immediate response is, "Yes, his/her position matters a lot." Sure, the President might not be able to immediately stop abortion-on-demand, but there are two big reasons to vote for a pro-life Presidential candidate. The first is that his/her approach to the issue is surely telling of their view of the value of human life. Don't we want a President that will truly believe these words of the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"? Shouldn't unborn children be given the right to life? The fundamental view that life is precious and given by God is something ingrained into the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. If we take away the respect for life, we have undermined one of the foundational principles of this nation. The President is also able make a significant influence on this issue through the the appointment of Supreme Court Justices. So, yes, a Presidential candidate's position on this issue really does matter. (Mike Huckabee's position on this issue is another reason I support him.)

A pro-life President alone will not be able put an end to reverse Roe vs Wade. We all need to speak out for those who don't have a voice. There is an interesting video suggesting that even the smallest voice may make a huge impact.

Who wants some cloned beef?

2008-01-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today the FDA made a rather foolish (in my opinion) ruling by allowing products from cloned animals to enter the national food supply. What's even better is that no labels or warnings are needed on these products. They suggest a several month prolonged ban, but as far as I can tell these products (milk, meat, etc.) can start being sold tomorrow. This seems crazy to me. Yes, I understand that the FDA has "evaluated" the risks and has not found these products to be hazardous, but they were also the ones to evaluate Vioxx, Aprotinin, Valdecoxib, Bextra, Zelnorm, Baycol, etc. and then subsequently pull them later due to overlooked adverse effects. I am not sure that I want them to decide whether or not cloned meat is good for me. I think the Europeans had a better approach. As I understand it the EU will allow the cloned products to be sold, but they have to be labeled as coming form a cloned animal. This makes much more sense to me. Maybe I should look into starting that farm...

Wisdom is the best weapon

2008-01-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at our worship service, someone made the statement "Wisdom is better than weapons of warfare" when talking about a passage in Ecclesiastes. That immediately caught my attention. I started thinking about what wisdom is and how it is demonstrated. We know that the Scriptures say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. A person who fears the Lord demonstrates a humble spirit. He/she is teachable and moldable, and is not swayed by popular opinion or the folly of this world. A wise person can look at a situation and understand the root of the issue.

I think about Gideon, and how by being obedient to the Lord he defeated the Mideanites with clay pots, torches, and trumpets. Those weapons were not so formidable, but the God behind the weapons is not one to contend with. Gideon might have looked silly to others, but because of his obedience (fear of the Lord), true wisdom defeated the enemy in a remarkable way. Likewise, the power of God was behind Joshua as the Israelites obediently marched around Jericho (and the walls fell with a shout).

Are the strong and powerful wise? Sometimes yes, but often they become foolish because arrogance creeps in. A wise person never becomes so wise that they no longer need to seek the Lord, listen, and learn. I will continue to ponder this one for a while.

An Overlooked Issue

2008-01-10T01:40:00.000-08:00

Well the results are in from the NH primary. Everyone knows the big stories from it regarding Hillary and McCain. Mike Huckabee did quite well finishing 3rd when just last week the polls showed him in 4th or 5th. He is definitely gaining momentum and is being noticed by both Democrats and Republicans. In many ways, he is a different kind of candidate--one that neither party really knows how to handle. I am extremely excited about Huckabee as a candidate. Call me a little crazy, but I have been watching a bunch of YouTube videos of him and try to catch him on the debates and interviews. It seems that every time I see him, I am impressed. He is quick on his feet, holds up well under pressure, and seems like he is actually enjoying himself. If you haven't seen Mike Huckabee speak, at least take a look at this video posted on YouTube.

The one issue that is rarely mentioned or discussed by the press is about Israel. Israel is and will continue to be a pivotal issue in the years ahead. If a national leader does not have a sound approach, he/she will fail miserably at home. I am actually concerned about the current administration's methods to "bring peace" to Israel by entertaining the idea of splitting up the land again. It could be a total disaster. Mike Huckabee is the only candidate I have found that actually appears to understand the importance of supporting Israel and is committed to doing so. He is opposed to the common notion that Israel must give up land to bring about peace. Every time Israel has conceded land, it has only brought about more problems. "Land for peace" is not a viable solution. This may be the most significant issue of the entire race, but no one is talking about it.

Watch this video of an interview between Huckabee and Wolf Blitzer on CNN on the Israel situation.

I Like Mike!

2008-01-07T00:24:00.000-08:00

I have been very fascinated with the Presidential politics this year for several reasons. The main reason is that it is not totally predictable (although the media likes to act like it is and then they change their pick). It is still very fluid in both parties, which I think has been very good for the political process. It has allowed real discussion of serious issues instead of people being corralled along "party lines." Maybe this year we will get a candidate who has actually thought "outside of the box" a little bit. I am hoping for one anyway. That is why I am supporting Mike Huckabee--he is one candidate who appears to have approached issues with some critical thought before spewing out an expected "party line." Yes, perhaps there are others who are outside the box as well, but I actually like most of the conclusions Gov. Huckabee has reached on the issues. His principles appear to align with Scriptural principles, and it has been shown time and again that when Biblical principles are properly applied, all of society (not just small sectors) will benefit. Take a look at him and see if you might agree too. I want someone who will take practical approaches to issues. So many politicians know how to speak rhetoric with no reasonable plan of action. The media is trying to paint a very flat picture of him, but I think they will have a hard time denying the fact that he is actually a very well-rounded candidate who has fresh ideas and the interests of the people in mind.

NOTE: No political figure will be able to solve all the problems in this world. Only God can do that.

Time

2008-01-02T00:50:00.000-08:00

We have reached the beginning of a new calendar year again. Time seems to fly by. In recent months I have thought about how on this earth we are confined to 3-dimensional space and time, and how God is not limited to time or space. He is eternal and can see the past, present, and future all at the same time. When I was a kid, I would get myself worked into a vicious circle trying to understand infinity. Now, I don't even try, but it is helpful for me to not even think about eternity in terms of time as we know it on this earth. Similar to the fact that God is omnipresent and not confined to space, He lives outside of time. Heaven will be pretty cool without the constraints of this earth (gravity, time, etc.).

We have all been allotted an unknown finite amount of time on this earth. What are you doing with yours?

The Past 5000 Years

2007-12-14T00:15:00.000-08:00

An article was posted this week that described how evolutionists now say that changes to the human population have occurred at a much faster pace in the past 5000 years than they did before. It seems they are suggesting that something happened to speed up the evolutionary process. It would be very helpful if they would have explained what they define as evolution. The article describes significant changes to human genetics over the past 5000 years, which are then extrapolated to complement the widely-held belief of slow-moving random evolution in years previous. However, it is interesting to note that the article itself only talks about changes within the human species, which is not sufficient evidence to support between-species leaps.

Let's see, from the Bible what happened 5000 years ago? Wasn't that around the time of the flood? Hmm...could there be any connection with their findings? We find that life spans shortened significantly after the flood, and that the world-wide gene pool was dramatically changed with only 8 people remaining, so could it be possible that the rapidly changing genetics is a result of this event? The grouping of people in terms of their languages happened around this time as well, which would have likely spurred on genetic mutations from familial intermarriage. In addition, the age at which children were born became younger after the flood (according to the Bible), so genetic mutations would have happened more quickly than before.

The article stated, "Even with these changes, however, human DNA remains more than 99 percent identical, the researchers noted." This would indicate to me that humans come from a single source.

Again, we find that science confirms what is written in the Scriptures. Unfortunately, much of the scientific world is not willing to acknowledge it.

So Much Sadness

2007-12-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Again violence has struck innocent people in America. Two senseless shootings within a week is beyond comprehension. First the shootings in a mall in Omaha, NE and then the shootings in Colorado at a YWAM base and at a church. My heart goes out to the people directly affected by these heinous acts. May the Lord turn what was meant for evil into good. Only He can do that.

Feast of Dedication

2007-12-04T06:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the beginning of Hanukkah, which is an 8-day festival also known as the "Feast of Dedication" or the "Festival of Lights." Up until a few years ago, I was very ignorant about this holiday. I had the perception that it had little meaning and was somehow a Jewish imitation of Christmas. You can imagine that I was pretty shocked to find out that Jesus (Yeshua) observed this holiday as is recorded in John 10:22-23 ("Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade."-NIV). Hmm...was there a reason why he was at the temple at the time of this feast? If He recognized this festival, then maybe I should find out what this holiday means.

The word Hanukkah means "dedication" or "consecration" in Hebrew. It marks the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, and the miraculous supply of oil occurring at that time. According to what was recorded, there was only enough consecrated oil to burn in the Temple for one day, but miraculously the oil burned for eight days. This was just enough time to press, prepare, and consecrate fresh olive oil for the Temple Menorah. God supplied the oil for the dedicated temple.

This is a good time to examine ourselves and rededicate ourselves to His service. We need to receive fresh oil, so we may burn as lights in this dark world. The best part is God freely gives the oil of the Holy Spirit to those who ask. All He needs is a dedicated vessel that is ready to receive this precious oil. It truly is a miracle. It reminds me of the parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25), and how we need to be ready with our lamps burning brightly when the Son of Man appears.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20 NIV)."

Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

I am guessing that most Thanksgiving dinners included a time where everyone stated something for which he/she was thankful. It is a good exercise to do. I know many people might be tempted to say, "I am thankful for everything." However, when we stop and think about it, how much are we REALLY thankful? The opposite of being thankful is grumbling and complaining (unfortunately, I am guilty of that). I may say that I am thankful for my job, but how often do I find myself complaining about it? When we recognize and appreciate the seemingly little things (like running water), I believe we will be less apt to complain about other things in our lives. I tend to complain about traffic, but the truth is that I am very fortunate to have a car to drive and that we have paved thoroughfares on which to drive. It seems like it is so easy to grumble and complain, and much more difficult to be truly thankful. Thanksgiving Day should be celebrated everyday to remind us to maintain an "attitude of gratitude."

Fun with Pumpkins

2007-11-19T23:57:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I along with 3 other women coordinated a pumpkin cook-off at our congregation. It turned out even better than I was expecting. We had about 30 entries that covered a wide variety of things including, pumpkin pie (of course), pumpkin curry, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin stirfry, pumpkin fruit salad, pumpkin milkshakes, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin custard, and pumpkin alfredo, to name a few. The creativity displayed was really remarkable. Everyone who came got to sample the dishes and vote on their favorites in 4 categories. No one went away hungry.

The comment I kept hearing from attendees was, "This was really a lot of fun!" People seemed even a little surprised at how much fun the event was. I don't think it was so much about the food as it was about the excitement generated when people are able to be creative and are able to share their creativity with others. The excitement was definitely contagious. I think I have almost had my fill of pumpkin for a while, but then again...maybe I should make some pumpkin soup.

Pride

2007-11-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

Some people say that the hardest words to say are "Will you forgive me?" I agree that those are difficult words, but I think equally difficult to express are these words, "I really need your help." This is not just in the way of "Help me carry this heavy object," but a deeper admission that we need other people around us to support us in all areas of life. The difficulty in both of the above situations is pride, and I am sure we all struggle with this to some degree. I think about the many times that I have been humbled, and what a lasting impression those times of forced humility have had on me. It is a good reminder for me to remember that we cannot be an island. Not only do we need to fully depend on the Lord "when I am weak, He is strong," but we also need to humble ourselves by letting others help us. Think of how humbled the disciples were when Jesus washed their feet.

Light: A particle or a wave?

2007-11-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

I am sure much has been said relating light to the nature of God, but I had a new thought yesterday (I am sure others thought of this before). I was thinking about how God is both a God of mercy and a God of justice, and the Scriptures say that Jesus is the lion and the lamb. At initial glance, we think "How could He be both of these seemingly opposing characteristics?" It is something of a mystery to us, but we know it is true. Similarly, we know that light is both a wave and a particle. How can this be? The properties of light baffled physicists for a long time until Einstein came along and showed how light has both aspects. From a physics perspective, particle and wave characteristics are very different. Wave characteristics include refraction, diffraction, interference, reflection, while particle properties are evidenced in different ways through "bits" or "photons" which are sent like impulses as demonstrated in x-rays and other ways . Everything has both a particle nature and a wave nature, and depending on the frequency, one will be more dominant than the other. Each serves a different purpose, and both are necessary. When Yeshua (Jesus) said He is the Light of the world, why should we wonder how he can be both the Lion and the Lamb?

God's Word: The invisible super glue

2007-10-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

I have been discussing creation with different groups of friends lately, and I shared the following with some of them, and they suggested I write it on my blog.

The Bible tells how God performed His creative acts by speaking it into existence. His Word caused something to be created out of nothing. I believe that even still today it is the reverberation of His voice that is holding our universe together. Atoms in a molecule are under constant vibration, which helps to hold the molecules together and determines the energy level of the molecule. Sound is created by pressure waves that cause vibration. It is my opinion that the reverberations caused by God speaking things into existence is what is still holding things together & keeping chaos in check (although the enemy is doing his best to try to break things apart).

I think of how much impact what we speak can make. Proverbs tells us that the power of life and death is in the tongue. I am reminded of how important it is to speak words of life to other people.

Options

2007-09-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get overwhelmed by all of the options available to us? There are days where I think about several different jobs that I would like to try and the myriad of travel destinations. It is hard sometimes to focus on what is before me because of all of the distracting possibilities. I had a friend who said she cried in the grocery store when she came back from living several years in a primitive village--there were too many choices in the grocery aisle. Another friend of mine said she would have breakdowns going to the grocery store when she first moved to the US from Russia. It is exciting to be living in a place where there are so many possibilities & choices, but sometimes it can be downright overwhelming. Have you ever looked at all the number of different toilet paper brands available at the grocery store? Who would have thought?

Honor

2007-08-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

I was at a retreat this past weekend where the theme was "Empowering a Generation." You may have heard the statistics about how, historically, revivals are typcially not evident in the third generation. The speaker at the retreat talked about how if a "culture of honor" is not built, revival will not pass to the next generation. Essentially, if we do not honor (see value in) each other, the connection to the next generation will be hindered. This gave me a slightly different perspective. People can become disengaged when their gifts and abilities are overlooked or undeveloped by ones in authority. Most of the time we are taught that honor is to be directed toward people in authority (as it should be), but it goes both ways. For example, when you encourage or compliment someone they typically will respond in a similar way, and the tone is set. It is much more enjoyable to work with/learn from someone who recognizes you as a valuable person. Maybe if we see each other as God sees us...

A Simplified Life?

2007-08-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

I decided a couple years ago that I wanted to simplify my life--to slow down and not run myself ragged. I don't know how good of a job I am doing in keeping with that idea. It feels like I don't have enough hours in the day to do everything that is on my list. How does that happen?

Maybe there is a false perception about technology. Because technology "makes our lives easier," which it does in many cases, we might think that our lives will be less complicated. That is not necessarily the case. I was talking to my mom last night and she was mentioning how 40 years ago, very large educational programs were run by one secretary. They had methods for charting out their filing systems for quick access to information. Now she says that in those same places (with fewer students) they have a team of office staff in order to handle the load. I was telling her that maybe the expectations are different now--perhaps we expect to have answers/solutions much more quickly than in the past.

I would venture to say that because technology has made some tasks so much easier (running water from a tap, throwing our clothes into the washing machine, driving a car to the store, doing our banking online), we tend to try to pack more into a day. We have much less patient when we want something, so our frustrations become greater. My mom was also telling me that my grandmother designated one day each week for a different task: cleaning, baking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, & ironing. Now we think all of those things should be done in a flash, so we can get on with all of our other things.

So here I am writing a post on my blog (it was on my to-do list).

Judging a book by the first 2 paragraphs

2007-08-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I was visiting with a couple friends when we started talking about books. I read a book that one of my friends highly recommended. It had a great plot and a good message, but I found the writing to be a rather non-linear with lots of extraneous details. We decided to read the first two paragraphs of several books aloud to see if a person could actually make a reasonable judgment about the overall writing quality in a book by the first page. In my opinion, it seemed to be a pretty good indicator; however the experiment wasn't very scientific, so check it out for yourself. I would be interested to hear your methods for "screening" the quality of a book--leave a comment.

By the way, here is the beginning of a very good book (clear, succinct, and very profound):
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Gen 1:1-5 ESV)

Fast track

2007-08-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

I saw a news article today that said they want to "fast track" the reconstruction of the I35W bridge in Minneapolis. It sounds like a great idea, "Let's do what typically takes 3 years in 1.5 years." Hmm...I've been there and done that--trying to build before the design has been completed. I would not recommend it. There are so many unforseen pitfalls in that type of a project. I have a feeling that the new bridge will cost twice as much as it would typically cost and that it will not be finished in the expected amount of time. I guess only time will tell. It sounds like politicians are making engineering and construction decisions...

Collapse

2007-08-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

This week everyone has been talking about the collapes of the 35W Bridge in Minneapolis, which was a very tragic event. I have been over that bridge at least a couple times over the last several years when I have been in Minneapolis. I have friends and relatives who live in the Twin Cities who could have been on that bridge when it collapsed, but as far as I know they were not. We can praise God that the anticipated number who perished is much lower than initially expected.

Now comes the investigation period. How did it happen? Why did it happen? Who was at fault? I am sure by incorporating video footage, forensic evidence, and circumstancial evidence (loads, temperature, etc.) that the first two questions will be answered fairly conclusively.

The last question is the one that could continue for a long time--"who was at fault?" I am guessing there will be a lot of finger pointing. The government will probably blame the engineers, and the engineers will blame the government. There will be a lot of finger pointing within each group as well. Of course everyone will want to pass on the responsibility. And in reality, the responsibility does not likely rest on one individual and is probably shared by many. Many times engineering decisions are not based solely on observed data, but are tempered by financial and political considerations. Too often significant repairs are not undertaken because the cost is great and useful service of the entity will be diminished or closed while work is being done.

I have absolutely no basis for assuming the following scenario, but this is a situation that I imagine could have happened. I imagine a meeting where bridge inspectors reported their findings to a group of decision-makers. They probably said that the bridge had some deficiencies that needed to be corrected. The people controlling the budget probably said that there was no money for such repairs and asked for a plan that would streamline the cost for incremental repairs, so they could be planned in the budget for years ahead. This scenario happens all the time in the engineering world. Engineers give recommendations for proper repairs, and the engineering plans are cut back to fit the budget. In some cases, this may not necessarily be a bad thing as it may force an engineer to focus on the essentials, and perhaps cause him/her to think outside-the-box on how to accomplish the goals in a more cost-effective manner. (I am sure we can all think of times when a "Cadillac" solution has been suggested when a "Kia" would be sufficient.) However, when budget constraints overpower sound engineering judgment, the consequences can be devastating. We probably won't really know what happened in this case for many months, but we all can learn some lessons here.

Orcas Island

2007-07-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

Today, our lab took a ferry to Orcas Island for our annual outing. We rode mopeds around the island and went to the top of Mt. Constitution. It was a lot of fun, and the scenery was beautiful. Here are a few photos from our excursion. What a great way to encourage team-building!

Some sail boats viewed from the ferry.

The view from the top of Mt. Constitution.

Our group getting ready to ride.

A juggling act

2007-07-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I am becoming an expert at juggling--not with physical balls or knives, but with projects. Today was one of those days where at any given moment my attention would be changed to a totally different project. With emails and telephone calls going in and out all day--firing off another one while waiting for a reply--my multi-tasking brain circuits are definitely getting used. Just thinking about how the human brain works and can be processing so much information at once is absolutely amazing.

Did you know that we have sensors for temperature, pressure, moisture, and pain all over our skin? If we were to physically try to wire the amount of sensors that our human body has to a super computer, it would not be able to process information as quickly as our brain does it. The tremendous trick is that our brain is able to ignore so many signals and yet respond as soon as one fires. We can phyisically hold a phone (head to shoulder), look at a computer screen, type with both hands, listen to a conversation, see info on a screen, reply by talking back, feel how hot it is in the room, think about the time, and feel thirst all at the same time. We can even operate multiple simultaneous coupled 6-degree-of-freedom motions with our bodies (limbs, etc.) without becoming unstable. Find a computer that can do all of that and recharge itself with 8 hours being turned off. The human body is a wonderful creation designed by an intelligent Creator.

Humans from single origin

2007-07-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

A Reuters news article this week said, "The genetic evidence has always strongly supported the single origin theory, and now results from a study of more than 6,000 skulls held around the world in academic collections supports this case." Hmm...doesn't the Bible also state that humans come from a single origin?

Good at Being Grumpy

2007-07-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

I was telling my sister today, "I don't want to be grumpy, but I am so good at it." It is at these points in time that I have to make a serious effort to dwell on positive things to get an attitude adjustment. That is why the Scriptures tell us, in Phil 4:8, "...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." I am also reminded of what Paul writes in Romans 7:9 "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." It is no surprise that even though I don't want to be a grouch I keep doing it because my flesh likes to dwell on the ugly, negative things. Life is so much better when I dwell on good things; unfortunately, the battle continues...

Word of Testimony

2007-07-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

"And they overcame him [the accuser] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony..." (Rev 12:11).

I read a small paperback this week that was a compilation of several real life stories of various people in one congregation. The stories were a concise recounting of individuals who had endured much pain. However, these were not downer stories, they were faith-building stories. Each one was unique, but had the same thread--God reached down in the most difficult of circumstances and touched a life in a profound way. These people will never be the same again.

As I was reading this book, the verse quoted above kept going through my mind. We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. Sometimes I think that my testimony is not so dramatic or interesting, but as I think about it, there are so many things that the Lord has done in my life that have had a very profound effect on me. May we never forget that we (who have been born again) have a testimony to share, which is a very powerful thing.

Science Spin

2007-06-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

The last couple days I have noticed the media and politicians "spinning" science. First, yesterday morning I heard a news program where the host kept saying things like, "Why is Bush so against stem cell research?" The guest would respond with statements like "the President feels that embryonic stem cell research is crossing an ethical line." The host, either intentionally or unintentionally, kept putting embryonic stem cell research and other stem cell research in the same category. This definitely causes people to think that if you are opposed to embryonic stem cell research that you are against all stem cell research. I personally think that a tremendous amount of knowledge and understanding can come from studying stem cells that are obtained from less controversial sources (such as skin or umbilical cord blood). By limiting the types of stem cells, the research will hopefully be more carefully constructed, which will likely lead to better scientific outcomes.

Then I heard a prominent politican make a statement about how she thought it was terrible that "ideology was placed before science." That is a scary statement. Who wants science to be placed before morals and ethics? Just because it is scientifically possible does not mean it should be done. Why do you think there are ethical review boards for human science experimentation? In some countries they test drugs and other medical devices directly in humans before doing animal trials and other types of validation. Do we really want that type of mentality here? Stop the science spin!

Ocean Views

2007-06-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

I went to the Oregon coast this weekend with my cousin. As we walked along the beach yesterday evening we enjoyed the ocean air and admired God's beautiful creation around us. This morning when I looked out the window I noticed two things (1) the tide was much lower than it was last night and (2) two people were busy writing a message in the sand. Each of these things was very fascinating to me.

1. The phenomenon of ocean tides is really remakable. Think about how a massive body of water like the Pacific ocean is following the gravitational pull of the moon. I am in awe of how God designed the world together so intricately, yet from a distance it appears that things are operating independently. I know sometimes I start thinking more about how I can operate independently, but I forget the fact that we do not function well on our own unless were are working together with others.

2. I watched with excitement as two people were finishing what they were writing in the sand. This much had been written "Blair (heart)'s Barbra," and they were starting to write "will you marry me?" I was trying to figure out if the one doing the proposing was one of the people writing or if he had sent 2 of his friends down to write the message for him (the hotel level was significantly higher than the beach). I was agonizing over the fact that the word "marry" was looking more like the word "mnrrt," when one of the guys went running back out to the message in the sand. I thought he was going to fix that word, but instead he went to add an "a" to the intended's name. They had spelled "Barbara" wrong!

Evolution

2007-06-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

I think that the introduction of evolutionary theory was probably the most detrimental philosophy that has invaded our culture. You might ask why a theory that attempts to explain the origin of species could have such a negative effect on culture. At a surface level, it would seem that evolutionary theory is just another scientist's hypothesis that can't totally be proven or disproven in a laboratory, so how could that affect a culture? By the way, I am a scientist who believes that God created the universe and all that is in it.

Lately, I have been noticing some things that I have never tied together before. I would propose that the macro theory of evolution, which attempts to answer how humans, plants, animals, and everthing else came into existence, has had a much deeper impact on our worldview than we realize. This theory has created much confusion and misguided intentions.

1. Medicine--The fact that humans exist as a product of chance makes disposing of human life much more justifiable (from abortion to euthanasia).

2. Law--did you know that in the U.S. the laws were originally made to coincide with Biblical laws? When a new law was being proposed, a common question would be, "where do you find that in the Bible." I have been told that in the mid 1800s the legal approach in the U.S. began to change when the idea of progressive law was introduced at Harvard. The idea is that laws and their intrepation build on previous decisions, so they should progressively improve over time. Unfortunately, I don't think improvement actually occurs because when a bad decision is made, it can negatively influence future decisions. In the end there is nothing solid to use as a foundation, but instead we end up with a moving target.

3. Environment--Have you noticed how some people are prone to worshiping nature? I see this especially on the West Coast. It is my opinion that this stems from Darwin's theory of evolution because inherently we all want something to believe in. We want to rally behind a cause. This poses a problem when God has been erased from the picture. If we don't believe that He exists, then what is there that we can stand behind? Many people decide to "save the world." While I believe that we need to be good stewards of the earth that God has given us, I do not believe that it or the animals on the earth should be held in higher esteem than God Himself. There is a verse in the Scriptures that says that people choose to serve what has been created rather than the Creator. If a person starts with the premise that there is no Creator, then what else is there other than created things for that person to serve? I saw a bumper sticker today that said "Praise dog." I was totally appalled. Only our Father in Heaven who created the Universe deserves all of the honor, glory, and praise.

Frustration

2007-06-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you have been frustrated and responded to someone in a manner you did not intend? I had one of those days today. I apologized, but I still feel bad about it. I think it is interesting how a sense of frustration can make a person feel very defensive and perhaps even behave a bit irrationally. The worst part is that when I feel frustrated, I find it difficult to display Godly character. So, is frustration a result of humanity's fall into sin?

Another interesting thing is that each person has different things that frustrate them. I wonder why. What is happening in the brain when a person gets frustrated?

Appointed Times

2007-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, one of my cousins sent me an email asking me my opinion on this topic, which is what spurred me to write about it. My intent is not to trample on dearly held traditions, but to cause you to think about what has been lost through the centuries.

"What are the Biblical Holidays?" Five years ago I probably would have responded, "Christmas and Easter." If someone would have asked me "Can you find any verses in the Bible that say to celebrate those holidays on the specific days when they are celebrated?" I would have likely responded, "No, but..."

Did you know that there are seven holidays for which God gives specific days and specific instructions on when/how to observe them? Yes, I can give you several specific Biblical references. Start with Leviticus chapter 23. A common response I have heard is, "Oh, those are the ones in the Old Testament, so we don't have to do them anymore." My next question is, "Does that mean the Ten Commandments have also become irrelevant ?" Didn't Jesus (Yeshua) say that he did not come to abolish the Torah, but to fulfill it? It is pretty clear from the Gospels that Jesus (Yeshua) observed these holidays.

The following are the appointed times listed in Leviticus 23 (they can also be found in other places in the Scripture):
-Shabbat (Sabbath)
-Passover (deliverance from slavery in Egypt and also deliverance from sin by Jesus death)
-Yom Habikkurim (Feast of First Fruits--the day that the grave was found empty)
-Shavuot (Pentecost--50 days after Yom Habikkurim)
-Yom Teruah (Day of Blowing or Rosh Hoshana)
-Yom Kippur (Day of Atonment)
-Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

The Shabbat is an appointed time that occurs every week, the next three take place in the spring, and the last three take place in the fall. They give us a picture of God's Divine plan (there is much that could be written here).

Last Sunday was Shavuot (Pentecost). It was not until 4 years ago that I found out that Pentecost was not just something that Christians observe, but it is a major Jewish festival as well. It is remembered as being when the Law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then about a couple thousand years later, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Shavuot as recorded in the Book of Acts. Isn't it amazing how God uses His appointed times to do remarkable things?

So, why do many Christians think that it is so wrong to celebrate these feasts now? Most people cannot anwer this question, they just have this "feeling" about them. Constantine and others around his time decided to try to strip Jewishness from Christianity, so they replaced the Biblical Feasts with Christmas and Easter, which coincided with existing pagan holidays. Now you might say, "Is it wrong to give/receive Christmas gifts and listen to Christmas music?" I don't think so. The thing that I notice about these holidays, which don't have any specific guidelines, is that they have morphed into things which are barely recognizable as remembering the birth and death of the Messiah. They have been replaced with lights, candy, and imaginary creatures. There is no Biblical outline for how they are to be celebrated, so it has been left up to humans to define.

There is so much depth and richness to celebrating the feasts that the Lord specified in the Scriptures. By ignoring them, we are missing out on learning more about His nature and character. I look at it this way, many people are settling for instant coffee when they could be having freshly ground and brewed gourmet coffee.

The Tunnels of Hyrcania

2007-05-29T22:46:00.002-07:00

I should tell a little more about my trip to Israel in March/April. Besides doing GPR scanning at Herodium, we also did some GPR scanning in two tunnels in Hyrcania. These tunnels are rather mysterious because the archeologists don't know why they were dug, nor do they know when they were built. These tunnels are situated in the sides of mountains in a wadi (dry river bed). The region is known as the Valley of Echor. The photo on the right is looking down into the tunnel from the entrance, so it appears to be well lit, but it was not (this photo used a flash). We had a rope that went down about one-third of the way (it would have been nice to have had one all the way down).

I personally was not totally prepared for the challenge of being in these tunnels. Stairs had been carved into the bedrock 150 m (450 ft) into the mountain. The inclination of the tunnels was about 45 degrees, so it was pretty steep. The tunnels got as narrrow as about 2 ft in places and 5.5 ft tall. Needless to say it was very dark (fortunately I had a head lamp with me). The archeologist (Oren Gutfield) told us that when they had dug in the tunnels to clear hard packed debris, they had run out of oxygen at the bottom. He also told us of other dangers that had been present. Needless to say, this made me get a bit nervous. I was also a little concerned that we might run into some animals that had decided to go into the tunnel and perhaps couldn't get out. He kind of chuckled at my worry about the animals. Little did I know that I would actually welcome the sight of the animals that we saw at the bottom. When we reached the end, we saw two pigeons that were ALIVE! I was thrilled to see that they were alive (in the photo to the right, Oren is holding one of the pigenons)--that meant that there was enough oxygen for them to live, so we probably would have enough O2 as well. Near the end the tunnel split into two chambers, they both ended about the same distance down. It was very strange. Another interesting thing was that there were pockets carved out of the walls approx. every 5 ft, which had been there for oil lamps to light it.

Once we had evaluated the situation, we had to make the climb out to get our equipment to bring down. Two trips in one day was plenty for me! It was physically exhausting. We went back again another day to scan the other tunnel--that one was not as deep. On the right you can see me leaving the tunnel (I carried the water bottles, which was more difficult than you might think).

This experience was one that made me realize that I am capable of more than I think. It was a bit of a mental struggle to go all the way down into the tunnel, but once I was able to get over the head games, it wasn't so bad. However, I can honestly say that I don't have a strong desire to go exploring other long, dark, dirty, warm, humid tunnels.

The photo above was taken without a flash (with only a headlamp on) and shows the "light at the end of the tunnel" as we were exiting.

Created to Create

2007-05-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is another post which was inspired by the Truth Project. Have you ever thought about the fact that since we are created in the image of God that we have been "created to create?" It is quite a remarkable thought that the Creator of the universe created us to build/create too. Wow! "For six days the Lord made the Heavens and the Earth and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." The Bible instructs us to also work for six days and then to rest. I have been told that the word for "work" might be better translated as "create."

Sometimes I get a little bit disturbed by American culture's attitude toward "work." There is not much encouragement for being creative (I am not meaning artistic) unless you can come up with some grand new invention that make tons of money. Everything seems so money driven. It seems that mass production, which has made many products cheaper to buy than to make, has put a damper on people's ingenuity/creativity. Many people would not know how to build/make something if their life depended on it. I know I have caught myself thinking, "I could make that, but it would cost me more in time & materials to make it than it would to just buy it." Sometimes we forget the satisfaction that comes from making something with our own two hands.

Excavation Pic from Herodium

2007-05-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is a photo from Yahoo news that was taken recently at Herodium. If you compare the square opening in the middle on the left with the photo of Yaakov and Roi in the previous post, you will see that it is the same opening. They certainly did a lot of excavating after we left. It really is crazy to think that we were standing right on top of it...if we would have stayed longer (or gone a couple weeks later), we could have been there for the big discovery.

To the right is a photo that also shows this same square opening when we were there (before it was fully excavated). Mika is on the right.

Herodium

2007-05-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

I went on a trip as a volunteer to Israel about a month ago to help do some ground penetrating radar (GPR) for a couple archeologists. While we were there, we did some scanning at Herodium at the request of Prof. Ehud Netzer. He has been doing excavations at this site for over 30 years. He told us that he still wanted to find Herod's tomb, so that he could feel good about retiring. There have been many speculations, but they hadn't found it at that time, but there was some new hope because a new area was being uncovered on the side of the hill showed some promise. He asked us to scan in the new area as well as at the base of the tower in the previously excavated area (a GPR team in the past said that the tomb was in the tower, but he didn't believe them).

To me it felt a bit like "looking for a needle in a haystack." There was a lot of area to cover, and we could not really give them any definitive data from our scans because the type of antenna that we had with us could only penetrate about 1.3 m in that type of soil. In addition, the fill on top of the stone was hard packed, so there was not enough of a dielectric change for us to detect with the equipment. We didn't know before we arrived in Israel what the scenario would be like in this location, which was unfornate. We were rather disappointed that we were not able to tell them more specific information (we did find some anomolies, but they weren't conclusive). However, it was a great experience to be able to work with Yaakov Kalman, Roi Porat, and the Bedouins who where helping with the dig. We even got to have lunch in the home of one of the Bedouin workers, which was a real surprise for us (the hospitality was terrific).

While we were scanning, we looked in some of the tunnels/entrances into the side of the hill. In the process, we saw some very large stones that Yaakov got very excited about. He said he had never seen stones like them at Herodium before.

Today, Prof. Netzer announced that they found Herod's tomb. When I saw photos of where they found it, I see that we were walking almost right on top of it. It is very exciting because we were working with this team just one month ago. Below are some photos from the archeological site.

We scanned at the site, but we were not able to detect much because of similar rock/fill dielectric constants and the frequency of our antenna was a little too high to reach the depths that we wanted to see. I guess they found it anyway.

Roi and Yaakov are excavating an area that is near the entrance to where they found the tomb.

Above are a glimpse of the area where "large stones" were that Yaakov saw the day we were scanning. He was very surprised by them and said he had never seen such large stones at the site before. It appears that these may have been the clues that led them to finding the tomb.

View of Herodium from a distance.

Below is the full story on the Hebrew University website.
http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge117861762132688760

Divide by infinity?

2007-04-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

I have been attending some of the weekly sessions of the Truth Project, which is a DVD series produced by Focus on the Family. I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about it, but after watching some of the sessions, I am sold. It contains some well-thought and well-organized foundational material regarding the Scriptures and the concept of Truth. I highly recommend it.

Part of this evening's session was about how God dwells in believers through the Holy Spirit. Believers do not have just a part of God becasue he cannot be divided. His very nature is about oneness. Dr. Tackett on the DVD used the mathematical illustration that when you divide infinity by any number you get infinity, so that is how God can dwell within each believer at the same time. It is truly amazing that God dwells in me through the Holy Spirit!

I started thinking about the mathematical converse. What if you take any number and divide it by infinity? Mathematically this is undefined, but from Calculus, we know that the limit of this approaches zero. Therefore, if we apply mathematics to the spiritual, we could say that if we try to remove (divide) God (infinity) out of anything, we are left with nothing of value.

Tragedy at Virginia Tech

2007-04-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

I have been very affected by the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech. I had actually met one of the professors who was killed. Two years ago, I interviewed there for a post-doc position and possible faculty position. The interview was a full day, so I met with many faculty members. I toured the lab of Kevin Granata and talked to him about his research. He was a very nice man who was doing some great research. I took some brief notes from that day, and one thing that I noted about Dr. Granata was that he had taken time out of his schedule to meet with me even though he had a grant application due the next day. I may have also met one of the other professors who was killed on Monday.

I was offered a post-doc position at a lab in the building next to where the shooting occurred, but I didn't accept it because I felt like I was to stay in Seattle. The thought that I could have been there makes me think. How would I have reacted? What would I have done? My first thought is "I am glad I wasn't there." Not just because I could have been killed--"For to me to live is Messiah and to die is gain"--but because it would be such a trauma to witness something like that. The grief must be overwhelming for those who knew the victims well.

I think about the real possibility that some of the people who were killed did not know the Lord as their Savior. That makes me very sad. I saw the webpage of one of the victims who said that Jesus was the love of her life. She is in a better place now. I pray that through this tragedy many people will turn to the Lord and be saved through Jesus the Messiah who offers eternal life to all who call on Him.

May we all be ready to meet the Lord when our time on this earth is ended.

Grief

2007-03-04T01:11:00.001-08:00

Grief is such a strange thing. This year I have been reminded of one year ago when my cousin died. I have been wondering why I have been so moody lately, but realizing that this is the anniversary of her death has helped me to get a handle on what I am feeling. It is strange how we can be grieving subconciously, but conciously be unaware of it.

It is difficult to understand how such a tragic and devastating event like that can happen. The one thing I have to remember is that God is good. He does not want to harm us or see us in despair--He wants to give us hope and a future.

Adopted

2007-01-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

I had a discussion with a friend last week who was telling me how he finally could see that we as believers are connected to Israel because Jesus (Yeshua) is the Messiah of Israel and we are His children. I don't know how many years I have been trying to articulate that idea to my friends who think I am a little crazy. I thought about the concept so many people have where they think "the church" and "Israel" are two entities that can never mix or else they believe that the former has replaced the latter. Both viewpoints are in error according to Scriputre.

I, as a Gentile believer, am a child of God the Father, who was the One who made covenants with Noah, Abraham, and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai. Therefore, if I have been adopted into the family of God (see the writings of Paul), and can call God my Father and am made a co-heir with Messiah, I am in the same family as believing Israel.

As I thought about this more, I came up with the following illustration from my own life. I have two sisters adopted from South Korea. They are part of a very Finnish family. There is no difference in how my parents treat them compared to how they treat me or my biologic brother. They have all the rights and privileges of being in our family, same name, same inheritence, etc. They would not say they are of Finnish ethnicity, but they would say that they feel very Finnish (and for good reason). However, no one could say that they don't belong to our family. Likewise, I would not say that I am Jewish, but I am grafted into the same olive tree through Messiah (see Romans 11).

Waiting for a plane

2006-11-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

As I sat in the dusty heat in a Toyota Landcruiser ambulance for a little 6-seater propeller plane to appear in the clouds, I began to doubt. Airplanes in the northern dessert of Kenya are not a common sight. Actually, in the village where I was waiting, one plane lands and takes off only two times a week (Tuesdays and Fridays). The town was about a 2 hour drive in the desert from the village I had been visiting. I was looking in the direction of the "runway," or where I was told it was. It just looked like a flat open space of sand right next to another flat open place of sand. The cattle were walking along a path near it. I guess the people around know that they should chase any animals away when they see the plane.

I was told that the plane could arrive anytime between 11 am and 1 pm (typically). You never know in Africa what type of delays can take place and there is no fast and reliable way to communicate a delay in that part of the country. I got to Korr at a little before 11 am, and we began waiting. I stopped to see someone I had met a year earlier, so I visited with her for about 20 minutes. Then my driver drove me to wait near the airstrip at a Catholic compound where there was some shade. We sat and waited. I kept watching the sky and listened for an airplane. I started to wonder if it was really going to come. What an unlikely place for an airplane to land--in the middle of the desert. There really shouldn't have been much reason to doubt since I arrived in Korr two weeks prior in a little plane operated by the same organization. But for some reason, I really started to wonder. How long will I wait? What will I do if it doesn't come? I started thinking that it really takes faith to believe that a plane will actually arrive. At other airports, a person sees the little monitor telling the arrival/departure times of the plane. We know that those times are obtained through radar tracking and communication with the pilot. I am usually fairly confident that what I see posted on the screen is fairly accurate (unless the word "delayed" is posted behind the flight). This time I was trusting the word of the person I talked to a week earlier.

I realized that day was just a few days before Rosh Hoshana (Sept 2006), where we look forward to the day when the trumpet will sound and the whole world will hear it. I was listening & looking at the sky waiting for a plane...do I wait and watch as intently for the Lord to return? Do I believe God's Word when He says He is coming again? Suddenly, the driver said, "It's coming. I hear the plane." As I listened I started to hear it, but he heard it much sooner than I did. His ear was trained to hear the plane. I want my ear trained to hear the Lord. What a great lesson to learn in the desert.

A Prophet?

2006-11-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

Last night I went with a friend to hear a speaker at a "prophetic conference" north of Seattle. We left before he was finished speaking because we were both rather disturbed by what was being spoken. I was mostly upset because he was saying many things that were not Scriptural. Isn't a prophet supposed to speak God's Word?

His main points "sounded right," but when listening closely, it seemed that something was amiss with the message. I get very frustrated with people who act like they are preaching the Word, but only use little bits and pieces out of context to support their agenda. I want people to preach/teach God's Word and not their own.

After seeing these conference go-ers I realize that many of them are just "conference groupies" who travel from place to place chasing after the "next great move of God." I think people should be ready for God to move in your own community in your own congregation. A person does not have to chase after the wind. God will not leave you behind. The speaker last night said his greatest fear was that he would miss out on the next great move of God. I don't believe that someone who is seeking after the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind will miss out on what He has in store for them. It may not be as flashy as someone else might experience, but God is into tailor-made experiences with Him. He will not leave us behind or in the cold if we are following after Him (which doesn't mean running from conference to conference to "catch the wave"). I would say that if a person is chasing after things of this world, his/her own glory, or pleasures of sin that there is a risk of missing out of being part of what God is doing.

The other thing that was mentioned is that we as believers need to be "culturally relevent." I think this is a great misconception because we are part of the culture, right? I live in this culture in Seattle; I contribute to it. Instead of catering to the cultural norms, I believe we need to be building a culture of Godliness around us. People will notice. If we are living lives of Godly character we will exude his love, grace, and mercy to those around us and it will draw attention. Of course, I believe we need to speak to people in a language they will understand, but I do not think we need to become like the world to win it--that is not Scriptural. We are to "be in the world but not of the world."

Mercy

2006-11-14T00:03:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, my landlady asked me to go to church with her, so I did. I took my big Key Word Study Bible with me because I couldn't find my compact Bible a the time. The pastor was preaching from Matthew 5, and was talking about "blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." After I had my new "revelation" about the word grace, and because I had my big study Bible with me, I decided to look up the definition for mercy in my Strong's concordance as well. The definition of the Greek word ελεέω (1653, 1655) was to show compassion. I wondered what the Hebrew word would be for mercy, so I thought of the verse in Micah 6, that says "...but to do justly, and to love mercy..." I looked up this passage, and the Hebrew word translated as "mercy" is חסד chesed for which one of the definitions is "kindness." I looked at the note in my Bible made by commentator Spiros Zodhiates, who worte on page 1264, "The difference between 'grace' charis (5485) and eleos, is that the first affects the character of a person and changes it. only God can effect grace but we are admonished to show mercy and be eleemones (1655), "mercifiul," to alleviate the consequences of sin."

After further thought on this topic, I believer there are two definitions for each of these words. One definition is related to how we as humans manifest grace and mercy toward each other, and the other more common definition is how God demonstrates these things toward us.

In other words, I can ask God to give me grace to handle a difficult situation, which is asking Him to let His character to be acted out in the situation. That is absolutely wonderful because my own self will typically mess things up. When we show mercy to our neighbor by showing kindness even when they don't seem like someone who we don't think deserves it, we will be blessed.

God's grace toward us is "unmerited favor" or "getting what we don't deserve," while His mercy toward us is "not giving us what we do deserve."

I am amazed that I did not realize until now how God's grace can work in our own lives to show His character to other people. What a beautiful thing.

Grace

2006-11-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

A week and a half ago in Bible study, I looked up the Strong's reference (5485) for the word "grace" in a verse we were studying in 2 Thessolonians. The Greek word for this was
χάρις "charis" and one of its definitions was "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life." This was new insight for me. I had always heard the definition of grace as being "getting what you don't deserve," which is a fine definition, but understanding that grace is God's character being put into action in our lives is really amazing. I pray for God's grace to be poured out in my life.

Alive in Messiah!

2006-11-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago our congregation had a womens' retreat where I had the opportunity to do one of the morning devotionals about the theme, "Alive in Messiah." I felt like the Lord had been little by little putting the message together over the last several years. I will share a little of what the Lord put on my heart to share with the other women.

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1Co 15:22 ESV)

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:4-10 ESV)

What does it mean to be alive? Think about this question for a while.

Have you had times in your life where you said, “I feel alive!?” What were you doing?

Have you experienced times in your life when you felt dead or like you wanted to die? What were you doing?

I am reminded of one person in the Scriptures who went from a major high to major low very quickly. We can read about it in 1 Kings 18-19. Elijah had finished facing off with the prophets of Baal on the top of Mount Carmel where fire came down from heaven and consumed his sacrifice. He slew the prophets of Baal and ran 26 miles to Jezreel where he went into a cave and wanted to die. Why did he go from such a high to such a low? He was a man of God. I believe (this is my own theory) that after this “pinnacle experience” he maybe felt like he had fulfilled what was sent on earth to do. Maybe he thought that there was nothing left for him to do. I think he lost the vision for his purpose.

When we lose sight of our purpose or stop living out our purpose—we feel dead. When we walk out our lives doing what the Lord intended for us, we feel alive.

I will proffer this definition for my question above, “what does it mean to be alive?” I think that being alive means to actively live in the present (not in the past or future) functioning in the way we were designed to function. People have lived in the past and people will live in the future, but they may not be alive right now. Being alive is an active word; it is not passive.