paulmoreland.com

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until it spread through all of it.”  Matthew 13:33

One of the oft overlooked parables about the Kingdom of Heaven is the one comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast. Yeast has long fascinated me.  I recall waaay back in time when we were at the “Morbach” school.  The older kids were having science classes and we got to look through the microscope as well. They took some yeast that had been activated and placed it on the slide.  It did not look like much, but as we looked through the microscope we saw the yeast cells busy multiplying themselves. What was not obvious from the microscope slide was the byproduct of their growth, the generation of gas which when combined with the elasticity of the gluten in the flour resulted in the rising of the dough. Read the rest of this entry »

Sitting in the dentist’s office, playing with WordPress for Android. This is a handy gadget!

Far too many Christians are like “johns” seeking a hooker to fulfill their fantasy, give them an experience and excite their desires. They have no interest in commitment to the individual congregation, they are not interested in seeing it become in all things the bride of Christ. All they are looking for is a congregation that will fulfill their own desires and give them some transitory experience and fleeting pleasure.

On the other hand, there are far too many congregations who act like hookers. They offer pleasure and titillation with a soothing mix of “worship” and “praise”, but NEVER demanding commitment. Their main interest is pecuniary. As long as a person tithes or gives offerings then the leadership is happy. The spiritual growth and well being of the person in question is of no interest, as long as each party gets what they want.  Titillation on one side, pecuniary reward on the other.

To ask a person to make not only a statement of faith but to make a commitment to the local congregation is anathema in much of today’s culture. After all, if they toss something into the offering plate, is that not enough? One of the oddest things I’ve observed in churches in Latin America is the custom of asking “all baptized believers” to stand up to receive Communion. But at the time of the offering they pass the plate or other receptacle in front of ALL the folks present. And never have I heard anyone teach the Biblical truth that God expects us to put our personal relationships in order before we bring an offering to Him.

So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24

Some time ago I came across the work of Colin Stolzer.  Someone mentioned a 2 bore cartridge rifle that was being built and I had to check it out.  Big bore rifles have fascinated me for some time, although there’s nothing around that would call upon the use of such an implement.  There’s something fascinating to me about the launching of an ounce or more of lead by means of black powder.  In this case it is the launching of 8 ounces of lead. The “bore rifles” are named according to the number of balls the diameter of the bore of the rifle that it takes to equal a pound.  Samuel W. Baker (author of The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon, Wild Beasts and Their Ways and other works from the 19th century) referred to rifles in varying ways.  “Number 10″ was a ten bore, “Number 12″ was a 12 bore, “two ounce” was an eight bore, “four ounce” was a four bore and then there was “Baby” – his two bore rifle. One could also refer to them by gauge, thus a 10 bore would be the same as a 10 gauge, a 12 bore as a 12 gauge, etc.

Now Colin is looking to outdo himself.  He has taken on a project in which he will build a DOUBLE BARREL 2 bore rifle.  He calls it the “Double Deuce” – and he’s documenting his build on YoutTube. I intend to keep updating this post and adding the videos in order as they come out.  So far he is up to video five, over forty hours of machine time alone.

Mr. Stolzer also has published a book on making muzzle loading locks from materials.  You can preview then order it by clicking here.

The 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919 and went into effect on January 17, 1920.  This law was designed to put an end to the abuse of alcoholic beverages and to usher in an age of sobriety to the United States of America.  What really happened, however, was that the ratification of the amendment ushered in “The Roaring Twenties“, which were characterized in part by a disregard for the afore mentioned constitutional amendment, a proliferation of “speakeasies” and the rise of bootlegging and violent criminals willing to do what ever was necessary to provide alcohol to those who wished to imbibe in spite of the illegality of such an act.  The fortunes to be made by the relatively simple process of fermentation and distillation drove many to extraordinary lengths to provide that which was prohibited, with utter disregard for the law.  The “Nobel Experiment” came to an end with the ratification of the 21st Amendment  on December 5, 1933. Read the rest of this entry »

¨…I will walk about in freedom,  for I have sought out your precepts.  I will speak of your statutes before kings  and will not be put to shame…” -  Psalm 119:45-46  NIV

Only a people who live by God’s precepts can truly know freedom.  It is only when we walk according to His ways and live as He designed us to live that we can know the true meaning of freedom.  When we deviate from His word we become slaves to our own passions.  When a society turns its back on His precepts then slavery follows. It is not usually sudden thing.  It is rather a gradual decline in the freedom of the citizens as more and more laws are passed to reign in their lusts and desires.  Self control gives way to government control.  Government control grows steadily more intrusive.  People give up freedom for the illusion of security and end up having neither.

Only when we are self governed,  only when God’s supreme law rules our hearts, may we know true freedom.  Only when we allow God’s Spirit to rule our own restless spirit may we overcome the destructive tendency to live for the deceitful pleasures of the flesh that really only lead us to destruction.

There is a movement afoot in which folks declare “We can’t know anything for certain except that we should ‘love’ everyone.” The comments are well meant, after all, folks want to “do what Jesus would do”.  The intention is to convince everyone to walk around “loving on everyone” and creating “one big happy family” out of human kind by ignoring any notion of right or wrong.

On the other hand, there are others who condemn anyone and everyone who disagree with them. They tend to have a legalistic outlook on life and see anyone who disagrees with their particular brand of theology as “obviously headed for hell in a hand-basket”. Their attitude seems to be “my way is better even that God’s way” and “Real love smacks people upside the head for not toeing MY line.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Reading has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember.  My earliest memories include that special time in the evening when my parents would put my sister and I to bed, tuck us in and then read stories from the “Little Brown Coco” series.  Those simple stories put Biblical truths on a level that even a toddler could appreciate and we loved to hear about God and the people who love Him and do their best to walk in His ways.  Later I went to school and learned to read on my own, opening boundless frontiers to an inquisitive mind.  Read the rest of this entry »

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40 – NIV)

Fathering, intransitive verb : to care for or look after someone as a father might.  It is, after all, a simple word, but not so simple to define.  To some, the word “fathering” is merely the act of inseminating a woman, as in “he fathered her child and then left for greener pastures.”  But to beget a child, to my way of thinking, is not truly fathering the child.  Any male can beget offspring, a true man fathers a child.  When I use the term I mean that a true man invests in the long term life of the child by providing for the child’s needs.  Not just providing “three squares and a roof” but rather providing a framework within which the child can grow and mature and gain their independence in a healthy way. Read the rest of this entry »