Yesterday I witnessed a miracle. There was no angels singing on high, no endlessly burning candles, but no less a miracle. My daughter celebrated Hanukkah / Christmas with us and that is nothing short of a miracle.
For those of you who don't know, my oldest daughter developed a disease called Stevens Johnson disease, which comes about as a result of a bad reaction to anti biotic.The odds of this occurring is something like in one in one billion but she happened to be the one. The results of this is basically the effect of your entire body being burned, including all mucus membranes. The mortality rate of this disease is somewhere around 70% and is extremely painful. If you survive it there is a good possibility that you will be scarred for life and you could go blind. They originally told us that we were looking at a minimum of 6 weeks in the hospital if not months and that if she developed any kind of infection that it could prove to be deadly. There was not a single thing in all of this to bring us any kind of hope.
When I saw her in the hospital I was shocked. The cold written facts of it pale in comparison to the realities. I have been to war and I have seen much in my life but nothing could prepare me for seeing my daughter in so much pain and misery. She couldn't walk. Her body was blistered everywhere. Her fine motor skills were about gone and her skin would just randomly tear and she would start bleeding. She could barely see. I honestly didn't believe that she was going to live through this.
I went home and did the only thing that I knew how to do and that was pray and then start contacting people to get her on prayer lists everywhere.
Between my wife and I, and then through our contacts ,we had people ,literally from around the world, praying for her. In Israel her name was put into the wall and she was prayed for over the airwaves. In churches ,in a variety of denominations, across the country she was prayed for and though I don't know what the actual number of people praying was it had to have numbered in the thousands if not more.
I don't want anyone to misunderstand me. The doctors and nurses did an outstanding job with her, they were some very kind and courteous people and very professional in their work. They are to be thanked long and loud for their work, but make no mistake ,the prayers of the people of G-D also played it's part. G-D gave those doctors and nurses the intelligence to do the job that they do and the wisdom to know how to treat her. But G-D also heard the prayers of thousands to heal one of His children and He did. I have one friend who reminded me of his opinion of G-D but because she is my daughter that he would send a prayer.These prayers were brought before G-D from a wide variety of people from differing denominations and belief systems. Jews, Christians, Pagans, of all varieties, all prayed to G-D in their own fashion and a miracle occurred. Say what you will but I believe that G-D honors all prayer.
Three weeks ago I wasn't sure she was going to live. Last week the miracle began.
First she decided that she was going to get up and walk and despite the pain she did and she sat in a regular chair. The next day she got up and walked and went out side for the first time in weeks, it was painful on the new skin but she was determined to get things moving. She then ate real food, and the following day they removed the feeding tube. Friday she called and told me that she was going home.
Yesterday the miracle of my daughter walked through my door and celebrated both holidays with us. She is still in some pain and she will still be awhile recovering, but the fact of the matter is that she was able to go home and then come and spend the day with us. Miracles happen.
For the skeptics out there, to whom G-D is a fairy tale, I can only say this; I didn't witness the healing as it happened, I only know that it happened. I didn't see the hand of G-D reaching down to touch my child with healing yet I have seen the results. I can't even prove to you that G-D exists , at least not in a way that you would demand the proof, yet my daughter walked through my door yesterday a walking miracle. That's all the proof I need.
To the Doctors and Nurses at both St. Josephs, in Nashua NH and Mass General in Boston my deepest thanks. To those individuals in Israel that took the time to put her name into the Wall and pray for her over the air thank you, and for all of you, no matter who you are, or what you believe, who took time to pray Thank you. Most of all to G-D, may His name be praised, I give my greatest praise and thank you.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
I'm A Hick
Have you ever heard the saying that if you don't know who the geek in your crowd is that chances are it's you? I have a bit of a modification to that that goes something like this; if you don't know who the hick is in the crowd, it just might be you. That's me. Front row, center section, with the big neon sign. I have always known this fact, but I was reminded just how much of a hick I actually am while traveling to Boston to see my daughter.
First of all you must understand, that to me, cities of any kind are scary places. My idea of a city is say, Montpelier, Vermont where you might find more moose then people on any given day and the only things that are dangerous are the congressmen or women in the capital building or trying to find a parking space on the 4th of July. I would be more comfortable in the woods with a tent and flashlight with a black bear for a neighbor. In all fairness, some of this is the medias fault. Everything from Dirty Harry movies of the 70's to the local nightly news would give you the impression that cities of any size are full of crazy people who speak with funny accents and want to shoot you with large caliber weapons. Even knowing this Is a false impression I'd still rather deal with an angry moose.
My first experience was the serious mistake of actually driving into Boston. To the uninitiated, of which I am no longer one of, it seems easy enough, just follow the directions that your printed up map tells you and you will get there with a smile on your face without having even the slightest hint of stress, yea right. I now understand why seasoned veterans of commuting from out of the city use the train. First, the map lied, OK so a map can't lie, it only can exaggerate the truth a bit or more correctly, it left out certain details, such as one way streets and merging traffic. Second, it doesn't tell you of the legendary manner of drivers that Boston is famous for. I had heard these rumors before making the trip, but the experience of it defies any kind of rational thought. I have never been sworn at so much in my life, since boot camp any how, and that was from the people walking out in front of me! The drivers were worse. You have to understand that my idea of traffic is being able to see tail lights at about a half a mile away or having to slow down because a deer just ran out in front of you. The deer alone can cause me to brake out into a sweat if it's close enough, so imagine my horror at bumper to bumper traffic with multiple lanes merging all at once and not being able to see the road sign to know which way I had to go! Obviously, I survived my encounters with the Boston road warriors but I started to catch a glimpse of how much of a hick I actually am.
My second trip in really clarified to me just how truly hicified I have become. This time I thought that I'd be smart and take the train in. Sounded simple enough. Looked online to see what train to take that would bring me the closest to the hospital, found it and because I know where that one is and it seemed like a straight shot, I decided to go that route. I should just state here doing stuff like this without someone else along, who actually knows what they are doing, can be very stressful to me and make my imagination run wild. But I didn't start to panic until I was informed that the train that I was going to take wasn't running, so I would have to catch the bus there at the train station, get off in Harvard Square and then take the train to the hospital. Panic time, hick style was about to start.
Getting to the station and onto the bus was fairly simple but I was not prepared for the amount of people that can fit onto a bus, remember we are talking a metro bus here, not a school bus, add that to the fact that I didn't know exactly where I was headed on this bus (it had several stops to make on the way) a driver who didn't speak very loud, I thought he said Harvard when he actually said Porter, and the full knowledge that at any minute the Crips and Bloods where going to jump on the bus and start a gang war or I would get mugged by a local hotdog vendor and there you have my mind set.
As things happened, I was not caught up in a gang war and I did manage to get to Harvard and then onto the hospital via the train but not before I showed how ignorant I was by asking directions and info about the ticket machines. I had always understood that any place that had a booth that said information on it would be a place to actually get information, apparently that was my hickness thinking.
My last realization of how much I was a hick came just from my observations of the people on both the bus and the train. I am by nature, a jeans and flannel shirt kind of guy. When winter rolls around I am interested in warmth and not fashion. If my clothes and shoes are 10 years out of date but they keep me warm I am usually quite content but I felt massively out of place there. I have been on commercial sized farms that didn't have as much leather as I saw on the train and bus. I didn't know just how many styles and name brands existed, of course that might be due to the fact that I get my styles from wally world, but still I was shocked and suddenly aware at just how much I stood out. I was wearing my typical Jeans and shirt but I was also wearing a bright red winter Jacket and my black felt fedora style hat (something that you would see men in the 40's and 50's wearing) along with my sneakers, there wasn't a name brand on me and in a sea of black and other dark colors I was in red! I stuck out like a sore thumb though I didn't realize it until I was looking in the windows reflection and trying to figure out who the hick was looking back at me....
So, now I am a seasoned veteran. I know how to get to point B from point A without too much trouble, I can quickly navigate my way through the bus and train stations and perhaps look like I know where I am heading, but alas, I will always be a hick but don't laugh at me when you see me in the city in my fedora and red jacket, just remember some day you might be in the boonies and you may want me to introduce you to that bear before he introduces himself.
First of all you must understand, that to me, cities of any kind are scary places. My idea of a city is say, Montpelier, Vermont where you might find more moose then people on any given day and the only things that are dangerous are the congressmen or women in the capital building or trying to find a parking space on the 4th of July. I would be more comfortable in the woods with a tent and flashlight with a black bear for a neighbor. In all fairness, some of this is the medias fault. Everything from Dirty Harry movies of the 70's to the local nightly news would give you the impression that cities of any size are full of crazy people who speak with funny accents and want to shoot you with large caliber weapons. Even knowing this Is a false impression I'd still rather deal with an angry moose.
My first experience was the serious mistake of actually driving into Boston. To the uninitiated, of which I am no longer one of, it seems easy enough, just follow the directions that your printed up map tells you and you will get there with a smile on your face without having even the slightest hint of stress, yea right. I now understand why seasoned veterans of commuting from out of the city use the train. First, the map lied, OK so a map can't lie, it only can exaggerate the truth a bit or more correctly, it left out certain details, such as one way streets and merging traffic. Second, it doesn't tell you of the legendary manner of drivers that Boston is famous for. I had heard these rumors before making the trip, but the experience of it defies any kind of rational thought. I have never been sworn at so much in my life, since boot camp any how, and that was from the people walking out in front of me! The drivers were worse. You have to understand that my idea of traffic is being able to see tail lights at about a half a mile away or having to slow down because a deer just ran out in front of you. The deer alone can cause me to brake out into a sweat if it's close enough, so imagine my horror at bumper to bumper traffic with multiple lanes merging all at once and not being able to see the road sign to know which way I had to go! Obviously, I survived my encounters with the Boston road warriors but I started to catch a glimpse of how much of a hick I actually am.
My second trip in really clarified to me just how truly hicified I have become. This time I thought that I'd be smart and take the train in. Sounded simple enough. Looked online to see what train to take that would bring me the closest to the hospital, found it and because I know where that one is and it seemed like a straight shot, I decided to go that route. I should just state here doing stuff like this without someone else along, who actually knows what they are doing, can be very stressful to me and make my imagination run wild. But I didn't start to panic until I was informed that the train that I was going to take wasn't running, so I would have to catch the bus there at the train station, get off in Harvard Square and then take the train to the hospital. Panic time, hick style was about to start.
Getting to the station and onto the bus was fairly simple but I was not prepared for the amount of people that can fit onto a bus, remember we are talking a metro bus here, not a school bus, add that to the fact that I didn't know exactly where I was headed on this bus (it had several stops to make on the way) a driver who didn't speak very loud, I thought he said Harvard when he actually said Porter, and the full knowledge that at any minute the Crips and Bloods where going to jump on the bus and start a gang war or I would get mugged by a local hotdog vendor and there you have my mind set.
As things happened, I was not caught up in a gang war and I did manage to get to Harvard and then onto the hospital via the train but not before I showed how ignorant I was by asking directions and info about the ticket machines. I had always understood that any place that had a booth that said information on it would be a place to actually get information, apparently that was my hickness thinking.
My last realization of how much I was a hick came just from my observations of the people on both the bus and the train. I am by nature, a jeans and flannel shirt kind of guy. When winter rolls around I am interested in warmth and not fashion. If my clothes and shoes are 10 years out of date but they keep me warm I am usually quite content but I felt massively out of place there. I have been on commercial sized farms that didn't have as much leather as I saw on the train and bus. I didn't know just how many styles and name brands existed, of course that might be due to the fact that I get my styles from wally world, but still I was shocked and suddenly aware at just how much I stood out. I was wearing my typical Jeans and shirt but I was also wearing a bright red winter Jacket and my black felt fedora style hat (something that you would see men in the 40's and 50's wearing) along with my sneakers, there wasn't a name brand on me and in a sea of black and other dark colors I was in red! I stuck out like a sore thumb though I didn't realize it until I was looking in the windows reflection and trying to figure out who the hick was looking back at me....
So, now I am a seasoned veteran. I know how to get to point B from point A without too much trouble, I can quickly navigate my way through the bus and train stations and perhaps look like I know where I am heading, but alas, I will always be a hick but don't laugh at me when you see me in the city in my fedora and red jacket, just remember some day you might be in the boonies and you may want me to introduce you to that bear before he introduces himself.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Meaning Of The Season
I think that this time of the year it becomes hard to write something that is truly unique and yet bears the spirit of holiday season. I have written this post three times and have wound up starting all over again because I really don't wish to sound sappy or sentimental about the holidays or the past year, or angry about our economic or political mess. I am not wanting to engage in a battle over whether it's better to say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanukkah" because honestly I don't care, if it makes you happy say it, if you wish not to then don't. Honestly does it really matter? Or could there be more important issues out there, even during this time of the year?
How about family? Seems to me that whether or not you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, the truly important stuff belongs with the gathering of your family and friends to share those traditions that are a part of your faith and seeing to it that this is passed on to those of the next generation. This is what is important.
How about peace? When I think of that word I hear Johnny Cash singing his version of "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" with my grandfathers slightly wobbly voice or I think of the New Testament text that says "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men." Yet what I see going on around me speaks of something else completely.
Yes the war in Iraq is now officially over, but we are still in other countries. Our economy is still shot and despite the protests, nothing is changing. All the wild commercialism of the holidays is still in full tilt. Politicians are still greedy and corrupt and it would seem that those that have gained the most have turned their backs on those that need the most. The ghost of Marley would cry out even more if he could see that the very thing that he paid for with an eternity in hell still happening today. Where is this "Peace"? Where is the compassion?
How about the most amazing concept of all, love. Both Christmas and Hanukkah share this in common. Christmas is supposed to be about G-D showing His love to mankind and Hanukkah is supposed to be about G-D showing His love to the Jewish people. Both involve miracles in hard times, but at least for me, the real issue is the love of G-D. Shouldn't we be spreading that around rather then worrying about what someone calls a tree? Is it going to do anything to show our love for others by protesting about a manger scene? I don't think so.
Spend time with your family. Enjoy the traditions that your faith brings to you, have peace come from within and above all else love for that is the real meaning of the season.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all.
How about family? Seems to me that whether or not you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, the truly important stuff belongs with the gathering of your family and friends to share those traditions that are a part of your faith and seeing to it that this is passed on to those of the next generation. This is what is important.
How about peace? When I think of that word I hear Johnny Cash singing his version of "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" with my grandfathers slightly wobbly voice or I think of the New Testament text that says "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men." Yet what I see going on around me speaks of something else completely.
Yes the war in Iraq is now officially over, but we are still in other countries. Our economy is still shot and despite the protests, nothing is changing. All the wild commercialism of the holidays is still in full tilt. Politicians are still greedy and corrupt and it would seem that those that have gained the most have turned their backs on those that need the most. The ghost of Marley would cry out even more if he could see that the very thing that he paid for with an eternity in hell still happening today. Where is this "Peace"? Where is the compassion?
How about the most amazing concept of all, love. Both Christmas and Hanukkah share this in common. Christmas is supposed to be about G-D showing His love to mankind and Hanukkah is supposed to be about G-D showing His love to the Jewish people. Both involve miracles in hard times, but at least for me, the real issue is the love of G-D. Shouldn't we be spreading that around rather then worrying about what someone calls a tree? Is it going to do anything to show our love for others by protesting about a manger scene? I don't think so.
Spend time with your family. Enjoy the traditions that your faith brings to you, have peace come from within and above all else love for that is the real meaning of the season.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
A Change In My Mind
A funny thing happened along this road of life, I hit a bump in the road or rather the bump hit me. Or more precisely it was kind of an explosive bump, one that has made a huge difference in my life, though it has taken me a while to understand just how far different it has made me.
In 2003, I was part of the original invasion or liberation, depending on your point of view, of Iraq. And I had the misfortune of getting too close and personal with a couple of explosions, one of which briefly knocked me out, doing some small amount of damage to my brain. When I came to, the only thing I noticed was a cut on my arm and a slight limp, nothing, so I thought anyhow, that would be life changing. I was wrong.
Upon my return from Iraq, there were things that I started to notice right off that weren't quite right with me. My focus was gone, the limp was worse, and I started to find things more confusing to me then I had remembered them being before. Simple things that I had taken for granted, such as balancing a check book, or remembering names or even just where I was headed had become so daunting a task that I would freak out.
In 2007, I went to the VA in Arkansas for a series of tests to determine whether or not I was suffering from some sort of Traumatic Brain Injury. After many tests and an MRI it was indeed decided that I was suffering from a mild case of it. They found three spots on my brain, but told me that they were minor and of no concern. That was the last I heard from them. They were wrong.
After moving back to New England I was assigned a doctor at the VA in Vermont and as he was looking over my record, during a check up in September, he found the results of the tests and was not happy with what he found. He immediately set up appointments for me with the TBI doctor and clinic and it was there that I found out that the injuries to my brain, though small in size, went deep into important parts of my brain, the parts that affect sight and speech as well as cognitive abilities and the nervous system. In short, everything that has been happening to me, eyesight going down, muscle twitches and spasms as well as trouble with basic cognitive things, such as speech and memory are a result of those injuries.
But here is the part that will shock you, I am thankful. Yes, I did say thankful.
While I have taken a moment to tell you some of the negative effects of what has happened to me I think the positive greatly out weighs it.
I have learned humility. I was once a very proud man who thought it was great to be able to run younger men and women into the ground and barely break a sweat. Now, many times, I need help just getting my shoes on. To walk any great distance is a massive chore, yet I am thankful, not because it is difficult but because it has made me a much more humble and compassionate man to those who are hurting.
I have had to learn that it is OK to rely on others from time to time. There are many things that I am unable to do and so I have had to seek out those who could help me and in turn I find it easier to help others when they are in need.
I have learned to love my family more and really appreciate what G-D has given me through them. My wife, in particular, has had to deal with a lot of issues with me, my health, my mental attitudes and difficulties, yet she has stuck with me when many others would have left. And through her love for me, I have learned to love the way that I should.
I have learned who my real friends are. They are not the people who expect me to be the way that I was before and have accepted what I have become without reservation. They have become the best extended family that anyone could hope to have.
I have learned to do some things differently then I might have otherwise. The fact that I am writing this is proof of that. Some years ago I would not have ever attempted to write anything, yet my brain, in all this confusion, switched gears and now I enjoy the challenge. It matters little that only a few people read it. What matters is the enjoyment and the challenge.
I have had the time to really look and study the scriptures and while much of my religious views have changed because of it I have also come to appreciate those who see the world and religion differently then I do and for that I am thankful.
In some ways I have been given a second chance at life. Yes the things that I have done in the past are still the things that touch me in the present, but I see things so much differently then before that I almost don't recognize the person from the past.
And I think that this is a good thing.
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24
In 2003, I was part of the original invasion or liberation, depending on your point of view, of Iraq. And I had the misfortune of getting too close and personal with a couple of explosions, one of which briefly knocked me out, doing some small amount of damage to my brain. When I came to, the only thing I noticed was a cut on my arm and a slight limp, nothing, so I thought anyhow, that would be life changing. I was wrong.
Upon my return from Iraq, there were things that I started to notice right off that weren't quite right with me. My focus was gone, the limp was worse, and I started to find things more confusing to me then I had remembered them being before. Simple things that I had taken for granted, such as balancing a check book, or remembering names or even just where I was headed had become so daunting a task that I would freak out.
In 2007, I went to the VA in Arkansas for a series of tests to determine whether or not I was suffering from some sort of Traumatic Brain Injury. After many tests and an MRI it was indeed decided that I was suffering from a mild case of it. They found three spots on my brain, but told me that they were minor and of no concern. That was the last I heard from them. They were wrong.
After moving back to New England I was assigned a doctor at the VA in Vermont and as he was looking over my record, during a check up in September, he found the results of the tests and was not happy with what he found. He immediately set up appointments for me with the TBI doctor and clinic and it was there that I found out that the injuries to my brain, though small in size, went deep into important parts of my brain, the parts that affect sight and speech as well as cognitive abilities and the nervous system. In short, everything that has been happening to me, eyesight going down, muscle twitches and spasms as well as trouble with basic cognitive things, such as speech and memory are a result of those injuries.
But here is the part that will shock you, I am thankful. Yes, I did say thankful.
While I have taken a moment to tell you some of the negative effects of what has happened to me I think the positive greatly out weighs it.
I have learned humility. I was once a very proud man who thought it was great to be able to run younger men and women into the ground and barely break a sweat. Now, many times, I need help just getting my shoes on. To walk any great distance is a massive chore, yet I am thankful, not because it is difficult but because it has made me a much more humble and compassionate man to those who are hurting.
I have had to learn that it is OK to rely on others from time to time. There are many things that I am unable to do and so I have had to seek out those who could help me and in turn I find it easier to help others when they are in need.
I have learned to love my family more and really appreciate what G-D has given me through them. My wife, in particular, has had to deal with a lot of issues with me, my health, my mental attitudes and difficulties, yet she has stuck with me when many others would have left. And through her love for me, I have learned to love the way that I should.
I have learned who my real friends are. They are not the people who expect me to be the way that I was before and have accepted what I have become without reservation. They have become the best extended family that anyone could hope to have.
I have learned to do some things differently then I might have otherwise. The fact that I am writing this is proof of that. Some years ago I would not have ever attempted to write anything, yet my brain, in all this confusion, switched gears and now I enjoy the challenge. It matters little that only a few people read it. What matters is the enjoyment and the challenge.
I have had the time to really look and study the scriptures and while much of my religious views have changed because of it I have also come to appreciate those who see the world and religion differently then I do and for that I am thankful.
In some ways I have been given a second chance at life. Yes the things that I have done in the past are still the things that touch me in the present, but I see things so much differently then before that I almost don't recognize the person from the past.
And I think that this is a good thing.
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Deut. 30:11-14
I have spent several days thinking and writing about the verses below. I have written entire posts and deleted them never being quite happy with what I wrote so I would start again. It then hit me that the reason that I was having such difficulty in analyzing and writing about it was because the verses actually speak quite well for themselves and don't require a lot of thought. A simple analysis of these verses is that G-D doesn't make keeping His commands difficult, He makes it simple and the only real requirement is a willingness on our parts to obey. How much simpler can it be if they are put "near you" in your heart and mouth.
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. Deuteronomy 30:11-14.
I have heard many people say over the years that you can't keep the commandments of G-D. Really? So your calling G-D a liar then? G-D's laws are not the problem, it's our lack of willingness to obey them. Perhaps it could be better said that it's religion's rejection of His laws, while adding many of their own un- biblical rules that's the real problem. Most people instinctively know the difference especially when they are looking from the outside in,they know something isn't quite right.
If you are one of those people that don't think that you can follow His laws, or you have never read them, then I would encourage you to read them and tell me which parts about treating people good or worshiping G-D that you can't do. Yes there are many laws that only count if there was a temple and / or if you were one of the priests, but most of them are fairly common sense things, others don't apply in our society, such as how to treat slaves, but most are fairly simple and to the point. If nothing else look at the "10 commandments" and then tell me what part of that you can't do. If you don't think you can do them for some reason then go back and look at Deut. 30:11-14 to remind yourself that G-D says you can.
Shalom. The High Holy Days are coming!
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. Deuteronomy 30:11-14.
I have heard many people say over the years that you can't keep the commandments of G-D. Really? So your calling G-D a liar then? G-D's laws are not the problem, it's our lack of willingness to obey them. Perhaps it could be better said that it's religion's rejection of His laws, while adding many of their own un- biblical rules that's the real problem. Most people instinctively know the difference especially when they are looking from the outside in,they know something isn't quite right.
If you are one of those people that don't think that you can follow His laws, or you have never read them, then I would encourage you to read them and tell me which parts about treating people good or worshiping G-D that you can't do. Yes there are many laws that only count if there was a temple and / or if you were one of the priests, but most of them are fairly common sense things, others don't apply in our society, such as how to treat slaves, but most are fairly simple and to the point. If nothing else look at the "10 commandments" and then tell me what part of that you can't do. If you don't think you can do them for some reason then go back and look at Deut. 30:11-14 to remind yourself that G-D says you can.
Shalom. The High Holy Days are coming!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Prophecy And Israel
I am not a prophet. Let me state that right from the beginning. I don't know but one person who I would even consider to have that ability ,though there are many others who would claim to be, but It really doesn't take a prophet to point out all the mess that's going on in the world and just how close to our own destruction we are if we don't change things. You can go to just about any blog on religion or religious source and they will all prove to you , in their own way, that what is happening right now in the world had been prophesied. Some I agree with,though not completely, some I think are a joke, but one thing is for sure everyone seems to know things are happening and not much of it good.
Back in the summer of 2008 I wrote a blog about the state of the economy and just how bad it was going to get. I made it very clear that the words that I wrote then were not mine but were what I believe that G-D was telling me about what was coming. These words have proved out to be true, but it was not my words. Those were G-Ds words. I tell you this so that you will understand that what I write from this point on will be a combo of what is written in the prophets and what I believe may be coming at us soon, if not in the coming months, then in the very near future, but I am not claiming that I am any kind of prophet.
The nations of the world are ganging up on Israel. Egypt, Syria and Jordan are a mess and are threatening Israel. Turkey has war ships on the way to the Med to prevent Israel from "aggression" as Israel protects its coastline. Iran is making nuclear weapons and they have said quite clearly that they will use them to eliminate Israel. Hamas in Gaza is tossing missiles on a daily basis and in the UN the so called "Palestinians" are pushing for statehood with,at last count, 130 nations backing them. All of this to put pressure on the Jewish nation to give up more land and essentially make it impossible to defend themselves. Many believe that war is inevitable.
Zechariah 14: 1-2 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
This is what is happening today. The nations are gathering against Israel and if enough nations approve of Palestinian state hood, or the UN security council gives it's approval, knowing that Israel is never going to agree with it under forced terms, then they will have set the stage for UN intervention. The above text says the city, Jerusalem, will be divided or put into captivity, which it already is ,but also that the remnant will not be cut off. I take this to mean that while things are not going to be good for Jerusalem for a while, such as they are right now, that the Jews will never be completely removed either.
In verse 3 we start to get a picture of whats going to happen to those nations who come up against Israel and in verses 12-15 it's quite blunt.
Zech. 14:3,12-15 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle..... And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the LORD will be among them.Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey,And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.So shall this plague be.
This sounds to me remarkably like a Nuclear blast and or all out war or it could simply be the power of G-D. Either way it will bring about massive destruction not to just the middle east but to all the world. Look at verse 16 : And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
We are not talking about something that happens 7000 miles away in a foreign nation we are talking about an event that is world wide in it's nature and in it's destruction.
Simply put, the nations are going to go up against Israel and, perhaps, temporarily prevail. Then G-D is going to intervene on Israel's behalf and there is going to be a massive world wide destruction of those that go against His chosen people. The stage is being set for this to happen and make no mistake it WILL happen. Everything that had been predicted about Israel has happened and there is plenty of evidence that tells me that all the rest that hasn't will as well.
Remember this; if the scriptures are to be believed, which I do, then it is very clear that while G-D was angry with His people, they are still His people. They are a nation once again as was prophesied and they are a greatly blessed people. There are multitudes of biblical texts that make it very clear that in the end they will be even more blessed then they were in the former days and that G-D himself will dwell with them. Those of us who survive, after the nations try to destroy Israel, will go to Israel to worship G-D and to participate in His holy days.
It has been predicted. The stage has been set and the players and pieces are all in motion, it will happen.
Back in the summer of 2008 I wrote a blog about the state of the economy and just how bad it was going to get. I made it very clear that the words that I wrote then were not mine but were what I believe that G-D was telling me about what was coming. These words have proved out to be true, but it was not my words. Those were G-Ds words. I tell you this so that you will understand that what I write from this point on will be a combo of what is written in the prophets and what I believe may be coming at us soon, if not in the coming months, then in the very near future, but I am not claiming that I am any kind of prophet.
The nations of the world are ganging up on Israel. Egypt, Syria and Jordan are a mess and are threatening Israel. Turkey has war ships on the way to the Med to prevent Israel from "aggression" as Israel protects its coastline. Iran is making nuclear weapons and they have said quite clearly that they will use them to eliminate Israel. Hamas in Gaza is tossing missiles on a daily basis and in the UN the so called "Palestinians" are pushing for statehood with,at last count, 130 nations backing them. All of this to put pressure on the Jewish nation to give up more land and essentially make it impossible to defend themselves. Many believe that war is inevitable.
Zechariah 14: 1-2 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
This is what is happening today. The nations are gathering against Israel and if enough nations approve of Palestinian state hood, or the UN security council gives it's approval, knowing that Israel is never going to agree with it under forced terms, then they will have set the stage for UN intervention. The above text says the city, Jerusalem, will be divided or put into captivity, which it already is ,but also that the remnant will not be cut off. I take this to mean that while things are not going to be good for Jerusalem for a while, such as they are right now, that the Jews will never be completely removed either.
In verse 3 we start to get a picture of whats going to happen to those nations who come up against Israel and in verses 12-15 it's quite blunt.
Zech. 14:3,12-15 Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle..... And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet,Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the LORD will be among them.Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor,And raise his hand against his neighbor’s hand;Judah also will fight at Jerusalem.And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey,And on all the cattle that will be in those camps.So shall this plague be.
This sounds to me remarkably like a Nuclear blast and or all out war or it could simply be the power of G-D. Either way it will bring about massive destruction not to just the middle east but to all the world. Look at verse 16 : And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
We are not talking about something that happens 7000 miles away in a foreign nation we are talking about an event that is world wide in it's nature and in it's destruction.
Simply put, the nations are going to go up against Israel and, perhaps, temporarily prevail. Then G-D is going to intervene on Israel's behalf and there is going to be a massive world wide destruction of those that go against His chosen people. The stage is being set for this to happen and make no mistake it WILL happen. Everything that had been predicted about Israel has happened and there is plenty of evidence that tells me that all the rest that hasn't will as well.
Remember this; if the scriptures are to be believed, which I do, then it is very clear that while G-D was angry with His people, they are still His people. They are a nation once again as was prophesied and they are a greatly blessed people. There are multitudes of biblical texts that make it very clear that in the end they will be even more blessed then they were in the former days and that G-D himself will dwell with them. Those of us who survive, after the nations try to destroy Israel, will go to Israel to worship G-D and to participate in His holy days.
It has been predicted. The stage has been set and the players and pieces are all in motion, it will happen.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sweet Hour Of Prayer
A few days ago I crawled out of bed just as it was starting to get light outside, I opened up the curtains pulled up a chair to the big picture window and spent an hour or so in prayer and bible reading and rediscovered something that I had been missing for awhile, peace ,quiet and the reassuring presence of G-D. To some of you this may not be a new idea and honestly it's not to me either, it has just been something that I had kind of forgotten.
My explanation really is rooted in many of the changes that we have gone through in our family, moving,loosing a house, trying to get used to a new place and all the assorted chaos that comes from that kind of economic madness. But really it has been the spiritual changes in my life that has caused some or even most of the confusion. Don't take me wrong, I was not confused about what I believe,just rather how to go about implementing what I believe.
I am not a big fan of organized religion and it's various interpretations of how to do things simply because it gets too complicated and confusing. My issue was really a matter of how does a person approach G-D in prayer, is there a right way? A wrong way? How do you do it?
If you are a Christian it will all depend on what type of Christian you are. Many are very conservative and the prayers are very formal,almost rehearsed. Some pray standing,others kneeling and some ,especially amongst the older folks, will use so many thees and thous that your never quite sure if they remember what century that they are in. Then there are those who like a less formal approach and they will be speaking in tongues, clapping their hands or have their arms up towards the heavens praying with the tears rolling down their cheeks in total ecstasy. If you are Jewish, many times the prayers are sung and a prayer book is used and,depending on the day, it will be a different prayer sung for different events. Some of it's done sitting other times it is done standing and rocking with most of it being in Hebrew.
So this has really been my source of confusion. Whats the best way to go about praying. Do I do it the way that most of the formal groups do it? Do I stand and rock? Do I sit and contemplate? Is it necessary to raise my hands or use a prayer book? What is the right way to do it? I had wrestled with this for so long that I had gotten to a place where I wasn't doing it at all. Yes I was still reading the scriptures but I had kind of left out prayer and really wasn't sure what to do. Then an old song reminded me of what to do. Sweet hour of prayer by William W. Walford, 1845
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care,And bids me at my Father’s throne Make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief, And oft escaped the tempter’s snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
This song had been running through my head for a few days but it wasn't until I actually paid attention to what the words said that I finally understood. G-D tells us to come to Him in prayer but He doesn't tell us how. Why? Because all of us are different and we all have different needs and expectations of what consists of prayer and worship. What works for you may do nothing for me. What is truly important is that we take the time to pray, not how, it's as simple as that.
Sweet Hour of Prayer....
Shalom,
Ignacio
My explanation really is rooted in many of the changes that we have gone through in our family, moving,loosing a house, trying to get used to a new place and all the assorted chaos that comes from that kind of economic madness. But really it has been the spiritual changes in my life that has caused some or even most of the confusion. Don't take me wrong, I was not confused about what I believe,just rather how to go about implementing what I believe.
I am not a big fan of organized religion and it's various interpretations of how to do things simply because it gets too complicated and confusing. My issue was really a matter of how does a person approach G-D in prayer, is there a right way? A wrong way? How do you do it?
If you are a Christian it will all depend on what type of Christian you are. Many are very conservative and the prayers are very formal,almost rehearsed. Some pray standing,others kneeling and some ,especially amongst the older folks, will use so many thees and thous that your never quite sure if they remember what century that they are in. Then there are those who like a less formal approach and they will be speaking in tongues, clapping their hands or have their arms up towards the heavens praying with the tears rolling down their cheeks in total ecstasy. If you are Jewish, many times the prayers are sung and a prayer book is used and,depending on the day, it will be a different prayer sung for different events. Some of it's done sitting other times it is done standing and rocking with most of it being in Hebrew.
So this has really been my source of confusion. Whats the best way to go about praying. Do I do it the way that most of the formal groups do it? Do I stand and rock? Do I sit and contemplate? Is it necessary to raise my hands or use a prayer book? What is the right way to do it? I had wrestled with this for so long that I had gotten to a place where I wasn't doing it at all. Yes I was still reading the scriptures but I had kind of left out prayer and really wasn't sure what to do. Then an old song reminded me of what to do. Sweet hour of prayer by William W. Walford, 1845
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care,And bids me at my Father’s throne Make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief, And oft escaped the tempter’s snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
This song had been running through my head for a few days but it wasn't until I actually paid attention to what the words said that I finally understood. G-D tells us to come to Him in prayer but He doesn't tell us how. Why? Because all of us are different and we all have different needs and expectations of what consists of prayer and worship. What works for you may do nothing for me. What is truly important is that we take the time to pray, not how, it's as simple as that.
Sweet Hour of Prayer....
Shalom,
Ignacio
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Not Guilty and Circumstantial Evidence.
Not guilty....two words that no one expected to hear at the end of the recent Casey Anthony trial. In fact, I would say that shock and outrage was ,and still is, the most common reaction of practically everyone who was interviewed by the media and seems to be the common sentiment across most of the social networking sights as well. People put on their porch lights for Caylee and said many a prayer and poem in her honor and many shed tears. I have to say that it seems to me that they had pretty good evidence against her, in particular the finding of Chloroform through out the trunk and on the body seems to me to be rather damning, along with not telling the police anything for a month, lying to them and going out and partying like a wild woman.....
Here is the problem though, the "evidence" was mostly circumstantial. Compelling? Yes, but still circumstantial.
I personally am appalled by the outcome, but I don't think that you can convict someone on nothing more then circumstantial evidence, there has to be no room for doubt before you convict someone and condemn them to death.
I personally know someone who was convicted for a murder based on " circumstantial " evidence, the problem was that while they may have been guilty of stupidity for hiding evidence and covering for the person who did do it, the person was not guilty of the murder. This proved to be the case when many years later a Judge from the 6th circuit looked at the case and told the state that they had to release him because they had no proof that he was even involved never mind guilty, consequently he was released from prison. There was a lot involved in that case that I won't get into here, but I'll tell you this, if his conviction had come one year later he would have received the death penalty for it.
I was convicted, as a teenager, of a crime that I didn't commit, based on circumstantial evidence as well. There were no witnesses who said that they had seen me and no real evidence except for a sneaker print that was within a "size or two" of my sneakers. The only person that was seen was a guy that I hung around with and as soon as he was arrested he pointed the finger at me. Nothing more then circumstantial evidence.
These two examples are but a small sampling of many a wrongful conviction of crimes both major and minor. Would you want to be the one to convict a person and send them to their death without real solid proof?
Our system of justice is not perfect. Too many times politics ,both national and local, play a part in bringing about a conviction. The media does not help because it goes out of its way to make you believe that a person is guilty just based on being arrested or questioned. They seem to take pleasure in insinuation and innuendo without a single shred of evidence and,as a result, we condemn people before they ever get to trial.
Is she guilty of murder? I believe so, but do I have enough compelling proof to say so 100% ? No, and apparently neither did the jury. You can't convict on a maybe, proof needs to be solid.
Just my humble opinion.
Here is the problem though, the "evidence" was mostly circumstantial. Compelling? Yes, but still circumstantial.
I personally am appalled by the outcome, but I don't think that you can convict someone on nothing more then circumstantial evidence, there has to be no room for doubt before you convict someone and condemn them to death.
I personally know someone who was convicted for a murder based on " circumstantial " evidence, the problem was that while they may have been guilty of stupidity for hiding evidence and covering for the person who did do it, the person was not guilty of the murder. This proved to be the case when many years later a Judge from the 6th circuit looked at the case and told the state that they had to release him because they had no proof that he was even involved never mind guilty, consequently he was released from prison. There was a lot involved in that case that I won't get into here, but I'll tell you this, if his conviction had come one year later he would have received the death penalty for it.
I was convicted, as a teenager, of a crime that I didn't commit, based on circumstantial evidence as well. There were no witnesses who said that they had seen me and no real evidence except for a sneaker print that was within a "size or two" of my sneakers. The only person that was seen was a guy that I hung around with and as soon as he was arrested he pointed the finger at me. Nothing more then circumstantial evidence.
These two examples are but a small sampling of many a wrongful conviction of crimes both major and minor. Would you want to be the one to convict a person and send them to their death without real solid proof?
Our system of justice is not perfect. Too many times politics ,both national and local, play a part in bringing about a conviction. The media does not help because it goes out of its way to make you believe that a person is guilty just based on being arrested or questioned. They seem to take pleasure in insinuation and innuendo without a single shred of evidence and,as a result, we condemn people before they ever get to trial.
Is she guilty of murder? I believe so, but do I have enough compelling proof to say so 100% ? No, and apparently neither did the jury. You can't convict on a maybe, proof needs to be solid.
Just my humble opinion.
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Corners Of The Field
There has been a lot of talk lately about the stalemate in congress on just how to fix our economy. There has been many a talking head and pundit criticizing this politician or the other for what is clearly a problem caused by all parties and no one has really posed anything that seems like it will work. Some have said that this has been done purposely to force us into a one world currency and / or government or that it's the bankers and the IMF that is responsible for this mess. I believe that it is because we have ignored some basic biblical principals that, if applied, could easily solve many of our economic problems.
WE DON'T TAKE CARE OF OUR POOR
Imagine what would happen if we followed the simple biblical principal of seeing to it that the poor are taken care of? Some of you might be thinking that there are already multitudes of government programs that assist the poor, and I would agree with you, but this is not supposed to be the job of the government. The fact that so many are dependent on the government is a serious sign that we have forgotten some of these basic biblical principals given to Israel but very relevant for today.
Lev. 19:9-10 says:
‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Please note that the verses quoted didn't put the blame on the poor for being poor, nor did it point the finger and accuse of them of doing something that made them poor, it simply points out that there are poor people among you and this is what you should do.
So why did G-D tell them to do this? Two reasons, one is so that they would understand that they were but stewards of the land and that the land and all that it produced belonged to G-D,but also give them a way that they could help and be a blessing to their poor neighbors. Those that were poor didn't have to beg for help because G-D had provided a way for them to eat without the humiliation of having to beg! In fact if you go and look through all the laws that concerned the poor, it never had anything to do with government intervention, instead it had to do with those that had more, helping those that were in need. Even in the cases where people became the servants of others it was only allowed for a certain period of time and then all debt was forgiven and the person could have a fresh start. So the short version was that it is our responsibility not the governments to take care of people.
Imagine what could happen if we followed that principal. Imagine what could happen if all the big corporations and agri- farms came to the understanding that G-D has blessed them so that they could, in turn, bless those that are less fortunate?
Here, where I live, We have a Sylvania plant that makes automobile lights. Now just imagine what would happen if the owners or the CEO of the plant looked around town an realized that there are many people out of work and they decided to do something about it. They might go out and hire several hundred more people to work at the plant but then they would loose some of their profit margin. What could they possibly gain from this? First it would increase production, more workers usually mean more production, and it would also give them a larger loyal customer base. Think about it, first you would have those that were hired being grateful for the job, thus allowing them to take care of their families, and word would get out about what they did, and I know that I would be buying all my lights from them after that, knowing that they were willing to sacrifice some profit to help those in need. I suspect that many others would feel the same. Its a win -win situation. I am not saying that this should be the motivation, just suggesting that it could be a result.
Some might say that this idea is nothing but Socialism,well I disagree. I don't believe in "redistribution of wealth" or that you should be forced to pay for my disabilities, the government sent me to war not you. What I am saying though is simply this; if everyone from individuals to business applied that one basic principal we could effectively end poverty here in the United States and ,perhaps, the world as well. If we all became our "brothers keeper" there would be no need for government intervention and ,as a result, we could fix part of our messed up economy.
This is just one principal. There are more to come.
Shalom,
Ignacio
WE DON'T TAKE CARE OF OUR POOR
Imagine what would happen if we followed the simple biblical principal of seeing to it that the poor are taken care of? Some of you might be thinking that there are already multitudes of government programs that assist the poor, and I would agree with you, but this is not supposed to be the job of the government. The fact that so many are dependent on the government is a serious sign that we have forgotten some of these basic biblical principals given to Israel but very relevant for today.
Lev. 19:9-10 says:
‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Please note that the verses quoted didn't put the blame on the poor for being poor, nor did it point the finger and accuse of them of doing something that made them poor, it simply points out that there are poor people among you and this is what you should do.
So why did G-D tell them to do this? Two reasons, one is so that they would understand that they were but stewards of the land and that the land and all that it produced belonged to G-D,but also give them a way that they could help and be a blessing to their poor neighbors. Those that were poor didn't have to beg for help because G-D had provided a way for them to eat without the humiliation of having to beg! In fact if you go and look through all the laws that concerned the poor, it never had anything to do with government intervention, instead it had to do with those that had more, helping those that were in need. Even in the cases where people became the servants of others it was only allowed for a certain period of time and then all debt was forgiven and the person could have a fresh start. So the short version was that it is our responsibility not the governments to take care of people.
Imagine what could happen if we followed that principal. Imagine what could happen if all the big corporations and agri- farms came to the understanding that G-D has blessed them so that they could, in turn, bless those that are less fortunate?
Here, where I live, We have a Sylvania plant that makes automobile lights. Now just imagine what would happen if the owners or the CEO of the plant looked around town an realized that there are many people out of work and they decided to do something about it. They might go out and hire several hundred more people to work at the plant but then they would loose some of their profit margin. What could they possibly gain from this? First it would increase production, more workers usually mean more production, and it would also give them a larger loyal customer base. Think about it, first you would have those that were hired being grateful for the job, thus allowing them to take care of their families, and word would get out about what they did, and I know that I would be buying all my lights from them after that, knowing that they were willing to sacrifice some profit to help those in need. I suspect that many others would feel the same. Its a win -win situation. I am not saying that this should be the motivation, just suggesting that it could be a result.
Some might say that this idea is nothing but Socialism,well I disagree. I don't believe in "redistribution of wealth" or that you should be forced to pay for my disabilities, the government sent me to war not you. What I am saying though is simply this; if everyone from individuals to business applied that one basic principal we could effectively end poverty here in the United States and ,perhaps, the world as well. If we all became our "brothers keeper" there would be no need for government intervention and ,as a result, we could fix part of our messed up economy.
This is just one principal. There are more to come.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Live Long and Prosper!
I am a Star Trek fan. Not to the point of dressing up like characters from the show but certainly a fan enough so that I have a collection of the various TV episodes and movies. There is just something about the idea of exploring what is out there on other planets that I just find really appealing and of course the idea that, on the show anyhow,you could make up things as you go. Think about it, for those of you who have watched the show, how many times have they re arranged the Dilithuim crystals to push out energy that they didn't really have in the first place, and you sat there and watched the show and nodded in agreement with what they were doing? Had no clue as to what they were rambling on about but it sure sounded good! Of course you also knew that anyone that you didn't know who was wearing a red shirt was toast, some things were just a given.
I think , at least for me, that part of the appeal was that they lived in a harmonious world. Greed was gone, prejudice a thing of the past, war and disease eliminated, at least as far as the earth was concerned, and everyone lived comfortably. They could talk about flying off to Alpha Seti 4 just as easy as they could discuss going to San Francisco, overall life was good.
Probably one of the most famous lines ever from that show was when Spock would raise his hand, part his fingers into a "V" and say "Live long and prosper." I have thought about that line just a bit and have always kind of been curious as to what he meant by that. If you believe the scenario that they present then everyone on the planet ,and Vulcan as well I assume, is already prosperous. Remember in their universe all the things that make the world a bad place have been eliminated so what does it mean, then, to prosper? Live long is easy one, but to prosper in a world that's already as perfect as it can get? Perhaps it's a message to us, the viewers.
We don't live in that perfect world, so what does it mean to prosper? In our world when you think of prosperity you think of great wealth and having the various toys and whistles that accompany that, but is that the real definition? The dictionary defines prosper as "to be fortunate or successful or to thrive." So what does it mean then to prosper? If by "fortunate" you mean wealth , then by that definition I have failed miserably, as I suspect that most of us have,but if you mean being greatly blessed then I am indeed a fortunate man , who has a wonderful loving wife and children and some of the best friends any man could ask for. If you mean by successful that I have my own business or practice or that I am CEO of some major corporation, then no,once again, I fail the litmus test. If ,instead, you mean that I have taught my children right from wrong, have taught them the values of honesty and integrity and personal sacrifice and have shown them what it means to truly love your family then I would say that I have been successful. If by thrive you mean the accumulation of things then I have failed that as well. Quite frankly, my wife and I look for ways to make do with what we have and if we have things that are not needed or we never use ,we give them away. If there is any any thriving to be done in that , it would be that we can be a blessing to others so that they can thrive.
So I guess when it comes right down to it you have to ask yourself what does it mean to you to "prosper." For me I think I am quite prosperous but it has very little to do with the accumulation of wealth or of things. I am prosperous because I have a family that I love and they love me. I have, as I said earlier, some of the best friends a man could want and I worship a G-D who loves me, not because I can do anything that makes that so but simply because he created me. I am, indeed, a very prosperous man.
Live long and Prosper!
Ignacio
I think , at least for me, that part of the appeal was that they lived in a harmonious world. Greed was gone, prejudice a thing of the past, war and disease eliminated, at least as far as the earth was concerned, and everyone lived comfortably. They could talk about flying off to Alpha Seti 4 just as easy as they could discuss going to San Francisco, overall life was good.
Probably one of the most famous lines ever from that show was when Spock would raise his hand, part his fingers into a "V" and say "Live long and prosper." I have thought about that line just a bit and have always kind of been curious as to what he meant by that. If you believe the scenario that they present then everyone on the planet ,and Vulcan as well I assume, is already prosperous. Remember in their universe all the things that make the world a bad place have been eliminated so what does it mean, then, to prosper? Live long is easy one, but to prosper in a world that's already as perfect as it can get? Perhaps it's a message to us, the viewers.
We don't live in that perfect world, so what does it mean to prosper? In our world when you think of prosperity you think of great wealth and having the various toys and whistles that accompany that, but is that the real definition? The dictionary defines prosper as "to be fortunate or successful or to thrive." So what does it mean then to prosper? If by "fortunate" you mean wealth , then by that definition I have failed miserably, as I suspect that most of us have,but if you mean being greatly blessed then I am indeed a fortunate man , who has a wonderful loving wife and children and some of the best friends any man could ask for. If you mean by successful that I have my own business or practice or that I am CEO of some major corporation, then no,once again, I fail the litmus test. If ,instead, you mean that I have taught my children right from wrong, have taught them the values of honesty and integrity and personal sacrifice and have shown them what it means to truly love your family then I would say that I have been successful. If by thrive you mean the accumulation of things then I have failed that as well. Quite frankly, my wife and I look for ways to make do with what we have and if we have things that are not needed or we never use ,we give them away. If there is any any thriving to be done in that , it would be that we can be a blessing to others so that they can thrive.
So I guess when it comes right down to it you have to ask yourself what does it mean to you to "prosper." For me I think I am quite prosperous but it has very little to do with the accumulation of wealth or of things. I am prosperous because I have a family that I love and they love me. I have, as I said earlier, some of the best friends a man could want and I worship a G-D who loves me, not because I can do anything that makes that so but simply because he created me. I am, indeed, a very prosperous man.
Live long and Prosper!
Ignacio
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Outing of a Closet Crunchy
Over the years I think I have really confused a lot of people on what I believe and where I stand on many issues. I have gone from being a very conservative Christian to following the teachings of Judaism and I have hit many places in between. There was even a time where I totally dismissed G-D, as I had been taught about him, and started getting into some of the Pagan and Indian religions. To say that I have been around the block is an understatement.
On the political side there has been even a greater change in my my beliefs. Just as I was once very conservative in my religious views I was once very conservative in my political views . In fact I was a big fan of the various conservative talk shows and thought we were justified in our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. I remember being on my way to Iraq, and all of us sitting around at night and talking about it, and while most of us didn't really see what kind of threat Iraq was to us, we had our orders and that was that. Amazing how time in a war can change your opinion on a great amount of things. That conservative view has changed dramatically for me over the last few years.
For some of you who have personally known me for many years, none of this will really surprise you,a few of you might even be thinking " well duh" but the truth of the matter is that I really can't subscribe to the conservative right point of view any more. I am not saying that I have become a far left Liberal either, but I have had to really come to terms with the fact that much of what I had once held to be true just isn't.
If I had to put a label on myself I would have to say that I am a cross between a Libertarian and what I fondly refer to as a "closet crunchy." My definition of a crunchy would have been a hippie when I was a whole lot younger and though I don't have the long hair (any hair on my head is an amazing sight) I have come to understand and appreciate the ideas of peace and social justice. You might find my belief in " social justice" to be a bit surprising because, as many of you know, I once believed that just about anything that started with the word "social" had to be communist in nature. I was told things to that nature in my conservative world and, as such, I took them to be true. I was wrong. How can it be " communist" to help your neighbor, or the elderly or poor? How can it be that when both Christianity and Judaism beliefs call for that very thing that in this quasi religious nation it can be considered to be a bad thing?
I am in effect a Crunchy Libertarian.
Here are some other things I believe and while I don't expect you to agree with everything, at least it might give you some pause for thought.
I believe in peace as I believe any sane person in this world would. I have no use for war or our continuous war efforts. I am for defending ourselves against anyone who attacks us, but none of the countries that we are currently at war with has attacked us.
I am for social justice. By social justice I mean the collective efforts of the people to take care of those that have needs and assistance for those who need a hand to get them selves back on their feet. Having said that I am not for the government playing a major role in that effort. To often where the government gets involved, there is no progress or real help for those in need and instead they tend to get stuck into the system and can't get out effectively. I grew up like that and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
I do not like the way our "two party" system works, or more correctly doesn't work. There are many reasons for this but the best being that there really isn't any real difference between the parties any more. There was a time that you could easily pick out a republican from a democrat simply based on what they stood for, but that's not true any more and with a two party system there is no real viable option for any real change to take place. Any one who is seen as a third party candidate is generally marginalized or ignored by the powers that be so we are left with a stalemate at best and no real changes . The only real difference between the parties now is simply how they spend your money and the inventive ways that they have found to blame it on the other party or some other entity.
I am for a small government and an ending to all our wars. We call ourselves a Judaic/ Christian society with a large population of Muslims and yet we are engaged in immoral and unnecessary wars. Where is the justification? Where is congressional approval? If OBL is dead why are we still there? Don't talk to me about the stability of the region, that region of the world has never been stable. We are interfering in places we have no business being nor are we wanted. Personally I think it all has to do with the oil and perhaps the heroin trade. If I am wrong , and it's for supposed humanitarian reasons, then why aren't we engaged all over Africa? Why aren't we involved anywhere that there is a need ? Then it would be consistent and might even be justified.
I believe that all the money that is being spent overseas, whether it be our wars or helping nations that hate us would be better spent here in our own country. How can it be that we spend billions of dollars on these wars and hateful nations when our own people sleep in cardboard boxes or live in the kind of squalor that you think only exists in third world countries? I have been to those "homes" I have seen how the people, American people, live. This is just plain wrong. Wouldn't the money be better spent helping our own people and then providing relief for those countries and people who truly need the help?
Our government has now fallen prey to not only those who would perpetuate war but also to those who would control the worlds food supply, big pharma, big everything. They have granted patents on modified food to big agri- companies such as Monsanto, while going after small family farms for having the nerve to sell raw milk to those who want it! They have regulated the food supply to the point that the average farmer is going broke and it won't be long before the only ones left is the big agri-farms. The quality of most of that modified food is so bad that we are not getting the right kind of nutrition for our bodies. If you think I'm wrong just ask yourself a question; Why do we need all the vitamin supplements if our food supply is doing as well as the government would have you believe? Why, if they are not in bed with the big agri-companies, do they go after small farms? The small farms ,especially the organic farms, have not been the ones that have been producing all the bad food, it has been the big agri- farms. What are they so afraid of ? If our food supply is so good why do we need so many drugs to cure us from things that were never heard of back when our grandparents had their own farms? As the saying goes;" follow the money honey" that will answer many of those questions.
Let us speak briefly about oil and alternates. I am all for finding other sources of energy, but until that time comes we need to get out heads out of our collective back sides and use the resources that we have available to us right here in our country. Instead of regulating them to death, let the companies do what they can to make us self sufficient and, at the same time, look for alternatives knowing that this is a limited supply at best. This is not difficult to do if you have people with the courage to do so. Also consider that our dependence on foreign oil has made a bunch of thugs vastly rich while they keep their own people in poverty.
Our personal freedoms have been under serious attack for the last 50 years and with the renewal of the Patriot act ,with the help of both parties, we can rest assured that more and more freedoms will be wiped away. Ask your self this, if we really have the freedoms that our forefathers had, then why are there so many regulations and taxes concerning everything? Try going hunting and fishing with out a license and see what happens. Try building on you own property without the proper permits and see how fast you get stopped. Why should Gay, or straight couples for that matter, have to involve the government at all just to get married, what gives the government the right to decide such a thing? Don't want the police in your home in violation of the 4th amendment? Tough. The supreme court has said that they can enter your home under nothing more then suspicion and your not allowed to resist. These are but a few examples. To write about the violations of many other rights as described in the bill of rights and the amendments would take way too long. The point is that we have nothing left but the illusion of freedom unless we are willing to go back to the constitution, and our G-D given rights.
Some of you may be thinking well these are dangerous times, I agree that they are, but what is the real danger? A questionable threat from a vague foreign opponent who may or may not have attacked us and who have been decimated by all accounts, or the one who puts fear into you and then slowly takes your liberties away all the while telling you it's for your safety?This is the real threat to our freedoms. If we allow our liberties to be removed then we simply don't deserve them.
It simply boils down to this; we have all been lied to and manipulated for the last decade or two. We are nothing to them because we have given them the power rather then the power staying with the people as it's supposed to be. It doesn't matter one bit what the party is any more they have all lost the high ground and they will be the death of this nation unless things change.
Some things I need to add to this, in the last few days as I have been writing this and re writing it,a couple of things happened that again show just how far down hill we have come, you'll need to either Google these or check alternate news sources, but one is a group of people being arrested at the Jefferson memorial for dancing led By a man by the Name of Adam Kodesh and then one,which I have posted from "seeds of truth" is a group in Orlando Florida being arrested for feeding the homeless in a public park.
This is the partial views of this Libertarian Crunchy.
Ignacio
On the political side there has been even a greater change in my my beliefs. Just as I was once very conservative in my religious views I was once very conservative in my political views . In fact I was a big fan of the various conservative talk shows and thought we were justified in our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. I remember being on my way to Iraq, and all of us sitting around at night and talking about it, and while most of us didn't really see what kind of threat Iraq was to us, we had our orders and that was that. Amazing how time in a war can change your opinion on a great amount of things. That conservative view has changed dramatically for me over the last few years.
For some of you who have personally known me for many years, none of this will really surprise you,a few of you might even be thinking " well duh" but the truth of the matter is that I really can't subscribe to the conservative right point of view any more. I am not saying that I have become a far left Liberal either, but I have had to really come to terms with the fact that much of what I had once held to be true just isn't.
If I had to put a label on myself I would have to say that I am a cross between a Libertarian and what I fondly refer to as a "closet crunchy." My definition of a crunchy would have been a hippie when I was a whole lot younger and though I don't have the long hair (any hair on my head is an amazing sight) I have come to understand and appreciate the ideas of peace and social justice. You might find my belief in " social justice" to be a bit surprising because, as many of you know, I once believed that just about anything that started with the word "social" had to be communist in nature. I was told things to that nature in my conservative world and, as such, I took them to be true. I was wrong. How can it be " communist" to help your neighbor, or the elderly or poor? How can it be that when both Christianity and Judaism beliefs call for that very thing that in this quasi religious nation it can be considered to be a bad thing?
I am in effect a Crunchy Libertarian.
Here are some other things I believe and while I don't expect you to agree with everything, at least it might give you some pause for thought.
I believe in peace as I believe any sane person in this world would. I have no use for war or our continuous war efforts. I am for defending ourselves against anyone who attacks us, but none of the countries that we are currently at war with has attacked us.
I am for social justice. By social justice I mean the collective efforts of the people to take care of those that have needs and assistance for those who need a hand to get them selves back on their feet. Having said that I am not for the government playing a major role in that effort. To often where the government gets involved, there is no progress or real help for those in need and instead they tend to get stuck into the system and can't get out effectively. I grew up like that and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
I do not like the way our "two party" system works, or more correctly doesn't work. There are many reasons for this but the best being that there really isn't any real difference between the parties any more. There was a time that you could easily pick out a republican from a democrat simply based on what they stood for, but that's not true any more and with a two party system there is no real viable option for any real change to take place. Any one who is seen as a third party candidate is generally marginalized or ignored by the powers that be so we are left with a stalemate at best and no real changes . The only real difference between the parties now is simply how they spend your money and the inventive ways that they have found to blame it on the other party or some other entity.
I am for a small government and an ending to all our wars. We call ourselves a Judaic/ Christian society with a large population of Muslims and yet we are engaged in immoral and unnecessary wars. Where is the justification? Where is congressional approval? If OBL is dead why are we still there? Don't talk to me about the stability of the region, that region of the world has never been stable. We are interfering in places we have no business being nor are we wanted. Personally I think it all has to do with the oil and perhaps the heroin trade. If I am wrong , and it's for supposed humanitarian reasons, then why aren't we engaged all over Africa? Why aren't we involved anywhere that there is a need ? Then it would be consistent and might even be justified.
I believe that all the money that is being spent overseas, whether it be our wars or helping nations that hate us would be better spent here in our own country. How can it be that we spend billions of dollars on these wars and hateful nations when our own people sleep in cardboard boxes or live in the kind of squalor that you think only exists in third world countries? I have been to those "homes" I have seen how the people, American people, live. This is just plain wrong. Wouldn't the money be better spent helping our own people and then providing relief for those countries and people who truly need the help?
Our government has now fallen prey to not only those who would perpetuate war but also to those who would control the worlds food supply, big pharma, big everything. They have granted patents on modified food to big agri- companies such as Monsanto, while going after small family farms for having the nerve to sell raw milk to those who want it! They have regulated the food supply to the point that the average farmer is going broke and it won't be long before the only ones left is the big agri-farms. The quality of most of that modified food is so bad that we are not getting the right kind of nutrition for our bodies. If you think I'm wrong just ask yourself a question; Why do we need all the vitamin supplements if our food supply is doing as well as the government would have you believe? Why, if they are not in bed with the big agri-companies, do they go after small farms? The small farms ,especially the organic farms, have not been the ones that have been producing all the bad food, it has been the big agri- farms. What are they so afraid of ? If our food supply is so good why do we need so many drugs to cure us from things that were never heard of back when our grandparents had their own farms? As the saying goes;" follow the money honey" that will answer many of those questions.
Let us speak briefly about oil and alternates. I am all for finding other sources of energy, but until that time comes we need to get out heads out of our collective back sides and use the resources that we have available to us right here in our country. Instead of regulating them to death, let the companies do what they can to make us self sufficient and, at the same time, look for alternatives knowing that this is a limited supply at best. This is not difficult to do if you have people with the courage to do so. Also consider that our dependence on foreign oil has made a bunch of thugs vastly rich while they keep their own people in poverty.
Our personal freedoms have been under serious attack for the last 50 years and with the renewal of the Patriot act ,with the help of both parties, we can rest assured that more and more freedoms will be wiped away. Ask your self this, if we really have the freedoms that our forefathers had, then why are there so many regulations and taxes concerning everything? Try going hunting and fishing with out a license and see what happens. Try building on you own property without the proper permits and see how fast you get stopped. Why should Gay, or straight couples for that matter, have to involve the government at all just to get married, what gives the government the right to decide such a thing? Don't want the police in your home in violation of the 4th amendment? Tough. The supreme court has said that they can enter your home under nothing more then suspicion and your not allowed to resist. These are but a few examples. To write about the violations of many other rights as described in the bill of rights and the amendments would take way too long. The point is that we have nothing left but the illusion of freedom unless we are willing to go back to the constitution, and our G-D given rights.
Some of you may be thinking well these are dangerous times, I agree that they are, but what is the real danger? A questionable threat from a vague foreign opponent who may or may not have attacked us and who have been decimated by all accounts, or the one who puts fear into you and then slowly takes your liberties away all the while telling you it's for your safety?This is the real threat to our freedoms. If we allow our liberties to be removed then we simply don't deserve them.
It simply boils down to this; we have all been lied to and manipulated for the last decade or two. We are nothing to them because we have given them the power rather then the power staying with the people as it's supposed to be. It doesn't matter one bit what the party is any more they have all lost the high ground and they will be the death of this nation unless things change.
Some things I need to add to this, in the last few days as I have been writing this and re writing it,a couple of things happened that again show just how far down hill we have come, you'll need to either Google these or check alternate news sources, but one is a group of people being arrested at the Jefferson memorial for dancing led By a man by the Name of Adam Kodesh and then one,which I have posted from "seeds of truth" is a group in Orlando Florida being arrested for feeding the homeless in a public park.
This is the partial views of this Libertarian Crunchy.
Ignacio
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Blaming G-D
Has it occurred to any one that most of the problems in this world have nothing to do with G-D? Instead it has to do with mans warped view of G-D and what He wants?
I have been mulling over this thought for a while now, as I try to come to terms with many of the misconceptions concerning G-D that we have all been taught over the years. By mis conceptions I am talking about doctrines and beliefs that we have all been taught were true and never really took the time to question or to study for ourselves , just kind of assuming that our religious leaders were all ways telling us the truth and never taking the time to dig out the facts for ourselves.
This of course, has caused me a whole lot of problems as I have challenged just about everything that I have ever heard or been taught. Yet at the same time it has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done , because I find that I have a much better understanding of G-D and what He wants, while also being able to publicly say that there is so much that I don't know or understand! This my friends is probably the the source of the greatest relief that I have ever known; the simple idea that I don't have to know everything in order to enjoy a relationship with G-D. I don't have to go after others beliefs about G-D because G-D has never asked us to do that. He has two very simple requirements of all people, Love G-D and Love your fellow man, engage in serving Him through worship and by acts of kindness. As the Reform Jews put it We must engage in "Social Justice" and that ,in part, is a part of worshiping G-D.
Some of what has brought me comfort as well, is things like the Talmud and other writing that the Jewish sages of old have written, because it shows me that even these great learned men didn't know everything about G-D and while they certainly tried to clarify things in the law, they didn't always know or agree with each other, but at least they took the time to study it out for themselves and come to a general consensus, then as time has passed and other things came to light, more debate took place and things changed.
So how does this fit with my opening statement? I am becoming quite weary of all those who seem to think that they have a monopoly on G-D and His ways, when the truth to the matter is that G-D is G-D and we are mere mortals who are striving to learn His ways, but will never be able to fully comprehend Him. Just because we have a particular belief or pet doctrine, does not mean that we can fully understand His ways. Think about this, how many millions of people have been killed over the centuries because someone thought that they had the right ideas about G-D and everyone else was wrong? How many wars have and still are going on all over the world based on that same notion? Now consider this, what would happen if everyone came to the understanding that we can't possibly know everything that there is to know about G-D and came to acknowledge that we might just be wrong in spots? Most of the wars would end and quite possibly a massive amount of loving would result. Pipe dream? I think not.
Both Christian tradition and Jewish belief tells of a time at the end of all things when a universal knowledge of G-D and of peace will come about through Him and His anointed one, but that can't happen until a time comes when all of us acknowledge that we were wrong and we seek the truth, getting away from all the man made dogmas,bringing an end to all wars, eliminating poverty and greed and removing our biases and prejudice. When that day comes and we are all "singing the same song of freedom" blaming G-D for our own stupidity and mistakes will come to an end as He promises to place His ways on our hearts. This brings me joy and this is what brings me peace in a chaotic world, I don't have to know everything now, nor is it my job, or anyone else's for that matter, to force my belief upon you, instead we strive to learn and we rejoice in what we can know and we can wait patiently because that day will come when we will know the truth about G-D because G-D will put it in our hearts!
Shalom,
Ignacio
I have been mulling over this thought for a while now, as I try to come to terms with many of the misconceptions concerning G-D that we have all been taught over the years. By mis conceptions I am talking about doctrines and beliefs that we have all been taught were true and never really took the time to question or to study for ourselves , just kind of assuming that our religious leaders were all ways telling us the truth and never taking the time to dig out the facts for ourselves.
This of course, has caused me a whole lot of problems as I have challenged just about everything that I have ever heard or been taught. Yet at the same time it has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done , because I find that I have a much better understanding of G-D and what He wants, while also being able to publicly say that there is so much that I don't know or understand! This my friends is probably the the source of the greatest relief that I have ever known; the simple idea that I don't have to know everything in order to enjoy a relationship with G-D. I don't have to go after others beliefs about G-D because G-D has never asked us to do that. He has two very simple requirements of all people, Love G-D and Love your fellow man, engage in serving Him through worship and by acts of kindness. As the Reform Jews put it We must engage in "Social Justice" and that ,in part, is a part of worshiping G-D.
Some of what has brought me comfort as well, is things like the Talmud and other writing that the Jewish sages of old have written, because it shows me that even these great learned men didn't know everything about G-D and while they certainly tried to clarify things in the law, they didn't always know or agree with each other, but at least they took the time to study it out for themselves and come to a general consensus, then as time has passed and other things came to light, more debate took place and things changed.
So how does this fit with my opening statement? I am becoming quite weary of all those who seem to think that they have a monopoly on G-D and His ways, when the truth to the matter is that G-D is G-D and we are mere mortals who are striving to learn His ways, but will never be able to fully comprehend Him. Just because we have a particular belief or pet doctrine, does not mean that we can fully understand His ways. Think about this, how many millions of people have been killed over the centuries because someone thought that they had the right ideas about G-D and everyone else was wrong? How many wars have and still are going on all over the world based on that same notion? Now consider this, what would happen if everyone came to the understanding that we can't possibly know everything that there is to know about G-D and came to acknowledge that we might just be wrong in spots? Most of the wars would end and quite possibly a massive amount of loving would result. Pipe dream? I think not.
Both Christian tradition and Jewish belief tells of a time at the end of all things when a universal knowledge of G-D and of peace will come about through Him and His anointed one, but that can't happen until a time comes when all of us acknowledge that we were wrong and we seek the truth, getting away from all the man made dogmas,bringing an end to all wars, eliminating poverty and greed and removing our biases and prejudice. When that day comes and we are all "singing the same song of freedom" blaming G-D for our own stupidity and mistakes will come to an end as He promises to place His ways on our hearts. This brings me joy and this is what brings me peace in a chaotic world, I don't have to know everything now, nor is it my job, or anyone else's for that matter, to force my belief upon you, instead we strive to learn and we rejoice in what we can know and we can wait patiently because that day will come when we will know the truth about G-D because G-D will put it in our hearts!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Friday, May 27, 2011
Memorial Day Thought
The first official weekend of the summer season is about to start this weekend with the coming of Memorial Day weekend. Many of us will be enjoying the weekend with BBQ with parades and camping over all a very enjoyable weekend.
I remember ,as a child, how excited I used to get on Memorial . I would be going crazy eating breakfast as fast as I could so that I could get up to the corner where the parade was going to come by and stop at the town memorial. I remember more then once coming out the door and hearing the distant sounds of the drums as they got ready to start and straining to get the first glance of the parade in the distance.
Likely by New York or Boston standards this was small time indeed but it was huge to me. Seemed like every group and club was represented as well as the high school band, but my favorite part was the fire trucks! They would turn on their sirens making a lot of noise above and beyond what was already going on and they would have many players from the little league baseball riding on them as well.
Of course the most somber part of the whole parade was when they would lay a wreath at the memorial say a prayer and play taps while firing off the 21 gun salutes. I didn't understand all of it at that time. I understood there had been a big war, WW2 and that some place called Vietnam was coming to an end, but the whole idea of war and the loss of friends and comrades was something I didn't grasp then. I do now.
So this weekend, as you enjoy your weekend, keep in mind those that gave their lives so that you CAN enjoy your BBQ and the camping. Perhaps take a moment to lay a wreath at a memorial or quietly listen to the mournful sounds of taps as it is played for the fallen, but most of all never forget.
Ignacio
I remember ,as a child, how excited I used to get on Memorial . I would be going crazy eating breakfast as fast as I could so that I could get up to the corner where the parade was going to come by and stop at the town memorial. I remember more then once coming out the door and hearing the distant sounds of the drums as they got ready to start and straining to get the first glance of the parade in the distance.
Likely by New York or Boston standards this was small time indeed but it was huge to me. Seemed like every group and club was represented as well as the high school band, but my favorite part was the fire trucks! They would turn on their sirens making a lot of noise above and beyond what was already going on and they would have many players from the little league baseball riding on them as well.
Of course the most somber part of the whole parade was when they would lay a wreath at the memorial say a prayer and play taps while firing off the 21 gun salutes. I didn't understand all of it at that time. I understood there had been a big war, WW2 and that some place called Vietnam was coming to an end, but the whole idea of war and the loss of friends and comrades was something I didn't grasp then. I do now.
So this weekend, as you enjoy your weekend, keep in mind those that gave their lives so that you CAN enjoy your BBQ and the camping. Perhaps take a moment to lay a wreath at a memorial or quietly listen to the mournful sounds of taps as it is played for the fallen, but most of all never forget.
Ignacio
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Personal Responsibility
The man said " the woman that you ( G-D ) gave me" the woman said " the serpent told me...." the serpent said I was possessed...... " actually the snake said nothing but you get the point. Gen.3 Uncle Iggies version....
The argument usually goes something like this, "it wasn't my fault" it was my husband,wife, children or neighbors fault, the devil made me do it or , at least in one case , it was the snakes fault so why should I have to pay the price for my mistake, forgetting of course that you had to make a conscious decision to do something in the first place. It's never our faults for anything, it's society or our up bringing or our neighborhood or government. Sometimes ,admittedly, that's not far from the truth, however not everything can be blamed for our mistakes, at some point you have to take a hard look in the mirror and understand that you play a large role in this as well.
Of course passing the blame to others can become real easy to do when your world starts to collapse around you and things that you thought were fairly secure come apart at the seams. It becomes real easy to point the finger at anyone or anything other then yourself for the problems and the mistakes in our lives, much easier to have a talk show mentality and blame every thing on your mothers uncles second cousins brother in laws pet fish rather then taking the responsibility, after all this is generally what we in our great society teach.
Society says that it's not our fault for....pick your thing, instead it's the fault of our parents, our schools, our religion or even the a fore mentioned fish, but never is the blame affixed where it truly belongs; on ourselves. A Fine example; if I choose to smoke is it the tobaccos companies fault? Certainly they have done lots of advertising to get my attention but when it boils right down to it, I am the one who is responsible for putting the cigarette in my mouth and smoking it. They may have provided the material but I did the action. If I choose to live a promiscuous life style and sleep around who bears the responsibility of an unwanted STD or pregnancy? Is it society? Or should we again blame it on the parenting or the proverbial fish? Or is it my fault?
Our mainstream religions are at fault for this as well. We are taught the idea of "original sin" through Adam and Eve, and tell us that we can't help but be sinful because we are born with that tendency, leaving out the idea of freewill. So what that boils down to is that we are little more then robots with no real choices in life other then to do evil continuously. I reject that notion. While the Bible certainly speaks of the sin of Adam and Eve and all that has happened since then, it has never suggested that they are the ones responsible for our sinful and or foolish acts. In fact the Bible makes it quite clear that we don't die for someone else sins, we die for our own. Adam and Eve aren't the problem and neither are your parents or your neighborhood,or that fish, you are. And you are the one who has to decide how your going to handle things. You can continue to blame others for your life problems or you can suck it up, take responsibility for yourself and then do something about it.
Let me give you an example and I will use myself. I bought a van that has lead to us leaving Arkansas. Some things were good about that and other things were bad. Technically speaking I could put the blame elsewhere and some would argue that I would be justified in that, however even while blindly going into this thing, I made a choice and that choice had consequences, unseen and unknown at the time,but still there were consequences and the responsibility is mine to deal with, not someone else. It's not my mothers fault, nor the neighborhoods fault because it couldn't see what was coming and it's not the fishes fault either. The choice was made by me so therefore the responsibility of my actions also reside with me.
None of this is new, just look at Genesis and the proverbial fall of man, and you can see that everyone is passing the buck as to who is to blame, when the truth is is that they are both to blame for their own mistakes.
The point of this is that we need to get beyond this and start taking the responsibility for our own actions and teach our children the same. We need to stop blaming others for our problems based on nothing more then their religion, color or sexual orientation.We need to put an end to this blame others for everything mentality that has invaded our society and get back to personal responsibility. We should be responsible for ourselves and we should only ever have to hold ourselves accountable to G-D, because in a society where we accept our own responsibility for our mistakes , that is all that will be needed.
Shalom,
Ignacio
The argument usually goes something like this, "it wasn't my fault" it was my husband,wife, children or neighbors fault, the devil made me do it or , at least in one case , it was the snakes fault so why should I have to pay the price for my mistake, forgetting of course that you had to make a conscious decision to do something in the first place. It's never our faults for anything, it's society or our up bringing or our neighborhood or government. Sometimes ,admittedly, that's not far from the truth, however not everything can be blamed for our mistakes, at some point you have to take a hard look in the mirror and understand that you play a large role in this as well.
Of course passing the blame to others can become real easy to do when your world starts to collapse around you and things that you thought were fairly secure come apart at the seams. It becomes real easy to point the finger at anyone or anything other then yourself for the problems and the mistakes in our lives, much easier to have a talk show mentality and blame every thing on your mothers uncles second cousins brother in laws pet fish rather then taking the responsibility, after all this is generally what we in our great society teach.
Society says that it's not our fault for....pick your thing, instead it's the fault of our parents, our schools, our religion or even the a fore mentioned fish, but never is the blame affixed where it truly belongs; on ourselves. A Fine example; if I choose to smoke is it the tobaccos companies fault? Certainly they have done lots of advertising to get my attention but when it boils right down to it, I am the one who is responsible for putting the cigarette in my mouth and smoking it. They may have provided the material but I did the action. If I choose to live a promiscuous life style and sleep around who bears the responsibility of an unwanted STD or pregnancy? Is it society? Or should we again blame it on the parenting or the proverbial fish? Or is it my fault?
Our mainstream religions are at fault for this as well. We are taught the idea of "original sin" through Adam and Eve, and tell us that we can't help but be sinful because we are born with that tendency, leaving out the idea of freewill. So what that boils down to is that we are little more then robots with no real choices in life other then to do evil continuously. I reject that notion. While the Bible certainly speaks of the sin of Adam and Eve and all that has happened since then, it has never suggested that they are the ones responsible for our sinful and or foolish acts. In fact the Bible makes it quite clear that we don't die for someone else sins, we die for our own. Adam and Eve aren't the problem and neither are your parents or your neighborhood,or that fish, you are. And you are the one who has to decide how your going to handle things. You can continue to blame others for your life problems or you can suck it up, take responsibility for yourself and then do something about it.
Let me give you an example and I will use myself. I bought a van that has lead to us leaving Arkansas. Some things were good about that and other things were bad. Technically speaking I could put the blame elsewhere and some would argue that I would be justified in that, however even while blindly going into this thing, I made a choice and that choice had consequences, unseen and unknown at the time,but still there were consequences and the responsibility is mine to deal with, not someone else. It's not my mothers fault, nor the neighborhoods fault because it couldn't see what was coming and it's not the fishes fault either. The choice was made by me so therefore the responsibility of my actions also reside with me.
None of this is new, just look at Genesis and the proverbial fall of man, and you can see that everyone is passing the buck as to who is to blame, when the truth is is that they are both to blame for their own mistakes.
The point of this is that we need to get beyond this and start taking the responsibility for our own actions and teach our children the same. We need to stop blaming others for our problems based on nothing more then their religion, color or sexual orientation.We need to put an end to this blame others for everything mentality that has invaded our society and get back to personal responsibility. We should be responsible for ourselves and we should only ever have to hold ourselves accountable to G-D, because in a society where we accept our own responsibility for our mistakes , that is all that will be needed.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tolerance and Acceptance
Tolerance and acceptance, two words that I have never been terribly happy with. Their base meanings are good but in the last 20 years or so they seemed to have changed into something political which went something to this effect; I will tolerate what you believe to be true and accept you but you, on the other hand, don't have to accept or tolerate me if my views are not politically correct or doesn't meet with your accepted point of view.
In the past , and even still today, I could really care less if I am politically correct but I would like to think that I have become at least a bit more tolerant of opposing views and beliefs and have accepted many things that years ago I wouldn't even have dreamed of. The thing that is actually troubling to me are those who would claim that they are tolerant and accepting of people and opinions and yet what they say or do differs from reality. Let me give you an example.
My wife and I along with our children have recently moved back to New England after a rather troubling and intolerant time in the south west, living amongst people who would not accept us because we were Yankees and because we did not follow Christianity and I had publicly said so. Worse were those that had once called us friends, abandoning us even while claiming the love of their "god" for us.
Fast forward to our time here. Since our arrival here we have been reunited with many of our old friends including those who are of a Christian persuasion and I can tell you it has been wonderful. No one has been floored by our beliefs in Judaism and if any one has been critical it certainly hasn't been said to our faces and it has been a breath of fresh air.In fact even while discussing the things that we saw differently, we were doing it while eating burgers and our kids were playing together. There was no condemnation it was a simple matter of we see things differently and that's OK. This is what I call tolerance and acceptance.
While I have been very critical of Christianity and it's views, I have also come to discover that not all I have been told about Judaism is entirely accurate either.
Most of my contact with the Jewish community has been via the internet and usually with those of the Orthodox community, so imagine my surprise to find out that not all of what I have been told is entirely accurate. I had been told in the past that the only people who would ever be considered Jewish were either those born Jewish or who converted via an Orthodox conversion, that if you ever wanted to live in Israel that this was the only way that you would be accepted. I have puzzled over this for a long time, why would it be that they only way to be considered a real Jew was to convert to the Orthodox? There are Christians that are Israeli citizens as well as Arabs and Palestinians. There are those that are considered secular Jews as well as those from other Jewish communities,it made me quite confused and as a result my wife and I really wasn't sure just where we fit. It kind of reminded me of the Southern Baptists because unless you were one of them they really didn't consider you to be a christian and the only difference I could find between them and my baptist denomination was little more then wording. So while I was interested in conversion to Judaism we were concerned about what really seemed like an intolerant point of view.
Then this past Monday things changed.
Monday my wife and I met with Rabbi Robin at Temple Beth Jacob and it was a blessing. We walked in being nervous ( we have been blasted by Orthodox and Christians prior to this ) not really knowing what to expect and she immediately put us at ease.We were made to feel welcome and we had about an hour and a half of questions and answers. Turns out that they are a Reform Synagogue and that all the things that I had been told via the "friends" I had were from the ultra orthodox point of view and it was only their group who would not accept your conversion, if you so chose , and that many things were open for discussion that I had been told were not and that at least here in New England the various Jewish congregations all get along! Imagine my surprise. We left the meeting with Rabbi Robin feeling like we had finally found a place to be and to learn. Today we went to our first Torah study and again we were welcomed by all even though we are not Jewish as of yet,it was enough that we were there. Now that's tolerance and acceptance.
To all of our friends here in New England, no matter what it is that you believe, thank you for welcoming us back, and to Rabbi Robin thank you for welcoming us into the Synagogue, showing what true tolerance and acceptance is.
Shalom,
Ignacio
In the past , and even still today, I could really care less if I am politically correct but I would like to think that I have become at least a bit more tolerant of opposing views and beliefs and have accepted many things that years ago I wouldn't even have dreamed of. The thing that is actually troubling to me are those who would claim that they are tolerant and accepting of people and opinions and yet what they say or do differs from reality. Let me give you an example.
My wife and I along with our children have recently moved back to New England after a rather troubling and intolerant time in the south west, living amongst people who would not accept us because we were Yankees and because we did not follow Christianity and I had publicly said so. Worse were those that had once called us friends, abandoning us even while claiming the love of their "god" for us.
Fast forward to our time here. Since our arrival here we have been reunited with many of our old friends including those who are of a Christian persuasion and I can tell you it has been wonderful. No one has been floored by our beliefs in Judaism and if any one has been critical it certainly hasn't been said to our faces and it has been a breath of fresh air.In fact even while discussing the things that we saw differently, we were doing it while eating burgers and our kids were playing together. There was no condemnation it was a simple matter of we see things differently and that's OK. This is what I call tolerance and acceptance.
While I have been very critical of Christianity and it's views, I have also come to discover that not all I have been told about Judaism is entirely accurate either.
Most of my contact with the Jewish community has been via the internet and usually with those of the Orthodox community, so imagine my surprise to find out that not all of what I have been told is entirely accurate. I had been told in the past that the only people who would ever be considered Jewish were either those born Jewish or who converted via an Orthodox conversion, that if you ever wanted to live in Israel that this was the only way that you would be accepted. I have puzzled over this for a long time, why would it be that they only way to be considered a real Jew was to convert to the Orthodox? There are Christians that are Israeli citizens as well as Arabs and Palestinians. There are those that are considered secular Jews as well as those from other Jewish communities,it made me quite confused and as a result my wife and I really wasn't sure just where we fit. It kind of reminded me of the Southern Baptists because unless you were one of them they really didn't consider you to be a christian and the only difference I could find between them and my baptist denomination was little more then wording. So while I was interested in conversion to Judaism we were concerned about what really seemed like an intolerant point of view.
Then this past Monday things changed.
Monday my wife and I met with Rabbi Robin at Temple Beth Jacob and it was a blessing. We walked in being nervous ( we have been blasted by Orthodox and Christians prior to this ) not really knowing what to expect and she immediately put us at ease.We were made to feel welcome and we had about an hour and a half of questions and answers. Turns out that they are a Reform Synagogue and that all the things that I had been told via the "friends" I had were from the ultra orthodox point of view and it was only their group who would not accept your conversion, if you so chose , and that many things were open for discussion that I had been told were not and that at least here in New England the various Jewish congregations all get along! Imagine my surprise. We left the meeting with Rabbi Robin feeling like we had finally found a place to be and to learn. Today we went to our first Torah study and again we were welcomed by all even though we are not Jewish as of yet,it was enough that we were there. Now that's tolerance and acceptance.
To all of our friends here in New England, no matter what it is that you believe, thank you for welcoming us back, and to Rabbi Robin thank you for welcoming us into the Synagogue, showing what true tolerance and acceptance is.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Surplus Population
I am not known for my "liberal"thinking. In fact most anybody who knows me would , perhaps, label me as conservative. That , Of course, is no more accurate then the liberal label, but still I think most would at least consider me to be somewhat to the right when it comes to politics and religion. I am a firm believer in the constitution and our G-D given rights as expressed by the founders and I am a firm believer in the Jewish bible and of G-D. I think however that this is just about where my conservative side ends.
Lately I have been listening to a growing sound coming out of a lot of prominent conservatives on both the radio and through various news sources and all of them seem to be blaming the woes of the economy on all the "entitlement programs" and those of us who are poor enough to, at times,have to use them, and I find this trend to be a bit troubling.
I agree that there are many people who take advantage of the situation and just leech off the state even though they are physically able to actually work,but I have also witnessed those who desperately needed the help get turned down because , at least in one case,they had $7 too much in the bank. I personally know of the struggles that come from living on such a low income. I receive nothing more then VA benefits and while the cost of everything has gone up, my pay has not in 3 years. This really isn't about me though, nor is it about those who receive various assistance programs, it's about those who make an incredible amount of money being critical of those who don't and, quite frankly, looking at the wrong place to put the blame.
Now let me state for the record, that I have no problem with people making decent money on their skills and talents. If you can make big bucks doing what you do, I am happy for you. If you can enjoy the finer things in life because of your skills ,great, but I would also say to you that you should take the time to get to know some of these people that you are so critical of.
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", is one of my all time favorite movies and I think that there are many parts of it that are very relevant for today. When the ghost of Marley arrives, in the course of the conversation, Scrooge tells Marley that he had always been a good man of business and Marley's reply is perhaps the most condemning of our world today," Business! Business?! Mankind should have been my business!" He goes on to explain to Scrooge that because he never did anything to help anyone in the world that he was now condemned to walk the earth for eternity and see all the misery and be able to do nothing about it. The Ghost of Christmas Past has ignorance and want hidden under his cloak in the form of children and tells Scrooge that these belong to all men and to be ware of them both because if things stay as they are they spell the doom of all of mankind. Bob Cratchet was a hard working man by all accounts, yet he had a very sick son and he would die if nothing changed.The point being that you should get to know who "the surplus population" is before you condemn them to conditions that you wouldn't willingly live in.
So who or what is really to blame for this mess? Is it the wealthy guys on the airwaves? Nope.Though I think they are looking in the wrong direction. Is it the military? Not really, at least not at the troop level. I do believe however that we could save a huge chunk of money by ending all of our wars and overseas bases and bringing everyone home but the average grunt is not the problem. How about the politicians? I would have to say at least partially, why only partially? Because the only power that they have comes from us, what we allow them to do, so that leads to my answer which is; you and me. Yes, we are the one's to blame.
Every two years "we the people" have an opportunity to vote out those who are corrupt and power hungry, those that refuse to do ,as we the people, tell them to but we don't. As a matter of fact if you ask the average American what is actually going on in politics and how it effects them they won't have an answer and yet when it comes time to vote they will vote simply on name recognition. Some politicians have become so powerful that no one even bothers to run against them. Is this the way that things are supposed to be in a Republic? No!What needs to happen is that everyone should educate them selves as to what is going on in their government and then vote them all out of office and then if that doesn't work , you recall them,which most states have the power to do, and fire them until you get people in office who are accountable to us and not to powerful lobbies.
Lest any of you think that I believe that government is the answer, let me end that in a hurry. We need a whole lot less government intruding in our lives and coming up with more and more insane laws and regulations and ways to spend our money. The paragraph before was simply to illustrate that if we do not fire the whole lot of them , and I do mean all from all parties, we will not get this monster under any kind of control. It will simply get worse.
The other half of this though is our own fault. We have become an instant gratification, social networking, isolationist types. By isolationist I mean that we don't really interact with people anymore. We "speak" to each other via various social networking sights and occasionally might run into someone we haven't seen in a long time at Wal-Mart but we really don't interact with each other the way that our parents and grandparents did.
I remember a day when you didn't have to lock your doors and your neighbors were practically your parents, because if they didn't whoop on your backside, they would make sure that your parents knew what you had done long before you got home and , at least on a few occasions getting it from all sides! The good part of all that though was that people knew each other and they knew who was poor and struggling and,as a community, whether it was a church or just a bunch of neighbors, they would gather up what ever was necessary to help. There was no need for all the government programs because people took care of each other as was intended by G-D.
Something has changed though over the years and now most people don't bother to even know their neighbors, never mind if they are hurting in any way, and because we are taught that we are supposed to be able to "keep up with the Jones" many of us hide the fact that we are struggling. The government, of course, not wanting to let a good opportunity for control go by, fills in the gap where the churches,synagogues and neighbors once stood. We have, as a society, essentially relinquished control of our lives to those who's joy of spending our money knows no end and shows no sign of stopping.
My solution to this is really simple and rather old fashioned. We need to get off the computer, put down our massively entertaining cell phones, shut off the TV and go out and get to know each other again as we once did. You want to see an end to ridiculous spending in DC? Help each other out and there will be little need for all the government programs, get back into your churches and synagogues and start programs to help the needy. Take food to the local food bank or shelters, almost anything that you can think of will help. The government won't ever give up it's programs but perhaps we can all share the burden and lessen the need for them. Help people get on their feet rather then leaving them dependent on anyone and you will have accomplished that which the government cannot.
End the wars and bring everyone home. You want to see a major savings? Just do that one thing and you will have accomplished your goal.
Of course the government itself could take a pay cut as well,seems to me that if there is so little money that seniors and veterans can't get a raise that they should have a major cut in pay until that issue is resolved.
So there you have it, just a few simple solutions that would make a world of difference, I realise that it's just a pipe dream, but when that's all you have left...dream away.
Shalom
Ignacio
Lately I have been listening to a growing sound coming out of a lot of prominent conservatives on both the radio and through various news sources and all of them seem to be blaming the woes of the economy on all the "entitlement programs" and those of us who are poor enough to, at times,have to use them, and I find this trend to be a bit troubling.
I agree that there are many people who take advantage of the situation and just leech off the state even though they are physically able to actually work,but I have also witnessed those who desperately needed the help get turned down because , at least in one case,they had $7 too much in the bank. I personally know of the struggles that come from living on such a low income. I receive nothing more then VA benefits and while the cost of everything has gone up, my pay has not in 3 years. This really isn't about me though, nor is it about those who receive various assistance programs, it's about those who make an incredible amount of money being critical of those who don't and, quite frankly, looking at the wrong place to put the blame.
Now let me state for the record, that I have no problem with people making decent money on their skills and talents. If you can make big bucks doing what you do, I am happy for you. If you can enjoy the finer things in life because of your skills ,great, but I would also say to you that you should take the time to get to know some of these people that you are so critical of.
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", is one of my all time favorite movies and I think that there are many parts of it that are very relevant for today. When the ghost of Marley arrives, in the course of the conversation, Scrooge tells Marley that he had always been a good man of business and Marley's reply is perhaps the most condemning of our world today," Business! Business?! Mankind should have been my business!" He goes on to explain to Scrooge that because he never did anything to help anyone in the world that he was now condemned to walk the earth for eternity and see all the misery and be able to do nothing about it. The Ghost of Christmas Past has ignorance and want hidden under his cloak in the form of children and tells Scrooge that these belong to all men and to be ware of them both because if things stay as they are they spell the doom of all of mankind. Bob Cratchet was a hard working man by all accounts, yet he had a very sick son and he would die if nothing changed.The point being that you should get to know who "the surplus population" is before you condemn them to conditions that you wouldn't willingly live in.
So who or what is really to blame for this mess? Is it the wealthy guys on the airwaves? Nope.Though I think they are looking in the wrong direction. Is it the military? Not really, at least not at the troop level. I do believe however that we could save a huge chunk of money by ending all of our wars and overseas bases and bringing everyone home but the average grunt is not the problem. How about the politicians? I would have to say at least partially, why only partially? Because the only power that they have comes from us, what we allow them to do, so that leads to my answer which is; you and me. Yes, we are the one's to blame.
Every two years "we the people" have an opportunity to vote out those who are corrupt and power hungry, those that refuse to do ,as we the people, tell them to but we don't. As a matter of fact if you ask the average American what is actually going on in politics and how it effects them they won't have an answer and yet when it comes time to vote they will vote simply on name recognition. Some politicians have become so powerful that no one even bothers to run against them. Is this the way that things are supposed to be in a Republic? No!What needs to happen is that everyone should educate them selves as to what is going on in their government and then vote them all out of office and then if that doesn't work , you recall them,which most states have the power to do, and fire them until you get people in office who are accountable to us and not to powerful lobbies.
Lest any of you think that I believe that government is the answer, let me end that in a hurry. We need a whole lot less government intruding in our lives and coming up with more and more insane laws and regulations and ways to spend our money. The paragraph before was simply to illustrate that if we do not fire the whole lot of them , and I do mean all from all parties, we will not get this monster under any kind of control. It will simply get worse.
The other half of this though is our own fault. We have become an instant gratification, social networking, isolationist types. By isolationist I mean that we don't really interact with people anymore. We "speak" to each other via various social networking sights and occasionally might run into someone we haven't seen in a long time at Wal-Mart but we really don't interact with each other the way that our parents and grandparents did.
I remember a day when you didn't have to lock your doors and your neighbors were practically your parents, because if they didn't whoop on your backside, they would make sure that your parents knew what you had done long before you got home and , at least on a few occasions getting it from all sides! The good part of all that though was that people knew each other and they knew who was poor and struggling and,as a community, whether it was a church or just a bunch of neighbors, they would gather up what ever was necessary to help. There was no need for all the government programs because people took care of each other as was intended by G-D.
Something has changed though over the years and now most people don't bother to even know their neighbors, never mind if they are hurting in any way, and because we are taught that we are supposed to be able to "keep up with the Jones" many of us hide the fact that we are struggling. The government, of course, not wanting to let a good opportunity for control go by, fills in the gap where the churches,synagogues and neighbors once stood. We have, as a society, essentially relinquished control of our lives to those who's joy of spending our money knows no end and shows no sign of stopping.
My solution to this is really simple and rather old fashioned. We need to get off the computer, put down our massively entertaining cell phones, shut off the TV and go out and get to know each other again as we once did. You want to see an end to ridiculous spending in DC? Help each other out and there will be little need for all the government programs, get back into your churches and synagogues and start programs to help the needy. Take food to the local food bank or shelters, almost anything that you can think of will help. The government won't ever give up it's programs but perhaps we can all share the burden and lessen the need for them. Help people get on their feet rather then leaving them dependent on anyone and you will have accomplished that which the government cannot.
End the wars and bring everyone home. You want to see a major savings? Just do that one thing and you will have accomplished your goal.
Of course the government itself could take a pay cut as well,seems to me that if there is so little money that seniors and veterans can't get a raise that they should have a major cut in pay until that issue is resolved.
So there you have it, just a few simple solutions that would make a world of difference, I realise that it's just a pipe dream, but when that's all you have left...dream away.
Shalom
Ignacio
Friday, May 6, 2011
OBL And Mother Teresa
What a week it has been. Sunday night we were informed that OBL had finally been killed in a rather nasty 40 min fire fight with Navy SEALS and that ultimately he was killed in the course of that fight. Americans who heard this, I was sleeping when the president told the nation, went out into the streets to celebrate the death of this man and to basically flag wave and rejoice.
Then the story started falling apart. In fact the only thing that seems to be true in this whole story is that he is dead and even then they won't show the evidence to prove it, so many don't believe it's true. Personally I think it's true that he's dead, I just believe that it happened long before now and that his death has been put on hold for political reasons. I also believe that I don't really care. If him and his cave dwelling buddies were really the ones responsible for 9/11 then great, he's dead, and can we now move on to more important things? Such as calling it a win and bringing the troops home?
OBL can serve as an object lesson though to all of us. Here was a man that was, by all accounts, a very wealthy man, from a very powerful family in Saudi Arabia. He likely had every toy and whistle that any man could want. He was working for the US government in Afghanistan and so was likely receiving a goodly chunk of change from us as well. Something changed though.
He went from being our man, fighting the Soviets, to public enemy #1 all in a matter of moments.
We can debate as to whether or not he was actually involved or just a convinient target to point a finger at and we can debate the how why and when of his death but the one thing that can't be denied was that he went from rich and powerful to being quite dead.
Mother Teresa was just the opposite. She had nothing. No money. No power, no wealth to command and yet she took what little she had and she did some real good for the poor of India. She fed those that she could, clothed whom she could and took care of the sick. Yet in the end, humbly and just as poor as when she started her mission, she died.
Sadly, most people will remember OBL long after Mother Teresa has been forgotten because of all the evil he allegedly did and yet Mother Teresa is the one who deserves the remeberance more. His life was filled with violence and death and hers with healing and hope.
OBL dead? Good, lets move on to really note worthy people now and let him fade away into the dust of obscurity where he belongs.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Then the story started falling apart. In fact the only thing that seems to be true in this whole story is that he is dead and even then they won't show the evidence to prove it, so many don't believe it's true. Personally I think it's true that he's dead, I just believe that it happened long before now and that his death has been put on hold for political reasons. I also believe that I don't really care. If him and his cave dwelling buddies were really the ones responsible for 9/11 then great, he's dead, and can we now move on to more important things? Such as calling it a win and bringing the troops home?
OBL can serve as an object lesson though to all of us. Here was a man that was, by all accounts, a very wealthy man, from a very powerful family in Saudi Arabia. He likely had every toy and whistle that any man could want. He was working for the US government in Afghanistan and so was likely receiving a goodly chunk of change from us as well. Something changed though.
He went from being our man, fighting the Soviets, to public enemy #1 all in a matter of moments.
We can debate as to whether or not he was actually involved or just a convinient target to point a finger at and we can debate the how why and when of his death but the one thing that can't be denied was that he went from rich and powerful to being quite dead.
Mother Teresa was just the opposite. She had nothing. No money. No power, no wealth to command and yet she took what little she had and she did some real good for the poor of India. She fed those that she could, clothed whom she could and took care of the sick. Yet in the end, humbly and just as poor as when she started her mission, she died.
Sadly, most people will remember OBL long after Mother Teresa has been forgotten because of all the evil he allegedly did and yet Mother Teresa is the one who deserves the remeberance more. His life was filled with violence and death and hers with healing and hope.
OBL dead? Good, lets move on to really note worthy people now and let him fade away into the dust of obscurity where he belongs.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Why I left Christanity
Today I am going to be writing about how I came to leave Christianity and embrace Judaism and the one true G-D of Israel and the creator of the world.
One thing I should mention here I am not interested in “converting “you to what I believe. You may find that hard to believe because of what you are taught in Christianity about converting the world, but in Judaism they don’t believe that you need to be converted (I have not converted by the way) but only that you live as a righteous Gentile following the laws that G-D gave to Adam and to Noah, which are known as the Noachide laws, a subject for another day, and in keeping those you will have a place in the kingdom to come.
Another thought that came to me is that some of you seem very shocked that I have left Christianity. A few have suggested, rather strongly, that I am ‘godless’ or that I am following the father of lies. It finally hit me as to why. As Christians you are taught that if a person does not believe in the deity of Jesus then they are automatically placed in the camp of Satan by default, so my guess is that you couldn’t imagine that I would be anything else, other than a Christian, when I am acting and living my life in a G-Dly manner, quoting scripture and singing the praises of G-D. I think that it is very hard for you to compute and therefore the shock comes in.
So as I set out to write this, here is my challenge to you; be open minded. If you are reading this for the purpose of trying to find my mistakes or to try and convince me that you are right, then you miss the purpose of this writing. Some of you have asked and now I am answering.
You also must keep in mind two very important facts; the first being that I was a pastor and that I have been involved in Christianity, in various forms, most of my life. The second is that I never set out to disprove Christianity, in fact I was determined that I was going to prove that Christianity was right so I could present this to a few Jewish people that I had met. Obviously, my studies did just the opposite and as a result I have left Christianity in all its forms.
What started me on this road was a simple question that had come after a rather severe berating I had received from a Jewish man on my interpretation of something that Jesus had said, I don’t even remember what the issue was, but what I do remember is that I couldn’t understand why it was that they couldn’t seem to grasp that Jesus was the messiah and that he was their future king. This led me to ask the one simple question; why don’t the Jews believe in Jesus? This was my starting point. It made no sense to me that such a wonderful and intelligent people couldn’t grasp something as basic as that and so I started out to show them , if I could, just who he was and that they were wrong. I couldn’t accept the idea, as most Christians are taught, that the Jews were blinded to the truth because I had listened to too many Jewish Rabbis and people who knew the NT very well so it was not a matter of ignorance, there had to be another reason.
To set the stage for you, I had already left my position as a young adult pastor and camp director, not because I didn’t believe in Jesus, but because I had started to learn about messianic Judaism and I believed that this was the route that we should pursue. In all fairness it was probably, up until that time, one of the best things I ever did. The group that we belonged too did not believe in trying to convert people, especially the Jewish people, because they believed that the Jewish people already had the Torah (the law) and G-D. Our Rabbi was Jewish and through his teaching we embraced a combination of Jesus and Jewish ways, I wore the Kippah, Tzit Tzit, and the Tallit, by all external measure I had become Jewish but still with just that touch of Christianity. The reason that I believe that it was one of the best things to ever happen to me and my family ,was because it introduced us to Judaism and it started me on a study and love of the” Old Testament” and more of a love for the G-D of Israel as a result.
The first thing that I did was peruse the internet. There are many articles and excerpts from writings and books that were both for and against Jesus as being the messiah. I looked at some of the writers of the Jewish Talmud as well as some of the early church fathers and the one thing that I came to realize was that all of them had some sort of an agenda or, perhaps better put, a bias in one direction or the other and it was really hard to find someone who was neutral on the subject. Those that were neutral usually turned out to be atheists or serious skeptics of G-D or religion in general. So I decided on a completely different approach.
The first thing I did was decide how I would approach someone in the time of Jesus to convince them that Jesus was the messiah that they were looking for. I wouldn’t be able to use the NT because that was written well after the events so that left me with the option of just using the OT to prove the point. It makes perfect sense to do it this way when you consider that Jesus and his followers as well as John the Baptist would have only been able to base their views or opinions on their knowledge of the OT prophecies. So I used several different versions of the Bible, including KJV, NKJV, and NIV amongst others. I also used the Strongs/Vineyard concordance as well as a program that could show the words as they would have been written in the OT Hebrew and, with pens and lots of paper, I began to search.
The first thing that I started with was the word Messiah. Messiah is the English translation of the Greek word Christ which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Mashiyach which simply means “anointed one“. The word is used 98 times through the Bible with 86 of them appearing in the OT. Of those 37 apply to people such as kings and priests and one refers to a person in particular, that being Cyrus who eventually let the captives go back to Israel and rebuild the temple. Please see Strongs/ Vineyards #4899. Nowhere though is there any reference to the Messiah, or anointed one, as being anything more than human. A servant of G-D? Yes. A king yes, but nothing about him being G-D in any form.
I still wasn’t too rattled though because I figured that somewhere in the scriptures I would find something that would explain the idea of the messiah being G-D, I just had to dig a bit deeper. So dig I did. I started out by reading every scripture that I had ever heard even had the remotest reference to what the messiah was supposed to do or be. I read all the “suffering servant” passages, checked out words and entire phrases as they would have been written in Hebrew/Aramaic and came to the rather startling conclusion that there were no scriptures what so ever that even hinted that the messiah was going to be anything more than human, with the exceptions of the ones that clearly pointed to Israel doing the suffering, but there again we are not talking about Israel being G-D, just His servant. Well needless to say I was floored. I had always just kind of assumed that it was there hidden in the passages but it wasn’t. I even did the whole 300 proof texts thing only to discover that the vast majority of them could have applied to anything or anyone and the few that were left were either badly misquoted or were taken out of context and still none of them proved that the messiah was to be G-D. It simply was not there.
Let me remind you at this point that there was nothing more I would have liked any better than to have found some sort of solid proof the messiah was to be G-D. This discovery threw me for such a loop that for almost a year I did nothing more than mull over it and re read biblical passages just to make sure. I honestly couldn’t decide if what I had found, or in this case not found, was really all that important. It seemed to me that Christianity had done a lot of good for the world and if getting people to know G-D was through someone who everyone believed was G-D then who was I to say.
I decided at that point that what I would do then was find out what the scriptures did have to say about the messiah, because I thought that surely Jesus could at least have that role even if he wasn’t G-D. I started from the beginning again and came to realize that even in this manner he couldn’t have fulfilled the role as the messiah, because one of the things about the messiah is that he is to bring about an end to war and bring both a universal peace and knowledge of G-D and His laws, none of which Jesus accomplished. In fact Jesus himself said that he hadn’t come to bring peace but a sword, that alone would disqualify him and since his time there have been literally millions killed in his name, many of them Jews, who simply refused to convert. Israel is not the nation it once was and yet the messianic prophecies say that when he comes the nations of the world will come to Israel to seek forgiveness and for the knowledge of G-D and as of this writing this has not happened. In fact it is quite the opposite; the nations of the world are ganging up on Israel to do her more harm. Now I know that some of you are thinking to yourselves well he is going to accomplish all that during his second coming. The problem here is that there is no mention at all of any second coming nor is it even implied. Again a commonly held belief in the Christian world that’s not there.
This is usually about the time someone will say to me, well what about the blood sacrifices don’t they point to Jesus? If the sacrificial system was done away with and the temple destroyed how is it that they can have forgiveness without the shedding of blood?
First of all if you go back and do a careful reading of the sacrifices you will discover two things. One is that a blood sacrifice wasn’t always needed, especially for those that were poor. They had flour offerings as well as meal offerings, no blood necessary, and then the second thing is that when they did have an offering of animals, depending on the situation it could be a Dove, or a male or female sheep and or goats or a bull.
So what about the temple then, how does one receive forgiveness without the sacrifices and the temple?
Prayer. Simple answer isn’t it? G-D, through Solomon and Moses, foretold of a time when the temple would be gone, that they would not be able to do the sacrifices and that they would be in captivity because they turned from Him and went to other “gods”. What they told the people was simply this; when you go into captivity and you finally realize that you have sinned turn your heart back to me and seek my forgiveness. Solomon goes so far as to say that their prayers will be as the sacrifices of bulls. All through the prophets you have this theme emphasized that when they turn their hearts back to Him that He will forgive them and save them. It’s not through the sacrifices it’s through having a willing heart to turn back to Him. In one place it even says that He will bring them back to the land, then forgive them, then remove their Idols and place His laws back in their hearts where it will never be removed. Not because they deserve it but because He is their G-D and He loves them. In fact if you take the time to look at the OT prophets , you will find that it’s not just about the “wrath” of G-D but rather that there is much to be found as to His redeeming His people and bringing them back to Israel. I should also point out that it also is very clear that it will be all who worship G-D will be amongst those that G-D gathers not just the children of Israel. But here is a real shocker for you, in the end the third temple will be build according to the description given to Ezekiel and the sacrifices will resume. It also says that the nations of the world will keep at least some of the holy days of the Jews such as Sabbath, New Moon and the Feast of Tabernacles, it even goes so far as to tell you that the nation that doesn’t keep the Feast of Tabernacles will not receive any rain.
So the more I studied the more surprised I became because I was seeing things that I had never seen before and suddenly realized that it was I that was blind, not the Jews.
Other things kept showing up ,like G-D saying over and over again that He alone is G-D and besides Him there are no others, that He will not share His glory with another or the all-important, you shall have no other gods before me. Probably this one alone was the one that pushed me into a realization that worshipping anyone else other than G-D is Idolatry. The first commandment that He gave to the children of Israel was that they were to not have any other G-Ds before Him, in fact the reason that they were scattered into captivity and exile was because they broke that law over and over again.
There can only be one G-D and He has made that very clear.
Now at this point you have probably noticed that I haven’t given you much as far as biblical text goes. It’s not because they don’t exist, they do, and it’s that I want you to do the research for yourselves. Secondly though I could give you a good chunk of them but I would be wasting my time if you aren’t really interested in the truth of it all, and it has come to my attention, especially while I was a pastor, that most aren’t interested in the truth they just want it handed to them in a sermon. So if you are truly interested you will look for yourself and, I might add, I have only scratched the surface of what is to be discovered if you actually look.
I will however leave you with two texts to consider and my own prayer that you will look for yourself.
Jeremiah 16: 19-20 O LORD, my strength and my fortress My refuge in the day of affliction The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, “ Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things.” 20 Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?
Zechariah 8:22-23 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him.”
23 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”From here I don’t know what else I could say to you that would convince you of anything, and as I said in the beginning I’m not trying to convert you to my way of thinking or believing and, quite frankly, if believing that Jesus is somehow god will at least point you to the true G-D of Israel then who am I to stand in the way of what He is doing in your life.
The challenge I do give though is to read it and research it for yourself and then draw your own conclusions, with a heart for G-D and not the doctrines of man.
Shalom,
Ignacio
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