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Whirled Views 7.20
Good morning!
Today’s quote is from a Canadian theologian and professor:
“Ease and luxury, such as our affluence brings today, do not make for maturity; hardship and struggle however do.”
Welcome to our daily (except Sundays) open thread, where you, the commenters, choose the topics of conversation.
Topic: Watercooler Chatter, WorldMagBlog
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back to top54 Comments to “Whirled Views 7.20”
Sounds like Packer.
Hey.. it was 40 years ago today! “Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed!”
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Y’all be sure to pray for Bowe Bergdahl, PFC US Army. Poor kid just up and walked off from his FOB, evidently. Which isnt in itself bad, but he did so without his rifle or body armor.
Right about now he’s most likely really regretting that choice.
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We’ve been studying Daniel and the Teacher pointed out something very interesting about Daniel nine.
Daniel 9:20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill- 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy ’sevens’ [c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish [d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. [e]
25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree [f] to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, [g] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ’sevens,’ and sixty-two ’sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ’sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. [h] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ’seven.’ [i] In the middle of the ’seven’ [j] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. [k] ”
Note: “From the issuing of the decree [f] to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, [g] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ’sevens,’ and sixty-two ’sevens.”
That equals 483 years. The order to rebuild the temple came in 444 BC. That would bring it to AD 39. However, the Babylonians and the Jews had 360day years. So, 483 Babylonian years equals 477 365day years. That brings it to AD 33.
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Sawgunner:
I was in the middle east for a time in the late nineties. We’d been following a very narrow blacktop through the desert when it all of a sudden ended. I was in the back and had fallen asleep. The guys in front woke me up long after they’d lost the road. We were told in briefings to stay on the blacktop or gravel, but absolutely NO SAND! There we were with niether blacktop or gravel around us anywhere.
Reason being was landmines. The previous rotation had seen a few folks killed much in the same fashion – lost the road and went off into the sand and hit a mine.
I told the guys to back up slowly on the tracks they’d made. We got to the blacktop again and renegotiated our way down a dirt road that was actually there near where the asphalt stopped. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.
Learned my lesson about staying alert.It is true the hardships sharpen our resolve!
I thought the quote might’ve been from Os Guiness or David Wells or Craig Gay but I’m not sure if any are Canadians officially.
Will do for PFC Bergdahl.
Dan
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Mumsee:
Report!
How is the back?
And how did the trip go?
KBells, All the commentators I read figure a 360 day year.
I don’t understand the significance of your post. The commentator in my book says the reckoning of “When the Anointed One comes” is not to his birth, but his entry into Jerusalem. (What we call Palm Sunday.)
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Also Apollo! Yes. My late father had a friend at NASA in the 60’s. He let dad ascend the tower which was used to launch Apollo 13. Went all the way to the top and walked the catwalk the Astronauts did.
Dad also had a ton of photos and a mulitiple volume transcript of the entire log of Apollo 11 communications from launch to splashdown. It was all stuff his NASA friend had given him.
And just a curious aside here. I taught the moon landing to my kiddos in Texas and U.S. history this past year and mentioned to them that Buzz Aldrin took communion in Eagle before he stepped out on the moon. In an older book I have called “First on the Moon” he writes of the experience, even quoting from John 15:5.
Recently Sean Hannity had interviewed Buzz about his new book. Hannity asked Aldrin about communion on the moon, for it was also mentioned in the new book.
But Aldrin’s response was convoluted, “That’s what I thought was appropriate at that time” and then went on to say something about man coming out of trees. Sort of disappointing to hear. Anyhow. Happy 40th to the Apollo 11 guys.
Dan
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The commentator in my book says the reckoning of “When the Anointed One comes” is not to his birth, but his entry into Jerusalem. (What we call Palm Sunday.)
Which would have been in AD 33.
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Actually due to verse 26 “After the sixty-two ’sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” my teacher figures it to His death.
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This may be related to today’s quote:
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Partially related to today’s quote: my best teachers in school were the hardest. Those were the ones I learned the most from.
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The blogaholic is wasting his one sip of the week on the following news item:
http://tiny.cc/atheistcamp
Snippets [follow link to fully raise your blood pressure]
NEVADA CITY, Calif. — At Camp Quest, campers may not believe in God, but they do have faith in their community.
On July 12, 49 children from across the Western United States arrived at the camp nestled in the hills outside Nevada City. It is one of five summer camps in the country for the children of atheists and other nonbelievers….
Campers play games that encourage critical thinking such as one called Evolution and another where they are asked to prove something invisible doesn’t exist…
Nonbelievers make up a small part of the population. According to the Pew Forum’s 2007 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, 1.6 percent of the adult population consider themselves atheist; 2.4 percent call themselves agnostic…
[My G-d! The agnostics are overunning the country! But we don't even have an agnostic camp!!!]
Many campers said they were relieved to be with kids from other atheist families.
“I live in a small town and at my school a lot of the kids will flaunt their religion,” said Cameron Musser, 16, who wanted to attend the camp to be around other nonbelievers. “We don’t have to worry about that here.”
Not even my own family is safe. Mommy (my daughter’s partner and birth mother of Random Granddaughter) plans to take RG to various church services as she grows older so she will have a basis for deciding what religioun (if any) she will belong to.
Perhaps Mrs. Random and I will have to file a lawsuit to take our grandchild away from her mommies, not because she has two mommies, but because she is going to be exposed to religious belief. Next RG will be posting comments at worldmagblog telling how she has been born again. This time she will say that she had a maculate conception.
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Sawgunner, I prayed for PFC Bergdahl. I’m surprised that a soldier who had been there that long would stroll off as he might in Idaho. That ain’t Idaho.
From 1967-1972, I was in the Extraterrestrial Branch (later to be branch chief) of the Defense Mapping Agency. I helped make the maps for the Apollo program. It was a challenging job because we had no ground control, the photography was distorted due to electronic transmission, and we had no grid. We assumed a 1738km lunar radius (surprised I still remember that). It was an interesting project, not only because of the technical challenges, but it was unclassified and we could report on it in technical publications and make presentations at the conventions. (I used to Google, but they removed the articles some time ago.)
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We are back. The trip was not too uncomfortable though there were jolts. I suspect this was precipitated by the the drive to Montana with twenty or thirty miles of culvert work, culverts every thirty feet or so, slightly raised, making for a very jarring ride at near highway speeds. Anyway, the back is very iffy today so I am continuing to be very careful. Daughter is back who can follow directions so she will be doing the chores for me, under direction. Then it will be lie around in the yard time and taking it very easy for a few days. Thanks for caring. My husband was prepared to drive home last night but there is no need at this time.
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Sawgunner, enjoy your trip to Orlando.
Repeat after me, with a smile: “No Thanks”.
That’s what you say when someone offers you free tickets to a show, or anything else. They are not there to give things away.
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We, too, are praying for PFC Bergdahl and his family and his captors and his searchers/rescuers. May God’s peace fill his heart.
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I’m glad you made it ok Mumsee. I was praying, and somewhat worried. Is there a contradiction there?
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Good morning all. It is back to work for me after slacking off a bit to move. I discovered paper window shades at Wal-Mart. For about $10 a window I have privacy and I think they actually look pretty good. My bedroom is now done all in white and with my furniture it looks very Colonial Caribbean. The builder came by late yesterday and mowed the grass. I will keep it up from here on. It is so nice to have hot water again and a big “soakie” tub
I actually showed the house Saturday afternoon. When I told the builder he laughed and said he would get his crew to move me if we sold it. I told him I would need that offer, I think I wore my movers out on Saturday. Yesterday, I did nothing. Today I have to go get some more stuff from the other house. Then while I have everything in the house or the garage, I am going through it to scale it down some more. I cannot believe how much stuff I have and I have steadily been donating to the Ecumenical Ministries for 5 years. Where does it all come from???? I haven’t bought anything new, except for a bedspread in well over two years!!!!!
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The most transparent administration evah! Or not. Mostly not.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090720/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_midsummer_s_budget_nightmare
“The administration’s annual midsummer budget update is sure to show higher deficits and unemployment and slower growth than projected in President Barack Obama’s budget in February and update in May, and that could complicate his efforts to get his signature health care and global-warming proposals through Congress.
The release of the update — usually scheduled for mid-July — has been put off until the middle of next month, giving rise to speculation the White House is delaying the bad news at least until Congress leaves town on its August 7 summer recess.”
So how will Obama and Dems get around all these nasty little numbers that keep popping up? Why that’s simple. You cook the books.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25104.html
“The legislation introduced in the House makes changes to existing Medicare programs that would save the federal government $219 billion over the next 10 years, according to the CBO estimates.
But the biggest change would come from the enactment of new accounting rules — something CBO still can’t account for because those new rules haven’t become law.
In the bill, Democrats provide $245 billion to eliminate an annual shortfall in payments to doctors under Medicare. Democrats resolved this annual headache, in large part, to win crucial support for the bill from the American Medical Association. That money currently counts against the overall costs of the bill, but Democrats have introduced legislation that would remove this obligation from federal deficit. However, CBO won’t recognize that change until those new pay-as-you-go rules become law.”
So if they don’t count it against the deficit, it doesn’t really exist right? Yeah right. Whether you count it against the deficit or not, it’s still debt that must be paid. Didn’t they prosecute Enron execs. for this type of creative accounting? The hole is getting deeper and there’s not enough cash to fill it.
More change you can’t believe.
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Kim: You are really on the move! I do hope the house you’re in doesn’t sell too quickly. Moving is awful enough once every 5-10 years, let alone twice in a month or so. And I know what you mean about the ’stuff.’
How can this be Monday again so soon?
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Mumsee, take it real easy today. But you’ll probably get used to being the chore supervisor pretty quickly. Sounds like a good job for you.
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And for those of you who think that the govt option will save money, you’re wrong.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07182009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/govt_care_costs_more_179841.htm
“In claiming that the solution to skyrocketing health costs is more government-run care, President Obama has relied on a myth — the belief that Medicare and Medicaid have restrained the growth in health expenses, relative to private care.
My new study, published by the Pacific Research Institute, shows that — across four decades — the costs of government-run health care have risen far more than the costs of private care.
My study compares the cost increases of Medicare and Medicaid with those of all other health care in the United States. The key finding: Since 1970, Medicare and Medicaid’s costs have risen one-third more, per patient, than the combined costs of all other health care in America — the vast majority of which is purchased privately.
Since 1970, Medicare and Medicaid’s combined per-patient costs have risen from $344 to $8,955, while the combined per-patient costs of all other US health care have risen from $364 to $7,119.
Medicare and Medicaid used to cost $20 less per patient than other care. Now they cost $1,836 more. (And that’s even without the Medicare prescription-drug benefit.)”
Govt is not the answer to rising costs. They could help things with stuff like tort reform, but given the money politicians reap from trial lawyers, that’s not gonna happen.
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Speaking of worrying –. Random has been our convivial agnostic/athiest here. We trade thoughts about beliefs and convictions. But he tells us that he wants to prevent his granddaughter from being exposed to Christianity. A warning comes to mind: Luke 17:1f
Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.”
It would be best for Random granddad to back out of this.
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I’m happy for you Kim that it is working out. This is a little unusual. I have never heard of this in New Jersey. But it is a great opportunity to chuck stuff — and a lesson we could all learn.
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Monty, I asked you about the aspirin from 7.18 whirled views. Does this work in a hot water tub which I like to do anyway?
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Like you can keep anyone from being exposed to Christianity. That’s a hoot, as Victoria would say.
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Donna J,
You understand these are not kids you can just supervise. For example: one cannot just say, “go water the pigs”. One must say, “Go, pick up the end of the hose in the rose garden, turn on the hydrant, place the end of the hose in the pig bucket, let it fill, remove the hose, turn off the hydrant. Do not disconnect or reconnect any hoses, it is all ready to go.” And then, after a few minutes, one must go see what they actually did and whether or not the pigs have any water. They will then explain how they did not think there was any way the water would get through the hose that way so they had to disconnect and reconnect and change the system. Then one has to explain that the system was set up to simultaneously water the turkeys, two trees and a shrub and by bypassing the system, none of the others got water. And this after they have watched and assisted for months and seen how it works. And participated actively. And one did it exactly the same as the other did the day before and was there for the entire explanation as to why it should not be changed. Got to be frustrating for them and know it is for me. But I suspect, they learned early that authority was not to be trusted and anything you could do to get over on the man was the way to go. We are working on that and they see the need for change but it is hard to break old habits.
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Mumsee, sounds complicated. I hope your back is doing better; I was sorry to hear about that.
Still waiting for your apology on Saturday’s Rants and Raves for saying such rude things about me to Misten.
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KBells: regarding the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, here’s the analysis in depth.
This is from chapter 10 of The Coming Prince by Sir Robert Anderson written in the early 1900’s. Foot note 7 does the math for you.
Here’s a link to the whole book. http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/The.Coming.Prince.html
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Cheryl, my dear, you have a looong wait ahead of you.
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AWSTAR, that pretty cool. My only problem is how do they handle the theory that Jesus was not really born in the year one there would not have died in the year 32 or 33?
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kbells: The KJV refers explicity to weeks not years. I wonder which one is right. Does it not seem logical that in a book where the creator rested and demanded rest on the seventh day that “sevens” refers to weeks, not years?
And, you might have a bit of trouble with the “accuracy” of the verses that follow.
9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
That one sounds to me like we should all be outta’ here by now.
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KBells #30
I wonder about the exact year of Christ’s birth too, and haven’t found a really definitive answer yet. Wikipedia refers to Josephus in calculating the current assumed year of birth of 4BC, but that’s based on the death of Herod the Great relative to the reign of others:
The single funniest movie line ever spoken:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzV5AIK8iM&feature=rec-HM-r2
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Justus – LOL!
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Justus
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We were blessed with our seventh grandchild on Friday–our sixth grandson, Malachi. He was a big nine lbs. two oz. and is doing very well. Mom is too. We had a great time watching the two big brothers who are two and four. They are well-behaved, which made it easier than it could have been.
Two of my other grandchildren were able to come and hold the newest cousin. It was fun to watch all the little ones compete for the honor of holding the newborn and reminding each other to be gentle.
They all live about four hours away and I wish they were closer. We are grateful for all of them, though and the ones that live a couple of days away.
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Congratulations KI, Grandkids are grand.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/12/jimmy-carter-womens-rights-equality
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Well hello strangers. I don’t think I’ve been here for a couple of months–not even lurking. I hope all are well, and that you will let me back in to the WOW clique!!! Blessings to you all!!
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Hi Momoffour. Give us an update on how you’ve been, especially about your foot. Things must have improved for you.
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38. I have yet agreed with anything with him so far. I won’t start now.
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I have been wonderful–the foot has been great. Ran 9 miles this morning at about a 7:30 pace with only a slight nagging pain. Praise God–I feel blessed to be running while the sun is rising most mornings.
My four blessings have been memorizing Scripture like crazy this summer in preparation for the first-ever Bible Bee. It is VERY intense trying to memorize that amount of scripture–but it will be an “eternal” blessing no matter how they do in the “competition.”
We have been visiting other churches as we’re prayerfully considering finally leaving the church we’ve been with our whole marriage. I won’t go into details, but my husband feels led that it is time…due to some “situations.”
God has been blessing our little Christian school. When everything else has been crashing around us, we just kept praying that God would honor the school as we seek to please Him. Guess what???He has come through in huge ways! Our enrollment has suddenly, in the past few weeks, started increasing by leaps and bounds.
Hubby and I are going on a belated b-day trip (mine) to Tangier Island next week, just for one night. Anyone been there or have any suggestions? My parents are graciously keeping the little ones! This is the first “away” trip we’ve had ourselves since our first little blessing arrived almost 11 years ago. Woo-hoo!!
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Arcadia, Carter’s problem is really with Scripture, and not with his denomination. And in my eyes it was absolutely shameful for him to try to use his public image to make his denomination look “bad” in the eyes of the world. I heard about it when it happened, and any respect I had left for Carter evaporated.
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Well, OK, does anyone else think that telling my dog she is “stuck with a psychotic emotional basket case for the next ten years or so” (post 42 of Saturday’s rants and raves) is worthy of an apology? I mean, saying such things to someone’s children would be inexcusable, and methinks that saying them to one’s dog about her owner is pretty bad too. (Fortunately, I kept Misten away from the computer this weekend, and she didn’t actually read that note, but it could have been pretty bad.)
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Cheryl D,
Life is what it is, my sister, get over it.
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Amusing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLr_VyIwGTQ
And yes I sympathize with those whose class was interrupted but …. why take a class with this guy?
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Just sharing my personal theme song for the day:
More Than Enough by Chris Tomlin
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Great song, Matt. One of my favorites of his is “Glory in the Highest”…beautiful!
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KI – Congratulations on the new grandbaby!
Momoffour – Glad to see you back. I was wondering about you recently.
Cheryl – Just take your meds & everything will be okay.
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Karen O,
I can not believe you said that to Cheryl. You will never ever ever hear the end of it. She can hold onto stuff, just tellin ya.
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Happy Birthday to you, KI’s grandson, Malachi!
Welcome back Momoffour!
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Actually, Mumsee, it wasn’t “holding onto stuff,” it was following the biblical injunction of how to deal with someone who has sinned against you–you complain to the person (”complain” is the correct word, right?), then you tell other people until you find two or three who agree with you, and then finally you tell the whole church and get them kicked out so you don’t have to see them anymore.
Though I suppose I should add that I do still want to see you around, so I was hoping you’d repent before we got quite that far in the process.
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Cheryl, that isn’t the “Biblical injunction”, that’s the “Baptist Injunction” you just described.
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See what I mean Donna J?
Ok, once again, I believe you are to go to the person who you are alleging has commited a grievous action PRIVATELY need I remind you that posting on World is not exactly private?) And then bring it to the few and IF THEY AGREE, take them to the nonrepentant one. You have blown this whole thing out of proportion. I begin to suspect Donna J read it right! Poor Misten….
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