Our Wonderful Children

Our Wonderful Children – yes, Peg and I have four terrific children: Asia age 13; Z. Maggie age 11; J. Olivia age 10; and Elijah age 6. I thought I would take the time to give you a quick update about each of them.

 

Our oldest child Asia is still doing great at school, where she made the 'A' Honor Role for 7^th Grade at her Junior High School. She is a typical 13 year old, as far as I can tell, but something mysterious has happened to her this year: she is reluctant to share much about any friends of hers that are boys. Instead, I hear constant threats by Asia saying that she will get her sisters if they reveal anything to Peggy or I. So far, the threats have worked. And so, we only get a few, sporadic stories that are like pulling teeth out for us to get. Otherwise, I am amazed at how this sweet 13 year old is so responsible, with her having to catch a bus at 6:50 in the morning. She does this without any help from us parents. And she does most of her school work on her own as soon as she arrives home, and with asking only for help on the toughest of homework.

 

Our beautiful Maggie is now 11 years old. She is in the 6^th Grade, and doing well in school. She is one kid who never seeks help for studying spelling words, or her homework. And she does a good job with it. Maggie recently came back from a four-day overnight school trip that the 6^th grade went on. And she had a fabulous time: the word on the street is that Maggie was one of the bravest kinds when going over a High Ropes Course. With this, she was 35 feet up as she walked on a single rope, and held on to two other ropes. She is a brave one! And to show you her wonderful heart, she recently had a friend who went in for surgery. Maggie was there for her friend on the day of the surgery, and she spent all of her allowance on gifts for her friend. She is a sweet girl, that one!

 

Miss Olivia is battling a Science Fair project these days. She is a smart kid with her project testing the heart rate of a number of people as they listen to different kinds of music. She originally had 13 different kinds of music with which she was testing people's heart rates. But as next week's deadline is approaching, her Mother convinced her to use "only" 10 different kinds of music. Olivia is now living on our lowest level, and learning that the lack of cleanliness can no longer be blamed on her brother/sister. She continues practicing and taking seriously her clarinet, and is an amazing artist. She did the most wonderful water paint picture of the scene off of our room's balcony when we were in Mazatlan this past December. Each week I see pictures that just amaze me. She has her Mother's talent, which is saying something!

 

Young man Elijah is enjoying kindergarten. He is a favorite of his teacher, and as I learned at last week's school carnival, of several of the young girls in his class. One felt comfortable enough to come sit next to us while we ate so she could be with Elijah. Very nice! And Elijah is enjoying a new website called Toontown. From the amount of time he is spending on it, there must be something more to it than what I've seen. But it is amazing to me that a 6 year old can wheel around on the Internet, use a mouse, and enjoy games. And yes, I hear parent's groans – I do have him on a restricted access account for the Internet. And of course, Elijah is also a bright kid like her older sisters. He is a natural at math, and is now trying to learn to read anything that is put in front of him.

 

Which brings me to what we hope is a blessing that may take place in the future. We have been told that we be receiving computers for each of our children. All these computers with wireless Internet connections. The kids were so excited that 3 out of the 4 immediately cleaned their rooms so that they could have the computers in their room, once they were ready. And it was fun to see their faces when they were told about it - smiles from ear to ear! And Peggy and I are excited too – the line that forms behind our computers each morning and after school is long at times. But this is too exciting for all of us. Thanks, and may God continue to shower all of your families with His blessings and love.

Part of Noah’s Ark Discovered?

Now remain calm about the following February 5^th news story. A one yard piece of petrified wood was recently produced that is drawing some attention. It is claimed to be a part of a much larger piece that was found in a Mount Ararat cave. But please remember that we need to know more about this, before we give it any believability. Here is a portion of the story:

 

Noah's Ark nestled on Mount Ararat

Web posted at: 1/19/2008 5:50:44
Source ::: The Peninsula / BY SATISH KANADY

Dogubayazit (Turkey's Iran-Armenian Border) • For the first time in the seven decade-long history of the search for the legendary Noah's Ark, a Turkish-Hong Kong exploration team on Tuesday came out with "material evidence", to prove that the Ark was nestled on Mount Ararat, Turkey's highest mountain peak bordering Iran and Armenia.

A panel of experts, comprising Turkish authorities, veteran mountaineers, archaeologists, geologists and members of Hong Kong-based Noah's Ark Ministries International, also displayed an almost one-metre-long piece of petrified wood before the media and specially invited international experts.

The experts claimed it to be a part of a long structure they had unearthed during their February-August 2007 exploration. "It is for the first time in the history of the Ark search that an exploration team is getting a material evidence and graphic documentation. This makes it not only a the significant breakthrough in the Ark-search, but one that is supported with the most substantial evidence in recent history," the panel said.

The revelation is expected to open up a fresh chapter in the ongoing debates in the scientific community on the search for Noah's Ark.

Narrating the genesis of their exploration on Mount Ararat, the mount which has a direct reference in Holy Quran (Mount Judi) and Bible, the panel said the search team had made several foiled attempts before unearthing the evidence at an altitude of 4,500-metres of the estimated 5,165 metre volcanic mountain.

"The structure was discovered in the interiors of an unusual cave. The 11.5m wide and 2.6m high white wooden texture was revealed after removing thick layers of volcanic ash on the cave wall," panel members said at a press conference.

One of the underlying issues in the search for the Ark is the proper identification of its wood fragments. A petrographic examination carried out by the Applied Geoscience Centre of the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong, identified the object as a petrified wooden structure, the panel said...

 

The full story can be found at:

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=local_news&month=january2008&file=local_news2008011955044.xml

Drug Resistant Staph Stinks!

Hi everyone,

 

I had surgery earlier today. It came totally out of the blue, and in fact, I was perfectly fine and healthy only one week ago. But last weekend I I started getting little red spots on both of my legs. One of the spots on my calf was becoming sore last Sunday. And all of the sudden last night it grew to a palm sized infected spot, with a scary white center.

 

Last year, I went through a battle with MRSA, drug-resistant staph. But this was on my other leg, and I completed all of the drugs that the Infectious Disease specialist doctor had prescribed. Thanks to my beautiful wife, who made sure I went back to the Infectious Disease clinic (I was just going to see my regular doctor). They acted so quickly. They numbed me up and removed the infected sore. And so, here I am back home and on the mend.

 

The doctor told me that it is very difficult to completely remove drug-resistant staph. So I am on antibiotics for now. But she also mentioned that there is a great deal of progress being made. And because it has come back for me, they will start some of these new treatments to see if the MRSA can be totally removed. So until then, your prayers are coveted and appreciated.

Dr. Dobson Attacks Senator McCain

Yesterday, on Super Tuesday, Dr. James Dobson made a very strong statement on the nationally broadcast Laura Ingraham show (here in the Twin Cities it is on the Patriot, AM 1280). He again made clear that he would not support Senator McCain, but his comments go even further. Here are Dr. Dobson's personal comments about the reasons he cannot support Senator McCain:

 

"I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language.

I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative, and in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are. He has sounded at times more like a member of the other party. McCain actually considered leaving the GOP caucus in 2001, and approached John Kerry about being Kerry's running mate in 2004. McCain also said publicly that Hillary Clinton would make a good president. Given these and many other concerns, a spoonful of sugar does NOT make the medicine go down. I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience.

But what a sad and melancholy decision this is for me and many other conservatives. Should Sen. McCain capture the nomination as many assume, I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can't vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life. These decisions are my personal views and do not represent the organization with which I am affiliated. They do reflect my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country. " (emphasis supplied.)

 

So Dr. Dobson, perhaps the leading evangelical Christian voice in America, has clearly stated that he will not support or vote for Senator McCain because of his anti-family positions. This is yet another conservative voice, including Rush and David Limbaugh, Dennis Prager, George Will, and Charles Krauthamer, attacking Senator McCain. Senator McCain's response today was for conservatives to settle down. He will speak to conservative group CPAC tomorrow, and this will be interesting, as he snubbed their group last year. Stay tuned, the excitement is just starting!

The Internet is Cool!

Happy Super Bowl weekend to everyone. Go Giants! I wanted to share a very interesting email I received from someone who claims to be writing from Poland, and identifies himself as a believer. No, he did not ask me to handle an estate in his country, or to send him money. J He found me through my blog, and a brief discussion I had in one of my posts about Daniel's prophecies. Although the writer of the email may not actually be from Poland, it appears to me that he is. And his location had nothing to do with the subject of his email: He wrote to me providing me with what he describes as a "short" (12 pages, single space) analysis of Daniel Chapter 11. The thought of someone from Poland writing to me to discuss the Bible is a wonderful thought to me. Wow!

 

But the reason that I am telling you about this, is to discuss one of the topics he raised where he tells me the identity of the "northern king" / Gog / the northern country that will one day attack Israel. The typical Church view, and the Polish writer's view is that Russia is this northern country that will one day in the future lead an attack against Israel. And for those of us who grew up and lived during the Cold War, it is easy to believe that godless Russia could be the leader of a future attack against Israel. This attacker is discussed in the God's Word as being 'Gog' in Revelation 20:8-:15 (the Leader of the Final Battle against Israel); Ezekiel 38-39 (the great Old Testament prophetic chapters describing Gog and Magog leading an attack against Israel); and Daniel 11:36-12:4 (northern king who attacks the "Glorious Land" of Israel). While it may be true that this northern king, known as Gog may indeed be the country of Russia, I wanted to raise at least the possibility that it is not.

 

First, let me briefly summarize why many thoughtful Bible scholars believe that the nation prophetically described as Gog and Magog is really modern day Russia. Remember our starting point is Ezekiel chapter 38 which describes Gog and Magog. In Ezekiel 38:2, Gog is described as the prince of Rosh, Meschech, and Tubal. Some have equated Meschech with Moscow, and Tubal being the Russian city of Tobolsk. Yet, it seems clear that the people of Israel did not know of Russia until the Vikings came to the area in the Middle Ages, and so it seems unlikely that Ezekiel would have known Russian city's names. Several ancient sources (Hesiod, Josephus, and Philo) describe Magog as being a group of people known as 'Scythians'. The famous Roman historian Herodotus apparently wrote that the Scythians lived in present day southern Russia. And so, if Ezekiel's description of Magog means the Scythains, then because they lived in what is now known as modern day Russia, this may mean Russia is Israel's future attacker.

 

But I think there is good reason to read the prophetic attackers from the north as meaning that the attackers are from those parts more directly north of Israel, or modern day Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Iran. I base this on the context of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation's prophecy about northern kingdoms attacking Israel, and what would these writers think was meant by a northern kingdom attacking Israel. This means we should read the end-times prophecies in light of other descriptions of Old Testament books. There are many references of threats to Israel coming from the north. For a short list see, Isa. 5:26-29, 13:1-13, 41:25; Jer. 1:13-15 (and fifteen other references in Jeremiah), Ezekiel 26:7, Zech. 2:6, 6:6-8, etc. And prior to the sixth century exile in Babylon, this typically meant the nations of Assyria, Babylon and Persia. And so, it may be that the prophecies contained in Ezekiel 38-39, Daniel 11, and Revelation 20:8-15 that describe Gog, Magog, or northern kingdoms that will one day attack Israel are the traditional northern enemies of Israel: Assyria, Babylon and Persia. This then means that the northern attackers are the immediate northern neighbors of Israel, modern day Palestine, Syria (Assyria), Iraq (Babylon) and Iran (Persia). Given that these areas today are followers of Islam, perhaps this better explains an unbridled hatred inspired united attack against Israel, that is described as the final battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16, 19:17-:21, 20:7-:10, and Zech. 14:2-:4). But I pass these thoughts out humbly, knowing that that the original prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel were made over 2,600 years ago, and given this, there is room for differing thoughts on whatever position is taken. (I borrowed liberally from the study notes in my Reformation Study Bible for my thoughts on this.)

 

So I am grateful to have received an email from this unknown writer claiming to be from Poland. It helped me to see there are more parts of Daniel dealing with the end-times. And that there is likely a connection between Daniel's prophecy and Ezekiel's prophecy. I find studying the end-times prophecies in the Bible to be exciting, and I hope it was helpful to anyone reading this now. I invite your thoughts on this discussion. Thanks, and may God bless you this day and weekend.

Latest Update on Free Music?

Here is an article from Sky News (posted 11:00 CST) on the Qtrax attempt to start a free music business with a catalogue of over 25 million songs:

Just hours ago, music download service Qtrax claimed it has brokered an historic deal that, for the first time, would deliver an unlimited supply of free songs to music fans.

But hopes, it seems, have already been dashed as the three of the big four studios allegedly involved have come forward and denied signing any such deal.

Qtrax, which offers a catalogue of 25 million songs to download for free, said today that its service will be endorsed by the biggest powers in the music industry - EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music and Warner Music.

The service was unveiled at the global music industry's largest annual event, MIDEM, in Cannes.

Qtrax chief executive, Allan Klepfisz, said customers expected to be able to get music for free, but didn't want to use illegal sites. "It's been a long trek to this point for peer-to-peer to find its place in a legal world."

He then went on to say that the service would deliver up to 30 million free and legal music tracks for download.

In return for access to the music, users will have to put up with some advertising and Qtrax claimed that Ford, Microsoft and McDonald's have all signed up to advertise.

The files will still contain DRM (Digital Rights Management) software, which means that record companies will be able to keep track of how often their tracks are played and downloaded, and they will be paid in proportion to how popular their music is.

Qtrax says that record labels will also get a cut of the advertising revenue.

Qtrax added there is also plans for an iPod solution as the service is currently not compatible with the Apple device.

But now an Australian news channel is reporting that no such service is on the way and in fact, three of the four record company backers are denying their involvement...

Free Music?

A published web article describes a free music download that is going to provide access to over 25 million free songs! Here is a blurb from the UK Times Online article:

 

From today, feel free to download another 25 million songs - legally

Adam Sherwin, Media Correspondent, in Cannes

After a decade fighting to stop illegal file-sharing, the music industry will give fans today what they have always wanted: an unlimited supply of free and legal songs.

With CD sales in free fall and legal downloads yet to fill the gap, the music industry has reluctantly embraced the file-sharing technology that threatened to destroy it. Qtrax, a digital service announced today, promises a catalogue of more than 25 million songs that users can download to keep, free and with no limit on the number of tracks.

The service has been endorsed by the very same record companies - including EMI, Universal Music and Warner Music – that have chased file-sharers through the courts in a doomed attempt to prevent piracy. The gamble is that fans will put up with a limited amount of advertising around the Qtrax website's jukebox in return for authorised use of almost every song available.

The service will use the "peer-to-peer" network, which contains not just hit songs but rarities and live tracks from the world's leading artists…

 

 

Qtrax's website can be found at: http://www.qtrax.com

 

Does anyone know anything about this, and what is going on?