Refusing To Move

Progress moves forward despite our efforts to slow it down or speed it up. People on the other hand are addicted to the status quo. In short, we don’t like change! In fact, we often have to see a benefit to us personally before we will join the herd. We are creatures of habit and habits don’t change easily.

Is there a precedent you wonder? We thought you’d never ask. Maybe you’re familiar with the movie, “The Ten Commandments” made in 1956. It was a mega blockbuster. It was the most expensive movie ever made to date and starred hundreds of big name actors. To make it as authentic as possible it was filmed on location in Egypt, Mount Sinai, and the Sinai Peninsula.  Did you know the director of this film Cecil B. DeMille suffered a heart attack during the production when he climbed 130 feet to check on a faulty camera?  It was the last movie DeMille would ever direct.  Actor Charlton Heston played Moses and was the actual voice of God in the scene with the burning bush.  Who’s going to remember what the voice sounded like?  It’s what the voice said that’s important. That was about 3000 years ago. Today we have thousands of laws to help us remember what the voice told Moses, but they all boil down to two things: love God and don’t hurt anybody.  Want a little more trivia?  Charlton Heston’s infant son Fraser Clark Heston appeared as the infant Moses in the movie. Heston said. “The Ten Commandments was the greatest role he ever played and felt privileged and honored to play Moses and be God’s voice”.  You’re probably thinking did it win any awards?  Indeed.  It won: an Oscar, Best Special Effects, Best Original Effects, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. What most people find incredible is that it was based on a true story!

Great Leaping Lizards

Leaping Lizards is an alliteration. What’s that?  Alliteration is a linguistic device consisting of two or more successive slightly different words starting with the same sound as in dare devil, tip toe, star struck, feeding frenzy, swan song, back biting, soul searching, or any hundreds of others.  Brand name alliteration is everywhere. Coco Cola, Pay Pal, Krispy Kreme, Best Buy and many others.  Alliteration and alliterative phrases are commonly used since it adds interest to a sentence and can be a great way to help you remember names and phrases that you might forget.  Alliterative phrases are fun to use at parties.  Say each of these three times quickly in succession: “She sells sea-shells down by the sea-shore”, “Peter Piper Picked A Peck Of Pickled Peppers”.  They are called tongue twisters.  Alliteration is a literary stylistic device used in songs, poems, jingles and different areas.  Right now let’s stick with real leaping lizards and dare devils.  

      

The flying dragon of Southeast Asia glides from tree to tree.  They look like leaping lizards.  They are known as “gliders” because the flap of skin between their front and back legs isn’t movable like a bird’s wing. About eight inches long, they maintain a relatively flat flight path on their journey between trees. Imagine the jealously of other reptiles who have to crawl along on all fours?

Comparing Apples ‘IN’ Oranges ?

Hmmm!  Apples and oranges?  Technically the idiom comparing apples to oranges refers to the apparent differences between items which are popularly thought to be incomparable or incommensurable. Simple right? The comparison to apples and oranges occurs when two items or groups of items are compared that cannot be practically compared. The idiom may also be used to indicate that a false analogy has been made between two items, such as where an apple is faulted for not being an orange.  Got that?  What about apples to pears?  Oranges to grapes?  The variations are endless.  Let’s not get crazy here.        

Two plus two equals four unless you ask an accountant. Then there’s interest, compound interest, amortization, depreciation, & homogenization. Before you know what happened, two plus two equals the color red with horns and a pitchfork! After all these years are we really trying to make believe that things are always as simple as we want to believe?

What – I Won – I’m The One ?

Ever been surprised in such a manner that you couldn’t believe it was true? Several people have been utterly and completely flabbergasted at a small turn of events that affected them in a major way. We’re not talking about winning a "big red hat" in a contest, or even a gift card to your favorite restaurant. No, we’re not talking about a winning raffle or lottery ticket.  We are talking about God knocking on your door and saying to you directly, “Come with me, I have something for you to do!”

You can delay and hesitate, but really, do you honestly think that works with God? There was one fellow in the Bible that God had his eye on for years, and when the time was right, God got his attention in a warm gentle way. The man was a shepherd in a desolate country far away and long long ago. As a matter of fact he was tending the flock of his father-in-law. The flock he was tending was on the far side of the dessert at Horeb, the mountain of God. You know it as Mount Sinai, which was traditionally located in the southwest past of the Sinai Peninsula.

A Close Friendship

Elephants have some of the longest memories of any mammal on the planet. Circus workers will tell you that after 40, 50, even 60 years, an elephant will remember someone who worked with them decades ago. Elephants are multidimensional. They can live between 60 and 80 years. They show many human qualities such as grief, compassion, humor, cooperation, playfulness, and excellent learning abilities. When you make a friend, it’s usually for life. Animal or human, the bond is strong and long lasting.

Elephants in a herd are like professional athletes on a team.  Baseball, basketball, football, soccer and other sports players enjoy the process of male bonding, friendship, competition, mentoring, mediating, camaraderie and often showing off solo.  These professionals are a tight-knit group of athletes.  In the matriarchal world of elephants, males are also known as being members of the boys-club.  The male bulls tend to wander off at times banding with other macho males for friendship, games, bonding, fighting, competing. In the elephant kingdom each knows their place in the social hierarchy.  Take a good look at the picture here.  Since the elephants cannot give high-fives, body-bumps, head-butts, slaps on the back or other gestures—the males entwine their trunks representing friendship, trust, communication—trunk talk. Friendship is important in the mammal arena.    

Paul the Apostle had some enduring friendships that lasted till his last days. One of his closest friends was a man named Barnabas. Barnabas was described by the gospel writer Luke as one who consoles or encourages, a good man who was full of the Holy Spirit. 
Barnabas played a very important role in the early life of the church.

Wealth Soars Away

What if you had money to burn and you burned through it quick as possible? 

You just might get your name in the Bible and leave a legacy for others. Stop everything – somebody has already provided us with an example to follow. Are we following the example God provided, or are we determined to not only ignore the example, but set another example for the world to mimic?

Almost everybody is aware of the story of the prodigal son. To refresh your memory, there was a wealthy man with two sons. The younger son asked for his inheritance early and the father gave him his portion. The son went into a far country and spent the money as fast as possible. When the money was all gone, he had to take a job feeding pigs to earn money. Thoroughly disgusted with himself, he returned home to beg forgiveness from his father and was welcomed with love and open arms. The pinnacle of happy endings.

What do you suppose the story was really about? Let’s look a little closer. The Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day, and they disdained publicans and sinners. God told several parables to show God’s interest in them. The prodigal son was all about the Pharisees. For all intents and purposes, the Pharisees were as lost as the poor prodigal son. He became independent and self-centered, ignoring any advice and sinking deeper. Sound like anyone you know?

The prodigal son finally came to his senses when he had suffered the lowest possible humiliation as a Jew, feeding pigs! But he decided to return to his father and tell him, I have sinned and beg forgiveness. Acknowledging one’s personal responsibility for sin is the first step toward reconciliation with God. While the older brother became angry, his attitude was the same as the Pharisees. He reflected self-righteousness. Do you see the big picture now? God is represented by the father who welcomes back a repenting sinner. Like the earthly father, our heavenly Father waits patiently, with loving compassion to restore us when we return to him with humble hearts.

Paradise for One

What does this picture remind you of? A vacation? Peace of mind? How about some song lyrics? In the mood for a beach party? Remember this little ditty? 

Nibblin on sponge cake, Watchin' the sun bake, All of those tourists covered with oil, Strummin my six string, On my front porch swing Smell those shrimp they’re beginning to boil.

Yep! Those are Jimmy Buffett’s lyrics to his song Margaritaville. Jimmy’s searching for his lost shaker of salt. What happens? Well, he blew out a flip-flop and stepped on a pop-top, cut his heel and had to cruise back home, where there’s stuff in the blender, that would help render him wastin away--in Margaritaville. No doubt it was a frozen concoction that helped him hang on.

My Agent is Getting Me On Facebook! Want In?

Before you read this article, The Bible Story Teller, wishes you to know they place their stock and trade in the Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate initial public offering.  Facebook* may soon be an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and listed on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange). They’re saying the creator’s stock could be worth 20 Billion dollars or more! Many employees could own stock worth hundreds of millions of dollars—each! Many other employees could have stock worth tens of millions of dollars when the deal is made official. Wondering how your 401K is doing lately? Most likely not as good as this projection. Don’t worry you can always compare notes with others in your situation—on Facebook!

Money is everything in life right? Who needs friends and family, health and a steady job? That new car is more important than paying off that old credit card bill right? You work hard; you’re entitled to do whatever you want with your money and your free time right? You answer only to yourself right?

You may not believe it but from every indication this present generation is living in what the Bible calls the “last days”. What exactly does that mean to the average person? What are these “last days”? The Bible says that Jesus Christ came on this sin-soaked planet to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), when His work was finished, He promised He would return a second time. The “last days” are commonly thought of as that time when Jesus is close to coming back the second time. The Bible says that those days are going to be fraught with trouble of every kind.

“But mark this day: There will be terrible times in the last days.People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited,lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” 2 Timothy 3:1-4

Do you think the animal kingdom will face the same problems? Not likely. Get the point?

The Theory of Relaxticity

The Theory of Relaxticity, although quite complex, can be explained in a straightforward algorithm using Boolean Logic, and Himalayan folklore: “A self—inflated mind will remain inflated until deflation occurs.”

Do some people have an over-inflated opinion of their mental acuity? Hmm!! Some people are brilliant beyond measure, but lack “common sense”. From the most preeminent astrophysicist to the MENSA rat-packers, the use of common sense when applying the Bible to a worldview is non-existent. And that makes perfect sense in a world going ‘ga-ga’ over UFO’s and DNA.

“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

The Roll of a Lifetime

 

You go to the store. You shop for the items on your list. You bring it home. Everything’s fine until you discover one small mistake; one item is different. You chose the generic brand over the popular name brand. You didn’t notice the packaging was almost identical, the size, the shape, the coloring, the placement, the look-alike graphics; every detail played a crucial role in your decision to just-grab and go. At first you’re disappointed, then anger sets in. Was it a trick, were you intentionally deceived? Sold an inferior brand? Feel like marching right back over to that store and giving the manager a piece of your mind?

 

In Genesis 3 Eve said, “The serpent deceived me!” That is true. And we need to remind ourselves here that the serpent did a good job at deceiving. He didn’t oversell or undersell his product. He knew his “target” audience. His sales pitch was delivered with finesse and charm, and when the customer was slightly confused, he ‘closed the sale’, ‘sealed the deal’. You’re caught. There were no refunds, there were no exchanges, there were no “do-overs”, and no second appeals; there were however, consequences.

Are You on the Right Track?

 

Psychologists and psychiatrists use a variety of methods to delve into what makes us choose one decision over another. They help us to understand why we take unnecessary risks, why we refuse to follow the herd, and why we refuse help when a dangerous addiction overpowers us. By asking the right questions, they can unlock patterns of behavior that may turn destructive or start an individual on the road to self-confidence. If you are not a trained professional in the art of deciphering human behavior, where do we begin? The Bible records several instances of people acting inappropriately and later finding their moral compass. Would you believe that one such person was Paul the apostle? Someone who wrote nearly one third of the New Testament? That he would sum up his feelings of inadequacy, rise above them, and help us in the process? In Romans 7 Paul says, “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual”. “When I want to do good evil is right there with me”. Paul tries to get us to understand that ‘his’ struggle is ‘our’ struggle. This intensely personal perspective is his diagnosis of the human condition. Paul makes us aware that in this body of flesh, we contain a sinful nature, but at the same time, we may possess the Holy Spirit who can control that nature—if, we will only let Him do so.

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

“TEE HEE” Many apes--including orangutans—tickle each other. Tickling seems to be a universal way of making someone laugh or smile.

The publication Readers Digest says so and the American Medical Association says that laughter is healthy. Laughter can be a tonic when the situation appears hopeless. Can you see the humor in certain situations?

 

You know the story of David and Goliath. A young shepherd boy asks why the Israelite Army doesn't do something about that profane Philistine Goliath. The army tells him, while laughing, that he’s welcome to do something himself. Goliath was over nine feet tall, had a helmet of bronze, wore a coat of scaled armor also made of bronze, his legs were covered with bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung over his back. He was a monstrous figure of a man. But in God’s eyes, however, he was just a man. David sizes things up and decides to face the Philistine, who’s clad in full armor, with nothing but a sling and five small stones. You know that David flung a stone from his sling and struck the giant in the forehead and dropped him prostrate. If you think that’s funny, do you remember what happened next? David saw what happened; the stone sank into his forehead and knocked
him down—but not out! The young David must have laughed as his aim proved so deadly, but David knew what would happen next if that giant regained consciousness. David rushed over to Goliath took the giant’s big ol’ sword and cut off his head with it! Can you see that young teenager trying to lift that massive sword and hack off that giant’s ugly head before he came to? The Israelite Army was laughing when they saw David walk toward the bellowing giant. They weren’t laughing when blood was spurting from his severed jugular vein! They started laughing again when they saw David struggling to carry that oversized bloody head and dragging the giant’s sword back to the army camp. It was no laughing matter! David had the last laugh; he eventually became Israel’s greatest King. Could it be he who laughs last laughs loudest?

A Shattering Image

You’ve worked hard; you’ve made a good income, now you’re all ready to retire. Your investment advisor has given you the best advice money can buy. Your 401K, your tax free muni’s, your Roth IRA, your index funds, your long stock positions, your insurance policies, your coin collection, your art portfolio, your vacation home, your families inheritance and everything else you have stored up promises you a worry-free retirement. You’ve been diligent in your accumulations. Whether you have all these things or none of these things, one thing is certain. You’re gonna die. Kinda shatters the retirement image huh?

While writing the majority of the book of Proverbs (a scorching good read) Solomon condensed the sayings of this book to form a library of instruction on how to live a godly life here on earth and how to be assured of a reward in the afterlife. These proverbs are not so much popular sayings, as they are the accumulated distilled wisdom from someone who knew the law of God. Every facet of human life is mentioned in Proverbs, it is a book that is for all men everywhere, in any culture, any ethnic, in any time. The general theme is wisdom for everyday living. The topics covered go from wealth and poverty to death. Furthermore, the Bible says that Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived.

How Much Time Remains?

Everyone is curious about the future. Imagine a spectacular event is foretold and you had insight on what would happen. The Book of Isaiah was penned over seven centuries before the birth of Christ. Isaiah has been referred to as the ‘evangelical prophet’ because he says volumes about the redemptive work of Jesus. Isaiah records more about the person and work of Christ than any other Old Testament book. The people of Isaiah’s generation had been promised a Messiah. The people of the Old Testament waited for generations, but the promised Messiah seemed destined for the next generation not theirs. Isaiah was difficult to understand then, but we have the gift of hindsight. And the clock was ticking! Isaiah—chapter 53—tells us of the suffering, and the triumph, of the servant-Messiah. Written in graphic detail, it’s almost impossible to believe. People would be led to believe that the Servant was going to suffer for His own sins, when in truth He was going to suffer for ‘your’ sins. Chapter 53 of the Book of Isaiah wasn’t the countdown; that was determined back in Genesis 3:15. The Messiah’s first coming was for the purpose of suffering. The Messiah’s second coming will be for the purpose of glory. Isaiah’s generation had the Old Testament for their roadmap. This present generation has the New Testament for their roadmap. How much time remains until the second Coming? Just enough, and not a moment more! “It is not for you to know the time or dates the father has set by his own authority.’ Acts 1:7 

Bottom line: 

God the Father sets the timetable for all events—worldwide, national, and personal.

Comedy or Tragedy

If you see a drunk staggering down the street—is it a comedy or a tragedy? It depends on whether it’s your brother or a stranger—or does it? Aren’t they both equally important in God’s eyes? Readers digest says, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Harvard University has done research that proves enzymes activated in the brain while laughing prolongs youthfulness. Jesus tangled and sparred with all manors of people. From the ‘holier-than-thou’ Pharisees to His own Jewish brethren, someone was always trying to trick or trap Him into ‘their point-of-view’. With grace He gave as good as He got! His answers teach us today how to act or react when confronted with a snake in the garden.  Jesus enjoyed hyperbole when He was pushed a little. Matthew chapter 7 reminds us of a case where Jesus told someone that; before he could remove a speck of saw dust out of his brotherseye, to remove the plank out of his own eye. Can you hear the crowd giggling in the background? Of course you can. Jesus often used humor to make His point. Luke chapter 11 tells us a story where Jesus drives a demon out of a man. He is accused of working in collaboration with the devil! With skepticism, Jesus reminds them of their ignorance by pointing them to the obvious. He told His accusers “If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?” He was answered with silence, this in itself was laughable, and why would Satan drive out his own demons? Jesus dismissed this claim as absurd. Then He used a little irony, “By whom do your followers drive them out?” Jesus’ point: that the Kingdom of God had arrived on the premises. Some ask, “Did the Lord ever laugh?” Here’s what the Bible says…

Psalm 37:13 “…but the Lord laughs at the wicked.”

  Psalm 2:4 “The One enthroned in heaven laughs.”

  Psalm 59:8 “But you O Lord laugh at them.”

Proverbs makes it clear that “A joyful heart is good medicine…” 

Bottom line:

---

A world trying to save itself without God is a comedy. A world that ignores God and won’t change is a tragedy.

Super Charged Turbo-pig

Formula racing, Touring car racing, Sports car racing, Stock car racing (NASCAR), Rally racing, Drag racing, Off-road racing, Salt flats racing: all of these racing styles have one thing in common—the overwhelming passion to be the fastest on the planet. They spare no expense in their quest to be the fastest and the most competitive, even at the peril of their own safety and lives. The racers are highly skilled, extremely agile, and driven to be the stuff of legends. They are a cutthroat lot of competitors.

Still Trying To Control Time?

       

Everyone wants to be in control of their destiny as much as time permits. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived 969 years and Jesus lived 33 years. Which man made the bigger impact on history? You may have noticed that this is not a legitimate question. You should know by now that it’s not the number of years lived, but the living in those years. Methuselah lived his life in such a way that people knew he believed and trusted in God. Jesus lived his life in such a way to encourage others to believe and trust in God.

History will be the judge of those who noticed, and followed Methuselah’s behavior and those who witnessed and followed Jesus’ lifestyle. Is there someone who is a major influence in your life? Godly people rarely make such an impression until we’re older and gain a little respect. Who do you want to be like? The co-worker who can drink 6 beers in six minutes, the lady next door who dances at the Kitty-Kat lounge and sells tiny pills as a sideline, or maybe the cutie movie star who’s been married five times and is dating number six, maybe you model yourself after a world champion yo-yoer. Careful who your role model is; it may rub off onto you.

Bread

Raise your hand if you love fresh-baked homemade bread from scratch crafted by a starter of yeast, flour, sugar and a bit of water with loving hands? Yum!

Raise your hand if you liked the musical group “Bread”?  They sang huge hits like: “Guitar Man”, “I Want To Make It With You”, “It Don’t matter To Me”, “If”, “Diary”, “Aubrey”, and many others.  Great “Soft Rock” sounds of the 1970’s.

Raise your hand if you remember who said:

• “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens”.
• “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread”.
• "Where there’s no law, there’s no bread”.
• “The sky is the daily bread of the eyes”.
• “Bread is the king of the table and all else is merely the court that surrounds the king.  

Robert Browning, Mahatama Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson.     

Bread is a provision, it is a blessing, and it is strength.  It is the product of dominion, cooperation between Gods’s blessing of the crops and man’s labor in the fields, the mill, the bakery, the grocery store, the meal table.  Every loaf of bread is God’s kindness, a demonstration of the image of God, of God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven, and when we eat this blessing (bread) we garner strength.  Remember Jesus’ prayer: “Our Father which are in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread…” Matthew 6:9  Jesus prayed for daily bread.  When we pray for our daily bread we are acknowledging that God is our sustainer and provider.  It is a misconception to think that we provide for our needs ourselves.  We cannot!  We must trust God to provide what he knows we need.

Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness with his people living literally off His Father’s words. He was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread.  Jesus replied “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’”. Matthew 4:4 It is vital to remember that this area was the most desolate place on earth! Where no wheat could grow!  No flour to be found! No bread could be made!   Still, Jesus was sustained by the true Bread of Life, His Father’s Word. Let’s learn to receive this Bread of Life from Jesus Christ who lives within in the realm of the Spirit.  As we receive Him and become a part of his body we must also be reminded that by breaking bread Jesus asks us to share it with others. “I tell you the truth; he who believes has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever.  This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world’.  John 6:47-51 When Jesus starts out with “I tell you the truth…” he is explaining a physical truth.  Jesus asks us to share this bread (referring to him as spiritual food) with others.  We need to follow Jesus for a relationship, not because of a meal.  Doing this is a true test of whether we are walking in the Kingdom of God.       

From all the symbolic designations of Christ, probably none is expressive as bread.  From the imagery of the Feast of the Passover to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, bread has served a prominent role in the life of Israel.   From Jesus feeding the hungry multitude with bread to the manna provided by God in the wilderness, bread is the staff of life.  From the bread earned by the sweat of Adam’s brow, to the bread brought by Melchizedek to Abraham, the Scripture foreshadows the “Bread of Life”.  From the unleavened shew-bread symbolizing the One who would stand before God, and meet all their needs—in Him.   Remember the manna that fell from heaven?  It was known as angel food. “Men ate the bread of angels: he sent them all the food they could eat”. Psalms 78:25 This bread sustained life, His life, in us as the Israelites walked in the wilderness.  From heaven came manna; from heaven came Jesus.  “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”. John 6:35  Got a better offer yet?    

The Only Way To Heaven

Ever been lost? When exactly was the moment you knew it to be a certainty? Did you try and bluff yourself into believing you were almost lost, or did you admit you really needed directions? We know when something’s wrong, but don’t always have the good sense to admit it and seek corrective action. This behavior is not only dangerous, its borderline foolish, and can prove fatal if not corrected in time.

Everyone has been “geographically” lost at some point in time. Some people are “spiritually” lost at this point in time. Finding your way in both situations is important but one happens to be a tiny matter of life-and-death! The main difference is that one direction has ‘unchangeable’ consequences.

Social Media Adores Rip Van Winkle

You’ve heard the old saying: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”!  Does it say that in the Bible? No, not in those words. There is good solid advice in the Bible that addresses idleness.  “Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and go about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to”.  1 Timothy 5-13 is being idle doing nothing? Or, is idleness being able to do anything?  No, again!  2 Thessalonians 3:11 says: “We hear that some of you are idle.  They are not busy; they are busybodies.  Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.”  Work for a living.  An idler or busybody is one who doesn’t work and ends up filling his/her time with less than helpful activities, like gossip, rumors and hear-say.  This behavior tears people down.  If you find your nose in another person’s business, it might get bloody, broken—or worse.  Look for a task to do for Christ or your family, and get to work.  “If a man will not work, he shall not eat”. 2 Thessalonians 3:10   

You are familiar by now with the story of old Rip Van Winkle aren’t you? Social media is considering whether to vote old Rip as Emperor or Chiefee. In case you’ve been napping for a generation, we’ll recap the story for you. And please, remind yourself occasionally, that its just that – a story. Its a complex little story about an escapist fantasy. It seems that Rip Van Winkle was a middle-aged man who lived in America around the mid 1750’s. His favorite things to do were to hang out with his friends, talk about current events with his friends, watch the world go by and avoid the company of his wife. Rip was an extreme form of a deadbeat, and his wife an extreme nag. It wasn’t in Rip’s nature to work through conflict he always chooses flight over fight. You may have guessed Rip is an extremely passive person.

Biting the Hand That Feeds You

In the old days, teeth just didn’t have a good lifespan.  Dental hygiene was mostly non-existent.  Mouth after mouth of enamels turned into woodchips.  As time progressed, dentures were invented.  For the right price anyone can have a Hollywood smile.  Fact: science has gone far beyond veneers, crowns, bridges, bleaching and more.  Science can fake almost any part of the body.  Along with false teeth, there are eye glasses, prosthetics, limbs, altered noses—even wigs.  We have artificial hearts, brain surgery, hip replacements, cochlear implants, cornea transplants—the list is extensive and expensive, surgery and the body, a life partnership.  Take a good look at this hand full of teeth.  Looks pretty scary!  Looks like teeth that might bite the hand that feeds ya.  Wonder which ones are wisdom teeth?  And are they any smarter being called ‘wisdom teeth’ than the others?  Teeth are essential.  We are born toothless and get a few good years out of them, then, they fall out again.  Imagine if the same happened to our feet!  Who would stand for that?  If you’re going to sink your teeth into anything, it should be the Word.

Barnum and Bailey, Sears and Roebuck, George and Martha Washington.  Some things are just destined to be together, like Adam and Eve. Unless some known or unknown force separates them. We all know that Adam and Eve didn’t split up, but after their exit from the Garden of Eden, things were never quite the same. Another life partnership in the New Testament broke up as well.

El Elyon—God Most High

Extreme highs!  Mount Kilimanjaro 19,334 feet, Tanzania.  Vinson Massif 16,050 feet, Antarctica.  Mount Elbrus 18,510 feet, Russia.  Mount McKinley 20,335 feet, Alaska USA.  Mount Everest 29,029 feet, China.  Aconcagua, Mendozo, 22,841 feet, Argentina, South America. 

We all know that Mount Everest, at 29,035 feet above sea level, is the highest spot on our planet and is likely to remain so for a long, long time…unless we think about the word “highest” in a different yet profound way.

Suppose I ask you to find the spot on Earth where you are closest to the moon, you know, the stars and outer space.  In other words, the point on Earth that is closest to “out there”.  Most would point to Mount Everest. 

But there’s something you may not know; the Earth is not a perfect round sphere.  Ah Ha!  The Earth is similar to a beach ball that someone has sat on; it has a slightly distended middle.  Mathematics and scientists call this “oblate spheroid” which means there is a bulge that circles the Earth just below the equator, so anyone standing in that part of the world is already standing “higher” or closer to “out there”, closer to heaven and The Almighty, than people who aren’t on the bulge.

Therefore, people in Ecuador, Kenya, Tanzania and Indonesia are all a bit closer to the heavenly realm or if you wish, the moon (or about 13 miles closer).  So what is the spot closest to the moon if not Mount Everest?  Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.  Yes, Ecuador.  Mount Chimborazo, in the Andes Mountains, is a 20,000-plus-foot peek sitting on top of a huge bulge on the Earth.  Mount Everest is a 29,000-plus-foot peek sitting lower down on that