Jesus is the King of Israel.
He came to save his people from their sins.
Who are his people? Israelites?
Israelites wrote the various books of the Bible.
Of the twelve apostles, only Paul was sent to the Gentiles.
Paul told Gentiles how to become Israelites.
Gentiles took Paul's works and assembled the Bible.
Then they created the Gentile Church, ... and scorned the name of Israel.
Muhammad Ali made the term rope-a-dope famous in his 1974 bout with George Foreman. Ali leaned against the ropes to absorb Foreman's punches to wear him out. The fight was a draw, but Ali was ahead when it was stopped.
I am not a boxing fan, and I believe a lot of it is theater, but I think there is a lesson here. God tests us by allowing the Darkness to lure us into traps, and I think this is one of them.
Many Christians expend their efforts, resources and lives pursuing a relationship with God. They develop ministries, start churches, go on missions, and some even follow Luke 10 and heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the good news, as Yeshua taught. I am not criticizing any of that; I am not the judge of someone else's servants. But those things all take energy, and like Foreman's many punches, they may not be as effective as we might think.
The Darkness will let us be effective at things that really don't matter. It will allow us to have successes so we might become proud and eventually fall. If we fall, the world will blaspheme the One whom we claim to represent, and we may become discouraged enough that we lose faith, which is the Enemy's ultimate goal.
Jesus said...
Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23 NIV)
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12 NIV)
Truly I tell you, ... no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. (Mark 10:29-31 NIV)
I am content to be "last." I am content to hopefully be allowed to clean toilets in the Kingdom of Heaven. I just want to get there, and I am terrified of being left out. I am also terrified for most people around me, who don't seem to understand me, and who do not seem to hear what I am saying. I don't want to see anyone perish, nor does God (2 Peter 3:9).
The writer of Hebrews summarized his list of faithful people in these ways...
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them...
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:13-16,39-40 NIV)
I believe one of the reasons God had me live part of my life in Britain was so I would learn what it is like to live as a foreigner. I feel like a foreigner where I live now, in my own hometown. I hope that means I fall into the category, above.
I have been shunned and persecuted from the time I learned the importance of identifying as an Israelite. I have shouted that from the rooftops ever since it was whispered into my ear, and nobody seems to hear me. I intend to continue to do so, as long as God gives me strength. That's because I believe that message gives us the authority we need to deliver the knockout punch.
All glory to God.
UPDATE, December 27, 2022...
... I have often since observed how incongruous and irrational the common response of mankind is, especially of youth, to that reason which ought to guide them in such cases, namely, that they are not ashamed to sin and yet are ashamed1 to repent; not ashamed of the action for which they ought justly to be esteemed fools, but are ashamed of the returning that only can make them be esteemed as wise men.
My family and I enjoyed taking canal boat holidays (vacations) when we lived in Britain. The scenery was often beautiful, the pace was slow, and we especially liked the anticipation of what was around the next bend.
My wife took this photograph of me easing the narrowboat into a lock just before we moved back to the States. Notice the name of the boat? I don't believe in coincidences. Not anymore.
Noah built a large boat because he believed God, and I am sure his neighbors thought he was crazy. They eventually learned the hard way that he was not. Noah saved his family with that boat, and became God's 'reboot' of the world.
It grieves me to see so many people ignore the clear warnings in the Bible. They seem to spend most of their time reveling in the parts they like, judging others for not following the rules, and ignoring what Yeshua commanded us to do.
Only eight people survived the Flood. It happened. About 71% of the world's surface is covered by water. That's quite a flood! There is clear evidence of continental drift, and the size and location of each of the Hawaiian Islands implies the drift was very fast at first and then slowed way down. That makes sense if the earth is young (about 6000 years), and there is a lot of evidence supporting that. There are also logical explanations for the very old ages of the things we can see in the night sky with telescopes. A very young earth and very old quasars is not a contradiction, especially when the Bible says God "stretched out the heavens." Do some research on black holes, white holes, and what happens at event horizons.
My gorgeous wife at Florissant Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument
Fossilization must happen quickly before the animal or plant decays. Mineralization requires water saturated with minerals to transport those minerals into the pores of a specimen. That cannot happen to a skeleton on top of the ground exposed to the air. Leaves wither and dry up in a few days. Trees and stumps decay in a few short years. Animals and plants must be quickly covered with water and sediment in order to be fossilized. That is only going to happen in a flood.
There are fossilized redwood tree stumps at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, just west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Those stumps, by definition, had to be at ground level when they were fossilized. Assuming my assertions are true that Noah's Flood formed all fossils, it follows that the ground under those stumps was the actual ground level at that location before the Flood. The elevation of Florissant is 8169 feet. How did they get so high above Flood level, which was logically around the present day sea level?
Museums and establishment science talk about a "fossil record" as if the
various layers of sediment happened over a very long period of time.
But most of those layers are very homogeneous, which means they had to form in minutes, not eons. If you ever come across a place where
there has been a flood and substantial sediment has deposited, try
cutting down through that sediment with a shovel. I think you will find
the same layering phenomenon that is in the following picture of a mountain, only on a
much smaller scale.
The layers of sedimentary and metamorphic rock we see in mountains and outcroppings around the world had to occur quickly, and had to be formed by moving water. There are many examples of homogeneous layers of sediment containing isolated rocks and rubble. As an engineer who has done a lot of fluid flow observations and calculations, I can tell you that those large items had to have been transported there by fast moving water.
Grand Canyon outlet (Google Earth)
Years ago, I was at Higgins Lake in central Michigan, which is fed by springs. Since I am a child at heart, I dammed up one of those small springs with sand on the beach until it formed a small reservoir. When I was done, I broke the dam and watched all of the water flow out. What resulted looked like a miniature Grand Canyon. I am convinced most canyons around the world were formed as the land rose in response to the catastrophic Flood, probably during the time of Peleg.
Two sons were born to Eber:
One was named Peleg,[g] because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
Revisiting the question raised above about the current elevation of the Florissant redwood stumps, it is logical the mountains rose as the continents drifted and collided with other tectonic plates in the days of Peleg. That is the explanation from establishment science, the only difference being the timing and presumed cause of those events. This also explains how the layers of flood-deposited sedimentary rock ended up as metamorphic rock and at the top of mountains, like in the picture above.
What was the population of the earth before the Flood? The Bible doesn't say, but it does say that people lived for a very long time back then, much longer than they do today. Given how long people lived then, the number of generations between the Creation and the Flood, and man's capabilities for producing offspring, the number of people was probably very substantial. And out of all of those people, only eight survived the Flood. Those are not good odds.
After the earth repopulated, and the people were dispersed because of what they were doing at Babel, God picked one man, Abram, to have a relationship with Him. One man. Those are not good odds.
Abraham's nephew, Lot, lived in Sodom. He was warned to get his family out and flee the city. Only his wife and two daughters went with him. His wife did not survive the journey. Out of all the people who lived in the Jordan valley, only three people survived. Those are not good odds.
When Jacob's descendants went to Egypt, they became slaves, but God made them prosper. Eventually, God brought them out by judging Egypt and its gods with the Ten Plagues. He then "baptized" all of the Israelites (Jacob's descendants) by opening up the Red Sea so they could walk through and escape from the Egyptians. Eventually God led them to Mount Horeb. Those things happened. They did not happen where tradition says they did, but using the Internet and tools like Google Earth we can learn where those events actually took place. It's quite fun to do.
The Bible says 603,550 men over the age of 19 were in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt (Numbers 1:45). It also says 22,000 Levite males from the age of one month and up were there (Numbers 3:39). Women were not counted, so assuming there were about the same number of them, there were well over a million people with Moses in the desert. Let's assume it was 1.2 million. That's about the population of Dallas, Texas.
After the Israelites scouted the Promised Land and gave a bad report, God punished them by making the entire community wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all of those who had rebelled perished (Numbers 14:22-23; 28-30). Only Caleb and Joshua got to enter the Promised Land. Even Moses was not allowed to enter (Numbers 20:10-12). That's because he hit the rock instead of speaking to it. That's pretty strict, especially considering everything Moses did throughout his life following God. One sin is enough to keep us out of where we want to be.
So, out of the 1.2 million people who came through the Red Sea, only two men got to enter the Promised Land. That's only 0.00017%. I presume they got to take their wives and children with them, so the number would likely be a bit higher, but it is still well below 1%. Those are not good odds.
When Assyria and Babylon took Israel and Judah captive, respectively, they left essentially no Jews in either place (2 Kings 17;25). What was the entire population of Israel and Judah before the exile? The Bible doesn't say. It does say 42,360 returned from Babylon after many years, when God intervened in the hearts of the rulers of the places the Jews had been taken. Assuming the combined populations of Israel and Judah had been two million, which is probably a gross understatement (the number of Jews in the state of Israel today is nearly 7 million), the the number of returned exiles was only 2%. Those are not good odds.
The Bible gives a New Testament example of the sternness of God. Ananias and Sapphira. They lied to the Holy Spirit and held back money. They each dropped dead. This caused great fear among the believers who heard about it.
These things all frighten me. I believe they illustrate what Jesus was talking about when He said...
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NIV)
We need to get into the Ark. That "ark" is Yeshua. The Bible tells us how to do it. God promised Noah He would not destroy the earth again with a flood (Genesis 9:11), but other parts of the Bible say He will eventually destroy it by other means. Our neighbors, friends and family will laugh at us like Noah's neighbors probably laughed at him. We must stand firm, get into the boat, and bring along anyone we can convince that a storm is coming.
All glory to God.
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UPDATE, September 4, 2022...
One of my older daughter's high school classmates went into the Peace Corps soon after they graduated. She stayed with us in our home when she was back in Midland because her family had moved away. She gave us this "peace dove" stained-glass decoration when she left. My wife loves stained glass. It has been hanging in our front window ever since.
I recently realized this symbol is not about "peace." It is about redemption; it is about the end of an ordeal; it is about the biblical account of Noah's Flood.
And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. (Genesis 8:11 ESV)
Shortly after we moved into the home I am in now, my wife saw these gothic arches at one of the local big-box stores. We purchased some and I attached them to our house. Over the years I have noticed it makes our place look like a church. I don't believe in coincidences. Not anymore.
UPDATE, November 3, 2022...
This video is about the archeological remains of Noah's Ark in Turkey...
This particular evangelist preaches about hell to unbelievers. I am not the judge of someone else's servant, but I don't do that. I don't do it because Jesus did not do it.
Jesus talked about hell when he was speaking to his guys, but he did not mention it to the crowds. He spoke in parables to the crowds. He did, however, warn the religious professionals about hell. They needed to hear that message.
Jesus told stories and used metaphors when he spoke to general audiences, and he waited for the Holy Spirit to draw specific people to him. He knew he could share more information with the people his Father was sending him. That is what I try to do. I have been learning techniques to discern who is receptive, and then I work with them as the Spirit leads.
Jesus healed the sick and performed miracles to get people's attention and to demonstrate his authority. He did not preach about damnation on street corners and hand out Gospel tracts. Those are things I see people doing today, but I don't think they are very effective. For the most part, I think they are just preaching to the converted and angering those who need to hear the message. I think they are driving away and hardening those they are actually trying to reach.
At best this kind of behavior may be due to impatience on the part of the aspiring evangelist, and at worst it might be a form of usurpation and counterfeit discipleship by the Darkness.
I do like this guy and what he says, but I already understand and embrace his message. I am one of "the converted."
I
left "preaching hell" and handing out tracts behind years ago. It
doesn't really fit my personality anyway, and I know it is not my job. I included the video here because I think the presentation of information about Noah's Ark is top notch.
It recently occurred to me that an experienced chemical engineer would be very useful to God to help others understand what is going on in the world, which is what I believe He has called me to do.
The job of an engineer is to make things work. If things don't work, the engineer doesn't work. In order to make things work, the engineer must seek the truth about technology and how the world functions. He must seek data and evidence, and if problems occur he must observe what is happening, take measurements and use logic to find out what is truly going on so he can fix the problem and make things work. Seeking truth becomes second nature.
Other professions do not necessarily need to seek truth, or tell truth, in order to get paid. Lawyers get paid for winning arguments. Journalists get paid to write what their editors will publish or broadcast. Doctors get paid to prescribe medications and install medical devices, unless they work outside of the established system. And pastors get paid as long as they can keep their pews filled.
I am not sure most people realize that engineers are professional truth seekers. I'm not saying they should believe everything I tell them, but they should understand that if they listen to me they can get a jump start on finding their own path towards the Truth. In other words, I've done a lot of the research for them already, and all they have to do is consider my observations, investigate further for themselves, and then make up their own minds.
To illustrate this, I'm going to list some of my experiences. In so doing, I risk boasting about myself and what I have done. That is not my intention.
This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible...
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV)
In his letter to the Philippian true Israelites, Paul listed his heritage and accomplishments in his previous life so he could "count them but dung" so he might end up with Yeshua (Phil. 3:8). If Paul can do it in order to glorify what God is doing, so can I.
Early Career
I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1980, and began working for my employer in the middle of that year. I got to work in part of a silicone manufacturing plant during my first couple of years, and I ended up programming a computer to instruct operators how to adjust the process and improve its performance. I made it work better. Because I did a good job, I was offered a position on a team to commission a new facility in Britain.
I was one of three USA expatriate engineers on that commissioning team, and together with our British counterparts and other technical, operating, and trade employees, we all made the new process work. The process was a new design and there were some technical issues. On my own initiative, I obtained samples from the system that demonstrated what the problem was. I also used some equipment designed to listen for vibration problems in rotating equipment (pumps) to listen to what was going on inside of the process pipes, and ultimately proposed some piping changes that solved a related problem without having to spend a lot of money on new, expensive equipment. I figured out what was going on so we could make it work.
After that, I stayed on and joined another team to commission a different related process. It was a larger version of the process I had worked on back in the US. We successfully made that one work.
I stayed on after that to modify and improve the processes we had just started up. It was my first project management experience and I got to spend several million dollars. I led the specification of the changes, oversaw the construction and restarted the new, modified process, with the help of others of course. We made it work.
Middle Career
The success I had in Britain led to my next role in technology development. I was responsible for coordinating improvements to all of the processes across the corporation like the one I was responsible for at the beginning of my career. It was about making things work better and for less money.
One of the things I learned on that job was the real Scientific Method. A very experienced PhD chemical engineer, who had patent awards lining his large, corner office windowsill, explained it to me one day. He pointed out that the Scientific Method can't prove anything, it can only disprove. You make observations and propose an hypothesis which you then test to disprove. One piece of valid data is enough to disprove an hypothesis. Lots of data and repeated experiments can lend support to the hypothesis, but they can't prove it. This is not taught in schools, and many people who don't understand this do bad science. And of course the popular culture has no idea what they are talking about when it comes to scientific investigation. This lesson was key for my understanding about how to search for truth.
That technology development job led to a role back in Britain as a lead technical representative on a project team to build a new, world-scale silicone plant. My job was to specify and design roughly half of the new facility, with the help of others of course. We were making this new one much larger than anything that had been done before, and we had to understand how other processes like it worked so we could make ours work.
Next, I moved back to the States and managed a series of projects to increase the production capacity of a facility that made a significant portion of the world's supply of a silicon material used to make the semiconductor chips that are in computers and many other devices. This involved multiple tens of millions of dollars. My job was to work with those who ran the existing process to specify the necessary changes, work with those who designed the changes and purchased the new equipment, oversee the construction of the changes, and organize the teams that started up the new systems. I worked with and led dozens of people. Together, we all made it work.
One of the other significant things I did was bring insight I gained in Europe about the potential impact from accidental releases of large quantities of highly hazardous chemicals that are used and stored in chemical processes. I also brought back knowledge of methods for effectively managing change in those processes. Those things were new to the people I worked with in the States, and I was eventually able to convince them to understand and adapt the concepts. This, along with my project management successes at making things work, gained me respect from my peers and from management.
Late Career
As I stated in other posts, I left my career to follow the Lord, but was then drawn back into engineering work. I restarted as a contractor and was asked to search the Internet about the safety of a particular process that was going to be built. I was then asked to do calculations to specify safety equipment on a different new process. I was then asked to lead the process design of a new process to handle byproduct material. As we worked on that one I could tell there were problems with the technology, and I let my manager know. It was eventually built after I had moved on, and it didn't work, which didn't surprise me.
People at my original employer saw that I was working again, and the top manager at the facility, who happened to be one of the other expatriate engineers on my first British assignment, called me at home and asked me to come back as his process safety manager. That job was not about making things work but enforcing the rules. It was also about managing risk. Those things had made their way to the USA from Europe, and my prior advocacy for them and reputation about it made him think of me.
Risk has two parts: 1) Likelihood of something bad happening, and 2) How bad it is. If something is not much of a problem, and it is unlikely to happen, the risk is low. If something has severe consequences, but is very unlikely, the risk may be acceptable. Likewise, if something is certain to happen, but is not much of a problem, the risk may also be acceptable. The real bad situations are those that are a certainty and have very bad consequences. Those situations are very high risk.
When I read the Bible and understand what Yeshua is talking about when he talks about "eternal fire," I get very concerned when I realize he is revealing Truth and his predictions are a certainty. This falls into the very high risk category, and it fuels my passion and urgency about what I push on this blog.
One of the things I did later in my career was informally and regularly chat with my direct manager about things I saw. I used to walk around the construction sites of my projects looking for problems, and it trained me to do it all the time. At one point, I worked for the top person at my location and he was very interested in what I observed and my opinions. Some of those discussions resulted in significant changes at the company. Later, when I was doing process safety work, the corporation's director of that discipline often asked for my frank opinions about what I saw and what I thought the company should do. Those leaders valued what I had learned to see.
As you can see, an engineer is obsessed with understanding the truth because the success of his career is riding on it. If he makes an error, or is not diligent about what he is doing, his efforts will not work, and his livelihood will be over, at least as an engineer. It happens, and I've seen it.
This is why I implore people to listen to what I am saying. They should take advantage of the research I have done so they can evaluate for themselves what they think is right.
All glory to God.
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UPDATE, July 7, 2022...
INTJ - That's Me!
A friend shared a great site that offers a FREE comprehensive personality test. It seems pretty useful and insightful.
Introverted = 19% (slightly in that direction from neutral; opposite of Extroverted) iNtuitive = 22% (slightly in that direction from neutral; opposite of Sensing) Thinking = 16% (slightly in that direction from neutral; opposite of Feeling) Judging = 34% (moderately in that direction from neutral; opposite of Perceiving)
Here is part of what one of the above links says...
THE SCIENTIST
As an INTJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things rationally and logically.
INTJs live in the world of ideas and strategic planning. They value intelligence, knowledge, and competence, and typically have high standards in these regards, which they continuously strive to fulfill. To a somewhat lesser extent, they have similar expectations of others.
With Introverted Intuition dominating their personality, INTJs focus their energy on observing the world, and generating ideas and possibilities. Their mind constantly gathers information and makes associations about it. They are tremendously insightful and usually are very quick to understand new ideas. However, their primary interest is not understanding a concept, but rather applying that concept in a useful way. Unlike the INTP, they do not follow an idea as far as they possibly can, seeking only to understand it fully. INTJs are driven to come to conclusions about ideas. Their need for closure and organization usually requires that they take some action.
INTJ's tremendous value and need for systems and organization, combined with their natural insightfulness, makes them excellent scientists. An INTJ scientist gives a gift to society by putting their ideas into a useful form for others to follow. It is not easy for the INTJ to express their internal images, insights, and abstractions. The internal form of the INTJ's thoughts and concepts is highly individualized, and is not readily translatable into a form that others will understand. However, the INTJ is driven to translate their ideas into a plan or system that is usually readily explainable, rather than to do a direct translation of their thoughts. They usually don't see the value of a direct [translation], and will also have difficulty expressing their ideas, which are non-linear. However, their extreme respect of knowledge and intelligence will motivate them to explain themselves to another person who they feel is deserving of the effort.
INTJs are natural leaders, although they usually choose to remain in the background until they see a real need to take over the lead. When they are in leadership roles, they are quite effective, because they are able to objectively see the reality of a situation, and are adaptable enough to change things which aren't working well. They are the supreme strategists - always scanning available ideas and concepts and weighing them against their current strategy, to plan for every conceivable contingency.
INTJs spend a lot of time inside their own minds, and may have little interest in the other people's thoughts or feelings. Unless their Feeling side is developed, they may have problems giving other people the level of intimacy that is needed. Unless their Sensing side is developed, they may have a tendency to ignore details which are necessary for implementing their ideas.
The INTJ's interest in dealing with the world is to make decisions, express judgments, and put everything that they encounter into an understandable and rational system. Consequently, they are quick to express judgments. Often they have very evolved intuitions, and are convinced that they are right about things. Unless they complement their intuitive understanding with a well-developed ability to express their insights, they may find themselves frequently misunderstood. In these cases, INTJs tend to blame misunderstandings on the limitations of the other party, rather than on their own difficulty in expressing themselves. This tendency may cause the INTJ to dismiss others input too quickly, and to become generally arrogant and elitist.
INTJs are ambitious, self-confident, deliberate, long-range thinkers. Many INTJs end up in engineering or scientific pursuits, although some find enough challenge within the business world in areas which involve organizing and strategic planning. They dislike messiness and inefficiency, and anything that is muddled or unclear. They value clarity and efficiency, and will put enormous amounts of energy and time into consolidating their insights into structured patterns.
Yes, we are all different. God makes us the way we are for His purposes.
All Glory to Him!
UPDATE, July 8, 2022...
😢
UPDATE, July 9, 2022...
Psychological tests are just tools. People are much more complex than the results of a sixty-four question interrogation. But tools can help us gain insight.
I took a psychology class in college, and found it quite helpful. I learned similar things by training my dog. The science of psychology tries to understand our minds and behaviors, but it does so from a worldly perspective. I once looked for the words "God," "Jesus," and "Israel" in the index of a psychology book, and I came up with nothing. Consequently, I concluded psychology is a "godless" endeavor.
Saying that, psychology can be useful. Identifying myself as an "INTJ" is enlightening, and the related descriptions are helpful. I can see that I am a non-linear thinker, look for systems to organize things, and find great satisfaction in achieving results in a complex situation. I like to solve problems and make things work; hence the subject of this original post.
Before my spiritual growth, I built systems to make things work. A computer was provided for me in my first job, and I used it to develop a tool for the process operators that went far, far beyond expectations and brought the performance of my area of responsibility into line with that of similar systems at other locations. During my first project management experience, portable (lug-able, actually) personal computers became available and I spent hours at home learning to utilize a database to keep track of "punch list" items for my projects. My peers made fun of the pages and pages of printouts I produced, ... but I didn't care. It helped me to be successful and lowered my stress once I got it developed and in use.
I fell in love with databases. That first one was called "Symphony," and I don't remember who made it. Then I learned about programming relational databases by using Borland's "Paradox" package. I really liked that program, but Borland was bought out and disappeared soon afterwards, taking all of my work with it into obsolescence. Before that happened, a colleague, who happened to be Christian (I was not), told me to stop. I ignored him, but now realize it was actually God speaking.
When I returned to the States in the mid-1990's, I started using Microsoft "Access" to continue the work I had done with Paradox. Of course, I had to start over and learn a completely new system, but I had lots of hours available in the evenings and on the weekends. My wife never complained, but I would wear myself out "playing" over entire weekends.
When I took my 75-month sabbatical, I did not have access to professional database programs, but I did eventually start writing and developing my blog. I had learned about HTML in my last few years of work before I quit, and I found those experiences useful, and still do. As soon as I returned to my employer in the late 2000's, I incorporated database tools into what I was doing. By the time I retired, I had developed a very sophisticated application to make compliance with some government regulations almost automatic. I'm sure when the company was bought out by one of its owners a year later they trashed whatever I had done and implemented their own systems. They fired most of the managers, so why would they keep my pet creation?
I now realize all of that work was my "flesh." I was doing those things in my own strength, and using the mechanics of my "INTJ" personality to creatively drive to my goals of success.
Then... I got set free. Since then, the Holy Spirit has been utilizing my "INTJ" personality to accomplish what God the Father wants me to be doing. It's the same thing as before, but the "yoke is easy and burden is light." I am submitted entirely to Him, and I use the tools I have in my "toolbag" to accomplish far greater things than I could ever possibly do on my own. And I am so overjoyed.
All glory to Him!
UPDATE, July 10, 2022...
I think my wife was an "ISFJ." Here are the characteristics...
Do others who knew her agree? I would like to know. Do I have this right?
If she was an "ISFJ," then according to the typelogic.com site our "Type Relationships" are "Enigmas" to each other. (See the bottom of the INTJ and ISFJ pages.) That means we were, "a puzzle: totally foreign in nearly every facet." Isn't that interesting?
She was a puzzle to me, and I spent my life trying to figure her out. I did that because I loved her, and because she was my wife. I was committed to the relationship and I wanted to make it work. I believe we both did. I think this is reflected in some of my blog posts.
Interesting...
UPDATE, July 24, 2022...
Of course, I have been diving into this new "tool" head first, figuring out the likely personality types of those I love and care about, and learning about myself and how I interact with others.
I am going to discuss my relationship with my late wife. Here is a comparison of our personality types...
Me
Wife
Dominant:
Introverted Intuition
Introverted Sensing
Auxiliary:
Extroverted Thinking
Extroverted Feeling
Tertiary:
Introverted Feeling
Introverted Thinking
Inferior:
Extroverted Sensing
Extroverted Intuition
She taught me to experience the world around me. She taught me about plants and flowers, and pointed out the "root beer" smelling irises in our garden that we inherited from the previous owners. They smell like the root beer "Fizzie" drinks we enjoyed as children. She helped me recognize weeds so I could tend her gardens without pulling up the flowers. I greatly valued her gifts of observation and all of the marvelous things she did to meet the needs of others and make our house a home. I still remember looking around at the furnishings of her modest mobile home when we were dating and thinking, "I really like this. This is home."
My spiritual connection resides in my Introverted Intuition. That function fuels my thirst for understanding and it is where my demons lived. Once I had insight from the Holy Spirit, my Intuition drove me to grab my "Damsel in Distress" by the hand and lead her to safety.
She listened to me talk for hours about what I was thinking, and she helped me learn to express my feelings. Our relationship was a challenge, but we made it work. We were colleagues who began our relationship with sex and it blossomed into love, just as our Creator intended.
I have been waiting eagerly to see how the volleyball metaphor would pan out. Perhaps this is it. I described in my I Am Not Paul post how I worked very hard to give my college dorm friend perfect sets so he could spike the ball with his neophyte abilities. Just like he and I eventually found the Volleyball Club, I eventually expect to find those who will recognize and appreciate my learned skills and capabilities in the "Game" the Father is playing to accomplish His purposes. Perhaps I have found them.
I now understand why this blog is so important to me. It provides me with a route for my Extroverted Thinking to process what is going on inside my Introverted Intuition. It helps me provide closure about things so I can move on. Very importantly, it allows me to develop my communication skills. Much of what I discuss with people are concepts and ideas I have coalesced through my writing. I have accumulated prepackaged snippets and stories to share that have been thought out and honed so they are perhaps understandable and useful to others. This is, after all, a key challenge for my personality type, as I have been learning.
UPDATE, May 25, 2023...
Some of the links, above, don't work. The "personalitypage" website seems to be no more. It was rather old.
Here is a link to a similar website that discusses the same things: https://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality. Instead of "Scientist," that website calls the INTJ personality an "Architect."
UPDATE, July 8, 2023...
The "personalitypage" website is back, with an updated appearance.
Salisbury Cathedral from the Bishop's Grounds, John Constable
I think I am figuring out the puzzle.
Back in 2016, I posted Thy Household Stuff. Please read that post before reading further here so you will understand what I am talking about.
When I first encountered what I discussed in that previous post, I was terrified, and so was everyone else who was talking about it. I believe I had good reason to be terrified because I had never encountered anything like it before. Soon, however, I began to realize God is in control of all things and what we are seeing is actually from Him. It is a good thing.
The Internet is abuzz with discussions about this, and I suggest you spend some time looking into it yourself. Many call it "false memory." They are trying to explain away things that are unexplainable in their worldview without God.
Many people are witnessing clear, public, supernatural changes to things, and it is all visible to the entire world. These things are everywhere: in our kitchens, on our cars, on business signs, names of famous people, and in the Bible itself. They cannot be ignored, although many people do. People don't even notice them. One particular man apparently doesn't even seem to notice that his own name has changed!
I think this is another example of God's mercy. He is giving people yet another opportunity to repent and believe because He doesn't want anyone to perish. At the same time, He is making fools of entities, institutions, and people who have done and are doing evil, and He is doing it in front of those who believe. God is so amazing!!!
One of those things is the Ford logo. My wife owned a Ford pickup truck, and she sold it to our daughter's boyfriend. Here is a picture of the logo on the tailgate. See the curlicue on the "F"? That didn't used to be there. I remember, and so do many other people. Surely if I go find some pictures from the past I can prove what used to be there!
Here is a picture of my parents from around the time they were married, and I believe they were with his cousin at a fair. That is a Ford logo behind the cousin. Unfortunately, his head is where the curlicue would be. The rest of the logo looks right to me, however. It is different from the picture, above, but companies have been known to 'update' their logos.
So, I went to the Library and examined original copies of LIFE Magazine. Here is the cover of the magazine published around the time my parents would have been in that picture.
And here is an advertisement inside of that issue. There is a curlicue, and the "d" looks similar to what was on the pickup truck tailgate above, but it doesn't look like the "d" in the picture of my parents. It is strange that logos from the same time period appear to be different.
Let's go further back in time. Perhaps the company had recently changed their logo, and the sign at the fair was an old version. Here is the cover of an issue from 1947.
Here is an advertisement inside of that issue. Curlicue. And the "d" looks like the one on the tailgate, but not like the one behind my dad's cousin.
Apparently, these changes have happened to items created years and years ago. These printed magazines are real; I held them in my hands. They are not digital graphic images or Internet "deep fakes." The KJV Bibles in basements and on church altars have these kinds of changes, too, printed letters on paper. Go look for yourself.
I have heard some people try to explain these things away by suggesting there are parallel universes and we must have skipped into a different one from where we were. Really? Got any evidence to support that, or is it just your belief? Seems to me it requires far less faith to believe in the God of the Bible. He, at least, has witnesses.
Some people have found "artifacts" of the previous versions of things that have changed. Finding evidence of those previous versions would disprove the "alternative universes" hypothesis.
Someone posted this picture on the Internet of a cake with the old version of the Ford logo decorated on it. No curlicue. That's what I remember it looked like.
Just before she died, my wife was sorting through pictures and she found this one from 1999. It was apparently taken by our younger daughter because she is not in the picture. We might criticize the framing of the picture, until we realize that the logo on the truck does not have a curlicue. You should be able to enlarge the image if you click on it.
Here is a blown-up version. This is one of the last photos my wife got reprinted. Yes, it's fuzzy, but I don't think there's a curlicue there! That's how I remember the logo to be. This is another "artifact," like the cake, and God made sure we found it. He wants us to believe!!!
The "lion and lamb." That's in the Bible, right? The lion will lie down with the lamb. Isaiah 11:6. Not anymore! It's a "wolf" now. In every version of the Bible.
Why would people make figurines of this image if it wasn't in the Bible? Many of them used to include the inscription "Isaiah 11:6" on them, and they were available on Ebay. Not anymore. Somebody bought them all up! Why would they do that?
Click to enlarge.
There's a big battle going on over this, as searches reveal. Why would people create memes with a picture of a lion with a lamb, and then quote Isaiah 11:6 with the "wolf"? It doesn't make any sense.
There are even ministries called "Lion and Lamb." This one was established in 1995. Do the people running that website even realize Isaiah 11:6 no longer talks about a lion and a lamb being together?
Investigate these things for yourself. What do you think?
Here is one I am less certain of, but am pretty sure it is another change. I believe it used to be "Looney Toons," or perhaps "Loony Toons." Not only do I remember it that way, it makes more sense from a marketing standpoint. It adds to the joke. I cannot believe the creative personalities who produced those hilarious cartoons would pass up the opportunity to create the visual echo in the trademark of their own business. What is there now just seems unimaginative to me.
It just doesn't make sense. My mind wants to put the double-ohs in the bottom word, but maybe that's just me. I believe it has been changed. I have faith.
And that's the key word -- faith. God is looking for people with faith, who will believe HIM. He always gives us the opportunity to not believe. That is why he keeps things hidden from us, so we can develop faith.
[Jesus] said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3 ESV)
I continue to make a conscious decision to believe like a child. My profile picture on Facebook is of me when I was about four years old.
As I said at the top of this post, I believe God is using these supernatural changes to make fools of those who are opposed to Him, and He is letting those who believe in Him see it. This is how the "puzzle" has been coming together for me...
Ford
Why Ford? There are other car companies, but Ford has been singled out.
Henry Ford is known for inventing the assembly line and producing cars in such numbers that they can be profitably sold to the people who build them. He is applauded for that, and it is what we have been taught.
But what if his chief purpose was to increase the productivity of those who work to feed the machine? I have been walking around town a lot because I have the time and because it is what Jesus did. Cars whiz by me all the time, getting their occupants to where they are going much faster than if they walked.
What else did Henry Ford do? Who did he associate with? What is his background? It's worth looking into.
Looney Tunes
Warner Brothers is part of Hollywood. The media has produced a lot of ungodly things to draw people away from Jesus, and the misdeeds of many are being exposed.
Food Industry
This is a big one, and people don't notice it. Not only does this industry take livelihoods away from people who used to produce their own food, they open doors for all sorts of evil that can be done to harm consumers of their products. I used to think in a free market the suppliers would work hard to ensure the safety and effectiveness of their goods, or they would go out of business. But we don't actually have a free market, and everything is owned by just a few corporations. There is the appearance of choice, but they are really monopolies, global monopolies. Worse than that, it is becoming apparent that those who head up those monopolies are in league with those who hate God, and who want to "steal and kill and destroy."
The Church
The person who doesn't seem to realize his own name has changed, whom I mentioned by name in the previous related post, is the pastor of a church. Many people ridicule him, but many follow him. I think this example should frighten anyone who claims to represent God.
The Bible
There have been many changes in various translations of the Bible. It is important to recognize what the Bible is, and what it is not, as I discussed previously.
After saying all of this, I see many people wasting time trying to figure out who the antichrist is, or will be, and trying to link biblical prophecies with current events. I think we need to keep our eyes on the ball. We need to make sure we have our own tool-bag, have submitted ourselves to true authority, and do our own jobs. We can use the manifestations discussed above to evangelize people only if they see them and are asking questions about them. If they don't see them, they can't see them. They are not ready. We need to pray for God to work in their lives while we move on to find a son of peace who can understand.
Time is short; the Darkness knows it. That is why they are trying to suppress many things like this. Exposing lies will remove the armor the Darkness relies on to maintain its grip on individual people. This is God's project. We are just 'contractors.'
All glory to God.
UPDATE, January 1, 2023...
Are the manifestations discussed above possibly some of the "shaking" discussed in Hebrews?
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken -- that is, things that have been made -- in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:26-29 ESV)
If so, then these manifestations are important. Paul's Mystery for DUMMIES discusses that shaking in Chapters 14 and 15.
Anna von Reitz mentions "essential government services" in many of her articles, and she always references "Article IV" of the Constitution(s). She often puts that phrase in quotes so I assume she is quoting from a document, but when I search for that phrase it does not appear in any text. I just don't see it, but she seems to be very confident it is there.
She also occasionally mentions the interstate sale, manufacture and transport of alcohol tobacco and firearms. I do remember that one. But, ...it's not there either.
This is very strange. Anna and I are about the same age, so we lived during the same time and were taught similar things. I remember them like she does, especially the one about "sin taxes."
As I stated, above, I believe the Father is in full control and is making fools of those who have done, and are, doing evil. Those who have been running the "U.S. government" rely on "the Constitution" for any authority that they have been delegated. That "U.S. government," and particularly the military behind it, has been terrorizing, bullying and plundering the God-created people of this planet for 160 years, ... and they have been caught. And it looks like the document they rely on to justify their existence... has changed. Oh, this is priceless!
As I have said elsewhere, I'm sure glad God the Father is still on the Throne, and Jesus is right there beside Him. We're gonna need 'em.
🤣🤣🤣
UPDATE, June 14, 2023...
Added the Rod Serling meme, as well as the "it's not there either" and "sin taxes" links.
UPDATE, November 17, 2023...
Click to enlarge.
Just saw this while watching The Color of Money, 1986. There is a Ford logo in the background, and it looks like the old version without the curlicue. It's pretty obvious when watching it frame by frame. I took this photo of my television, so it's a little fuzzy.
Except for young women1, shorts styles tend to be long. They tend to cover down to the knees.
Has it always been this way?
(Click to enlarge)
Here is a search for "1970s shorts images"...
Everybody wore short shorts then, including men. Our current culture even jokes about it. Why is that?
This is my wife and me with my mother (on the left) in Florida in 2016.
(Look at my poor wife's knees, and that is after she was prayed for in Jacksonville and the swelling went down. She was actually getting around quite well when this picture was taken.)
Notice we are all wearing long shorts, or capris in my mother's case. That's because we had been programmed to stay out of the sun.
My wife always wore longer pants. She looked nice in them, but they did not allow her to get much sun when she went outside.
She was in the house most of the time. She used her computer tablet a lot, doing genealogy, reading, shopping and social media. And the television was always on, except during the last year when we became disgusted with most of the fare.
She stayed inside, and when she went outside she sat in the shade. As I said previously, I believe this all led to her being deficient in "sun hormone," which led to her poor health.
To test my hypothesis, I have been intentionally spending time in the sun. I have been exposing my skin for 20 minutes per day when sunlight quality is good -- meaning the sky is generally clear. To protect my eyes, I have been covering them with a sleeping mask.
On days that were chilly or breezy early in the Spring, I shot baskets in the local park, exposing as much skin as was comfortable for the conditions.
I have been letting my bald head get the full treatment most of the time I am out. I used to always wear a hat.
I used to mow the lawn and work in the garden in the evening, to avoid strong sun, but I now know that is the opposite of what I should be doing. Now I am doing more of it when the sun is high -- when my shadow is shorter than my height.
The results? Wow!!! Absolutely amazing!
I am sleeping better, and waking up early ready to go. I always used to sleep until well after 09:00. Now I am awake at 06:30 or 07:00, and am absolutely full of energy. I am not having any digestive issues at night either, even though I have been snacking on carbohydrates shortly before going to bed.
I am also doing intermittent fasting, and am just eating one main meal per day, but that is not entirely new. My wife and I were doing it for a while, although we were eating a couple of times per day and not just once. It was easier for me to do than it was for her. She was always hungry. Poor thing.
When we started supplementing with iodine (Lugols) several years ago, I quit doing the "sunscreen nonsense" when I worked outdoors. I was confident that replacing my inventory of iodine would enhance my immune system and counteract any increased risk of cancer... and I got a suntan. Imagine that! I think my exposure to sun by working outside helped maintain my good health, whereas my wife did not get that. She would occasionally dead-head flowers, but not for long. Getting out and doing things was difficult for her.
She used to play softball when she was young, and in recent years I occasionally asked her to play catch with me. She never would. She hurt too much.
One other thing worth mentioning is how our living in Britain seemed to correlate with my dental health. My dentist laments that she doesn't make any money off of me (jokingly). I've always had good teeth (and so did my wife), but after we were in Britain for several years I ended up with bleeding gums. At the end of the second time we were there, I got my first cavity. I didn't know what it was and ended up losing the tooth. I have not had any dental issues since the mid 1990's when we moved back to Michigan.
Britain is in relatively high latitudes. Due to the low angle of the sun and frequent rainy weather they do not get a lot of good quality sunlight. People joke about the poor condition of people's teeth in Britain, but I am now sure it is due to the lack of sunlight -- and "sun hormone." I believe this is also the reason people get more respiratory illnesses in the Autumn and Winter. It is due to deficiencies in "sun hormone," not kids going back to school and "spreading germs," as I had always been told.
I am convinced that getting appropriate amounts of direct, overhead, high-quality sunlight is crucial for our good health, and I am heartbroken I did not learn the importance of this until after my dear wife died. God lets me understand things when He is ready. His ways are not our ways. I am sharing this in honor of her, and to help others. I think she would be happy to know that her death is resulting in good.
All glory to God.
-----------------
UPDATE, July 19, 2022...
(Click to enlarge)
1I see crop tops are back, .... not that I'm complaining! 😃
Bare midriffs, halter tops, low-rise jeans, hot pants, and mini skirts all blessed my eyes in 1971 when I was first learning to deal with my hormones. Oh boy. It was absolutely wonderful!
Crop tops reappeared in 2003, right when my girls were becoming teens. My wife made sure they wore appropriate clothing. Thank you, my dear!
Why does the Fashion Industry do this? Yes, they want to churn the market to drive sales, and there are only so many ways to cover people's bodies. Ideas get recycled. But are there other reasons for the choices available?
I have discussed in other posts how we are all programmed. Clearly, young girls are being programmed to behave in certain ways, as are young women.
When I wrote this post last year I was focused on our lack of Vitamin D and how the available fashions seem to contribute to that situation. I mentioned that young women's clothing was the exception, but I did not elaborate because I wanted to stay on topic.
Clearly, the culture pushes sexualization of young women, which is obvious, but I think that is just a "shiny object." I think there are other things actually going on. Dark things. Very, very dark things.
In my Deprogramming post, I talked about some very disturbing realities that go on in the shadows. Unfortunately, I have become aware that the hole is even deeper than that. Much deeper. It involves human trafficking, and all of the roads that can lead to. It is about black markets and the demands of those markets. What is the worst kind of thing you can think of that might be happening? It's actually worse than that.
I think Vitamin D (sun hormone) is a big, big key, and the visible markets are shaped to meet the demands of the black markets. Sun hormone is a building block for other hormones in the human body. Adrenaline is a hormone. Suppression of sun hormone leads to poor health, and the need for medical services. Cultivation of sun hormone leads to healthy bodies and plentiful hormone production. In addition, people of a certain gender and certain ages are more easily frightened, and terror produces certain chemical responses in the body. (I'm being coy because I want you to think about this and come to your own conclusions.)
Just like many things in Hollywood and the Media, the movie MONSTERS, INC is probably based on more truth than people are prepared to accept. God knows about it, however, and I tremble for those who are part of that global industry.
We all need to wise up and protect ourselves and our families. And we need to pray for justice, mercy and faithfulness, and do what we can to bring those things about.
(Do you suppose MONSTERS, INC might be a MUNICIPAL corporation? Interesting... )
UPDATE, August 6, 2022...
Today was hot (92°F/33°C) and I wanted to wear some "short shorts," like the ones we all used to wear back in the 1970's. I'm sick and tired of the long, baggy things I've had draped over my thighs for years.
So, I went to a thrift store and found some Levi's® 511 32/34 jeans, tried them on (they fit), exchanged them for seven (7) Federal Reserve Notes (FRN), brought them home, consulted the Interwebs, found my wife's sewing gear, measured where I wanted to cut them off, and actually cut them off about one inch longer to allow for possible mistakes and eventual fraying.
Then I went for a walk. It was wonderful and felt like when I was a kid.
I did the same thing with a pair of my faded Lee® jeans when I was about seventeen. It's easy.
Men, ... Testosterone is a hormone, too. It's one the Darkness is terrified of, and they have good reason to be. Cultivate yours. 😉
