Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Was Jesus Really Resurrected? Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”; 

A bit late as I didn’t realize that Easter is already upon us, as Passover isn’t for another couple of weeks. 

Upcoming Holy Days

Passover
April 22, 2016 - Observed evening before
Feast of Unleavened Bread
April 23-29, 2016

 

3 Things You May Not Know About Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

“Reflecting on the death of Jesus Christ is a sobering occasion for Christians. Unfortunately the timing of Christ’s death is rarely understood.

Devout Catholics participate in a Good Friday procession.

Churches will soon be packed with some of their largest attendances of the year. The “CEOs” (Christmas and Easter Only attendees) will make one of their semiannual appearances for Easter, the most holy observance of the year for mainstream Christianity. Good Friday, which occurs two days before Easter Sunday, is also significant as the most solemn occasion because it recalls the crucifixion of Christ.

1.  Of all the man-made holidays, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are the only ones that claim to commemorate something Jesus said to commemorate.

On the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples to keep the Passover as an annual festival “in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25).

In teaching the Corinthians to observe this solemn service, Paul told them that through this memorial they would “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (verse 26, emphasis added throughout).

Jesus never commanded Christians to celebrate His birth or resurrection. Rather, His instruction was for us to memorialize His death—something that Maundy Thursday and Good Friday actually do attempt to do.

But does that mean you should observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday?

2. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday aren’t the biblical names of the observance that commemorates Christ’s death.

The terms Maundy Thursday and Good Friday appear nowhere in the Bible. But the Bible does talk about another festival to honor Christ’s death: Passover.

The New Testament Passover established by Christ Himself includes taking bread and wine. The bread represents His broken body and the wine represents His shed blood (Matthew 26:26-28).

Churches vary in how often they partake of the symbols of bread and wine. Some take these symbols daily, some monthly and some on Maundy Thursday. But the Bible instructs us to observe it only once a year on a specific day (Leviticus 23:5). When we take the Passover symbols of unleavened bread and wine, we annually “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Observing the Passover is a memorial of Christ’s death. Jesus did not die on many different days throughout the year. He died on only one day, and He observed the Passover on the prescribed evening before the day of His death.

Passover is the annual festival that reminds us of Christ’s death. To learn more about this observance, see “Passover: What Did Jesus Do for You?” and “Questions and Answers About the Passover.”

3. Jesus didn’t die on a Friday.

Today documentation is commonly recorded for births and deaths. While we don’t have these same types of records from the first century giving us the exact day of Christ’s death, the Bible does give us enough details to show that Jesus definitely didn’t die on a Friday.

The fact that there were two Sabbaths during the timeline of Jesus’ burial and resurrection is confirmed by several Bible translations, including the International Standard Version, which translates Matthew 28:1: “After the Sabbaths, around dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to take a look at the burial site.”

The annual Sabbath occurred on Thursday that year; the weekly Sabbath, on Saturday.

Download "The Chronology of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection" infographic.

This chart includes the key events during this momentous week, demonstrating how Jesus’ promise to rise after three days and three nights was fulfilled, proving He is the Messiah.”

More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/3-things-you-may-not-know-about-maundy-thursday-and-good-friday/

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Was Jesus Really Resurrected?

“Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our faith is futile. Do we have historical evidence that it actually happened?

A living Savior is vital to Christianity. Yet there is a very strong movement in our society today to mitigate and destroy our Christian heritage—especially belief in the resurrection. Many contend that Jesus was just a man, just a human teacher, and that He never was actually resurrected after His crucifixion.

So how can we know that it really happened? There’s a lot of evidence that verifies the accuracy of the New Testament and the validity of Jesus’ resurrection—enough to convince anyone willing to believe…….

5. Historically confirmed people

Not only does the New Testament contain historically accurate information and geographical markers, it also refers to some famous people.

Geisler and Turek put it well: “There is no way the New Testament writers could have gotten away with writing outright lies about Pilate, Caiaphas, Festus, Felix, and the entire Herodian bloodline. Somebody would have exposed them for falsely implicating these people in events that never occurred. The New Testament writers knew this, and would not have included so many prominent real people in a fictional story that was intended to deceive. Again, the best explanation is that the New Testament writers accurately recorded what they saw” (p. 225).

Here are some of the historical figures that are mentioned in the New Testamentthat are also found in non-Christian writings that verify the accuracy: Jesus, Agrippa I, Agrippa II, Ananias, Annas, Aretas, Bernice (wife of Agrippa II), Caesar Augustus, Caiaphas, Claudius, Drusilla, Erastus, Felix, Gallio, Gamaliel, Herod Antipas, Herod Archelaus, Herod the Great, Herod Philip I, Herod Philip II, Herodias, James the brother of Jesus, John the Baptist, Judas the Galilean, Lysanias, Pilate, Quirinius, Porcius Festus, Salome (daughter of Herodias), Sergius Paulus, and Tiberius Caesar.

These names of dozens of key biblical characters are found in other, non-Christian writings of the day—one more way of verifying the accuracy of what we have in our Bible today.

6. Ten non-Christian corroborating sources

There are 10 known non-Christian writers who mention Jesus within 150 years of His life, helping corroborate the biblical record.

These are: Josephus, the Jewish historian for the Roman government; Tacitus, the Roman historian; Pliny the Younger, a Roman politician; Phlegon, a freed slave who wrote histories; Thallus, a first-century historian; Seutonius, a Roman historian; Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirist; Celsus, a Roman philosopher; Mara Bar-Serapion, a private citizen who wrote to his son; and the Jewish Talmud.

By contrast, over the same 150 years, there are nine non-Christian sources who mention Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor at the time of Jesus’ ministry. So discounting all the Christian sources, Jesus is mentioned by one more source than the Roman emperor. If you include Christian sources, authors mentioning Jesus outnumber those mentioning Tiberius by more than four times.

Geisler and Turek’s book outlines what can be pieced together from the 10 writers, some of whom are decidedly anti- Christian. They attest that Jesus lived during the time of Tiberius Caesar, lived a virtuous life, was a wonder-worker, had a brother named James, was acclaimed to be the Messiah, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate on the eve of the Jewish Passover, accompanied by darkness and earthquake.

They further affirm that His disciples believed He rose from the dead, were willing to die for their belief, spread Christianity rapidly as far as Rome, and denied the Roman gods, instead worshipping Jesus as God (p. 223).

More on this can be found in The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel (2007, p. 113). Strobel further relates this:

“‘We have better historical documentation for Jesus than for the founder of any other ancient religion,’ said Edwin Yamauchi of Miami University, a leading expert on ancient history. Sources from outside the Bible corroborate that many people believed Jesus performed healings and was the Messiah, that he was crucified, and that despite this shameful death, his followers, who believed he was still alive, worshiped him as God. One expert documented thirty-nine ancient sources that corroborate more than one hundred facts concerning Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection” (p. 272).”

Complete article at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/was-jesus-really-resurrected

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Update:

One morning, I woke up to sharp pain in both hips, probably from doing a lot of standing the day before.  We have also had a cold spell, maybe that had something to do with it. That’s a new thing for me, I don’t have aches and pains, but I suppose it is due to my age, going on 81.   I took an extra Flaxseed Oil capsule and an Aleve and I was good to go.

In the couple of mornings that we worked, Jay and I installed some of the wiring in the new wall between the new kitchen and bathroom.  While it is just bare studs, now is the time to do it.  This circuit is going straight to the breaker box on it’s own breaker.  On the kitchen side there will be a counter top with upper and lower cabinets with several outlets for coffee maker, toaster, toaster oven, microwave, and anything else.  We also ran the wire, also on it’s own circuit, to the new location of the water heater.  It will be in a “blind” corner of the same kitchen cabinets right next to the new bathroom.   On the other side, the front side of the kitchen, in the sink/stove area we have installed a counter height outlet next to the stove area for an electric pressure cooker or frypan or crockpot.  It is over 3’ to the sink, so it didn’t have to be a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter).   There are already GFCI outlets for the disposal and dishwasher under the counter.

Jay went to church with me, and he took some roast beef with veggies that he had made.  He had hoped to warm it up in the church oven, but the oven was full and so it was warmed up in a crockpot.  He said that made it even better.  I took Cauliflower Au Gratin with buttered crumbs on top and Yucca Root fries.  The fries tasted good, but holding them in the oven while the service was on, dried some of them out. 

The Bible readings were Lev. 6:8-8:36, Jere. 7:21-8:3, 9:22,23, and Mark 12.28. and the Teaching was again about Prophecy and Jerusalem.

All week I have been getting things ready to go on consignment at the resale store, or donated to Outreach Ministries.  I cleaned out a lot of places, washed the clothes, cleaned the shoes and purses, tried out the computer monitors and TVs, so today Jay and I loaded it all in the van ready to go to Conroe in the morning for my doctor appointment.  It is another 6 month check-up from my heart surgery.

Nala, my foster cat, got out, and that is a no no.  She could catch one of the deadly diseases that outside cats get.  She wouldn’t come when called, so I left the back door of the attached garage closed but with tape over the latch so it wouldn’t catch.  Then I got a heavy tow chain out of the shed, screwed a really big hook in the hinge-side door jam, hooked the chain to it and looped it through the top of a propane bottle and over  the door handle and over a metal table next to the door.  The door would open enough to let her in, but not a person without causing a lot of commotion.  There is a motion security light over that back door, and I would be able to see it come on from my bedroom, so I went to bed and prayed.   Something woke me up in the night, and there she was in the garage waiting to be let in the house.  So I took the tape off the latch and closed the door and went back to bed.  I was so grateful that she came back after less than half a day.

Biblical Alternative to Easter. Let Us Keep the Feast. Guarding A Dead Rosebush. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday:

The Biblical Alternative to Easter

“Are you letting religious traditions getting in the way of a real, authentic relationship with God and Jesus Christ? There’s an answer to this problem, and it lies in the biblical festivals observed and taught by Jesus Himself.

Jesus clearly teaches us that a religious tradition, even one that seems to honor God, can actually separate us from God!

A story has been told about a Russian czar who was strolling around the palace grounds and saw a guard standing in a neglected, barren patch of dirt. He approached the guard and asked him why he was standing alone in this spot. The guard said he had orders to do so.

The czar called the captain of the guard, and the captain said that there had always been orders to post a guard there. No one knew why. A search of the archives showed that at the time of Catherine the Great a prized rose bush grew in that part of the palace grounds. A guard had been posted to keep people from picking the roses.

The problem was that Catherine the Great—and the prized rose bush—had died many decades before. Year after year a guard was posted in a meaningless spot, and no one knew why. It had become tradition.

Traditions can be good, and traditions can be bad. Do you practice some religious traditions that may be diverting you from what God actually wants in your life?

Traditions can get in the way of authentic Christianity

Like the sentry in the story of the czar and the rose bush, could you be diligently standing guard over religious traditions that have no real spiritual meaning?……..

The Christian observance of the Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread

But we do know of a festival period observed by the earliest Christians that commemorated Jesus Christ’s death and being raised to lead their lives. It was a festival period—actually two festivals right next to one another—that provided a profound connection between much earlier commanded observances and the Messiah. And most importantly, these observances were biblical —not mere human tradition.

One of the places we find this festival period mentioned is in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

We know that the Corinthians were primarily Greeks who had converted to Christianity. For example, Paul tells them to stop being involved in traditional pagan practices that Jewish Christians would not have observed.

Replace the Easter tradition with biblical truth

Easter can feel like a wonderful tradition—a time of baskets filled with candy and colored eggs, a time for friends and family, a time to attend a special religious service. But understand this: It is a non-biblical tradition that actually comes from ancient paganism, from the worship of the fertility goddess Ishtar (Ashtoreth in the Bible). This is why Easter’s most popular symbols are eggs and rabbits—they’re ancient fertility symbols!

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the other hand, are biblical observances ordained by God, observed by Jesus, taught to gentiles in the early Church and imbued with the Christian gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.

This festival period is the biblical alternative to Easter—the right observance to choose. The Christian Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread are filled with rich and meaningful symbols of Christ’s death, resurrection and present work to spiritually deleaven—to spiritually cleanse and heal—those who turn to God. It’s more than human tradition. It is God’s revelation to humanity!”

Excerpts from: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/the-biblical-alternative-to-easter

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Let Us Keep the Feast

“1 Corinthians 5:8

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The apostle Paul wrote more than 20 years after Christ’s death that this mostly gentile congregation in Corinth should “keep the feast” of Unleavened Bread. From the analogy he uses here, it is clear the members were well acquainted with the removal of physical leaven for that week, and he wanted them to think more deeply about the spiritual lessons of replacing sin with godly thoughts and actions.”

Study more about the meaning of this festival in “The Feast of Unleavened Bread: Pursuing a Life of Righteousness.” Read about the meanings of all seven festivals in “Festival Meaning: What Are the Meanings of Each of God’s Festivals?”

From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/let-us-keep-the-feast/

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Guarding A Dead Rosebush

An Amazing Fact: “Years ago in the old Russian Empire the ruling czar, Nicholas II, was strolling through his vast palace gardens when he came upon a lonely guard standing at attention in a secluded corner of the great meandering gardens. “What are you guarding?” asked the inquisitive ruler. “To tell you the truth, O Great Sovereign, I have no idea, but the captain of the guard ordered me to this post,” the sentry replied.

Czar Nicholas then summoned the captain and made further inquiries as to what was being guarded. The captain of the guard replied, “O Great Sovereign, there are clear written regulations specifying that a guard was to be assigned to that precise corner at all times and this has been done as long as I can remember.” The curious czar then ordered a search to find out why.  The palace archives finally yielded the answer. Years before, Catherine the Great had planted a special rose bush in that corner, and she had firmly ordered a sentry to be posted there to guard it so nothing might disturb or damage it. Now, one hundred years later, even though the rose bush had died long before, sentries were still guarding the now barren corner of dirt, even though no one knew why!

Traditions of faith can be valuable. They may be useful in preserving special experiences or ideals handed down by family or culture. However, we should be careful in what we spend our time guarding! Many religions zealously defend rituals which have lost their meaning. People may faithfully stand by traditions but not know why.

There is a more serious concern regarding traditions that Jesus warned us about. If a custom should ever stand in conflict with the commandments of God, it should be thrown out.

Christ told us that holding such traditions makes “the word of God of no effect” (Mark 7:13). It’s a good idea to reflect on the traditions we keep. Do they conflict with God’s law? If so, we are stepping away from the Bible. It’s like standing guard over a dead bush.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Mark 7:7-8

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Finding a Cure for Cancer

And you wonder why doctors don’t prescribe natural food instead of trying to fix us with chemical prescriptions.   We would all be healthy and no longer need the doctors.  It’s all about the money! “You are what you eat, and what it ate!!”

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Update:

Another unnecessary trip to Homeland Security in Houston to take my marriage certificate that I had taken there before.  The first time the man didn’t want to see it as he said that my driver’s license was enough.  Then I got a letter saying that they wanted to have a copy faxed to them any way.  After spending several hours trying to navigate to the right place, I still couldn’t fax it as their website was so messed up. Calling didn’t produce a real person and just more options which if you didn’t choose the right number, it would say “Bye” and hang up on you.  But I was able to make an appointment online. 

At this second appointment on Monday, which was in a different location, another man said that they didn’t take documents there and to send them by snail mail to Overland Park, KS.  I could have done that 3 weeks ago if they had given me that option.   Their left hand obviously doesn’t know what their right hand is doing. 

All this because my green card needed to be renewed so that I could apply for Social Security.  Now that my main source of income, renting out my guest house which is now destroyed,  I need to get all that is due to me.   He also said that I could use my passport at the Social Security office as my new green card could take up to a year to arrive.

But my British passport expired in 1991, so I had to make a whole new application online and it was easy.  Yesterday our pastor signed as a counter signer for me, verified my passport photos, etc.  Now that has to be sent registered mail to Her Majesty’s Passport Office in England tomorrow.  So much paperwork is making my head swim.

Jay and I have done a little bit more work to the guest house repairs.  Finally, we got the kitchen linoleum (sheet vinyl) cut and fitted right.  We had to move the new wall between the new kitchen and new bathroom a fraction of an inch to make the wall square and to let the lino lie down right.  It was another worker who had installed that wall, not Jay.  We temporaily moved some of the old lower kitchen cabinets into the new kitchen, just to get a feel of how the floor plan will work.  It is a good thing it wasn’t set in stone, as we did have to change it up a bit.  Also we have been working on the wiring, moving outlets up above counter-height.  Other outlets will be installed on a whole new circuit in the new wall between the new kitchen and new bathroom.

Jay has been suffering from allergies and sniffling most of the time and so he didn’t go to church.  I had to wait until the cats were picked up for Adoption Day before I could leave.   Three more new ladies attended, a mother and two daughters came this Sabbath, and we sure do hope they will continue to come.  Another new lady who had been absent sick for a couple of weeks was welcomed back.  Sometimes it is a very small congregation and other times the pews are mostly filled.  But no matter how many, we all feel like a family with great fellowship and pray for the ones that are not present.

For the church potluck, I took a Cucumber Casserole (A what!  Look it up!) and also chicken gumbo and rice.  As I didn’t have much rice I also took some barley cooked in chicken bone broth and that was more popular than the rice.

Now that we are through Exodus we started the first 6 chapters in Leviticus for the main Bible reading. The others were Isa. 43:21-44:23 and Heb 10:1-12.  The Teaching was about doing right and Galations 5:15-26.

15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Good words to live by.

Even though Spring has sprung it has been cold the last couple of days.

Indian and Blanket! Nancy and Her Ronnie: 4 Marriage Lessons the Reagans Taught Us.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:

Did you put your clocks forward?

When told the reason for Daylight Saving time the old Indian said, "Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket." ~Author Unknown

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into Relationships

Nancy and Her Ronnie: 4 Marriage Lessons the Reagans Taught Us

by David Treybig - March 8, 2016

“With Nancy Reagan’s death, many are paying tribute to her devotion to Ronald Reagan. What lessons can we learn from their long and close marriage?

Ronald and Nancy Reagan pose on the White House South Lawn on Oct. 5, 1988 (Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library).

Nancy Davis Reagan died at age 94 at her home in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, March 6. Her long life was highlighted by her eight years as first lady during President Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Her life also included a career as a movie star, being a mother, starting an antidrug campaign based on the slogan “Just Say No,” and being an advocate for her husband’s legacy and Alzheimer’s research.

Though Mrs. Reagan lived a full and productive life in her own right, what many recall as they memorialize her life is the extraordinary love that she and Ronald Reagan shared throughout their long marriage. As their son Ron Reagan Jr. explained, “Once they had bonded together they really were inseparable. … They were in love and they stayed in love for 52 some odd years.”

Everyone knows that marriages have problems. After all, we are unique, emotional beings and even though we may love our spouse dearly, we don’t always see eye to eye. So how did the Reagans have such a happy marriage? What lessons can be drawn from their story that could help our marriages?

Ronald Reagan helps Nancy from her horse after a weekend ride at Camp David (White House photo by Pete Souza).

1. Never stop courting.

In her book My Turn, Nancy outlined their first date and courtship. “We had dinner together the first night. And the night after that. And the one after that. For the next month or so we must have gone to every restaurant and nightclub in Los Angeles.” One night while dining at their favorite restaurant, Ronnie, as she almost always called him, asked her to marry him. She agreed and they were married on March 4, 1952.

Even though they were married, their courtship never stopped.

Ronald continued writing love letters to his wife over the course of five decades. No matter his job or where he traveled, he wrote her “to express his love, thoughts, and feelings and to stay in touch.” His love notes, cards and letters often ended with “I love you more than anything I.T.W.W.W.,” which stood for “in the whole wide world.”

Nancy also loved her husband and expressed it in her own special way. She became famous for what some called “the gaze”—a stare of adoration and rapt attention focused upon her Ronnie.

Because the Reagans were public figures, their love for each other was also public. They often walked hand in hand, and the love, commitment and respect they had for each other were obvious. As one of Nancy’s press secretaries put it, “They never took each other for granted. They never stopped courting.”

The Bible confirms the importance of continually nurturing marital love. Proverbs 5:18 says, “And rejoice with the wife of your youth.” And 1 Corinthians 7:3 adds, “Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.”

President Reagan's surprise visit to a Republican Party Luncheon honoring Nancy Reagan in New Orleans, Louisiana on Aug. 15, 1988 (Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library).

2. Put your spouse before yourself.

In our world it has become common for us to focus on loving ourselves and evaluating others on how they contribute to our happiness. We rarely think of being in love as something we can control. We generally think love … just happens.

If it was something that just happened—love at first sight—between Ronald and Nancy, they took steps to make sure it never just disappeared.

Instead of putting the primary emphasis on themselves, they each put their spouse first. “From the beginning, the couple wrapped themselves tightly in each other. [Ronald] Reagan would say that coming home to Nancy was like coming out of the cold into a warm room with a fireplace.” And Nancy said, “My life didn’t really begin until I met Ronnie” (“Nancy Reagan: He Needed Only Her”).

Just five years after leaving the White House, the former president’s faculties began to fade with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. He announced his diagnosis in a handwritten letter to the nation on Nov. 5, 1994. What is striking about that letter is how his primary concern was for his wife—not what was about to happen to him as the disease slowly robbed him of his mind:

Ronald and Nancy Reagan weren’t perfect. Yet they set a marvelous example of how to build and sustain a happy and lasting marriage.“I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. … Unfortunately, as Alzheimer’s disease progresses, the family often bears a heavy burden. I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience. When the time comes, I am confident that with your help she will face it with faith and courage” (emphasis added throughout).

The Bible describes love as an outgoing concern for others. Paul wrote, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

Jesus Christ taught us to “love your neighbor as yourself” ( Matthew 22:39 ). That principle should be multiplied when it comes to marriage. The deep love between a husband and wife should be expressed by both spouses’ “giving preference to one another” ( Romans 12:10 ). Most marriage problems occur when this basic principle is broken.

President Reagan and Nancy Reagan talking in the oval office on May 21, 1986 (Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library).

3. Remember that your spouse can be your best adviser.

Long before the BFF (best friends forever) acronym gained widespread notoriety, the Reagans’ relationship epitomized this type of friendship. But their relationship went much deeper; they were also each other’s closest adviser.

Prior to dating, Nancy had gone to Ronald, who was the president of the Screen Actors Guild, for advice on how to deal with her name being blacklisted. His help in that situation began a long relationship of helping and advising each other. Throughout their marriage, Nancy became her husband’s closest adviser, helping him choose capable people for his cabinets and also advising him when she felt it was necessary to let someone go.

When her husband was the president of the United States, Nancy is credited with encouraging him to make overtures to the Soviet Union to make peace between the two superpowers. It began by building a relationship with Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko. Later, his efforts continued with Mikhail Gorbachev, and eventually the two leaders brokered arms-control agreements that helped lead to the end of the Cold War.

While not all spouses are automatically good advisers, two people of character and integrity who marry can be wonderful advisers to each other. King David found such an adviser in Abigail, who urged him not to do something that he would later regret (1 Samuel 25:23-35). He was so impressed he later married her.

The ideal virtuous wife of Proverbs 31 is described as someone “her husband safely trusts” who “does him good and not evil all the days of her life” ( verses 11 and 12 ).

President Reagan visits Nancy after her mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryland, in 1987 (White House photo by Pete Souza).

4. Love for better or worse.

While we all wish we could go through life without any tears or sorrow, life doesn’t work that way. We all face trials and difficulties. And such was the case for Ronald and Nancy, who both faced serious health issues.

Both of them had to deal with cancer. For her, it was breast cancer; for him, it was colon cancer. The former president also had to recover from being shot in an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981. It has been noted by many that Mrs. Reagan was at his side through every moment of his recovery.

President Reagan made an amazing recovery for a 70-year-old man, only to face Alzheimer’s disease during the “long good-bye” portion of his life. Mrs. Reagan cared for him throughout this long struggle—even when he no longer recognized her or remembered the time they spent together.

When people marry, they often make vows to love each other “in sickness and in health, till death do us part.” While such sentiments may be genuinely sincere when they are spoken, the true test of such vows comes in the hardest and darkest moments of life. For Mrs. Reagan, this was not an idle commitment. She never wavered, supervising her husband’s care until he died at age 93.

Again, Paul’s explanation of love comes to mind. Love, he said, “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails” ( 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 ).

As a past blog post explains, “Commitment is the mortar that holds the marriage together.”

Ronald and Nancy Reagan saying goodbye to Prime Minister Thatcher after the State Dinner on the north portico on Feb. 26, 1981 (Courtesy Ronald Reagan Library).

Learn from their story

Ronald and Nancy Reagan weren’t perfect people. Yet, in spite of their weaknesses, they set a marvelous example of how to build and sustain a happy and lasting marriage.

Charlton Heston once described their marriage as “the greatest love affair in the history of the American presidency.” We need more marriages like the one between Ronald and Nancy Reagan. As divorce rates and singleness increase, the next generation needs to see positive examples of strong marriages.

There is much to learn from the story of Nancy and her beloved Ronnie.”

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Update:

Well, I got my van back from the mechanic. The SPCA foster mom who lives near me took me to Conroe to get it.  She is so caring and helpful. 

The van now runs like a top, the missing was due to a vacuum hose.  The stuck ignition had to be changed, so now I have a separate key for that.  Then they had to put it on the compuiter because of the engine light, fixed something in the emission, put two new light bulbs in it and got it inspected.  Now I have to take that paperwork into Conroe to buy new tags.  All it takes is money!!

Saturday at Church was such a nice day, we had more new folks, and we all had great fellowship in the dining hall afterwards.  I think most of us look forward to the Sabbath, as we are like a big loving family, something that I never had before in my whole life.

The weather has really warmed up and today was a tank-top day.

EASTER OR PASSOVER. Did Jesus Die Good Friday? Holy Day Festivals of the Bible. Update.

 

For “Scripture Sunday”:  BUT days late, as so much has been going on.

EASTER OR PASSOVER

“Many people think of Passover as a Jewish holiday and Easter as a Christian holiday. But are they right? You may be surprised to find Christians today keeping the Passover as Jesus Christ instructed His disciples to do.

Passover is very much a Christian observance for those who seek to practice the original Christianity taught by Jesus Christ and the Apostles!

Consider some of the reasons why the Passover is still observed today by those trying to follow Christ’s example, and why Easter is a man-made alternative that should be rejected by those who believe their Bible:

Easter
Passover

Started as a man-made religious custom in worship of false gods millennia before Jesus Christ
Started from Scripture as an observance established by God Himself (Leviticus 23:4–5; Luke 22:15)

Easter was Christianized by the Catholic Church, around 300 years after Jesus’ death, at the Council of Nicaea
Passover was made Christian by Jesus Christ Himself on the night before His crucifixion (Matthew 26:26–30)

The apostles never kept Easter or taught the Church to keep it; rather they taught Christians to shun pagan customs (1 Peter 4:3; 1 John 5:21)
The apostles continued to keep and teach the Passover (1 Corinthians 11:23–26)

Jesus Christ never kept or taught Easter (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition,)
Jesus Christ kept Passover every year of His life (Luke 2:41–42; 22:8)

The symbols of Easter are bunnies, colored eggs, and hot cross buns, which originated in paganism before being incorporated into the modern Easter celebration
The symbols of Passover are wine and bread, and Jesus Himself explained their meaning: His precious blood and broken body. (Luke 22:14–20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26)

There is no way to stretch into a 72-hour period the two nights and one day from Good Friday through Easter Sunday.
The Passover celebration points accurately to a simple three days and three nights, as Scripture prophesied (Matthew 12:39–40; Jonah 1:17; Genesis 1:4–5)

The Good Friday to Easter Sunday scenario effectively denies the only sign of the Messiah (Matthew 16:4)
Those who keep the Passover and biblical Holy Days are acknowledging the sign of the Messiah (Read The Sign of Jonah)

Easter incorrectly points toward a Sunday resurrection
Passover points toward the actual time and day of His resurrection (Read The Resurrection Was not on Easter Sunday)

Jesus will not keep Easter when He returns to earth
Jesus will keep the Passover when He returns to earth (Luke 22:15–16)

The name “Easter” shares connections with pagan deities like “Ishtar” and “Oestre” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1987)
The name “Passover” comes directly from the Bible (Exodus 12:13)

Read about Easter from the authority of the Catholic Encyclopedia
Read about the Passover from the authority of Scripture itself (Exodus 12:1–30; Matthew 26:17–30; 1 Corinthians 11:23–34)

Deuteronomy 12:30–32; Mark 7:6–9
Leviticus 23:4–5; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:25

Easter is entirely man-made
Passover is God-ordained

Conclusion: Easter relies on accepting the traditions of men and rejecting God’s Word
Conclusion: Passover relies on accepting God’s Word over the traditions of men

What is God’s perspective? Just like a loving Father, God wants us to do what He says—for our own benefit. True Christians keep Passover as Jesus commanded. Sadly, many deceived people think they are practicing Christianity by keeping the man-made Easter tradition. So, will you be keeping Easter, or will you be keeping the Christian Passover in an effort to get back to the “faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) and restore Original Christianity?

For a much more in depth study of the differences between Easter and the Passover, order the free booklet The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan and read our article, “Easter or Passover: Which Is for Christians?”

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Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter?

“Most churches commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. But how does this fit with the sign Christ gave?

Good Friday afternoon to Easter Sunday sunrise does not add up to three days and three nights. This chart shows the chronology of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection that matches the biblical festivals and confirms the sign of Jonah.

As proof that He was the Messiah, Jesus Christ promised in advance exactly how much time He would spend in the grave. He called it “the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

The sign of Jonah

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had seen Him work miracles but still didn’t believe He was the Messiah (Matthew 12:23, 38). In fact, the Pharisees plotted “how they might destroy Him” (verse 14) and accused Him of working for Satan (verse 24)!

So when they asked for another sign, Jesus said:  “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (verses 39-40).

Jesus referred to the great miracle from the book of Jonah. God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights before God told the fish to spit him out, alive, on the shore. And Christ let everyone know that He would be in the grave for the exact same length of time. He said the sign of Jonah would be the only sign He would give them. This important prophecy was very specific.

How do you get three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning?

Why would Jesus make a point of saying three days and three nights if He didn’t mean it? Is this a contradiction in the Bible or is there a simple explanation everyone would understand if they celebrated the festivals of the Bible as Jesus and His disciples did?” 

More at:

http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/sign-of-jonah/

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Holy Day Festivals of the Bible

“The Appointed Times of the Lord”, Leviticus 23

THE BIBLICAL HOLY DAYS IN ORDER

PASSOVER: On the 14^th day of the 1^st month of the Hebrew Calendar - falls in the Spring. Passover Services are held but Passover is not a Holy Day. (High Sabbath)

FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD: Begins on the 15^th day and lasts seven days. The 1^st and the 7^th day are Holy Days with assemblies.

PENTECOST: In the O.T. it was called the “Feast of Weeks.” It always falls on Sunday because 50 days are counted from the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Usually falls in June. Pentecost is a Holy Day with a holy convocation.

FEAST OF TRUMPETS: On the 1^st day of the 7^th month (Hebrew Calendar). Usually falls in September or October on the Gregorian Calendar. Trumpets is a Holy Day with a holy convocation.

DAY OF ATONEMENT: On the 10^th day of the 7^th month. A complete fast to the Lord. No food or water is to be partaken of during this 24 hour period. Atonement is a Holy Day with a holy assembly to the Lord. September or October

FEAST OF TABERNACLES: Sometimes referred to as the “Feast of Booths” because God commanded that the people stay in temporary shelters called “booths.” The first day falls on the 15^th day of the 7^th month and is holy with a convocation to the Lord. This festival lasts seven days. September or October

LAST GREAT DAY: Immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles and is sometimes called the “Last Great Day of the Feast.” There is a holy assembly to the Lord.

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Update:

Oh Golly, a lot has been going on.  As it was raining gully whompers it took all day to go to Houston to the Homeland Securtity Office to apply for a new green card as mine was stolen in the burglary two years ago.   Now I need it to get my Social Security check sorted out.  I had managed to fill out the application online, and they sent me an appointment time. They said to bring my marriage certificate showing my name change, and then they didn’t want to see it when I got there as he said my driver’s license was enough!!  They also said that it would take 9 months for them to issue the new card as they are so far behind.  Then they wrote me a letter wanting me to fax a copy of my marriage certificate to them.  Their left hand doesn’t know what their right hand is doing. 

The computer that I was using recognized my printer, but wouldn’t scan so I couldn’t fax it.  Then when I got my computer back, the Homeland Security website is so complicated and stalls you at every turn so that I had to make another appointment to take the marriage certificate to them.  It wasn’t this difficult to immigrate here when I got my first green card in 1963 at the American Consulate in London.  Back then it was Immigration and Nationalization Services.  But a lot of things have changed since that have really ramped up the Homeland Security. 

Jay and I worked a little bit on the guest house.  Still trying to keep the rain water from going under the house.  Now we made a wall of blocks and cement.   We got the last of the four big 3’ x 5’ energy gobbling single pane windows out, and put plywood over the holes.

It took me nearly three mornings to get all the caulk and goop off the windows so that a man who was interested in them would buy them.  We installed one of the guest house living room double paned 20/30 windows, but had to install that window twice as it was installed 44” from the floor the first time, and one couldn’t see out when sitting at a desk or table.  So we lowered it to 36”.

Then the van started missing.  It kept on hesitating, and I sure was hoping that it wasn’t the new transmission acting up.  The engine light had been on since then, so that had to be fixed for the new inspection certificate.  Then the key just wouldn’t turn in the ignition.  No pushing, pulling of the steering wheel opr anything else would budge it, so it was towed away. 

I just heard that the van is ready, and a neighbor is on their way to get me, so I will have to cut this short and finish it another day.

How to Be a Good Husband. Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance. Update & Baptism

For “Scripture Sunday”:

How to Be a Good Husband

Husbands and future husbands have a wonderful blessing—and a great responsibility. How can we do a better job in this essential biblical role?

“Disclaimer time: By writing this article, I’m not claiming to be a great husband. As my wife and I near our 30th anniversary, I marvel at her patience and support and endurance through my mistakes and quirks and sins. I also know that I need to continue to improve. Hence this Bible study.
As far as the hokey acrostic spelling out HUSBAND, well, the Bible used acrostics as memory aids, and maybe this one will help me remember these seven points.
So, what does the Bible say about husbands and becoming a good one?

Honor her

“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7, emphasis added throughout).
Showing honor is important in all relationships (1 Peter 2:17) and should be learned in the home as we honor our father and mother (Exodus 20:12). Honor is especially important—and difficult—in the marriage relationship. It’s easier to show honor to someone you rarely see. But when we see our mates at their worst state and when our little quirks and differences begin to grate on each other over time, it is more difficult to always show honor and respect.
God made us men crave and need honor. So by the principle of the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12), we should also give honor.
The same goes for help. God made women to help men (Genesis 2:18), and He would expect us to help our wives as well. Helping our wives is another way of showing them honor.

Understand her

Men often joke that this can seem like an impossible task. Physics genius Stephen Hawking has pondered the secrets of the universe, but says that women “are a complete mystery.”
But the apostle Peter instructs husbands to “dwell with them with understanding” (1 Peter 3:7).
The NKJV Study Bible explains it this way: “A Christian husband should be intimately aware of his wife’s needs, her strengths and weaknesses, and her goals and desires. He should know as much about her as possible in order to respond in the best way to her.”

Sex

God created sex to strengthen the marriage bond. It is part of making two people into “one flesh,” and it is intended to be a pure, honorable relationship with no shame (Genesis 2:24-25; Hebrews 13:4). But Satan and his society have done their worst to pervert and tarnish sex and marriage.
We must build a strong, unbreakable bond with our wives. This doesn’t mean we should be inflexible. In fact, this strong bond requires the utmost flexibility and gentleness.Our wives must know that we will do nothing to hurt them or cause them shame. Sex is not about self-fulfillment, but about tenderly and patiently caring for your mate.

Bond

I’m not talking about 007, but about a gluelike bond. When the Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce, He asked if they hadn’t read, “‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:5-6).
“Leave means ‘to abandon’; joined to means ‘to be glued to’” (NKJV Study Bible). We must build a strong, unbreakable bond with our wives. This doesn’t mean we should be inflexible. In fact, this strong bond requires the utmost flexibility and gentleness.

Always be faithful

Marriage is a commitment and a covenant with our wife and with God. We must always be faithful in every way, even in our minds (Matthew 5:28).

Never fail to love

We must not give in to the marriage killers that suck love out of marriage: envy, pride, rudeness, self-seeking, being easily angered, thinking evil or being entertained by sin (including pornography).
It’s interesting that in his description of what love is, Paul listed all these things it is not (1 Corinthians 13:4-6). This passage is worthy of deep study and meditation by every Christian husband.

Delight in her always

Express your devotion, admiration and desire; rekindle the romance (Song of Solomon 7:6; Proverbs 5:19). Life isn’t all about fun and entertainment, of course, but God encourages rejoicing and giving joy to others. A husband should bring happiness to his wife (Deuteronomy 24:5).
We must endure the trials of life, but we should also enjoy! Celebrate the blessing of marriage often!”
From: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/marriage/how-to-be-a-good-husband/
For more about marriage and being a husband, see:

How Great Marriages Work

What Is Marriage?

Marriage Problems

How to Save Your Marriage

Three Beliefs That Will Kill Your Marriage

Role of Men

Marriage

What Is Marriage?

Living Together Before Marriage

Four Lethal Marriage Problems

How to Save Your Marriage

The Gift of Sex

Is Birth Control Wrong?

Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible

The Curse of Divorce: Counting the Devastating _______

Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance

2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

In this passage the apostle Paul explains the difference between the normal human sorrow that people feel when they get caught doing something wrong, and the godly sorrow that truly makes a change in our lives that pleases God. Worldly sorrow might be fleeting regret or a desperate wish that we hadn’t been caught. But it doesn’t lead to real repentance or change, so the person continues on without being forgiven and still being guilty of sin and worthy of the death penalty.

Godly sorrow is real and commits to change. Paul illustrates this powerful, godly sorrow in the example of the Corinthian brethren in verse 11: “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
This is no fleeting regret, but a full-fledged, all-out commitment to change—to stop doing those things that God hates—and to seek God’s forgiveness. We must replace the thinking that leads to sin with the thinking that leads to righteousness.
Read more about repentance in “What Is Repentance?” and “Godly Sorrow.””

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Update:

I am still busy trying to sell the stuff out of here, so that I can put this house up for sale. I spend as much time as I can taking pictures to list items on eBay, Craigslist and Bookoo.
A folding Nylabone carrier sold on Bookoo.com   I took it to UPS where they packed it and guaranteed it’s safe delivery to a rescue in Memphis who wanted that particular type of carrier for transporting cats from TN to Maine.  Maine has a shortage of cats because of their very strict neutering laws, so that gives homeless TN cats a chance at ‘furever’ homes.  It is a wonderful thing that these transporters do.  When I called the rescue lady when I left UPS to tell her the carrier was on it’s way, she was taking some cats to Virginia.  This is just a tip of it at: http://thelexusproject.org/content/pilots-and-paws  These pilots take critters to a new area where they will be loved and not destroyed.

Maybe I will sell the guest house next door, or maybe I will move into it when it gets closer to being livable.  But the more I think about it, at over 80 years old I don’t need all this stuff, and it all needs to be gone so that I can to live in a really small dwelling that doesn’t have a lot of yard maintenance and upkeep.

A little bit more work has been done to the guest house.  Jay did work a bit and we screwed down some of the floor in there, but not totally.  There still needs to be inspection places.  We have used a lot of cement mix making a block wall, but when we had a deluge, some rain still ran under the house.  Then Jay was busy or sick, but another helper showed up unexpectedly one morning.  We took out another of the single pane 3’x5’ windows, and filled the hole with plywood.  We aren’t going to put the vinyl siding back until all the windows are out and the new ones installed.  That leaves two more 3’x5’ windows to remove which needs to be done this week as a man is supposed to buy them on Friday.  I have two smaller double paned ones to go in there.  That wall was all windows when it was a plant room, and not very energy efficient.

Jay didn’t go with me to church, and the Bible readings were Exo. 30:11-34:35, 1 Kings 18:1-39 and 1 Cor. 10:1-13.  The Teaching was more about Prophecy.  There are so many places in the Old Testament that foretold His coming that one has to realize that the Bible is one book and it all ties together.  There is no leaving out the Old Testament.

The pastor’s wife was back, and we were all happy to see her.  The service was shortened as we all traveled south to the YMCA as there was going to be a baptism in their heated pool.   Laura and I were baptized. That's our sweet Pastor Bobbie in the cap.





As I nearly drowned when I was 12, I am terrified, absolutely petrified, of water going over my head, so that took away some of the good feelings I should have had about the baptism.

The big surprise was that my wonderful daughter Wendy showed up for the baptism.  Here we are together singing hymns before the immersing, I am already in a swimsuit, robe and swim cap.  Then the church members all came back for our potluck lunch.  I had taken a squash and zucchini cheese casserole.

It was a memorable day.