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The First Passover

THE FIRST PASSOVER

Passover (pesach or חַג הַפֶּסַח) begins this Monday, April 22 and runs until Tuesday, April 30th. The word “pesach” means literrally to “skip,” “pass over” or “omit.” Passover lasts for seven days (eight in certain circumstances.) The length of Passover also has a certain significance. The children of Israel left their ghetto in Goshen the first day of the Passover, and arrived at the Red Sea on the seventh day, when the sea parted for Moses and Egypt was just...

Lights

LIGHTS

Deena and I are planning a trip to Maine in May.  There are many reasons we enjoy excursions to “The Pine Tree State.”  There is the sheer charm and natural diversity of the state, the seafood cuisine, Maine’s culture and history, the rocky, rugged shores and, of course, the many lighthouses that dot the coast of the state.  The coast of Maine, itself, is barely 230 miles long as the crow flies, but if you include the many navigable channels, bays and inlets...

THE USES OF CHILDREN IN WAR: A BRIEF HISTORY

For a blog that began primarily as a discussion of different topics in Christianity, I’ve branched out over the years to include other areas of interest (such as travel, current events, heath, literature, history, science and politics.)  I’ve also translated some posts into Chinese, Russian or German.  I don’t believe this has come at the expense of my original focus.  Someone who visits my blog to learn about Europa or the Chinese New Year may come across an appeal to experience a new...

Signs & Wonders

SIGNS & WONDERS

People in the Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia who looked to the heavens last evening saw a blood red sky. In England and elsewhere across Europe the sky was painted green, pale yellow or a faded pink instead. But over Kyiv, Ukraine, it was red. Blood red. A thousands years ago this might have been seen as sign of an impending doom. Even so today, in this modern age, it is still pretty creepy. In this post, I’d like to describe...

Cause and effect

CAUSE AND EFFECT (NSFW)

Hamas is playing with fire. They sowed the wind and now they and the people with whom they shield themselves are reaping the whirlwind. This example of cause and effect appears in the Bible in Hosea 8:7 where the prophet writes: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” There is a reaction to every action, a response to every stimulus. This is Newton’s Third Law. Or Skinner’s principle of operant conditioning. Hamas just pushed the wrong lever. This is...

American Caesar

AN AMERICAN CAESAR

We are only a year away from what could be the most important election of our lives, and certainly of this century. At stake is perhaps the very existence of our Republic. The choices for the highest office of the land are horrible at the moment. One candidate is increasingly confused because of senility and the other appears to be incorrigible by nature. Be that as it may, there are sinister whispers in the wind that next year’s election for...

Via appia in Italy. The breadcrumbs trail in Romans

THE BREADCRUMB TRAIL IN ROMANS

The featured photo in this post is a famous road in Italy called the Via Appia or sometimes the Appia Antica. The road you see in the photo is the same as it looked when Caesar rode on it. In fact, the road was built (in 312 B.C.) by Roman civil engineers before Caesar’s grandfather was even born. It ran from Rome 162 miles (261 km) to Tarentum (now Taranto.) The flagstones in the photo were carefully chosen and placed by...

Iroquios equinox

IROQUOIS EQUINOX

The summer is slowly but surely coming to an end in upstate New York.  The birds, chipmunks and squirrels have feasted on the last of the blueberries, strawberries and grapes in our back yard, and even a gentle breeze will dislodge nuts from the black walnut tree.  Sitting outdoors on a summer night in upstate New York is at once both soothing and exhilarating.  Fireflies are everywhere, creating a carnival-like festival of light.  But now the fireflies have disappeared until next June when...

Namazu Messenger from the sea dragons god.

MESENGERS FROM THE SEA DRAGON

Welcome to my visitors from Nippon. In this post, I will be discussing the recent encounter with an oarfish (Namazu) which are thought to be ryugu no tsukai and the legend, history and science concerning these mysterious but magnificent creatures. In the past, the beaching of oarfish have been thought to precede earthquakes, tsunamis or other natural misfortune. The sightings On July 15, 2023 divers off the coast of Taiwan noted an oarfish just over two meters long swimming close to the surface of the ocean.  Oarfish can...

Jesus Revolution

JESUS REVOLUTION

One of the more popular movies this spring is actually a surprise to many, and that’s a movie called Jesus Revolution, which is based on the lives of three ministers who lived and preached during the late sixties-early seventies. It chronicles their response to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during those times. The ministers are Chuck Smith (played by Kelsey Grammer), Lonnie Frisbee (played by Jonathan Roumie) and Greg Laurie (played by Joel Courtney) all located in Southern California....