Time Off

July 12, 2009- It has been a year now since I started this blog. Now I'm going to take a sabbath and get recharged. I need to spend more time with God and in His word, so I'm taking a break from blogging. I don't know how long. I probably will only take a couple of week off to really spend some time and hear from God. Now it's time to enjoy the summer...

Fun Facts for Friday

July 3, 2009- Thought you might want to know some fun facts about tomorrow...

* On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, starting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

• Eleven places have "independence" in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Missouri, with 113,288 residents.


• Five places adopted the name "freedom." Freedom, California, with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.


• There is one place named "patriot" — Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 202.


• And what could be more fitting than spending the day in a place called "America"? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, with 21,941 residents.

As with many holidays, the 4^th of July celebration includes food, drink and the realization of how fortunate we are as a nation.

More than 66 million

Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It's probably safe to assume a large number of these events took place on the Fourth.

Although we do not have a fixed menu for the celebration of the Fourth, you can almost count on traditional favorites such as hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips and watermelon. Following is a summary of where these foods come from:

• There's a 1-in-6 chance the beef on your backyard grill came from Texas. The Lone Star State is the leader in the production of cattle and calves.
  
• The chicken on your barbecue grill probably came from one of the top broiler-producing states: Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi.
• The lettuce in your salad or on your hamburger probably was grown in California, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of USA lettuce production.
• Fresh tomatoes in your salad most likely came from Florida or California, which, combined, produced more than two-thirds of U.S. tomatoes. The ketchup on your hamburger or hot dog probably came from California, which accounted for 95 percent of processed tomato production last year.
• As to potato salad or potato chips or fries, Idaho and Washington produces about one-half of the nation's spuds.
• For dessert, six states — California, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Arizona and Indiana — combined to produce about 80 percent of watermelons last year.

Fourth of July Fireworks $128.8 million
The value of fireworks imported from China, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imports ($135.6 million) in 2002. U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, amounted to $13.5 million, with Germany purchasing more than any other single country ($5.0 million).

State Park Lakes & Beaches

66 million
Number of visits in a recent year to our national parks — a particularly scenic locale for a July 4^th picnic. There were 766 million visits in a recent year to another popular picnic venue — state parks or recreation areas. Those in California (80 million), Ohio (59 million), New York (56 million), Washington (48 million) and Illinois (44 million) recorded the highest number of visits.

You may or may not be able to picnic there, but a visit to a national historical site is a particularly fitting way to celebrate our nation's heritage. In a recent year, about 72 million people flocked to national historical sites and 24 million to national monuments.
Now that should really improve your intellect for the holidays. Have a great Independence Day!!!

Freak-out Friday

June 26, 2009- For all you guys that have tough weekends coming up... The deadlines have to be met, the mortgage is due, the company is downsizing, or maybe you just need to let off a little steam. Whatever you do, don't do this.

Optimism

June 25, 2009- Ok, enough doom and gloom. Let's try this. You have 2 ways of seeing things. How do you see it?

Effect (Absalom)

June 21, 2009- There was definitely effect on king David when the incident between Amnon and Tamar happened, but that was not the only person effected. It also effected her brother(David's other son) Absalom. When Tamar was raped, her brother Absalom took her into his house to live. The shame was great upon her shoulders. Absalom brought her into his house to live. He then awaited patiently for David to react, and to punish Amnon in a major way. That is perfectly understandable. I would do the same. But that isn't how it went down. David didn't react. What? What's his problem? Why hasn't he already done something? So after two years of waiting and seeing no results, Absalom decides to take matters into his own hands. Amnon needs to be punished for his actions. He needs to suffer and our father has done nothing. Have you ever felt like Absalom? Have you been wronged, and it seems like THE FATHER has done nothing about it? So bitterness creeps in and we take charge of the situation ourselves. So in 2Samuel 13:23-33 Absalom gets Amnon drunk and has him killed. He felt he was justified in doing this, but his father had other thoughts on the matter. David, instead of rejoicing, was furious. So Absalom flees to Geshur. From there a division between father and son begins and it results in one of the most infamous rebellions of scripture, and we know that rebellion never ends well.

Effect (David)

June 17, 2009- OK, Monday I shared a story of tragedy about Tamar and Amnon out of the Bible in 2Samuel 13. This event had a huge impact on several people and I'd like to share some of my perspective on the effect. You have the cause(see June 15 post), now lets look at the effect, or is it?
One of the people effected by this incident is David, their father. What was David's reaction to the rape of his daughter by his son? After it happened Absalom took Tamar in to live with him. He hoped that his father David would take vengeance and punish Amnon, but that was not the case. Sure David was mad, but in light of everything that happened, here is what he did-Nothing! WHY? Whats up with that? How could you allow such a terrible tragedy to go without any repercussions?
I think the dilemma for David is the same for many of us. We avoid confrontation because of guilt we have. It is hard to check somebody for something you've done yourself. That was the case. You see David, in chapter 11, lusted after a woman taking a bath, got her pregnant, and then had her husband killed in battle. Wow. To have that still in your mind, and then be faced with an issue like the one with his daughter. Talk about guilt.
That is the reason many of us still don't confront the sin that goes on around us. Guilt!
Now lets look at how that effected others. While David was dealing with his personal guilt, others were fuming about the injustice done to their sister. Particularly Absalom.

Actions and Reactions... The incident

June 15, 2009- I probably shouldn't spend these next few posts on what I would consider a Bible study, but I think there are some very good examples of how an action causes a reaction,which causes another, and so forth. So for the next few posts I want to look at a story from 2 Samuel starting with chapter 13. It is about King David and some of the dysfunction that surrounds him.
King David was a great man of God, a key chosen ancestor of Jesus Christ, but David's family situation, particularly the headstrong and cutthroat-competitive behavior of his many children,and many around him, caused him much trouble and grief. One of the most despicable incidents of that was when Amnon found himself in a state of lustful infatuation with his young half-sister Tamar, and after she consistently rejected his advances, he brutally ravished her. Thereafter his "love" for her immediately turned to loathing and contempt, manifesting the very-common human trait of someone hating a person they have injured or wronged, a warped psychological maneuver in an attempt to soothe a guilty conscience. After David found out about it, although furious, he did nothing, except to keep it quiet, but Absalom did not allow Amnon's crime to go unpunished. He patiently bided his time, and when the opportunity for justice came, Absalom avenged his sister Tamar by having their elder brother Amnon killed.
So the first thing I want us to look at is...

Tamar and Amnon

The incident:

"Now Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her."

"And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her."

"But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very crafty man. And he said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?"

"Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

"Jonadab said to him, "Lie down on your bed, and pretend to be ill; and when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it from her hand.'"

"So Amnon lay down, and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Pray let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand."

"Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, "Go to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him." So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where he was lying down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Send out every one from me." So every one went out from him."

"Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the cakes she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister."

"She answered him, "No, my brother, do not force me; for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this wanton folly. As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the wanton fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you." But he would not listen to her; and being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her."

"Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred; so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Arise, be gone."

"But she said to him, "No, my brother; for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other which you did to me." But he would not listen to her."

"He called the young man who served him and said, "Put this woman out of my presence, and bolt the door after her." Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves; for thus were the virgin daughters of the king clad of old. So his servant put her out, and bolted the door after her. And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent the long robe which she wore; and she laid her hand on her head, and went away, crying aloud as she went." (2 Samuel 13:1-19 RSV)

Think about this incident and how that would affect someone. Then I want us to look at some of the other people it affected.

David, Absalom, and a few others.