We are all born for love.
It is the principle of existence,
and its only end.
– Benjamin Disraeli
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Dalai Lama’s “Beyond Religion” book
Martin Sheen narrates the Dalai Lama’s new book Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World. The Dalai Lama is a modern-day prophet who transcends all religions and “is a reflection of the Gospels” according to Sheen. Read the whole Book Talk: Sheen “nourished” by narrating Dalai Lama’s book story at Reuters.
Note: the Reuters story includes a free download of the Dalai Lama’s book from Audible.com until December 20th. I plan to listen to his book.
Baby Jesus and Wise Men (Matthew 2)
Bible Summary:
Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Wise men follow a star to Jerusalem. King Herod learns of Jesus’ birth and plots to have the wise men lead him to the baby. The wise men find baby Jesus and present him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God warns them about Herod, so they leave by another road.
An angel warns Joseph about Herod, so they escape to Egypt. Herod realizes the wise men tricked him, so he orders the death of all boys two and younger in Bethlehem, which fulfills the prophecy about Rachel weeping for her children.
After King Herod dies, God tells Joseph to return to the land of Israel. Joseph is afraid to learn that Herod’s son has succeeded him, so God guides him to Nazareth in the province of Galilee, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah will be a Nazarene.
My Thoughts:
Wise Men: This story conflicts with all the nativity scenes and stories that have the wise men show up right at the birth of Jesus instead of two years later. Must be poetic license.
These Magi came from “the East”, which was likely Mesopotamia where Abraham was from or possibly Persia.
Jesus similar to Moses: Jesus miraculously survives the killing of all the baby boys in Bethlehem like Moses survived the King of Egypt’s edict to kill all the Hebrew babies (see the Israelites Grow Numerous in Egypt and Moses is Born stories in Exodus).
SpaceX headed to the space station
SpaceX has been cleared by NASA as the first commercial company to fly to the International Space Station on February 7, 2012. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new era of space development. I believe entrepreneurship can lead to some great discoveries in space which will speed up development, just like after Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. Learn more about SpaceX’s plans in the NASA clears SpaceX for trial run to space station story at Reuters.
God Establishes Priesthood (Exodus 26,27,28,29)
Bible Summary:
God gives Moses detailed instructions on how to build the sacred tent and altar so people can worship Him. God then tells Moses to call and ordain his brother Aaron and sons to become priests to the people of Israel. He also describes the garments the priests are to wear, including a breastplate engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel so God will always remember His people. The people are to give a daily offering to God.
My Thoughts:
Priesthood: God established the priesthood to help people remember to worship Him. Some people say man created the priesthood to control people and collect “offerings” that benefit themselves. Sure, there have been periods of control, like the Inquisition, and some cases of individuals taking advantage of their role, but I believe the religious establishment does well at educating the people to act kindly towards each other and truly be a community. They also help us grieve, support the poor, and give us hope. I would like to thank all the religious leaders around the globe for all they do. Thank you!
Paralympian cured, eyes Olympics
What an amazing story! Monique van der Vorst was paralyzed at age 13 and went on to win two silver medals in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics at age 24. But, that is just the beginning of this incredible story. In a freak accident last year, Monique was struck by a bicycle while training for the 2012 Paralympics and miraculously regained feeling in her feet. Seventeen months later, she just signed on with the Rabobank women’s professional cycling team with the goal of cycling in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Read the full Paralympian eyes Olympic glory after “miracle” crash story at Reuters.
God Establishes First Synagogue (Exodus 25)
Bible Summary:
God tells Moses to have the Israelites make him an offering of gold, silver and many other items. He is to accept whatever each person gives. The items are to be used to create a sacred tent for God to be with the people, a covenant box to house the Ten Commandment tablets, a table to offer bread to God, and a lampstand.
My Thoughts:
Most Important Chapter: Amazing! In one chapter of the book of Exodus we are given the beginning of the Priesthood, the first synagogue (the tent), the Ark of the Covenant (the box), and the detailed design of the menorah (the lampstand).
Be Gracious: God tells Moses to accept whatever each person can give. I think He was telling Moses they should he gracious for each gift because a small gift to them may be enormous to the giver. Let’s take this to heart this Christmas and be grateful for each gift we receive no matter the size or how much we like it.
Holiday parties picking up
After a few years of decline, Holiday parties are beginning to pick up this year. It is a good sign for businesses and will likely boost morale. I recommend ALL businesses do something for your employees for the Holiday, even if just sharing a bag of Hershey Kisses! It is the thought that counts. See Holiday parties making comeback story at The Columbus Dispatch.
Astronomers find potential Earth-like planet
Astronomers using NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope have discovered the most earth-like planet yet circling a star 600 light years away. The planet is the right distance from its sun, but 2.4 times larger than Earth so the astronomers do not know yet if it is rocky or gaseous. Read more in the Reuter’s story Planet found orbiting habitable zone of sun-like star.
It will be a long time before we can visit though. Even at the cruising speed of 38,000 miles per hour (61,155 K/hr) of Voyager 1 (per Wikipedia), our farthest space satellite from Earth, it would take 10.8 million years to travel 600 light years.
God’s Covenant is Sealed (Exodus 24)
Bible Summary:
God calls Moses up to the mountain. Moses reads the book of the covenant to the Israelites and they all agree to obey the commandments. Moses sacrifices animals and consecrates the people with the blood to seal God’s covenant. God calls Moses up Mount Sinai again to give him two stone tablets of all the laws for the people of Israel. Moses stays on the mountain for forty days and nights.
My Thoughts:
Book of the Covenant: According to this chapter of Exodus, Moses and the leaders had written a book of God’s laws – “the book of the covenant, in which the Lord’s commands were written.” This is the first reference in the Bible of writing in book form to pass on laws and knowledge. This book likely included parts, if not all, of the books of Genesis and Exodus.
Stone Tablets: God would have known about the impermanence of the book, likely written on papyrus, so he created the stone tablets so the Israelites would remember his commandments for a long time.