Monthly Archives: December 2011

Powerball winners fulfill philanthropy promise

Posted on by

Three Connecticut men who claimed a $254 million Powerball lottery on November 28th announced $200,000 donations to five separate charities less than a week later.  See full Money Managers Make Good on Promise of Philanthropy story at Reuters.

What would you do with such a windfall? Would you invest it to make more money? Would you spend it? Would you give some, most or all of it away?  If you do win, I challenge you to “invest” at least half the money in perpetual giving by creating social businesses that will employ others and support community efforts for centuries to come.  Read more about Social Business at the Yunus Center.

Good Laws to Live By (Exodus 23)

Posted on by

Bible Summary:

God provides additional laws and guidelines to live by to Moses and the Israelites:

  • Do not spread false rumors or help a guilty man by giving false testimony.
  • Do not do wrong or injustice even if the majority of people do.
  • If you see your enemy’s animal run loose, take it back to him, do not just walk off.
  • Do not put an innocent person to death. God will condemn anyone who does such evil.
  • Do not accept bribes since they make people blind to what is right.
  • Do not mistreat foreigners.
  • Plant your land for six years and rest it on the seventh.
  • Celebrate three festivals each year: the Festival of Unleavened Bread to celebrate leaving Egypt, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelter when fruit is gathered.

God also tells Moses He will send an angel ahead of the Israelites to protect them, but they must obey him. He will drive their enemies out little by little until there are enough Israelites to take possession of the land.

My Thoughts:

Immoral Majority: I think God was talking to teenagers when he said not to follow the majority if they do wrong.  It is really hard, but stick up for yourself and others of the minority.

Help your enemies: God tells us to help our enemies so that one day they may become our friends.

Celebrate: Be sure to celebrate your and others successes, no matter how small.

Global warming conversation timeline

Posted on by

The conversation about the effects of global warming dates back to 300 BC by Theophrastus, a student of Aristotle. In 1988, the United Nations set up an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to access the scientific evidence. The Timeline: How the world discovered global warming story at Reuters tells how the world has been squabbling about this issue for the last 23-years.

I think everyone agrees the world is getting warmer, but no one really knows what it means. People in cold parts of the world think it would be a great for things to warm up a little. Others fear more cataclysmic scenarios like drought induced famine, severe hurricanes, or even a new Ice Age as dramatized in The Day After Tomorrow film.

I believe we should be cautious. Per the old English proverb, “Better safe than sorry.”

The Birth of Jesus (Matthew 1)

Posted on by

Bible Summary:

Matthew’s story of Jesus begins with a list of all ancestors from Abraham to King David and finally Joseph. He then tells the story of how Mary and Joseph get married. Mary is engaged to Joseph when she discovers she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph finds out and plans to break off the engagement in private. An angel appears to him in a dream, explains that she conceived by the Holy Spirit, tells him to marry her and to name the boy Jesus because he will save people from their sins. This happens as God foretold through the prophets that a virgin would give birth to a son called Immanuel, which means God is with us. Joseph marries Mary and names their son Jesus.

My Thoughts:

Ancestors: Lineage is very important to the Jews, so they show Jesus’ all the way back to King David, Abraham and ultimately Adam and Eve (see list below).

Faith of Joseph: I am sure most people concentrate on the immaculate conception of Mary, birth of Jesus, the Holy Spirit or even Angel Gabriel, but I decided to focus on Joseph this time. Joseph basically thinks Mary has been unfaithful and he plans to break off their engagement until an angel appears to him in a dream. Joseph has faith that God has a plan for Mary’s son and wants Joseph to be a part of that plan. He could easily have left her to deal with the shame that would have come from becoming pregnant out of wedlock, but instead takes on the role of essentially becoming Jesus’ step-father. God asked a big favor and Joseph came through.

Ancestors of Jesus:

  • Adam & Eve, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah
  • Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse
  • King David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon
  • Josiah, Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph & Mary, Jesus

Mayans never predicted end of the world

Posted on by

According to Mayan experts 12/12/2012 is just the end of a 5,126 year cycle of their calendar, not the end of the world. See full Mayans never predicted world to end in 2012: experts story at Reuters.

Do not be afraid. Fear is the most harmful condition on the planet. False rumors like the end of the world only incite anxiety and panic and may even cause bad things to happen. Terrorist and the evening news thrive on fear. The next time you watch the news, listen closely to *where* the incident happened. Most of the time it occurred somewhere else in the state or even across the country, but they make you feel like it happened next door. If you are afraid, take a 30-day “media break”, no watching or reading the news. Use the time to help your neighbors or a local shelter. You will be surprised how your outlook will change.

Note: I try to post only positive news on Whittle Love.

The Road Not Taken

Posted on by

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

– Robert Frost

God Defines More Laws (Exodus 22)

Posted on by

Bible Summary:

  1. Stealing sheep or cows can result in restitution up to five times the loss, and the thief can be sold as a slave if he cannot pay.
  2. A homeowner is innocent of killing a burglar at night, but guilty of murder if done during the day.
  3. If an animal strays and eats someone’s crops, the owner must repay the loss.
  4. If a fire gets out of control and destroys a neighbor’s crops, the fire starter must pay for the damages.
  5. If the money a man holds for another is stolen, he must make an oath at the place of worship that he did not steal it or face the penalty for stealing.
  6. If a man cares for another’s animals and they are stolen, he must repay the owner.
  7. If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, he must pay the bride price for her, even if the father refuses to allow him to marry her.
  8. Put to death, any woman practicing magic, any man having sex with animals, and anyone offering sacrifice to another god.
  9. Do not mistreat foreigners, widows or orphans.
  10. If you lend money to the poor, do not collect interest.
  11. All disputes are to be resolved at the place of worship.
  12. Do not speak evil of God.
  13. Do not curse the leader of your people.
  14. Give offerings of grain, wine, and olive oil when they are due.
  15. Give God your first-born sons, cattle, and sheep.

My Thoughts:

More Laws: These laws from 3500 years ago were likely the basis for our laws today.

Supporting Organized Religion: I believe this story announces the beginning of organized religion. All disputes are to be resolved at the place of worship, which were headed up by Moses’ appointed judges. People were to support these “priests” with regular offerings of grain, wine and olive oil.

First-born Interpretation: I do not read the first-born law literally, as in sacrificing them, but as giving the first-born sons into the priesthood and the animals for food.

Struggling with Bible study

Posted on by

I am really struggling with this Bible Study. My original plan was to read straight through from Genesis to Revelations, but now I am at a crossroads. I am close to finishing my third month – started 9/7/11 – and I have not even made it through two books of the Old Testament. At this rate it will take over three years before I will get to the really good stuff in the New Testament.

I glanced at the first chapter of Matthew and noticed it refers to significant events in the Old Testament I have not reached yet, like King David and the exile of the Jews. I do not even know when or why they started calling them Jews instead of Israelites. I want to understand the history before I read the New Testament, but I am anxious to get there. Christmas approaching and the thought of celebrating the birth of Jesus are not helping.

My Thoughts:

Decisions: After re-reading the above, I find it funny that I have made this such a weighty decision. It does not matter which way I go, just as long as I continue. It is kind of like life, we tend to make simple things difficult.

Getting to the Good Stuff: Some of us are so anxious to get to the good stuff that we try jumping ahead only to find we still need to put in the work to attain our goal. That is okay. Take your step back, get to work, and keep at it. You will reach your goal in the right time.

Others delay gratification too long and miss out, like the old couple who planned to travel the world after they retired, but were disappointed when they were too weak to go very far.

Balance is the key, and trick to life. Work hard now, but also try to enjoy yourself some along the way!  God bless!

God Gives First Laws (Exodus 21)

Posted on by

Bible Summary:

God gives Moses and the Israelites laws about treating slaves, handling violent acts, and responsibility for their animals.

Male slaves are to be freed after six years and can take their pre-slavery wives, but no others. Or, they can choose to stay with their family as slaves for life. A daughter sold as wife must be returned if the buyer does not like her. If a man takes a second wife, the first is to be treated fairly or set free.

These violent acts are punishable by death: deliberately killing another man, hitting or cursing parents, or kidnapping someone for sale or to keep as a slave.

These violent acts have lesser punishments: injuring another – pay for lost time and care until well; killing a fetus – pay what the woman’s husband demands, subject to a judge’s approval; harming a pregnant woman – punished with life for life, eye for eye, or wound for wound.

Owners are responsible for the actions of their animals and must pay restitution if an animal harms someone or another animal. Owners can be put to death if they had been previously warned and an animal kills someone.

My Thoughts:

First Laws: Once Moses assigned judges, he needed laws for everyone to follow and consequences if they did not. The first laws were for common disputes of the era over slaves, violent acts, and animals. No traffic laws just yet.

Social Norms: It is hard to believe the Israelites, just set free from Egyptian slavery, continued to keep their own slaves.  But, it was the social norm of the time. The patriarch owned the entire family and could sell them as he saw fit. All daughters were sold to husbands.

It makes you wonder what social norms we have that seem strange to others, like shaking hands, leaving a tip for a waiter, driving on the right, wearing ties to work, and of course silly ones like burping and passing gas.