Month: November 2010

James May Builds Himself a Real LEGO House-Freshome.com

by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

Carl Killingsworth would get a kick out of this.  Hah hah hah.  The guy who did this lives in Dorking, UK.  Stellar.  


http://freshome.com/2009/09/01/james-may-builds-himself-a-real-lego-house/

If you have a passion for cars you may have heard about James May. The guy is producer and co-presenter on one of Britain’s best TV Shows, Top Gear. Also known as Captain Slow, James is more than just a guy with a passion for engines. He also loves LEGO and to prove that he’s serious about it, after beer with the “mates” he decided to build — entirely from LEGO pieces  — a real two-storey house, where he’ll live upon completion. Located in the middle of the Denbies Wine Estate, in Dorking, UK, the building is going to use 3 million colorful bricks, will feature a Lego toilet and LEGO furniture. – via
Life Size LEGO House 1 James May Builds Himself a Real LEGO House
“The idea first came up over a beer, when we were talking about what we would have built as kids if we had enough Lego. Your imagination is always bigger than your stockpile when you’re a kid. Up until now, the largest thing I’ve ever built with Lego was probably a plane or a battleship, because that was all I could build with the amount I had,” said James.
Life Size LEGO House 3 James May Builds Himself a Real LEGO House
Life Size LEGO House 4 James May Builds Himself a Real LEGO House
Life Size LEGO House 5 James May Builds Himself a Real LEGO House
Life Size LEGO House 6 James May Builds Himself a Real LEGO House

From Zwinglius Redivivus-some parents are just daft

by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

From the desk of Jim West

Because, she says, she felt ‘threatened’ by the toddler’s father. So she sprayed the both of them.

An 18-month old child was pepper-sprayed by a woman who claims she felt threatened by the toddler’s father. The Daily News reports the altercation began when Craig Sowby was walking his dog at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and the leash got tangled. His toddler was walking away, so Sowby released the dog and grabbed the child. Meanwhile, the unleashed dog approached Gene and Stephanie Wesloh, who were walking their own dog. Stephanie Wesloh pepper sprayed the animal and an argument ensued. Sowby said Wesloh kept pointing the pepper spray at him and his son, who was in his arms, so he tried to take it from her. That’s when she sprayed them. Sowby fled down the trail with his child, but Wesloh followed and sprayed them again.

I guess Shrew Steph felt really pressed to pepper spray that 18 month old. Those little ones can be violent as all get out, can’t they? Or maybe she just acted like an inconsiderate, self-absorbed, shrewish, depraved, git. Or maybe she’s just one of those people who takes the violent course at the least provocation. Or maybe she just didn’t trust Gene (her husband?) to take care of the situation if it escalated. No, why do that, when you can whip out pepper spray and assault a little child…
People…  they’re just absurd and most of them totally curved in on themselves.  Like Stephanie.

I say this is foolish.  Many people are.  

Here is the hyperlink
http://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/total-depravity-the-shrew-who-pepper-sprayed-an-18-month-old-toddler/#comment-15155

Genesis 26-Isaac and Abimelech continued the meat of faith and blessing, and Tillich’s manly comments.

by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized
For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring<sup class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em;" value="[a]”>[a]all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.” 


The interesting thing that jumped out at me on this passage was a little phrase.  The Lord promised to


1) “give all these lands”  to Isaac and his descendants.
2) “confirm the oath” He swore to Abraham.
3) “make [Isaac’s] descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky.
4) “give [Isaac’s descendants]” all the lands Abharam and Isaac inherited.
5) “bless all nations of the earth” through Isaac’s offspring


and the reason He was going to do all of this???


here is the Phrase that jumped out at me


BECAUSE ABRAHAM OBEYED ME AND KEPT MY REQUIREMENTS, MY COMMANDS, MY DECREES, AND MY LAWS.


wow!!!!


Not because of Isaac’s faith or whatever, but Isaac’s faith in the context of Abraham’s faith.


Because Isaac’s father obeyed and lived the life he lived, God was going to bless Isaac in the above 5 ways.  


I would contend that the attitude of Abraham that rendered all of these things to Isaac was faith (Hebrew 11:6).  “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”


When we believe God, there is a willingness to obey, and through the obedience that is rendered in that faith, the blessings of God flow.  


What blessings?  You name it.  


It’s a matter of faith, trust that God will do as He says.  The explanation of faith is found not in 11:1, since 11:1 tells was faith is.  Rather the second par of verse 6 is what tells us how to operate in faith and thus reap His rewards for us, as confirmed by Matthew 6:33.


because anyone who comes to him must believe that he [is] and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6b).


This is a beef I
have with some of these translations, when they render for the purposes in terms that are inaccurate.


We must believe that God IS.  Remember, as Tillich said, God does not exist as a being.  Rather God is the foundation and ground for all being,and He is being and existence itself.  He is the reason and purpose for all that exists.  He is.  As He said to Moses, I AM, and in John 8:58, I AM.  




This is one argument about God that Tillich has dead-on.  The concept of God  being beyond being and existence.


This shows due reverence for Him.


I am curious what other metaphysicists, philosophers, and scholars have to say about the subject.


Anyone know what others say about God on this topic???


Email, or reply to this post.

Genesis 26-Isaac and Abimelech

by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized
This is one of my favorite passages of the Bible, especially since it highlights one of the lesser written-about patriarchs.  There were actually in my view, more than just three patriarchs,  I would count about 5 or 6

Job functioned in a unique capacity with many characteristics as the standard patriarchs, not to mention his narrative is a wisdom document of antiquity, an excellent document dealing with wisdom and the sovereignty of God in human affairs, and a document that influenced and continues to influence Jewish thought and thus in part helped form Jewish identity.  More on this in another post.

Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph (who really ought to be counted as a patriarch, since his actions helped establish Israel in the land, or at the least, protector of the nation, in addition to Jacob’s blessing on Joseph and his sons) receive at least 10 chapters or more, apiece. 

Finally, Judah was responsible for being the line through which ha-Meshaich would come. 


Let’s consider the chapter verse by verse, at least the first pa

1 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar.

Evidently, famines were common in the arid conditions of those days.  We are not told why Isaac went to Gerar, but it might have had something to do with the fact of the famine, that perhaps resources were available in either Gerar or Egypt.  I would imagine the Lord had some idea Isaac would repeat Abraham’s itinerary, and go there, since this chapter is, except for the trip, almost a carbon copy of some of Abraham’s exploits.

 2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.


No introduction leading up to this theophany (physical manifestation of God’s person).  It says plainly, without stating that Isaac heard the LORD previously, that God plainly showed up and told Isaac what to do.  And perhaps this was an interruption.  Maybe it was to give Isaac an opportunity to trust God since the actions of Abraham in this patterm previously frequently originated with an attitude of doubt, particularly in the area of trusting God with the safety of Sarah.


Next come the specific instructions.

3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. 


God promises His abiding presence and a confirmation of the oath He swore to Abraham to multiply descendants of faith after the manner of Abraham’s faith.  Blessing and provision are sure to follow obedience to God’s spoken promises.




Thoughts?


Continued in the next post.



Dr. West has a dominant post here. You all should read it.

by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

Want to know what the status of the American church is in many places?  Consider this link by brother Jim West.  Absolutely pins the tail where it belongs. Of course, Christians ought to be reminded never to confuse going to church with being a believer.  Nevertheless, commitment to communing in faith is evidence of our commitment to Christ.

http://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/our-iraqi-brothers-and-sisters/

Do I really…?

by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

Lonely.

Isolation.
I have been alone with my thoughts since coming to Connecticut.  I have had a lot of time to think, since no one has yet hired me. Though I am still very happy to have the friends I have, and though I have the Lord, some hole and void is still there.  A gnawing.  I miss those people in Ohio, Missouri, and Florida who mean so much to me, and who I can call, come over to their houses, and hang out and spend an hour or two, picking up where we left off.  


Don’t get me wrong, New England is great, and has been great.  The people are among the nicest in the country, and the landscape is among the most beautiful in the world.  I would not trade that for anything, knowing I am in the center of God’s will.  But it sometimes feels as though the center of God’s will can grow lonely, especially now that I am climbing up to a place that partly meets my calling and the thing in which I will be most fulfilled and satisfied doing:  classical ministry, as it were.  

I am working through some of these issues, and praying, as I keep applying to work and setting my resume out, that the Lord’s door will open in this complicated situation.  

Work would be nice.











To those concerned I might be bypassing to Facebook…more commentary on Genesis, in the account of Joseph

by theparacleteshammer, posted in Uncategorized

dFirst of all, let me reassure those of you who think I might be experiencing marriage problems, which is leading to my FB suspension, let me reassure you that is not the case.  My wife and I are doing quite well, and it really is the marriage conference, in large part, which provoked me to take this hiatus.  I am really enjoying the last few days, and being able to take care of convalescing relatives (two sons and my wife) has really given me a good dose of patience and pleasure in the smaller things in life (namely Isaac and Emmaus). 


Secondly, this blogging is no attempt to circumvent FB to communicate with others.  I am not that smart or desperate (well, okay, maybe that smart, but certainly not that desperate).


Okay, so, back to my post.  I was reading the latter fifth of Genesis, and it just occurred to my on Monday I had a dream about my future as well.  If the dream comes true, I will be back in Missouri at some point.


The latter fifth is about Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery in Egypt and rose from the prison to become the chief Egyptian administrator.  I would say that he was sold into slavery by his envious brothers because he shot off at the mouth rather than humbling himself and keeping the dreams within.  The odd thing, perhaps, is that if he had not shared those dreams, he might not have gotten sold into slavery.  Perhaps he was meant to tell his brothers, and the were meant to get envious, and his destiny was to be sold into slavery in Egypt.  This says something about our circumstances.  No matter how bad they get, God can still use even the worst of them to do a massive amount of good.  Perhaps, sometimes, it is by His permission, these less-than-ideal circumstances are allowed into our life so that His glory can be manifested and made known.  For certain, without Joseph’s running off at the mouth, his family and that entire segment of the known world might have died off.


Moreover, who is to say that there are not times when God finds it necessary, in order to launch us into our ultimate destinies, to permit a lot of adversity, including prison and poverty.

Job, anyone?

I wonder what Calvin would say about this…