Ecclesiastes 12:10

  In May of 1902, the election season was heating up on the Caribbean island of Martinique. So was the island volcano Mount Pelée. As the volcano belched smoke and fire, the citizens of Saint-Pierre, at the foot of the volcano, regarded it with mounting concern. The governor of Martinique however, was more worried about the upcoming election than he was about the volcano.   Governor Louis Mouttet feared that a panic would hurt the candidates of the ruling Progressive Party.  So he directed the editor of the local paper to downplay the danger of an eruption.  He set up roadblocks to prevent people from leaving the city. He suppressed telegrams warning of the danger.  And in a grand gesture, he paid a visit to Saint-Pierre three days before the election to assure everyone that things were just fine.   The following morning. at 8 A.M. Pelée erupted.  The blast of superheat ash killed the governor and thirty thousand others in less than tw...

By The Numbers I'm counting on you Who killed 1,000 men with the with the jawbone of a donkey? David Jonathan Nimrod Samson Who caught 153 fish in one casting of a net? Peter Jonah Paul Joseph Who was shipwreck along with 276 persons? Jonah Paul Elijah Peter Who 5 times received from the Jews 39 lashes? Jesus Elisha Peter Paul Who healed a man by the Bethesda Pool that had been ill for 38 years? Jesus Peter Moses Elisha Who had 40 sons and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 donkeys; and he judged Israel 8 years? Samson Abdon Gideon Jair Of what animals did Jesus say was sold "5 for 2 cents"? Pigs Dogs Sparrows Mice In what city were magic books burned that cost 50,000 pieces of silver? Jerusalem Corinth Rome Ephesus Who turned water from 6 stone waterpots containing 20 or 30 gallons each into wine? Jeremiah Elijah Jesus Paul What happened on the 17th day in the 2nd month of the 600 year of Noah's life? The fl...

  A typical microwave oven consumes more electricity powering its digital clock than it does heating food.  While heating food requires as much as 100 times the power as running the clock does, the microwave heats food less than 1% of the time while the clock is typically always running. Therefore, in total, the clock uses up more electricity.   There is a lesson there.  Many of use a lot more of our resources (time, energy, effort, money) in the mundane things of life rather than in our real intended purpose.  It doesn’t seem like much but often it is the little things that add up to keep us from being fruitful in the Lord kingdom. “but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful .” Mark 4:19   These trivialities become common excuses for many Christian. I just don’t have the time. I’m just so busy. When things settle down. When I've go...

Here or Him I'll give you a Biblical name; you choose if it is a place, a person, or both Israel Place Person Both Amaziah Place Person Both Capernaum Place Person Both Sinai Place Person Both Manasseh Place Person Both Amnon Place Person Both Shechem Place Person Both Sanballat Place Person Both Jubal. Place Person Both Malta Place Person Both

  If there is one aspect that Jesus seems to emphasize in his teaching about prayer, it is that it is not a one and done thing. (Luke 18:1-8, Luke 11:5-13)   Prayer takes constancy to work. If I ask and don’t receive, it shouldn’t be taken as a reason to not pray anymore. Take the example of Elijah: Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.  Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18   Here James gives him as an example of the effective nature of prayer. He changed the weather! But exactly how did that work?   In 1 Kings 18:42-45, we see Elijah praying for the rain to come back. In verse 42, He is confident that it will rain by his proclamation to King Ahab. That’s important (James 1:16). But notice how many times it took.   Not after the first prayer or the second at...

Horse & Hound For those that bark or neigh Whose sores were licked by dogs in Jesus's parable? Poor Lazarus The Rich Man The Tax Collector The Unmerciful Servant Who was led on horseback through the city square much to the consternation of Haman? Jesus Paul Mordecai Esther Who was eaten trampled by horses and eaten by dogs in the district of Jezreel? Abner Nathan Jehu Jezebel According to James what is put in a horse's mouth to make it obey? A goad A lance A bridle A bit What did Jesus say not to give to dogs? Bones What is Holy Table scraps Unclean items What was the name of the rider of the white horse called in Revelation? Megaddon Hades Death Faithful and True What group did Paul describe as dogs? Gentiles Roman officials Pagan idols Those of the false circumcision How many of Gideon men lapped water like a dog? 300 700 5000 10000 What rich king had  4,000 stalls for horses? David Omar Solomon Herod What p...

   Norway had a plan to keep death from coming to the country.   Now they knew they couldn’t stop all death but in 1349 the death they feared was the Black Death or The Plague. Bubonic plague had ravaged Europe taking over 60% of its population. However, Scandinavia was isolated enough that had been spared and Norway was determined to keep it that way.   Since the disease was transmitted by fleas that live on rats, Norway made every ship that came into its port go thru quarantine. If the ship had signs of rat or flea infestation, it was turned away; otherwise, the crew (if in good health) and supplies were allowed to disembark as planned.  It might have worked except for one ship that refused to stop and be checked.   The reason? They were already dead.   A ship had left England healthy but during the journey, the disease began to take the lives of the crew, but only the crew. The creatures that brought the plague onto the shi...

Time This shouldn't take too long... How long did darkness overtake the land on the day of Jesus crucifixion? From the third hour to the fifth hour From the sixth hour till the ninth From the second hour till the tenth hour For less than an hour At what hour did the fever leave the official's son, the same hour he had met with Jesus? Sixth Seventh Eighth Tenth In Revelation, what causes silence in heaven for about half an hour? The women are removed The beast is revealed The seventh seal is broken The rapture starts How long did the Egyptian weep for Joseph's father Israel? 40 days and nights Thirty-five days Seventy days One year In the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector, how often did the Pharisee say he fasted? Twice a week Every month On the Seventh day, the Sabbath Each and every year How long was Jonah in the belly of the Sea Monster? Two Weeks Three days and nights A day and a half A long hour How long was Noah in...

  I am amazed by how oblivious people can be. It might have always been this way and I never noticed [i] but lately, it seems to be everywhere. Maybe people are more self-absorbed. Maybe we are just too focused on our phone. Whatever the cause people don’t seem to have any awareness of what is going on around them.  And that can be a very dangerous thing.   I’m not talking about walking into traffic because you are not looking, though I see that happen. It is the spiritual obliviousness. Not seeing that your circumstances are consequences of your actions (Gal. 6:7). Not seen yourselves for how you truly are (James 1:23-25). Looking at the speck and not seeing the planks (Matthew 7:3-5). Missing the spiritual opportunities right in front of you (John 4:35). Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law Psalms 119:18    We need to look around. We need to look up. The answers we are struggling for are there if we just use ou...