Aaron Rodgers Surprises Young Girl & Helps Her Door To Door To Raise Awa...

In the last month the news has been bombarded with stories of Professional athletes gone bad. So it is refreshing to find an athlete like Aaron Rodgers helping this young girl, who just lost her twin brother to pediatric cancer, raise awareness of cancer.

This video makes me want to become a Green Bay Packer fan.

The clash of two world views finally woke us up from our slumber when news arrived of a woman's beheading by a man trying to convert people to Allah in the work place

Yesterday, the reality of this Muslim religion hit a small bible belt community in Oklahoma as a recently converted Islamic man, fired from his job and with a long criminal record, returned to the front entrance of the company and completely beheaded a woman who worked in customer service. Had the CEO who had a concealed weapon not been there to shoot this man many deaths would have occurred because the man wasn't going to stop.

I wanted to know more about the Islamic world view and so  I did some research on Wikipedia and the bible because I saw my life as a Christian was clashing with the life of those who call themselves Muslim.

In Genesis 16, the birth of Ishmael was planned by the Patriarch Abraham's first wife, who at that time was known as Sarai. She and her husband Abram (Abraham) sought a way to have children in order to fulfill the Abrahamic covenantthat was established in Genesis 15. Since Sarai had yet to bear Abraham a child, her idea was to offer her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar to Abraham, so that they could have a child by her. Abraham consented to a marital arrangement taking Hagar as his second wife[3] when he was in his late 85th year of age. Customs of that time dictated that, although Hagar was the birth mother, any child conceived would belong to Sarai and Abraham (Sarah and Abraham).[4]

So the origins of this race began.

Genesis 16:7-16 describes the naming of Ishmael, and Yahweh's promise to Hagar concerning Ishmael and his descendants. This occurred at the well of Beer-lahai-roi, located in the desert region between Abraham’s settlement and Shur. Hagar fled here after Sarai dealt harshly with her for showing contempt for her mistress following her having become pregnant. Here, Hagar encountered an angel of Yahweh who instructed her to return and be submissive to Sarai so that she could have her child there. The blessing that this child's father was promised was that Abraham's descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the earth. However, the promise would be to a son of Sarai; yet God would make of this child a great nation, who would be named Ishmael, because he was of the seed of Abraham. When Ishmael was born, Abraham was 86 years old.


When he was 13 years old, Ishmael was circumcised at the same time as all other males in Abraham's house becoming a part of the covenant in a mass circumcision. His father Abram, given the new name "Abraham," was also at this time, at the age of 99, initiated into the covenant by having himself and the males of his entire household circumcised. (Genesis 17)

At the time of the covenant, God informed Abraham that his wife Sarah would give birth to a son, which he was instructed to name Isaac. God told Abraham that He would establish his covenant through Isaac, and when Abraham inquired as to Ishmael's role, God answers that Ishmael has been blessed and that He “will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis 17)

A year later, Ishmael's half-brother Isaac was born to Abraham by his first wife Sarah.On the day of feasting during which Abraham celebrated the weaning of Isaac, Ishmael was “mocking” or "playing with" Isaac (the Hebrew word is ambiguous[5])[1] and Sarah asked Abraham to expel Ishmael and his mother, saying: "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac."[4][6] This proposition was grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son and the bondwoman, Hagar. Abraham only agreed when God told him that "for in Isaac your seed shall be called", and that He would "make a nation of the son of the bondwoman" Ishmael, since he was a descendant of Abraham. (Genesis 21:11–13)

At the age of 14, Ishmael was freed along with his mother. The Lord’s covenant made clear Ishmael was not to inherit Abraham’s house and that Isaac would be the seed of the covenant. Abraham gave him and his mother a supply of bread and water and sent them away. Hagar entered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba where the two soon ran out of water and Hagar, not wanting to witness the death of her son, set the boy some distance away from herself, and wept. "And God heard the voice of the lad" and sent his angel to tell Hagar, "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation." And God "opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water", from which she drew to save Ishmael's life and her own. "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer." (Genesis 21:14–21)

Family tree[edit]

Sarah

Abraham

Hagar

Isaac

Ishmael

Ishmaelites

Islam[edit]

Lineage of six prominent prophets according to Islamic tradition
Adem (Adam) Nūḥ (Noah) Ibrāhīm(Abraham) Ismā'īl (Ishmael) Isḥāq (Isaac) Mūsa (Moses) Marīam (Mary) ʿĪsā (Jesus) Abdul-Muttalib Muhammad
Dotted lines indicate multiple generations

See also: Ishmael in Islam and Hagar in Islam

Ishmael is recognized as an important prophet and patriarch of Islam. Muslimsbelieve that Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, born to him from his second wifeHagar. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arabtribes and being the forefather of Muhammad.^[32] Muslims also believe that Muhammad was the descendant of Ishmael that would establish a great nation, as promised by God in the Old Testament.^[33]

And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of 12 rulers, and I will make them into a great nation.
—Genesis 17:20

Ishmael in the Quran


Ishmael is mentioned over ten times in the Quran, often alongside other patriarchsand prophets of ancient times. In XIX: 54, the Quran says: "And make mention in the Scripture of Ishmael. He was a keeper of his promise, and he was a messenger, a prophet. He enjoined upon his people worship and almsgiving, and was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord." Later on, in XXXVIII: 48, Ishmael is mentioned together with Elisha and Dhul-Kifl as one of "the patiently enduring and righteous, whom God caused to enter into his mercy." It is also said of Lot, Elisha, Jonah and Ishmael, that God gave each one "preference above the worlds" (VI: 86). These references to Ishmael are, in each case, part of a larger context in which other holy prophets are mentioned. In other chapters of the Quran, however, which date from the Medina period, Ishmael is mentioned closely with his father Abraham: Ishmael stands alongside Abraham in their attempt to set up the Kaaba inMecca as a place of monotheistic pilgrimage (II: 127-129) and Abraham thanks God for granting him Ishmael and Isaac in his old age (XIV: 35-41). Ishmael is further mentioned alongside the patriarchs who had been given revelations (II: 136) and Jacob's sons promise to follow the faith of their forefathers, "Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac", when testifying their faith (II: 133). In the narrative of the near-sacrifice of Abraham's son (XXXVII: 100-107), the son is not named and, although the general interpretation is that it was Ishmael, Tabari[34] maintained that it was Isaac. Most modern commentators, however, regard the son's identification as least important in a narrative which is given for its moral lesson.[35]

Muslim and the Jewish people point to Abraham as the founder of their religion. Both point to Abraham as their father.Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet, not the true covenant of God.When I taught Sunday school there was a song we had the kids sing. Here is that song:

In the book of Galatians 4: 21-31 Paul refers back to the earlier covenant made to Abraham's two decendent's.


Galatians 4:21-31New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Bond and Free

21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the bondwoman [a]was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 [b]This is allegorically speaking, for thesewomen are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children [c]who are to be slaves; [d]she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; [e]she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate
Than of the one who has a husband.”

28 And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say?

“Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, [f]but of the free woman.

So we have the story of how the clash of how the two cultures originated. God provided the final covenant when Mary bore a son, Jesus Christ, who would be the salvation of the world. Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John 14:6 states, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."


The final covenant made with the birth of Jesus Christ trumped all previous covenants. As we struggle with the news of the beheading we, as believers in Jesus Christ must hang on to the very words of Jesus Christ through the four gospels for it is in these words that the Holy Spirit speaks to us.

As I reflect on the history of how this religion began I am motivated to keep my faith in Jesus Christ, not to throw it away, but to keep putting one foot in front of the other and honoring my Lord, Jesus Christ, each and every Sabbath. I ran across another statistic that you will not see in the news:

The number of Muslims in Africa [a land of 1 billion] has diminished to 316 million, half of whom are Arabs in North Africa...In every hour, 667Muslims convert to Christianity. Everyday, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity.

Muslim Statistics (Population) - WikiIslam
wikiislam.net/wiki/Muslim_Statistics_-_Population

I learned several things from this study: (1) both the Muslim and the Jews and Christians point to father Abraham; (2) both have a very reverent believe in God; (3) God made everything right through the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ, allowing everyone to  come to the Savior with no strings attached.

Muslims are coming to Christ the same way others are coming to Christ. They want what Jesus Christ represents: the payment for their sin's that none of us could ever satisfy no matter how much we pray or how much we sacrifice, or how much we try to be perfect.

As Christians I believe our response to the tragedy of the Oklahoma beheading is to pray for all Muslim people that they will discover the truth of this new covenant through Jesus Christ.

The loss of a loved one often leads to a crisis with our faith: we can either choose to continue walking with God, or we can turn bitter and callous toward Him

John 14:6New American Standard Bible (NASB)

6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

It seems that when we are in crisis, whether it is the loss of a child, or another loss we come to the proverbial fork in the road: either we choose to pursue the righteousness of God and trust Him that even in this crisis He knows what He is doing with us, or we can drown in our misery and our sorrow and reject Him and take a different road. 

 For me, choosing to follow Christ became an every day occurrence.  Surely, sadness and anger were my friends as I struggled to reconcile just what happened to me. Choosing for me meant I continue trusting God by going to the weekly worship services each  Sabbath, continue to be involved in ministry that best uses my Spiritual gifts, and choosing to follow Christ by being open to the pearls of wisdom from Christian friends, whether they were pastors, group of christian men I did bible study with, listening to Christian radio, or simply grabbing my bible and reading out of His word.

Choosing is a choice all of us who are in crisis have to make.

When I had those moments when I thought God had abandoned me, I remembered the  blessings of old. I remember how God answered my prayer and bought my wife and I together. I remember that prayer very well, "dear Lord, please give me eyes for this woman".  I remembered the weeks and months following my personal commitment to Christ how God helped me to finally accept my disability, lead me to good college teachers who guided me to my present career, and to a great college ministry called Campus Crusade for Christ which lead to great Christian retreats, summer ministry projects, and eventually to a great church in New  Hope, Minnesota where I would become a member through all of the days of my life's journey.

I choose to follow Christ because Christ is alive and he speaks to me.  He is alive because thousand's witness his return from the dead before he ascended to heaven. He is alive because of the evidence of the Holy Spirit he gave to all believers. 

A crisis can be the defining moment in your life as you trust God to lead you the rest of the way home.

While I wished I could bring my loved home back I also know that my life isn't done here. The life I lead with Christ will continue to be an exciting one with many more blessings yet to come.

If you are reading this blog and you are not sure about this faith, you can be assured through a simple decision to accept Christ.

All it takes is to accept Jesus into your heart  for this assurance of salvation.

It is a choice I was glad I made in 1974,

.A simple trip to watch a girls volley ball game at Legacy Christian academy that sends you down memory lane..

Romans 15:13New American Standard Bible (NASB)13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever been down to see a railroad switching yard with it's myriad of different length tracks, some going forever and others that abruptly end?  Our lives are like those tracks.Those who have experience the loss of someone special in their lives know full well what I am talking about. When Maria passed away her track ended.  The tracks of her friends from Meadow Creek/Legacy Christian school continued way. 

 One e mail entry from August 2007 told the story of my wife hosting a 'party' for Maria's friends. They played games like hit the pinata, eating ice cream sundae's, being awarded 'prizes' from some of Maria's favorite earthly possessions, and they patiently listened to my wife talk about heaven and grieving. Her e mail described how many of her friends cried deeply and they were reminded that just as they missed Maria's famous hugs, they should give each other hugs.

On Thursday I joined my wife to watch the Legacy Girl's volley ball team play Heritage Christian academy. Many of the girl's on that team played on the varsity team. How I wished, like Super man, I could put on my red cape and reverse the planet and set back time and like Super man be there to prevent our tragic loss.  As a man I wanted to fix things. It is what we do best and when tragedy struck that ended Maria's earthly existence, so did the relationships we had with Maria's friends and their families.

That is perhaps the  hardest thing about the grief process, not being able to experience those other relationships through our loved one. As I watched the game I was reminded of Maria's birthday parties many of these girls were at.  The party at the Mad hatter in Anoka where our son play the role of the door man, greeting each of the girl's and their parent that bought them. The party at the Craft store where they had fun making things and having fun being together. The sleep over Maria had with another girl friend following our son's indoor soccer game. These were all precious memories I wished had continued.

It was fun to live these memories as we watched many of her friends play in the volleyball game that night. One player I noticed and one of my daughter's best friend was very good at encouraging her teammates with occasional hugs on the court. I smiled as I reflected that our daughter's infamous hugs lived on through these girls.

I was reminded also that the hope in Christ is that life doesn't just end when we die, but our lives continue as we experience the joy of heaven.  Maria is in heaven, enjoying fellowship with all the saints and giving hugs and receiving hugs from our risen Savior.  Our lives continue with a mission not yet complete, to bring others to the risen Savior.  As I watched this volley ball game I knew many of Maria's friends were doing an awesome job at that!

Remembering our loved ones and the time of their lives they are having makes us want to laugh out loud

Grief is a funny thing. So individualized is our grief that like two snowflakes no two grief journeys are the same. One will use up every box of Kleenex  in a day while another will hold back the tears by  working longer hours just to avoid coming home. One may ask if they will ever be normal again as wave after wave of emotions passes through them. One day the waves will be mild and manageable, while the next day, without warning, a Tsunami of emotions nearly swamp you off your feet, leaving you to wonder just what hit you.

As you lean into those waves of grief, in time you will feel things getting better. No longer do you focus on the loss of your loved one you now focus on the joy they are having in heaven.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. Revelation 21

You begin to have a tiny touch of a smile as you have visions of your loved one enjoying the fruits of heaven. You could swear you heard them enjoying bouts of laughter while enjoying the feasts of heaven as our Lord and Savior are wiping away their tears. The sense that the beauty of heaven is so breathtaking that it will momentarily take your breath away. You remember the beauty of the Grand Canyon on that trip you took with your loved one and you just know that nothing will compare to what they ares seeing and experiencing right now.

. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.Revelations 22:1-5

One day the tears of sorrow turn into tears of joy because of what you have read in the bible. The tears of joy turn into laughter as you have visions of your loved one enjoying life in heaven with no more pain and no more suffering. You see your bible on your bookshelf and decide to read more because in it you find that this is in deed the book of life of which nothing else compares. No other method brings life; not Islam, not Buddha, not meditation, not new age. Nothing gives more hope than what Jesus did on the cross. It is the only book that gives hope. Only Jesus came back from the dead, appeared to thousands before being taken up in heaven. The greatest proof of God's existence is the Holy Spirit he leaves behind with the believers to guide them through the pitfall of life. 

It is late and now that your soul has been soothed with visions of the beauty of heaven and the promises of what is to come you place your book of life back on the bookshelf and go back to sleep. You try to stifle the laughter within you so you do not wake up the household.

Is sugar more addicting than cocaine?

Since I cut out added sugar from my diet I also have noticed the elimination of the high's and low's I normally would get.  I often would get drowsy after lunch and this impacted on my ability to focus and concentrate. The sugar lows also effected my moods and in addition complicated my grief with extended periods of sadness.

When I listened and watched this video I was astounded that low fat yogurt often had more sugar in it to replace the fat they took out.  Our food manufacturers are deceiving the food buying public by making them think their low fat products are healthy when in fact they are more harmful because of the extra added sugar in their products.  

Added sugar causes all sorts of health problems and should be avoided. I cannot tell you what to do, but I do know since I cut out added sugar I have felt healthier, eat only when I am hungry, have more energy and think more clearly. In short, the way I am right now is what God intended for me.

While waiting for my wife's car at the NTB tire store...............................................

1 Thessalonians 5:11New American Standard Bible (NASB)

11 Therefore [a]encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.




My wife had been complaining of a clunk clunk sound coming from the front end.  Decided to bring it over to the NTB tire place. As I waited I struck up a conversation with retired lady  in the adjacent leather chair.  I asked her if she was getting new tires. She paused before sharing her 'story' She said her husband passed away  a week and a day ago and she was having some things checked out on his truck before she sells his truck. She said they still owed taxes on a motor home he bought at the same time as the truck and couldn't afford to keep both.

Then  her story proceeded.. He had a transplant and then he was diagnosed with cancer. They proceeded to give him chemo therapy.  Just when they thought they had caught the whole cancer he began complaining of pain.  He went in and had a scan done.  They noticed that the cancer had started spreading and recommended more chemo to attack the cancer cells. The pain still persisted which prompted another scan.  They decided to give him an oral chemo medication because of concerns that the alternative would be too strong on his weakened state. 

  She continued her story and I listened. 

 Eventually, the doctors saw that the cancer had spread all through  his body and didn't know what more they could do.  They recommended that  she drive him to Rochester Mayo to see if they could do anything for him.

On arrival at Mayo a team of cancer doctors reviewed his file.  Much to their chagrin his cat scan didn't arrive at Mayo for 4 days. On the 4th day the Mayo doctors decided to do another scan.   To everyone's shock the doctors came to the family and showed them the results.  There was one lymph node that had exploded and now there was cancer all through out his body. There was nothing more that could be done. She could either take him home, or they could find a hospice room at Mayo for them. She said when he died they had all of the grandchildren in the room surrounding his bed. It was within days when he suddenly gasp for breath  and while clutching to her hand and receiving kisses from his family he slipped away.

I had a sense that I was the first person she had every shared her grief story.   It was an honor and a privilege to  listen to her story and though the story she begins to heal from the loss.

I learned something else today.  There are many people going through similar journeys.  Often we aren't aware of them until we ask simple questions and wait for them to respond.  Even more important is the reality that we have a loving savior who desires to walk with us on this journey. The lady I talked to knew her husband was in heaven because of what Christ did in their lives.

Next time you are in a waiting room of a automotive place talk to the  neighbor next to you.  You just never know what they might share.

Oh ya, about that clunk sound.  Car needed two tires and a alignment.