"Atheism, World Religions, and Christianity"

 Since I spent a lot of time editing my "Atheism and World Religions" Bible Study post (to send it to a relative in jail who shares what I send with others on the same floor), I figured I'd post it here too, to make the time I spent on it more worth it.  (There are "questions for discussion" at the end of the original post, click here to find them.).  Okay, so here we go:

Christianity isn’t always a shiny, happy, “everything goes smoothly and life’s always great” kind of faith.  It can be messy, painful, and difficult.  Many of us believers may someday find ourselves in a deep pit of despair, struggling with heartache, doubt, fear, desperately seeking assurance and reasons to keep clinging to Jesus, for evidence that our faith is resting on something solid, that we weren’t fooling ourselves all this time but that the Bible is really true, that God is really real, that He cares about us and can be trusted, that He is watching over us, that someday we’ll be with Him in heaven and everything will be okay.  If so, this study may be for you.  Or maybe you’re doing fine but would love to have some solid support for your faith, to have some great reasons for why you believe what you do.  Or maybe you don’t believe in God or the Bible but want to, and you just need some extra proof to give you the push you need.  In that case, this study might be for you too.  This will be long (and more personal than “academic”) because I will be looking at several different things which all relate to what we choose to believe and why: atheism, world religions, heretical teachings, evidence to support the Bible and Jesus, and how I would describe salvation and faith in Jesus.

Using Essential Oils during Sick Season

Since we are headed into sick season (and have been in it for almost 2 years now), I thought I'd compile a few of my favorite, commonly-used essential oil recipes, for easy reference.

 

FYI: There are some essential oils that should not be used around pets (particularly tea tree oil), so research the oils you use before diffusing it in the same room as your pet.  And there are some that are not recommended for use on or around small children (or those with compromised immune systems).  Research the oils you use before using them if you have pets, little kids, or people with health issues.  I will add notes about using essential oils around children at the bottom of this post, and recommendations for dilution ratios.  (Also see “My Basic Safety Rules for Essential Oils.”)  NEVER use essential oils directly on skin without diluting first.  And dilute it more for younger kids.  I created the recipes below for my family’s use, for kids aged 10 and up.  And we all have averagely-healthy immune systems.  (All the oils listed in these recipes are Essential Oils, not fragrance or flavor oils.)

Which first: book or movie?

I've contemplated this question over the years ...

Which is best: Watch the movie first or read the book first?  

And I've gone back and forth on this: "It's best to read the book first because then I'll understand the movie better/deeper ... No, it's best to watch the movie first so that I have a mental picture of places and characters and then the book will come more alive for me ... No, book first because it's what the author intended and then when I watch the movie, I'll be able to know the real story, what the movie changed or left out ... But, wait, maybe that's why I should watch the movie first, because if I know the real story and can tell what the movie changed or left out, it'll ruin the movie for me ... But if I watch the movie first then I'll know how it ends, and I'll feel like I'm wasting my time reading the book because the ending won't be a surprise anymore ... But surprises aren't always good; I hate investing a lot of time in a book and then being burned by a terrible ending, so maybe it's better to watch the movie first so that I'll know if I like the ending or not, if it's worth reading the book or not, and I won't waste as much time finding out because movies are way shorter than books ... But maybe the fact that the book takes so long to read is a reason to read the book first because, if I don't know what happens but it turns out to have a great ending (but I won't know till I get there), then I get more time to savor the journey, to get more invested in it and to enjoy the mystery of where it's going ... etc." 

Anyway, after going round and round on this for years, I think I finally figured out the best answer ...

Are concerned parents "terrorists"?

Watch this 44-second video "Teacher sings how parents are terrorists"  (Update: Or read the words here.)

(Can you say "psycho"?)

Do you know who's teaching your kids nowadays?  Do you realize how many teachers and other education "professionals" don't think parents have a right to be involved, or to question teachers, or to know what their kids are being taught (remember the teacher who was upset about remote learning because they didn't want parents being able to listen in to what was being taught or the educator who advised teachers to have two lesson plans, a pared-down version to show the parents and the real version with the things they were really going to teach), or to push back against things they consider inappropriate or harmful?  

Wake up, parents!  Before it's too late.

Brandon?

So I just passed a small protest on a street corner of our little city, and I just gotta say ...

I don't know who this "Brandon" guy is ... but, my goodness, everybody sure is rooting for him.  He must be doing something amazing to have almost everyone in the country, even the guy with the blowhorn at the protest, cheering "Let's go, Brandon!" all the time.

😉 

Though They Have Eyes, They Will Not See

So according to this article, it appears that scientists have found evidence of the type of biblical destruction that happened to Sodom.  They say they found a town that was destroyed by a blast of heat so hot that it pretty much melted everything.  They say that there's no earthly natural heat source that could do this, so they speculate that it must have been an asteroid that exploded over the town, melting everything.  Oh, and they speculate that the reason no one lived there afterward was that the asteroid impact might have brought over so much salt from the nearby Dead Sea that nothing could grow.  This, they say, must be what inspired people to make up the story of Sodom in the Bible.

But I say that here's your "asteroid," scientists:

"The Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah - from the Lord out of the heavens.  Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities - and also the vegetation in the land." (Genesis 19:24-25)

And here's your salt:

"But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." (Genesis 19:26)

"The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur - nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it.  It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger." (Deuteronomy 29:23)

The Bible literally provides the answer that the scientists can't figure out, but instead of accepting it, they make up their own explanation and then say that the Bible story was inspired by that.

Though they have eyes, they will not see.

Though they have ears, they will not hear.

Book-Sale Finds

Well, I went to that book sale the other day ... and what a bummer!  

Thousands of books and almost none that interested me.  

I was trying to find 2 books from a certain series and, of course, those were like the only 2 from the series they didn't have.  There were none from another series I was looking for.  The kid's section was really small, and I was hoping for a large one.  

Deep Thoughts, by a Book Lover

Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say it ...

I love books.  I love reading.  I love the written word.  Books, magazines, newspapers, comic strips, cookbooks, cereal boxes, the Bible, even school textbooks.  (You don't go on to graduate school to get a master's degree in psychology if you can't stand school and reading!)  

It doesn't matter what it is, I love to read.  

"Burn the Ships"

I've shared this song before, but it's worth sharing again (and I'll get around to writing about books soon, next post):  

I love this song and video.  And so do my kids.  In fact, I'd say it's one of the best ever made:

Burn the Ships by For King and Country  (Click here for where I first found it.)

This song is inspired by the wife of one of the singers who had to struggle to break free from an addiction to anti-nausea medication following pregnancy.  And it's also inspired by the story of an explorer (Cortes, I believe) who made sure that his men didn't leave him, that they didn't rebel and take the ships back to their homeland instead of exploring the new lands with him.  And he did this with a bold move: by burning the ships, making it impossible for them to retreat and go home.  And now they had no choice but to go forward into the new lands with him.  They had to put the past behind them and walk into the future.

This song's about breaking free from what holds us back, about leaving the past behind, the things that imprison us.  It's about doing what needs to be done to make retreat - defeat - impossible.  It's about starting over with a fresh start, bolding stepping into the future. 

It might be inspired by the singer's wife and her addiction to medication, but it can fit for so many of us and the things we struggle with.

Can We All Agree On This Much About The "Vac$ine"?

I'm going to be starting up this blog again, posting (among other things) about a passion of mine: Books.  But first, I want to get this out of the way...

I'm sure no one wants to hear yet another opinion about the dang viru$ and "vac$ine" (and so don't read this if you don't want to).  But, even though I have very strong opinions about all this and very strong reasons for my opinions (I'll be fiercely biting my tongue trying to keep the bulk of my thoughts and my sarcasm to myself), I will say this much about it ... and then I'll move on:

Okay, One More ...

Dedicated to all my brothers and sisters in Christ, the faithful few, in these crazy, uncertain times:  

Eyes on the Prize  (from the movie Greencard)

Listen to the words.  Hear the message.  And hang in there.  It's gonna be okay.