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4. Testings By the Brook (Part 1) (1 Kings 17:2-7)
One of the new terms of our day is "virtual reality." We live in a day and time filled with imaginary stories, characters and scenes. These transport us into unreality, a world of make believe, even a world of science fiction that catapults us into a another world. Now with modern science, we can experience virtual reality, that which truly seems real, but isn't. However, when we turn to the Word of God, we are brought face-to-face with reality. Contrary to what the skeptics say, Scripture is not myth or cleverly devised tales. Nor is it some kind of virtual reality, but true reality--realities that teach us about the living God and about fallen mankind living in a fallen world.
Nowhere is reality more clear than in the book of the preacher of wisdom, Ecclesiastes. You will find no imaginary character in the book of Ecclesiastes--not one. Instead, Solomon gives us inspired truth about what life is like on planet earth. He shows us what life is like under the sun: it is like chasing after wind, a phrase found eight times in this book. What is life under the sun? It is life without the dimension of God; life that fails to go beyond the sun into the heavenlies, into the realities of God's revelation.
Chuck Swindoll writes:
In this ragged-edged reality called earthly existence, life is somewhere between sad and bad. All it takes is a quick look around to discover why we line up to watch fantasies that take us to galaxies far, far away. Who wouldn't want to escape from an existence as boring and painful as ours? For many, it's downright horrid. It's drug abuse. It's sleepless nights. It's headaches. It's heartaches. It's hate, rape, assault, jail sentences. It's sickness and sorrow. It's broken lives. It's distorted minds. Mainly, as Solomon discovered long ago, it's empty. There's nothing down here under the sun that will give you and me a sense of lasting satisfaction. It is planned that way! How else would we realize our need for the living God?
I don't care how good your professional practice is, much of it is boring. I don't care how big your house is or how exciting your future is. I don't care how hard you work or how large your paycheck or how sincere your efforts, when you boil life down to the nubbies . . . when the lights are turned off at night, you're back to reality--its boring and horribly empty. To quote Solomon the realist, it is like chasing the wind.
You work so that you can make money, so that you can spend it, so that you can work and make more money, so that you can spend it, so that you can get more, which will mean you spend more, and you work harder to make more. So goes this endless cycle called 'striving after wind.'
That explains why people will line up by the millions to view a fantasy on film and sit in silent amazement at someone's imaginary world of imaginary characters who do imaginary things--because life under the sun is so dreadfully, unchangingly boring.
To put it bluntly, life on planet Earth without God is the pits. And if I may repeat my point (Solomon does numerous times), that's the way God designed it. He made it like that. He placed within us that God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill. Until He is there, nothing satisfies.10
We dare not forget that Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, was a man who had everything. Indeed, he had everything in luxurious abundance. The issue is not more, a great society, or the removal of all the problems of society. When you add the conditions of a society like Elijah faced, or like we face today, then the feelings of futility, pain, frustration, troubled hearts, dashed expectations, the sense of chasing the wind is magnified many times over.
Are you sufficiently depressed now? I truly hope so, because this is one of the key themes of Scripture. God has designed it this way in a world that has fallen into sin, particularly, the sin of seeking to live life and find meaning in life without God. Truly, our hope in Christ, like a brilliant diamond, needs the stark, black backdrop of the utter futility of life under the sun to show us our need and drive us to our knees. Surely, the word of the Lord that came to Elijah, "go hide yourself," desperately needs to be heard by every one of us.
The Communication
"And the word of the LORD came to him saying" (vs. 2). To be more accurate with the Hebrew text, the word "and," is better rendered as the NIV with "then" or by "thereupon" to show the idea of temporal or logical sequence. The communication from the Lord came after Elijah's faithfulness and obedience (vs. 1). This illustrates that, having ears to hear, obedience and application of the truth we know lead to greater capacity for more insight into God's truth and sensitivity to God's direction in one's life. Obeying the revelation he had and being a man who spent time alone with God, he was prepared for more. In other words, he had ears to hear and to obey the commands of God even though he might not understand the nature of those commands. He was not conducting little debates with God.
By contrast, disobedience to the truth has the opposite effect. It hardens our hearts and closes our ears, killing our capacity to hear and respond to the work and ministry God wants to call us to (cf. Mark 6:52; Heb. 3:7-15; 5:11; Ps. 40:6-7). People often complain about how hard it is to know God's leading. The problem is not God's leading--He is always ready to lead us. The problem is our listening, and too often, our listening is colored by false expectations and selfish motives. We want the Lord to answer in our way. We want God's blessing on our will rather than seeking His will. We tend to make up our list of what we would like to do with our lives, even as it pertains to serving the Lord. We then present that to the Lord for His approval.
What the Lord would now tell Elijah was most likely contrary to what he was expecting. After all was he not a prophet, and had he not come to proclaim the Word to Israel? He was there to serve, preach, perform miracles, and to be active for the Lord--right? But please note that the Lord didn't tell Elijah to do any of these things. In view of this, the command that follows is very interesting and illuminating. It reveals one of the great insights and priorities of the Word, one that busy, self-sufficient, workaholic people who have been bitten by the bug of activism and/or materialism have a hard time grasping.
The Command:
Retreat, Conceal Yourself
1 Kings 17:3 Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan..
The "brook Cherith" (NASB), or the "ravine Kerith" (NIV), was one of the many waddies or ravines that emptied its waters into the Jordan from the mountains to the east. Elijah was commanded to depart from Samaria, to turn eastward across the Jordan, and to hide there. Remember, names in Scripture are significant and often shed additional light on a passage. "Cherith" is the Hebrew kerith that means "a cutting," a place cut by some type of catastrophe like an earthquake, or more likely, by years of water flowing down from the hills to the Jordan. There were many brooks in this area to which Elijah could have been sent, but only one that was called by this name. We might note that the Hebrew kerithuth means "a cutting" and was used of divorce, of the cutting of matrimonial bonds.
Why is Elijah sent to the place of cutting? Some think for protection from Ahab. Perhaps that was part of it but it was not the primary reason because later God sent Elijah to face the king and the king made no attempt to slay him (1 Kgs. 18:17-20). More likely the reason was seclusion, concealment. (a) The Hebrew word for "hide" is satar that means "to hide, conceal, cover" In the Hebrew text it is a reflexive stem and refers to what one does to and for himself. So it means "to hide, conceal yourself." It refers to a deliberate and decisive choice in obedience to God's command. (b) A main idea of the verb is "to be absent, out of sight." Literally it means "absent yourself." The noun form, seter, is used of the womb as a secret place, a place of shelter (Ps. 139:15). (c) Finally, the verb form is used in relation to God's presence as the omniscient One who becomes a hiding place, a shelter for the believer.
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide (satar) me in the shadow of Thy wings.
Psalm 31:20 Thou dost hide (satar) them in the secret (seter) place of Thy presence from the conspiracies of man; Thou dost keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
The Challenges or Tests
There are at least four tests in 1 Kings 17:2-7. The first test comes out of the command to go and hide himself, and in the reasons for this command. It is the test of God's guidance.
The Test of God's Guidance (vss. 2-3)
The testing concerned with God's guidance is seen in the command for Elijah to leave and hide by the brook east of Jordan. As the Lord works providentially and sovereignly in our lives, we are nearly always faced with a number of tests that challenge our faith, obedience, love for God, our values and priorities, and demonstrate just how real God is to us.
What are some of these tests? We can divide them into three aspects: (a) the test related to our need of guidance, (b) the mystery of God's guidance, and (c) the perplexity of His guidance.
Our Need of God's Guidance
We all must recognize how desperately we need the revelation and direction of the living God. After Elijah gave his message, he needed God's guidance to know what to do next. What is God's plan? What is my need at the moment? Man's tendency is to direct his own way, but Scripture firmly warns us against that.
Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."
James addresses this in his epistle,
James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
For us to strike out on any venture or task without seeking God's direction is arrogant independence. It is acting as though we can direct our own way. The test is simply this: Do we recognize our need and prayerfully and studiously seek God's guidance? Do we wait on the Lord?
This first test of God's guidance is a test of our basic orientation and attitude toward life. Will we follow the command of Proverbs 3:5-6? "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Or will we turn to our own strategies? (cf. Isa. 50:10-11; Jer. 2:12-13) Do we hunger for God's Word because we understand our need? Or are we proudly confident in our own resources? (Isa. 66:2b)
One of the questions Elijah faced as the Lord revealed His will to him was "why does God want me to go and hide?" In answer to that question, the prophet faced two issues--one relating to the nation and one for himself. For the nation it was a judgment. God was removing His instrument of the Word from their midst, at least for the time being, until their hearts could be prepared by the suffering that would follow (cf. Ps. 74:1-11, especially vs. 9, also cf. Luke 4:21-29). When there is no response to His Word, God eventually removes his human messengers, turns people over to their own devices, and replaces the messengers of the Word with His instruments of discipline (cf. Amos. 8:11-14).
For Elijah, however, this time by the brook was surely designed to maintain his inner life with God and to further prepare him for the testings and the ministry that would follow. It would become a place of testing but also of spiritual growth.
There are at least two reasons why God's people need this time alone. First, we need, as Elijah did, seclusion. We need time alone, away from the hustle and bustle and the comings and goings of the rest of the society, even from our own ministries to family, church, and friends. Swindoll writes:
To be used of God. Is there anything more encouraging, more fulfilling? Perhaps not, but there is something more basic: to meet with God. To linger in His presence, to shut out the noise of the city and, in quietness, give Him the praise He deserves. Before we engage ourselves in His work, let's meet Him in His Word . . . in prayer. . . in worship.11
One of the great commands of Scripture is "Cease striving (be still, KJV) and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). How many of us truly hear the inaudible or see the invisible realities of God? What does it mean to have ears to hear? Chuck Swindoll shares a story which illustrates the point:
An Indian was walking in downtown New York City alongside a friend who was a resident of the city. Right in the center of Manhattan, the Indian seized his friend's arm and whispered, "Wait. I hear a cricket."
His friend said, "Come on! Cricket? Man, this is downtown New York."
He persisted, "No, seriously, I really do."
"It's impossible!" was the response. "You can't hear a cricket! Taxis going by. Horns honking. People screaming at each other. Brakes screeching. Both sides of the street filled with people. Cash registers clanging away. Subways roaring beneath us. You can't possibly hear a cricket!"
The Indian insisted, "Wait a minute!" He led his friend along, slowly. They stopped, and the Indian walked down to the end of the block, went across the street, looked around, cocked his head to one side, but couldn't find it. He went across another street, and there in a large cement planter where a tree was growing, he dug into the mulch and found the cricket. "See!" he yelled, as he held the insect high above his head.
His friend walked across the street, marveling, "How in the world could it be that you heard a cricket in the middle of downtown, busy Manhattan?"
The Indian said, "Well, my ears are different from yours. It simply depends on what you're listening for. Here let me show you." And he reached in his pocket and pulled out a handful of change--a couple of quarters, three or four nickels, and some dimes and pennies. Then he said, "Now watch." He held the coins waist high and dropped them to the sidewalk. Every head within a block turned around and looked in the direction of the Indian.
It all depends on what we're listening to and for. We don't have enough crickets in our heads--we don't listen for them. Perhaps, like that crowded street full of people, you have spent all your life searching for a handful of change and you've missed the real sound of life?12
You see, there is no life in any one of those coins, nor can they buy happiness even if you have millions. The only way we find true satisfaction or meaning in life is to hear the invisible, inaudible voice of the living God, the Lord Jesus, through developing our capacity to hear and see Him by spending time alone with Him.
Spiritually speaking, God has designed our time alone with Him (a place where we can feed on His Word and think on the Lord) to be a kerith to us, a place of cutting, a place where God can chisel away on our character and cut the world out of our hearts. It enables us to divorce ourselves from the world and its pulls. Without it we become married to the world. We need this time alone that we might draw upon our supernatural resources in the Lord, His Word and prayer for a life of faith.
We are to get alone with God, first to just know and love Him, to develop our dependence on Him, and then to bring order and strength to our inner life. We are to do this to bring God's control over every area of our lives: our motivations, what moves us, the things that pull us to conform or to compete, our perspective of life, why we are here and what are we seeking, our priorities and values, the use of our time, talents, treasures, and truth, and our thought processes (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Getting alone with God is not optional. If we want true spiritual success it is fundamental. It's a key part of God's plan by which our lives are first strengthened by the underground spiritual streams of life in Christ and then changed and cut into the ravine that God wants to use to make us a channel for pouring out the blessings of the Savior on others.
Here is the key to power or weakness. While this has varied from age to age, one of the battle grounds of life (especially of this age and of this country) is the inner, private world of the individual and his need to slow down and hide himself alone with his God. It is here that we either experience the power of God or the defeat of Satan and his world system. Our Lord Himself was the perfect illustration of this and He sought to impress this upon His disciples early in their education. Compare two passages. First, note the priority the Savior put on having time alone with His heavenly Father in the midst of a very busy schedule and how this directed his actions and objectives (Mark 1:29-38). Second, in Mark 3:13-14 when the Lord called the disciples, His call or appointment consisted of three objectives: that they might be with Him (fellowship), that He might send them out to preach (service or ministry), and that they might have authority to cast out demons (victory over the enemy). The first, time alone and in the presence of the Savior, was certainly primary and fundamental to the others.
Another reason for Elijah's time alone was protection. Protection from what? Ahab? No! It was protection from himself, from things like a disordered inner life, spiritual defeat, being fat-headed over accomplishments, selfish living, a spirit of demandingness, from operating by his wisdom, from fear, from insensitivity to people and to the Lord. Hiding ourselves becomes a protection against burn-out, against lives of futility, against living to please people rather than God, and from becoming preoccupied with this world rather than with our God and what we have in the Lord.
This is not a call to monasticism. Hiding ourselves does not mean that we will not be available for Christian service and ministry. If we are truly spending quality time in getting to know our Lord, it will mean special sensitivity to the very things God wants us to do, but it will be accompanied by a growing willingness to serve with the power of God in the ministry God gives. Furthermore, we will certainly be more apt to serve from biblical motives rather than the neurotic motivations of self-centered living or from a misplaced sense of responsibility. Again, compare the Mark 1 passage. Peter sought to put a guilt trip on the Lord because of the demands of the people, but from His time spent alone with the Father, He knew what He was to do and he moved out in faith, trusting in the guidance of His Heavenly Father.
Let's look at some verses where satar is used. Remember, this word means "to hide." I found this not only interesting, but a challenge to my own spiritual life. In Deuteronomy 29:29 it is used of "the secret things (lit. the things hidden) which belong to the Lord." Some things God simply has not revealed about Himself and His plan. Much has been revealed, however, and we need time from the hustle and bustle of life to focus our lives on the Lord. In Psalm 119:18-19 the Psalmist prays for illumination that the Word might not be hidden but clearly understood. Through time alone with God, the Psalmist prays concerning the manifestation of God's presence (143:7-8). It is a request for the manifestation of God's guidance, provision, and protection that he might know the sustaining power of God within and without.
What causes God to hide His presence from our spiritual sight? Why do we lose sight of God's presence when He has so forcefully promised never to leave nor to forsake us? Why do we sometimes fail to experience the sustaining grace of His presence, strength and support so that we do not burn out, blow up, fall away, or deviate from a productive walk of faith with the Lord?
We fail to experience God's presence and sustaining strength and support because we fail to hide ourselves in His presence to draw upon His life. We fail to evaluate and reorder our inner life according to the principles and promises of the Word (cf. Ps. 119:30, 105, 130, 147-148; 4:4; 5:3 with Ps. 119:23, 49-52; and 143:4-6 with vss. 7-8). Another reason is because of unconfessed sin. We act as though God does not know nor care about what we do and we ignore our sins (Isa. 29:15; 40:27; Jer. 16:17; 23:24; cf. Isa. 59:1 with vss. 2 and 9; and Ps. 32:1-6 with vs. 7). In addition, we seek refuge in the strategies or resources of our own making rather than in the Lord. Isaiah 28:15 reads,
Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by; for we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception."
When people fail to hide themselves with Him, they fail to hide themselves in Him. So the Lord turns them over to their own resources and to their own pitiful ways. They fall apart, burn out, become vexed, frustrated, and they fail--with their children, in their marriages, in their witness, in their ministry, or in their relationships with others.
Scripture commands, "go hide, conceal, or absent yourself." And this is God's desire for all of us today. We need time alone with our God to hide ourselves in Him and His presence that we might reorder and strengthen our inner lives for a walk of faith. We live in an extremely busy world, a world where many are compulsive and neurotic activists or workaholics. All around us voices are clamoring for our attention, time, and service. Have you noticed that you can't even be put on hold when using the phone without some form of noise intruding on your silence.
One of the voices asking for our attention is the Lord's and in essence He is saying, "come apart, hide yourself, get alone with Me, be still, cease striving and know that I am the Lord." He is saying, "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear because I am there and I have spoken."
For the Church of Jesus Christ, the Scripture directs us two basic ways by which we hide ourselves in the Lord to hear his voice. First, there is what we might call the dailies--This is scheduled time for reading, study, meditation, and prayer; but the dailies include moment-by-moment trust wherein we pray without ceasing and seek to relate to and rest our lives on the Lord (Heb. 3:7, but also remember Ps. 5:3; 1 Thess. 5:17, 2 Cor. 5:8). Then there are the weeklies--The times when we stop our regular routines and come together as members of the body of Christ (Heb. 10:23-25).
In the final analysis it is not what you hear from the pulpit, a tape, or read in a book. It's what you hear from the Lord; it's what really gets through to you and to me as a word from God. So the Psalmist prayed, "Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy Law." Seeking God's guidance is not only a test of our basic orientation in life, but it tests our faith in other ways.
The Mystery of God's Guidance
What God told Elijah to do was no mystery. God's directions to Elijah were clear, just as the basic principles of God's moral will in Scripture are for us. But what God is doing in our lives from the standpoint of why certain things are happening is generally very mysterious.
God's guidance usually comes to us one step at a time, which goes contrary to human nature. We want AAA service with an itinerary complete with a marked road map and confirmed reservations at the beginning. We want to know where, when, how long, and why. "God, give me all the details, NOW!" But to follow the Lord we must learn to simply rest the details of the present and the future to Him. For the most part, God's plan is one day at a time, i.e., "give us this day our daily bread." But someone may ask, "shouldn't we make plans and set goals?" Yes, but it is helpful to remember two important passages in Proverbs as we do: (a) "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue (their execution) is from the Lord" (Prov. 16:1). (b) "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs (the Hebrew word kun, "establishes, orders aright, provides for, furnishes [cf. vs. 12]) his steps" (Pr. 16:9). "Steps" is figurative of the course of one's life. This means the Lord not only has the last word, but He always has the wisest word or plan. It also means He is working to enable, build, transform, and furnish what is needed to fulfill his purposes in and through us (cf. Jer. 10:23 and Ps. 119:133 which also use the Hebrew word, kun).
Proverbs 16:3-4 and 3:5-6 give us further instruction. We are to trust, commit, rest in God's perfect wisdom, loving care, sovereign activity and power, purposes, and plan for each of us regardless of the mysteries of God's will or how things look to us. Of course, crucial to this is knowing the Scripture that reveals the basics of God's will. But even then there will be much that will be mysterious. Along this line, and closely connected, comes the third test that we face in God's guidance.
The Perplexity of God's Plan
Sometimes, God's plan simply doesn't seem to make sense to us. Think about this in terms of God's command to Elijah. Elijah was a prophet with the Word, living in times of national decay when people desperately needed to hear the Word. As today, there was so much to be done and so few to do the work. But God did not tell him to go and preach. He told him to go hide by an insignificant brook located east of the Jordan, outside the land of promise, the place of blessing for Israelites. And, as if that were not enough, God would later send Elijah to a poor Gentile widow to provide for his needs.
When God's will is perplexing, the test comes in how we respond. Will we respond in a childlike trust and obedience that rests in what the Lord is doing, or will we become demanding and question the Lord's goodness? (Prov. 3:5-6) While God does not speak to us as He did with Elijah, who as a prophet received direct revelation from the Lord, He does speak to us through the Scripture and, in a certain sense, through the events and circumstances of life. Knowing that, we need to remember that nothing happens in our lives apart from His sovereign and providential activity that always include the promise of His presence, supply, and purpose.
The following story is told of the unusual circumstances under which William Cowper wrote the hymn, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way, His Wonders to Perform."
Cowper was a Christian, but he had sunk to the depths of despair. One foggy night he called for a carriage and asked to be taken to the London Bridge on the Thames River. He was so overcome by depression that he intended to commit suicide. But after two hours of driving through the mist, Cowper's coachman reluctantly confessed that he was lost. Disgusted by the delay, Cowper left the carriage and decided to find the London Bridge on foot. After walking only a short distance, though, he discovered that he was at his own doorstep! The carriage had been going in circles. Immediately he recognized the restraining hand of God in it all. Convicted by the Spirit, he realized that the way out of his troubles was to look to God, not to jump into the river. As he cast his burden on the Savior, his heart was comforted. With gratitude he sat down and penned these reassuring words: "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform, He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. O fearful saints, fresh courage take, the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head. (source unknown.)
Difficult, trying, or unusual circumstances are a part of God's will, incorporated and orchestrated into the plan of God to accomplish His work in us, with us, or through us even when it is a product of our own rebellion and foolishness. There are a couple of key Scriptures that stress God's work in the affairs of our lives. This is part and parcel of God's leading and includes the tests of God's will.
Ephesians 1:11 says, ". . . also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will." Who works? God does. What does He work? All things. How does He work? After the counsel of His own will. "Working" stresses the fact of God's activity in the world; it points to His immanence. "Counsel" stresses God's omniscience and wisdom; it points to the deliberations and decisions of God based on His wisdom and understanding. "Will" stresses God's sovereign disposition and purpose; it points to His desire and sovereign choice based on His holy purposes and perfect knowledge and wisdom. "All things" points us to the extent of God's involvement and sovereign control. He is involved in everything, in every detail!
God is not in a state of indifference concerning our affairs. Rather, He is intimately involved and actively at work. Oh how we need to place this truth alongside all our affairs and learn to recognize them as tools and instruments of God in His gracious work in leading, pruning, and training us.
Romans 8:28-29 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.
He works together "all things." Again God's Word drives home the extent of His activity, even in our suffering. God is totally involved with the good and the bad, with what hurts and with what is pleasing, with what we understand and with what is often perplexing. What does God work? "He works all things together." The events of our lives, all of them, do not just happen at random; they are synchronized and utilized by God for a good purpose. None of the events of our lives are isolated from God's plan, they are orchestrated and integrated. They have a purpose, a divine design. Then, to what goal does God work? He works things together for good. Some of the individual events may not in themselves be good, but in the end, to the believer who loves God and is sensitive to God's working, a good purpose is achieved, or can be if we will respond biblically--in faith (James 1:2-4).
Was it good that Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers? No, of course not, but let's not forget the words of Joseph in Genesis 50:19-21: "But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.'"
For whom is God at work? Romans 8:28 adds "to those who love God." This does not mean that God only works things together in the life of a believer who loves God. God is at work regardless of our spiritual condition even if He has to discipline a believer with the sin unto death (1 Cor. 11:30-32). Rather, loving God is our subjective response that, knowing and believing that God is at work, enables us to respond to God's purpose in our affairs in childlike trust. What is God's final goal? "According to His purpose" refers to God's overall goal or plan in conforming us to the image of His Son--Christlikeness (vs. 29). Remember Joseph's words in Genesis 50:19-21? This is the perspective of devotion and trust.
For nearly thirty years, I was a pastor, teaching the Word in Bible churches in various parts of the country. A couple of years ago, God led us back to the Northwest where I began teaching part-time in a Bible college while pastoring a small Bible church. Due to God's leading in a number of ways, about a year ago my wife and I became convinced that I should begin teaching full-time at the school, which I began to do. Just before the semester ended, I began to experience pain in my throat. The second week of the new semester I was diagnosed with a vocal cord ulcer, with the result that I was only able to continue teaching one of my three classes. We had been so confident of God's leading, as were other close friends. My classes were going great with excellent responses from the students. Obviously we wondered, "Lord, what's going on?" But we trusted the God and now, as we look back, we can see the loving hand of our heavenly Father guiding and providing for us. There were other things He wanted me to do that I could not have done had I been carrying a full class load.
10 Charles R. Swindoll, Living on the Ragged Edge, Word Books, Waco, TX, 1985, p. 85.
11 Charles R. Swindoll, Quest for Character, Multnomah, Portland, OR, 1987, p. 38.
Related Topics: Character Study


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It is easy to forget just how dangerous electicity can be. Given the correct conditions, it can kill. Or it can deliver a painful shock, damage sensitive equipment and ignite combustible materials. The National Safety Council estimates 600 people die every year of electrical causes. Most of these accidents involve low-voltage power (600 volts or less). So the voltage needed to kill doesn't have to be the high voltage carried in overhead power lines. In addition to fatalities, 3,600 disabling electrical contact injuries occur every year in the United States, along with 4,000 nondisabling injuries.
The best way to avoid becoming one of these statistics is to avoid energized circuits when possible. Unfortunately, in construction, this is not always an option available to employees. An alternative method to keeping employees safe around electricity is to have them STOP:
Stop—Before employees take any action on any electrical system they should take a moment and ...
Think—Employees should be trained to think about what risks and hazards are present in each job site.
Options—Employees need to compile a list of options available to them, such as an individual control or simple or complex lockout/tagout. Then determine which is the most practical, safest choice for themselves and those working around them.
Protection—Once the work plan has been determined, it is important to also include the personal protective equipment needed to increase the level of safety for the employees.
Unfortunately, asking employees to STOP doesn't ensure they will or guarantee that everyone working with electricity will be unharmed. To increase the likelihood of someone surviving an electrical accident, all personnel working near or on energized parts should be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). These individuals must be identified and available when there is work being done on or near energized parts. If all personnel are not trained and if the only individual(s) trained in CPR are the ones involved in the electrical accident, there may be no one trained left to administer CPR.
After calling 911, the first step for anyone responding to an electrical accident is to turn off the electrical power to where the accident occurred. If another employee touches the victim with the power still connected, this person also will be shocked. However, sometimes equipment cannot be quickly de-energized or others' survival relies on electricity, which prevents the circuit's immediate shutdown.
If so, the injured person should be pulled free from contact with the energized equipment. To be safe, protect the rescuing employee with dry insulating material, such as paper, or use a dry board, belt or other available nonconductive material to free the victim from the electrical contact. Never touch the victim until the source of electricity has been removed.
While waiting for emergency services, much can be done to help the victim. Commonly with an electrical accident, the victim goes into shock. Keep the victim lying down and maintain the body's normal temperature by covering him or her with blankets or coats. Do not move the victim unless absolutely necessary. If you must move him or her, do so as little as possible, especially if you suspect head and neck injuries could have occurred. Do not give a victim you suspect to be in shock anything to eat or drink until the emergency personnel arrives and determines if the victim is, in fact, in shock.
When treating the burn area, do not remove burned clothing, as this could further damage the underlying burned tissue and make healing more difficult. Elevating a burned limb above the victim's heart will help return fluids to the circulatory system and prevent body fluids from pooling in the damaged tissue (edema). Remember to handle a burn victim with care and to minimize the amount of movement of him or her; someone should remain with the victim until the emergency personnel arrive.
It helps emergency personnel if the points of contact, formally referred to as entry and exit wounds, can be located. The entry wound will be found somewhere on the body that came in contact with the electrical source. A burn is present at the site due to the high temperature at the surface. The heat can evaporate the water on skin leading to a sunken or hollowed area. The exit wound is where the current comes to the skin's surface. It can be a small hole or large abnormal area, depending on the size of the current and tissue resistance. The wound may look small, but remember the damage is from the inside out and is, therefore, very deep.
Of course, always check for signs of breathing and a pulse in a victim first. If neither is found, trained personnel should immediately begin CPR and/or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
It must be stressed that the best way to handle an electrical accident is to prevent it from happening in the first place. When training your employees on electrical work, remind them to always STOP before working on an energized circuit.
KELLY is a safety and health specialist with Intec, a safety consulting, training and publishing firm that offers on-site assistance and produces manuals, training videos and software for contractors. She can be reached at 800.745.4818 and [email protected]. Joe O'Connor edited this article.

subset: commoncrawl


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This week at The L Magazine I discuss Cybersquatting for fame.
This spring, wandering around the mini sculpture park at Frieze New York, I noticed a tiny canvas propped against the back of one of the expensive steel cubes. I don't remember what was painted on it—based on that, I'll guess geometric abstraction—but the attached business card indicated it was the work of some not-yet-famous artist seeking a bit of free publicity. I liked the spirit of the thing, but I still had work to do, and I figured walking around an art fair with a canvas under one arm wouldn't please security. Still, there's some wisdom in bringing your art to collectors, rather than waiting for them to come to you.
That's something of the thinking of La Fin du Monde, an online show curated by Julien Levesque and Caroline Delieutraz up now at LaFIAC.com. The exhibition venue is a cybersquat, established in 2010, intended to catch visitors looking for FIAC, the major Paris-based art fair this weekend. Instead of the fair, they'll find a clever, fairly encyclopedic exhibition of recent net art, ranging from established continental artists like Mouchette and Systaime to relatively fresh faces like Emilie Gervais and Sarah Weis.
Read the full piece here.


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Nefesh B'Nefesh To Award $10,000 Prizes Recognizing High-Achieving Immigrants to Israel
A food bank chairman, a solar energy pioneer and the creator of the "Dry Bones" comic strip are among the first winners of a Nefesh B'Nefesh prize recognizing immigrants to Israel.
More than 200 immigrants from English-speaking countries were nominated for the Bonei Zion Prize, which was awarded in five categories as well as for lifetime achievement. The recipients hailed originally from the United States.
Each of the winners will receive a $10,000 prize at a ceremony soon in Jerusalem.
Joseph Gitler, who made aliyah in 2000, won in the Community and Non-Profit category for his work as founder and chairman of Leket Israel, a national food bank that provides food for more than 140,000 people weekly.
The founder and chancellor of the women's learning center Matan, Malke Bina, received the award in the Education category. Bina, who was one of the first educators in Israel to teach Talmud and Jewish law to female students, made aliyah in 1971. The recipient for Entrepreneurship and Technology was Yosef Abramowitz, the CEO and a co-founder of Energiya Global Capital as well as a co-founder of the Arava Power Company. Abramowitz, whom Nefesh B'Nefesh dubbed "Israel's premier solar energy pioneer," made aliyah in 2006.
Jeffery Hausdorff, the recipient in the Science and Medicine category, left a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School in 2000 to make aliyah and is now a professor at Tel Aviv University and director of the Neurodynamics and Gait Research Laboratory at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Hausdorff has contributed to research in neuroscience and aging in Israel and worldwide. Yaakov Kirschen, creator of the popular "Dry Bones" comic strip, received the prize in the Culture, Sports and Arts category. Kirschen made aliyah in 1972.
Lt. Nira Lee, head of hasbara at the headquarters of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, or COGAT, received the prize in the IDF and National Service Young Leadership category. The Arizona native has served in the Israel Defense Forces for three years; she made aliyah in 2010. Lee received the President's Citation of Excellence in 2013.
The Lifetime Achievement winner was Shimon Glick, a professor and dean emeritus of the health sciences faculty at Ben Gurion University. He made aliyah in 1974 to help found the university's faculty of medicine.
"We hope that accentuating the achievements of Anglo olim will serve as a catalyst to inspire others to make aliyah as well as highlight the achievements of these olim who are helping to make a difference to our homeland," said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, the executive director and a co-founder of Nefesh B'Nefesh, in a statement.
The panel of judges included retired Lt. -Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, former chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces; Dr. David Breakstone, vice chairman of the World Zionist Organization; David Gerstein, a prominent painter and sculptor; Rabbi Berel Wein, founder and director of The Destiny Foundation; Yehuda Avner, an author and a former diplomat and prime ministerial adviser; and Barbara Goldstein, the deputy executive director of Hadassah in Israel.


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Morgan Spurlock ate McDonald's for 30 days, gained 25 pounds, and had health problems. US swimmer Ryan Lochte has eaten McDonald's for "almost every meal" since he arrived in Beijing and has won four Olympic medals. His fellow swimmer Michael Phelps doesn't eat so healthy either. In a sport where you can win or lose by tenths or hundredths of seconds, I wonder what impact a proper diet would have on their times. (And to not eat any Chinese food — one of the world's great cuisines — while in Beijing? A travesty.)
Update: The Guardian's Jon Henley tries Michael Phelps' diet for a day. Unsuccessfully, I don't need to add. (thx, laura)
Update: Fear of illness may also have something to do with Lochte's standing reservation at McDonald's.


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Heart Stones
Heart Stones is a sidequest for Skyrim'sDragonborn DLC. Neloth of Tel Mithryn will task you with finding and bringing him a Heart Stone, which can be mined from several locations.
- Get a Heart Stone
- Talk to Neloth
Simply leave Tel Mithryn and search nearby for veins of ore with red streaks. These veins are full of Heart Stones, and many more can be located throughout the southern half of the island. These Heart Stones can later be used on the Staff Enchanter in Tel Mithryn.


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Commentary: Exposing the Hollywood 'Clique'
Born blocks from the NBC soundstage in 1984 to parents in the entertainment industry, Ben Shapiro is a natural choice to write a book about Hollywood. For his new book "Primetime Propaganda," Shapiro has studied decades of television content and interviewed a bevy of powerful Hollywood producers to document the degree to which they have created a political and cultural revolution of permissive leftism.
The project gets off to a harsh start. In his introduction, Shapiro attacks "traditional" TV critics on the cultural right for being "worse than useless," suggesting some unnamed conservatives are insisting TV should not be watched. 'When conservatives treat television as the Golden Calf, they leave no choice but to lay low the unbelievers - and most of us continue to continue occasionally glancing at the offending cow."
Let's stipulate that perhaps Shapiro is trying to sell the usefulness of his own book by insisting it will succeed where other conservative critiques have failed. Because once you get past the straw-man introduction, there's a lot of eye-opening detail that begs to be discussed.
Hollywood's made endless movies about cruel, life-destroying blacklisters of communist sympathizers, which is rich irony given their ongoing efforts to blacklist conservatives from their own industry. Shapiro calls this chapter 'The Clique.'
Actor Dwight Schultz ("The A-Team") was overheard by producer Bruce Paltrow praising President Reagan in the 1980s at a theatre festival, and Paltrow called him a "Reagan [A-word]." Months later, when Schultz came to audition for the role of Dr. Fiscus on the NBC show "St. Elsewhere," Paltrow asked why he had shown up: "There's not going to be a Reagan [A-word] on this show!"
Schultz, an accomplished voice-over actor in cartoons, found this viewpoint even in the animation genre. He received a casting call for the cartoon movie "Astro Boy" that described the character of "President Stone" as a "cross between a refined, somewhat more controlled version of General Buck Turgison (George C. Scott) from Dr. Strangelove and Dick Cheney."
"You get this in the mail," Schultz insisted about his cartoon work. "This is very typical, very mild...'He's an [A-word], like George Bush.'" Schultz doesn't describe his experience as a blacklist, but as a mindset. "It's a social network...But the social aspect of the business is, to a large degree, everything these is."
Leonard Goldberg, executive producer of "Blue Bloods" for CBS - says liberalism in the TV industry is "100 percent dominant, and anyone who denies it is kidding, or not telling the truth." Shapiro asked if conservative politics are a barrier to entry. "Absolutely," Goldberg replied, adding that the late actor Ron Silver felt his opportunities became very limited when he vocally shifted to the right after 9/11.
It starts to sound like discrimination. There's the story of Fred Thompson and 'Law and Order' Rene Balcer, who insisted 'I said I'm not coming back as long as that guy is on the show. I didn't think much of his acting or the character.' If you're conservative, you somehow can't act. The book cites Entertainment Weekly editor Mark Harris saying he 'expected to hate' ABC's comedy 'The Middle' due largely to the political views of right-leaning actress Patricia Heaton (but then was pleased the show was 'left-populist').
Shapiro says the Hollywood Left cannot understand why anyone would attack their programming. "After all, they argue, Americans don't attack the Associated Press's reporting. Why should they attack Hollywood when it merely reports what's happening in the world?"
That's how Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group justified taking "ABC Family" into racier territory: "The best way to resonate with your audience is to be authentic. And you're only authentic if you are holding up a mirror to your audience and saying `I see you.'"
Many TV producers complained to Shapiro that Hollywood's product was merely "reflective" of society, and not "transformative." But liberal produer David Shore, the creator of "House," called that a "knee-jerk reaction" and a "cop-out," because "we're also thrilled by the fact that we're touching people's lives."
Hollywood is completely
This is where Shapiro's book really hits home. Television acts as a magnifier of the life experiences of Hollywood "visionaries." They write what they know and how they live, with all of the libertine, "progressive" idealism and the anti-religious, anti-traditional cynicism combined.
His bottom line, after all of his interviews and all of his content analysis, is simple. "Television reflects those who create it and transforms everybody else." That's a very frightening ten words about the future of our culture.


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- Home
- Departments
- County Departments
- Emergency Management
- About
- Hazards
- Man-Made Disaster
Man-Made Disaster
Man-made disasters have an element of human intent, negligence, or error involving a failure of a man-made system, as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards. Such man-made disasters are crime, arson, civil disorder, terrorism, war, biological/chemical threat, cyber-attacks, etc.
Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or property in violation of the criminal laws of the United States for purposes of intimidation, coercion, or ransom. Terrorists often use threats to create fear among the public to try to convince citizens that their government is powerless to prevent terrorism and to get immediate publicity for their causes.
Acts of terrorism range from threats of terrorism, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, bomb scares and bombings, and cyber attacks (computer-based), to the use of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.
High-risk targets include military and civilian government facilities, international airports, large cities, and high-profile landmarks. Terrorists might also target large public gatherings, water and food supplies, utilities, and corporate centers. Further, they are capable of spreading fear by sending explosives or chemical and biological agents through the mail.
In the immediate area of a terrorist event, you would need to rely on police, fire, and other officials for instructions. However, you can prepare in much the same way you would prepare for other crisis events.
Preparing for Terrorism
- Wherever you are, be aware of your surroundings. The very nature of terrorism suggests there may be little or no warning.
- Take precautions when traveling. Be aware of conspicuous or unusual behavior. Do not accept packages from strangers. Do not leave luggage unattended. Unusual behavior, suspicious packages, and strange devices should be promptly reported to the police or security personnel.
- Do not be afraid to move or leave if you feel uncomfortable or if something does not seem right.
- Learn where emergency exits are located in buildings you frequent. Notice where exits are when you enter unfamiliar buildings. Plan how to get out of a building, subway or congested public area or traffic. Note where staircases are located. Notice heavy or breakable objects that could move, fall or break in an explosion.
- Assemble a disaster supply kit at home and learn first aid. Separate the supplies you would take if you had to evacuate quickly, and put them in a backpack or container, ready to go.
- Be familiar with different types of fire extinguishers and how to locate them. Know the location and availability of hard hats in buildings in which you spend a lot of time.
Bomb Threats
If you receive a bomb threat, get as much information from the caller as possible. Keep the caller on the line and record everything that is said. Then notify the police and the building management if applicable.
If you are notified of a bomb threat, do not touch any suspicious packages. Clear the area around suspicious packages and notify the police immediately. In evacuating a building, don't stand in front of windows, glass doors or other potentially hazardous areas. Do not block sidewalk or streets to be used by emergency officials or others still exiting the building.
Suspicious Parcels & Letters
Be wary of suspicious packages and letters. They can contain explosives, chemical or biological agents. Be particularly cautious at your place of employment. Some typical characteristics postal inspectors have detected over the years, which ought to trigger suspicion, include parcels that:
- Are unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you
- Are marked with restrictive endorsements, such as "Personal," "Confidential" or "Do not x-ray"
- Have protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors, or stains
- Show a city or state in the postmark that doesn't match the return address
- Are of unusual weight, given their size, or are lopsided or oddly shaped
- Are marked with any threatening language
- Have inappropriate or unusual labeling
- Have excessive postage or excessive packaging material such as masking tape and string
- Have misspellings of common words
- Are addressed to someone no longer with your organization or are otherwise outdated
- Have incorrect titles or title without a name
- Are not addressed to a specific person
- Have handwritten or poorly typed addresses
With suspicious envelopes and packages other than those that might contain explosives, take these additional steps against possible biological and chemical agents:
- Refrain from eating or drinking in a designated mail handling area.
- Place suspicious envelopes or packages in a plastic bag or some other type of container to prevent leakage of contents. Never sniff or smell suspect mail.
- If you do not have a container, then cover the envelope or package with anything available (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.) and do not remove the cover.
- Leave the room and close the door, or section an area to prevent others from entering.
- Wash your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
- If you are at work, report the incident to your building security official or an available supervisor, who should notify the police and other authorities without delay.
- List all people who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give a copy of this list to both the local public health authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and advice.
- If you are at home, report the incident to the local police.


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In a meeting earlier this month with the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main updated NSSGA's board of directors on recent actions taken by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to improve miner safety and health.
The NSSGA represents companies that produce more than 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel consumed annually in the United States.
In his remarks, Main stated that mine safety has been on a steady path of improvement since the agency began implementing reforms in 2010, including the Rules to Live By initiative that focuses on the most common causes of mining deaths, impact inspections of problem mines, and the "Pattern of Violations" program targeting chronic violators. The latter initiative has resulted in improved compliance, reduced injuries and an 83 percent reduction in the number of chronic violators.
The industry as a whole achieved the lowest fatality and injury rates in the history of mining in 2011 and again in 2012, a trend that continued through FY 2013. From 2010 through 2013, there has been a 25 percent decrease in violations in the metal and nonmetal mining industry. Main noted, however, that in the last quarter of 2013, there were nine metal and nonmetal mining deaths, a trend that MSHA is working to reverse.
MSHA has worked with stakeholders to identify areas to improve compliance and miners' safety and health. The results have been positive. Outreach on guarding standards have resulted in a 40 percent improvement in compliance and, since the publication of a Program Policy Letter recognizing Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards on fall protection, fall protection violations have dropped 25 percent. MSHA also issued a policy letter recognizing OSHA's hazard communication standard and, just last month, rolled out a new ladder safety training tool..
Main noted also that MSHA completed nearly 100 actions based on recommendations identified by the internal review of the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster; helped create the Holmes Mine Rescue Association; reformed coal, metal and nonmetal mine rescue training contests; improved enforcement of workplace safety discrimination cases; and significantly reduced the backlog of cases pending before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, from a peak of more than 89,000 contested violations in 2010 to about 31,000 in 2013.


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Over the weekend I was throwing on my favorite Atayne tee shirt when I read "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Run" for the eleventy gagillionth time. This time, the shirt sparked me to focus on "reuse" during Earth Week. Luckily for all of you, I spent two weeks earlier this month organizing the iRunFar offices and have an entire box filled with stuff to give away. Ah, and since Atayne was our muse, we're giving away four you-can-only-get-them-here organic cotton Atayne tees with the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Run" slogan. (If you love Atayne or you love iRunFar… check back later in the week! ;-) )
Did we mention that we already had an entire box of gear to giveaway? That mean's we're giving away two large boxes of gear. Anyway, you can read the rules or skip straight to the prizes. When you're done, we ask that you take a quick glance at our favor.
Before we go, we'll encourage you to pass along you no longer used (or rarely used) trail running gear to someone else who can use it. You'll be helping someone out, decluttering your closet (and life), and reducing the resources needed to produce product the recipient would have otherwise purchased.
[Want some more Earth Week reading? Check out our Trail Running and the Environment articles.]
The Rules
Really, there are no rules to speak of. To enter, just leave a comment (please do this directly on the website) with your name and location. While not necessary, please include your email in the confidential box above the main comment box to help expedite our getting your brand new gear out to you (if you win). In the name of responsible shipping (and our non-existent budget) we're limiting this contest to American and Canadian shipping locations only.
We ask that you please note in the comment only the gear pieces in which you are most interested. Your specific requests add to our work, but mean the gear goes to the folks for whom it would be most useful. There's no limit to the number of items you can enter (see paragraph below) to win, we just ask that you are thoughtful in entering the contest.
The drawing for each item will be random … for the most part. One caveat of this giveaway is that you'll only walk away with one item with the exception of less significant prizes. (A good reason to only enter for the items you want most.) With that in mind, there may be instances where we will deliberately divvy up prizes so that more people walk away happy.
To be eligible, you need to enter by 5 p.m. PDT on Saturday, April 24. We'll post results very late on Sunday, April 25.
The Prizes
You'll notice that some of the products listed below indicate light use. All that usually means is that we briefly tested the product. We wouldn't be giving you anything that's heavily worn or that we wouldn't accept if we needed that type of gear.
OK, here are the categories of gear that we're giving away: Atayne shirts, footwear, apparel (new), apparel (lightly used), hydration gear, socks, "gear", and tech stuff.
- Atayne Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Run Organic Cotton Tees (4 – 1 large & 3 medium, all men's) – Get yourself the shirts that Atayne gave away before their awesome made-from-recycled-bottle performance shirts were available. They're green (literally and figuratively). They're soft. They're something you want. Please specify a size when entering the drawing for your very own "4Rs" shirt.
- Vasque Blur SL (men's 9) – A classic shoe from Vasque. What else can we say.
- La Sportiva Crossleather (men's 9) – The leather version of the kick@ss Crosslite. Similarly, these are bad@ss. We wish we could justify keeping these!
- Karhu Strong Ride (men's 9…fit like 8.5 – lightly used) – A pair of road shoes we tested for another publication. Note these might fit size 8.5 feet better than size 9 feet.
- Sofsole Athlete Insole (men's 9-10.5) – Highly cushioned insoles.
- Ultra Lightweight Flipflops (1 of 3) – Basically lightweight foam cut in the shape of a flipflop. For camp use in desert stage races only.
- Moeben Arm Sleeves (small – white) – The trail proven standard in arm warmers.
- Old Pueblo 50 Brooks Tech SS Shirt (men's medium) – A blue short sleeve shirt from the Old Pueblo 50 mile.
- Iroquois Trails Brooks Tech SS Shirt (women's medium) – A white short sleeve from the inaugural Iroquois Trail runs with its sweet logo.
- Wasatch Speed Goat Tech SS Shirt (men's medium) – An authentic Wasatch Speed Goat tee shirt. It's gray. It's awesome. (I'm keeping the one I raced in.)
- Conservation Alliance Recycled Tech SS shirt (men's medium) – A black tech shirt made from recycled bottles.
- TNF Endurance Challenge Tech SS Shirt (men's medium) – A "Flex Crew" from The North Face for last year's Endurance Challenge.
- Brooks Run Tee (men's small) – Blue casual tee with "Run" written on the front in big letters. Let folks know what you do when you're doing what you love to do.
- Tech Running Hats (1 of 7) – It was time to let go of our hat collection. (More on that later in the week.) Not picky? Just ask for a tech hat. You particular? Well, then specify one or more of the following: Merrell hat, black HAT Run hat (tech wick), black HAT Run hat (mesh), Airborne hat by Sporthill, Montrail (nearly new), red HAT Run hat, GU-branded Headsweats hat.
- HAT Run casual hat – It's tan, yo.
- Montrail Team – Mountain Hardwear Transition Pants (medium – barely worn) – The official pants of the 2007 Montrail Ultrarunning team … and I mean THE official pants. There's Montrail branding at the bottom of one leg.
- Salomon 3/4 Exo Tights (medium – very light use) – Awesome 3/4 length tights that I wish fit, especially for recovery purposes.
- Pearl Izumi rain shell (medium – very light use) – I picked this up before the Leadville 100 in 2006. Not the most breathable rain shell, but it will keep your core dry. FYI, there's no hood.
- Nike windbreaker (medium – lightly used) – A decade old windbreaker that's still in great shape save for the missing cinch cord around the waist. It's black with some white and aqua pieces, though it's pretty subdued. No hood.
- Columbia Trail Shorts (men's medium – lightly used) – Long-style trail running shorts with the HAT Run 50k logo.
- Short Sleeve Tech Shirts (1 of 6 – men's medium- used) – If you're really in need of some tech shirts, we've got six more ranging from very lightly used to well used, but in good shape.
- Outdoor Research Sahara Cap (medium – lightly used) – A highly functional sun protection hat. Cape comes off when not needed.
- Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat (medium – lightly used) – Goofy as hell? Yes. Eclipse-like sun protection? Yup! I wore this on a double crossing of Hope Pass in 2006 and the only thing I regret are the pictures! ;-)
- Tech Hats (dirty) – If you're really particular, but don't mind a pre-dirtied hat there are two well broken in Montrail hats and a slightly dirty, but very lightly used white HAT Run hat. Please let us know if you're willing to give a home to these well-loved hats. Otherwise, it's off to Goodwill with them!
- Nathan hydration pack (used) – A classic Nathan hydration pack in good, but used condition. It's 100% functional and clean. Not sure of the model name, but it should hold up to a 3 liter bladder (you supply the bladder). It also has small pockets on both top and rear as well as a large mesh stuff pocket.
- Osprey Hydraulics Nalgene – A standard Nalgene bottle featuring the Osprey Hydraulics logo.
- Drymax Trail Running sock (women's 10-12; men's 8.5-10.5) – One pair of Drymax Trail Running socks. See what all the hubbub is about.
- SofSole Anti-Friction socks (men's 7-10.5) – A set of 2 pairs of these anti-friction socks.
- Swiftwick Seven Midcalf (women 10.5-14; men 10-13) – Merino socks.
- Swiftwick Four Crew (women 10.5-14; men 10-13) – Merino socks.
- Brooks Drawstring Pack – A step up from your basic drawstring gym/shoe bag.
- HAT Run Shoulder Bag – A small over-the-shoulder bag with water bottle slot.
- Basic Drawstring Bags (1 of 4) – Simple drawstring bags from Ragged Mountain Running Shop, Polar, Adidas, and the Leadville Trail 10k. Enter for a specific bag or increase your odds by asking for "a drawstring bag."
- Nathan Shoe Pocket+ – A small shoe pocket sized for the Nike + iPod sensor. It'll also hold a key and a few bucks.
- Branded USB Flashdrives – 512MB – 1 GB (a couple) – Are you a trail running junkie in need of a USB drive? We're your one stop shop for outdoor industry branded flash drives. Be sure to let us know if 512 MB will do or if you'll only take a 1 GB drive. (Odds of winning are higher for the less picky.)
- 2 GB RAM (2 x 1 GB, DDR3, 1066, CL7) – Get the brains out of the iRunFar laptop. We've upgraded to 4 GB and are passing along what we've got. Seriously.
A Favor
We don't make you "do" anything to enter this giveaway. No need to fill out a form, sign up for this, or subscribe to that. However, if you appreciate iRunFar and what it does, we just ask that you spread the word. You could share news of this giveaway with others (post about it on your blog?) or tell them about the website on your next run.
While you're at it, consider further embracing the iRunFar community through one of the following options. Not only will they keep you better informed (we share different news on the website, the Facebook fan page, and Twitter), but you'll help us out, too!
- Subscribe to iRunFar via RSS or via email
- Become a fan of iRunFar on Facebook
- Follow iRunFar on Twitter
Also, anyone looking for a free iRunFar bumper sticker, please use our contact page to request one. We'll need your full address for that! Folks, we ship these free anywhere in the world. Really!


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Madison Square Garden given 10-year permit limit
The New York City Council voted Wednesday to limit Madison Square Garden's permit at its current spot above Penn Station to 10 years -- a decision cheered by civic organizations campaigning to move the home of the Knicks and Rangers so the busy station can be renovated.
The owners of the Garden had wanted to operate at the site in perpetuity, while the city planning commission recommended a 15-year extension.
Organizations hoping Madison Square Garden will move to another location applauded the 47-1 City Council vote limiting the arena's permit.
The Alliance for a New Penn Station said the council "has made clear that now is time to get to work and build the Penn Station that New York City and the region desperately need in order to improve transit access and spur economic growth in the city and throughout the region."
Kim Kerns, a spokeswoman for the Madison Square Garden Co., noted that the arena is in the midst of a three-year renovation costing nearly $1 billion.
"Madison Square Garden has operated at its current site for generations and has been proud to bring New Yorkers some of the greatest and most iconic moments in sports and entertainment," Kerns said.
Last month, Council Speaker Christine Quinn told Garden officials in a letter that finding a new location for the arena is the only way to address the development of a new Penn Station and the surrounding area.
The Garden opened in 1968 and is home to the NBA's New York Knicks and the NHL's New York Rangers as well as hosting scores of concerts and other events every year. It sits like a giant hatbox atop Penn Station, the busiest passenger train station in the United States.
Some civic groups say there is a desperate need to modernize the dingy, crowded train station and that can't happen unless the Garden moves.
Vin Cipolla, president of the Municipal Art Society, called the rebuilt train station "the key infrastructure and development project of our time and an essential investment in the future of our city." He added, "Now is the time to make it happen."


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Most Dental Assistants work hard to ensure the best quality treatment available to all patients. However, there are those who don't live up to the expectations of the patient. The patient has the right to address this issue with the dental facility. If they do not feel their complaint has been properly handled, they can then file a complaint with the State Dental Board.
State Dental Boards are responsible for regulating dental practices. They work hard to protect the public against improper behaviors by Dental Assistants, Dental Hygienists, and Dentists. They are to thoroughly investigate all complaints filed that involve competentcy. State Dental Boards do not handle complaints such as fee disputes, personality conflicts, rude behaviors, or difficulty with scheduling appointments in a timely manner. Such issues are to be referred to the Better Business Bureau.
It is important to file a complaint with the State Dental Board as soon as possible to allow then to be of the most help. Most states allow you to file your complaint online, over the phone, or you can request a form be sent to you in the mail. Some states will only accept a complaint in writing.
Dental Assistants need to be aware of the process that patients can go through if they have a complaint. Dental Assistants need to be cooperative during the investigation. If a Dental Assistant feels a patient may file a complaint, it is important to write down as much information as possible. This information needs to include the patient's name, date, time, and what took place. Also document any verbal interactions and who all was present to observe the incident. This information will be very useful to you and to the State Dental Board.
The Dental Board works hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. However, it will not rush the efforts to investigate it properly. Some complaints are resolved in a matter of days while others linger for years. Once a complaint has been filed, a copy of it is sent to the dental facility for a response. Generally, the dental facility is given a specific time frame to have their response back to the State Dental Board.
Once the response is received and reviewed, the Dental Board will compare the information to that on the complaint. From there, a course of action will be mapped out. This generally involved conducting interviews of all parties present during the incident. A panel is set up to investigate if any dental laws were violated. If there appears to be a violation, a hearing will be scheduled. The Dental Assistant will be notified as well as required to show up for the hearing.
If the Dental Assistant is found to be in violation of dental laws, the Dental Board will issue a reprimand. This will depend on the state guidelines as well as the violation. Reprimands may include a letter of apology, suspension, probation, or even revocation of the Dental Assistant's license. The Dental Board is not allowed to require monetary compensation. If the person filing the complaint want to be compensated in that manner, they will need to file a civil suit with their local judicial system.
Dental Assistants who find themselves in the middle of a complaint issue with the Dental Board are likely to experience anxiety and fear. Many dental facilities will provide the individual with counseling as well as legal consultation. In most cases, it will depend on the issue the Dental Board is investigating. If the dental facility backs the Dental Assistant they will do all they can. However, if they feel the Dental Assistant is in violation of dental regulations they may terminate the individual, leaving them to pay for their own defense.
It is the responsibility of the Dental Assistant to follow all policies and procedures correctly. If you have any doubt, take the time to have everything explained to you. Losing a complaint under the Dental Board can cost you your job, as well as your career. If you lose your license, you may find it difficult to obtain another job in the profession as a Dental Assistant. Making sure you follow policies and procedures will ensure that you have a good chance of winning such complaints upon a complete review and investigation by the Dental Board.
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Thursday, February 2, 2012
If Christ did not "open the womb" of his Mother, why was he presented in the Temple?
26 comments:
- A Sinner said...
"Indeed, in every case to which the Exodus quote would apply, the woman's womb would already have been opened through intercourse – and thus, no first-born son in Israel had every truly 'opened the womb' (since the seal of integrity had already been ruptured by the son's father)."
Your point here about Protestants or whoever using the Purification and "opening the womb" to "prove" Mary's virginal physical integrity was lost in the birth of Christ...is well taken. Obviously, if "opening the womb" necessarily implied that, then no child ever did, then this would be a term that would ONLY make sense in the context of a virginal conception.
However, this very fact indicates to me what I pointed out in the earlier thread: the cervix and the hymen are two very different things, and the former has never had anything to do with any notion of virginity (morally or physically).
A woman's hymen will be broken by first intercourse. But the man doesn't "open the womb" in any sense, however; the cervix into the uterus is not opened by sex, and has nothing to do with virginity.
I would once again argue, then, that "opening the womb" (ie, stretching the cervix) and "physical virginity" are NOT mutually exclusive, because they simply refer to two totally different parts of the female anatomy.
Christ could have opened the womb AND left the physical seal of virginity intact, because the one is not equivalent to the other (as, indeed, the contradiction you point out regarding Protestants using "opening the womb" to deny the virginity in partu demonstrates).
I'm not asserting anything one way or another about the exact mechanics of the miraculous preservation of the virginity during the nativity of Christ. But I am saying that that preservation and "opening the womb" are two separate questions, and that if He didn't "open the womb" (ie, pass through/stretch the cervix) this would need to be a DIFFERENT teaching from the one about the physical virginity (which only indicates not breaking the hymen.) - February 2, 2012 at 6:19 AM
Thank you for your well explained discourse on Mary's perpetual virginity. As a former Protestant, I found this enlightening and believable. You have helped me finally 'get it' regarding this Church teaching. Thanks again.
- February 2, 2012 at 6:38 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@anonymous, I'm glad that the article was helpful!
(please, in the future, remember to use a pseudonym -- it helps me to be able to respond to comments more easily) + - February 2, 2012 at 12:18 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@A Sinner,
I'm sorry, but I think it smacks of impiety to speak so bluntly of the anatomy of our Blessed Lady.
In any case, your discussion of such matters doesn't even really fit to this article ... the point is that the Church Fathers hold that Jesus did not open the womb, and this passage of Luke does not say that he did open the womb.
Indeed, as stated above (and as you agreed), it is absurd to quote this verse as saying that the womb of Mary was opened during birth.
Now, if the womb was not opened (whatever we take that to mean), it is most certain that physical virginity remains.
Hence, there is no need to get into this extensive discussion of female anatomy ... the womb was closed and virginity was not harmed -- and whether or not an open womb would necessitate rupture of virginity is a mute point, because the womb was not open (else, our Savior would be naturally subject to the Law). - February 2, 2012 at 12:24 PM
- A Sinner said...
"Indeed, as stated above (and as you agreed), it is absurd to quote this verse as saying that the womb of Mary was opened during birth."
Well, what I agreed was absurd is quoting this verse to prove that the virginity was disrupted in partu.
Protestants claiming "opening the womb" necessarily implies loss of the virginity in partu makes no sense, as you said, because all the women (except Mary) in history would have lost their virginity at least 9 months before their womb was first opened, so the two things can't be taken as equivalent.
But my point was that this also makes the "opposite" argument less conclusive: we can't use the dogma of the virginity in partu to conclude anything, one way or the other, about whether the womb was "opened" because those are two separate things.
Catholics are clearly required to believe the virginity itself was preserved in partu. It is less clear (when it comes to the dogmatic minimum) that we are dogmatically required to believe that this occurred in a manner ALSO implying that the womb was not opened.
If it's the pious tradition, I'm fine with accepting it, especially if it goes back to the Fathers. But given that it's a detail that would be rather hard to know (even for Our Lady herself, unlike the question of the virginal seal itself, which would be rather more obvious to her)...
Well, I'll simply say that while I've seen dogmatic statements clearly securing the virginity in partu, I've not seen much definitively teaching the "non-opening of the womb" except in writings that seem to incorrectly assume that the latter would be required to secure the former (or even which seem to assume they are the same thing, anatomically, which they most certainly are not).
I'd call someone a heretic who believed the virginity was lost in partu. I wouldn't call someone a heretic who believed the womb was opened, as long as they still affirmed that the virginal seal was preserved. - February 2, 2012 at 12:49 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
@A Sinner,
Fair enough.
I intend to present the argument that her womb was not opened as a theological certainty (based especially on the tradition of the Fathers) -- while, as you say, that she was a physical virgin in partu, is a dogma.
Peace. + - February 2, 2012 at 1:05 PM
from Bill Foley
I have spoken to a obstetrician/gynecologist in the past. He told me that any woman giving birth in a normal manner (opening the womb) could not remain a physical virgin. - February 2, 2012 at 5:51 PM
- A Sinner said...
"I intend to present the argument that her womb was not opened as a theological certainty (based especially on the tradition of the Fathers) -- while, as you say, that she was a physical virgin in partu, is a dogma."
And that seems a fair distinction. - February 2, 2012 at 7:09 PM
- A Sinner said...
"I have spoken to a obstetrician/gynecologist in the past. He told me that any woman giving birth in a normal manner (opening the womb) could not remain a physical virgin."
Well, no one is denying the preservation of the physical virginity was miraculous. The question I've seen people often dispute online is whether the "mechanics" of the miracle included opening the womb (birth pains often also get discussed) or whether the very manner of the miracle excluded that. I've heard it phrased, "Was the miracle a miraculous 'stretching'? Or was it a passing-through Mary's belly in the manner of a subtle-body, a 'teleportation,' etc?" - February 3, 2012 at 9:44 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
And, to be clear, it most certainly was NOT a teleportation.
None of the Fathers say it was teleporting ... none of the Doctors, none of the mystics.
All of them agree that Christ truly was born, which means that he came forth and passed through Mary's body.
Teleporting would mean that Jesus's body when out of existence in one place and then came back into existence in another place ... this is not the teachings of the fathers and has nothing at all to do with the idea of a "subtle-body" or passing like light through glass.
Just to be clear -- "Teleporting" is a silly idea and would end up meaning that Jesus wasn't really born at all. - February 3, 2012 at 10:18 AM
First off, thank you for your clear and informative discussion of the Virgin Birth. Excellent work.
As you point out in your explanation of the presentation in the temple, Jesus was not in any way "conceived in sin." I am wondering, though, what the Jewish mind would have understood that phrase to mean in common circumstances. Of course, as Catholics we believe that all are born with original sin, aside from our Lord and our Lady, but would the Jews have had a concept akin to original sin? Or was there a different understanding? - February 4, 2012 at 1:13 AM
- adoremus said...
I would futher the glories of God, in such a manner, that being full of grace, Mary also did not need to take the ritual bath, as St. John the baptist did not need baptism. Jesus cleared it all up. Let it be so that all righteousness be done. Is there actually someone out there who thinks that the way Jesus got into the womb, is not the way he came out? Next, they will say, he wasnt ever there!
- February 4, 2012 at 3:07 AM
what did you mean by "it was for the sin for in which the child was conceived?"
Kerstin - February 4, 2012 at 10:15 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
It is not that the marital act is always sinful, but the child is conceived without original grace (which means he is in original sin).
Hence the sin "in which the child was conceived" does not refer to a sinful action (either on the part of parents or the child), but to the state of original sin to which all are subject (excepting Christ and [through a special grace] Mary).
Hope it is clearer now! + - February 4, 2012 at 10:46 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
While, to my knowledge, the Jews did not have a highly systematic or explicit idea of original sin (as does the Church), yet they certainly understood something of being conceived in sin -- and this doesn't refer to a sinful act on the part of the parents, nor on the part of the child; but to a state.
"For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me." (Ps 50:7)
This is why a sin offering was made for the child. This is also why the people payed the tithe -- because they knew that they started off (from the beginning) in evil.
There can be no question of this point: The Jews did not believe that children are naturally united to God through grace, nor that children start off as friends of God and confirmed in the good. Rather, there is a clear sense that children start off with an inclination to evil and a tendency toward sin -- they are not conceived as God's friends, but as God's enemies. It is only through the sacraments (for the Jews, those of the Old Law) that children become friends and sons of God.
Peace! + - February 4, 2012 at 10:52 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
While I understand your point, it is good to realize that the phrase - "Jesus came forth from the womb in the same way that he entered" - does not really make much sense.
Jesus didn't enter bodily into Mary's womb ... it's not as though he had a body and then miraculously passed through her womb to enter there and begin the process of pregnancy.
Rather, he took matter that was already within her body and made this into his body.
Now, of course, both were miracles ... but they did not occur according to the same mechanics ... in fact, it would be a heresy to say that he entered the womb in the same way he came out (because it would mean that he already had a body before coming into Mary's womb).
We need to be careful in how we speak ... lest we expose the faith to ridicule. - February 4, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Hi, Father, may God bless you.
This topic reminds me of the similar one: why did our Lord bother to be baptized (groans all around). Because, as you and others have patiently explained, he went through all the laborious channels of human life so he could sanctify those channels! He came to be one of us. He was circumcised, he was this, he was that. He was sweaty, he was poor. He then lifted our in-common flesh into heaven!
I want to thank you for pointing out for me the relationship between the curse of the first born in Egypt and the subsequent offering of animals by Israelites later (even coins by Jews of today!) in their own land. Wow! To think how God sees us and how he orders everything. He did not forget the lives of the Egyptian children and animals who were caught up in the fracas of the Exodus (or any other worldly fracas). It shows how he takes no pleasure in death: death of the humblest of animals or any human, which is after all made in His likeness. And to also see the reverberations in Herod's slaughter of the Jewish innocents. History repeats itself, especially where sin is present.
You wrote: "Frankly, I cannot help but suspect ill motive on the part of those who [assert Mary lost her virginity at the Nativity]." I agree with you. A slur against her always betrays itself by its stink of the demonic. I do not call the people who coyly make the slurs demonic, but I do so call the bad spirit(s) who are behind the scenes rejoicing at any slurs toward the object of their disgust: the highly favored (jealous!) creature elevated over them, praise God. Venerable Mary of Agreda made this clear to me, as well as reading select exorcism transcripts (with caution). How can people who (claim to) believe in a woman being impregnated by the Holy Spirit then lose their courage nine months later and think that physical reality must by then kick in, must by then prevail over God's abilities to stave it off? If God chose miraculous means in March, then He didn't let it all revert to commonness in December! - February 4, 2012 at 2:40 PM
Erlenbush, your love of mental gymnastics does you no credit on this one. There's nothing in scripure--deductive or inductive--to suggest this doctrine. Jesus opened Mary's womb, pure and simple, and only an unhealthy obsession with connecting purity to virginity would lead anyone to think otherwise.
- February 4, 2012 at 9:26 PM
Erlenbush, your love of mental gymnastics does you no credit on this one. There's nothing in scripure--deductive or inductive--to suggest this doctrine. Last time I checked you need all three legs of the "stool" of doctrinal authority to define something "de fide". Jesus opened Mary's womb, pure and simple, and only an unhealthy obsession with connecting purity to virginity would lead anyone to think otherwise.
-Bill - February 4, 2012 at 9:31 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
Two points:
1) The post was not meant to prove the virginity of Mary, but to show that this particular verse did not disprove her in partu virginity.
2) You are obviously far wiser than all the saints, mystics, Doctors, and Fathers of the Church ... certainly wiser than I ... indeed, you are one of those "super-apostles" of whom St. Paul speaks.
And, since you did not ask a question but only hurled insults ... I will happily set you aside.
But, btw, since you insist so much on the three legs of Scripture, Tradition, and magisterium ... why don't you give a Scripture passage, a Church Father, and a definition from the magisterium which says that Mary lost her virginity in giving birth?!
I have the Scripture: "The VIRGIN shall conceive AND GIVE BIRTH to a son"
The Tradition: "He was BORN of the VIRGIN Mary"
and the Magisterial teaching: Christ's birth "did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity but sanctified it." (Lumen Gentium, 57)
There is no other rational way to understand "virgin in giving birth" than to see that it refers to physical integrity ... since refraining from sexual pleasure while giving birth is no miracle. - February 5, 2012 at 7:03 AM
Fr. Erlenbush, let me clarify a couple of things. First, sorry about the name confusion: I didn't think the first one went through so I send another message via the anonymous route, and I tend to go by Bill (William) but my first name's Joseph. Let's just keep it with Joe for simplicity. Second, as far as hurling insults, I intended no such thing! Your love of mental gymnastics is impressive, and quite necessary in many instances. I just don't think this is one of them. As far as I can tell, saying Jesus was born of the virgin Mary means that God was Jesus' father, and not a man, period. It seems to me that the early church decided to stretch this obvious meaning into all kinds of unnecessary dogma about perpetual virginity due to an imbalanced view of virginity's virtue (as compared with the married life). Why do I think that? Well just one example, in the early church it was frowned upon for married presbyters to have sex with their own wives, all in the name of "purity and virtue". Now if this doesn't reflect an imbalance (an an injustice to marriage) I'm not sure anything can. So just wanted to clarify that, and say keep up the articles...they're good sources of reflection.
-Joe - February 5, 2012 at 12:01 PM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
The "obsession" which the Church Fathers had with physical integrity and virginal purity is rooted in Scripture itself.
The particular instance you mention -- that the married priests would refrain from intercourse -- comes directly from the mandates of the Old Testament ... and there is nothing in the New Testament to indicate that there is any change.
Indeed, there is much to indicate that the same continued in the early Church ... and this is why a priest could not remarry if his wife died -- because he would not consummate a new marriage after receiving Orders.
If you are interested ... there was an article sometime earlier on this blog (posted by one of the earlier contributors, not me) which discusses the issue of celibacy in the early Church.
As far as Mary's virginity ... if all it meant were that she was a virgin when she conceived, then why would the Church specify "virgin during birth"?
Explain that to me ... how is "virgin during birth" different from "virgin before birth", if "virginity" just means not having sex?
Also, what exactly would be the "mystery" of the 3rd Joyful Mystery? How would it be anything different from the Annunciation?
Finally, the simple fact is that Mary's physical virginity in the act of giving birth was accepted more quickly than the Son's equality with the Father.
The fact that Jesus was born of a virgin without harming her virginity is a sign of his eternal birth of the Father (in which he did not split or divide or harm the divine essence).
That is why it is important to hold that Mary was a virgin in birth -- because the Son's temporal birth teaches us something of his eternal birth.
Well, the whole point of this article was simply to show that this verse from Luke's Gospel in no way contradicts the Church's teaching on the physical integrity of Mary's virginity.
That much, at least, should be clear enough. - February 5, 2012 at 12:46 PM
- Mick Jagger Gathers No Mosque said...
I find it amusing that on the Feast of St Agatha - Virgin and Martyr - Joe rails against purity and virginity and he shows his ignorance about the Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy and shows no familiarity with the Decretals of Pope Siricius - but, those with modern sensibilities are so much better than Holy Mother Church, Mary, and The Virgin Saint Martyrsartyrs.
- February 6, 2012 at 12:02 PM
What is the difference between the Annunciation and the Birth? How about the fact that birth is a miracle, whether or not the baby "passed as light through glass." That description suspiciously implies, to me, that Christ was not truly born of a woman at all. It also smacks of a Puritan fear/ hatred of the body and bodily functions.
What you describe is not a birth at all. Birth is incredibly physical. A woman of Mary's time would not have described it as "painful" but as "hard work." This work that women do is what sanctifies us.
You seem to be asserting that Mary did nothing but lay on a mound of hay while Christ ... what? Passed through her without touching anything? Christ humbled himself - why shouldn't that mean he was /born/ in a physical sense?
I'm asserting that she must have participated in her own sanctification in a physical way.
-G - February 7, 2012 at 7:51 AM
- Father Ryan Erlenbush said...
You say that "birth is a miracle" ... meaning that every birth is a miracle ... and so Christ's birth was just as miraculous as any other.
This is absurd ... it is not what the Church means when declaring that the birth of our Savior was "miraculous".
I do describe a real birth ... and a physical birth.
That is precisely the miracle ... One physical body (Jesus') passed through another physical body (Mary's) without causing any rupture or harm.
If it wasn't physical, then it wouldn't be much of a miracle.
You say that "like light through glass" is Puritan ... I answer that I didn't know that St. Augustine was a Puritan! My goodness, where all the Church Father's Puritans?!
Well then ... That would mean that the Puritans are far more ancient than I have ever understood them to be!
And you say that "A woman of Mary's time would nto have described it as 'painful' but as 'hard work.'" -- What a fascinating statement. Could you provide some source? How do you know what a 1st century Jewish woman would think? Last I checked, there wasn't much record of women's psychology from those days.
Perhaps you are just asserting your personal opinion as a dogmatic fact?
Lastly, Mary did indeed participate in the miraculous birth of her Son ... she was certainly at prayer when he was born ... I think that she experienced the beatific vision of heaven at that moment.
She willed what God willed, as he wills it, because he wills it.
If you want a woman's perspective on this whole issue ... why not look to the revelations of St. Bridget?
Humility, my dear ... humility before the great mystery.
The Holy Spirit will give understanding, if only we believe. - February 7, 2012 at 9:04 AM
In the fall of man in Genesis, as part of the punishment for sin, Adam and Eve are told that they were made from dust, and to dust they shall return. Among other punishments, Eve is told that her labor pains during childbirth would increase. Since Mary is born without the original sin of Adam and Eve, then it only makes good sense that she is not buried in the ground to turn to dust, but is lifted to heaven at the point of her death.(Like Elijah). Because Mary has no original sin, she also would not suffer the punishment of labor pains associated with child birth. No pain because her womb is not opened. Because she has no open womb at Jesus's conception, or birth, then she remains a virgin...... it kind of makes good common sense to me.
- November 17, 2013 at 8:19 PM
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Population growth View this page in the refreshed REP
Changes in an area's population are driven by two factors: natural increase (births minus deaths) and net migration (arrivals minus departures). A strong regional economy with plentiful job opportunities will help a region retain its population and attract new residents from other regions and abroad.
This section contrasts Great Barrier's recent population growth with other districts and New Zealand. It presents Statistics New Zealand's Estimated Resident Populationi for the years 1996 to 2023.


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[Kevin Harrington] throws a curve ball with this skeleton in a coffin. Instead of going for the cheap scare, he conjures memories of old cartoons when the bony figure puts on a song and dance. When activated it leans forward to hang out of the coffin donning a tattered tuxedo and top hat. You can hear the servos working as they give jerky yet realistic motion to the tune "Hello! Ma Baby" in the true Michigan J. Frog style. Classic!
He figures it took about $36 in parts to put the skeleton together plus the DyIO module to control it from a PC. Four servos are used in total, connected to the skeleton with some steel cable. Connecting it via a computer makes it a bit easier to synchronize music with motion than just using a microcontroller capable of playing back audio would have been. Code is available from the site linked at the top, and a demo video is embedded after the break.
This would also have been possible by using an Arduino as a DMX controller.