Jokerman

Bob Dylan Wallpaper
Originally uploaded by jberg

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Jokerman (Words and Music by Bob Dylan)1983 Special Rider Music

Standing on the waters casting your bread While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing. Distant ships sailing into the mist, You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing. Freedom just around the corner for you But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune, Bird fly high by the light of the moon, Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

So swiftly the sun sets in the sky, You rise up and say goodbye to no one. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, Both of their futures, so full of dread, you don't show one.

Shedding off one more layer of skin, Keeping one step ahead of the persecutor within.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune, Bird fly high by the light of the moon, Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

You're a man of the mountains, you can walk on the clouds, Manipulator of crowds, you're a dream twister. You're going to Sodom and Gomorrah But what do you care? Ain't nobody there would want to marry your sister. Friend to the martyr, a friend to the woman of shame, You look into the fiery furnace, see the rich man without any name.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune, Bird fly high by the light of the moon, Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

Well, the Book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, The law of the jungle and the sea are your only teachers. In the smoke of the twilight on a milk-white steed, Michelangelo indeed could've carved out your features. Resting in the fields, far from the turbulent space, Half asleep near the stars with a small dog licking your face.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune, Bird fly high by the light of the moon, Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

Well, the rifleman's stalking the sick and the lame, Preacherman seeks the same, who'll get there first is uncertain. Nightsticks and water cannons, tear gas, padlocks, Molotov cocktails and rocks behind every curtain, False-hearted judges dying in the webs that they spin, Only a matter of time 'til night comes steppin' in.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune, Bird fly high by the light of the moon, Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

It's a shadowy world, skies are slippery gray, A woman just gave birth to a prince today and dressed him in scarlet. He'll put the priest in his pocket, put the blade to the heat, Take the motherless children off the street And place them at the feet of a harlot.

Oh, Jokerman, you know what he wants, Oh, Jokerman, you don't show any response.

Jokerman dance to the nightingale tune, Bird fly high by the light of the moon, Oh, oh, oh, Jokerman.

I admit to being a Dylan-obsessive. This is, I think, my favorite song. And it is as cryptic as anything he ever wrote, with nearly every line referencing scripture.

Dylan's religion, like his persona, is hidden behind veils. Jews and Christians alike claim him as their own: that's an accomplishment right there.

Sure, Dylan himself may be the Jokerman. But maybe this enigmatic character is all of us. In this person is the ironic duplicity of all humanity sold under sin. There is also the apocalyptic sensitivity here that stalks the Dylan catalog like the four horsemen.

Finally, this man who is a joke could be a portrait of the Beast or "Antichrist" of Revelation. He takes motherless children off the street and places them at the feet of the harlot of Babylon. He may be the prince the woman just gave birth to.

Whatever Dylan was writing about here, he doesn't reveal it to anyone. But the biblical imagery is superb, disturbing, and dark. And the music was magical as well on the album Infidels: the always gorgeous finger-picked guitar work of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits.

The above provided URL takes you to discussions of Dylan's biblical leanings from many points-of-view.

No Greater Love

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Memorial Day is the day we often pause to remember the dead, dead loved ones, and particularly those who died in battle defending our country and our freedoms.

Often, we don't, as Americans, seem to appreciate those who have sacrificed life and limb in the service of our country. I remember, for instance, many who served in Viet Nam were not appreciated because the war went sour. It didn't have the same feel as did WW2, where the good guys (Americans) got rid of the bad guys (Nazis).

Whether or not you agree with the war in Iraq, you are a citizen of this country, and this country has a military whose purpose is to defend our country. When those persons go out to fight a war, for whatever specific reason, right or wrong, they are doing it out of duty to you.

Jesus said there is no greater expression of love than to lay down your life for someone else. We all applaud courage, when someone risks their life to save another: like a lifeguard, or a fireman, or a policeman. To give up your life so that another can live is the height of heroism and sacrificial love. You can't do any more than that.

Jesus also laid down his life for the whole world. No one else could do it, actually. I might lay down my life for you, but I could never lay down my life for everyone. Only Jesus was qualified to do that, because he alone was the Lamb of God.

Servicemen and women lay down their lives every day in Iraq for us. It is an act of love for their country. We should remember and appreciate them as if we were there with them. And pray for those who are fighting in foreign theaters, because their mission is our mission, as a nation.

Heavenly Father, we appreciate our military men and women who are stationed around the world in highly dangerous and volatile situations. Be with them, strengthen them, help them, and preserve them, Lord. And guide our leaders in this country to make sound and wise decisions concerning these conflicts and the life and limb of our servicepeople. In Jesus' name, amen.

Epicurus (341-270 BCE)

Epicurus is perhaps the best known of a coterie of ancient Greek philosophers who focused on matters of this world, cared little for the gods, and rejected the idea of immortality. Epicurus authored some 300 works; his masterpiece, On Nature, presented many of his atheistic ideas. Epicurus led a community of thinkers who focused on the pleasures of knowledge, friendship, and bodily experience. He taught that for a good life, we must overcome fear of pain and fear of the gods.

In his own words: "Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is God both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"

From the Beliefnet Gallery of Unbelievers

Proverbs 15:
33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Atheism seems to making a comeback these days. It will always be a belief option that some will embrace. It is eminently materialistic and tries to be utterly rational. And very often God becomes its arch-enemy.

I tried on atheism in my youth, and railed against God, seeking to discourage believers, especially Christians. I thought how dumb and irrational Christianity was: the worst of all religions. I even reasoned that it was the cause of so much trouble in the world, and it placed such ridiculous restrictions on people.

I remember, too, a nagging feeling about reality: that it was too ordered, too well designed, too amazing to just be some gigantic accident. And I began to weaken, too, as my life was coming apart at the seams at 19. I would soon encounter the God I despised.

Many would think that men like Epicurus (above) were wise. Indeed, if you embrace atheism, it is hard to be humble about it. You can't help but feel that religious people are classically stupid. You know that you are wiser than they are, and that their religious compulsions are causing them to miss out on life. And look, they have become slaves of God and holy men. How asinine! What a waste of time!

But atheists have a big problem, too. They face the most starkly cold reality of death. It is just annihilation. All they are is a blip on the screen of millions of years of evolution, and they end in oblivion. These wisest of men are essentially nothing, hopeless, and adrift in a terrifying cosmos. But for a brief season, they can do what they want.

Some of them became murderers of whole masses of people. But why not, if you face nothing but death yourself? What does it matter?

Jesus disrupted the wisdom of this world; and he marvellously deconstructed it. No revolution of thought or action was more far-reaching than his: nor is it over by a long shot. He really overturned everything: civilizations, empires, religions, philosophies, and all the wisdom of the ancients. And he never wrote down one word ~ he just died on a cross.

The "fear" of the Lord sounds scary, and, no doubt to some, like lunacy. Fear is irrational, often. But other times it is rational. We should fear tigers, for instance. We should fear to drive at high speeds on bald tires. We should fear hurricanes. But why fear God? We don't see him or hear him. We have little real-world evidence that he even exists. Thus, to fear him could be irrational.

I came to fear him because I encountered him: I know him personally. He is as real to me as my wife; and he knows me better than she does. He knows the real me. He knows the me underneath the fake veneer. Consider the words of the song Amazing Grace: "T'was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved...."

I encountered God at 19 and was humbled. Suddenly I knew he was real. But I also knew he was more terrifyingly huge than anything else, for he made it all. Where did I find the arrogance to defy him?

More awesome than that, however, was that I found the greatest friend possible. I learned to fear and at the same time was freed from fear. Especially the fear of death. He faced my death for me. He who programmed death into the fabric of his cosmos now dismantled it. And he even pardoned me for the reasons I was worthy to die.

In the end, atheism was a huge letdown, a blind alley, even a boring anticlimax. It had promised me freedom and delivered to me fear. Whereas the God that seemed ludicrous to me introduced me to what I should really fear, and granted me freedom. A paradox?

Belief is worth a try. Like a long-shot scientific hypothesis, perhaps. It is the key, though. You haven't lived until you take the leap.

Jesus: Right or Left?

Proverbs 4:
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

To the late Jerry Falwell, God was a Republican. One comment I read, by a man who knew him, said that for Falwell, to not be a Republican was to basically be an unbeliever. And if God is, indeed, a Republican, what does that mean?

Well, we might ask, could God then be a Liberal?

When we think of these parties, we sometimes think of the things they are passionate about: the Left trumpets freedom of choice in abortion, equal rights for homosexuals, pull out of whatever war is going on at the moment; the Right tends to go in the opposite direction.

The two wings of government also disagree, often sharply, on how to conduct the affairs of state. Liberals appeal to compassion for the poor while Conservatives lean to helping those who are making it to make more. Liberals tend to expand government while Conservatives aim to limit it (all of this tends to be more rhetoric than action). Liberals are sounding the warnings about the environment while Conservatives pooh-pooh them as "tree huggers." Liberals stand for a relaxation of things like censorship while Conservatives are trying to push bills that promote temperance and Judaeo-Christian values. There is a tension between the two, not so much over morality, but over how much the state should control it. Indeed, when the state makes things illegal ~ like the use of liquor, or gambling, or drugs ~ criminal groups take over providing the public with their vices. And too much license in a society promotes all of the destruction that follows in the wake of people left to their own lack of judgment.

The tension between right and left is seen in all of nature. If we follow too much license, we head for shipwreck. If we become too morally rigid, we create a breeding ground for hypocrisy. The pendulum of morality in society is ever swinging back and forth.

Jesus said, "When you're looking at me, you're looking at the Father."

So now we need to decide, was he a Republicrat or a Democlican?

We should examine Jesus to see what he is. Is he Republican or Democrat?

I've studied Jesus for decades, so I'll give this a try.

Jesus was concerned about morality. He encouraged people to work hard and make an honest living. He attended the synagogue. He was an entrepreneur and an individualist. He encouraged venture capitalism. He surrounded himself with businessmen. He demanded tax collectors to change. Yup. He was a Republican.

But wait.....He was considered by the right-wingers of his day to be a rowdy sinner.
He provided wine for banquets miraculously. He hung around with reformed prostitutes and calloused working-class people. He harangued hypocritical religionists. He spoke of the abuse of the underclass by opportunistic men in power. He criticized leaders. He paid outrageous taxes. He was concerned about the poor. He had his own one-man health care system. He loved nature. And he opposed the use of physical force to set up kingdoms. Hm. Maybe he was a Liberal.

It looks to me like he embraced the good in both parties. Maybe it's time Christians did too. Are we called to polarize people? Or are we called to make peace?

Phil. 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Sometimes both political parties are capable of thinking about and even doing good things. Sometimes both of them fail. Christians, let's carry the God of peace into all arenas: whichever side of things they tend to lean to.

Make straight paths for your feet. Don't play favorites. Love your enemies.

The Sticky Problem of Adam and Evolution

"(Brian) Young showed how our beliefs about creation have a huge effect on our faith in general. For instance, if fossils are millions of years old, then death preceded man on earth, in direct contrast to what the Bible says. The Bible says that by one man death came into the world, and that Jesus is the one who overcame it.

"'Can you just believe part of the Bible?' he asked. 'The millions of years theory is in direct contrast with the rest of the Bible.'"
~ From a Christian newspaper review of a Brian Young presentation

1Cor. 15:22 ~ For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Fundamentalism solves all problems by using a literal, face-value approach to scripture. And there is no more nagging problem for fundamentalism than the theory of evolution. Thus evolution becomes the demonic conspiracy and foe of all "true believers." It becomes more important for some to defeat evolution than it does to simply proclaim the good news of the savior. Modern science seems like the nemesis of the foundations of all scripture.

It is true that evolution has also become a foundational logic for atheists who fundamentally reject God (emphasis on "mental"). They delight in making "fundies" the butt of their jokes. Creationism and the Bible itself become absurd to the devoted atheist. This creates an unbridgeable stand-off between these avowed enemies.

The "first man" Adam poses a particular problem, as Brian Young's quote (above) illustrates. How can he be the first if there were millions of years of men living before him in a long, drawn-out climb from some transitional creature?

The antidote to any fundamentalist belief is to look at the problematic scripture as a figure or an allegory. To the fundamentalist mindset, though, this seems frequently tantamount to unbelief, sin, and gross error. Yet God Himself is obviously fond of symbolism, for it is everywhere in both Old and New Testaments.

In considering this, I don't see why Adam cannot exist as both a literal, historical person and as an allegory as well. The Bible is one of our better historical documents, and archaeology is proving its soundness almost on a daily basis. Even though much of its history was passed on orally, it remained remarkably consistent and verifiable.

Evolution deals with pre-history, that which occurred before the very recent development of recorded history. Adam is a part of recorded history as a real person. He is part of all mankind as a symbol.

And another sticky problem arises with Adam's extremely long life. Do we assume that cavemen also lived millennial lives?

Whatever the answer is, Adam arises at the juncture of recorded history and pre-history; and the ancient oral histories of those early civilizations were replete with allegory. As Bible believers, we are left with Adam as the first man, whatever that may mean.

But the apostle Paul used the above analogy as a picture comparing Adam to the new man Jesus. It is this application that is important, more than who or what Adam actually was. At the very least, Adam symbolizes the old man ~ what we are now ~ born of whatever processes God has created. There need not be this terrifying gap between science and faith.

All of us are "Adamic" in at least one sense: we all die. But the new Adam (Jesus) is not dead. He lives forever and has the power of resurrection, to bring us back to life after we die.
Whatever Paul believed about Genesis, the message he was conveying was not about how God created stuff, but about the way He has gone about resolving the problem of sin and death, and that is all focused on His Son, the sole regenerator of dead men. That is, God is going to do away with death through the "Second Adam."

Evolution is not our enemy. We are reduced, by opposing it, to a kind of denial about the information God has left within nature. We are fair game then for all rational people, kind of like the church was when Galileo challenged the notion that the earth was the center of the solar system, as the church of his day decreed. Today, the sun-centered solar system is universally accepted and provable. Evolution is very close to that kind of acceptance, even by much of Christendom.

Belief in evolution will not destroy ethics and morality in the world, nor will it negate the veracity of scripture. Those who fear this outcome are in danger of becoming dinosaurs.

Job 38:
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?......."

As in Adam (the human species) all die; in Christ (the new human) all are made alive again. Whatever means God used to create what is now, He has a whole new idea about where it is going. The Bible says He created it all by, for, and through Jesus Christ. In the same way, He will recreate it: only this time it will work.

Man, as we know him, is about to become extinct. But he will rise again in a whole new life. And Jesus is the vehicle of that transformation, both now and when that change takes place.

Cosmic Chaos

Astronomers spot exploding faraway star
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Mon May 7, 7:46 PM ET

A massive exploding faraway star — the brightest supernova astronomers have ever seen — has scientists wondering whether a similar celestial fireworks show may light up the sky much closer to Earth sometime soon.

The discovery, announced Monday by NASA, drew oohs and aahs for months from the handful of astronomers who peered through telescopes to see the fuzzy remnants of the spectacular explosion after it was first spotted last fall.

Using a variety of Earth and space telescopes, astronomers found a giant exploding star that they figure has shined about five times brighter than any of the hundreds of supernovae ever seen before, said discovery team leader Nathan Smith of the University of California at Berkeley. The discovery was first made last September by a graduate student in Texas.

"This one is way above anything else," Smith told The Associated Press. "It's really astonishing."

Smith said the star, SN2006gy, "is a special kind of supernova that has never been seen before." He called the star "freakily massive" at 150 times the mass of the sun.
Observations from the Chandra X-ray telescope helped show that it didn't become a black hole like other supernovae and skipped a stage of star death.

Unlike other exploding stars, which peak at brightness for a couple of weeks at most, this supernova, peaked for 70 days, according to NASA. And it has been shining at levels brighter than other supernovae for several months, Smith said.

And even at 240 million light years away, this star in a distant galaxy does suggest that a similar and relatively nearby star — one 44 quadrillion miles away — might blow in similar fashion any day now or 50,000 years from now, Smith said. It wouldn't threaten Earth, but it would be so bright that people could read by it at night, said University of California at Berkeley astronomer David Pooley. However, it would only be visible to people in the Southern Hemisphere, he said.

Matthew 24: 29 ~ Immediately after the distress of those days "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

Rev. 6:
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,
13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,and the earth will be shaken out of its place,at the wrath of the Lord of hostsin the day of his fierce anger.

There are numerous references to this event in both the Old and New Testament, and Jesus is probably quoting Isaiah, Ezekiel, or Joel. Stars falling to earth? Remember the old song? Oh, when the stars begin to fall...Oh, Lord, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.

Some say this is figurative speech for an event that happened in the past. Others say this is a future event that is very literal. Apparently, astronomers might tend to agree with the futurists.

They are compelled to consider what would happen if one of these supernovae occurred in our neighborhood, or if a comet should collide with earth (which is a possibility a couple of decades from now).

Still, the scriptures on this subject boggle the mind. We are tempted to say, "Aw, that's just ancient people with their less-than-sophisticated understanding of outer space."

What we can say is that the cosmos going nuts is a possibility. This has not happened in our recorded history. And can we really say we have ever seen "signs" like Jesus and the prophets were talking about? That would seem to make this a physical event yet future.

That is not to say we should be on pins and needles about this. What I am saying is that astronomers, seeing the information written in the sky, can't seem to help but speculate about what would happen if an unexpected event were to "shake the stars" in our neighborhood. It is not out of the realm of possibility.

The Value of Life

How Much Is Your Dog's Life Worth?
The Wall Street Journal Online
By Sara Schaefer Munoz
Recognizing Pets' Value

Even before the recent pet-food scare, legal experts say there has been a growing legal recognition of pets' value. Today 42 states have made cruelty to animals a felony, compared with seven states that had felony provisions before 1994, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

In 2000, Tennessee created a statute allowing noneconomic damages if a pet is killed or injured by negligence, though caps them at $5,000. And recent civil judgments have nodded to people's emotional attachment to their pets: A default judgment last year in Washington state awarded a man $50,000 for the intrinsic value of his cat, Milton, and an additional $25,000 for emotional distress after Milton was killed by a neighboring dog that had a history of aggressive behavior.

Animal-rights groups say that most animal law is based on a long-ago era when pets didn't have the vaunted role they now enjoy in many households -- and when Americans didn't spend nearly as much money on them. In 2006, Americans spent nearly $39 billion on food, veterinary care, supplies and other services for their pets, up 35% from 2001, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, an industry group in Greenwich, Conn.

Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

Yes, I like animals and take care of my little beasties. I like cats more than dogs because they tend to take care of themselves and are more decorative. But what are they worth?

Go down to the animal shelter any day of the week and there you will find potential pets waiting on death row and nobody wants them. You will also find people who are willing to shell out big bucks for their pets: and, of course, a show dog is going to have more value than a mutt, in the same way a Van Gogh will bring a higher price than Sally's paint-by-the-numbers creation. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

But most cats and dogs are a dime-a-dozen. They are not presently endangered species. Indeed, each on is unique and beautiful, "fearfully-made" creations of God.
I understand, though, that in Uruguay cats are hunted and eaten (not much meat on that one, unless it's an American cat).

Even in nature we frequently see scenes of carnage, of animals brutally slaying and eating other critters. Death makes no sense there. A fox hunts down a doe and then gnaws away. Two gorgeous creatures are reduced to the basic, mindless ravages of nature: here today, dead meat tomorrow.

Our thoughts then say: "What are they worth to God?"

We are appalled at death. People who have extremely high value to us suddenly pass away and are no more. Death seems to tell us that life is cheap. A senseless mass murder or a natural disaster snuffs out a crowd of people and we cannot process the meaning of it. We are stunned by it, even fascinated; but in the end we have no explanation, no rationale.

Legal experts may pin a value on a pet. They routinely decide the value of a human life. But what really is the value of it all? The bubonic plagues wiped out people wholesale, indiscriminately. Oddly, then, we have this painful irony in the world around us: people, animals have great value and yet, seemingly, none. Death says we are all toast. It can all vanish in an instant, like Hiroshima.

Does God not think much of this present world? The answer seems to be yes and no.
It is both extremely cheap and utterly valuable. No wonder people can become nihilistic, utterly depressed and suicidal. If they regard the cheapness of life it can seem not worth living.

Life is both meaningless and full of meaning ~ unimportant and very valuable. We can't comprehend it. But most of us feel lucky or blessed to be alive today, if we have food and shelter and are not daily surrounded by war.

Somewhere God made it and declared, "It is very good." And in almost the next breath He said, "It grieves me."

Hebrews 2:5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
7You made him a little[a] lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor
8and put everything under his feet? In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Death is the great leveler. It laughs in the face of all meaning. But man is still made for a glorious future: it just isn't here. Have you blown it in life? Are you despondent? Do you despair of the meaning of it all? Lay your burdens on the one who died for you. He has a life of great meaning to give you. He makes sense of it all. I kid you not.

The Scientific Timeline

Matthew 24:
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8All these are the beginning of birth pains. ~ Jesus

In a scientific timeline revealed by reporter Andrea Thompson and produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a "frightening future" emerges. I am simplifying it to make it easier to wrap the mind around.

2007 ~ World population now approaching 7 billion and concentrated in urban areas (cities).

2008 ~ Global oil production peaks and begins a downward trend until 2020, sparking a trend toward conflicts, recession, and food shortages.

2020 ~ World population will be pushing 8 billion alongside as much as 50% decrease in agricultural yields and flash flooding in Europe.

2030 ~ Look for 5% increase in diahrea-related diseases as 8.3 billion people pack into world's cities. Up to 18% of world's coral reefs will be lost. Rising temperatures will erase Africa's equatorial glaciers.

2040 ~ Arctic sea will begin experiencing serious ice reductions in summer.

2050 ~ Alpine glaciers will shrink and even begin to disappear. Big increase in heat-related deaths in places like Australia and New York, while England will experience the opposite effect of cold-related deaths. With global population at 9.4 billion, crop production in East Asia could increase and decrease in South Asia. A quarter of the earth's plant and animal life may face extinction.

2070 ~ Hydropower will decrease as drought-infection increases. Drought and its accompanying effects will increase by as much as 50%, with the Mediterannean being among the hardest to be hit.

2080 ~ Low-lying areas and cities will experience increased flooding and Tsunamis as coastal populations zoom to 5 billion. Famines and water shortages will become commonplace. Large portions of New York State could go underwater.

2085 ~ The risk of dengue fever increases to affect 3.5 billion people.

2100 ~ Ecosystems will be crashing. Ocean ph levels will seriously threaten marine life. 20 to 30% extinction rates globally. Radical transformation of weather patterns globally. A quarter of earth plant and animal life decimated. Dust bowl scenarios across the Northern Hemisphere and Middle East.

2200 ~ Water masses shift toward poles speeding earth rotation.

My comment: These are sobering ideas presented by scientists who look at all these things and get freaked out. I remember the dire predictions of the '60's that never came true. By 2000 they expected that sizeable populations would be living on the moon or under the ocean in domes.

Still, humans have been brilliantly resourceful in developing technologies to combat, for instance, the effects of increasing population and reductions in the world food supply. Technology has kept up and sometimes surpassed the crises that were faced (think polio, or smallpox, or advancements in agriculture). Multiple millions on this planet live better, more prosperous, more luxurious lives than any peoples in history.

But, with all that, the world is still precariously dangerous.

What can't be figured into all these scenarios are the possible effects of war, weapons of mass destruction (chemical, nuclear, and biological), and even desperate human migrations. Such things could potentially put the pedal to the metal, so to speak, on critical developments in the world. And governments are still only applying band-aids to huge, gaping wounds.

Jesus said, "When you see these things, don't get anxious." But he envisioned a world completely whacked-out at some point, with even outer space rocking and reeling. He spoke of times of great sorrows. Actually, we live in such a world today. Large portions of humanity presently live in tribulation.

This is perhaps the dark side of scientific exploration, to uncover potential disaster ahead. They become like the old harbingers of religion: "Repent, turn around, before it's too late." One would hope they would have better luck than the religious prophets of doom. They also face that same frustrating, impenetrable wall the prophets faced called "human nature." We seem naturally hell-bent, almost determined, to ignore where our inclinations are leading us.

For me, the atom bomb was a symbol of the extent of evil possible in the human potential. God did not have to rain fire on us from the skies. We could do it ourselves, thank you very much.

We live in a perilous world, with huge potential for massive disasters. We have witnessed over-reactions to Y2K or the more recent Avian Flu. It is hard, in fact, looking at the timetable above, to understand exactly what we should do about this, or global warming, or comets headed for our planet.

Trust God. There is nothing out there that is going to take Him by surprise or overwhelm Him.

Bounty Hunter Theology

In a recent Beliefnet interview, Dog, of the show Dog the Bounty Hunter, explained his theology:

How would you define your spiritual lives?

Dog: A Christian is very Christ-like. Christ wouldn’t say, "Freeze, M-F!" He’d say something else. So, sometimes we cannot be too Christ-like, but we’re believers in Christ.

We believe that God is big enough to give every nationality their own religion, as he’s given them their own taste in food, in plants, in furniture, and housing. I think that each religion has their basic Christ-ish way to get to the Everlasting God. As far as "Jesus only" kind of people, I as a gentile must believe in Jesus. But I do not condemn, say, the Jewish [people], for not having Jesus. I believe that God is smart enough to make different nationalities and creeds and people, a mediator to get towards him—if you need that.

Everybody’s under God’s planet, and God is the Almighty, the Beginning, the End, the Alpha, the Omega. He’s Big Daddy. He gives out these little soldiers and sons and angels and saints to help everybody else get through to him. I’m not the "Jesus-only or you’re going to hell" kind of guy.

Romans 2:12
All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
16This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

I don't think anybody is going to confuse Dog with a real theologian ~ and some would criticize what he said above ~ but take a closer look.

First off, he is parroting the popular concept that "all paths lead to God" (all dogs go to heaven).
Is this what Paul meant in Romans 2 (above) when he said, "The Gentiles who do the law are a law unto themselves"?

Actually, it is as though Paul is saying that those who do righteous things are righteous and will be considered righteous in the final judgment. I think Paul is also saying here that if a man practices righteousness outside of faith in Christ, or in spite of ignorance about who Jesus is, that man will still be considered righteous.

That is not the same as "imputed righteousness." When something is "imputed", it is bestowed. Faith in Christ brings us into this imputed or bestowed kind of righteousness that is outside of works, or outside of trying to be as righteous as possible by attempting to perform the righteous dictates of the law. But righteousness is righteousness no matter how you look at it.

Paul is illustrating how we will be judged. Are you a Gentile outside of the law? Then you sin outside the law. Are you a Jew under the law? If you sin, the law will judge you. And what if you sin having faith in Christ? You have forgiveness. But if you continue doing whatever it is you're doing wrong, your works will be burned up (1 Cor. 3:15).

Faith in Christ makes all the difference. But God is a just God toward those without faith. Justice says the punishment fits the crime. Who knows better than God how to repay for crime or sin? But, remember, the forgiveness available through Christ lifts that judgment and sets the captive free. It makes a huge difference in your afterlife. Jesus called it "abundant life" and "eternal life."

Perhaps Dog is like so many believers who ~ in today's world, where God is under scrutiny for being a big meanie ~ try to portray God with the most merciful face possible. Still, fundamentalists will say, "All paths do not lead to God. Jesus is the only way."

This is where clarification is needed in these post-modern times. Let me give it a shot in simple terms:

Those who place their faith in Christ have the advantage, because he is the only Son of God.
Their sins are forgiven ~ plain and simple. They are in a very special class. These are the heirs of the kingdom.

Those who place their faith in religions outside of this grace have either spurned the message of Christ or have never heard it. They are judged outside of this grace / faith community. "Without faith it is impossible to please (or be accepted by) God." We labor in vain without Christ. Those who labor to do good, then, without Christ, will be judged for the good they have done.
Or the evil.

Tornado Meditation

Click the URL and see the devastation of Greensburg, Kansas:

http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/050507tornadoaerials/

Isaiah 40:
21 Don't you know who made everything?
Haven't you heard about him?
Hasn't it been told to you from the beginning?
Haven't you understood it ever since the earth was made?
22 God sits on his throne high above the earth.
Its people look like grasshoppers to him.
He spreads the heavens out like a cover.
He sets it up like a tent to live in.
23 He takes the power of princes away from them.
He reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 They are planted. They are scattered like seeds.
They put down roots in the ground.
But as soon as that happens, God blows on them and they dry up.
Then a windstorm sweeps them away like straw.
25 "So who will you compare me to?
Who is equal to me?" says the Holy One.
26 Look up toward the sky.
Who created everything you see?
The Lord causes the stars to come out at night one by one.
He gives each one of them a name.
His power and strength are great.
So none of the stars is missing.
27 Family of Jacob, why do you say, "The Lord doesn't notice our condition"?
People of Israel, why do you say, "Our God doesn't pay any attention to our rightful claims"?
28 Don't you know who made everything? Haven't you heard about him?
The Lord is the God who lives forever. He created everything on earth.
He won't become worn out or get tired.
No one will ever know how great his understanding is.
29 He gives strength to those who are tired.
He gives power to those who are weak.
30 Even young people become worn out and get tired.
Even the best of them trip and fall.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will receive new strength.
They will fly as high as eagles.
They will run and not get tired.
They will walk and not grow weak.

It was reported this tornado was 3/4 of a mile wide. Of course, our hearts go out to the people who found themselves in its path; and the loved ones of those who died.

When we look at the desolation left behind we feel a sense of awe. When we consider that it could happen to us we feel helpless. Life is so fragile. The world is so dangerous.

The Lord is our rock, the old song says, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm.

Nothing is certain in this world. But Christ is certain. This world passes away, sometimes as in a whirlwind. But God does not change. He is always good.

Researcher Claims Glossolalia Turns The Brain Off ~ The Power of Tongues

Excerpt from 20/20 Broadcast:

At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Andrew Newberg is looking for an explanation for what most regard as inexplicable.

Newberg is determined to unravel the relationship between faith and science by studying what happens in the brain during the deepest moments of faith. He's recently published a study looking at the brain activity of eight Americans who speak in tongues.

"If we are really going to look at this powerful force in human history of religion and spirituality, I think we really have to take a look at how that affects our brain -- what's changing or turning on and off in our brain," Newberg said.

'Why We Believe What We Believe'

When asked if he was skeptical about what he'd find when he decided to study the brain at the moment someone is speaking in tongues, Newberg said, "If … the question is, is this a real phenomenon? Is this really the voice of God speaking through them? That's a much more problematic question, I think, and something that I'm not sure if we have specifically answered just by doing our study."

Newberg used CT scans to look at what happens in the brain's control center when someone speaks in tongues.

Study particpants like Donna Morgan listened to gospel music during the first scan. Brain activity during that scan was then compared with brain activity as the subject spoke in tongues.

Morgan was excited when she heard about the study. She was convinced that the results would support what she said she feels all the time.

"When I heard about the study, I already knew, in my spirit, that it was going to be proven that there was a part of our brain that we have no control [over]," she said, "that when the Holy Ghost is interceding for us we are out of control." Newberg has been studying how faith is mapped on the brain for quite some time. He's recently published a book called "Why We Believe What We Believe."

In earlier studies, he looked at what happens in the brains of Buddhist monks meditating and Franciscan nuns praying. The results were quite different from what happens in the brains of people speaking in tongues, whose brains, he found, went quiet in the frontal lobe -- the part of the brain right behind the forehead that's considered the brain's control center.

The Voice of God?

"When they are actually engaged in this whole very intense spiritual practice … their frontal lobes tend to go down in activity. … It is very consistent with the kind of experience they have, because they say that they're not in charge. [They say] it's the voice of God, it's the spirit of God that is moving through them," said Newberg.

"Whatever is coming out of their mouth is not what they are purposefully or willfully trying to do. And that's in fairly stark contrast to the people who are -- like the Buddhist and Franciscan nuns -- in prayer, because they are very intensely focused and in those individuals the frontal lobes actually increase activity." We asked Stoltzfoos to visit the University of Pennsylvania to have his brain scanned by Newberg while he spoke in tongues, and Stoltzfoos did not hesitate in agreeing to participate.

"I don't think faith has anything to be afraid of from science. Science validates faith, so bring it on, whatever the facts are, bring it on."

First, Stoltzfoos' brain was scanned as he prayed in English. Then, on Newberg's cue, he spoke in tongues, which sounded like a foreign language -- a little Hebrew, a bit of German -- but actually he wasn't saying anything in any known language.

Newberg said the scan showed that part of Stoltzfoos' frontal lobe did go quiet.

1Corninthians 14: 13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

16 If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Can we gain from bringing spiritual things into the laboratory, putting them under a microscope? Does the above experiment show that a person is basically brain-dead while they are speaking in tongues, or that they have entered some spiritual state? Still, it is an interesting approach to look at the phenomenon objectively.

The 20th Century, in a way, belonged to Pentecostalism. The Pentecostals managed to span the globe with the gospel perhaps more effectively than any other church movement in history.
Today, even among Pentecostals, tongues is almost a non-issue.

Early on, one of the pioneers of Pentecostalism, Charles Parham, believed the practice would effectively be used to bridge all language barriers in communicating the gospel. The truth is, it didn't. Instead, tongues tend to be an intensely private practice typically associated with prayer.

Still, Paul devoted an entire chapter to this subject, so it had some importance. Basically, he was telling the Corinthians to use the gift wisely, so that people could tell a church service from an insane asylum. Fifty people gathered together, babbling away, would not make much sense to an unbeliever passing by. Christ needs to be explained to be understood.

It is easy for some Christians to emphasize experience as the mark of their truth. Really, though, experience is highly subjective and subject to abuses. The good news is not about how we feel or how we do things; it is about who He is. It is about getting that across. It is about communicating the fact that God is accessible through His Son. It is not about us at all.

Paul said he spoke in tongues "more than any." But he was careful to put the practice in its place. It can certainly edify the person who does it; but it is not meant for public consumption.

But Paul also said, "Don't forbid the practice of speaking in tongues." Just put it in its proper place. Don't run off with something until you understand how to discipline it and use it with discretion. If you use these things in a showy way, you will not be edifying yourself or anybody else. "Will they not say that you are crazy?"

What About Hell?

Matt. 23:33 You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

Using the Strong's Concordance:

There are 23 references to "hell" in the Old King James Version of New Testament.

15 of those verses are spoken by Jesus. The actual word He is using is "hades", referring to the Greek concept that described "the abode of the dead," or the place people go when they die to await judgment, whether they were good or evil.

4 more verses are found in the book of Revelation also referring to this destination or the destination of evil angels (tartarus).

Hell is not mentioned at all in the gospel of John.

There are 4 more uses of the word:
In Acts, referring to Jesus' burial state;
in James, referring to the evil use of the tongue or speech; and
in 2 Peter, referring to the destination of angels.

Jesus' references to hell are fairly graphic and seem to utilize the Jewish mode of exaggerated metaphor. That is, He is painting a picture of something to be avoided at all cost. He uses terminology like "fire", "damnation", and pictures hell as a very hot place, like a desert. These are imaginative references to something that is real: as if you were trying to describe prison to someone who had never seen one. You might say, "It was dreadful, and the food was bad, and I was confined, and I was all alone, and so thirsty, and so hot. Like being in the burning dump. Like drowning in a burning sea. Like wasting away in a huge hole."

It is interesting that the apostles did not, in Acts, use fire and brimstone in their sermons to motivate people to turn to Christ. Basically, in the epistles, this method is nonexistent. Did the church, over the centuries, develop a hell mythology?

Anxiety about death and future judgment is fairly universal in all of history and among all nations and religions. We don't know what to expect. Most of the time we live our lives unconscious of the imminence of death and judgment. But when a preacher causes us to focus on it, we may become agitated and upset, and even be inspired to change our habits and life trajectory. Or we may rationalize and get it out of our minds. Some may even embrace it, thus rendering it temporarily impotent. But death and what comes after will come regardless of how we approach it.

So what do we, as Christians, do with hell? Theologians only have a few versions. The one most of us are familiar with is some variance on eternal punishment. Then there are visions painted of a possible place of purging or purgatory. Some are more comfortable with a future annihilation of the wicked. Others feel that God ultimately forgives all sinners.

I can only wrap my mind around hell as a metaphor for divine justice. Hades was a place of waiting for sentencing for the deeds one did while living, whether good or bad. So if one was bad, it was a bad place.

Jesus used it to picture something important. We all will receive justice for the way we lived this life: and justice for some will be tough stuff. Part of Jesus' mission was to get people off the wrong road, to "go and sin no more." Why? Because crime pays back in punishment.

The other part of His mission was, "Neither do I condemn you" and "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing." This presents a paradox that is not resolved by emphasizing mercy or law. The two go hand in hand. Mercy is extended to enable us to live rightly and escape the surety of judgment for evil.

We can endlessly develop theologies about hell. It has been done, in fact. The confusion over this is everywhere. The point is that a bad future after death is undesirable, and Jesus is the way out. "I will repay," said the Lord. And why Him? Because He alone knows what He's doing.
He alone will be truly just.

"Faith" is another word for "confidence" and "trust." Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are loaded with anxiety and care." He is the ultimate defense lawyer before God. Whatever we have faith in ~ confidence in ~ is misplaced if it is not in Jesus. It's that simple and yet so very hard for so many to get there.

Go ahead and trust Him. Then you'll understand.

The Son of Man

Daniel 7:
13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.
14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Luke 21:
25 There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

At times Jesus referred to Himself as "the Son of Man" and, at other times, "the Son of God." Commonly it is taught that when He used the Son of God identification, He was expressing His deity; and when He used the Son of Man, He was pointing out His humanity.

Lee Strobel, former atheist, famous journalist, and Master of Law from Yale made a point about this in his bestseller The Case For Christ. In his quest to present the case from the journalist's prying, unbiased eye he chased down Dr. Craig Blomberg author of The Historical Reliability of the Gospels and asked him about this. Blomberg pointed out that what Jesus was doing here was also referring to His deity. The use of the term Son of Man was a reference to this passage in Daniel that the Jews would have been very familiar with, denoting the savior of the world.

Daniel's vision of the Son of Man, was the same that was seen with the three Hebrews who were thrown into Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace. In his vision, Daniel sees this Son of Man assume the throne of authority over all nations ~ essentially everything. Ultimate authority can belong to none but God. Jesus was revealing Himself as God incarnate, the Son of Man who would come at the end of the age and assume the reigns of universal sovereignty.

In the famous prophecy Jesus gave ~ often called the Olivet Discourse (see above) ~ Jesus identified Himself as the Son of Man who would fulfill Daniel's vision of the returning Messiah.
He goes on to say, in Luke 21:

34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

The Jews would have known what He was talking about: and that is one reason some of them embraced Him as their promised Messiah while others sought His death for blasphemy. What do you think? Who do you say the Son of Man is?