“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people…religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” Linus from Peanuts.
Author: lenbilen
Retired engineer, graduated from Chalmers Technical University a long time ago with a degree in Technical Physics. Career in Aerospace, Analytical Chemistry, computer chip manufacturing and finally adjunct faculty at Pennsylvania State University, taught just one course in Computer Engineering, the Capstone Course.
Luke 6:17-49. Luke recorded a shorter version of the Beatitudes than is found in the gospel of Matthew. Jesus added: Love your enemies, do not judge, a tree is known by its fruit, and finally he told the parable of the foolish and the wise builder.
2 Samuel 4 records how Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth was murdered.
2 Samuel 5. David consolidated power and reigned over all Israel and captured Jerusalem. After Jerusalem was established as the City of David the Philistines were defeated.
Luke6:1-16. Jesus showed he is the Lord of the Sabbath and showed it by healing a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath. Then Jesus called the twelve Apostles.
2 Samuel 1. After David got the report of Saul’s death he lamented of the death of Saul and his son, known as the Song of the Bow.
In 2 Samuel 2 David was anointed King of Judah, and Ishboseth, son of Saul was made King of Israel, which led to Israel and Judah waging war against each other.
2 Samuel 3 starts out with a genealogy of David’s sons. Abner joined forces with David, Joab murdered Abner, and finally is recorded how David mourned Abner.
Luke 5, Jesus called his first Disciples, cleansed a leper, healed and forgave a Paralytic his sins and called Levi (Matthew). At the end of the chapter Jesus was questioned about fasting. My discourse about old and new wineskins is very interesting. Read it and see if you agree.
Proverbs 3 continues to tell of the benefits of wisdom. The verses most often quoted are ”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths.”
Luke 4:1-21, Jesus ministry started with his Temptation in the wilderness, from which we get the 40 days of Lent. At every temptation initiated by Satan Jesus quoted scripture to show his total reliance on God and His word. Satan also used scripture, so watch out! Going to his hometown of Nazareth Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 61. We are still in the acceptable year of the Lord but before the day of the Lord’s vengeance.
In 1 Samuel 28 David was among the Philistines and Saul consulted a woman with a familiar spirit, the witch at En Dor. The medium did bring up Samuel!
1 Samuel 29. The Philistine rulers rejected David.
In Luke 3 John the Baptist prepared the way and performed the baptism of repentance. Jesus’ was also baptized by John, after which “the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” The chapter then lists the genealogy of Mary, from the human side of Jesus. (Matthew listed the genealogy of Joseph from the Kingly side, and since Joseph adopted Jesus as his own, it shows Jesus became the rightful heir to the throne of David.)
In 1 Samuel 26 David Spared Saul’s Life a second time.
1 Samuel 27. David allied himself with the Philistines.
Luke 2:21-52 is telling of when Jesus was brought to the Temple, Simeon’s and Anna’s testimonies, and Jesus at age 12, also in the Temple. Read it and marvel.
In 1 Samuel 24, David Spared Saul’s life, staying true to God.
1 Samuel 25 records Samuel’s death. It also tells the vivid story of David and Abigail, the wife of Nabal.
Luke 2:1-20. The birth of Jesus is so well known that even Charles Schulz’ Peanuts tell of the Birth of Jesus, and the Shepherds and the Angels. Beginning in 2015 many school districts banned the play because of the biblical quotes. Some replaced it with Frosty the Snowman, something we all can believe in.
1 Samuel 20, . Jonathan and David vowed an oath of loyalty, saying: “The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever.”
In 1 Samuel 21 David and his men ate from the Holy Showbread. After that David fled to the Philistine city-state of Gath and pretended to be insane to stay alive.
1 Samuel 22. David gathered four hundred men and went back into Judah. Because the LORD’s priests had helped David, Saul had Doeg the Edomite murder the priests, eighty-five in all.
1 Samuel 23. David Saved the City of Keilah, was pursued by Saul, spending most of the time in strongholds of the wilderness.
Luke 1:57-80, tells of the birth of John the Baptist and Zechariah’s song.
1 Samuel 17 gives a vivid rendition of how David defeated Goliath. Just read it, it is great reading.
1 Samuel 18. Saul began to resent David, and no wonder, women started chanting “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul’s daughter Michal fell in love with David, and Saul let them marry after a rather unusual dowry, but he became more and more suspicious and afraid of David.
In 1 Samuel 19 Saul’s paranoia was fully developed, and he persecuted David, trying to kill him over and over again.
The very first Earth Day was celebrated April 22 1970, on the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Lenin (Владимир Ильич Ленин). True green environmentalists keep telling me it is just a coincidence. I think not..
The first Earth Day in Philadelphia 1970 featured Ira Einhorn (The Unicorn Killer) as master of Ceremonies. For those too young to remember, he murdered his girlfriend , stuffed her in a piece of luggage in his apartment and kept her there for seven years, and no one smelled a dead rat). He was finally convicted many years later. The big environmental scare of that day was the threat of a new Ice Age. The clarion call was: “In the year 2000 temperatures will have fallen 10 degrees”, the culprit was pollution, especially acid rain.
Things have changed, and we have experienced decades of climate change, or so they say, but it depends very much on where you live. Most of the increased temperature since 1970 is due to cleaner air in the industrialized nations, there are now more thunderstorms as opposed to daylong rains. This leads to fewer clouds and less reflection of incoming light back into space. This means warmer days.
What forms clouds is saturated humidity with a sufficient aerosol to form condensing spots. The best solution is to plant trees that provide enough aerosols to form clouds. This is especially important in the American Southwest and the whole 10-40 degrees latitude region where the majority of the world’s population lives.
USA can be seen as two very different regions: In the West the fight is about water rights; in the East it is about water responsibilities.
My proposal is that we reshape the water rights laws so that water rights belong to the land. Where it rains, as much as possible of the rain should remain on that land without building dams. By building swales and planting trees at high elevations the erosion from flash floods will diminish, and more water will remain in the ground, causing rivers to flow year round rather than seasonal. As it is now a house owner in Arizona cannot even water his plants from what falls on his roof or driveway.
In the East the opposite is true. When you build a house with a driveway you must also provide a catch basin capable of absorbing all the rain that falls on the improved property, sufficient to absorb a substantial rainstorm.
As it is now, the aquifers is the west are being drained, and need to be restored. Yes, without restoring the aquifers the American Southwest will experience desertification.
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 