Tag: Christianity

Thought for the day: The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:6  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
I woke up this morning with what I thought was a true bible verse: “The word killeth, but the Spirit giveth life”. Looking up the verse in the Bible it turned out I was wrong. It says the letter, not the word.
Over 40 years ago my wife and I emigrated to America. She became increasingly disillusioned with life here and got more and more unhappy as we realized more and more of our life goals, two beautiful children, a good job, a new house, two cars, in short, all you could ever wish. But she was unhappy and started to question the meaning of life. Is that all there is? At the same time she started seeking, and enrolled in a study course on great literature. One of her assigned readings was the Gospel of Matthew, and reading it she asked me the question: Since Jesus said: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28), can that be true? If that is so then heaven must be empty. Nobody can control their thoughts.
I tried to assure her that heaven is just a concept to make us desire to live as good a life as possible and let God sort it out. This didn’t go over well, so she grew more and more unsatisfied. A friend invited her to a bible study and she agreed to go with her once to ask some pointed questions, but to her surprise they didn’t get mad at her but answered all her questions patiently. She went back week after week and she finally accepted that she couldn’t do it herself, but she had to accept the fact she was sinful and only through believing and trusting in Jesus Christ could she find the meaning of life. That changed her attitude completely. Initially I was very glad for her, smiling and even occasionally laughing again, a trait that once made me fall in love with her. But then she decided I needed this new-found purpose of life also, so she started to work me over at least one hour every night and even longer on weekends. This continued for months and she had  no success in making me see things her way. The biggest point of disagreement was: What has Jesus to do with that?
Then one night she prayed and cried out to God: God, I can’t do it, you do it! She felt the spirit giving her assurance. “I sure will, don’t worry, just believe.”
From that day, she was different, and half a year later I too became a believer.
What made the difference? For months she had tried to quote scripture at me, thinking something must stick, but nothing worked. She tried to do it herself apart from the spirit thinking the letter of the word would do the work. This is, I believe one aspect of the verse, and I too can testify that the Spirit gives life.

Thought for the day: In the middle of “Snowmageddon”, thank God for creating a wonderful ecosystem!

Genesis 1: 6-8 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

I marvel at God’s creation, especially when it shows its full power. The bird feeder got repaired just in time for the snowstorm, the birds are now flocking to it. We put out the Christmas tree next to it, so the birds can have close shelter when the stealer boys, the Blue Jays come and take over the feeder. I marvel at the persistence of all the small birds, surviving in these conditions.

In Creation, God, the Word and the Spirit created all matter. The water was created before light. And God saw that it was good. That was the first day.

The second day God made the feedback loop of water vapor evaporating,  rising to make clouds and giving rain and snow to form a functioning eco-system. So God took a whole day out of Creation just to make the clouds? And He didn’t even say it was good? He said it was good after all the other days of Creation. In the sixth day of Creation, after creating man, God even said it was very good, and then rested on the seventh day! The reason is the total ecosystem does not function well and be stable until all components, clouds, rain, snow, grass, plants, trees, animals and yes, even man are in place.

The story of Creation explains Creation spiritually, but leaves out a lot of details. To understand the functioning ecosystem one has to go about it scientifically, that is: Look at nature and what happens to Earth when something changes, such as burning fossil fuels and produce more and more CO2. Is that good or bad?

The last ice age ended with a massive melting of ice. The northern ice cap extended as far south as the Finger Lakes in North America and the middle of Poland in Europe. Something caused a disturbance to start the melting of the ice. Once going, more ice melted and exposed bare earth and more ocean for even more warming, and a chain reaction started. What had been a stable ice cap for thousands of years melted in a very short time. The level of CO2 was low during the ice age, but as soon as the ice melted some CO2 got released from the ice, and even more from the warming oceans, so with a lag of about 800 years the CO2 levels rose as well. The temperature rose and rose until suddenly they leveled off in what is called the Minoan optimum, with pleasant temperatures. Since then it has gotten gradually colder with small warm periods such as the Roman and Medieval Warm period, and colder periods, the last of which was the Little Ice Age.

During the ice age evaporation was much less than now. Snowfall over Greenland was about half what it is today, and there were significantly fewer clouds in the ice covered areas, much like Antarctica is today, an ice desert. This is what happens: As temperatures rise, more water evaporates and clouds form more often and earlier in the day causing a strong negative feedback so it doesn’t get as warm  as it otherwise would have been. This limits the surface temperature to about 88F when thunderstorms occur. If no clouds form it can get substantially warmer. Take New Delhi, India for example. During May the sky is without clouds and temperatures can reach 115F during the day. When the monsoons come in June-July the temperature stays below 100F with high humidity.

We are now well into the bog building phase of the inter-glacial period and the next ice age can start at any time. In fact, it was narrowly averted after the little ice age. With burning more fuel, creating more CO2 we delay the onset of the next ice age by a few thousand years. In addition, added CO2 grows more plants, making it possible to feed an additional two billion people on earth without starving. By lessening the temperature differences between the poles and the equator, storms, hurricanes and tornadoes will be less severe. Droughts will be less severe. Water will be more abundant. The only drawback is that floods will increase, but if we know they can come we can prepare for it.

The conclusion after this long harang is: When you see a cloud forming, thank God for providing a functioning ecosystem, and when you see a rainbow in the sky thank him again for his promise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thought for the day: Hooyah for female midshipmen!

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27, King James Version)
I love this verse in the creation story of the Holy Bible. We are created in God’s image, but lest you think of God as a mere man it shows clearly that both men and women are created in the image of God. The only way to understand it is found in St.John 4:23 – 24: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Naval Academy alumni, Annapolis residents and others voiced opposition this week to the Navy’s review of job titles in the pursuit of gender-integration — particularly the removal of the word “man” from ranks like midshipman.
Fox news commentator Lea Gabrielle, a former Navy midshipman, said she wore the title as a badge of honor.
The feminists have got it all wrong. Female midshipmen strengthen the notion that men and women are created equal in the sight of God.
Let’s keep it midshipman. According to Genesis 1:27 it is proper English and a valid title for both men and women. Political correctness has perverted the English language to the point of destroying the beauty and clarity of it.

Thought for the day: In everything give thanks.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  (1 Thesslonians 5:18)

After being reborn from above early in 1974 i felt challenged to find my life verse, a Bible verse that would best define me and my new life in Christ.

It was late February, lots of snow on the ground, it started to snow, mixed with sleet. I was in church, and the Pastor happened to mention the verse: Rejoice always. This seemed unrealistic to me, but my eyes fell on the next verse, and I made up my mind to give thanks for everything. Going out, there was a lot of slush in the parking lot, and as I started the car (an old Volvo with manual transmission), after putting the car in reverse my foot slipped on the clutch, breaking the gearbox.

This was the first test, and it was easy to thank God for his protection from something worse. So I gave thanks for the broken transmission.

Years passed and I found it more and more difficult to give thanks for everything that befell me. Then, 40 years later, after revisiting the verse many time I suddenly realized. It doesn’t say “For everything give thanks” but “In everything give thanks”.

Thanks God, that feels much better. With times being what they are it is still possible to give thanks, no matter the circumstances.

If Pilgrims were refugees, are Refugees Pilgrims? A Limerick.

President Obama said yesterday that the Pilgrims were refugees, too.

What he is really saying is that the refugees are pilgrims, advancing the doctrine of the Islamic totalitarian Caliphate worldwide.
Way to go.
“The Pilgrims were refugees too.”

Are refugees Pilgrims? Who knew?

For the Caliphate’s sake

they spread death in their wake.

That’s how their dominion once grew.

In this Thanksgiving season we are to count our blessings and give thanks. A thankful spirit is a healing spirit. But Jihadists among the refugees is hard to give thanks for. But the admonition from scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:18) is :  in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Notice that it does not say for everything, but in everything. Even Jonah gave thanks with a song of thanksgiving (Jonah 2:10) when he was in the belly of the big fish.

Thanks. Now I feel much better.

 

In everything give thanks. Two Limericks.

Say, What does it mean to give thanks?

In this world, full of rockets and tanks

it is hard to express

when you are in a mess.

Your thanksgiving meal: Beans and franks.

Yes, the thanksgiving spirit is to give thanks. For what? We may be entering WWIII with terror all around. That is why the verse (my life verse) is 1 Thessalonians 5: 18. In context here is 1 Thessalonians 5: 18-24

15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Notice it did not say we are to give thanks for everything, but to give thanks in everything. This helps, when we are reading the new regulations coming out of the Government trying to regulate every aspect of our life. As the Limerick goes:

Now don’t get me started. You are what you eat.

Don’t eat the hot dogs, they are processed meat.

And the new EPA,

they must have the last say.

With beans you fart methane, which gives greenhouse heat.

On to Paris with the Climate change conference! According to Kerry, Obama, Clinton and Sanders Climate change is the biggest and most urgent threat to mankind.

In everything give thanks.

The Sarah Palin campaign song.

Ode to Sarah Palin. The campaign song.

(Best sung to “This ole house” by Stuart Hamblen.)

Verse 1. Sarah Palin is a leader, Sarah Palin is a wife,

Sarah Palin is a mother, And she knows the way of life

She was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, Alaska got her call,

was called Sarah Barracuda as State Champ of basketball

Refrain:

Ain’t no time to linger longer, Ain’t no time to stay behind,

We must step up to the challenge For she is one of a kind.

Ain’t no time to watch destruction, Nor to take our freedoms light.

Ain’t no time for politicking. We are ready to fight the fight.

 

Verse 2. The ecology runs better, Thanks to clean, pure CO2.

Grows more food to feed the hungry, That’s what Climate Change will do.

But Obama, Bernie, Hillary  Think more of One World Rule;

Dream of Carbon Sequestration; They are stubborn as a mule.

Refrain.

Verse 3. Sarah Palin to the rescue, Sarah Palin to our aid,

Sarah Palin to the forefront ‘gainst the cronies being paid.

On our knees we plead for mercy; On our knees we pray for grace.

For the battle is the Lord’s and In His will we’ll run the race.

Refrain.

Verse 4. In this world of evil people She will stand for what is right.

While as Christians we are humbled It is God who leads the fight.

With the Clintons and their Spirits, And Obama and Islam,

And their hate for true religion, It is hard to keep the calm.

Refrain.

Verse 5. Sarah Palin undefeated, Sarah Palin unafraid,

Sarah Palin uncorrupted By the Devil’s best plans laid.

It is time to stand for virtue, It is time to stand for truth.

It is time to vote, be counted So this land regains its youth.

Refrain.

 

 

 

Verse 67 of the Obama Impeachme nt song. Obama to the dustbin of history. nt song.

Verse 67 of the Obama Impeachme

nt song. Obama to the dustbin of history.

At a news conference Monday at the G20 conference in Turkey, Obama was asked if his “reluctance to enter another Middle East war and [his] preference of diplomacy over using the military makes the U.S. weaker and emboldens our enemies.”

Obama responded: “Some of [my critics] seem to think that if I were just more bellicose in expressing what we’re doing, that that would make a difference, because that seems to be the only thing that they’re doing is talking as if they’re tough. Folks want to pop off and have opinions about what they think they would do, present a specific plan. What I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of American leadership or America winning or whatever other slogans they come up with that has no relationship to what is actually gonna work to protect the American people and to protect people in the region.”

What? The best possible interpretation of what he said is that he is delusional. All other interpretations are worse. This leads to verse 67 of the Obama Impeachment song (as if sung by Obama to the tune of “Please release me, let me go”)

I don’t really want to win

Though ISIS wants to do me in.

Christians take it on the chin

I’ll go to the history’s dustbin.

Here is the complete impeachment song: https://lenbilen.com/2015/02/25/the-complete-obama-impeachment-song/

Ode to Sarah Palin. The campaign song.

(Best sung to “This ole house” by Stuart Hamblen.)

Sarah Palin is a leader,
Sarah Palin is a wife,
Sarah Palin is a mother,
And she knows the way of life

She was born in small town Sandpoint
But Alaska was her call.
Barracuda was her nickname
When she championed basketball

refrain:
Ain’t got time to linger longer
Ain’t got time to stay behind
We must step up to the challenge
For she is one of a kind

Ain’t got time to watch destruction,
Nor to take our freedoms light.
Ain’t got time for politicking
We’re gettin’ ready to fight the fight.

Now this world should run much better
Thanks to more of CO2
Grows more food to feed the hungry
That’s what Climate Change will do.

But the Democrats in Congress
Think much more of One World Rule
Fight for Carbon Sequestration
They are stubborn as a mule.

Refrain.

Sarah Palin to the rescue
Sarah Palin to our aid
Sarah Palin to the forefront
‘gainst the cronies gettin’ paid.

On our knees we plead for mercy
On our knees we pray for grace
For the battle is the Lord’s, and
In His will we’ll run the race.

Refrain.

In this world of evil people
She will stand for what is right
While as Christians we are humbled
It is God who leads the fight.

With the Clintons and their Spirits
And Obama and Islam
And their hate for true religion
It is hard to keep the calm

Refrain:

Sarah Palin undefeated
Sarah Palin unafraid
Sarah Palin uncorrupted
By the Devil’s best plans laid.

It is time to stand for virtue
It is time to stand for truth
It is time to vote, be counted
So this land regains its youth.

Refrain.

Sarah Palin is right again and again! A Limerick.

Sarah Palin was right on Ukraine (1)

And on Syria she was right again. (2)

The nuke deal with Iran (3)

makes Mid-East hit the fan.

Sarah, Run! Or our fight is in vain.

The fight is for the survival of western civilization as we know it.

From without is Islam, and their Sharia Law believing minority’s dream of a Caliphate and so eradicate Jews and Christians, by genocide if necessary.

Also from without is the One World Government movement, that wants to redifine all religions and consolidate them into one unified religion under the control of the One World Government.

From within are agitators that foam racial tensions, anarchists, atheists and the likes, all hostile to religions, especially Christianity. The exception is a fondness for Islam with all its violence and intolerance.

(1) Putin no match for mama Grizzly on the Tonight show.

Vladimir Putin has strong genes.

That said, Obama has mom jeans.

NBC can poke fun,

Sarah Palin can pun.

THE mama grizzly on split screens.

Putin no match for mama Grizzly on the Tonight show.

(2) https://lenbilen.com/2015/10/15/sarah-palin-right-again-let-allah-sort-it-out-a-limerick/

(3) Sarah Palin joined GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, along with dozens of others, for the Tea Party Patriots’ “Stop the Iran Deal” rally on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday October 14.

She took aim at President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran, ripping the president and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for cutting a deal with the Iranian “death cult.”

“Obama never even clenched a fist against a wicked regime where antisemitism and Holocaust denial is official ideology, and with state-sanctioned torture and killing of women just because they’re women,” Palin said. “Nothing has really changed, except Hillary Clinton back then she insisted that Iran is seeking nukes but now she says, eh, that’s OK. She spins faster than thousands of Iranian centrifuges.”

In vintage Palin style she continued, saying, “Only in an Orwellian Obama world full of sprinkly fairy dust blown from atop his unicorn as he’s peeking through a really pretty pink kaleidoscope would he ever see victory or safety for America or Israel in this treaty … You don’t reward terrorism, you kill it.”

She called on Congress to kill the deal, saying the president is usurping lawmakers’ right to review the agreement.
“The president doesn’t trust you and he doesn’t trust us. He doesn’t trust Americans to even change our own light-bulb of our own choosing and yet he’ll trust a death cult,” she said.

Palin brought up Vice President Joe Biden’s transplanted quote from Teddy Roosevelt about how Obama carried a “big stick” during a speech on the president’s foreign policy.

“Well, little did we know he was talking about Obama’s selfie stick,” she said.

She also said the deal is made even worse by the U.S. “gifting our uranium production capability, and that’s a mistake. Thanks a lot, Hillary Clinton.”

“So as Obama leads from behind — the skirt of his right-hand man Valerie Jarrett — then it’s up to Congress to close that window,” Palin concluded.

Her language is full of Palinisms, which are soo confusing to the elite, but is easily understood by normal people, the sign of an excellent communicator. She gets the point across with very few, but memorable words.