So far, I had to do the most research on this section of the prayer- "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." One of the most helps was an article on the website of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, MS. This article made three standout points to me that really helped.
First of all, we need to notice that everything we have prayed so far is GOD-DIRECTED- His Name, His Kingdom, and now His Will. So often we come to God with our needs first. But Christ told us we shouldn't worry there, that He has our true needs in mind just as the sparrow is in His hands. In studying Nehemiah's rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, I learned a great template to start my prayers based on the three things he mentions just inside those walls: The Temple itself, reminding us of God Most Holy; the barracks of David's mighty men, symbolic of Jesus, our Mighty Man; and the Pool, whose refreshing waters symbolize the Spirit.
The second point that showed itself in the article was that there isn't a dichotomy, a "What God approves of on earth" vs a "What God approves in heaven." There is one rule for each, and I'll expand on that a bit later.
And the third is that His Will, if you want to truly know it, is in the Bible. See how the people acted- when they were in God's will. See what made Abraham, Moses, and David favored of God.
Later on the article brought up three points about God's will itself that are helpful:
- It can be difficult, and you can expect to resist. Jesus prayed for the cup to pass; Paul prayed for the thorn to be removed. But both submitted to God's will, accepting that the answer was, "Thy will be done".
- It is nothing like instantaneous. You have to train yourself in these things. One way I do that is the reading of a chapter of Proverbs every morning. More and more as I do, I give thought to its lessons before I do something stupid. Slow progress, to be sure, but progress.
- You almost never get it as a 'package deal'. You learn a little more every day. A piece here, a piece there, "10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little". (Isaiah 28)
Then, I hit on a nugget of knowledge I didn't know before. From an article on Ligonier Ministries:
So when Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, teaches His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” there is a lot of Old Testament background to this concept. The kingdom of God was something the Jews were expecting. During the time of Jesus, Jews even concluded their synagogue services with a prayer (the Kaddish) that is strikingly similar to this section of the Lord’s Prayer: “Exalted and hallowed be his great name in the world which he created according to his will. May he let his kingdom rule in your lifetime and in your days and in the lifetime of the whole house of Israel, speedily and soon. Praised be his great name from eternity to eternity. And to this say: Amen.”
So to me, I see this entire first five parts we've looked at as a reflection of God's three priorities. In 1-3, we looked at the first leg- His Name, His holiness, His set-apartness. Last time, we looked at His Kingdom- His authority, His rule, not dependent on realm or populace. This time, it is His Purpose. His 'big picture'.
Once again, I go to FPC Jackson for the big finish, for they sum everything we've learned so far up quite nicely:
The issue, then, is whether we are willing to be submissive and obedient to that expression of the will of God that has become clear to us. In heaven, as the petition so wonderfully reminds us, God’s will is perfectly done. There is no sin there to impede his will. But we are not in heavenѕ not yet! We are "on earth"ѕ code, that is, for that realm where opposition and frustration abounds. Hence the prayer that this world might more and more conform to that perfect pattern of heaven. It never will be true, not totally, that here on earth God’s will is done perfectly. But in so far as it touches our lives, we long that it might be so. That is our longing. It is a matter of putting God first.
Today we're off to June 7th, 1972, and the opening on Broadway of Grease! Barry Bostwick, Carole Davis, and Adrienne Barbeau were the headliners, as it began its journey just 11 months after Fiddler On The Roof took the 'longest running show on Broadway' title from Hello Dolly. Grease would take that title from Fiddler 5 1/2 years later, and lose it less than 4 years down the road to A Chorus Line.
And welcome to Time Machine, where this week, we'll kibitz with Mick Jagger, do a very country 6D for a victim that was anything but, intro three M10 debuts from three old friends (and a couple new ones-?) have a WMEE Ft Wayne sighting on the Panel, and... um... oh, yeah, the 400th M10 song! Let's be off like.... Greased Lightning!
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So in the wild wild world of TM, we were at #399 as far as songs in M10 history last week, which meant that the next highest debuting song gets the nod at #400. Well, we also had #s 401 and 402 this week, and like I said, there's an old friend in each one. First, howsabout we bring in #402, featuring Sarah Versprille and Pure Bathing Culture...
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Today, we have Mick Jagger on the show! How's it going, Mick?
'Ey, not so bad. Y'self?
All right. This is the Stones 4th win as POTM, putting you...
Yeah, yeah, second behind the bloody Beatles. Real honor. Moving on...
Well, before we get too far, this was a week in which Ft Wayne station WMEE (then 1380 AM) was among the Panelists! I wanted to lead off with their top ten having 4 songs that got no Panel #1 votes, 3 1-vote-wonders, and 3 finalists! So before you get started...
Assuming I ever do...
... I want to read off the four that didn't get votes, then have you lead off the one vote wonders with the three that made that list.
So, I take it that it's not often your home station made this 'Panel list'?
Nope, kind of a 'blue moon' thing.
So then, this station isn't but a wee bit in the big picture...
Yep, that would be fair- why do...
So why the 'ell would anyone care?
Doesn't matter. I CARE.
Ah. See, I like that. So tell us, what four din't get a ballot?
Well, Mick, they would be:
Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen at WMEE's #4;
Dr Hook and Sylvia's Mother at #5;
Todd Rundgren and I Saw The Light at #8;
I 'ear that bloke don't like you...
He'll get over it, it's not TDS...
TDS?
Spoilers, Mick. The fourth DNC on the list is:
Crosby/Nash and Immigration Man at #10 (which makes a TDS mention rather ironic).
Okay, Mick, the mike is yours...
All right, then. We lead off the one hit wonders with the WMEE three: Walking In The Rain With The One I Love by Love Unlimited, #8 on Cashbox and #2 in Fort Wayne; Diary by Brad...
That's Bread...
Don' correct me, it's YOUR typo! Bread with Diary at #6 in Ft Wayne and #20 on Cashbox; ...and Cat Stevens with Morning Has Broken, #9 in Fort Wayne and #11 on Cashbox. Now that that rubbish is over, here are the other one vote-ers... Aw, it's LEETLE Jimmy Osmond and Long Haired Lover from Liverpool at #44; Daniel Boone- the chap with the animal bonnet?
Not quite...
...just debuting at #98 with Beautiful Sunday, which apparently was #1 in South Africa. Roberta Flack and The First Time Ever I Saw Yer Face at #13; Good ol' Richard Starkey, AKA Ringo, and Back Off Boogaloo at #34; Ah, a good rocker by Free that y'don't hear in the states, Little Bit Of Love, on one of the odd charts... Joe Tex wit' I Gotcha at #48; Debuting at #86, a country crossover by Donna Fargo, The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA...
More on THAT in a bit...
'Eh? Oy, you do interrupt a lot... anyway, Looking Glass and Brandy (You're A Fine Girl), which don' debut until NEXT week; The Laurenco Marques song of the week, Neil Young's Heart Of Gold, which peaked stateside in April; Oy, one of our b-sides, Sweet Black Angel got a vote! How's that happen?
I'm not really sure...
Finally, just two more... say, how many flippin' songs are ON this list?
24 songs and 66 stations voting.
Eek! Anyway, Was and Slippin' Into Darkness at #32, and Freddie Knight's I've Been Lonely For Too Long at #32 round out the solos.
Okay, here's the also receiving votes list...
Allright... we have three with 2 votes and one with three votes! The two vote songs are Mouth And McNeil at #53 with How Do You Do; The bloody Royal Scots Dragoons Guards with Amazing Grace at #41; and the- oh, wait, that's us again, with the a-side, Tumbling Dice, at #10! The three vote song is, er, Troglodyte by the Jimmy Castor Bunch at #26.
Very well done! Now the final was essentially a three dog race, but I'm gonna give you FIVE choices! Mick, if you would...
Certainly! Choose from: Staple Singers, I'll Take You There, at #6; Neil Diamond, Song Sung Blue at #12, #3 in Ft Wayne; Candy Man, Sammy Davis Jr at #2, #1 in Ft Wayne; The Chi-lites with Oh, Girl at #1, # 7 in Ft Wayne; or Gallery and Nice To Be Wit' You at #7!
Great job, thanks, Mick! In the mean time, here's our 401st song on the M10, at #9, from Star Kendrick and Geowulf...
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Our 6D song this week was Look What You've Done For Me by the Reverend Al Green, at #3 this week without a Panel vote. It was from his lp I'm Still In Love With You, which among other things had a cover of Ray Price's For The Good Times. That song was the Country Music Association's first Song of the Year- and I noticed what a great number of songs I loved were on that list. Unfortunately, as it started in 1971, that didn't give the Martin Era 2.0 a lot of songs to look at, but I wanted to mention the list and how they fared on the Billboard pop charts.
1971- Ray Price, For The Good Times, #11 in 1970 (the song charted the year before the award, natch).
1972- Freddie Hart, Easy Loving, 17 on BB and 12 on CB.
1973- The aforementioned Happiest Girl In The Whole USA, which peaked at #11.
1974- Charlie Rich, Behind Closed Doors, 15 on BB and 17 CB.
1975- Cal Smith, Country Bumpkin, one of 2 songs that didn't make the pop charts on out list.
1976- Rhinestone Cowboy, Glen Campbell, #1 of course.
1977- The other non crossover- Mickey Gilley's Don't The Girls All Get Prettier At Closing Time.
1978- Kenny Rogers and Lucille, #5.
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In the Martin Era 2.0, Cashbox's 400th debut came on the 4th of July, 1959- country star Stonewall Jackson (real name; he was named after the Confederate general) and Waterloo, which would peak at #4. It came 63 weeks after #300, Book Of Love by the Monotones; and our 400th on the M10 comes a comparable 57 weeks since our 300th, Caroline Rose's Jeannie Becomes A Mom. With no further ado, here is our #400- a Nashville duo called Okey Dokey, with a smidge of help from (in their words) ' the man, the myth, the legend'- Dent May:
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Looks like it's Stat Pack time!
The week's big mover was a UK singer named Chris Hodge with a 25-spot jump from 91 to 66 with We're On Our Way; unfortunately, he was wrong, and it flatlined chart-wise soon thereafter.
Laura Lee, an early feminist anthem-er whose big claim to fame was 1971's Women's Love Rights which peaked at #37, is our #72 in '72 with another song that made little other ground called Rip-Off. Perhaps it was...
Back years past when I was doing the tops of other nation's charts, the current UK #1 came up as a big hit across Europe- Frenchman Danyel Gerard and Butterfly.
However, this week's UK top dog was T-Rex and Metal Guru. Not one of the few T-Rex songs that charted here.
The notable debuts this week include Bobby Vinton's Sealed With A Kiss at 80, Harry Nilsson's Coconut at 84, yes, Happiest Girl at 86, Rod Argent's Hold Your Head Up at #95, and Beautiful Sunday at 98.
And what would I have had at #1 at the time? Gee, I was 10, I think I'll go with Candy Man.
If you had a photographic memory, I'd tell you that the rest of the M10 only had one other song even move! But since none of you do (I assume, with all said implications), here you go.
Skindred's That's My Jam holds at 7.
The only song that moved within the countdown was Agnes Obel's Riverside, from 10 to 6.
The rest remain-
Tame Impala's Eventually at #5- a song that tore me up all day, as I heard myself singing first verse to Scrappy, he singing verse two to me, and me the third mini-verse to him...
Idlewild at 4 with You Held The World In Your Arms Tonight.
Moon Taxi at 3 with Now's The Time (or maybe next week will be...).
King Leg's Seeing You Tonight at #2.
And 8 weeks on the chart, three at the top for....
The Dig and Moonlight Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anything over #8 next week makes them into the all-time top ten...
And now, the Panel picks!
Gallery only got you 7.5%...
The Chi-Lites tapped you at 9.1%...
The Staple Singers didn't quite take you there, stopping at 13.6%....
The Candy Man left you off at 16.7%...
But yer winnah, at 19.7%....
...Neil Diamond and prolly my childhood #2 this week, Song Sung Blue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a 2-y-o niece who sang it, "Song Song BOOO!"
Tonight I got on a search for 'coping with the loss of your dog'. Because if I am, it's just barely, and only on the surface.
I saw a lot of helpful things that I've already tried, started, gone through. I've saw my daily battle described perfectly. The 'deafening silence', the 'phantom feedings', though I must admit, 'head-butting the bathroom door to be let in while taking a crap' seemed to be missing.
Scrappy, I just went out on a warm night to take some trash out. I can see you wagging your tail in delight, you always loved night walks. The scents were brighter to you, your vision far better than mine. We never had any fear at night together. Despite the skunks, despite the getting caught in severe thunderstorms. Despite the walking into a murder investigation once, despite being startled by a frog the size of Zulu at the Swamp one time. I was never afraid with you.
And I tell you, sometimes the only thing that helps is imagining myself screaming as loud as I can, as long as I can.
I do remember all the good times, and thank God for every second of them. I do. But they aren't your singing when I come home, and holding my stuffed guys isn't feeling you at my feet at night. Hearing you snore, if I can miss the stupidest things.
There are times I can put it in perspective. I've lost parents. I've family who have lost husbands, wives, children. A loss like these is a chunk, a percentage, if you will, of yourself you never get back. I watched helplessly as my former pastor's mother lost 99.9% of her everything when her husband died.
But in a damn quiet house damn all alone, all I have is mine and that's you and you aren't here. You're my baby, and babies aren't supposed to be DEAD!!!
Slow. Deep breaths. Clear the tears and look for red squiggles in what I just typed.
You've all been where I am. You calm yourself, and say, 'Boy, do I need a ____.' But nothing you stick in there quite does the job, does it? All your strength feels faked, all your faith shallow against the nightmare that never ends.
One of the suggestions was talk it out with someone who understands. You understood. You knew that night when we lay together on the floor that this was the last time. So did I. We understood. And half of understood is now gone.
It's okay, folks, I'll get it tied back together in time for tomorrow. Every day gets just a step easier, and soon I go whole weeks without breakdowns. Why I think I might have skipped one day last week. Maybe next week, two days. Maybe by the 4th of July, I'll have run out of triggers and I'll have found a new balance, a new normal.
Tonight, though, I think I'll have a glass of milk and go up and hug the stuffing out of Chocolate moose and Farty Hippo, and baby talk 'em like I did you. And turn on a radio to drown out the sounds of snoring no longer there.
There is a lot in a little bit about Nathanael, the apostle known in the Synoptics by his surname Bar-Tolemai, or Bartholomew. First of all, is he really the same guy as Bartholomew? Never was one mentioned in three Gospels, and never was the other mentioned in the other Gospel; both were always linked with Phillip, and it was fairly common for these men to be known by name and surname- such as when Jesus called Peter Simon Bar-Jonah in Matthew 16:17- so yeah, it's the same guy.
Now that we have the annoying first thing taken care of, let's actually learn something. The one story that he features in is late in John 1, and seemingly starts when his friend Phillip, of Bethsaida in Galilee, was 'found' by Jesus and called. He then went to his buddy Nathanael from nearby Cana.
Joh 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Joh 1:46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Two things of note here. First, Phillip, in the course of a day, has been convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. Most likely, he was convinced by John and Andrew, Peter's brother, who had been disciples of John the Baptist, who testified of Jesus at His Baptism. Secondly, Nathanael's reaction to the mention of Nazareth, which was not only a neighboring podunk to Nathanael's home in Cana, but was a Roman 'barracks suburb', with all the panache and style of a red-light district. In addition, as we will see, Nathanael was not unaware of the prophecy that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. Of course, Phillip did not yet know Jesus's full backstory, and as a commentator said, many souls have been turned away by a preacher's ignorance. This preacher, though, knew his own knowledge was limited, and told Nathanael, "Come and see (for yourself)". And so Nathanael did.
When Jesus and Nathanael met, an interesting conversation ensues, which I will attempt to break down for you.
Joh 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile!
Two phrases need to be looked at here. The first is, "an Israelite indeed...", which has more meaning than first glance. Jesus was just beginning a ministry in which He would be opposed by many "sons of Abraham" that would claim that title by lineage and not by faith. Jesus was indicating the character of faith already in this young man. More on that next.
The second is, "..in whom there is no guile!" This is going to sound prejudicial, but it isn't. As I have studied through these Wednesday posts, using Rabbinical sources as well as the Bible, many times I have found that the differences SEEM to rise when the Rabbi teaching is trying to turn the story in a bend that glorifies his own lineage, or the 'innate righteousness' of Israel. Thus, if you remember the Ruth 3:16 story, I also found that they were turning Ruth and Orpah into daughters of the Moabite King, even though the timeline was hopelessly corrupt, to inject some nobility and royalty into two young ladies who were actually poor foreigners. So in saying this, Jesus is showing that Nathanael is of a different mindset; he seeks the truth, wherever it leads. And someone like that is a true Israelite, in contrast to the Pharisees of the day who manipulate the Word to secure their own positions.
But what is guile? The easy answer is "deceit", and it works, but I dug a little more. The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge connected the term to 5 verses scattered through the Bible, which give us a better picture of just what Jesus was talking about.
In Psalms 32:2, David connects it with the hiding of sin, and how that rotted him.
In Psalms 73.1, he adds in envy of his enemies.
In 1 Peter 2:1, it is grouped with malice, hypocrisy, envy (again), and slander. Thus we see it as not only deceitful action, but deceitful ATTITUDE.
Later in that same chapter, in v 22 Peter mentions that Jesus's example included not reviling when reviled, nor threatening when threatened. Thus, vengeance falls under the header.
And finally, in Revelation 14:5, the 144,000 witnesses are mentioned as never having lied.
So the whole picture is Jesus, unlike Diogenes, has found his honest man- as one commentator put it, a true Christian.
But this honesty involves testing everything, so Nathanael needs to know how...
Joh 1:48 Nathanael said to Him, From where do You know me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.
Now here is the crux of our story and the thing that points us onto that true character of Nathanael. Jesus said, "BEFORE Phillip called you..." If you are just a casual reader, like I used to be, you might just read the whole thing as Jesus 'overhearing the conversation' between Phillip and Nathanael 'under the fig tree.' But nowhere does it say Phillip found him under the fig tree. This whole fig tree thing- which we don't DIRECTLY know what it is- was BEFORE, when Nathanael was alone, and not a living soul knew about it. Now, it is just probable that Jesus spotted him under a fig tree before seeing Phillip go up to him- but then, why Nathanael's reaction:
Joh 1:49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel!
Joh 1:50 Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.
No, there HAD to be something that happened when he was alone, under the fig tree, that made this significant. And just maybe we get a clue in Jesus's next words:
Joh 1:51 And He said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Hereafter you shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
If you don't know your Bible, this is a throwaway verse. But if you do, your mind goes to where, perhaps, Nathanael's had been...
Gen 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11 And he came on a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took of the stones of that place, and placed them at his head. And he lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed. And behold! A ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven! And behold! The angels of God were ascending and descending on it!
Gen 28:13 And behold! Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac! The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your seed.
Gen 28:14 And your seed shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in you and in your Seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 28:15 And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in every place where you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.
Gen 28:16 And Jacob awakened from his sleep. And he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place, and I did not know.
Gen 28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! This is nothing but the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven!
Gen 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone which he had put at his head, and set it as a memorial pillar, and poured oil on the top of it.
Gen 28:19 And he called the name of that place The House of God (Bethel). But the name of that city was Luz at first.
It would seem that, under the fig tree, Nathanael had been studying and musing over this very story. But let me go just a little farther...
Gen 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
Gen 28:21 and I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall Jehovah be my God.
Gen 28:22 And this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house. And of all that You shall give me, I will surely give the tenth to You.
Nathanael had come to a crisis of faith under the fig tree. He had, it seems, prayed a prayer much like this. He was seeing in God's Word the chasm between what God said and what the Teachers of the Law were saying. And he was looking for a sign to make that step. His seemingly easy conversion was born of a prayer of crisis, that Jesus answered.
True? God knows, I do not. And the reason I do not is, we none of us can know the depth of the pit our brother had to fall into before reaching for the hand of salvation. It is between Jesus and them. And that is enough.
Today I have been and am grumpy. No reason, not a bit liking it. This morning I caved to it, and was miserable until I confessed to God, that my sin wasn't the grumpiness, but the reaction to it. Other than one fabric panel beaten senseless later on, that became no longer a problem. But once I got home and was still grumpy, I wasn't going to post at all. Then I read this in perusing the Congressional Bible study for the week:
In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul shares many of the lamentations he experienced in his life as he pursued the course of his calling to make disciples. As we will see from our overview of this epistle, real disciple-making is never accomplished apart from the trials of persecution: and one aspect of persecution is betrayal. Another way of looking at this, however, is this: one does not know if he or she is a loyal follower of Christ (a legitimate, mature follower of Christ) until he responds faithfully to these kinds of trials and tribulations.
Yesterday, I had a fun post that made everybody laugh. So today, I'm going to have some more fun. I'm going to pick a picture at random off my computer- and give it a headline. Lord help this to work...
Headline one January 22, 2017
Observers view vast chasm in trade talks Headline two Undated
Trump finds the true value of NY Times
What I used this for originally, only God knows...
Headline three June 11th, 2016
Dog in hot water for catcalling
At least it was just his mommy... hey, wait...
Headline four February 5th, 2014
Gore declares recent snowfall in violation of Climate Change Seeks to have 6" fall declared 'volcanic ash' Headline five October 9th, 2014
Discovery of Green Hole turn's Einstein's theories blue Headline six Undated
Why not just use the original headline here...
1893 sex toy for female hysteria sells at auction
See? I'd have come up with some nonsense about rockets...
Headline seven July 17th, 2014 (Boy, I sure like 2014...)
Local buck indicted for spying in Mueller probe Headline eight September 11th, 2018
Studies show condiments aid digestion of natural fiber Headline nine February 23rd, 2017
Poll shows Kamala Harris gaining on Biden And, Headline ten October 2nd, 2015
New Trump plague strain discovered in wild; may jump to humans as well
Hope you enjoyed as much as I enjoyed the 'back pages tour' finding them!
All right, so my Spam filter is pretty full, so let's see if we have enough goodies to teach Spam 101 once again.
Hermie from North Pole asks:
By paying just $150 annually, you can find discounts up to 60% on various dental procedures performed with the dentist. The Government encourages you to invest in private health care insurance when you turn 30 as, when you turn 31, the cost of your insurance will probably be susceptible to yet another 2% surcharge per year. Unfortunately, a lot of drivers forget this lesson when they finish using their graduated license.
So, Hermie, your basic problem is, you don't need a driver's licence to get dental insurance. Unless, of course, your CDL is rated Reindeer sled only.
Rodgers from Minneapolis adds:
Taken from your massively successful album 1999, Little Red Corvette has a lot of innuendo in full-on Prince fashion. HIPAA plans are protected by the medical Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Rising costs of food and also other essential products might be due to many variables.
Medical insurance does seem to be driving many people into confusion these days, Rodgers, but I assure you I did NOT record the lp 1999, though our looks and voices are somewhat similar. He is, however, a vastly better guitarist.
Samson from Cuppertino, CA, posits:
Jawbone does support Apple's HealthKit, though its health gadgets were also reported to be exiled, aftesr the company released the Apple Watch.
Apparently healthcare can also lead to deportation. I sense a theme here...
Romeo of Verona points out:
I have read so many articles or reviews about the blogger lovers but this post is really a good paragraph, keep it up.
So is The Blogger Lovers a new best seller? If not, I have some author friends who could really run with this topic. But me? I've never stopped a post at a paragraph in 10 years.
Big Fan from Fansville comments:
You made some nice points there. I did a search on the topic and found most persons will go along with with your blog.
See? Why can't you all be like that?
Big Fan #2 basically agrees...
When someone writes an piece of writing he/she keeps the idea of a user in his/her brain that how a user can understand it. So that's why this post is outstdanding. Thanks!
So if I make a spelling mistake like 'outstdanding', I had you/you in mind...
Flower Child from Lompoc gives this bit of advice:
The package deals also scale back the cost of each individual arrangement, so you should buy whichever flowers best specific your condolences with out worrying about price.
When your bot puts in a complete sentence- except for that one damned word...
Windy from Chi-Town chips in...
VoIP has revolutionized the way many use cell phones. Leaving behind the traditional wires of average phones, VoIP uses the Internet to transmit calls. The system works very well, and has off as a popular option for cheap calls. Know just about any boring, static websites? Well, they tough more common than websites that are enjoyable. In fact, most websites need a well designed overhaul in an effort to bring them from "Blah" to "Wow." We interest to make our website exciting or interesting enough for consumers to come and hopefully become a regular visitor, but at this point often easier said than done. No Fluff Zone. Don't post just for the sake of posting either - there's no problem with remaining silent for months then start up again simply because event approaches. Your fans will appreciate the item. There are wide ranging ways support prospects engaged in your website and convert them to happy customers and clients. If you update dollars with an unobstructed and
Interesting that it is the comment that mutters something about "boring and static" got cut off in mid-sentence....
Kate's Cousin, London, has this to say...
I happen to be commenting to permit you to really know what your outstanding knowledge our cousin’s queen gotten using your article. The girl determined several bits, for example whatever it’s enjoy the perfect encouraging dynamics allowing many people with ease discover certain not possible subject matter. You truly surpassed my best fancies. Thanks for exhibiting a lot of these effective, reputable, explanatory and pleasurable useful information on which will theme to be able to Kate.
Well, I GUESS I'm just glad the girl will be able to Kate from now on.
Joao from Brasillia brings up:
5.3 A afastamento do Pau-rosado da Emenda das Nações
Which translated is: 5.3 The removal of the Rosewood from the United Nations
Apparently our friend is referencing the protections put on the nearly extinct rosewood tree. Considering this was posted to three Time Machines ago, I'm going to blame the case on Bobby Goldsboro...
(I was going to put up a picture and a fake quote from Bobby here, but Google apparently is "down", and is having the devil's own time processing images, so just pretend a pic of Booby is right
here
And he is saying, "What? Wait! I gave to 'save the rosewoods' ..."
Blogging Betty from Seacaucus says:
Rіght now it sоunds like Expression Engine іs the toρ ƅlogging platform out there riցht now. (from what I've read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
No, but at the rate Google/Blogger is going today, I might consider it...
Gomer from Mayberry comments:
I tend not too create a great deal of remarks, but i did a few searching annd wound up here, "A couple quick announcements". And I actually do have a coupoe of questions for you if you usually do nnot mind. Is it simply me or does it give the impression like a few of thede responses appear like they are written by brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on additional online social sites, I would like to follow everything new you have to post. Would you llist of all of all your hared sites lke your Faccebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?
Excuse me, Gome, but someone who uses words like 'annd', 'coupoe', 'nnot', 'thede', 'llist', 'hared', and 'lke' ought not to call others 'brain-dead'...
Morris A Lbert from Sao Paulo brings up:
What a matеrial of un-ambiguity and preservenesѕ of valuable еxperience regarɗing unpredicted feeⅼings.
Un-ambiguity. Too bad I couldn't get that from your comment...
Back to our health trend, Doc Mix spins us this one:
Your risk of hypertension can also be lessened through eating potassium rich foods. Boost your energy- in reality athletes take this for added energy to sustain them with their training or during competition. There are also additional factors that trigger acne and accordingly, there are variations of treatments which help control acne.
Hypertension and acne- who knew? I guess that would explain these damn pimpl... hey, wait...
Anyway, Moneybags from Atlantic City suggests:
It's a pity you don't have a donate button! I'd without a doubt donate to this fantastic blog! I guess for now i'll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
Whaddya think, gang? Anyone else wanna open their wallets for me?
Hey, I got that one to come up! C'mon out, Bobby!
"Hey, wait! I'm old here!"
Yeah, sorry, your stock photo I usually use STILL won't come up! Next up, Wm. Tell from Uri, Switzerland, chimes in with:
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You definitely know what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your site when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?카지노
I WOULD take that more to heart- but hawkeye here landed his comment on a post with 3 pictures and no videos! BTW That bit of oriental flotsam at the end is Korean for 'casino'- and gets appended to the next several comments I received.
Finally- and the most recent spam comment as I started- is Not Kim from Pyongyang, who states:
Please let me know if you're looking for a article author for your blog. You have some really good articles and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd absolutely love to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please send me an email if interested. Many thanks!카지노 (see what I mean?)
Because I need articles about Korean casinos to diversify my subject list! That would be a no....
I once had a co-worker who was a Jehovah's Witness. He would occasionally ask me, "What do you think the Kingdom of God is?" I generally blew him off- I didn't want to start a thing with him over his beliefs, and quite frankly, it was a battle I would have went into relatively unarmed. Not that I didn't know what he was getting at- as I understand it, they believe that they (or some compounding of "they") are the 144,000 of Revelation, the Kingdom existent on earth. And since there are way more than 144,000 of them, and several end time prophesies from that belief have come and gone, been rescheduled, and come and gone again, I feel safe in saying the lesson there is, don't let other people cherry pick your verses to believe.
Jesus taught the Disciples to pray, "Thy Kingdom come...", which tells us two things- it's GOD'S kingdom, and it ain't here yet. Throughout Jesus's ministry, both He and John the Baptist said, "the Kingdom of God (or heaven, as Matthew) has drawn near...", never, "is here". So what is this kingdom, and when is it's coming?
One commentator had an excellent concept to work from. The Kingdom of God is His authority over the creation He made. It is not a realm or a people, and is not DEPENDENT on a realm or a people. Thus, every time the Apostles asked, "When will the kingdom be established in Israel?" Jesus basically blew them off, because they just didn't get it.
Jesus told several parables about it. Among the things we can glean from them are:
- We don't build it ourselves. The common idea in the middle ages- and one still believed now, by many- is that WE work to bring about the Kingdom on earth by evangelism, prayer, and good works, and when WE finish, God will come and take over. Sorry, wrong answer:
Mar 4:26 And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. Mar 4:27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. Mar 4:28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. Mar 4:29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
We might do some things, but...
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he who plants anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
- It's a great thing to find, but does you good only when it is shared:
Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which when a man has found it, he hides it, and for the joy of it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
Mat 13:45 Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls;
Mat 13:46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
The treasure is a wonderful thing to have, but it only represents what you can DO with it. Money unspent doesn't buy you anything. Thus the rich man and the eye of the needle.
- It is not an "open for everybody" deal:
Mat 13:47 Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered some of every kind;
Mat 13:48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
Mat 13:49 So it shall be at the end of the world. The angels shall come out and separate the wicked from among the just,
Mat 13:50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- You NEED to prepare for it. The Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25 tells us that last minute appeals once you are face to face with Jesus will do no good.
- You can't BUY your way in, with money or works.
- You must come trusting, believing, as little children do.
Okay, so that gives us a grasp of how to see it from our current perspective. But two more questions need be asked- Whose kingdom IS it, and when will it come?
First off: Well, it's God's, isn't it?
Sure, but here's the thing: When Jesus was born on the earth, God gave authority in the Kingdom to Jesus. He preached the Word, died for sin, resurrected to defeat death, arose back into heaven. See how David explains it:
Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."
Psa 110:2 The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!
The Father gives authority to the Son, until all enemies are defeated. And then...
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
1Co 15:24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
1Co 15:25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
And that also gives us the answer to the second question. The Kingdom isn't FULLY come until after Armageddon, after the thousand year reign of Christ on earth, after the last rebellion when the Devil himself is finally cast into the lake of fire. Then Jesus hands all authority back to the Father, and the new heaven and new earth comes down.
You might say, "So why are we praying for something so far away?" The answer is, you could phrase this line another way. Jesus COULD have just taught us to pray, "Help us to understand and await the final goal."
A lone man looking for means of expression in a tsunami of information. Seeking truth justice and the American way in the perspective of a Nixon conservative. And the Commissioner of the free world's smallest and best fantasy football league.
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