Why the title?

"Pioneers take the arrows"

Oh, wait. I should be upbeat and taking arrows doesn't sound like an upbeat thing to say.

So, let me amend that statement.

It was courage and vision that led the pioneers to leave behind a comfortable, settled life and trek West to begin a new life in a new place. Many of those from the East that went West found a strength within themselves that they didn't see while they were in their old life. Instead of being one of those that just kind of went along with the others in the old life, they became leaders and visionaries in their new lives.

The sentiments of that last paragraph come from a favorite author, Louis L'Amour, in many of his books. So, I can't really say that it is an original thought from me. However, what he said is truthful.

Welcome to being a pioneer. Look ahead and ignore the "barking dogs" that give you negative opinions and comments. Louis L'Amour also spoke of the barking dogs.

In some of his stories, it was usually a father or older man telling a young boy how it was that when the Westward bound Conestoga wagons rolled through towns, the dogs came out to bark at them. His character then told the young listener that the barking didn't stop the wagons from going on to their destinations.

Following the advice of the Louis L'Amour characters, may we all forge ahead with our plans, after carefully considering all consequences and leave the "barkers" behind.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Preview of Coming Blog Entry

Well, it would be more accurate to describe it as a teaser than a preview. That is because I am still in the process of doing the research for it. It is related to the video “The Star of Bethlehem,” which is a video of about an hour in length, but packs in a powerful message.

The author and presenter of the video is a Christian, an attorney, and a law professor by the name of Rick Larson, whose search for the answers to the Star of Bethlehem ran a sort of convoluted path, including being derailed by his concern that his study was delving into the realm of Astrology instead of Astronomy. By the way, his website is at:

http://bethlehemstar.net/

Even if you don’t purchase and watch the video, what you can read at his site in the headings under “How to Use This Site” is meaningful enough. However, to do full justice to the research and his presentation, try to find “The Star of Bethlehem” in a library or some other source. Part of his research utilizes an astronomy software program called “Starry Night,” which can be used to look back in time to what the alignment of stars, moon, and planets were and their significance to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Oh, and yes, December 25 does have some significance. But, like Rick Larson, I don’t proclaim that date as the birthday of Jesus.

Below is Biblical evidence that the heavens, stars, and planets and their arrangements are spoken of early on. Keep in mind that the book of Job is “generally” considered to be one of the oldest books of the Bible and that it predates the covenant with Abraham.

Psalms 19: 1-4

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.

Job 9: 9

9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
   the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

Job 38: 31-32 (As God chastises Job)

31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
   Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons
   or lead out the Bear with its cubs?

Isaiah 40: 26

26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
   Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
   and calls forth each of them by name
.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
   not one of them is missing.

Luke 21:25

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.

As a last comment, the video is interesting if one is not a Christian, but it is powerful if one is or wants to be a Christian.

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