tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63389848422570546962024-02-19T17:15:42.916+05:30F J Pandiaraj blogsF J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-59088728615377346332021-12-04T19:33:00.002+05:302021-12-04T20:06:50.990+05:30How I came to know God<p><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Hello!</span></span></p><div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";">Today, instead of freewriting, I am
trying to do free talking. I have set my timer to 20 minutes and my recording
program is also recording whatever I am talking about. Next to that, the
notepad is also typing the same things about which I am talking.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Yesterday we had a 10-minute
experimental session, and it did not work out well.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">At first, I had created it through
typing, and with that, I could correct it and put it back as a blog post.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Now I will keep talking. When I talk,
the notepad will keep typing it with no punctuation. Everything else will just
keep going ahead. I will stop all the things and first I will compare what I
have typed with what I have recorded.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">This will help me make sure that what
I have recorded is the same thing that I have typed, is the same thing about
what I have talked about. So, this will help me correct things.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Then, after that, I will enter
whatever I have collected in a notepad. I will take it to Scrivener and keep
that as raw data. Then after that, I will make a copy of the raw data and I
will edit that to make sure what is in and what is being edited is the same
thing that I have spoken about.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">So now again I see the notepad had
stopped, so I restarted the recording on the notepad. If you talk beyond a
certain speed, notepad also cannot keep up with it, so I must talk at the same
speed.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Now let us come to the actual
content.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">My goal today is to see how I came to
know God. This is a larger topic. Let me see how I am organized and if I can
keep dictating to it without losing my thoughts. I must ensure that the notepad
is going ahead without losing things.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Okay, let us come back to what my
topic is. How I came to know God.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">I was born into a Christian family.
Even though I was born into a Christian family, in our family, we did not have
any bible related activities or anything like that in our home.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">And there was another problem. There
was no church nearby. You need to take a hired taxi to go to church and, in
those days, it was not even easy to arrange for such a taxi. So, we went to
church, which was about 7 miles away from our house. On a couple of occasions,
when I was a teenager, I remember walking to the church from home and back with
my father. So that is how it was.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">We were staying in a tea estate, and
my parents enrolled me in a school with hostel facilities. In that school where
I was studying, we used to have an assembly every morning, and then in the
assembly, the principal used to say some brief Christian message.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">At that early age, it was difficult
for me to understand what was being talked about. During my younger days, I had
no introduction or anything else to do with Christianity. I was studying my
Pre-University Course in Sankarankovil, where I started going to church every
Sunday because my relatives insisted I do it. I went to church every Sunday as
a part of routine things, yet I learned nothing.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">When I got into IIT, something
changed, something different was there within me. When I was studying at IIT,
in time I came to know about an uncle of mine, Dr. Xavier Ponnaiya. He used to
invite me for lunch at his house.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">So, what I would do is, I will first
go to the church that he was attending. Then, after church, I would go with him
to his house. So, this way of Sunday became a routine for me. My first thought
about these deeper things came into my life only then. I would discuss with my
uncle these religious things about the message that I heard in the church. Some
deeper thoughts used to come into my mind then.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Later, after passing out, I came to
Delhi for employment. In Delhi after a couple of weeks, I started attending a
Tamil church that was around. As I had come from Tamil Nadu, I had no other
place to find Tamil friends. That was how I started. And I also came to know
that another uncle of mine, Michael Ponrathnam, attended that Church. He
introduced me to the church. Through him, I started going to the church.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">And there again I used to go to the
church, and after church go to his house for lunch, sometimes with him and go
back to my room in the evening. It was the first time I started regular church
attendance. Until that time, I had no regular church attendance.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Then later I got married in the same
church. After marriage, we started regular church service attendance because my
wife was very particular about going to church every Sunday, even though I had
no such needs then.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Later, I started attending Delhi
Bible Fellowship as well. Somebody introduced me to the Delhi Bible fellowship.
In the morning I will go to the Tamil Church and in the evening, I used to go
to Delhi Bible Fellowship. In Delhi Bible Fellowship, we used to have in the
evening a one-hour study called Bible Hour. It was there I came to know more
about the deeper truths of the Bible. One Dr. Ramesh Richard, who graduated
from Dallas Theological Seminary, taught this. These messages appealed to me a
lot, and that I have liked them.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Somewhere around this time, Dr.
Samuel Kamaleson came on evangelistic work to Delhi. For some time in one week,
he was preaching and teaching in our Cathedral Church Parish Hall in the
evening. And in that week, he was teaching in the Cathedral Church Parish Hall.
From Dr. Samuel Kamaleson, I came to know even deeper truths. I still remember
his teaching Psalm 139 last two verses where he talked about </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">“Search me, O
God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23-24)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">After that, Delhi Bible Fellowship
organized a citywide campaign. Dr. Samuel Kamaleson again spoke on the citywide
campaign. One evening I went with my wife, and I remember my mother-in-law was
also there with us. On that campaign somehow, Dr. Samuel Kamaleson</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">’s words touched
me deep in my inner self and when he made the altar call, I went forward. Until
that time, I did not know deeper things. At that altar call, I learned a couple
of things about my need for a God. I thought I was responding to the altar call
by my will. But one counselor, Sudhir, reminded me I did not come on my own,
but God had called me and that was why I got attracted and I went forward.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After my altar call protocols were
over, I realized my wife also had come forward. She had met with some other
counselor. After such altar calls, an organization like Delhi Bible Fellowship
would track the people who have come forward and follow it up with them. For
some unknown reason, Delhi Bible Fellowship never followed it up with us.
Thereafter, we went back to our normal way of normal Christianity and that was
it.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Long after that, I had forgotten all
about Dr. Samuel Kamaleson’s teachings. I was back into my normal routine
things. Many years later, when I was browsing through the TV channels, they had
God TV on our cable network. Now there was a deep spiritual thirst within me,
and I started watching on God TV and watched all important programs. I used to
watch all the programs on God TV</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">’s channel. It was here I learned
what the Bible is and what it teaches and things like that.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">And at some point, in time, I had one
experience with God who kept on hammering into my heart the word </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">“The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah
17:9) That is where I got to know the sinful nature of man. God hammered it
strong into my heart. I later found out that it is the sinful nature of man
that causes all evil things.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Soon I learned more about what the
Bible teaches. Even though I was never a serious bible student, I learned a lot
through the people I was listening to on God TV. Andrew Wommack was one of my
favorites then. I used to buy his CDs and listen to them. The other people were
Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Keith Moore, Creflo Dollar, and many more.
From their teaching, I have written a couple of blog posts from time to time
depending on my thoughts then. Other than that, I never went into anything else
deeper.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">After one year of my marriage or so,
I even left Delhi Bible Fellowship because family responsibility became more
after the birth of our daughter. Before that, at Delhi Bible Fellowship, I
listened to one message which said that I should root myself where God has
planted me. That Delhi Bible Fellowship message said to me I need not move to
Delhi Bible Fellowship, but I can continue to be with Cathedral and be fruitful
there. So, after that, my spiritual life continued with Cathedral.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My true spiritual care for growth
came from the TV and later from the Internet. When Internet technologies
improved and speed improved, I used to read on the Internet or watch videos on
the Internet.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Palatino Linotype";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">I have not organized my thoughts
today and there are a lot of repetitions. There are a lot of other things, but
let me see how, from this material that I have talked about, I must figure out
how much of it is there, how much I altered it? The notepad seems to get broken
from time to time. So, I</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">’m
speaking faster than I need to speak. Though the recording is going on, the
notepad has not caught it up.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">I will have terrible work to read all that,
listen to the recording, and verify notepad contents. Let me see how much of
all thoughts I can get into this document, and later let me see how much I can
understand it.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Since this is the first time I am
recording through voice, I do not know what the mistakes are that I am making.
The next time I will be better, more prepared, and better organized with my
thoughts a little better. I will then be able to talk about it more clearly. I have
another about 30 seconds of dictation time. Let me see how this material comes
out. This is again an experiment, so I may publish nothing because this is an
experiment.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Next time around I think, I will do
better.</span></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">Statistics</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 08:44</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 08:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">2081</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">Recording Check</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 08:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 08:47</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">2071</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">Raw Word for Web</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 09:24</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 09:26</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">2220</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">WFW recording Check</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 09:26</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 14:02</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">2177</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">Scrivener</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 14:03</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 14:08</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">2104</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">MS Word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Professional</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 14:09</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 15:51</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
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</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">Grammarly</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 16:02</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 16:02</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">2066</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">ProWritingAid</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">Grammar & Style</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
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</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 112.75pt;" valign="top" width="150">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 18:00</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 90.2pt;" valign="top" width="120">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">1816</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 144.35pt;" valign="top" width="192">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 18:13</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 18:16</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">1810</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">04-12-2021 19:25</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">1846</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Courier New"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">ProWritingAid</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"> - Where your document may need work.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">Glue Index 49%
- Reduce to 40%</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text";">[1]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Text"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Sitka Text";">.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Sitka Small";">Free Version</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-84909658395825647382021-12-03T09:13:00.010+05:302021-12-03T10:50:50.616+05:30Freewriting<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: avoid; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Freewriting today is about why do I
want to author a book.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Right now, I am writing two books
though I have only parts of the first book and the second book has no content
yet. As I have 3 months of Kindle unlimited access, I am now reading books
about writing.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">One subject I ran into was
Freewriting. I have seen three books that have content about Freewriting. They
are </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">“</span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Start
writing your book today: A step-by-step plan to write your nonfiction book,
from first draft to finished manuscript</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">”
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">by</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> Morgan Gist Macdonald, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">“</span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Writing With Power: Techniques for mastering the Writing
Process 2nd Edition,</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> by</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[2]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> Peter Elbow, and </span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">“Accidental
Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content,”</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> by</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[3]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> Mark Levy. From reading the books, I
have done 20 minutes of Freewriting slots to input into the system.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">So why do I want to author a book?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Myles Munroe inspired me with book
writing. His YouTube video</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[4]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> got me thinking that even I may have
some things to share with others, like a book. The first book I have has the
theme of wondering about the creative wonders of God. The world keeps calling
mother nature forgetting about Father God. I want to expose to the world the
reality of Father God and debunk the so-called mother nature. Earlier I have
even written a blog</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[5]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> post on this topic. Another blog</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[6]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> post is The God I believe in. I want
to take these topics and anything that I have already written about God</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">’s
existence and make it known to the world.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">I do not have any earlier writing
experience except for the academic or professional papers that I have written
as a part of my career. I learn that writing for a book is a unique skill. Even
though Myles Munroe gives more information on how to create books. There are a
lot of things I am not familiar with, and I need to learn how to do it. So now
I am experimenting with Freewriting, and this is an experimental written
matter.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">The books I have in mind have </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">“My
insight into…” type of subtitle. The first subtitle is “My insight into
creation” and the second subtitle is “My insight into the afterlife.” The first
is Eternity Past, and the second is Eternity Future. I must cover things from
Eternity Past and things about Eternity Future. Since I do not have access to
scientific studies, the only access I have is to the Bible, which God-inspired
authors wrote over 1600 years. This will help me clarify my understanding of
the bible and try to make my understanding available to others.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">My focus will have to be from my
point of view. I do not have to write about others</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">’
beliefs because what matters to me is my belief and I expect the readers to be
interested in what I think about something I believe and not just repeat what
others think. I see that as I type, I am making too many spelling mistakes
because of trying to write at my maximum speed. After doing all the editing and
correction using the tools I have on my PC, I have got to see how good is the
matter that I come out with.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">In this way, I will write much better
after I read all the three books that I have picked up from Kindle unlimited. I
also read a book about Scrivener</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[7]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> three for windows. I could
understand better about scrivener three after I read that book. So, for the
next 3 months, I will have many books to read about writing and my subject and
try to capture my thought in quick Freewriting sessions and include them in the
book in the proper place. This will help me keep putting up content without
editing it while I am typing and, in this way, I will get the maximum number of
words in writing. It is a different matter of how good the content is and how
much of what I will keep and discard other unimportant thoughts that keep
coming up as I write. I am sure from session to session I will have multiple
thought repeats. When I read the books, I will have to pay special attention to
the authors to understand how they used Freewriting.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">So, in the beginning, I have one
technique. I do not know how many other techniques are waiting for me to
discover. If I keep on reading, I am sure I will find much more techniques for
my writing.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 11.25pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><a name="Extended_Statistics"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Statistics</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr>
<td style="border: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Revision</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Created</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Changed</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Words</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Raw</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
08:12</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
08:36</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">761</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Scrivener
corrected</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
08:13</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
11:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">818</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Audio
checked</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
10:26</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
11:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">818</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">MS Word <i>Professional</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
08:14</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
11:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">829</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Grammarly</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[8]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
08:14</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
11:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">829</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">ProWritingAid</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Grammar
& Style</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
08:14</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
11:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">829</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Fiction
Style</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
11:08</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 78.75pt;" valign="top" width="105">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">01-12-2021
11:45</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid gray 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid gray 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="84">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 0cm 18.0pt 36.0pt 54.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">790</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid gray 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid gray 1.0pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 100.8pt;" valign="top" width="134">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Final</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
</td>
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12:48</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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</tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">ProWritingAid</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"> - Where your document may need work.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Sentence Length 18.2 - Reduce to
between 11.0 and 18.0 words</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Conjunction Starts 10% - Reduce to 9%</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-indent: 18.0pt; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;">Glue Index 50% - Reduce to 40%</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="break-after: avoid; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: avoid; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[5]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2014/02/mother-nature-and-father-god.html"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2014/02/mother-nature-and-father-god.html</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/zzz.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span lang="EN-US">[7]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></span></sup></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Scrivener-Windows-Empowering-Productivity-ebook/dp/B08ZWYKS6Z"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Palatino Linotype", serif; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Scrivener-Windows-Empowering-Productivity-ebook/dp/B08ZWYKS6Z</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPqWEBXRgCJ0aAU4jx6bARnTr8VNA1JmlsUTeQKdUfQHcorr-b9Ug5M8I8bQ-ncW8hFuHx1p9bEg4gjy0BtD4ZaRvWE3-yzcIgWAizonDnXWhNxKxgNihXN_PNw6MK0tpvbrtTnNITaw/s886/Capture.GIF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="558" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPqWEBXRgCJ0aAU4jx6bARnTr8VNA1JmlsUTeQKdUfQHcorr-b9Ug5M8I8bQ-ncW8hFuHx1p9bEg4gjy0BtD4ZaRvWE3-yzcIgWAizonDnXWhNxKxgNihXN_PNw6MK0tpvbrtTnNITaw/w252-h400/Capture.GIF" width="252" /></a></div><br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-10834526317779083682021-06-01T16:24:00.001+05:302021-11-18T10:52:13.563+05:30Retirement Mail - 30th May 2019<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dear Colleagues,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">I have chosen to retire at the end of this month, on this Friday.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">As I was reminiscing about my career, it occurred to me that a few of my career and life events might interest some of you, so I am writing this long mail.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">As a B. Tech student of Electrical Engineering at <a href="https://www.iitm.ac.in/" style="color: blue;">IIT Madras</a>, I learnt my first programming language <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortran" style="color: blue;">FORTRAN IV</a> about 46-47 years ago. Then, we did not have any computer and the instructor visually verified the code that we wrote on paper.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Next year, an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_System/370_Model_155" style="color: blue;">IBM 370/155</a>, then the second largest computer in India, was installed at our <a href="https://www.iitm.ac.in/landmarks" style="color: blue;">institute</a>. Because of my fascination with that system, during the final year I looked around and managed to find a project that allowed me to use the computer for project work.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">To use those mainframe computers, your program must first be punched into a deck of <a href="https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/punchcard/" style="color: blue;">IBM Punched Cards</a> using a <a href="https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/vintage/vintage_4506VV4002.html" style="color: blue;">Card Punch</a> before it can be input to the computer through a <a href="https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/701/701_1415bx11.html" style="color: blue;">Card Reader</a>. After classes, we reserved half hour slots of punching machine time to punch our program code into cards. Then, we submitted our decks at the Input Output counter and came back after many hours to collect the printouts to see the results of the program execution. One typo, many hours would be lost before we can try again. So, we went through our deck very carefully before submitting it for execution.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">After B. Tech, I went on to do M. Tech in Computer Science at the same institute. In fact, I had topped the aptitude test used in the selection process. Ours was the second batch and had place for 20 students. Even after 3 rounds of selection, the batch was not full as students preferred more traditional engineering technologies over the emerging technology of Computer Science.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">I was recruited from the campus, to develop software for exporting to <a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-was-the-eastern-bloc.html" style="color: blue;">Eastern Bloc</a> countries, using IBM 360 compatible computers (<a href="http://www.computer-museum.ru/english/es_comp_family_2.php" style="color: blue;">EC-1022, EC-1033</a>) by an organization that is not in the software business any more. While working on my first project, using IBM 360 Assembly Language, I found debugging difficult. So, I created my own tool called “Execute and Trace System” to trace code execution for personal use. Later the organization found an export market for that tool and sold it as “Online Debugging System” to the centralized purchasing agency <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elektronorgtechnica" style="color: blue;">ELORG</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union" style="color: blue;">USSR</a>, which was localized and sold throughout the nation. The organization encouraged me to present a paper about that tool and its utility at that year’s <a href="http://www.csi-india.org/" style="color: blue;">Computer Society of India</a> convention in Delhi.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Through that organization I had been to Moscow and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg" style="color: blue;">Leningrad</a> in USSR, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb" style="color: blue;">Zagreb</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia" style="color: blue;">Yugoslavia</a>, Helsinki, Finland, and Paris, France for finalizing product specifications and delivery of products. I was also in Sydney, Australia for 4 months working onsite. I have promoted the organization products at different vendor gatherings including a trade show at Singapore.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">When new products like Sinclair <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum" style="color: blue;">ZX Spectrum</a>, Tandy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100" style="color: blue;">TRS-80</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer" style="color: blue;">IBM PC</a> were announced the organization would receive samples to explore the possibility of developing software around that product for export. That was how I learnt about microprocessor-based technologies like PC during the days when there was no Internet. You literally had to read the fine manual and there were no other alternatives like PDF. Almost all that I learned were done by reading paper documents during those days.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">That organization later diversified into hardware manufacturing and one such diversified organization “<span class="SpellE"><a href="http://lipidata.in/lipi_printers.html" style="color: blue;">Lipi Data Systems</a></span>” is still a successful printer manufacturer in India.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">In January 1990, I moved to a new organization that was established by two former IBM employees to export software from <a href="https://www.nsez.gov.in/Home.aspx" style="color: blue;">Noida Export Processing Zone</a>. Through this organization I had been in USA 9 times working on diverse Main frame, Unix and IBM <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS/2" style="color: blue;">OS/2</a> products at client locations of IBM, Cisco and EMC, for not more than 4 months at a time. When cancer afflicted the owner of that organization, he could not manage the company and downsized it until it finally wound up. I was laid off and unemployed for some time.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">It was at this time, I got a 3-month contract as an Adobe Temp to work on <span class="SpellE">xxxxxx</span> which was then overdue. I developed <span class="SpellE">xxxxxx</span> etc. That original work led to others and now I have been with Adobe for 15 years and 3 months working on different things.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Some of the gadgets that I received from Adobe as a part of organization wide distribution are 1<sup>st</sup> generation <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Shuffle#1st_generation" style="color: blue;">iPod Shuffle</a>, <a href="https://www.cnet.com/reviews/iriver-u10-review/" style="color: blue;"><span class="SpellE">iRiver</span> U10</a> and my first smart phone <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Desire_HD" style="color: blue;">HTC Desire HD</a>. This smart phone had more capacity than the IBM 370/155. I gave the U10 to my son and it is still working. When the phone software became outdated, I upgraded it with latest custom rom available while experimenting with custom ROMs.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Almost close to 30 years I have been having home PCs beginning with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_80486" style="color: blue;">Intel 486</a> to the current <a href="https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intel/core_i7" style="color: blue;">Core i7</a> based system. These systems were either assembled by others to my specifications, self-assembled and upgraded or purchased on-line. Possibly the exposure to computer since childhood made both my sons choose Software Engineering as their profession. My daughter, after trying out couple of different things, has now settled on writing as a profession. Some of her writings are available at <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Rebecca-Vijay/e/B071HKZBFD" style="color: blue;">https://www.amazon.in/Rebecca-Vijay/e/B071HKZBFD</a>. She is now building a business around writing and publishing.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">The likelihood of me meeting any of you personally in future is rather slim. However, I expect to be connected virtually. My email id is <a href="mailto:pandiaraj@yahoo.com" style="color: blue;">pandiaraj@yahoo.com</a>. If you are logged into Facebook, you can locate me at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FJPRaj" style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/FJPRaj</a>. It has been quite some time since I have updated any of my blog posts. You can locate them through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj/" style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj/</a>. My blog post that I like best is <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html" style="color: blue;">http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">As a born and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_again" style="color: blue;">born-again</a> Christian, I strongly believe in the God of The Bible. I am thankful to Him for having sustained me throughout my career while I still enjoy good health without taking any prescription medication.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">My wife and I are scheduled to travel to Minneapolis MN, USA on 12<sup>th</sup> June to visit our son and his family for a couple of months.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">If you like to reply to this mail, please send it to <a href="mailto:pandiaraj@yahoo.com" style="color: blue;">pandiaraj@yahoo.com</a> and I will look at it in leisure.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Great to have known all of you and to have interacted with you while at Adobe. Continue developing excellent print products. Drop me a line about any significant Print Technology events that I can follow up online.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span class="GramE">Good Bye</span>,<br />F J Pandiaraj</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Email: <a href="mailto:pandiaraj@yahoo.com" style="color: blue;">pandiaraj@yahoo.com</a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration-line: underline;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FJPRaj" style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/FJPRaj</a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration-line: underline;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Blogs: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj/" style="color: blue;">https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj/</a> and <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/" style="color: blue;">http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/</a></p>F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-63660784217394416602021-05-26T17:08:00.000+05:302021-05-26T17:08:09.461+05:30He will sustain you<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5QCiD8WH7DN0mH6LWJAFfofOv5F6_44ACLNzujtxfuZLTd7Ieb7gzou7mELYZN-DLAz-uiOOUcEOSquV1gprKabF2NBlIaAaBCVGfjwsls0g6SsQo8nRmy2dLI-pymYxGCIVfgKj4XA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5QCiD8WH7DN0mH6LWJAFfofOv5F6_44ACLNzujtxfuZLTd7Ieb7gzou7mELYZN-DLAz-uiOOUcEOSquV1gprKabF2NBlIaAaBCVGfjwsls0g6SsQo8nRmy2dLI-pymYxGCIVfgKj4XA/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>My Thoughts on my Desktop Calendar Promise (26 May 2021)</p><p>Out of habit, when I get up in the morning, I change my desktop calendar page and read the Bible Verse there.</p><p>On most of the days, I would have just read it and not give it a second thought.</p><p>Based on my life situation, today's words lingered on my mind a little longer. The phrase "He will sustain you" was the one that caught extra attention.</p><p>After my wife's passing away, in the initial days one of the thoughts that crossed my mind many times was "who will now arrange for my daily bread" as I always depended on her for many daily requirements.</p><p>After some initial transitions, one month after her passing away my life has almost settled down to what it was before she passed away.</p><p>When I think a little deep, I know that it was The LORD who sustained our family for more than 42 years after marriage. He has been good to us all these years.</p><p>As a whole family, He has kept us healthy and disease-free until this "china virus" somehow intruded into our family and got my wife.</p><p>Even in her death, I find the LORD sustained me. When my son took my wife to the hospital, she on her own came out of the house and got into the ambulance stretcher. That night around 11 pm I was woken and informed that it was now late and that she had already gone away around 10 pm.</p><p>As I was groggy from the sleep it took me some time to realize the impact of what I heard and did not have any reaction.</p><p>The local Church pastor had made the arrangements for her burial the next day. Because of the covering, she was wearing I could not even make out the outline of her body to know for sure that it was she.</p><p>A certain peace is in my heart knowing that except for the last 2-3 days she never had any difficulties and went away peacefully.</p><p>I know that in my inner man at least I have always been aware that it was the LORD that cares for me. This verse reassures me that as long as I keep casting my cares on the LORD He will continue to sustain me and my family. His words "He will never let the righteous be shaken" have always true in our family life.</p><p>Thanks for patiently reading</p>F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-35725586172130052572021-05-26T15:56:00.000+05:302021-05-26T15:56:59.884+05:30Bubbling Joy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycWzBL3AInWPaX5KgwU2zedwqYaTNxV491sFFdKZ46hQbcws2aczS60MoMkRhiYKXXZ8tFDqaBnQsQThz_dURQM0ru9zrEGlFDjE-PF-qqqXWGlqJq4pIQDHpTpMvdGEtMo2cZ6VXWcc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="455" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycWzBL3AInWPaX5KgwU2zedwqYaTNxV491sFFdKZ46hQbcws2aczS60MoMkRhiYKXXZ8tFDqaBnQsQThz_dURQM0ru9zrEGlFDjE-PF-qqqXWGlqJq4pIQDHpTpMvdGEtMo2cZ6VXWcc/s16000/1.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Christine, after being together with you for 42 years and 6 months, I have now lived for one month without you by my side. Until we meet in eternity ...</span></div></blockquote><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-yiykwha-3WCRl9mz7eGp-UDScJo3AVHJ7Efu5eg0uWelxDbSOP4eV8UxsO9GgAvtzCMQA7yE2WfeBY232r-mABlJ_7ZX9wu1eDab6HGa2-BgZyX2Uns6lk3lF_iErgnj_GK6gipjAI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-yiykwha-3WCRl9mz7eGp-UDScJo3AVHJ7Efu5eg0uWelxDbSOP4eV8UxsO9GgAvtzCMQA7yE2WfeBY232r-mABlJ_7ZX9wu1eDab6HGa2-BgZyX2Uns6lk3lF_iErgnj_GK6gipjAI/w360-h640/2.jpeg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The last time (28th March) you were at your beloved Church. Because of shutdown protocols you could not meet your regular friends there.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX4e15gTm8S1DGuX_Y018luUZWMeUoDEmOzQJaxXASmB5xTYrxi2H0XEFcDexwrWIVVQGxKwrkWv3URZbb6Ip6pNVkxPP9daWf-GodiDb2os2Naog00Dnhr3eeswbCgiNJ8qV9_dbjsc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1156" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX4e15gTm8S1DGuX_Y018luUZWMeUoDEmOzQJaxXASmB5xTYrxi2H0XEFcDexwrWIVVQGxKwrkWv3URZbb6Ip6pNVkxPP9daWf-GodiDb2os2Naog00Dnhr3eeswbCgiNJ8qV9_dbjsc/w640-h480/3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The last picture of you with your beloved family - Photographer Vijay</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGamh2n8MlKg52ocO70RFH5dF401MkQ3FFHfqSW58uRamqbogmBQponBbNTFVSPsr0lQ08-_vqCYHnV8pbXe718kJ7xl87Q49_4UWOdtQU70hmiAHqAj-ibUydU4FDksO8UlQbO0WA4Go/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGamh2n8MlKg52ocO70RFH5dF401MkQ3FFHfqSW58uRamqbogmBQponBbNTFVSPsr0lQ08-_vqCYHnV8pbXe718kJ7xl87Q49_4UWOdtQU70hmiAHqAj-ibUydU4FDksO8UlQbO0WA4Go/w480-h640/4.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You could not spend time with your brother recently because of his Open Heart Surgery clean room requirements</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpLHBT0u3NR6nHFCgQyVqn_eIBvC6lXeT0G7uiF1LMRiKd_cNP3qkO3kZfIzdz8Yx7NvfP_LM3_f_YmGUtjtdy-KjEQz4R3oJAoFjigluc9cQxm0hqQq91Pk9BnpuuLXJ4KmPInvV1oQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpLHBT0u3NR6nHFCgQyVqn_eIBvC6lXeT0G7uiF1LMRiKd_cNP3qkO3kZfIzdz8Yx7NvfP_LM3_f_YmGUtjtdy-KjEQz4R3oJAoFjigluc9cQxm0hqQq91Pk9BnpuuLXJ4KmPInvV1oQ/w480-h640/5.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You went across the world to see your new grandson</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_OxYhQ0ACa7_CX-o9NJw3OxnRWixSZpNbJehP1hJgX0QSjLkxWJ7dLI1MHi8zvm40XcCOJJwCsQ3gC-95hY7fJVXKQ3Z6VqiziTv3LAeOyTFsBSFXUBMxpfgL4li1nulp19948_E6w0/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1008" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_OxYhQ0ACa7_CX-o9NJw3OxnRWixSZpNbJehP1hJgX0QSjLkxWJ7dLI1MHi8zvm40XcCOJJwCsQ3gC-95hY7fJVXKQ3Z6VqiziTv3LAeOyTFsBSFXUBMxpfgL4li1nulp19948_E6w0/w504-h640/6.jpeg" width="504" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Your <b>bubbling joy</b> that attracted us to you</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><p></p>F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-27227590493810143832019-10-15T21:38:00.000+05:302019-10-15T21:38:44.372+05:30Plant and Animal Awareness<h3>
Why this post</h3>
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In one WhatsApp group where I am a member, there were some messages if plants can feel, have consciousness etc. That got me thinking about how different my views were on that subject compared to some others in the group. I am writing this post to share with the readers of this post, my views on the issues raised there.<br />
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Do plants feel pain</h3>
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The questions arose based on the HowStuffWorks article "<a href="https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/plants-feel-pain.htm" target="_blank">Do plants feel pain?</a>" This is what Wikipedia says about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain" target="_blank">pain </a>in plants in the section on Non-humans. As for plants, their ability to feel physical pain is at present a question beyond scientific reach, since no mechanism is known by which they could have such a feeling. There are no known nociceptors in groups such as plants. Nociceptor is a sensory receptor for painful stimuli. The following image "Mechanism of nociceptive pain" taken from Wikipedia illustrates this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG2nl66pqQBtUP2jqwr8uT-Z3u6fBoMhu2FZDNGrYquFEvCQDEJoGMqVTTCO5qF-bnMJ1Z7O7tg6ea04tEke7eRwHtQf7SpJS5GFu6saN_ZnBtVCnMYrXhErMyuEzj77JPZeJyZ8nCBw/s1600/Nociceptive_pain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG2nl66pqQBtUP2jqwr8uT-Z3u6fBoMhu2FZDNGrYquFEvCQDEJoGMqVTTCO5qF-bnMJ1Z7O7tg6ea04tEke7eRwHtQf7SpJS5GFu6saN_ZnBtVCnMYrXhErMyuEzj77JPZeJyZ8nCBw/s400/Nociceptive_pain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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When Plants Say "Ouch"</h3>
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The HowStuffWorks article pointed to a Deutsche Welle article "<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/when-plants-say-ouch/a-510552-1" target="_blank">When Plants Say 'Ouch'</a>" to imply that plants feel pain. This article arbitrarily uses emotional terms like whimper, squeal, feeling, and "cries out" etc without any direct mapping of such feelings to the actions carried out on the plants. Release of different proportion of ethylene gas from the plant in no way can be associated with an emotional stress such as pain. One of the conclusions of the article was "<b>Scientists using the acoustic-ethylene method have not succeeded in proving that plants have feelings - <u style="font-style: italic;">which may come as a disappointment to plant-lovers</u> - the chemical voices of flora allows them to distinguish between healthy and sick plants</b>".<br />
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Do Plants have consciousness</h3>
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One member of the group supplemented the plants have feelings idea, with the idea that consciousness is present outside nervous systems and wanted to research to be done on consciousness citing his personal experience with acupuncture.</div>
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The dictionary definition of consciousness is:</div>
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1. The state of being aware and responsive to one's surroundings.</div>
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2. A person's awareness or perception of something.</div>
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Today we are learning about self contained devices like Internet of Things (IOT). According to definition 1, IOTs and other similar Artificial Intelligence objects have consciousness because they too respond to surroundings that they can comprehend. However, what we are more concerned about is a living being's awareness. Is the plant a living being or a thing? Can a plant be aware or perceive something?</div>
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Plants and animal bodies consist of cells. I would call a cell as a designed self contained building block like IOT used to build living bodies. The cell of a plant is different from the cell of an animal. Check "<a href="https://www.diffen.com/difference/Animal_Cell_vs_Plant_Cell" target="_blank">Plant Cell vs Animal Cell</a>" for a brief comparison.</div>
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What is the purpose of plants? The purpose of plants, it seems, is to convert the abundant solar energy to other forms of life energy through the process of photosynthesis. All forms of energy available on the Earth, has in some form or the other, originated from the energy received from the Sun. Plants have the capability to convert solar energy to stored energy forms like fruit etc. that others consume to get energy for their bodies. Do the plant cells have conscious awareness? It is my thinking no. Like an IOT they function autonomously according to the purpose they are designed for.</div>
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In case of animals one can see something different from plants. The animal body houses some sort of conscious life, which is called as soul. When this soul life leaves the body at death, the body is designed to decay and self destruct. You can take plants and graft them into other plants, but you cannot take part of an animal body and graft it to another animal. For awareness to be there, a soul must be present in the body because the seat of awareness is in the soul and not in the body. So, I assert that plants do not have this type of soul consciousness which is limited to animals alone.<br />
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Food Hierarchy</h3>
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Next questions arose, if plants have feelings and consciousness, how can we consume them without violating their rights etc.<br />
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Lot of discussions were also around the intention of nature for plants, animals etc. I find it rather amusing that people would give lot of personal qualities to impersonal nature and are not willing to accept the possibility of an Intelligent Creator with personality. I have discussed about this in a five year old post "<a href="https://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2014/02/mother-nature-and-father-god.html" target="_blank">Mother Nature and Father God</a>".<br />
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The mission of the Creator for the fish of the sea and birds of the air was "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A22&version=AMP" target="_blank">(Genesis: 1:22)</a>"<br />
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The mission for land animals and mankind was "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A28&version=AMP" target="_blank">(Genesis: 1:28)</a>"<br />
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All living beings are designed to consume food to sustain life and grow and spread over the earth. The food hierarchy given to mankind specified "I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that moves on the ground—to everything in which there is the breath of life—I have given every green plant for food <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A29-30&version=AMP" target="_blank">(Genesis 1:29-30)</a>"<br />
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We have a very large universe with billions of galaxies and life as we know is present only on this tiny speck of planet Earth. All fiction books and movies only imagine possibility of things and nothing has been proved about any physical life elsewhere.<br />
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<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
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The earth is stocked with all resources that the life forms living on it need. The self sustaining mechanisms in it are wonderfully designed to sustain one another for ages.<br />
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It is my affirmation that the theory of evolution as the name suggests is just a theory and it has not been proved. The only reality is the intelligent design of the universe. If there is a personal God who created you then He has authority over you as a creator similar to the way parents have authority over their children. Mankind just does not want to accept such an authority and hence comes out with all types of alternate thinking like evolution with all types of fake artifacts. Had there been no intelligent design nothing on earth would function in predictable way to which we are accustomed to.</div>
F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-83326983858107554952018-08-30T10:43:00.000+05:302018-08-30T10:44:58.079+05:30Life of Samuel<br />
<h3>
Hannah’s Vow and Fulfillment</h3>
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Year after year, Hannah, whose womb the Lord had closed, went to the house of the Lord at Shiloh with her husband Elkanah to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. Hannah was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, <i>“O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+1%3A11&version=NKJV" target="_blank">1 Samuel 1:11</a>) Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Eli the priest thought that she was drunk. Hannah answered <i>“No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine not intoxicating drink but have poured out my soul before the Lord.” </i>(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+1%3A15&version=NKJV" target="_blank">1:15</a>). Eli blessed her saying, <i>“Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+1%3A17&version=NKJV" target="_blank">1:17</a>). Hannah went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.<br />
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In the process of time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying <i>“Because I have asked for him from the Lord”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+1%3A20&version=NKJV" target="_blank">1:20</a>). When Hannah had weaned Samuel, she took him with her and brought him to Eli. Hannah said to Eli <i>“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore, I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+1%3A27-28&version=NKJV" target="_blank">1:27-28</a>). Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. Hannah used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she came with Elkanah to offer the yearly sacrifice. Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with Lord and men.<br />
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<h3>
Lord calls Samuel</h3>
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The boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. One day early morning the Lord called Samuel with an audible voice inside the tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and Samuel mistook it for the voice of Eli. But Eli perceived that the Lord had called Samuel and instructed Samuel on how to respond to the call. The Lord revealed to Samuel that he will judge the house of Eli because of their iniquities. Samuel told Eli what the Lord had told him. So, Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. All Israel knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.<br />
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<h3>
Samuel Judges Israel</h3>
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After the death of Eli and his sons, Samuel became a Judge over all Israel. Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, <i>“If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. So, the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths and served the Lord only."</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+7%3A3-4&version=NKJV" target="_blank">7:3-4</a>) Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel was restored to Israel, and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of Philistines. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.<br />
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<h3>
Israel Demands a King</h3>
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When Samuel was old he made his sons judges over Israel. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. The elders of Israel told Samuel <i>“Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” </i>(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+8%3A5&version=NKJV" target="_blank">8:5</a>) Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel “<i>Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+8%3A7&version=NKJV" target="_blank">8:7</a>) Samuel tried to forewarn them about the way kings reign, but the people did not want to heed them. So, the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king”.<br />
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<h3>
Saul is chosen as King</h3>
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The Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, <i>“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My People from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to Me.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+9%3A16&version=NKJV" target="_blank">9:16</a>) So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, <i>“There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My People.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+9%3A17&version=NKJV" target="_blank">9:17</a>) <i>There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward, he was taller that any of the people</i>. (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+9%3A2&version=NKJV" target="_blank">9:2</a>) Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord.<br />
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<h3>
Saul is rejected as King</h3>
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The word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, <i>“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commands.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+15%3A11&version=NKJV" target="_blank">15:11</a>) And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. So, Samuel said to Saul: <i>“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+15%3A22-23&version=NKJV" target="_blank">15:22-23</a>) And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He made Saul king over Israel.<br />
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<h3>
David anointed as King</h3>
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The Lord said to Samuel, <i>“How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16%3A1&version=NKJV" target="_blank">16:1</a>) The Lord said to Samuel <i>“You shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16%3A3&version=NKJV" target="_blank">16:3</a>) The Lord rejected all the other seven sons of Jesse and chose the youngest one David. <i>The Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16%3A13&version=NKJV" target="_blank">16:13</a>)<br />
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<h3>
Death of Samuel</h3>
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Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him and buried him at his home in Ramah.<br />
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<h3>
Lessons that can be learnt</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Samuel’s mother dedicated him to serve the Lord even before he was born. Samuel did not reject this at any time of his life and continued to be in service of the Lord as a Judge, Prophet and Priest all his life</li>
<li>When the Lord rejected Saul as King, Samuel continued to mourn for Saul even though Samuel did not choose Saul to be the King</li>
<li>When choosing David as the King, Samuel kept looking for someone as handsome as Saul and did not look at the heart of David as God had looked at</li>
</ul>
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<h3>
About this Post</h3>
<br />
This post is adapted from the Term Paper that I submitted to <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/">World Video Bible School</a> as a part of my study of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/old-testament-history-2/" target="_blank">Old Testament History 2 </a>Course.<br />
<br />
You can read about the <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2018/08/gideon-from-book-of-judges.html" target="_blank">Gideon from the Book of Judges</a> from the earlier course of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/old-testament-history-1/" target="_blank">Old Testament History 1</a>.<br />
<br />
You can read about The God I believe in <a href="https://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html">here </a>.<br />
<br />
If you like my blogs please visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj</a> and like that page to be notified of my future posts in Facebook. You can also find links to my older posts there.<br />
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<br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-10459478574468869032018-08-07T10:25:00.000+05:302018-08-07T10:25:57.686+05:30Gideon from the Book of Judges<br />
<h3>
Book of Judges
</h3>
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The Book of Judges covers a period of about 300 years from the death of Joshua to the rise of Samuel. This Book of Judges was written either at the end of the rule of Judges or very early in the rule of King Saul. Samuel appears to be the author of this Book.
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<h3>
Gideon the Judge</h3>
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Gideon was one of the thirteen Judges whose life is given in the Book of Judges. He was the fifth Judge about whom the Book of Judges provides details about. The life of Gideon is described in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+6-8&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Judges 6:1 to 8:35</a>. The Lord chose Gideon to deliver Israel, when she was being oppressed by Midianites, Amalekites and the people of the East for seven years and the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.
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<h3>
Midianite Oppression</h3>
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The Midianites are the descendants of Abraham and Keturah (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+25%3A2&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Genesis 25:2</a>). The oppressors did not oppress Israel either by way of war or by killing. Instead, they would enter the land in great numbers to destroy it (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A5&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:5</a>). They would also take for themselves all that Israel had sown and destroy the remaining harvest and leave none for Israel (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A3-4&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:3-4</a>). Because of this Israel was greatly impoverished and forced to live in caves in the mountains to hide anything they had and to keep it for themselves.
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<h3>
Appearance of the Angel of the Lord</h3>
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The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon while he was threshing wheat in a wine press to hide it from the Midianites. The Angel of the Lord said to Gideon, <i>“The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A12&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:12</a>) <i>“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A14&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:14</a>) <i>“Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A16&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:16</a>) Gideon sought a sign from the Angel of the Lord by bringing an offering of prepared meat of a young goat, unleavened bread and broth and offered it to the Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord confirmed the sign by consuming them through the fire that rose out of the rock and departing out of his sight.
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<h3>
Gideon tears down his father’s Altar of Baal</h3>
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That same night the LORD said to Gideon <i>“Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that you father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.” </i>(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A25-26&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:25-26</a>) Gideon did what the Lord said to him that night with the help of his ten servants.
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<h3>
Gathering for confrontation</h3>
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The Midianites and Amalekites and the people of the East crossed over and gathered together at the Valley of Jezreel and encamped against Israel. Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. Gideon blew the trumpet and gathered the Abiezrites with him. Then he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali and gathered them behind him.
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<h3>
Sign of the Fleece</h3>
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Gideon said to God, <i>“If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said - look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A36-37&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:36-37</a>). Next morning the ground was dry, but when Gideon squeezed the fleece he could gather a bowlful of water. Once again Gideon said to God <i>“Do not be angry with me but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+6%3A39&version=NKJV" target="_blank">6:39</a>) God did so that night. In the morning there was dew on all of the ground, but the fleece was dry.
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<h3>
God chooses only 300</h3>
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The Lord said to Gideon, <i>“The people who are with you are too many … Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once ...”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+7%3A2-3&version=NKJV" target="_blank">7:2-3</a>). Then 22,000 people returned, and 10,000 people were still left. The Lord said to Gideon, <i>“The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+7%3A4&version=NKJV" target="_blank">7:4</a>) By this test the Lord chose only 300 men and sent all the rest of the Israel to their tents. The same night the Lord said to Gideon, <i>“Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+7%3A9&version=NKJV" target="_blank">7:9</a>)<br />
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<h3>
Confrontation</h3>
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Gideon divided the 300 men into 3 companies and gave to every man a trumpet and empty pitchers with torches inside the pitchers. By mid-night Gideon’s three companies surrounded the Midianite camp on all sides. In a coordinated manner based on Gideon’s signal all of them simultaneously blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers in their hands. They held the torches in their left hands and blew the trumpet with their right hand and shouted, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” and stood in the same place around the camp. Panic spread throughout the whole camp and the army cried out, ran and fled. In the panic the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp and they fled. The men of Israel gathered together and pursued the Midianites. Gideon sent messengers throughout Israel asking them to “Come down against the Midianites and seize from the watering places.” And they did so and subdued the Midianites.
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<h3>
Gideon’s Ephod</h3>
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Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, <i>“Rule over us, … for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=judges+8%3A22&version=NKJV" target="_blank">8:22</a>) Gideon collected all the golden earrings from the plunder and made it into an ephod and kept it in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his house.
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<h3>
Death of Gideon</h3>
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Through Gideon, Mideon was subdued before Israel, and they did not lift their heads any more. There was peace in the land for 40 years in the days of Gideon. Gideon died at a good old age and was buried in a tomb in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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<br />
<h3>
Lessons that can be learnt</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>The first act of Gideon was to destroy the Baal worship at his father’s house. We too must begin the process of salvation with those closer to our homes.</li>
<li>Because of what Gideon experienced he repeatedly kept on asking God for signs again and again. First, he brings an offering and the Lord consumes it. Then he wants two different type of fleece tests. He even goes into the Midianite camp as the Lord suggested to see the extent of fear in the camp. He wants to be sure that it is the Lord that is directing him and that he is not carried away by anything else. We too need to be sure that what we are doing for God is in fact coming from God.</li>
<li>Gideon made an Ephod as symbol of his worship to God. Instead of worshiping God they started worshiping an object that represented God. We too should directly worship God and not get distracted by anything else that represents God.</li>
</ul>
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<h3>
About this Post</h3>
<br />
This post is adapted from the Term Paper that I submitted to <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/">World Video Bible School</a> as a part of my study of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/old-testament-history-1/" target="_blank">Old Testament History 1</a> Course.
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<br />
You can read about the <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2018/07/christian-evidences.html" target="_blank">Christian Evidences</a> from the earlier course of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/christian-evidences/" target="_blank">Christian Evidences.</a><br />
<br />
You can read about The God I believe in <a href="https://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html"> here </a>.
<br />
<br />
If you like my blogs please visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj</a> and like that page to be notified of my future posts in Facebook. You can also find links to my older posts there.
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<br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-26713523794924843992018-07-31T21:05:00.001+05:302018-07-31T21:05:03.592+05:30Christian Evidences<h4>
Introduction</h4>
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After completing the earlier course of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/matthew/" target="_blank">Matthew</a> in September 2016, I started in earnest this course, <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/christian-evidences/" target="_blank">Christian Evidences</a> from <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/">World Video Bible School</a>. For two months I worked on it and even took the first test at the end of October 2016. For the second test I had to prepare personal notes from the book <i>The Truth about Human Origins</i>. This is a 530 page book from Apologetics Press. However much I tried, I simply did not have the motivation to go through with the preparation of the notes, even though I kept reading the book. Eventually I abandoned the effort and forgot all about the course.
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On 12th July of this year I received a mail from <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/">World Video Bible School</a> that I had not logged in into my free account for 12 months and gave me the option to delete my account. It was then I thought that I will work through the course irrespective of how tedious some of the course work may be and resumed with the course.
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<b>Description and Purpose</b>: This course is a survey of the logical reasons for believing in God's existence and in the inspiration of the Bible. The purpose of this course is to examine the many evidences upon which Christianity rests, to provide a rich, in-depth study of God's word, and to provide convincing proof, both from internal and external sources, of the Bibles' claim as the word of God.<br />
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<h4>
Course Contents</h4>
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The course is delivered through the following Videos<br />
<ol>
<li>Why Study Christian Evidences (Part 1)</li>
<li>Why Study Christian Evidences (Part 2)</li>
<li>Cosmological Argument</li>
<li>Teleological Argument</li>
<li>Anthropological Argument</li>
<li>Ontological Argument</li>
<li>Argument For Revelation</li>
<li>The Biblical Claim Of Inspiration</li>
<li>Harmony Between Science And Scripture</li>
<li>Introduction To Archaeology</li>
<li>Archaeology And Logic Prove Bible Inspiration</li>
<li>Prophetic Events In the Life Of Christ</li>
<li>The Uniqueness Of The Bible</li>
<li>Fulfilled Prophecy</li>
<li>The Resurrection Of Jesus Proves Inspiration</li>
<li>Miracles - Did They Happen?</li>
<li>Evolution Is Presented Dishonestly</li>
<li>Faith In Evolution</li>
<li>Evolution Has Failed</li>
<li>Dating Problems And Techniques</li>
<li>Radio-Metric Dating Methods</li>
<li>Fossils</li>
<li>The World-Wide Flood</li>
<li>The Ark Of Noah</li>
<li>Recent Creation</li>
<li>Theistic Evolution</li>
<li>Dinosaurs</li>
<li>Why Does God Allow Pain And Suffering?</li>
</ol>
I had to read the following books as part of this course.
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<ol>
<li><i>Creation Compromises</i>, Bert Thompson, Apologetics Press, Montgomery, AL</li>
<li><i>The Truth About Human Origins</i>, Brad Harrub and Bert Thompson, Apologetics Press, Montgomery, AL</li>
</ol>
I also read the following recommended book
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<ol>
<li><i>Why We Believe The Bible</i>, George W DeHoff, DeHoff Publications, Murfreesboro, TN</li>
</ol>
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In the following sections I will try to briefly high light some of the important thoughts on the topics covered by the course. This study is really very deep thought provoking one and it will depend on how one view and believes on the concerned matter. I will not be exactly summarizing as to what was excellently presented in the course, but will try to say what I have personally come to think and believe about each of the topics after going through the course. Each of the topics are very large to discuss, so I will try to make it as brief as possible to highlight only the important points as much as possible as it was presented in the class.<br />
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Even before I write about the course contents I am aware that I will never be able to convey even very little of what the course contains. If any of the brief descriptions given below creates any interest in you I suggest that you can <b>create your free account and watch videos</b> of these topics which would take about 18-19 hours just to view them. You can register for the Christian Evidences course <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/christian-evidences/" target="_blank">here</a>. You only need your user id and email to register. I would encourage you to register and explore deeper on this subject.<br />
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<h4>
Why Study Christian Evidences</h4>
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The Christian Bible, when truly studied, will reveal to the student that the Bible truths are independent of time and that they have been written with divine inspiration. No human mind, without divine inspiration, could have conceived many of the truths that are revealed in the Bible. There are numerous Christian evidences that can be explored to establish the divine authority of the Bible.<br />
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The Bible commands to the reader in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A15&version=NLT" target="_blank">1 Peter 3:15</a> "... if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it." It instructs in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians+4%3A6&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Colossians 4:6</a> "..." that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Christian evidences by themselves do not change a person; only the Word can change.<br />
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<h4>
Cosmological Argument</h4>
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This argument that says that there had to be something adequate enough to bring about the entire universe is called the Cosmological Argument. This argument says that universe is here and had to come from somewhere. It could not have created itself. According to First Law of Thermodynamics, nothing comes from nothing in nature. This is also called Causal Argument. Atheists have objected "that if everything had to have a beginning, God did, too." But this objection assumes that God is an "effect," not a "Prime Mover."<br />
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<h4>
Teleological Argument</h4>
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The argument for the existence of God from the evidence of order, and hence design, is called the Teleological Argument. The Teleological argument is also known as the Argument for Design or Intelligent Design Argument is an argument for the existence of God or, more generally, for an intelligent creator based on perceived evidence of deliberate design of the natural world. It is more logical to conclude that the cause that created the world must have been "mind". Dr R. J. White, a neurosurgeon, stated that from his medical knowledge, logic led him to believe in a Superior Mind that made out minds.<br />
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<h4>
Anthropological Argument</h4>
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This argument that says all men have a conscience (i.e. concept of right and wrong and, therefore, they must have been made by one who had the same ability since no known physical laws could account for the rise of "moral" in non-moral materials) called the Anthropological Argument. Emmanuel Kant stated the anthropological argument persuaded him to believe in the existence of God even though other arguments had failed.<br />
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<h4>
Ontological Argument</h4>
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The universality of the concept of God is called Ontological Argument. God is the greatest being possible and it is not possible to there to be a being greater than God. The ontological argument is an argument based not on observation of the world (like the Cosmological and Teleological Arguments) but rather on reason alone.<br />
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<h4>
Argument for Revelation</h4>
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Man has 5 senses which are the only avenues through which intelligence concerning material things can reach us. The intellectual power of man consists of perception, memory and consciousness. Man cannot invent or originate the idea of spiritual things; therefore the idea and the words used to express them are derivable only from and direct revelation from God. There must be a cause great enough to bring about this whole universe, and it is not a part of the physical universe. It obviously works intelligently and purposefully and is, therefore, mind. It is able to rationally decide between good and evil; therefore, He is personality and must have revealed to man that He exists, since man is unable to conceive of any absolutely new idea by himself.<br />
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<h4>
The Biblical Claim of Inspiration</h4>
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The New Testament teaches the Scriptures are "God-breathed". <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A16-17&version=NKJV" target="_blank">2 Timothy 3:16-17</a> says "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work". The New Testament passage <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+peter+1%3A20-21&version=NKJV" target="_blank">2 Peter 1:20-21</a> clearly points out that the Holy Spirit moved (carried along) the writers of prophecy. "Knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." According to the class, the Old Testament claims to be from God approximately 3,808 times. New Testament inspiration is so exact; Paul claims the Holy Spirit gave the words he used in teaching (writing or speaking) God's word.<br />
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<h4>
Harmony between Science and Scripture</h4>
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The Bible does not state scientific truths in scientific language. The errors and fallacies of science common to the age of Bible's production are not found in it. "From the time Bible first stated the earth was round (a sphere) until it was proven by Ferdinand Magellan by his voyage around the world in 1519 it was about 2,500 years. Matthew Fontaine Maury was able to discover ocean currents because he noticed the teaching found in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+8%3A8&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Psalm 8:8</a> which say "The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas." Because of the scientific foreknowledge found in the Bible we can conclude that Bible writers must have received their material from a source higher than their own learning. The two major cautions given about accepting certain passages from the Bible as proof of scientific foreknowledge were (1) proper interpretation of poetic passages, and (2) make sure not to give only a modern theory as solid proof which may tomorrow be proven scientifically wrong.<br />
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<h4>
Introduction to Archaeology</h4>
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Early archaeologists were not careful to preserve the artefacts they discovered believing the importance of their finds would be of great historical value. They dug out the artefacts for their material value. Two advantages of modern Biblical Archaeology are the confirmation it gives to the Bible and the supplemental information it gives concerning background and geological customs. Nelson Glueck stated that "Archaeological discoveries have never controverted (contradicted) a biblical Reference. If all manuscripts of the New Testament we destroyed, we could reproduce the entire book from quotations of early church writes except for a few (about 11) verses.<br />
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<h4>
Archaeology and Logic Prove Bible Inspiration</h4>
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The Bible specifically claims to be the inspired word of God. The archaeological discovery of Nuzi Tablets proved that the actions of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were typical of those living in that approximate time period. The Ebla Tablets were found in about 1975 contain tablets written about 2500 BC. The Ebla Tablets contain letters, economic texts, law codes, mythological texts and other similar items. They also provide valuable dictionary and pronunciation guide in Sumerian and provide vowel sounds. Two significant discoveries in the Ebla Tablets for Bible students were the vowels in the ancient Semitic language, and the personal name of God. These Tablets indicate the name Yah (or Yahweh) was in use long before Moses' time. The medical book Moses would have been taught from during his days of education in Egypt is now called papyrus Ebers. The John Ryland's Fragment of John (papyrus-52) archaeological discovery showed the gospel story to be written around the years 125-175 AD. So many 'problems' of the Bible have been solved by archaeological discoveries that we may now be assured by inductive reasoning, that even though the Bible is now being challenged, when the final answer comes, the Bible will be proven right.<br />
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Prophetic Events in the Life of Christ</h4>
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Even though they are just as true as any other prophesy, those about Christ which are written in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament are not as strong as others which are provable by archaeology and history when they are used for evidence to non-Bible believers. It was specifically prophesied in the Old Testament that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The exact town of the birth of Messiah, the general time of the coming of Messiah and the triumphal entry into Jerusalem were all prophesied. It was specifically prophesied in the Old Testament that Jesus would be resurrected.<br />
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<h4>
The Uniqueness of the Bible</h4>
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The Bible is unique in its restraint in recording amazing things and it consistency in recording events in history. The Bible was written over a period of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 years and by about 40 different authors. In the work done by Wilson in comparing 41 kings' name found both in the original discoveries and in the Old Testament, there is strong proof not only of historical accuracy of the Bible, but also that it has come down to our time correctly copied. If the original writers and all copyists were so accurate in recording the names of foreign kings (which we can check out), they would have been more likely to record events, prophecies, revelations and laws (which we cannot check out at this time). The Bible is the only ancient book which begins at the beginning and ends at the end. According to the class the real overall theme of the Bible is redemption.<br />
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Fulfilled Prophesy</h4>
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One criterion of true prophecy is it must be beyond the power of man to predict. Another criterion of true prophecy was that it must be unambiguous.<br />
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The Resurrection of Jesus Proves Inspiration</h4>
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The Bible specifically claims to be the inspired word of God. One of the proofs of inspiration given in class dealt with results in history wherever Bible has gone. One of the proofs of inspiration given in class dealt with the authority is assumes when it tells people to give up evil and practice things they would not normally do or be punished if they do not. If it can be shown that the resurrection of Jesus is true, we would then also know that the whole Bible is true. If it can be shown that the resurrection of Jesus is true, then we can also show that Christianity is one true religion. If the resurrection of Jesus did NOT happen, then Paul says all preaching is vain and no one is going to be resurrected. If the resurrection did occur, Jesus is the Son of God, Christianity is the only true religion, and miracles did occur, of which the resurrection is chief. According to class the New Testament mentions resurrection 104 times.<br />
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Miracles - Did They Happen</h4>
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Just relating the miracles of the Bible to sceptics is not as strong an argument as also showing the actual historical effects of those miracles. Concerning "Miracles," there are many categories under which they fall, such as nature, bodily healing and raising the dead. One of the evidences FOR Bible miracles is the fact that Jesus and miracles are "inseparable." One way to determine if a miracle is real or not is to determine if the event is unique (not reproducible by specific techniques employed by or at the direction of human practitioners). One way to determine if a miracle is real or not is to determine if the testimony associated with the miracle honours God and Jesus, and supports clear teachings of the Bible.<br />
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<h4>
Evolution Is Presented Dishonestly</h4>
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There is much evidence to show that evolution should not be listed even as a theory of science. Evolution has failed to explain the existence of a material universe's coming from nothing. Evolution has failed to explain the existence in all forms of animate beings some form of instinct and in man his conscience, rational power and spiritual inclination. If the Bible chronologies are of any value at all, the age of man cannot be millions or billions of years old. A hat and a ham in New Zealand show that fossils do not always take long to make. Evolution is inconsistent with God's omnipotence, personality, omniscience and purposiveness.<br />
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Dating Problems and Techniques</h4>
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The way any radioactive dating process works is that the parent product breaks down to the daughter products. Radioactive dating technique is uncertain because of the difference in isotope concentrations. Also radioactive dating technique is uncertain because the increase decay rates would affect samples. The radioactive dating technique is uncertain because the instability of the nucleus of radioactive atom is not clearly understood. During collapse of a nearby star or galaxy, earth would have been subjected to sudden increase of radioactivity causing nuclear instability; a drastic change in the magnetic field of the earth. Such events would cause radioactive clocks to speed up and show "apparent aging." Radioactive dating procedures are not fool-proof. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is true, everything is running down and entropy occurs. In a close system when an item turns into another it loses ability, it can never go back. The eternity of matter is impossible.<br />
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<h4>
Radio-Metric Dating Methods</h4>
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Geologic-related dating methods are open to question because: It must be known that no parent or daughter material has been added or removed. Earth could have been created with the appearance of maturity. Uranium 238 turns into Lead 206 with a half-life of 4.5 billion years. Uranium 235 turns in Lead 207 with half-life of 0.7 billion years. Potassium 40 turns into Argon 40 (gas) with a half-lie of 1.3 billion years. How could anyone calibrate such events involving billions of years accurately? The half-life of Carbon 14 is 5730 years. The date back to which Carbon 14 is accurate is 1,500 BC. Assumption would be the amount of radio-carbon in the atmosphere has remained fairly constant in past ages.<br />
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Fossils</h4>
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The name of the science that has to do will fossils is Palaeontology. Evolutionists say that Simple Fossils are normally in the lower strata. They also say that Complex fossils are normally in the upper strata. Bones can be trapped in sediment and become fossilized. Even footprints and body casts can become fossils. Evolutionists say sedimentation happened again and again over millions of years. Evolutionists explain that Over-thrust was the reason how fossils got "out of order". They said the Trilobite was for too "advanced" for the "old" geological dated strata it is in. Circular reasoning is the major fallacy with geologic procedure in dating fossils. U<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">niformitarianism </span></span>theory presents that geological rates are about the same as they have always been in the past. The Mythen was moved from Africa to fit the geological theory.<br />
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<h4>
The World-Wide Flood</h4>
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The origin of civilization always goes back to the area near Ararat-Babylon region in post-flood time. Knowing how the population of the world has been growing one can work back to how long back the world would have had 8 people from whom all others had descended. Mathematical calculations show that it cannot be more than 13,000 years. There is lot of geological evidences of worldwide occurrence of water-laid sediments and sedimentary rocks. Also all major mountain ranges are less that about 10,000 years.<br />
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<h4>
The Ark of Noah</h4>
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The ark was built of gopher wood. If Noah had used some other sort of wood, the material would have perished before he finished the boat. The size of the ark was 450 feet by 75 feet by 45 feet. The cargo space of Noah's ark was equal to at least 527 box cars. It seems logical that God may have caused baby animals to be the ones who came to the ark instead of mature ones. The would (1) take up much less room, (2) eat far less, (3) not be as dangerous to other animals and people, and (4) not need to reproduce until leaving the ark a year later. If this hypothesis is correct, much less room than that suggested above would be required for all the necessary species. It must be noted that Noah and his sons had up to 120 years to complete the task. Further, when compared to feats of other ancient build, e.g. pyramids, the barge does not seem impossible to build. Finally, since Noah was a patriarch (chief), it seems reasonable to assume that hired help could have aided in its construction. When one has an objection to the Bible as God's Word in the grounds of a certain argument, if it can be shown that there is a logical explanation, he should abandon his position. If, however, he continues to hold his opposition, he has a heart problem, not an intellectual one. These should cause the honest man to stop his opposition to God's Word.<br />
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<h4>
Recent Creation</h4>
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During Darwin's time, the earth was said to be 20 million years old. Over 5 miles of science texts in a museum in France can't be checked out, not because of value, but because they are wrong! Honest investigation should be welcomed by scientists and non-scientists alike. As more and accurate science is understood the age of the universe is "reduced." 1979 -- Miscalculation of Hubble's' "constant" results in 6-9 billion years reduction. 1987 -- Measuring a radioactive nuclide in the sun ... "the data suggests a date too young to be measured by means of this calculation." 1994 -- "Billions and billions of years shaved off the age of the universe." Stars which are given as billions of light years may not be so far away. There are many different ways to measure the life of the earth. Each of the method gives a different value. Science seems to be biased to take a largest of the value than more probable small values.<br />
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<h4>
Theistic Evolution</h4>
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Theistic Evolution is the idea that God started or directed evolutionary processes. They try to believe both in evolution and in God. Theistic Evolution uses many of the Creationists argument against "chance" and claim that it had to be God that caused it to occur. Theistic Evolution is not accepted by evolutionists. You cannot understand evolution and believe in God. Theistic Evolution does not fit what the Bible says. Like, space, matter and time are eternal in the evolutionary scenario, whereas according to Biblical record there was a period with no time, space or matter. The course discusses another 34 such contrasting differences between evolution and creation. Theistic Evolution causes people to turn more toward the materialistic world-view ("Mother Nature") and less toward the spiritual.<br />
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<h4>
Dinosaurs</h4>
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Painting of "dragons" and a trilobite in a sandal print is evidence that men and dinosaurs lived at the same time. Blue whale is an animal much larger than dinosaurs.<br />
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Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering</h4>
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One reason there is so much suffering is because people will not heed the warnings of nature. Pain is the body's way of saying "I need attention." One value of pain is that it gives man a reason to realize life will end. God has already experienced suffering; so He is not to be charged unfairly because He allows us to suffer. It would not be best for all people if God stamped out all the evil in the world, because then there will be none in the world.<br />
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About this Post</h4>
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This post is inspired by the course of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/christian-evidences/" target="_blank">Christian Evidences</a> provided by <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/">World Video Bible School</a> as a part of my study.
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You can read about <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.com/2016/09/life-of-peter-in-gospel-of-matthew.html" target="_blank">Life of Peter in the Gospel of Matthew</a> from the earlier course of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/matthew/" target="_blank">Matthew</a>.
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You can read about The God I believe in <a href="https://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html">here</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">.<br />
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If you like my blogs please visit </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj</a> and like that page to be notified of my future posts in Facebook. You can also find links to my older posts there.<br />
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<br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-244978537481201512016-09-02T08:52:00.000+05:302016-09-02T08:52:07.299+05:30Life of Peter in The Gospel of Matthew<h3>
Introduction</h3>
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Jesus had twelve disciples and Peter was the disciple who was the most prominent one of all the disciples. In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter is listed as the first disciple who was called by Jesus. In all references to Jesus’s disciples, Peter is always given the first position.
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<h3>
Jesus's call of Peter</h3>
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After John had been put in prison, Jesus continues with the message “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. <i>And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A18-20&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 4:18-20)</a>. This tells us that as soon as Peter was called he immediately followed Jesus, together with his brother Andrew. This shows us that Peter was a man of immediate action and never a procrastinator. Peter was a professional fishermen and Jesus called him into something totally new to him and without any hesitation he readily followed Jesus.
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<h3>
Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law</h3>
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The next event where Peter is specifically named in the Book of Matthew is when Jesus healed Peter’s Mother-in-Law. <i>Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them. </i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A14-15&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 8:14-15)</a>. This tells us that Peter was married and that he had a family there. His mother-in-law seems to have been a part of Peter’s household. As soon as Jesus touched her hand the fever left her and immediately she took on the role of the hostess of the house and served Jesus and all others that were in Peter’s house. It is also possible that Jesus might have stayed in Peter’s house from time to time during his ministry through that region.
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<h3>
First of Twelve Apostles</h3>
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Again when the 12 Apostles are listed in the Book of Matthew we see that Peter is listed as the first Apostle. <i>And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him </i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+10%3A1-4&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 10:1-4)</a>. Jesus had two Simons among his 12 disciples and we are told here that the first disciple was Simon, who is also called Peter.
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<h3>
Peter attempts to walk on Water</h3>
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Peter was always quick to act and when he saw Jesus was walking on water he too wanted to follow his master and walk on water. <i>Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+14%3A25-32&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 14:25-32)</a>.
When all the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water all of them were afraid thinking it was a ghost. Then Jesus assured them that he was Jesus and not a ghost. Seeing Jesus walking on the water faith developed within Peter that like Jesus he too could also walk on water. When Jesus gave Peter the command to come to Jesus on the water Peter got out of the boat and started to go towards Jesus on the water. He was not able to completely walk towards Jesus, because he saw the boisterous wind and became afraid and began to sink and Jesus had to stretch out his hand and save Peter.
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<h3>
Peter recognizes that Jesus is the Christ</h3>
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Peter was the first disciple to recognize that Jesus is the Christ. <i>When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16%3A13-20&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 16:13-20)</a>. When Jesus asked the disciples about who he was, Peter who had been with Jesus for so many months now knew that Jesus was not an ordinary person and there was something extraordinary about him. He, by the discernment of the Holy Spirit perceived that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
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<h3>
Jesus rebukes Peter</h3>
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The disciples thought that the Messiah would come to rule with Power and Authority. Hence Peter was expecting Jesus to rule with Power and Authority. <i>From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16%3A21-23&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 16:21-23)</a> Since Peter was expecting Jesus to rule, when Jesus said that that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer many things it appeared to Peter Jesus was not carrying out the ministry which he thought that the messiah would do. Hence he was trying to correct Jesus. Then Jesus had to rebuke Peter that he was not thinking the way that Jesus was thinking and that he had to change his thinking to think the way Jesus was thinking.
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<h3>
Peter witnessed Jesus Transfiguration</h3>
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After Peter had recognized that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus now takes Peter, James and John to show them his divine nature. <i>Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. </i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+17%3A1-8&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 17:1-8)</a> When Peter witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and the true nature of Jesus he was overwhelmed and he really did not know what to say. He recognized that Moses and Elijah were with Jesus and he wanted them to be permanently with hence suggested that they build tabernacles for them.
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<h3>
Peter pays Temple Tax of Jesus</h3>
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When Temple Tax collectors approached Peter about the Temple Tax of Jesus, Jesus showed how Peter should pay the Temple Tax for both of them. <i>When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+17%3A24-27&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 17:24-27)</a> The conversation that Jesus had with Peter tells us Jesus was of the household and only strangers had to pay tax. After having clarified that in God’s eye he did not have to pay the Temple Tax nevertheless paid it so as not to offend the Temple Authorities. He shows Peter how to obtain the coin needed to pay for the Temple Tax of both Jesus and Peter.
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<h3>
Jesus’s prediction of Peter’s denial</h3>
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Jesus predicted that all disciples will leave him the night of his arrest and that Peter will deny him three times. <i>Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A31-35&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 26:31-35)</a> Peter thought that he was not weak as Jesus had told him and thought that he will be firmly with Jesus, even if some other disciples left Jesus.
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<h3>
Peter’s denial of Jesus</h3>
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After Jesus was arrested Peter followed him from a distance to see what would happen to Jesus. <i>Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A69-75&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Matthew 26:69-75)</a> Only when Peter had denied Jesus three times he realized what Jesus has had earlier predicted. Now he knew his weakness and that broke him to know that he did not stand with his master at this time.
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<h3>
Lessons that can be learnt</h3>
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<ul>
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Peter was always quick to react and sometimes it was not the best response.
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<li>
Peter was very quick to say that he would not deny Jesus, but he could not fulfil that promise. So it is better not to make statements impulsively and later realize that we will not be able to do it.
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Similarly, Peter was quick to jump into the water with Jesus to walk with Jesus. But in the water he lost the focus of Jesus and started to see the water and waves around him. We too should not look at the circumstances surrounding us and continue to look at Jesus so that we will be able to overcome the circumstance.
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</ul>
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<h3>
About this Post</h3>
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This post is adapted from the Term Paper that I submitted to <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/">World Video Bible School</a> as a part of my study of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/matthew/">Matthew</a> Course.
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You can read about the <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2016/08/sin-of-murmuring-in-numbers.html">Sin of Murmuring in Numbers</a> from the earlier course of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/leviticus-numbers-deuteronomy/">Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy</a>
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You can read about The God I believe in <a href="https://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html"> here </a>.
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If you like my blogs please visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj</a> and like that page to be notified of my future posts in Facebook. You can also find links to my older posts there.
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<br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-61862426738879062122016-08-04T10:34:00.000+05:302016-08-04T10:39:01.080+05:30Sin of Murmuring in Numbers<h3>
Introduction</h3>
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The children of Israel were not happy with Moses and Aaron leading them to the Promised Land from Egypt. They constantly kept murmuring and complaining that they preferred the old life of slavery, compared to their experience in the wilderness, which would lead them to a life of freedom in the Promised Land of Israel.
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<h3>
What happened</h3>
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The children of Israel were slaves in Egypt and were made to work hard for long hours for about 400 years. Hence they knew nothing about any other form of living and kept looking back to that familiar form of living and complained and murmured when things were different. Not having known freedom, they did know about why it was good, hence did not look forward to it.
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Here are some of the instances recorded in the Book of Numbers where the children of Israel committed the sin of murmuring and complaining.
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<ul>
<li><i>
Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers+11%3A4-6&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Numbers 11:4-6</a>)
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Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers+11%3A10&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Numbers 11:10</a>)
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But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” </i>(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+13%3A31-14%3A3&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Numbers 13:31-14:3</a>)
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Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord </i>(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+14%3A36-37&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Numbers 14:36-37</a>)
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<li><i>
Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” </i>(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+21%3A4-5&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Numbers 21:4-5</a>)
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<h3>
Why Murmuring</h3>
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The above image is taken from <a href="http://blog.ninapaley.com/2015/08/10/exodus-16-19-a-stiff-necked-people/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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In Numbers 11:5 the children of Israel say that they “<i>ate freely in Egypt</i>”. It is possible that the Egyptians took care of providing the slaves prepared food so that the slaves did not have to worry about preparing food and would work long hours as the Egyptians wanted them to work. So except for food they did not know about any other pleasant things of life that God had freely provided.
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In the Wilderness God had miraculously provided Manna every day and they could not see the miraculous provision of God and only craved for the food that they had been familiar with in Egypt. So instead of looking forward to a life of freedom in the Promised Land of Israel flowing with Milk and Honey they were looking back to a life of slavery in Egypt. They called the miracle daily provision of Manna by God as “<i>worthless bread</i>”.
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They were slaves in Egypt and did not know what true freedom is like. So they were not prepared to take the land provided to them by God and thought of themselves as grasshoppers and the inhabitants of the land as giants and hence gave the children of Israel a bad report. The report of 10 spies discouraged more than 600,000 able bodied males above the age of 20 from going forward and owning the land that God had given them.
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<h3>
Application to our day</h3>
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To us Egypt represents the World. So we should not focus on following and doing the things of the World. Just as the children of Israel were called to the Promised Land of freedom we should seek to do things that are in accordance with God’s way for our life and be liberated from being bound to the things of the World.
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<h3>
Lessons we can learn</h3>
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Some of the lessons we can learn from the murmuring of children of Israel
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<ul>
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We should not constantly complain because God is displeased with complaining.
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We should not yield to intense craving.
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We should not look back into the past but look forward to the ways that God leads us into.
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</ul>
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<h3>
About this Post</h3>
<br />
This post is adapted from the Term Paper that I submitted to <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/" target="_blank">World Video Bible School</a> as a part of my study of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/leviticus-numbers-deuteronomy/" target="_blank">Leviticus-Numbers-Deuteronomy</a> Course.<br />
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You can read about the <a href="https://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2016/07/life-of-moses-in-exodus.html" target="_blank">Life of Moses in Exodus</a> from the earlier course of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/exodus/" target="_blank">Exodus</a>.<br />
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You can read about The God I believe in <a href="https://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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If you like my blogs please visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj</a> and like that page to be notified of my future posts in Facebook. You can also find links to my older posts there.<br />
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<br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-85442842353754716092016-07-14T12:22:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:20:09.923+05:30Life of Moses in Exodus<script>
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<h3>
Introduction</h3>
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The book of Exodus is the second book in the Bible. Moses is the central figure in the accounts described in this book. This book was written by Moses around 1400 BC and he was also an eyewitness to almost all the accounts described in this book.
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<h3>
Birth and Life in Egypt</h3>
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Moses was born in the tribe of Levi when the children of Israel were in captivity at Egypt. Amram and Jochebed were his parents. Miriam and Aaron were his siblings. Moses was born at a time when there was a command from the king of Egypt to his people regarding the children of Israel saying <i>“Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+1%3A22&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 1:22</a>). <i>By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews+11%3A23&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Hebrews 11:23</a>)
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When Jochebed could no longer hide the child, she made an ark of bulrushes and water-proofed it by coating it with asphalt and pitch and placed the child in it and laid the ark in the reeds by the river bank. She left his sister to watch what would happen to the child. When Pharaoh’s daughter came to take bath in the river, she saw the ark and asked her maidens to fetch it. When she opened the ark, she saw the weeping Hebrew baby and had compassion on it. The child’s sister came forward and asked Pharaoh’s daughter if she should fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for her. When Pharaoh’s daughter asked her to go, she went and got the child’s mother Jochebed. Pharaoh’s daughter gave the child to her and asked her to nurse the child for her and promised wages for it. When the child grew Jochebed brought him back to the Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She called his name Moses, saying, <i>“Because I drew him out of the water.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+2%3A10&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 2:10</a>). <i>Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds</i>. (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+7%3A21-22&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Acts 7:21-22</a>). The daughters of Pharaoh were independent and ruled their own houses and had their own rules for their houses. Because of which Moses, even though a Hebrew son, required by the then Egyptian law to be cast into the river, could grow safely in the protected house of Pharaoh’s daughter.
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<h3>
Flight from Egypt</h3>
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Even though Moses grew up as Pharaoh’s daughter’s son, he knew from the time that Jochebed nursed him, that he was not an Egyptian prince but that he was a Hebrew child. <i>By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward</i>. (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A24-26&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Hebrews 11:24-26</a>)
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God placed the right desires in Moses’ heart. <i>Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+7%3A23&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Acts 7:23</a>). <i>And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+2%3A11-12&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 2:11-12</a>). The anger within Moses arose against an Egyptian beating a Hebrew because he perceived it as an unrighteous act and made Moses to take the law into his own hands and act on it. He carefully looked around and saw that there was no one was around and in a premeditated manner murdered the Egyptian. Moses mistakenly thought that this was the way by which he would take the leadership to deliver the children of Israel from the Egyptians. <i>For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+7%3A25&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Acts 7:25</a>). The Hebrews did not see this act of Moses as that of a deliverer and exposed the murderous act of Moses to Egyptian authorities. <i>When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+2%3A15&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 2:15</a>). <i>By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews+11%3A27&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Hebrews 11:27</a>). All the preparation of last 40 years of Moses life now seemed to have come to nothing as he went into hiding.
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Life in Midian</h3>
<br />
Fleeing from Egypt Moses went and dwelt far away in Midian. Midianites were possibly the descendants of Midian, the son that Keturah bore to Abraham (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+25%3A1-2&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Genesis 25:1-2</a>). Jethro was the priest of Midian and had some knowledge of the God of Abraham. This is the reason that God led Moses to Jethro. Moses was content to live with Jethro and to shepherd his flocks. Later Moses married Zipporah, one of the seven daughters of Jethro. Zipporah bore Moses two sons and Moses named his sons Gershom and Eliezer.
<br />
<br />
<h3>
God’s call to Moses</h3>
<br />
<i>And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+7%3A30&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Acts 7:30</a>). God said to Moses <i>“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+7%3A34&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Acts 7:34</a>). But Moses said to God, <i>“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+3%3A11&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 3:11</a>). In the 40 years that Moses was in Midian, Moses had gone from prominence to obscurity and had mellowed down. Hence he was not enthusiastic in being the deliverer of the children of Israel and wanted God to send someone else. Earlier Moses had only heard about the God of his father and the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now for the first time he had a personal experience with the God of the children of Israel.
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Moses in Egypt</h3>
<br />
After God’s call Moses returned to Egypt to deliver the children of Israel from Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. God had hardened Pharaoh’s heart hence he would not let the children of Israel, who were a great slave force, used in building Egypt cities should be released so easily. So God dealt with Pharaoh and Egypt with a heavy hand that eventually Pharaoh let the children of Israel leave Egypt. God brought the following 10 plagues upon Egypt because of the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart through Moses and Aaron.
<br />
<ul>
<li>
Waters become blood
</li>
<li>
Frogs
</li>
<li>
Lice
</li>
<li>
Flies
</li>
<li>
Livestock Diseased
</li>
<li>
Boils
</li>
<li>
Hail
</li>
<li>
Locusts
</li>
<li>
Darkness
</li>
<li>
Death of the firstborn</li>
</ul>
By means of these plagues the God of Israel passed judgement on the gods of Egypt by bringing judgement on the people who worshipped the gods of Egypt.
<i>This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+7%3A35-36&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Acts 7:35-36</a>).
<br />
<br />
<h3>
From Egypt to Sinai</h3>
<br />
Before the Hebrews left Egypt, God gave them the Passover regulations which was to be observed by the children of Israel when they would reach the promised land. <i>When Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+13%3A17-18&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 13:17-18</a>). <i>The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+13%3A21-22&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 13:21-22</a>). <i>By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews+11%3A29&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Hebrews 11:29</a>). <i>In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+19%3A1&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Exodus 19:1</a>).
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Moses with God in Mount Sinai</h3>
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<br />
At mount Sinai, where God had met Moses first time, God gave the law to the children of Israel. The 10 commandments that Moses received first from God at Mount Sinai are:
<br />
<ul>
<li>
I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods before me
</li>
<li>
You shall not make for yourself any carved image bow down to them nor serve them
</li>
<li>
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
</li>
<li>
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy
</li>
<li>
Honor your father and mother
</li>
<li>
You shall not murder
</li>
<li>
You shall not commit adultery
</li>
<li>
You shall not steal
</li>
<li>
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
</li>
<li>
You shall not covet
</li>
</ul>
In addition to these 10 commandments God also gave Moses secondary laws. This secondary laws of God were concerning:
<br />
<ul>
<li>
The Law of the Altar
</li>
<li>
The Law Concerning Servants
</li>
<li>
The Law Concerning Violence
</li>
<li>
Animal Control Laws
</li>
<li>
Responsibility for Property
</li>
<li>
Moral and Ceremonial Principles
</li>
<li>
Justice for All
</li>
<li>
The Law of Sabbaths
</li>
<li>
Three Annual Feasts
</li>
</ul>
In Mount Sinai God also showed Moses the plans for the Tabernacle. God gave detailed instructions of the various items of the Tabernacle and the procedures to be followed concerning the following:
<br />
<ul>
<li>
Offerings for the Sanctuary
</li>
<li>
The Ark of the Testimony
</li>
<li>
The Table for the Showbread
</li>
<li>
The Gold Lampstand
</li>
<li>
The Tabernacle
</li>
<li>
The Altar of Burnt Offering
</li>
<li>
The Court of The Tabernacle
</li>
<li>
The Care of The Lampstand
</li>
<li>
Garments for the Priesthood
</li>
<li>
The Ephod
</li>
<li>
The Breastplate
</li>
<li>
Other Priestly Garments
</li>
<li>
Consecration of Aaron and his Sons
</li>
<li>
Daily Offerings
</li>
<li>Altar of Incense
</li>
<li>Ransom Money
</li>
<li>Bronze Laver
</li>
<li>Holy Anointing Oil
</li>
<li> Incense
</li>
<li>Sabbath Law
</li>
</ul>
The children of Israel donated all the material needed for the Tabernacle. God had anointed artisans with special talents to make all the articles needed for the Tabernacle. According to God’s plan Moses oversaw all the work of making the Tabernacle and getting it to function.
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Lessons learnt from the Life of Moses</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>
Moses was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. Moses however did not wait for God’s time and hastened things by murdering an Egyptian who beat a Hebrew and God had to keep Moses in Midian for 40 years before he was ready to do God’s plan. We should wait on God’s time for our call and not enter into it at wrong time.
</li>
<li>When God dealt with Pharaoh in Egypt Moses did all that God instructed him to do repeatedly. Every time God told Moses to do something, with patience he went about doing it. Once Moses knew God’s purpose he obeyed God in everything he did. We too should obey God in doing all that he has revealed for us to do.
</li>
<li>
Many times Moses pleaded with God for the mercy of the people of Israel. He always sought God to lead the children of Israel on their movement from Egypt. We too should seek God’s leading in all our plans.
</li>
</ul>
<h3>
About this post</h3>
<br />
This post is adapted from the Term Paper that I submitted to <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/" target="_blank">World Video Bible School</a> as a part of my study of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/exodus/" target="_blank">Exodus</a> Course. You can read about the <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2016/06/life-of-abraham.html" target="_blank">Life of Abraham</a> from the earlier course of Genesis.<br />
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<br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-2212944015875497992016-06-20T14:31:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:22:30.597+05:30Life of Abraham<script>
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<h4>
Introduction</h4>
<br />
In the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible" target="_blank">Bible </a>Abraham is an important Patriarch. The three major monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam have written accounts about Abraham. The Hebrew Bible, from which Jesus Christ often quote, is exactly the same Bible as the Christian Old Testament, though with the books organized little differently. The narrative about Abraham is found in the first book of the Old Testament called Genesis. Genesis deals with beginnings, like the creation of the world, the beginning of life, the beginning of mankind, the introduction of sin and death, the promise of redemption through Jesus Christ, the beginning of languages, the beginning of nations etc. The Bible describes accounts about real men and women who had real communications and dealings with real God and does not deal with activities of imaginary heroes. Genesis was written by Moses around 1400 BC and covers a period of about 2500 years of history. Major portion of Genesis deals with the life and times of 4 Patriarchs, i.e. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. In this post we will examine the life of Abraham and his interaction with God in the book of Genesis. From the various historical information and accounts that we have before us, it is estimated that Abraham was born roughly around 2000 years before Christ.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Family from Mesopotamia</h4>
<br />
Abraham, whose birth name was Abram, was born to his father Terah in Ur of the Chaldeans, located in Mesopotamia, which was in modern-day Iraq. Abram had two brothers named Nahor and Haran. Haran had a son named Lot. Haran died before his father in his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram married Sarai and Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of Haran. Sarai was barren and she had no child. Terah took Abram, Lot, and Sarai and left Ur of the
Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. On the way they settled down at Haran. Terah died while they were in Haran.<br />
<br />
<h4>
God’s call to Abram</h4>
<br />
While Abram was in Ur of the Chaldeans, God called him the first time to come out of Ur of the Chaldeans to
inherit the land of Canaan (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+15%3A7&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Gen 15:7</a>). The God of glory appeared to Abram in Mesopotamia and said <i>‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you’ </i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+7%3A3&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Acts 7:3)</a>.<br />
<br />
God had said to Abram, <i>“Get out of your country, from your family, And from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you”</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12%3A1&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Gen 12:1)</a>. Abram knew the direction that they had been going, but did not know the place in which he would finally be. God had given a seven-fold blessing to Abram for obedience <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12%3A2-3&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Gen 12:2-3)</a>.<br />
<ul>
<li><i>I will make you a great nation</i></li>
<li><i>I will bless you</i></li>
<li><i>I will make your name great</i></li>
<li><i>You shall be a blessing</i></li>
<li><i>I will bless those who bless you</i></li>
<li><i>I will curse him who curses you</i></li>
<li><i>In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
Abram by faith obeyed God’s command by departing from his native land as God had spoken to him. Lot too went with
Abram. Abram departed from Haran with Sarai, Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered and the people whom they had acquired in Haran to go to the land of Canaan. Now Abram was 75 years old and in his middle age it is certainly a challenge for him to leave his comfort zone behind and take the leap of faith and move over to a new place, new culture and re-establish himself. It is his faith alone that makes it possible for him to make this move.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Wandering in the land of Canaan</h4>
<br />
Though God called Abram into the land of Canaan, he did not settle permanently in any specific place in the land
of Canaan. He lived in tents and kept moving from place to place. The first place that he pitched his tent was Shechem in the Oak tree plains of Mamre and lived there with the Canaanites. He built an altar to God in every place that he stayed in the land of Canaan including Shechem. Next he moved to the mountain region and stayed in the mountain with Bethel to the East and Ai to the West. From there he kept travelling into the desert region in the South. From there he went to Egypt to survive the famine that was then in the land of Canaan. From Egypt through the south desert region he returned back to the mountain between Bethel and Ai. Here Abram and Lot separated because the land could not support both their livestock together with the Canaanites and
Perizzites then living there. After Lot separated from him, Abram moved once again to the plains of Mamre in
Hebron.<br />
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<br />
<br />
It seems that Abram never stayed in any one place for very long time. It could be because of the large livestock
that he had to move from place to place to provide for the livestock. In this process he seems to have gone all over the land of Canaan that God had promised to him and his descendants forever.<br />
<br />
<h4>
God’s expanded land promise to Abram</h4>
<br />
God continued to communicate with Abram in the land of Canaan throughout his wanderings. In the plain of Mamre
God appeared to Abram and promised <i>“To your descendants I will give this land.”</i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12%3A7&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Gen 12:7)</a>. Earlier the scope of God’s land promise to Abram seemed to be limited to Abram alone. Now that promised is expanded to include his descendants.<br />
<br />
After Lot had separated, God said to Abram <i>“Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”</i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+13%3A14-17&version=NKJV" target="_blank"> (Gen 13:14-17)</a>. Now the promise of further expanded. The earlier promises did not say what the size of land would be. Now all the land that he could view from the mountaintop is promised to Abram and to his descendants and the period is expanded to be forever. The promise is also expanded to say that his
descendants will be very large and a large land would be needed to contain such a large number of descendants. God’s command to walk in the land through its length and breadth could also be reason why Abram widely traveled through the land of Canaan.<br />
<br />
God made a covenant with Abram, saying: <i>“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+15%3A18-20&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Gen 15:18-20)</a>. This covenant specified the extend of the land and the people who were living in that land of Canaan then.
As long as Abram lived he had not acquired any property in the land of Canaan, except for the burial place to
bury his dead in the field of Machpelah in Hebron.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Abraham’s heir</h4>
<br />
Abram’s wife Sarai was barren and she had no child. God had promised to Abram <i>“One who will come from your own
body shall be your heir Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be.”</i> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+15%3A4-5&version=NKJV" target="_blank">(Gen 15:4-5)</a>. Even after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for 10 years he still had no heir. So Sarai gave her Egyptian maid Hagar as wife to Abram and Hagar bore his son Ishmael when Abram was 86 years old.<br />
<br />
When Abram was 99 years old God appeared to him and said <i>"You shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17%3A4-8&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Gen 17:4-8</a>).<br />
<br />
God said to Abraham: “<i>As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and
it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17%3A9-13&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Gen 17:9-13</a>).<br />
<br />
God further said <i>“As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17%3A15-16&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Gen 17:15-16</a>).<br />
<br />
Abraham circumcised all the members of his household as a sign of the covenant with God. Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised. Ishmael was 13 years when he was circumcised.<br />
<br />
As God had promised, In her old age Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son and called him Isaac. Abraham circumcised Isaac on the eighth day as a sign of the covenant. Abraham was 100 year old when Isaac was born.<br />
<br />
<h4>
God tests Abraham’s faith</h4>
<br />
God told Abraham <i>“Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22%3A2&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Gen 22:2</a>). God had earlier promised Abraham that his promise would be fulfilled by the son born to Abraham and Sarah. Here God was asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac born to Sarah as a burnt offering.<br />
<br />
Abraham believed God and thought that even if Isaac was sacrificed God would be able to raise up Isaac again as many promises that God had made to Abraham had to be fulfilled through Isaac. So early next morning he left for the land of Moriah with Isaac, two young men with donkeys and split wood for sacrifice. When they neared the site of sacrifice he left the men behind with the donkeys and made Isaac carry the wood.<br />
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At the site, Abraham made an altar and arranged the wood. Then he tied Isaac to the altar and raised up his knife to kill Isaac. From heaven angel of God called Abraham to stop killing Isaac. By this Abraham confirmed to God that he feared and obeyed God since he did not withhold his only son from God.<br />
<br />
God confirmed his blessings on Abraham further by saying <i>“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
because you have obeyed My voice.”</i> (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22%3A16-18&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Gen 22:16-18</a>).<br />
<br />
<h4>
Death and burial of Sarah and Abraham</h4>
<br />
When Sarah was 127 years old she died in Hebron, in the land of Canaan. To bury Sarah Abraham bought the cave at
Machpelah in Mamre for 400 pieces of Silver. Here Abraham buried Sarah.<br />
<br />
Abraham lived a very good and a long life and died in his old age of 175 years. His sons Isaac and Ishmael
buried Abraham in the cave of Machpelah where Sarah was buried.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Lessons learnt from Abraham’s Life</h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Abraham had a close relationship with God and he obeyed all that God required of him. He also taught his family all that he learnt from God.</li>
<li>Circumcised all the male members of his house as soon as he made the covenant with God</li>
<li>When God called Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, he did not hesitate and believed that even if Isaac died God would raise him up because of the promises that God had given to Abraham about Isaac.</li>
<li>He cared for the lives of people in Sodom and Gomorrah that negotiated with God from 50 righteous to 10 righteous people to stop him from destroying the cities.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
About this Post</h3>
<br />
This post is adapted from the Term Paper that I submitted to <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/" target="_blank">World Video Bible School</a> as a part of my study of <a href="http://school.wvbs.org/courses/genesis/" target="_blank">Genesis Course</a>. I joined this Online Bible School as a Formal Student on 18th May 2016. It took me almost one month to complete the Genesis Course. As a part of this course I had to study the Book of Genesis and two other books <i>The Global Flood of Noah</i>, and <i>Creation Compromises</i> and complete 4 exams and one Term Paper. This is the first course that I have completed. I have got to work on 44 more courses to study all the books of the Bible.<br />
<br />
This course by World Video Bible School is free to register. Auditing Students can only watch the Online Videos and do not have access to the course notes and additional online books. The Informal Students can take the courses in any order they please and would have access to course notes and have to take examinations to receive Completion Certificate. The Formal Students will have to follow the prescribed order of courses.<br />
<br />
I also found from YouTube the Online Videos by <a href="http://gcbi.net/" target="_blank">Great Commission Bible Institute</a>. This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDoGMEVS4D4slkqEzZjK0BwDbVKgli5so" target="_blank">Play List</a> has more than 250 Videos of 2015 Class Sessions chronologically arranged to cover all the books of the Bible. I watched relevant GCBI Videos to gain additional teaching in addition to WVBS teaching. Both the teachings put together gives a wider understanding of the books of the Bible. You too can watch these video teachings of the Bible and be blessed.<br />
<br />
You can read about the God that I believe in from my earlier blog <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html" target="_blank">The GOD I believe in</a>.<br />
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<br />F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-69964951071794050352014-12-03T08:27:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:24:19.770+05:30My Niece Gloria<script>
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I want to write a few words about my niece, Gloria, in this blog; but I have no clear thoughts as to what should I write about her.<br />
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Gloria lived for a little more than 22 years and I never knew who she was or what was she like on the inside. I only saw her body grow from that of a baby to that of a woman. Her mind remained locked in some far remote babyhood.<br />
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Gloria was born on the Indian Independence Day of 1992, but she never experienced any independence in her life. Some time in her early babyhood her brain was damaged due to Congenital <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocephalus" target="_blank">Hydrocephalus</a>. So she had no mental growth since then and had to be cared for her whole life like a baby by her parents. Only the constant attention and the love of the parents sustained her.<br />
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Suddenly she passed away on the early morning of 20th November. I could not be present at the funeral held on the same day in Mumbai. The family had arranged for a prayer meeting in memory of Gloria on 23rd and I was present in it. Normally in any memorial prayer meetings, tributes are paid by couple of people who knew the loved one well. In this case there were no customary tributes as there was no one who knew Gloria really well except for the parents. That left some sort of void in the inner me and this blog is an attempt to fill that void for my personal satisfaction.<br />
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In all our places of public activities we only see those that are healthy and active around us. I am aware of others like Gloria who could never go out of their houses. There is a section of people in every society that cannot take part in the ordinary day to day activities of the society around them. Quite often we are not aware of such people in society who need constant care and cannot fully be part of the society.<br />
<br />
As a Bible believing Christian my thoughts go back to the period of the Bible when Jesus Christ lived in the flesh on this Earth and healed everyone who came to Him. And the number of people who came to Him for healing were in multitudes. In spite of all the advances in Medical Care and Insurance etc. there is always a section of society that cannot participate in the main stream activities of the society. The healing power of Jesus Christ is even now relevant as it was then.<br />
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I know there are many who have prayed for the healing of Gloria. Even I have prayed from time to time for Gloria's healing. I believe that the real Gloria is spiritually alive and that she is much more aware of herself now than during her time here on Earth.<br />
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The Bible in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+57%3A1-2&version=MSG" target="_blank">Isaiah 57:1-2</a> says<br />
<span class="chapter-2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum mid-line" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; position: static; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">1-2 </span>Meanwhile, right-living people die</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and no one gives them a thought.</span></span><br />
<span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;">God-fearing people are carted off</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and no one even notices.</span></span><br />
<span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;">The right-living people are out of their misery,</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">they’re finally at rest.</span></span><br />
<span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;">They lived well and with dignity</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-57-1-Isa-57-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and now they’re finally at peace.</span></span><br />
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<div>
These verses bring me an assurance that now Gloria is out of her misery, is at rest and at peace.</div>
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<div>
This is the testimony that someone gave about Gloria to her mother. "Gloria is now in God's presence and is glorifying God". I say Amen to that because she is now alive and active in that part of the world where she is. Glory be to God for the life of Gloria!</div>
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F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-26290619877080910602014-05-19T14:49:00.001+05:302016-07-29T14:30:00.322+05:30Basic lessons from The Bible for the Aam Aadmi Party<script>
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<h4>
Aam Aadmi Party's Gamble</h4>
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In February I wrote a <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/02/arvind-kejriwal-gambler-and-plowman-of.html" target="_blank">blog </a>about how the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, had gambled away the Delhi Government for greater gains in a newly elected term. It is still too early to say about the results of this gamble.<br />
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<h4>
AAP in National Elections</h4>
<br />
One of the reasons for the AAP to abandon the Delhi Government was to focus on the national elections without being tied down to administer the Delhi Government. Now the results are out and the AAP has got 4 seats out of the 434 seats it contested for in the national elections.<br />
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<h4>
Count Your Costs</h4>
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One thought in my mind is that AAP basically started doing things without counting its costs as advised by Jesus in the Bible. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+14%3A28-30&version=MSG" target="_blank">Luke 14:28-30</a> The Bible says:<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<span class="text Luke-14-28-Luke-14-30" id="en-MSG-10955"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">28-30 </span>“Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit down and figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you’re going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: ‘He started something he couldn’t finish.’</span></div>
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This teaching expressed in The Bible 2000 years ago very clearly reflects in what has happened to AAP. Because AAP did not count its costs today there are many who poke fun at AAP. The AAP possibly has laid a foundation, but they are going to take much longer time and more resources to get the 100 plus seats that they were expecting initially in this election. Certainly AAP started some thing in the national election that it could not finish.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Judge Your Strength</h4>
<br />
Just because Arvind Kejriwal managed to defeat the former Chief Minister in the Delhi Assembly elections, the AAP leaders thought that they can repeat the performance in national elections. In<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+14%3A31-32&version=MSG" target="_blank"> Luke 14:31-32</a> The Bible says:
<br />
<br />
<span class="versenum" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">31-32 </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">“Can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can’t, won’t he send an emissary and work out a truce?</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
AAP leaders Kumar Viswas and Arvind Kejriwal competed directly against leaders of two other national parties. Kumar Viswas came 4th and got only 2.92% of the votes, while the winner got 46.72%. The AAP mobilized all its national resources just for Arvind Kejriwal and he got only 20.3% of the votes, while the winner got 56.37%. The AAP leaders clearly did not judge their strengths and weaknesses of fighting national elections.<br />
<h4>
<br />
David and Goliath</h4>
<br />
I have seen some comparisons where AAP is referred to as young David fighting the giant Goliath described in The Bible. You can read The Bible incident in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+samuel+17&version=MSG" target="_blank">1 Samuel 17</a>. In The Bible event Goliath throws the challenge and David fights the challenge because it was against the God of Israel. What we have seen is the weak AAP throwing challenge to the established political parties and losing because they had no unseen support like the God of Israel in The Bible event.<br />
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You can read more about this God of The Bible that I believe in from an earlier blog of mine, "<a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html" target="_blank">The GOD I believe in</a>".</div>
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F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-41552348764162035112014-03-26T15:30:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:30:29.506+05:30What I am learning about Diabetes - It is dangerous<script>
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<h4>
Why this blog?</h4>
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In a recent <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/02/diabetes-is-reversible.html" target="_blank">blog </a>I mentioned about my elevated blood sugar level and about the reversibility of Diabetes. In another <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/02/change-your-food-improve-your-health.html" target="_blank">blog </a>I mentioned about how health can be improved by changing our food. I have been spending many hours since then on the Internet reading and watching YouTube videos to understand more about Diabetes and its relationship to food. I am writing this blog post for my reference and for others who may like to know the significant truths that I am learning about Diabetes. The Bible says in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hosea+4:6&version=KJV" target="_blank">Hosea 4:6</a> "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: ..."<br />
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<h4>
Reverse Diabetes or die 10 years early</h4>
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One important truth that I learnt about Diabetes is that if you follow the standard Diabetes medical routine your life expectancy is reduced by about 10 years. Check <a href="http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-life-expectancy.html" target="_blank">Diabetes Life Expectancy</a> and many other such sites. This truth was brought close home during the last week of February when my brother-in-law <a href="https://www.facebook.com/stephen.jeyakumar.3" target="_blank">Stephen</a>, who was only 64, passed away due to a stroke. Another brother-in-law <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2010/08/o-ranjit-my-son.html" target="_blank">Ranjit </a>passed away in August 2010, when he was only 60, due to the complications caused by Diabetes. To those who claim that Diabetes is hereditary and it is in the genes, I like to state that Stephen and Ranjit's <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2010/08/mother-oh-my-mother-dear.html" target="_blank">mother</a> passed away when she was 70 and their father when he was 87. The urban food habits of our generation are destroying our lives fast and it is not allowing us to live even as long as our parents had lived. What makes Diabetes appear hereditary is that we acquire our food habits often from our parents and it is our faulty modern urban food habits that are responsible for onset of Diabetes. Both Stephen and Ranjit were born in urban Delhi and lived all their life in urban Delhi. Stephen, for some years lived away from Delhi, but again in environments where food habits were that of urban cities.<br />
<h4>
<br />
Why Diabetes kills?</h4>
<br />
Even though I have been studying about Diabetes for some weeks now, only some days ago, I learnt the real truth about the damage that Diabetes causes. Most of the material on Diabetes talk about blood sugar level, insulin etc. and do not give the real reason for the damage that elevated blood sugar level causes.<br />
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The Bible in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+17%3A11&version=ESV" target="_blank">Leviticus 17:11</a> states that "For the life of the flesh is in the blood ..." Various urban medical conditions like Diabetes, Heart attacks, Strokes, Hypertension etc. have to do with abnormal blood flow in the body and often start with elevated blood sugar.<br />
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When blood glucose level rises, pancreas will release insulin for the body cells to remove glucose by binding it to insulin from the blood stream and turn it into energy in the cell mitochondria. In case of a diabetic the body cells have excess fat in the cells that block the glucose removal process. So the glucose and insulin continue to build up in the blood stream. The high glucose concentration damages tiny capillaries. Since capillaries are throughout the body, damage takes place all over the body. This is how elevated blood sugar causes damage to the body. Since capillary damages cannot be felt, someone may have elevated blood sugar for years and may not know about it. Check the link <a href="http://www.novonordisk.nl/media/webkit/kit/info/encyclopedia/18/8.asp" target="_blank">capillaries and diabetes</a>. Also check this <a href="http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=7117" target="_blank">Complications of Diabetes</a> link which says that even nerve damage can take place throughout the body. Physical activity increases the glucose removal from the blood stream.<br />
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This image of the capillary is taken from http://clinicalscienceblogcatherine.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/capillary.jpg<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7IChyphenhyphenwfkkuo1j4BTGZFVvXH9qxlJnKIDWu9yKU8uzQ0-PFhKtfzIRJ2jWpVz8Afc0oQZpTJz-uP20dvriZwl-3doxEnaPR7fNGzywXdfOMnqDWc93u3VDKapmVD1rHNCQvag7MMKAR8/s1600/capillary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7IChyphenhyphenwfkkuo1j4BTGZFVvXH9qxlJnKIDWu9yKU8uzQ0-PFhKtfzIRJ2jWpVz8Afc0oQZpTJz-uP20dvriZwl-3doxEnaPR7fNGzywXdfOMnqDWc93u3VDKapmVD1rHNCQvag7MMKAR8/s1600/capillary.jpg" height="361" width="400"></a></div>
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I think even the above description is very simplified and the human body being very complex must have many other effects due to insulin resistance, the primary cause of Type 2 Diabetes.
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<h4>
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Reversing Diabetes</h4>
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Diabetes is basically a life style disease and it does not have any other causes like germs etc. Hence it is possible to reverse diabetes by reversing some of the earlier life style decisions that led to diabetes. I have found 4 doctors whose practice of reversing diabetes very useful. They are Dr. <a href="http://drhyman.com/" target="_blank">Mark Hyman</a>, Dr. <a href="http://www.drmcdougall.com/" target="_blank">John A McDougall</a>, Dr. <a href="http://www.nealbarnard.org/" target="_blank">Neal Bernard </a>and Dr. <a href="http://drcolbert.com/" target="_blank">Don Colbert</a>. Some of these doctors over a period of years have successfully reversed diabetes in thousands of patients. All the reversal is largely brought about by changing the diet of their patients. Each of these doctors follow slightly different diet plan for their patients. Based upon their recommendations I am trying to follow a Vegan diet plan and have already found complete improvement in Blood Pressure, Cholesterol and some improvement with blood sugar level. I am now trying to eliminate the medicine for blood sugar level control completely. The only problem is that the doctor I consult (a diabetic himself) does not believe that diabetes is reversible and can only be controlled with medicine.<br />
<h4>
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Natural sweetener Stevia</h4>
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There are lot of artificial sweeteners that many diabetics use in place of sugar with their tea or coffee. What I have read about these artificial sweeteners are not good. Which searching through the Internet I stumbled upon a natural sweetener called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia" target="_blank">Stevia</a>. I even found that there is a company in Noida that packages this natural sweetener in form of tablets which are convenient to use with tea or coffee. Additional details can be found from their <a href="http://www.sosweet.in/" target="_blank">website</a>.F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-20919344257102181022014-02-20T13:47:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:31:08.278+05:30Change your food, Improve your health<script>
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<h4>
Functional Medicine</h4>
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In an earlier post I had mentioned about my recent increase in blood sugar level and how <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/02/diabetes-is-reversible.html">diabetes is reversible</a>. There I had mentioned about <a href="http://drhyman.com/">Dr Mark Hyman</a>, and I have learnt that the medical practice that doctors like him practice is called Functional Medicine.<br />
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Today all around us, specialist doctors are on the increase and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_practitioner">general practitioners</a> seem to be on the way out. Here is the definition of General Practitioner taken from Wikipedia. <br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_practitioner">General Practitioners</a> intend to practise a holistic approach that takes into consideration the biological, psychological and social factors relevant to the care of their patients. Their duties are not confined to specific organs of the body, and they have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues. They are trained to treat patients of any age and sex to levels of complexity that vary between countries.</li>
</ul>
Doctors focus on specializing to increase their earning potential. From <a href="http://healthcareers.about.com/od/compensationinformation/tp/Doctor-Salaries.htm">here </a>you can have an indication about an average doctor's earnings. Only the geriatrician and palliative care physician, both to do with very old and terminally ill, earn lower than a Family Medicine Practitioner.<br />
<h4>
<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialty_(medicine)">Medical Specialist</a></h4>
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Wikipedia has a long list of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specialty_(medicine)">medical specialists</a>. Specialization can be organ based, disease based, medical technique based etc. A medical specialist is restricted to treatment in a specific domain of expertise. What happens when someone needs to consult more than one medical specialist at the same time? Each doctor gives his own medical treatment, often without taking into consideration treatments given by other doctors. So the patient does not get a specialized treatment taking care of all issues in an holistic manner. Doctors who practice Functional Medicine treat the patient in an holistic manner by working at the root cause of the problem.<br />
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<h4>
The Bible Food</h4>
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<div>
In an earlier post I had mentioned that I believe in the <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html">God of The Bible</a>. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A28-30&version=NKJV">Genesis 1:28-30</a> says<br />
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<span class="versenum" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">28 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”</span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-1-29" id="en-NKJV-29"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">29 </span>And God said, “See, I have given you every herb <i>that</i> yields seed which <i>is</i> on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. </span><span class="text Gen-1-30" id="en-NKJV-30"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">30 </span>Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which <i>there is</i> life, <i>I have given</i> every green herb for food”; and it was so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So the early God given food was vegetarian for both man and animal. After The Flood, non-vegetarian food was added as seen in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9%3A1-3&version=NKJV">Genesis 9:1-3</a>.</span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-9-1" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.</span><span class="text Gen-9-2" id="en-NKJV-208" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;"> </span>And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move <i>on</i> the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. </span><span class="text Gen-9-3" id="en-NKJV-209" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.</span></div>
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<span class="text Gen-9-3" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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People who lived before The Flood lived several hundreds of years, with Methuselah living the longest at 969 years as seen in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+5%3A25-27&version=TLB">Genesis 5:25-27</a>.</div>
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<span class="versenum" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">25-27 </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Methuselah:</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Methuselah was 187 years old when his son Lamech was born; afterwards he lived another 782 years, producing sons and daughters, and died at the age of 969.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I look at <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2011&version=TLB">Genesis 11</a> I see that the life of successive generations seems to be decreasing. In Verse 28 Haran dies before his father. Could the vegetarian food before The Flood be the reason for their long lives? Could God have supplemented non-vegetarian food after The Flood because of the devastation caused to the original plant kingdom in The Flood?</span></div>
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<h4>
Food as Medicine</h4>
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When we think of medicine we only think of some chemical substance that we get from the chemist. We need the doctor to prescribe that chemical substance. As a second thought we might ask the doctor the food that we may eat. Functional Medicine considers food as the primary source of medicine and nutrition. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrates">Hippocrates</a>,<span style="background-color: white;"> father of western medicine, is said to have quoted "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food". </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOUO_xzNm-MoaUGUeV_I7niWJbdmWPzMd6e8Uk5EYrEuzWnhDaU9dUaCt02NPYtBUwCrR0HUfo0mTtnb-Ty0BJgISoCNOdY5dymwC09z_81Bb9_Z2LaErVjmNp92137S7pwy5G0Q2xIE/s1600/HippocratesQuote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOUO_xzNm-MoaUGUeV_I7niWJbdmWPzMd6e8Uk5EYrEuzWnhDaU9dUaCt02NPYtBUwCrR0HUfo0mTtnb-Ty0BJgISoCNOdY5dymwC09z_81Bb9_Z2LaErVjmNp92137S7pwy5G0Q2xIE/s1600/HippocratesQuote.jpg" height="400" width="400"></a></div>
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Today we seem to have forgotten what Hippocrates advocated. Our body is built up based on the food that we eat. The chemicals that we ingest in the name of medicine produce wide variety of side effects. Today, properly prescribed FDA approved drugs are supposed to be the third leading cause of death in the US. Check this article "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/07/30/doctors-death-part-one.aspx">Doctors Are The Third Leading Cause of Death in the US, Killing 225,000 People Every Year</a>". Check also this article "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/26/prescription-drugs-number-one-cause-preventable-death-in-us.aspx">Death from Prescription Drugs: The New Epidemic Sweeping Across America</a>". Do we have any statistics for similar deaths in India?</span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Changes in my food habit</span></h4>
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Because of blood sugar elevation problem, as any one would expect, I have stopped all processed sugar. In addition to that I am trying to stop all processed food. The reason being, food processing industry destroys almost all nutrients, and the food that we eat are only non-nutritional food. I am trying to eat most of the food from the collection shown in the above image, where possible raw. I have gone from white bread, to brown bread and now to whole wheat multi-grain bread. I have replaced Coffee with Green Tea. My blood sugar level is continuing to improve. Basically, I am moving away from man-made factory food to God produced food, directly from His Factory, The Ground.
F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-24983856396149964032014-02-17T13:11:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:31:28.460+05:30Arvind Kejriwal 'The Gambler' and 'The Plowman' of The Bible<script>
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<h4>
Kejriwal's Gamble</h4>
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On 14th February, the Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal resigned, because his Aam Aadmi Party could not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in Delhi Assembly. The thought process here being, since the Aam Aadmi Party did not have the majority in Delhi Assembly, it is better to seek a fresh term with a better majority that will allow them to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the new assembly. Wikipedia defines "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling">Gambling </a>is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods." Essentially Aam Aadmi Party has wagered its present seats in the Delhi Assembly for additional seats in a future Assembly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Y_Ywv4cRY10CUTaIHhk-fRn6AnnOUrx2aeN4axDdWsSpsoiLtWDubyKItS3wtqn5KmuXhsVyJWExbkE_uf7UkBbSgIPszOwmfKKdcSrUuHM57Wb0boKk85Ruf7tgKBEgBSM6k0xcXPw/s1600/gambling_dice_and_card_450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Y_Ywv4cRY10CUTaIHhk-fRn6AnnOUrx2aeN4axDdWsSpsoiLtWDubyKItS3wtqn5KmuXhsVyJWExbkE_uf7UkBbSgIPszOwmfKKdcSrUuHM57Wb0boKk85Ruf7tgKBEgBSM6k0xcXPw/s1600/gambling_dice_and_card_450.jpg" height="265" width="400"></a></div>
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<h4>
Plowman</h4>
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That set me thinking about what The Bible says about this thought process. From what I could remember from The Bible, I did not see any wise person gambling away a current advantage, for a perceived better future advantage. In fact, Jesus in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A62&version=ESV">Luke 9:62</a> says “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” The Bible expects its followers to carry out a chosen task to its logical conclusion. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+20%3A4&version=ESV">Proverbs 20:4 </a>says "The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing." Unlike the gambler, the plowman when he plows the ground will have a very definite harvest determined by the crop he plants. The Bible in essence demands diligence, and not a frivolous attitude.<br />
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<h4>
This is the day, now is the time</h4>
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The God of The Bible is basically a God of the present and emphasizes living in the present, and not in the past or the future. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+13%3A11-14&version=MSG">Romans 13:11-14</a> says "But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We <b>can’t afford to waste a minute</b>, <b>must not squander these precious daylight hours</b> in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"<br />
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<h4>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Lokpal_Bill">Jan Lokpal Bill</a></h4>
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From the resignation action of Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party is projecting that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Lokpal_Bill">Jan Lokpal Bill</a> is even more important than governing Delhi. The primary duty of a 'govern'ment is to govern. I am certainly disappointed, that a Government that was elected to govern Delhi, in a short period of seven weeks, has chosen to give such a large importance to a document called Jan Lokpal Bill over the actual act of governing Delhi.<br />
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Wikipedia states that "The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Lokpal_Bill">Jan Lokpal Bill</a> aims to effectively deter corruption, compensate citizen grievances, and protect whistle-blowers. The prefix Jan (translation: citizens) signifies that these improvements include inputs provided by "ordinary citizens" through an activist-driven, non-governmental public consultation."<br />
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<h4>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption">Corruption</a></h4>
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Wikipedia defines "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption">Political Corruption</a> is the use of power by government officials for illegitimate private gain." In my thinking, what the Aam Aadmin Party has done in Delhi fits into this Political Corruption view. Aam Aadmin Party was the government and it used its government powers to gamble away the government for the illegitimate private benefit of the Aam Aadmi Party. The loss of governance in Delhi has to be borne by the Delhi residents. Meanwhile the Aam Aadmi Party is forcing additional election expenses on the Nation on its gamble to come back with greater majority. Which Jan Lokpal Bill will try Aam Aadmi Party for its Political Corruption?</div>
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F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-43271699239390674562014-02-12T14:38:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:31:50.437+05:30Mother Nature and Father God<script>
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<h4>
Who are you?</h4>
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You are an intelligent person. You have your own will. You also have your own emotions. Additionally, you also own a physical body somewhat like you own a vehicle. As I mentioned in an earlier blog "<a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html">The GOD I believe in</a>", <b>you </b>are not your body. Alternately, your body is not <b>you</b>. Any one taking a space flight will need a space suit, to survive in space, which is hostile to your physical body. After returning from space, the space suit is put aside. Similarly, your body is <b>your</b> earth suit, designed for <b>you </b>to live in this physical world. With your mind, will and emotion you make changes to the world in which you live through your body.<br />
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How did you get your body? We do not have human body shops to order one. Your mother produced it for <b>you</b>. What will happen to your body when you put it aside? It will decay and turn into earthly materials it is composed of. It is the life in <b>you </b>that keeps your body living.<br />
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<br />
Mother Nature</h4>
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A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother">mother </a>is a living person with a mind, will and emotion of her own. From time to time we keep on hearing about Mother Nature. Who is this Mother Nature? Where is the residence of Mother Nature? Does this Mother Nature have a personality? There is a two way relationship between a mother and her child. How do you have a relationship with Mother Nature? Wikipedia defines <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Nature">Mother Nature</a> as '... personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it in the form of mother ...'. Your mother gave your life and nurtured you. Since nature is impersonal, personification of nature leads to lot of wrong assumptions in the mind of people.<br />
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<h4>
Father God</h4>
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I guess the people who personify Mother Nature are the people who are looking for an alternate to Father God. In an earlier blog I had shared about the <a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2014/01/the-god-i-believe-in.html">God I believe in</a>. Father God of The Bible has personality and has mind, will and emotion. God of The Bible in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+3%3A14&version=NKJV">Exodus 3:14</a> says about Him, "<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+3%3A14&version=NKJV">I AM WHO I AM</a>". One of the important characteristics of a mother is her love for her child. Can Mother Nature love? The God of the Bible is a loving God. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3%3A16&version=NKJV">John 3:16</a> says "For God so <b>loved </b>the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life".<br />
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Next time whenever you see the term 'Mother Nature', please examine if the statement can literally be true. Try to substitute 'Father God' instead of 'Mother Nature' and see if it makes sense.<br />
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<h4>
Your body</h4>
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In The Bible <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139%3A14&version=TLB">Psalm 139:14 </a>says "Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it". You have a wonderful body. Did you or your parents do anything to make it the way it is? Each and every part of your body is so complex and purposefully designed. Yet evolutionists attribute the complexity of an intelligent work to non-intelligent Mother Nature.</div>
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According to a <a href="http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/23/how-many-cells-are-in-your-body/">National Geographic article</a> the human body is estimated to have anywhere between 5 billion to 200 million trillion cells. The following image of human cell is taken from <a href="http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/301notes1.htm">here</a>.<br />
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See how complex a single cell is. How numerous they are in a human body carrying out many different functions. Do you think a non-intelligent impersonal mother nature could evolve into this level of complexity without intelligent design?<br />
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The following image is taken from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_signaling">here</a>. This structure shows the signalling mechanism that cells use for communication.<br />
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Some of our complex systems are designed using computers and intelligent software. Who designed and implemented this complex cell pathway signalling without computers and software?
F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-5302089669527401392014-02-06T16:25:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:29:06.867+05:30Diabetes is reversible<script>
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In general I have been reasonably healthy. I hardly had the need to visit a doctor. The last time I had to visit a doctor was to get the doctor's signature in my driving licence renewal form in 2011.<br />
<br />
Some times towards the last week of January, I felt uncomfortable at work. So, I went to a hospital to see an emergency doctor. The CT Scan and ECG were okay. When they took my blood sugar level, I came to know that I had elevated blood sugar level. Since this is the first time I had elevated blood sugar level, the doctor has advised me to bring it under control by diet and exercise.<br />
<br />
In the past I had not shown any interest in studying medical facts. My August 2010 blog "<a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2010/08/he-sent-his-word-and-healed-them.html">He sent His WORD and healed them</a>" show where my faith in healing is. Before I wrote that blog, I had started to study about divine healing from the Internet, because of my wife's brother, Ranjit's health. Ranjit had a stroke, and was partially paralysed and lost his speech. I was learning on how to pray for Ranjit's healing according to biblical principles, while he went about with his regular medical treatments. The blog "<a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2010/08/mother-oh-my-mother-dear.html">Mother, oh my mother dear</a>" is a poem that Ranjit wrote when his mother passed away.<br />
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Some times in August 2010, Ranjit went to a hospital in Delhi, for regular medical checkup. Because of the stroke, Ranjit had mobility problem, and the hospital advised him to get admitted so that they could do all the tests without too much inconvenience to him. After about two or three weeks in the hospital he passed away. The type of things I saw at the hospital, when he was admitted there, created a negative impression of the medical community in me and some of that are reflected in my Facebook posts from time to time. The blog "<a href="http://fjpandiaraj.blogspot.in/2010/08/o-ranjit-my-son.html">O! Ranjit My Son</a>" is a poem his aunt wrote in memory of Ranjit.<br />
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After my elevated blood sugar level diagnosis, I have started scanning the Internet to understand about blood sugar level control. My search has led me to <a href="http://drhyman.com/">Dr Hyman</a>, who teaches "Food is medicine", and shows that Diabetes can be reversed by right food, in his web site <a href="http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/">Blood Sugar Solution</a> and his books. So, for the moment I am trying to understand his teaching and working on changing my food habits to bring my blood sugar level under control.<br />
<br />
I have nothing conclusive to write here about the effectiveness of Dr Hyman's methods, but I am posting this blog hoping that this information may be useful to some one else also.<br />
<br />
Dr Mark Hyman <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/markhymanlive">Videos</a>.<br />
<br />
From the YouTube Videos, I have found that there is a large Church, led by Rick Warren (Author of Purpose Driven Church, Purpose Driven Life etc.) that has an organized program called the <a href="http://www.danielplan.com/">Daniel Plan</a>. based on Dr Hyman's materials.F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-7251456405155700922014-02-01T11:12:00.001+05:302016-07-29T14:29:42.461+05:30'F J Pandiaraj blogs' Facebook page<script>
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So far, I have not been a regular blogger. Occasionally, I have blogged in the past. There was only one post in 2013 and before that four in 2010.<br />
<br />
I noticed that in January 2014 alone, I had posted 6 times. Most of these blogs had to do with comparing some real life happening with a view point from the Bible. So looks like the desire to compare what is happening in life, with what the Bible says, seems to be growing in me. Don't know how long this interest will sustain.<br />
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In my Facebook page, almost all the friends I have are personally known to me, and have met them some time in real life. There are a few others, who are my Facebook friends, because I wanted to follow some thing they had to say. Only my Facebook friends can post in the time line of my Facebook account.<br />
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I have created the 'F J Pandiaraj blogs' Facebook page, so that I can have friends who may not be personally known to me, yet will be able to post in this page. That helps me to keep my Facebook page separate from blog related posts.<br />
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Any Facebook user should be able to visit this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">page </a>and from there follow the blogs and post their comments in Facebook.<br />
<br />
If you have Facebook friends who might be interested in my blogs, please go to this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">page </a>and invite them to like this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">page</a>.<br />
<br />
Please feel free to express your opinions about the blogs here.F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-33633673711069933612014-01-31T11:06:00.000+05:302014-02-03T10:54:59.639+05:30The GOD I believe inThe word "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God">God" </a>brings up different thoughts and beliefs in different people. All people have different understandings and beliefs in God, based upon their life time experiences and indoctrination.<br />
<h4>
<br />
Atheist, Agnostic and Theist</h4>
<br />
An atheist denies the existence of God because the atheist does not believe in a God or gods. I am not an atheist. An agnostic believes that it is impossible to know if there is a God or if there are many gods. I am not an agnostic. Polytheists believe that there are more than one gods. I am not a polytheist. That makes me a monotheist, who believes in the existence of one and only God.<br />
<h4>
<br />
Evolution and Intelligent Design</h4>
<br />
How did life come about? Evolutionists believe that over a very large period of time, simple inorganic forms evolved into more complex organic forms of life. Can order come out of chaos without any external input? No. Order can come out of chaos only when external intelligent effort is applied. Outside of Planet Earth, there in no physical form of life. Wikipedia talks about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_life">Extraterrestrial Life</a> as being hypothetical. I believe in the intelligent design of life by a Creator God on Planet Earth.<br />
<h4>
<br />
Time, Space and Matter</h4>
<br />
How did the matter in the world in which we live come about? How did the Universe, with such an infinitely large number of galaxies, come about? How big is the boundary of the Universe? Is there empty space beyond the Universe? If there is empty space, then what is it? Like our Universe, are there multiple universes? What is time? Did the Universe have a beginning? Will there be an end to the Universe? Did time have a beginning and will it have an ending?<br />
<br />
If I did not believe in God, despite the advances in scientific knowledge, I would have no satisfactory answers to the above questions. I believe that the Creator God is the creator of Time, Space and Matter and that The Creator God is not subject to the created. God is not bound by Time and does not exist in Time. God is not limited by Space; hence, cannot be bound to the confines of created Space. God is not composed of created matter and cannot be experienced in the material domain.<br />
<h4>
<br />
Attributes of God
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<div style="font-weight: normal;">
Wikipedia enumerates about 26 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attributes_of_God_in_Christianity">attributes of God</a>. Some of the most important attributes of God are:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Omnipresent - Present everywhere</li>
<li>Omniscience - All knowing</li>
<li>Omnipotent - All powerful</li>
<li>Immutable - Cannot change</li>
<li>Transcendent - Outside space and time</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
What is The Bible</h4>
<br />
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible">Bible </a>is a collection of books that were written by 40 authors, over a period of 1600 years. According to <a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-1/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction/">the Guinness World Records</a>, The Bible is the best selling and most widely distributed book. <a href="http://www.statisticbrain.com/bibles-printed/">Statistics Brain</a> estimates the number of Bibles printed at around 6 billion. To be able to refer to a particular Bible reference, the Bible is divided into many books, and each book is composed of many chapters and each chapter contains many verses. The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, Verses 2 to 5 is abbreviated as Genesis 1:2-5.<br />
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<br />
Creator God of The Bible</h4>
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The Bible starts with the simple statement, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gen+1%3A1&version=ESV">Genesis 1:1</a>)". In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A3&version=AMP">John 1:3,</a> it says "All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being". Hence, based upon my life time experiences and teachings, I believe in the God of The Bible. The Bible does not talk about the origin of God, but simply declares the existing God.<br />
<h4>
<br />
The Authority of The Bible</h4>
<br />
From where does The Bible get its authority? The Bible declares the existing God, and from this existing God, The Bible derives its authority. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A16-17&version=TLB">2 Timothy 3:16-17 </a>says, "The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone". The authors of The Bible were inspired by God and wrote what God revealed to them by inspiration. Even though human authors wrote the various books of The Bible, they did not write down their own thoughts or ideas. They wrote what God inspired them to write. Though The Bible was written over a period of 1600 years, there is no inconsistency within The Bible because all thoughts and ideas there were inspired by the same God.<br />
<h4>
<br />Man is a Triune Being</h4>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+thessalonians+5%3A23&version=NKJV">1 Thessalonians 5:23</a> talks about three parts of man: spirit, soul and body. The body of man is his world-conscious self and it interacts with the material world. The soul of man is his self-conscious self and it interacts with his inner nature like mind, will and emotion. The spirit of man is his god-conscious self and it interacts with the deeper non-material spiritual world. An astronaut needs a space suit to go into space, because his natural body cannot sustain him in space. Similarly, your body is the earth suit for you. You are not your body. You need your body to sustain you in the earth. The true you, is your spirit, which survives the loss of your earth suit.<br />
<br />
This is an illustration on the Triune Nature of Man taken from <a href="http://www.brothergartin.com/triune-man.html">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8yXf3gUs_NJBjKiVCr8CMSy80RRS4Ce2J44T4qOYHqxVoVKe8YI7N4y-DnXJxMROp6tSzsMvdSEtpCWcwOhjX7AIHp0pElEkSImL7DgtpjSA7YGdFmhOvh5d5UMQ3cNRoHyP-8NvDtw/s1600/triune-man.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8yXf3gUs_NJBjKiVCr8CMSy80RRS4Ce2J44T4qOYHqxVoVKe8YI7N4y-DnXJxMROp6tSzsMvdSEtpCWcwOhjX7AIHp0pElEkSImL7DgtpjSA7YGdFmhOvh5d5UMQ3cNRoHyP-8NvDtw/s1600/triune-man.gif" height="292" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Here is another illustration on the Triune Nature of Man taken from <a href="http://tombstonegrace.org/TGBS110127.html">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrHe75D7hxmUy6jdqBwL2m0M9ygxd-2gNbPoYQvB5A_rz37DHH81O84J5kxmqvqaf0Cc8tJ8_30qYCcIkWncgqBIQqZhVRw0Px8ROK2L19_96bI9MY8Vj4lx0RWlNYywpenhBlQASPjA/s1600/functions+of+man's+three+parts+794w.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrHe75D7hxmUy6jdqBwL2m0M9ygxd-2gNbPoYQvB5A_rz37DHH81O84J5kxmqvqaf0Cc8tJ8_30qYCcIkWncgqBIQqZhVRw0Px8ROK2L19_96bI9MY8Vj4lx0RWlNYywpenhBlQASPjA/s1600/functions+of+man's+three+parts+794w.png" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h4>
God is a Triune Being</h4>
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The God of The Bible is not an inanimate force or power, but a Person. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+4%3A24&version=KJV">John 4:24 </a>says "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth". Every man is a single person. The mystery of the God of The Bible is that He is one God, but with three persons, often referred to as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity">Trinity</a>. The three persons of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godhead_in_Christianity">Godhead </a>of The Bible are, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It is difficult for the limited mind of man to comprehend the unlimited God. This is reflected in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+55%3A8-9&version=NKJV">Isaiah 55:8-9 </a>as <br />
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,<br />
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.<br />
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,<br />
So are My ways higher than your ways,<br />
And My thoughts than your thoughts."<br />
<br />
This is an illustration of the Triune Nature of God taken from <a href="http://agapegeek.com/2010/04/">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4vQwhnMKjkUyeYN_yDOYZBa9kOeAMTE9-pUGPMWZ6iAXr-RbR_sYSPhtDdAb16Zw-iW_5-vBBZlopv_RMOcgLldlpZJn3IsATEF2PLRNBYgMbMuhuarQAv-SAq7r22oCSHb7SHDOsuE/s1600/trinity-godhood.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4vQwhnMKjkUyeYN_yDOYZBa9kOeAMTE9-pUGPMWZ6iAXr-RbR_sYSPhtDdAb16Zw-iW_5-vBBZlopv_RMOcgLldlpZJn3IsATEF2PLRNBYgMbMuhuarQAv-SAq7r22oCSHb7SHDOsuE/s1600/trinity-godhood.gif" height="400" width="393" /></a></div>
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Here is a different illustration showing God and Man taken from <a href="http://e-preacher.org/2011/08/28/sermon-8-a-christian-doesnt-bother-about-being-good/">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZup9Fi3XngWVOPCUFY2FVuZM4SI7HjP5eTzZEBaAr3cUAGW8uYN-whfitmMvE_qvpi9SbrSorkyKu9PHjXU25uUKsO1eoDfpjKRustVO2CC1akw1hpH58RsRtr2ntbV78WCTQOi_0Rb0/s1600/god_vs_man.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZup9Fi3XngWVOPCUFY2FVuZM4SI7HjP5eTzZEBaAr3cUAGW8uYN-whfitmMvE_qvpi9SbrSorkyKu9PHjXU25uUKsO1eoDfpjKRustVO2CC1akw1hpH58RsRtr2ntbV78WCTQOi_0Rb0/s1600/god_vs_man.png" height="204" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h4>
The God I believe in</h4>
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The God I believe in is this Triune God of The Bible where God the Father is God, God the Son is God and God the Holy Spirit is God. All three persons of this Godhead are persons and The Bible always refer to God in the masculine gender.</div>
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<div>
It was God the Son who was born in this world as Jesus Christ, a man. The Bible is largely divided into two parts, Old Testament and New Testament. The Old Testament deals with events associated with God the Father. The first four books of the New Testament, called Gospels, deal with the life of Jesus on earth. The remaining books of the New Testament largely deal with activities of God the Holy Spirit in the early Church. According to The Bible, God the Father and God the Son are now in Heaven. God The Holy Spirit came to dwell with believers on earth, after Jesus Christ ascended into heaven after resurrection. When one reads The Bible from the beginning to end, one will notice that The Bible progressively reveals the existing God.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The spirit of man and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, communicate in the spiritual domain. It is in this domain that man can experience God today.
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<h4>
<br />
Indwelling Holy Spirit</h4>
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God the Holy Spirit has many attributes. One of the attributes of the Holy Spirit is, His indwelling in the spirit of man. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+corinthians+3%3A16&version=NKJV">1 Corinthians 3:16</a> says "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?". The Bible calls us the temple of God and that is where He seeks to dwell.<br />
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<h4>
Our Authority</h4>
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Man is the supreme of God's creation and is created in the image of God. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A26-27&version=MSG">Genesis 1:26-28</a> says<br />
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them<br />
reflecting our nature<br />
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,<br />
the birds in the air, the cattle,<br />
And, yes, Earth itself,<br />
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”<br />
God created human beings;<br />
he created them godlike,<br />
Reflecting God’s nature.<br />
He created them male and female.<br />
God blessed them:<br />
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!<br />
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,<br />
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”<br />
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This is how God created man to have authority over all the Earth that He created and mankind is continuing to exercise this dominion. What ever the world today is what we mankind together have made it. We can listen to our selfish desires and destroy the world or we can listen to the Holy Spirit and make the world a better place. The choice is ours.<br />
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<h4>
Update on 3rd February, 2014</h4>
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Thanks for reading this blog. If you liked this blog, please 'like' <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">F J Pandiaraj blogs</a> Facebook page to receive future updates.</div>
F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-88531534166546851902014-01-27T15:26:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:33:20.904+05:30Thoughts, Imaginations and Strongholds (Habits)<script>
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why this blog?</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week, for four evenings, (From 23rd January to 26th January), I watched <a href="http://www.revsam.org/">Rev Sam Chelladurai</a>'s live webcast, of his special Tamil outdoor meetings held at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valliyur">Valliyoor</a>. This blog, is inspired by one topic, from the third day of this meeting.</span><br />
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Who is Rev Sam Chelladurai?</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDYEQFm0LRmIuhBqC_q1RSW7BXljcAQu1ITMOJNom-XJd21BgOnSv8hLQPFA47wlRIHUjsU4_sY0Sen02ZsSUnNmYb5u-MVZB9eueh7yUmLgheaeJXLTc-tfMlDnF2ALGvQ4qhhVVqFQ/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDYEQFm0LRmIuhBqC_q1RSW7BXljcAQu1ITMOJNom-XJd21BgOnSv8hLQPFA47wlRIHUjsU4_sY0Sen02ZsSUnNmYb5u-MVZB9eueh7yUmLgheaeJXLTc-tfMlDnF2ALGvQ4qhhVVqFQ/s1600/3.jpg" height="267" width="400"></a></div>
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Rev Sam Chelladurai is the Senior Pastor of the Apostolic Fellowship Tabernacle (AFT) Church in Chennai. Check <a href="http://www.revsam.org/?q=pastorsam">here</a> to know more about Pastor Sam and follow the other links there to know more about AFT. From time to time I watch him in <a href="http://www.god.tv/">God TV</a> (in English), <a href="http://www.shubhsandeshtv.com/">Subsandesh</a> (in English with Hindi Translation) and <a href="http://www.ddpodhigai.org.in/">DD Podigai</a> (in Tamil). On Sunday evenings, when possible, I watch him, live over the webcast, from AFT.<br />
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Thoughts</h4>
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It is estimated that every day we have about <a href="http://www.mind-sets.com/html/mindset/thoughts.htm">50,000 thoughts</a>. (Rev Sam quoted a lower figure.) Thoughts can originate from within us and can also come to us from our environment. </div>
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When we try to influence others, we try to create thoughts in them, that we desire for them to have. How often have you had mental dialogues between you, and with some one you are trying to influence. All the thoughts exchanged in this mental dialogue only happens in your mind and does not influence the other person. Based up on the thoughts running in this mental dialogues emotions may be roused within you and corresponding physical changes may happen in your body. Check the word '<a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/psych">psych</a>' in free dictionary.<br />
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Words are the tools that transfer a thought from one person to another. Hence what we speak and hear are important. When does someone else's thought become our own. When we talk about it. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A31&version=KJV">Matthew 6:31</a> shows this with "... take no thought, saying ...". As long as we only hear and not speak about it, we have not owned that thought. The moment we speak in favor of it, we start to own that thought.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+10%3A5&version=NKJV">2 Corinthians 10:5</a>, The Bible talks about "... bringing every thought into captivity ...". To me, this means that, I have authority over every thought, that comes to my mind, and that I can do 'something' about it. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philipians+4%3A8&version=ESV">Philippians 4:8</a> says "<span style="background-color: white;">Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, <b>think </b>about these things". This tells me that I can 'choose' what I should actively think about.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Essentially, you can decide what thoughts to retain, and what thoughts to reject. Depending upon the thoughts that influence your mind, your mind will start seeing things, or forming a mental picture of things or imagine.</span><br />
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Imaginations</h4>
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When we want to do something specific, we first think about them. That is, there are some initial thoughts. Then, when we study more about it, we add more thoughts. As more and more thoughts are added, the clearer form of what we want to do, takes shape in our mind. We now start to see, envision what we want to do. Essentially the thoughts retained give us a mental picture or image of what we want to come about. Without thoughts there can be no imaginations, and imaginations are needed before corresponding actions can take place.</div>
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Imaginations could have been formed, because of controlled thoughts that we used. Most often, we form many imaginations, based on external uncontrolled thoughts, that come to us from our external circumstances. If we did not have controlled thoughts, then we will have uncontrolled imaginations. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+10%3A5&version=KJV">2 Corinthians 10:5</a> talks about "Casting down imaginations ...", which to me means, I can 'do something' about the imaginations, that have entered into my mind. Most often these imaginations, accumulate over a life time. We have many prejudices, which we have absorbed in childhood, and many have never been examined, to cast them out.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Seeeing the influence, TV had over my life, many years ago, I stopped watching movies and serials, as they did not add anything positive to my life. Whenever advertisements come, I mute them, so that the words there would not stir up my emotions.</span></span></div>
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Strongholds</h4>
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<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+10%3A4&version=NKJV">2 Corinthians 10:4 </a>talks about "... pulling down strongholds". Earlier we had seen about "bringing into captivity" and "casting down". Pulling down needs much more efforts than captivity or casting down. A stronghold is something very strong, and it is built up over a period of time. Something that is built up over a period of time becomes more and more strong over a period of time and it will need much greater effort do pull it down. That is what habits are. Some practice does not become a habit when done very few times. When the same practice is repeated over and over and over again then it becomes a habit.</div>
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Habits can be a good habit or a bad habit. Good habits contribute some thing good to us and need to be cultivated. But, bad habits are some thing that we do over and over again, over which we normally may not have control.</div>
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The habit of smoking may start with simple thoughts about how cool smoking is. Then the thoughts move in the direction of just trying once. Then it goes in the direction of trying some more time, and eventually a time will come when it would have become a habit. In the early stages you had control over smoking. At a later date smoking will have control over you.</div>
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Different stages</h4>
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Normally we classify cancer as having four stages. When we are adopting something at the thought level then it is in stage one. When it moves into imaginations then it is in stage two. When it has become habit forming then it is in stage three.</div>
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The Bible says, that God has given us the ability to examine our thoughts, and reject any thoughts that is not beneficial to us. Only good thoughts should be allowed to go into imaginations and later on into becoming a habit. A musician by repeated practice trains to play good music and once practiced can play well without any effort.</div>
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What was Rev Sam's larger message about?</h4>
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Rev Sam's larger message, was about how our imaginations and habits prevent us from being masters of our life. Fears built up by wrong thought patterns prevent us from going out of the boundaries that we have set for ourselves. We need to examine our thought patterns to see where we limit ourselves, and find ways to overcome the limitations that we have set for ourselves. His message was that The Bible teaches that you have authority over your life and that by transforming your thoughts you can transform you life and lead a better quality life.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In DD Podigai, Rev Sam has a program called வெற்றியும் வாழ்வும் (Victory and Life) five days a week. I think about a year back they had completed more than 1,000 episodes. Because of his simple messages, AFT membership overflows, and they have 4 church services every Sunday and yet they are still not able to accommodate all who attend.</span><br />
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F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-39481516140345840082014-01-24T13:27:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:35:28.711+05:30Arvind Kejriwal the 'Sweeper' and Jesus The Servant<script>
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Here is a picture of Arvind Kejriwal symbolically using the Aam Aadmi Party symbol, the broom.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1UOnOJZes3xbkj6sdi22HIDIb57n0bGBWcjj0QkijTE9M9QUWZaA4hoL16hnu8TzdnUTqw_MTxV2UyWSZNymszPVDXNVBBOvayNURZKB7g1UJ4qYps_Y-2_Y7kVom83YPYmrRlGWWRw/s1600/DE04_PG3_4-COL_ARV_1540726f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1UOnOJZes3xbkj6sdi22HIDIb57n0bGBWcjj0QkijTE9M9QUWZaA4hoL16hnu8TzdnUTqw_MTxV2UyWSZNymszPVDXNVBBOvayNURZKB7g1UJ4qYps_Y-2_Y7kVom83YPYmrRlGWWRw/s1600/DE04_PG3_4-COL_ARV_1540726f.jpg" height="340" width="400"></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This picture is from an article that appeared in <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/armed-with-the-broom-kejriwal-challenges-sheila/article4988462.ece">The Hindu</a> newspaper, when the symbol was launched. Arvind Kejriwal has got nothing to do with sweeping a road, yet for the sake of publicity, here in this picture he is wielding a broom, symbolizing the cleansing of politics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking at this image I am reminded of an event described in The Bible, where Jesus washed his disciples feet. This account can be found in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A3-17&version=MSG">John 13:3-17</a>.</span><br />
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<span class="text John-13-3-John-13-6" id="en-MSG-11439"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">3-6 </span>Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything, that he came from God and was on his way back to God. So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Master, <i>you</i>wash <i>my</i> feet?”</span></div>
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<span class="text John-13-7" id="en-MSG-11440"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">7 </span>Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.”</span></div>
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<span class="text John-13-8" id="en-MSG-11441"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">8 </span>Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!”</span></div>
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<span class="text John-13-8">Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.”</span></div>
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<span class="text John-13-9" id="en-MSG-11442"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">9 </span>“Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!”</span></div>
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<span class="text John-13-10-John-13-12" id="en-MSG-11443"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">10-12 </span>Jesus said, “If you’ve had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you’re clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you’re clean. But not every one of you.” (He knew who was betraying him. That’s why he said, “Not every one of you.”) After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.</span></div>
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<span class="text John-13-12-John-13-17" id="en-MSG-11444"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">12-17 </span>Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.</span></div>
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<span class="text John-13-12-John-13-17"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is something that is basically contrasting between the two events. Arvind Kejriwal was launching the party symbol in the early days of the party. In the case of Jesus, when his earthly mission was complete, he taught his disciples to carry on from him. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Just like what we see in all organizations, including political parties, there is always a struggle to gain more benefits. This was true in Jesus' disciples described in </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+20%3A20-28&version=MSG" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Matthew 20:20-28</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">.</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-20" id="en-MSG-10186"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">20 </span>It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons and knelt before Jesus with a request.</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-21" id="en-MSG-10187"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">21 </span>“What do you want?” Jesus asked.</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-21">She said, “Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand.”</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-22" id="en-MSG-10188"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">22 </span>Jesus responded, “You have no idea what you’re asking.” And he said to James and John, “Are you capable of drinking the cup that I’m about to drink?”</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-22">They said, “Sure, why not?”</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-23" id="en-MSG-10189"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">23 </span>Jesus said, “Come to think of it, you <i>are</i> going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. My Father is taking care of that.”</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-24-Matt-20-28" id="en-MSG-10190"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">24-28 </span>When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”</span></div>
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<span class="text Matt-20-24-Matt-20-28"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The basic message of Jesus here is that of serving one another and not of lording over one another. It was this message of Jesus that made Aam Aadmi Party appealing to me, as Arvind Kejriwal claimed himself to be an ordinary person aspiring to serve the aam aadmi by eliminating corruption.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text Matt-20-24-Matt-20-28"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After seeing many events of the Aam Aadmi Party, I don't think that they are about serving one another any more. It has become lording over one another. Some popular examples are Arvind Kejriwal verses Home Minister Shinde and the Delhi Law Minister verses Delhi Police. Now the message is, I am the khas aadmi (Minister) not the aam aadmi any more, and others are there to serve me.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text Matt-20-24-Matt-20-28"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mother </span>Theresa<span style="font-family: inherit;"> is one of the well known persons in India who followed the teachings of Jesus and took upon her the task of serving one another. There are many others throughout the world who have been inspired by the teachings of Jesus and serve those around them, more often unknown to the world, except to the few that are around them. They are not leaders, but true servants.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text Matt-20-24-Matt-20-28"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That reminds me of what The Bible says about lesson from the ant in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverb+6%3A6-8&version=MSG">Proverbs 6:6-11</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">6-11 </span><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">You lazy fool, look at an ant.</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.</span></span><br /><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">Nobody has to tell it what to do.</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">All summer it stores up food;</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">at harvest it stockpiles provisions.</span></span><br /><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">How long before you get out of bed?</span></span><br /><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?</span></span><br /><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;">poverty your permanent houseguest!</span></span></span><br />
<span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="position: relative;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Prov-6-6-Prov-6-11" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;">Update on 3rd February, 2014</span></span></span></h4>
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Thanks for reading this blog. If you liked this blog, please 'like' <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fjpandiaraj">F J Pandiaraj blogs</a> Facebook page to receive future updates.</div>
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F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6338984842257054696.post-43291179053477255062014-01-22T16:01:00.000+05:302016-07-29T14:36:01.675+05:30Arvind Kejrival the 'Anarchist' and The Bible prescription of 'Authority'<script>
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Recently, on 20th and 21st of January, Delhi experienced an unusual event. This event was, that the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, instead of governing from the Delhi Secretariat, went on a street protest against the Central Government.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The media termed this action as anarchy and called Arvind Kejriwal an Anarchist. What was even more surprising to me was that Kejriwal instead of refuting it, went on to the extent of branding himself an 'Anarchist'. He said something like "If people call me an anarchist, then I am an anarchist". You are who you are, and you don't become what people call you to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the definition of 'Anarchist' from</span><a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/anarchist" style="font-family: inherit;"> thefreedictionary</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">a person who seeks to overturn by violence all constituted forms and institutions of society and government, with no purpose of establishing any other system of order".</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism">Wikipedia </a> says "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Anarchism</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> is a political philosophy that advocated stateless societies often defined as self-governed voluntary institutions, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">but that several authors have defined as more specific institutions based on non-hierarchical free association.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> Anarchism holds the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_(polity)" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="State (polity)">state</a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> to be undesirable, unnecessary, or harmful."<br /><br />If anarchism is what Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party wants then to my mind it is </span></span><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">undesirable</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">From my understanding of The Bible, I do not see The Bible prescribing disorder, but always prescribing order.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Here is what The Message Version of the Bible says in the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A1-7&version=MSG">Book of Romans Chapter 13 Verses 1-7</a> on being a responsible citizen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; vertical-align: top;">1-3 </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.</span></span></h3>
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<span class="text Rom-13-3-Rom-13-5" id="en-MSG-12090"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">3-5 </span>Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live.</span></div>
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<span class="text Rom-13-6-Rom-13-7" id="en-MSG-12091"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">6-7 </span>That’s also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A person may or may not believe in God. A person's belief does not create God. It is the creator God who makes it possible for a person to think and believe and act. It was the delegated authority from God to man that established a system of authority in society, and gave authority to its leaders to administer the society by the laws that they have established for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we make laws for ourselves we can make all types of laws that will help us as a society to lead a good life. Corruption can never be eliminated until people change from the inside. So, what is desirable is the internal change in people and not external change in the laws and the system of administration. A person who is corrupt will always find a way to beat the system no matter how strong the law is. Similarly a person who has changed from the inside will try to follow the laws of the conscience irrespective of a weak or strong law.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is something rebellious in human nature that wants to break a rule. Telling a child not to do a thing is a sure invitation to make the child wanting to do the prohibited thing. Unless we are changed from the inside we will continue to exhibit the same behavior, as long as we know that we will not get caught.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This internal struggle of an inwardly changed person is given in the <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A17-24&version=MSG">Book of Romans Chapter 7 Verses 17-24</a></span></div>
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<span class="text Rom-7-17-Rom-7-20" id="en-MSG-12042"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">17-20 </span>But I need something <i>more</i>! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t <i>do</i> it. I decide to do good, but I don’t <i>really</i> do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.</span></div>
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<span class="text Rom-7-21-Rom-7-23" id="en-MSG-12043"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">21-23 </span>It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.</span></div>
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<span class="versenum" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">24 </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What the above passage refers to sin is not a act, but it is the human nature, inherited in our genes, that is responsible for all corruption.The law can suppress it to a degree due fear of punishment but cannot overcome it. Can one overcome the sin nature? That is what the Bible is about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Update on 3rd February, 2014.</span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>F J Pandiarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09151545688404571015noreply@blogger.com0