Aren't We Something?     

   We don't like to boast ... and we wouldn't include this in our blog profile boldface ... but our brain can hold more information than the Library of Congress. It works faster than a computer, with some 86 billion neuron cells at our disposal.

   You don't believe that??? 

   Well, it's true, and true for you as well. Fact is, none of us, including the Einsteins of the world, use most of what God gave us.

   For example. Thursday, I drank a glass of V8 for taking my morning pills to fight inattention disorder, etc. Later, I noticed the pills were still on the table.

   Same morning. Wanting to be helpful, I unloaded the washer, put the load in the dryer and pushed the start button. Mrs. Donut informed me the load hadn't washed yet. It did seem a little dry.

   Aren't you glad I edit my blogs relentlessly before yu sea thum? 

   Some people, such as Dr. Einstein, are born with the ability to access more of their brain power than most, but apparently we all have it to some degree. 

   Just curious. Didn't Adam and Eve have brain power? Information, which developed gradually over the millennia, is another matter. Think how much time came and went before we discovered flush toilets.  

   Hunter-gatherers, cave people and Roman slaves had mental capacity. Read about people in earliest Bible times. They weren't any less intelligent; they just hadn't acquired knowledge that we take for granted.

   The brain. Its origin ... intelligent neo-Darwinists refuse to discuss. 

   They know all about caterpillars, which are quite varied in all respects. You can't study them without a dictionary. 

   Next time you see an evolutionist at the mall, ask him how mutations formed various insects over many many years. Then, ask how further "mistakes" produced molts and metamorphosis so that larvae (caterpillars) become new moths or butterflies. 

      Jimmy, the absent minded blogger

   But My Word   

   Week 4   

The Word Sustains  

   He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow... He hurls down his hail... He sends his word ... (Ps. 147:15-18). 

   The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word (Heb. 1:3). 

Knowledge for New Life  

   ...from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15). 

   For you have been born again ... through the living and enduring word of God

(1 Pet. 1:23). 

   Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... (1 Pet. 2:2). 

An Offensive Weapon

   Take the ... sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17).

   He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations (Rev. 19:13, 15). 

Judgment

   There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day (John 12:48).

   For the word of God ... judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

Monday: response He wants from us

Plan B is for Baseball Brains        

   After sweeping the Yankees and blanking the Nationals 11-0, the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday led Washington again, 1-0 in the ninth.

   Alvarado, a young relief pitcher, walked the first batter. Cash, the manager, wanted another pitcher to face the next batter, but Alvarado the two after that. 

   While players stood dumbfounded, Cash explained to the umpire that Alvarado would "play" first base, and the rookie first baseman would go to left field. As reported in the newspaper, Ramos, the catcher looked at his manager "like he had two heads." 

   Alvarado himself still didn't understand. Cash told Ramos, who is bi-lingual, "Just shut up and explain it to him. You can make fun of me later." 

   Ramos told the pitcher to go stand on the bag and stay out of the way. The first baseman handed him his glove, adding, "Catch the ball if someone throws it to you." (But, the guy doesn't speak English!) 

   Nats' all-star Bryce Harper, on first base, was amused by it all. 

   Roe, the interim pitcher, struck out his batter. So far, so good. Cash reset the alignment, adding Gomez to the outfield. 

   Alvarado - distracted ya think? - allowed two singles. Bases loaded. One out. 

   Romo, Plan B, was called to the mound. His first batter hit a shallow tweener that Gomez ran down. Then Romo retired the last batter on three pitches. 

   The late Charles Krauthammer would have appreciated this scene, although he was a staunch Washington fan, of course. 

   It was the 22nd consecutive scoreless inning for Rays' pitchers, who have the best ERA in the league. So what?

   Tampa Bay has been on Plan B all season, opening Day 1 with only three available starters, now down to two. Two! Cash cobbles together relievers to pitch all nine innings. 

   Another reliever starts tonight as the Rays face Houston in the first of four games. The world champion Astros come in with pitchers whose records are 8-3, 9-1, 9-3 and 9-1. What's the Plan B for that?   
   
      Jimmy  

   

     But My Word     

  Week 4  

  

Power to Create; Power to Destroy 

   We learn much from Scripture about God's Word, including spiritual truth: God and the Word are indivisible. Today - the power of the word: He, the Word, made the universe and He will remove it. 

   By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded and it stood firm (Ps. 33:6, 9).

   By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command... (Heb. 11:3). 

   Peter wrote about scoffers in the last days, following their own desires. 

   They will say, 'Where is this coming he promised?' 

   But they deliberately forget that long ago, by God's word, the heavens existed and the earth was formed... By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men (2 Peter 3: 5, 7). 

   Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens (Ps. 119:89).

   For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword... (Heb. 4:12). 

Friday: more good news from the Word

We Are Next      
     
   People with money and/or power attract dupes to carry out their wishes. That must be in Proverbs somewhere. Or, was it Aristotle?

   Whatever. It's world history, and close to home, as African-Americans know better than most of us. 

   The list of nations/empires trampling on, or exterminating the unwanted also includes the Romans, British, Alexander's Greece, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, militaristic Japan, Cuba, Egypt, South Africa, Red China, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, North Korea ... probably everyone at one time or another.

   Hello, conservative Americans. We're next.

   Political opponents lose homes and freedom. Faith-based bakers and florists face possible bankruptcy. Landowners with a pond - a "wetland" - can be fined tens of thousands per day. 

   Dupes assault political rallies. A restaurant owner evicts a woman who works for the president and may have supported a policy regarding gays in the military. 

   A cabinet secretary dining out is subjected to accusatory shout downs, then again later outside her home. A female, state attorney general, attending a documentary about mild-mannered Mr. Rogers, is surrounded by a mob yelling inches from her face. They shout obscenities before and after the movie, trying to goad her boyfriend into initiating violence. She vows not to be bullied.

   A columnist calls President Trump "reprehensible" for following existing law at the border, "ripping children from their mothers' arms." He probably, and so many others have no problem with ripping the unborn from mothers' wombs. 

   Was it only a year ago that a dupe tried to gun down Republican congressmen on a ball field? Rep. Maxine Waters is likely to induce another such incident. 

   Progressives have their viewpoints. But, their vulgarity and viciousness disqualifies them from the debate, in our opinion. Divisive, snarky remarks from the Right solve nothing either. 

   We have no issue with ordinary Democratic voters, who think they're doing right. Want to know what America will look like if those corrupting the party get their way? 

   See California, a one-party sanctuary for the wishes of its powerful. 

      Jimmy

  But My Word  

  Week 4  

A Rider on a White Horse    

   Late in the first century, most of what later became the New Testament had been written. 

   What next? Church revival? Someone who knew Jesus personally? Strength to overcome Satanic forces?

   The Roman emperor decreed that his subjects address him as Lord and God. What should persecuted Christians do?

   John - the first to believe when he and Peter ran to the empty tomb - may have been the last living member of Jesus' inner circle. True God chose this former fisherman in this time period to write a gospel, letters, and the apocalypse/prophecy/letters known as the Revelation.

   John - a rare witness to both the crucifixion and the ascension - affirmed that his teacher, Jesus, not only spoke the word, He is the Word. 
 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:14). 

   In his first letter, verse 1:1, John associated the Word with life. 
 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard ... 

have seen with our eyes ... have looked at ... our hands have touched - 

this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

   Could this witness have made his credibility any clearer?

   Finally, God communicated the Revelation to John through Christ himself, angels and visions. 

   With the sun blotted out, John saw a rider on a white horse descending to earth in awesome glory, with the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 
 

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, 

and his name is the Word of God (Rev. 19:13).

Wednesday: Power of the Word

Becoming a Better Person      

   You know...liberal-arts professors are better persons. They read Aristotle, Plato and Cicero. 

   And Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Hobbes and Locke. 

   You haven't studied the great ones? See, that's why you're not a better person. You haven't exposed yourself to the world's open-minded writers and philosophers.  😉

   Instead of reading fiction and People magazine, you need to feed your mind with the works of Kant, Wordsworth, Poe, Tennyson, Melville, James, Hemingway and Faulkner. You just don't know what you're missing.  😉 

   Take me. I have read each of Hemingway's best-known novels, in which no one lived happily ever after. The Old Man and the Sea was the only enjoyable book of the five, and even there, sharks ate the old man's prize catch before he got it to shore.

   The author himself didn't live happily ever after. 

   Okay. We've read a bit from some of the above, and Thoreau, and a number of contemporary thinkers and politicians. But, I'm not a better person for it.

   Want a suggestion? Read Jimmy Donut's stuff. It won't make you better, but we ask only four minutes of your day. There aren't any hidden agendas, and it's free.

   Better yet, if you haven't already, try Solomon, Isaiah, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Zechariah...and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, along with Peter, Paul and Mary, correction, James. They were all students of the original Author.

   As for wise, current scholars, a professor at Florida International University wrote that anyone who thinks great literature and philosophy can make you a better person, "hasn't spent much time in English and philosophy departments." 

       Jimmy

  But My Word  

   Week 3   

The Word is a Person

   We've spent three weeks thinking about communications from God's realm to ours. When there was only God and Adam, He spoke directly, and through nature.

   Eventually, He parted the sea, produced a spectacular show on Mount Sinai, displayed his glory, and later spoke through the prophets. 

   The prophet Isaiah wrote for God: ...so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire...

   The law was given through Moses (John 1:17), but where was grace and truth?

   Communications involve sight (writings, etc.), sound, taste, touch and smell. When it was time, the Word became personal. God showed himself to be the Word, just as He is the way, the truth and the life. 

   As John wrote, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Lord gives us created necessities such as food and water. 

   In matters of the heart, He offers himself. 

   Prophets wrote: This is what the Lord says... And priests added rules.

   Jesus said, But I tell you the truth, over and over again, especially in the Sermon on the Mount and in John 5:24: 

   I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned. There it is: grace and truth.

   There's more: He sent the Holy Spirit to quicken Scripture and communicate with us from within. Even at night, my heart instructs me (Ps. 16:7.) How much closer to God can we get?

Monday: Rider on the White Horse

Can We Long Endure?    

   Anyone seen A. Lincoln lately? We could use a little help here on this continent.

   First, know that we're not a fan of either political party. A dozen or so Republicans are fighting for "truth, justice and the American way," but who knows the minds of the others? 

   This week, Newt Gingrich casually mentioned that "we almost lost the country" in the 2016 election. Perish the thought, that Lincoln's "government of the people" might perish. We must "highly resolve" to save it, he said at Gettysburg. 

   Democrats had hardly finished gloating that the IG report found no political bias in the "matter" of Hillary Clinton's secret email scheme, when - oops - FBI management began to implode. The IG told Congress that he is investigating bias in the establishment of Robert Mueller's "Russian collusion" team. 

   We already know about two FBI officials who were fired. Others have quit. Peter Strzok, the initial action figure in both these investigations, was ushered out of the building. Six top investigators had been placed on both teams. Coincidence? 

   Congress still battles the reluctant DOJ, an island unto itself, to get names and records. 

   Assistant AG Rod Rosenstein, a Republican, partly owes his career to Mueller, his first boss in government. He signed one of the warrants, falsehoods Democrats used to continue snooping on the Trump campaign. 

   What if we found that Mrs. Clinton herself wasn't the real reason the FBI cleared her of possible felonies? Peal the onion; find President Obama. He called the shots. He backed Hillary to run rather than Joe Biden, who may or may not have been in mourning by 2016. 

   The president and her used fake names to correspond over the insecure email system about 13 times. She never seemed worried in the least about being held accountable.

   We'll return Saturday with our take on the war against truth and justice. For the Resistance, our current president is Public Enemy No. 1.   

      Jimmy



    

          

  But My Word  

   Week 3   

Knowing Him Better    

   We continue the pursuit of blessings in the knowledge - not only what God has said - but of the ways he has communicated to man, beginning in Genesis 1.

   This may help us know him even better. We assume He doesn't mind that we take note of his methods, from basic God-to-Adam talk, and on through history.

   In creation we clearly see and understand God's invisible qualities and eternal power (Romans 1:20), if we are willing to look. There is no other God. But there is God.

   Although the Lord clearly desires that we communicate with prayers, as his children, He doesn't need us to tell him anything. In Psalm 139: O Lord, you have searched me ... you perceive my thoughts from afar ... you discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

   One of his choices is to speak to us in nature. Psalm 147: He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow ... and scatters the frost ... hurls down hail. He sends his word and melts them; He stirs up the breezes, and the waters flow.

   He is independent of creation (Ex. 24); eternal (Psalm 90); unchangeable (Psalm 102); perfect, holy and righteous (Psalm 85), and triune (Deut. 6; Matt. 28). 

   God, who speaks his Word to us, is good (Psalm 25), and loving (1 John 4). He is truth (Psalm 31). 

   He is merciful, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and He abounds in love and faithfulness (Ex. 24), forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished. 

   In the beginning, God created. And the Son who came to make it personal,

 says - Yes, I am coming (again) soon. 

Friday: The Word is a Person

   

Charlie Brown Goes to Washington      

   Here at Views By the Sea, we're planning to expand into a new enterprise. We must take advantage of today's growing economy.  

   Our initial, new undertaking will be a blockhead movie in which Sunday comics come alive, to be filmed on location at FBI HQ. 

   We have yet to sign actors, but here for starters is what we envision:

           Charlie Brown - played by Jeff Sessions
                  Lucy - Hillary Clinton
               Dennis the Menace - Peter Strzok

                       Hagar the Horrible - Donald Trump
                 Dilbert - Rod Rosenstein
                                  Prince Valiant - James Comey

              Superman - Donald Trump, dual role
                        Superwoman - Judge Jeanine Pirro

                            Director - Robert Mueller

   We're seeking roles for James Clapper, John Brennan and Andrew McCabe. 

   Our blockhead-buster may hit the theaters in 2019. Or not.

   We may have to rethink this. Some of the above are or will be in legal trouble and unavailable for our project. Sad.  

      Jimmy

   But My Word   

   Week 3   

Champions for God    

Who among OT men and women rose above the others - 

kings, judges, priests, psalmists or prophets? 

   Our commentary explains how prophets towered spiritually over all. Theirs was the major contribution to Scripture.

   Hebrew and Greek words for prophet indicate those with special ability to see in the spiritual realm, and those who spoke on behalf of another. God's Spirit, power and his Word entered the prophets (see Eze. 37). 

   Prophets lived exclusively for God, not for ordinary pursuits, or coddling the people. 

   They protested sin and corruption, calling for holiness and righteousness in Israel. They championed God's will regardless of consequence to themselves. 

   It was as if God himself spoke through them, which in fact He did. We cannot begin to cover the subject, but here are a few examples of prophetic hope for a coming Messiah:

   For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).

   But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old (Micah 5:2).

   He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea... to the ends of the earth (Zechariah 9:10). 

   The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land (Jeremiah 23:5).

   In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious (Isaiah 11:10).

   Notice that all these messages refer to the second coming.

Wednesday: God's unique attributes

A Most Preventable Death     

   Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain both were highly successful people. In the past, Karl Rove's mother had ended her own life, as did the father of another political activist, David Axelrod. 

   There were suicides among my ancestors, well before my birth.

   Normally, Rove said, nobody sees it coming. Someone can be optimistic one day and end it the next. The rich and famous do it. 

   Suicide may result from depression, anxiety, addiction and other mental disorders. We've heard of suicide by cop. Young people, like Tony Dungy's son, are vulnerable. 

   The CDCP found that many people quit on life during relationship, physical or financial problems. 

   Rove says family and friends feel a sense of guilt, but they aren't responsible. Axelrod wrote of the mistaken attitude that depression is a character flaw, rather than illness. He believes that's what kept his father, a psychologist, from seeking help.

   Who of us would refuse life-saving treatment of a physical illness? Yet, people stay mum when their depression comes with a stigma - mental illness.

   Rove urges his readers to "ask for help, before taking action from which there is no return." 

   The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. The website SpeakingOfSuicide.com offers resources. Talk to someone! Dial 911! 

   Many people who try, later on are quite happy they failed. We saw a man on TV this week who knew the instant he jumped, it was a mistake. Obviously, he survived. 

   Along with Spade and Bourdain, 863 other Americans took their lives last week (123/day).

   Rove adds, "There will be family members, a colleague, neighbor or friend who will miss you more than you know. Despair can be overwhelming, but it is not permanent." 

   "Remember," he adds, "you are precious in the eyes of God and those who love you." 

       Jimmy

   But My Word   

   Week 2   

Angel Means Messenger    

   The "angel of the Lord" (or of God) appeared to Hagar, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Joshua, Gideon, David, Elijah, Daniel - and in the New Testament, to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph (twice), and the shepherds.

   Because he appeared once in human form, and because he often spoke as the Lord himself, using the first person, (I will never break my covenant with you), some consider him to be Christ himself.

God's covenant with David

   God also communicated through prophets, such as Nathan, who relayed to David - Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16). 

   In Psalm 89, the Lord says, I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant, 'I will establish your line forever...' 

   As with previous covenant messages, God issued the promises and obligations; men were expected to obey. His promises were conditional.

Promise kept  

   From David's line, through Joseph, would come an eternal King to be born in Bethlehem, reign over Israel and all nations, bringing salvation. For centuries Israel looked for this Messiah (Christ). Both the kings and subjects failed in their obligations. God dissolved the covenant relationship.

   His Word also was unconditional in that the King was born to virgin Mary, in Bethlehem. Promise kept.

   The Savior's humble manger in an insignificant little town was itself a message to the world. This is no ordinary king.   

Monday: The stature of prophets 

A Little Bit Much      
               
     We remember post-game interviews by a college football coach. 

   If his team scored big, the offense had "a little bit of an advantage." If the opponent failed to score, his defense showed "a little bit of progress." 
  
   In time, we stopped watching. Coach was never going to say anything that opponents or anyone could use against him, nor would viewers get any insights. It's called "coach speak." 

   Smart man. He is now a university president. Not professor; president! 

   Others, including the Rays' baseball manager, have picked up the "little bit" habit: 

"Unfortunately, Arch is going to be sidetracked a little bit. 

So we're going to take a little bit more conservative approach." 

   What if Jefferson wrote in 1776, "We suggest that all men are created a little bit equal?" Or, if Key wrote, "...in the land of the little bit free and the little bit brave?" 

   Suppose in 1945 America proposed that the Japanese surrender "a little bit unconditionally?" Or, Truman authorized nasty bombs that convinced the enemy to reconsider, "a little bit?"

   Imagine Reagan telling Gorbachev, "It would be a little bit nice of you to remove a little bit of this wall." 

   Thank goodness for "Trump speak," though it is used against him.  
 

How about "God speak." 

   This is what the Lord Almighty says:
     I am the Lord.
       I tell you the truth.
         Follow me.
           Everything under heaven belongs to me.
             You shall not murder.
               Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.
                 Love the Lord your God.
                   I am the way, the truth and the life.
                     I am the light of the world.
                       Behold, I am coming soon.

   Just a little bit from his Word.

      Jimmy

   But My Word   

  Week 2  

Sound the Trumpet   

   You know the various "communications" God used to wear Pharaoh down. When the Israelites survived the final plague, saved by the blood of lambs and goats, God followed up by parting the waters.

   Later, at Mount Sinai, He began issuing commandments.

   In Exodus 19, God sent thunder and lightning with a thick cloud over the mountain. He added, a very loud trumpet blast. 

   Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. ...the whole mountain trembled violently and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. 

   Everyone in the camp trembled. 

   You would think "everyone" would obey every commandment the rest of their lives, fearing the terror of the Lord. They did promise to obey, twice in Exodus 24, but when something looks desireable and pleasing to the eye, we are not inclined to obey. 

   God was introducing the idea of forgiveness, and the means - sacrificial blood. After completing his instructions, the Lord said:

   Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God (Exodus 29).

   Generations later, the Lord explained his coming withdrawal:

   They have chosen their own ways. When I called, no one answered; when I spoke, no one listened (Isaiah 66:3-4). 

Friday: The Angel of the Lord

   

South Koreans Silence Defectors    

   June 12 in Singapore began at noon yesterday, EST. Therefore, you may know that the historical summit is off to a promising start.

   Or ... maybe Kim Jong Un already is flying home because he can't afford another night's hotel stay. Or ... our feisty president had an urge to return to Canada and give PM Justin Trudeau what for.

   Okay. They signed an agreement. So far, so good. A Wharton business graduate with 70 New York years of experience, a nominal Christian, dealing with a 34-year-old high school grad (Switzerland?) who models his kingdom after ... Stalin? Mao? His own father and grandfather? 

   South Korean authorities have been giving North Korean defectors, about 32,000 of them, a tough time. The two Koreas recently agreed to "cease all hostile acts," which include messages in bottles and other horrors (!) of war. 

   President Moon hopes to reconcile with the hermit kingdom, without addressing human rights abuses. His police prevent defectors from sending messages, USBs, leaflets and Bibles northward in plastic bottles and hot-air balloons. 

   Defectors are frustrated. "Silence means death for North Koreans," they say. And they should know.

   They mistrust Kim. One said, "He can pretend to have good intentions, but his evil nature has not changed."

   Good point. 

   Seventy eight percent of South Koreans don't get it. They claim to trust Kim, despite his threats, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonments, rape, forced abortions and intentional starvation.

   We would expect free Koreans to welcome defectors, but many face discrimination. Some arrive with PTSD, depression and suicidal thoughts. 

   As for the resistance, they gather under cover of darkness, fill their balloons with helium and launch them northward, to the homeland they desperately want to see liberated. 

   Will the North change their ways? Let's pray.

Source: WORLD magazine

      Jimmy




   

By My Word

 Week 2  

Terms of the Agreement   

   Act 1 - Actors: God above, four humans and the demons below. 

   Only one of the first four people we know about seems without fault, yet God allowed that he would lose his life. 

   Act 2 - God above, Noah and his family, and the demons below.

   God made a covenant with Noah. There were commands, promises and obligations. Noah built the ark on faith, before there was rain. 

   Hundreds of years later, his descendants had begun to subdue the earth. Some knew their Creator. Others worshiped stars and nature. God had in mind a special man for a special place and a special purpose: 

   Act 3 - Abraham... another covenant with commands, promises and obligations (Genesis 15). Abraham believed and (mostly) obeyed - not just "joined the church." God accepted him as father of a new people, whose purpose was to tell the world there is one true God, and He is good. 

   Abraham passed a severe test with his son, Isaac, foreshadowing God the Father giving his Son as a ransom for sins. "The angel of the Lord" spoke to Hagar, promising a future for her son.

   Acts 4 & 5 - God included Isaac in the covenant, and spoke separately to his wife, Rebecca. Later, He included Jacob in the covenant. In a dream, He emphasized, "I am the Lord."

   In Genesis 17 this was called an "everlasting covenant." The covenant people ultimately failed to follow the terms of the agreement, releasing God from his promises. Israel will be great in the Millennium, under Christ, but father Abraham's covenant was null and void by the 6th century B.C. 

   
   The old serpent was having his way, but he knew his head will be crushed. God had laid the foundation for a future covenant, to be communicated to the ends of the earth. 

   Wednesday: Voice in a burning bush

Let's Clear This Up     

   You may be confused about President Obama secretly trying to give Iran access to the U.S. banking system. This paragraph from our newspaper should help:

   They said the public assurances that Iran would be kept out were intended to dispel incorrect reports about nonexistent proposals that would have gone much farther by letting Iran actually buy or sell things in dollars. 

   Hope that clears it up.

What If Apes Subdued the Earth?  

   Wow! How close we came to being dominated by apes and chimps! 

   Evolutionists like the 2005 research which found human and chimpanzee genomes have a 98 percent identical match. But they ignore the human DNA that does not match anything in chimp DNA and vice versa.

   Biologist Nathaniel Jeanson of Answers in Genesis said of these differences, "We are somewhere in the ballpark of 300 million to 400 million DNA differences away from a chimpanzee." 

   A researcher at (Catholic) University of Notre Dame, of all places, attempted to show that humans and apes descended from a common ancestor, based on similarities.

   We decided to do our own study, based on construction similarities. We found many common features in houses, barns, offices, theaters, museums and the U.S. Supreme Court.

   Our conclusion: All have foundations, frames, doors, roofs etc.  
But an outhouse will never be a dog house, and vice versa.   
   
   You will find this report only in Views By the Sea.  

       Jimmy

There is Us,  

  Tiger's Yacht  

And There is Them         

Ship ahoy! Please identify yourself.

I am Tiger Woods. Request permission to dock.
Am here to practice for the U.S. Open, Shinnecock Hills. 

Yes, sir. We're expecting you. Do you need a harbor pilot to navigate you in?
         
   And that, my middle-class friends, is how a 155-foot, $20 million (in 2004) yacht is docked near the Hampton's on Long Island. Tiger made $100 million the year he had it built, so it's no big deal - just five bedrooms, gym, lounge and two wall safes. (Billionaire guests need somewhere to safeguard their pocket change.) 

   Boxer Floyd Mayweather was the champ at making money in 2017. According to Forbes, he made $285 million, including endorsements. Soccer star Lionel Messi was second at $111 million, about $1 million per goal scored. 

   Soccer players took three of the top five spots. Who knew? 

   Forty basketball players were in the top 100, including No. 7, LeBron James, $85.5 million, and No. 8, Stephen Curry, $76.9 million. 

   Two NFL quarterbacks rounded out the top ten: Matt Ryan ($6.7 million for each of Atlanta's 10 wins), and Matthew Stafford, ($6.5 million for each of Detroit's nine wins). We know: all these people work hard, and the market also works. 

   Woods is trying a comeback after a few years of back trouble. He still is PGA golf. His biographer said, "Tiger doesn't move the needle, he is the needle." 

   It does seem pretentious that he would arrive by sea. Did he wade ashore like MacArthur in the Philippines? Most competitors had to settle for flying in on private jets. (Note: Tiger is just one of many athletes who own yachts.) 

   Next week, win or not, Woods will enjoy a nice cruise back to Florida. Maybe the other Florida-based players could hitch a ride. 

       Jimmy (never broke 100) Donut