From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 2 00:46:21 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:46:21 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 19:1-11 (Wednesday) Message-ID: <4C05E21D.4070406@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 19:1-11 (Wednesday)* / / /The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah / / / /19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while Lot was sitting in the city's gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground. / / / /19:2 He said, "Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant's house. Stay the night and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning." "No," they replied, "we'll spend the night in the town square." / / / /19:3 But he urged them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. / /19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, all the men -- both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom -- surrounded the house. 19:5 They shouted to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!" / / / /19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, "No, my brothers! Don't act so wickedly! 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. Only don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof." / / / /19:9 "Out of our way!" they cried, and "This man came to live here as a foreigner, and now he dares to judge us! We'll do more harm to you than to them!" They kept pressing in on Lot until they were close enough to break down the door. / / / /19:10 So the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, with blindness. The men outside wore themselves out trying to find the door. / *Prayer:* Lord, may I treat fellow believers with the same sacrificial courtesy and bravery as Lot. *Commentary* The two mentioned previously arrive in Sodom to destroy the city and they find Lot at the city gates -- generally the place of the religious "elders". Lot, like Moses, recognized them as of-God and bows to them -- insisting that they dine and spend the night in the comfort and safety of his home. The crazed men of Sodom attack Lot's home, demanding the visitors for their homosexual pleasures. Lot realizes that if he cannot persuade the mob to leave they will break down his door and take his guests -- who according to ancient custom he was duty-bound to protect by any means necessary -- he steps outside of his house to confront them at mortal risk to his own life. Since the men are crazed with sex and would probably have raped and murdered everyone in Lot's household he offers his virgin daughters so as to protect the "men" (angels) of-God, his highest responsibility (in his mind). The men refuse as they are so mad with homosexual lust, having long-ago given themselves over to unbridled sin, reject his offer and shove him aside to attack the door. The "angels" reach out, pull Lot to safety, then blind the men so they are unable to find the door -- though they try throughout the night -- exhausting themselves from the effort. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Lot welcomed the "angels" into his home, practicing what is in the New Testament described by the Apostle Paul as the "gift of hospitality", and accepting responsibility for their well-being -- including to the point of everything over which he had authority -- even his family and his own life. *Discuss this:* Lot knew that these men/angels would not be safe I the city square, where they had said they'd be willing to spend the night, and they -- being of-God, knew also the danger into which Lot was placing himself by taking them in for the night. *Reflect on this:* Imagine the horror of Lot when he realized that the mob of men would certainly break down his door and do whatever they desired with the occupants and his heartsick decision to sacrifice his virgin daughters to the mob in hopes of saving at least some of the occupants -- especially the men/angels he had given his solemn oath to protect at any cost. [Note: Lot was not trying to protect himself, when he went outside he had already made it clear that he was willing to place himself in harm's way to protect his guests. He quickly discovered that he had no power to protect anyone from the mob.] *Share this:* When have you been confronted with a lose-lose proposition when every choice seemed equally unpleasant, your integrity was on the line, and the only best-choice apparent to you was a sacrifice that would surely break your heart? What choice did you make and what happened? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to make you mindful of God's call upon your life, and everything in it, as sacrificed at the moment of true salvation to Him in its entirety. *Action:* Prayerfully contemplate the things in your life for which you would sacrifice greatly, and then share with a fellow believer which are Biblical priorities and which are worldly, and then ask for prayer in-agreement that your priorities become God's. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Thursday's text will be: Genesis 19:12-29/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 2 22:40:38 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:40:38 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 19:12-29 (Thursday) Message-ID: <4C071626.3080103@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 19:12-29 (Thursday)* /19:12 Then the two visitors said to Lot, "Who else do you have here? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? Get them out of this place 19:13 because we are about to destroy it. The outcry against this place is so great before the Lord that he has sent us to destroy it." / / / /19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. He said, "Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. / / / /19:15 At dawn the angels hurried Lot along, saying, "Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!" 19:16 When Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. They led them away and placed them outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they said, "Run for your lives! Don't look behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!" / // /19:18 But Lot said to them, "No, please, Lord! 19:19 Your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because this disaster will overtake me and I'll die. 19:20 Look, this town over here is close enough to escape to, and it's just a little one. Let me go there. It's just a little place, isn't it? Then I'll survive." / / / /19:21 "Very well," he replied, "I will grant this request too and will not overthrow the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there." (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) / / / /19:23 The sun had just risen over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 19:24 Then the Lord rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew from the ground. 19:26 But Lot's wife looked back longingly and was turned into a pillar of salt. / / / /19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. / / / /19:29 So when God destroyed the cities of the region, God honored Abraham's request. He removed Lot from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed the cities Lot had lived in. / *Prayer:* Lord, when You tell me to "/Get going!/" may I be as Lot and obey immediately. *Commentary* Just as God had done with Noah, He extended His blessing for the one to his closest relatives, instructing Lot to gather-up his "... /sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city"./ Lot's /"son-in-laws"/, men who were engaged to his daughters, refused to take him seriously and refused to leave. [Note: According to Old Testament tradition, when a couple were engaged they were considered "all-but-married" except for their wedding night consummation. This remained true even until the time of Joseph and Mary in the New Testament.] When it was dawn and time to actually leave the angels rushed Lot and his family out of the city; even Lot hesitated as he was leaving everything of worldly value behind, so the angels compassionately took his hand and led him out. Seeing the distance from the city to the mountains Lot asked to be permitted to take refuge in a nearby village, Zoar, which the angels granted. They were warned by the angel to not look back at the city. As God obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife looked back at the city with longing in her heart for that sinful place, this was in direct disobedience to the instruction of the angel and thus she was turned to a pillar of salt. When Abraham awoke he went and stood in the place where God had taken him to show him the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah which He intended to obliterate -- and Abraham saw their ruins -- he was also aware that God had honored his request to spare his nephew Lot. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Lot made a foolish and selfish choice to settle near Sodom and Gomorrah, then Abraham had to rescue him from the raiding armies, and again had to ask God to spare him from His wrath upon those evil cities. *Discuss this:* God clearly had a timetable in mind for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah but took the time to offer safety to Lot and his family. In keeping with His provision for free will, the son-in-laws were allowed to decide to stay and Lot's wife was allowed to be disobedient once outside of the city and suffer the mortal consequences. *Reflect on this:* Lot, knowing that God was about to destroy Sodom still hesitated in leaving. Lot's wife did worse, she looked back longing for the city of sin, just as we sometimes long for things we have left behind -- and should never long to return to. *Share this:* When has God led you away from people and places that embodied a culture of sin and you struggled to leave and to not long to return? *Faith in Action* *Prayer: * Ask the Holy Spirit to chastise you whenever you long for what God has rescued you from -- the way of destruction and pollution than is sin. *Action:* I will prayerfully search my heart for one or more people or places from my past for which I sometimes long. They may be bondage to "idols" like possessions or title or wealth, wrong relationships, addictive substances, or irresponsibly chasing after adrenaline rush after adrenaline rush. I commit to the Holy Spirit to partner in purging the lie that those things have any part of my walk with Christ. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ /*Friday's text will be: Genesis 19:30-38*/ -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Thu Jun 3 21:37:34 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2010 20:37:34 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 19:30-38 (Friday) Message-ID: <4C0858DE.30606@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 19:30-38 (Friday)* /19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. / /19:31 Later the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby to have sexual relations with us, according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let's make our father drunk with wine so we can have sexual relations with him and preserve our family line through our father." / / / /19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, and the older daughter came and had sexual relations with her father. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter said to the younger, "Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let's make him drunk again tonight. Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." 19:35 So they made their father drunk that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. / / / /19:36 In this way both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today./ / / * Prayer:* Lord, please do not find me so impatient that in my desperation I do things my own way instead of trusting You. *Commentary* Lot fled Zoar for a cave in the mountains as he feared that the people may have blamed him for God's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his daughters were isolated from other people as they had for some reason not chosen to seek out Abraham. Lot's daughters has lost their husbands-to-be in the destruction of Sodom were desperate to bear children so that the tradition of biological descendants might continue. Since their father was the only available male they decided to get him so drunk that he would not know that they had sex with him, and they did so. Their descendants from those two acts of incest were the Ammonites and Moabites. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Zoar, to which Lot had initially fled Sodom, was the only community spared God's wrath because God had promised Abraham He would protect Lot; however Lot feared that the people there would blame him for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot never gave a thought to using the wrath of God as a "teachable moment" to share God with them as his relationship with God was a very shallow one in contrast to that of Abraham. *Discuss this:* Fear of being unable to flee to the mountains in time before the destruction of Sodom caused Lot to ask to stop in Zoar instead, fear of persecution in Zoar caused Lot to flee to a cave in the mountains, fear kept Lot and his daughters from leaving the cave in search of Abraham, and fear caused Lot's daughters to turn to incest in order to have children. *Reflect on this:* Lot had a long pattern of poor choices because he did not rely upon God, as did Abraham, and now he had passed his poor judgment on to his daughters. *Share this:* When has fear caused you to make a choice which upon reflection was clearly not what God would have wanted, and upon reflection one which patience would have made unnecessary as God had already made plans to meet your true needs. *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to give you confidence and patience in the face of challenges. *Action:* Prayerfully discern a place in your life where fear has not only led you to isolate from others, it has led you to isolate from God, and the choices you have made as a result have not always been the best. Ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement with you that you will accept God's gift of confidence through His indwelling Holy Spirit and that you will step into freedom from the bondage of fear.* * *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Saturday's text will be: Genesis 17:23-27/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Fri Jun 4 22:23:26 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:23:26 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 19:30 (Saturday) Message-ID: <4C09B51E.5070202@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 19:30 (Saturday)* /19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. / *Prayer:* Lord, teach me to trust in You so that the enemy cannot use fear to manipulate me. *Commentary* We are returning to Genesis 19:30 because the topic of fear-driven decision making is critical to our freedom in Christ and therefore our boldness in declaring the message of the Gospel through our life walk and through our words. *Interaction* *Consider this:* If we are fearful what others may think then we have made of them idols with more power than the God Who created all that exists. *Discuss this:* What sort of fear-driven "caves" have you known others to live in? *Reflect on this:* Because Lot was motivated by fear he created the circumstances which led to the unfortunate choices of his daughters. *Share this:* When have you been fearful but have overcome and acted and/or spoken boldly about the Lord? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to remind me that New Testament Christians are not given a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:7 *Action:* I will prayerfully seek out a brother or a sister who is struggling to break free of their fear. I will share God's work in my life and I will encourage them with prayer. *Be Specific* ______________________________________________________________________ /*Sunday's text will be: Genesis 20*/ -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Sat Jun 5 22:58:30 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Sat, 05 Jun 2010 21:58:30 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 20 (Sunday) Message-ID: <4C0B0ED6.4090705@bibleseven.com> BibleSeven Bible Study and Devotion Genesis Twenty - Twenty-Three Commentary -- Interaction -- Faith in Action /Chapters One and Two presented the Creation narrative with different emphasis./ /Chapter Three described Adam and Eve's horribly wrong choice and the devastating consequences./ /Chapter Four described early life after Eden./ /Chapters Five and Six describes the terrible failure of humankind to seek after God and His decision to destroy live on the earth and restart with a Noadic remnant./ /Chapters Seven and Eight conclude the Ark story./ /Chapters Nine and Ten contain God's early instructions to the survivors of the Flood, the sin of Ham, and the future genealogies of the descendants of Noah's sons./ /Chapters Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen describe the disperal of the nations, Abram's travels, the kidnapping of Sarai, and the parting of Abram and Lot./ /Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen; Abram given victory in battle rescuing Lot, and the covenant is presented by God./ /Chapters Sixteen and Seventeen; Ishmael is born, covenant with Abraham further clarified, male circumcision required./ /Chapters Eighteen and Nineteen; the promiseof a son for Abraham and Sarah renewed, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot's escape. / *Genesis 20 (Sunday)* /Abraham and Abimelech / / / /20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. / / / /20:3 But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else's wife." / / / /20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, "Lord, would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 20:5 Did Abraham not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent hands!" / / / /20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, "Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. That is why I have kept you from sinning against me and why I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man's wife. Indeed he is a prophet and he will pray for you; thus you will live. But if you don't give her back, know that you will surely die along with all who belong to you." / / / /20:8 Early in the morning Abimelech summoned all his servants. When he told them about all these things, they were terrified. 20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done!" 20:10 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What prompted you to do this thing?" / / / /20:11 Abraham replied, "Because I thought, 'Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.' 20:12 What's more, she is indeed my sister, my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander from my father's house, I told her, 'This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: Every place we go, say about me, "He is my brother."'" / / / /20:14 So Abimelech gave sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, "Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please." / / / /20:16 To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your 'brother.' This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you." / / / /20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord had caused infertility to strike every woman in the household of Abimelech because he took Sarah, Abraham's wife. / / / / / * Prayer:* Lord, even though You often intervene without my awareness to prevent my fear-driven foolishness from harming myself and/or others, I long to be a better witness by being a more trusting child of God. *Commentary* For the second time Abraham causes a foreign leader to fall into trouble with God because he (Abraham) lied about his relationship with Sarah, again saying that she was his sister (conveniently leaving out that she is his half-sister and his wife). Abraham's excuse was fear that "/Abimelech, king of Gera"/ would kill him and take his wife, who even at 90 must have been quite a beautiful woman, instead of trusting God to protect him and his wife. God intervenes to prevent permanent harm from coming to anyone but Abraham's reputation has been harmed in that region. Abimelech rightfully challenges Abraham's integrity and wisdom. Once again God was faithful in protecting Abraham and those close to him despite Abraham's lack of faith in God's protection in the first case. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Given the history Abraham should never have feared as God had always protected him and those close to him. *Discuss this:* Setting up others to fail before God is a terrible thing to do. *Reflect on this:* As beautiful as she may have been at her age she was clearly not of childbearing age, absent a miracle of God, so why would have been Abimilech's attraction? Her obvious wealth? *Share this:* When have you made a choice that was wrong before God and that created a situation where someone else was placed at-risk of harm? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a decision you have made which places others at risk, either through your poor role model, or through an action you have taken. Perhaps a woman dressing prococatively, a single man flirting with a married woman, a student cheating in school and encouraging others to do so as well, someone downloading games, software, or videos illegally and sharing that with others, etc. *Action:* I will prayerfully seek-out something that I do, or perhaps fail to do, that makes me a poor witness -- or worse -- a co-conspirator with the enemy to set someone else up to fail. I will repent of that and immediately partner with the Holy Spirit to purge that from my life. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Monday's text will be: Genesis 21:1-20/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lists at deksai.com Sun Jun 6 21:59:59 2010 From: lists at deksai.com (Chris) Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 21:59:59 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: synthetic cells Message-ID: <20100607015959.GB1410@chris-laptop.a2hosting.com> Maybe this is old news (I've been off the grid for a few days), but I was curious if anyone had read this paper and what their thought were on it. On one hand, I imagine all kinds of useful things might be possible. On the other, I try to imagine how things could go awry. It's always been harder for me to imagine how someone without my worldview might wish to use something. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/rapidpdf/science.1190719v1.pdf From fmiller at lightlink.com Mon Jun 7 18:01:33 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:01:33 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: synthetic cells In-Reply-To: <20100607015959.GB1410@chris-laptop.a2hosting.com> References: <20100607015959.GB1410@chris-laptop.a2hosting.com> Message-ID: <4C0D6C3D.6090006@lightlink.com> On 06/06/2010 09:59 PM, Chris wrote: > Maybe this is old news (I've been off the grid for a few days), but I was > curious if anyone had read this paper and what their thought were on it. > On one hand, I imagine all kinds of useful things might be possible. On the > other, I try to imagine how things could go awry. It's always been harder for > me to imagine how someone without my worldview might wish to use something. > > http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/rapidpdf/science.1190719v1.pdf > > Several things to note from this. First, the "cells" AREN'T really "synthetic" because they use EXISTING material, or "matter" if you will. They would like to claim that they created "matter" or in this case, "cells" but they come from existing matter. God and God ALONE is able to create matter. The other thing of note, and what you have duly acknowledged, is the concern, maybe even fear, that what they have done will eventually be used for evil purposes. I share your concern because of VERY EVIL people who are in high positions in most governments in the world, including our beloved Republic. Consider another recently announced issue that is somewhat related to this article, that of cloning human AND animal cells to produce a hybrid "critter" or an animal that has some human genetic material. I don't care how well-meaning some scientist might be, there are MANY MORE godless hairbags who will use this for evil purposes than those who won't! I wonder how much longer God will allow all this evil nonsense to continue before He decides to put an end to it!! Fred -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Tue Jun 8 22:33:21 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:33:21 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 21:22-34 (Wednesday) Message-ID: <4C0EFD71.2030508@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 21:22-34 (Wednesday)* // /21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God's name that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. Show me, and the land where you are staying, the same loyalty that I have shown you." 21:24 Abraham said, "I swear to do this." / /21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint against Abimelech concerning a well that Abimelech's servants had seized. 21:26 "I do not know who has done this thing," Abimelech replied. "Moreover, you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today." / / / /21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. / /21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?" 21:30 He replied, "You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof that I dug this well." 21:31 That is why he named that place Beer Sheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. / / / /21:32 So they made a treaty at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines. / /21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. / *Prayer:* Lord, may we who claim the name of Jesus be known as both people of our word and as people of peace. *Commentary* Abimelech, the local ruler who Abraham had placed in harms-way by lying about his relationship with Sarah now seeks a peaceful agreement that Abraham will not deceive him again. There is then a dispute about the ownership of a well and Abraham makes a special effort to demonstrate his integrity as to his ownership of the well. After the matter of the well has been resolved Abraham makes a point of planting a Tamarisk tree at the site. The NET translator's notes explain that this was an evidence of his intent to stay a while and of his expectation that water would continue to be available, as a provision of God. Abraham also made a point of worshiping the Lord as he had done previously. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Abraham had earned the distrust of Abimelech and as a result not only did Abimelech bring the commander of his army but Abraham found it necessary to give seven ewe lambs, to enhance his damaged credibility, as he asserted that he had dug the disputed well. *Discuss this:* Is it not easier to establish and maintain credibility than to restore it once lost? *Reflect on this:* While Abimelech feared the God of Abraham he appears to have little respect for or trust of Abraham, this would seem to have made Abraham's testimony for God very weak, at least as it applied to God's impact on one's integrity. *Share this:* When have you made a bad first-impression and later struggled to rebuild your standing? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you constantly mindful that you belong God and that your every word and deed reflect upon His power in your life. *Action:* Prayerfully consider your day-to-day walk and look for a place where you may be acting in a manner that does not well-represent the ethics of God. It may be a choice you are making in the workplace to enhance sales or to improve your standing for a promotion, it may be related to a hobby or sports, it may be in a romantic relationship (or in the pursuit of one), it may be in political discourse, or in some other area. Repent of the choice that you have decided is unworthy of God and make a new one that is. Share the experience with a fellow believer as an example they may choose to follow, or as a testimony to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Thursday's text will be: Genesis 22:1-8/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From parrisdc at gmail.com Wed Jun 9 08:05:36 2010 From: parrisdc at gmail.com (Don Parris) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 08:05:36 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? Message-ID: Hey all, If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say from 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch process in the Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing how to overcome the 2MB upload limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing or my webhost's settings. I'm using PowWeb Blessings, Don -- D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris http://www.facebook.com/don.parris -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gorkon at gmail.com Wed Jun 9 08:29:29 2010 From: gorkon at gmail.com (Joel Mclaughlin) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 08:29:29 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I would use imagemagick. http://www.imagemagick.org/script/index.php You can do it all with one line: mogrify -resize 50% *.jpg You can also feed it dimensions.... mogrify -resize 800x600 *.jpg There is a way to get Imagemagick to preserve aspect ratio too, but I usually start with images all the same size so I figured out what I needed in gimp and used the mogrify command to do the whole directory. Next thing I would try is Picasa. Picasa is nice because you can add watermarks as well as do many other batch operations. Imagemagik is FOSS. Picasa is free as in beer. On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:05 AM, Don Parris wrote: > Hey all, > > If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say from > 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch process in the > Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? > > Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing? how to overcome the 2MB upload > limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing or my > webhost's settings.? I'm using PowWeb > > Blessings, > Don > -- > D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M > Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate > https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris > http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris > http://www.facebook.com/don.parris > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > -- Joel McLaughlin Life in Ohio Podcast life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com gorkon at gmail.com http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com joel at geardiary.com geardiary.com From parrisdc at gmail.com Wed Jun 9 08:55:21 2010 From: parrisdc at gmail.com (Don Parris) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 08:55:21 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks Joel. I should have thought about ImageMagick - was just drawing a blank. ;-) Blessings, Don On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:29 AM, Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > I would use imagemagick. > > http://www.imagemagick.org/script/index.php > > You can do it all with one line: > > mogrify -resize 50% *.jpg > > You can also feed it dimensions.... > > mogrify -resize 800x600 *.jpg > > There is a way to get Imagemagick to preserve aspect ratio too, but I > usually start with images all the same size so I figured out what I > needed in gimp and used the mogrify command to do the whole directory. > > Next thing I would try is Picasa. Picasa is nice because you can add > watermarks as well as do many other batch operations. > > Imagemagik is FOSS. Picasa is free as in beer. > > > > On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:05 AM, Don Parris wrote: > > Hey all, > > > > If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say from > > 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch process in > the > > Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? > > > > Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing how to overcome the 2MB > upload > > limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing or my > > webhost's settings. I'm using PowWeb > > > > Blessings, > > Don > > -- > > D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M > > Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate > > https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris > > http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris > > http://www.facebook.com/don.parris > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Linux4christians mailing list > > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > > > > > > > -- > Joel McLaughlin > Life in Ohio Podcast > life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com > gorkon at gmail.com > http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com > joel at geardiary.com > geardiary.com > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > -- D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris http://www.facebook.com/don.parris -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gorkon at gmail.com Wed Jun 9 08:58:49 2010 From: gorkon at gmail.com (Joel Mclaughlin) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 08:58:49 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Yeah Imagemagick is a wonderful set of tools...I just wish I knew how to use it better than I do! I have resized images with it though and it's a piece of cake! :D On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:55 AM, Don Parris wrote: > Thanks Joel.? I should have thought about ImageMagick - was just drawing a > blank.? ;-) > > Blessings, > Don > > On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:29 AM, Joel Mclaughlin wrote: >> >> I would use imagemagick. >> >> http://www.imagemagick.org/script/index.php >> >> You can do it all with one line: >> >> mogrify -resize 50% *.jpg >> >> You can also feed it dimensions.... >> >> mogrify -resize 800x600 *.jpg >> >> There is a way to get Imagemagick to preserve aspect ratio too, but I >> usually start with images all the same size so I figured out what I >> needed in gimp and used the mogrify command to do the whole directory. >> >> Next thing I would try is Picasa. ?Picasa is nice because you can add >> watermarks as well as do many other batch operations. >> >> Imagemagik is FOSS. ?Picasa is free as in beer. >> >> >> >> On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:05 AM, Don Parris wrote: >> > Hey all, >> > >> > If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say from >> > 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch process in >> > the >> > Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? >> > >> > Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing? how to overcome the 2MB >> > upload >> > limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing or my >> > webhost's settings.? I'm using PowWeb >> > >> > Blessings, >> > Don >> > -- >> > D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M >> > Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate >> > https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris >> > http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris >> > http://www.facebook.com/don.parris >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Linux4christians mailing list >> > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net >> > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians >> > >> > >> >> >> >> -- >> Joel McLaughlin >> Life in Ohio Podcast >> life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com >> gorkon at gmail.com >> http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com >> joel at geardiary.com >> geardiary.com >> _______________________________________________ >> Linux4christians mailing list >> Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net >> http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > > > -- > D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M > Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate > https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris > http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris > http://www.facebook.com/don.parris > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > -- Joel McLaughlin Life in Ohio Podcast life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com gorkon at gmail.com http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com joel at geardiary.com geardiary.com From parrisdc at gmail.com Wed Jun 9 10:44:13 2010 From: parrisdc at gmail.com (Don Parris) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 10:44:13 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Yeah, it has some great features - maybe one day I'll need or want to explore them. :-) On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:58 AM, Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > Yeah Imagemagick is a wonderful set of tools...I just wish I knew how > to use it better than I do! I have resized images with it though and > it's a piece of cake! :D > > > > On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:55 AM, Don Parris wrote: > > Thanks Joel. I should have thought about ImageMagick - was just drawing > a > > blank. ;-) > > > > Blessings, > > Don > > > > On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:29 AM, Joel Mclaughlin > wrote: > >> > >> I would use imagemagick. > >> > >> http://www.imagemagick.org/script/index.php > >> > >> You can do it all with one line: > >> > >> mogrify -resize 50% *.jpg > >> > >> You can also feed it dimensions.... > >> > >> mogrify -resize 800x600 *.jpg > >> > >> There is a way to get Imagemagick to preserve aspect ratio too, but I > >> usually start with images all the same size so I figured out what I > >> needed in gimp and used the mogrify command to do the whole directory. > >> > >> Next thing I would try is Picasa. Picasa is nice because you can add > >> watermarks as well as do many other batch operations. > >> > >> Imagemagik is FOSS. Picasa is free as in beer. > >> > >> > >> > >> On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:05 AM, Don Parris wrote: > >> > Hey all, > >> > > >> > If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say from > >> > 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch process > in > >> > the > >> > Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? > >> > > >> > Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing how to overcome the 2MB > >> > upload > >> > limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing or my > >> > webhost's settings. I'm using PowWeb > >> > > >> > Blessings, > >> > Don > >> > -- > >> > D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M > >> > Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate > >> > https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris > >> > http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris > >> > http://www.facebook.com/don.parris > >> > > >> > _______________________________________________ > >> > Linux4christians mailing list > >> > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > >> > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Joel McLaughlin > >> Life in Ohio Podcast > >> life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com > >> gorkon at gmail.com > >> http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com > >> joel at geardiary.com > >> geardiary.com > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Linux4christians mailing list > >> Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > >> http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > > > > > > > -- > > D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M > > Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate > > https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris > > http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris > > http://www.facebook.com/don.parris > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Linux4christians mailing list > > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > > > > > > > -- > Joel McLaughlin > Life in Ohio Podcast > life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com > gorkon at gmail.com > http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com > joel at geardiary.com > geardiary.com > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > -- D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris http://www.facebook.com/don.parris -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Wed Jun 9 13:43:11 2010 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 11:43:11 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Don't know about the shrink question, but does your webhost allow ftp uploads? Although I'd pursue the shrinking option if possible... as a web visitor, I would quickly lose patience having to download umpteen-meg images that my browser would just shrink to fit the window anyhow. That's way more detail than you need for web images. Even 2000x1330 is a bit excessive. Obviously if the website is specifically devoted to presenting high quality photos, that advice no longer applies. On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 6:05 AM, Don Parris wrote: > Hey all, > > If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say from > 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch process in the > Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? > > Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing how to overcome the 2MB upload > limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing or my > webhost's settings. I'm using PowWeb > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 9 14:58:17 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:58:17 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4C0FE449.7020307@bibleseven.com> I have traditionally used 800x600 as a standard size, it is rare that anyone needs to see anything larger. I used to know how to bulk-shrink them but forgot and misplaced my notes for that task. I will also have to look at ImageMagick because we post a lot of them to our Web sites and it is a paint to reduce them one at a time via MTPaint. Keeping things fresh and current is critical to returning traffic. Thanks! PD > Peter B. Steiger wrote: > Don't know about the shrink question, but does your webhost allow ftp > uploads? Although I'd pursue the shrinking option if possible... as > a web visitor, I would quickly lose patience having to download > umpteen-meg images that my browser would just shrink to fit the > window anyhow. That's way more detail than you need for web images. > Even 2000x1330 is a bit excessive. Obviously if the website is > specifically devoted to presenting high quality photos, that advice > no longer applies. > > On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 6:05 AM, Don Parris > wrote: > > Hey all, > > If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say > from 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch > process in the Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? > > Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing how to overcome the 2MB > upload limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing > or my webhost's settings. I'm using PowWeb -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 9 16:01:18 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:01:18 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 22:1-8 (Thursday) Message-ID: <4C0FF30E.2090207@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 22:1-8 (Thursday)* /The Sacrifice of Isaac / / / /22:1 Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" Abraham replied. 22:2 God said, "Take your son -- your only son, whom you love, Isaac -- and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you." / / / /22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out for the place God had spoken to him about. / / / /22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance. 22:5 So he said to his servants, "You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you." / / / /22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father?" "What is it, my son?" he replied. "Here is the fire and the wood," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 22:8 "God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together. / / / *Prayer:* Lord, may I be found as obedient as Abraham where I know Your clear direction, not arguing with You but acting from trust knowing that You never change and Your promises are always kept. *Commentary* God comes to Abraham with a test of his obedience. Abraham had strong feelings of protectiveness about Ishmael and even stronger ones about Isaac, those feelings could have drifted into a form of idolatry. God instructs Abraham to offer Issac to Him as a sacrifice, a "burnt offering". Abraham follows God's instructions obediently, offering no recorded objections. When Abraham is questioned by Issac as to the missing sacrificial animal Abraham explains that God would provide one. *Interaction* *Consider this:* God comes to Abraham with a test. It is not a temptation, but Abraham could have turned it into one had he doubted God and tried to go his own way, as he had with Hagar and twice lying about Sarah. *Discuss this:* Sometimes God asks us to prove our willingness to place that which we value most in this world at His feet, He does necessarily intend to take it from us, but He needs us to be genuine in our willingness to let go if He asks. *Reflect on this:* Abraham had acted based on the fear of man instead of trust in God on several prior occasions, God herein tests him at an extremely difficult level to clarify that Abraham had finally matured to where God was first in all things. *Share this:* When has God led you to a place where He has asked you to let go of something you valued greatly? Did you say yes to Him in word and deed? What did you learn from that experience? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any place where you are placing someone or some thing in the world ahead of God. *Action:* I will prayerfully seek out someone or some thing in this world that I exclude from God's Lordship. Perhaps it is a relationship that He seeks to end or to modify, a position or title that is distorting my priorities, something I own or of which I am envious which belongs to another but that absorbs too much of my time and attention -- taken away from God and/or family, etc. I will repent (turn away from) that by offering to surrender it entirely to God. If He gives it back or if He takes it that must be OK with me. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ /*Friday's text will be: Genesis 22:9-24*/ -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Wed Jun 9 19:24:52 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:24:52 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: When the church abandons truth - like SO MANY today! Message-ID: <4C1022C4.7020200@lightlink.com> There is the precedent of history. When Origen in the third century first began propagating universalism in forms just like those of today, the early church rose up and condemned it as heresy in the fifth century. But Christians give little place to early history and so are deceived by an old heresy. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=164089 -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 9 20:35:23 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:35:23 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: When the church abandons truth - like SO MANY today! In-Reply-To: <4C1022C4.7020200@lightlink.com> References: <4C1022C4.7020200@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <4C10334B.6080401@bibleseven.com> One need not study any church history beyond what is contained in the Word of God - because "there is nothing new under the sun". The same heresy was condemned by Paul in his day. The problem with post-Biblical church history is that there is so much nonsense and Roman Catholic influence that it's often more darkness than light. Or so has been my observation since the early 90's until now, first in seminary and since then in a variety of churches. The flood of books now challenging the non-Biblical influences which have polluted "churches" would seem to bolster my perspective: Pagan Christianity ekklesia Real Church and others ... > Fred A. Miller wrote: There is the precedent of history. When Origen > in the third century first began propagating universalism in forms > just like those of today, the early church rose up and condemned it > as heresy in the fifth century. But Christians give little place to > early history and so are deceived by an old heresy. > > http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=164089 -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Wed Jun 9 20:08:45 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:08:45 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: When the church abandons truth - like SO MANY today! In-Reply-To: <4C10334B.6080401@bibleseven.com> References: <4C1022C4.7020200@lightlink.com> <4C10334B.6080401@bibleseven.com> Message-ID: <4C102D0D.9000705@lightlink.com> On 06/09/2010 08:35 PM, Pastor David wrote: > One need not study any church history beyond what is contained in > the Word of God - because "there is nothing new under the sun". > > The same heresy was condemned by Paul in his day. > > The problem with post-Biblical church history is that there is so much > nonsense and Roman Catholic influence that it's often more darkness > than light. Or so has been my observation since the early 90's until > now, first in seminary and since then in a variety of churches. > > The flood of books now challenging the non-Biblical influences which > have polluted "churches" would seem to bolster my perspective: It is often responsible to know what happened in the past, to either avoid problems in the future or as an aid to correct that problem again. Second, NOT ALL Biblical church history is tainted, in fact, a great deal of it isn't. I'm not a Catholic, but a continual problem is that way TOO MANY protestants paint anything "Catholic" or anything that may have been "touched" by the RC church as being wrong. Fred -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 9 21:24:32 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:24:32 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: When the church abandons truth - like SO MANY today! In-Reply-To: <4C102D0D.9000705@lightlink.com> References: <4C1022C4.7020200@lightlink.com> <4C10334B.6080401@bibleseven.com> <4C102D0D.9000705@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <4C103ED0.3080803@bibleseven.com> Based on my education and experience there is very little worthwhile to learn from church history that may not be learned from the Bible, other than perhaps what not to do! I am not a "PROTESTant" because I am not interested in reforming the RC church nor in participating in anything even remotely similar to it since I find very little that is Biblical therein. I find as much wrong with the Protestants as the RC, so I guess I am an equal-opportunity critic! ;-) God has preserved His Word for us so that we may regularly return to it in order to learn anew, with the enlightenment of His Holy Spirit, what was His intent for us (the Church is the body of believers, buildings and denominations and manmade traditions are not in the Bible). This was an Old Testament pattern as well as the constant task of Paul and others in the New - humans continually drift from God's way into their own - preferring their own to His. We need to pay 99% attention to *being* "The Church" and only 1% to "doing church" - right now we have that backwards. Christianity needs to clean out the clutter the same as America needs to clean out the clutter in Congress and elsewhere. > > It is often responsible to know what happened in the past, to either > avoid problems in the future or as an aid to correct that problem > again. Second, NOT ALL Biblical church history is tainted, in fact, > a great deal of it isn't. I'm not a Catholic, but a continual problem is > that way TOO MANY protestants paint anything "Catholic" or anything > that may have been "touched" by the RC church as being wrong. > > Fred -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From fmiller at lightlink.com Wed Jun 9 21:59:43 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:59:43 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: When the church abandons truth - like SO MANY today! In-Reply-To: <4C103ED0.3080803@bibleseven.com> References: <4C1022C4.7020200@lightlink.com> <4C10334B.6080401@bibleseven.com> <4C102D0D.9000705@lightlink.com> <4C103ED0.3080803@bibleseven.com> Message-ID: <4C10470F.8020205@lightlink.com> On 06/09/2010 09:24 PM, Pastor David wrote: [snip] > > Christianity needs to clean out the clutter the same as America > needs to clean out the clutter in Congress and elsewhere. With that I agree! The church needs to simply follow Scripture instead of what feels good and makes people feel "happy"....thus my past comments about "happy clappy" churches like Rick Warren's, or Joel Olsteen who's afraid to even say that there's ONLY one way to Heaven, and refuses to address social issues based on Scripture. He avoids it so he won't offend anyone and therefore be more "inclusive." 'Makes me want to puke! Fred -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Thu Jun 10 00:44:11 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:44:11 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 22:1-8 (Thursday) - Correction In-Reply-To: <4C0FF30E.2090207@bibleseven.com> References: <4C0FF30E.2090207@bibleseven.com> Message-ID: <4C106D9B.8030204@bibleseven.com> *CORRECTION: Please change "does" to "doesn't" in "Discuss this" Discuss this:* Sometimes God asks us to prove our willingness to place that which we value most in this world at His feet, He does necessarily intend to take it from us, but He needs us to be genuine in our willingness to let go if He asks. > *Genesis 22:1-8 (Thursday)* > > > /The Sacrifice of Isaac / > > / / > > /22:1 Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, > "Abraham!" "Here I am!" Abraham replied. 22:2 God said, "Take your son > -- your only son, whom you love, Isaac -- and go to the land of > Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains > which I will indicate to you." / > > / / > > /22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He > took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. > When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out for > the place God had spoken to him about. / > > / / > > /22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the > distance. 22:5 So he said to his servants, "You two stay here with the > donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then > return to you." / > > / / > > /22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his > son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the > two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, > "My father?" "What is it, my son?" he replied. "Here is the fire and > the wood," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" > 22:8 "God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my > son," Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together. / > > / / > > > > *Prayer:* Lord, may I be found as obedient as Abraham where I know > Your clear direction, not arguing with You but acting from trust > knowing that You never change and Your promises are always kept. > > > *Commentary* > > > God comes to Abraham with a test of his obedience. > > > Abraham had strong feelings of protectiveness about Ishmael and even > stronger ones about Isaac, those feelings could have drifted into a > form of idolatry. > > > God instructs Abraham to offer Issac to Him as a sacrifice, a "burnt > offering". > > > Abraham follows God's instructions obediently, offering no recorded > objections. > > > When Abraham is questioned by Issac as to the missing sacrificial > animal Abraham explains that God would provide one. > > > > *Interaction* > > > *Consider this:* God comes to Abraham with a test. It is not a > temptation, but Abraham could have turned it into one had he doubted > God and tried to go his own way, as he had with Hagar and twice lying > about Sarah. > > > *Discuss this:* Sometimes God asks us to prove our willingness to > place that which we value most in this world at His feet, He does > necessarily intend to take it from us, but He needs us to be genuine > in our willingness to let go if He asks. > > > *Reflect on this:* Abraham had acted based on the fear of man instead > of trust in God on several prior occasions, God herein tests him at an > extremely difficult level to clarify that Abraham had finally matured > to where God was first in all things. > > > *Share this:* When has God led you to a place where He has asked you > to let go of something you valued greatly? Did you say yes to Him in > word and deed? What did you learn from that experience? > > > *Faith in Action* > > > *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any place where you > are placing someone or some thing in the world ahead of God. > > > *Action:* I will prayerfully seek out someone or some thing in this > world that I exclude from God's Lordship. Perhaps it is a relationship > that He seeks to end or to modify, a position or title that is > distorting my priorities, something I own or of which I am envious > which belongs to another but that absorbs too much of my time and > attention -- taken away from God and/or family, etc. I will repent > (turn away from) that by offering to surrender it entirely to God. If > He gives it back or if He takes it that must be OK with me. > > > *Be Specific* > _______________________________________________________________________ > > > /*Friday's text will be: Genesis 22:9-24*/ > -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Thu Jun 10 23:10:58 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:10:58 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 22:9-24 (Friday) Message-ID: <4C11A942.50408@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 22:9-24** (Friday)* /22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter his son. / /22:11 But the Lord's angel called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am!" he answered. 22:12 "Do not harm the boy!" the angel said. "Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me." / / / /22:13 Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place "The Lord provides." It is said to this day, "In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made." / / / /22:15 The Lord's angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, "'I solemnly swear by my own name,' decrees the Lord, 'that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the strongholds of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.'" / / / /22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. / / / /22:20 After these things Abraham was told, "Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor -- 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel." 22:23 (Now Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham's brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children -- Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah./ *Prayer* Lord, may I be always-grateful that You provided the sacrifice for my salvation. *Commentary* Abraham faithfully prepares to sacrifice his son and an angel from God stops him. God provides a "ram in the thicket" as the necessary sacrifice and Issac is spared. God explains that Abraham's obedience demonstrated his "fear of God" and therefore justified God's completion of blessing him with countless descendants and blessings. The text then lists the next generations from Abraham. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Although Abraham had been told by God that Issac would be the next generation which would lead to countless descendants he still obeyed God's instructions. God never contradicts Himself, even though there are times from out human perspective we think He has. *Discuss this:* Is it not difficult to walk in faith when sometimes the future is not only uncertain but terrifying? *Reflect on this:* Just as God provided the sacrifice to save Isaac He provided Jesus as the sacrifice to save us. *Share this:* When have you been confronted with a test of your faith and God has provided in an unexpected way? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you that God is always faithful and He never asks you to do anything unless He has already gone on ahead and provided what you need. *Action:* Select someone whom you know is walking through a very challenging time in their Christian life and share this study with them as an encouragement to stay-the-course and to trust that God will find a way. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Saturday's text will be: Genesis 23:1-20/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mitw at shaw.ca Fri Jun 11 00:38:40 2010 From: mitw at shaw.ca (making IT work) Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:38:40 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT - PRO-testant rather than CON-testant Message-ID: <4C11BDD0.4010503@shaw.ca> Dear friends, As has happened too often (to my way of thinking) yet another word needs salvation. As I understand the word, "protestant" speaks of one's standing for something, i.e., testifying for rather than against something. Whilst the early protestants were against certain practices within what we know as the RC church, they were primarily FOR the supremacy of Scripture - which inevitably put them at odds with an "inerrant" pope. Sadly, the word is now used to identify one as an "againster" being identified by what one opposes rather than what one stands for. So, I remain humbly a PROtestant, testifying for the primacy of the Bible. Georges From fmiller at lightlink.com Fri Jun 11 11:14:41 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:14:41 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet Message-ID: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/10-things-not-to-like-about-ubuntu-1004/35713?tag=nl.e539 -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Fri Jun 11 12:22:39 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:22:39 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT - PRO-testant rather than CON-testant In-Reply-To: <4C11BDD0.4010503@shaw.ca> References: <4C11BDD0.4010503@shaw.ca> Message-ID: <4C1262CF.300@bibleseven.com> The "Protestant movement" began with Martin Luther's effort to reform the RC, it was not his original intent to break away entirely. It slowly turned into a competing RC-lite series of denominations, never losing much of the RC-baggage. Barna & Viola's book Pagan Christianity documents much of the RC, and other, non-Biblical baggage. The true Biblical "visible corporate church", the gathering of believers, is found not in post-Biblical church history but in the Bible. It is correct to say that God preserved the essence of His Biblical doctrine in the midst of the muddle of man's quirky bureaucracy we improperly label "church" - in the denominational sense - such as the Trinity and some other key elements, but ever-arrogant and rebellious man has confused-the-simple about most of it. We must return to the Bible, strip away all of the post-Biblical noise, and restore our relationship and worship to what God wants rather than what man has created for our own comfort and convenience. > As has happened too often (to my way of thinking) yet another word > needs salvation. As I understand the word, "protestant" speaks of > one's standing for something, i.e., testifying for rather than > against something. Whilst the early protestants were against certain > practices within what we know as the RC church, they were primarily > FOR the supremacy of Scripture - which inevitably put them at odds > with an "inerrant" pope. > > Sadly, the word is now used to identify one as an "againster" being > identified by what one opposes rather than what one stands for. > > So, I remain humbly a PROtestant, testifying for the primacy of the > Bible. > > Georges -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Fri Jun 11 11:26:46 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:26:46 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Groaners Message-ID: <4C1255B6.30505@lightlink.com> 1. King Ozymandias of Assyria was running low on cash after years of war with the Hittites. His last great possession was the Star of the Euphrates, the most valuable diamond in the ancient world. Desperate, he went to Croesus, the pawnbroker, to ask for a loan. Croesus said, "I'll give you 100,000 dinars for it". "But I paid a million dinars for it," the King protested. "Don't you know who I am? I am the king!" Croesus replied, "When you wish to pawn a Star, makes no difference who you are." 2. Evidence has been found that William Tell and his family were avid bowlers. Unfortunately, all the Swiss league records were destroyed in a fire, and so we'll never know for whom the Tells bowled. 3. A man rushed into a busy doctor's office and shouted, "Doctor! I think I'm shrinking!" The doctor calmly responded, "Now, settle down. You'll have to learn to be a little patient." 4. A marine biologist developed a race of genetically engineered dolphins that could live forever if they were fed a steady diet of seagulls. One day, his supply of the birds ran out so he had to go out and trap some more. On the way back, he spied two lions asleep on the road. Afraid to wake them, he gingerly stepped over them. Immediately, he was arrested and charged with...transporting gulls across sedate lions for immortal porpoises. 5. Back in the 1800's the Tate's Watch Company of Massachusetts wanted to produce other products, and since they already made the cases for watches, they used them to produce compasses. The new compasses were so bad that people often ended up in Canada or Mexico rather than California. This, of course, is the origin of the expression, "He who has a Tate's is lost!" 6. A thief broke into the local police station and stole all the toilets and urinals, leaving no clues. A spokesperson was quoted as saying, "We have absolutely nothing to go on." 7. An Indian chief was feeling very sick, so he summoned the medicine man. After a brief examination, the medicine man took out a long, thin strip of elk rawhide and gave it to the chief, telling him to bite off, chew, and swallow one inch of the leather every day. After a month, the medicine man returned to see how the chief was feeling. The chief shrugged and said, "The thong is ended, but the malady lingers on." 8. A famous Viking explorer returned home from a voyage and found his name missing from the town register. His wife insisted on complaining to the local civic official who apologized profusely saying, "I must have taken Leif off my census." 9. There were three Indian squaws. One slept on a deerskin, one slept on an elk skin, and the third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All three became pregnant. The first two each had a baby boy. The one who slept on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. This just goes to prove that...the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides. 10. A skeptical anthropologist was cataloging South American folk remedies with the assistance of a tribal Brujo who indicated that the leaves of a particular fern were a sure cure for any case of constipation. When the anthropologist expressed his doubts, the Brujo looked him in the eye and said, "Let me tell you, with fronds like these, you don't need enemas." -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Fri Jun 11 17:03:26 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:03:26 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] No Retrial for SCO Message-ID: <4C12A49E.8000102@lightlink.com> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/06/scowned-no-new-trial-novell-can-shut-down-ibm-lawsuit.ars SCO tried to get a retrial or Judgement of Law over claims they own the copyrights to Unix and that the jury decision was wrong. A judge has upheld the jury's decision in favor of Novell. SCO's suite against IBM will likely not ever go to trial and their Proxy War, on behalf of Microsoft, against Linux is over. This fight over the Unix copyright is the only thing that's been keeping the company alive in bankruptcy court. With this final loss its likely there won't be an SCO too much longer. -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Fri Jun 11 20:06:26 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:06:26 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 23:1-20 (Saturday) Message-ID: <4C12CF82.2030101@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 23:1-20 (Saturday)* /The Death of Sarah / / / /23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 23:2 Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. / / / /23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth, 23:4 "I am a temporary settler among you. Grant me ownership of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead." / / / /23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 23:6 "Listen, sir, you are a mighty prince among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you from burying your dead." / / / /23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, "If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly for the full price, so that I may own it as a burial site." / / / /23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth -- before all who entered the gate of his city -- 23:11 "No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell you both the field and the cave that is in it. In the presence of my people I sell it to you. Bury your dead." / / / /23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, "Hear me, if you will. I pay to you the price of the field. Take it from me so that I may bury my dead there." / / / /23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 "Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead." / / / /23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron's price and weighed out for him the price that Ephron had quoted in the hearing of the sons of Heth -- 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. / / / /23:17 So Abraham secured Ephron's field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron's city. / / / /23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site from the sons of Heth./ *Prayer:* Lord, may we mourn briefly, bury our dead, and move on with our lives like Abraham rather than allow this evidence of the Fall to be used by the enemy to neutralize us. *Commentary* Sarah lived to be 127 years of age and then died. Abraham mourns then arranges her burial. Abraham negotiates a purchase with local landowners who demonstrate a great deal of respect for him, using the term "prince" to describe his status among men. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Sarah, despite all of the travel, being twice kidnapped, the stress of Hagar and Ishmael, and the travails of carrying and birthing Issac as an elderly woman lived to be 127 years of age. *Discuss this:* There is no mention of a extremely lengthy time of mourning nor of an excessively lavish funeral, despite his significant wealth Abraham appears to have remained a man of simple lifestyle. *Reflect on this:* Abraham seems to have earned the respect of his neighbors after a rough beginning. *Share this:* When have you started out on the wrong foot yet though a consistent effort to demonstrate caring for and integrity in dealing with others earned their respect and trust? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to find you teachable as He leads you along the way to earning the right to be heard for Christ. *Action: * I will prayerfully discern a person or group of people whom I have intentionally or unintentionally caused to disrespect or distrust me due to something less-than-Christian I have done. It could have been a harsh word, a haughty attitude, improper behavior or dress, greed, selfishness, crude and crass humor, unethical behavior, deceptive behavior, or some other evidence of the Fall. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement for me as I seek to build a relationship based on earned-respect and to also hold me accountable to follow-though even as it becomes difficult. *Be Specific* ______________________________________________________________________ /*Sunday's text will be: Genesis 24:1-27*/ -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From htgage3 at chartermi.net Fri Jun 11 20:00:41 2010 From: htgage3 at chartermi.net (htgage3 at chartermi.net) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:00:41 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] No Retrial for SCO In-Reply-To: <4C12A49E.8000102@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <20100611200041.MVX9C.5141795.root@mp11> About time! This is way way too long in coming! ---- "Fred A. Miller" wrote: > http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/06/scowned-no-new-trial-novell-can-shut-down-ibm-lawsuit.ars > > SCO tried to get a retrial or Judgement of Law over claims they own > the copyrights to Unix and that the jury decision was wrong. A judge > has upheld the jury's decision in favor of Novell. SCO's suite > against IBM will likely not ever go to trial and their Proxy War, on > behalf of Microsoft, against Linux is over. This fight over the Unix > copyright is the only thing that's been keeping the company alive in > bankruptcy court. With this final loss its likely there won't be an > SCO too much longer. > > -- > "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear > arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in > government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) > From fmiller at lightlink.com Fri Jun 11 21:49:26 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:49:26 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] No Retrial for SCO In-Reply-To: <20100611200041.MVX9C.5141795.root@mp11> References: <20100611200041.MVX9C.5141795.root@mp11> Message-ID: <4C12E7A6.1080000@lightlink.com> On 06/11/2010 08:00 PM, htgage3 at chartermi.net wrote: > About time! > > This is way way too long in coming! > > ---- "Fred A. Miller" wrote: > >> http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/06/scowned-no-new-trial-novell-can-shut-down-ibm-lawsuit.ars >> >> SCO tried to get a retrial or Judgement of Law over claims they own >> the copyrights to Unix and that the jury decision was wrong. A judge >> has upheld the jury's decision in favor of Novell. SCO's suite >> against IBM will likely not ever go to trial and their Proxy War, on >> behalf of Microsoft, against Linux is over. This fight over the Unix >> copyright is the only thing that's been keeping the company alive in >> bankruptcy court. With this final loss its likely there won't be an >> SCO too much longer. >> >> You got that right! Fred -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Sat Jun 12 20:53:13 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 19:53:13 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 24:1-27 (Sunday) Message-ID: <4C142BF9.5070000@bibleseven.com> BibleSeven Bible Study and Devotion Genesis Twenty-Four - Twenty-Five Commentary -- Interaction -- Faith in Action /Chapters One and Two presented the Creation narrative with different emphasis./ /Chapter Three described Adam and Eve's horribly wrong choice and the devastating consequences./ /Chapter Four described early life after Eden./ /Chapters Five and Six describes the terrible failure of humankind to seek after God and His decision to destroy live on the earth and restart with a Noadic remnant./ /Chapters Seven and Eight conclude the Ark story./ /Chapters Nine and Ten contain God's early instructions to the survivors of the Flood, the sin of Ham, and the future genealogies of the descendants of Noah's sons./ /Chapters Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen describe the dispersal of the nations, Abram's travels, the kidnapping of Sarai, and the parting of Abram and Lot./ /Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen; Abram given victory in battle rescuing Lot, and the covenant is presented by God./ /Chapters Sixteen and Seventeen; Ishmael is born, covenant with Abraham further clarified, male circumcision required./ /Chapters Eighteen and Nineteen; the promise of a son for Abraham and Sarah renewed, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot's escape./ /Chapters Twenty to Twenty-Three; Abraham and Abimelech , The Birth of Isaac , The Sacrifice of Isaac , The Death of Sarah / *Genesis 24:1-27 (Sunday)* /The Wife for Isaac/ 24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed him in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, "Put your hand under my thigh 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives to find a wife for my son Isaac." 24:5 The servant asked him, "What if the woman is not willing to come back with me to this land? Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?" 24:6 "Be careful never to take my son back there!" Abraham told him. 24:7 "The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and the land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' He will send his angel before you so that you may find a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!" 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. He journeyed to the region of Aram Naharaim and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city. It was evening, the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, "O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. Be faithful to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, and the daughters of the people who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, 'Please lower your jar so I may drink.' May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, 'Drink, and I'll give your camels water too.' In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master." 24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor). 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham's servant ran to meet her and said, "Please give me a sip of water from your jug." 24:18 "Drink, my lord," she replied, and quickly lowering her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, she said, "I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want." 24:20 She quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine if the Lord had made his journey successful or not. 24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels and gave them to her. 24:23 "Whose daughter are you?" he asked. "Tell me, is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?" 24:24 She said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed," she added, "and room for you to spend the night." 24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying "Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love for my master! The Lord has led me to the house of my master's relatives!" / / *Prayer:* Lord, may I be moved to stop in amazement and to praise You for the way that You go on ahead, preparing the way for those who seek Your will. *Commentary* While Hagar, a single-parent following her banishment, found Ishmael a wife Abraham is now seeks a wife for Isaac prior to his death. The NET translator's notes explain that instructing the servant to "Put your hand under my thigh ..." is known as a "patriarchal oath" related to the continuation of the family. Abraham instructs that his servant is to get Isaac a wife from a distant relative, not from a foreign tribe, and to not bring Isaac to their lands. The servant prayed a type of fleece so that he would be certain that God clearly identified the woman He had prepared to be the wife of Issac -- his fleece was immediately answered. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Abraham was concerned that Isaac not be confused by other faiths, thus he insisted that his wife come from a relative, just as the New Testament teaches that a believer must never marry a non-believer. *Discuss this:* The servant was careful to make God the definer of truth by asking Him to make known how he might fulfill his mission. How may we be as careful about our decisions? *Reflect on this:* God had attended, in advance, to every detail in order to answer Abraham's prayer. *Share this:* When have you known what God wanted in general but were uncertain of the details? What was your coversation with God as you proceeded step by step? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to how He is leading you right now. *Action:* I will pause in my busyness to pray. I will ask God to show me how I might more closely follow the path He has for me. I will ask at least one fellow believer to pray in-agreement with me and I will share with them God's answer to our shared prayer. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Monday's text will be: Genesis 24:27-51 / * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Sat Jun 12 23:13:28 2010 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:13:28 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] No Retrial for SCO In-Reply-To: <4C12E7A6.1080000@lightlink.com> References: <20100611200041.MVX9C.5141795.root@mp11> <4C12E7A6.1080000@lightlink.com> Message-ID: I can't believe it's been going on this long. I was touting the benefits of Linux 5-6 years ago to a colleague at work and he warned me that Linux was about to go away because of SCO. I wish I could remember who it was now so I could bring this to his attention :-) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Sat Jun 12 23:16:39 2010 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:16:39 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> References: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> Message-ID: I haven't liked any version of Ubuntu. Like all the "mainstream" distros it bundles everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink into a big, bloated mass. Sound like any other OSes we know? Thanks, I'll stick with the slim distros you have more granular control with, like Gentoo, Arch, or (if you're really into micromanagement) LFS. On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 9:14 AM, Fred A. Miller wrote: > > http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/10-things-not-to-like-about-ubuntu-1004/35713?tag=nl.e539 > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Sun Jun 13 00:59:41 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:59:41 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] No Retrial for SCO In-Reply-To: References: <20100611200041.MVX9C.5141795.root@mp11> <4C12E7A6.1080000@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <4C1465BD.3030407@lightlink.com> On 06/12/2010 11:13 PM, Peter B. Steiger wrote: > I can't believe it's been going on this long. I was touting the > benefits of Linux 5-6 years ago to a colleague at work and he warned > me that Linux was about to go away because of SCO. I wish I could > remember who it was now so I could bring this to his attention :-) Too bad you can't remember. The courts had to give SCO "their due," to avoid appeals after appeals. Now, it's almost time to play taps. ;) Fred From d.kuntadi at gmail.com Sun Jun 13 04:53:02 2010 From: d.kuntadi at gmail.com (David Kuntadi) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 15:53:02 +0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: References: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> Message-ID: > On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Peter B. Steiger wrote: > I haven't liked any version of Ubuntu.? Like all the "mainstream" distros it > bundles everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink into a big, bloated mass. > Sound like any other OSes we know?? Thanks, I'll stick with the slim distros > you have more granular control with, like Gentoo, Arch, or (if you're really > into micromanagement) LFS. I have tried Arch and LFS. It is good if you have a slow computers. But for modern computers, I would prefer ubuntu or other bloated distros. DK From gorkon at gmail.com Sun Jun 13 07:24:42 2010 From: gorkon at gmail.com (Joel Mclaughlin) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 07:24:42 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: References: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> Message-ID: At least u get something for your bloated. Windows is just bloated. On Jun 13, 2010 4:53 AM, "David Kuntadi" wrote: > On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Peter B. Steiger < webservant at trinitybclaramie.org> wrote: > I ha... I have tried Arch and LFS. It is good if you have a slow computers. But for modern computers, I would prefer ubuntu or other bloated distros. DK _______________________________________________ Linux4christians mailing list Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Sun Jun 13 14:26:01 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:26:01 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: References: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <4C1522B9.4090403@lightlink.com> On 06/13/2010 07:24 AM, Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > > At least u get something for your bloated. Windows is just bloated. > >> On Jun 13, 2010 4:53 AM, "David Kuntadi" > > wrote: >> >> > On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Peter B. Steiger >> > > wrote: >> > I ha... >> >> I have tried Arch and LFS. It is good if you have a slow computers. >> But for modern computers, I would prefer ubuntu or other bloated >> distros. True! OpenSuse is probably the most "bloated," but for someone who doesn't want to have to download a lot of what they need, it's a good distro. I just don't like the MickySoft connection to Novell. Fred -- ?The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.? ? (Thomas Jefferson) From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Sun Jun 13 20:53:01 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 19:53:01 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 24:27-51 (Monday) Message-ID: <4C157D6D.3000609@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 24:27-51 (Monday)* 24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother's household all about these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister's wrists and the nose ring and heard his sister Rebekah say, "This is what the man said to me," he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, "Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! Why are you standing out here when I have prepared the house and a place for the camels?" 24:32 So Abraham's servant went to the house and unloaded the camels. Straw and feed were given to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 24:33 When food was served, he said, "I will not eat until I have said what I want to say." "Tell us," Laban said. 24:34 "I am the servant of Abraham," he began. 24:35 "The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. The Lord has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master's wife Sarah bore a son to him when she was old, and my master has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, 'You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find a wife for my son.' 24:39 But I said to my master, 'What if the woman does not want to go with me?' 24:40 He answered, 'The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father's family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.' 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, 'O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, may events unfold as follows: 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. When the young woman goes out to draw water, I'll say, "Give me a little water to drink from your jug." 24:44 Then she will reply to me, "Drink, and I'll draw water for your camels too." May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master's son.' 24:45 "Before I finished praying in my heart, along came Rebekah with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, 'Drink, and I'll give your camels water too.' So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.' I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way." 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, "This is the Lord's doing. Our wishes are of no concern. 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become the wife of your master's son, just as the Lord has decided." *Prayer:* Lord, may I be found sensitive enough to Your working in my life, and as obedient as well, that like Laban and Bethuel I may condidently and humbly declare "This is the Lord's doing. Our wishes are of no concern." *Commentary* Rebekah runs to tell her family of the servant and her brother Laban returns with her to greet him and to encourage him to come to their home. The servant refuses their request to dine with them until he shares the story of the purpose of his visit and what had transpired between he and Rebekah. Rebekah's father Bethuel and her brother Laban immediately recognize God's hand in the story and immediately acknowledge that His will must be done. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Rebekah was a strong young woman as she pumped many containers of water for multiple camels, she also was confident, generous, and hospitable. *Discuss this:* Abraham's servant placed his mission first, even before eating after a long journey, are we as God-first in our daily walk? *Reflect on this:* Abraham's distant family had been well-taught as they were all sensitive to the working of the Lord and ready to humbly submit to His will. *Share this:* When have you been confronted with a clear evidence of God at work? How did you respond, especially if partnering in that work required a significant sacrifice? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to enhance your sensitivity to God's working and your humble surrender to His plan. *Action:* I agree to be prayerfully-alert to God moving around me and when I discern His activity I commit to partner with the Holy Spirit in whatever He asks of me. I will ask a fellow believer to pray that the Holy Spirit will confirm God's calling to me, through him or her, as a confirmation that is is indeed of the Lord. Together we will praise God. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Tuesday's text will be: Genesis 24:52-67/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From htgage3 at chartermi.net Sun Jun 13 21:41:58 2010 From: htgage3 at chartermi.net (htgage3 at chartermi.net) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:41:58 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20100613214158.8QR1E.2313124.root@mp20> hey, on another way, I have a problem with the latest upgrade of Ubuntu. I downloaded it the other day, and now I can't even run my computer. The Nvidea card isn't being recognized or something like that, as it says that "The monitor isn't receiving a signal." Any idears on how to correct this? I'm thinking of going back 2-3 upgrades to end this problem. That's one way, anybody else know of anything at all? TIA Taz ---- Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > At least u get something for your bloated. Windows is just bloated. > > On Jun 13, 2010 4:53 AM, "David Kuntadi" wrote: > > > On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Peter B. Steiger < > webservant at trinitybclaramie.org> wrote: > > I ha... > I have tried Arch and LFS. It is good if you have a slow computers. > But for modern computers, I would prefer ubuntu or other bloated > distros. > > DK > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Mon Jun 14 00:10:25 2010 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:10:25 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <20100613214158.8QR1E.2313124.root@mp20> References: <20100613214158.8QR1E.2313124.root@mp20> Message-ID: When you say you can't run your computer... does it at least show you the kernel startup messages in text mode before it tries to load the GUI? Do you see the grub bootloader menu? Can you boot to a liveCD? Just trying to confirm that it's this specific upgrade that is at fault, and if so where in the process it's breaking down. Or to put it another way (from my 20+ years as a software troubleshooter)... compare what does work against what doesn't work, and when you narrow down working vs. non working to a single difference, that's the problem to fix. On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 7:41 PM, wrote: > hey, on another way, I have a problem with the latest upgrade of Ubuntu. I > downloaded it the other day, and now I can't even run my computer. The > Nvidea card isn't being recognized or something like that, as it says that > "The monitor isn't receiving a signal." Any idears on how to correct this? > I'm thinking of going back 2-3 upgrades to end this problem. That's one way, > anybody else know of anything at all? > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hpp3 at lavabit.com Mon Jun 14 10:23:40 2010 From: hpp3 at lavabit.com (Eddy Martin) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:23:40 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] nVidia card In-Reply-To: <20100613214158.8QR1E.2313124.root@mp20> References: <20100613214158.8QR1E.2313124.root@mp20> Message-ID: <4C163B6C.6090508@lavabit.com> On 06/13/2010 06:41 PM, htgage3 at chartermi.net wrote: > hey, on another way, I have a problem with the latest upgrade of Ubuntu. I downloaded it the other day, and now I can't even run my computer. The Nvidea card isn't being recognized or something like that, as it says that "The monitor isn't receiving a signal." Any idears on how to correct this? I'm thinking of going back 2-3 upgrades to end this problem. That's one way, anybody else know of anything at all? > > TIA > > Taz > ---- Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > My first thought is bad hardware. I've blown a lot of hardware on upgrades and installs that otherwise ran reliably for years. Upgrading from Windows 98 to ME took down two floppy drives, XP put down a CD-writer and my beloved Voodoo3/3000. Going from Mandrake 9 to Slackware 10 took out two memory sticks and an ethernet riser. IIRC, somwhere between Ubuntu 6.10 and 8.04, I lost a power supply and a just-over-a-year-old CPU. Maybe the stress of installing becomes a back-breaking straw on older hardware, I don't know. Second thought is something glitched in the software. Have you tried: -running from a Live CD (Ubuntu or another dist)? -re-installing 9.10? -installing a different Distro? -re-burning your install disk at a slower speed? -specifying vesa drivers instead of nVidia at install time? That last one is because this time Ubuntu includes the experimental 'nouveau' driver instead of 'nv' and I've heard here and there that it's causing grief to some users. -Eddy From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Mon Jun 14 17:32:06 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:32:06 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 24:52-67 (Tuesday) Message-ID: <4C169FD6.2050201@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 24:52-67 (Tuesday)* 24:52 When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. When they got up in the morning, he said, "Let me leave now so I can return to my master." 24:55 But Rebekah's brother and her mother replied, "Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go." 24:56 But he said to them, "Don't detain me -- the Lord has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return to my master." 24:57 Then they said, "We'll call the girl and find out what she wants to do." 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, "Do you want to go with this man?" She replied, "I want to go." 24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham's servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: "Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands! May your descendants possess the strongholds of their enemies." 24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with the man. So Abraham's servant took Rebekah and left. 24:62 Now Isaac came from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 24:63 He went out to relax in the field in the early evening. Then he looked up and saw that there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked Abraham's servant, "Who is that man walking in the field toward us?" "That is my master," the servant replied. So she took her veil and covered herself. 24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent. He took her as his wife and loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. *Prayer:* Lord, may I have the commitment of Rebekah to follow where You lead, to trust You, and not to procrastinate. *Commentary* Abraham's servant first worshiped God, then presented the gifts Abraham had sent, then dined and slept, and in the morning make known their plans to return to Abraham and Issac with Rebekah. Rebekah's family expressed their desire for a little more time with her but Abraham's servant implored them to not delay his return. They consulted with Rebekah who agreed to leave immediately. It was apparently acceptable for Rebekah to travel without her veil but when meeting her betrothed, Isaac, f or the first time she felt it necessary to veil her face from him. Isaac received the report of the servant, married Rebekah, and she filled an empty place in his like left by his mother Sarah's death. *Interaction* *Consider this:* We are mostly unfamiliar with the ancient cultural tradition of parents finding spouses for their children; however, notice that Rebekah was granted a great deal of input to the decision, even in ancient times. *Discuss this:* How difficult must it have been for Rebekah to agree to leave all that she knew to travel a great distance to marry a man she had never met, even with the assurance that it was God's will? *Reflect on this:* Perhaps Abraham's was anxious to return quickly due to concerns as to Abraham's health, or perhaps because the longer the delay the more opportunity the enemy might have to create trouble, the text is silent on those details. *Share this:* When has God asked you to sacrifice the comfortable and familiar to follow His lead? What did you decide and what was the result? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the courage and discernment of Rebekah. *Action:* With the accountability of a prayer partner, seek clarification from God as to something difficult He has been asking you to do, and then do it. Praise God for the courage and discernment you received from the Holy Spirit and share the story with others as an encouragement to believers and a witness to those considering-Christ. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Wednesday's text will be: Genesis 25:1-11/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From htgage3 at chartermi.net Mon Jun 14 19:06:41 2010 From: htgage3 at chartermi.net (htgage3 at chartermi.net) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:06:41 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20100614190641.LGPQA.4674107.root@mp08> "When i say that it says "No input signal" the monitor shows the color pattern with that message, and then it goes blank or dark as it is shut off, or sleeping. I haven't tried a live cd yet, but will do that in the near future, like tomorrow night. As far as seeing what is going on in grub, that is a mystery to me, as I see nothing. The last time that I upgraded I had problems for a while, like two or three days, it didn't seem to like the new upgrade, but now, it seems to hate it altogether. Like it's got feelings! lol! ---- "Peter B. Steiger" wrote: > When you say you can't run your computer... does it at least show you the > kernel startup messages in text mode before it tries to load the GUI? Do > you see the grub bootloader menu? Can you boot to a liveCD? Just trying to > confirm that it's this specific upgrade that is at fault, and if so where in > the process it's breaking down. > > Or to put it another way (from my 20+ years as a software troubleshooter)... > compare what does work against what doesn't work, and when you narrow down > working vs. non working to a single difference, that's the problem to fix. > > On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 7:41 PM, wrote: > > > hey, on another way, I have a problem with the latest upgrade of Ubuntu. I > > downloaded it the other day, and now I can't even run my computer. The > > Nvidea card isn't being recognized or something like that, as it says that > > "The monitor isn't receiving a signal." Any idears on how to correct this? > > I'm thinking of going back 2-3 upgrades to end this problem. That's one way, > > anybody else know of anything at all? > > > > From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Mon Jun 14 22:47:29 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:47:29 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 24:52-67 (Tuesday) - CORRECTION In-Reply-To: <4C169FD6.2050201@bibleseven.com> References: <4C169FD6.2050201@bibleseven.com> Message-ID: <4C16E9C1.3070202@bibleseven.com> Please add "servant" following "Perhaps Abraham's" *Reflect on this:* Perhaps Abraham's was anxious to return quickly due to concerns as to Abraham's health, or perhaps because the longer the delay the more opportunity the enemy might have to create trouble, the text is silent on those details. -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Mon Jun 14 23:15:04 2010 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:15:04 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <20100614190641.LGPQA.4674107.root@mp08> References: <20100614190641.LGPQA.4674107.root@mp08> Message-ID: OK... If you're not even seeing it get as far as grub, then it's not your upgrade. Grub (or lilo) kicks in before the kernel even loads; it's what allows you to choose between different OSes you have installed. So if you never see the boot menu appear, something is failing long before Linux arrives on the scene. Do you see the POST (power-on self-test) messages or the prompt to press a key to go into BIOS setup? If so, can you get into BIOS setup? On Mon, Jun 14, 2010 at 5:06 PM, wrote: > "When i say that it says "No input signal" the monitor shows the color > pattern with that message, and then it goes blank or dark as it is shut off, > or sleeping. I haven't tried a live cd yet, but will do that in the near > future, like tomorrow night. > > As far as seeing what is going on in grub, that is a mystery to me, as I > see nothing. The last time that I upgraded I had problems for a while, like > two or three days, it didn't seem to like the new upgrade, but now, it seems > to hate it altogether. Like it's got feelings! lol! > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Tue Jun 15 00:39:15 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:39:15 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] nVidia card In-Reply-To: <4C163B6C.6090508@lavabit.com> References: <20100613214158.8QR1E.2313124.root@mp20> <4C163B6C.6090508@lavabit.com> Message-ID: <4C1703F3.7080004@lightlink.com> On 06/14/2010 10:23 AM, Eddy Martin wrote: [snip] > That last one is because this time Ubuntu includes the experimental > 'nouveau' driver instead of 'nv' and I've heard here and there that > it's causing grief to some users. True....for LEGAL reason, Ubuntu as well as most other distros., DON'T install the nVidia and ATI drivers from each respectively. Once you have an install, then you have to activate the proper repository and then upgrade the driver/kernel and header files. Fred -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Tue Jun 15 00:58:42 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:58:42 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux infection proves Windows malware monopoly is over; Gentoo ships backdoor? [updated] | ZDNet Message-ID: <4C170882.9000103@lightlink.com> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/linux-infection-proves-windows-malware-monopoly-is-over-gentoo-ships-backdoor-updated/2206?tag=nl.e539 -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hpp3 at lavabit.com Tue Jun 15 11:29:34 2010 From: hpp3 at lavabit.com (Eddy Martin) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:29:34 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] nVidia card In-Reply-To: <4C1703F3.7080004@lightlink.com> References: <20100613214158.8QR1E.2313124.root@mp20> <4C163B6C.6090508@lavabit.com> <4C1703F3.7080004@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <4C179C5E.1000808@lavabit.com> On 06/14/2010 09:39 PM, Fred A. Miller wrote: > On 06/14/2010 10:23 AM, Eddy Martin wrote: > > [snip] > >> That last one is because this time Ubuntu includes the experimental >> 'nouveau' driver instead of 'nv' and I've heard here and there that >> it's causing grief to some users. > > True....for LEGAL reason, Ubuntu as well as most other distros., DON'T > install the nVidia and ATI drivers from each respectively. Once you > have an install, then you have to activate the proper repository and > then upgrade the driver/kernel and header files. > > Fred > -- > "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it > tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown > > I'm well aware of the legal constraints to providing proprietary accelerated drivers. What I was talking about is the generic nVidia driver 'nv' (open source, partially obfuscated, not sure if it's GPL) that has always been included on most distros, as well as the 'r128', 'radeon' and 'atimisc' drivers for ATI cards. Recently nVidia has dropped support for the xf86-video-nv driver on newer hardware, and the Nouveau project has taken up the ball, intending to reverse-engineer nVidia stuff and eventually provide a true open-source 3d accelerated driver for their cards. Due to the "Release early, release often" philosophy, Nouveau is presently not as functional as the old nv driver, and has caused problems with some people's setups. All that said, since Taz can't even get to a screen, I suspect hardware first. -Eddy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mwmcmlln at mnsi.net Tue Jun 15 17:50:22 2010 From: mwmcmlln at mnsi.net (Mike McMullin) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:50:22 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <4C1522B9.4090403@lightlink.com> References: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> <4C1522B9.4090403@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <1276638622.4682.8.camel@P-733-Lin> On Sun, 2010-06-13 at 14:26 -0400, Fred A. Miller wrote: > On 06/13/2010 07:24 AM, Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > > > > At least u get something for your bloated. Windows is just bloated. > > > >> On Jun 13, 2010 4:53 AM, "David Kuntadi" >> > wrote: > >> > >> > On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Peter B. Steiger > >> >> > wrote: > >> > I ha... > >> > >> I have tried Arch and LFS. It is good if you have a slow computers. > >> But for modern computers, I would prefer ubuntu or other bloated > >> distros. > > True! OpenSuse is probably the most "bloated," but for someone who > doesn't want to have to download a lot of what they need, it's a good > distro. I just don't like the MickySoft connection to Novell. I'm less concerned about that, than the tweaking of the Gnome UI, I truly dislike it, preferring the version that ships with Ubuntu and other distros. Mike -- been quiet because of a large migration on the main system From mwmcmlln at mnsi.net Tue Jun 15 17:59:38 2010 From: mwmcmlln at mnsi.net (Mike McMullin) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:59:38 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <20100614190641.LGPQA.4674107.root@mp08> References: <20100614190641.LGPQA.4674107.root@mp08> Message-ID: <1276639178.4682.12.camel@P-733-Lin> On Mon, 2010-06-14 at 16:06 -0700, htgage3 at chartermi.net wrote: > "When i say that it says "No input signal" the monitor shows the color pattern with that message, and then it goes blank or dark as it is shut off, or sleeping. I haven't tried a live cd yet, but will do that in the near future, like tomorrow night. > > As far as seeing what is going on in grub, that is a mystery to me, as I see nothing. The last time that I upgraded I had problems for a while, like two or three days, it didn't seem to like the new upgrade, but now, it seems to hate it altogether. Like it's got feelings! lol! > {snip} Definitely please reply back after trying the live CD, I get this at times on Ubuntu (10.04) doing a restart and not a shut down and power up when switching distros, I think it might have something to do with their restart process', I did not see this on 9.04 at all. They've tweaked 10.04 for faster booting (and how!!), but I have no idea exactly what that entails. From mwmcmlln at mnsi.net Tue Jun 15 18:09:40 2010 From: mwmcmlln at mnsi.net (Mike McMullin) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:09:40 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux infection proves Windows malware monopoly is over; Gentoo ships backdoor? [updated] | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <4C170882.9000103@lightlink.com> References: <4C170882.9000103@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <1276639780.4682.15.camel@P-733-Lin> On Tue, 2010-06-15 at 00:58 -0400, Fred A. Miller wrote: > http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/linux-infection-proves-windows-malware-monopoly-is-over-gentoo-ships-backdoor-updated/2206?tag=nl.e539 "According to this report, the malware-compromised code was included in the official Gentoo distribution:" This is a totally different critter than Windows Malware, this is worse, it's an attack on the trusted source, not on the OS itself. Shame on Gentoo for lack of diligence before the fact. From bstaggs at staggs.net Tue Jun 15 18:43:54 2010 From: bstaggs at staggs.net (Billy F. Staggs) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:43:54 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <1276639178.4682.12.camel@P-733-Lin> References: <20100614190641.LGPQA.4674107.root@mp08> <1276639178.4682.12.camel@P-733-Lin> Message-ID: <4C18022A.4000801@staggs.net> On my Ubuntu 9.10 server I have had to do a cold restart, because it was hanging on a warm reboot. I believe it has happened on the last two times I have rebooted after applying updates. Since it is my live mail/web server I was just happy it came back up and didn't spend anytime trying to determine exactly what happened. It did inspire me to increase the frequency of my backups though. :-) -- bstaggs <>< On 6/15/2010 4:59 PM, Mike McMullin wrote: > On Mon, 2010-06-14 at 16:06 -0700, htgage3 at chartermi.net wrote: > >> "When i say that it says "No input signal" the monitor shows the color pattern with that message, and then it goes blank or dark as it is shut off, or sleeping. I haven't tried a live cd yet, but will do that in the near future, like tomorrow night. >> >> As far as seeing what is going on in grub, that is a mystery to me, as I see nothing. The last time that I upgraded I had problems for a while, like two or three days, it didn't seem to like the new upgrade, but now, it seems to hate it altogether. Like it's got feelings! lol! >> >> > {snip} > > Definitely please reply back after trying the live CD, I get this at > times on Ubuntu (10.04) doing a restart and not a shut down and power up > when switching distros, I think it might have something to do with their > restart process', I did not see this on 9.04 at all. They've tweaked > 10.04 for faster booting (and how!!), but I have no idea exactly what > that entails. > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > From bstaggs at staggs.net Tue Jun 15 19:08:11 2010 From: bstaggs at staggs.net (Billy F. Staggs) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:08:11 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <4C18022A.4000801@staggs.net> References: <20100614190641.LGPQA.4674107.root@mp08> <1276639178.4682.12.camel@P-733-Lin> <4C18022A.4000801@staggs.net> Message-ID: <4C1807DB.1040907@staggs.net> After sending my last message about having to do a cold restart on my Linux 9.10 server, I thought I would have another try just to be sure I hadn't said anything false. So I logged in (via SSH) and realized that I had updates that were held back. I forced the updates and did a warm boot via "shutdown -r". Once again it appeared to be hung (no response remotely), but rather than just logging on locally I tried another IP I had bound and it worked. ?? I was able to SSH in on that IP and do a "shutdown -h", power back on and everything (including the secondary IP) worked fine. I am not sure why a cold boot would make a difference but for some reason it does. I must have something configured wrong.... -- bstaggs <>< On 6/15/2010 5:43 PM, Billy F. Staggs wrote: > On my Ubuntu 9.10 server I have had to do a cold restart, because it > was hanging on a warm reboot. I believe it has happened on the last > two times I have rebooted after applying updates. Since it is my live > mail/web server I was just happy it came back up and didn't spend > anytime trying to determine exactly what happened. It did inspire me > to increase the frequency of my backups though. :-) > > > -- > bstaggs <>< > From ken at wa3fkg.com Tue Jun 15 19:27:25 2010 From: ken at wa3fkg.com (Ken Sprouse / WA3FKG) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:27:25 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] 10 things not to like about Ubuntu 10.04 | ZDNet In-Reply-To: References: <4C1252E1.4030501@lightlink.com> Message-ID: On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 4:53 AM, David Kuntadi wrote: > I have tried Arch and LFS. It is good if you have a slow computers. > But for modern computers, I would prefer ubuntu or other bloated > distros. > > DK > > I'm with you. I would not try to run 9.04, my current OS, on an 850 mHz Pentium even though I tested it and it will run on those boxes. My laptop is a dual core Pentium and my desktop system is an fast AMD processor both with decent amounts of RAM. I use just about everything that comes pre-installed with Ubuntu and I generally end up adding several more programs about what I start out with. Performance is good and they are a joy to work with compared to the Windows boxes that I have to deal with at work. -- Ken Sprouse / WA3FKG John 3:16 http://wa3fkg.blogspot.com You meet the nicest people at a TEA Party. The box said "Win98/2000/XP or better" so I installed Linux! Smith & Wesson - The ultimate point and click user interface. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Tue Jun 15 21:35:56 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:35:56 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 25:1-11 (Wednesday) Message-ID: <4C182A7C.3030802@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 25:1-11 (Wednesday)* / / The Death of Abraham 25:1 Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. 25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 25:7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. He joined his ancestors. 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. *Prayer:* Lord, may You grant long life to those who serve You faithfully, to fulfill Your loving plan that more may know and grow in You. *Commentary* After the death of Sarah Abraham remarried, and somewhere along the way he also inexplicably acquired several concubines, with whom he had several children. Before he died Abraham provided for the children he fathered with his concubines then sent them away, presumably to not become a distraction to Isaac. Abraham left everything to Isaac and given Isaac's maturity it may be presumed that he was expected to provide for the children Keturah bore Abraham. Abraham lived to be 175 years old and was buried with Sarah. Isaac received the blessing of God via Abraham and took his place in the divinely established lineage of Jesus through Mary. *Interaction* *Consider this:* The lifespan of man had decreased rapidly from the early times of hundreds of years so that Abraham's 175 years of life, without any reports of frailty or sickness. *Discuss this:* Isaac became the patriarch of a significant tribe. What are the positive and negative elements of the role model he saw in Abraham? *Reflect on this:* God's prophesy for Isaac was an impressive one, the prayer of blessing of Abraham upon Issac must have been a powerful moment. *Share this:* When have you observed a transition in senior leadership of a traditional family system or a closely bonded Christian fellowship? Were the expectations of God as clear as with the transfer of the patriarchal leadership from Abraham to Issac? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to assure you of who should be the "spiritual patriarch" (the New Testament concept is "shepherd") in the Christian fellowship within which you serve and worship. *Action:* I now commit to pray for the leader, or leadership team, of the fellowship where I serve and worship and to do whatever I can to support them as they serve the fellowship that God has called them to. I will pray especially that they will be faithful to God in all of their duties. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Thursday's text will be: Genesis 25:12-18/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From preston.lists at gmail.com Wed Jun 16 08:52:37 2010 From: preston.lists at gmail.com (Preston Boyington) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:52:37 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux infection proves Windows malware monopoly is over; Gentoo ships backdoor? [updated] | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <1276639780.4682.15.camel@P-733-Lin> References: <4C170882.9000103@lightlink.com> <1276639780.4682.15.camel@P-733-Lin> Message-ID: <4C18C915.3090807@gmail.com> Mike McMullin wrote: > On Tue, 2010-06-15 at 00:58 -0400, Fred A. Miller wrote: >> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/linux-infection-proves-windows-malware-monopoly-is-over-gentoo-ships-backdoor-updated/2206?tag=nl.e539 > > "According to this report, the malware-compromised code was included > in the official Gentoo distribution:" > > This is a totally different critter than Windows Malware, this is > worse, it's an attack on the trusted source, not on the OS itself. > Shame on Gentoo for lack of diligence before the fact. > maybe I need to re-read the article, but it was my understanding that only a certain package had compromised code and if you didn't install/use that package then you wouldn't have this problem. Arch also has the same problem so I can only assume that they get this IRC program from the same people and people screw up. I seem to remember several years ago an attempt was made on planting a backdoor in the kernel which kinda looked like a typo initially. now THAT would have been bad. oh, an I have a friend that caught a virus that run through his browser (100% CPU usage). I suspect that WINE works well enough for some and many distros have WINE start 'automagically' when a Windows binary is called. he deleted the offending program (downloaded automatically in the background from a hacked website) and all is well, but it just goes to show the downside of 'our' trying to run all the Windows programs. -- Arrant Drivel - really, it's just trash... http://www.arrantdrivel.com/ Where the road takes me - a highwayman's perspective http://www.prestonboyington.com/ From webservant at trinitybclaramie.org Wed Jun 16 12:56:33 2010 From: webservant at trinitybclaramie.org (Peter B. Steiger) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:56:33 -0600 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux infection proves Windows malware monopoly is over; Gentoo ships backdoor? [updated] | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <4C18C915.3090807@gmail.com> References: <4C170882.9000103@lightlink.com> <1276639780.4682.15.camel@P-733-Lin> <4C18C915.3090807@gmail.com> Message-ID: On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 6:52 AM, Preston Boyington wrote: > maybe I need to re-read the article, but it was my understanding that only > a certain package had compromised code and if you didn't install/use that > package then you wouldn't have this problem. Arch also has the same problem > so I can only assume that they get this IRC program from the same people and > people screw up. > > Correct. It is specifically Unreal3.2.8.1.tar.gz on a small subset of mirror sites, and not particularly a Gentoo problem but any distro that includes the Unreal Tournament IRC server. The sad part is it has been there for several months and was just now noticed; the good news is that as soon as it was noticed, the corrupt version of that file was removed and replaced with a clean copy. So that's not a "shame on Gentoo" problem; it's a shame on the maintainers of the Unreal mirrors. More technically literate details here: http://securitythreat.info/online-security-news/some-versions-of-unreal3-2-8-1-tar-gz-contain-a-backdoor/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hpp3 at lavabit.com Wed Jun 16 16:37:09 2010 From: hpp3 at lavabit.com (Eddy Martin) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:37:09 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes Message-ID: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> I have an acquaintance at work who has discussed with me the possibility of using a Linux box as a firewall appliance and was thinking of getting a second-hand server box to implement it in. After much discussion, he became interested in some of the VERY small linux-powered devices that have become available recently, and I wondered if anybody has any experience with any of these: SheevaPlug http://www.openplug.org/ fit-PC http://www.fit-pc.com/web/ Plat'home http://www.plathome.com/ There's one more that I remember seeing that was a little larger than the size of an ethernet jack. Anybody know what I'm talking about? As far as Linux flavor goes (probably better for a full box than one of the above mentioned), does anybody have experience with these: Untangle http://www.untangle.com/ Smoothwall Express http://www.smoothwall.org/ Endian http://www.endian.com/en/community/ Vyatta http://www.vyatta.com/ (yes, I've looked into LEAF, but it's a little on the steep-learning-curve side) TIA, -Eddy From gorkon at gmail.com Wed Jun 16 17:34:22 2010 From: gorkon at gmail.com (Joel Mclaughlin) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:34:22 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes In-Reply-To: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: You should look at Alix.... http://www.pcengines.ch/alix.htm Some of these Alix boards already have 3 Ethernet jacks. Most of the systems you have listed only have 1 jack. Pfsense is well supported on these Alix boxes and I have reviewed one from New World Data Systems. http://nw-ds.com/products/firewall.html Trying to turn a Sheevaplug our any of those boxes into a firewall/router is too much work when it's already done. On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 4:37 PM, Eddy Martin wrote: > I have an acquaintance at work who has discussed with me the possibility of > using a Linux box as a firewall appliance and was thinking of getting a > second-hand server box to implement it in. > After much discussion, he became interested in some of the VERY small > linux-powered devices that have become available recently, and I wondered if > anybody has any experience with any of these: > > SheevaPlug > http://www.openplug.org/ > > fit-PC > http://www.fit-pc.com/web/ > > Plat'home > http://www.plathome.com/ > > There's one more that I remember seeing that was a little larger than the > size of an ethernet jack. Anybody know what I'm talking about? > > As far as Linux flavor goes (probably better for a full box than one of the > above mentioned), does anybody have experience with these: > > Untangle > http://www.untangle.com/ > > Smoothwall Express > http://www.smoothwall.org/ > > Endian > http://www.endian.com/en/community/ > > Vyatta > http://www.vyatta.com/ > > (yes, I've looked into LEAF, but it's a little on the steep-learning-curve > side) > > TIA, > -Eddy > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > -- Joel McLaughlin Life in Ohio Podcast life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com gorkon at gmail.com http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com joel at geardiary.com geardiary.com From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 16 19:53:14 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:53:14 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 25:12-18 (Thursday) Message-ID: <4C1963EA.3030405@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 25:12-18 (Thursday)* The Sons of Ishmael 25:12 This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham. 25:13 These are the names of Ishmael's sons, by their names according to their records: Nebaioth (Ishmael's firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps -- twelve princes according to their clans. 25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 25:18 His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next to Egypt all the way to Asshur. They settled away from all their relatives. *Prayer:* Lord, may Your faithfulness lead us to greater trust in You. *Commentary* Abraham's first son, born via a dubious relationship with Hagar at the behest of his wife Sarah as a short-cut to God's promised male heir, is chronicled. Ishmael lived to be 137 years old and fathered twelve sons who then multiplied into twelve "clans". The text notes that they "settled away from all their relatives." which was the practice beginning with Ishmael. *Interaction* *Consider this:* God was faithful but Abraham and Sarah were not, the result -- via Hagar -- was a child from Abraham whom God in keeping His word was integrity-bound to bless. *Discuss this:* God allows the consequences of Abraham and Sarah's foolishness to be experienced by the entirety of mankind as a testament to the importance of obedience and trust. *Reflect on this:* When we take the promises of God and distort them the consequences can be dire. *Share this:* When have you observed, in yourself or someone else, the distortion of a promise of God? It may have been in marriage where the authority of a husband is abused, the multiplication of children taken to absurd extremes, the presumption of God's protection leading to irresponsible risk-taking, the position of pastor or other spiritual leader misused, or a nation of nominal Christians expecting God blessing and protection despite the toleration of an anti-God government. *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to make you more sensitive to His promptings when you drift off-course. *Action:* I will prayerfully review my life for evidence of a place where I am living from my own wisdom and I will consider what potential trouble that could lead to. I will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement as I endeavor to bring myself into constant alignment with the direction and Word of God in all that I do. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Friday's text will be: Genesis 25:19-26/ * -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mwmcmlln at mnsi.net Wed Jun 16 20:30:03 2010 From: mwmcmlln at mnsi.net (Mike McMullin) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:30:03 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Linux infection proves Windows malware monopoly is over; Gentoo ships backdoor? [updated] | ZDNet In-Reply-To: <4C18C915.3090807@gmail.com> References: <4C170882.9000103@lightlink.com> <1276639780.4682.15.camel@P-733-Lin> <4C18C915.3090807@gmail.com> Message-ID: <1276734603.8193.13.camel@P-733-Lin> On Wed, 2010-06-16 at 07:52 -0500, Preston Boyington wrote: > Mike McMullin wrote: > > On Tue, 2010-06-15 at 00:58 -0400, Fred A. Miller wrote: > >> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/linux-infection-proves-windows-malware-monopoly-is-over-gentoo-ships-backdoor-updated/2206?tag=nl.e539 > > > > "According to this report, the malware-compromised code was included > > in the official Gentoo distribution:" > > > > This is a totally different critter than Windows Malware, this is > > worse, it's an attack on the trusted source, not on the OS itself. > > Shame on Gentoo for lack of diligence before the fact. > > > > maybe I need to re-read the article, but it was my understanding that > only a certain package had compromised code and if you didn't > install/use that package then you wouldn't have this problem. Arch also > has the same problem so I can only assume that they get this IRC program > from the same people and people screw up. I read a thought on this subject just a bot ago. I need to fix that accuse, it seems to be the original packager's fault (unreal tournament), but this raises a question, how to know things like that, or gnome, or kde, or anything normally bundled in a distro isn't hazardous to an install's health! > I seem to remember several years ago an attempt was made on planting a > backdoor in the kernel which kinda looked like a typo initially. now > THAT would have been bad. I'm quite innocent of the whole kernel vs. user space security divide. I've been assuming that user space violations in *nix were not a biggy, but in Windows, all/most violations are directly kernel space incursions. (Does this make sense?) > oh, an I have a friend that caught a virus that run through his browser > (100% CPU usage). I suspect that WINE works well enough for some and > many distros have WINE start 'automagically' when a Windows binary is > called. he deleted the offending program (downloaded automatically in > the background from a hacked website) and all is well, but it just goes > to show the downside of 'our' trying to run all the Windows programs. Does make me wish Forte Agent had a native Linux port. From parrisdc at gmail.com Wed Jun 16 21:21:13 2010 From: parrisdc at gmail.com (Don Parris) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:21:13 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Sorry - went out of town to a church conference. Anyhow, I want to make the full-size (or close to it) available for download, even though the actual image will simply be squeezed into a smaller space within my blog. The issue is that the Wordpress plugin I chose doesn't seem to recognize images I might upload via FTP. Seems strange, but that's the way it is. Anyhow, I've got a fairly neat little process in place for handling everything: <> Xfer images from camera to Pictures folder <> Use pyRenamer to rename & lowercase the JPG <> Import into F-Spot <> Shrink images using ImageMagick as described by Joel <> Use the plug-in's importer to upload the files. A little work, but it works for me. On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 1:43 PM, Peter B. Steiger < webservant at trinitybclaramie.org> wrote: > Don't know about the shrink question, but does your webhost allow ftp > uploads? Although I'd pursue the shrinking option if possible... as a web > visitor, I would quickly lose patience having to download umpteen-meg images > that my browser would just shrink to fit the window anyhow. That's way more > detail than you need for web images. Even 2000x1330 is a bit excessive. > Obviously if the website is specifically devoted to presenting high quality > photos, that advice no longer applies. > > On Wed, Jun 9, 2010 at 6:05 AM, Don Parris wrote: > >> Hey all, >> >> If I want to take a bunch of photos and shrink them all down, say from >> 3008x2000 px to 2000x1330 or similar, can I make this a batch process in the >> Gimp, or is there another (or maybe better) way? >> >> Alternatively, I'd be interested in knowing how to overcome the 2MB >> upload limit for my website - not sure whether it's a Wordpress thing or my >> webhost's settings. I'm using PowWeb >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > > -- D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris http://www.facebook.com/don.parris -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 16 22:27:41 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (Pastor David) Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:27:41 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4C19881D.4050709@bibleseven.com> Our similar process is: 1. Open with mtPaint 2. Scale down 3. Save As newfilename.jpg 4. Upload file via FTP or to a Web-based service e.g. ETSY.com > Don Parris wrote: > Sorry - went out of town to a church conference. Anyhow, I want to > make the full-size (or close to it) available for download, even > though the actual image will simply be squeezed into a smaller space > within my blog. The issue is that the Wordpress plugin I chose > doesn't seem to recognize images I might upload via FTP. Seems > strange, but that's the way it is. Anyhow, I've got a fairly neat > little process in place for handling everything: > > <> Xfer images from camera to Pictures folder <> Use pyRenamer to > rename & lowercase the JPG <> Import into F-Spot <> Shrink images > using ImageMagick as described by Joel <> Use the plug-in's importer > to upload the files. > > A little work, but it works for me. -- "Learning to love like Jesus." Eph. 4:2 Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Thu Jun 17 23:55:37 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 23:55:37 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 25:19-26 (Friday) Message-ID: <4C1AEE39.1060500@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 25:19-26 (Friday)* Jacob and Esau 25:19 This is the account of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 25:21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled inside her, and she said, "If it is going to be like this, I'm not so sure I want to be pregnant!" So she asked the Lord, 25:23 and the Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." 25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him Esau. 25:26 When his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau's heel, they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born. *Prayer:* Lord, we often fail to understand Your workings in this world, when You allow things to happen as a result of the Fall and when You have intervened. But we always trust You. *Commentary* Isaac, like his father Abraham, suffered with infertility. The Bible does not tell us if the weakness is in Isaac or Rebekah or both. Issac asks God to given them a child and God answers his prayer. Twenty years after Issac married Rebekah, when he was 60, they had twin children. The children struggled in the womb and came out looking very different, first Esau, then Jacob. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Since there is a lot of common genetic material between Abraham, Issac, and Rebekah it is difficult to discern if any specific individual carried the reproductive weakness, nor does the text tell us that. What the text does share is that God once again made an infertile couple fertile. *Discuss this:* Have you experienced, or been close to a pregnant woman who experienced, a difficult pregnancy with twins during which it seemed that they were struggling with one-another? Have you ever heard of such a thing? *Reflect on this:* The infertility, the nature of Esau and Jacob's relationship as one of conflict -- beginning in the womb, and the radical difference in appearance at birth all may be the consequence of sin which God allows to play itself out. Or might one of more of them may be the result of God's intervention. The text is silent. The text does tell us that God knew the nature of the children and their relationship while they were still in the womb. *Share this:* When have you wondered if God had intervened or if circumstances were merely the result of "the world" and God was watching and waiting to see how you reacted, including if you invited Him into those circumstances? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to recognize the difference between the normative state of events unfolding as the consequence of millions of variables that came before from Creation until that moment, and events that show evidence of God's touch. *Action:* Make a list of events that people tend to attribute to God and then label them as "normative" or "miraculous", based upon the predicate that God ceased from Creation on the 6^th Day and thus any intervention after that must be a miraculous intervention. (e.g. A child is born with a handicap, or someone has a tendency to be overweight, or a person has a tendency to anger easily, and in each case someone says "God made them that way." Is that Biblically accurate?) Share your list with a fellow believer and search your Bible for clarity. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Saturday's text will be: Genesis 25:27-34/ * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From parrisdc at gmail.com Fri Jun 18 18:32:52 2010 From: parrisdc at gmail.com (Don Parris) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:32:52 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] FOSS App to Batch Shrink Images? In-Reply-To: <4C19881D.4050709@bibleseven.com> References: <4C19881D.4050709@bibleseven.com> Message-ID: I was using the same process with Gimp, but ImageMagick (and pyRenamer) is much better for large sets of images - it can do 20-30 images in no time, compared to editing each in a photo editing app. And I may scale the images down a bit more, while I'm at it. We'll see. On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 10:27 PM, Pastor David wrote: > Our similar process is: > > 1. Open with mtPaint > > 2. Scale down > > 3. Save As newfilename.jpg > > 4. Upload file via FTP or to a Web-based service e.g. ETSY.com > > > -- D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris http://www.facebook.com/don.parris -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From parrisdc at gmail.com Fri Jun 18 18:39:09 2010 From: parrisdc at gmail.com (Don Parris) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:39:09 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] No Retrial for SCO In-Reply-To: <4C1465BD.3030407@lightlink.com> References: <20100611200041.MVX9C.5141795.root@mp11> <4C12E7A6.1080000@lightlink.com> <4C1465BD.3030407@lightlink.com> Message-ID: On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 12:59 AM, Fred A. Miller wrote: > On 06/12/2010 11:13 PM, Peter B. Steiger wrote: > > I can't believe it's been going on this long. I was touting the > > benefits of Linux 5-6 years ago to a colleague at work and he warned > > me that Linux was about to go away because of SCO. I wish I could > > remember who it was now so I could bring this to his attention :-) > > Too bad you can't remember. The courts had to give SCO "their due," to > avoid appeals after appeals. Now, it's almost time to play taps. ;) > > Fred > > Hallelujah! -- D.C. Parris, FMP LEED AP O+M Minister, Security/FM Coordinator, Free Software Advocate https://www.xing.com/profile/Don_Parris http://www.linkedin.com/in/dcparris http://www.facebook.com/don.parris -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.kuntadi at gmail.com Fri Jun 18 22:41:07 2010 From: d.kuntadi at gmail.com (David Kuntadi) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:41:07 +0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes In-Reply-To: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 3:37 AM, Eddy Martin wrote: > Untangle > http://www.untangle.com/ > > Smoothwall Express > http://www.smoothwall.org/ > > Endian > http://www.endian.com/en/community/ > > Vyatta > http://www.vyatta.com/ My favorite is IPCOP. DK http://www.ipcop.org/index-pn.php Below, you will find a copy of our Mission Statement. All members of the IPCop Firewall Team strive to meet these goals. By achieving these goals, the IPCop Firewall will be one of the major Linux Firewall distributions in the world. * Provide a stable Linux Firewall Distribution. * Provide a secure Linux Firewall Distribution. * Provide an opensourced Linux Firewall Distribution. * Provide a highly configurable Linux Firewall Distribution. * Provide an easily maintained Linux Firewall Distribution. * Provide an easily configured Linux Firewall Distribution. * Provide reliable Support to the IPCop Linux user base. * Provide an enjoyable environment for the Public to discuss and request assistance. * Provide stable, secure, and easy to implement upgrades/patches for IPCop Linux. * Develop an appreciation for both the Linux and Opensource movements in our user base. * Develop a long lasting relationship with our userbase. * Strive to adapt IPCop to meet the needs of the Internet of Tomorrow. * Further develop the Linux Knowledge base of all Project Members and Users. After seeing the direction certain Linux Distributions were heading in, a group of dissatisfied users/developers decided that there was little reason for the idea of a GPL Linux Firewall Distribution of such potential to be, simply, extinguished. IPCop Linux is a complete Linux Distribution whose sole purpose is to protect the networks it is installed on. By implementing existing technology, outstanding new technology and secure programming practices IPCop is the Linux Distribution for those wanting to keep their computers/networks safe. The IPCop Linux Team is dedicated to doing the very best job possible to keep your systems safe, as you can see on our site. From proyectopuente at hotmail.com Fri Jun 18 22:51:40 2010 From: proyectopuente at hotmail.com (Proyecto Puente Internacional, A.C.) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:51:40 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes as very portable servers? In-Reply-To: References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: Dear brothers and sisters: I have enjoyed this thread! Here is a question: What is the tiniest of these machines that could serve as a very simple file server (a bit bucket)? I am thinking of a portable system that we can use for people to download conference files from when we travel. It would not even need an Internet connection. Maybe just plug in a portable hard drive or USB memory? How would a guy set one up? Thanks in advance! Brother Steve Central old Mexico __________ Informaci?n de ESET Smart Security, versi?n de la base de firmas de virus 5208 (20100618) __________ ESET Smart Security ha comprobado este mensaje. http://www.eset.com From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Fri Jun 18 21:12:12 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:12:12 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 25:27-34 (Saturday) Message-ID: <4C1C196C.30500@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 25:27-34 (Saturday)* 25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, "Feed me some of the red stuff -- yes, this red stuff -- because I'm starving!" (That is why he was also called Edom.) 25:31 But Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." 25:32 "Look," said Esau, "I'm about to die! What use is the birthright to me?" 25:33 But Jacob said, "Swear an oath to me now." So Esau swore an oath to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. So Esau despised his birthright. *Prayer:* Lord, I long to never despise the new birthright You gave to me when I joined Your eternal family through Jesus. * Commentary* God's prophesy unfolded as Esau and Jacob grew and the parents chose favorites, Issac favored Esau because he enjoyed fresh game and Rebekah favored Jacob for his more-even temperament and more-settled lifestyle. Esau's tendency to live from the flesh and moment-to-moment arrived home hungry and demanded some of the fresh stew that Jacob had just made. Jacob, seeing an opportunity, challenged the impetuous Esau to sell him his first-born birthright in exchange for the stew. Esau thoughtlessly agreed. The result of this seemingly childish interaction was that the second-born now could claim the unique rights of the first-born as Esau had rejected that gift of God, one that would have placed him in the line of succession to Jesus. *Interaction* *Consider this:* It is unlikely that Esau was truly "starving", more likely he was hungry and carelessly lived in that moment without regard to the long-term consequences of his choices. *Discuss this:* The birthright of a Christian comes through Jesus the Christ, although we cannot really "sell" our birthright, in what ways do we "despise" it in the choices we sometimes make? *Reflect on this:* Perhaps Jacob had been looking for an opportunity to trick his brother and saw an opening, or perhaps it was merely quick -- though devious -- thinking. While Genesis 25:23 prophesied that "... the older would serve the younger" it did not specify how that would come to be. The text does not tell us if either boy had been informed of that prophesy. *Share this:* When have you been tempted by a desire of your flesh to "despise" your standing as a child of God in favor of momentary gain or pleasure? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to make you sensitive to the way that even small acts of disobedience or rebellion demonstrate a type of "despising" of your birthright as born-again in Christ. *Action:* I will prayerfully review the past week of my life, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and identify at least one place where I diminish the value of my identity in Christ in order to be at peace with the world or to please my flesh. I agree to repent of that and to make a special effort to honor my birthright rather than to despise it. *Be Specific* ______________________________________________________________________ /Sunday's text will be: Genesis 26:1-11 / -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.kuntadi at gmail.com Sat Jun 19 01:16:06 2010 From: d.kuntadi at gmail.com (David Kuntadi) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:16:06 +0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes as very portable servers? In-Reply-To: References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: On Sat, Jun 19, 2010 at 9:51 AM, Proyecto Puente Internacional, A.C. wrote: > Dear brothers and sisters: > > I have enjoyed this thread! ?Here is a question: What is the tiniest of > these machines that could serve as a very simple file server (a bit bucket)? > I am thinking of a portable system that we can use for people to download > conference files from when we travel. It would not even need an Internet > connection. Maybe just plug in a portable hard drive or USB memory? How > would a guy set one up? http://portableapps.com/apps/development/xampp Or http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html DK From hpp3 at lavabit.com Sat Jun 19 01:30:33 2010 From: hpp3 at lavabit.com (Eddy Martin) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:30:33 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes as very portable servers? In-Reply-To: References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: <6757B9D2AC5D416EAE2DCA3519806B39@alc.sea.local> -----Original Message----- From: linux4christians-bounces at thelinuxlink.net [mailto:linux4christians-bounces at thelinuxlink.net] On Behalf Of Proyecto Puente Internacional, A.C. Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 7:52 PM To: Linux for Christians Subject: Re: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes as very portable servers? Dear brothers and sisters: I have enjoyed this thread! Here is a question: What is the tiniest of these machines that could serve as a very simple file server (a bit bucket)? I am thinking of a portable system that we can use for people to download conference files from when we travel. It would not even need an Internet connection. Maybe just plug in a portable hard drive or USB memory? How would a guy set one up? Thanks in advance! Brother Steve Central old Mexico ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A portable drive would probably be the best solution if you just wanted simple storage of files that you'll share with a few people. With a server, you could share files with everyone at a large meeting or conference, just give everyone the IP address of the server and make sure it's got some sort of public file access interface like FTP or Samba sharing, maybe even a nice web page with convenient links to the files. Looks like any of the hardware I've mentioned would work for the iron as they all take some sort of external storage. A small linux distro like Slitaz or Damn Small Linux would work for the OS, add Samba and/or FTP and a lightweight web server like Lighttpd, finish it with Webmin for remote configuring and you're on your way! -Eddy From hpp3 at lavabit.com Sat Jun 19 01:32:28 2010 From: hpp3 at lavabit.com (Eddy Martin) Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 22:32:28 -0700 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes In-Reply-To: References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: <118312B82A6A4F578E6451929E95CE0A@alc.sea.local> -----Original Message----- From: linux4christians-bounces at thelinuxlink.net [mailto:linux4christians-bounces at thelinuxlink.net] On Behalf Of David Kuntadi Sent: Friday, June 18, 2010 7:41 PM To: Linux for Christians Subject: Re: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 3:37 AM, Eddy Martin wrote: > Untangle > http://www.untangle.com/ > > Smoothwall Express > http://www.smoothwall.org/ > > Endian > http://www.endian.com/en/community/ > > Vyatta > http://www.vyatta.com/ My favorite is IPCOP. DK http://www.ipcop.org/index-pn.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks, I'll take a look at that. I think one of the hardware vendors I looked into had IPCOP as a pre-installed option. -Eddy From pjvasquez at baeyogin.com Sat Jun 19 13:17:43 2010 From: pjvasquez at baeyogin.com (Peter J. Vasquez Sr.) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:17:43 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes as very portable servers? In-Reply-To: References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: You might be interested in this: http://www.simpletech.com/products/storage/simplenet/simplenet.php I've just purchased one on clearance at best buy, and it seems to allow what you're looking for using any usb portable storage. The reviews I've read haven't been that good though (heating up, slow speeds), but I'll give it a try and let you know how it works. Another similar product I've seen is: http://www.addonics.com/products/nas/nasu2.asp I don't have one, but the reviews were a little better than the simpletech version. You could also try a full blown portable server like: http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/t-guruplugdetails.aspx . This is based on the sheevaplug (http://www.plugcomputer.org/) . I just received my guruplug a week ago, but haven't had much time to play around with it. There are many options, the solution will really depend on what you ultimately want to accomplish. -- Peter J. Vasquez Sr. On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 9:51 PM, Proyecto Puente Internacional, A.C. wrote: > Dear brothers and sisters: > > I have enjoyed this thread! ?Here is a question: What is the tiniest of > these machines that could serve as a very simple file server (a bit bucket)? > I am thinking of a portable system that we can use for people to download > conference files from when we travel. It would not even need an Internet > connection. Maybe just plug in a portable hard drive or USB memory? How > would a guy set one up? > > Thanks in advance! > > Brother Steve > Central old Mexico > > > > > __________ Informaci?n de ESET Smart Security, versi?n de la base de firmas > de virus 5208 (20100618) __________ > > ESET Smart Security ha comprobado este mensaje. > > http://www.eset.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > From fmiller at lightlink.com Sat Jun 19 13:22:10 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:22:10 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] No Retrial for SCO In-Reply-To: References: <20100611200041.MVX9C.5141795.root@mp11> <4C12E7A6.1080000@lightlink.com> <4C1465BD.3030407@lightlink.com> Message-ID: <4C1CFCC2.9090207@lightlink.com> On 06/18/2010 06:39 PM, Don Parris wrote: > On Sun, Jun 13, 2010 at 12:59 AM, Fred A. Miller > > wrote: > > On 06/12/2010 11:13 PM, Peter B. Steiger wrote: > > I can't believe it's been going on this long. I was touting the > > benefits of Linux 5-6 years ago to a colleague at work and he warned > > me that Linux was about to go away because of SCO. I wish I could > > remember who it was now so I could bring this to his attention :-) > > Too bad you can't remember. The courts had to give SCO "their due," to > avoid appeals after appeals. Now, it's almost time to play taps. ;) > > Fred > > > Hallelujah! Yes! And, how are you my friend?! All is well, I trust?! Fred -- "The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." --- (Thomas Jefferson) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pjvasquez at baeyogin.com Sat Jun 19 13:22:19 2010 From: pjvasquez at baeyogin.com (Peter J. Vasquez Sr.) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:22:19 -0500 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes In-Reply-To: References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: Thank You Joel for the link to New World Data Systems. I have a few Soekris boxes running OpenBSD w/ PF as firewalls, and was considering setting up a fit-pc2i I just received as it's replacement. After looking at the http://nw-ds.com/firewall.html site (the link you provided was broken), I just ordered a LX800-W40, which looks very promising. If everything works out, I'll definitely order more from them. Thanks again. On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 4:34 PM, Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > You should look at Alix.... > > http://www.pcengines.ch/alix.htm > > Some of these Alix boards already have 3 Ethernet jacks. ?Most of the > systems you have listed only have 1 jack. > > Pfsense is well supported on these Alix boxes and I have reviewed one > from New World Data Systems. > > http://nw-ds.com/products/firewall.html > > Trying to turn a Sheevaplug our any of those boxes into a > firewall/router is too much work when it's already done. > > On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 4:37 PM, Eddy Martin wrote: >> I have an acquaintance at work who has discussed with me the possibility of >> using a Linux box as a firewall appliance and was thinking of getting a >> second-hand server box to implement it in. >> After much discussion, he became interested in some of the VERY small >> linux-powered devices that have become available recently, and I wondered if >> anybody has any experience with any of these: >> >> SheevaPlug >> http://www.openplug.org/ >> >> fit-PC >> http://www.fit-pc.com/web/ >> >> Plat'home >> http://www.plathome.com/ >> >> There's one more that I remember seeing that was a little larger than the >> size of an ethernet jack. Anybody know what I'm talking about? >> >> As far as Linux flavor goes (probably better for a full box than one of the >> above mentioned), does anybody have experience with these: >> >> Untangle >> http://www.untangle.com/ >> >> Smoothwall Express >> http://www.smoothwall.org/ >> >> Endian >> http://www.endian.com/en/community/ >> >> Vyatta >> http://www.vyatta.com/ >> >> (yes, I've looked into LEAF, but it's a little on the steep-learning-curve >> side) >> >> TIA, >> -Eddy >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Linux4christians mailing list >> Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net >> http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians >> > > > > -- > Joel McLaughlin > Life in Ohio Podcast > life.in.ohio.pod at gmail.com > gorkon at gmail.com > http://lifeinohio.libsyn.com > joel at geardiary.com > geardiary.com > _______________________________________________ > Linux4christians mailing list > Linux4christians at thelinuxlink.net > http://www.thelinuxlink.net/mailman/listinfo/linux4christians > From gorkon at gmail.com Sat Jun 19 13:58:50 2010 From: gorkon at gmail.com (Joel Mclaughlin) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:58:50 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Tiny Linux boxes In-Reply-To: References: <4C1935F5.70803@lavabit.com> Message-ID: That is the one I reviewed a while back. There is even an Ubuntu based district that will work on this. On Jun 19, 2010 1:22 PM, "Peter J. Vasquez Sr." wrote: Thank You Joel for the link to New World Data Systems. I have a few Soekris boxes running OpenBSD w/ PF as firewalls, and was considering setting up a fit-pc2i I just received as it's replacement. After looking at the http://nw-ds.com/firewall.html site (the link you provided was broken), I just ordered a LX800-W40, which looks very promising. If everything works out, I'll definitely order more from them. Thanks again. On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 4:34 PM, Joel Mclaughlin wrote: > You should look at Ali... -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Sat Jun 19 19:48:45 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:48:45 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 26:1-11 (Sunday) Message-ID: <4C1D575D.9070003@bibleseven.com> BibleSeven Bible Study and Devotion Genesis Twenty-Six - Twenty-Eight Commentary -- Interaction -- Faith in Action /Chapters One and Two presented the Creation narrative with different emphasis./ /Chapter Three described Adam and Eve's horribly wrong choice and the devastating consequences./ /Chapter Four described early life after Eden./ /Chapters Five and Six describes the terrible failure of humankind to seek after God and His decision to destroy life on the earth and restart with a Noadic remnant./ /Chapters Seven and Eight conclude the Ark story./ /Chapters Nine and Ten contain God's early instructions to the survivors of the Flood, the sin of Ham, and the future genealogies of the descendants of Noah's sons./ /Chapters Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen describe the dispersal of the nations, Abram's travels, the kidnapping of Sarai, and the parting of Abram and Lot./ /Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen; Abram given victory in battle rescuing Lot, and the covenant is presented by God./ /Chapters Sixteen and Seventeen; Ishmael is born, covenant with Abraham further clarified, male circumcision required./ /Chapters Eighteen and Nineteen; the promise of a son for Abraham and Sarah renewed, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot's escape./ /Chapters Twenty to Twenty-Three; Abraham and Abimelech , The Birth of Isaac , The Sacrifice of Isaac , The Death of Sarah / /Chapters Twenty-Four to Twenty-Five; The Wife for Isaac, The Death of Abraham, The Sons of Ishmael, Jacob and Esau/ *Genesis 26:1-11 (Sunday)* /Isaac and Abimelech/ 26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 26:3 Stay in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will fulfill the solemn promise I made to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 26:5 All this will come to pass because Abraham obeyed me and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, "She is my sister." He was afraid to say, "She is my wife," for he thought to himself, "The men of this place will kill me to get Rebekah because she is very beautiful." 26:8 After Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, "She is really your wife! Why did you say, 'She is my sister'?" Isaac replied, "Because I thought someone might kill me to get her." 26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, "What in the world have you done to us? One of the men might easily have had sexual relations with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!" 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, "Whoever touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death." *Prayer:* Lord, please find me learning from prior generations and not repeating their errors. *Commentary* Another famine leads Issac to seek a new location. He goes to Abimelech, with whom Abraham had an uneasy relationship, but was apparently considering further travel to Egypt. God warns Issac to remain in the land promised to Abraham and to not travel to Egypt. This land was part of that region controlled by Abimelech. Once again Abimelech spots a woman in the camp of Issac (Rebekah) whom he desires and asks Issac about her. Issac, like his father, lies and declares that she is his sister -- out of fear of being killed so they could take his wife as a widow. Before Abimelech, or his men, tried to take her he sees Issac with her and realizes that Issac lies and that Rebekah is his wife. Once again Abimelech is offended that he has been deceived and set-up for punishment from God. Although his confession that he might have kidnapped her, or his men might have raped her, gives evidence of his lack of civility -- he is righteously indignant that the son of Abraham lied to him. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Issac, like Abraham, was more afraid of the potential violence of man than trusting in the power and protection of God. *Discuss this:* Given their family and personal history with God why are Abimelech and Issac still both more concerned with fear (Issac) and lust (Abimelech) than respect for Rebekah (Abimelech) and trust in God (Issac)? *Reflect on this:* Issac was contemplating leaving the land given to Abraham, and then him, by God and traveling to Egypt when times got hard. The text doesn't tell us that he appealed to God but that God came to him with a warning to not do so. *Share this:* When has fear or lust overwhelmed your respect for others or for God? What was the result? When have you paused before acting from fear or lust and given the situation over to God? What was the result? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to show you a place where you are failing to consult God first. *Action:* I will prayerfully partner with the Holy Spirit to recognize a place in my life where I am making decisions without God, perhaps a reaction to fear or a submission to some sort of lust (envy, money, relationship, title, etc) and I agree to surrender that to God. I will confess this, in confidence, to a mature fellow believer and ask them to hold me accountable, to pray in-agreement, and to celebrate with me God's victory in my life. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Monday's text will be: Genesis 26:12-35/ * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Sun Jun 20 21:49:19 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:49:19 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 26:12-35 (Monday) Message-ID: <4C1EC51F.4010900@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 26:12-35 (Monday)* 26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, because the Lord blessed him. 26:13 The man became wealthy. His influence continued to grow until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had so many sheep and cattle and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up all the wells that his father's servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham. 26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Leave us and go elsewhere, for you have become much more powerful than we are." 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 26:18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after Abraham died. Isaac gave these wells the same names his father had given them. 26:19 When Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water belongs to us!" So Isaac named the well Esek because they argued with him about it. 26:21 His servants dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it Sitnah. 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac named it Rehoboth, saying, "For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land." 26:23 From there Isaac went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham." 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 26:26 Now Abimelech had come to him from Gerar along with Ahuzzah his friend and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you." 26:28 They replied, "We could plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be a pact between us -- between us and you. Allow us to make a treaty with you 26:29 so that you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed you, but have always treated you well before sending you away in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord." 26:30 So Isaac held a feast for them and they celebrated. 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 26:32 That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. "We've found water," they reported. 26:33 So he named it Shibah; that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba to this day. 26:34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. *Prayer:* Lord, may my life be one of faithfulness to You so that as You bless me in your service others may come seeking peace with You as well. *Commentary* Issac settled in the famine-free region that Abimelech offered and God blessed him greatly. When the Philistines in Abimelech's territory saw Issac's great success they were jealous and they created conflict. Abimelech persuaded Issac to move to the Valley of Gerar but the conflict continued as he re-opened the wells Abraham had built there and the locals claimed ownership of them. Abimelech, recognizing Issac's power, decided to avoid an escalation of trouble and sought a treaty -- to which Issac agreed. God provided Issac a new well which then went uncontested. Meanwhile, Esau too two wives, both Hittites rather than relatives -- which caused Issac and Rebekah concern as to the cultural influence and the potential unfriendly allegiances. *Interaction* *Consider this:* When God blesses you others may become jealous, especially the enemy, and he will look for ways to steal some of that blessing. *Discuss this:* How have you seen jealousy generate bad conduct, in business, community, family, or politics? *Reflect on this:* Esau married outside of the family, generating great concern, for the same reasons that the Bible counsels Christians to never marry non-Christians. *Share this:* When have you observed a believer marrying outside of the faith and what has been the result? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something that you have done out of jealousy. *Action:* I agree to repent of any place or places in my life where jealousy toward others for the blessings of God have caused me to avoid them, or maybe to even act in ways that might interfere with the full benefit of that blessing. If I have not done this I will pray for someone whom I perceive has done so and that there will be an awareness and repentance of that behavior. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Tuesday's text will be: Genesis 27:1-29/ * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Tue Jun 22 14:03:56 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:03:56 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 27:30-46 (Wednesday) Message-ID: <4C20FB0C.3080602@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 27:30-46 (Wednesday)* 27:30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau said to him, "My father, get up and eat some of your son's wild game. Then you can bless me." 27:32 His father Isaac asked, "Who are you?" "I am your firstborn son," he replied, "Esau!" 27:33 Isaac began to shake violently and asked, "Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. He will indeed be blessed!" 27:34 When Esau heard his father's words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. He said to his father, "Bless me too, my father!" 27:35 But Isaac replied, "Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away your blessing." 27:36 Esau exclaimed, "'Jacob' is the right name for him! He has tripped me up two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!" Then he asked, "Have you not kept back a blessing for me?" 27:37 Isaac replied to Esau, "Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?" 27:38 Esau said to his father, "Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!" Then Esau wept loudly. 27:39 So his father Isaac said to him, "Indeed, your home will be away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the sky above. 27:40 You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck." 27:41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. Esau said privately, "The time of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill my brother Jacob!" 27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, she quickly summoned her younger son Jacob and told him, "Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 27:43 Now then, my son, do what I say. Run away immediately to my brother Laban in Haran. 27:44 Live with him for a little while until your brother's rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there until your brother's anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I'll send someone to bring you back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" 27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am deeply depressed because of these daughters of Heth. If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!" *Prayer:* Lord, we are in our flesh so confused and deceitful and selfish, draw us near so that we are protected from that part of us that is so wicked. *Commentary* Esau and Issac discover Jacob's deception of Issac too late. Esau complains that Jacob has tricked him out of both his birthright and his blessing. Issac is visibly shaken by what has happened and unable to do otherwise than to repeat the prophesy of God for Esau. Esau declares his intention to murder Jacob as soon as Issac has died and the time of mourning has passed. Rebekah acts quickly to find an excuse for Jacob to flee to her relatives before Esau can murder him by appealing to Issac's desire for continuity in the family line and relationship with God. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Esau fails to comprehend that when he sold his birthright he also surrendered his right to claim the associated blessing; his anger was misdirected -- his loss was the consequence of his own immaturity. *Discuss this:* There is a similarity between Esau's violent anger and that of Cain -- is not a refusal to accept responsibility for wrong choices at the root of both? *Reflect on this:* Issac remembered God's prophesy as to the future of Esau but seemed to have forgotten the rest about Issac. *Share this:* When have you, or someone you know, acted rashly and then instinctively blamed someone else for the ill-consequences that came to you? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to make me more accountable to God and less prone to careless decision making and blaming others for my poor choices. *Action:* I now commit to review my walk for any place where I am making impetuous decisions - creating future negative consequences for myself and for others. I surrender my decision making to the Lordship of Christ through His Holy Spirit. I will consult Biblical "elders", those who meet the New Testament Biblical definition, whenever I am uncertain. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ /*Thursday's text will be: Genesis 28:1-5*/ -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fmiller at lightlink.com Wed Jun 23 00:41:52 2010 From: fmiller at lightlink.com (Fred A. Miller) Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:41:52 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] OT: Extremism: A Hallmark of Christianity - EXCELLENT!! Message-ID: <4C219090.3030700@lightlink.com> Extremism: A Hallmark of Christianity By Randall A. Terry "Extremist!" This label is nearly as bad as the Scarlet Letter in many American Christian minds. Hostile unbelievers cast this insult like the first "without sin" stone on anyone who dares to take an uncompromising stand on issues. The fear of being condemned as an "extremist" has been so effective that many tepid Christian leaders in pastorates, seminaries and ministry leadership positions have joined Christianity's enemies and launched their own quiet, thoughtful, reasoned attack on "extremism." The practical result of this is that battalions of young "Davids" sit fidgeting on the sidelines, while the King Sauls of the Church explain to the Davids why it is not God's will to slay the Goliaths. However, the charge of extremism - rather than an accusation to be ashamed of - is actually an accolade to relish and revel in; because without doubt Christianity is the ultimate extremist religion. No other religion, no other faith, no other deity even comes close. I submit that the war on extremism from inside or outside Christianity is ultimately a war on Christianity itself. Consider the extremes of Christ's attributes and offices. He is the Lamb of God; he is the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the Prince of Peace; He is the Man of War. A bruised reed He will not break; He shatters the nations with a rod of iron. Jesus weeps; He has eyes of fire. He does not lift up His voice; out of His mouth goes a two edged sword. Christ is the Savior; Christ is the Judge. He made Himself a servant; He is the Master and Lord of all. His kingdom is not of this world; He is King of Kings and all kings will bow at His feet. He wore a crown of thorns; He offers a crown of life. He is fully God; and He is fully man. Those extremes nearly tore the Church apart. Reflect on God the Father. God is love; God is a consuming fire. God is light; God dwells in the thick darkness. Jacob He loves; Esau He hates. Let us ponder how extreme the mandates and the fruit of Christianity are in our lives and relationships. The Bible demands that we love our enemies; the Psalmist boasts of his perfect hatred for God's enemies. Christ promised to leave his peace with us; yet he declared he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Christ brings unity to Gentile and Jew; he divides a mother-in-law from her daughter-in-law. He commands us to rejoice evermore; he adjures us to let our joy be turned to sorrow and our laughter to weeping. God's dealings with men and nations are equally extreme. He will save the city for the sake of 10 righteous men; he destroys tens of thousands for the sin of one man. One errant son loses Paradise by one act; one obedient son redeems the world by one act. God forgives the woman taken in adultery; he kills the man for steadying the Arc of the Covenant with his hand. He sends blistering drought in Elijah's day; he drowns the world in Noah's. He brought the first son of David and Bathsheba to the grave; he brought their next son to the throne. The angels rejoice when sinners are converted; converted sinners will judge the angels. Biblical heroes are a study in extremes. David is the sweet Psalmist of Israel wedding poetry; David is the fierce warrior who presents Goliath's head to the king. Elijah stands and conquers 400 prophets of Baal; he flees in terror at the word of one woman. Abraham begs God for a son; then willingly offers him as a sacrifice until God intervenes. Peter declares he will die for Jesus; within hours he denies he even knows him. Timid Gideon begs God for a sign; brave Gideon slays two kings on a stone. Saul of Tarsus kills Christians; he is finally killed for being one. The extremes of Christianity may startle us; they may make some comfortable; but they are not contradictions. The tightrope walker that balances his acts with a long pole holds but one pole. It is the extremes of that pole that keep them in balance. Should he favor one side of the pole and lop off the other, he could not maintain his balance--he would fall. This is the plight of modern divines. Having accepted the false notion of Christianity's enemies that certain aspects of our God and faith are extreme (and therefore extremely embarrassing), they have lopped off the extremities that preserve them on precarious heights--and they have fallen; fallen into the safety net of fallen man's opinions. But this safety net is actually a snare. Having turned from the Harsh Master who reaps what he did not sow, they have enslaved themselves to harsher masters who sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Our modern, sophisticated, would-be "heroes of the faith" slay no tyrants, conquer no kingdoms, risk no martyrdom. Instead, they get photos with tyrants, protect the status quo of the kingdom, and frequently martyr the reputations of their extremist brethren. By trying to blend the heat of God's mercy and the coldness of his judgment, the "balanced" have exchanged their glory for the similitude of a lukewarm, politically correct ox, fit only to be spewed out of Christianity's mouth. By the forced blending of God's unapproachable light and the thick darkness in which he dwells, the moderates of Christianity have created the drab-grey-God who neither inspires wonder nor dread. They have balance; the balance of a fixed, lifeless statue. One achieves healthy balance by remembering both the goodness and severity of God; not by blending them into divine indifference. One maintains balance by accepting the extremes of black-and-white; not by creating a bland, grey divinity. What Christianity's detractors both inside and outside the church must accept is that Christianity /is/ extreme -- extreme to the wildest degree. Perhaps nothing reveals this extremism more than the final state of man. The righteous live in night-less light, the wicked are cast into outer darkness. The redeemed dwell in perpetual joy; the rebels weep and gnash their teeth forever. Those who die in friendship with Christ have eternal life; those who die rejecting His grace have eternal damnation. It does not get any more extreme than this. Those who reject extremes must inevitably reject Christ and Christianity. By rejecting the extremes of male and female, our seminaries have created religious eunuchs and barren heralds; neuters that cannot reproduce their kind. By castigating Christianity's extremities, have castrated its vitality. Please show to us the "balanced" moderate who has done anything great in history. They have won no great battles, they have no tragic defeats. They have no boast, they have no denials. They offer no heads of giants; their songs are trite and predictable. When moderates in the Church call for balance, they really want to lop off the embarrassing extremes of Christ, His Church, and His history. But by doing so, they make Christianity an embarrassment. It is no longer, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also..." but rather, "These men who want a place at the table have come to discuss compromises." Past enemies of the Gospel feared extremist Christians: "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Our modern leaders are learned, but not bold. Now our enemies marvel that Christian leaders won't fight for Christianity; they take note that they have been with Balaam. These new champions - pitiful eunuchs - inspire neither dread nor ecstasy, neither joy nor weeping. They inspire /nothing/, because only extremes inspire people. Mediocrity, gray, blandness... inspires no one. They cannot advance and conquer for Christianity, for they cannot even defend her. They are safe, and they are irrelevant or worse yet; they are relevant only as religious hostages to be paraded before enemies like trophies from a conquered kingdom. By the waters of Babylon they have sung skillfully. Unlike the three Hebrew children, they bow deeply. Conquered brothers, captured sisters, be loosed of the chains of your safe, grey, lukewarm, mediocrity. Cease giving succor to the enemy. Your war on extremism is a war on Christianity itself, and you cannot win. Come, battle demons with us. Relish the exhilaration of triumphs; curse the hapless defeats. You can only achieve great victories by risking great disasters. Stop trying to give God a facelift; he doesn't need your plastic surgery. Stop trying to amputate the extremes of Christianity you find so embarrassing. To the unbelieving rebels; behold the goodness and severity of God. If you repent and believe the gospel, you will receive forgiveness and mercy from the God who made you, and sent His Son to die for you. But if you continue to rebel, and die outside of God's friendship, you will be judged. If you spurn His mercy, you will drink the terrifying cup of His wrath forever. And your accusations of Christianity's extremes will taunt you for all eternity. Finally, to young and old believers alike - who yearn for militancy in the Church Militant - take this advice: flee the guidance of these barren doctors of divinity. Go to them for the Sacraments -- yes -- but do not follow their lead into the ghetto of mediocrity. /They/ /will deliver you from extremes, but they will rob you of your strengths to deliver/. They will inoculate you from the pain and anguish of childbirth, because they will sterilize you. Better to be in anguished labor for Christ than to be a quiet gelding for Jesus. Rejoice in the boundaries of extremism. Rejoice in the God of extremes. Find your balance in the extremes of Christianity. Boldly declare: "I am an extremist!" and then live out that extremism to the extreme. *Randall Terry, Box 23775, Washington, DC 20026* -- -- "Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars." - Unknown -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 23 15:58:17 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:58:17 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 28:1-5 (Thursday) Message-ID: <4C226759.4070604@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 28:1-5 (Thursday)* 28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, "You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 28:2 Leave immediately for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation. 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham so that you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident." 28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. *Prayer:* Lord, Your blessing comes with guidelines for our well-being, may we be found faithful in living righteously before You. *Commentary* With the reality of the displaced birthright and blessing-of-lineage established, from Esau to Jacob, Issac acts to assure that Jacob knows what is expected of him by God. Issac is somewhat motivated by Rebekah's stated fear that Jacob will marry outside of the faith and is unaware that she is also motivated by the fear that Esau will seek Cain-like mortal revenge upon Jacob. Issac instructs Jacob to go to Rebekah's family to find a wife. Issac prays that Jacob will be fruitful and multiply and that God will give to him the promised lands, where they now were living as guests, as their permanent possession. *Interaction* *Consider this:* While Rebekah's motivation was fear for Jacob's safety from Esau's rage God used that to motivate Issac to send Jacob where he could find a wife in the faith. *Discuss this:* God had promised the lands to the descendants of Abraham but had not caused that to happen in the lifetime of Issac. Issac now prays that He will in Jacob's time. God's timing is always perfect but may there be things about Issac which caused God to not choose to fulfill the promise while he was the patriarch? *Reflect on this:* Issac is about to die and is trying to be certain that the blessing and promise of God is passed-on to Issac. *Share this:* When have you observed a situation where a "favored" person was not promoted but a less-favored one was and it was quickly obvious that the one promoted was the better choice? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to make you more aware of a specific boundary God desires in your life; something He wants you to avoid or something He wants you to do, or both. *Action:* As I read God's Word, as I pray and listen, and as I inquire of the Biblically-qualified "elders" in my fellowship, I will earnestly seek what it is that God is telling me I need to do -- or avoid doing -- that will make my walk more obedient and righteous before Him. I will then commit to do as He instructs. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Friday's text will be: Genesis 28:6-9/ * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Thu Jun 24 21:02:38 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:02:38 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 28:6-9 (Friday) Message-ID: <4C24002E.30007@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 28:6-9 (Friday)* 28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. As he blessed him, Isaac commanded him, "You must not marry a Canaanite woman." 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had. Prayer: Lord, may I be found obedient to You and not a people-pleaser like Esau. Commentary Issac's instructions to Jacob are overheard by Esau. Jacob accepts the wisdom of his parents and sets-off to do as instructed. Esau attempts to earn his father's pleasure by rushing-off to marry a woman he thinks may meet with his approval. Interaction *Consider this:* Jacob is now the leader-in-waiting of his people and walking through the steps necessary to prepare to assume that role. *Discuss this:* Although Jacob would not have been prepared for the top leadership role, as Esau was the first-born, he would have been aware of the expectations. Once it was clear that he was "the guy" how might his perspective of life changed? *Reflect on this:* Esau, trapped in the consequences of his impetuous choices in the past, makes yet another impetuous decision to "earn" Issac's approval. *Share this:* When have you been given unexpected authority and responsibility? How did your perspective change as a result? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to show you opportunities to improve your preparedness to be a leader for God. *Action:* I will review my responsibilities and seek ways that I may be better prepared so as to be more valuable in God's service; be it as a parent or student, employee or boss, leader or team member. I will seek someone with successful experience and humbly ask their counsel. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ /*Saturday's text will be: Genesis 28:10-22*/ -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Fri Jun 25 14:55:54 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:55:54 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 28:10-22 (Saturday) Message-ID: <4C24FBBA.905@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 28:10-22 (Saturday)* Jacob's Dream at Bethel 28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. He took one of the stones and placed it near his head. Then he fell asleep in that place 28:12 and had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, "I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using your name and that of your descendants. 28:15 I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!" 28:16 Then Jacob woke up and thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!" 28:17 He was afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!" 28:18 Early in the morning Jacob took the stone he had placed near his head and set it up as a sacred stone. Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father's home, then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me." *Prayer:* Lord, may I recognize the provision You make in my life and commit to serve You more. *Commentary* Jacob had a dream of a ladder or ramp from earth, where he was, up to Heaven. He "saw" angels coming up and down. The Lord renewed His promises to Abraham and Issac to Jacob, to protect, to provide, and to bless with many descendants and with ownership of the very land where he was resting. When Jacob awoke from his divinely-inspired dream he was struck by the presence of God and set up an altar. Jacob then set forth a "fleece" to God, agreeing that if God provides and protects during his trip that he would submit to the Lordship of God, including the traditional tithe. *Interaction* *Consider this:* God shows Jacob how He was already providing and protecting yet Jacob challenges God to show him the same during his trip. *Discuss this:* If you were to have a similar dream how would you understand it and how would you respond? *Reflect on this:* It seems odd, given his father and grandfather, that Jacob had not previously surrendered to God as his Lord. *Share this:* When have you promised God your increased commitment if He would do something that you asked? What was the result? * Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how God has been providing protection and provision in your life. *Action:* I will recognize that Jesus was the greatest gift ever and make a new commitment to surrender more of my life to the Lordship of Christ through the Holy Spirit. I will select a specific area of my life where my obedience and/or sacrifice in serving Him has lagged and make that right. *Be Specific* ______________________________________________________________________ /*Sunday's text will be: Genesis 29:1-27*/ -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Sat Jun 26 23:11:44 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2010 23:11:44 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 29:1-27 (Sunday) Message-ID: <4C26C170.6050807@bibleseven.com> BibleSeven Bible Study and Devotion Genesis Twenty-Nine - Thirty-One Commentary -- Interaction -- Faith in Action /Chapters One and Two presented the Creation narrative with different emphasis./ /Chapter Three described Adam and Eve's horribly wrong choice and the devastating consequences./ /Chapter Four described early life after Eden./ /Chapters Five and Six describes the terrible failure of humankind to seek after God and His decision to destroy life on the earth and restart with a Noadic remnant./ /Chapters Seven and Eight conclude the Ark story./ /Chapters Nine and Ten contain God's early instructions to the survivors of the Flood, the sin of Ham, and the future genealogies of the descendants of Noah's sons./ /Chapters Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen describe the dispersal of the nations, Abram's travels, the kidnapping of Sarai, and the parting of Abram and Lot./ /Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen; Abram given victory in battle rescuing Lot, and the covenant is presented by God./ /Chapters Sixteen and Seventeen; Ishmael is born, covenant with Abraham further clarified, male circumcision required./ /Chapters Eighteen and Nineteen; the promise of a son for Abraham and Sarah renewed, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot's escape./ /Chapters Twenty to Twenty-Three; Abraham and Abimelech , The Birth of Isaac , The Sacrifice of Isaac , The Death of Sarah / /Chapters Twenty-Four to Twenty-Five; The Wife for Isaac, The Death of Abraham, The Sons of Ishmael, Jacob and Esau/ /Chapters Twenty-Six to Twenty-Eight; Isaac and Abimelech, Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing, / /Jacob's Dream at Bethel/ *Genesis 29:1-27 (Sunday)* The Marriages of Jacob 29:1 So Jacob moved on and came to the land of the eastern people. 29:2 He saw in the field a well with three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well's mouth. 29:4 Jacob asked them, "My brothers, where are you from?" They replied, "We're from Haran." 29:5 So he said to them, "Do you know Laban, the grandson of Nahor?" "We know him," they said. 29:6 "Is he well?" Jacob asked. They replied, "He is well. Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." 29:7 Then Jacob said, "Since it is still the middle of the day, it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more." 29:8 "We can't," they said, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep." 29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father's sheep, for she was tending them. 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he went over and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 29:12 When Jacob explained to Rachel that he was a relative of her father and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister's son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban how he was related to him. 29:14 Then Laban said to him, "You are indeed my own flesh and blood." So Jacob stayed with him for a month. 29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Should you work for me for nothing because you are my relative? Tell me what your wages should be." 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah's eyes were tender, but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, he said, "I'll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel." 29:19 Laban replied, "I'd rather give her to you than to another man. Stay with me." 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. But they seemed like only a few days to him because his love for her was so great. 29:21 Finally Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. I want to have marital relations with her." 29:22 So Laban invited all the people of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob, and Jacob had marital relations with her. 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What in the world have you done to me! Didn't I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked me?" 29:26 "It is not our custom here," Laban replied, "to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter's bridal week. Then we will give you the younger one too, in exchange for seven more years of work." *Prayer:* Lord, it is sad to see the deceit in the lives of these historic people, may such deceit never be practiced among Your children today or tomorrow. *Commentary* "... the land of the eastern people" was merely a geographical reference rather than the culturally-laden term it would represent today. Jacob is continuing his flight from the wrath of Esau and is also following the instructions of Issac to find a wife among Rebekah's relatives. Jacob symbolically reverses roles versus the story of Abraham's servant and Rebekah, providing water for Rachel's animals rather than Rachel serving his. Jacob shares his relationship information with the family and is invited to stay. He offers to work alongside them while there and Laban asks what should be his pay -- to which Jacob replies -- he would like to marry the beautiful Rachel. Laban, as crafty as Jacob versus Esau, requires Jacob to work seven years for Rachel and then tricks him into marrying the older sister Leah instead. Jacob is indignant but agrees to work another seven to get Rachel as well. *Interaction* *Consider this:* It seems that Jacob has received as good as he gave Esau from his uncle Laban. *Discuss this:* Does Jacob's obsession with the appearance of Rachel, which blinded him to Laban's trickery, remind you of Satan's appeal to Eve base on the lust of her eyes? *Reflect on this:* Leah is trapped between the lust of Jacob for Rachel and the scheming of Laban to marry-off his less-attractive eldest daughter. No one seems concerned for her perspective. *Share this:* When have you found yourself so distracted by things that your flesh desired that you missed the more important things of God's priorities? [It may have been clothes or money, power or title, physical appearance or fame, special food or the approval of the "popular people".] *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a "check in the Spirit" whenever you are drifting away from His priorities and into those of the "world". *Action:* I will ask a prayer-partner to walk with me through a careful assessment of my daily walk in order that we may discern, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, where there are wrong priorities. I agree to surrender those to the Lordship of Christ through the Holy Spirit through repentance and a renewed sense for God's priorities in my brief life here in the world. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Monday's text will be: Genesis 29:28-35/ * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Sun Jun 27 22:19:40 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 22:19:40 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 29:28-35 (Monday) Message-ID: <4C2806BC.7060504@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 29:28-35 (Monday)* 29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. When Jacob completed Leah's bridal week, Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 29:30 Jacob had marital relations with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban for seven more years. The Family of Jacob 29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to become pregnant while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. Surely my husband will love me now." 29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, "Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon. 29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, "Now this time my husband will show me affection, because I have given birth to three sons for him." That is why he was named Levi. 29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, "This time I will praise the Lord." That is why she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children. *Prayer:* Lord, please find us sensitive to people with "tender eyes" as that also implies "tender hearts" as that is the innocence and teachability that You have said is desirable. * Commentary* Jacob was legally-engaged to Rachel from the moment that Laban agreed that Jacob could work 7 years for her, but even though "engagement" meant that he was "married" for most purposes he was not allowed "marital relations" until the agreed moment -- when his 7 years were over. When Laban tricked Jacob, presumably by sending Leah to the marriage bed after dark and when Jacob was drunk and tired from the celebrations, he caused her to be his first "completed" wife. When challenged by Jacob for his deception Laban then agreed to allow Rachel to become Jacob's second "completed" wife once the traditional first week with Leah had been completed. Laban would have been anxious to marry-off Leah not only because she was less physically appealing than Rachel, and older, but also because it meant he'd have two daughters in Jacob's very wealthy and powerful family. Jacob, unable to see beyond the lust of his eyes, continued to ignore the gift that was Leah - with her tender eyes (a phrase often meant to infer a tender heart). He fulfilled his duties as a husband but otherwise showed no affection to her. God compensated by giving her children whereas Rachel remained childless. The first born children of Jacob and Leah were Reuben, Simeon, Lei, and Judah would be among the tribes of the nation known as Israel. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Jacob's carelessness about his thinking process allowed Laban an opportunity to trick him, just as Esau's carelessness had allowed Jacob to trick him, in both cases it was a lust of the flesh which made them more vulnerable. *Discuss this:* When have you found yourself, upon reflection, making decisions based on a momentary desire to satisfy the flesh rather than a thoughtful consideration of your choices through a prayer-conversation with God and perhaps a consultation with an "elder"? *Reflect on this:* Since Jacob failed to love his wife God blessed her with children, the first four of the historic tribes of "Israel". *Share this:* When have you observed a situation where God has blessed someone who has been "overlooked" by fellow believers due to some worldly priority? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to make you more sensitive to the subtle signs of His presence in fellow believers and of their tender-hearted availability to His working. *Action:* I agree to pray that God will show me someone whom others have under-valued based on some worldly priority, perhaps they are not athletic or attractive, not a scholar or a charismatic personality but rather a gentle and humble person who lives a consistent life from-love before God. I will make a point to encourage and fellowship with that person. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ *Tuesday's text will be: * *Genesis 30:1-24* * * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Mon Jun 28 16:13:37 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:13:37 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 30:1-24 (Tuesday) Message-ID: <4C290271.2020806@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 30:1-24 (Tuesday)* 30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, "Give me children or I'll die!" 30:2 Jacob became furious with Rachel and exclaimed, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" 30:3 She replied, "Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with her so that she can bear children for me and I can have a family through her." 30:4 So Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son. 30:6 Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer and given me a son." That is why she named him Dan. 30:7 Bilhah, Rachel's servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 30:8 Then Rachel said, "I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won." So she named him Naphtali. 30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 30:11 Leah said, "How fortunate!" So she named him Gad. 30:12 Then Leah's servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 30:13 Leah said, "How happy I am, for women will call me happy!" So she named him Asher. 30:14 At the time of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Give me some of your son's mandrakes." 30:15 But Leah replied, "Wasn't it enough that you've taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes too?" "All right," Rachel said, "he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes." 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must sleep with me because I have paid for your services with my son's mandrakes." So he had marital relations with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention to Leah; she became pregnant and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 30:18 Then Leah said, "God has granted me a reward because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife." So she named him Issachar. 30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 30:20 Then Leah said, "God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons." So she named him Zebulun. 30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 30:22 Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 30:23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said, "God has taken away my shame." 30:24 She named him Joseph, saying, "May the Lord give me yet another son." *Prayer:* Lord, may be more concerned with our walk with You than the number of our children or competition with those around us. *Commentary* Rachel is obsessed with bearing children and jealous of Leah, but when she demands of Jacob that he cause her to become pregnant he insists that it is God who is keeping her from pregnancy. Rachel, like Sarah before her, decides to "help" God and gives her servant Bilhah to Jacob and she bears children for them. Leah follows suit and gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob with the same result. Leah then seeks a chemical advantage through the Mandrake root which was thought to have aphrodisiac properties. Rachel hears of this and demands some of the root. Leah cleverly agrees on the condition access to Jacob -- essentially "paying" for him to have marital relations with her. There is nothing in the text to detail how it came to be that Leah would have to bribe Rachel for access to her husband but Rachel agrees to the arrangement. In the one night Leah becomes pregnant and produces a fifth son. The text does not explain how she again gained access to Jacob but Leah becomes pregnant again and delivers a sixth son, then another child, this one a daughter. The text says that "God too notice of Rachel" and she finally had a son, whom she named Joseph, rather than pausing to celebrate him she was already longing for another son in her competition with Leah. *Interaction* *Consider this:* There appears to be an unhealthy relationship among everyone in Jacob's family circle, an obsession with reproduction, and a competition to claim some "ownership" of success. God appears to be a largely ignored factor, at least there is nothing in the text which describes anyone inviting Him into the process, He chooses to intervene just the same. *Discuss this:* When have you experienced and/or observed people so obsessed with some goal or religious practice or tradition that they engaged in inappropriate conduct and never paused to ask God what were His priorities and His timing? *Reflect on this:* Jacob appeared to exercise little leadership in his social relationships. *Share this:* When have you experienced and/or observed the consequence of a father/husband failing to exercise Biblical leadership? What was the result? *Faith in Action* *Prayer: * Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you may be forgetting to invite Him into the process of decision making and peace making among fellowship and family members. *Action:* I agree to prayerfully partner with the Holy Spirit to discern any place in my life where I am rushing to compete with others and/or some self-imposed priority that I have not brought before God. I will surrender that to God and ask Him to teach me what He desires for my life in that area. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ /*Wednesday's text will be: Genesis 30:25-43 */ -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Tue Jun 29 15:55:35 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:55:35 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 30:25-43 (Wednesday) Message-ID: <4C2A4FB7.5060008@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 30:25-43 (Wednesday)* The Flocks of Jacob 30:25 After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so that I can go home to my own country. 30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. Then I'll depart, because you know how hard I've worked for you." 30:27 But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, for I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me on account of you." 30:28 He added, "Just name your wages -- I'll pay whatever you want." 30:29 "You know how I have worked for you," Jacob replied, "and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 30:30 Indeed, you had little before I arrived, but now your possessions have increased many times over. The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?" 30:31 So Laban asked, "What should I give you?" "You don't need to give me a thing," Jacob replied, "but if you agree to this one condition, I will continue to care for your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, and the spotted or speckled goats. These animals will be my wages. 30:33 My integrity will testify for me later on. When you come to verify that I've taken only the wages we agreed on, if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen." 30:34 "Agreed!" said Laban, "It will be as you say." 30:35 So that day Laban removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, while Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban's flocks. 30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. 30:39 When the sheep mated in front of the branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban's flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban's flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob became extremely prosperous. He owned large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys. *Prayer:* Lord, when it is time for me to change where I am or what I am doing may it not be necessary to engage in schemes to break-free. *Commentary* After the birth of many sons and a daughter Jacob decides that it is time to return home. Laban has figured out that he is benefiting from Jacob's presence because the God of Abraham and Issac is blessing Jacob, so he does not want Jacob to leave. Jacob senses an opportunity and negotiates an arrangement to separate the animals in which he is certain to benefit and which Laban, blinded by selfish greed, does not see Jacob's scheme. Jacob manipulates the breeding process so that the marked animals that Laban promised him are healthier, larger, and more plentiful. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Jacob had served Laban well, indeed Laban had taken great advantage of Jacob, so when Jacob asked to return home Laban's selfishness set him up to be taken advantage of in return. *Discuss this:* Jacob's scheme with the striped branches does not appear to have any basis in science, or did it? How might it have worked? *Reflect on this:* Might God have led Jacob to use the striped branch system so that He could bless him and get him on-track to return home? *Share this:* When have you sensed a call from God to change where you were or what you were doing and someone or some thing was blocking your way? What happened? *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you both the "roadblock(s)" between you and what He has planned for you and the way around or through it/them. *Action:* I will prayerfully identify a place of change God has been asking me to make in my life. I will ask a mature believer "elder" to pray and seek God's affirmation. If affirmed then I agree to then prayerfully what are the roadblocks and how God would have me overcome them -- then do so. *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Thursday's text will be: Genesis 31:1-18/ * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pastordavid at bibleseven.com Wed Jun 30 18:08:09 2010 From: pastordavid at bibleseven.com (pastordavid at bibleseven.com) Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:08:09 -0400 Subject: [Linux4christians] Genesis 31:1-18 (Thursday) Message-ID: <4C2BC049.1090305@bibleseven.com> *Genesis 31:1-18 (Thursday)* Jacob's Flight from Laban 31:1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were complaining, "Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich at our father's expense!" 31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban's face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. 31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. I will be with you." 31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah to come to the field where his flocks were. 31:5 There he said to them, "I can tell that your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I've worked for your father as hard as I could, 31:7 but your father has humiliated me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wage,' then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, 'The streaked animals will be your wage,' then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father's livestock and given them to me. 31:10 "Once during breeding season I saw in a dream that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, 'Jacob!' 'Here I am!' I replied. 31:12 Then he said, 'Observe that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the sacred stone and made a vow to me. Now leave this land immediately and return to your native land.'" 31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, "Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father's house? 31:15 Hasn't he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted the money paid for us! 31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you." 31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. 31:18 He took away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. *Prayer:* Lord, even when we are careless and unfaithful God is caring and faithful. He watches over His children and provides for us even when we are unaware. *Commentary* As we speculated in the previous study God was indeed preparing the way for Jacob to return home. Laban's sons, as selfish as their father, observed the blessings of God upon Jacob and were resentful. Jacob saw the jealousy and unhappiness in Laban's eyes, replacing his sense of familial affection and pride at his initial cleverness in manipulating Jacob, and recognized that it was time to part company. God came to Jacob in a dream and showed him how He had been blessing him and then instructed Jacob to return home. Jacob shared this with Rachel who observed that her father had "sold" Leah and her to Jacob and then wasted all of the money, that Jacob was now the one with the resources, so she encouraged him to gather things up and move home. Jacob wasted no time in gathering those resources that could be moved and heading home. *Interaction* *Consider this:* Laban and his sons had lived well as a result of Jacob's presence -- it is often true that those near to one who is blessed by God are themselves indirectly blessed. *Discuss this:* It appears that Jacob's awareness of God's caring presence has grown. Given the history of his grandfather, Abraham, does it seem odd that it required a dream and so many blessings for Jacob to recognize God's active presence in his life? *Reflect on this:* Jacob has served Laban for at least 14 years, trapped in a land far from his home, gaining sons and a daughter and many resources but not where God wants him to be. *Share this:* When have you found yourself trapped in a situation where you are working hard in a church/religious environment and you were seeing physical fruit (perhaps expanding buildings and programs and adding people) but not the spiritual fruit that God says is more important? Did God finally get your attention and call you out of that into something more focused on what is eternally important? [Note: The intent here is not to condemn all "church" buildings and programs but to encourage a careful assessment of priorities.] *Faith in Action* *Prayer:* Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where your labors and resources are being invested in what is not eternal and diverted away from what is -- and how you might change that. *Action:* I will engage in a prayerful conversation with the Holy Spirit as I study the Word of God, and inquire of "elders", in order to discover if I am being a good steward of my time and resources. I will make certain that I am investing in what is eternal much more than that which is temporary. Where I discover an imbalance I agree to adjust my priorities toward the eternal (The "Great Commission" - evangelism and discipleship - which flows from the "Greatest Commandment" - loving people enough to be used of God to share the gift of eternity and to care for them along the way.). *Be Specific* _______________________________________________________________________ */Friday's text will be: Genesis 31:19-35/ * -- Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day! Pastor David ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com Bible Resources: http://bible.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: