It was a while ago that I wrote a web page about why I no longer practiced iridology. I deleted the page to keep the peace with my family, but somehow someone seems to have found it using a net archive like the one I linked to above. He and I have been having an online conversation since Thanksgiving day, and although it will be ending soon it has been an interesting blast into my past. If anyone is in the mood to debate someone in the so-called "alternative medicine" field let me warn you that the type of logic that is used is quite unlike that used in other fields that purport to be driven by science. At the beginning of our discussion I told this new friend that our debate will likely end a draw and that is where it is headed since both of us approach life from very different points of view. The strange thing is that we both have called on Scripture several times in our discussion. It is interesting that the use of Scripture does not preclude one falling into error, but I will not say which one of us is probably in error. That which is a matter of fact to me may very well appear to be a matter of opinion to another.
I will say, however, that it seems to me that a number of Christians in "alternative medicine" are under the opinion that the way of God is the use of "natural" substances to develop health. In other words you will hear many references to "organic" and "natural" and herbal while these same individuals show an aversion to concepts of chemical, processed, or "drug". I know of one man who insists that aspirin is dangerous while white willow bark, from which aspirin is derived, is safe. There isn't really any difference between these two, but this "alternative medicine" practitioner insists that the bark is better because it is "natural". I have been tempted to retort that it is only natural to take the bark then when you accidentally bump into the tree and a piece of bark falls into your mouth, but that would be counter-productive.
It is true that I prefer the flavor of many "organic" vegetables but that is usually because of the fact that they are usually picked more ripe than the "not-organic" vegetables. This whole discussion makes me laugh because if something is not organic than it must be inorganic and a vegetable has carbon atoms so it must be organic. The very label is ludicrous in my mind, but I digress. Unfortunately for the "organic foods" crowd that wants to go back to Eden they always miss one very important point- the foods we have now have been cultivated to be different than they were in the garden of Eden. It is a problem to try to eat "natural" foods in an effort to eat food the way God originally made it because there is not a food that exists as God originally made it. This is true, as I mentioned above, because of ancient to modern cross-breeding, but also because of another Biblical doctrine- the universal corruption of sin.
My current debate with my new-found friend is focusing on this point. I am not going to argue with him here, but simply repeat what I have already stated for those outside our conversation. My new friend insists that God wants us to experience wholeness on earth which will only be attained by eating foods as God gave them to us. You already know my position on this from above, but my friend strongly feels that there is little alternative here. I believe that he would concede that things have changed from the Garden of Eden, but he still believes the principle remains of eating things in their original state. In other words, my new friend preaches consumption of whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables as a large portion of a diet, and the use of herbs instead of drugs when possible. He believes that following these principles along with a few other helps that he provides will allow us to reach wholeness, or in other words, perfect health.
The problem as I see it is that sin has corrupted everything including these whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Certainly a diet high in whole grains and fruits and vegetables is quite desirable. I don't think anyone within conventional medicine debates this, but I also see that sin has hopelessly corrupted life on this earth. Even with all these efforts we will get sick and die someday. The other consideration is that the "natural" herbs that so many like my new friend champion have also suffered the effects of sin. Most of them have poisons that are yet unknown and we are still discovering the toxic effects that lifelong consumption of these substances cause. I told my new friend that his idea of wholeness from God's perfect creation is a nice thought, but not true from Scripture. Of course he thinks I am missing God's point. You might too, but now you know where I stand.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
A Soldier's Christmas
The following (including author's notes) is reposted from http://iwvpa.net/marksm/a_soldie.php It really touched me and so I thought I would pass it on this Vetern's Day.
-Josh
A SOLDIER'S CHRISTMAS
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,Transforming the yard to a winter delight.The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,Secure and surrounded by love I would sleepin perfect contentment, or so it would seem.So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,and I crept to the door just to see who was near.Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years oldPerhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,to the window that danced with a warm fire's lightthen he sighed and he said "It's really all right,I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night"
"Its my duty to stand at the front of the line,that separates you from the darkest of times.No one had to ask or beg or implore me,I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'NamAnd now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,The red white and blue... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,Away from my family, my house and my home,I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,I can carry the weight of killing anotheror lay down my life with my sisters and brotherswho stand at the front against any and all,to insure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no frightYour family is waiting and I'll be all right.""But isn't there something I can do, at the least,"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?It seems all too little for all that you've done,For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,"Just tell us you love us, and never forgetTo fight for our rights back at home while we're gone.To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,to know you remember we fought and we bledis payment enough, and with that we will trust.That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."
©Copyright December 7, 2000 by Michael Marks
Author's Note: A Soldier's Christmas was the first in this series of patriotic writings, drafted on Pearl Harbor Day 2000 when in the wake of the 2000 Presidential Election our nation saw the right of US Armed Forces personnel openly questioned and debated. I felt it unconscionable that at the onset of the Christmas season, those serving to defend our nation would hear anything but our love and support. It is our challenge to stand for their rights at home while they stand for our lives and safety overseas. This poem went out and quickly spread around the world in emails, letters, magazines. I received letters from Marines in Bosnia, soldiers in Okinawa, from a submariner who xeroxed a copy for everyone on his sub. Moms wrote, dads, brothers and sisters. I have saved and cherish every letter and set out to continue writing throughout the year.
-Josh
A SOLDIER'S CHRISTMAS
The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,my daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,Transforming the yard to a winter delight.The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,Secure and surrounded by love I would sleepin perfect contentment, or so it would seem.So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,and I crept to the door just to see who was near.Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years oldPerhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,to the window that danced with a warm fire's lightthen he sighed and he said "It's really all right,I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night"
"Its my duty to stand at the front of the line,that separates you from the darkest of times.No one had to ask or beg or implore me,I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'NamAnd now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,The red white and blue... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,Away from my family, my house and my home,I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,I can carry the weight of killing anotheror lay down my life with my sisters and brotherswho stand at the front against any and all,to insure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no frightYour family is waiting and I'll be all right.""But isn't there something I can do, at the least,"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?It seems all too little for all that you've done,For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,"Just tell us you love us, and never forgetTo fight for our rights back at home while we're gone.To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,to know you remember we fought and we bledis payment enough, and with that we will trust.That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."
©Copyright December 7, 2000 by Michael Marks
Author's Note: A Soldier's Christmas was the first in this series of patriotic writings, drafted on Pearl Harbor Day 2000 when in the wake of the 2000 Presidential Election our nation saw the right of US Armed Forces personnel openly questioned and debated. I felt it unconscionable that at the onset of the Christmas season, those serving to defend our nation would hear anything but our love and support. It is our challenge to stand for their rights at home while they stand for our lives and safety overseas. This poem went out and quickly spread around the world in emails, letters, magazines. I received letters from Marines in Bosnia, soldiers in Okinawa, from a submariner who xeroxed a copy for everyone on his sub. Moms wrote, dads, brothers and sisters. I have saved and cherish every letter and set out to continue writing throughout the year.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Boat the Vote
My sweet little Bug is now four years old and is good for a little chuckle just about every day. Today wasn't any different. My Darling One called to my daughter to get ready this morning as she prepared to step out the door to go vote. My little Bug said, "Where is the boat?" No matter how hard my Darling tried to explain it, my little Bug just couldn't get it. When they finally arrived at the polling station my little One in annoyance announced, "I can't see any water Mommy!" All three of our children dealt with the same frustration around three or four years of age. No matter, they love the "I Voted!" sticker even if there isn't any boating to be had.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Daniel and God's Love
This week we are going to venture into the Old Testament book of Daniel starting with the first chapter. Remember that last week we discussed how the Babylonian army invaded and destroyed Jerusalem, but that was the last of a long line of frightening events that found the people of Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, fighting for their existence after they refused to obey God and forsake their false gods. The events I want to tell you about now happened before Jeremiah was thrown into the cistern or met the destroying armies of the Babylonian Empire.
Jehoahaz the king refused to obey God and God gave his kingdom over to the Egyptian empire that put Jehoiakim, his son, in control of the Kingdom of Judah. Jehoiakim was forced to send quite a bit of gold to Egypt to keep them from destroying his kingdom, but then Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, fought with the Egyptians and began taking over the lands that they had conquered. This put the people of Judah right in the middle of a huge mess. Babylon took over control of Judah and Jehoiakim agreed to pay taxes to Babylon, but he only did it for three years until he decided he had enough and tried to build an army against the Babylonians, so the Babylonians invaded with their armies and Jehoiakim died and his son King Jehoiachin was taken prisoner by the Babylonians along with a large number of people from his kingdom.
Into the middle of this mess were born four boys that have made quite a name for themselves in Biblical history. I believe that these four boys, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were old enough to remember what it was like to try to learn Egyptian ways while wondering if they would be soon forced to use Babylonian money and laws. I am sure that some of the adults the boys knew were teaching their children to worship Egyptian gods while others were learning how to address the gods of the Babylonians in prayer, while other parents were teaching their children to worship the One True God. Daniel and his friends must have been frightened many times by news that huge armies were coming to crush their kings’ resistance to their demands. No one knew if the Babylonians were going to kill everyone, or just make a new king take over the kingdom.
And then one day the armies did come, and they did beat the Jewish army, and they did take over the city. Suddenly the boys were trying to figure out how to speak in a new language to the Chaldean soldiers who were using spears to push them away from their parents and homes into groups of boys very much like them. I am sure that no one knew exactly what was to happen. Would the boys be carried away by the army to learn to become soldiers and fight in other wars? Would the boys become servants to do the hardest work in the empire? Where were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah going to go? What should they do? Many of their friends were already trying to look more like their Babylonian captors in order to keep from being picked on. Many of their friends had learned the names of the Babylonian gods and were learning how to worship them so that they would get on better in their new place, wherever it would be.
Daniel, it is clear, decided early on that no matter what happened he would follow the One True God. His three friends decided that his plan was right and committed to follow the One True God too, no matter how their friends and enemies felt about it. I am sure there was quite a bit of discussion about this decision because Daniel wrote that he and his three friends were the only ones who chose to eat only the foods that would honor God. I am sure that many of the boys that were carried away by the Babylonians argued that if God loved them still He would have kept them from being defeated by the Babylonians. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishae, and Azariah probably had to argue that they knew God loved them, no matter what happened to make it seem like He didn’t.
There are people today who insist the same thing, that if you are truly loved by God you will never have to be in scary situations or do things that you really don’t want to do. These people insist that when something bad happens to God’s people, like being defeated by a bad army, that it proves that God doesn’t care about His people anymore. Daniel would have said, “No! God still has a plan that we don’t understand, but that makes it more important that we obey Him!”
What should Daniel and his friends have done? Should they allow themselves to act more like their enemies so that they would be able to survive, or stand for God no matter if it meant they would die? God had let their enemies take them away from their homes and families; it would seem that He wouldn’t care what happened to them in the foreign land. But Daniel and his friends didn’t care. They still decided to obey. When they got to Babylon their enemies changed their names to sound more like the false gods that Daniel and his friends didn’t like. This is why we remember Daniel’s three friends by other names- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, but no matter how often they heard themselves called by names of false gods, they insisted on obeying the One True God.
And then the King of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar, did something that made perfect sense- He offered these new members of his kingdom the very best food he could offer. He told his people to serve the Judean captives the very food and wine that he would eat. The king did this to make his new workers as smart as possible. Remember that good food is brain food. The king planned on teaching these boys everything there was to know about science, and language, and history so that they could help him run his government. For these boys this was the opportunity of a lifetime. They could do things that may have not been possible back home. King Nebuchadnezzar, it seemed, was treating them better than their own God. There was no need to say no thanks to their new king and act like they were better than him, but Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael did say “No thank you!” They knew that whatever meat they were served was prepared in honor of a false god, and that the wine would be made in honor of a false god so they decided to eat the only safe food they could think of- vegetables.
The king’s chamberlain was very upset. In Babylon the king’s food was considered brain food. If these boys were allowed to eat whatever they wanted, when they stood before the king to be tested they would look really bad and the king would look at the chamberlain as if he did something very wrong. It is possible that the chamberlain would lose his life if he let Daniel get away with this. Daniel would not change his mind. “Try it for ten days and see how we look. If we look worse than the other boys, we will eat whatever you give us.” There was no promise by God that this plan would work. You can read throughout the whole law in the book of Leviticus and you will see that God never said that if you eat my way in an enemy’s land you will look better than anyone else, but Daniel and his friends trusted that God would do whatever was necessary to make it possible for them to obey Him.
So they tested the four boys, and ten days later, Daniel, Azariah, Mishael, and Hananiah were better looking than any of the other boys that came from Judah with them. There are a lot of possible ways that God could have done this. Some people believe that if we eat only vegetables now, we will be as smart as Daniel and his friends; others think that what happened was a miracle. However God worked it out, He proved to these boys that He was going to back them up. This was God’s way of telling His boys that even though they were far away from His temple and His people, they were not far from Him if they kept their hearts following Him.
The final test came when a while later they had their final test before King Nebuchadnezzar and he found that they learned better, and could think quicker than any of the other boys. God used the obedience of these four young men to put men who loved Him into some very important places in the enemy’s kingdom.
Our verse this week is John 10:11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” In this historical account that I just told you God acted like a shepherd and led his young men into a way of acting that proved His power even in a strange land. God proved that He loves His people no matter how badly it seems that He is treating them. It looked to everyone that God didn’t care anymore, how else could we explain the fact that He let bad men carry His people away? But in reality God loved His people, and He still does. God put Daniel, Azariah, Mishael, and Hananiah in the perfect place to get things ready for His people to one day return to their homeland. God proved that He loves His people in all of History.
Jehoahaz the king refused to obey God and God gave his kingdom over to the Egyptian empire that put Jehoiakim, his son, in control of the Kingdom of Judah. Jehoiakim was forced to send quite a bit of gold to Egypt to keep them from destroying his kingdom, but then Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, fought with the Egyptians and began taking over the lands that they had conquered. This put the people of Judah right in the middle of a huge mess. Babylon took over control of Judah and Jehoiakim agreed to pay taxes to Babylon, but he only did it for three years until he decided he had enough and tried to build an army against the Babylonians, so the Babylonians invaded with their armies and Jehoiakim died and his son King Jehoiachin was taken prisoner by the Babylonians along with a large number of people from his kingdom.
Into the middle of this mess were born four boys that have made quite a name for themselves in Biblical history. I believe that these four boys, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were old enough to remember what it was like to try to learn Egyptian ways while wondering if they would be soon forced to use Babylonian money and laws. I am sure that some of the adults the boys knew were teaching their children to worship Egyptian gods while others were learning how to address the gods of the Babylonians in prayer, while other parents were teaching their children to worship the One True God. Daniel and his friends must have been frightened many times by news that huge armies were coming to crush their kings’ resistance to their demands. No one knew if the Babylonians were going to kill everyone, or just make a new king take over the kingdom.
And then one day the armies did come, and they did beat the Jewish army, and they did take over the city. Suddenly the boys were trying to figure out how to speak in a new language to the Chaldean soldiers who were using spears to push them away from their parents and homes into groups of boys very much like them. I am sure that no one knew exactly what was to happen. Would the boys be carried away by the army to learn to become soldiers and fight in other wars? Would the boys become servants to do the hardest work in the empire? Where were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah going to go? What should they do? Many of their friends were already trying to look more like their Babylonian captors in order to keep from being picked on. Many of their friends had learned the names of the Babylonian gods and were learning how to worship them so that they would get on better in their new place, wherever it would be.
Daniel, it is clear, decided early on that no matter what happened he would follow the One True God. His three friends decided that his plan was right and committed to follow the One True God too, no matter how their friends and enemies felt about it. I am sure there was quite a bit of discussion about this decision because Daniel wrote that he and his three friends were the only ones who chose to eat only the foods that would honor God. I am sure that many of the boys that were carried away by the Babylonians argued that if God loved them still He would have kept them from being defeated by the Babylonians. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishae, and Azariah probably had to argue that they knew God loved them, no matter what happened to make it seem like He didn’t.
There are people today who insist the same thing, that if you are truly loved by God you will never have to be in scary situations or do things that you really don’t want to do. These people insist that when something bad happens to God’s people, like being defeated by a bad army, that it proves that God doesn’t care about His people anymore. Daniel would have said, “No! God still has a plan that we don’t understand, but that makes it more important that we obey Him!”
What should Daniel and his friends have done? Should they allow themselves to act more like their enemies so that they would be able to survive, or stand for God no matter if it meant they would die? God had let their enemies take them away from their homes and families; it would seem that He wouldn’t care what happened to them in the foreign land. But Daniel and his friends didn’t care. They still decided to obey. When they got to Babylon their enemies changed their names to sound more like the false gods that Daniel and his friends didn’t like. This is why we remember Daniel’s three friends by other names- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, but no matter how often they heard themselves called by names of false gods, they insisted on obeying the One True God.
And then the King of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar, did something that made perfect sense- He offered these new members of his kingdom the very best food he could offer. He told his people to serve the Judean captives the very food and wine that he would eat. The king did this to make his new workers as smart as possible. Remember that good food is brain food. The king planned on teaching these boys everything there was to know about science, and language, and history so that they could help him run his government. For these boys this was the opportunity of a lifetime. They could do things that may have not been possible back home. King Nebuchadnezzar, it seemed, was treating them better than their own God. There was no need to say no thanks to their new king and act like they were better than him, but Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael did say “No thank you!” They knew that whatever meat they were served was prepared in honor of a false god, and that the wine would be made in honor of a false god so they decided to eat the only safe food they could think of- vegetables.
The king’s chamberlain was very upset. In Babylon the king’s food was considered brain food. If these boys were allowed to eat whatever they wanted, when they stood before the king to be tested they would look really bad and the king would look at the chamberlain as if he did something very wrong. It is possible that the chamberlain would lose his life if he let Daniel get away with this. Daniel would not change his mind. “Try it for ten days and see how we look. If we look worse than the other boys, we will eat whatever you give us.” There was no promise by God that this plan would work. You can read throughout the whole law in the book of Leviticus and you will see that God never said that if you eat my way in an enemy’s land you will look better than anyone else, but Daniel and his friends trusted that God would do whatever was necessary to make it possible for them to obey Him.
So they tested the four boys, and ten days later, Daniel, Azariah, Mishael, and Hananiah were better looking than any of the other boys that came from Judah with them. There are a lot of possible ways that God could have done this. Some people believe that if we eat only vegetables now, we will be as smart as Daniel and his friends; others think that what happened was a miracle. However God worked it out, He proved to these boys that He was going to back them up. This was God’s way of telling His boys that even though they were far away from His temple and His people, they were not far from Him if they kept their hearts following Him.
The final test came when a while later they had their final test before King Nebuchadnezzar and he found that they learned better, and could think quicker than any of the other boys. God used the obedience of these four young men to put men who loved Him into some very important places in the enemy’s kingdom.
Our verse this week is John 10:11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” In this historical account that I just told you God acted like a shepherd and led his young men into a way of acting that proved His power even in a strange land. God proved that He loves His people no matter how badly it seems that He is treating them. It looked to everyone that God didn’t care anymore, how else could we explain the fact that He let bad men carry His people away? But in reality God loved His people, and He still does. God put Daniel, Azariah, Mishael, and Hananiah in the perfect place to get things ready for His people to one day return to their homeland. God proved that He loves His people in all of History.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)