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Mulims And Christians Do Not Worship The Same God

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

This should not surprise anyone who has studied both Christianity and Islam; here again is another reminder that Muslims and Christians do not worship the same God.  Gaddafi recently spoke to 200 Italian women in an attempt to convert them to Islam.  One interesting comment he makes is that Jesus did not die on the cross – a man who looked like Jesus did.  Muslims do not deny that Jesus lived or that he was a prophet (read the Koran) – but they do deny his death and resurrection, his deity, which is the foundation of a Christian’s belief.  Story can be found here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33990163/ns/us_news-faith/

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Mecca Redesign & Curious Statements Concerning al-Aqsa Mosque

Thursday, June 18, 2009

I ran across both of these bits of news on the same day several weeks ago.  Apparently  King Abdullah ben Adbulaziz (Saudi Arabia) is sponsoring a multi-billion dollar re-design of Mecca: Article, Pictures, Video.

Normally I wouldn’t find this information that interesting or surprising except that I came across this bit of news the same day.  SheikhRadd Salah, leader of the Northern Wing of the Islamic Movement in Israel, makes the following statement at a conference organized by website Islam Online in Doha, Qatar:

“Netanyahu is about to build the false Temple, and when the Jews build the Temple they will do so upon the ruins of the Al-Aqsa [Mosque].”

On the ruins of the mosque?  It is still standing as of today; I am curious as to how SheikhRadd Salah believes it will end up in ruins.  In light of the fact that Al-Aqsa mosque is only the third most sacred site for Islam, and that first most sacred site (Mecca) may be receiving a major upgrade, it could be that a time is soon coming in which the Arab world will decide to forfeit/abandon/leave their claim to the Temple Mount.  As much of a bargaining chip as the Temple Mount is for the Arabs, Radd Salah’s statements and Mecca’s re-design tend to make me believe that their forfeit or forcible removal from the mount is not that far-fetched, and may come sooner than later.

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Laodicean: A Profetic Word Out Of The Mouth Of A Child?

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

 I was reading the news about a week ago and realized that the winning word for the Scripps National Spelling Bee this year was “Laodicean” – defined in most dictionaries as:

 1. Of or relating to Laodicea.

2. Indifferent or lukewarm especially in matters of religion.

 It is the second definition that is of most interest to me. In Revelation Jesus instructs John to write seven letters to seven churches, one of them being the church of Laodicea. Generally the message is one of judgement with a call to repentance.

 Revelation 3:15-16 (New King James Version)

15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

 Revelation 3:17-18 (New King James Version)

17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

I can’t help but look at the sad state of the church in America and think that Jesus is speaking directly to us (I’m sure I am not alone in this opinion); I also don’t believe for a second that the word Laodicean came up by chance at this point in our nation’s history. Looking through all of the Scripp National Spelling Bee winning words, there have been only two proper nouns selected that were spelled correctly: Laodicean, and interestingly enough, the other was Purim. Hmm. The word, with its associated Biblical meaning and ramifications, has been “injected” into the American conscious again out of the mouth of a child. I just wonder if anyone is listening.

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PEACE – it’s fourty years old…

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Peace Symbol

 

I ran across this in National Geographic last night; the PEACE symbol is 40 years old this year.  It was created by a British designer, Gerald Holtom, in 1958 for anti-nuclear demonstrations.  The origin of the symbol is very interesting and can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_symbol#The_peace_symbol

PEACE -

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Don’t Waste Your Life

Monday, June 30, 2008

I have become a fan of John Piper over the last month after I ran across his blog feed (www.desiringgod.org) through Google’s Reader recommendation system.  I can summarize why I appreciate his preaching/teaching so much in two points: 1) he preaches from the Bible, not his own imagination, and 2) he is disgusted with “prosperity preaching” that floods many churches and Christian TV.  It is the second point that really resonated with me because John Piper practices what he preaches; all of his sermons, books, study guides, etc. are available for free in mp3, mp4 and PDF formats on his website.  Looking through his books I ran across “Don’t Waste Your Life” which immediately caught my attention as this is a topic that is near-and-dear to my heart. 

What motivates us to do anything?  What is worth pursuing?  In the end, will anything that I have done have any eternal worth or am I just plodding along in vain?  These are obviously not easy questions to answer, and every person usually has their own answer.  I have read the first chapter and I really like Piper’s approach and style; he is a very educated man and I sure he could make a small fortune off of all of his writings.  It is the fact that he gives it all away for free that gives me so much joy.  Here is a man who is striving to live a life that is not wasted, following God’s will for his life the best he can, and putting his purpose before his prosperity.  Anyways, if this is a topic that strikes a cord with you, his book “Don’t Waste Your Life” can be found here: http://www.desiringgod.org/media/pdf/books_dwyl/dwyl_full.pdf.

All of his (and others’) books are available in PDF form here: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/

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Evernote Invites

Thursday, May 8, 2008

I have just started using Evernote (http://www.evernote.com/) today and it appears to be a lot like Google’s Notebook, which I LOVE, but appears to be about 100 times more useful and capable.  Anyways – in the off chance that you read this and are looking for invites (Evernote is in private beta) – leave a comment here and an address and I will send you an invite until I run out (I have 10).

 

Jeremy.

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Hidden Microsoft Jewel – “Sync Toy” Folder Syncronization Tool

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Sync Toy

I was searching for a simple and free application to do folder synchronization on my computer.  I wanted a tool with a little more flexibility than having to manually “select all”, “copy”, “paste”, and then pick and choose what should be over-written, copied as new, etc.  In my search I came across a free tool from Microsoft called “Sync Toy”. 

Sync Toy is tucked away on Microsoft’s site under “professional photography downloads” and a simple application for copying, moving, renaming, and deleting files between folders and computers (particularly photographs).  There are many options that let you decide which folder acts as the source and which acts as the recipient (you can create just about any combination that suites your needs).  Basically you create a paring between the “left” and the “right” folder, and then define the type of “relationship” that they should have to one another.  When you want to sync, just pick the pair from the list and hit “run”. 

Sync Toy is a very powerful little tool and the only trace that it leaves behind is a hidden text file called “SyncToyDirectoryId.txt” in both of the paired directories.  It is free so try it out.

Stable v1.4 Release: Here

Beta v2.0 Release: Here

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A Jewish Perspective Of The Temple Mount – VIDEO

Saturday, March 22, 2008

My brother sent me a link to this three-part video and I am very thankful; Rabbi Chaim Richman takes us on a video tour of the Temple Mount in strict accordance with Jewish halachic law.  As a Christian I find the Rabbi’s perspective both fascinating and sad, as he shows such true love and compassion towards God, but does not yet know/accept God’s son.  The video is invaluable for anyone who wants a quick history lesson about the Temple Mount and who wants to witness, first-hand, the injustice done to the Jews by the hands of the Moslems.  The video is split into three parts and can be watched on-line, or downloaded.  Don’t miss it, link below:

 Video: http://universaltorah.com/programming/2008/01/31/exclusive-temple-mount-footage.htm

Also – here is an overhead view of the Temple Mount from Google Maps:


View Larger Map

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What The Hell Is Helvetica?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Helvetica 

Ask ten people what Helvetica is and you will most likely get this response: 7 will tell you they have no idea, 2 will say that it is a font, and 1 will tell you it is a typeface.  Although “font” is technically correct, “typeface” is probably more accurate, and if you know this, you might be a snob. 

So why watch a documentary about a typeface?  Strangely enough, though few recognize or admit it, typefaces (fonts) have a significant effect on us everyday.  Every printed letter exists in some typeface (what your reading right now is Times New Roman), and that typeface effects not only the read-ability of a text, but the emotion that it conveys as well.  Wait a minute…

Did he just say fonts effect my emotions?!  No, I said typeface effects your emotions (cause I just might be a bit of a snob on this topic).  If you strongly agree or disagree with this statement, you should watch this documentary.  I was fortunate to grow up with a close friend who became a graphic artist and industrial designer, who opened my eyes to the power that something as simple as a “font” can have on a viewer.  Helvetica, the documentary, does just this; it tells not only the history of the Helvetica typeface, but also conveys the power of typography, graphic design and global visual culture.  It is a very concise and visually beautiful film that just might make you think twice the next time you pick a font and start typing a report for work.

 Here is a link to the film’s website: http://www.helveticafilm.com/

Check it out – watch it – and next time we meet we can have a few beers and debate once and for all whether “serifs” or “sans serifs” rule!

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Who is TED?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

TED 

If you haven’t visited http://www.ted.com/ yet, then you need to right now!  Who is TED, you ask?  Turns out, TED is no-one; TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design.  What started out as an attempt to combine these three fields into one harmonious meeting of the minds has grown into something truly wonderful.  TED conferences, currently held yearly in Monterey California and other global locations, bring together many speakers from very diverse backgrounds from all around the world.  In the true spirit of sharing knowledge, TED makes these talks available by streaming and download for FREE on their website!

 Talks are generally 20 minutes or less, and therefore, very to the point.  Topic range wildly, from science, economics and design, to art, literature and mathematics.  You can search for talks using common queries like subject matter or speaker, or in more interesting ways, like “most inspiring” or “most ingenious.”  You would be hard pressed to not find something that turns your crank.  One feature I particularly like is TED’s built in video viewer.  You have all the common features like play, stop, pause, forward/reverse and volume, but you also get an interesting overlay when you place the mouse over the video.  An overlay pop-up appears at the bottom of the video and shows the content of the talk in a time-line fashion.  This time-line allows you to skip to a particular part of the talk that may be of more interest to you, and definitely helps if you want to show someone else just one part of a talk in particular. 

There are so many good speakers and topics its hard to know where to start; my personal two favorites are:

#1: Ron Eglash: African fractals, in buildings and braids - this one is awesome!

#2: Vusi Mahlasela: “Thula Mama” – my favorite new artist, this guy is amazing (I reviewed his latest CD here)!

 There is a wealth of free knowledge available on the web, but rarely is it presented in such a fun, clean, and creative manner.

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