We Will Return, Part II

October 2, 2011 by 1 Comment

According to Haaretz News, Hamas leader Khaled Meshal said, “Palestinians must resort to resistance no matter how costly it is, until Palestine is free and Israel is destroyed (emphasis added).”

That was said in Iran at an international conference supporting the Palestinian Intifada, which was headlined by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei was quite outspoken regarding the two-state solution. Among other things, he said, “Our claim is freedom of Palestine, not part of Palestine. Any plan that partitions Palestine is totally rejected,” And, as if he was intentionally confirming the content of my last post, he clarified, “Palestine spans from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean), nothing less.”

Other reports from/about the conference:
-The full text of Khamenei’s speech is provided by the Islamic Republic News Agency.
-The Arab Monitor also has some commentary.

Filed Under: Israel, Middle East, Palestine, Thinkers

We Will Return!!!

September 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Many people who are discussing a “two-state solution” to the Middle East problem are unaware of the sentiment and symbolism expressed in this photo:

The key in the photo can be found at the southern entrance to Jericho and is used both as a reminder and a warning. It is used as a reminder to the Arab people that they have an obligation to regain any territories that are considered to be stolen by the Jews (i.e. the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea). Also, it should be understood by the West to be a warning that a Jewish state is ultimately unacceptable in the neighborhood.

The key in the photo isn’t a unique example; it’s actually a well-known symbol among Palestinian refugees, many of whom still hold keys to property they (or their predecessors) left in 1948. This is why the final disposition of the Palestinian refugees “right of return” (to Israel or Palestine) and the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state are critical issues in the negotiations between the two sides in any discussion of a two-state solution.

“The Key” demonstrates that it’s much more complicated than simply having the UN declare a Palestinian state as was requested last Friday.

Filed Under: Israel, Middle East, Muslims, Palestine, Photography, Thinkers

Word Picture of the Day: How Dangerous Can a Fool Be?

August 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Proverbs 17:12 NASB – “Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.”

This Proverb effectively uses a word picture because everybody knows a mama bear is fiercely protective of her cubs and that it is unwise to cross her path when she’s worried about her cub(s). Far fewer people think of fools as being as dangerous as an angry mama bear. However, the Bible warns us that fools are more dangerous than angry bears.

Be careful whose path you cross.

Filed Under: Proverbs, Thinkers, Word Pictures

Tweeting in Church

June 9, 2011 by 1 Comment

A growing number of people (including pastors) have suggested Tweeting reactions during the sermon is a good thing. Some pastors have even encouraged their congregation to interact with the sermon in this way, and will try to respond within the framework of the sermon.

Someone asked me what I thought about that. Here’s my answer:

First, while my general reaction is fairly negative, I can’t say that nothing good could come from Tweeting during the sermon, but . . .

I think serious and sober consideration should be given to these pitfalls of Tweeting during the sermon:

Being self-centered: Tweeting seems to say, “Here’s what I think was cool about the sermon. It’s important that my followers know what I think about what was said.”

Juvenile behavior: Tweeting during the sermon seems to be little more than impetuous pass-alongs of what hit me just now, with no time to give consideration to the rightness or wrongness of the statement, or the implication of implementing what was just said only 2 seconds ago. Some things deserve more than a few moments of reflection.

Distraction to the Tweeter or others: Admittedly, I’m not capable of texting without lengthy concentration . . . (where’s the y?) . . . so it would definitely be distracting to me. “What did he say while I was Tweeting?” What about the constant “chimping” up and down the row and in front of me? Of course, I’m easily distracted by those kinds of things. I assume others are, too.


Temptation to do something else: If I don’t value what he’s talking about right now, I can just surf the net and find something that is interesting to me. BUT what about what he might say in a minute that will give clear value/meaning to what he just said that I didn’t find valuable? Everything can’t be said at one time, so why don’t I just hold on and hear the whole package? Why is TMZ.com so much more interesting during the sermon?

Filed Under: Social Commentary, Thinkers

The Day After: Beware

May 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I can’t think I would need to remind ANYONE that a certain man/Bible teacher/prophet (or whatever he actually is) predicted specific end times events would occur yesterday. And, in the aftermath of none of them coming to pass, I want to offer a word of caution to those born again Christians who have been or are starting to scoff at this man and his prediction(s) . . . and end time events.

It’s a fine line between mocking him and ending up mocking the rapture of the saints or the Lord’s return, whichever you happen to have understood him to be predicting. As May 21, 2011 approached, I watched many Christians blog/tweet/comment to the effect that “the Bible teaches that we can’t know, so this guy is a crackpot for saying so dogmatically that he knows the day . . . and this isn’t the first time he’s done this!” That’s all well and good, but we need to be careful that we don’t begin to mock the events themselves.

I found some of the bloggers and tweeters following the deadline as it moved through the various timezones easily crossing the line to essentially say, “See, I knew it wouldn’t happen today. Today is just like yesterday, which was just like the day before.” That kind of blogging/tweeting is very close to “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. (2 Peter 3:4 NASB)”

And we don’t get a free pass to mock because a “crackpot” has predicted a certain day. Neither do we get a pass to believe that nothing can happen today because someone predicted this date. The Lord’s hand isn’t stopped because someone disobediently or incorrectly issued a time line.

In reverse order: the scriptures encourage us to look expectantly for the coming of the day of God (2 Peter 3:11-13), not be ignorant that the “slowness” of God’s promise is actually a sign of God’s patience toward us (3:8-9), and beware that scoffers will arise in the last day questioning the Lord’s coming (3:3-4).

So, in these days after, let’s please be careful that we don’t follow the path of scoffers regarding God’s promises just because someone did what they weren’t supposed to do.

Filed Under: 2 Peter, Prophecy, Social Commentary, Thinkers
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