Faith and Philosphy

One of my favourite songs I discovered when attending fellowship for the first time in my late teens was “Now unto Him” also known as a Doxology of Jude 24 - 25 A “Glory be” Jude is possibly an older brother of Jesus. When Mary married Joseph, Joseph may have had children as a widower. Possibly Jude was older than Mary? During Jesus’ ministry we find out his family were against him. Jude was an early Christian following the resurrection. Over the following decades he was a leader. As an educated man, he wrote down things he had been saying. How had he felt knowing he had rejected Christ in life, but come to know Him after crucifixion? We get a sense of it in his words === The passage Jude 24-25 comes from the New Testament of the Bible, specifically from the Epistle of Jude. Here is the passage from the English Standard Version (ESV): "24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Here's a breakdown of the verses: Verse 24: "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling": This phrase expresses the power and capability of God to protect believers from falling into sin or error. "And to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy": The verse emphasizes the ultimate purpose of God to present believers as blameless and full of joy in His presence. Verse 25: "To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord": This statement affirms the unique role of God as the Savior, with Jesus Christ serving as the means through which salvation is achieved. "Be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever": The verse ascribes attributes such as glory, majesty, dominion, and authority to God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. "Amen": The word "Amen" is a declaration of affirmation or agreement, often used to conclude prayers or statements of faith. The overall theme of these verses is a doxology—a short hymn or expression of praise—that magnifies the attributes of God and acknowledges His power to preserve believers and present them blameless. The passage exalts God's eternal nature, giving Him glory and authority throughout all time. It is a fitting conclusion to the Epistle of Jude, expressing confidence in God's ability to secure the salvation of believers and praising Him for His eternal attributes.

Joseph, Moses and Faith. The bizarre and twisted public debate on faith has long been unseemly and unedifying. Two popular positions at polar opposites fail to encompass a faith based embrace of life devoted to bible reading and fellowship. Either ‘scientific’ understanding based on evolution as a theory paradigm, or ‘creationist’ understanding based on a literal view of the Bible in its’ evolved form, is all that is encompassed in public discourse. A celebrated trial, known as the ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ dating back to 1925 in Tennessee, had ‘decided’ on the state view of creationism, but later was overturned in favour of ‘science.’ Only the so called science embraced Nazi style ideology of race understood through phrenology and the ‘creationism’ that the state had posited was rejected by legislator who posited it who said he hadn’t thought through the implications. There are those in todays polarised world who embrace either extreme. However, faith seems more numerously to be embraced by working scientists, and members of the clergy, who take the view that evolution is a theory that aptly describes how life adapts over time, and that biblical faith is not a view of the Bible being a science text book, but the word of the Living God, which shows God gradually revealing himself to his people over time. The old testament of the Bible, after the fall of the first temple, and as the second is being built, admits that elements of the text had been forgotten and reincorporated as part of the reconsecration. Only the reinstated texts are not highlighted. So, the Bible is the word of God, not a science textbook. The world was not made in six twenty four hour days, but God’s relationship with man evolved from the world, and the Bible illustrates this over a thousand years as people of faith responded to God’s revelation. We have two historical people who have some resemblance to two mythical figures of the Bible. Senenmut resembles Moses in some aspects. Yu-ya resembles Joseph in some aspects. I am asking the question, were Senenmut and Yu-ya the inspiration for the Biblical narratives revealing God? If they were, then the narrative is seen in a new light. Joseph was born after Moses. It does not diminish the Bible, but provides a new understanding for the faithful. Senenmut Moses Senenmut was an 18th Dynasty ancient Egyptian architect and government official. He was born to literate provincial parents, Ramose and Hatnofer, from Iuny (modern Armant) and was of low commoner birth. Senenmut is known to have had three brothers (Amenemhet, Minhotep, and Pairy) and two sisters (Ahhotep and Nofrethor). However, only Minhotep is named outside chapel TT71 and tomb TT353, in an inventory on the lid of a chest found in the burial chamber of Ramose and Hatnofer. More information is known about Senenmut than many other non-royal Egyptians because the joint tomb of his parents (the construction of which Senenmut supervised himself) was discovered intact by the Metropolitan Museum in the mid-1930s and preserved1. Senenmut first enters the historical record on a national level as the “Steward of the God’s Wife” (Hatshepsut) and “Steward of the King’s Daughter” (Neferure). After Hatshepsut was crowned pharaoh, Senenmut was given more prestigious titles and became high steward of the king. Senenmut supervised the quarrying, transport, and erection of twin obelisks, at the time the tallest in the world, at the entrance to the Temple of Karnak. Neither stands today though they were commemorated in the Chapelle Rouge. Karnak’s Red Chapel was intended as a barque shrine and may have originally stood between the two obelisks. Senenmut’s masterpiece building project was the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, also known as the Djeser-Djeseru, designed and implemented by Senenmut on a site on the west bank of the Nile, close to the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. In some ways Senenmut was Moses. He seems to have been adopted by Hatshepsut as a young girl, and then raised as a prince of Egypt. He was an Egyptian architect. For some reason, towards Senenmut’s later years, or soon after, he was erased from history by a successor to Hatshepsut. We don’t know why. He has been portrayed as Hatshepsut’s husband or consort, but he may have been an adopted son instead. The name ‘Moses’ may well be related by an adoptive brother, Pharoah Tuthmoses. The idea of worship to a single deity may have been carried forward to Akhenaten’s reign. Joseph Yuya Yuya was a powerful ancient Egyptian courtier during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (circa 1390 BC). He was married to Thuya, an Egyptian noblewoman associated with the royal family, who held high offices in the governmental and religious hierarchies. Their daughter, Tiye, became the Great Royal Wife Amenhotep III . Yuya and Thuya are known to have had a son named Anen, who carried the titles “Chancellor of Lower Egypt”, “Second Prophet of Amun”, “Sm-priest of Heliopolis”, and “Divine Father” . They may also have been the parents of Ay, an Egyptian courtier active during the reign of Akhenaten, who eventually became pharaoh as Kheperkheprure Ay . Yu-ya as Joseph may be suggested by his relationship to Pharoah which wasn’t unique, but in time in place may well suggest he was a counsellor who interpreted dreams and was rewarded. The very tombstone name is suggestive that he had been buried under the name of the Lord, but the Egyptians could not pronounce or spell Jahweh. So, I used AI to create an image. The Egyptians Senenmut and Yuya having tea with biblical figures Moses and Joseph on the Nile river with pyramids in the background.

Created for Father's Day 2022 Any might quibble with the historical references. === Love is motivating. Precisely how motivating is moot. One can look to the renaissance but not at mere sculptures or art works. Love motivated the renaissance. Love motivated the renaissance. It began when a young monk, Petrarch, saw a beautiful, virtuous, woman and he realised he loved her. She was never his lustful love object. She was beyond him. She was married. She was kind and gentle. He would be the first to climb a mountain for fun. He would write poetry. And, from his love, the dark ages would end and all would change. From love. The world changed from love. In the story of Cyrano De Bergerac, Cyrano keeps his love for Roxanne to himself. Roxanne sends a message they should meet, discretely. Cyrano is motivated. He is awake all night, winning a hundred duels against bad men. He is wounded when he meets Roxanne and she tends his wound, and tells of her love. Cyrano hopes it is love for him, but discovers it is not. Roxanne commends him on his taciturn behaviour regarding his wound. He says to her he had been braver since. Love is motivating. God loves you, and has loved you. When you rejected God, that is sin. It hurts God. Because He loves you. That is why He gave His Son for you. God loves you so much, He does not want distance from you. God created a way he could abide you, even though you keep rejecting Him. You see, when you faced your battles and trials, and stood victorious even as you were hurt and felt humiliated, God had been braver, and gave you a bridge to come to be with Him. We call Him God the Father. As the good father, he gives us his best. He is worthy of our love and praise. Happy Father's Day https://voiceddb.locals.com/post/2679078/the-renaissance-love-petrarch-and-cyrano-de-bergerac

Beethoven's Ode to Joy He had been profoundly deaf for years Beethoven retired from writing Symphony in 1812, age 42 At age 28, in 1798, Beethoven became aware of tinnitus and growing deafness At age 32, in 1802, Beethoven wrote of his thoughts of suicide from his growing deafness At age 42, Beethoven wrote his 8th Symphony and retired from Symphony writing as he was distracted by ill health and family. On 7th May 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven directed his 9th Symphony. He had been profoundly deaf at this time, and his orchestra was actually directed by another, off stage. Beethoven was a few measures behind come the finale and a young female soloist turned him around so he could see the applause Oh friends, not these sounds!Let us instead strike up more pleasingand more joyful ones! Joy! Joy! These words echoed his 1806 “"Let your deafness no longer be a secret – even in art."” and “"seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not crush me completely"” Ode to Joy has become Europe’s official anthem. The ninth Symphony of Beethoven was the first to use voices as instruments, rather than narrative. Giuseppe Verdi, 1878 “The alpha and omega is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, marvellous in the first three movements, very badly set in the last. No one will ever approach the sublimity of the first movement, but it will be an easy task to write as badly for voices as in the last movement. And supported by the authority of Beethoven, they will all shout: "That's the way to do it..."” Did Verdi miss that the instrument Beethoven used, the voice, was different to other musical instruments? https://voiceddb.locals.com/post/2204775/about-the-deaf-musicians-greatest-work

I recorded the video two ways on my home computer. Firstly as a live video on locals. Secondly as a Photobooth app video on my Mac. Both had a delay of a few beats between my speaking and my mouth moving. But I largely addressed the issue for my Rumble upload === The two stories, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the movie Blade Runner are both to do with a search for God, but not in the same way, and in neither case was the author aware of the full ramifications of their search. It shows God moving in ways that He rarely gets credit for. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein had a beginning, a germ of which began with a dinner being held with Lord Byron, Percy Byshe Shelley and his runaway bride, Mary. First published in 1818, when Mary was twenty years old, she had first considered the book in 1815, when Mary had toured Europe with Percy and Byron. They had had dinner in Gernsheim, eleven miles from Frankenstein castle where two centuries before, an alchemist had been engaged in experiments. Luigi Galvani had discovered ‘animal electricity’ animating the legs of dead frogs. Galvanism was the topic of conversation, and they agreed to write horror stories around the concept. Seventeen year old Mary, persevered. Life got in the way of the story. Percy’s first wife suicided in 1816, and so he married Mary, who was pregnant. Their daughter was prematurely born and soon died. And so Mary had inspiration for her characters and motivations. However, Mary could draw on her whole young life for inspiration. Her celebrated mother, Mary Wollstonecraft had died a month after giving birth to Mary. Mary had struggled accepting her step mother from age 4. By age 15, Mary had rebelled, running away with Percy. Mary’s story Frankenstein, styled as a modern Prometheus, had antecedent ideas from Christianity. She contemplated creation and related it to childbirth as well as electricity, in fusion. However, Frankenstein’s monster was not created by God, and so suffers, lacking a soul. And because the monster has no soul, it is destructive. Mary’s vision is very unsophisticated, but compelling in a pop culture identification. Mary’s concept of using electricity to get the dead to move was a concept scientists in Great Britain tried to explore. They even got approval to test the idea on a prisoner who was executed, and his body was used to see if electricity could effectively animate it. There was pathos in getting the criminal to accept the experiment. The prisoner had killed his wife, and said he knew he deserved to die. However, he feared his animated body might be evil, and kill someone innocent. The experiment failed, with external electricity applied to muscles scalding the skin prior to getting minimal movement. After Percy died by accident in 1822, Mary took on the task of protecting his literary legacy. The movie Blade Runner 1982, produced by Ridley Scott, was a futuristic Frankenstein. While the Christian ethics still surface as pop culture references, the writers included some overlooked content. Towards the end, as the Monster is dying, it is still fighting to live. The Blade Runner is chasing it, then it turns the tables and chases the Blade Runner. In one scene, the monster’s hand is cramping, and it pushes a nail through it. The Blade Runner stumbles and is clinging to a girder for his life. Monster had clasped a dove as it approaches the blade runner clinging to life. Monster could commit a coup de grace, but instead releases the dove, and with the hand with the nail, lifts the blade runner to safety. Then Monster talks of the profound life experiences that will pass when he dies. It is a clear resurrection reference that the director seems to walk back in later films. Many hunger for God, and look for God in movies and books, even unsophisticated work like Mary’s Frankenstein or co-opted works like Blade Runner. Even as many involved may try to devalue the story of Jesus, yet they implicitly include Him in their work. It is not the same as reading the Bible, but it allows insights for those who have. https://voiceddb.locals.com/post/1557695/frankenstein-blade-runner-and-the-search-for-god AUAWN0117122

A prayer for the end of project, and a new beginning Three projects finished on December 31st 2021. I posted a video for every day of the year from Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening. I’d begun the project in 2010 and posted the work on Youtube. But Youtube shadow banned me. So the work is now accessible to millions more people on Rumble. Also, I was given advice to show the references and words for the videos. I’ve done about six months of that. I posted a video for every day of the year on Rumble of a reading from the Bible (NIV). I’d begun the project in 2010 and posted the work on Youtube. But Youtube shadow banned me. So the work is now accessible to millions more people. Halfway through the year I discovered Lumos and began sharing the videos with relevant pictures. Neither of those projects are completely finished, but in the short term, with my impending homelessness and a new job, it may be a long while before I can finish them completely. The third project is posting a year of daily video of my Bible Quote series. 365 Bible Quotes with their back grounds and meanings. It is meant as a discussion starter, not as a complete theological tome. The project completion presages other changes. For the first time in fifteen years, I have full time work. That, for me, is answered prayer. I have to move to get the work. The place I move to, called Bairnsdale in Victoria is some of the most gorgeous land in Australia. A place tourists come to for bush walking and fishing. The land is subject to bushfires and flooding, but if it were perfect, it would be unaffordable. I give thanks to God for my future. I had not been sure I had such a bright one. At the end, family gave me an assist. My new employer is willing to take me on risk. I had lost much. But, my heart is to serve God. I think I came down with COVID Omicron on new years eve. And suddenly, even that is in my past. Thank you Jesus. https://voiceddb.locals.com/post/1535785/a-prayer-for-the-end-of-project-and-a-new-beginning AUAWN0112122

My name is David Daniel Ball. Professionally, I’m a math teacher. But I’m here today because I love God, wish to serve God and God is moving in my life. I’m rich, but I don’t have monetary wealth. I’m not here for myself, but I hope that I can show you who God is in my life, and who He may be in your life. I’m going to ask you to read the letters from John, in the Bible. Not right now, but later. Maybe you will read them prayerfully on your own. Maybe you will read them and share them in fellowship. As you do so, I want you to remember an often misunderstood statement: “God is love.” God is love. I was raised as an atheist by parents who trained me to distrust God and spit in His eye. People could tell me about God and I could tell them why they were stupid. God cannot build a bridge He could not cross. That is a language creation designed to exploit ultimates. An infinitely strong deity who can create all things, must be able to create anything. Including a bridge that cannot be crossed. And be able to cross that bridge, meaning they could not build that bridge. Such a God could not possibly exist. God is love. God is love is an expression used by God’s enemies to discredit God. The puritan Cromwell, leading his Ironsides as Lord Protector of England over 400 years ago had a siege cannon at Ireland’s town of Drogheda with the words on the cannon’s lips. The cannon broke the defences and Cromwell ordered no quarter given to the inhabitants. God is love. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Christian who stood up to Hitler’s Nazis and policy. He wasn’t violent. He spoke persuasively. He was faithful to God and so Hitler ordered him killed. Dietrich could have recanted publicly, and kept his views private, like others did. But Dietrich stood on conscience. God is love. God is love. I cannot tell you precisely what those words mean to you. I can share a bit of what they mean to me. I was weak after I first became a Christian. I was angry. I achieved much with hubris. And I found enemies, because I looked for enemies, not for friends. In anger, I made enemies at work, and at home. But there are things I wanted in my life I could not get from enemies. I had not understood God is Love. God is love. There are things I wanted in my life and they never happened. I could point the finger at others, but it was because I was so angry. I wanted family. I wanted a career. I wanted to build things and to be able to look back with satisfaction at my personal achievements, or those of my family. And every opportunity passed. God is love. God is love. He gave me things I wanted. But, not in a traditional order. After I lost my career, I was using social media and happened on a foreign girl wanting help with English. I worked with her online, encouraging her to come to Australia and go to university here. She needed a little help, and someone to share her journey. And for a time, I could call Tammy ‘my daughter.’ And now she has a degree, a good man as a husband and she has started her family. God is love. God is love. I had wanted to raise children, to be there when they were vulnerable, and point the way to God. I was living in a share house and an Ice addict went berserk and wanted to kill me. A stranger I met on social media invited me to rent a room in his home. I spent some five years with his young family. I did not have skills I needed to work with young kids. But they taught me. And now I dream of the day I can share stories with them when they are adults. God is love. After reading the bible, I read it again. Then I read it aloud and shared the video on Youtube. Then Rumble after Youtube shadow banned me. Then I found 365 common bible quotes and wrote about the background and history to them. I wanted to find out about God. God is love. I was driven to understand who God is after a dream I had had as an atheist child. It was one of those dreams where you feel you can fly or float. And I felt beset by evil. But, I entered a sanctuary, stone cave. I found a throne room and behind the throne room I sensed loved ones from my family I had never known, and a sister who had passed a year earlier. I begged God, whom I realised had authority, to stay. And he said I had not yet known him, but he would send me back for when I would know Him. God is love God is love. My sister, Pam, had died of natural causes, but as a younger girl I’d hurt her terribly. Dinner was being cooked in the kitchen. Pam was allowed to stand on a stool and stir some potato we were boiling. I had wanted to help too, but I felt she would never let me. I grabbed the stool from beneath her, and she fell, spilling the scalding water over herself, including her foot. Doctors needed to cut away her shoe and sock and Pam had permanent scars from that tragedy I caused. What had I done to Pam? Years passed, but she got sicker from kidney disease. She was twelve years old when she was offered a transplant in 1977. In 1978, her body rejected the transplant and she knew she was dying. She asked my mother for permission, and wondered what would become of her. Mother told her she believed she would be reincarnated in a better body, that she deserved. I remember thinking that my mother did not believe that. Pam died in the evening of Valentines Day 1978, age 13 at New York’s Albert Einstein Hospital. A year later, in a dream, I felt her in heaven with God. God is love. God is love. God gave us life. During that time, we can choose Him. We can choose life. But our life is our time to choose. When we die, our choice is fixed. There is a bridge God cannot cross. Yet God gave us his son, Jesus. Jesus has crossed that bridge God would not. Now we live in a time where we are God’s chosen, thanks to Jesus. Our task is no longer to lead blameless lives for His salvation, but to accept Jesus into our lives and through our embrace of Jesus, our choices become possible to obtain salvation, which is eternal life with God. Not that God welcomes our sin (a bridge he will not cross), but God will accept that which Jesus allows through his sacrifice on the cross. God is love I do not know what that means to you. But, I exhort you to read those three letters from John. And remember, God is love. AUAWN1220321 https://voiceddb.locals.com/post/1440654/god-is-love-message-for-my-new-charges

It has been 15 years since I last worked full time in my profession as a Math Teacher. I resigned in mid 2007 to speak out over the negligence death of Hamidur Rahman. I had been persecuted by my employer because I knew that what they told the NSW Coroner was a lie. Hamidur Rahman's peanut allergy was known to the school when he was challenged to lick peanut butter from a spoon. He died. The NSW Dept of Ed was aware early on what had transpired and got legal division to call me, telling me they would never be able to talk with me, ever. I had been unaware of what had happened when they called me. I was persecuted at work and after a class of my students had their final year's mark downgraded, resigned to speak out. And media hushed up the embarrassment for their government. My persecutors have not let up. I've raised my issue with parliament and had death threats. My new job will not be as a teacher, but perhaps it will lead to my finding such a role? I give thanks to God for holding me despite the challenge to let go. He is the God of second chances .. AUAWN1130321

The God the atheists refute is not real, but is a ridiculous, impossible figure. God is real. God as He is revealed in the Bible is a fact. However, as ridiculous as the atheists arguments are, they are instructive. God made a bridge He could not cross (man's rejection of Him). God bridged that gap with Jesus. Thing is, atheists don't believe that that gap is real. In my Sermon on a Miracle I describe how God gave a childless woman who could not bear children, prayed for children, family. He did that. And he did not use supernatural measures. God is real. God does the impossible. God is not subject to our demands. God answers prayer. Sometimes bad people prosper for a time. All those statements are true. God is worthy of praise. Atheists don't see it, but they have countless examples of it, from their own lives to the works of those they admire. In the Revelations of the Holy Spirit I underscore and outline some of what God does that even atheists call for. We need god, but even in a world without God, there is a need for Him. AUAWN0901621 https://conservativeweasel.blogspot.com/2021/09/wed-1st-september-2021-current-affairs.html

In the years since I wrote this (28th July 2016), I have discovered there is more than the oblivion I ascribed === There is a story told about Jesus interviewing people at the gate to Heaven. He comes across a man who might be Joseph, who is elderly, failing eyesight and hearing and understanding. Jesus asks him if there is anything Joseph left behind. Joseph replied there was a beautiful boy who had wisdom beyond his years, and yet was childlike. He had nails in his hands and feet. Jesus looked significantly at Joseph, and Joseph looked back, and then asked "Pinocchio?" It is said that all writing is rewriting. And so the story of Pinocchio has tensions mirroring the Christ story. Pinocchio goes to hell, and is reborn as a good boy. Literary analysts connect this progression with Homer's Odyssey. Pinocchio wants to be a real boy. Christ was God made a real person. And so the joke laughingly suggests the true story of Christ is the fantasy of Pinocchio, but highlights the truth that all writing is rewriting. There is no escaping God. God has forgiven all of us. Not that God approves of sin, but that God has made a way by which we can be with Him even though we are sinful. We are often, for a time, captured by our memory. We have made choices which don't include God. And every bad choice we make makes it harder to make a good one. The Devil points to our past and tells us that there is no way God can accept us. But we know the Devil's future. And we don't have to share it. Even though we have a past. The point was driven home to me powerfully recently when I learned an elderly woman was suffering dementia. She has spent her whole adult life opposing God. Cursed as a child by betrayal from her father, two of her three sisters suicided. Her mother was strongly religious without having awareness of God as saviour. She had married a man who gave her children, but she rejected her husband when a child died and she never remarried. She raised her children to hate God, and told her dying child that there was no hope with God. And she would sleep with the ashes of her child. And she would drink and sweat alcohol. And no one who knew her casually knew to help. And so she has aged. And one day she will die. But what of her pain and her choices? Her dementia robs her of choice, as it will eventually rob her of life. And yet there is mercy too. And maybe, some nurse will show her love which she would never accept from others, kindness. === I now know I was wrong. The woman has still not succumbed. Her dementia has advanced. No one person can give her redemption. But God can. He is there for us, regardless of our circumstance. We can turn to God and wrongly hope for a better quality of life. It is good to hope for better. It is better to embrace God. === addendum, the detail in this missive is personal. I'm not betraying any trust, but many might feel I'm being fast and loose. I don't write about my family because family is separate from my mission, for many bad reasons. I have written a little of my mother and father, but nothing of my living siblings and very little about my sister Pamela, who died on Feb 14th 1978, when I was 11 years old. Feb 14th 1978 was when I first dreamt of meeting God. I am in poor health and could reasonably expect to die in the next few years. The explosive nature of some of what I have written in the past is likely to allow sibling rivals to mischaracterise what I have written on mission. I have done no wrong, no outrage of public decency. I'm very conscious that my step mother is failing in her duty to protect my father's legacy. I cannot protect my self and him at the same time. She is his advocate. He is a great man whose life work in education greatly enriched humanity. I was estranged from him at birth, when he named me 'o'DDBall and at the end of his life, with my last words to him being a sarcastic "Stay in touch, don't be a stranger." I won't explain why. It has nothing to do with my mission. David Daniel Ball 26th July 2021 AUAWN0726321 http://storiesthatheal.blogspot.com/2016/07/forgotten-forgiveness.html

About the Righteous and the Wise People mistake Righteousness, they confuse it with being right. But the righteous may well overturn conventional thinking and do what is thought to be wrong. Embrace the Lord, serve Him and you won't go wrong, but you may be denounced by those pharisees who claim the moral high ground. A good example is Jesus overturning trade tables in the Temple. Let me give some secular examples that appear to contradict. There was a policy involving nuclear weapons called MAD, for mutually assured destruction. Should our enemies use nuclear bombs on us, we would use it on them. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, President Bill Clinton re imagined the policy to be the US would use nuclear bombs even if chemical or biological weapons were deployed. However, that is yet to be the case. Even post Wuhan. How does an individual Christian, unrelated to any chain of command, respond to that MAD policy? Some have opposed the idea of nuclear weapons. The reasoning being that God told us to multiply, not to exterminate. But then the peace movement had been led by the former Soviet Union to oppose US interests, including defence. MAD policy may well have prevented world war, as with the Cuban Missile crisis. How does a Christian respond on the issue of nuclear generated power? It is true that coal is still cheaper and more efficient and also provides abundant plant food. Yet, safe modern nuclear power stations are an essential part of any mix with modern industry in the US and Europe .. and Asia. Yet self proclaimed environmentalists, formerly led by the Soviets, and NAZI Germany before them, oppose nuclear power. Unless it is oil rich Iran. And on this issue, many individual Christians act righteously, but in ignorance of wisdom, cause or effect. Did God call on His people to abandon security and bankrupt themselves so non believers can prosper? What of Wisdom? Wisest of all men was Solomon, who built the temple, and sadly was led astray by hundreds off wives and concubines. Solomon short changed himself. Had Solomon had one spouse, whom he loved. Whom he nurtured. Whom he looked to as an equal in partnership with raising his children. But, there is risk when investing in one person. We die. And, so the Taj Mahal majestically stands as testimony to loss. Or another monument builder, King Herod, misunderstood what nurturing meant. The Pharisees in Jesus' day showed righteousness in opposition to wisdom. They were right to test faith. But they wrongly relied on their tests. Proverbs was nearly left out of the bible, because some of them are in opposition to others. Wisdom is like that. This is from the sayings of the wise in the book of Proverbs. Saying 17 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well. The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him. May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful! AUAWN0613321 http://conservativeweasel.blogspot.com/2020/07/faith-writings-of-david-daniel-ball.html

Prayer reminds us of who is in charge. You don’t take your requests to someone with less authority. You take them to someone who outranks you in the solutions department. The same is true in prayer. You don’t pray just to let God know what’s going on. He’s way ahead of you on that one. You pray to transfer “my will be done” to “God’s will be done.” And, since he’s in charge, he knows the best solution. Prayer transfers the burden to God and He lightens your load. Prayer pushes us through life’s slumps, propels us over the humps, and pulls us out of the dumps. Prayer is the oomph we need to get the answers we seek. So, pray…today! Max Lucado Thank you Max, and Maria Tan for sharing. I am afraid. I feel alone. And oppressed. But God has been kind to me, and has held me in good stead. I go to hope in Melbourne. I have friends here and there. I am let down by bureaucracy, but who wants to trust that? I exercise and I’m getting stronger. But as with fishes and loaves, I have a hundred dollars to last me three weeks. Or not. Father, it is you I trust. http://storiesthatheal.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/a-lesson-on-prayer.html === videos by David Daniel Ball for the Conservative Voice Author of History in a Year by the Conservative Voice http://www.amazon.com/David-Ball/e/B01683ZOWG I was raised as an Atheist. I learned, after reading the Bible, that God loves me, and you. This is his song for you too. He loves you, and wants to be with you. All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN0220216

Today is holocaust memorial day. A crime that divided the world, placing apathetic in the same circles with terrorists. And one can only guess what the apathetic knew. In modern terms, a US comedian describes it as 'truthiness,' where one only sees what they look for. Some of those guilty of truthiness in the face of the holocaust are startling to see decades later. They escape justice, just as actual war criminals do who claim to be too old and addled to be tried. But today is not about them, but their victims. Only, their victims are dead. Today isn't really about them either. Today is about survivors. And the adamantine promise of those survivors that it will never happen again. For the survivors have family and loved ones, and they will keep the dream that will not be denied. They will prosper. And never forget. They will not forget the isolation, shaming and casual butchery. They will not forget asking for help from their neighbours, and often being denied onto death. They will not forget calling for justice and having none. Calling for mercy and finding none. Calling for Grace .. and some survived. One does not call for grace, one finds it. Being scheduled for extermination, but surviving because the gaolers fled. Faced with the enormity of what had happened, some female survivors prayed for their gaolers to find God, and not be punished. What had happened to them was not something people should do to one another. After all, how does one rehabilitate those who did that? At war's end, Jews asked for their promised land. But Democrat US administrations, and Labour UK administrations, sought to deny them. It wasn't politically expedient with the cold war. Remarkably, many survivors were socialist in outlook, but they didn't have the contacts that their like minded socialist buddies demanded. The apathetic began their own process of exoneration .. claiming they had not known. And so we have the world as it is today. A determined Bibi doing the best of a hard job against those hand washers who don't want to be shamed for their choices. We must never forget the cost. Blood cries out. === videos by David Daniel Ball for the Conservative Voice Author of History in a Year by the Conservative Voice http://www.amazon.com/David-Ball/e/B01683ZOWG I was raised as an Atheist. I learned, after reading the Bible, that God loves me, and you. This is his song for you too. He loves you, and wants to be with you. All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN0127316

An old file. Since posting, Francis has embraced stronger leftist positions while Pell was actually incarcerated .. then exonerated. The extreme abuse of power that saw Pell jailed will never be addressed === Memes against Cardinal Pell and Pope Francis are many. As memes are, they simplify issues. And they miss things. It is hard to credit it from the memes, but Cardinal Pell is a good, powerful man who has not done any wrong. He holds the third highest position of the Catholic Church. He initiated protections for victims of Pedophilia in Australia. Pedophiles tend to abuse process and law too, and by smearing Pell, they protect their own. And some victims become abusers. And the Royal Commission into institutionalised response to pedophilia does not seem serious about its charter, but seems to be targeting Catholics in general and Pell in particular. As with the NSW ICAC, judicial incompetence raises serious questions of the worth of the judicial institution. Right now, Pell is innocent and there will not be an adverse finding against him for some time, probably never. Cardinal Pell endorsed the selection of Pope Francis. Francis came from Catholicism's strongest left wing bastion of Argentina. Only Francis was viewed as a conservative when he was Cardinal. Everything is relative. Francis stopping the conversion of Jews is a good thing. When Pell said that Francis would die in office, in contrast to Benedict, Francis declared he might go early too. Francis is following a path of unity for Catholicism. He is trying to heal what is fractured. Francis' clumsy extreme left declarations on Global Warming and on refugees is an example of that attempt at healing. Only, it is wrong to kill people who want to migrate to a better life, and so strong borders are far more compassionate than the left wing dream of open borders. In taking a political stance, the Pope is joining a large number of people who are very wrong. That is no reason to hate him. But the Pope needs to see that the path to healing Catholicism is also the enlightened path that doesn't steal a billion dollars a day from the world's poorest, or kill those who want a better life. http://conservativeweasel.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/hating-catholics-is-wrong.html === Daily videos of current affairs by David Daniel Ball for the Conservative Voice Author of History in a Year by the Conservative Voice http://www.amazon.com/David-Ball/e/B01683ZOWG === All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN0220116

Free speech is not important. Neither is freedom. Neither is free trade. Because we don’t need what we don’t have. Because God does not exist and wants us in chains. Because we are easier to direct when we don’t care where we are going. Because my parents didn’t really love each other and love isn’t what I need. But sometimes, when the sun shines, after rain freely fell through gaps in the ceiling no one needed to fix. After freshly cut lawns and flowers release their fragrance. After couples stroll by freely holding hands and haltingly stop at shopping stalls, laugh and move on. I wonder if things will be different when I’m gone. People tell me I shouldn’t smile and laugh at things. They tell me I’m too selfish and uncontrolled. My skin is the wrong colour, and people like me have too much. I should be glad being privileged. But will my loved ones know I loved them when I’m gone? Maybe I should say so. But how do I tell them if they are the wrong colour? Or privileged? It is easy to say you hate. Shake the chain and curse the gatekeeper. But one needs freedom to tell of their love, and hope for the future. None of us is clean. But all have hope. === videos by David Daniel Ball for the Conservative Voice Author of History in a Year by the Conservative Voice http://www.amazon.com/David-Ball/e/B01683ZOWG I was raised as an Atheist. I learned, after reading the Bible, that God loves me, and you. This is his song for you too. He loves you, and wants to be with you. All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN0818316

This video is about Christian views I finally have the confidence and security to speak on this issue. It is one issue of many I have needed to wait for God to answer me. My question is how do I treat Creationism as part of the Evolution in Science argument. My answer is that Creationism is junk science and not a fit biblical response to atheism in science. I am a fundamentalist evangelical Christian. I believe the Bible is the word of God. I have a strong understanding of how it came into being as a modern document. I get the first five books are later writings of oral accounts which don’t relate to rocket science. Which don’t relate to the physical universe’s creation. But it accurately depicts how God came to reveal himself to His chosen people. People in the Bible are real, but we no longer know what is allegorical. The arguments don’t require we know. If the resurrection of Jesus is real, then the entire Bible is valid. That does not mean there is Noah’s Ark or that the world was created in six non figurative days. Or that people once lived for hundreds of years or had children before other families were created. Evolution is merely observation of creation. Atheists make stronger claims than observation provides. Intelligent Design is similarly meaningless. Faith is not tested by evolution theory, but neither is it enhanced by Creationist theology. Believing in creationism is not the same as believing in God. In the last hundred years, left wing atheist ideology has had powerful proponents seize arguments. They cast doubt on mainstays of creation and civilisation. Cultural assets such as nations, identity, marriage, justice, service, giving, faith, faithfulness, freedom, thoughtfulness, and gratitude have been diminished or supplanted by slavery to ideals, puritanical zeal, thoughtless adherence to populist ideology, supremacy of ego and identity over responsibility. It does not take a biblical scholar to demonstrate that the Bible has illustrated this struggle time and again. ==== videos by David Daniel Ball for the Conservative Voice Author of History in a Year by the Conservative Voice http://www.amazon.com/David-Ball/e/B01683ZOWG I was raised as an Atheist. I learned, after reading the Bible, that God loves me, and you. This is his song for you too. He loves you, and wants to be with you. All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN1212116

From a letter from Anton Checkov 1886 Cultured people must, in my opinion, satisfy the following conditions: 1. They respect human personality, and therefore they are always kind, gentle, polite, and ready to give in to others. They do not make a row because of a hammer or a lost piece of india-rubber; if they live with anyone they do not regard it as a favour and, going away, they do not say “nobody can live with you.” They forgive noise and cold and dried-up meat and witticisms and the presence of strangers in their homes. 2. They have sympathy not for beggars and cats alone. Their heart aches for what the eye does not see…. They sit up at night in order to help P…., to pay for brothers at the University, and to buy clothes for their mother. 3. They respect the property of others, and therefor pay their debts. 4. They are sincere, and dread lying like fire. They don’t lie even in small things. A lie is insulting to the listener and puts him in a lower position in the eyes of the speaker. They do not pose, they behave in the street as they do at home, they do not show off before their humbler comrades. They are not given to babbling and forcing their uninvited confidences on others. Out of respect for other people’s ears they more often keep silent than talk. 5. They do not disparage themselves to rouse compassion. They do not play on the strings of other people’s hearts so that they may sigh and make much of them. They do not say “I am misunderstood,” or “I have become second-rate,” because all this is striving after cheap effect, is vulgar, stale, false…. 6. They have no shallow vanity. They do not care for such false diamonds as knowing celebrities, shaking hands with the drunken P., [Translator’s Note: Probably Palmin, a minor poet.] listening to the raptures of a stray spectator in a picture show, being renowned in the taverns…. If they do a pennyworth they do not strut about as though they had done a hundred roubles’ worth, and do not brag of having the entry where others are not admitted…. The truly talented always keep in obscurity among the crowd, as far as possible from advertisement…. Even Krylov has said that an empty barrel echoes more loudly than a full one. 7. If they have a talent they respect it. They sacrifice to it rest, women, wine, vanity…. They are proud of their talent…. Besides, they are fastidious. 8. They develop the aesthetic feeling in themselves. They cannot go to sleep in their clothes, see cracks full of bugs on the walls, breathe bad air, walk on a floor that has been spat upon, cook their meals over an oil stove. They seek as far as possible to restrain and ennoble the sexual instinct…. What they want in a woman is not a bed-fellow … They do not ask for the cleverness which shows itself in continual lying. They want especially, if they are artists, freshness, elegance, humanity, the capacity for motherhood…. They do not swill vodka at all hours of the day and night, do not sniff at cupboards, for they are not pigs and know they are not. They drink only when they are free, on occasion…. For they want mens sana in corpore sano. And so on. This is what cultured people are like. In order to be cultured and not to stand below the level of your surroundings it is not enough to have read “The Pickwick Papers” and learnt a monologue from “Faust.” … What is needed is constant work, day and night, constant reading, study, will…. Every hour is precious for it…. Come to us, smash the vodka bottle, lie down and read…. Turgenev, if you like, whom you have not read. You must drop your vanity, you are not a child … you will soon be thirty. It is time! I expect you…. We all expect you. http://conservativeweasel.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/letter-from-anton-chekhov-to-his.html === Daily videos of current affairs by David Daniel Ball for the Conservative Voice Author of History in a Year by the Conservative Voice http://www.amazon.com/David-Ball/e/B01683ZOWG === All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN0222116

The point being made is that science offers facts and is verifiable. Christianity does not seem to do that. But it is a misleading question because Christianity is a faith, not a science and not relevant to science, although there are some who try hard to reconcile the faith with the science. A valid point, but unworthy, is that science is not fact based or verifiable, as climate research has shown us, but there is a case for comparing science and Christianity and seeing how they apply to individuals. The title question is misleading because scientists can be Christians and have no issues with their discipline interacting with their faith. But, some individuals fail to reconcile their faith and their science. Following is a few thoughts. Science does not disprove God. Also science does not make sense of who God is and what characteristics God would have. Whatever questions science examines, are not relevant to God. God is not infinite in the scientific sense, nor does God have infinite scientific intelligence as we seem to believe we have in encyclopedia. God is described in the Bible as being the beginning and the end, and creating Earth and the Heavens, but the definitions become meaningless when examining them under the guise of physics or chemistry. Yet they have great wisdom and application for examining the role an individual has in including God in their life. No sane person will use the Bible to build a rocket ship, navigate by stars or calculate Pi. In writing that, I am aware that that view is contentious and that there are many literalists who would feel compelled to argue with me on that point. I am willing to do so, or ignore them, in much the same way that scientists are slow to address the glaring deficiencies of the IPCC and climate research. Or the study of race. Or phrenology. It is admitted that whole communities are involved with the insane, but that is hardly the fault of Christianity or science. It is an oft used argument that Christians choose their religion as a crutch, to feel good in difficult times. There is substantial satisfaction for Christians in maintaining their faith. Were it to be argued that such rewards are natural; a result of evolution, that would hardly disprove the existence of God. For surely that would be the way God rewards his faithful. But does science make people happy? Can science provide security for an individual as they go through their lives? Every one will experience loss in their lives. Loss of a parent, siblings, love, pets, witnessing desire evolve through dissatisfaction. It is probably natural for scientists to yearn for the comforts that Christianity provides. Which brings me back to my original point. Christianity offers facts which are verifiable, in much the same way that science does .. but the facts and the verification process are not the same because they aren't for the same class of studies. A Christian finds their faith challenged daily, and each day provides an affirmation for their faith. Much as each day provides an affirmation for science as it allows people to explore the furthest reaches of the known universe.

Written to my my daughter in 2017. Since, she has married and been blessed with child === Tammy is not my biological child, neither was she adopted. She has tremendous spirit and had walked a hard path before we met. === It is Christmas time, and you are working very hard, as you always do. You have a vision of what you want your life to be and you aren't afraid of work. It would be wrong headed of me to say you work too hard, and are missing out on things. You know your sacrifices. You know you are a good person and you don't see the need for God. But that is true of all of mankind's history. The need for God in good times, when life is abundant, is not apparent. The need for God when things fall apart is bitter. But God is there all the time. The Bible recounts how God gradually revealed himself to Mankind. Not in terms that physicists, chemists or astronomers can prove or disprove, but according to scripture he "fattened" the universe in creation. That is confusing to scientists who cannot find any such thing beside a big bang, and they are confident God did not do that. But science is not what God uses to introduce himself to man. He uses about forty faithful people over nearly a thousand years. Archaeologists find evidence that corresponds with salient bits. Not evidence of space ships, but people and places where they were said to be when they were said to be. Peoples that don't eat pigs and peoples that do. At first the history was spoken by mouth, but later written down. Some times, the writing is absurd to the scientific mind. The story of Jonah and the whale is absurd, but archaeology places the civilisations and their influences occurring at that time. It was prophetic, as after it was written, it came true. A semi converted people overthrew the Jewish kingdom and took them into slavery. God had revealed himself to his people, and punished them as he had promised. God moves powerfully in your life. You are doing a lot of work and don't need to acknowledge him, because although times are very tough for you, it is going the right way. But even if everything happens the way you want. And you have a beautiful family and loving husband, then there will be much you can lose. And when that happens, it won't be your fault. And you will want God in your life. I'm not trying to change you. I'm not asking you to stop persevering. I want you to know who God is, my daughter, because he is very important to you. And I want you two to get to know each other because, in life, you can be very good friends. AUAWN1218220

Written to my my daughter in 2017. Since, she has married and been blessed with child === Tammy is not my biological child, neither was she adopted. She has tremendous spirit and had walked a hard path before we met. === People may excuse me for bragging about my daughter. She is perfect. She works hard and studies assiduously. I love her and should be talking to her on her birthday, and not just posting a video to the world. But it is precisely because I want to be a good father I am telling her about Jesus. On her birthday. Jesus is impossible. He is God and can do the impossible. And a long time ago he did some amazing things that changed the world. Firstly, he was born and raised as an ordinary person. In accordance with prophecy. Scriptures had been written which said who he was and how he would come. But like much prophecy, it wasn't understood when it was happening. The second thing about Jesus was, it was his task to show who he was. He performed numerous miracles to show his authority. There were many witnesses to his public acts. The third thing about Jesus is that he had a life mission. God the father wants his people to love him and be blessed by him. But he has given us free will, and in our lives we push him away and ignore him. This is bad because heaven is near God so if you aren't near God you don't go to heaven. But God wants to be near you and does not want you to be eternally separated from him. So Jesus' mission was to bridge the gap. Part of life at the time for the faithful was to acknowledge they had fallen short of God's will for them and to sacrifice animals to atone for that. Jesus did nothing wrong, but he challenged the authorities and tested their limits. They had no right to do so, they tortured him and crucified him in accordance with prophecy, and killed him. And although the authorities had been forewarned and had taken steps to prevent a hoax, Jesus rose from the dead in accordance with scriptures. The disciples of Jesus had been forewarned, but hadn't immediately understood. The resurrection of Jesus, after his sacrifice, allows those who are distant from God to get close to him, through calling on Jesus. My sharing this does not change me or you. I expect you to work hard and keep studying while you must. I love you, daughter. Happy birthday. And may your year have many blessings. AUAWN1218320

Written to my my daughter in 2017. Since, she has married and been blessed with child === Tammy is not my biological child, neither was she adopted. She has tremendous spirit and had walked a hard path before we met. === My Daughter, the third video is on the Holy Spirit. Your life is a blessing to me. Seeing you play with young children is a promise, a hope, I never had before you. And so I share this with you, so that you may know me, and know My God, the Father. It is not part of the school curriculum to know, but New Years day in the west is a follow on from Christmas, the birth of Jesus. New Years is six days after Christmas Day, when traditionally Jews would circumcise their male babies. It is Symbolic of Jesus coming into His inheritance. The idea of one God having three aspects each of which may be unaware of the other's knowledge is confusing. Christians insist there is only one God. The Bible never mentions a trinity, but that is how scholars have determined it should be read since the 4th century. When Jesus first rose from the dead He went to talk to his followers. He appeared in many places at the same time and offered numerous proofs. Then he instructed his followers to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit which was to be Him after he went to heaven to be with the Father. The disciples did as He asked and when they began to proclaim his victory through Resurrection, the time was called the Pentecost. During Pentecost, the disciples went about proclaiming salvation through Jesus. Many were convicted of the truth of it, and many were healed in the name of Jesus. In years to come, the church grew. It was felt that Pentecost was something that was part of the Church's past. But some Jewish groups in the sixteenth century began a tradition of worship taken up by Pentecostal Christians in the late nineteenth century in USA. And that is part of the tradition I'm part of with Jesus Family Cabramatta. God is real, and active. And active in your life. He offers you love and salvation. He has blessed you. You have had good fortune, and also struggled very hard to achieve what you have. Are they not blessings to you? There is more. He calls for you. He loves you. He has given his only son so that you may be before Him. Have hope. Happy New Year. AUAWN1218420

Free speech is not important. Neither is freedom. Neither is free trade. Because we don’t need what we don’t have. Because God does not exist and wants us in chains. Because we are easier to direct when we don’t care where we are going. Because my parents didn’t really love each other and love isn’t what I need. But sometimes, when the sun shines, after rain freely fell through gaps in the ceiling no one needed to fix. After freshly cut lawns and flowers release their fragrance. After couples stroll by freely holding hands and haltingly stop at shopping stalls, laugh and move on. I wonder if things will be different when I’m gone. People tell me I shouldn’t smile and laugh at things. They tell me I’m too selfish and uncontrolled. My skin is the wrong colour, and people like me have too much. I should be glad being privileged. But will my loved ones know I loved them when I’m gone? Maybe I should say so. But how do I tell them if they are the wrong colour? Or privileged? It is easy to say you hate. Shake the chain and curse the gatekeeper. But one needs freedom to tell of their love, and hope for the future. None of us is clean. But all have hope. Because a world without God, is a world in need of God. === Just because I cannot sing does not mean I will not === I was raised as an Atheist. I learned, after reading the Bible, that God loves me, and you. This is his song for you too. He loves you, and wants to be with you. All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN1708120

From March:History of the World in a Year by the Conservative Voice Predestination is not an issue, for people familiar with God's word. The Bible explains who God is, how he revealed himself and what he offers everyone. But in studying the Bible, and applying words used in science, issues have arisen that become confusing. Predestination is one such issue. God is all knowing. God is all powerful. God is from the beginning of time to the end of time. God is the creator. God created all. God created you and I. God has given all mankind free will. God wants people to worship him. And so the ambiguity of words creeps in. God wants to be loved, and he has given free will. So, some people love God by choice. And some people don't know God. But, how can someone not know God? Did they really choose to not know him? Couldn't God have shown them what they needed to know so they did love him? Or is it that there is no God and those those who worship him are misled on all counts? Predestination makes God look terrible. He could have softened Pharaoh's heart and not unleashed the murderous plagues. He could have changed the minds of people in Sodom and Gommorah instead of killing them all. He knew in advance what they were going to do. Philosophically, it appears as if logically, God does not exist because he could not be all that he claims. God cannot be all powerful, all knowing, and offer mankind choice, yet wanting to be praised. However we know from the Bible answers to that argument. We know God created the universe because it says so, which is a cop out answer if one is a scientist but compelling when one realised that the resurrection of Jesus happened and it is the scripture he endorsed. God could have chosen to create as he pleased. He has that authority. The 'how' of universe creation is a very different issue. Scientists answer that. It is wrong to impute scientific meaning on the words of stone age peoples. But we have a very good idea what those stone age peoples meant and what made up their day, their lives, their experiences in worldly terms. We know God desires to be close to us, for us to praise Him and turn to Him in our times of need. Scripturally we know this from all of scripture, but particularly from Job and the Song of Songs. Job shows us how God wants us to hold to him. The Song of Songs describes God's love affair with us. Solomon's offering shows us that God's love is physical and intimate. People that are loved like to have that love returned. God is like that too. I cannot make others love me in return. But I like it when they do. The world is not as God wants it. He knows that. But God offers a way to be with him. And if we are with Him, the world is all right. He has made that offer to all. But not all accept that offer. Logically, those who accept God do so of their own volition, of free will. Those that don't accept the offer, don't know God. That is a 'choice' in name only. It is default in choice terms. Without God offering a way, there is no real choice, and so no one would know God. That addresses the philosophical quandary. Only if God exists is there free will. It is an unsatisfying answer to atheists or agnostics who do not hear His call. But they choose not to.

From January:History of the World in a Year by the Conservative Voice I love the book “Jurgen: A comedy of justice” it is deep and funny and wise. I don’t subscribe to the protagonists beliefs, Jurgen goes on a journey to do the ‘manly thing’ and win back his wife whom he accidentally wished away. On his journey he seduces Satan’s wife, Guinevere, Helen of Troy, a goddess, a Hamadryad, A Vampiress, and numerous others. All lovingly described .. in the dark .. before making the ultimate discovery. He also meets the God of his grandmother .. and here the writing shows its superiority .. because it describes God’s nature from an antagonists viewpoint .. “And how should I know whether or not I speak the truth?” the God asked of him, “since I am but the illusion of an old woman, as you have so frequently proved by logic.” “Well, well!” said Jurgen, “You may be right in all matters, and certainly I cannot presume to say You are wrong: but still, at the same time--! No, even now I do not quite believe in You.” “Who could expect it of a clever fellow, who sees so clearly through the illusions of old women?” the God asked, a little wearily. And Jurgen answered: “God of my grandmother, I cannot quite believe in You, and Your doings as they are recorded I find incoherent and a little droll. But I am glad the affair has been so arranged that You may always now be real to brave and gentle persons who have believed in and have worshipped and have loved You. To have disappointed them would have been unfair: and it is right that before the faith they had in You not even Koshchei who made things as they are was able to be reasonable. “God of my grandmother, I cannot quite believe in You; but remem- bering the sum of love and faith that has been given You, I tremble. I think of the dear people whose living was confident and glad because of their faith in You: I think of them, and in my heart contends a blind contrition, and a yearning, and an enviousness, and yet a tender sort of amusement colours all. Oh, God, there was never any other deity who had such dear worshippers as You have had, and You should be very proud of them. “God of my grandmother, I cannot quite believe in You, yet I am not as those who would come peering at You reasonably. I, Jurgen, see You only through a mist of tears. For You were loved by those whom I loved greatly very long ago: and when I look at You it is Your worshippers and the dear believers of old that I remember. And it seems to me that dates and manuscripts and the opinions of learned persons are very trifling things beside what I remember, and what I envy!” “Who could have expected such a monstrous clever fellow ever to envy the illusions of old women?” the God of Jurgen’s grandmother asked again: and yet His countenance was not unfriendly. “Why, but,” said Jurgen, on a sudden, “why, but my grandmother--in a way--was right about Heaven and about You also. For certainly You seem to exist, and to reign in just such estate as she described. And yet, according to Your latest revelation, I too was right--in a way--about these things being an old woman’s delusions. I wonder now--?” “Yes, Jurgen?” “Why, I wonder if everything is right, in a way? I wonder if that is the large secret of everything? It would not be a bad solution, sir,” said Jurgen, meditatively. The God smiled. Then suddenly that part of Heaven was vacant, except for Jurgen, who stood there quite alone. And before him was the throne of the vanished God and the sceptre of the God, and Jurgen saw that the seven spots upon the great book were of red sealing-wax. Jurgen was afraid: but he was particularly appalled by his conscious- ness that he was not going to falter. “What, you who have been duke and prince and king and emperor and pope! and do such dignities content a Jurgen? Why, not at all,” says Jurgen. So Jurgen ascended the throne of Heaven, and sat beneath that wondrous rainbow: and in his lap now was the book, and in his hand was the sceptre, of the God of Jurgen’s grandmother. Jurgen sat thus, for a long while regarding the bright vacant courts of Heaven. “And what will you do now?” says Jurgen, aloud. “Oh, fretful little Jurgen, you that have complained because you had not your desire, you are omnipotent over Earth and all the affairs of men. What now is your desire?” And sitting thus terribly enthroned, the heart of Jurgen was as lead within him, and he felt old and very tired. “For I do not know. Oh, nothing can help me, for I do not know what thing it is that I desire! And this book and this sceptre and this throne avail me nothing at all, and nothing can ever avail me: for I am Jurgen who seeks he knows not what.” So Jurgen shrugged, and climbed down from the throne of the God, and wandering at adventure, came presently to four archangels. They were seated upon a fleecy cloud, and they were eating milk and honey from gold porringers: and of these radiant beings Jurgen inquired the quickest way out of Heaven. “For hereabouts are none of my illusions,” said Jurgen, “and I must now return to such illusions as are congenial. One must believe in something. And all that I have seen in Heaven I have admired and envied, but in none of these things could I believe, and with none of these things could I be satisfied. And while I think of it, I wonder now if any of you gentlemen can give me news of that Lisa who used to be my wife?” He described her; and they regarded him with compassion. But these archangels, he found, had never heard of Lisa, and they assured him there was no such person in Heaven. For Steinvor had died when Jurgen was a boy, and so she had never seen Lisa; and in consequence, had not thought about Lisa one way or the other, when Steinvor outlined her notions to Koshchei who made things as they are. Now Jurgen discovered, too, that, when his eyes first met the eyes of the God of Jurgen’s grandmother, Jurgen had stayed motionless for thirty-seven days, forgetful of everything save that the God of his grandmother was love. “Nobody else has willingly turned away so soon,” Zachariel told him: “and we think that your insensibility is due to some evil virtue in the glittering garment which you are wearing, and of which the like was never seen in Heaven.” “I did but search for justice,” Jurgen said: “and I could not find it in the eyes of your God, but only love and such forgiveness as troubled me.” “Because of that should you rejoice,” the four archangels said; “and so should all that lives rejoice: and more particularly should we rejoice that dwell in Heaven, and hourly praise our Lord God’s negligence of justice, whereby we are permitted to enter into this place.” - I keep coming back to this writing. When I first read it, 1992, I was a young Christian and had been handed it by a committed atheist. I was impressed with the art, but not the theology. It puzzled me why I had ever been an atheist and had fallen for the arguments like what Cabell seems to have stumbled on. Years later, I tried to show the book to my dad, whom I’d always known to be an atheist. He told me his father had tried to share it with him too. He didn’t read it, but returned the copy I had given him. A decade later, he died. I was estranged from him most of my life, and at the time of his death. Recently, I reread this book. And still this passage stands out for me. And thanks to the internet I can post it here. But thanks to God, I can prayerfully read this work, and it enriches my life. I am not turning away from my God, as when I weaken, he holds me tighter, with love. About James Branch Cabell From February:History of the World in a Year by the Conservative Voice Cabell has drawn on many myths and legends for his fantasy. Putting aside his magic coat and Kochei the creator, issues, it is worth looking at his Christian theology implicit to the excerpt. It is worth noting that sincere, faithful Christians have some strange ideas about God which aren't part of the bible. But it is worth noting that Christians don't have to be right or smart to be saved. It may not seem just, but God has forgiven all, and all who know him and hold to him will be saved. Christians want to know God and they study his word so that they can know him better. But sometimes we don't actually learn, but navel gaze, and forget the purpose of our study. Sometimes knowing God seems like unwanted effort and a back door to heaven is desired. A structure is created which explains heaven and so rules are inferred which mean God would have to let people in for following those rules. But that is fallacious. The only way to heaven is to know God. And yet people can foolishly embrace falsehoods and yet be saved. One reason as to why the only way to heaven is through Christ is that heaven is close to God and if you want to be close, you have to be .. close. And those that are close to God are humble. Because God is very big. and those who are aware of Him know the disparity of size. Cabell writes about a throne and sceptre, objects of power. All Jurgen need do is wield these items to be like God, and have powers. But that is not the relationship God has with creation. There is no such chair or sceptre. And our relationship with God is different. He loves each of us and wants us, desires us, to know him. He wants us to thank him and worship him. He wants us to call to him in times of need. Not because he tortures us, but because it brings us closer. The good father loves their child and dotes on them, holding them and lovingly calling their name to him. And so the ties of father and child is close and become closer. Just as God wants.

My first sermon: Jesus and Jonah May 30th 2012 I was raised as an atheist and the myth of Jonah and the whale as written in the Bible seemed absurd to me. I did not understand or respect the idea of prophecy. Even now I don't feel I understand it and I have been a Christian since I was 18, twenty seven years ago. Jonah was ordered by God to spread the word to his people's enemies? What god would do that? And so those enemies conquered the Jewish peoples. That seemed like an own goal. And also Jonah is swallowed by a whale? Spat out on land? A crew drew lots and the Jewish guy is thrown overboard. It sounds made up. I have heard sermons on Jonah. One sermon noted that Jonah was not swallowed by a whale, according to the Bible, but a fish. Whales are mammals and fish are not. But fundamental to the Bible, and oblivious to those who feel evolutionary theory somehow disproves the Bible, is that the Bible is the word of God, compiled from the writings of inspired people. Their understandings are not those of us today. They did not write about sea creatures with an understanding of the distinction between mammals and fish. They did not know what a whale was. It doesn't add to the story, it still sounds ridiculous. One 19th century scientist decided it wasn't a whale which swallowed Jonah, as that was biologically too hard .. but possibly a great white shark. Some Great White Sharks have been found with whole bodies. And still the story sounds silly. Assume for a moment there was a person named Jonah who preached to those in Ninevah and secured their temporary devotion to God so that Jerusalem was sacked. What does the fish swallowing aspect mean? Without witnesses to the event, in the modern sense, could the writers of the day be referring to a person who survived at sea and ended on shore? And not even Jonah would have known precisely how he survived. That would make sense with someone with modern sensibilities and the Bible would not have a single word changed or inferred. But maybe God summoned a big fish which swallowed Jonah. The story of Jonah was powerful and put into perspective why God trashed the promised land he had given his people. But the story of Jonah includes that interlude where he is swallowed by a great fish. Its interpretation is vague and challenging for the modern believer. And there is more. Jesus referred to Jonah's time in the great fish. Unlike Jonah, Jesus's death and resurrection is public. There are witnesses and eyewitness accounts that puts what Jesus did beyond doubt. Jesus died after being crucified. Jesus rose from the dead. Put in its proper perspective, why doubt the element of the story of Jonah and the fish? In isolation, these acts of God seem strange. Why must Jonah be captured for three days and nights outside of mortal boundary? Why would Jesus copy it? It seems strange that Jesus would steal the story and change it for his own end. More likely, Jesus copied that story. What needs to be remembered is that God has authority .. but that his people don't always know or understand what he is telling them. Jonah's claim would not be so profound if the Assyrians didn't trash Israel. Jesus' sacrifice would not have been so meaningful had he not risen after. Jonah did not respond well to God's call. Jesus' disciples didn't understand what Jesus was telling them. There is considerable evidence that the disciples were trying to get Jesus to lead an army and assume power. And so Judas leads Jesus' enemies to him. Peter no longer feels safe in his presence, and acts as if the crucifixion is a loss. Jonah was right to swing the Assyrians into faith in God. Jesus' crucifixion was a crushing victory. But popular feeling didn't colour it that way. And both of these acts are coloured by the miracle three days. Jesus at Gethsemane prays to God that he might find an alternative to his path. He accepts there is no alternative and approaches his mission with great dignity. He doesn't defend himself and doesn't provoke. He is beaten severely, but still has the presence of mind to share a moment with Peter. Naked and beaten, on the cross, Jesus is thirsty, and to humiliate him further, some legionaries give him a vinegar soaked sponge, much like those used in ancient toiletry practise to clean a bottom, lifted on high to his lips. It isn't Romans responsible for Jesus' death, nor Jews. It is the world. An echo of Jonah being dumped at sea by lot. The world prosecutes it's authority with zeal. Who can survive in opposition to the world? Jesus dies and crushingly, to the devil, rises. Jesus opposed the world, and although the world had no right to kill Jesus .. he was innocent of the charges he was condemned for. Jesus is killed. Jonah tries to follow the world, fleeing God. But he is in opposition God and so he is swallowed by the fish. Jonah spends his time fasting and praying in the belly of the fish. He repents, and sets about doing God's bidding .. resentfully. Jesus is aware of God's purpose. Jonah is not. Jesus is separated from God by the sin of man, not by his own doing. It seems that the disciples did not understand what Jesus was about, and so he shared his common currency with Jonah. How are the disciples to understand what Jesus meant? Did Jesus mean he was going to preach to heathen and so bring them around from their opposition to God? Was he to be swallowed by a fish? Jesus' resurrection answers the questions of his surviving disciples. And so early Christians adopted the fish symbol. It suggests the resurrection and did so some 800 years prior to Jesus' birth. Today, there is debate as to what happened to Jonah. Was he swallowed by a fish? Did he die? Was he raised from death to serve God's will? Or was he merely sick and delusional? Whatever happened to Jonah, it was God's will and great things resulted. When the devil had corrupted Jewish kings and their people's faith, Jonah, as God's instrument, inflamed the faith of others and so saved Israel from ignominious opposition to God. But the story shouldn't benefit an Atheist view that God doesn't exist. Because Jesus died and was resurrected. And that is beyond doubt, with numerous eyewitnesses and compelling testimony. And if we accept that Jesus died and rose, then the Bible has validity and currency .. and so we reach the conclusion that Jonah existed and served the Lord. I don't know how God did it, but he has the authority to have done it. And what of Jesus' mission? was it to be swallowed by hell and spat on the beach of the Kingdom? Or, is that merely a journey, and his mission, like that of Jonah, to convict those in opposition to God for their salvation. I have prayed to the Lord asking for guidance. I believe Jesus' journey was not symbolic, but purposeful to the end of the salvation of all those who are lost in opposition to God. I believe he wants you to be right with God. He knows who you are. You aren't perfect. But if God looks at you through the cover Jesus gives, God will see you, and not your imperfections. He knows what you do and why. He knows who you are. You don't need to do anything more to be in communion with God. You don't need more money or better clothes. You don't need to be a better person. He calls for you. He loves you. He loved you before you were born. And he made himself in flesh, and burdened himself with your sin. So that he might walk with you and be with you. You need do nothing more, than accept his gift. He calls you. You who have not known his love. You who have rejected him and spat in his face, saying he doesn't exist. But he does. And he loves you. And he calls to you. Don't let pride deny you from your gift. Claim it. Come.