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Some of you may be interested to learn that the SDA Church has produced a so-called woman's Bible. As I am not a woman and this book is sold in our ABCs, you can ask Gail for more information.

It was 1981. I had returned to the United States from a tour in Korea and I had been assigned to a unit at Ft. Bragg, NC, the home of the 82nd Airborne. As a single parent, with joint custody, my two sons had arrived to spend the Summer with me. A Special Forces unit was doing a demonstration jump on a drop zone equipped for viewing by the public and my children wanted to watch it. I had never visited any of the drop zones. So, I carefully reviewed a map, and enquired of a Sgt. as to how to take my sons to the place where they could sit in the bleachers and watch. What he did not tell me was that he had never been to that drop zone either. Anyway, we figured out a way to get there that seemingly included driving over a portion of unpaved and lightly marked road. So, I started out in my 1981, red, Mercury Lynx. At what I thought to be the right place, I turned off the paved road onto the unpaved portion. Soon I realized that something had gone wrong. My oldest son was picking up on the wheels of my car that were lugging down in the shifting sand. He sat there in the seat saying: "Front wheel drive will go anywhere, won't they, Dad?" I realized that if I stopped I would be stuck, in the middle of no where, and my only realistic choice was to continue forward. Finally I relaxed as I saw ahead of me the bleachers with people sitting there waiting for the jump. I was about to make it! Just then I heard strange sounds coming from the sides of my moving automobile and I turned to look into the face of a Special Forces soldier who was landing very close to my traveling car. They were coming down on each side and to the rear. I was driving my car in the middle of a jump! I could only imagine the scene 2,000 feet up in the air: The jumpmaster addressed the solders in the two flights: Some idiot is driving a red automobile across our jump zone. We are going to give them a show and you will jump anyway. We are Special Forces. Be alert and do not land in front of that idiot. Well, I reached the pavement in front of the bleachers I high-tailed it out of there. I knew that someone must have gotten a description of my car and license plate number. I waited for my Commander to address the issue with me and to potentially bring my military service to an end. It never came. By the way, I never talked about it while assigned to Ft. Bragg. My sons, they had an experience to remember.

Report: Obama Threatened to Shoot Down IAF Iran Strike Kuwaiti paper claims unnamed Israeli minister with good ties with the US administration 'revealed the attack plan to John Kerry.' By Mark Langfan First Publish: 3/1/2015, 4:18 PM QUICK WATCH1:12 The Bethlehem-based news agency Ma’an has cited a Kuwaiti newspaper report Saturday, that US President Barack Obama thwarted an Israeli military attack against Iran's nuclear facilities in 2014 by threatening toshoot down Israeli jets before they could reach their targets in Iran. Following Obama's threat, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was reportedly forced to abort the planned Iran attack. According to Al-Jarida, the Netanyahu government took the decision to strike Iran some time in 2014 soon after Israel had discovered the United States and Iran had been involved in secret talks over Iran’s nuclear program and were about to sign an agreement in that regard behind Israel's back. The report claimed that an unnamed Israeli minister who has good ties with the US administration revealed the attack plan to Secretary of StateJohn Kerry, and that Obama then threatened to shoot down the Israeli jets before they could reach their targets in Iran. Al-Jarida quoted "well-placed" sources as saying that Netanyahu, along with Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon, and then-Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, had decided to carry out airstrikes against Iran's nuclear program after consultations with top security commanders. According to the report, “Netanyahu and his commanders agreed after four nights of deliberations to task the Israeli army's chief of staff, Benny Gantz, to prepare a qualitative operation against Iran's nuclear program. In addition, Netanyahu and his ministers decided to do whatever they could do to thwart a possible agreement between Iran and the White House because such an agreement is, allegedly, a threat to Israel's security.” The sources added that Gantz and his commanders prepared the requested plan and that Israeli fighter jets trained for several weeks in order to make sure the plans would work successfully. Israeli fighter jets reportedly even carried out experimental flights in Iran's airspace after they managed to break through radars. Brzezinski's idea Former US diplomat Zbigniew Brzezinski, who enthusiastically campaigned for Obama in 2008, called on him to shoot down Israeli planes if they attack Iran. “They have to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch?” said the former national security advisor to formerPresident Jimmy Carter in an interview with the Daily Beast. “We have to be serious about denying them that right,” he said. “If they fly over, you go up and confront them. They have the choice of turning back or not. No one wishes for this but it could be a 'Liberty' in reverse.’" Israel mistakenly attacked the American Liberty ship during the Six-Day War in 1967. Brzezinski was a top candidate to become an official advisor to President Obama, but he was downgraded after Republican and pro-Israel Democratic charges during the campaign that Brzezinski’s anti-Israel attitude would damage Obama at the polls.

Just because you keep repeating that all this was AFTER His birth, does NOT MAKE IT SO. He was in the FORM OF GOD, and humbled Himself to take the FORM of the bondservant, to come in the "likeness of men". BEFORE He came, He was NOT "in the likeness of men". And yes, I realize I am repeating also...... I think the WEIGHT is on the side of His pre-existence, as the divine Son of the Father.

Hurricane Katrina 2005 was the 3rd strongest hurricane ever recorded to make landfall in the US. In New Orleans, the levees were designed for Category 3, but Katrina peaked at a Category 5 hurricane, with winds up to 175 mph. You saw on TV how New Orleans got flooded out, and over a thousand died by drowning. Mostly senior people. I hurt for the cows and horses shown drowned and bloated on pieces of ground. As the roads dried out and the reporters swarmed in to interview people combing through the refuse of their damaged homes, there were mostly to hear from the ones interviewed just despair and blaming God for the mess. What amazed me as I watched the newscast of one of the interviews from Louisiana, was the response of a woman scrounging around before her broken down house for anything salvable. The usual reporter questions were thrown at her on how she is now feeling, does she have somewhere to live, and what does she see for her future life. She heard them as she looked for stuff, then she stood up from bending over and turned directly into the camera level. Her testimony got me grinning from ear to ear as well as my eyes flooding over with tears of… well, you know, those type of tears that comes from identifying with a very holy special moment of truth. She spoke, and was firm as she said that her Lord Jesus Christ will provide for her and her family. He is it who will show her where to live and guide her to another job. The place of work was so completely ruined they would not open for buisness anymore. Then she said she will rent another house close to her new job. She slowly but sincerely smiled a smile of trustingly relaxing in her God whom she was giving glory to for taking care of her. And that’s what I saw on secular dirty sinful television… I am impressed with her and how God gets good press despite all the bad guys saying malicious blasphemies against the holy of Holies. She gave a glimpse of the Peace of God that passes understanding right there on the screen.

Bonnie has directed us to an article by Fernando Canale. He is a conservative member of the teaching faculty of the Andrews University Seminary. While one may disagree with his conclusions, his scholarship must be acknowledged. When he speaks, or writes, his arguments must be considered. Is he perfect and always 100% correct? No. No human is ever fully correct. In the above cited article, Dr. Canale says: I find the above to be of value on this subject. There are other good points that Dr. Canale makes. He correctly points out that the so-called "emerging church" consists of many aspects of belief and practice and that probably no part of it consists of all aspects. I might not agree with every point that he makes. But, I clearly agree with his focus on the Bible as the foundation for our belief and practice. I agree with his conclusion that God's people to day must find a way to reach a post modern culture in a Biblically acceptable manner. I agree with his conclusion that elements of the so-called emerging church may be appropriate and others may be inappropriate. Pick and chose carefully.

Comment on Rachel: Rachel and I disagree on many things, but not on everything. Some of the things on which we disagree, are of much less importance than are other things. Rachel has put more energy and effort into the study of her beliefs than have many of the other people who post here. She is sincere and she is open to considering opposing viewpoints. She is both forceful and appropriate in presenting her views. I welcome her here to this forum. I will defend her presence here, not because of any right that she has, but because of her behavior here. She has set the standard for how people should behave who come here and challenge us.

I highly doubt it will be that extensive. Romney's Morman status hardly phased his nomination among his Republican peers (where question of religion matters). Democratic side may take an issue with him rejecting evolution and making his religious view to be an issue, but you can only ride that so long. Examining Obama's religious background and connections didn't really get conservatives too far in either election. What killed Romney was not his religious views... but his fellow republicans who didn't like him very much during the primaries enough to pour mountains of dirt that he never could really recover from. Either way, I really don't see why that would be a bad thing for the church in general. I remember when Book of Mormon musical came out, and Mormons were excited about the publicity in spite of the skewed nature of the musical. I'd think that this would be a boon for Adventist denomination, since it'd lift it from relative obscurity into mainstream in terms of being able to address any possible misconceptions and provide "hey we are here" type of publicity that would otherwise cost millions of dollars to achieve.

Death did not occur on earth prior to Adam and Eve sinning. The ecological balance and food chain originally designed by God here was also in harmony with His character - everything in balance and designed to serve and benefit every species around, not to destroy or drive to extinction. Genesis 1:29, 30 give the original diet not just for man, but for all living things on earth. Death had no place here until Adam sinned, and the dominion of this planet devolve to another ruler - the one we name Satan. The hallmarks of Satan's character and dominion are the selfish "might makes right, the end justifies the means" type character, resulting in domination, predation, and ultimately, death - all diametrically opposite that of God and His character. These hallmarks can be traced everywhere Satan exerts his dominion, and will ultimately be characteristic of the Mark of the Beast in the very last trials. It was Satan who corrupted the animal kingdom into the predator/prey paradigm. God did not design it this way. Christ, in dying to redeem mankind, also redeems everything mankind once held dominion over. Such dominion comes as Christ's legal right as our New Adam. That is why in the end, we will return to the peaceful kingdom portrayed in prophecy in Isiah 65:25. Blessings,

Without the infilling spirit of God - giving life - death results. But HOW does death result? Is it because God Himself kills people, and creatures? NO. It is because God withdraws His spirit. God designed man and all of creation, to function by His indwelling. THAT is our design. Without the indwelling - our design dictates our slow death. In THAT SENSE only, the "strong eats weaker" - food chain - that we see in the world today, IS the result of God's design. So - God IS ultimately responsible. He is the designer. And HE paid the ultimate price. He took on the nature of the created man. He died as the victim of "strong destroys weak". Our part in witnessing this terrible pain and destruction, is to plead for the full return of the Indwelling. Perhaps 50,000 years into eternity, I may have a thought that I'd like to do something "my way". But THEN I remember what happened when created beings tried things their "own way". And I am repulsed. The pain of 6000 years, witnessed by the entire Universe (not simply by mankind) is the greatest deterrent to another "rebellion".