Photo For 08/01/2013

Headed down from Mt. Antero…You can see the dark clouds overhead…

Points To Ponder 08/01/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Don’t fight temptation…flee from it. Don’t stop to gaze, gawk or get in……get out!!
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of Solomon (I Kings 2:25 ff)

. . . . And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto your own fields; for you are worthy of death: but I will not at this time put you to death, because you bore the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because you have been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfill the word of the LORD, which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

            Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and . . . . .

What did Joab do when he fled into the tabernacle of the LORD? What was the result?

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Photo For 07/31/2013

Another view from the end of the 4WD road to Mt. Antero. This time we are looking southwest towards Carbonate Mountain (13,900’)… On our trip had an elevation gain of 4,445 feet (from the turnoff on the road to St. Elmo).

Points To Ponder 07/31/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Only you can be yourself. No one else is qualified for the job.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of Solomon (I Kings 2:23 ff)

. . . . Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request!. Now therefore, as the LORD lives, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down that he died.

And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, . . . . .

What was the sentence for Abiathar the priest?

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Photo For 07/30/2013

Another view from the end of the 4WD road on Mt. Antero. Looking towards the north you cannot tell we are in the path of a major lightning storm. Mt. Antero is said to be one of the best places in the United States for mineral and gem collecting. Some of the best specimens of aquamarine ever found came from the mineral fields at the top of this mountain. Gem quality smoky quartz and blue beryl can make this trip a rock hounding adventure of a lifetime!

Points To Ponder 07/30/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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The most defeated people in the world are those who know Christ but still try to go it on their own.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of Solomon (I Kings 2:10 ff)

. . . . So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Do you come peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. He said moreover, I have somethingt to say unto you. And she said, Say on. And he said, Thou know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD. And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.

Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say no to you. And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife. And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, . . . . .

What was King Solomon’s response to his mother? What happened to Adonijah?

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Photo For 07/29/2013

At the end of the 4WD road to Mt. Antero… By the time we got to the summit storm clouds and lightning were moving in and at 13,885 feet on top of a mountain one thing you don’t want is lightning! We shot a few pictures and then turned around and started back down. Cameron (my eight year old grandson) covered up his windows in the back with a blanket over the roll bar so he couldn’t see where we were going and was a not a happy camper for about the next hour….  :0(

Points To Ponder 07/29/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:

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 Life is like Monopoly…….it doesn’t matter what you own…when the game is over it all goes back in the box.

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BIBLE QUIZ: 

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Old Testament/Stories of David and his sons (I Kings 2:1 ff)

. . . . Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and whithersoever you turnest thyself: That the LORD may continue his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

Moreover thou know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.

But show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.

And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sw0re to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and know what you should to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.

So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. And the days that David reigned over Israel were  . . . . .

How long did David reign in Hebron? How long in Jerusalem?

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Photo For 07/28/2013

Mt. White as seen from the road to Browns Lake… Mt. Antero would be to the left of this photo.

Points To Ponder 07/28/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:

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He who angers you controls you.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David and his sons (I Kings 1:31 ff)

 . . . . Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever. And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? And while he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bring good tidings. And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. . . . . . . . .  And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. . . . .

What did Adonijah do when he heard that Solomon had been anointed king?

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Photo For 07/27/2013

The backside of Mt. Antero as seen from the road to Browns Lake… Mt. Antero can barely be seen just to the left of the peak in the middle of this photo.

Points To Ponder07/27/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David and his sons (I Kings 1:11 ff)

. . . . Therefore, Nathan spoke unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord knoweth it not? Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. . . .

What was the wise counsel of Nathan?

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Photo For 07/26/2013

As we head up Mt. Antero the clouds are rolling in. As you can tell the road is narrow in places :0)

Points To Ponder 07/26/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Even if you have pains, it doesn’t mean you have to be one.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David and his sons (I Kings 1:1 ff)

. . . Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the girl was very beautiful; and she became the king's nurse and served him, but the king did not cohabit with her. Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father had never crossed him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants: . . . . .

 

Which brother did Adonijah NOT invite to his sacrifice of sheep and oxen?

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Photo For 07/25/2013

Headed up Mt. Antero. The only real concern on this trip is that the road is too narrow to pass another vehicle except at the switchbacks, so one must exercise extreme vigilance in looking at the switchbacks ahead to be sure there is not another vehicle coming.

Points To Ponder 07/25/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Man appears for a little while to laugh and weep, to work and play, and then to go to make room for those who shall follow him in the never-ending cycle. - A.W. Tozer
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 24:22 ff)

. . . And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good unto him: behold, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.  "Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you." And the king said unto Araunah . . .

Did David accept the gift from Araunah?

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Photo For 07/24/2013

During the first hour of the trip up Mt. Antero you are in heavy timber on a pretty rough road. Once you break out of the timber you are then faced with a seemingly endless bunch of switchbacks that zig-zag up the mountain side. In this photo we are looking down on where we have come from :0)

Points To Ponder 07/24/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Man appears for a little while to laugh and weep, to work and play, and then to go to make room for those who shall follow him in the never-ending cycle. - A.W. Tozer
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 24:22 ff)

. . . And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good unto him: behold, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.  "Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you." And the king said unto Araunah . . .

Did David accept the gift from Araunah?

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Photo For 07/23/2013

Today our destination will be to take a road that starts near St. Elmo and goes to the top of Mount Antero (the center peak in this photo). Mount Antero is the tenth highest peak in Colorado with an elevation of 14,269 feet.

Points To Ponder 07/23/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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It is said that our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. - Charles H. Spurgeon
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 24:14 ff)

 . . . And David said unto Gad, I am in a great distress: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba ___________ thousand men. . . .

How many people died because of David’s sin of counting the people? Why was it a sin for David to count the people?

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Photo For 07/22/2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get to St. Elmo we must first pass the Chalk Cliffs. It is said that there is Spanish gold buried somewhere in the many caves in the cliffs…

Points To Ponder 07/22/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:

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Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have. Margaret Mead

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BIBLE QUIZ: 

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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 24:10 ff)

 . . . And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or will you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue thee? Or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. . . . .

Which one of the three things did David pick…and why??

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Photo For 07/21/2013

A bunch of day lilies…

Points To Ponder 07/21/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:

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Some people will see the light only when they feel the heat.

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BIBLE QUIZ: 

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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 24:1 ff)

 . . . Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah." And the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people." But Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king {still} see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?" Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king, to register the people of Israel. And they crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and toward Jazer. Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon, and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, {to} Beersheba. So when they had gone about through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of ______ months and ____ days.

And Joab gave the number of the registration of the people to the king; and there were in Israel ___________ valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were ______________ men. . . .

How long did it take for the census and what was the count they came up with?

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Photo For 07/14/2013

Boarding house at the Mary Murphy Mine near St. Elmo…

Points To Ponder 07/14/2014

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Working together works.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 21:11 ff)

 . . . Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD? And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, Let  . . . . . . . .

What did the Gibeonites require as an atonement for the actions of Saul?

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Photo For 07/13/2013

Water garden at a school near us…

Points To Ponder 07/13/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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When there is room in the heart there is always room in the house.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 20:11 ff)

 . . . And one of Joab's men stood by him, and said, He that favors Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab. And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still. When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Beth-ma'achah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him. And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-ma'achah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down. Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with you. And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art you Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of your handmaid. And he answered, I do hear. . . . .

What were the wise words of the woman on the wall?

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Photo For 07/12/2013

A picture I shot of St. Elmo when I first saw it in the early 1970’s…

Points To Ponder 07/12/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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When God is in the center of your life, you worship. When He is not, you worry.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 20:1 ff)

. . . And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem. And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood. Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us. And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him. But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. . .

Why did Joab kill Amasa? (see 2 Samuel 17:25)

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Photo For 07/11/2013

Ornamental cabbage on our front porch…

Point To Ponder 07/11/2013

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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We could accomplish many more things if we didn’t think of them as impossible.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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Old Testament/Stories of David (II Samuel 19:24 ff)

 . . . And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace. And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Why didn’t you come with me, Mephibosheth? And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame. And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in your eyes. For all of my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at your own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king? And the king said unto him, Why speak anymore about this matter? I have said, .  

What was King David’s ruling in regards to the matter between Ziba and Mephibosheth?

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Photo For 07/10/2013

At the park…