Words of Truth

I turned on the TV tonight to see what was on. There was a program called “Biblical Mysteries Explained” on Science channel.  I don’t usually watch these shows, but it sucked me in.  Did you know the first six plagues were natural disasters that logically followed one another? That’s what the scientists say. The hail was really bad (but they didn’t say anything about the fire that the Bible says came with the hail).  They did not explain how most of these plagues have never happened since. I mean, so many frogs it drives you nuts?  River turning to blood?  I’m sure that happens every other year, right?

I waited with bated breath to see what they would say about plague ten, the only one that (arguably) was completely supernatural. How did the science channel explain the killing of the firstborn? Hold onto your hats, people.

According to the expert on the Science Channel, the killer of plague ten was in the food supply. Because their crop supply was damaged through the other plagues, they stored the grain underground. There it fermented and produced a poison called mycotoxin. He then stated that only the top layer would be infected with this toxin, and he says ancient Egyptians fed their eldest the double portion of food at every meal (what?). That is why (he says) only the firstborn died.  And the firstborn of the animals died because the firstborn was the biggest and strongest.

That has got to be the most convoluted attempt to explain away God’s direct involvement in the events of the Exodus I’ve ever seen. As Billy Mays would say, but wait, there’s more!

They then explain that the Hebrews didn’t cross the Red Sea, they crossed the Gulf of Aqaba (on the eastern border of the Sinai Peninsula).  So the Bible is wrong, evidently. Scientists believe the sea was parted by a rare meterological phenomenon called “wind setdown.”  Evidently they say there was a freak wind that pushed the water away from the seabed. No word on why it lasted just long enough to allow the Israelites to cross over, and then died just in time to kill Pharaoh’s army.

Just like evolution, it requires more faith to believe in what these scientists are saying than simply believing that the Bible is true and God can do things that scientists can’t explain. There’s no mystery in the Bible. The only mystery is why people choose to invent theories to explain away their creator.

I do not have a Kindle.  What I have is the Kindle app for my phone.  I enjoy the portability of reading books on the go.  But I’m not rich, so I look for cheap or discounted books.  A friend of mine (Hi Greg!) pointed me to a website that shows what Kindle books are currently free or really inexpensive.

I have downloaded several books for my Kindle. Most of the free books with a Christian slant are geared for women, but I finally found one that was written for me: “Day of War” by Cliff Graham.

Day of War is the story of King David from Israel’s history as told in the Old Testament of the Bible.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with his story, David was chosen by God to be the next king after King Saul.  Saul didn’t like that (obviously), so David had to spend several years in exile before he became king.  There were many men who joined David while he was in exile, and they became a highly trained military band that was favored by God in many battles.  Some of the feats performed by these men seem almost impossible, such as killing 300 or more men on the same day with a spear, which Josheb did (I Chronicles 11:11).

Cliff Graham takes the details given in the Bible about David and his men, and fills in the missing bits, giving a very exciting, action-packed and realistic account that is true to the text and the sense of Scripture.  When reading these stories, you realize the fictional bits could have happened exactly as he tells it.  Graham gives meaning to the term “fleshing out a character” when he takes a character that is mentioned in only a few verses of the Bible and writes an entire story around that person.

The good thing about these stories is that they are both entertaining and enlightening.  The stories are amazingly well written (you almost feel like you’re there), and yet there is a spiritual lesson to be learned through them.  The main lesson I learned so far is a section from Day of War where Benaiah was talking to David. David says that we should ask for God’s covering (God’s empowering through the Holy Spirit) “in the day of war.” Benaiah asks why only the day of war? Why not when you’re working in the field? Why not every day? To which David replies, “Every day IS the day of war.”

From this I am reminded that I shouldn’t only ask for God’s help when things are going really badly, but every day with all things.  This is a lesson Joshua and the Israelites learned at Ai. They defeated the impossible-to-beat enemy at Jericho with God’s help, but when faced with a much weaker and easy-to-beat enemy at Ai, they didn’t think they needed God’s help. They did.

So anyway, go buy Cliff’s book. I know you will enjoy it.  If you do, read the other ones in the series.  He just came out with a short story about Benaiah, a man I had never heard of, and yet he is mentioned about forty times in the Bible.  Cliff has written a short story about him (called “Benaiah”) which is also available on Kindle.  Do yourself a solid and read that too.  They aren’t expensive. And they are worth it. Seriously, let me know what you think.

I started eating healthy again.  In other words, I quit eating sugar, grains, and anything else that has carbohydrates in it.  I am now eating high fat, high protein foods that don’t contain large amounts of carbohydrates.  I haven’t forced my family to do the same (yet), but I have put the kibosh on the baking and having desserts around all the time.

How am I doing?  I started last Wednesday (March 21st) at 286.5 pounds.  This morning I weighed 280.  The title of this post has a double meaning.   I have been considering joining the Navy as a nurse for the past several years. There have been two obstacles to this: my BSN and my weight.  To be a nurse in the Navy, you need a bachelor’s degree in nursing.  I do not currently have this, but I’m working on it.  Assuming I can come up with the $3K to pay for this semester by May 15^th (can you say “overtime”?), I have four classes left, and should finish my BSN by July 24^th of this year.

The second obstacle is my weight.  The Navy says that for my height (5’9”) I should weigh 186 pounds.  That means that I need to lose a total of 100 pounds. However, if my body fat content is less than 25%, I can get around that one. So here I am, wanting a piece of pie a’la mode, but eating salted peanuts instead.  Ah well. Updates on my progress will be forthcoming.

We will miss your laser-rocket arm, Peyton.

Word has come down the wire that Peyton Manning will be cut by the Colts tomorrow.  I have heard the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth from my fellow Colts fans, and I feel I must respond.  I am a Colts fan.  I am also a Peyton Manning fan.  Tomorrow, Colts fans will have to choose which is more important: the team or the QB.  Here is my off-the-cuff analysis of Jim Irsay’s options.  All three of these options are assuming that Peyton Manning is completely healthy and able to play at the same level he showed in the last decade.

Option #1: Peyton stays, sign Luck

Option #2: Peyton stays, trade Luck/Pick#1

Option#3: Peyton goes, keep Luck.

Option one is just insane.  Peyton has to know that he has three or four years (at best) of play left, assuming he’s completely healed. So his goal is to be the starter for those three or four years.  Luck isn’t going to want to hold his clipboard, and he shouldn’t have to.  Every indication is that Luck may be championship caliber after the first few years, and riding the pine would not get him the experience he would need. So it makes zero sense for the Colts to keep Peyton AND sign Luck. It’s bad for Peyton, bad for Luck, and bad for the Colts.

Option two is defensible: re-sign Peyton, and trade the first pick. That would give Peyton one final shot (in a year or two, after rebuilding the team around him) at a Super Bowl in Indianapolis before he retires. But this option is extremely short-sighted.  This option gives the Colts one year of rebuilding, two years of playoffs, but then several years of mediocre seasons from Peyton’s replacement.

I believe option three is the best choice: cut Peyton and sign Luck.  Luck deserves to start with whatever team he signs.  Peyton only has a few years left, assuming he’s completely healthy (which I doubt).  The Colts are rebuilding. They have a new coach, new GM, and lots of the veterans are probably leaving or retiring (Saturday, Wayne, Garcon, others).  If they go with Peyton (option 2), it gives them a few years of glory, but then nothing.  If they go with Luck, it gives them a few years to rebuild while Luck learns the ropes, and then at least ten years of having a decent franchise quarterback.

As much as it pains me, Peyton must go. I believe that he is truly the GOAT: Greatest Of All Time.  I have never seen a better student of the game, a harder worker, a better arm, and all around great football player.  If Peyton Manning is not a first ballot Hall-of-Famer five years after he retires, then there is something fundamentally flawed with whoever is in charge of those decisions.

If I ever go to another Colts game, I will not be alone wearing my #18 jersey, which I will wear with pride.  I will cheer for Peyton wherever he goes. I will wait for the next few weeks to see where he ends up, to see what my new third favorite team is (behind the Colts and Chiefs).  It would be nice if he went to Kansas City, but I think he’s going to end up in Seattle.  No matter where he ends up, those fans will get a small taste of what I and so many other Colts fans have experienced for the past 14 years.  We’ve been breathing rarified air, and it’s going to hurt coming down from the mountain.  Life goes on, and so must Peyton.  God bless you, Mr. Manning!