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posted by Donald on 02/11/10

It’s clear that world history never really deviates from it’s focus on the Middle East.

“East”, as opposed to “the West”, refers to the Old World: Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia. China, Japan and the other countries of eastern Asia can be called the Orient or the Far East because they are the furthest east. Israel, Egypt and the Arab nations however form the middle of the eastern world and that is where we get the term Middle East. (As maybe you’ve guessed, there is no Western East!—except to say that Europe as a whole is generally referred to as western because of its culture and its languages.) Note also that the Middle East is not far from the middle of the Land Hemisphere, that half of the globe which encompasses the most land area.

While Britain, Canada and the United States have always displayed an interest in Israel it was news to me when I heard of the interest shown in the Orient. Here is an encouraging report on the interest in Israel that has been sparked in the Philippines. I’ve been blessed by many such reports from the Joshua Fund and I hope that you will enjoy it also. (By the way, it was this small but reputable nation, the cluster of islands called the Philippines, that cast the deciding vote for Israel’s statehood in 1948).

1 Comment » | posted in Historical Glimpses

posted by Donald on 02/4/10

No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible Hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. And in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United Government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted, cannot be compared with the means by which most Governments have been established …”

-George Washington, April 30, 1789

First Inaugural Address

for his Fellow Citizens of the Senate and the House of Representatives

(Second paragraph)

2 Comments » | posted in Historical Glimpses

posted by Michael on 01/20/10

This morning part of our regular Bible reading was Daniel 4, in which God deals with the pride of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who then acknowledges the power and supremacy of the Almighty.

“At the end of twelve months… there fell a voice from heaven, saying, ‘O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee…’

“And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, ‘What doest Thou?’

“Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all Whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.”

4 Comments » | posted in Historical Glimpses, Politics

posted by Donald on 10/15/09

Recently we were surprised to see the announcement for a church seminar on the customs of the Jewish people. Their calendar, language and of course their history have been of interest to us for a long time. The two hour seminar flew by and Jonathan and I were both feverishly taking notes. Israel is truly unique among nations. Isn’t it interesting that its people are pretty much the only ones with the ability to trace their linage to the creation and they constitute the only nation to be “resurrected”? (We also heard for the first time from another attendee that Christopher Columbus could have been Jewish–and it happened to be Columbus Day that day.)

The peace of Jerusalem appears at times to be an impossible request to ask for and yet asking for this is something that we continue to be reminded is necessary. For updates on the current events of Israel (rather than sifting through the news or newspapers though it might be of use if you have time), I would like to recommend subscribing to the weekly email newsletters put out by Joel Rosenberg.

Take courage and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray also for the peace of those who seek it’s peace. The Lord reward you.

8 Comments » | posted in Historical Glimpses

posted by James on 06/2/09

On the way down to the Nashville Conference, we stopped at two different places: the New River Gorge Bridge in southern West Virginia, and the Bates Family home in Knoxville Tennessee.

876 feet. That’s the amount of vertical space between the New River Gorge Bridge and the white-water rapids of the New River below. This is enough space to move both the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty, stacked on top of each other, underneath with room to spare.

The bridge is the longest single-arch, steel bridge in the world. At 3,030 feet long, 70 feet wide, and exhibiting 88 million pounds of U.S. Cor Ten steel and American cement, this bridge has become a symbol of the wonder of West Virginia. Opened on October 22, 1977, it is still standing for us to utilize and take pictures of in 2009.

From West Virginia’s architectural wonder, we moved on to Tennessee. In tomorrows post, we will cover the inimitably unique details of our stop at the Bates’ house!

8 Comments » | posted in Historical Glimpses, Photography