Enjoy Ronald Reagan’s Christmas address below!

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From The Governor’s Desk: A weekly column by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin
“Each Thanksgiving, families travel from places near and far to share a meal and spend time together as a symbol of gratitude. The Thanksgiving table is often set using the best china and other favorite pieces with their own special meaning. Hours are devoted to the preparation of food, which seems to overflow the table and there is always room for lots of good conversation. Unfortunately, this picturesque celebration, with the abundance of company and delicious fare on Thanksgiving Day, is not experienced by all West Virginians.

“This holiday season I call upon all those who are able to share their blessings with others. Whether you donate non-perishable goods to a local soup kitchen, participate in a church-based collection, or volunteer to help serve a holiday meal at one of the many community Thanksgiving dinners, your efforts will make a difference.

“…The donations need not be grand gestures. Keep in mind that the small things can and often do make a world of difference. A simple can of beans, soup, or vegetables is always appreciated. When we all work together, we can make positive things happen.

“Every meal tastes better when you share it with good company. As you gather with friends and family, please consider adding to your traditions by creating a new one. Perhaps, you could visit a nursing home and enjoy some time with our most treasured citizens, our seniors. Maybe volunteer to help distribute holiday meals at your local food bank, or simply extend an invitation to a neighbor who may be alone this season. All family traditions must start somewhere. I cannot think of a better tradition than extending the joy of the season to those in your community.

“When we open our hearts, what we stand to gain is so much more than what we give. West Virginians are known for helping their neighbors in times of need. We share with a generous spirit. These are attributes of which we can all be proud and I ask you to let them shine, especially during this holiday season.”

Jobe Martin? . . . Yes! I had heard of him. Creation seminars. Creation videos. Esteemed creation authors. Deep discussions of science, geology, Biblical worldview. Stimuli from the past came flooding into my memory as I contemplated the fact that he was speaking here today. No wonder the place was crowded!

And no wonder I returned that very night to hear him give a second message. Dr. Jobe Martin, former evolutionist and present Creation Evangelist, speaks from medical and scientific experience on the hot topics of creation, evolution, discipleship, and Biblical prophecy. His journey from evolutionary theory to Biblical fact started when he began to study animals that challenged the scientific assumptions and broke the “rules” of his traditional education, a major emphasis of his current ministry: Biblical Discipleship Ministries.

If you are new to the idea of Creation Science or simply want to be equipped to answer the barrage of evolutionary thinking that is so prevalent today, check out Dr. Jobe Martin’s website and incredibly captivating publications. Recently, I have enjoyed reading his book “The Evolution of a Creationist”, a combined autobiography and handbook on answering the arguments of evolution. I also personally recommend “God of Wonders”, an exceptionally produced, 80 minute documentary that gives a glimpse into God’s infinite power and wisdom, majesty and care as displayed in the universe, the molecular world, and every day life. It will leave you spellbound!

Are you reveling in the joy of having peace with God; of freedom from the world and its pride and its lusts? Are you resting in the promise that He will come again and receive you to himself? Are you receiving the grace and the power that he gives to enable us to do His will? “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day.” Deuteronomy 5:15 Your deliverance from spiritual Egypt is what I mean by spring, for “he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:12.

       The week after the competition we plunged back into our schoolwork. However, I found it incredibly difficult to make time in my schedule for reading, memorizing, and studying Scripture. I was surprised at how much discipline it takes! These past few weeks I have begun to realize the importance of being faithful on a daily basis. Even though I don’t have as much time to spend in God’s Word, this doesn’t mean that I should not spend any time at all. Whether it be in the morning, evening, or both, the time is there. This came as a great refreshment for me. So, don’t stop now, continue on, and be not weary in well doing! 

       Like a rocket, the Bible Bee has launched us above the pull of earth’s gravity, and now by God’s grace we can easily reach far beyond. For me, the contest may be over, but the Bible Bee is not! The temporary goal of the local competition has been reached but the living relationship with God is something I continue to grow in every day.

“And these words,
which I command thee this day,
shall be in thine heart”
(Deuteronomy 6:6).

An effective and fun memory passage review tool that I would heartily recommend is www.memverse.com

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” Psalm 34:8-9 “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not.” – see John 6. I had been thinking of my time in meditation on God’s Word to be a time to discover truths and find answers to questions and “get insights” while forgetting what came first: how good it is to simply enjoy the LORD, because he is good! Because I had begun to merely look for exciting new information, I was evaluating my time with the LORD by the wrong criteria and the time actually began to seem unprofitable. When the LORD showed me the above analogy between physical food and spiritual food, I saw my mistake. It is the Person; the name; the character; the presence of the Lord revealed to me that makes meditation most meaningful! There is no match for the Lord! Yet this has not always been possible; I needed spiritual life to taste spiritual things. “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.” – Psalm 27:4

It is the bridge between all the past and all the future—the bud to which the branches lead and in which the blossom of the future waits. As I remember an ambitious friend telling me: “Today is the the first day in the rest of my life!”

Jehovah Himself told Israel that He was the “I am”. Rather than identifying Himself as the ‘I was’ or ‘I will be’ He said “I Am”.

But what day is today?

I read Genesis 1 last week about the creation of the sun and moon, made to “document” the passing of days and years, and to give light to the earth. Since calendars vary from country to country, let’s set a standard calendar to which we can can compare the others and find out what today would be called if we had that ideal standard calendar.

To do that we first set two reference points: a geographical location on earth and a point in time in history. Jerusalem seems to be the eternal center of attention . . . and for time reference we will use the easily-determined spring equinox of the actual year of Christ’s birth, 4 BC.

Now we have the year: 2011 + 4 = 2015

This year spring began on March 20 so we’ll take the next new moon as the beginning of the first month of the year: April 3.

You will see that if we begin at this new moon, one more new moon has gone by since then (May 3) and we are actually about to see another one (June 1). That means we are about to start the third month of the year. But here is where Jerusalem, our geographical compass, comes in to play. The new moon on June 1st may be happening at 5:03pm Eastern Daylight Time, but it is 12:03am Israel Daylight Time and that is June 2nd!

That will be our reference day. Instead of calling it June 2nd, 2011, we will call it the first day of the third month in 2015. How’s that for a change?!

Now comes the fun part. We will compare it to calendars all over the world. Hold on!

“The 1st Day of our Third Month in 2015” =

1 US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Russia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, others
2 Second month in the religious/Biblical calendar beginning in spring
3 Saudi Arabia, others
4 Called the Persian Calendar
5 Other Eastern countries included: Korea and Vietnam
6 In Taiwan, it is the 101st year since their “Independence Day”
7 The Japanese Calendar varies slightly

Many thanks to the Calendar Converter from Fourmilab, in the friendly country of Switzerland.