Month: April 2017

Was the betrayal planned?

Jesus states that one of the 12 will betray them and there is lots of confusion.  Now it might be that they were afraid, or revolted by the idea, but it might be that they wished it not to be them to be picked.  Jesus may have been telling them that the plan was that one of them must betray him.  Judas was the one picked.  It is a horrible to have to do and he may have hated doing it but he was the one picked to carry out that task.

If you read the text in that manner you can see that this meaning can be quite clear.

Imagine the horror of being the one who drew that “short straw”!

Leviticus 17

Interesting stuff here about blood too.  God says that blood is life…so to shed blood is to shed life, to spill blood is to spill life.  It is the “magic” stuff that is life and it truly is.  The properties of blood are amazing and a highly efficient way to carry needed resources in the body.

• It is the only liquid tissue
• It is a connective tissue
• 5 liters (8% of body weight)
• Heavier and more viscous than water
• Ph is 7.4
• Transportation of O2 and nutrients
• Maintain stable body temperature
• Maintain stable body pH
• Clotting prevents fluid loss
• White blood cells protect us from infection
• Plasma (55%) is a yellow liquid (protein, salts, and nutrients) – similar to sea water
• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/science/21angi.html

This is the fluid of life, without it our complex internal systems would not exist.  

It is equated with life in the Bible.

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Mark K.

On March 29, I met Mark and Anita McCafferty in Portland and we went to see Martin Barre in concert at One Longfellow Square.  What an absolutely amazing show!

Here is a video that I created with some pictures and video from the show.

Click here to go to YouTube!​​
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Mark K.

Today I received great news!  I have been selected to be a member of the Apple Distinguished Educator Class of 2017!

I submitted an application and a video to show how I have incorporated Apple products into innovative teaching and learning opportunities.  Well, I got it!

I’m pretty pumped up about it!

Apple Distinquished Educators Website

Over the next few weeks I need to update on my website and such, so that is going to be cool.  I’m also going to meet with a current ADE who works at KV and look into the opportunities that this opens up for me.  She travels all over the place and no longer teaches classes, she teachers others how to use Apple products.

Way cool!

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Mark K.

There is a teaching that says “number your days” but this term (number) has another meaning.  It means to appoint or plan for or become intentional about your day.

While we may not know what a day will bring us, we can approach the day with intention.  Not only a plan of what we are going to do that day, but an overall mission for the day.  Likely to act in a manner that draws attention to God, that glorifies him.  When we pray we should ask God to show us what his intent is for our day.  We strive to match our intent and planning for the day with God’s overall mission.

I have put myself on a rigourous schedule recently.  All the projects, goals, and events of my days are outlined in my calendar.  There is very little room left in between each item on my calendar and often I can see that I don’t stop all day…if I follow the calendar.

But with all this goal setting and such, I must focus on the appointment of my day.  I might say that it is the mission of the day (the overall mission) and the opportunity to react to what the world brings to us and by so doing, shed light on the world.  Our ability to be open and accepting and responsive to these moments, is how we go about appointing our days.

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Mark K.

In today’s story the word “ruach” means both the “wind” and the “spirit”.

When we are in the world we can choose to walk against the wind. When we do this we become tired, and our journey is a struggle because of the drag created by the wind.  When we turn around we are walking with the wind and our journey is easier, in fact we are sometimes pushed in the direction we are heading.

This is the way with walking with the spirit.

We make choices every day to either walk in the spirit of God or to walk against it.  Now this does not guarantee that we will not stumble or be pushed in a direction that we do not like…indeed it is likely that this will happen.  But the push of the spirit is in the direction that God wants us to go in.

Reflecting on this we have to be careful that we do not equate the walking with the wind with simply things being easier.  We may choose to stay in our “comfort zone” because it feels as though we are walking with the wind.  But THAT wind is not the wind of the spirit of God, that is the wind of our selves and our egos.  These are selfish and lazy and will seek out the minimal of effort.  Our walk with God, even though it is with the wind, is meant to be effortful.  In fact, because of our sinful nature, it always will be effortful. The easier and wider path is always the one to destruction.

I think this can take on the flavor of group dynamics as well.  We may feel a certain way in regard to a decision or viewpoint in a group but it is EASIER to go along with the group than to distinguish yourself from the group by holding a differenting opinion.  Yet the spirit may be pushing you in that direction!  You may need to stand firm, to resist the wind of your “instincts” of those of the group.

Ultimately, particularly over time, I believe that walking with the wind of God will make life easier.  We are definitiv3ely more secure in our lives when we are walking with the wind.  We know that we are aligned with the expectations of our creator and the higher order morality that we are capable of.

The Mission: What part of your life is against the direction of the Spirit’?  Today, turn it around and start walking with the Wind at your back.

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Mark K.

In Mark we read in the Bible about Jesus’ promise that whatever we ask for in prayer will be answered.  But this is in the context of the analogy of the mountain that can be moved with faith.

Now, the mountain represents barriers (the same way we say “climbing mountains” can be an analogy for having to overcome hardship)

The text reads…”whatever you have asked for, believe that you have already received it, and it will be yours.”

This is not a promise for your prayers, it is a promise that if you have faith and encounter barriers, and you ask for deliverance or help…BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED IT!  That is the key to understanding this passage!

Our faith can move mountains when we believe God has already done so!

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Mark K.

Habits of prayer are vital.  Certainly in my “8 Habits” book the first habit is Prayer.

In the Bible in a Year system that I’m doing, the author suggests an acronym to describe our daily prayer, or our prayer practice each time you pray.

ACTS

• Adore
• Confess
• Thanks
• Supplications (requests and petitions)

This is pretty cool!

The key to prayer, however, is forgiveness.  I can adore God all I want, and confess, give thanks, and supplicate my needs, but if I am holding anger and frustration inside of me (ooo boy!) I may receive from God the same!

The purification laws that we read about in Leviticus are all symbolic to the ways in which we have to approach God.  We have to clean our own house first.  Forgive those who tresspass against us so God can forgive us in a like manner.

I should add a section in 8 Habits about the importance of forgiveness before prayer. 

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Mark K.