Took a Year Off

The first few days last week felt like spring with highs in the 70's. With the temporary warming trend I took the opportunity to do something I haven't in over a year, run my own errands.

Living the quad life, I'm dependent on others to help me with pretty well everything. I can blink without assistance as well as chew and swallow, but only if someone gives something to eat. Therefore, what I can do that resembles anything of independence, I try to do as much as possible. One of those items is being responsible for the supplies my nurses and I use.

Usually a couple times a month, I would get a list together and go to Walmart, or elsewhere, and get whatever I needed. Purchasing vitamins, protein bars, toilet paper, and other items isn't anything too extraordinary. However, it's a little part of independence I could do without relying on anyone other than my caregiver and I. It wasn't uncommon to get home from the store and immediately find something that was almost out and I would have my parents get it if they were heading out.

Then, like everyone else, March of 2020 hit with a pandemic and everything changed. With all the regulations and trying to avoid people, I gave my list to my parents. That has now been the case for at least a year, until this week.

Getting out and doing my normal routine felt good again. It was different seeing people at check out behind shields and marks all over the floor indicating six feet separation. I didn't see many other people in the store anyway, so it was a simple task to complete.

Hopefully, this won't be the only outing for this year. With so many uncertainties and rapid changes, we can never be sure what's coming. No matter what, I'll continue to trust God in all ways and do as He allows.

Take Your Pick

It has been a few weeks since I posted about daily Bible reading. The previous entry was commenting on Leviticus and how it still pertains today. Since then, I have read through Numbers and most of Deuteronomy. Today's reading was Deuteronomy 28-29, warning Israel to follow God's laws and ordinances.

The first 14 verses of chapter 28 cover the blessings the nation will receive for obeying God's commands. One of them was financial freedom, lending to nations and borrowing from none. Other blessings were abundance of crops, livestock, and children. However, the curses for not following God are many.

Going from verse 15 all the way to 68, God details what will happen for disobedience. First, the opposite of the blessings will happen, financial problems with going into debt to other countries, lack of crops, and decreased birth rate. If Israel didn't listen to initial warnings, the situation would continue to get worse with starvation, wars, and eventually being taken captive by foreign governments.

When an individual sins against God and does not repent, they receive a sentence of eternal punishment and torment in hell. Everyone needs to repent of sin, turn away from them, and trust in Christ alone for salvation. A nation sinning against God receives an earthly reprimand. Many of the curses listed in Deuteronomy 28 sound familiar to today.

According to the US debt clock, the country is in debt $82 trillion in debt. In less than a year, three bills passed with well over one trillion in expenditures, much of which was to superfluous items. I also recently saw an article that the birth rate in the United States was down from previous years. The echoes of Deuteronomy ring loud.

What can a nation do? It needs to return to following God and His laws. I pray the nations of the world will heed the warning, before more dire consequences come.

Watching and Waiting

It's March 7 and even though the calendar still says winter, it's starting to feel like spring in Iowa. In a few days, we are projected to have a high temperature near 70 with thunderstorms. Like many people, I am looking forward to getting outside again, but it isn't possible for some.

A year ago tomorrow was the last day I was physically in church, except for preaching. At the end of the evening service, a doctor and county health official told about a virus that was especially hard for older people to withstand. It was advised elderly stay home for a few weeks. Not long after, the entire world shutdown due to the virus, but it would only be for two weeks.

Now that it has nearly been 52 weeks, most areas still have restrictions on how many people can be together, how close, and other regulations. Churches in particular have been hit hard with regulations and told not to have full capacity, don't sing, or not meet together at all. Some congregations have looked to God's Word for their foundation in all situations, even pandemics. They have seen government going beyond what God has given for the government's responsibility and continued worshiping. I follow one of these congregations.

In Canada, Pastor James Coates leads a congregation that has seen how the church was singled out for restrictions. As a result, he preached to a full sanctuary on February 14 and preached an excellent sermon on Romans 13. Two days later, he was arrested and taken with handcuffs and leg irons to a maximum security prison where he is in isolation 23 hours a day. He can be released at any time as long as he agrees not to preach.

Two days ago, a hearing was held to get the release conditions dropped, but they were upheld. Pastor Coates will remain in jail until his trial in May. Jesus said that just as He was persecuted, Christians need to expect the same.

We often think of situations like these happening in Asia or the Middle East, not North America. Unfortunately, with a current bill being debated in the Senate, I and others think it will be happening in America as well. I'm thankful this past week went well for the videos I produced and I pray God uses them for His glory. For another week, I will watch and wait to see what happens while living the quad life.

Video Week

A few years ago, I started making videos about how I do every day activities as a quadriplegic. My goal was to have more material to use for when I speak at schools and help mentor others with high-level spinal cord injuries. I haven't done anything for promoting the channel, but some people have found it and have become familiar names in the comments.

The majority of the content is about the life I've been given, but I also do some Bible commentary and talk about being a Christian. My latest video was a brief talk about the life of Joseph and how God used him through wicked actions of others. After the video went live, two viewers asked me to do more Bible content. I enjoy teaching God's Word, and gladly accepted the request.

Over the weekend, I thought about what to do, how to present information, and when. It almost ignited a fire in me and I planned to release a video a day, for five days. Early this year, I encouraged viewers to start an annual reading plan at biblegateway.com and read through Scripture. The plan I'm doing will be in early Deuteronomy the first week of March. Therefore, I would start in Genesis and stop with the current reading progress.

This last week, I recorded all five videos in three recording sessions. I touched briefly on major points and tried to keep each recording around 15-20 minutes. I wanted to cover much more and could have spent a few hours in several areas, but disciplined myself not to. As I finished recording, I did editing with removing pauses, adding verse references, and stock photos to help keep anyone awake. In order to get my self-imposed deadline of March 1 met, I did a lot of work while flat. My mouth wasn't happy with me, but I know have everything uploaded (taking about 15 hours to so) and scheduled except Friday.

Tomorrow's video will cover Genesis 1-3, and I'm wondering if my channel will still exist afterword. One Christian YouTube channel I watch was removed from YouTube and several others have made it clear they could be next. I wouldn't like everything I've done to disappear, but I have more desire to follow Christ's command to spread the gospel.

I do know I won't do this ambitious of a series again. I neglected other projects, like my book, and likely did more than I should while flat. I will see what happens the next five days and pray God will use the words He gave me.

Warming Trend

It's Saturday afternoon as I write this week's entry in the quad life. The sun is shining outside making the snow covered ground extra bright. I have been sitting here all day thinking about what to write this week, and still haven't come up with a topic, even as my stick is putting out words on my keyboard.

As usual, it has been another week of staying inside. Last weekend and early in the work week, outdoor temps were well below zero. I woke up Tuesday morning to my thermostat reading -14° just outside my window. With a difference of more than 80° from outside to in, I wasn't surprised to see my room below where it usually sits. Thankfully, the weather has improved and that same thermostat now reads nearly 37°.

In the corner of my room, a five-sided, 45-gallon aquarium sits where I can easily see it. After a shift in fish population, due to the death of some and others becoming snacks for larger fish, I have been down to two fish for quite a while. One of the two was a large algae cleaning fish that frequently hid behind rocks. Therefore, I only saw one laxidasical angel fish most of the time. On January 29, my parents finally got to Des Moines and came home with a surprise of five new fish.

I enjoyed the new buzz of activity and watched the active new arrivals chase each other and explore their new home. However, our reliable fish store may have had a disease problem. As of Thursday, the large plecostomus was the latest burial in the snow. My original two fish died as well as three of the new ones. After having seven healthy pets, I'm back down to two survivors. Dad has been changing the water, filters, and adding medicine to help keep these two around. Hopefully they'll stay alive, but we may be more hesitant to repopulate the tank.

Finally, on Friday, I watched a conference about the current virus news, discussing mask wearing and the treatment. Many have been banned by social media for simply showing facts, and I therefore won't discuss specifics. However, I am more confirmed that I will not be getting the vaccine and continue to breath easily with my face uncovered.

February 20 also marks 36 years since becoming a quadriplegic. I'm thankful for the extreme number of blessings God has given me throughout the years. Even with just a regular week with little to come to mind, He has provided all I need. With the last full week of February ahead, I look forward to the coming of spring again.

Day of Love

February 14 is Valentine's Day, named after St. Valentine. It's a day when couples get each other cards, chocolate, flowers, and other gifts. Some claim this day was invented by greeting card companies so they could sell more product. Whatever the cause, it's a good day to be reminded of love.

The past several months have had riots, protests, finger pointing, and accusations of all sorts from different sources. We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is patient and kind. It can be challenging at times, but we need to love those we disagree with and be patient with them. However, we can go too far in that direction as well.

If we see a child playing and having fun, it would not be kind, or loving, to stop them. However, if the location of the play is on a street, or railroad track, and danger is approaching, it is loving to stop the child's enjoyment and move them. In the same way, when someone is living in sin, it is loving to warn them about the danger ahead.

Yes, God is love, but He is also a just and righteous judge that must see sin punished. If you do not repent of sin and do everything possible to keep from it, then justice will be served. Unfortunately, many churches just preach the first part and forget the second.

As sinful men and women, God showed His love for us by Jesus' death on the cross and paying our debt. All who repent and put their faith in Him alone will be saved. We demonstrate our love for God by following His commands, reading His word, and telling others about the gospel. It can seem unloving to show sin in someone's life, and needs to be done thoughtfully, but we cannot give a solution unless the problem is known.

Throughout this day, and week, remember how God demonstrated His love for us, and extend it to all around us.

Leviticus, why bother?

Other than snow and cold, it has been a pretty calm week. I spoke virtually to a class of RT students, but that was about all. Every morning, I continue reading through the Bible. I am now in Leviticus, and some may wonder why this is needed in modern Bible study.

The main point of the Old Testament is to point toward the coming Messiah and His payment for our sins. This book, while sometimes hard to read, is a major illustration of what is needed to cover sins against God. While it is aimed at the Levites in their service in the tabernacle, it also has application for Christians.

First, the animal had to be perfect to be accepted as a sacrifice. It couldn't have any blemish, and then it had to be offered on the alter in a prescribed manner with only certain pieces of the animal. Every part had a function, and even the ashes had a required method for disposal. Sacrifices were also required regularly, some at prescribed festivals, but others every morning and evening. They were to be a continual reminder of the need for forgiveness.

In the New Testament, Jesus was called the lamb of God. Just as the lamb had to be perfect for sacrifice, so did Jesus. He was the only one who had not sinned, and was holy, blameless, and acceptable to cover our sins. The blood of sheep and goats could not cover our sins for all time, but Jesus' one act on the cross paid for the sins of all who truly come to Him for forgiveness.

Other sections of Leviticus tell the Israelites how to live as a distinct nation, apart from the people around them. Just as they were not to follow many of the practices of other nations, so Christians are to be distinct as well. In 1 John 2:15, Christians are told not to love the world or the things in it. While the world moves further away from God's Word, we need to hold to it and live as His people, no matter the cost.

Just reading through some of the Old Testament can be a challenge. However, when we pay attention and apply it, the difficult passages make sense. If medical personnel in the Civil War, or Black Plague, had followed Leviticus and separated sick people from the well, and cleaned instruments with running water, it would have saved many lives. This is why it is still useful to read books such as Leviticus and see how it can point to today.