We have 2 new residents at Casa Vulpini and, as is the custom here, they have received their names (whether they want them or not) by virtue of their multiple appearances.
The first is Cooper, a Cooper's Hawk (I know, not very original, but we seem to think it fits) that has a nest high in one of the taller oaks and has become a regular feature in the yard - much to the dismay and detriment of the birds that feed here as well ... they are, after all, its preferred food. We've watched our little daredevil live up to its reputation as it flies perilously fast through the fairly dense woods here. I was reading that in a study of Cooper's Hawks, they found that nearly 1/4 of the ones examined had healed fractures in their chest - typically their wishbones. Dangerous game, this eating stuff!
I caught Cooper during his/her ablutions one Saturday morning. Cooper and I watched each other for a while before I decided to risk slowly dragging the camera out of its bag and changing lenses. Perhaps the raptor was waiting on the rapture because it seem to care less about my very obvious presence. These are but a few of the shots spanning a 15 - 20 minute period.
I'm quite sure we will have words if Cooper decides to snatch dinner from under our noses, but perhaps the raptor will keep it on the sly and wow us with its aerial stunts instead.
The first is Cooper, a Cooper's Hawk (I know, not very original, but we seem to think it fits) that has a nest high in one of the taller oaks and has become a regular feature in the yard - much to the dismay and detriment of the birds that feed here as well ... they are, after all, its preferred food. We've watched our little daredevil live up to its reputation as it flies perilously fast through the fairly dense woods here. I was reading that in a study of Cooper's Hawks, they found that nearly 1/4 of the ones examined had healed fractures in their chest - typically their wishbones. Dangerous game, this eating stuff!
I caught Cooper during his/her ablutions one Saturday morning. Cooper and I watched each other for a while before I decided to risk slowly dragging the camera out of its bag and changing lenses. Perhaps the raptor was waiting on the rapture because it seem to care less about my very obvious presence. These are but a few of the shots spanning a 15 - 20 minute period.
I'm quite sure we will have words if Cooper decides to snatch dinner from under our noses, but perhaps the raptor will keep it on the sly and wow us with its aerial stunts instead.
Next on Kitsuni Acres is Redford. He appeared as a complete shock early one morning and has now shed the light on the recent questions of, "...what are these deer rooting for?" He's big enough (we think somewhere around 150-200 pounds, although looking at him tonight he seems bigger than that) that he should have tusks already if he's a wild boar; so perhaps he's an escaped domestic. Either way, we aren't really keen on having Redford as a guest beneath the bird feeder. He's sharing the space with both the deer and the fox routinely so there seems to be some peaceful accord ... so far. We now suspect he's been around a while and that would explain the few odd diggings in the yard. Redford does have a sweet tooth for the bird seed. He is very shy and very fleet footed. Ah! The pleasures of rural life! Sigh...............
In a recent Renew American article by the Rev. Mark Creech entitled: Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit Testifies The Bible Is True, we are provided first hand insight into why the Christian prodigal sons and daughters not only remain lost, but have been banished to a Spiritual Diaspora where they continue to suffer under the control of what Jesus portrayed as the Citizen of the Far Country. And while the Christians should be the Light of the world, this Light has been snuffed out, because of the long series of lies and deceptions that they embrace, when the fourth century Church embraced the doctrines of the Pagan Emperor of Rome. And while they dwell under the grave misconception that they broke the shackles of paganism during the Reformation, because the Catholic priest Martin Luther never had a very clear understanding of the original teachings of Jesus and TheWay (see The Legacy Of Martin Luther), they merely broke free of one variety of shackles, only to be subdued by another variety which continues to enslave the Christian world to this very day.
It is not that Jesus is not true -- but rather, the manmade pagan doctrines of belief that the Christian world continues to cling to, has inhibited the flock of believers from understanding the original objectives and destiny that these important teachings were intended to bring about in the lives of the congregations. And no finer example of this fact, is demonstrated in the grave doctrinal misconceptions that are presented in the Rev. Creech's article on the Dead Sea Scrolls. To which I responded in a letter:
Shalom Rev. Mark Creech:
I was sent the below column that you authored -- and in light of the facts -- it is difficult to understand how you can lie to the people in the manner that you have. Take the example where it is written in the below article: Also (2) extensive quotations of the New Testament occur in the writings of the early Church Fathers, as further proof that the New Testament writings were known to them, possessing the same content as we have today -- what is being stated is that such quotations as found in The Ten Words ( http://TheTenWords.com ) which are drawn directly from the Church Fathers which are being made reference to, are the same as what is found in the Bible today. No doubt, since your readers take your word for it, and no one actually looks these quotations up, they never know that they are being lied to. If The Ten Words which are attested to by both the Church Fathers, as well as the more ancient texts of the New Testament, represent the original message Gospels, then the Ebionites (see http://Ebionite.com ) who knew Jesus -- walked with him -- learned from him -- and knew his family -- and were condemned by the Church as heretics -- it means that the Ebionites are correct, and the modern Church is in grave error. Does it matter? Yes! In ways that the faithful flock of believers can never even begin to imagine. Moreover, as can be plainly seen in the article ( http://TheTenWords.com ), the congregation that has put their faith in the clergy, are being lied to.
Quoting Prof. Millar Burrows in More Light on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Prof. Burrows writes: “There are those who believe or assume that the Greek and Hebrew texts from which our translations are made are infallible. No person who has studied textual criticism at all could believe that. The most conservative scholars in the most conservative churches recognize that the text has become corrupt at many points in the course of its transmission. If that were not already well known and universally admitted, the Dead Sea Scrolls would demonstrate it conclusively.”
There is extensive documentation in the article on Bible Corruption at http://BibleCorruption.com , which demonstrates the outlandish deception of the article you authored. Quoting this article: The truth and the facts to the matter is very clearly expressed in the words of Prof. Bart D. Ehrman in his book, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, where he warns us that: "...theological disputes, specifically disputes over Christology, prompted Christian scribes to alter the words of scripture in order to make them more serviceable for the polemical task. Scribes modified their manuscripts to make them more patently ‘orthodox’ and less susceptible to ‘abuse’ by the opponents of orthodoxy" -- which orthodoxy was to bring the text of the Bible into conformity with the doctrines and tenets of the Church of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
While you are correct with respect to the absolute need for people in our present morally challenged culture to embrace the teachings of the Gospel, even more important is for the Gospel message to be restored to its original spiritual essence prior to being corrupted by the Pagan Church of Rome. In view of the fact that like you, I live in North Carolina, if you would like to discuss the facts, I would be glad to meet with you.
GodSpeed in TheWay,
Allan Cronshaw
PO Box 780
Graham, NC 27253
In truth, to even suggest that what is portrayed as The Ten Words "...possesses the same content as we have today" in the modern Bibles used by the Church, is such a deception, that it would have to be seen as an outlandish lie!!! To the degree that one Christian Bible Commentary states that if these words represent the original teachings, that the modern doctrinal positions embraced by the Church, would be “vain and baseless”. And thus, because the words spoken to Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan were altered by the later scribes in order to make the biblical text reflect the doctrines of the Church of Rome, the Christian world has become lost and self-banished to a Spiritual Diaspora that has caused them to become spiritually impotent. To the degree that Dead Sea Scroll expert A. Powell Davies professed: “Biblical scholars”, he writes, "were not disturbed by what they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls because they had known all along that the origin of Christianity was not what was commonly supposed to have been” (quoted by Millar Burrows in More Light on the Dead Sea Scrolls). And the essence of the grave differences in what Christians believe about Jesus based upon Church doctrine, and what Jesus actually taught and what the Bible itself originally stated prior to being corrupted, is so far removed from the original spiritual objectives of the New Covenant Teachings, that the Christian lost prodigal sons and daughters remain imprisoned and unable to escape the shackles of what Paul portrayed as the god of this world.
Brother of Yeshua
Santos-Dumont is revered in the country of his birth, Brazil, and many there hold that the homage of first in flight should belong to him. I think it curious that, I feel safe in saying, most of the people in this country have never heard of this shy, eccentric personality.
I kept waiting for the book to become dry and overly factual – a sure antidote for insomnia for me; however, dryness never happened. The book did plod along in a few places and the very nature of the subject would seem to dictate a yawn, but the author, Paul Hoffman, just kept drawing me in further and further. That I’m even writing about it here is a surprise, but I felt it worth sharing.
I am making a conscious effort to read through the embarrassing amount of books that we’ve collected over the years. Granted two thirds of the books are how-to books and such, but it’s the volumes of fiction and non-fiction that I am trying to claim. Books just seem to collect on our shelves like dust and are often abandoned after acquisition; overwhelming in their weight and noticed only upon moving. Ironically, the re-claiming began during a week long bed rest in a Vicodin haze after pulling my back out moving boxes of said books. It has been interesting and enlightening to go to a shelf and pick a half a dozen books and just read them through, not thinking about "what's next". I’m finding while reading I’m remembering why I chose a book to begin with, be it subject, author or both. Although there have been some exceptions to the moratorium on “new” books over the last 13 months, in the main it has been a worthy endeavor to visit our own library instead of another worm’s shelves. Equally satisfying is keeping a list of what I have read, therefore eliminating the dependence on a disgustingly shallow short-term memory pool that is evaporating by the day.
Happy reading!
Shalom Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson:
In the WorldNetDaily article entitled Bible Expert Proclaims: Jesus Is Not God, it does not reveal the name of the person portrayed as the Bible Go-To-Guy who declared that Jesus is not God. Joe Kovacs will not supply me the answer to who this person is, because he is merely peddling books that only present half-truths at best.
That the Bible, prior to being corrupted ( http://BibleCorruption.com ), demonstrated that Jesus became the Messiah/Christ -- and the Adopted Son of God for the first time -- is proven conclusively at http://TheTenWords.com . What modern Christians are unable to understand, is the Inner Kingdom that Jesus taught (see http://GateOfEden.com ). And while Christians may not like the truth, or understand the difference between the man Jesus and the indwelling Son of God, the fact that they reject knowledge and continue to worship in the manner of Pagan Rome, is their own folly. If, as Jesus taught, the Kingdom is within (Luke 17:20-21), then it is in this inner Kingdom that you will find the Son of God/Logos -- and those who seek it, become the Anointed (Messiah/Christ) as Jesus taught.
The disciples understood that Jesus was a man who fulfilled the Law and became the Anointed (Messiah/Christ) at the baptism in the Jordan -- i.e., that Jesus was in “...supernatural union of a man and God... In their eyes, Jesus of Nazareth was a mere mortal, the legitimate son of Joseph and Mary: but he was the best and wisest of the human race, selected as the worthy instrument to restore upon earth the worship of the true and supreme Deity. When he was baptized in the Jordan, the Christ, the first of the aeons, the Son of God himself, descended on Jesus in the form of a dove, to inhabit his mind, and direct his actions during the allotted period of his ministry” (Gibbon; The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, V.4, P.366).
It is further documented by the earliest of Church authorities that they understood that Jesus became the Messiah by fulfilling the Law within himself -- i.e., they understood that Jesus "was justified by fulfilling the Law. He was the Christ of God, since not one of the rest of mankind had observed the Law completely. Had any one else fulfilled the commandments of the Law, he would have been the Christ." Hence, when true believers and disciples "...thus fulfill the law, they are able to become Christs, for they assert that our Lord Himself was a man in like sense with all humanity." (Hippolytus, Refut. Omn. Haer. vii. 34). The objective of fulfilling the Law within one's self in the endeavor to become the Final Temple (see http://TheThreeLies.com#temple ), is the walking in the "narrow way" that Jesus taught was necessary. That this understanding of Jesus and his teachings became changed under Pagan Rome, is because they were too heathen to understand -- and they literally worshiped everything under the sun as gods.
In order to understand why the vast majority of people are totally unaware of what Jesus taught with respect to the Inner Kingdom ( http://GateOfEden.com ), you have to recognize that the lost prodigal sons and daughters presently dwell in what Jesus portrayed as the "outer darkness" of mind and being (see http://DivineStrategery.com#OuterDarkness ). And that within you there is a "narrow gate" that can open unto those who overcome the Law as Jesus taught to do, and enter the Inner Kingdom. Jesus and his disciples taught that there is an Inner Teacher -- i.e., often called the Logos, the Son of God, the Teacher of Righteousness, and the True Prophet -- and the objective of the teachings of Jesus and TheWay, is to learn from this Inner Teacher -- and not the doctrines of men. The verses that were changed in the Bible that proves that Jesus became the Messiah at his baptism ( http://TheTenWords.com ), as well as the above quotations, are all detailed in the account of Peter as preserved by his disciple Clement in his Homilies -- wherein, Peter explains about the Inner True Prophet/Logos/Son of God: . And therefore I advise not only wise men, but indeed all men who have a desire of knowing what is advantageous to them, that they seek after the true Prophet; for it is He alone who knoweth all things, and who knoweth what and how every man is seeking. For He is within the mind of every one of us, but in those who have no desire of the knowledge of God and His righteousness, He is inoperative; but He works in those who seek after that which is profitable to their souls, and kindles in them the light of knowledge. Wherefore seek Him first of all; and if you do not find Him, expect not that you shall learn anything from any other. But He is soon found by those who diligently seek Him through love of the truth, and whose souls are not taken possession of by wickedness. For He is present with those who desire Him in the innocence of their spirits, who bear patiently, and draw sighs from the bottom of their hearts through love of the truth; but He deserts malevolent minds, because as a prophet He knows the thoughts of every one. And therefore let no one think that he can find Him by his own wisdom, unless, as we have said, he empty his mind of all wickedness, and conceive a pure and faithful desire to know Him. For when any one has so prepared himself, He Himself as a prophet, seeing a mind prepared for Him, of His own accord offers Himself to his knowledge”. (see http://TheThreeLies.com#TrueProphet ).
The vast majority of believers who can be rightfully portrayed as embracing the carnal doctrines of men, who "...have no desire of the knowledge of God and His righteousness, He is inoperative", continue to dwell in the "outer darkness" of profound spiritual ignorance. Jesus did not want believers to worship him and call him God -- but rather, to imitate him and fulfill the Law within themselves so that they too could be the prodigal sons who returned to the Kingdom of the Father. Yet, to the heathen minds of the Church of Rome, Jesus was little more than a pagan mojo that permitted them to continue to live in sin. That this doctrine of perpetual redemption is openly condemned in the New Testament, is demonstrated conclusively in the article The Lie ( http://TheLie.org ). The inner "narrow gate" which permits the true disciples to overcome the ignorance of the "outer darkness", is portrayed in the words that "...but He works in those who seek after that which is profitable to their souls, and kindles in them the light of knowledge. Wherefore seek Him first of all; and if you do not find Him, expect not that you shall learn anything from any other."
The Christian world continues to embrace and adhere to the doctrines of Pagan Rome -- and thus, in seeking the pseudo-teachers of this world, they have failed to fulfill the requirement to "...seek Him first of all; and if you do not find Him, expect not that you shall learn anything from any other." And that they do not understand the difference between the man Jesus, and the indwelling Logos/Son of God that "...is inoperative" within them, is because they have failed to live as Jesus taught, and like the Pharisees they cling to the doctrines of men.
While the person you portray as the Bible Go To Guy understands that Jesus is not God, he does not appear to understand how Jesus became One with God (see http://Ebionite.com/SonOfGod.htm ), or the difference between the man Jesus who taught that he was our brother, and the indwelling Logos/Son of God that dwells within the mind of every man. And I would greatly appreciate that you forward this e-mail to this person who you portray, so that he can better understand what Jesus actually taught, verses what Pagan Rome taught and Christians continue to believe today.
GodSpeed in TheWay,
Allan Cronshaw
PO Box 780
Graham, NC 27253
There’s a new pea in our pod. Grandchild #5 and this time it was a girl! I’m still amazed after raising 3 girls that we only had grandsons. I figure this girl is either going to be very spoiled or very tough – perhaps both!
It was pretty much a dream delivery, except she apparently got stuck for a bit and it broke her right collar bone. So her little arm is all trussed up in a mini-sling. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s already got one up on her brothers and cousins – guess there’ll be a time for bragging rights, huh?
She arrived with a full head of blond hair and has a brother/cousin approval rating of 100%. Her oldest brother met her for the 1st time in the hospital and after examining the bar coded ID band on her leg he turns to his mom and said, “Mommy, have you paid for this baby yet?” (great fits of laughter erupted among the adults in the room). With the most serious look on his face he pumped his right arm with a flat, backhand for emphasis and continued, “Mommy, you HAVE to pay for this baby!” After the ruckus died down a bit he observed the changing of the diaper and further added to the family we’ll just save this for later archive with a, “Mommy, why is her willy so little?” May the Goddess help her!
So … Flip … a nickname - a grandpa’s. How did this name come to be, you may ask. In a text message from me to the auntie person, I asked for baby news while labor was happening. Auntie replies, “No flipping baby yet!” So there you have it folks, Flip, the new pea in a pod of boys – maybe the Goddess should help them!!!
btw Michelle, funny that we both did a baby pea post - appears we both believe in a certain prerogative ;)
A few nights ago I lay back in the lounge on the front porch, wrapped tightly against the cold, and listened to the sounds of the creatures of the wood. Warmed by a glass of wine and the enjoyment of being able to spend some time outdoors on a cold winter’s night, the smells were crisp and clean and I caught an overtone of someone’s fireplace smoke. The night air was still and there was no other sound; no planes, no traffic, no gunfire and no insects – blissfully quiet. I watched the stars gather overhead, offering but scant light to the landscape and little-to-none beneath the canopy. There was movement beneath the Catalpa tree and sounds of drinking from the birdbath. The birdbath lay in such shadow that I was having a difficult time discerning which of the wood folk was there; perhaps a fox, but the sounds were sloppier than their petite, polite drinking. Then there was a familiar scrape/click sound that told me it was Tiny Tim before I saw the little deer cross the drive to browse the leavings under the bird feeder in the front garden. Scrape/click … Tiny Tim was by himself again and once again I felt sad for the fawn – sad for his aloneness and sad for his struggle. I also felt glad that he had appeared once again. I was barely breathing and stayed stock still, hoping that he would ignore my presence on the porch and continue his browse.
Tiny Tim and his mother showed up one Saturday morning a little over a month ago. They could have been any number of fairly nondescript doe/fawn pairs that have graced our feed, but this morning they stood out in a very disheartening and grotesque way – both were limping terribly. I grabbed the binoculars and discovered that they both had a problem with their left front leg. The doe was missing the lower part of her leg, just below the knee and Tiny Tim looked like his leg was broken. Though stunned, I managed to get the shot above. I called the wildlife rescue group and they were very sympathetic and very pragmatic about the realities of intervention. They were most emphatic that the deer, like dogs and cats, learn quickly and adapt to just the use of three legs. They went on to say that tranquilizing and movement usually created such trauma that the deer usually expired. It was hard to hear, but I felt better for making the call. It’s not ours to know what happened to this pair of ruminants; it could have been a catastrophic stumble following a startle, perhaps dogs or coyotes or an intersecting vector incident with a vehicle. On that Saturday the doe looked pretty scrawny, but over the next couple of weeks she was filling in the spaces between her ribs and overall Tiny Tim looked healthy except for his ruined leg. Much to the delight of the other ruminants we increased the ration of corn and feed so that Tiny Tim and mom would be well provisioned. It was always bittersweet to see them appear in the following weeks.
I sat listening to Tiny Tim munch on the fallen bird seed, pushing his snout beneath the landscape cloth that had a seam that passed beneath the feeder and collected pockets of seed. My eyes had adjusted to the scant light of the night and I watched with amazement at his capacity to support himself with his one good leg. I worried that he would spook if he noticed my presence; however, he did not. I cannot imagine any deer not noticing a human presence a mere ten feet away. Perhaps this night it didn’t matter.
My thoughts drifted away to my dad who is recovering from a fall and broken hip that resulted in a replacement surgery a few weeks ago. I’ve listened to him verbalize his struggles trying to stand and sit following surgery and I began to weave a symbiotic pattern around my observation of Tiny Tim. It was woven mostly of threads spun from the will to survive and the fortitude it takes to do so. When I walked into dad’s hospital room he was napping and the first thing I noticed was the sign above his bed that read “BLIND & HOH”. The blind part registered but the “HOH” took a few minutes before I realized that it meant hard of hearing. Almost immediately I wished that it said “92 YEARS OLD” as well. What a lot to deal with, but he seems to have a good attitude when he’s not being goofy from the pain meds and such. I thought about Tiny Tim and actually marveled at nature’s mechanism (whatever it may be) for dealing with pain and infirmity. Dad’s in a sub-acute rehab facility after his release from the hospital. Tiny Tim is browsing for food and water. Dad’s range is 4 feet from the bed to the chair. Tiny Tim’s range is far beyond our vision.
Again, in the darkness, I hear scrape/click, scrape/click as Tiny Tim, dragging his left hoof and catching himself with his right, moves off to parts unknown and other morsels. We haven’t seen his mom in a couple of weeks. It’s probably a safe bet that she didn’t make it. Thankfully he’s old enough to know where and how to browse for food. My thought returns to dad, wondering if there aren’t volunteer’s who will read to him since he falls asleep during a book-on-tape. Thankfully he still knows his way around the dinner plate.
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