Remember The Old Admonition: "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover"?

REMEMBER THE OLD ADMONITION:  "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover!"?  ~  I almost did that yesterday when I received an e-mail from Ray Comfort of Living Waters Ministry. 

I have long respected Ray Comfort for his evangelistic fervor in sharing the Word of God.  But when I received his e-mail asking, "Is the New House Speaker, Mike Johnson, a GENUINE Christian?" - I will admit that I was at first offended. 

Why?  Two reasons: first, when I saw the title, I did not know who had sent this e-mail - and I thought it was someone from the Left already attempting to attack our new Speaker, declaring his Christian faith to be only a front. 

And second, that made me think of a conversation my wife, Dory, and I had recently, when we were discussing a church we are familiar with which, I discovered, does not celebrate the Lord's Supper, aka Communion - or does it so infrequently that is seems as though they have discarded the Lord's Supper, forgotten His admonition to "do this in remembrance of Me."

Dory told me that a friend who had also attended that church shared her understanding of why this church does not do Communion, "They are afraid there may be people in the congregation on that day who are not really believers, or who are carrying a sin within, and may offend God by taking Communion unworthily."  

Really?  My question was, "Who in any church can say that another person is, or is not, a Christian believer - or is not worthy that day to participate in the Lord's Supper?" 

I will speak only of Baptist churches, for that is where I have spent the past 36 years.  In the theology of different Baptist denominations, there are three Communion practices: 

1. Closed Communion:  Which declares that only baptized members of their local congregation may take Communion in their local church.  Their reasoning is that there may be visitors who are not really believers. 

For me the obvious question should be:  "How do the pastor, elders, deacons know that "all" the members of "their" local church are truly believers or are worthy on that day?  How do we know if the pastor, elders, deacons of that church are truly believers or are worthy on that day?" 

If Billy Graham, Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, Charles Stanley, J. Vernon McGee, etc., had walked into their Closed Communion local church - would the pastor have refused to let them take Communion - because they might not really be believers, or worthy? 

2. Close Communion:  Which declares that only members of their denomination may join in Communion with the local church.  Same question:  "How do we know .  .  .  .  . ?"

3. Open Communion:  All in the worship service on the Day of Communion may join hands at the Lord's Table.  How does this work?  1 Corinthians 11:28, "But let a man (each individual) examine himself." 

Looking at the person sitting next to you, do you know if that person is worthy to celebrate the Lord's Supper?  Do you know if the pastor, elders, deacons of that church are worthy to celebrate the Lord's Supper?  You and I cannot know, the pastor and other leaders cannot know - ONLY that person and God knows for sure. 

So let's not remove the Lord's Supper from our worship - because we do not know about that other person.  Know yourself and let the others do the same. "But let a man (each individual) examine himself." 

And follow what Christ has told us in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, "He broke it (the bread) and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' "

To set the record straight, I misjudged Ray Comfort's e-mail message - because I had not yet opened "his book" aka, his e-mail - I had initially judged ONLY from the cover - which we all know is not always reliable.  I apologize to Ray Comfort and give him a big "Atta Boy!" for his description of House Speaker Mike Johnson.  I agree with Ray 100%.

So, who is Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of OUR Congressional House of Representatives?  Glad you asked!

Prior to his election to Congress in 2016, for nearly 20 years Mike successfully litigated high profile Constitutional Law cases in district and appellate courts nationwide.  For five years he served as a law professor at the Liberty University Helms School of Government. 

Before Congress, Mike Johnson was senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, now known as Alliance Defending Freedom.  And very important to me, but anathema to the Left, Speaker Mike Johnson's home church is the Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana.

In Congress, Mike has served on the House Armed Services Committee, he was appointed to the prestigious House Judiciary Committee, and Mike was elected to be Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference.

In his first public address before the House, Speaker Mike Johnson said that his first measure would be a resolution supporting Israel amid its war against Hamas.  He also stated, “I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear:  that God is the one who raises up those in authority.  He raised up each of you – all of us.”

In his speech, Speaker Johnson noted that standing high in the house chamber, in full view of all Congressional Representatives as they fulfill their duties to "We The People" is the motto: “In God We Trust.” 

And Speaker Mike Johnson declares that this motto was a stern rebuke of atheistic Communism during the height of the Cold War - and that America is the only nation to be founded on a creed referencing our inalienable rights given by our creator.

My photo composite below shows an earlier address to our Congressional House of Representatives by Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he points toward the marble relief of Moses hanging in our Congressional House - to remind all of us that Israel is America's friend and ally in the Middle East. 

And early in his first address as Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson said, "I looked up at the top of the chamber and I saw the face of Moses."

When the House Chamber was remodeled in 1949-50, 23 marble relief portraits depicting historical figures noted for their work in establishing the principles which underlie our Constitutional American Law today. 

They are looking out over the House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol - as a reminder to all who are chosen to represent "We The People" in Our Congressional House of Representatives - that those men, especially Moses, and "We The People" are holding them accountable as they serve us today.   

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Is the New House Speaker, Mike Johnson, a GENUINE Christian?
By Ray Comfort, Founder & CEO, Living Waters

“So often we are disappointed by those politicians who have a measure of faith before elections, and once they’re in power, they become weak in their faith.”  — Ray Comfort

Mike Johnson just became the new House Speaker — the third highest position in United States government.  He has proclaimed faith in God, but is he a genuine Christian? 

Ray Comfort gives some commentary on this topic, shows compelling footage of Johnson’s public address - and Ray uses the phrase, “In God We Trust” as a springboard to share the Gospel with a college student.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obWEEKY117U&t=920s

OR

https://livingwaters.com/is-the-new-house-speaker-mike-johnson-a-genuine-christian/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

That said, I am asking ALL my FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) to view Ray Comfort's video from his e-mail which proves that we now have a strong Conservative Speaker Of The House, a House which can begin to move forward in correcting many of the Left-Initiated Mistakes begun on Jan 20, 2021, when Old Joe began to sleep in our Oval Office. 

After you and your family view the video, then share Ray's video with all your FRANs, asking them to do the same. 

We have to spread the word that America has taken our first step back toward righting the "Sinking Ship of State in America" - and moving toward "Making America Great Again" as we VOTE CONSERVATIVE in the 2024 Elections.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge: 

Life Can Be Fun And Interesting - Join Me On My Adventure Into History!

LIFE CAN BE FUN AND INTERESTING ~ If we only seek the truth and not hide from it.  Let me invite you to join me on a real adventure through American history.  Make you curious?  How can Bill Gray have links to American history?  Come along for the ride and I will show you.

Recently while searching my photo archives, I happened upon two Photo Comparisons done by the LDS Family Search Genealogical web site.  Before I move on, let me highly recommend the LDS genealogical web site - for that we must give the Mormon church great credit.  The LDS church has long placed great value on family and family history - so their worldwide database of family genealogy is second to none.  And, it is FREE to use!  You can find the site at:  familysearch (dot) org

Moving on, about 35 years ago my brother, Bob, called me and started the conversation with, "I have something to tell you!"   "Okay, what is it?"  "No, I can't tell you!"  "Bob, you have already opened the can of worms - so tell me what is so hard to tell."

Bob told me, "You are my half-brother.  We have different fathers."  He thought I would be upset, but I was excited by the possibilities. I don't think I bothered to ask him which father belonged to me.

"Wonderful, tell my more," I suggested.  Bob was worried that I would be upset.  He and our older cousin, Christine Byrd Hardin, had being talking about my story - but for many years she was afraid to tell me.  When her mom, my Aunt Ola, and my mom were still alive, mom asked Aunt Ola if she should tell me - and Aunt Ola suggested she not. 

I can understand Aunt Ola's thinking, for back in early 1937, when I surprised her, an unwed lady being pregnant was spoken of only in whispers. While mom was separated from Bob's dad and living with my Aunt Ola and Uncle Ed Byrd in Tuscumbia, Alabama - she met my biological father, Alonzo Arp. 

Alonzo was a handsome young fellow who had come to the Shoals area of Alabama to work in construction - and since he and my Uncle Ed worked together, they became good friends.  Naturally Alonzo would visit Uncle Ed's home where mom was living - and they began dating.  In the latter part of 1936 when the job was finished, Alonzo went back to Ohio and they lost touch. 

At that time, neither he nor my mom knew about the little surprise he left her, me.  And in 1937 a young 20 year old woman having a child out of wedlock was not something anyone talked about. So my little secret lay dormant all those years until Bob and Christine opened the box and told me about it.

While they were afraid of hurting me - actually this news opened a whole new world for me.  Somewhere out there I had another family - maybe other siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so many more new relatives that I had not known about before.  It was like a whole new world opening to me, a new birth.  Bob told me, "Christine knows the whole story.  Call her."

You cannot imagine how fast I called Christine.  "Hey, cousin, tell me about my father!"   She told me about Alonzo spending time at Uncle Ed's home and of mom and Alonzo dating - and Christine sent me photos of Alonzo, mom, and Uncle Ed together.  Mom being a 20-year old woman, separated from her legal husband, and with no means of support - without making a lot of noise over the situation she reunited with her estranged husband and I was born into the Gray family, which was a blessing to me.  I had a wonderful childhood, loving and being loved by my Grandparents, Ed & Cora Gray, and I spent a lot of time on their farm. 

I grew up believing Ed & Cora Gray were my biological grandparents, and I am not sure they even knew I was not - for I could not have had better grandparents.  As a young boy I had cousins living at my grandparents farm - and his brother, my Great-Uncle Bob, had a farm close by where I had more cousins.  Between my Grandfather Gray's farm and my Uncle Bob & Aunt Alice Gray's farm, I had lots of cousins.  After her first husband died young, Aunt Alice, my mom's older sister, married my Great-Uncle Bob.  So that made them both my Aunt and Uncle - and my Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle. 

I know, kind of like the old song "I Am My Own Grandpa."   For my younger Friends, that is a novelty song written by Dwight Latham, inspired when reading a book of Mark Twain anecdotes.  In his book, Twain had written an anecdote to prove it would be possible for a man to become his own grandfather.  The song was first performed by Lonzo and Oscar in 1947, and later by Willie Nelson.   Notice the first to sing the song was named Lonzo - and my biological father Alonzo Arp was also called Lonzo.  A wee bit of Twilight Zone coincidence, do you think?

Back to the farms, my cousin Buddy (Paul Jones), my brother Bob, and I were the Three Musketeers - having many adventures on the farm, swimming in a muddy end of Spring Creek off Woodmont Drive (Old U. S. Hwy 43) in Tuscumbia, riding grandpa's mules and palomino mare, Maudine.  One evening we were all at Grandpa's farm celebrating someone's birthday when I jumped from a tree and broke my left arm.  Bob's dad, Elvin, took me to a doctor - and thinking back, I really don't believe he knew he was not my father either.

Grandpa still used a team of mules for his farm work, and I remember the day that Bob, Buddy, and I rode with Grandpa up into what we called the mountains (more like big hills) south of Tuscumbia to cut and gather a wagon load of firewood.  My grandparents had an older man living with them and helping on the farm.  One day the three of us were running around in a freshly plowed field and we noticed the old man working in another field.  I will not go into details, but we played a trick on the old man - and he caught on right away.  Yes, we got into trouble - but Buddy more because he lived at the farm.  As I said, we were the Three Musketeers, three young boys looking for mischief.

And quite honestly, I feel sure my grandparents never knew I was not their biological grandchild.  If they did, they never treated me differently - I was one of the Gray kids, I belonged, and this was my family.

But now, thanks to the new revelation from Bob and Christine - I was also part of another family and that stirred my interest in genealogy.  I began searching in the LDS FamilySearch site for both my Maternal Hall/Elam lineage and now my Earpe/Earp/Arp lineage.   In my Maternal Hall Lineage I have only been able to go back 4 generations to my g-g-g-grandfather, Joseph Silas Hall, who was born circa 1800 - and all my years of searching for him, I have been hitting a brick wall.  

Back that far, all my family ancestors were born in and lived in a small town in the very northwest corner of Alabama named Riverton.   Riverton was a small agricultural community which in the 1934-1938 period much of it was flooded when the Congress-approved TVA Pickwick Landing Dam on the Tennessee River was constructed.  My Hall family moved east to the town of Tuscumbia where I first said, "Hello, world!"

However, with tricks I learned in weaving my way into history with my Earpe/Earp/Arp lineage - I may now be able to break down that Hall/Elam wall and dig deeper into my Maternal family.  As I said, exciting!
 
For many years I also kept hitting a brick wall in my Paternal Arp Lineage.  In the 1990s the Internet started becoming a part of our daily lives - and began to open new avenues of exploration, especially with the advent of the Online LDS Genealogy web site.  But I still was hitting a brick wall with my Arp Paternal Lineage.  Maybe circa 1995/96 somehow I came upon a man, Brian Lord, who lived in Seattle, worked at a local FM radio station, and while he was not part of the Earpe/Earp/Arp family, he had a great knowledge of the their genealogy.

With the info that Brian Lord was able to give me, I learned that the Earp/Arp families mostly lived in the area which included northern Georgia and both South Carolina and North Carolina - and they had a family reunion every year.  But because, at this time, I was only 90% sure this was my lineage I did not get too excited.  Brian Lord introduced me to a man named James "Jim" Arp who lived in Murphy, North Carolina.  Jim wrote me a letter telling me that he was pretty sure I have a half-sister, Imogene Donaldson, living near Seattle.  And he gave me her address and phone number.  Wow, now I was starting to believe this indeed was my Arp Lineage.

I called Imogene, but it was not a good time to chat since her husband was terminally ill.   I introduced myself and told her I would call later.  About six months later, I did call her and after that we talked fairly often on the phone.  I sent her photos of me plus the photo of Alonzo Arp, my Uncle Ed Byrd, and mom taken when Alonzo and mom were dating - and she sent me photos of her dad, Alonzo, visiting her family in Washington. 

She told me that when she received my photos, an aunt who lived nearby told her, "That is Alonzo's son, no doubt about it."  I never had a chance to visit Imogene, even though we talked over the years - and she passed away about a year ago.  But since she was a believer, we will have lots of time to catch up when I join her some day.

During the next couple of years of genealogy searching, a lady sent me an e-mail telling me, "Wyatt Earp and his brothers are your cousins."   That was interesting, but I had no further facts to base it on - until later.   Through the LDS Genealogy site I found that Joshua Earp (1706-1771) had two sons, Matthew (1736-1808) and William (1729-1778).  Wyatt Earp and his brothers are in the lineage of William Earp - and I am in the lineage of Matthew Earp.  They are my 6th cousins - Wyatt died in January 1937 and I was born July 1937.  More Twilight Zone coincidence, do you think?

Not long ago, the LDS Family Search Genealogy web site sent me a notice that a girl, Mary Chilton, age 13, who arrived in America in 1620 on the Mayflower and whose father, James Chilton, was one of the 41 men who signed the Mayflower Compact, was my 10th Great-Grandmother.  The Pilgrims had come to America in search of religious freedom, but before leaving the boat at Plymouth, Massachusetts, they needed a mutually agreed upon governing document for their new Plymouth Colony. 

That document was the Mayflower Compact.  It was written by the men aboard the Mayflower.   Mary Chilton's father, James Chilton, was one of the 41 men who wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact.  It is my firm belief that the three most important documents in our American history are:  The Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. Together they form a documented chain declaring our American freedom.  And now, I may have a direct link to that history, wow!

I have always loved America.  But after seeing this and learning there is a possibility that my 10th generation Great-Grandmother, Mary Chilton, actually came to America on the Mayflower, and that her father, my 11th generation Great-Grandfather - was part of the creation of what I consider to be the first of the three most important documents in American history - it was like, "WOW, now I really feel like an American all the way to my bones!"

But just as I would not lay claim to my Earp/Arp lineage or that Wyatt Earp was my cousin - until I could connect all the dots - I cannot lay claim to Mary Chilton until I can do the same.

Starting back from me, I have connected many dots from my Paternal Grandmother, Alafair Fain, Alonzo's mother, through my 5th Great-Grandmother, Sarah Boone - to her father Squire Boone Sr., my 6th Great-Grandfather - to George Boone 1, my 9th Great-Grandfather.  And there I lose the trail with him and his wife, Mary Boone.  But that takes me back to the 1620 time period.  And if you recall, the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.  Why can't I connect the dots?   

Mary Chilton had 11 children - and most of her children had 10 or more children. Do you see how the paths to the right dots can get very confusing?  At every link, the number gets multiplied by 10.  So Mary's 11 becomes over 100, which becomes about 1000, etc.  And all I had to do was to find the ONE direct link to my dot.  Yes, a very big and time consuming task.  Makes me wish they had TV in those days to entertain themselves. 

By the way, does that name Boone sound familiar?  Yes, my 5th Great-Grandmother, Sarah, is the sister of Daniel Boone, making him my 5th Great-Granduncle.  You are right, he is the famous frontiersman, hunter, explorer,etc., that we all read about in grade school and about whom movies have been made.  I wasn't looking for this - it just popped up as I wound my way through the generations, searching for Mary Chilton.

As you can see, I have gone past the 5th generation on my paternal ancestors - but that is where the dots begin to get fuzzy - trying to connect them to the other end and my alleged 10th generation Great-Grandmother, Mary Chilton.  From her end, I have had some success in getting her lineage up from the 1620 time period - but cannot connect the right dots. 

Why?  Well, on her end of the lineage line - all the families had 10 -15 children.  And to get the dots to connect I have to go through all of her 11 children - then through each of their 10 - 15 children, etc.  Do you see the difficulty?  Each new generation has over a hundred paths, and the next maybe a thousand paths, etc. - before I can connect that one line's dot with my line's dot.  Almost time for the funny farm!

The best connections of the dots I can find are through marriage.  Mary Chilton Winslow and her husband, John Winslow had 11 children.  Several of their children married spouses which are in my direct Earpe/Earp/Arp lineage.  So I suppose Mary Chilton is only my relative by marriage.  Hey, that is better than no connection to such historical figures.

Do you see now why I was excited when I learned that had another family?  And what a thrill ride it has been traveling through all the generations in my attempt to connect the dots and know that I DO have a connection with history?  Not the final results I wanted, but I am a happy camper!

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

 

This Video ~ For Barry Goldwater In 1964 - OR - President Trump In 2024?

In This Video, The Late President Ronald Reagan could be making a campaign speech for President Trump in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.  All his statements, all his words perfectly fit President Donald Trump's version of America today.

Yet This Video Was Made In 1964 When Barry Goldwater Was Running Against Lyndon Johnson ~ For the future of our America.  This video could have been made this very week, when America is suffering under the dangerous leadership of the Leftist Democratic Party.

The words which Ronald Reagan spoke in this Pro-Barry Goldwater 1964 Presidential Election speech fits perfectly when speaking of the Pro-Donald Trump 2024 Presidential Election speech.  If I did not know better, I could be convinced that, in this speech, Ronald Reagan IS campaigning for President Trump today.

Let me take you back to that time in 1964 for a moment.  Lyndon Johnson had been the Vice President when President Jack Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.  Upon the death of JFK, Lyndon Johnson inherited the presidency (just as Cackling Kamala would if Old Joe had to leave office before the 2024 election) and finished the inherited presidency.

Then the Democratic Party nominated Lyndon Johnson to run for president himself in 1964, running against Republican Barry Goldwater.  Until that day I had been registered as a Democrat.  The very day that the Democrats nominated Johnson as their candidate - I went that very day and re-registered as a Republican and have been registered Republican since.

JFK had put American troops into Vietnam on a limited basis.  In 1964, the war in Vietnam was wavering, America's participation as advisors was limited, and Americans wanted to get all America troops out of Vietnam.  Barry Goldwater was honest when asked about winning or losing that war.  He replied honestly, "Yes, I will escalate that war so that it will end sooner and get all our military out of Vietnam." 

Johnson, on the other hand, promised in his campaign speeches to continue to limit the number of American troops serving in Vietnam.  The people liked what Johnson said, compared to Goldwater's honest answer - and elected Johnson.

Once Johnson was inaugurated, he immediately flooded Vietnam with American troops - leading the the death of over 58,000 American troops in Vietnam.

Not long after that, Barry Goldwater was met by reporters as he exited a plane returning him to California.  On the tarmac, standing in the doorway of the plane, he smiled and told reporters, "The American people were told if they voted for me, the war in Vietnam would escalate rapidly.  Many Americans did vote for me - and look, many more thousands of American troops are now in Vietnam!"   A wee bit of satirical humor!

Yes, the folks got what they voted for when they elected Lyndon Johnson - just as Americans are today because the Leftist Socialist Democratic Party was able to, by hook or by crook (when folks says they will do something "by hook or by crook" - they are determined to do it, even if they have to make a great effort or use dishonest means) put Old Joe and Cackling Kamala into our White House in 2020.

Folks, listen carefully to what the late Ronald Reagan is telling America in this 1964 speech.  Apply that to your current pains of living under a Leftist Socialist Democratic administration today ~ Inflation out of control - Price of Family Necessities out of control - America dependent upon Russia and the OPEC for oil to run our industry and homes today - open threat of War already in Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel, and America (?), do you think - Secular Morals running rampant across America - Schools teaching our children, Kindergarten through college that aberrant sexual desires are "normal." 

These are just a few of what the Leftist Socialist Democrats have given all American families today.

VIDEO - Ronald Reagan Once Foretold What Would Happen If America Gave Up Freedom For Safety
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWqfvmzd5qk

View this video and then SHARE, SHARE, SHARE it with all your FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) and ask them to SHARE, SHARE, SHARE it.   The future of the American family is truly at stake in the 2024 ELECTIONS. 

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

Click on the image to enlarge:

A Very Dear Christian Brother, Jerry Baker, Inspired A Deja Vu Moment!

TODAY A VERY DEAR CHRISTIAN BROTHER, JERRY BAKER, shared a graphic which basically said:  "No matter your status in life, doctor or office cleaner - that does not give you the right to look down upon another person who has a lesser job."

As happens so often with me, I wrote a response to Jerry - but then realized that this is a thought I would like to share with all my Friends.  In Matthew 22:36 Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  And Jesus compressed the Ten Commandments into two:

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."   The first Four Commandments relate to your relationship with God the Father. 

AND

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."   The last Six Commandments relate to your relationship with your fellow man.  Do you see where Jesus put His emphasis?

After His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ, God the Son, left all Christian believers with Two Commandments and Two Ordinances.  Any person who is a Christian believer will live by those Commandments and Ordinances.  If we, our church, or our denomination - excludes any part of those Two Commandments and Two Ordinances - is that person, church, denomination really Christian? 

No, I am not judging anyone or any church. That is something each of us must do for ourselves.  But food for thought:  If one or both of the Commandments, if one or both of the Ordinances - are excluded in your life or in the life of your home church - do you think it is time for change?  As I said, food for thought.

These are my thoughts I shared with my Christian brother, Jerry:

Hi Jerry Baker, In the end, it is not what we do for ourselves - it is what we do for God that will matter.

I can easily recall the dilemma of several customer/friends I have had over my years in the computer industry.  In the mid-1960s I lived in Northern Cal and worked in the Palo Alto area.  A customer, Rick, who was also a friend, had a masters degree and was working in computer design for Lockheed. One day we were talking and he told me, "Bill, I am quitting my job and going back to college to study medicine."

I thought, "That is a nice fit. With his computer design background plus his newly gained medical knowledge - he will make a great Biomedical Engineer."  I bumped into him years later at the VA Hospital in that area - and found that he had opted to become a psychiatrist.  Who could have guessed it?

When I think of Biomedical Engineering, I always remember a man and an incident from circa 1968.  I was selling computers out of Huntsville and was negotiating the sale of a million dollar computer system to Vanderbilt University.  As part of my negotiations I was taking six people from the Vanderbilt Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering departments to my company headquarters in Boston.  On the flight up I sat with Dr. Bill Baker, head of the Biomedical Engineering Department.

During the flight we were chatting and he asked, not to judge but merely as a part of our conversation, "Where did you go to college?"  And I answered him honestly, "I don't have a college degree."  His response was conversational, but in no way judgemental, "It really does not matter, does it.  You know your job and your computer field very well - and that is what really counts."  By the way, a few weeks later I flew to our Regional Sales Meeting with a million dollar purchase order in my pocket.

In the 1970s I made a sales call on a man at Rockwell Autonetics in Anaheim. He held a Ph.d. in, I believe, computer engineering.  I could see that he was not a happy camper that day, so we just chatted.  He was unhappy in his job. I asked, "If you were going to get your Ph.d. now - what field would you choose?"

He told me, "I would not bother with college. I would become a carpenter, plumber, electrician, etc. They make a lot more money than I do as a Ph.d.!"

How well I recall an account I was working on in the early 1970s.  He was a VP in charge of the new product research division in Van Nuys for a large Auto Testing Equipment company back East. I had loaned him one of my computers to see how it fit into his plans for a new product.

All was going well when he went on his vacation. When he returned to his office after the vacation - he found that the Suits and Powers in the home office back East had decided to close the research division here in Southern Cal - and never bothered to tell him as he went on vacation.

Can you imagine coming back from a great vacation - and being told, "The research division you were running has been closed. Have a nice life!"

He called me to pick up my computer - and as I was putting it in my car, he told me, "Bill, you have not sold any computers - but you have made a friend."

And that meant more to me than any commission check I might have received later. It all depends upon what we value in life - and his friendship was head and shoulders above the commission.  Just a few thoughts.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Click on the image to enlarge:

 

Is Your Bible Study Or Forum Group A "One Person Show" - Or A Discussion Group? ~ There Is A Big Difference!

FOLKS, IN THE PAST 36 YEARS, I have been in many Bible Study Groups, most very good, others not so good.  "Bill, Bill, Bill, what makes one Bible Study Group good - and another not so good?  Isn't studying the Bible always good?"  

Glad you asked.  Yes and no.  Studying the Bible is always good, but sitting for an hour or more when only one person, the Leader, is allowed to speak is nap time.

What makes a Bible Study Group, or a Forum Group, Discussion effective - as opposed to a "one man show" Study/Forum Group meeting?  This goes back to what makes a good Study Leader?  Notice I said LEADER and not TEACHER!  I love to Lead a Bible Study or Sunday School Class - but I will never say that I Teach a Bible Study or Sunday School Class.

A TEACHER is one who is only happy when he/she can stand before a group and do all the talking.  A LEADER is one who will get a group discussion going, then encourage others in the group to participate, ask questions, make comments, etc.  In other words, when the Group becomes a Discussion Group and not a "Listen To Me Talk" nap time Group - that is a good study group.

A good Leader gets the discussion moving, encourages questions/comments, even at times allowing the discussion to go off on a tangent - before bringing it back on subject.  Why would a Leader do that?  That is why it is called a Discussion Group - and not a Sermon!

When we begin to discuss a Bible verse or passage - there may be many different thoughts or interpretations of that verse in the minds of the people in the group.  Isn't it better to hear what a person believes about that verse / passage - and then to lead that person, and maybe others in the group, back to what the Bible truly tells us? 

Will there still be different thoughts or beliefs regarding that passage?  That is quite possible, but at least we have the group looking at that verse, where before, in their own private studies, they may have just skipped over it to avoid confusion.  Now they can experience the group thoughts - and let the Holy Spirit guide them to a truer understanding.  Some may still disagree, we are all still flawed humans - but at least all the group is now thinking about that verse or passage.

The Leader's job is to get folks talking and sharing.  At times when the discussion goes totally off into left field, the Leader's task is to gently nudge the discussion back on track.  And after allowing a serious discussion to run its course, within time limits, the Leader will take the discussion back to the one true authority - the Bible.  "What does the Bible say about this?"

What has prompted me to take this wee journey down the "Good And Not So Good Study Group" path today?  Well, now that you have asked, recently I have been in an End Times Facebook Discussion (?) Group - which only wants members who agree with the Group Admin.  It seems to have evolved into a "My Way, Or The Highway" discussion group - and today I was suspended.  Oh, well, it happens to the best of us - and I am far from the best!

In this End Times Group, a fellow member posted about the book "The Coming Prince" by Sir Robert Anderson - and I shared with him that this book is also available as a PDF file for all who want to download it for further studies.

The Group Admin posted:  "Bill - for the sake of the group please don't introduce off-topic subjects like the age of the earth/universe."

And I responded to Admin:  "In your group a member mentioned the book 'The Coming Prince' by Sir Robert Anderson, and I shared that it can be downloaded as a PDF file for further study.   I also told the person who mentioned the book that I do not necessarily agree with Anderson's date of the Creation being specifically 4004 BC.  But I do strongly agree that the date of the Creation is thousands of years, not the millions nor billions of years needed by Evolutionists and Old Age Creation folks."

Rather than ignoring my fellow member, I was only responding to him and offering a suggestion.  But, quite honestly I cannot see how posting an accurate comment about any of the Bible can be considered offensive.  How can we think of an Ending without thinking of the Beginning?

Then Admin told me the part which I should not have posted was:  "I do not necessarily agree with Anderson's date of the Creation being specifically 4004 BC.  But I do strongly agree that the date of the Creation is thousands of years, not the millions nor billions of years needed by Evolutionists and Old Age Creation folks. "  Then Admin finished: "This post is off-topic and that is what I addressed."

After that, in this Group Discussion several other members responded to that train of thought with comments about the Biblical genealogies and rather than ignore them, I responded:

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Hi Paul:  You tell me, "Bill Gray, The genealogies of Genesis ch5 (etc) are quite precise though. . ."

And Tom responds: "Paul,  Yep.  Any genealogical gaps would be during the shorter life times in the Chronicles.  Maybe a century or two; but not 1000s of years.  And secular history timelines closely match up with the Biblical timelines during that period."

I respond to their comments:  There are many versions of the timeline of the Bible and the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  His genealogy is divided into three 14-generation periods in Matthew.

Matthew 1:17, "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations - from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations - and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations."

Pastor David Guzik, in his Study Guide for Matthew tells us regarding verse 17:

a. Fourteen generations … fourteen generations … fourteen generations:  With this Matthew made it clear that this genealogy is not complete.  There were not actually 14 generations between the landmarks he indicates, but Matthew edited the list down to make it easy to remember and memorize.

b. So all the generations:  The practice of skipping generations at times was common in the listing of ancient genealogies.  Matthew did nothing unusual by leaving some generations out.

However the two most commonly accepted view of the Creation timeline, in my view, would be those found in "The Coming Prince" by Sir Robert Anderson, and the 17th-century chronology "Annales Veteris Testamenti" by James Ussher, the Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland).  Both use 4004 BC as the date of Creation.  Both are available as PDF downloads for deeper study.

Those are respected chronologies and I do not dispute them - except in their effort to pinpoint the date of Creation as specifically 4004 BC.  The most important chronology or genealogy is that of Jesus Christ.  Matthew's genealogy, written for the Jewish mindset, traces Christ's genealogy from Abraham forward through Joseph -  and Luke, the only Gentile writer in the Bible, in his genealogy looks from our modern Gentile view, from Jesus looking back to the beginning.

The two following excerpts are from previous blogs I have written in past years:

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The first excerpt is from:  "Christmas In His Presence 2017 ~ International Bible Baptist Church Choir" - Dec 21, 2017

Jesus Christ came as the Incarnate God to save a flawed people.  And, although Jesus was sinless - His genealogy found in Matthew contained women (which was not normally done in Jewish genealogies), prostitutes, and Gentiles.  His genealogy contained flawed people, a number with great flaws. 

This was to show us that no matter how flawed we are, no matter how far we have fallen - we can still meet Him at the cross, believe and receive His "paid in full" pardon - and receive His gift of eternal life.  Even though He came as the Jewish Messiah - having Gentiles in His genealogy shows that He came to save, not just the Jews, but all people who will, by grace through faith, believe (John 3:16, John 1:12).

The genealogy of Jesus Christ found in Matthew 1 is typical of Jewish family trees in the time of Christ, it begins with Abraham and traces His family line forward through Joseph, the step-father of Jesus. 

Matthew 1:1-2, "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers."

Matthew 1:16, "And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ."

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And my second excerpt is from:  "Salvation First - Works To Follow!" - April 9, 2014:

Christ's genealogy found in Luke 3 starts with Jesus, in typical Gentile fashion, and looks backward all the way through Adam to God.

Luke 3:23, 37-38, "Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, .  .  .  the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

Looking back at Joshua in the Old Testament, we know that the harlot, Rahab, and her family were saved from physical harm or danger - but, we are not clearly told that she had initially converted to Judaism or became a believer.

Joshua 2:1 - 2:25, "Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.  .  .  .  (25) And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had.  So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho."

Hebrews 11:31, "By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace."

 

We assume that Rahab became a believer, from what we see in Hebrews 11:31, "By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish."   We assume (and I believe) that the Rahab in the genealogy of Jesus Christ - is the same Rahab the harlot.

 

Matthew 1:5-6, "Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.  Jesse was the father of David the king.  .  . "

 

But was it the act of saving the Israelite spies that gave Rahab eternal life?  Or was it a conversion which happened later while living among the Jews and marrying the Jewish man, Salmon?

Since Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that "For by grace you have been saved through faith. . . NOT as a result of works. . ." - we must believe that Rahab's faith which saved her eternally - was her faith in the coming Messiah which she later learned about and accepted, through her association with and marriage to Salmon, King David's great-grandfather.

To my fellow group members, Paul and Tom, although these thoughts do not directly align with the main purpose of this group "Eschatology - End Times Study" - I believe this short dialogue can be a benefit to many folks.  So, in conclusion, Paul and Tom, I pray that you and many others have benefited from this short tangential diversion from the main group thought.

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And because of this dialogue exchange in response to their comments, I have been booted off that group.  This seems to be getting to be a habit.  In 2015 the new publisher of my hometown newspaper, the TimesDaily (Florence, Alabama) booted me off "his" Religion Forum - because my posts were too Conservative Christian in tone. 

I had been on the TimesDaily Religion Forum for 8 years, since Jan 2007.  And when an avowed Atheist member posted, "Bill Gray should be killed!" - I reported that to the Forum Moderator, who by then had become the Atheist-leaning Publisher himself. 

Not sure why the Publisher would take on the task of forum moderator, but I was banned for life!  Yet the man who posted that threat was back on the Forum a week later.  It seems that Secularism and Atheism are cancers which continues to metastasize in our modern society.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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What Does America’s History Reveal About Abortion?

Does America’s History Reveal A Common Consensus On Abortion?  ~  In America today, thanks to Leftist Activists and self-promoting Politicians - there are two major issues which seem to be dividing Americans:  Abortion and Racism. 

And in our White House today, it seems that the persons occupying the presidential and vice-presidential chairs are more concerned with these issues, especially abortion, than they are about the millions of unvetted and untested Illegals flowing across our southern borders continually. 

In other words, those two and their Leftist associates could care less about Americans and American families.  All they care about is their own greed for money and power.  They will continue to "buy" votes through catering to those special interest groups and the Illegals they import - as long as we allow them to continue.  Our most powerful solution to this problem is OUR VOTES!

This morning I received an e-mail which tells me about a new book which should interest all Americans - and all Conservative around the world.  The following is from that e-mail message telling us about a new book, which shares a factual history of abortion in America - from 1652 to 2022! 

Yes, the war against babies has been waged since 1652 in America.  Can you believe that?  And the book shows that since the 1600s in America it has been common knowledge that "Life Begins At Conception" - and to kill that unborn life is MURDER! 

The following is from that article:

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Does America’s History Reveal a Common Consensus on Abortion?

By: Leah Savas - July 23, 2023

https://www.crossway.org/articles/does-americas-history-reveal-a-common-consensus-on-abortion/

In their book "The Story of Abortion in America" co-authors Marvin Olasky and Leah Savas detail the long history of abortion and its impact on American culture through vivid personal stories that humanize people on both sides of the debate.

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Science and History:  Today we have ultrasound technology.  We have the science of how human life begins.  We know that when a sperm meets the egg, that’s when a unique individual is formed.  The unborn life that’s growing inside of a mother’s body - we can see it through ultrasound technology and recognize that this is a unique individual human.

From that knowledge, often we get to the conclusion that abortion is murder.  Killing this unborn child in the mother’s womb is murder.  But that consensus is not something that is new, something that is just a result of modern technology.  It has been the common sense of people in America for centuries that unborn life is human life, and we should protect it and that killing it in abortion is murder.

For example, back in the 1600s, we have these cases of men forcing abortifacients on women and then going on trial for murder.  Why would they go on trial for murder unless the community and the people around them believed that unborn life is human life?  And then we have doctors in the 1800s that said things like Life begins at conception.

That’s not something that they needed ultrasound technology in order to know - they knew that already - and they were encouraging women to keep their babies and to not get abortions because they knew that unborn life is human life.

And then we fast forward to the 1939 World’s Fair.  People were lining up to see these models of unborn life sculptures depicting the growth of a human baby in utero.  And the Gerber baby products company was handing out pamphlets saying, "Don’t get an abortion!  Don’t get an abortion!  Don’t make a decision that you’ll regret!"

So that was the the common narrative, even at this World’s Fair in the 1930s.

Fast forward to today, and we’re even more without excuse.  We have ultrasound technology.  We have science to back up the fact that abortion is killing unborn human life and it is really something that we should be protecting.

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Co-author Leah Savas reports on abortion for WORLD News Group, where she writes the weekly Vitals roundup and newsletter of pro-life news. Leah lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Stephen.

Co-author Marvin Olasky, PhD University of Michigan, is a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute and an Acton Institute affiliate scholar.  He is the author of twenty-eight books, including The Tragedy of American Compassion and Lament for a Father.  From 1983 through 2021 he was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and the editor in chief of WORLD.

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If you believe, as I do, that Abortion is morally wrong, is ethically wrong, is murder, and is offensive to God - I ask you to share this with all your FRANs (Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors) and ask them to do the same.  Just imagine how many unborn and new-born lives that could save.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill 

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Bill & Dory Gray ~ "Our FIRST 43 (46) Years Of FIRSTS" ~ And Counting!

YESTERDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2023, DORY AND I CELEBRATED A JOURNEY OF "FIRSTS" WHICH BEGAN 46 YEARS AGO!  ~  The video below follows us for only the First 43 Years of Firsts, but is indicative of how God has blessed us for 46 years, and counting!  Look out 50, here we come!

In the Spring of 1977, two lives came together for the first time.  In Santa Ana, California, Real Estate Agent Dory Daludado was attending a weekly Red Carpet Realty sales meeting at the Saddleback Inn Hotel and Conference Center ~  and Bill Gray was at the Saddleback Inn Hotel to join friends for an evening of entertainment. 

At that time, while Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center were the hub for national and international business and visitors - ten miles away - the Saddleback Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Santa Ana, California, was the hub for local business meetings and entertainment.

Today as I look back over the years, I can see how God orchestrated a meeting between those two unlikely participants, Bill and Dory, which would eventually fulfill His eternal plan for our lives.  Over the years, I have had three very special relationships.  All three were special, but all three were different in a very important aspect of what I believe was God's plan for my lives. 

The first was Roman Catholic, the second was into Eastern Mysticism, and I believe the third, Dory, fulfilled God's spiritual plan for my life, which set me on a path I have followed for the past 36 years, that I should be a Christian believer and have a Christian writing ministry.

If Dory and I had not met and married in 1977 - I would not have met Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta - and very likely I would not be a believer.  It is my firm belief that God used the Christian love I experienced when I met that Godly pastoral couple which would point me to the cross of Jesus Christ.

When I think of how Pastor Sam & Ida Lacanienta showed me the path to eternal life in Christ, I am reminded of a story I read years ago in Our Daily Bread, Fall 1991 issue.  It was written by Henry Bosch and tells of a missionary to the Kiowa Indians.  The first missionary to the Kiowa Indians was a woman named Miss Reside.  After living with the Indians long enough for them to understand what it meant to be Christian, they began calling her "Aim Day Co."

Explaining the significance of this name, Chief Bigtree said, "When we Kiowas see anyone on the wrong trail, we call out, 'Aim day co,' which means 'Turn this way.'  Our sister came to us from a far land and found us on the wrong path and in great danger.  She stood and called out to us saying, 'Turn this way.'  Then she showed us the Jesus road.  God bless Miss Aim Day Co."

Miss "Aim Day Co" did not stay in her comfort zone.  Instead she went to where the Indians lived, she went to their comfort zone.  I'm quite sure she did not start beating them over the head with non-stop Scripture or demand that they learn her "Christianese" language.  No, I'm sure that she first learned how to tell them, in their own language, "Turn this way!  Aim day co!"

Thirty-six years ago, Pastor Sam & Ida were my "Miss Aim day co!"  Yet it is my firm belief that God began my journey on that Wednesday evening in 1977 when (by divine purpose?) I met my future Life Partner, Dory - 46 YEARS AGO!

I invite you to take just a few minutes, relax, and journey with Dory and me as we relive the "First 43 46 Years" of our eternal life, with God, and with one another.

BILL & DORY GRAY ~ "Our FIRST 43 Years Of FIRSTS"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4GHYO9Qgto

Every year as we celebrate the blessings of our lives together, we thank God.  With God's blessings we have celebrated our 46th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! 

And with His continued blessings, I say, "Look out 50th, 60th, and counting!  Here we come!"

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

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