(2) IJ Review After an Encounter At Starbucks….

via (2) IJ Review.

After an Encounter At Starbucks, a Man Posts To Facebook. He Never Imagined the Reaction He’d Get.

Eric Jason Pena encountered a homeless man at a Starbucks in Washington state. Unlike many of the other patrons — who looked at him with judging eyes — Pena took the chance to get to know the man.

He reflected on the humbling experience in a Facebook post.

photo-Man With Hid Dog C:\Users\Libby\Desktop\2015-03-29 11_57_51-(3) IJ Review.png

Man With Hid Dog C:\Users\Libby\Desktop\2015-03-29 11_57_51-(3) IJ Review.png

The post reads:

“While seated at a Starbucks, a homeless man came in and sat nearby. His scent was unpleasant and people looked at him and rolled their eyes. He was simply doing what we were all doing, drinking coffee and taking advantage of free WIFI. He brought his dog, Legacy, who was well behaved. He proceeded to tell me he walked 60 miles from Seattle to Tumwater over a few day period. He spoke highly of Legacy who in stride, journeyed along with his master every step of the way without complaint. As soon as Legacy was told to lay down, he fell asleep.

It was sad to see people distance themselves from this homeless veteran. Kids who inquired about the dog were quickly shielded by their parents and hurried away.

This Veteran explained most people have no concept of being Christ like because they simply place Christ on the shelf as soon as they leave church.

He told me while in Bellevue, WA, 5 well known Seattle Seahawks players walked past him. One of the Seahawks made a rude comment about him being homeless and tried to offer him a $20 bill. The money was declined and that player who claimed to be a Christian was offended. The homeless man told the wealthy Seahawks player that he would not accept money from someone who would belittle him in front of others claiming to be a Christian. Needless to say that player was embarrassed because his friends had witnessed his rude prideful behavior.

Later in the evening, I overhead him telling his dog that they would soon find new shoes to continue their journey. The shoes he was wearing were in poor shape. As I was leaving, I offered him a meal which he gladly accepted. I also knew I had a new pair of boots in my storage unit and I asked him if they fit, would accept them. He said yes. After a short drive, I brought him a new pair of boots. He had the biggest smile and told Legacy that their journey would soon continue.

He apologized as he took off his socks because they were dirty and falling apart. I asked him if he had any socks and he said what he was wearing was his only pair. Jokingly, he asked if I socks with me. I had just done laundry and had some pairs of new clean white socks in my car. I gave him the socks and he switched out his old shoes for the new boots I gave him. We shook hands and wished each other well.

While walking away, I overheard a final conversation between a man and his dog. He simply patted Legacy on the head and said, “I told you God was going to take care of us”.

Life in Stasis?

Should you be happy knowing you have cancer, that there may be a treatment that will work for you, after you’ve already resigned yourself to the facts that had been presented to you? That is a hard note to sing about. The roller-coaster ride never gets easier. I have known too many people diagnosed with debilitating illness, and any news only brings more fears and anxiety, to add to the list of how we are supposed to feel. We are supposed to laugh in the face of danger, and carry on as though, what we go through is nothing. The conflicts of our emotions are not only real, but assist, or hinder our wellness. How are we to act, knowing almost all is lost?

Yemen Blasts: Suicide Bombers Strike Sanaa Mosques, Killing 137 People

Yemen Blasts: Suicide Bombers Strike Sanaa Mosques, Killing 137 People
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/yemen-blasts-suicide-bombers-strike-sanaa-mosques-killing-dozens-n327136
BY ALEXANDER SMITH AND ALASTAIR JAMIESON
Four suicide bombers hit a pair of crowded mosques in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa on Friday, killing at least 137 people and injuring more than 300 others, officials told NBC News.

photo-Yemen Blasts_ Suicide Bombers Strike Sanaa Mosques, Killing 137 People - NBC New

Yemen Blasts_ Suicide Bombers Strike Sanaa Mosques, Killing 137 People – NBC New

The ISIS affiliate in war-torn Yemen claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to Flashpoint Intelligence, a global security firm and NBC News consultant. It was the first large-scale attack claimed by the Sunni militants in Yemen, which has been in a state of chaos since Shiite Houthi rebels launched a violent power grab.

Dr. Alia Saria, head of emergency services at Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population, confirmed the death toll to NBC News and said “hundreds” were injured. Mohammed Albasha, Yemen’s spokesperson in Washington, put the number of injured above 300. Albasha said the bombers struck Badr and al-Hashoosh mosques during Friday prayers — traditionally the busiest time of the week. Both mosques were hit by two bombers using similar tactics: one would detonate explosives inside the building while the second waited outside for people to flee before blowing himself up, Albasha explained.

One witness at the al-Hashoosh mosque told the AP he was thrown two meters by the blast.

“The heads, legs and arms of the dead people were scattered on the floor of the mosque,” Mohammed al-Ansi told the AP. “Blood is running like a river.”

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Charged With Trying to Join ISIS

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Charged With Trying to Join ISIS
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tairod-nathan-webster-pugh-u-s-air-force-veteran-charged-n325101

A former U.S. Air Force mechanic has been charged with attempting to go to Syria to join ISIS, authorities said Tuesday. Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh was indicted Monday by a grand jury in Brooklyn on two charges, including attempting to provide material support to a terror organization.

The indictment said that Pugh was fired from a job in Kuwait as an airplane mechanic in December 2014. It said that he flew from Egypt to Turkey on January 10, in an effort to cross the border into Syria to join ISIS and wage violent jihad.

Turkish authorities denied him entry into the country, however, and sent him on a return flight to Egypt. He was deported from Egypt to the U.S. in January 15, after he was found carrying suspicious items, including a photograph of a machine gun.

Pugh was arrested on January 16, but the case has been sealed since that date.

Searches of his laptop revealed online queries about borders and crossing points controlled by the Islamic State, and videos showing ISIS executions. Posting on social media show Pugh repeatedly professed a desire never to return to the U.S., even though he has family — including children — in the country.

Pugh is a U.S. citizen whose last known address in the United States was in Neptune, New Jersey.

He served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 as an avionics instrument specialist, according to court documents. While in the Air Force, he reportedly received training in the installation and maintenance of aircraft engine, navigation, and weapons systems.

After leaving the Air Force, officials say, Pugh worked for a number of companies in the U.S. and Middle East as an avionics specialist and airplane mechanic.

This is a breaking news story. Please refresh for updates.

— Michael Kosnar and Daniel Arkin

First published March 17th 2015, 10:15 am

Creationism Or Evolutionism?

Well here’s something to get everyone wondering where I’m coming from. I believe in God and I believe there is an intelligent design to the universe. I don’t believe all of what we are capable and can see and do, is just a fluke.

I also believe in evolution. If we say: On the first day God created….What day would that be?

I am a Latter-day Saint, a member of the Mormon Church. If our Heavenly Father resides on ” Kolab ” as in the ” Pearl Of Great Price ” according to the book of Abraham, one day there represents 1000 years here.

There is nothing in Biblical scripture that says ” On Monday this, and on Tuesday that. The Bible only states ” On the first day ” and then it states, ” On the next day….Who is to say how many days went by before the next day was to happen.

That allows for evolution….A friend of mine, a former Bishop of the L.D.S. Church had a theory. It suggested while Adam and Eve were hanging out in the Garden Of Eden, there was no sickness, death, or anything except the two of them frolicking.

Until the serpent convinced Eve to taste of the forbidden fruit, countless eons may have passed. The ” Fruit ” was Knowledge. Eons is considered more than 1, and an eon is thought to be about half of a billion years.

Even if Creationism is correct, there was plenty of time for an intelligently designed system to evolve, and we are constantly evolving, as per our own scientific observations.

Overview: The Conflict Between Religion and Evolution
http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/overview-the-conflict-between-religion-and-evolution/

Almost 150 years after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Americans are still fighting over evolution. If anything, the controversy has grown in both size and intensity.

(See The Social and Legal Dimensions of the Evolution Debate in the U.S.) http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/the-social-and-legal-dimensions-of-the-evolution-debate-in-the-us/

But beginning in the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a number of decisions that imposed severe restrictions on those state governments that opposed the teaching of evolution.

Teaching creation science, either along with evolutionary theory or in place of it, is also banned.

In the last decade, some local and state school boards in Kansas, Pennsylvania and elsewhere have considered teaching what they contend are scientific alternatives to evolution –
Notably the concept of intelligent design, which posits that life is too complex to have developed without the intervention of an outside, possibly divine force.

(See Fighting Over Darwin, State by State.)
http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/fighting-over-darwin-state-by-state/

Evolution is “a theory, not a fact [and] … should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.”

(See Darwin and His Theory of Evolution.) http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/darwin-and-his-theory-of-evolution/

Others dismiss creation science as religion, not science, and describe intelligent design as little more than creationism dressed up in scientific jargon.

(See Evolution: A Timeline.) http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/evolution-a-timeline/

So if evolution is as established as the theory of gravity, why are people still arguing about it a century and a half after it was first proposed?

For many, the Darwinian view of life – a panorama of brutal struggle and constant change – goes beyond contradicting the biblical creation story and conflicts with the Judeo-Christian concept of an active and loving God who cares for his creation.

(See Religious Groups’ Views on Evolution.) http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/religious-groups-views-on-evolution/

Evolution: A Glossary of Terms

Creationism – The belief that the creation story in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible book of Genesis is literally true and is akin to a scientific explanation for the creation of the Earth and the development of life.

Creation science – A movement that has attempted to uncover scientific evidence to show that the biblical creation story is true. Some in the creation science movement, known as “young Earth creationists,” reject not only evolution but also the idea that the universe and the Earth are billions of years old.

Darwinian evolution – The theory, first articulated by Charles Darwin, that life on Earth has evolved through natural selection, a process through which plants and animals change over time by adapting to their environments.

Intelligent design – The belief that life is too complex to have evolved entirely through natural processes and that an outside, possibly divine force must have played a role in the origin and development of life.

Social Darwinism – A belief that Darwin’s evolutionary theory can be applied to human society and that groups of people, just like life in the wild, are subject to “survival of the fittest.” The now discredited idea influenced many social theories and movements in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from laissez-faire capitalism to various eugenics movements.

Scientific theory – A statement or principle, honed through scientific observation, reasoning and experimentation, that explains a natural phenomenon.

Theistic evolution – A belief held by some religious groups, including the Catholic Church, that God is the guiding force behind the process of evolution.

This report was written by David Masci, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project.
_______________________________________________________________________
The above post is a short summary of the article. The article explains what “evolution is, as opposed to “creationism”. The post was very explicit, in that it was totally neutral.

Because of the Church and State, separation issues, it has been mandated Creationism, is a religious belief, and therefor can not be taught in schools.

If someone were to gather enough scientific evidence for the proofs of Creationism, the debates over what to teach in schools might turn the other way.

The Bible is not considered a proof as it was a compilation of many different books, written over a great timespan and heavily edited numerous times.

Although the Bible may be a narrative of the beginning of this world and the people here, there are no scientific proofs that it is anything more than a story.

There are torches and pitchforks in the corner, should you feel the need to use such tools to make your beliefs known. This website is protected by a shield of energy ( Force Field ) which uses all negative energy as further protection.

I hope no ideals or beliefs were hurt in the writing of this post.

Evolution: Is All Life On Earth Extraterrestrial?

Another post related to the last one as it may have sparked an interest out there. Did life come from somewhere else. One theory suggests we are all made from star material, and many types of life were brought here via asteroids and meteorites. We have collections of meteorites with DNA samples from foreign worlds.

Evolution certainly plays it’s part, as everything is ever evolving. I am not going to start arguments over Creationism, or evolution. There is room for all of the differing viewpoints, and I am sorry, and please excuse me if what I have written is offensive to you.

These posts are solely for the entertainment of the masses, and my own amusement. I will probably follow this article with a religious piece totally disproving all of these posts. I hope everyone can enjoy and relax, you are here on this planet to learn how to become your own Gods. If we learn enough, we will create our own universes, and then the beings we create can wonder all of the same things we do.

Evolution: Is All Life On Earth Extraterrestrial?

Human beings came from another planet, not Earth

We keep studying Human history, looking for the answers to the thousand questions, involving WHO WE ARE. The deeper we delve into these things, more questions insert themselves into our curiosity of OUR ORIGINS. Religion doesn’t answer all of the questions. I don’t believe we are truly any smarter, than were earlier in history. (Knowledge is not the same as Smarts)

We know an impressive amount now, as some history had been recorded for posterity’s sake. As we learn to interpret other writing styles of ancient man, we may finally bring more ” TRUTH ” forward, and answer more of those questions that continually plague us. There will never be a time in Human history, whereby we’ve learned enough to have no questions left to answer.

Theories abound, as to this subject. I figure I could have a ” NICHE ” just on this one post, and have millions of articles posted in no time at all. Maybe I will ©. yes I just copyrighted that epiphany, so you just leave it alone!

Anyway….Here’s one such theory, and raised just as many questions as it might seem to answer. BTW…I certainly don’t know what’s really TRUE, and what’s total bull crap, so if we can all keep an open mind, this is only for entertainment. The poster child of this post does not endorse, nor has any affiliations with ” those responsible for the following theories “.  p.s. I also wanted to include this link, please check out this post https://opherworld.wordpress.com/2015/03/15/anthropocene-apocalypse-population-explosion-the-biggest-threat-to-humans-and-most-other-life-on-earth/  as it only makes you wonder even more, Thanks Opher for that fine post, to inspire me to bringing everyone this post.  You are great ( inspirational even ).  Sorry, I have to ask you to look at this too.   http://mindfuldigressions.com/2015/03/15/evolution-schmevolution/

What’s Your Shoe Size?

Today, I seem to be a lazy thief, and am out stealing great posts from all over the neighborhood. This post said what we all need to hear. Check out K.L’s site and take her words to heart. Go here and enjoy! https://klregister.wordpress.com/2015/03/07/whats-your-shoe-size

Photos: 1st-Century House from Jesus’ Hometown

http://www.livescience.com/49941-jesus-home-photos.html

Photos: 1st-Century House from Jesus’ Hometown
by Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | March 01, 2015 10:31am ET

A home built into a rocky hillside in Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, was regarded as the place where Jesus was brought up by Mary and Joseph. Archaeologists can’t say this structure was indeed Jesus’ home, but that is possible, they say. Here are images of the archaeological remains. [Read the full story on the first-century house in Nazareth]

Celebrated as Jesus’ home

photo-Celebrated as Jesus' home

Celebrated as Jesus’ home

People in the Middle Ages believed Jesus grew up in this first-century house in Nazareth, according to research.

The house seen here is one of two houses in Nazareth that date to the first century AD. Research reveals that people in the Middle Ages believed that Jesus grew up in this home. Centuries after Jesus’s time the house was decorated with mosaics and a church was built over it. The house was discovered in the 1880’s by the nuns of the Sisters of Nazareth convent. More recently the Nazareth Archaeological Project has been conducting work at the site. (Photo copyright Ken Dark.)

An honored tomb

photo-Celebrated as Jesus' home

Celebrated as Jesus’ home

 

 

Tomb attributed to Joseph, Mary’s husband

After the house was abandoned the area was used for quarrying. Then, later in the first century, two tombs were built beside it. The forecourt of the tomb seen here cuts through the abandoned home. Today archaeologists know that this tomb was built sometime after the house was abandoned. However in the Middle Ages people thought that this tomb belonged to Joseph, the husband of the Virgin Mary. It was decorated with mosaics and venerated along with the house. (Photo copyright Ken Dark.)

Nahal Zippori

photo-Nahal Zippori

Nahal Zippori

nahal zippori, nazareth, jesus home

The Nazareth Archaeological Project (which ran from 2004-2010) surveyed the hinterland of Nazareth, investigating a wide valley called Nahal Zippori, which is seen here. The archaeologists discovered several new sites which date to the early period of Roman rule. Archaeologists found that Nazareth, and the sites near it, had more locally made pottery as well as limestone vessels allowed under Jewish purity laws. The archaeologists found that sites closer to the town of Sepphoris had more imported pottery. (Photo copyright Ken Dark.)

A city of rebels

photo-A city of rebels

A city of rebels

 

A scene from Nazareth, Israel.
It appears that during the first century A.D. Nazareth, and its environs, was a conservative Jewish community that rejected Roman culture. Sepphoris, on the other hand, was more willing to embrace Roman culture including its imported goods. This image shows modern-day Nazareth.

Close proximity

photo-Close proximity

Close proximity

The Basilica of Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel.
Today archaeologists know of two houses at Nazareth that date to the first century AD. One was discovered by the nuns in the 1880’s and people in the Middle Ages believed that it was the home where Jesus grew up. The second house was discovered in 2009 during a rescue operation carried out by Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists. Both houses are located near the Basilica of the Annunciation seen here.

Mary’s Spring

photo-Mary's Spring

Mary’s Spring

Mary’s Spring, Jesus of Nazareth home

A number of water sources, which would have been accessed in ancient times, have also been found at Nazareth. This image shows a particularly famous source known today as “Mary’s Spring.” This image shows how it looked in 1916. (Image in public domain, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.)

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IT’S THE LIEBSTER AWARD!

 

 

 

photo-liebster award

Thank You For The Cool Trophy, Really!

Well looky here, I have been nominated for the prestigious, much coveted and fought over, LIEBSTER AWARD! I truly have to give my thanks and appreciation to Shruti of Shruti Insights, for offering me this unexpected and awkwardly wonderful opportunity. She has offered me a chance to experience a shot at the Golden Ring, the Kewpie Doll, the Final frontier of Fame and Glory in the ” Blogosphere “. I certainly would never have attempted, or volunteered for Honors such as these, on my own, so again Thank you for the inspiration, and privilege, only using my fear of shotguns or Wrathful, and thoroughly disappointed Friends, to make a man of me, and Accept this One Giant Leap For Mankind Test. Shruti, you’re the best!
So there are rules to all of this. Apparently in order to be a big shot around these parts, I have to play by THESE RULES.
Put the Liebster Award logo on your blog.
Thank and tag the blog who nominated you.
Answer their questions and come up with 10 new ones for you nominees.
Nominate 8 blogs with less than 200 followers, let them know you’ve nominated them and link them in your post.
No tag-back.

 

So Shruti, with much pounding of heart, I will under take this feat, and I Thank You sincerely for your having Faith and Belief in my abilities!

These are the Ten questions I get to answer!
1.Among your blog posts, which one is your favourite?
Well thank you for asking! My favorite post was a story I wrote a couple of years ago, called ” The Waiting Game”, and It was basically a true story about circumstances I had no control over. I only embellished it a tad.

2.At what time of the day do you usually write a blog post?
That is tricky because I post whenever I am either inspired by an idea, or feel like I’m not delivering enough, or not giving people what they want.

3.What is your favourite word in your native language?
Wow, I wish you hadn’t asked me that. I don’t believe I have a singular favorite word. My favorite phrase is ” Papa, I love you! ”

 

4.What do you like to eat in the morning?
That is an easy one, as I don’t eat in the early day. Usually I start getting hungry about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and I’m a guy so it really doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it can be wolfed down easily.

 

5.Choose one: tea, coffee, milk, hot chocolate. Why do you choose it?
Coffee with cream and sugar. But again, I drink freshly ground dark French Roast. Oh I’m sorry, you asked why? I grew up with good coffee in the S.F. bay area, and I’ve learned coffee really is the cheapest beverage, aside from water, and I don’t like water as fish do things in it.

 

6.Do you have a close friend? Is there one thing that you can only do with that friend?
I am married to my bestest, closest friend, and the thing we do together, I am not allowed to publicly speak about!

 

7.What is your favourite book and why do you like it?
That’s a hard one, but I can safely say my nearly favorite book, if I can only name one is BattleField Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard. I like that it’s long and involved, even though some of it is rather childish, I enjoy humanity taking back their home, and making a difference out in the cosmos.

 

8.What do you really want to learn but you haven’t got the time to do it?
Everything! I want my education to always continue. Right now I want to learn how to make my site work for me. The part about not enough time, unfortunately takes presidence over everything.

 

9.What do you miss from your childhood?
I miss my mommy! She died when I was 9, and I had to grow up because of that.

 

10.Where will you go if you just feel bored at home?
I am not at home at present. In December, I had to come down here to Reno Nevada to help take care of my family. I don’t get bored at home, as I live on 20 acres, in the mountains, and if the trailer feels cramped I just go outside.

 

Now it’s time to make my own nominations for the LIEBSTER AWARD, so I hope I don’t lose any friends over this!
Random Musings And Wanderlust 
Bittersweet Sensations  babyruthbeer
https://girlonstreamblog.wordpress.com/

Dr. J M Landin @ RedNewtGallery

LIZZIE BRIGHT  @  http://lizziebright.com/
Victoria Iskak   @  Raindrops & Fireflies
Margaret  @  Suds & Kisses
mboki_m  @  learning web development

 

And now, finally I get to ask my nominees their most dreaded and difficult to answer, questions.

1) Now that you are here in the magical realm of the blogosphere, what do you want?

2) What is your inner animal?

3) On your blog, are you public, or private, in regard to your personal self?

4) Are you happy in your present place in this life?

5) If I could give you one wish, what would that be?

6) What would be your ideal job?

7) Do you have a favorite kind of pet?

8) Are you able to discuss, religion, politics, or feelings openly, with strangers?

9) Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently, and of course, why?

10) How many fingers am I holding up?

I told you these would be formidable questions, even though I didn’t word it that way. I didn’t want to scare you away. And in advance, Thank You for playing, now take your dang football and go home!