Dreams

This is an experience I had that I thought worth sharing.

Last night I had a disturbing dream. This is rare for me, extremely rare. I don't remember all the details, but I recall that in my dream I was staying at someone's house, and I was getting ready to go to bed. The room was dark, and I saw a small, unknown object fly into the darkened room and land. My thoughts, in the dream, turned immediately to UFO's. I went to sleep (still in the dream) and dreamed disturbing thoughts, getting scared. In my dream within my dream I called out to the Lord, and I woke up in my dream. Still dreaming, I started singing worship songs and waking up the other people in the house. Then I actually woke up, disturbed, and I sang some worship songs. Then I read my Bible and prayed- something I had neglected to do that day, and the previous day. I must admit that for the past few weeks I have been slacking a bit in my daily Bible reading and nightly prayer, not making these things the priority they need to be in my life. As I reflect back on this experience, I believe that the Lord was getting my attention, reminding me of some things I need to be doing every day.

God speaks to us in ways we do not always expect. Last night He used a bad dream to wake me up and to help get me back on track.

bIsh

I Like to Ride My Bicycle...

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. So sue me.
Went riding today with a friend of mine. He got a new road bike (Trek XO-1) and he wanted to try it out. We did about 45 miles all around the town. It was excellent. Haven't done a long ride in a long time. As we were riding and conversing, I pointed out a contradiction in his thinking, and I realized that we all have contradictions. For instance, I've heard a lot of people say that they hate a certain electronics retail establishmen, yet those same people continue to shop there. Contradiction. I'm sure that I have some conflicted thoughts and ideas, too.

We've had snow on the hills for a few weeks now. This is most unusual for this area. Snow at all is unusual. Snow several weeks in a row is extremely rare. The weather finally warmed up a bit, and the snow is gone, but it was a sight to behold while it lasted. I have a few pictures here. Image quality was limited by the camera available to me at the time.

I guess that's it for today.
bIsh

Snow Days!

Snow? Here? In the Valley of Heart's Deligh? Yes! Well, in the surrounding hills and mountains, anyway. Yes, folks, we got some snow in the hills here over this past weekend. Every couple of years we get a dusting on the hilltops, and it usually stays for a few days. This year I was able to get up into the hills to see, experience, and photograph it. Those who live in snowy areas might wonder what the big deal is. The big deal is that it never snows here! Well, only once every few years, and only in the hills. So it's a rarity in these parts. And one thing I've observed is that people are attracted to, and sometimes fascinated by, things or conditions that are out of the ordinary. For instance, people who live in urban areas like to take time to go out into undeveloped natural areas and parks; whereas people who live in unpaved, undeveloped areas want to see smooth paved roads and concrete. People crave what they do not have. People like to visit what they do not see every day.

A related phenomenon that I have observed is that people who live near tourist attractions tend to ignore them, and visitors to those areas tend to seek out the tourist attractions. I live in the vicinity of the Winchester Mystery House and the Mystery Spot, yet I've only been to the Winchester Mystery House once (at the invitation of my visiting cousin), and to the Mystery Spot never. A friend of mine lives near Old Town Sacramento, yet (as far as I know) he doesn't go there. I wonder if people in Paris view the Eiffel Tower as just another building.

Learning to appreciate my surroundings,
bIsh

Who are you?

Who are you? What do you do? These are two questions that we hear
countless times in our lives. How do we typically answer? "I
am "Mark. I work for..." Or, "I own such and such a business..."
Or, I do ..." How should we answer these questions? What does the
Bible say?

Romans 1:1-4 "Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle
and singled out for God's good news — which He promised long ago
through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures— concerning His Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to
the flesh and was established as the powerful Son of God by the
resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness."
(HCSB)

Who does Paul say he is, and what does he do? "a slave of Christ
Jesus, called as an apostle and singled out for God's good news
[Gospel]". "A slave of Christ Jesus". When was the last time any
one of us answered like that? I do not recall ever having answered
someone with that statement. I usually have said, "I am Mark, and I
do..." So many of us identify ourselves based on what we do for a
job, or a hobby, or a business. Yet what is our primary calling on
this earth if we are born again? To tell others the Good News!

Our preacher recently challenged the congregation to think about
this and re-think who we are and what we are really doing on this
earth. I challenge you to do the same.

Who am I? I am Mark, a follower of Jesus, called to spread the Good
News of God's salvation through Jesus Christ. May God give me the
boldness to speak His name whenever and wherever I am.

bIsh

The Ride

Went on an epic ride yesterday with a friend of mine - epic by my standards, that is. It wasn't that it was really long, but we really pushed ourselves beyond our limits. We went out to a place called Saratoga Gap, or The Gap. We started at the main parking lot, and we went out along the main paths to the Grizzley Flat parking lot. Then we did a most unwise thing, considering the lack of shape we are in; we went down Grizzley Flat, across the creek a few times, then up the Table Mountain/Charcoal Road trail. We got back to the car well after dark, and there was a lot of walking. It's a ride I've done before with no problems, but I was in a lot better riding shape then. My friend and I have not ridden for several months, and yesterday was our second ride in two weeks.

I have chosen to learn from this experience - know your limitations and don't foolishly push yourself farther than you can go. Of course I'm not saying to not push your limits, or improve what you can do. I'm saying to not be foolish about it, as my friend and me were foolish. We went too far. That said, I do want to get back into shape enough to do that same ride with no walking. It will take time, but I know I can do it.

As Clint Eastwood said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

bIsh

What does it really cost to follow Jesus?

I subscribe to the Worthy News Brief, and today's message was a
good reminder to me of what our focus should really be. And I
wonder, how focused am I? Would I really risk death to preach the
Gospel? Am I really giving my all to Jesus? What more can I do?

The men mentioned below all died for their faith in Jesus.
Contrast that with what we see from the popular "Christian"
preachers of today - the Joel Osteens, Rick Warrens, Robert
Schullers, Jim Bakers, and the like. Think about your own life.

Contrast what is below with what we (Americans) think of as
persecution. We think we're persecuted when some TV show makes fun
of us. We've got it easy - the apostles and disciples knew
persecution.

Anyway, think about it.

bIsh
______________________________________________________________
From Worthy News Brief, Feb. 8, 2006

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is
not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will
also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep
yours also.

According to traditional statements, Matthew suffered martyrdom by
being slain with a sword in a distant city of Ethiopia. Mark died in
Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that
city. Luke was hung upon an olive tree in Greece. John was put in a
caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner,
and was afterward branded at Patmos. Peter was crucified at Rome
with his head downward. James, the Greater, was beheaded at
Jerusalem. James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the
temple, and then beaten to death with a club. Bartholomew was flayed
alive. Andrew was bound to a cross, while he preached to his
persecutors until he died. Thomas was run through the body with a
lance at Coromandel in the East Indies. Jude was shot to death with
arrows. Matthew was first stoned and then beheaded. Barnabas of the
Gentiles was stoned to death at Salonica. Paul, after various
tortures and persecutions, was finally beheaded in Rome by the
Emperor Nero.

We don't want to be the bearers of bad memories, but it's good to
realize how dedicated to the Lord the early believers were. They
weren't in it for the terrific single's fellowship, the excellent
children's program or good messages on Sunday morning. They weren't
in it for the comfortable new pews, the beautiful Christmas pageants
or the potluck dinners.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, James, Bartholomew, Andrew,
Thomas, Jude, Matthew, Barnabas, Paul and many, many others after
them -- they were in it for Jesus, our Messiah!

In California, Dreamin'

I know, it's been a while. I've been focusing my free time on study these past few weeks, so there's been no time for posting.

I had three dreams the other night, involving two funerals. The first dream was about a funeral for a flute player that I was only slightly acquainted with. It was kind of weird, as dreams generally are. The second dream was about the same funeral, as a continuation. In the dream the funeral lasted for 12+ hours, going into the next day and making me miss work. The third dream was about a funeral for someone I didn't know. In that dream I was taking some part in putting on the funeral. For some reason, those of us participating were dressed as Bible characters. I was either Moses or Abraham - don't remember which. I was a bit disturbed much of the next day, as I'm not used to dreaming about death or funerals. Still, I've never had any kind of premonition, and everyone I know is well. They were only dreams.

I've been hiking up in the hills a bit these past few weeks. I've been going with a friend of mine to a park called Quicksilver. It's beautiful this time of year (well, it's beautiful all year, but winter beauty is differ'nt from summer beauty around here), the green grasses, leaves on the trees, low clouds hanging on the nearby hills. The area that is the park used to be a mercury (quicksilver) mining place. It was quite a big operation in it's time - the late 1800's and early 1900's. There are some nice ruins and old building foundations to bee seen and explored. It is nice to live in a place where nature is only a short drive away.

Get out of the house and do some exploring,
bIsh

End of Year Thoughts

Hey there. Some thoughts at the end of A.D. 2005.

A friend betrayed me about 6 months ago, out of the blue turned against me and severed our relationship of 10+ years. Something happened today that made that reality sink in more, made me see that that part of my life is done, closed off. And that makes me a little sad. But I know I must accept it and move on. I can do all things through Christ Who strenghtens me.

I just saw a website that claims that we will run out of oil by the year 2050. I've been hearing claims that we will run out of oil in 50 years for over a decade now, but the time estimate seems to be the same - about 50 years. Whatever happens happens. I know that there are enough alternate energy sources that if/when it does happen, things will still go on. I think the only reason we don't see more non-petrolioum energy sources is because of economics. The science is proven - it's just a matter of time, money, and willingness to change.

Another year almost over, and I don't know how much I've grown or moved forward. A lot of things are about the same as they were a year ago. Hard to say how much I've grown or changed.

There are changes coming for me in A.D. 2006 - some I'm aware of, some I hope for, and some that will be total suprises. One thing that will not change is God's love for me.

Moving forward into 2006,

bIsh

Smokers!

What is it with smokers? Why do so many of them seem to think that the whole world is their ashtray? It's ridiculous. I was driving the other evening, and I pulled up on the left of a white van at a stop light. As I watched, the driver first flicked his ashes out the window onto the pavement, then he dropped his lit cigarette onto the ground. That really burns me up (no pun intended), and cigarettes dropped from cars start fires. This past summer, a large fire was started from a lit cigarette dropped from a car on a freeway. A hillside burned, and a house burned down. A house burned down, and a family lost everything because someone was STUPID enough to throw/drop a lit cigarette from his/her car! And the smoker probably has no idea that it was him/her who caused the fire. That was just one incident. How many other fires have been caused by careless and STUPID smokers?

And why do smokers think it's okay to poison other people's lungs? If they want to smoke to death inside their own homes and cars, what do I care? That's their right, I suppose. But what right do they have to poison anyone else's lungs? None. And that includes children in a home with smokers. What right does any parent have to smoke? None. Some belligerent smokers claim that non-smokers are oppressing them and trying to deny them their right to pursue happiness. This is a false argument. The fact is, no one has a right to poison the air of another.

I wonder how much of air pollution is caused by the billions of cigarettes smoked every day.

Tryin' to breath clean air here,
bIsh

I'm a musician.

I had a revelation tonight, an epiphany. I realized that I am at heart a musician, not a technician. I love music! It was after my church's Christmas music program (in which I play the trumpet), that I realized this. For the first time in my life I fully realize that I was born to make music. I was not born to work on computers (my current job), but to create music. I am a creative person. I used to think I was a logical person, and I am good at math and the sciences, but I am also very creative. These past few years I have seen my creative side blossom and grow. And I realize today, December 10, 2005, that I, Bish, am a musician at heart. I do not know what-all this means, or where it might lead, but I am eager to see where the Lord leads me.

Blowin' my horn as long as I'm able,
bIsh

Nothing Particular

Christmas season is here again. I like this time of year - the lights, the music, the decorations, the cold weather (Ok, it doesn't really get that cold in the Bay Area), celebrating Jesus' birth, family gatherings.

I replaced the heater hoses in my 280z, and so far, no leaking. I think the old hoses were failing right at the junction with the heater core. Of course, they were probably the original, 27 year-old hoses. The good news is that the valve is good, and the heater core is good. I took the opportunity to upgrade my stereo while I had the dash torn apart. I think that if this happens again I might pay someone to do it. Replacing those hoses was, so far, the messiest, unfunnest, irritiating job I have done on a car. Lying updside-down, on my back, with my upper torso and head cramped in a small space, working on parts up above my face - it was not fun. And it was very time consuming. Just getting back to where the hoses are took a couple of hours. Then removing all the hoses and assemblages took several hours. And re-assembling everything took a few more hours. But it's done, and I'm glad it's done. Hopefully, if the Lord wills, it should not need doing for another 25-27 years. So now I have both cars back on the road.

We had our first rainstorm of the season. I know, most of the country wouldn't consider what we get to be real storms, but for us it was a good rain.

That's it for tonight.
bIsh

Is it Tuesday already?

I know, I know, it's been a few weeks since my last post. So sue me - I've been preoccupied with other things. Anyway, on with the new. One thing that has preoccupied me lately is my two cars. In a strange bit of timing, I was without a car for over a week recently. I took my '68 Datsun 510 wagon (automatic) in to my mechanic for brake work, and while he had it my '78 Datsun 280z got a leak inside the dash. So I was sans car, and I had to find other means of getting around. Work was no problem - I live close enough that I can (and do) commute by bike. But other appointments were a challenge - getting to my band rehearsals, getting to the church. I had to rely on other people for rides. It wasn't too bad, though. It was a good reminder that I'm not in control - God is. He controls when things happen, and how people get to and from where they go to and from.

James 4 says:
13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit." 14 You don't even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are a bit of smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
15 Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." (HCSB)

We make great plans for our days, our years, but we do not know what will happen tomorrow. We don't even know what will happen in the next 5 minutes. Only God knows the future.

Well, that's it for now. If the Lord wills, I will be posting more often than once every three weeks. I'm aiming for once or twice a week, but God has the final say.

Happy Turkey Day to all, and to all a good night!

Until next time, I remain
bIsh

Test Passed

I passed my Network+ test on Friday. As of now, I am now unofficially officially certified. I just have to wait for the paperwork to arrive in the mail.

The Sharks won tonight. That new goalie they're using is putting in a good show.

A friend of mine turned me on to Bob Dylan's music recently. He's got some good lyrics, and some good messages.

That's all for now, folks.
bIsh

Thursday Night

I went hiking on Saturday with a friend of mine, in a place called Quicksilver Park. We started hiking at about 7am, in a nice fog. After climbing a couple hundred feet we emerged from the fog. We hiked way up to the top of a hill and looked down on the valley below. It was beautiful - a thick blanket of fog was resting gently on everthing, and the sun was shining down on all. That view was worth getting up for on my day off. I'm glad I took a camera along. I am very thankful that I live in a place where I can get away from the city whenever I want to.

Yeah, we have some nice hills around here, and some nice wildlife. We (same friend as above) saw a bobcat a couple weeks ago. He was hiding in some tall grass, and I didn't see him until my friend pointed him out. We walked by him and he looked almost like a regular domestic cat. However, when he stood up and bounded away I could tell he was larger. He disappeared into the tall grass and trees. We saw a lot of deer that day, too - two or three of them had nice antler sets. I've noticed that I tend to see more wildlife toward late afternoon and evening. When we hiked up in the morning on Saturday we saw several rabbits. I've seen turkey up there, too. A few months ago we saw a large rattler in the same hills. They say there are mountain lions, but I've never seen one.

Get out there and climb your mountain!
bIsh

Friday Musings

Today is the 26th anniversary of one of my youngest sister's birth. She only lived about 8 days, October 21 to 26, 1979. 26 years have passed, and I still think of her sometimes, and sometimes I wonder where she would be today, what she would be doing. I have another sister, two brothers, and two parents. I wonder if they ever think about her, or what her life might have been - I've never discussed it with them. 26 years. So many possibilities, so many potentialities. I like to think that she's in Heaven, that all babies go to Heaven, but that's not really in the Bible. It's a nice thought, but there's not really any Scriptural support for it. I know that God is sovereign, and His will is perfect. I trust in Him.

I'm reading a biography of Crazy Horse. It's a fascinating story. In fact, the book is so interesting I'm reading it for the second time. It's different to see things from the perspective of the Sioux/Lakota. I never really saw the conflict from their side before. From what I've read, it seems that things would have turned out a lot differently if the Sioux had been able to remain united against the U.S. government. They might not have prevailed in the end, but the outcome would have been more favorable to them, I think. It would be interesting to write a story about what might have been.

Tomorrow is another day.
bIsh

Lonely Thoughts

I've been feeling kind of down tonight - lonely. I spend a lot of time alone, but I only rarely feel lonely. Tonight, though, I was craving some social interaction, talking to people and interacting. This will pass. I know that I'm never truly alone - God is always with me. I would like to meet more people, gain some true friends. I have a lot of acquaintances, but only about 4 or 5 real friends. As I said, most of the time it doesn't bother me - I'm thankful for the friends I have - but sometimes I miss being around people. I like people - I just don't know enough of yet.

bIsh

One True Bible Translation?

Lately I've encountered some groups who claim that the 1611 King James Bible is the only valid Bible translation. I even read a statement on one website that said the 1611 King James is the "exact Words of God". When I read, or hear, statements like that my first reaction is, "Does that mean that God speaks 1611 King James english? Wasn't the Bible written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek?"Our God is above all language and nationality and time. The Gospel message transcends all language and nationality and time. In my opinion, people who focus too much on language are focusing on the wrong thing.

Why do some people insist that the 1611 King James is the only valid Bible translation? Is it because it sounds more authoritative and formal? What some people apparently forget is that in 1611, the KJV was written in the common language of the day. Is it because it's old, and therefore not corrupt like all modern things? Is it because of tradition? Do some people assume that the older a translation is the more pure it is? If that is the case, why stop at 1611? Why not go back to the Geneva Bible of 1560? Why not go back to Tyndale's New Testament, or the Great Bible? The Geneva was the Bible of the reformers, and it was the Bible the Pilgrims brought to America. Interestingly, in its day, the 1611 King James was considered a corruption of the Geneva Bible. It is, in fact, based largely on the Geneva Bible.

If the 1611 King James is the only valid Bible translation, what does that mean for people who don't read or speak English? Does this mean that they cannot hear God's Word in their language? I am reminded of what a missinary to Russia said in my church, "People ask me what version of the Bible the Russians use. I tell them that they use the Russian version. Then these people ask me which one? The Russian version. There is no King James or NIV in Russian. There is THE Russian version." In other words, there was only one Russian version of the Bible when this missionary spoke in our church. We Enlgish speakers are blessed to have many different versions of the Bible. Many other languages do not have this choice available to them. This blessing also brings with it grave responsibility. We must be careful that the Bible we read is a valid, accurate translation of God's Word.

Today there are a lot of English Bibles, and more are added as time goes by. It's true that there are some really poor Bible translations out there, and there are some that are really good. There was a new translation released recently called the SMS Version. It is intended for mobile phone and messaging services. Here's a quote from Genesis 1:1, "In da Bginnin God cre8d da heavens & da earth." Hmmm... One tranlation that gets a lot of publicity is the Message. I advise you to steer clear of this one, and steer clear of those who quote, or teach, from it. The Message is, in my opinion, a watered-down paraphrase of a poor translation. It seems to have been written for the liberal preachers and feel-good easy-believeism of our day.

Right now I'm using the Holman Christian Standard Bible as my main Bible. It was well researched and it is in modern language. The messages of the Bible are not watered-down or distorted. As far asI can tell, and my research shows, it is a good, valid, modern English Bible. I also like the New American Standard, and I use a King James, also. I like the King James, but I am against the idea that it is the only valid Bible translation. I tend to stay away from the NIV, but I don't really have anything against it - I just don't prefer it. I do tend to prefer Bibles that are more formal inlanguage. On my PDA I have several versions of the Bible, includingthe ASV, Rotherham, Darby (considered by many to be one of the most accurate English translations), KJV, Literal Version, MKJV, World English Bible, Bible in Basic English, Weymouth New Testament,Young's Literal Translation, and part of the Geneva Bible. It is handy to have all of these available for comparison.

So what's my message in all of this? Choose your Bible carefully.There are a lot of good Bible translations available to us today. When in doubt, go with a trusted, respected translation of the Bible. And remember Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart."

Bish

A good resource on the Web for Bible translations is www.Biblegateway.com. They have Bibles in many languages and translations. However, they do not have the Geneva Bible. TheGeneva can be found at http://www.genevabible.org/Geneva.html .

More on Joel Osteen

Well, I've done some research on this Joel Osteen character, and I have come to believe that he is no preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He preaches the all-too-common false gospel of self-esteem and easy-believeism. If you want to hear the Word of God preached, don't go to him. There's enough information on Osteen already that I don't need to re-create it all here, but here's a link to someone who has done some good research and writing about Joel. For more information, do a Google search.

Along the same lines, here's a link to a well-written article concerning the New Age Movement creeping into the Christian Church. Read and keep your eyes open, friends. More than ever, we need to stay in the Word and know what it says.

Peace to you.
bIsh

Second Post

Ok, here goes my second post. I guess I'll just dive on in. The Sharks lost tonight - season opener - 3 to 2. I was a bit disappointed, as they were ahead 2 to 1 when I was able to listen to the game. But that's the way it goes. It's just hockey.
I was reading an interview with Joel Osteen, reportedly the pastor of the largest congregation in America. Hmmm... From his answers in the interview, I've got to wonder how close he sticks to the Truth of God's Word, and how much he waters it down (or avoids it completely). I should do some more research on him.
The job's going ok, for a job. Don't get me wrong, I like the people I work with, but it's still a job. There are other things I'd rather be doing with my time.
I just got back from a trip to Long Beach, CA, for business. Traffic on I-5 was actually pretty good. It was possibly the smoothest, freeest-flowing drive I've taken on that freeway. The one annoyance I have is the way the truck drivers pass each other. I know they have to get where they are going - same as everyone else - but I wish they would not pull out suddenly into the fast lane when there's a lot of traffic. I know, that's just a part of life, and I can deal with it.
A good friend turned against me in late August; unilaterally cut our bond of fellowship. I still think about it, and it still hurts a bit. But I know life goes on, and I know that God is sovereign. He will never leave me or forsake me. Amen.

Until next time, I am Bish.

First entry.

Hey. Through the years I've been called many things - Red, Moses, Doctor, Professor, Bish, Hey You - and Bish seems to be the name that stuck. It's short, simple, and easy to spell. What can I say about me? I live on the West Coast (sometimes called the Left Coast) of the United States of America - still the greatest country on earth. I work as an IS Manager for a local school. I just passed my A+, and I'm studying for my Network+. Next will probably be Security+. Some of my interests include: Datsuns; Garfield; Legos - specifically Star Wars Legos; Star Wars; Star Trek; hiking; mountain biking; backpacking; playing the trumpet - jazz, symphonic, Christian, dixieland, whatever; music - jazz, classical, symphonic, Christian; good movies (there's a lot of trash out there); computer games; internet activities; eating; and sleeping. I am a conservative Christian, and I consider myself to be a Protestant in the true sense of the word. And that's a little about who I am. I'll probably add a picture to my profile sometime soon.

I run a Yahoo! group - called Mere Christianity - and I run a couple of websites - one personal, one Christian.

Thanks for tuning in. More to follow in the coming days.......