A walk at the lake
July 30, 2008
The roads winding to and from and around the Lake of the Ozarks are just the thing for chronic walkers. One thing I have noticed this summer is how extra-lush the shrubbery and foliage is after a very wet spring and early summer. I took my camera on a recent afternoon walk, and here are a few images.
A walk’s gotta have a starting point, and here I am gazing down on my launch pad from the second level balcony outside our condo apartment. 
This day it was a typical mid-summer day with the temperature in the low nineties and high humidity. I try to temper the discomfort with thoughts of the winter walks to come. I much prefer the heat.
I barely got started up the hill from Monarch Cove when I paused to admire some blooms that don’t seem to mind the Ozark summer heat. 
The next diversion was the used golf ball stand at Greenleaf Trace next door. If I don’t quit gawking and start walking, I’ll never get this walk done! On down the road I tried to catch the dark-greenness of the Oak forest lining my route.
Here is a young family’s house along the route. I hope their little imps appreciate the neat and colorful backyard play area.
Bible Diary - Hebrews 7:1-10
July 27, 2008
The back story is found in Genesis 14, where some bad kings swooped down on Sodom and Gomorrah from north of Salem, won a battle there and headed back north with their booty and with Abraham’s nephew Lot and family. Abraham put together an army, headed north to defeat the kings and returned with the booty and the captured families.
Melchizedek is a shadowy figure mentioned only here and in a Psalm and in Genesis. I try to remember that the Bible is not a “normal” history book and to look for an underlying message or truth. The significant fact in this passage seems to be that Abraham offered a tithe of the battle spoils to Melchizedek, meaning that Abraham was subordinate to Melchizedek the priest.
The Nature of Melchizedek’s Priesthood
7:1 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. 7:2 To him also Abraham apportioned a tithe of everything. His name first means king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time. 7:4 But see how great he must be, if Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of his plunder. 7:5 And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham. 7:6 But Melchizedek who does not share their ancestry collected a tithe from Abraham and blessed the one who possessed the promise. 7:7 Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior, 7:8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive. 7:9 And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham. 7:10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins when Melchizedek met him.
It makes sense to me, as it does to most commentators on this passage, that Melchizedek is a “type” of the Christ who was yet to come, and that the tithe he collected points to the tithes that were collected later by Levi. I understand that a biblical “type” is simply a literary device to point my thinking to a larger truth. In this case, the priest Melchizedek, being greater than Abraham, leads me to thoughts of Jesus Christ. I have become comfortable with the way the Old Testament continually pre-figures the New Testament.
Dave
-sdg-
Bible Diary - Hebrews 6:13-20
July 20, 2008
Oaths and promises. What am I to make of this? The promise in view here, of course, was to bless Abraham greatly and to multiply his descendants abundantly. I think Abraham’s best guess about his future probably did not include becoming a great nation, but he was called to believe God’s promise to him on faith alone. This meant for him to ignore his doubts and act as if he knew where he was going.
6:13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 6:14 saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.” 6:15 And so by persevering, Abraham inherited the promise. 6:16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. 6:17 In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, and so he intervened with an oath, 6:18 so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie. 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, 6:20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
As for the oath, this may have been God’s way of making sure that Abraham knew that it was God speaking to him and making a promise that would be kept. Today, this would not be necessary, since God has sent His Son to be our guarantor, and if I can’t accept that, well, bad on me. I know that I have just the high priest I need to buffer me from the holy God. Jesus is running interference for me. I can’t face a holy God directly, but I can face Jesus, the perfecter of my faith.
It seems evident to me that God’s promises, then and now, are accompanied with the gift of faith. I really have no excuse for not acting in faith.
Dave, still looking for excuses.
-sdg-
Bible Diary - Hebrews 6:1-12
July 15, 2008
Whoever wrote this letter (It may have been the Apostle Paul) seems a tad frustrated with the Jewish Christians. They seem stuck at first base, wanting to hear the glorious good news of the gospel again and again. I remember my “honeymoon period” when I first made a serious commitment to follow Jesus. I wasn’t in much of a hurry to move on.
This passage, along with others, helped me to finally get off the stick and start on the path towards a more mature faith.
6:1 Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and move on to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God, 6:2 teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 6:3 And this is what we intend to do, if God permits. 6:4 For it is impossible in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 6:5 tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, 6:6 and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt. 6:7 For the ground that has soaked up the rain that frequently falls on it and yields useful vegetation for those who tend it receives a blessing from God. 6:8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed; its fate is to be burned. 6:9 But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation. 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. 6:11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end, 6:12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.
I am still not sure what to make of verses 4-6. Perhaps there are such things as little apostasies, the temporarily unresolved doubts that we experience as we mature in our faith; but only one Apostasy, which is outright denial of the Lord Jesus for which there is no return. I believe the ‘no return’ state is God’s doing, the irreversible hardening of the heart resulting from “crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt.”
All I can do is to eagerly strive for a more mature faith and trust in His promise to sustain me until I fully inherit the promises.
Dave, still striving.
-sdg-
Virgo cluster
July 8, 2008
Credit & Copyright: Günter Kerschhuber (Gahberg Observatory)
(Click on image for larger view)
Explanation: The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies is the closest cluster of galaxies to our Milky Way Galaxy. The Virgo Cluster is so close that it spans more than 5 degrees on the sky - about 10 times the angle made by a full Moon. With its heart lying about 70 million light years distant, the Virgo Cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies, contains over 2,000 galaxies, and has a noticeable gravitational pull on the galaxies of the Local Group of Galaxies surrounding our Milky Way Galaxy. The cluster contains not only galaxies filled with stars but also gas so hot it glows in X-rays. Motions of galaxies in and around clusters indicate that they contain more dark matter than any visible matter we can see. Pictured above, the heart of the Virgo Cluster includes bright Messier galaxies such as Markarian’s Eyes on the upper left, M86 just to the upper right of center, M84 on the far right, as well as spiral galaxy NGC 4388 at the bottom right.
A Christian worldview must somehow take into account the cosmos. I am tempted to think that only in this day of the Hubble telescope and it’s friends am I finally equipped to think seriously about God and historical beginnings. But that would be saying that the shepherd of ancient times, in the dark of night, contemplating the sky full of stars, could not know what he needed to know about God and beginnings. It doesn’t take much reflection to know that would be saying nonsense.
Today, the Astronomy Picture of the Day is just a part of the flood of information I am besieged with every hour of the day. I am trying to sip from a firehose. My shepherd on the hill had plenty of time to ponder his sky-view, and I suspect that his philosophical conclusions were of greater value to him than my fleeting thoughts while looking at the image above. What do you think?
Dave, blessed but not overawed by scientific progress.
Bible Diary - Hebrews 5:11-14
July 6, 2008
I have long since adopted these cautionary words as my own, especially at times like the present when I dare expound on portions of God’s word. Teaching from “God’s utterances” is a solemn undertaking, realizing that the need to go back to the milk of the Gospel is always present.
The Need to Move on to Maturity
5:11 On this topic we have much to say and it is difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing. 5:12 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant. 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.
Misgivings aside, I know I am gaining experience in the message of righteousness with each reading of the Word. As the translators of the New King James Version put it, I count myself as among “…those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (5:14)
I offer these stumbling fragments of thought to whoever might read these words with the prayer that, together, we may take a few more steps along the path to Christian maturity. We share the common need to become more “experienced in the message of righteousness.”
Dave, always needing to have his senses exercised.
-sdg-
Madison Park lesson #1
July 5, 2008
There may be no ‘lesson #2,’ but you never know. The lesson begins with what some of you already know, having read the following sign along Maine Street.
But here is one you may not have seen, being fairly recent. It is also along Maine where the diagonal brick path cuts across a corner of the park.
And here are a few more leaves for your collection, Linda. May they last as long as your first batch. You can ask your All Knowing Brother (AKB) why some leaves have jaggies and others on the same twig do not.
Here is an old tree that is winning the battle of the sidewalk. Some years ago they paved a short stretch just East of Maine with new bricks, but it didn’t reach to this old guy.
You should be able to tell me what kind of tree this is. In another year or two, many of these old, numbered trees may not be around.
But someone has rallied the community to “rebuild the canopy,” as you can see here. There are thirty newbies lining 24th Street along the West edge of Madison Park, each with a green bow. A watering truck cruises along to give them a drink once a week, although they certainly haven’t gotten very thirsty this year. The ones still around a year from now should have a good chance of surviving, but why did they plant them all in rows, for all love?
Thus endeth Madison Park lesson #1.
Dave, which he could use a new shot of life hisself.
Summer walk ‘08
July 4, 2008
A wet spring and early summer has resulted in a lush canopy of green over the sidewalks along my walking route. The foliage seems lusher and the shade deeper this summer. Here is a potpourri of images taken on recent walks.
The bell tower at the Church of St. Peter is displayed here against a backdrop of cumulus clouds. I have always had difficulty in photographing clouds, and these particular clouds weren’t very cooperative, but I like the looks of the tower with its cross.
Summer evening concerts by the concert band are always well-attended as families walk into Madison Park carrying their coolers and lawn chairs for an hour or so of easy listening. A special mobile stage with an acoustical shell gets hauled to the park du jour the evening before, and, as you can see here, if you play it they will come. The concert always begins with The Star Spangled Banner and usually ends with a patriotic march. When I was in High School I played for a summer or two in a community concert band, and I can still hum right along with most of the tunes. My guess is that in this day of opportunities to hear professionally produced music, the number of community concert bands may be dwindling as belonging to an earlier, slower-paced age. I wonder?
One of these days I will bone up on the history of Madison Park. According to the sign it dates back to the post bellum era when, I believe, the town of Quincy was beginning its push away from the river and to the East. I doubt that many of the large old trees in the park go back that far. Many of the trees have little numbered plaques on them, and several generations of school kids have been turned loose in the park to gather leaf samples and correctly identify the trees.
Some of the huge old trees lining York Street show their character in their gnarled trunks. I wonder what stories this old tree could tell. I would like to hear the one about the lightning bolt. Although you can’t tell it from the looks of his (her?) trunk, it’s otherwise a healthy tree and can always be counted on for a display of color in the fall.
There are several mature Pin Oaks along my route. Here is one of the tallest, dwarfing the house alongside. There were a pair of them, but a storm a few years ago toppled one of them and badly damaged a couple of nearby roofs.
Much of my walk is under a canopy of greenery, with trees on both sides of the street touching in the middle.
Here are a couple of large houses that seem well matched with the mature trees. I can’t help but wonder what this neighborhood will look like in 20 years as the old trees, one by one, die and are removed. It’s good to see an effort made to replace them with young trees, but the neighborhood will never be the same.
The inventive old couple who live in this house have for years kept this combination of flower pots and bird houses, and each spring it sports a new combination of color. On cooler summer days they sit on their porch and I never fail to give them a wave.
Some of the streets along my route have street markers imbedded in the concrete sidewalk at the crossings. Here is one that has survived at least one re-paving of the sidewalk.
And back to the home neighborhood again.
Dave, walking fool.
