Luke 9:7-9 and Haggai 1:1-8

Haggai 1:1-8

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Aggeus the prophet, to Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, governor of Juda, and to Jesus the son of Josedec the high priest, saying:  Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: This people says: The time is not yet come for building the house of the Lord.  And the word of the Lord came by the hand of  Aggeus the prophet, saying: Is it time for you to dwell in ceiled houses, and this house lie desolate?  And now thus says the Lord of hosts: Set your hearts to consider your ways.  You have sowed much, and brought in little: you have eaten, but have not had enough: you have drunk, but have not been filled with drink: you have clothed yourselves, but have not been warmed: and he that has earned wages, put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Set your hearts upon your ways:  Go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build the house: and it shall be acceptable to me, and I shall be glorified, says the Lord.

Luke 9:7-9

Now Herod, the tetrarch, heard of all things that were done by him. And he was in a doubt, because it was said  by some that John was risen from the dead: but by other some, that Elias had appeared: and by others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.  And Herod said: John I have beheaded. But who is this of whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him.

St Maurice

St Maurice was a native of Thebes in Lower Egypt.  When he was young, he was conscripted (forced into service) into the Roman army together with many youths of his area, and sent, for military  service, to Switzerland.  Before battle, the emporer ordered his soldiers to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods but the Theban Legion, headed by Maurice, refused.  They remained steadfast even after being asked serveral times to apostatize, in loyalty to the emporer.  Their allegiance to Christ earned them the crown of martydom in the year 287.

Scripture warns us of the dangers of admiring people who have power, fame, and wealth.  "When you shall sit to eat with a prince, consider diligently what is set before your face: And put a knife to your throat, if it be so that you have your soul in your own power. Be not desirous of his meats, in which is the bread of deceit. Labour not to be rich: but set bounds to your prudence." - Proverbs 23:1-4

So we must keep our admiration for each other in check, careful that we do not seek to please each other or expect others to conform to our desires to please ourselves, and neglect God.

In today's Gospel reading, Herod had respected and feared John, but John did not fear to rebuke Herod for his adulterious affair with his brother's wife.  Harod put John in prison to keep him silent, and then had him beheaded, all because he wanted to please his family and friends.  We read here how Harod then wanted to see Jesus and talk to Him, further showing us that Harod was interested in seeking the truth, but held on to a desire to please his friends and family.  He didn't want to give up his lifestyle or lose his friends.

Our related Old Testement reading for today is 1 Haggai 1:1-8.  We read here that God is upset with his people because they said, "The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD."  God was calling them to rebuild his temple, but they were coming up with excuses to go about the lives they desired to live.  God explains that all they do is worthless, and is for themselves, not for Him.  They were out to please themselves and each other, not rebuild the temple and please God.

So today we ask ourselves:  who do we seek to please?  Do we seek to please our friends and family as Herod did?  Or do we seek to please ourselves as the Jews did in putting off rebuilding the temple?  Or do we seek to please God by keeping all of his commandments like St. Maurice and the Theban Legion did? 

God calls us each to live according to his commandments, and if we live according to all his commandents then we are pleasing to God.  The Jews knew they needed to rebuild the temple, but they reasoned with themselves that the time had not yet come, because they did not want to labor.  Herod knew that John spoke the truth, but he desired more to please his family and friends and so he had him killed, and the Roman emporer wanted St. Maurice to please him by worshiping his false gods.  God calls us to love Him and love our neighbor.  We show our love for God through the Sacraments,through which we live the scriptures instead of just paying lip service to God (Isaiah 29:13, Mark 7:6), and we show our love for our neighbor through acts of kindness and charity.  If we show our love for God and for one another, then our hearts are with God and we are not just honoring Him with our lips.

Jesus tells us the greatest commandments:

"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depends the whole law and the prophets." - Matthew 22:37-40

He states that everything depends on these two commandments.  Without Love we are nothing.

Paul writes:  "And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity (love), I am nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13.

And if we are nothing how can we be pleasing to God, who is all love?  We cannot please God while we are laboring to please each other and to please ourselves. So ask yourselves:  "Am I really trying to please God?  Or am I always working to please myself and others?"

Feast Day of St Matthew

St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, was born in Capernaum and was working as a tax collector when Jesus called him.

And when Jesus passed on from thence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house, named Matthew; and he said to him: Follow me. And he arose up and followed him.

And it came to pass as he was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.  And the Pharisees seeing it, said to his disciples: Why does your master eat with publicans and sinners? But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill. Go then and learn what this means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.

Matthew 9:9-13 (Related reading for the day:  1 Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13)

Jesus called Matthew at a particular time: when He knew that Matthew was ready to accept Him.  He calls each of us in this same way.  When you are called to the Truth, do you harden your heart or do you  soften your heart  and make it ready for Gods love (Hebrews 3:15)?  Matthew had probably heard of Jesus, because his fame had been spreading throughout the region by the time Jesus called him. When Jesus said "follow me", Matthew was moved to follow Him, because Jesus could provide what others would not: healing, not just of the physical kind but of the spiritual kind.

We also read here that the Pharisees were bothered by Jesus eating with known sinners.  His reply is very simple:  a doctor doesn't go where healthy people are, but where there are sick people.  The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed spiritual care.  Their religion was selfish because they didn't want to have anything to do with people who were not like themselves.  Jesus said, "I came not to call the righteous, but to call the sinners."

Ironically the orthodox were just as needy as the ones they despised ("All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."- Romans 3:23)!  Jesus does not abide with those who think that they are righteous, or who think that they are deserving of the glory of God.  Instead He shows here that it is the sinner, in need of God's mercy, who is called to repentance and to spiritual life.  He says on several occasions "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." (Hosea 6:6), because those who think that they are worthy of God despise the sinner and are not merciful.  They instead get caught up in their worship, their emotions, and the sacrifices they make for others who they feel are not deserving of it.  They feel put-off by others who do not live up to their standards, because they see themselves as righteous and deserving of the glory of God.  The Pharisees certainly felt this way, and they were not happy with Jesus, because He was there for those who they felt were not deserving of His time.  But Jesus did not come into the world to save the righteous, he came here to save the sinners. 

Do you thank the Lord for the great mercy He has shown to you?  And do you show mercy to your neighbor as well?

I once spoke with a woman who was bragging about the way her Church really got into their worship.  She said that they really danced and jumped around and really got into the music.  She explained what a wonderful thing it was.  I asked her, "If Jesus were to suddenly be here standing with us, what would you do?  Would you jump around and clap your hands, or would you fall on your knees and ask for mercy?"  What would you do?  I know what I would do.

Today, pray for God's mercy.

Why the Rapture is a Load of Crap

I used to just accept this whole rapture thing. I wasn't really against it, but I was always kind of suspicious about it.  I wondered where it was that everyone got this notion some sort of Rapture would occur.  I was surprised to see that it wasn't until the 17th century that this doctrine was even in existence.  Prior to that I can find no written history or even a mention of it, not even among the vast collection of writings from early church fathers on newadvent.org.  It seems it's a modern day invention.

But I'm always one to give the benefit of the doubt.  So okay, please explain to me where you get the Rapture from in the bible.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 
1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 
1 Thess 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 
1 Thess 4:18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

[caught up=HARPAZO=Rapture]
1 Thess 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 
1 Thess 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? 
1 Thess 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 
1 Thess 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

It says "alive and remain".  These are people who survive what is to come, because they are spoken of as being 'alive and remain'.  Some translations say 'left alive' to be more clear.  If they were not left alive and just happened to be alive when He comes, then we would not see "alive and remain", because only the faithful will remain in the end, having been spared from destruction.  If the author meant that Jesus was coming to spare us from destruction then he would have said "those of us who are alive [spiritually alive]", but it is clear from the surrounding text that he is talking about physical death of the body and people being left alive at the very end, who are the remaining faithful.  The entire passage does not seem to indicate that Jesus will take them up and then destroy a bunch of bad people left on earth.  Being spared from wrath simply means that you are not sent to hell but will be in heaven.

Okay, so what about 1Cor 15:51-55?  Well lets have a look:

1Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 
1Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
1Cor 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
1Cor 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 
1Cor 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

Okay so apparently I'm supposed to just look at that italicized text and assume it's about the rapture?  It says simply at the last trumpet (a trumpet is a well known biblical symbol for 'revelation' or 'announcement'),  so this is clearly the last day, and that in a 'twinkling of an eye' (in an instant) everyone is changed.  It means it's not a long drawn out process.  It happens very fast.  We are all changed into immortal beings, and the people who were dead will suddenly be alive in their immortal bodies.  This new body will not die or be capable of sinning.  I don't see anything here about being whisked away from the bad people in the world and carried off to heaven while they are all destroyed.

Okay so what is next?

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Seems quite convincing but this passage doesn't seem to indicate that anyone is removed from the world to escape tribulation.  It could very well, and probably does, mean that God will protect you and you will not be destroyed.  Escaping something means that you are in danger but are able to come out of the danger in the end unharmed. Since when does escaping something mean you totally avoid the entire situation?


Ok so now what?

To Philadelphia: 
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 
Rev 3:10 Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. 

Oh boy.  Seriously?  Revelation?  You can easily make Revelation mean whatever you want.  Here I'll show you:  The angel of the Church in Philadelphia represents one of the 7 spirits of God (the Holy Spirit has 7 attributes listed in Isaiah 11:2- might or fortitude is strength).  The passage is addressed to a church or believer having little strength, but possesses the other 6 attributes.  Since God understands the believer lacks the strength to stand up against trial, he will not test them (Rev 3:10).  Again, this does not seem to indicate that the person will be removed from the world, but simply that God will protect them.  In the book Job, God allows Satan to test Job and he passes the test, but because God knew Job had the strength to pass the trials which Satan put him through.  So how is my interpretation any more accurate than yours?  It's not. 

The Open Door and Last Trump are on the Feast of Trumpets, which is on the new moon.  The new moon feast (holyday) is a shadow/prophesy of the Rapture.  The open door is prominantly seen in the rapture verses of Rev 3:10, 4:1 & Matt 25:1-13.

Um no.  The door in Matthew has nothing to do with the door in Rev 3 and 4.  The door open in those versus is showing that the heavens are now open for mankind to pass into heaven, where before it was shut, and it demonstrates that only God could accomplish this not anyone else.  It may also represent understanding, which the Holy Spirit provides.  In Matthew 25, Jesus is teaching us about people who have obtained the highest virtue, which is virginity, must also do works of charity (oil in their lamp) or the lamp (their light) will go out.  If they become lazy and do nothing, and the Lord returns, it will be too late for them to do the good works of charity.  The moon in Revelation symbolizes the Church (a light in darkness) which gets its light from the sun (Jesus/God). 

Okay, so can we get back to the other books in the New Testament?  Ones that can't be so easily misinterpreted?

Matthew 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
Matthew 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 
Luke 17:34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 
Luke 17:35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
Luke 17:36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

If you expand this entire passage you will see that Jesus is answering two questions.  One is about  the destruction of the 2nd Temple and the other is about his second coming.  Jesus explains some things are to come before his second coming (persecution, the destruction of the temple, etc.), but then explains that no one knows the hour when He will come, and that is not for anyone to know.  In other words, we are not to obsess over when He is coming, only that we are to be ready for it at all times and make sure we are not deceived by false religions promising salvation.  This is why he says:

The days will come when you shall desire to see one day of the Son of man. And you shall not see it.  And they will say to you: See here, and see there. Go not after, nor follow them.  For as the lightning that lightens from under heaven shines unto the parts that are under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in his day. 

He says, do not go out.  Stay where you are, abiding in the Truth, because if you do go out even because of curiosity you could lose your salvation.  Just stay where you are, in the Church.

He explains that it will be just like in the days of Noah and and in the days of Lot when people were enjoying their lives of sin and not obeying God.  It will come suddenly, and like Lot's wife we should not look back on our life of sin and desire it or we will be destroyed.  You will notice that it was the wicked in both those stories who were destroyed (taken away-- they were swept away by the flood, they were burned up by the fire).  He says 'in that night' - meaning the darkest hour.  It is the wicked who are taken away for when they ask him "where Lord?", he replies "Wheresoever the body shall be, thither will the eagles also be gathered together." (Luke 17:38) which is from Job:

"Will the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest in high places?
She abideth among the rocks, and dwelleth among cragged flints, and stony hills, where there is no access.
From thence she looketh for the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
Her young ones shall suck up blood : and wheresoever the carcass shall be, she is immediately there."

Those who are taken are the dead, because the eagle/vulture does not feed on the living.  The living are spared, and this is why in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 it is the people who are left alive who will be taken up to the Lord.

The Rapture is a made up fairy tale that is based on a child-like understanding of scripture.  It was never taught by any Christian for almost 1,600 years of church history, and no real basis in scripture.  It's a load of crap.

Syncback, you really suck

I saw an article about Syncback Free and figured I'd use it for backups for now.  Yes, I know Windows 7 has a built-in backup, but I wanted more control.  Well turns out Syncback blows.  After scanning all my directories, and spending 10 minutes doing it, it just sits there for awhile and a message says "Syncback has stopped responding".

Wow, quality program there.  If the free version isn't working how can I be so sure the full version works?  Oh well, guess Windows 7 backup will have to do.

Tip of the Day

Do you want to grow your organization with motivated people to help build the team?

Follow the following steps:
1. go to www.craigslist.org
2. click on "resumes" on the bottom right
3. click on each and call those with phone numbers
4. Tell them you cannot provide a full time or part time job but you can offer them a way to make extra money while they are still looking - then ask them if this is something they would be interested in
5. Then describe the business and talk about doing the exact same thing - calling and talking to people - then ask them if this is something they think they can do too
6. have them take action

Zip Code Radius Search (Store Locator) in Coldfusion

I had an old script laying around that did a radius search given a certain zip code, and it would return a list of zip codes in the surrounding area.  Lately I learned from a couple other Coldfusion developers that there is a much easier and faster way (though the query is more complex) to get a list of zip codes within a certain mile radius using some algebra I learned way back in high school.  It's just a matter of knowing the right mysql functions to get it working (mssql should work for this too).

So I put it all together into a nice little package for you to take all the work out of searching and coding (since some examples don't work, and some are just so complex it's hard to figure out).  So you don't have to go through the learning curve like I did, just download this package.

I created a CFC for doing the zip code radius search, and you can use this build a store locator.  Just pass in the zipcode, datasource name where your zip code data is (unlike others I've included the data so you don't have to go looking for it), and radius.  The CFC will return a query ordered by distance with zip code, city, and state.  Sorry, but this only works for the United States, but I'm sure it can be adapted for any country that uses zip codes or postal codes as long as you have a database to go with it.

Here is a demonstration: 

http://www.cfhowto.com/code/zipradius.cfm

You can download the zip file here (around 2MB in size):

http://www.cfhowto.com/code/zipradius.zip 

The zip code data is provided in mysql SQL format, CSV format, and XML format.  You should be able to import the data into any database, but I can only guarantee this will work for mysql.  I included a query specific to MSSQL but did not test to make sure it's working.  Just pass in the argument "databasetype='mssql'" and it SHOULD work.  I have not found a way to get it working for MS Access.

Top 5 Recession-Proof Businesses

In a recent poll involving 1,000 residents of the U.S., 65% said that they think that economic conditions in the country are worsening.  Nearly half have already cut back on their spending and almost 20% are apprehensive about the stability of their jobs.  Now that recession has finally landed, is there hope for businesses to thrive, much less survive?  If starting a business in these tough times is still an option for you, here are the top 5 recession-proof businesses you might want to consider:

Health care

Regardless of the times, someone somewhere will always be in need of good, professional health service.  This is an industry that has experienced some significant growth over the last few years.  And it doesn't show any signs of slowing down any time soon. 

If you have the resources – training, manpower and capital – becoming involved in a business that offers health services will assure you of a comfortable market.  Consider businesses that focus on offering affordable preventive solutions to people, alternative health care and home health.

Food and beverages

We're not talking about pooling your hard-earned money and starting a restaurant – although if that seems like a feasible thing to do, it just might work.  However, going into the restaurant business still has its risk – and a very high one at that. 

Instead, you might consider going into a food and beverage business by focusing on offering healthier fare.  These days, going into a recession is even a better excuse to eat healthy because it encourages people to cut down on their consumption and to avoid unnecessary purchases.

Consider alternative menus that are tasty and creative or specialized cafes and diners or even vegetarian eateries.  Concept plus good taste are usually the best ingredients to a successful recession-proof business.

Funeral services

Yes, this is a recession-proof business, morbid as it may sound.  It deals with an inevitability, which means you'll never run out of customers.  You could either get involved in selling services or offering related products.  Cremation, which has increased in popularity in the last few years, is also a good option.

Repair services

Repair services are also recession-proof businesses.  There will always be people whose kitchen sinks clog, whose airconditioning breaks down, whose roof starts leaking or whose car suffers from overheating.  What these mean is pure business opportunity, even when economic times seem shaky.  And even if potential clients try to delay much-needed repair, they will still come to you for help eventually.

A caveat: many, if not all, of these businesses require specialized training, skills and equipment.  However, once you have these resources, you'll have access to a recession-proof business that does not only offer a potential for high margins, it's also a venture that won't require you to wait too long for a return on your investment.  Provided your services are tops, it's likely that you could be in business for a very long time.

Online Business

It may seem surprising but starting a business online could help you tide the recession over.  Recession or no, people will always be looking online for ways to make money or save money.  Your business doesn't have to be an online store either, you can create content and drive traffic to your website by building a special interest website.  You can earn money from affiliate programs and advertising.  It can take time to build it up, but it could generate an extra income for you or even become your primary income.  You can even start a vlog (video blog) on YouTube.  Some YouTube vloggers do it full time from their home!  They earn an income from the advertising revenue generated by their content.

One of the best ways of generating income is participating in a great affiliate program that offers a fantastic product.  One such program I am involved in is Provibo.  Provibo takes various tools that online business owners need and use to build their business online and puts them into one affordable package.  For just $7 you get tools such as:

A Webhosting Account
Video Conferencing Center
Auto-Responder (to schedule and send emails to your mailing list)
Short URLs Tool
And more.

And Provibo has a great Affiliate program!  You can earn a monthly commission for each person you refer to Provibo!

And one of best things about Provibo is that new tools are added and the cost of the membership never goes up!

Now, I'm not sure how long they will offer this service at $7, so don't wait around!  The price could go up!  To join, click the link below and you will become part of my Provibo Network.

http://proplus.provibo.net/?ref=jonwallen

You can find me on facebook here:  http://www.facebook.com/jonathon.wallen  - please be sure to send me a friend request and I will add you.  Also checkout our new Provibo Group on Facebook here:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/provibo