Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you (2 Corinthians 13:11). I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee (3 John 1:13).
Hasta luego isn’t “goodbye;” it means “until later” or “until next time.” I have decided to throttle back on my writing efforts in order to concentrate on other activities that I reserved for my retirement: reading the many books in my library, relearning my guitar and piano, and being more dedicated to physical exercise. I plan to continue writing, but not regularly. Instead of posting weekly, I will be more sporadic with my posts reserving my writing for special bouts of inspiration.
I first posted on this site on June 4, 2012. Since then, I have posted at least one article per week for a total of approximately 624 articles. On paper, my articles average three pages of single-spaced text and more than 1200 words. By this time, I could have written at least one good-sized book.
I have written on many topics which the reader can find under my list of “Categories.” Most of the articles fall into more than one category which allows the reader to study a specific category from different perspectives.
I also have two in-depth studies for the serious student of the Bible in the tabs at the top of this page. “Jesus’ 7’s” is a collection of articles on the Gospel of John focusing on the seven “I AM” statements of Jesus, the seven signs, and the seven discourses recorded in the Gospel of John. “Revelation” is a collection of articles on end-times prophecy based mostly on the Book of Revelation.
For the reader who wants to know how to obtain eternal life with God in heaven, I have written what I hope is a clear explanation of the Gospel message in the tab entitled “Securing Eternal Life.” And for anyone who would like to know what heaven might be like, there is the tab entitled “Heaven.”
My prayer is that God will continue to use the work I have produced, and that it will be a blessing to the reader. As I said, I am not stopping altogether, but I will be writing much less as God leads. So, ¡Hasta luego!
Dr. Henry M. Morris III checking on the progress of the Life of Christ Diorama. The beautiful bald head belongs to the author.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
The previous year, a wealthy donor presented to ICR his extensive collection of biblical figurines depicting the life of Christ. The collection included thousands of figurines, buildings, and miscellaneous accent pieces. The leadership of ICR decided that they wanted to take what was given and create a “Life of Christ” diorama which would be displayed at the end of the DC exhibit hall. The diorama would be across from the Empty Tomb display and occupy the corner leading to the “Return of the King” theater.
Because space would be limited, the entire collection of figurines and buildings could not be used, so the decision was made to limit the display to 16 significant scenes of the life of Christ. Once the scenes were determined, Dr. Henry M. Morris III, CEO of ICR at that time, tasked me with finding artisans who could create the diorama.
I got to work immediately and started contacting all the railroad modeling clubs around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Because these clubs are experienced in creating scenery for their railroad displays, I naturally assumed that they would jump at the chance to create something significant and make some serious money for their clubs. ICR would naturally pay a fair wage for their work. However, after several months of making contacts, I did not get a single nibble.
In the process, I located a man who was willing to do the work, but he was a “one-man-band.” He said he could certainly do the work, but he could not possibly complete the task in time for the opening of the DC. Another man was recommended to me by one of my co-workers, but this man looked at our collection and determined that the project was beneath his artistic talents. Finally, I stumbled across a company in Dallas that specialized in these kinds of displays. Their representative came and looked at our collection and after a couple of weeks came back with an estimate to do the job. This company employed a large team of artisans. Even with their large crew, they could not promise completion before the middle of August – two weeks before opening day. Their estimate for the job was a shocking $175,000! ICR is an NPO that exists through the generosity of its donors, so the price was completely unacceptable to Dr. Morris.
It was mid-March 2019 by this time, and I was all out of options. Dr. Morris previously mentioned that he wanted each scene in the diorama to stand alone so that each was distinct and easily identifiable. Having no other options, I went to Dr. Henry and made one final suggestion. Since the room where the diorama would reside was painted black and the platform on which it would sit was black, I suggested that we arrange boxes of varying heights and sizes to accommodate the 16 scenes and cover the whole thing with black cloth. The scenes could then be arranged on the boxes and all spotlighted. This way, each scene would be isolated without distracting one from another. It was not a great idea, but it seemed that we had no other choice, so Dr. Henry accepted my lame idea.
The following week, I left for California for a conference. When I returned a week later, Dr. Henry called me into the office and informed me that the box idea was out and that I would be creating the diorama.
“I can’t do that!” I complained. “I’ve never worked with that material. I wouldn’t know where to begin!” I whined.
“You can do it,” Dr. Henry assured me. “You built the Ark!” (Which is on display in the DC.)
“Yes,” I reminded him, “but that took me five years! And we only have four months to get this done. Even the professionals said they can’t get it done in that time.”
“You will do it,” Dr. Herny reassured me, “but it needs to be completed by the end of June when we will begin giving previews to our donors.”
I was not so sure, but Dr. Henry assured me that I could recruit all the help I needed to get the job done. I learned that one of my co-workers (JK) had dabbled in railroad modeling and had built several railroad dioramas. He knew how to use the materials for building dioramas. I recruited him as my primary helper. His supervisor objected severely to me taking him away from his primary responsibility, but Dr. Herny overruled his objection. JK not only knew exactly what to do, but he taught me many of the skills needed to get the job done.
One of the challenges we faced was making the figurines appear to be standing on solid ground. The figurines were made to stand on a tabletop, so they were all molded standing on pedestals. That, of course, would be distracting when they were to be placed on “turf.” We built the landscape by stacking Styrofoam insulation of varying thicknesses to sculpt the Judean topography. So, we carved holes into the foam of the size and depth of the figurine pedestals and set the figurines into the carved-out spaces so that their feet were at “ground level” with the topography. Once the turf material was applied, the pedestals disappeared. (See below.)
One other big challenge I faced was that the collection came with a “Temple” that was clearly of Greco-Roman architecture. It was totally incompatible with the Jewish Temple, so I cast that aside and built a Temple replica that, at least visually, looked more like the Jewish Temple. Once the diorama was completed and in place, I discovered that the graphics created for kiosks in front of the diorama contained images of the Temple that looked almost exactly like the replica I built. That was totally a God thing!
I had a lot of help in building the diorama, so I cannot take full credit for it. JK possessed excellent skills and had a good eye for detail. One lady (KM) was very artistic and re-painted many of the figurines to make them look more Middle Eastern (they were all very European-looking figurines). She also painted the Temple and many of the buildings to look like Jerusalem limestone. She painted a lot of exposed rock formations as well. KM did terrific work! Another lady (RB) was very good at following directions and did not mind getting her hands dirty. She was great at staging the figurines in the proper position for the scene. However, the One who did the greatest work was God. We started the work about mid-April, completed the entire project, and installed it in place by the middle of June. That was a miracle only God could perform. The professionals with a team of professional artists could not promise the completion in time for opening day, and here, a bunch of amateurs got it done with time to spare. That is a God thing!
After the DC opened, I retired from ICR at the end of the year. In my retirement, I had the opportunity to volunteer as a docent from time to time. It always gave me a great sense of satisfaction to observe visitors as they scrutinized the diorama. They took in every detail!
I live far from DC now, so I do not have the opportunity to visit anymore. But as I remember the work we did there to get the DC up and running, I am reminded of what God can do through us when we place our trust in Him for the outcome. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
I received the picture at the beginning of this post this week from Dr. Henry’s son, H-4. It revived a lot of good memories.
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
I have nothing new to offer today. I spent much time last week blowing and shoveling snow which left me exhausted and without much enthusiasm for brain exertion. With what little energy that remained, I focused on preparing a Sunday School lesson for the youth of our Church, certainly, a higher priority than the posting of another blog article.
That said, I have 12 years’ worth of articles that you can search from the list of “Categories” in the column to the right. In addition, I have some in-depth studies that you can select from tabs above the starfield banner above.
“Jesus’ 7’s” is an in-depth study of the Gospel of John that examines John’s Gospel through the “Seven I AM Statements of Christ,” the “Seven Signs of Christ,” and the “Seven Discourses of Christ.”
“Revelation” is an in-depth study of the Book of Revelation with a focus on end-times prophecy.
“Heaven” is a single article about the place everyone wants to go, but no one is in a hurry to get there.
“Securing Eternal Life” tells the reader how to get to heaven. Everyone (with some exceptions, which I cover in several other articles) will die some day, but that is not the end. You will end up in one of two places, heaven or hell. You have a choice in the place where you will spend eternity. If you are not sure where you will end up, this page will tell you what you need to do.
I hope my brain is less tired next week so I can write something that will hopefully bless you.
Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough … (Isaiah 56:11)
Columbus, Nebraska experienced bitter cold, biting northerly winds, and blowing snow this past week (January 7-13, 2024), and the forecast calls for more of the same in the following week. On days like this, I thank God for a nice, warm, well-insulated home that shelters us from the elements. Columbus won dubious notoriety for the greatest snowfall amount in the area with 13 inches of snow on Monday. More snow followed on Tuesday with strong winds creating deep snow drifts. Some of the drifts around my house were more than three feet deep. Then again on Thursday and into Friday (as I write this article) more snow and wind continued making the snow drifts deeper and covering all the areas I had cleared on Wednesday.
That said, occasional excursions into the blast chiller are necessary even for brief moments. So it was on Friday morning. As routine demands, our dogs, Chico and Lizzie, woke me for their morning potty run. When I opened the back door (which faces north and directly into the wind), I found that all the paths, which I had cleared earlier in the week, were completely covered up with deep snow. However, it was not as deep along the north side of our house, so the dogs could take the easier path in the direction (east) of my shed. The shed is situated behind our garage with about a three-foot concrete walkway between the two buildings. The space provides partial protection against the blowing snow, so the dogs have learned to take advantage of the clearing to get them to their favorite potty place.
The dogs quickly found the easy path and took it. Chico, being older and wiser, quickly took care of business and wasted no time returning to the warmth of the den. Lizzie, on the other hand, went around the shed (out of my sight) to her usual potty spot on the north and east sides of the shed. While there, she spotted a squirrel up in the giant Linden tree that towers over our backyard. The squirrel probably spotted Lizzie first and started chattering at her – squirrel smack talk.
Seeing the squirrel, Lizzie forgot all about her business and went after the insulting tree rat securely perched in its towering fortress. Lizzy, totally oblivious to the three-foot snowdrift between her quarry, charged headlong into the mountain of snow. Lizzie is about 10 inches tall at the shoulders, so the snowdrift is way over her head. However, that did not stop her.
Having successfully navigated the frosty obstacle, she arrived at the base of the tree. Remarkably, the ground around the base of the tree was mostly bare of snow, giving Lizzie a clear path for circling her prey. The squirrel, secure in its lofty perch above continued to hurl insults to the barking dog. Undeterred and oblivious to the bitter elements, Lizzie continued her assault. I called her several times, but she ignored me; she had a higher calling. At one point, she looked back at the path she blazed earlier and decided it was more effort than the effort she was exerting on the squirrel. I continued to call, and she continued to ignore me.
Seeing I was getting nowhere with her, I decided to go after her. That meant I would have to bundle up, get the show shovel, and dig my way over to her. After about 15 minutes of digging into the stiff north wind, I arrived at the base of the tree and my crazy dog. Thankfully, she did come when I called. I picked her up and took her into the garage where June, my wife, was waiting to do the deicing. Lizzie was covered with tightly packed snow from head to tail, which June had to comb out of her hair. Apparently, the cold finally hit her and she shivered like I had never seen before. June wrapped her up in a warm blanket and held her until she finally warmed up. June said that her belly was pink indicating that it was close to frostbite.
Since that time, we have made several more trips outside, but the excursions have been brief and down-to-business. At least for now, she seems to have learned her lesson.
This experience brought to mind our sinful condition. The squirrel represents the strong temptations that we often face. Like Lizzie, we chase after those distractions to the point that we become blind to the danger that surrounds us. God calls out to us, but we ignore Him. Then, when we find ourselves trapped and running around in circles with no apparent way out, God comes to the rescue to dig us out of our trap.
While God does rescue us from our troubles, sometimes He will leave us in our trap to teach us a lesson. Of course, that is provided that we are one of His children. We need to take care that we do not presume on God’s love for His children thinking that He will surely dig us out of the mess into which we get ourselves. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). However, if you unwittingly dig yourself into a pit, He will dig you out if you will call out to Him.
P.S.
Saturday morning when I let the dogs out for their morning run, and Lizzie once again plowed through the deep snowdrifts to get to the tree where the squirrels reside. However, the squirrels, who may be a little smarter than Lizzie, were in their nest high up in the tree trying to survive the bitter cold not caring at all about the dog below. Overnight, the wind had blown snow over the path I blazed the day before. It was as if there had never been a path there before. I called her to come, but she ignored me and kept circling the tree and looking up as if offering an invitation to the squirrels to come down and play. Once again, I had to dig my way over to rescue her before she got frostbite. Some people just never learn!
Signing of the Mayflower Compact, November 11, 1620
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. (Psalm 39:12)
On Thanksgiving Day[1] we remember the Pilgrims and the first celebration of Thanksgiving. Sadly, most Americans, including many Christians, cannot explain the significance of the day. For most, the day is a time for gathering together with family and friends to feast on turkey with all the fixings and pass out from tryptophan over a football game. On the following day, everyone swarms the malls and outlet stores to stock up on Black Friday bargains for the next big holiday. For these people, Pilgrims are people with funny clothes, stovepipe hats, big buckles on their shoes, and guns with bell-shaped muzzles. Pilgrims look cute on greeting cards or as seasonal decorations, but what is a pilgrim?
Without rehashing what can easily be found with a quick Google search or repeating what I have written in the past, allow me to give a different perspective on the word “pilgrim.” Dictionary.com defines a pilgrim as (1) a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion, (2) a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place, (3) an original settler in a region, (4) one of the band of Puritans who founded the colony of Plymouth, Mass., in 1620, or (5) a newcomer to a region or place, especially to the western U.S.
Those fitting the fourth definition of the word celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in 1621 after surviving a harsh winter with inadequate shelter where almost half of their company died from exposure to the elements. The Pilgrims came to America to escape religious persecution. These Pilgrims traveled to a foreign place (Definition 2) and were newcomers to the place where they landed (Definition 5). However, it cannot be said that they were the original settlers in the region (Definition 3) because the Patuxet tribe lived on the land before the Pilgrims arrived. Nor can it be said that they came to a sacred place (America) as an act of religious devotion, albeit they desired “the advancement of the Christian faith.”
In October 2017, my wife and I visited the Holy Land as pilgrims (Definition 1). We traveled a very long distance from Dallas, Texas to Israel and visited many sacred places there because of our devotion to the Word of God and our desire to visit the places about which we read in the Bible. Our pilgrimage served to bring God’s Word to life in our minds and to form a stronger bond and love for the land of Israel and especially for the city, Jerusalem, where God has placed His name. June and I were pilgrims!
As Christians, we are all pilgrims. Regardless of where on earth we dwell, we are strangers and sojourners in this world – pilgrims; “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). The Greek word translated “conversation” is politeuma and it means “community” or “citizenship.” Our true citizenship and our allegiance are in heaven; therefore, it is right for us to feel out of place in this world. If not, we might need to take a second look at our passports! “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. … And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15, 17). Knowing that this world is passing away, I am “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:12-13).
As a pilgrim, I yearn with an aching heart for the Lord to return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and make this world right again. Then I will be home, no longer a pilgrim. In the meantime, fellow pilgrims, we can thank Him for all His care and provision as we travel this alien land and for the assurance that our real home is with Him.
Ernie's Musings 