Hi Everyone,

I have a new location for our daily blog. For my latest, please go to:

www.lancemuller.com\wordpress

You will also soon be seeing updates to my Bible Answers Website at:

www.thebibleanswers.org

Be sure to bookmark both for all future postings and articles. Thanks!

Answer: In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul through the inspiration of God writes, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

All Scripture …

Here, “all Scripture” means everything which, through the testimony of the Holy Spirit, is recognized by the church as canonical. When Paul wrote these words, the direct reference was to a body of sacred literature which even then contained more than the Old Testament.

Is inspired of God …

The Greek words used here translate to “God-breathed,” meaning that the canonical writings are absolutely trustworthy having come from God himself through human authors. Every word of God’s word have stood the test of history, withstanding every attack of men who wanted to destroy it’s testimony, and yet it stands and thrives in the hearts of millions as God’s people.

Profitable for teaching …

The church only prospers if God’s word is properly taught. There is little benefit to the teaching from man’s imaginations.

For reproof …

The morality taught from God’s word is the gold standard for governing human behavior. When the pre-Christian Gentiles ignored God, the result was the near-universal debauchery of the human race. Today we have the New Testament ethics teachings against immoral living which if persisted in, will have the same final results. God’s judgment.

For correction, for instruction …

God’s word will mold and change a believer’s life to conform to the likeness of Christ with diligent study. It will give the earnest seeker wisdom and knowledge.

There are so many questions that philosophers and people have asked thru the centuries that God has given answers, if we were only to look into Scripture. Examples are:

What is the purpose to life?

Where did I come from?

Is there life after death?

What happens after death?

How do I get to heaven?

Why is the world full of evil?

Why do I struggle to do good?

Besides answering the “big” questions, it gives a multitude of practical guidance in most areas of living in this world such as:

What do I look for in a mate?

How can I have a successful marriage?

How can I be a good friend?

How can I be a good parent?

What is success and how do I achieve it?

How can I change?

What really matters in life?

How can I live so that I do not look back with regret?

How can I please God?

How can I gain forgiveness?

How can I handle the unfair circumstances and bad events of life victoriously?

Why should we read and study the Bible? It is because the Bible is totally reliable, without error in the original manuscripts. God’s word is unique among so-called “holy” books in that it does not merely give moral teaching and say, “trust me.” Instead, it gives us the ability to test it by checking the hundreds of detailed prophecies that it makes, by checking the historical accounts it records, and by checking the scientific facts it relates. Those who say the Bible has errors have their ears closed to the truth.

Jesus himself believed in the inspiration of the Old Testament.

Matthew 4:4. Our Lord, the Redeemer and Savior of the human race, in his confrontation with the prince of evil at the time of Jesus’ great temptation, turned aside every thrust of Satan with the words, “It is written … it is written … and again it is written.” Is it possible to believe that the Lord of Life in such a confrontation would have appealed to a book that was merely human, fallible or untrustworthy?

Matthew 19:5. “God (he who created man) said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, etc.” Jesus said this, thus attributing the authorship of Genesis to the Creator of the world.

John 10:34-36. In this passage, Jesus referred to the Old Testament as “your law … the Scriptures … the word of God,” adding that “the Scriptures cannot be broken.”

Matthew 22:29. Jesus attributed the ignorance of the Sadducees to the fact of their not “knowing the Scriptures.”

Luke 24:25. Jesus denounced as “foolish” those who did not “believe all” that stands in the Scripture.

We will continue this question of why should we read the Bible tomorrow. We will see you then, the Lord willing.

I could not resist showing you this great t-shirt, but I’m sure that a lot of you will have no idea what I am talking about when you hear NPC (Non-Player Character). Let me briefly explain:

A non-player character (sometimes “non-playable character” or “non-player class”), often shortened to NPC is used in console and computer role-playing games to describe entities not under the direct control of players. Nearly always the connotation is that an NPC is allied with, or at least neutral toward, the player, rather than being an enemy. NPC behavior in computer games is usually scripted and automatic, triggered by certain actions or dialogue with the player character(s).

Still don’t get it? Well, allow me to explain further. I am a fan of WoW. What is WoW? World of Warcraft (commonly known as WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). As with other MMORPGs, people control a character avatar within a persistent game world, exploring the landscape, fighting monsters, performing quests, building skills, and interacting with NPCs, as well as other players. The game rewards success with in-game money, items, experience and reputation, all of which in turn allow players to improve their skill and power. I love the level of detail in the content making for a rich environment of Graphics, Sounds, Story lines and immersive play action.

So, for a computer geek like me, this t-shirt with “NPC non-player character (Pay no attention to me) is both an inside joke and an interesting philosophical outlook for geeks who most people shun and ignore.  

Just for the record, The word geek is a slang term, noting individuals as “a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, gaming, etc.” That’s me all day long! Lol…

Geek Joke of the Day

Two computer programmers (geeks) are driving on a Highway. They switch on the radio and there is a warning: Please note that a car is driving on highway 75 against the traffic. The programmer near the driver looks at him and says: One? There are hundreds of them.

What is a family to do when the temperature in your city is predicted to hit 105 degrees? Of course, “YOU GET OUT OF THERE!”  And we so packed up the car and we went to Beverly… Hills that is…. Not really… We actually headed to Half Moon Bay on the coast where the temperature was set to hit about 78 degrees. Beautiful! We cruised over the San Mateo Bridge, where we stopped in Foster City to stock up on provisions before hitting the sand and surf. As we walked toward the Safeway store that just so happens to be in front of the VISA’s Metro Center headquarters building , our attention and footsteps were diverted to the smells emanating from a Dim Sum Chinese restaurant called ABC Seafood Restaurant.

Dim sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. Dishes may include meat, seafood, and vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit. The items are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate. The Cantonese phrase dim sum (點心) means literally “touch the heart” or “order to your heart’s content”. And that is exactly what we did. Asian lady servers pushed wonderful carts of food around our table and the plates started stacking up.

As a sampling, here are some dishes we were treated to:

Gow (餃, Dumpling; 餃子 gau zi, Gow gee; or 饺子 jiǎozi, Jiaozi): Gow is a standard in most teahouses. They are made of ingredients wrapped in a translucent rice flour or wheat starch skin, and are different from jiaozi found in other parts of China. Though common, steamed rice-flour skins are quite difficult to make.

Potsticker (simplified Chinese: 锅贴; traditional Chinese: 鍋貼; pinyin: guōtiē; literally “pot stick”) Northern Chinese style of dumpling (steamed and then pan-fried jiaozi), usually with meat and cabbage filling. Note that although potstickers are sometimes served in dim sum restaurants, they are not considered traditional Cantonese dim sum.

Char siu baau (叉燒包, char siu baau, 叉焼包, chāshāobāo): the most popular bun with a Cantonese barbecued pork filling. It can be either steamed to be fluffy and white or baked with a light sugar glaze to produce a smooth golden-brown crust.

Spare ribs: In the west, it is mostly known as spare ribs collectively. In the east, it is Char siu when roasted red, or (排骨 paai4 gwat1, páigǔ) when roasted black.

Now that we were “provisioned”, we took a short tour of Foster City where I had lived during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of ‘89 and the World Series Quake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. Caused by a slip along the San Andreas Fault, the earthquake lasted approximately 15 seconds and measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale (surface-wave magnitude 7.1). 

Unfortunately we hit a major snag in the form of a major traffic jam on the small two lane highway to Half Moon Bay. This would mean at least an hour of slow bumper to bumper traffic.  Being a successful traveler requires that one remains flexible to changing your plans and to adjust to where the wind takes you. I immediately pulled a U-turn and we proceeded North to San Francisco itself!

We encountered fog on highway 280 when driving thru Daly City. There is a joke told by Filipinos that the reason Daly City has fog is because all of the citizens (mostly Filipinos) all turn on their rice cookers at the same time. It was smooth sailing into the city by the bay and we worked our way to the Embarcadero which is along the bay side with mild sunshine and a cool 78 degrees.

We parked and walked into Pier 39 to poke around and shop. The pier is a shopping center and popular tourist attraction built on a pier in San Francisco, California. At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, an interpretive center for the Marine Mammal Center, the Aquarium of the Bay, virtual 3D rides, and views of California sea lions hauled out on docks on Pier 39’s marina. From the pier could see Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge. Blue & Gold Fleet’s Bay cruises leaving from Pier 39 to various places around the huge bay. The fog we saw earlier caught up with us and started coming in thru the Golden Gate and flood the bay past Alcatraz while we shopped.

Hours later we were hungry again and decided on one of the restaurants called Swiss Louis mainly because we felt like Italian food with a bay view of the Sea Lions. Besides, the aroma of Italian cooking always draws me in.

 We had a wonderful waiter by the name of Scott who hit it off with the kids and poked fun at our youngest who was a great sport about the whole thing. It was obvious that both knew how to kid the other and he was happy to strike a pose to memorialize the new friendship. We will definitely be coming back to say hello again and again.

We strolled some more around the Pier, took many pictures of performers, Sea Lions, and Bay traffic of Cruise Liners, Container Ships and many others. Somehow we even ended up on a few of these pictures. Imagine that!

As the day drew to a close, the sea chill made itself known and we decided to turn our way back home. It is really amazing the adventures you can have when you have flexibility of a butterfly and allow the wind to take you where ever it blows. Our goal was to beat the heat and that is exactly what happened. It all happened according to plan… God’s plan that is.

One of my earliest childhood memories (early 1960’s) is sitting in front of our Black and White television and watching with rapt attention while the following lyrics played:

Felix the Cat,
The wonderful, wonderful cat!
Whenever he gets in a fix
He reaches into his bag of tricks!

You’ll laugh so much your sides will ache,

your heart will go pitter-pat,

watching Felix the Wonderful Cat!”

While the theme song may be a bit corny, those who remember watching the exciting episodes of Felix the Cat in their heyday will remember with fondness that tune. Who is Felix you may ask? Well, his name is partially derived from the Latin word for “happy”. He is a walking, talking and quite intelligent Cat, completely black in color and with large round white eyes and a fantastic belly laugh that he gives at the successful end of each of his adventures. Felix was born during the silent-film era, but went thru many evolutions and morphed into the loveable character we all recall today.

The versions I recall best are the ones from the 50’s and 60’s where Felix starred in 260 television cartoons distributed by Trans-Lux starting in 1958. Felix would have adventures along with his Magic Bag of tricks alongside the characters that included the sinister, mustachioed Professor; his intelligent but bookish nephew Poindexter (with an IQ of 222); the Professor’s bulldog-faced, bumbling sidekick Rock Bottom; an evil, cylindrical robot and “King of the Moon” named The Master Cylinder; and a small, unassuming and friendly Eskimo named Vavoom, whose only vocalization is a literally earth-shattering shout of his own name.

Felix’s unprecedented popularity leads to many companies and organizations adopting Felix as a mascot. The first of these was a Los Angeles Chevrolet dealer name Winslow B. Felix who first opened his showroom in 1921. Being raised in Southern California, I readily remember the large neon sign of Felix Chevrolet, with its giant, smiling images of Felix. It is easily one of Los Angele’s best-known landmarks to residents, standing watch over both Figueroa Street and the Harbor Freeway.

In my college days, I fancied myself as a hacker and went by the name Felix the Cat. I would collect hacker tools for the Commodore 64 and Apple II in my floppy disk case which I called my bag of tricks. What an imagination I had as a kid! Never was a threat to any software company in any way… I just collected hacker tools. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha (My best Felix laugh).

The question of the day is when did you last open your Bible to hear from your heavenly Father? Sadly recent statistics show that most people professing to have faith in Jesus Christ do not have a regular time of reading God’s word and the vast majority has never completely read their Bible. Many people start reading but have difficulty with finding the time or being able to establish it as a daily habit. What we need to realize is that it can be accomplished by covering even as fewer than four chapters a day in about a 20 minute sitting!

Let us look at some of the benefits that we get from reading the Bible:

It keeps us from sinning (Psalm 119:11).

It purifies us (John 15:3).

It is our guiding light (Psalm 119:105).

It gives us hope (Romans 15:4).

It gives us faith (Romans 10:17).

It gives us joy (Jeremiah 15:16).

It helps us to know God’s will (Daniel 9:2 & Jeremiah 25:11).

It helps us to realize the fulfillment of prophecy (Luke 4:16-21 & Isaiah 61:1-3).

It makes us blessed (Psalm 1:1–3).

It helps us to overcome temptation (Matthew 4:4,7,10 & Luke 4:4,8,12).

Your goal of reading the Bible in a year can easily be accomplished by dividing the Bible into 365 daily readings and you don’t have to wait till the New Year…you can start today!

DAILY AUDIO BIBLE

I personally enjoy the Daily Audio Bible which is a podcast which grew from nothing in 2006 to over 6 million downloads today. It’s one of the most popular programs on the internet thru iTunes and it will help you remain faithful in reading the Word. As Brian Hardin, founder of the DAB, says “I have seen incredible stories come from this; things that make life rich and fulfilling. You simply can’t remain the same if you’re exposing yourself to the Bible on a daily basis.” Through the Daily Audio Bible, Brian softly and assuredly reads the Bible to tens of thousands of people on a daily basis. I started in January this year and have not missed a day in the Word. I download the Daily Podcast and listen during my daily commute. I whole heartedly endorse the Daily Audio Bible. Give it a listen to:

 http://www.dailyaudiobible.com/

Tips on Reading the Bible

Start today - There is no better time, and there’s no reason to wait.

Set aside a specific time each day. Set your schedule, and then stick to it. Mornings are great, but feel free to use any time that works consistently for you.

Read for the sake of learning, not simply to accomplish your next reading. Say a short prayer to God before you begin, asking for Him to give you wisdom and understanding, then be refreshed by the words you read!

Mother’s Day was simply a wonderful day of exploring the streets of old Sacramento in California’s capital city.  This is the heart of Sacramento’s Gold Rush past! It’s amazing to see this corner of an urban city, still paved with cobblestone roads and wooden storefronts. We saw about a half a dozen different stagecoaches being pulled by horses taxiing people around, people milling around the quaint stores and shops peddling handcrafted goods and old fashion candy.

We saw floating riverboats like the Delta King as well as various sized boats and jet skis cruising up and down the Sacramento River under the ole yellow Tower Bridge. “Candy Heaven” was a huge hit with the kids since they allow free sampling directly from the candy barrels as you shop. Very handy to do when you are trying to decide which of the dozens and dozens of Salt Water Taffy creation you want to take home. The crazy and zany staff made shopping here a lot of fun.

History Lesson: Sacramento, founded in 1848 as an outgrowth of Sutter Fort, has been the capital of the state of California since 1855. Its location made it a major transportation center during from the Gold Rush, as it was a station for the Pony Express, the first transcontinental railroad, as well as riverboats.

The oldest part of the town besides Sutter’s Fort is Old Sacramento, which consists of cobbled streets and some historic buildings from the 1860s. The district is now a substantial tourist attraction, with rides on steam-hauled historic trains and paddle steamers. This has been a paid public announcement. Lol…

We had a late lunch at Rio City café which is situated right in beautiful Old Sacramento, overlooking some of the most prominent landmarks in Sacramento. The Sacramento River runs by our spacious outdoor patio where we ate, with spectacular views of the historic Tower Bridge and the Ziggurat (pyramid) building across from us. The food was a little pricy, but very tasty. I had the Rio Burger while my wife and oldest daughter had the Caesar Salad with chicken. The youngest opted for the chicken strips. The only complaint we have to report was the service. It’s a little slow, which was due to Mother’s day I am sure. Overall, it’s a very good value due to the ambiance of the river.

To end the day, we took a short hop over to the state capital and wandered thru the gardens and buildings of the complex. Designed in the neoclassical style, the Capitol reflects the Greek and Roman influences of the state and country’s democracy. The immense scale of the structures awed the kids as they moved up and down the steps leading to the capital doors. The green and lush grounds boast nearly 40 acres of exquisite gardens, inspirational memorials, historic trees, and hundreds specimens of species of trees, shrubs, flowers, and cacti. In fact, Sacramento is called the city of trees for good reason; they are everywhere to be seen! This is of course important for a city that easily climbs into the 100’s nearly daily in the summer months. I think our timing to visit in the spring was wise and time well enjoyed. We will be returning, possibly in the fall.

I went out to lunch the other day with a couple of Indian friends from work and we went to an Indian restaurant called Tabla. Pleasanton is amazing in that I have easy access to incredible resturants serving Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, French, Spanish, Mexican, and more… When I was growing up,  Mexican was about as exotic as we got. But now, in the SF Bay Area, you can’t keep track of the various “ethnic” restaurants.  Indian… I can’t remember the first time. But I loved it. It’s fun to go out to lunch together and have some of them order food since they will order things that I would be hesitate to try like extra spicy.

That is how I was introduced to a wonderful entree called Indian Butter Chicken (Makhani Chicken). I have never had such a smooth and savory dish like Butter Chicken. Like many Indian dishes, it’s served with hot indian bread called Naan. I have to laugh because our waiter confused me because when he was taking our order he asked me if I wanted “rice or none” and I asked if I could have some Indian Bread and he said “none” and I said no, that I really did want some. I know, goofy…

Anyways… I found the basics for this terrific recipe in Cooking Light magazine. I hope that my wife will give it a try since I really want to share with my family something with some different flavors. Here is the recipe for you to try also:

Indian Butter Chicken
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1 Tbs oil
2 Tsp garam masala (or see note below)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4″ chunks
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste
1/4 cup butter
steamed rice

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and cook the onion and ginger, stirring often until the onion is lightly browned. Stir in the garam masala*, then put it all in a blender, add the tomato paste and chicken broth, and whir until smooth.

Put back into the pan, add the half and half, and simmer, stirring often, about 5 minutes until reduced to about 3 cups. Pour sauce into a bowl and set aside. Rinse the pan and reuse for the chicken.

Heat 1 Tbs of the butter over medium-high heat and add the chicken, cooking a few minutes until the outside is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes. Pour the sauce back in and bring to a simmer. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. (Take a piece out and cut in half to make sure.) Cut the remaining 3 Tbs of butter into chunks and stir in until melted. Serve over steamed rice. If you like, sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Be sure to get the Indian bread called Naan so that you can soak up and consume every last smidgen of the fantastic sauce. It is a bit like a thick mexican tortilla, but oh so much more delicious. We kept ordering more and more of it during our lunch. You can find it already prepared and ready to heat up in any good sized Indian Grocery store or a Trader Joes store. Enjoy!

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’” (Matthew 16:13-15)

This is a question that theologians, historians, philosophers, and common folk have pondered for centuries. Who was Jesus? Was he just a good man or philosopher who left us with some virtuous teachings to live by? Was he just another prophet? Or was he a madman or who thought he was divine, or an impostor who claimed to be God? Did he even really exist, or was he just a fabrication of men who lived nearly two thousand years ago?

Jesus asked His disciples who the people of His day thought He was, and they gave answers ranging from John the Baptist to one of the prophets of olden times come back to life. But then He turned the question to them, His followers of a few years. Who did they think He was? Before any of the disciples answered, Peter gave his reply: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter expressed his firm conviction that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God. This showed that he believed Jesus to be more than just a mere man with some good ideas, but deity in the flesh. As the passage says, Jesus Christ declared Peter to be blessed, since one could only profess such a conviction by revelation from God the Father.

You owe it to your eternal destiny to find the answer to this question. Since the Bible is our ulitimate source for answering this question, here are some of the many passages that descibe who Jesus Christ is…

Jesus Christ is… Advocate (1 John 2:1)
Jesus Christ is… Almighty (Rev. 1:8; Mt. 28:1
Jesus Christ is… Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8; 22:13)
Jesus Christ is… Amen (Rev. 3:14)
Jesus Christ is… Apostle of our Profession (Heb. 3:1)
Jesus Christ is… Atoning Sacrifice for our Sins (1 John 2:2)
Jesus Christ is… Author of Life (Acts 3:15)
Jesus Christ is… Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Heb. 12:2)
Jesus Christ is… Author of Salvation (Heb. 2:10)
Jesus Christ is… Beginning and End (Rev. 22:13)
Jesus Christ is… Blessed and only Ruler (1 Tim. 6:15)
Jesus Christ is… .Bread of God (John 6:33)
Jesus Christ is… Bread of Life (John 6:35; 6:4
Jesus Christ is… Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15)
Jesus Christ is… Capstone (Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7)
Jesus Christ is… Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20)
Jesus Christ is… Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4)
Jesus Christ is… Christ (1 John 2:22)
Jesus Christ is… Creator (John 1:3)
Jesus Christ is… Deliverer (Rom. 11:26)
Jesus Christ is… Eternal Life (1 John 1:2; 5:20)
Jesus Christ is… Gate (John 10:9)
Jesus Christ is… Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11)
Jesus Christ is… Faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5)
Jesus Christ is… Faith and True Witness (Rev. 3:14)
Jesus Christ is… First and Last (Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)
Jesus Christ is… Firstborn From the Dead (Rev. 1:5)
Jesus Christ is… Firstborn over all creation (Col. 1:15)
Jesus Christ is… Gate (John 10:9)
Jesus Christ is… God (John 1:1; 20:28; Heb. 1:8; Rom. 9:5)
Jesus Christ is… Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)
Jesus Christ is… Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20)
Jesus Christ is… Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14)
Jesus Christ is… Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23)
Jesus Christ is… Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2)
Jesus Christ is… High Priest (Heb. 2:17)
Jesus Christ is… Holy and True (Rev. 3:7)
Jesus Christ is… Holy One (Acts 3:14)
Jesus Christ is… Hope (1 Tim. 1:1)
Jesus Christ is… Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)
Jesus Christ is… Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)
Jesus Christ is… I Am (John 8:5
Jesus Christ is… Image of God (2 Cor. 4:4)
Jesus Christ is… Immanuel (Mt. 1:23)
Jesus Christ is… Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
Jesus Christ is… King Eternal (1 Tim. 1:17)
Jesus Christ is… King of Israel (John 1:49)
Jesus Christ is… King of the Jews (Mt. 27:11)
Jesus Christ is… King of kings (1 Tim 6:15; Rev. 19:16)
Jesus Christ is… King of the Ages (Rev. 15:3)
Jesus Christ is… Lamb (Rev. 13:
Jesus Christ is… Lamb of God (John 1:29)
Jesus Christ is… Lamb Without Blemish (1 Pet. 1:19)
Jesus Christ is… Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45)
Jesus Christ is… Life (John 14:6; Col. 3:4)
Jesus Christ is… Light of the World (John 8:12)
Jesus Christ is… Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
Jesus Christ is… Living One (Rev. 1:1
Jesus Christ is… Living Stone (1 Pet. 2:4)
Jesus Christ is… Lord (2 Pet. 2:20)
Jesus Christ is… Lord of All (Acts 10:36)
Jesus Christ is… Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:
Jesus Christ is… Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)
Jesus Christ is… Man from Heaven (1 Cor. 15:4
Jesus Christ is… Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15)
Jesus Christ is… Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)
Jesus Christ is… Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)
Jesus Christ is… Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16)
Jesus Christ is… Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 1 John 4:9)
Jesus Christ is… Our Great God and Savior (Titus 2:13)
Jesus Christ is… Our Holiness (1 Cor. 1:30)
Jesus Christ is… Our Husband (2 Cor. 11:2)
Jesus Christ is… Our Protection (2 Thess. 3:3)
Jesus Christ is… Our Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30)
Jesus Christ is… Our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)
Jesus Christ is… Our Sacrificed Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7)
Jesus Christ is… Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24)
Jesus Christ is… Precious Cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:6)
Jesus Christ is… Prophet (Acts 3:22)
Jesus Christ is… Rabbi (Mt. 26:25)
Jesus Christ is… Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)
Jesus Christ is… Righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5)
Jesus Christ is… Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1)
Jesus Christ is… Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)
Jesus Christ is… Root of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16)
Jesus Christ is… Ruler of God’s Creation (Rev. 3:14)
Jesus Christ is… Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Rev. 1:5)
Jesus Christ is… Savior (Eph. 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:20)
Jesus Christ is… Son of David (Lk. 18:39)
Jesus Christ is… Son of God (John 1:49; Heb. 4:14)
Jesus Christ is… Son of Man (Mt. 8:20)
Jesus Christ is… Son of the Most High God (Lk. 1:32)
Jesus Christ is… Source of Eternal Salvation for believers (Heb. 5:9)
Jesus Christ is… The One Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)
Jesus Christ is… The Stone the builders rejected (Acts 4:11)
Jesus Christ is… True Bread (John 6:32)
Jesus Christ is… True Light (John 1:9)
Jesus Christ is… True Vine (John 15:1)
Jesus Christ is… Truth (John 1:14; 14:6)
Jesus Christ is… Way (John 14:6)
Jesus Christ is… Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24)
Jesus Christ is… Word (John 1:1)
Jesus Christ is… Word of God (Rev. 19:13)

The word Celtic conjures up images of Old Ireland: well worn narrow cobblestone streets; the running hill country; the huge granite heights, deep mystical glens and magical wooded valleys. Last night my wife and I were transported to ole Ireland and were mesmerized for over 2 hours in Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium in our second Celtic Woman Concert. How do I describe the experience? It was amazing, soaring, uplifting, joyous, captivating, heavenly……… but words fail me, since I feel these adjective may be understating the experience.

I caught our first glimpse of Celtic Woman during a rerun of a PBS airing of the Celtic Woman concert, recorded in the Helix Theatre, Dublin in September 2004. I’ve always loved Irish music, but these ladies were something quite special.. I immediately went out and bought their DVD and casually played it one evening for my wife and saw the same reaction that I experienced, rapture. That is when I booked tickets for their show in Fresno in 2007. That show was brilliant and we became devoted fans of the singing group.

Celtic Woman is an all-female vocal ensemble performing various traditional and contemporary Celtic-based songs. Often compared to such artists as Clannad, Enya, and Loreena McKennitt, Celtic Woman also put on a live stage show that shares much in common with similarly minded shows such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. The fiddler, vivacious Máiréad Nesbitt is from Tipperary. The singers, Lisa, Chloë Agnew and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha are from Dublin, while Órla Fallon hails from Wicklow.

Last night’s show was production perfected and the women were in top form. We are always amazed that their music is almost dead on perfect compared to their CDs and DVDs, and we typically hear people in the audience say that it must be lip synced. I know that this is not true since I always bring a pair of binoculars and we can clearly see and hear every note and breath. They are truly amazing and we will be seeing them again.

Another group that exhibits Irish pride is Celtic Thunder comprised of 5 males ranging in age from the mid teens to my age (undisclosed at this time). I hope that more of these types of acts find success in the US and get to touring here. We are definitely going to see them when they come in December, since we have been watching their DVD and it’s spectacular.