Another pic from my trail, this one should be called falcon point or peregrine point. You can usually see birds from here floating on the updrafts. Although sometimes you see more buzzards.

Acts 16 and Galatians 2 has really blessed me. I wrote my thoughts on them today. I also reviewed Matthew 5 and it blessed me as well. In Acts 16 a man asked Paul how to be saved- he never preached a message, he just let Christ shine through him, and the man realized his need for something more. Something more than just existence.

Galatians 2 was amazing in that I realized that our personal preferences and traditions sometimes become more important to us than serving or worshipping God. Maybe God expects our traditions to change over time to make us aware that that shouldn't happen.

It has been a terribly busy week, but an enlightening one. Alternative energy talks were followed up by a tour of a coal fired power plant. I think energy becoming more scarce can be a way God turns us back toward Him. And just like everything else we expect others to come up with solutions, we accuse people of greed instead of realizing that the end of cheap fossil fuel may be just around the corner. We need to act- make life more simple, efficient, plan more. Instead to this point it is all talk.

Matthew 5 The first chapter of the traditional beatitudes. The followers of Christ are the salt of the earth, He makes us salty. We followers of Christ are also called the light of the world, again its His light shining through us, and as we let Him shine through us it so glorifies Him.
Now some thoughts- calling bad names or making derogatory comments is the same as murder. In the old testament murder is a physical act, Jesus with the new covenant makes murder more of a mental as well as physical thing. Probably because people weren't killed but they were relegated to second class citizens, called dogs- like the Samaritans- people who God created in His image. So the definition needed clarification. Is there a group of people that you don't consider your equals?
He follows this up by saying that in order to be acceptable to God you can't have anything against a fellow human. It further demonstrates the importance to God that we not speak or treat others badly.
Jesus calls lust adultery. From his statement it is possible to be an adulterer and never touch another person. Its mental OR physical. Then He speaks of divorce. Again the practice that Moses allowed needed clarification. People were divorcing their wives over whims, to try and gain something in some way. He said only for infidelity otherwise you are an adulterer. Relationships between men and women in my opinion are not approached correctly in our society. Its all about looks, and then sex based, and all the media seems to promote that. What kids (and others) need is to develop lasting friendships first. Not competitions of some form but open frank lasting friendships. Then let marriages come out of best friends wanting to spend their lives together and have and raise children together. Sex is a wonderful gift from God but it should not be the primary basis for a marriage relationship. Neither should there be a child focus. Marriage should be two people helping each other on the journey through life- best lifelong friends.
Jesus includes a warning about vows. God takes vows seriously (I think this is right after marriage for a reason), He doesn't want us making them, but if we do we are obligated to fulfill them to our own detriment. That is serious, our making a vow before God means it is more important to Him for us to honor that vow than have fun or live a fulfilled life. In other words our well being in this life takes second place to honoring a vow we made before God.
Jesus then clarifies an eye for an eye. In the old testament God wanted mercy rather than sacrifice, He said it on several occasions. An eye for an eye was a physical deterrent to people committing crimes, and in one sense when we act to harm a person created in God's image we should be willing to accept a just punishment. We should be willing to make retribution if we have wronged others. I think the clarification says love your neighbors. God does not want to see anyone perish. If we don't demand the eye for an eye, or appropriate just retribution, then God is showing Himself through those actions. It becomes a witness showing His mercy. Appropriate retribution is just and we all realize it, but God's mercy to us (undeserving as we are) is shown through our loving our enemies. Furthermore it refocuses our attention from what is "fair" to us humans or as individuals and places the focus on God's greatness and mercy.