My Life in Bibles

No electronic device can replace these!

I, like most preachers, have had scores of Bibles in all sizes and translations. These are the ones that I will not give up...they are part of who I am. I feel an attachment to them that is hard to explain.

1. Tooled leather cover KJV...my first "serious" Bible. (early teen years)

2. A hardback NIV...ONE column Bible...no "helps" just text. It has been used the most on a day to day basis. The cheapest of the 4, but most important to me...duct tape and all! (post college/seminary)

3. Small full grain leather New Living Translation...travel size

4. Large full grain leather NIV Pastor's edition. My preaching Bible.

5. Small leather journal for capturing thoughts I know I will forget if I don't quickly write them down. A great companion to my Bibles.

One Bible is missing, which hurts my heart.  My original preaching Bible, and the one I was holding at my ordination in the Church of the Nazarene, is not here. It was an exact copy of the hardback pictured above. That is why I had them...exactly the same, except one was a relatively cheap hardback, and the one I no longer have was a full grain leather edition. I used the hardback to study, and mark it up...and the text was in the exact same place in the leather edition. I left it in a rental car in Albuquerque, NM. I hope it became important to someone.  I could not replace it with the same edition...it was no longer in print.

In case you aren't aware:  A full grain (or genuine) leather bible is much different from a bonded leather one.  Bonded leather to full grain is as chicken nuggets are to chicken filet.  Bonded is little chunks of leather that are glued together and then shaped into the cover, or binding. Full grain leather is a piece of leather used in the binding.  Bonded leather bibles do not lie flat when you open them up and lay them down...genuine leather stays right where you open it.  You can see the advantage of that when you are preaching/teaching.  Obviously, the genuine leather bibles are much more expensive.  Like any profession, you need good tools.

This is a single column text (from my NIV hardcover above), which I prefer, but they are very hard to find in a good bible. No cross referencing, very few footnotes...mostly just text.  My first preaching bible was exactly this layout.

Lakota Moon Phases

Thirteen Lakota Moons Lakota moons did not follow today's 12-month calendar. Instead, the moons followed each season. Spring, summer and fall each had three moons, while winter had four. Below are two breakdowns of the moons ... one according to traditional Lakota thought and the other based on today's calendar. Wetu: The Moons of Renewal and Growth (spring) Magzksicaagli Wi - Moon When Ducks Come Back Wihakata Cepapi Wi - Moon of Making Fat Wojupi Wi - Moon When Leaves Turn Green Bloketu: The Warm Moons (summer) Wipazuka Wasti Wi - Moon of the June Berries Canpasapa Wi - Moon When the Chokecherries are Ripe Wasuton Wi - Moon of the Harvest Pyranyetu: The Moons of Change (autumn) Canwapegi Wi - Moon When the Leaves Turn Brown Canwapekasna Wi - Moon When the Wind Shakes Off Leaves Waniyetu Wi - Moon of the Rutting Deer Waniyetu: The Cold & Dark Moons (winter) Wanicokan Wi - Moon When the Deer Shed Their Horns Wiotehika Wi - The Hard Moon Cannapopa Wi - Moon When Trees Crack from the Cold Istawicayazan Wi - Moon of Sore Eyes (Snow Blindness) January - Wiotekika Wi - Moon of Hard Times During this time of year, everyone experienced difficulties. Food was in short supply; the weather was fierce. Yet, the Lakota (Sioux) people prevailed. February - Cannapopa Wi - Moon of Popping Trees As a new moon arrived, the Lakota people noticed a great change. Trees on the Great Plains popped and burst as their branches became laden with winter snow and ice. March - Istawicayazan Wi - Moon of Snow Blindness Spring was on the horizon; however, the next moon phase continued the cold winter tradition. Now, the people were subjected to blinding sun rays banking off of the snow. April - Wihakakta cepapi Wi - Moon of Fattening This moon was named for the female animals. During this time, those carrying babies were at their largest before giving birth. May - Wojupiwi Wi - Moon of Planting Warmer weather made its way onto the prairies in this moon phase, and the pleasant temperatures meant it was time to plant. June - Wipazuka waste Wi - Moon of Good Berries As hunters/gatherers, the Lakota people gauged seasons by the types of food they could find. During this moon, the berries were fresh, tasty and red. July - Canpasapa Wi - Moon of Cherries Blackening Chokecherries and other berries grew black (sapa) as the summer wore on. This moon phase also marked a time for one of the most sacred Lakota rites … the Sun Dance. August - Wasuton Wi - Moon of Harvest This phase was a time to harvest what had been planted. The Lakota (Sioux) people were great stewards of the land, and they used every part of their harvest. September - Canwapegi Wi - Moon of Brown Leaves The weather began to change, and soon the trees responded. This phase was named for the beautiful shades of autumn leaves. Gi means brown. October - Canwapekasna Wi - Moon of Falling Leaves Autumn weather had settled into the Great Plains at this time. And, as the Lakota people prepared for winter, the trees also prepared by dropping all their leaves. November - Waniyatu Wi - Moon of Starting Winter Today, we think of Thanksgiving; however, in traditional Lakota times, this moon brought about the cooler temperatures. Everyone started thinking about winter. December - Tahecapsun Wi - Moon of Shedding Horns Cold winter temperatures and blistering winter winds were upon the prairies during this time; however, the Lakota people noted the moon by the deer shedding their horns.

Prayer in public school

How many times have I heard this accusation when someone is trying to give reasons why, in their opinion, our schools are full of violence and our society seems to be moving away from traditional Judeo-Christian ethics rather than toward them?  It goes something like this:  “It all started going downhill when they took prayer out of school.”

Recently, I read of a 4^th grade student, who happens to be Roman Catholic, who was made by a teacher to wash the cross-shaped ash off his forehead. Obviously, it was Ash Wednesday.  The teacher overstepped her authority in doing so, which was addressed by school officials. She likely had no idea she was violating the very Constitutional right she thought she was upholding.  One responder put it this way:  “Irony is that by doing what she did, she violated the Constitution that she thought she was upholding. The STATE (which is the school in this case) cannot impose religious beliefs. They also cannot keep a child from expressing those beliefs. They cannot as teachers hold prayer sessions, cannot teach the Bible/Koran/Torah but the kids can do so on their own. Like freedom of speech, most people don't actually understand it.” (source unknown)

NO ONE HAS EVER TAKEN PRAYER OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL. Any school kid is free to pray on their own, anytime. They can even hold a prayer meeting, but they cannot impose it on anyone else. I personally have met with a group of high school students who invited me, on their own, to meet  with them in a public school classroom to talk about the Bible, and to pray with them. Totally legitimate, if they are doing it of their own volition. I, for one, am glad we have the Constitution applied and practiced in our public schools. I do not have to worry about a religion I have problems with trying to indoctrinate my kids or grandkids.  If I insist that there be a prayer time in the classroom each morning, then anyone has the right to say my kid has to sit and participate in (or be exposed to) ANY type of religious mantra…from Christian to atheist.  No one can keep any child from praying in school. If you want to be sure your child has teacher led prayer (that you approve of) in their school, then send them to the private school of your choice. Public schools are different…they are Constitutional in regards to the practice of mandatory prayer. Understand what you are saying…BEFORE you say it.

My Caste

I am very aware of what is known as a caste system in cultures and countries and that it still exists today to the detriment of millions. It is a system by which one “caste” is deemed more important and of higher value then those belonging to a lower caste. Your caste is determined by the village you come from, what your family name happens to be, and your involvement in a particular type of labor, vocation or profession.   It is another form of racism. It is another way to devalue people based on externals and not, as Martin Luther King Jr., would say, “the content of their character.” It is discrimination in the worst of ways.  No matter how hard you work, and how successful you may become, you simply cannot rise above your designated caste. And in many cultures, it is simply accepted as the way things are.

Why is this important to me? Because I am, evidently, a member of the lowest “caste” in the modern American culture. Let me spell it out for you:

• I am a white, middle class, above middle age, American male.
• I am a conservative by nature and by choice.
• I am an evangelical Christian, which means I adhere to the values, practices and principles of the Holy Bible, to the best of my ability.  The Bible, not culture, serves as my baseline of authority in determining right and wrong.
• I identify as heterosexual.
• I believe that shedding innocent blood is wrong, whether legal or illegal, whether born or unborn.
• I am now retired, own my home and, because I have lived according to a reasonably good financial plan for lots of years, have enough monthly cash flow to exist in an adequate fashion.
• My ancestors are from England and Scotland...white Europeans who migrated West to seek better living conditions for their family.
• I am reasonably patriotic. I love America and have no problem in believing we should defend our country and our freedom.
• I believe aliens to this country should be legal, not illegal.
• I believe that everyone who is able to work, should work and should pay their own way
• I own guns. More than one. I believe in reasonable regulations, but not oppressive and overly strict gun control by the government.
• I believe in gender equality, in terms of personal value. I also believe that there are some jobs and activities that, most often (there are always rare exceptions) lend themselves to being gender specific. Anyone is free to do what they choose, but there are some things that men tend to be better suited for and things that women tend to be better suited for. Intelligence and personal value have nothing to do with it.

Because of my “caste,” I am automatically viewed in a negative light by many in this culture.  These are some things that, of course, by the list above, are automatically true of me.

• I am homophobic.
• I am bigoted.
• I am a bully.
• I am a misogynist.
• I am by definition, politically incorrect.
• I am insensitive to the plight and the condition of others.
• I am against handouts.
• I am rigid, religious and obnoxious.
• I do not understand or have a proper value of women
• I was born into privilege and therefore have no idea what it means to be poor or needy.
• I am a blindly loyal, flag waving zealot, and have no value for anyone not like me.
• I am a racist
• I am an enemy of civil liberties
• I am for joining church and state, not separating them.

So, what’s the problem? The problem is, you don’t know me. I am being categorized and compared unfairly and with extreme prejudice. And, because I am a white American heterosexual male, that does not matter. The rules about being fair and non-judgmental simply don’t apply to me. I am in a caste which I cannot change.