As I was watching a local meteorologist, a.k.a. "weather guy," explain a recent cold snap in our area, a beautiful picture of a mountain was displayed on the screen. In order to resolve any confusion on the part of the viewers he noted that the white on the trees was NOT snow but what he called "hoar frost." HOAR FROST? I thought that the scholars, a.k.a. King James Bible critics, said that hoar frost was an archaic, obsolete term that made the King James Bible difficult to read and understand. I was on a web site recently that cited 419 words and phrases (including hoar frost) from the King James Bible. That list, like many others was designed to show that your King James Bible ought to be rendered in "modern English." Apparently that term is NOT archaic, obsolete, or indecipherable, and the author of that list LIED!

Recently, I was studying the terrible incident in the life of Simon Peter in which he denied his Saviour three times. On one of those occasions, someone accused him by saying, "Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee" (Matthew 26:73). I was reminded of that verse after reading a 14 December 2006 article on msn.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16187129/). The article was entitled "Men and women: Are we wired differently?" A couple of things are of interest in the article.

According to a 17 December 2006 article in The Associated Press, a 48-year-old man in Cincinnati, Ohio was killed by his 13-foot boa constrictor in his own home. Apparently, he was found in the reptile's cage with the murderous creature wrapped around his neck. What a tragic story! His pet turned on him and killed him!

In the old days, an atheist might present his atheism as a better alternative to belief; he might even mourn the loss of meaning in life by his rejection of God but claim it to be an honest conclusion. The new atheist, as exemplified by Dr. Richard Dawkins, turns the tables against the believer. The believer is the one who is to be feared. Atheism is needed to calm the God-intoxicated wars and hatred of society (we presume not the kind of atheism purported by China's Mao or Russia's Stalin). Children need to be protected from religious parents. Dawkins calls the religious training of children a "form of child abuse." Believers need to be shunned as stupid and dangerous. We who believe need to prepare ourselves and our children for this kind of attack. It is not around the corner; it is now. Note: information taken from editorial in Friday's "Wall Street Journal."

Mathematics can be quite complex, yet one of the most basic divisions of mathematics is called arithmetic. You may better grasp what I am talking about when I say that the most basic operations of arithmetic are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. A grasp of these basic operations is a necessity for anyone who desires to grasp any of the more complex divisions of mathematics. Interestingly enough, the same things hold true for the Christian life. It can be quite complex, but at the same time we could break it down to the simplicity of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

This chapter is called

In this chapter, the temple is nearing completion (compare Ezra 6:15 with Zechariah 7:1). Two men are sent to the house of God to pray and seek God

In this chapter, Isaiah describes difficult times in the history of God

The history of Israel demonstrates that they were often a people of doubt and rebellion against God. But that is also the history of all of God

In this passage, David takes up an offering for building of the temple. He uses the youth of Solomon, the greatness of the project, and his own example of giving as incentives for the people to give freely. The people respond and bring a generous offering for which David blesses the Lord before the entire congregation.