Stephen's Thoughts

It's about time to do my semi-annual post. Let's see. I bought a new car and sold my Tercel. The Tercel had a bad engine and a bad transmission. I was able to find a 2000 Lincoln Town Car in our price range and we went for it. It has 119k miles. Talk about a step up! I would post a picture but I think our digital camera gave up the ghost so I am not sure when we will get back to posting pictures. Hopefully not too long, because I know we have devoted fans that would go on SEVERE withdrawal if they don't get any pictures. I need to get a fancy enough one so that we can post little videos too. Think about that, and it will all be worth the wait.

This evening Gracie cooked some steak and some perrogies (sp?). Clara loved them, but she loved the cheese sauce more. We wanted to get a picture of her scooping up the cheese sauce with her perrogie like it was a spatula and licking it all off, with her intense concentration and long period of quiet scooping and licking, but you will have to see it in your minds eye.

I got a new bible. It's a MSTC (Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale) It was the first full English bible ever publish (1535) and used the Textus Receptus as the translation manuscript. I was reading in 1 Samuel and found out that in Chp 5-7 where the Philistines are judged for taking the ark of the covenant it says in the Kings James and other versions that they were inflicted with tumors. I never knew what kind of tumors. It turns out they were hemorrhoids...really bad ones. Also called "bloody piles." So the MSTC just comes right out and says that it was hemorrhoids. So I am thinking about what it all means.

My last thought that I will leave you with is the first description of Boaz in Ruth Chp 2. Before it even mentions his name, he is known as a "kinsman." What kind of kinsman is he? It says he is a "mighty man of wealth." Even though he is a mighty man of wealth, it does not mention any other wives. Most rich men had many wives in the Old Testament. Most might recall that he is the Great-grandfather to King David, and it is not only nice to have a rich man in your family, but a rich man that is a NEAR kinsman. In addition to a near kinsman that is rich, it is exceptionally nice when the wealthy man is very nice himself (as in a humble/pleasant disposition). Not only does he stoop to marry "Ruth the Moabitess" (Ruth 2:2) (Moabitess = foreigner and stranger), not only does he protect her in the fields and give her plenty of barley and women companions to talk to, see what happens when she comes to ask him in the middle of the night to perform the duties of a near kinsman. What he does is bless her, makes a promise to her, lets her get rest, and then loads her up with barley for the simple stated reason, "Go not empty unto thy mother in law." Go not empty. Boaz is like Jesus Christ. When we really come to Him and ask Him to be our kinsman redeemer, even though we are as a stranger to His holiness, we do not leave empty handed.