If you have a weak stomach or feel squeamish at the sight of blood, you probably should not read any further, nor look at the photos below. I had been keeping a small amount of fruit on the (enclosed) back porch because there wasn’t quite enough room in the refrigerator, and it is cooler out there than in the house. The fruit was on top of a large plastic cooler. 30-second slideshow I hope someone from the ASPCA or PETA doesn’t see those photos and get upset. Oh well, if they do, too bad. |
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Not only is today a new moon, it also is Rosh Chodesh Nisan or Nisan 1—the first day of the Hebraic or Jewish month of Nisan. Furthermore, it is the beginning of the Jewish holy or religious year. Long ago, God proclaimed it as such with this declaration: The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.” (Exodus 12:1,2) Then God described to Moses, and to his brother Aaron, the detailed progression of the first Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Israelites made their successful exodus from Egypt, under God’s guidance (Exodus 12:3-51). |
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I haven’t assembled my vitamin supply since Dec. 24, 2013. The vitamins and supplements I take everyday are a daily multiple; vitamins A, B complex, C, and E; magnesium, selenium, zinc, fish oil, saw palmetto, glucosamine and chondroitin. This time, I have put together enough vitamins and supplements to last for 16 weeks or 112 days. This will take me until July 19, 2014. I will remove them from the refrigerator as I need them. I like the convenience of being able to pour a day’s worth of vitamins into my hand and take them in just a few seconds. |
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A 5.1 earthquake struck in La Habra, California, tonight at 9:09 p.m. local time. La Habra is in the northwestern corner of Orange County. This is about 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. There is about a 5% chance of a larger quake occurring in the next few hours or days. Southern California The epicenter of the quake was about three miles from Fullerton, where I attended optometry school decades ago. I have not yet heard of specific damage in that area, but I suspect that things fell off of shelves where I used to live. |
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In the past, I have received numerous emails from advocates of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible who have insisted that the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, which I prefer, is inferior and inaccurate. I have addressed three of these emails here; the first one is the most recent:
No translation of the Bible is completely accurate and flawless. Personally, though, I feel that people should read whatever version(s) of the Bible they choose to read. |
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This year, Passover is April 15 (beginning at mid-afternoon on April 14). I plan to attend a regular Jewish Seder at that time.
I have to say that the service was excellent. I was extremely impressed with Dr. Freeman’s knowledge and ability to incorporate Yeshua/Jesus, our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), very effectively into the ceremony. Furthermore, the buffet meal was great. |
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This is the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere and the first day of Fall in the southern hemisphere. I remembered to stand a raw egg on both ends, which for some reason is easy to do on the Vernal and Autumnal equinoxes. 10-second slideshow Strangely, I had only one egg in the refrigerator, and I did not want to go to the store to buy more. So rather than put two eggs side-by-side, one on the wide end and one on the narrow end, I stood the same egg on both ends. I took two photos with it on the wide end, one with without a flash and one with a flash. Then I did the same with it on the narrow end. I don’t know why I like standing an egg on its ends. I just do. |
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One of the names of the Messiah is Poretz, which means “the One who breaks through.” Poretz sounds similar to Perez, who was one of the sons of Judah and Tamar. His twin brother was Zerah. Here is the story: When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.” But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez [breaking out]. Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah [scarlet or brightness]. (Genesis 38:27-30) Perez was an ancestor of Yeshua/Jesus, the Messiah/Christ (Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33). Just as Perez broke out, Yeshua will return and “break out” of the standard, worldly, routine definitions of how to serve God and how to worship Him. No Jew or Christian really knows how to serve and worship the Father as He truly wants to be served and worshipped. “I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people. One who breaks open the way [Yeshua, the Poretz] will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king [Yeshua] will pass through before them, the LORD at their head.” (Micah 2:12,13) |
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This is the day each year that everybody is Irish even if they’re not. I actually wore green today, even though I usually don’t on St. Patrick’s Day, since I’m not Catholic. I also don’t mind getting pinched. 10-second slideshow I attended a St. Patrick’s feast with friends tonight. All of the food was outstanding I actually had an Irish beer, which is extremely rare for me. It wasn’t green, but it sure tasted good with my Irish meal. |
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Purim began last night at sunset. Today is the first of two days of Purim. It also is a full moon. (See the Calendar of Hebraic Holy Days 2012–2021 for dates of other Hebraic feasts, festivals, and holy days.) I attended a Purim festival, which was a blast. The Megillah was read. It is a biblical narrative of the Book of Esther, traditionally read in synagogues to celebrate the festival of Purim. Several people were dressed up as characters in the chronicle of Esther, such as Esther herself, Haman, Mordecai, and King Ahasuerus (to whom Esther was married).
Afterwards, there was an awesome feast of very tasty food. One of my favorite things are the hamantashen, which are three-cornered pastries with various fillings. Traditionally, each hamantash represents the hat worn by Haman, the defeated enemy of the Jewish people. I think I ate too many of them. Nah, that’s not possible. |
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Two popular views of the Rapture are the Pre-tribulation view and the Post-tribulation view. The Pre-trib view insists that the Rapture will take place at the very beginning of the 70th Week, while the Post-trib view is adamant that this catching-up event will happen on the last day of that period. |
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In most locations in the USA and in a few other parts of the world, Daylight Saving Time begins early tomorrow morning at 2:00 a.m., local time, when the time will become 3:00 a.m. Hawaii, parts of Arizona, and most overseas territories, are exempt from this. Either one of the following links should show the clock. But if one does not work on your computer, the other one should. Another clock at the NIST that I like, which is smaller, also keeps accurate time. It is called a “widget” and I display it on my home page, about halfway down on the right. The following link should display the small “widget” clock: |
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At a friend’s house a few days ago, I saw a quotation of Mark Twain hanging on the refrigerator. I thought it was clever, and it made me laugh. He emailed it to me, so I will post it here: I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it. — Mark Twain Some feel that Mark Twain was an atheist or an agnostic. Others disagree. Whatever he was, he certainly was brainy and witty. |
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Troubles between Ukraine and Russia have been escalating for weeks. As world leaders met in Paris today, Western powers increased the pressure on Russia to withdraw forces from the Ukraine’s Crimea region and to have talks with the new government in Kiev, Ukraine. Crimea amid Paris talks Some have asked me if I think Russia’s recent aggression in the Ukraine could be setting the stage for the Gog/Magog invasion of Israel and Jerusalem. This is described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. |
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I receive semi-frequent emails from people trying to convince me that God is not a Trinity and that Jesus was/is not God. Of course, it would be impossible to persuade me to believe these things, since I am absolutely convinced otherwise.
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I don’t know anyone who enjoys being bombarded by useless, worthless spam emails. I detest it. Here is a list of all the emails I have received from those three email addresses just since Dec. 29, 2013: support@indiadz.com, support@mobilegb.com, and support@xmodo.com |
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Some of my favorite things were on sale at the grocery store, so I bought a lot of each. I also had a coupon for $2.00 off of a bag of salad mix. I made a whole lot of food and froze much of it. It will last quite awhile, as I do not mind eating the same food items every night until they’re gone. |
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The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, have come to an end. We watched most of the coverage every single night, and it has been very exciting and enjoyable. I don’t really care that much about most of the events, but I like watching the best athletes in the world performing them. I will be looking forward to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. |
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On Feb. 10, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai went public with plans to monitor the news reporting at TV and radio stations. Since then, there has been a loud outcry against this by an outraged public. spy plan over public outcry I absolutely agree. However, I do not feel that this will be the end of the matter. I’m sure the government will figure out another way to keep the “Big Brother” ball rolling. |
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Mikaela Shiffrin, from the USA, made Alpine skiing history today by being the youngest ever winner of an Olympic slalom gold medal. She is only 18. 13-second slideshow Shiffrin also has won 9 of the last 19 World Cup or world championship slaloms. No one else has won more than two in that span of games. I hope this young champion has several more Olympic wins in her future. |
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Tonight, Maddie Bowman (20), from the USA, has won an Olympic gold medal. It is the first Olympic gold medal won in women’s freeski halfpipe, which is a new Olympic event. This is after David Wise won the gold for the USA in the same event for men on Feb. 18. 13-second slideshow The women in this contest hoped for years to see their sport included in the Olympics. No one worked harder than Canada’s Sarah Burke, who died in a training accident on Jan. 19, 2012. Maddie Bowman stated about her, “Sarah has inspired us on snow and off snow, and she would have been very proud of how all of the girls rode tonight. I sure hope that I and everyone else made her proud, because we would have not been here without her.” |
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U.S. skier Ted Ligety (29) won the Olympic gold medal today in the giant slolam event. This is his second Olympic Alpine gold medal, the first being in 2006. He is considered by many to be the best in the world in this event. 13-second slideshow I could not believe how Ted took some of those sharp curves. He has his own special style which, essentially, is a new way of skiing. Congratulations, Ted! |
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The amount of snow falling on the Olympic events in Sochi, Russia, today was amazing. I don’t know how some of the athletes were able to see what they were doing. Furthermore, dense fog delayed some of the events. 13-second slideshow You’re a big winner, David. I have no idea, though, how you can flip around numerous times in the air with skis on! |
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Today, Meryl Davis (26) and Charlie White (27) captured the first ever Olympic gold medal for the USA in ice dancing. They have been skating together since 1997 and currently are the longest-lasting ice dancing team in the United States. 25-second slideshow I don’t know if I’ve ever seen ice dancers be as much mirror images of each other, in certain parts of their short and long programs (like when they were spinning or “twizzling” together), as Meryl Davis and Charlie White were. You are awesome, Meryl and Charlie! |
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At WalMart today, Valentine’s candy and cookies were 50% off. I don’t eat all that much candy and other sweets myself, but I like to have it around for others. Oh yeah, it’s also hard for me to pass up a good deal. |
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Actually, the best thing about Valentine’s Day (besides that there is a full moon tonight) is that candy will be 50% off tomorrow. |
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The USA swept the podium today in the first-ever Olympic men’s ski slopestyle competition. Joss Christensen (22) won the gold medal, with Gus Kenworthy (22) winning the silver and Nick Goepper (19) the bronze. 25-second slideshow Great job, U.S. Olympians! |
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San Diego finally has a new mayor-elect, Kevin Faulconer, after Bob Filner resigned on Aug. 22, 2013. Faulconer, a Republican, was victorious over Democratic Councilman David Alvarez 55% to 45%. Faulconer now is the highest ranked and highest profile Republican in California. Faulconer high on state GOP ladder The new mayor will be sworn in on March 3. Then San Diego, the 8th largest city in the nation, will be the largest city in America with a Republican mayor. I have a great expectation that Kevin Faulconer will be a much more effective mayor than the previous one. |
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Most of the emails I receive from people who visit my website contain questions about God, the Bible, or biblical topics. My responses to many of these questions are located on my Bible Question Emails and Ted’s Responses page. |
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Americans should be very concerned about a new initiative proposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). If implemented, researchers would be sent to television and radio broadcasting stations to monitor how their stories are selected, the perceived bias of the stations, and other details about the stations and their reporters. Hopefully, this plan by the FCC will not be approved and put into action. There is little doubt in my mind that if it is, it will be a significant thrust toward the government’s control and manipulation of the news. |
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The very first gold medal of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, has gone to 20-year-old Sage Kotsenburg of the USA. The event was a category of snowboarding known as slopestyle. 25-second slideshow This is the first time that slopestyle has been an Olympic event, so Sage and Jamie are the first athletes ever to win the gold in this event during the 0lympics. Congratulations U.S. Olympians, Sage and Jamie! |
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The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympics took place tonight in Sochi, Russia. It lasted over 3½ hours. We watched all of it and felt it was spectacular. A good summary of pictures from the opening ceremony can be seen on this page: I generally prefer the Summer Olympics over the Winter Olympics. However, we will be watching many of the events over the next two weeks, hoping that the USA athletes pick up a whole lot of medals. |
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The suffering, afflictions, and misery that Job had to endure were greater than those of most people. In the Bible, Job is a shining beacon of how someone, enduring the greatest agony and anguish of his life, never blamed or cursed God for any of it.
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I think this short video is hilarious. A 4-year-old kid yells up to heaven in frustration, “Jesus, make it warm!” I easily could have been him at that age, since I’ve never liked snow or cold winters too much. He certainly wasn’t a quitter, though. When he realized that things were not going to go his way, he didn’t fall down and throw a tantrum; he just went back to work. I like that. |
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In one of the greatest upsets in Superbowl history, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks overwhelemed Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. The final score was 43 to 8. In other news, today was Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil came out and saw his shadow, which is supposed to indicate that there will be six more weeks of winter. |
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I bet that the majority of people on earth do not believe in the devil, that is Satan. Here is a brief description of him in the Bible: He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) Originally, Satan was created as Lucifer, a wise and enlightened angel. Now, he only masquerades as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 1:14). My explanation of how I feel he made the transition from Lucifer to Satan is summarized in this email response: |
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Most people are oblivious to, or at least are unmindful of, the evil spirit realm around us. Each day, supernatural things happen that cause people to scramble to explain them in natural terms. They fail to understand that some events do not have normal, ordinary explanations. I do not have any reason to disbelieve this account. Moreover, I expect that an increasing number of similar events will be brought to the public’s attention in coming years. Satan knows that his time to wreak havoc in the world is short. |
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Global stock markets experienced a decline this week. The U.S. market dropped 3%. It was the Dow’s worst weekly performance since mid-May 2012. pushes down global markets At the same time, Barack Obama’s job performance ratings are dropping as well. Various polls show different amounts, but his job-approval has been well below 50% for quite awhile. For one thing, the unfolding of Obamacare has been disastrous for him, not to mention seven major scandals during his 5-year term. |
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Exactly two years ago, on Jan. 20, 2012, I wrote about the decline of nations, including America, due to their refusal to acknowledge God and to turn away from their unrighteous ways. As a result, it may be that the prophesied periods of the Great Tribulation and the “Day” of Vengeance are much nearer than most people, including Christians, realize.
Interestingly, there are six solar and lunar eclipses on Hebraic/Jewish feast and holy days in 2014 and 2015. One of them happens to be on Sep. 13, 2015, on which the Feast of Trumpets will begin at sunset and continue through the next day. A chart of the six eclipses can be found here, in my “End of the Age: 2020?” commentary: There is no way to be certain, right now, if Sep. 13, 2015, will be a significant date, as proposed by Mr. Cahn. While speculative, though, it does seem plausible. If his hypothesis takes place, it likely will correspond with a very significant devaluation or collapse of the U.S. dollar, a replacement of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency, and massive hyperinflation, followed by a level of chaos, anarchy, lawlessness, and revolution never before experienced in America or in the world. |
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The championship games for both the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) took place today. In the AFC game, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots: 26-16. In the NFC game, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks defeated Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers: 23-17. |
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I think there is a common misconception that all Hebrew or Jewish months are composed of 30 days. These months are based on the cycles of the moon, with a new moon occurring on the first day of each month: Rosh Chodesh or the “head of the month.” |
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This is the 20th anniversary of one of the largest earthquakes I’ve ever felt, on Jan. 17, 1994 (Martin Luther King Day). It was a powerful magnitude 6.7 quake. There were two 6.0 aftershocks, one about a minute after the first quake and the other about 11 hours later. |
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I enjoyed hearing Diane McNeil a couple of years ago on God’s Learning Channel. She has sent out a recent email talking about the incorrect name of God used in many translations of the Bible. I agree with her about this. |
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In Christendom, there is the prevalent belief that God has a triune nature. Some describe God as being three “persons” or even as three separate “individuals.” I have a problem with this concept, as it leads to the notion that there are three Gods, which is false. God Himself said, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
My basic beliefs about God, and other related topics, can be found here: My Beliefs and Faith. |
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Ariel Sharon, the 11th Prime Minister of Israel, died today at age 85. He had been in a coma for eight years, following a stroke. In August and September 2005, Israelis in the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank were removed and resettled elsewhere. This was due to the Disengagement Plan Implementation Law proposed by Ariel Sharon. The residents were evicted, residential buildings were demolished, and associated security personnel were evacuated. |
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Today is the twenty-third anniversary of my last day of work, in 1991. I had worked as an optometrist at FHP in Fountan Valley, CA, for 11¼ years. Then I left the eye-care profession to pursue other interests, although I have included a large section about the human eye at my website. |
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Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, gave a news conference this morning that lasted 107 minutes. It pertained to the closure of three lanes of the George Washington Bridge for four days in September 2013. This bridge, connecting Manhattan, NY, and Fort Lee, NJ, is arguably the busiest bridge in the world.
Some feel that if Governor Christie runs for President of the USA in 2016, his immediate act of dealing harshly with these aides in a very timely manner will bode well for him, since Americans are tired of their president failing to do this in his administration. Others feel that Christie secretly knew about the plan to shut down the lanes of the bridge and, if this knowledge ever is uncovered, it will ruin his political career. Time will tell. |
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I love almost all vegetables, but I haven’t been eating as many as I should lately. So I made a huge batch of steamed broccoli, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, and whipped potatoes, along with baked chicken. 25-second slideshow I also made a nice salad. It was all extremely tasty. Best of all, I made so much that it will last me awhile, since I don’t mind eating the same thing numerous nights in a row. |
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The last entry I made about “black eyes” was on Jan. 14, 2013. I included two emails from those claiming to have seen people with black eyes—that is, eyes where the white parts had turned black. There is much taking place in the evil supernatural realm that overlaps into ours. Sometimes certain things become visible to those who are perceptive enough to see them. Just because most people do not see such things does not mean that they do not happen. |
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I used to smoke cigarettes in the 1970s. My last puff on a cigarette was June 28, 1978; I quit “cold turkey.” Since then, I have had dreams in which I was smoking. In the midst of thinking what an idiot I was to do that again, I’ve woken up being very relieved that it was just a dream. 8-second slideshow In only three weeks, his wife (who never smoked) says he is “sexier” and more fun to be with. He says he likes being able to take a couple of puffs without being concerned about where to flick the ashes. They both like how there is no lingering smoke smell in a room or in the car after vaping. Here are other advantages and improvements that both of them have reported:
I took a puff from one of his |
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Happy New Year. Below are links to my annual calendar and list of 2014 holidays and observances that many like to download and tape to a wall nearby. That is what I do, with the calendar on one side and the holidays/observances on the other side of one piece of paper. Both are in .doc and .pdf format. Or else you could print out these two pages (.pdf files), with no name on the calendar page: If you’ve never read the Bible straight through, from cover to cover, you might want to do it in 2014. Go to the following page, print out the pages in either .doc, .pdf, or .html format, and check off the passages as you read them: The Bible is God’s Law and Instruction Manual for life. Don’t worry if you are unable to understand everything you read; eventually, God will give us answers to everything we wonder about. One of the main things you will come to understand is God’s everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—see God’s Covenant: with Israel or the Church? |