My friend and I took his dog, Lulu, to a dog park that she loves. She actually tends to socialize more with the people than with the other dogs, which is kind of weird but funny. All the critters I saw there appeared to be having a great time.
This dog is treated very well. She thinks she is the Queen of Marin County. So my friend has the following official “Dog Rules” for guests who happen to take care of her:
The friend I’ve been hanging out with in Marin County for a couple of weeks has a great feature on his home phone. When he receives an unwanted call from a scammer, his phone rings once and then stops. He automatically knows it’s a scammer, so he doesn’t have to bother going over to lift up the receiver.
I was very curious to know how this worked. He told me that it can be done with a free online service called Nomorobo, as in “nomore robot” calls. Their website is here:
It works only on a limited number of phone service carriers, though. He has Comcast/Infinity, and it works for that. He said it is pretty easy to sign up. The list of carriers and the registration process can be seen and done on this page:
Once he registered his phone number, somehow the phone service carrier, in conjunction with Nomorobo, was able to screen common scam numbers. When one of those incoming numbers is detected, it is disconnected after one ring.
Since I have been here, there have been numerous one-ring calls each day. One scam caller, pretending to be the U.S. Treasury, did get through. However, by now that number probably has been added to the Nomorobo list, as it evidently upgrades its list constantly. Pretty cool.
Since I am away from home, I did not stock up on too much 50%-off Easter candy today. I got only a couple of bags (28 oz.) of it. I like Reese’s candy because it has chocolate and peanut butter, my favorite combination.
For those who observe it today...Happy Easter. I will be observing Resurrection Day four weeks from today, on Apr. 24, as explained in my Mar. 25 entry.
This afternoon, we walked my friend’s dog in the Rush Creek Open Space Preserve in Marin County. Sometimes there are people riding horses on the trail but not today. I snapped only a few photos because my camera battery ran out of juice.
Most of Christianity is observing the crucifixion of Jesus today, calling it “Good Friday.” Firstly, I dispute the notion that His crucifixion took place on the sixth day of the week (Yom Shishi or Friday). Rather, I am convinced that this event took place on the fifth day (Yom Chamishi or Thursday). See Good Thursday.
In most years, the days of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection are properly observed and celebrated during Passover week or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Unfortunately, it is different this year, as Passover does not begin until sunset on Apr. 22; so Resurrection Day (commonly referred to as “Easter Sunday”) will not coincide with the Feast of Firstfruits (Apr. 24), as it always should.
The name “Easter” originates from Eostre, a Germanic goddess. Traditionally, this has been observed at the time of the vernal equinox which, this year, was Mar. 20. Two pagan fertility symbols, rabbits and eggs, continue to be associated with this holiday.
At the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., it was ruled that the Easter festival should be celebrated throughout the Christian world on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. Usually, this occurs during the week following Passover.
When it does not, though, I feel that Christians should celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on the Feast of Firstfruits, which is the Sunday during Passover week. This is what I will be doing. Indeed,
Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Today is Purim, which began last evening at sunset. Many communities observe it tomorrow as well. It is a time celebrated by Jews everywhere in commemoration of being saved from extermination. This is a very interesting account of how God blessed a Jewish girl to the point of becoming Queen over the entire Medo-Persian Empire.
The annihilation of all the Jewish people had been decreed, and Queen Esther was in a position to prevent this from happening, even though she risked her life in doing so. It is a fascinating, true story, in case you would like to read about it in the Book of Esther. In that biblical account is written the mandate that every generation of Jews should celebrate Purim:
These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants. (Esther 9:28)
The Feast of Firstfruits, the day on which Jesus was raised from the dead, is one month from today on Apr. 24. I feel that there is a connection between Purim and the Feast of Firstfruits, as I have written here:
Three Islamic terrorists exploded bombs in Brussels, Belgium, early this morning. Two of the explosions took place at Zaventem Airport and the third was at the busy Maelbeek metro subway train station, near the European Union headquarters.
One suicide bomber at the airport was Ibrahim El Bakraoui. His brother, Khalid El Bakraoui, was the suicide bomber at the subway station. The other suicide bomber at the airport was bomb-maker Najim Laachraoui.
The two bombs at the airport went off about 37 seconds apart, while the bomb at the subway station went off about an hour later. Laachraoui had been identified as a suspect in the ISIS terror attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015.
A third bomb by yet another suspect at the airport did not go off. It was detonated by authorities later in a controlled explosion and was described as the “heaviest” of all the bombs. The man who failed to set off his bomb escaped the airport and still is on the loose.
At least 11 people were killed in the airport explosions, and an additional 20 people were killed in the subway station explosion. At least 270 additional people have been injured, including 9 Americans.
The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attacks. It may have been a revenge attack following the capture of Salah Abdeslam in Brussels only four days ago. He probably was the mastermind behind the Paris terror attacks four months ago.
This is the vernal equinox and the first day of Spring. There was rain for the first time here in about a week.
That didn’t stop us from going to the Marin County Farmers’ Market in San Rafael, though. We just took umbrellas with us, and it rained only part of the time. It was a good time with lots of free food samples.
Allah is our objective, the Qur´an is our law, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our way, and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations.
This is a terrorist organization that is aligning with extreme left-wing groups in America. Just one of them is Black Lives Matter. It is an “unholy alliance” of those who claim religious discrimination with those who say they are discriminated against due to their race.
The notes and audio recording of today’s Fortress of Faith program are here:
In other news, my friend and I went wine tasting today. The last time we did that was Aug. 31, 2014. I drink alcohol very infrequently; but it is nice to have a little wine on rare occasions, especially when it’s free.
There was a barrel wine tasting event at St. Anne’s Crossing Winery in Kenwood. My friend has a membership in a wine club, and anyone he brings with him can enjoy free samples.
When we arrived, there had been an auto accident directly in front of the winery. So we had to park across the road. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the crash.
Inside, each wine I sampled was very tasty. They even provided free food. I like free stuff.
I hadn’t made lasagna since Aug. 19, 2014, when I made three of them. Today, I made two lasagnas, but I strayed somewhat from my usual recipe.
My friend had made a very hot/spicy tomato sauce from the bumper crop of tomatoes in his garden last summer. So instead of a store-bought brand, I used that.
Usually, I put ground turkey in my lasagnas. However, another friend would be joining us for dinner, and the only meat he will eat is seafood. So, for the first time, I used shrimp as a lasagna ingredient.
There was no Italian seasoning in the cabinet. So, besides salt and pepper, I used seasonings from four jars that I found. They included thyme, fennel, basil, savory, lavender, basil, sage, and cardamom.
As usual, I included spinach and broccoli in the recipe. In addition, I used kale and arugula.
It’s possible that these are the tastiest lasagnas I’ve ever made. Each of the three of us who ate some had large first and second portions, as shown in the final photo above. Now I’m glad I made a second lasagna.
Today, I flew from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO). Usually, I fly out of San Diego (SAN); but this time, scheduling issues made it easier to fly out of LAX.
However, after boarding the plane, there was some problem at the airport that delayed the departures of many planes, including ours. We stayed at the gate for about 20 minutes, then moved near the runway and stayed there another 15 minutes or so before taking off.
I forgot to bring something to read, so I looked through the Southwest Magazine for a few minutes. Then I was bored, so I took snapshots of things out the window. There seemed to be a lot of planes landing but hardly any taking off. I sure was glad when we took off, as was everyone else on the plane.
A good friend, who paid for my round trip, picked me up at the airport. I now am at his place in Marin County, north of San Francisco.
On the way here, I snapped a few photos. There have been boatloads of rain in California during March, so it is amazingly green in many places. Due to the severe drought for several years, it hasn’t been this green here for awhile.
In other news, President Obama has nominated Merrick Garland to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Garland is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Antonin Scalia, who passed away on Feb. 13. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated last month that no vote would be taken this year for any Supreme Court nominee made by Obama.
Pi or π is a mathematical constant used to calculate the area or the circumference of a circle. π is an irrational number, meaning that it has an infinite number of decimal places. Here is the value of π to 40 decimal places:
π = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971...
You can see the value of π to 1,000,000 decimal places on the following page, although it might take you about a week trying to scroll to the bottom of the page:
So today is Pi Day. Some people are eating “pi pies,” while others are wearing π T-shirts. This is because if you take the value of π to two decimal places, it is 3.14 or today’s date in month/day format: 3/14.
This year, Pi Day is particularly applicable, in month/day/year format, if π is rounded up to four decimal places:
I have used the value of π in countless mathematical and optics calculations over the decades.
I always have found it interesting that all of those calculations are only as exact as the number of decimal places of π that are used. For virtually all of the scientific calculations that we make, using only a few decimal places of π will yield results that are close enough.
Presumably though, in the creation of the universe, God—who generated the value of π in His limitless mind—utilized the infinitely exact value of π to fine-tune all of the galaxies, solar systems, stars, planets, and even snails and round fish precisely. Thinking about all of that blows my mind. I think I need a slice of pi pie to recharge my brain.
Tonight is the time to advance clocks ahead one hour in most states in the USA (barring Arizona and Hawaii), most of Europe, and some other nations. I set all of my clocks and watch ahead this afternoon, so I already am on Daylight Saving Time.
I like to do it about twelve hours before the time changes, which is at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday. It helps me adapt to the new time. I am eating dinner an hour early and will go to bed an hour early. I even begin yawning an hour earlier than usual. It works for me.
Iran carried out two ballistic missile tests today. This followed one missile test yesterday. The tests occurred as Vice President Joe Biden was visiting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Iran has reported that inscribed on the missles was this phrase in Hebrew: “Israel should be wiped from the pages of history.” The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, indicated that the missle testing was aimed at showing Israel that Iran could hit it.
It seems to me that all of these missile tests, combined with threats to Israel, comes close to violating the nuclear agreement made between Iran and six world powers on July 14, 2015. In any case, I am becoming increasingly concerned for the safety of Israel.
In Israel, particularly in the biblical lands of Judea and Sumaria, many Palestinians claim that their ancestors lived there for millennia, long before the Jews got there. But is this claim supported by history?
Is there really a land that rightfully can be called “Palestine”? Are the Jews really “occupiers” of this land? Who are the Palestinians, and what is their claim to the land of Israel?
These and many other questions are analyzed in an excellent three-part series, created by 700 Club Interactive, called Whose Land is It? Each part can be viewed by clicking on the links below.
The first 8 minutes of the Part 2 video is actually an interesting testimonial by T. C. Stallings, football player turned actor. He explains how he pursued his passion in life. He stars in a great movie, War Room, which I saw on Jan. 22.
This morning, Mitt Romney, who was the Republican nominee for president in 2012, gave a scalding speech against Donald Trump. He spoke at the Hinckley Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Romney called Trump a “phony” and a “fraud” and said that he is “playing the members of the American public for suckers.” Moreover, he called Hillary Clinton “untrustworthy” and “dishonest” and said that she “must not become president.”
Today is “Super Tuesday” in the U.S. presidential election. Republican (R) and Democratic (D) primaries and caucuses have taken place all day long in 12 states. Overall, Donald Trump (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) are the big winners.
Alabama Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 43.4%
Ted Cruz: 21.1%
Marco Rubio: 18.7%
Hillary Clinton: 77.8%
Bernie Sanders: 19.2%
Alaska Caucus (R)
Ted Cruz: 36.4%
Donald Trump: 33.5%
Marco Rubio: 15.1%
Arkansas Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 32.7%
Ted Cruz: 30.5%
Marco Rubio: 24.9%
Hillary Clinton: 66.3%
Bernie Sanders: 29.7%
Colorado Caucus (D)
Bernie Sanders: 58.9%
Hillary Clinton: 40.4%
Georgia Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 38.8%
Ted Cruz: 23.6%
Marco Rubio: 24.4%
Hillary Clinton: 71.3%
Bernie Sanders: 28.2%
Massachusetts Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 49.3%
Ted Cruz: 18.0%
Marco Rubio: 17.9%
Hillary Clinton: 50.1%
Bernie Sanders: 48.7%
Minnesota Caucus (R & D)
Marco Rubio: 36.5%
Ted Cruz: 29.0%
Donald Trump: 21.3%
Bernie Sanders: 61.6%
Hillary Clinton: 38.4%
Oklahoma Primary (R & D)
Ted Cruz: 34.4%
Donald Trump: 28.3%
Marco Rubio: 26.0%
Bernie Sanders: 51.9%
Hillary Clinton: 41.5%
Tennessee Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 38.9%
Ted Cruz: 24.7%
Marco Rubio: 21.2%
Hillary Clinton: 66.1%
Bernie Sanders: 32.4%
Texas Primary (R & D)
Ted Cruz: 43.8%
Donald Trump: 26.7%
Marco Rubio: 17.7%
Hillary Clinton: 65.2%
Bernie Sanders: 33.2%
Vermont Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 32.7%
John Kasich: 30.4%
Marco Rubio: 19.3%
Bernie Sanders: 86.1%
Hillary Clinton: 13.6%
Virginia Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 34.7%
Marco Rubio: 31.9%
Ted Cruz: 16.9%
Hillary Clinton: 64.3%
Bernie Sanders: 35.2%
By the way, I rarely have watched the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. However, I heard about a segment that he had on his show tonight, and I found the video online.
California was not a state that voted today on Super Tuesday. But some Californians in the L.A. area were asked if and how they voted today, and all of them made up fake voting stories.
I think this segment is hilarious, and these particular Californians are morons. Note that I am not among them. Behind some of the people, you can see the stars on the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard.
The leaf-tailed gecko to the right is leaping. He/She/It must know that today is “leap day,” which occurs every four years during a “leap year.” Also, in a leap year, the summer olympics and a U.S. presidential election take place.
The earth takes almost 365¼ days, rather than 365 days, to orbit the sun. Thus, an extra day needs to be added to the calendar every four years.
However, more precisely, the earth’s orbit around the sun is 365.24219 days, which is 0.00781 day or about 11.25 minutes short of 365.25 days. As a result, if an extra day were added every four years, over time that would add too much time to the calendar.
Therefore, a century year must be evenly divisible by 400 to qualify as a leap year. For instance, 1600 and 2000 were leap years, but 1800 and 1900 were not.
The Julian calendar did not compensate for the 4-year discrepancies, but the Gregorian calendar does—for the most part. There still is a more precise adjustment, which is beyond the scope of this discussion. Plus, I’m tired of sitting and need to go leaping somewhere.
On American Family Radio (AFR) today, Jan Markell and Eric Barger of Olive Tree Ministries interviewed filmmaker Curtis Bowers. This is the second Saturday in a row that they have talked about his film, Agenda 2: Masters of Deceit. View a 4-minute trailer of this film.
Communism, Socialism, Marxism and Progressivism are about using and exploiting people. Those who do this may say that they care about the poor, women’s rights, minorities and the environment, but all of this is a deception.
World terrorism, of all types (including that of radical Islam), has roots in these ideologies. Vladimir Lenin, who embraced Marxism, said that the best way to control the opposition is to lead it.
As such, behind the scenes, Communism is influencing and even controlling much of Islam, which is a totalitarian ideology with a bit of “religion” mixed in. Communist tenets even have infiltrated and are subverting some aspects of evangelical Christianity.
Humanistic ideologies understand that people need something to believe and have faith in. Basically, they are going to depend upon God, or they are going to depend upon government. Since Leftist ideologists want people to depend upon government, they have to do their best to destroy people’s faith in the one, true God.
I recommend listening to the two enlightening discussions (each a little less than an hour) of these and other related topics, recorded on Feb. 20 and on Feb. 27. They can be heard here:
The Agenda: Government Must Become God: Part 1 | Part 2
On each page, click the play arrow on the audio bar that looks like this:
In other news, the Democratic primary in South Carolina was held today.
South Carolina Primary (D)
Hillary Clinton: 73.5%
Bernie Sanders: 26.0%
Martin O’Malley: 0.2% (suspended his campaign Feb. 1)
Most people seem to be very left-brain or right-brain dominant. A few have about an equal dominance of both sides.
Left Brain
Right Brain
Logical Sequential Rational Analytical Objective Looks at Parts
Random Intuitive Holistic Synthesizing Subjective Looks at Wholes
Traditionally, most schools have favored more left-brained modes of teaching. This includes subjects requiring more logical and analytical thinking. Conversely, subjects with a more right-brained focus tend to involve aesthetic and creative thinking.
I found the following left-brain/right-brain test online. I was afraid it might reveal that I have no brain, but I took the test anyway.
It took me less than 5 minutes to take the test. At the end of the test, the results are given.
My results, shown below, seem to indicate that I am 100% left-brain dominant. That doesn’t surprise me, since I have a degree in mathematics and am very objective, but I’m not very high on the artistic and emotional scales. Hmmm...it kind of makes me want to work a math problem: 5 + 5 = 12.
In 1993, the first attack on the World Trade Towers in New York City took place. The “brains” behind this attack was Omar Abdel Rahman, more commonly known as the “Blind Sheikh.”
One of the federal prosecutors of the Blind Sheikh was Andrew McCarthy. He delivered a speech today at Hillsdale College’s Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. He pointed out that, in attacking the towers in NYC, Omar Abdel Rahman was not perverting or misinterpreting the tenets of Islam.
Rather, after studying Islam, particularly the Qur´an, McCarthy determined the following: “The Blind Sheikh’s summons to jihad was rooted in a coherent interpretation of Islamic doctrine. He was not perverting Islam; he was, if anything, shining a light on the need to reform it.” An adaptation of Mr. McCarthy’s full speech can be found here:
This morning, President Obama laid out a plan to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Since its establishment in January 2002, 680 detainees have been transferred elsewhere and 91 detainees remain. They all have been deemed to be enemy combatants of the United States.
Just after taking office in 2009, Obama ordered the facility to be closed. However, not much has been done since then. He now plans to close it during his last year in office. It seems that Mr. Obama would like for many of the 91 remaining detainees to be placed in U.S. prisons.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has said, “It is against the law—and it will stay against the law—to transfer terrorist detainees to American soil.” I doubt that many Americans would like for these dangerous terrorist thugs to be located anywhere near them.
In other news, the Republican caucus in Nevada was held tonight. Here are the top three percentage results:
A good friend and I have this “thing” about various sequences of numbers containing a repeat of the numeral 2. Since today is 2/22 (or, in many parts of the world, 22/2), I sent him the image below that I captured this morning from http://time.gov/HTML5 at 2:22:22 a.m.:
Here are a few of the pics we’ve sent each other over the years:
On American Family Radio (AFR) this morning, Pastors Tom Wallace and Shahram Hadian of Fortress of Faith began their program discussing the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, whose funeral was today. He was a real conservative, a true constitutionalist, pro-life and pro-liberty. It seems likely that President Obama will nominate someone with the opposite credentials.
Wallace and Hadian also talked about Obama’s visit to the Baltimore Islamic Center on Feb. 3. They looked at what Obama said in this speech and compared it with what he has said in the past. He remains a steadfast supporter and advocate of Islam.
The notes and audio recording of today’s Fortress of Faith program are here:
In other news, the Republican (R) primary in South Carolina and the Democratic (D) caucus in Nevada were held today.
South Carolina Primary (R)
Donald Trump: 32.5%
Marco Rubio: 22.5%
Ted Cruz: 22.3%
Nevada Caucus (D)
Hillary Clinton: 52.6%
Bernie Sanders: 47.3%
John Ellis “Jeb” Bush joins Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina in suspending their presidential campaigns since the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. All who remain will move on to the Nevada caucus on Feb. 23 for Republicans and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 27 for Democrats.
In the New Testament of the Bible, the apostle Paul talks about a “mystery” in 1 Corinthians 15:51 and in Colossians 1:26,27. However, these are not the same mystery; Paul was talking about two different concepts. I explain this in the following email response:
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead this morning. Apparently, he died of natural causes at the Cibolo Creek Ranch resort in West Texas.
At age 79, Scalia was the longest serving member (29 years) of the Supreme Court. He was appointed by President Reagan in 1986.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has released a statement calling the conservative justice an “unwavering defender” of the Constitution. “He was the solid rock who turned away so many attempts to depart from and distort the Constitution,” Abbot wrote. “His fierce loyalty to the Constitution set an unmatched example, not just for judges and lawyers, but for all Americans.”
No doubt, Barack Obama will submit a list of liberal-minded nominees to replace Justice Scalia. Replacing him with a liberal justice would shift the balance of the Supreme Court toward the left.
However a replacement does not necessarily have to be confirmed by the Senate prior to the inauguration of the new president next year. If not, then it could become a significant issue prior to the presidential election on Nov. 1.
There are irreconcilable differences between Christianity and Islam; both of them cannot be true. Islam has attacked the Judeo-Christian Bible, as well as the Christian tenets of Jesus Christ’s deity and crucifixion. Tom Wallace talks about these and other things in today’s program.
The notes and audio recording of today’s Fortress of Faith program are here:
The New Hampshire primary was held today. It was the first primary in the 2016 presidential contest, following the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1.
New Hampshire Primary (R & D)
Donald Trump: 35.3%
John Kasich: 15.8%
Ted Cruz: 11.7%
Bernie Sanders: 60.4%
Hillary Clinton: 38.0%
Martin O’Malley: 0.3% (suspended his campaign Feb. 1)
Two additional candidates have suspended their presidential campaigns during the past week: Rick Santorum (R) and Rand Paul (R). There are rumors that Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina will bail out of the race soon.
All who remain will move on to the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20 for Republicans and on Feb. 27 for Democrats. Also, there is the Nevada caucus on Feb. 20 for Democrats and on Feb. 27 for Republicans.
A couple of days ago, I attended an 8-hour men’s retreat at church. There was breakfast and lunch and some social conversation.
However, the bulk of the time, over 5½ hours, was spent watching six DVDs in the Conquer Series: the Battle Plan for Purity. It was extremely well done and informative. I’d say it was the best DVD series I’ve ever seen, and the other men at the retreat agreed.
I would recommend this series very highly for other men’s groups. A summary of each of the DVD lessons can be read here: Overview of the Lessions. I think the $129.95 price tag for the 6 DVD set is well worth the cost.
Super Bowl L (50) took place today in San Francisco, California. Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos beat Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. The final score was 24 to 10.
This may be the last time Peyton Manning plays in a professional football game. He hasn’t decided yet. First he needs to go out and have a few beers and spend some time with his family.
By the way, my favorite Super Bowl commercial was the one with the ultrasound of a fetus who wanted its dad’s Dorito. I thought it was funny, but I also liked the fact that it humanized the fetus. The doctor calls it a “beautiful baby,” which it is. I hope that it will encourage more women to keep their babies.
I last organized my vitamins and supplements into individual compartments on Sep. 20, 2015. Each day, I take the following: a daily multiple; vitamins A, B complex, C and E; magnesium, selenium, zinc, fish oil, saw palmetto and glucosamine/chondroitin.
The supply that I keep on-hand lasts for 20 weeks (140 days). My present supply will take me until June 25. Keeping them in the refrigerator prevents them from losing their potency.
Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the written Law/Torah of God but to fulfill it; and this Law will be in effect for as long as the present Creation is in existence (Matthew 5:17,18), since God does not change (Malachi 3:6).
Since Jesus did not abolish the Law, the Law was not “swept away” or “tossed out” after His death and resurrection. His fulfillment of the Law meant that he lived it out flawlessly and sinlessly, and He also clarified it to others. In essence, He was the “living, breathing Torah,” following every bit of the Law to the letter.
The day that Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11; John 12:12-19) was on Palm Sunday. The day before that (Saturday, which was the Sabbath day for Jesus), He walked to Bethany to have dinner with Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus (John 12:1,2), whom Jesus had resurrected from the dead (11:38-44).
Someone has asked me how Jesus could have walked to Bethany when this would have constituted “working” on the Sabbath, and in doing so He would have broken the law pertaining to the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-10; Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:12-14). My response is here:
President Obama visited and spoke at the Baltimore Islamic Center today. He praised Islam in a place that most likely has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Imam Muhammad Adam el Shake, who led this mosque for 18 years, was a native of Sudan and a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He founded the American Muslim Society, a Muslim Brotherhood entity.
To read the transcript of Obama’s speech, scroll a bit down on this page at the White House website:
Obama reiterated that Islam is a religion of peace. In fact, in the eyes of true, fundamentalist Muslims, one can have peace with Islam only if one surrenders to Allah and follows Sharia Law.
Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer in babies. During the early stages of eye development in a fetus, retinoblast cells (retinoblasts) divide and form the retina. Usually, they stop dividing and become mature retinal cells.
However, sometimes the retinoblasts continue to divide and grow out of control. A cancerous tumor, retinoblastoma, results.
Without treatment, the retinoblastoma will grow and can fill the eyeball, and decreased vision or blindness will result. The cancerous cells also can metastasize to other parts of the eye or body.
A couple whose baby, Maddox, had retinoblastoma in both eyes gave their testimony today on the 700 Club. It is an example of the awesome, miraculous healing power of God. The 5½-minute segment can be viewed in the following video by doing the following:
Click on the video to start it.
Place your arrow on the timeline near the bottom of the video.
Move your arrow back and forth until you see a time that is a bit less than 23:22 minutes. You can use the timeline that I have placed below the video as a guide.
Click the timeline at that point and watch the 5½-minute segment from 23:22 to 28:52.
The Iowa caucuses were held tonight. They were the first votes of all the states in the 2016 presidential contest.
Iowa Caucus (R & D)
Ted Cruz: 27.6%
Donald Trump: 24.3%
Marco Rubio: 23.1%
Hillary Clinton: 49.9%
Bernie Sanders: 49.6%
Martin O’Malley: 0.5%
Two candidates have suspended their presidential campaigns: Mike Huckabee (R) and Martin O’Malley (D). Neither one has endorsed another candidate. Everyone else will move on to the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9.
One attempt to reconcile these two religions is “Chrislam.” It is an attempt to show that the Bible and the Qur´an have enough common ground that a bridge can be built between Christianity and Islam. This is not the case, though, because the God of the Bible and Allah are not the same entity.
The notes and audio recording of today’s Fortress of Faith program are here:
The Division Between Muslim And Christian Doctrine: PDF | Audio
I frequently receive emails from those who claim to be web designers and SEO (search engine optimization) experts. They offer me their services (which are not free, of course) to increase the visibility of, and traffic to, my website (TedMontgomery.com). I have zero interest in these solicitations.
The majority of those who make these requests will stop emailing me when I tell them that I am not interested in their services. However, a few of them are very persistent and continue sending me their annoying emails.
The most consistent offenders are people from India with the last name of Joshi, who have sent me countless emails over several months, despite my attempts to get them to stop. They have done this from various email addresses, which indicates to me that they are nothing more than scammers. So I have made a page highlighting them:
I have sent an email to all of the Joshi email addresses notifying them of the Joshi Solicitations page. I doubt that this will stop them from continuing to send me their irritating emails. However, it might be beneficial to others who have websites and who might be receiving emails from them.
The Naval Medical Center is located within Balboa Park, which is one of my favorite places to walk around. Traffic there this morning was a mess after military and local police converged on the area.
I’m just glad that I wasn’t there at the time. More importantly, I am relieved that was no actual shooting.
One of my favorite people of all time is Billy Graham. He was born Nov. 7, 1918, so now he is an amazing 97 years old. Retiring in 2014, he reportedly is the most widely heard evangelist in history.
For over six decades, huge gatherings of people came to hear Mr. Graham at countless indoor and outdoor crusades and rallies all over the world. Millions of people have responded to his invitations to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. He also was a spiritual adviser to several U.S. presidents.
Day of Discovery has a series of two videos, each under 30 minutes, that tell the story of Billy Graham. The videos are hosted by Wintley Phipps, who sang at many Billy Graham functions for 25 years. He also sings a few tunes on the videos.
Most people are unaware of the spiritual battle that is going on in the world daily. Demonic spiritual forces constantly bring chaos, disorder and confusion not only to the nations but to individuals. This has negative, and even devastating, effects on our lives and our relationships, including our friends and families. Prayer is the most powerful weapon that we have to combat this spiritual enemy.
Tonight, the church I attend served dinner and then showed an excellent 2-hour movie, which was released in 2015: War Room (rated PG). I felt it was an excellent way to spend a Friday evening, which I consider to be the beginning of the Sabbath.
The movie focuses on a mom, dad, and 10-year-old daughter with strained relationships. In time, families like this often split up.
Fortunately, an elderly Christian lady intervenes. She urges the wife to save their marriage by praying for her husband. She says, “In order to stand up and fight the enemy, you need to get on your knees and pray.” The enemy is Satan and his demonic hosts.
The elderly woman has a closet, calling it her “war room,” which she has set aside for daily prayer time. She shows this to the wife, who then becomes motivated to clean out one of her own closets, filled with clothes, and make it a “war room” as well.
In a very intricate and interesting way, this results in strong bonds being formed within her family. The family structure becomes stable and solid, with God as its center.
I do not watch movies very often, as I do not have the time or interest. However, “War Room” impressed me because it was a great example of the power of prayer. I also felt that the story line and the acting were excellent and very convincing, and I recommend it to others.
Since this movie is rated PG, perhaps parents should view it first and then decide if they feel it is appropriate for their children to see. A 2½-minutes trailer of the movie can be viewed on this page.
Sarah Palin has endorsed Donald Trump for president. Her support may help neutralize Hillary Clinton’s accusation of Trump as “sexist.” Sarah’s 18-minute speech today in Ames, Iowa, can be viewed here:
Palin endorsed Ted Cruz for the Senate in 2012 and Joni Earnst for the Senate in 2014. Both of them won. Many are wondering why she is not endorsing Cruz for president. Who knows...maybe she wants Trump to pick her as his running mate instead of Cruz.
Five American hostages have been released from captivity in Iran. They include Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, and Matthew Trevithick.
In return, Iran is getting back seven lawfully convicted terrorists and criminals. In addition, 14 Iranian terrorism prosecutions will be halted, and Iran will receive up to $150 billion in sanctions relief, besides being able to have an industrial-scale nuclear program.
I am very glad that the innocent American hostages have been released, some after being held in Iran for years. It’s about time. However, Iran is coming out way ahead on this deal.
In other news, the fourth Democratic debate was held tonight in Charleston, South Carolina. It was broadcast on NBC News. Andrea Mitchell and Lester Holt directed questions to the three candidates.
Below is a list of the fourteen presidential and one vice-presidential debates during 2016, including the Democratic debate tonight and the Republican debate on Jan. 14. Dates, times, locations, and new networks could be changed.
The sixth set of Republican debates was held tonight in North Charleston, South Carolina. They were broadcast on Fox Business Network and also at FoxBusiness.com.
Sandra Smith and Trish Regan directed questions to the first group of three candidates. Maria Bartiromo and Neil Cavuto directed questions to the second group of seven candidates.
I watched both debates, and there were some interesting segments. I do not know yet whom I will support. The entire first and second debates can be viewed here:
President Obama gave his sixth State of the Union Address tonight. It lasted 59 minutes.
A good friend and I were hanging out; we watched and listened to every word. Much of it seemed disjointed and disconnected. We were not thrilled to hear about the things that the president wishes to accomplish over the next year.
I feel that it would be pointless to make any observations about the speech here, so I won’t. In case you would like to read the president’s SOTU speech, it is here:
Today marks the 25th anniversary of my last day of work (Jan. 10, 1991) as an optometric physician. Technically, the next day (Jan. 11) was my last scheduled day; however, I called in sick that day and went to the beach.
All of the years I worked were in Fountain Valley in Orange County, CA, just off the 405 Freeway. At the time, there was not an LA Fitness gym a block away, as there is now. I go there to work out sometimes when I’m in the area.
Mile Square Regional Park is nearby. I used to take a sack lunch and eat lunch there sometimes. I still like to go there from time to time and walk clockwise around the park (four miles).
The reception room is where my patients checked in and waited, although it now is part of the pediatrics department. The place has been remodeled, and the long hallway did not used to be there. In the last photo, the door on the right opened into my room, where I examined thousands of people’s eyes during the time I worked there.
Ever since I quit working there, I have had countless dreams in which I am examining patients in that room. Often, in the dreams, I will look out the door of my room and see the charts of 5-6 patients waiting to be seen, even though I am running 30-60 minutes behind. When I wake up, I breathe a sigh of relief that it was only a creation of my mind.
The eye section of my website—Anatomy, Pathology & Physiology of the Human—was one of the first sections I created. As of today, the number of visits to that section is 3,193,055. I have received emails from people all over the world, including from many educational institutions, saying that they have benefited from the information there. I am glad about that.
One of the main reasons I developed my human eye section was to attract people to my site so that they might browse around and find my Bible-related sections:
Indeed, that has happened, which brings me a great deal of satisfaction. After all, it was God who provided me with the knowledge about the human eye. He gets the credit for everything at my website.
The U.S. stock market closed today after its worst ever five-day start of a new year. The main cause of this seems to be the slowing down of the economy of China, as well as major dives in the Chinese stock market. That market had its worst week in its 25-year history.
I have heard some commentators say that a year beginning with a down stock market typically is a down market year overall. Whether that is true or not, I do not know.
However, with all the numerous problems in the world, I sense that a cataclysmic market crash could take place in 2016, although I sense that this is more likely to happen in or after 2017. A decrease of as much as 80% would not surprise me. I hope not.
I was emailed by a lady who lost her husband, who was a believer, near the end of last month. Now she is experiencing considerable grief. She wonders where the spirit of her husband is and if he can see her crying. My response to her is here:
Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, was executed (beheaded) yesterday in Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Islamic nation. He was among numerous Shiite activists who were put to death. This resulted in a deluge of protests, including ransacking and burning the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, Iran, a Shiite Islamic nation.
Today, Saudi Arabia’s reaction to the attack on its embassy in Tehran was to sever diplomatic ties with Iran. There also was a directive that all Iranian diplomats must leave Saudi Arabia within 48 hours. Iran’s supreme leader has warned that Saudi Arabia would face “divine revenge.”
Other Islamic nations are taking sides in the conflict. These events, over merely a couple of days, have greatly escalated tensions in an already chaotic Middle East. It would not surprise me in the least if oil fields in Saudi Arabia are set afire by their enemies, causing the price of oil and gasoline worldwide to skyrocket.
I have felt for some time that prophetic end-time events will involve major conflicts between Shiites, Sunnis, and other factions of Islam. In 2016, I suspect that this type of activity will escalate much faster than ever before. It seems that the “players” in the “final game” are choosing which of the “teams” they want to be on.
Happy New Year. Below are links to my annual calendar and list of 2016 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.
This calendar is not meant to substitute for a 12-page calendar on which scheduled reminders can be written. I have mine on the wall behind my desk and frequently use it as a quick reference for future dates.
Click on each image below and print out the two pages (.doc files) on either side of one piece of paper. Just change my name, at the top of the calendar page, to your name before you print it.
Or else you could print out these two pages (.pdf files), with no name on the calendar page. If you would like a calendar with your name on it in a .pdf file, email me and I will try to send you one when I can find some free time.
If you’ve never read the Bible straight through, from cover to cover, you might want to do it in 2016. 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?
So in case you’ve never read the Bible all the way through, do it! If you’ve done it before, do it again; you never can get too much of God’s written Word! I am in the process of doing it now.
You can read one of a number of Bible versions at BibleGateway.com. If you read it for an average of 15 minutes a night before bed, you will sleep better for a whole year.
Super Bowl L (50) took place today in San Francisco, California. 
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