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| An Effort to Capture the Golden Fur and Intent Gaze of our Visiting Puma |
So, one night around 10:00 pm, I rounded the bottom of our driveway with a little speed to climb the hill, but braked to a stop immediately. My headlights illuminated a large yellow figure as it sank to the ground, frozen, midway up the drive. A grey ferral cat froze in a sitting position halfway between us.
Two large yellow dogs sometimes visit the home above us, but I'd never seen a dog sink frozen to the ground when a car pulls up.
I waited.
They waited.
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| Golden, Molten, Intensity of the Cougar |
Finally, the cat rose, took one step, froze again.
All questions ceased. The cougar was on it's feet and halfway to the ferral cat in hyper-alert stalking mode, then froze. It had no more interest in my purring car.
Unsuspecting of what was behind,
the grey cat dove over the side of the drive.
All molten muscle, like lightening, the cougar flew after
into the darkness.
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| The Drive where the Dive Took Place |
My son stands at the site of the dive.
This winter we had another visit.
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| Cougar Tracks in the Snow |
Tracks across the deck.
Hoping never to meet the owner in person.
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| Comparing Mitts |
It's a little disconcerting to find cougar prints:
* five yards from the house,
* within the fenced back yard,
* having walked the fence before leaping in.
And what was the attraction?
Is it possible he/she also has a passion for camelias?
These are our first.
We Thank Thee, Lord
John C. Slemp
For all the blessings of the year, For all the friends we hold so dear, For peace on earth, both far and near, We thank Thee, Lord.
For life and health, those common things, Which every day and hour brings. For home, where our affection clings, We thank Thee, Lord.
For love of Thine, which never tires, Which all our better thought inspires, And warms our lives with heavenly fires, We thank Thee, Lord.
DID THE 1ST CENTURY CHURCH HAVE NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES? BY STEVE FINNELL
ReplyDeleteThe prevailing thought of many is that since the Bible was not canonized until sometime between 300 and 400 A.D. that the church of Christ did not have New Covenant Scriptures as their guide for faith and practice. That is simply factually incorrect.
The Lord's church of the first 400 years did not rely on the man-made traditions of men for New Testament guidance.
Jesus gave the terms for pardon 33 A.D. after His death and resurrecting. (Mark 16:16) All the words of Jesus were Scripture.Jesus did not have to wait for canonization of the New Testament in order for His word to be authorized.
The terms for pardon were repeated by the apostle Peter 33 A.D. on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:22-42) The teachings of the apostles were Scripture. The words of the apostles were Scripture before they were canonized.
The apostle Peter said the apostle Paul's words were Scripture. (2 Peter 3:15-16...just as also our beloved brother Paul , according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand,which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures...
The apostle Paul's letters and words were Scriptures when he wrote and spoke them. Paul did not have to wait for canonization to authorize his doctrine.
John 14:25-26 'These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to you remembrance all that I said to you.
The words and writings of the apostles were Scripture and they did not have to wait for canonization to be deemed authoritative. The apostle did not use man-made creed books of the church or man-made oral traditions to teach the gospel of the New Covenant.
Did the early church have written New testament Scriptures? Yes, and they were shared among the different congregations. (Colossians 4:16 When the letter is read among you, have it read in the church of the Laodiceans and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodica.) Paul's letters were Scripture and they were read in different churches.
They were New Testament Scriptures long before they were canonized.
WRITTEN
Matthew A.D. 70
Mark A.D. 55
Luke between A.D. 59 and 63
John A.D. 85
Acts A.D. 63
Romans A.D. 57
1 Corinthians A.D. 55
2 Corinthians A.D. 55
Galatians A.D. 50
Ephesians A.D. 60
Philippians A.D. 61
Colossians A. D. 60
1 Thessalonians A.D. 51
2 Thessalonians A.D. 51 or 52
1 Timothy A.D. 64
2 Timothy A.D. 66
Titus A.D. 64
Philemon A.D. 64
Hebrews A.D. 70
James A.D. 50
1 Peter A.D. 64
2 Peter A.D. 66
1 John A.D. 90
2 John A.d. 90
3 John A.D. 90
Jude A.D. 65
Revelation A.D. 95
All 27 books of the New Testament were Scripture when they were written. They did not have wait until they were canonized before they became God's word to mankind.
Jesus told the eleven disciples make disciples and teach them all that He commanded. (Matthew 28:16-19) That was A.D. 33, They were teaching New Covenant Scripture from A.D. 33 forward. The apostles did not wait to preach the gospel until canonization occurred 300 to 400 years later.
THE WORDS OF JESUS AND THE APOSTLES WERE SCRIPTURE WHEN THEY WERE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN. THEY DID NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR CANONIZATION TO BE THE AUTHORIZED WORD OF GOD.
MAN-MADE CREED BOOKS AND MAN-MADE ORAL TRADITION WAS AND IS NOT SCRIPTURE.
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