The Mysterious Los Lunas Inscription

Maybe some of you have heard of the mysterious rock pictured above, but I only recently learned of it. This rock is located on a remote mountainside in New Mexico, near the village of Los Lunas. Local Indians were aware of the inscription, but were unable to read the mysterious characters. Settlers in the 1850s knew about the site, but were likewise baffled by the apparently ancient writing. Scholars who have examined the rock have agreed that the inscription could easily date back to the period between 1100BC and 600BC. For years, the rock's remote location discouraged tourists and few academics attempted the journey to examine the rock.

Finally, in 1949, a professor from Harvard University made a study of the site. Using his expert knowledge of ancient languages and alphabets, he was able to render the first accurate translation of the mysterious 3000-year -old inscription. The characters were of a style used in ancient Hebrew carvings. And what was the meaning of the mystery message? It is a nearly flawless inscription in the Hebrew language of ... The Ten Commandments.

This is not an urban legend, but a real fact. To read more about the Los Lunas inscription, Click Here.

End of the Spear

[I decided to delete my original post on this topic, since the film is mostly out of circulation now. I stand by my original post, but I don't think it needs a permanent place on my blog. I would refer my readers to Doug Phillips' blog and his excellent analysis. I agree with almost every aspect of his article on the subject.]

Rippling Biceps

As part of my New Year's Resolution -- I have joined the YMCA! Today completed my first full week of daily workouts. So far I've only fallen off the treadmill once, and pulled only one muscle (in my shoulder).
When I was younger, I was more conscientious about staying in shape. The last few years have been more of a challenge. And last month I think I gained five pounds at least over the Christmas Holidays.
When I signed up at the YMCA, I got the family membership, so now we can all use the facilities -- a great pool, playground, gym, weight room, etc. Should be interesting.

A Pleasant Sabbath Evening at Home

A delicious candlelight dinner at home with my family. Yummy fish chowder (why don't we have this more often?) Singing hymns after dinner. Timothy and I sing duets while the rest of the family gets ready for meeting. Thankful testimonies. Email from David M. (I liked the story about the man who preached in an evil city -- he tried to convince his wicked neighbors to change their ways and repent, then finding them recalcitrant, he realized he needed to continue the good fight if only to keep himself from being worn down and compromised by his neighbors).

Then, S.T. -- Brownies with ice cream. Super good!!

After treats, the kids wanted to break open their Christmas present -- a boxed set of DVDs of the old "Lone Ranger" tv program from the 1960's. I hadn't seen this program since I was a little boy, but now that I have boys of my own, I thought it might make some good wholesome family viewing. We popped in the first disk in the set and watched an episode together. Wow, I can't believe they used to actually make stuff like this for TV! We really enjoyed it. Technical quality is definitely primitive by today's standards, but it is full of good messages and role models. In one scene, the Lone Ranger and Tonto (his Indian companion) are leaving a ranch where they have just met a family of homesteaders. The wife/mother is a prototype of the ideal, strong, virtuous wife and mother. She loves her husband, for all his faults, and doesn't allow anyone to speak ill of him. As they ride off together LR says to Tonto, "A fella could put a fence around the whole world and make it his ranch, but without a woman like that at his side he'd be a poor man."
The boys begged to watch another episode. Perhaps tomorrow...

Here is a little poem that is pinned to the bulletin board above my desk. Perhaps you've seen it before, but it's one of my favorites (even though it doesn't exactly rhyme).

VICTORY

When your good is evil spoken of,

when your wishes are crossed,

your taste offended, your advice disregarded,

your opinions ridiculed,

and you take it all in patient, loving silence

– that is victory.

When you never care to refer
to yourself in conversation
or to record your own good works,

or itch after commendation,

when you can truly "love to be unknown"

– that is victory.

When you are content with any
food, any raiment,

any climate, any society, any solitude,

and any interruption

– that is victory.

When you can bear with any disorder,

any irregularity, any unpunctuality,

any annoyance

– that is victory.

Author Unknown

Back from the frozen North

Yesterday I returned from a refreshing and quite truly divine weekend of fellowship, Bible study, prayer and worship. I wish all my co-religionists could have been there to soak in the truths that were delivered from the pulpit and the love that shone from the faces of those who gathered to welcome the new year together. I told my wife that I was really encouraged by the vitality and enthusiasm of the young men who spoke and the twenty-somethings, teenagers, and youngsters who filled the corridors of the Main House with their joy, laughter, and light. She wept as I told her how encouraging it was to be a part of this lively and committed company of believers . Thank you to all the young and not so young people who helped make the weekend a great success and who brought such encouragement to those of us who shared the time with you.

One of the most pleasant hours of the weekend was my final hour in New Hampshire, riding to the airport. I had the company of two really impressive young men who I enjoyed getting to know better as we rode along the snowy roads together. It is a measure of the confidence I had in these guys that I wasn't the least nervous while being chauferred along by a young man who had only six months earlier received his driver's license!

Now, of course, it's time to go back to the dreaded j-o-b. Well, I don't really dread it, but it does seem awfully dull after all the spiritual energy of the past few days.