Monday, October 20, 2008

Water into Wine

Making and Drinking Wine
Most juice was allowed to ferment to make safe for storage and later drinking
Took full fresh goatskin, sewed up cuts, filled with juice, hung up
Some would sew skin with hair inside for distinctive flavor, done today in some cultures
Fresh skins were used to allow expansion from fermenting process
Matthew 9:17
17Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
Fermented wine was stored in amphorae, large pointed jugs
When ready to drink, wine poured into kraters (large bowls) and mixed with water
Typically 3 parts water to 1 part wine, up to 8:1, 10:1 or even 20:1
Mixed wine poured from kraters into kylix (cups) for drinking
Only drunkards and barbarians drank wine straight or in 1:1 mix, called strong drink
Leviticus 10:8-9
8And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,

9Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Granpa's Hands

Grandpa's Hands.......

Grandpa, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.
He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands.

When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the
longer I sat I wondered if he was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him
at the same time, I asked him if he was OK. He raised his head and
looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' he
said in a clear voice strong.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandpa, but you were just sitting here
staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I
explained to him.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' he asked. 'I mean really
looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them
over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at
my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.

Grandpa smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have
served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled
shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to
reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the
floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my
mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled
on my boots.


'They have been dirty, scraped and raw , swollen and bent. They were
uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son and daughter. Decorated
with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone
special.

They wrote my letters to my children and trembled and shook when I
buried my parents.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and
shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the
rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried
and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works
real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to
fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out
and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to
His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.'

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God
reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my
children and wife I think of grandpa. I know he has been stroked and
caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to
you, and watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue
praying for one another.

Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.

Passing this on to one not yet considered a friend is something
Christ would do.
-- Author Unknown

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The King


Here is our King I love God so much spread his love to the world!