Historical favorites of mine

Recently I have had to write some papers on some historical figures, so I picked John Calvin and John Paul Jones. These people both had substantial influence on the founding of America, and I would like to share my papers on them with you. Enjoy!

John Calvin
1509 - 1564

When Jean Cauvin was ten, he moved into the house of a nobleman to study alongside his sons. At the age of eleven he moved to Paris to receive his education from the College de la Marche, and eventually transferred to various colleges, studying mostly the arts and law until the age of twenty-two. John did not grow up a Protestant, but when a friend became a Lutheran he knew he had to face the new ideas squarely. As John studied the Bible he saw that all his life he had been in error, and passages that he had memorized years ago were now full of meaning. Calvin was almost arrested and fled to his friend's house where he started writing a defense of the Protestant Christian faith. He called the book The Institutes of the Christian Religion.
When The Institutes of the Christian Religion was published, it was so popular among Christians, especially Lutherans and Protestants, that by popularity it spread to Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Scandinavia, and eventually the Americas. Dutch Calvinist settlers were also the first successful European colonizers of South Africa.
When the pilgrims and colonists, including the Puritans and French Huguenot and Dutch settlers came to America, the vast majority of them had a Calvinist upbringing and brought with them to America Calvin's writings. No one came empty minded, and as Calvinists they believed in the rule of God over all things including the depravity of humans, biblical law, and limited government. So when they created a government, they created it according to those beliefs.
In addition to the colonists and founding fathers of America, John Calvin inspired people like John Knox, a Scottish reformer, Huldrych Zwingli, Franciscus Gomarus, and even many later figures such as Jonathan Edwards and John Bunyan. Most of his influence came from the writings of his books, his contributions to confessional documents for use in churches, and his massive out-pouring of commentary on the Bible (He wrote a commentary on every book of the Bible except 2 John, 3 John, Revelation, and some Old Testament books). He wanted to present the plain meaning of the text before his readers. But through the academy he founded, many teachers, evangelists, theologians, and preachers have continued the work he began, reforming church denominations and peoples. Calvin's successor, Theodore Beza, said that Calvin was a "Christian Hercules who subdued so many monsters with the mightiest club of all - the Word of God".

John Paul Jones
1747 - 1792

John Paul, named the father of the American navy, was born to John Paul Sr. on the southern coast of Scotland. At age thirteen he had started his career in sailing, and at age twenty-one he was a captain. Later, being charged with "unnecessarily cruel" behavior, he left Scotland and after changing his name to John Paul Jones he joined the American navy to fight against England. At that time the Americans had virtually no navy, and their coasts were unprotected. So thankfully John Paul came and gave his advice on what kind of ships and men were needed. He also showed them that they could not win the nautical battles against the British on they're own, only three nations had the naval ability to do that. So at his suggestion, they began the construction of thirteen ships, and sent him to France for more help.
Jones was the first man to be assigned to the rank of 1st Lieutenant in the Continental Navy, and took the honor of hoisting, and saluting to, the first U.S. ensign over a naval vessel. After defeating a ship called the Drake and sailing to France, Jones took command of a half-rotten ship called the Bon Homme Richard given to him by the French. On his way back to America, he came into contact with the HMS Serapis, A larger, much stronger ship. After a four hour battle, an Indian called Red Jerry managed to throw a grenade right in between the two decks with all the cannons and cannonballs, igniting and causing a chain reaction! The British finally surrendered, and because of this victory the British were so afraid of the Americans (John Paul in particular) that there was an increasing demand on the British Parliament to declare peace with America.
In 1787 Jones was decorated by the king of France and received the title “Chevalier” along with a gold medal and a sword. While in Britain, on the other hand, he was branded as a pirate.

What do you think?

Have a good day!

The Adherent

God's Laws

Hey kids!
Today I would like to bring to your attention a topic I have interest in, God's Moral Laws and how they affect all of life. My main point is that Scripture is applicable to both our inward and outward beings. (Luke 10:26-28) Since this is so, when we read a commandment, we must consider how we can "adhere" to this passage in every way possible. Take for example one of the ten commandments. Exodus 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (Emphasis added) you can also Check out Deuteronomy 10:11-13. Another point that is equally important is the fact that God's Moral Laws are also in affect at all times and no one is exempt at any point in time. God's laws are perfect and excellent beyond improvement. Now I am giving you an assignment: Go read 1 Thessalonians 5.

If you would like to become a part of "The Adhering team" you are welcome to! (We could use some more writers!)

The Adventures of Bob Episode 13

The following is part of an action packed series called “The Adventures of Bob” That I wrote about five years ago. Enjoy!

Location: Restaurant Date: August Third

“Oh Bob, it is so nice of you to bring me to this restaurant for our anniversary!” Said Bob's wife as a waiter gave them their food. Bob, breaking open his fortune cookie, read aloud: “Beware waiter with fortune cookies! I wonder what that means?” Bob looked at the waiter, the waiter looked back, the waiter moved first lunging towards Bob's Throat.

*Intermission*

Continued:

Bob moved fast but not fast enough. The so called “waiter” managed to slip his fingers around Bob's neck. Bob struggled, gasping for air when suddenly there was a CRACK! The attacker slumped to the floor, behind him stood his wife, holding a frying pan. We had better go, said Bob looking at three men who were staring at the waiter. Half a minute later they were on they're way home in the car when something started beeping. “Cell phone?” Asked Bob “No! It's at home!” replied his wife. “Mine too!” said Bob, getting frantic. They looked at each other both thinking the same thought, BOMB!!!!!!!!!

To be continued................

The Four D's

There are four steps in completing an action: (1) desire, (2) decision, (3) determination, and (4) discipline. For example, think of a person who desires to meet with God before going to work. He knows that in order to have enough time to do so, he must get up early, so he makes the decision to get up at 6:30. The next day he oversleeps because his desire and decision alone could not complete the action. He then determines to use an alarm clock to get him up. But the real test comes when the alarm goes off. He must have the discipline to get up and not go back to sleep.

Most of us have trouble with the discipline part. As do do I. But if we work hard we can overcome our laziness, and form good habits. Matthew 20:6-7 (KJV)

And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? [7] They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

You see in this case the idle men would not work because no one had come to them (or maybe no one would hire them because they were lazy) but Jesus told them to just go to work and stop being a couch potato, and the rest would fall into place.

Scripture Memorization

I mentioned earlier the usefulness of scripture memorization and I would now like to to give you some example of how you can do that. But first why should we memorize? Joshua 1:8 says:
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (ESV) and likewise 1 Tim. 4:13 says: Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (KJV) These verses are pretty clear about why and when you should memorize! You can also read Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 2:1-5; Proverbs 3:1-2; Isaiah 55:11; and 2 Tim. 3:15. If you hide the Word in you heart, whenever you are approached by someone you will be able to give them an answer from the scriptures. But some of the ways we can go about this are:

1. By use of the topical Memory System (TMS). This is excellent for beginners, or people who don't know where to start. This method requires a verse pack to hold all your verses, and the verses themselves which are printed on cards about one and a half inches by two inches. The first five verses in are: Assurance of salvation 1 John 5:11-12, assurance of prayer John 16:24, assurance of victory 1 Corinthians 10:13, assurance of forgiveness 1 John 1:9 and assurance of guidance Proverbs 3:5-6. You will carry your verse pack wherever you go so you can memorize wherever you are.

2. By memorizing whole books of the Bible. This method can be better because of unlike the TMS, it takes nothing out of context. By memorizing the surrounding verses, you will not misunderstand or misuse single verses. When I first started doing this, every word was etched into my mind by memorization, and it opened my eyes! Even if only a little bit. I would also recommend that you start with a smaller book, such as first John, then go to second John, and then third John doing about two verses a day. I believe that this method is an excellent way to adhere to the Gospel.

3. Another thing you can do is go through the bible book by book and copy the bible in whole or in part into one of your notebooks.

If you would like to talk to me about this or if you would like an accountability partner, my email address is TheAdherent@gmail.com

Thank you!

The Adherent

Why the Adherent?

Some of you might be wondering why I chose the name "The Adherent" for my blog, a somewhat odd word. But the main reason I chose the name is because the chief purpose of man is to Glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (Westminster catechism Q. #1). And how do we know how to do that? Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. So we must study God's word, the Holy Bible. Q. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach? A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. Therefore we must use it for our foundation, the starting point for all our debates. We use it to decide our major decisions, ALL our decisions! We adhere to God, and to His every word.
When I was searching for a name for this blog, I looked up “follow” in the dictionary. I came up with words like accompany, imitate, copy, etc. but my favorites were: pursue, adhere, and consequential. When deciding between these names, I looked them up, and the definition of adhere is:

Adhere v. i.
1.
To stick to, as glutinous substances, or by natural growth
2.
To be joined, or held in contact; to cleave to.
3.
Figuratively, to hold to, be attached, or remain fixed, either by personal union or conformity of faith, principle, or opinion.

Adherent n.
1.
The person who adheres; one who follows a leader, part or profession; a follower, or partisan; a believer in a particular faith or church.

So what happens is, you pursue to adhere, then you are consequential. Now, since no one is perfect, no one can be totally adherent, but this blog is dedicated to the pursuit of adherence, Adherence to the only absolute point of reference. So my friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, I want you to adhere. To glue yourself to the bible. One great way to do this is scripture memorization. And speaking of scripture, my blog verse is Mark 8:34:
"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (KJV)
This verse contains the word follow, which is essentially adherence. (Take up his cross and adhere to me.)
Thank you for reading,
The Adherent
TheAdherent@gmail.com

What is corn syrup? - A lesson in health

Corn syrup is 55% Fructose and 45% Glucose. This imbalance is not that healthy. For example, Sucrose (table sugar) contains fifty percent fructose however it's fructose is bound to glucose. In high fructose corn syrup, the fructose is unattached from the other forty-five percent of its composition. Having "free" fructose alters the hearts use of important minerals.

Now the most noticeable effects of high fructose corn syrup include problems with the liver disease, heart failure, minerals, osteoporosis, micronutrients, accelerated aging, and copper deficiency. And since high fructose corn syrup changes the balance of nutrients, it also can lead problems with vitamin and mineral deficiency. One of the organs that is most affected by high fructose corn syrup is the liver, and researchers have found that high fructose has the same effect on the liver as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

As fructose is absorbed by the second part of the small intestine, the jejunum, the liver has the task of converting the fructose to triglycerides which is easier than converting glucose into triglycerides. Elevated levels of triglycerides lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
Heart disease is when something obstructs the heart from functioning properly. Damage to the heart can develop from obstructions in the coronary arteries or from a dysfunctional heart. High fructose corn syrup promotes heart disease. In addition, high fructose corn syrup causing an increase in triglycerides also causes a decrease in essential minerals. High fructose corn syrup creates a cascade effect; by altering the intake of magnesium consumers of HFCS are put at risk of another dangerous disease.

"Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break" (National Osteoporosis Foundation). Altered magnesium levels speeds up bone loss that occurs naturally with aging. Calcium helps maintain bone, so when calcium is not as readily available and magnesium levels are not balanced, the risk of osteoporosis rises dramatically. Osteoporosis most commonly affects the bones in the hip, wrist, and spine. If not prevented osteoporosis triggers bone fragility to the point of bone fracture; this can cause permanent damage, deformity or death. Fractures in the spine are especially harmful and result in a loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.

Hopefully this helpful. By the way, you can now reach me at TheAdherent@gmail.com
Thank you for reading,
The Adherent Team (The Adhering Team)