Here is some interesting Bible Trivia from George !! Enjoy !!!

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.

The oldest written language still in existence today is Greek which is the original language of the New Testament. Hebrew is the original language of the Old Testament. (*Mycenaean Greek is older than Hebrew)

Portions of the Bible were first translated from Greek into Latin as early as 100 AD. Latin was the Lingua Franca of the vast Roman Empire stretching across Europe.

The various parchments, scrolls and letters known as ‘Holy scriptures’ were first compiled together around 350 AD to form the complete Holy Bible as we know it today. This was done in Rome under the strict supervision of St Jerome. These compiled scriptures were later translated into Latin which was asserted as the main language of the Bible for many centuries afterwards.

Chapters and verses were added to the Bible in 1200 AD.

The Bible was first translated into English in 1382 by John Wycliffe.

The first book ever to be printed was the Bible. According to the Guinness Book of World records, The Latin Gutenberg Bible was the first book to be printed using a mechanical press. This was in 1455.

In 1525 William Tyndale competed the first English translation of the Bible.

In 1611 The King James version became the de facto version of the Holy Bible. King James I instructed the translators only to use original Greek and Hebrew texts.

The First Russian Translation of the Bible was completed in 1870. From 1499, the Old Slavonic Bible was used by Russians and other Slavic speakers.

The Bible is still the most translated book/document in the world today. The complete Holy Bible has been translated into 724 languages. The New Testament has been translated into 1600 languages. Portions of the Bible have been translated into 3589 languages – including Klingon and Elvish. Therefore, 97% of the Worlds population have access to at least some scripture in their own language.

Thanks to the missionaries of SIL (Summer institute of Linguistics) and Wycliffe Bible Translators, remote tribes in Papua New Guinea can hear the Bible in their own language. Some of these languages are only spoken by a few hundred people and have no orthography (writing system) so audio or verbal scripture reading is necessary.

There are 783,137 words in the English Bible (King James Version).

The longest book of the Bible is Jeremiah. The shortest book/letter of the Bible is 3 John.

The name “Jesus” appears over 950 times in the Scriptures.

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“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

(St. Jerome, 4th Century)

Good Morning !! Below is another post from George on Christmas !! Some good info and thoughts !! Enjoy and have a Merry Wonderful Christmas !!!

Today we started our Christmas theme at School. Apart from teaching the kids about traditional Christmas songs and stories in the UK, I asked my teenage class if they knew the true meaning of Christmas.

The response I got was not surprising. They all said things like spending time with family, caring for each other, giving gifts to each other and of course eating lots of good food. Only one student mentioned Jesus.

As Christians we know why we celebrate Christmas, however I still like their response. I don’t think Jesus is offended because people forget his Birthday (which is on the 7th January in Russia). I believe that our Lord and Saviour is happy that people are actually spending time together and loving each other.

However, we must know where love comes from. Everyone who receives a present at Christmas immediately wants to know who gave the present even before they open it. Likewise let’s remind people where all love comes from. Let’s tell people that Jesus is the greatest present to mankind.

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he ‘gifted’ his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:7 
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

1 John 4:8
…God is love.

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From 1647 until 1660, it was illegal to celebrate Christmas in the UK. Oliver Cromwell, a puritan, banned Christmas parties because he thought people had forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.

A Christmas wreath represents the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. The red berries symbolise His blood.

Santa Claus is actually a real person. The Americanised name actually derives from a Dutch man called Sint Niklaus (Saint Nicolas). He was a Christian bishop who lived in the 4th Century (300 AD) . He gave gifts to poorer children and later became the patron Saint of Children. It wasn’t until 1819 that ‘Santa’ acquired his airborne sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.

In England there is still a law that says people must attend Church on Christmas Day. The Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551 states that every citizen must attend a church service on Christmas Day, and must not use any kind of vehicle to get to the service. This law has never been repealed but is not enforced and remains dormant. So how many thousands of people break this law every Christmas ?

God Bless and have a Great Day !!!

George is an interesting guy I meant in a church group a while back !! He sends out these texts occasionally and I think of him, kinda like, an Infomercial for Bible, God and Jesus !!! My ears perked up when I meant him, as my Dad’s name was George!! Good info and good reading from George !! Enjoy!!

I recently visited the beautiful Island of Crete in Greece. Due to the pleasant warm climate, fresh fruits and vegetables such as olives, oranges, grapes, peaches, figs, cactus fruit and bananas are in abudance. The three main export products are olive oil, Grapes and honey.

Various honeys are harvested from different areas of the island. The taste varies according to the flowers the bees feed from. Thyme honey is the most common with its distinct sweet delicate flavour.

In addition to its use as a natural sweetener, honey contains essential vitamins, minerals, zinc (for immunity), iron (for healthy blood) and antioxidants.

Honey is also used as an anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agent. Honey can stay fresh indefinately as it contains hydrogen peroxide  (H2O2) which is unfavourable for bacteria and fungi. In 2015, archaeologists found honey while excavating tombs in Egypt. They estimated the honey to be 3,000-year-old and it was still edible. Honey has no expiry date. These amazing little creatures produce incredible honey that no human could ever replicate in a lab.

The Bible mentions honey many times when refering to our physical and spiritual well-being. God says ‘A land flowing with milk and honey’ as a reference to physical well-being (fertility and prosperity).

The Bible also uses honey as an analogy for our spiritual well-being (emotional health and wisdom). The Word of God is as honey to the soul. Like honey, the Word of God is infinite. It will never expire.

Psalms 119:103
How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 19:7-10

7. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; … sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Ezekiel 3:3
3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

So let all our words be like honey to the souls of others. Let our words be sweet, not bitter.

Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Job 21:25
While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good !!

God Bless and Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Happy Healthy New Year !!!

The Art of Procrastination,,, Maybe one of my Greatest Achievements and my Greatest Failure !!!

So what is the Art of Procrastination ??? Well,,, for me,,, is the known ability to do anything other,,,, then what I know I should be doing !! Fact of the matter is,,, I have been practicing this art to not write about this art ??? Pretty sad huh ???

In my mind and my own experiences, there are two types of Procrastination ,,,, Earthly and Heavenly !!

Let me start with Earthy procrastination !!!

TV is my favorite mode of earthly procrastination ,,, set and watch some mindless non-thinking show so I don’t do what I know I need to be doing,, and then to use it as a lame excuse !!

Now watching a bit of TV is not, in and of itself,,, necessary a bad thing unless you are using it, or over using it, as an excuse to not do what you know you need to be doing- For me, in college,,, it was TV instead of going to class or studying,,, at home it may be not helping around the house or fixing what needs to be fixed or not playing with the kids,,,, at work it may be now finishing the report or just not taking care of business,,, the list is endless !!!

We all know when we are procrastinating ,,, the trick is to just start doing what you know you need to be doing (Get off your Duff),,, and then the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction will kick in and you are on your way !!!

Now Heavenly Procrastination !!

For me this can be a problem as well !!! Sometimes praying or meditating can be a form of procrastination ,,, for me !! Now don’t get me wrong,, Praying is probably the most productive, satisfying and peaceful thing you can do,,, if praying to Jesus ,,,, but it can be an excuse to not do what he is convicting you to do !!!

For instance he convicts me of something he wants me to do or work to accomplish,,, but my selfishness or pride or bullheadedness kicks in and I will pray and meditate and pray and meditate on it or anything else to not have to start the process he wants me to begin !!! Heavenly Procrastination !!!

Here’s the problem,,, he knows your heart, thoughts and all your motives !!! Guess What ??? You are fooling no-one but yourself !! What’s that ole saying,,,, “You can run,,, but you can’t hide”

In my experience ,,, Procrastination Praying,,, won’t produce the results you hope for !!! But you can always pray for the strength and willpower to get you out of the Procrastination cycle,,, and that,,, will bring you positive results and peace of mind !!

God Bless and have a Great Day !!!