Vertical Thought: January - March 2011

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2/242 Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 011 V e r t i c a l T h o u g h t . o r g

I you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one book to read, what

would it be? Other than one on how to survive on a desert island or how to get of a

desert island, what would you choose?

I You Had Only One Book

Cuius, I peuse an nline iscussin thisvey questin. As ne wul expect, thee was avaiety pinins. Amazingly, nt a single pesnselecte the Bible even thugh it is by a the best-selling bk all time (Russell Ash, Te op 10 oEverything, p. 112).

Inically, peple buy Bibles, but appaently they

nt ea them. At least thats what seems t be thecase accing t a ecent suvey by the Pew Fumn Religin an Public Lie. Te aveage espnentt this suvey cectly answee nly hal the32 questins abut the Bible an the aspects eligin. (Inically, atheists sce highe thanChistians!)

Tis yea is a signicant yea in the histy the Bible. Exactly 400 yeas ag in 1611, theKing James Vesin became available t English-speaking peple. In the ensuing yeas this tansla-tin has ha an enmus impact n Westen

natins. But will the aveage pesn even be awae this histical milestne? Be sue t ea the ati-cle Yu Bible Is 400 Yeas Ol me etails.

S lets say yu selecte the Bible as yu bk tea while stane n a eset islan. What aesme its key pints?

Jesus, the Sn G, sai that Gs ws, whichae ece us in the Bible, ae tuth (Jhn17:17). Put anthe way, we can be abslutely suethat whateve G says is accuate. I He says sme-thing wil l cme t pass, it will. When He explainshw t have g elatinships with thes, what

He eveals works.

In aitin t explaining what G is ing an

hw we can live bette lives, Gs W eveals uspiitual ptential t becme pat His etenalamily. As Jhn 1:12 says, But as many as eceiveHim, t them He gave the ight t becme chilen G, t thse wh believe in His name. An even me sbeing signicance, each us will bejuge by what is witten in the Bible (Revelatin20:12).

Recgnizing these pinciples, Paul tl imthythat the Hly Sciptues ae able t make yu wise salvatin (2 imthy 3:15). Why? Because, asPaul cntinue, all Sciptue is given by inspiatin

G, an isptable ctine, ep, cectin, instuctin in ighteusness,that the man G may be cmplete, thughlyequippe evey g wk (veses 16-17).

As benecial an imptant as the Bible is, it is n value unless ne eas it an applies its timelessinstuctins. In this issue we aw yu attentint the 400th annivesay the King James Vesin the Bible an highlight this bks cntinuingelevance. We hpe it will inspie yu t be like the

peple Beea wh eceive the w with alleainess, an seache the Sciptues aily t nut whethe these things wee s (Acts 17:11).

Vertical Thoughtis a biblically based magazine of understanding foryoung people aged 12-22. Our name, Vertical Thought, is derived fromColossians 3:1-2, which tells us to think about godly things which areabove, where Christ is. Vertical Thoughtis published quarterly by theUnited Church of God, an International Association, 555 TechnecenterDrive, Milford, OH 45150. 2011 United Church of God, an International

Association. Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction in anyform without written permission is prohibited.

Publisher: United Church o God, an International AssociationCouncil of Elders:Scott Ashley, David Baker, Bob Berendt, Mike Black-

well, Aaron Dean, Bill Eddington, Jim Franks, Darris McNeely, Me l-

vin Rhodes (chairman), Mario Seiglie, David Treybig, Robin Web-

ber Church president: Dennis Luker Media operations manager: Peter

Eddington Managing editor: David Treybig Staff: Dan Dowd, Larry

Greider, Doug Horchak, Mario Seiglie, Amanda Stiver, Randy

Stiver, Ken Treybig, Graphic art: Shaun Venish Copy editors:

Becky Bennett, Mike Bennett, Tom Robinson Proofreader: Deb-

bie Pennington Web design: Aaron Booth Editorial reviewers:

James Capo, Todd Carey, Paul Luecke, Doug Johnson, JimServidio

Ironically, people buy Bibles, but

apparently they dont read them. At

least thats what seems to be the case

according to a recent survey by the

Pew Forum on Religion and Public Lie.

Vantage Point David Treybig, Managing Editor


3/24Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 011 3

To request a ree subscription to Vertical Thought,

visit our Web site at www.VerticalThought.org and

locate the ofce nearest you.

Vertical Thought is sent free to all who request it.

Your subscription is provided by the voluntary con-

tributions of members of the United Church of God,

an International Association, and others. Donations

are gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible in theUnited States and Canada. Scriptural references are

from the New King James Version (1988 Thomas

Nelson, Inc., publishers) unless otherwise noted.

Unsolicited materials: Due to stafng limitations,

unsolicited materials sent to Vertical Thought will

not be critiqued or returned. By their submission,

authors agree that submitted materials become

the property o the United Church o God, an

International Association, to use as it sees ft. Thisagreement is controlled by Caliornia law.

Your Bible Is

400 Years OldTe groundbreaking King James

Version of the Bible was completed

in 1611.

Is the Bible Still Relevantin the 21st Century?Te Bible is almost 3,500 years old.

How can anything so ancient have

any relevance today?

Keys to Understandingthe BibleHow can one make sense of the

Word of God? Here are a few

basics.

Whats in It for Me?Many people today ask them-selves WIIFM?

Money Management 101In this tugh ecnmy, hee ae

sme tips saving an spening

yu ha-eane cash.

Porn CausesBrain Damage

In todays culture, porn is notgoing away. You can avoid the

damage this sin causes.

A Life Without Regrets?Mst us have sme egets that

aect us, u amily an iens.

Hw can yu minimize them in

yu lie?

4

8

10

1214

16

18

2 Vantage Point20 Life on Campus

22 In the News

Contents

4

10

12

18

Features


4/244 Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 11 V e r t i c a l T h o u g h t . o r g

P h o t o s : i S t o c k p h o t o

W i k i m e d i a

b y R a n d y S t i v e r

4 0 0 Y E A R S O F T H E K I N G J A M E S B I B L E

The King James Bible is like a laptpatabase ull ivine tuth, malteaching, supei insight an phenm-enal sties mankins quest t knw G. An being 400 yeas l, it still lks petty g! Illbet mst the laptps wnt last a tiny actin

that timen will they e yu etenal lie!

May 2, 2011, maks the 400th annivesay this emakable English tanslatin the HlySciptues. Une the auspices King James I Englan, a highly qualie English-speakingteam Bible schlas investe u vigus yeastanslating the amazingly amus King James (Authize) Vesin the Bible. Upn its cmple-tin an mass uplicatin via the pinting pess,the cmmn peple cul ea Gs W in thecmmn language the ealm.

Acts aith, pesecutin, eteminatin, miaclesan matym unl in the emakable sty hw the Bible that yu hl cul hlnyu lap came t be. Te impact the King Jamestanslatin vibantly aects u wl even tay.

The Bible beore English

A lng, lng time ag in a egin a, a away (unlessyu live in the Mile East), G mtivate sme40 men ve a span abut 15 centuies t witeHis ivine W. Tats a miacle! Althugh eachwte in his wn style, the ws wee given byinspiatin G (2 imthy 3:16).

Mses, in the mi-1400s B.C., began witing the Olestament in the Hebew language with the bk

Genesis. By A.D. 100, Jhn the apstle cncluethe New estament, peseve in Geek, with thegeat pphetic bk Revelatin. All tl, theeae 66 bks that make up u men Bible (smeOl estament bks wee in ancient times cm-bine, s the iginal ttal wul have been 49). Te

wBible itsel cmes m the Geek w biblia,meaning bks.

Only thse wh knew Hebew Geek cul eaSciptue until a Latin tanslatin was cmpleteaun A.D. 400. Tat st as the cial vesin 1,000 yeas in Eupe an Nth Aica. Astime went by, ew aveage peple cul ea Latin.An the minant, taitinal Chistian leaeshiptightly cntlle the cmmn mans access t thewitten Bible, eectively peventing him m ea-ing it. Obviusly, the eligius authities at thattime ha seius cntl issues!

Translation troubleAmng the ew ealy tanslatins t a cmmnlanguage (the than Latin Geek), we n theAngl-Saxn Gspels (nly u bks the Newestament) in A.D. 995. Late, thee wee Fenchan Spanish tanslatins use by the ten bilin-gual English nbility. Othewise, it was Latin nthingnly the piests cul tell intepetwhat was in the Sciptues, especially the masses cmmn lk.

Histically, the Angl-Saxn lve eem hastaken n legenay status, an that sense libety

stie inteest in an English tanslatin in the1380s. Jhn Wyclie, an English thelgian, pub-

Te King James Version, or Authorized Version, of the Bible was completed in 1611.Even if you have a more modern English version, it owes a great deal to

this groundbreaking translation.


5/24Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 11 5

lishe han-cpie vlumes his wn English tanslatin the Latin Bible. A billiant man at s with the establishechuch, Wyclie was eventually eclae a heetic ue t histanslatin an publicatin the Sciptues in the cmmnEnglish. S angy was the eligius establishment that leaes the Cathlic Chuch in Rme ee his bnes exhumean bune in 1428sme 40 yeas ate his eath!

By the mi-1400s, the Gutenbeg pinting pess wasinvente, evlutinizing the manuactue an availability all bks, but especially the Bible. One ealy custme wasDesieius Easmus, a Dutch schla an expet in Geek.Fm ealy manuscipts, he assemble a me accuate cpy the New estament in Geek than the cial Latin vesinuse by the Rman chuch. His wk (publishe in 1516) isknwn as the extus Receptus, that is, the Receive ext,m which the New estament in the King James Bible waslate tanslate.

The Reormation

Te mvement away m the ppes cmplete eligius mi-

natin taitinal Chistianity was gaining mmentumaun this time. One yea late, in 1517, Matin Lutheeectively launche a ptest against a numbe RmanCathlic ctines an pactices, hence the tem Protestant.

Luthe tanslate the Bible int Geman, an a billiant anbave Bitish thelgian name William ynale tanslatethe New estament m Easmus Geek extus Receptus intEnglish. In 1526, ynale, t, mae use the pinting ev-lutin. Te Rman chuch leaes in Englan wee s enageat ynale publishing his tanslatin that he was ce t mst his wk in seclusin in Gemany Hllan.

Histians call Wil liam ynale the achitect the English

language, lagely because the beauty an accuacy hisBible tanslatin. Ha as it might be t believe, cnsieing

the shallw, secula-mineness u gless centuy, theBible punly shape the language, cultue an histy the English-speaking natins!

Eucate at Ox Cllege an fuent in eight languages, M.ynale puce such a ne tanslatin the Bible that asignicant ptin his wing was caie ve int theKing James Vesin. But he tanslate at the ultimate cst.

Renwne late pecipitating the Ptestant Rematinin Englan, King Heny VIII suppte the ppe uing hisealy eign. Saly, bth the kings peatives an Rmanchuch agents hunte wn an impisne ynale. Ate500 ays in eplable cnitins, llwe by a sham tial,the geat English Bible tanslat was stangle an buneat the stake in 1536.

Countdown to King James

Duing the next 75 yeas leaing t the publicatin theKing James Vesin, mvement twa inceasing Angl-Saxn eem stuggle, tk t an nally blme une

Queen Elizabeth I. Duing that pei, the Bible cul be eaan appeciate by the cmmn man thugh ynales tans-latinithe cmmne cul btain a cpy. Hweve, thepcess putting a Bible int the han evey man wulnee anthe bstan wul bing me ama.

At Elizabeths eath, he secn cusin King James VI Sctlan was cwne King James I Englan an Ielanin 1603. Te next yea, he hste the amus Hamptn CutCneence eligius leaes t hea the Puitans easns ppsing the cupte Latin Bible. As king, he thenecee that a new tanslatin the Sciptues shul bemae.

Cntl issues esuace with a vilent vengeance in 1605.Rman chuch supptes attempte a bly cup etat byhiing a massive stckpile gunpwe in the basement the Huse Cmmns, intening t blw up James an theentie Bitish gvenment when the king came t aessPaliament. Divine inteventin pevaile. Te GunpwePlt was iscvee an euse.

James invlve himsel in the tanslatin pcess by ga-nizing highly esteeme teams Geek, Hebew an Bibleschlas base at the eucatin centes Ox, Cambigean Westminste in 1607. Ate u yeas systematic ancaeully eviewe tanslatin, the Authize King James

Vesin the entie Bible was nalize publicatin in1611.

John Wyclie Desiderius Erasmus Martin LutherWilliam Tyndale James I o England

Acts of faith, persecution,miracles and martyrdom unfoldin the remarkable story of how

the Bible came to be.



P h o t o :

W i k i m e d i a

The Bible is a unique book in the annals

o history. Not only is it one o the most

accurately and thoroughly preserved

books o antiquity, it also stands aloneas a record o Gods instruction or

subsequent generations on how to live.

In his Bible history classic,All About

the Bible, Sidney Collett writes that

the Bible was written over a period

o about 1600 years (between 1500

B.C. and A.D. 100) by about orty

persons, in all stations o lie (20th ed.,

p. 11). Critics say this compromises the

integrity o the Biblethat a book written

over that long a period and by that many

people couldnt be an inspired book

directed by God. But is this the case?

The Bible would have to be inspired by

God to be taken seriously.

There is one very important

commonality in the writing o the Bible,

and that commonality is Gods hand.

Even though the writers were kings,

statesmen, herdsmen, fshermen,

armers, priests, prophets, a physician,

a rabbi, a tax collector and more, the

entire work does not contradict itsel. Its

themeGods plan or mankindis

consistent rom beginning to end.

The Bible is not simply a collection o

dierent writers, or all Scripture is

given by inspiration o God (2 Timothy

3:16). The apostle Paul also noted that

the Bible contains the oraclesthe

sayings and teachingso God

(Romans 3:2).

For urther reading, we encourage you

to access other booklets and articles

written to address the truth o the Bible

at www.ucg.org:

Is the Bible True?www.GNmagazine.

org/booklets/BT/BT.pd

How to Understand the Bible, www.

GNmagazine.org/booklets/UB/UB.pd

The Bible and Archaeology, Sections

1-12 (www.GNmagazine.org/booklets/

BA1/BA1.pd) and Sect ions 13-24

(www.GNmagazine.org/booklets/BA2/

BA2.pd)

Has the Bible Been Preserved

Accurately? www.ucg.org/reprints/pd/BiblePreservedAccurately.pd

Dan Dowd


The power o the King James translation

Te esnant tnes the new tanslatin ewgeatly m giants biblical schlaship likeWilliam ynale an seveal ealie English tansla-ts. Cmbine with avances in Geek an Hebew

schlaship an the cnsieable knwlege base the King James tanslatin team, an accuatean almst timelessly eaable English Bible waspuce. In the venacula, this tanslatin halegsit wul be the Bible t cnvey Gs Wthughut the English-speaking wl with hugeamicatins t men histy.

It was sn caie int the ealy Ameican clniesan, as the Authize Vesin, became the Bible all the Bitish Empie.

Te cnstant pesence the 1611 tanslatinunie the mal ce, thugh impeectly, the

Angl-Saxn ppulatins wlwie. It cnsli-ate bth the spken an witten language anattenant cultue that pave the way an unpa-allele English-speaking le in wl events thellwing 400 yeas.

Translate this

Te Bitish an Ameican peples tk theSciptuesmae eaily eaable t them in theKing James Bibleseiusly. Tis Bible instucteEnglish justice all the natins it gvene u-ing the heyay the Bitish Empie. A King JamesVesineaing public geneate Ameican cn-

stitutinal law. As a testament t bth Gs Wan this tanslatin, Ameicans pste the en

Cmmanments in schls, cuthuses an thegvenment builings.

Bitain an the Unite States became the tw geatemcacies that have minate an infuencethe wl amatically since 1800an haveee pptunity an eem t peple aun

the glbe. Althugh nt ully cmpehene bythse wh ee it, the ivine law stuie in the

How the Bible Was Written



O making many books there is no end.

So said Solomon in Ecclesiastes 12:12.

We could take Solomons statement and

extend it to Bible translations. Go into any

good bookstore and you can easily be

overwhelmed with dozens and dozens o

Bible translations rom which to choose.

Which one do you choose to study GodsWord and learn His way?

There are three main types o Bible

translations: word-or-word, thought-or-

thought and paraphrase. A word-or-word

translation attempts to translate each Hebrew

or Greek word into a corresponding English

word. However, some consider a word-

or-word translation harder to understand,

particularly when it comes to fgures o

speech that are not used in modern culture.

Two examples o word-or-word translations

are the King James Version and the New

King James Version.

The thought-or-thought translations seek

to express the meaning o each sentence

or paragraph rom the original language in

simple up-to-date English without being

tied to translating every word. As such,these types o translations should not be

exclusively relied on or doctrinal study. The

New International Version is perhaps the

most well-known o the thought-or-thought

translations.

A paraphrased translation has the primary

goal o conveying the Bible in a simple, easy-

to-understand language without regard to

word-or-word or even thought-or-thought

expressions o the original languages. The

authors oten exercise poetic license,

leaving great room or personal religious

ideas.

The United Church o God, which publishes

Vertical Thought, uses the New King James

Version as its standard English-language

translation. We recommend this as a good

all-around translation or everyday use.Thought-or-thought translations can be good

secondary sources or simply reading Gods

Word or or rounding out an understanding o

Scripture. The truth is, all Bible translations

contain some human error, so its best to use

several versions in study.

For more inormation on this topic, read

the online article Which Bible Translation

Should I Use? at www.ucg.org/reprints/pd/

WhichBible.pd

Dan Dowd

Types of Bible Translations

NASB New American Standard Bible

AMP Amplifed Bible

ESV English Standard Version

RSV Revised Standard Version

KJV King James Version

NKJV New King James Version

HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

NAB New American Bible

NJB New Jerusalem Bible

NIV New International Version

TNIV Todays New International Version

NCV New Century Version

NLT New Living Translation

NIrV New International Readers Version

GNT Good News Translation(also Good News Bible)

CEV Contemporary English Version

TLB The Living Bible

MSG The Message

King James Bible spawne that eem. Atheism ha nth-ing t with this pphesie natinal geatness Bitainan Ameica. It was m G Himsel.

Hweve, G esaw an ece the eep tuble thatthe English-speaking natins nw ace pecisely because theyigne an vilate the tuth His way giving, shaing ancaing taught in the same Bible. Request wnla yupesnal cpy the ee bklet Te United States and Britain

in Bible Prophecy at www.GNmagazine.g/bklets s yu canbette unestan the biblical pptins what G sai.

Finally, althugh yu Bible (i yu speak English) is 400 yeasl in 2011an the Bible itsel is, cuse, a le thanthatits etenally new! Nw its yu tun t tanslate theHly Sciptues int aith an actin in yu lie. Jesus saithat yuan He meantyoushall knw the tuth, an thetuth the Bible shall make yu ee (Jhn 8:32). Rea it,lean it, lve it an lve the geat G wh inspie it!

Randy Stiver is the pastor o United Church o God congregations in

Columbus and Cambridge, Ohio.




Int think u paents eve eally sawu geneatin cming. Tey gew up ina wl whee peple stetche a llaas a as they cul, an when smething ippe,they put a patch n it an kept ging. Mst their

paents ganpaents emembe living thughthe Geat Depessin, whee just having anything,n matte hw l, was a big eal.

The pace o change

But us? Wee a ieent bee. We tea thughtechnlgy an clthes like bags ptat chips. Ave-yea-l cmpute may as well be an ancientpttey sha. While yu wee busy blinking,eveything wne by eveyne else just gt sleeke,aste an me expensive. Mst cell phnestay cul utpem the st cmpute I eveemembe using.

It was my amilys l Packa Bell, which Im justnw iscveing was anke byPC Worldas thewst manuactue PC all time. But we stilllike it at the time. I think i I ha t g back anuse it nw, I be pulling my hai utbecausetay, it wul be like enteing a hse-awncaiage in a stck-ca ace.

An thats petty much u wl in a nutshellutate in mnths, bslete in a ew yeas. Tecncept a ecae becmes ughly equivalent tancient histy.

S when smene pints ut that pats the Bibleae almst 31/2 millennia l, its n supise thatmy hea has a slight bit iculty gappling withthse numbes.

Te w millennium is Latin in igin an ees (Iam cnvince) t the length time that passes u-ing ne thse amily a tips that invlve yubeing stuck between yu bthe an siste in theback seat with yu eet n that stupi little humpwhen yu siste wnt stp pking yu an Mom,shes not staying on her side, and I have to go to the bath-room, and are we there yet, are we there yet, are we thereyet?, in simple tems, a thusan yeas.

Almst 3,500 yeas l. Tats insane. Hw can

anything that ancient pssibly have any elevancetay?

It cant, a lt peple will tell yu. Teyll say thatthe Bible is just like my l Packa Belluseulnce upn a time, but nw nthing me than an

utme elic a bygne ea. Sciety has changesince then, an s has what enes ight anwng.

Teyll tell yu this as thei lveless maiages cl-lapse int petty isputes, as thei cicle ienswinles because thei tenency t ben thetuth an stab backs, as thei bies ae wackewith the eects sexual ly tansmitte iseases substance abuse, as thei ceit ca bills swallwthei bank accunts whleas thei lives sel-estuct.

Unchanging constants

Te agument almst makes sense n the suace.Ate al l, eveything changes, esnt it? Scietalvalues shit acss istance an time. What wasacceptable ess in 14th-centuy Japan wul likelybe wne upn in a 21st-centuy Ameican busi-ness meeting. S it nly makes sense that ight anwng, like all things scietal, wul change as acultue es.

But tuth is nt a suit. It is nt an utt t be mixean matche, iscae an eplace t keep instep with the latest tens. Its an unchangingcnstant unaltee by time cultue.

Imagine a man abut t walk a cl i. A panickecw iens behin him sceams wanings,

Is the Bible Still Relevant

In the 21st

Century?b y J e r e m y L a l l i e r

In this modern world, is this old, old book worth reading?

If the physical laws of thisexistence are unchanging,why would the spirituallaws be any different?



begging him nt t it. Te man pauses in mi stie antuns aun. Dnt wy! he tells them. I nt believein gavity. Its an achaic iea that just esnt t int mypesnal wlview. With that, he takes his nal step vethe ege.

D yu think gavity wil l be paying paticula attentin tthe mans wlview?

Yu thughts an eelings n the physical ces in natueae petty ielevant. Gavity will cntinue t hl thematte the univese tgethe, egaless yu pininn its necessity. Yu might isagee with the laws ine-tia, but a alling bject can still give yu a nasty buise i ithits yu. Yu cant systematically wish away aspects theunivese just because yu nt agee with them. Teyestill thee, an, whethe nt yu believe in them, theyestill ging t inteact with yulike gavity pulling a manwn a cli.

I the physical laws this existence ae unchanging, whywul the spiritual laws be any ieent?

Essential guidelines o eternal value

What the Bible es is a guiebk t inteactinswithpeple, with things, with lie in geneal. Rathe than leaveyu t gue ut the spiitual equivalent walking acli n yu wn, the W G lays ut all the pinciplesyull eve nee t make the imptant ecisins in yulie. In its pages, yull n a thugh examinatin whatmakes a g iea an what makes a teible ne.

Te Bible eals with questins like:

What yu when yue ace with an intepesnalcnfict? (See Matthew 5:23-24; 18:15-17.)

Hw shul yu teat the mst imptant elatinshipsin yu lie? (See Ephesians 5:22-33; 6:1-4.)

Hw can yu put yu t wn n an issue an stillshw cmpassin? (See Luke 17:3; Pvebs 10:12.)

It als eals with chaacte taits wth evelping (1

Cinthians 13:4-8; 2 Pete 1:5-8), habits wth aviing(Pvebs 6:9-19), iens wth having (Pvebs 27:17;Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) an maybe a thusan the thingsessential t getting the mst ut this liean thenext. Stuy its ws a lietime, an yu wnt stpuncveing wism until yu nal beath.

Sue, its l. But l esnt autmatically mean bslete,cntay t eveything u cultue wul have us believe.Fictin is l, t, but yu nt see it being eplaceby anything. (Which is geat, because Im nt big npepetual mtin as a way lie.)

S, is the Bible still elevant ate all these yeas? Well,

hees the thing: It is, an we cul tell yu all abut whyuntil the cws cme hme. But yue nt ging t eallybelieve us until yu pve it t yusel, which yu can ne tw ways. Yu can llw the Bibles ws an eapthe benets, yu can igne them an let the things yueuse t see beak yu t pieces.

Eithe way, yull n the answe.

(F a quick guie t sme the mst elevant elatin-ship tips, ea equestMaking Lie Work at www.ucg.g/bklets.)

Jeremy Lallier attends university in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he alsoworks part-time at the home oce o the United Church o God.

The Bible is almost 3,500 years old.

How can anything so ancient possiblyhave any relevance today?



The Bible may be the mst cntvesialall-time best-selling bk. Millinscnsie it t be the w itten W the tue G, an even thse wh nt accept it asivinely inspie ten still ega it as a cllectin sme the geatest liteatue in the wl.

It is ten use as a suce encuagement intimes iculty an stess. Yet thes eject it,saying it is cnusing an ha t unestan.

Ae yu ne thse wh believe the Bible isinspie by G but have tuble unestaning it?Wul yu like t get me benet m the Biblein u men wl? Tese tips can help yu gaina bette unestaning the mst pweul anelevant bk yu will eve stuy.

Gods Word

Its been sai that n ne is ttally unbiase. Weall ea, hea an see things m u wn pe-snal pespective, which is ten shape by ubackgun an lie expeiences. Tat means weten t intepet what we see, hea an ea basen what we aleay knw have expeience. Iwe appach the Bible m this cmmn humanpespective, we will miss much what G wantsus t gain m it.

In Isaiah 55:8-9 G says His ways an thughtsae vastly supei t u human ways anthughts. We ae extemely limite cmpae tG. We knw that we equie xygen t suvive,

will nly live a limite numbe ecaes anmust eat, ink an sleep t maintain u lives.G equies nne this because He lives eveas spiit. He ceate eveything that existsbthvisible an invisiblethugh the One wh becameJesus Chist, as explaine in Clssians 1:15-17.Te One wh ceate us is (an always will be)supei t us.

Tat being the case, we must appach Gs Weay t be inspie, eay t listen an with anattitue being willing t change u views. Tatis the ce the message Jesus bught when He

live as G in the fesh. Matthew 4:17 an Mak1:15 bth say that when Jesus began t peach,

His ce message was t cmman all peple tepentwhich means t change.

S t get the mst ut the Bible, we must be will-ing t accept it as Gs instuctin bk Hisceatinhuman liean be will ing t change

u pespective t match His, n matte whatchanges in u thinking that equies us.

Think addition

Many wh ty t isceit the Bible it n thebasis passages they see as cntaicty. Fexample, i ne Gspel wite ecs an event anees t sme aspect that the the Gspel witesnt mentin, a skeptic might punce n that ansay the Bible is uneliable. But it is imptant tthink aitin when eaing the Bible. In thews, lk t assemble all the pieces inma-tin given by the Bible wites t get the cmplete

pictue. G inspie wites m many ieentbackguns, pesnality ty pes an cultues tec His W ve a pei abut 1,500 yeas.

Mst the Bible is witten with sme inmatinin ne place an me in anthe, s that it takeset t get the ull pictue.

Wise King Slmn expesse it this way inPvebs 25:2: It is the gly G t cnceala matte, but the gly kings is t seach ut amatte.

One example this is the histical accunt

Satans tempting Chist. Matthew 4 ecs thatSatan tk Jesus up t the tp a pinnacle n thetemple in Jeusalem an challenge Him t thwHimsel . Satan qute Psalm 91:11-12, whichsays G will ptect us with His angels, even tthe pint hling us up s we nt ash u tagainst a stne. Jesus ecgnize the incmpletepespective an euse t that, saying it is alswitten that we shul nt tempt ( test) G,quting a ttally ieent pat Sciptue inDeutenmy 6:16.

It will take wk t a thugh seach t n all

the elevant passages in the Bible abut a paticulatpic. But emembe, Jesus sai the path t etenal

Keys toUnderstanding the Bible

b y K e n T r e y b i g

How can one make sense of the Word of God? Here are a few basics.




lie is nt the ba an easy path. It is the naw an i-cult ne (Matthew 7:13-14). Tinking aitin will helpyu ealize the value in stuying the cmplete Biblentjust pat it.

Various types o material

When stuying the Bible, it is als imptant t ealizethee is a lt vaiety in the mateial G has ece us. Yu will n thee ae naative passages thatsimply tell what happene, such as in the ceatin accuntin Genesis. Tee ae passages that ec histicalinmatin, such as events in the lives Abaham, Isaac

an Jacb (in Genesis 12-50), ancient Isael (much the Ol estament), the ealy New estament Chuch(especially the bk Acts).

Othe passages cus n instuctin in ight living(Pvebs, mst Pauls epistles an the bks).An thee is a lt pphecy in bth the Ol an Newestaments. Naative has a vey ieent eel an pu-pse than passages that instuct us in ight living (thepcess leaning t think an act me like G). Anbth thse ae vey ieent m eaing pphecy,which tells in avance abut events that will cme t pass.Knwing hw t ecgnize each type an whee yu ae

mst likely t n it will be a big key t inceasing yuunestaning.

Basic time line

In aitin, having a basic time line the Bible will helpyu bette ecgnize what type passage yu ae likely tea in any bk sectin the Bible.

Genesis is a bk abut the stat many thingsmceatin t the extene amily Abaham, which

became bth the natin Isael an seveal thenatins. Exus thugh 2 Chnicles cves the histy Isael being ee m bnage in Egypt, inheitingthe Pmise Lan, epeate ppessin uing the time the juges, the unite mnachy an then splitting intthe tw natins Isael an Juah, an eventually gingint captivity epeately beaking thei cvenant withG.

Eza an Nehemiah tell the etun the Jews tJeusalem ate 70 yeas captivity. Te pphetic bkswee witten uing the time the kingms Isaelan Juah. Te est the bks in the Ol estament ae

mstly pety an wism liteatue cllecte an wittenuing the same time peiaun 1,400 B.C. t 400B.C.

Te New estament cves the lie an teachings Chistin the ealy st centuy (the u Gspel accunts), thehisty the ealy Chuch (Acts), an the epistles (let-tes) m vaius apstles t chuches iniviualsuing the st centuy. It ens with the pphetic bk Revelatina capstne n the whle Biblein whichthe apstle Jhn was shwn specic etails what wullea up t the etun Jesus Chist t eath.

Plan o salvation

Finally, it is als g t have a basic unestaning Gs plan salvatin, which can be simplie as the p-cess a new ceatin. G ceate peple with the pten-tial t be change int spiit beings wh will live evewith Him. Tat pcess equies human beings t epent,accept Jesus Chist as thei Savi an be change (cn-vete) t think an act me like G. Te whle pcessis utline in the estivals G establishe mankin.F me etails n that tpic, please ee t u tw-patseies Gs Feasts Answe the Big Questins in theApil-June an July-Septembe 2010 issues VerticalTought (an u ee bklet Gods Holy Day Plan: Te

Promise o Hope or All Mankindat www.ucg.g/bklets).

Tese tips wnt answe all the questins yu will haveabut the Bible, but they can get yu n the a t abette unestaning an will help yu live in a waythat pleases G. As the apstle Paul wte t the yungevangelist imthy in 2 imthy 3:16-17, All Sciptue isgiven by inspiatin G, an is ptable ctine, ep, cectin, instuctin in ighteus-ness, that the man G many be cmplete, thughlyequippe evey g wk.

Ken Treybig is the national coordinator o United Youth Camps.

He is also the pastor o the United Church o God congregation inEast Texas.

Thinking addition willhelp you realize the value instudying the complete Bible.



WIIFM (Whats In It F Me?), whethe texte,tweete vebalize in pesn, is an expessinthats becme inceasingly ppula.

Sme say the questin is nly talking abut iscveing theeal value in expeiences a pesn. Yet thse wh askthis questin ae ten seen as selsh. Tey ae viewe assel-centee an less likely t nate thei time esucest anything (incluing altuistic causes) unless they eceivesmething tangible in etun.

The narcissism epidemic

Being wappe up in nesel is nt new. Te attitues beenaun 6,000 yeas, an we human beings have mae ahabit it. It seems that being vely peccupie with sel(als knwn as narcissism) is a gwing pat pst mencultue.

Psychlgy pesss Jean wenge an W. Keith Campbellstate: With the cllapse the ceit bubble an the eep

ecessin, Ameicans nw clealy see the wnsies vecnence A natinal pll in June 2009 un that 2ut 3 cllege stuents agee thei geneatin was menacissistic than thei peecesssa emakably hn-est amissin an unfatteing ptait (Te NarcissismEpidemic: Living in the Age o Entitlement, 2009, p. ix).

We n that G etl this lve sel as ne theutcmes a wl gne wila wl peil an cnfictwhee mans selshness will lea t his glbal emise.

G inspie the apstle Paul t wite t the yung evange-list imthy: But knw this, that in the last ays peilustimes will cme: F men will be lves themselves, lves

mney, bastes, pu unlving haughty, lves pleasue athe than lves G (2 imthy 3:1-4). OuCeat knew, in avance, that nacissism an sel-absp-tin wul thive in epiemic pptins at the time theen.

Give versus get

As we see u cultue vitual ly spinting wn the path sel-aatin, we can see that many in u wl tayhave a pblem! What abut yu? Funamentally, peple aeeithe gives gettes.

As eseach shws, mst us all n the sie actu-

ally being a gette! We human beings ae petty g atsel-pesevatin an ae wie t think uselves st

bee sacicing saving the lives thes. In act, whenan exceptin happens t this ule, when peple set anexample sevice an pesnal sacice the benet thes, they ae celebate as hees an smetimes evengiven awas an meals hn thei actins.

Tusans yeas mans histy have pven that thistenency twa sel-centee thinking has esulte in thevilent, ivie an tuble cnitins we n n eath

tay. Jesus Chist knew this wul be the cause mansemise, as witnesse in His teaching.

In Jhn 15:13 Jesus explaine, Te geatest lve yu canhave yu iens is t give yu lie them (GNews anslatin). Put ieently, we shul cnsie thenees thes bee u wn. Cming m the Sn G, this was a summatin His slutin wl peace

a change in the way we think.

Paul eche this same pinciple when He wte: Let nthingbe ne thugh selsh ambitin cnceit, but in lwliness min let each esteem thes bette than himsel. Let each yu lk ut nt nly his wn inteests, but als theinteests thes. Let this min be in yu which was als inChist Jesus (Philippians 2:3-5).

Thinking outside the sel-serving box in Zambia

S hw ae selshness an nacissism vecme? Mstauthities will say that the nlycure nacissism ischanging the way peple think abut themselves by having

them build relationships an learn empathy thes (wengean Campbell, p. 281). Chist explaine that having this

It sounds like it could be a local radio station, but WIIFM is actuallythe acronym or a question many people are asking today.

b y D o u g H o r c h a k

Whats In It For Me?


13/24



Its n secet wee living in tugh ecnmic times. Nmatte what cunty yue living in, its likely yu anyu paents ae eeling the impact nancial pes-sues. In the Unite States, example, businessesae ailing, an new lay annuncements ae cmingpactically evey ay. Paents ae cncene abut lsingthei jbs whethe theye ging t be able t pay theibills. At the vey least, theye pbably tightening thei

belts an pstpning maj puchases.Yu, t, may be eeling the pinch u alteingecnmy. Pehaps thee ae items yu paents wulhave bught yu in the past, like esigne sneakesan vie games, t which theye nw saying N. Maybeyuve ntice that clthing, electnics an entetain-ment csts have all gne up. I yue planning n gingt cllege mving t yu wn apatment in the nextcuple yeas, yu may be wneing hw yue ging tmake it.

Tese ae all easns g mney management is imp-tant. Yu mney nly ges s a, s yu nee t use it

wisely.

O cuse, i yue still a teen an living with yu pa-ents, theye pbably paying yu essential livingexpensesa basic wabe, , shelte, schl supplies,etc. Hweve, they may expect yu t pay the nn-

essential items with yu wn mneyMP3 playes, textmessaging ees, jewely, spting equipment, entetain-

ment, etc. Tey may als expect yu t save utue bigticket expenses, like a ca cllege tuitin. Tis is gingt equie yu t caeully manage yu mney nw.

In a wn ecnmy like wee acing tay, sun nancialpactices ae even me essential. Mney is tight an get-ting tighte. Yue ging t have t wk exta ha tkeep yu nances in e. Te llwing steps will help.

Prepare a budgetTe numbe ne step yu can take is t ceate a buget yusel. Simply put, a buget is a plan hw yuae ging t spen yu mney, says Kaen Vace, Ph.D.,a nancial avise an cnsume ecnmics specialistwith the Univesity Calinia Cpeative Extensin.Bugeting helps yu see hw yu ae using yu mneyan whee yu nee t make ajustments.

Te st thing yu nee t is estimate yu ttalmnthly incme. Inclue yu allwance, mney eanem a pat-time summe jb, an even ccasinalincme yu get m things like babysitting, ya wk

shveling snw.

Next, make a list all yu mnthly expenses. Put wneveything yu have t pay with yu wn mney, suchas clthes, makeup, eating ut, mvies, music wnlas,texting ees, CDs, vie an cmpute games, an gits.

A up yu incme an then yu expenses an cmpaethe tw. I yu have me incme than expenses, yue t a geat stat. Yu can use this excess t put int savings.I yu expenses ae me than yu incme, yu will havet euce sme yu spening. Decie what expeni-tues ae mst imptant t yu necessay, an whichae nt s necessay.

Ate yu have a g iea whee yu mney is ging

In a tough economy, managing your personal fnances

is more important than ever. Here are some tips or saving

and spending your hard-earned cash.

b y B e c k y S w e a t

MoneyManagement101

Remember, as a young adult,

youre not just managing your money;

youre developing fnancial skills you

will use the rest o your lie.

i S t o c k p h o t o



each mnth, yu can gue ut whee yu mneyshouldbe ging. Tis will be yu actual buget. Cme up witha lla gue hw much yu incme shul g tvaius spening categies each mnthtithes, clth-ing, entetainment, spening mney, sht-tem savings,lng-tem cllege savings, etc. Othe than tithes, thepecentages the the bugetay categies ae vai-able. Yu will nee t ecie exactly what yu want t useyu mney n each mnth, base n yu piities.

Yu can set up yu buget n the cmpute get a legebk. Rec yu expenitues each mnth, an keep aunning ttal hw much yuve spent in each buget-ay categy. Tis will help yu see n an nging basis iyue spening t much.

I yu get t the pint whee thees n me mney let the mnth in a paticula categy, stp spening,says D. Vace. Dnt let yusel spen whats nt inthe buget.

Cut back, not out

When spening euctins ae necessay,think in tems cutting back athe

than cutting ut, says Shiley Anesn-Pisch, a nancial avise with theUnivesity Minnesta Extensin. Cut uts ae a m epivatin, which usually sets peple up ailue.Cut backs get peple mving in a psitive iectin, ansets them up success.

Simply put, this means i yu ae spening $5 a week nsnacks, athe than cut ut these snacks altgethe, yumight just nee t euce the spening t $3 a week. Atea yea yu will have save $104.

Know the dierence between needs and wants

Anthe aspect bugeting is ieentiating betweenneeds an wants. Nees sustain u lives; wants make

lie me cmtable, but aent necessay, explains Ms.Anesn-Pisch. F instance, a pai jeans may be anee, but the $200 pai esigne jeans avetise byyu avite celebity is a want.

Chances ae, yu pbably wnt be able t ulll all yuwants as yu g thugh lie, especially in a wn ecn-

my. I buget cutbacks nee t be mae, knwing whatsa nee athe than just a want will help yu make the ightecisins.

Save at least hal your income

Ms. Anesn-Pisch als encuages teens t save atleast 50 pecent thei incme. Tat cul be ivvie upbetween lng- an sht-tem savings. Lng-tem savingswul be mney yu wul let buil seveal yeas me, pehaps cllege tuitin t use a ca wnpayment. Sht-tem savings wul be items yu wantt buy within the next ew mnths, such as a high schl

ing, iPa pm ess. Teseae items that cst me thanwhat yu eceive in a single pay-check allwance.

She avises yu put yu lng-tem savings in a ceticate epsit (CD) mney maketaccunt. Tese geneally pay ahighe inteest ate than stan-a savings accunts.

With CDs, yu have t leavethe mney in the bank a

cetain pei time, geneallyat least a yea. Mney maketaccunts ty pically have estic-tins n the numbe with-awals yu can make. But i thisis yu lng-tem savings,these estictins shulnt be apblem.

Shop wisely

Shp aun expensive itemslike MP3 playes, smat phnesan watches t make sue yu

ae getting a quality puct ata g pice. Dnt buy the st

ne yu see. Check ut as many stes as yu can, inclu-ing nline etailes, an cmpae pices. Its nt uncm-mn the same item t be much cheape in ne stethan in anthe.

Bee yu g shpping, make a list items yu nee have bugete , an nt puchase anything thats ntn yu list. Tis means i yue ging t the mall t shp a pm ess, nt als buy a new pai bts whenyu see them n isplay. I yu see the items salethat yu might want, wait a ew ays bee yu buy them

Continued on page 17



Lets ace it. Ate 20 yeas expsue t thusans hus pngaphy, Jacks bain int wkthe way it i when he state secetly viewing it asa yung ault. In act, it haly wke at all.

Eventually Jacks wie, Lauie Hall, let him an wte hetue-lie expeience in the bk An Aai the Min.Mak Kastleman qutes m he bk at NetNanny.cm,incluing a qute m D. Rn Mille ate he examineJack. D. Mille tl Jack: Yuve estye yu minby antasizing. Yuve ug a eep channel ging in neiectin. Te est yu min is atphie!

Te ccasinal use pn a ew minutes secet plea-sue as a yung ault plante the sees his neulgicalestuctin. It euce Jacks high-level engineeing bain,taine thugh a cllege egee an yeas in a pes-sinal management psitin, int a bumbling nightmae blank staing an the inability t emembe even thesimplest activities aily living (such as biling tea in thekitchen) t hl a meaningul cnvesatin.

Jacks g incme as a eginal manage ha beeneuce t a menial labes wage packing bags chclates $7.25 pe hu.

Saly, Jacks is nt an islate sty. Vast numbes peple view pngaphy an sue the cnsequences. Buthw es pn amage bain stuctue an unctin? Anwhat can be ne abut this pblem?

A rampant evil

A cuse men sciety is that all peple, incluingVertical Tought eaes, have t ght expsue t png-aphy in its astnishing aay ms. In u ebaseglbal cultue, pn is nt ging away.

Cnsie these acts abut pn m vaius newssuces:

25 pecent seach engine equests ae pngaphic(68 millin pe ay).

70 pecent 18- t 24-yea-l males visit pn sites in atypical mnth.

20 pecent men amit t watching pn n cmputesat wk.

2.5 billion pngaphic e-mails ae sent aily.

In this pn-lace wl, hunes millins pepleae vulneable t evelping the psychlgical ise sex aictin. Te pn inustys tagete estinatinis yu bain. It bullzes ve the highe-thinking unc-tins the ntal lbes an ctex whee lgic an valuesan elatinships ae pcesse. Put anthe way, pnis esigne t cnitin the human heat t be evil in itsintents.

Porn changes brain circuitry

Mak Kastleman als qutes D. Gay Lynch, a neu-scientist at the Univesity Calinia at Ivine, whexplains what happens when the pweul imagey inpictues an actin-packe pngaphic scenes hit the

b y H o w a r d D a v i s

Research shows thatseeing is actuallydoingwhen it comes to howour brains work.

i S t o

c k p h o t o


17/24Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 011 17

human eye an when they ae pcesse eep wn in themany layes bain stuctue.

What we ae saying hee is that an event which lastshal a secn, within ve t ten minutes has puce astuctual change that is in sme ways as pun as thestuctual changes ne sees in [bain] amage.

Mak Kastleman cnclues: Ste away in the cells yu bain an by ae all the things yu have eve seen,hea, elt, taste smelle. Tats why D. Mille wasable t tell Jack ate 20 yeas pn, Yuve estyeyu min by antasizing. Yuve ug a eep channel gingin ne iectin. Jack ha liteally evelpe a ne-tackmin.

Overcoming this sin

G cnemns pngaphy because it is hibly estuc-tive the spectacula an wneul human ptential.Te human bain nees t be peseve an helpe tevelp the ull capacities vetical thinking whichthis magazine is esigne. S hee is what we nee t t

vecme this eve-pesent infuence in tays meia.1. Immunize yusel m u wls pn-satuatemeia an cultue by having a ttally cuse spiitual cn-nectin with G thugh egula paye an Bible stuy.

2. Stay away m pngaphy in all ms. Unestanthat cuisity kille the cat. An it can kil l yu, t(spiitually speaking)!

Te eseach shws that seeingis actuallydoingwhen itcmes t hw u bains wk. Jesus Chist sai thatlking at a wman with lustul intentan nt just thephysical actis aultey (Matthew 5:28). He was 2,000yeas ahea the etaile nings u neusciences

tay. Tats because He ceate the human min.

3. Develp a nble an g heat (Luke 8:15). Be ttallyeicate in uphling Gs stanas, ws an cha-acte as the basis yu wn thinking. Yu nee a veystng cnvictin against pngaphy, t the pint wheeyu n it isgusting an epulsive. We must lk at it asa m mental illness an a estuctive evil instea pleasuable entetainment.

4. When yu use the Intenet, be vey clea abut whatyu plan t lk up. Dnt allw the natual bem lie t lea yu t exple things that will amage yumin.

5. I yu have expse yusel t pngaphy, ealizethat we have a Savi wh will bth give an will p-vie the spiitual help t vecme all u chaacte faws.Jesus wants us t epent an sin n me (Jhn 8:11).

G esigne the human bain as the physical mechanism the evelpment the human min, which He wantst tansm within us t be like His (Rmans 12:2). Ouultimate estiny is t be His chilen in His amily -eve! Dnt let anything amage yu min an stp yum eaching that estiny!

Howard Davis is a minister who works in the media departmento the United Church o God.

s yu can think it ve. Avi impulsepuchases, especially i buying these items wulmake yu g ve yu buget.

Limit the amount o cash you carry

When yu g shpping ut t eat with iens, take nlya small amunt cash with yu. Te less cash yu cay,the less yu can spen n impulse ivlus puchases,says Vace. F instance, i yu ae ging ut ice ceam,yu ae cnsciusly limiting hw much yue ging tspen i yu nly bing a $5 bill. Yu wul pbably spenme i yu ha a $10 bill with yu. A ew llas save heean thee can eally make a ieence.

Dont buy on credit

I yu eceive a ceit ca e in the mail, thw it away,D. Vace uges. When yu have a ceit ca, its way t

easy t spen mney yu shulnt nt have.F high schl an cllege stuents, buying n ceit isespecially pblematic, Vace says, because they nt haveull-time jbs an cannt pay the ceit ca balancesthey accue. Nt nly that, but ceit cas have higheinteest ates than almst any the type bwingsmetimes 20 pecent me.

Yet high schl stuents ae inceasingly being tagete byceit ca cmpanies. Accing t the Jump$tat Calitin Financial Liteacy, 34.7 pecent high schl senis useceit cas. Hal them use cas issue in thei paentsnames, an hal use cas issue in thei wn names.

But its nt just high schl senis wh ae buying nceit. Nwaays, teens as yung as 14 15 ae eceivingceit ca slicitatins. I teens nt btain a ceit cain high schl, they ae almst cetain t get ne uingthei eshman yea in cllege.

Yu may tell yusel yu want a ceit ca nly anemegency, but as sn as yu stat using it, things canquickly spial ut cntl, Vace says. She says manycllege stuents ae ve thei heas in ceit ca ebteven bee they gauateenitely nt the way t stataulth.

Tese ae all imptant steps t cnsie while yu ae stilla teen when yu becme an ault, whethe the ecnmyis bust ecessinay.

Remembe, Yue nt just managing yu mney; yueevelping nancial skills yu will use the est yu lie,says Ms. Anesn-Pisch. I yue mney savvy, yu willbe much me eay t tackle whateve nancial challengescme yu way in the utue.

F uthe stuy, equest u ee bkletManaging YourFinances.

Becky Sweat is a reelance writer specializing in health and am-ily topics. She lives in the Dallas, Texas, area with her husband and

two sons.

Money ManagementFrom page 15



oday its quite common to see a sports gure,a screen star or a politician who ruined amarriage because o an aair. Its also quiteroutine to see people abuse alcohol or drugsand subsequently behave improperly or say things theyshouldnt.

Sometimes a persons choice takes him or her to a hospi-tal, and sometimes to jail. In situations such as these weoten hear heartelt expressions o sorrow and regret. In

some cases careers are ruined. ragically, some acciden-tally or purposely cause their own deaths.

While the lives o media gures are readily available orall o us to see, similar examples occur all around us. Isthere any way or each o us to avoid making these samemistakes?

Because we are human, it is inevitable that we will lookback and see things that we wish we had done dier-ently. Regret typically comes in two varieties: things weregret we didand things we regret we didnt do.

As or regretting certain actions, some are immediately

obvious. I we lie or cheat or steal, well quickly, it ishoped, recognize that these actions are wrong, repent

o them and resolve not to do them again. Sometimes,however, it takes time to recognize our wrongs.

Te other type o regret is over not having done some-thing we know we should have or wish we would have.Examples here include not having accepted blame orsomething we did wrong, allowing someone else to takethe rap, and not having stuck up or someone younger orweaker when we were able to do so. Many who never n-ished college wish they had worked a bit harder to do so.

Perhaps we wish we had been a little bolder and learnedto rock climb, water-ski or dance. Maybe we wish we hadridden the zip line or joined the speech club. Sadly, manytimes there is no way to go back and make a dierentchoice.

So what can we do to have ewer regrets?

Right choices

Regrets generally fow rom poor choices, ollowed bysimilarly poor actions or lack o action. So how do weavoid wrong choices? Te answer is simple: Know andobey the law o God.

God instructs us in the perect way to livethe way that

b y M i l a n J a n i c i c h

A Lie WithoutRegrets?Most o us have some regrets. Some o these aect only us; some aect

amily, riends and others. Here is how you can minimize them in your own lie.

18 Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 11 V e r t i c a l T h o u g h t . o r g

i S t o c

k p h o t o



will puce happiness an peace min. Living as Gtells us ees us m many late egets. G knws theeae things that we shul an shul nt t have ahappy lie. We n these lessns thughut the Bible.Sme sectins, such as Pvebs, Ecclesiastes an theSemn n the Munt un in Matthew 5-7, ae ichwith guiance n hw t avi eget.

Lking back at seveal the peviusly mentinescenais, lets nte hw beying Gs law wul havepevente eget.

Obeying Gs cmman Yu shall nt cmmit aul-tey (Exus 20:14) cul have spae many maiagesan amilies much sueing an immeasuable eget.

Obeying Gs cmman t fee sexual immality(1 Cinthians 6:18) eliminates the shame an eget pemaital sexeget that may last a lietime an mayesult in an unplanne pegnancy a sexual ly tansmit-te isease.

Te accunts Nah an Lt (Genesis 9 an 19) shw ussme the peils an cnsequences inking t excess.G tells us, Wine is a mcke, stng ink is a bawle,

an wheve is le astay by it is nt wise (Pvebs 20:1).Many lives might have been save m uin an manypblems avete i alchl ha nt been abuse.

Te Bible epeately cautins us t be caeul in whatwe say. James tells us, S then, my belve bethen, letevey man be swit t hea, slw t speak, slw t wath(James 1:19). Chsing u ws caeully can peventlate egets.

Failing t be me iligent at wk schl can lea tegets, as can ai ling t step ut an ty smething new inu lives. Whateve yu han ns t , it with yumight, Slmn wte (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Wking ili-gently puces esults. Wking ha at schl a bettegae can lea t a schlaship. An tying smething newcan pen up new pptunities. Jining the btics club,

example, may eventually lea t an inteesting caee.Gods encouragement

When we seek t live accing t Gs laws an His way lie, He pmises t help us. Une these cicumstances,He has a message us just as He i Jshua: Bestng an g cuage; nt be aai, n be is-maye, the Lord yu G is with yu wheeve yug (Jshua 1:9).

It is an inteesting stuy the Bible t seach ut wheeG specically says, D nt be aai. We see that Hesai this iectly t Abaham, Mses, Jshua, Elijah,Pete, Paul, Jhn an thes. G esies that we expei-ence the g things in lie an tust Him t help us inwhateve cicumstances we ace. When we stive t pleaseG an tust in Him, we can als be bl in u actins.

All Gs laws an instuctins teach us hw t livehappily an avi egets. Te laws G ae nt givent pevent us m having a g time. Te exact ppsiteis tue. G es nt want anyne t sue eget mwng p chices. He wants us t live lie t the ull.Tats why He gives us vey specic guielines a way lie that puces happiness an peace.

Simila t Deutenmy 30:19, whee G says that He

has set bee us lie an eath, blessing an cusing,an that He wants us t chse lie, we als have thechice between a lie with ewe egets an ne that iscetain t cause them. Lets chse the ne with eweegets. Its the bette lie!

Milan Janicich attends the Salem, Oregon, congregation o theUnited Church o God with his wie Elizabeth. He is the ather o

two grown children and one grandson that he adores.

VT Commentaries:Seving up orapprach t:

World conditions, ashion trends, international crises,economic hardship, sports and media, moral valuesand personal experience.

VerticalThought.org

God does not want anyone to suerregret rom wrong or poor choices.He wants us to live lie to the ull.Thats why He gives us very specifcguidelines or a way o lie that pro-duces happiness and peace.



Te pess st at the nt the classm hlinga lage glass ja. Next t he lay a pile big ive cks, aheap smalle pebbles an a bucket ull beach san.Setting wn he cee cup, she aske the class, I yuwee given the task successully lling this ja with all these mateials, hw wul yu g abut it t maximizewhat ts insie?

A lw mumu lle the lage lectue hall as stuentstune t thei neighbs an began shaing thei ieas.Finally, ne bave stuent aise his han an suggestethat yu have t put the biggest bjects in st s thesmalle nes can t aun them.

Vey g iea, the pess espne as she gestue him t cme wn t the nt the class an test uthis they. Te stuent caeully put the big cks in thebttm the ja, then ppe in the pebbles, an lastlypue in the san. Te est the class watche as thesan lle the tiny spaces that weent even visible bee,until the ja was cmpletely ull.

Nw cnsie what wul have happene i he ha llethe ja in the ppsite way. Sme the lagest bjects

wul nt have t int the ja because the san wul havetaken up mst the m, ight?

Te class ne in ageement.

S i this ja is yu lie, then what ae yu big cks?the pess aske. Tese ae the biggest piities thatyu nee t make time in yu lie an shul cus nst. Yet what ten happens is that we ll u lives withthe least imptant thingsthe santhat take u timean enegy away m cusing n what eally mattesmst in u lives.

Picking up he cee cup again, she nw aske the class,Can anything else t int this ja? A ew stuents shkthei heas, while thes lke back quizzically. Te p-ess pceee t slwly pu the emaine he ceeint the ja, an the bwn liqui quickly peclate intthe san.

What es this shw? she aske. A stuent in the ntw e back quickly, Yu can ALWAYS n space t tsmething else in! Te class bke int laughte, knwingm thei wn busy cllege lives that this was all t tue.

Nt exactly, the pess espne. While yu canalways try t cam me in, this cee symblizes the ela-tinships that yu nee t maintain, even when yu lie

ja lks an eels cmpletely ull. When your jar is ull, youneed to take a cofee break.

While this classic sty has seveal va iatins, the malis cnsistent: Knwing what the big cks shul be in ulives is cucial bee we stat lling up u wn lie jas.Hweve, mst stuents nt ealize that they haventmae enugh time thei mst imptant piitiesceating a healthy liestyle, maintaining elatinships withclse iens an amily, cusing n thei spiitual livesuntil all thei time is aleay investe in the activities.

With all the vaius classes, activities an emans placen a cllege stuents lie these ays, making time devel-oping and maintaining a deep and lasting relationship with Godten gets pushe t the sie because an aleay vely

ull lie. Even thugh u elatinship with G shulbe the lagest ck in u lives, it ten esnt t int u S h a u

n V e n i s h

Creating Spiritual Routines

Life on Campus Leslie Schwartz

With the many activities and

demands placed on a students lie,

making time or a deep relationship

with God can get pushed aside.

With all the demands and expectations placed on a college student today,

how is it possible to ft in time or God?



Spiritual Routines in College

Heres what other students and recentcollege graduates had to say whenasked, What is your spiritual routinein college?

One thing I realized toward the end o my

undergraduate degree was that I was spending

almost all o my time studying and not enough

time on my relationship with God, ater which I

made an eort to not discuss college, classes and

the inevitable sleep deprivation on the Sabbath. I

would look orward to weekly Friday night chats

with Church riends where wed discuss either a

Bible study rom the Churchs Web site or other

Bible topics we were studying. This along with theother strategies helped me a lot.

Male masters student, Ohio

While I was in college, I knew that i I did not

take the time to pray in the morning, when my

mind was resh, I would never get the chance

to, and my entire day would be o. I ound that

kneeling in prayer with a resh cup o coee in

hand helped me to slow down while talking to

God, giving Him and the time I was spendingwith Him my ull attention.

Female college graduate, Wisconsin

While at university I would set aside a specifc

amount o time or prayer and study every Friday

night. I would put it in my calendar and keep to

it. As with anything, i you dont plan to keep an

appointment, youll always fnd something else

that is perhaps also important to fll the time. I

ound it helpul to think o it as an appointment

that I had to keep.

Male college graduate, Washington, D.C.

Student Voicesja lie. Smetimes we nt even make time a quick ceebeak with G. We claim u lives ae simply t ull.

While its easy t make excuses as t why these spiitual u-tines get neglecte, given all the the emans n u timean enegy, imagine what yu lie wul be like i yu elt mespiitually cnnecte, engage an suppte.

King Davi is a geat example a yung man wh eanestly ancntinually sught ate G (Psalm 63:1). An because theelatinship Davi actively evelpe with G, He appinteDavi t be a geat leae an calle him a man ate His wnheat (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). What yu want G tcall yu?

Seeking G aily an calling n Him is cucial t maintaining astng elatinship with Him, bth in cllege an thughut lie(Isaiah 55:6). Yet intentinally an pactively setting asie anapppiate amunt time in a busy cllege stuent scheule egula paye, Bible stuy, meitatin an asting ten seemsaunting. Use the actin steps belw as a stating pint t ceatean sustain healthy spiitual utines in cllege.

Whats in your jar?ake a mment t cnsie what yuve lle yu lie withnwclasses, stuent ganizatins, sevice pjects, time withiens, amng the activities an cmmitments. What is takingup the mst space? What is let ut yu ja because it esntt?

Identiy your big rocks

Nw etemine what yu biggest piities ae an see i yuhave ceate enugh space them in yu lie. What yunee t change even eliminate t make me time seekinga eepe elatinship with G an spiitual ellwship with like-mine iens?

Strategically fll your jar

Ate yu knw what nees t g int yu ja st, its timet establish how these big cks will t in yu ja n a egulabasis. Decie what spiitual utines yu want t evelp in yuliemning Bible stuy, pesnal paye with G, Sabbath el-lwship an me. Ten buil yu the activities aun theseutines instea tying t n time them ate yu sche-ule eveything else.

Remember to take coee breaks

Lie is busy, an smetimes even the mst well-intentine u-

tines nt happen in the way at the time we esie. Remembe:When yu eel vewhelme an think that yu nt have time ne me thing, this is the most imptant time t take a shtcee beak an eestablish yu cnnectin with u HlyCeat. Spen sme time in paye meitatin n His W,take a eep beath an then jump back int the busyness lie.

By intentinally examining yu wn lie an ceating smepesnal spiitual utines, yu can begin t evelp an eepenyu elatinship with G while in cllege.

Leslie Schwartz, M.Ed., loves working with college students to ostertheir leadership development at the University o Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign. She attends the Bloomington/Normal United Church o God

congregation. Have a question, comment or idea or a uture topic or thiscolumn? Contact Leslie at [email protected].



Youre Grounded Digitally SpeakingMany parents are using digital grounding

as a tool o discipline. Parents are

removing privileges to use Facebook, cell

phones, iPods and other digital devices

ollowing an indiscretion. For a trend o

low grades on report cards, a parent

might revoke Facebook and cell phone

privileges or a specic period o time or

until grades improve.

A Pew Internet and American Lie Project

study has ound that 62 percent o

parents have taken away a cell phone

as punishment. Whereas grounding

used to mean not going out, driving the

car or using the standard phone, it has

now extended to the area o lie where

social activities have migrated or most

teensthe digital world (Donna St.

George, Parents Use Digital Grounding

as a 21st-Century Disciplinary Tool,

WashingtonPost.com, Sept. 5, 2010).

Happy PeopleSee Happy PeopleThose who are happy, emotionally

stable and well-adjusted see others

as happy and well-adjusted. A study

at Wake Forest University in North

Carolina ound that how we perceive

other people mirrors our own state o

well-being.

Participants who tended to judge

others positively were ound to be more

happy, kind-hearted and courteous

themselves. Viewing others negatively

refects sel-centered and antisocial

tendencies in ourselves (Richard

Alleyne, Happy People More Likely toSee Others as Happy, Telegraph.co.uk,

Aug. 3, 2010).

Developing riendships requires a

positive outlook and an eye or the

good in others, which, in turn, makes us

riendlier.

Compiled by Amanda StiverIn the News

Laptop Danger: Toasted Skin SyndromeHave you ever noticed how un-

comortable it is to have a laptop

resting on your legs or a long period o

time? Well, it turns out that long-termexposure to the heat produced by the

computers can cause something called

toasted skin syndrome.

Long-term, low-grade heat, like that

rom a laptop, can cause a mottled

appearance and sometimes permanent

darkening o the skin. Also, it can, in

very rare cases, lead to skin cancer

according to Swiss researchers rom

University Hospital Basel (Toasted Skin

Syndrome Warning or Laptop Users,

NewYork.CBSlocal.com, Oct. 4, 2010).

For a commonsense solution, expertsrecommend limiting direct contact

between laptop and skin by using a

heat shield. Best o all, place the laptop

on a desk or stand.

Stormy Space: Northern LightsFew events capture the beauty o Gods magnicent creation better

than the northern lights, or aurora borealis. During this currentperiod o increased solar activity, leading to a solar maximum

(a period o incredible storm activity and fares rom the sun),

these atmospheric disturbances are clearly seen.

A recent antastic display o the auroras was caused, say

scientists, by a massive solar storm. An explosive fare

rom an active sunspot sent a stream o charged particles

toward the earth at 250 miles per second, ollowed by more

fares. The beautiul colors and undulations o the auroras

were the result o reactions among atoms and molecules

in the earths atmosphere (Andrew Hough and Sarah Kelley,

Spectacular Northern Lights Display Pictured Ater Violent

Space Storm, Telegraph.co.uk, Sept. 9, 2010).

of American adults (18+) married

in 2009, the lowest percentage in

more than 100 years.

Hope Yen, Census Data: Marriages in

2009 at Record Low Level, News.Yahoo.

com, Sept. 28, 2010



The Internet Grows UpNow, 18 years ater the Internet was born or public

use, some experts claim that part o it, the World

Wide Web, is dying (well, maybe not growing as

ast). Many people are using applications rather

than Web pages to receive inormation, especially

on their phones. Applications provide inormation

like movies via Netfix, news via RSS eed and music

via iTunes. These applications can bring preselected types o inormation to the

user, rather than require the user to employ a search engine to track down the

inormation and then spend time siting through it. Companies like Apple also use

applications to get past the inormation wants to be ree aspect o the Web.

The Internet has also begun to lose its egalitarian atmosphere. In the early

years it was seen as a platorm rom which millions o people could see and be

seen, where the little guy could make it big. Well, the little guys have made it

big, and Internet monopolies that will eclipse even Google, such as Facebook,

are the wave o the uture (Chris Anderson and Michael Wol, The Web Is

Dead. Long Live the Internet, Wired.com, Aug. 17, 2010).

Thieves Use SocialNetworking to StalkTheir VictimsFifty former criminals, surveyed by

an insurance company, revealed

that social networking sites likeFacebook and Twitter provide much

information about the habits of

victims. One former burglar explained

that while in the past thieves would

pay the postman or milkman for

information about the habits of

home owners, now that information

is freely publicized by people who

update their pages with endless

details about daily schedules and

vacation dates when their houses will

be empty (Harry Wallop, BurglarsUsing Twitter and Facebook to Case

the Joint, Telegraph.co.uk, July 20,

2010).

To be on the safe side, dont post

excessive details about your vacation

plans or daily schedule. Also, make

sure that your Twitter and Facebook

pages are private to ensure that

your information isnt being made

accessible to everyone via search

engines like Google and Bing.

Wait! Theres More I youd like to see more articles and

our weekly commentaries, jump

over to our Web site. There youll

also have access to all o our back

issues and answers to commonly

asked questions.

VerticalThought.org

King Herod Goes to the TheaterArchaeologist Ehud Netzer o the Hebrew University o Jerusalem and his team

have ound a royal viewing box that was a part o King Herods private theater at

his ortress o Herodium, 7.5 miles south o Jerusalem. The ully excavated seating

area exemplies the luxurious court o Herod in the time leading up to the coming

o Christ.

The back and sides o the viewing box, which was used at the pleasure o the

king, his amily and close riends, were richly painted and decorated with plaster

moldings. The style is unlike any previous styles discovered in Israel and is likely

Roman in origin, created by artists rom Italy. It was dated approximately to the year

15 B.C. (Ronen Shnidman, King Herods Royal Theater Box Uncovered at Herodium,JPost.com, Sept. 15, 2010).

The Plagiarism PlagueThe digital age has obscured the evils o plagiarism,

according to some school administrators. The cut

and paste unction has made it easy to grab a ew

paragraphs, sentences or phrases here and there rom

sources like Wikipedia and similar inormational Web sites.

However, other academics believe that plagiarism is less a

sign o the times and more a sign o laziness in students.Most o the 196 cases o plagiarism at the University o Caliornia Davis were not

rom students ignorant o how to cite sources, but rom students who simply didnt

care enough to do their own work (Trip Gabriel, Plagiarism Lines Blur or Students

n Digital Age, NYTimes.com, Aug. 1, 2010).

Plagiarism is a serious oense. As copyright laws begin to tighten, and they

have recently, it is more and more important to credit sources when creating a

document o any kind. When in doubt, cite; it doesnt take very much extra eort.

Even sources like Wikipedia need to be given a brie citationater all, i the source

s wrong, do you really want to take ull credit or the mistake?

Taking something rom someone without permission is thet, and taking intellectual

property (writing, etc.) rom someone and pretending it is your own is also thet.God condemns thet in the Ten Commandments. Give others the git o your

original thoughts, and give credit to the originality o others.


24/24

Nonproft Org.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDUnited

Church o God

PrintedintheU.S.A.

United Church of God

An International Association

Box 541027, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1027

The good news is that the playbookfor successful dating has NOW been

rediscovered!

You can build wonderul relationships with the opposite sex while you keepGod in mind! To learn how, just access or download our new,free e-booklet:

Guys, Girls & GodDating & Relationships That Work

Download, read or print your own at:www.VerticalThought.org

BOY

GIRL

Boy Meets Girl

GIRL LIKES BOY

BOY Likes girl

god is watching

So, Whats theNext step?

1

3

4

2

This reprint booklet is available only as a digitalpublication on our Web site. No pr inted version

o this publication is available by mail.

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