vertical thought: january - march 2010

8/9/2019 Vertical Thought: January - March 2010

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AnswersFrom Genesis

Three ImportantKisses Sibling Rivalry

Finding GoodProessors

Seven ypesOf Intelligence

Finding a Mentor

Boring eachersOr Lazy Students?

Are We RightFor Each Other?

Spanish and More

Education:

Why Bother?Does actoring God into theequation make a dierence?

a magazine of understanding for tomorrows leaders

JanuaryMarch 2010


2/242 Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 10 V e r t i c a l T h o u g h t . o r g

T

he world is awash in education, yet drowning for lack of knowledge in how to get along

with others. Te truth and irony of this statement becomes evident when one comparesthe increasing number of people who have graduated from institutions of higher learning

with the increasing number of serious problems facing our global society today.

All Education Isnt Equal

Unbile gee, bth iniviuals ancpatins, has cke the glbal ecnmy. Anas natins like Ian an Nth Kea scamble nuclea technlgy, ne cant help but wnehw lng it will be bee ethnic isageement anhate an the ames iscntent int a nucleahlcaust.

Encyclpaeia Bitannica Onlinesays, Eucatincan be thught as the tansmissin the valuesan accumulate knwlege a sciety. S whycant all natins get alng? Ae u values mis-place? Is u cllective knwlege incmplete?

Since thee is a cause evey eect, smethingmust be wng with men eucatin. With smany leaes eceiving mal eucatins, whyaent natinal squabbles an isageements a-ing? Why havent the Jews an Aabs mae peace?Why havent Muslims an Chistians un mutualespect an unestaning?

Te answe lies in the act that humanitys mst

icult pblems ae spiitual in natue. Peplesinability t get alng with thes is a spiitualpblem that men eucatin cant slve.

Mst clleges an univesities have taken G ut the cuiculum. In bygne eas Gs evealeWthe Bibleuse t be accepte as theunatin beginning knwlege, but msteucatin tay exclues G m the classm.S-calle enlightene eucats teach impessin-able yung mins that peple can get alng just newithut G. But the esults suggest thewise.

Des this make eucatin pintless? O cuse nt.

Its been amply emnstate that, n aveage, thehighe nes level eucatin, the highe nes level incme. But its imptant t unestan that

much men eucatin is incmplete. Te miss-ing imensin n hw t live a happy lie in peacewith thes is spiitual knwlege that can nly bebtaine thugh G. Given this unestaning,its imptant that we each take chage u wneucatin.

We nee t unestan that ging t a tae schl,cllege univesity is just the beginning alielng pcess eucatin. A g mal euca-tin simply pepaes us the aitinal leaningwe will thughut u lives. As utuist Alvinfe nte: Te illiteate the 21st centuy willnt be thse wh cannt ea an wite, but thsewh cannt lean, unlean, an elean.

Ten thees spiitual knwlege. We must eachetemine t spen u lives leaning the ways that

lea t the peace an happiness all peple esie.Tis, t, is a lielng pcess. As the apstle Paultl the yung evangelist imthy, Be iligent tpesent yusel appve t G as a wkman whes nt nee t be ashame, accuately hanlingthe w tuth (2 imthy 2:15, New AmeicanStana Bible).

In this issue we cus n eucatinits imp-tance, the vaius types intelligence an hw t

select pesss. We hpe it will help yu ecgnizean lean abut the missing imensin in tayseucatin.

Ver t ica l Thought i s a b i b l i ca l l y based magaz i ne o f under s t and i ng f o ryoung people aged 12-22. Our name, Ver t ica l Thought , i s der i ved f rom

Coloss ians 3:1-2, which te l l s us to th ink about godly th ings which are

above, where Chr is t i s. Ver t ica l Thought i s pub l i shed qua r t e r l y by t heUn i t ed Chur ch o f God, an I n t e r na t i ona l Asso ci a t i on , 555 Technecen t e r

Dr ive, Mi l ford, OH 45150. 2010 United Church of God, an Internat ional

A s soc i a t i on . P r i n t ed i n U .S.A. A l l r i gh t s r ese r ved. Repro duc t i on i n anyform without written permission is prohibited.

Publisher: United Church o God, an International AssociationCouncil of Elders: Scott Ashley, Bob Berendt, Aaron Dean, Bill Eddington,

Jim Franks, Roy Holladay (chairman), Doug Horchak, Paul Kieffer,

Victor Kubik, Darris McNeely, Melvin Rhodes, Robin Webber

Church president: Clyde Kilough Media operations manager: Larry

Salyer Managing editor: David Treybig

Staff: Dan Dowd, Larry Greider, Doug Horchak, Mario Seiglie,

Amanda Stiver, Randy Stiver, Ken Treybig, Kristin Yarbrough

Graphic Art: Shaun Venish Copy editors: Becky Bennett, Mike

Bennett, Tom Robinson Proofreader: Debbie Pennington

Web design: Aaron Booth Editorial reviewers: James Capo,Todd Carey, Paul Luecke, Doug Johnson, Jim Servidio

Peoples inability to get along

with others is a spiritual problem

that modern education cant solve.

Vantage Point David Treybig, Managing Editor


3/24Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 10 3

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unso l i c i t ed ma t e r i a l s s en t t o Ve r t i c a l Though t w i l l

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In te rna t iona l Assoc ia t ion, to use as i t sees i t . Th i s

agreement is controlled by Caliornia law.

Education: Why Bother?Is it really worth it? Yes, indeed!

Heres why.

Finding Good ProfessorsIts not that dicult when you

know how to do it.

Seven Types ofIntelligenceYou may be smarter than you

think.

Finding a MentorHaving sme encuagement anguiance can make a big ieence

in yu lie.

Vertical ThoughtCommentary:Boring Teachers or LazyStudents?

Three Important KissesSome people dont realize that the

Bible speaks o kissing. Do youknow the three dierent types it

mentions?

Are We Right for EachOther?Tese 10 questions can help you

gauge the godly potential o yourrelationship.

Sibling Rivalry! Causesand CuresHow do you know whether you have

it or not? How can you survive it?

Answers From GenesisPart 7

Te book o Genesis is known asthe book o origins. Here are more

requently asked questions.

Spanish and MoreI thought I knew exactly what I was

doing, but my trip to Spain yielded

some unexpected results.

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Contents

Features2 Vantage Point

22 In the News

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P h o t o i S

t o c k p h o t o c o m

ing Slmn Isael, a man geatwism, wte, O making many bksthee is n en, an much stuy is weai-

sme t the esh (Ecclesiastes 12:12).Just a ew sentences pi, he ha alsenunce lie as vanity vanities,weaily aing, All is vanity (vese 8).

Tat settles it, then. I the man with wism impate byG Himsel escibes leaning as weaisme an vain,wh ae we t ague? Te nly cnclusin t aw hee isthat eucatin is a waste time, ight?

Well, nt quite. Als ece in the pages the Bible aeGs laments ve backsliing Isael, namely, My pepleae estye lack knwlege. Because yu haveejecte knwlege, I als will eject yu m being piest

Me; because yu have gtten the law yu G, Ials will get yu chilen (Hsea 4:6).

What we nee t unestan abut Ecclesiastes is thatSlmn wte it ate seeking knwlege an unestan-ing thugh all kins physical pusuits. In the en, he

cautine his eaes that ne cannt be tuly happy ansuccessul apat m G. Te melanchly vetnes the bk stem m his ealizatin that a lie withut Gis empty.

We can see this with leaning. Suppse, example, thatyu eicate yu lie t becming the emst expetn the matte beeing whippets (we ae als supps-ing that, sme inexplicable easn, yu ae big nwhippetsa bee g). At the peak yu caee, yuae enwne acss the glbe yu invaluable cnti-butins t the el whippet beeing. When the wlthinks whippet puppies, they think yu. Yu ae D.

Whippet, legen.But at the en yu lie, yu ae a vey ea D. Whippet,

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

Is it really worth it? Yes, indeed! Heres why.

K


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

n thewise quiet univesity stuentaive at chuch sevices beaming withexcitement. I un a cnsevative p-ess! he exclaime. I int knw myunivesity ha any.

His supise was justie. Tat uni-vesity ha been n the cutting ege the sexual anug evlutins the 1960s, an ecaes nw habeen knwn as a libeal think tank. Yet ight thee inthe humanities sectin was a cmmnsensical English

pess.

S, hw yu n pesss wh ae wth thei saltinstucts wh will help yu t buil yu knwlege basewithut eing yu aith? Be avise: Nt all pessswant yu t think citically abut what they ty t teachyu.

Prospecting or proessors

Smetimes yu nt have a chice instucts n a pa-ticula subject, but when yu , hw yu evaluate ate a pspective pess?

I aske that questin a small cus gup yung ault

vetical thinkes. Teye all cllege stuents gauates,

incluing seveal with mastes egees, ne Ph.D. cani-ate an anthe with a Ph.D. wh wks as a pess Ameican histy.

Hees a cmpilatin thei applie insight abut seek-ing M. Ms. G Pess, with a ew iect qutesthwn in:

Analyze the proessors personal bias

Check cmpatible values. D yu an the instuctthink similaly? I nt, yu will have t keep yu mal

eect shiels up at all times.Watch liestyle t. Des the pess act espectably,bth in the classm an ut?

Des he she have a ecent sense hum? uitin mneynee nt be waste n the ul-muthe bscene.

What is his he eligius an plitical pespective? Willthe class be a sapbx plitical actin athe than acuse stuy the subject matte?

Analyze proessional bias and qualifcations

What ae the pesss eucatin ceentials? Whatschl i he she gauate m? What is its eputatin

staning as an institutin? P h o t o

i S t o c k p h o t o

Its not that difcult when you know how to do it.

EDUCATION

A



Des the instuct have any eal-wl wk expeiencein the subject matte the class being taught? Outsieexpeience geneally means they have a me balance ealistic view thei subject than the puely acaemicmin-set.

Be sue t skim ea aticles bks the pess haspublishe in e t iscen his he eucatinal bias.

Des the pess teach the class utinely assign anassistant t s? Des he she punctually cespnwhen yu e-mail a questin?

Peview the equie textbks the class. I emembemy bilgy pess pushe all sts evlutinaybks n us like Te Beak of the Finch an Why Geese DontGet Obese. It enitely gave me a clea iea whee he wascming m.

Analyze the teaching style

Is the pspective pess encuaging an empwe-ing, yet challenging? Des he she have a eputatin inspiing the stuents t lean?

Can the teache teach? Is he she a g cmmunicat?Is the instuct ecisive in teaching, es he hem an

haw aun the tpic? Is she ganize? Des he lgicallyganize the subject matte?

Hw abut acaemic humility? Its nt easy t listen tagant pnticating hus n en. A key inicatis whethe the pess can amit mistakes withutange.

y t avi the abi pesss wh want t ml yuint images themselves an nt have espect ieences pinin. Demigs ae ha t eal with.

Is he she espectul twa all stuents yet capable being isciplinay in class i the situatin wa-ants? Puctive leaning stps when bish, lish

stuents can isupt the class.

Hw available is the pess t stuents ate class cnsultatin uing ce hus? Availability tens tinicate a lve teaching.

Where and how to get these answers

Check the univesity Web site an seach Ggle abuta pspective pess t lean his he eucatinalceentials, eputatin an a list what he she haswitten n the cuse subject. Als, ea the syllabus tsee the assigne eaing.

Check Web sites whee stuents ate thei pesss, but

use that nly as pssible suppting evience yu

ecisin. Its t easy t tash vepaise thugh theelative annymity the Intenet.

alk t stuents wh have taken classes with a paticulapess. But st iscen the pespective the stuentyu talk t. Gane the input sme wh think like yuan sme wh nt; then cmpae. Ask t sit in n a class tw s yu can watch the pess in actin.

Meet with pspective pesss cuent nes anlean me abut them by talking with them. Peple liket talk abut themselves, an yu can lean a lt abutthem when yu get them ging!

alk t guiance cunsels stuent avises abut theeputatins vaius pesss. y t iscen whethetheye giving yu the staight scp just the blanpaty line. Getting t knw a savvy avise tens t penup his he cnence t bette help yu chat yupess cuse.

You can fnd good proessors

Smetimes we nt have much chice, an geneally wejust have t ty t pick the best available ptin base nthe time we have in which t the eseach. We can stilllean even i the situatin is less than ieal.

But please nt be aunte in yu pusuit excellencein eucatin. As ne membe u cus gup put it:Believe it nt, in acaemia tay thee ae still a ewpesss ut thee that can t mst that bill, thughthey ae icult t n. An when I n them, I tent latch n an take a lt thei cuses.

blste yu seach, cnsie this ivine pveb: Hewh walks with wise men will be wise, but the cmpanin ls will be estye (Pvebs 13:20). Chse wiselywh yu walk with eucatinally.

The ultimate Proessor

Wh wul be the abslute best pess teache yucul n yu highe eucatin yeas?

Jesus Chist sai, Yu call Me eache an L, an yusay well, s I am (Jhn 13:13).

Any class lessn that Pess Jesus Chist teaches,yu shul take. In act, Hes happy t avise yu alngthe way in any cuse stuyan Hell help yu passyu tests! Stuy His textbk, base yu lie n it, anyu will gauate t an innitely highe m lie anccupatin!

Randy Stiveris the pastor o United Church o Godcongregations in Columbus and Cambridge, Ohio.

Try to avoid the rabid proessors who want to mold you into images othemselves and dont have respector dierences o opinion.


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2. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence

Peple with this type intelligence lean best thughbily mvement an usually excel in physical activities

such as ancing an spts. Tey have excellent mt skillsan balance. Tey ten have a icult time sitting stil lin taitinal classms an want t get up an theactivity. Athletes, cts, slies, ances an acts aestng in this intelligence. Tis may be ne yu stngestintelligences i yu

Excel in sports.

Are a good dancer.

Are expressive and skilled at acting.

Can build things.

Can accurately throw or hit a ball.

3. Visual-spatial intelligence

Tis is the ability t peceive the wl an e-ceate itwithut physical stimuli. Tis type intelligence allws yut liteally think in pictues an aw the images n pape.Achitects, esignes, atists an sculpts ae geneallystng in this type intelligence. Tis may be ne yustngest intelligences i yu

Are good at assembling puzzles.

Are a good judge of art or photography.

Grasp geometry over algebra.

Study more eectively with charts and pictures.

Doodle or draw.

Notice details.

4. Interpersonal (or emotional) intelligence

Tis is the ability t empathize with peplethe skill unestaning the ms an mtivatins thes. Peplewith this intelligence ten t be extvets an wk in elswhee they inteact with thes n a aily basis. Tis type intelligence is geneally un in pliticians, teaches, man-ages, salespeple, chuch pasts an scial wkes. Tismay be ne yu stngest intelligences i yu

Feel peoples moods.

Are sociable.

Are sensitive to injustices or dishonesty.

Are a good listener and encourager.

Have diculty treating others unkindly.

Engage productively in deep conversations.

5. Intrapersonal intelligence

Tis is the ability t unestan yusel an yu innethughts. Peple with this skill ae usually intvets, have a

stng sense inepenence, ae sel-cnent an ten tbe peectinists. Tey ae the eep thinkes in u sciety.

Philsphes, wites an scientists exhibit this intelligence.Tis may be ne yu stngest intelligences i yu

Are often pondering matters.

Daydream imaginatively.

Are self-critical.

Really get absorbed in a good book.

Can break down complicated ideas.

Judge people accurately.

6. Musical intelligence

Tis is the ability t use an unestan music. Peple withthis intelligence typically have g pitch, can sing, anplay ieent musical instuments. Tey like t have musicplaying in the backgun an ten use music an hythms

t help memize inmatin. Musicians, cmpses ansinges have this type intelligence. Tis may be ne yustngest intelligences i yu

Can perform well in a band.

Can read music and remember old songs.

Will analyze a new song critically.

Can gure out how to play a tune on an instrument.

Are able to compose music.

7. Verbal-linguistic intelligence

Tse with this m intelligence can easily lean a new

language an ae g at eaing an witing. Tey lean bestin a taitinal setting an ae g ebates. Demnstatingsuch intelligence ae wites, junalists, pliticians, pets,teaches an philsphes. Tis may be ne yu stngestintelligences i yu

Write well.

Are good with crossword puzzles.

Are eloquent.

Tell good stories.

Are funny.

Enjoy debates or arguments. Explain things well.

Have a great vocabulary and are keen to learn newwords and their origins.

Di yu nte what types intelligence yu have an whichnes yu excel in? Once yu n ut whee yu talents liean ientiy yu passin, then yu can bette apply the wiseiective in Ecclesiastes 9:10 ancient Isaels King Slmnt be successul in yu lie: Whateve yu han ns t , it with yu might.

Mario Seiglie is the ather o our adult daughters and pastor o

United Church o God congregations in Garden Grove, Caliornia,and Honolulu, Hawaii.



uve pbably hea the l saying, I yunt knw whee yue ging, yull pba-

bly en up smeplace else. Tees even a bkby that title. Te tuth is, mst peple have, atbest, nly a geneal iea whee they ae ging

with thei l ives.

Te big questins in lie nt have vey satisying answesuntil yu cnsie that yu wee mae a pupse by aceat G wh me the eath an its inhabitants. Itsvital t ealize that thee is a G wh calls peple ut cnusin an eveals pecius knwlege. Tse us nthe sta Vertical Tought want t shae with yu whatG has eveale abut His amazing plan mankinan help yu buil a successul, pupse-iven lie.

We unestan that ne the mst eective ways t helppeple achieve thei ptential is t ment them. Tis isnt easy, n is it ne in a week camp in a weekensemina.

In his bkMentoring Leaders, Casn Pue says: Few ae

actually calle t be leaes. Tse wh ae must be nu-tue an evelpe ne pesn at a time. evelpeally evelptansmatinal leaes, the pcessmust be highly pesnalize. Te lng-tem esults lage leaeship mtivatinal events an seminasshw little epth in the evelping aninte leaes.Jesus i nt it in a weeken! I am cnvince that theileaeship will take the ight mix cal ling, chaacte ancmpetency (2005, p. 14).

Vertical Tought was ceate with the pupse helpingthe next geneatin leaes. Challenge II, u leae-ship taining pgam yung aults in an ut

setting, which has been eatue in this magazine,was likewise evelpe t ment tmws leaes.It entails small gups in challenging venues withpessinal guies. Muntain climbing an wilenessaventues can ceate a wneul teaching envinment.

Hweve, nt eveyne can take time ut these aven-tues an be mente by u sta. S hw can yu n ament t help yu avi the many pitalls an age thatis gwing inceasingly secula an humanistic, enyingthe vey pwe G an His plan mankin?

Fist, yu nee t knw what yue aiming theeasn why yu wee bn. Tis is lai ut in Sciptue.

At the beginning the Bible is the accunt the ceatin Aam an Eve. All human beings ae thei escenants.

We ae, by natual escent, thei geat, exteneamily. Aam is calle a sn G (Luke 3:38). Teee,in u natual escent, we ae all the chilen G. Heis u Fathe by physical ceatin.

In an aticle that appeae in the May 1996 issue TeGood News, Gs Family: Te Reasn Yu Wee Bn,Rge Fste wites: Paul explaine that the Spiit itselbeaeth witness with u spiit that we ae the chilen G, an i chilen, then heisheis G an jintheis with Chist, i inee we sue with Him, that wemay als be glie tgethe (Rmans 8:16, 17 [KingJames an New King James Vesins]).

D yu gasp the enmus signicance Pauls state-ment? It explains why we ae hee, the vey easn uexistence, why we wee bn. It gives meaning t lie itsel.It explains why G wants all human beings t cme tthe knwlege the tuth. G is ceating a amily, Hisown family. We have the piceless pptunity t be a pat that amily.

Tat amily elatinshipu becming chilen Gthe Fatheis the heat an ce Gs geat plan humanity. Ntice hw Paul expesses it: In binging manysns t gly [salvatin], it was tting that G, whman thugh whm eveything exists, shul make theauth thei salvatin peect thugh sueing. Bththe ne wh makes men hly [Chist] an thse wh aemae hly [cnvete human beings] ae of the same family(Hebews 2:10, 11, New Intenatinal Vesin).

With u ultimate gal in min, then, lets cnsie smesteps ne can take in ning a ment an gwingtgethe as a spiitual amily.

Seek out a biblically literate person.Fin smenein yu amily chuch cngegatin wh unestansGs pupse lie an spen time talking abutyourtue pupse lie. Nt many yung peple tay aeexpse t this type thinking. be eective, ment-ing equies a give-an-take in which yu ask questinsthat ae imptant t yu an seek answes m aceible suce. F Chistians, that suce is the HlyBible. S n smene wh is biblically liteate.

Get involved. Lie is t be live, an live eve.Te git G is etenal lie, but why wul yu wantt live i yu wee miseable, ustate an unullle?

G eveals that thee is much t lean, an we ae t begwing in gace an knwlege. We lean best by ing!

b y L a r r y G r e i d e r

Having some encouragement and guidancecan make a big dierence in your lie.

Y

EDUCATION



Get invlve in chuch with a yuth gup that shaes thesame gals in lie!

Take time to reect.Successul peple set gals anwk twa them. Tis entails pepaatin invlving the

min an by. But lie can slip by yu i yu nt take timet eect n whats imptant. G gives man ne ay a weekt stp his nmal pusuits an est. Te Sabbath est wasmeant t be time spent with G in meitating, wshippingan eecting n what is imptant.

What g is it t tavel at 100 miles an hu i yu ae

lst, heaing in the wng iectin? Yu shul ten taketime t meitate an eect n yu cuse in lie. Seekingavice m a ment cul help yu make wise ecisins tevelp yu ptential in many aeas lie.

I yu eally want t gw, evelp cmpetencies an eel yuhave been calle by G, seek a knwlegeable ment tguie yu.

Larry Greider is pastor o the United Church o God congrega-

tion in Los Angeles, Caliornia, and director o the UCG GoodWorks Program.

Why do we have to sit in theseboring classes, listen to bor-ing old people tell boring

stories and learn about things thatarent going to aect us on a daily basisonce were fnally out o this place?

o many, it seems that education isa burden. But why does school haveto be so bad? Is it the teacher? heschool? Te material?

A college student mysel, I oten hearother students complain about howboring a class is or how horrible theteacher is to listen to. Yet these peoplechosethese classes, these teachers andthis school! Is school that bad, or arestudents just lazy?

School = hard work

A simple Google search on lazystudents brings up links likeHow to Be a Lazy College Studentand Lazywaytobettergrades.com.

Seriously?Although I get the sarcasm in the texto these sites, I know theres a naturaldesire to take it easy. Tis may be toughto hear, but the truth is that educationis supposed to be challenging!

Really learning well requires a willingear and a hardworking spirit. We canmake up excuses about why we dontlike a class or why we dont want toread a textbook, but that will get usnowhere. Te bottom line is, we cant

aord to be lazy!

What kind o student are you?

Like nearly all recent U.S. presidents,President Barak Obama has spokento student audiences about educa-tion. In a speech on Sept. 8, 2009, hesaid: Whatever you resolve to do, Iwant you to commit to it. I want youto really work at it.

Because o the advice o the presidento the United States, a ew students

just might pursue success. But verti-cal thinkers may be amiliar withsimilar words rom an inspired leadero great wisdom in the Bible, IsraelsKing Solomon: Whatever your handinds to do, do it with your might(Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Tis principle o hard work is a criticalvalue or all vertical thinkers!

Why take the easy way out by notturning in assignments on time, racingmindlessly through homework without

really gaining anything rom it or sit-ting in class like a lieless blob staringat the clock? Why not ollow the wiseadvice o doing everything with all oyour might, eort and ability?

Tips or better learning

Here are a ew suggestions or the stu-dious and mighty:

Prepare yourself. Read the text-book and know the topic youre learn-ing about.

Get involved. Active engagement

in class activities goes a long way tohelp inormation stick. Chances arethe class might be a bit more interest-ing too much more so than staringat the clock!

Plan ahead. Monumental t asksdont seem so impossible when youplan your time and break thingsdown into easy steps. Make a list oassignments you need to complete andallow yoursel plenty o time to fnish

them. his will relieve some stressand enable you to put more eortinto each activity. (See eHow.com/how_2039704_be-good-student.htmlor a list o practical tips.)

Education is challenging, but withgenuine hard work, your report cardmight show top grades this year.

Yet what about assessment on ahigher levela spiritual evaluationo personal eort? And how can youmaintain and strengthen your spiri-tual lie while acquiring an academiceducation? Read Christian TroughCollege in the January-March 2006issue oVertical Tought to learn more(Verticalhought.org/issues/vt10/christian.htm).

Zach Smith is in his last year o study

at Cleveland State University, wherehe is pursuing a bachelor o sciencedegree in education.

Read other weekly commentaries simi-

lar to this one at VerticalThought.org.

b y Z a c h S m i t h

A Vertical Thought Commentary

Boring Teachers or Lazy Students?


12/24



When we give u allegiance t G, His instuctins willguie the ecisins we make egaing the emainingtypes kisses.

The kiss o riendship

A kiss was a cmmn way shwing ienship in the Ol

estament. Paents kisse thei chilen (Genesis 27:27),an thee ae numeus examples elatives geetingeach the with a kiss an kissing each the g-bye(Genesis 29:10-15; 31:55; 33:4; 45:15; Exus 18:7; Ruth1:9). Tis nnmantic type kiss was ee t eveynein the extene amily.

In aitin t elatives kissing each the, a kiss was alscmmn in ienships (see the example Davi anJnathan in 1 Samuel 20:41). Cntinuing this taitin kissing as a sign ienship, Paul encuage Chistian

bethen in the New estament t geet ne anthewith a hly kiss (Rmans 16:16; 1 Cinthians 16:20). Ocuse, this was me than just a taitin; it was ne inulllment Chists teaching that spiitual bethen aet lve ne anthe (Jhn 13:34-35).

Pviing explanatin this instuctin t geetbethen in Chist with a hly kiss, the Expositors BibleCommentary ntes: Te emine that it is a hly kissguas it against etic [sexual] assciatins. It was a tken

the lve Chist mutually shae an the peace anhamny he ha bught int thei lives.

In u wl tay, each amily an cultue has its wncustms an taitins. I yu amily membes geet eachthe with hugs hanshakes even with just a vebalhell instea kisses, thats ne. Te key hee is shwing

espect an gwill. Te same is tue in geeting Chuchbethen an iens. G with the custm the aea anthe peeence the pesn. Dnt make anyne uncm-table with hw yu shw ienship.

The amorous kiss

Te amus kiss is a passinate expeience that tenstimulates the esie aitinal intimacy. Instea asimple peck n the cheek as ne might give a ien, thiskin kiss is usually n the lips. As the lve in the Sng Slmn pclaims, Let him kiss me with the kisses ofhis mouth yu lve is bette than wine (1:2).

Because this kin kissing ten leas t uthe sexualactivity (Pvebs 7), these kisses shul be eseve maiage. As Sng Slmn 2:7 avises, D nt sti upn awaken lve until it pleases. Te best time leaninghw t kiss this way is when yu ae maie.

As weve just seen, kissing is a petty imptant subject.F me g avice n having a bette elatinship withG, knwing hw t chse iens, an leaning hw tbest plan yu lve lie be sue t cntinue eaing VerticalTought. Yu can als seach u aticle achives thesesubjects at www.VeticalTught.g.

David Treybig is managing editor o Vertical Thoughtandpastors United Church o God congregations in Tampa and St.Petersburg, Florida.

O all the types kisses in the Bible, that allegiance t G is by a themst imptant. His instuctins must guie u ecisins egaing kissing.

y

,

g

;

,

y



The ministe sat wn an lke at us inquiingly.We gaze giily back at him, hans claspe tightlyune the table. We ha been ating theemnths. It wasnt t ealy a little pe-pemai-

tal cunseling, was it? We wee smitten, an we knew it.

When hpes ae high an hmnes ae pulsing, its easy lgic an sun ecisin making t get lst in all theexcitement. We wee bimming with questins. Ae we ight each the? Hw can we think citically an bjectivelywithut u highe bain unctins being in cntl? Hw we knw i this is a healthy elatinship?

Answes weent cming ast enugh. But ne thing was

clea: Ou ating ha becme seius, an we neee t askthe ight questins t get the ight answes.

What ae the ight questins? Teye the nes with clea-cutanswes that nt change, egaless hw in lve yuae. With the help u paents, pasts, bks an maieiens, we iscvee what questins t ask t gauge thegly ptential u elatinship. We hpe they will pveuseul tls yu t.

1. Are you best friends or becoming best friends?

Okay, geat, yu lve this pesn. But wul yu enjy beingaun each the i yu wee nly iens? Cuples that thiveae mae up geat iens wh make the ecisin aily telight in an seve ne anthe, knwing each thes aultsas well as stengths. Spening the est yu lie with sme-

ne means yue ging t be stuck with each the even whenyu ae my stesse. Yue ging t have t chse t

b y M a r y V e e n e m a n a n d A a r o n H e n d e r s o n

These 10 questions can help you gauge the godly

potential o your relationship.

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



lve ne anthe even at thse mments when yu nt eallylike each the. Ate all, maiage isnt a lng ateits a lie-lng ienship (Pvebs 17:17; Sng Slmn 5:16).

2. What do you talk about?

Yu ialgue eects the state yu elatinship. Asiem hapsizing abut hw geat yu ae tgethe antexting each the sweet nthings, what tpics yu bthn inteesting? Ae mst yu cnvesatins supecial, yu ten iscuss the eepe aspects lie? Remembethat ate ecaes tgetheness, all yu may have let t is talk (Philippians 4:8; Ephesians 4:29).

3. Does the other person have a few good friends or atleast one very close friend?

As the saying ges, Shw me a mans iens, an I will shwyu the man. I the pesn cant maintain ienships, whatmakes yu think he she can maintain a elatinship? Iyu lve inteest is a lng-tem lne, ask yusel why. Teemay be a sensible easn, such as equent mves thecicumstances that pevent lasting ienships. Hweve,getting t knw the the pesns iens is always a wisemve (Pvebs 13:20; 22:11).

4. How does this person treat others?

Hw the pesn teats yu isnt necessaily evience g chaacte. Pay attentin t hw he she teats amilymembes an thes. D peple want t be aun him

he? Hw es the pesn teat his he paents? Tese aeall g inicats hw he she will eventually teat yu(Philippians 2:3-4; Rmans 12:10).

5. How do you deal with conict?

I yu want t make yusel miseable, may smeneyue cnstantly ghting with. While aguments ae inevita-ble, hw the tw yu eal with cnict can make beakan thewise g elatinship. Yue ging t nee t n acnstuctive way hanling stiene that wks yu.I yu want t lean hw yu eal with cnict, n smesimple pjects t wk n tgethe (like witing a magazineaticle!). Yu may be supise at hw sn the pptunity

t eal cnstuctively with cnict pesents itsel (Pvebs19:11; James 1:19).

6. Do you share the same values?

w peple wh nt shae the same values will inevitablygw apat ve time. Putting G st in yu elatinshipensues that yu ae wking twa the same gals. Beginwith the en in min, an yu ae me likely t llw thesame path t get thee. Unestaning an living by Gslaws an His plan must be the unatin a lasting pat-neship (Ams 3:3; 2 Cinthians 6:14-15).

7. Is the person happy?

I yu weent happybefore yu gt tgethe, yu pbablyaent ging t be happywhile yue tgethe in the lng un.

Eveyne is ecstatic at the beginning a elatinship, butpeple eventually etun t thei typical level happiness glm ate the hmnes subsie. Inaccuate p

sel-image pblems ae a big ablck t healthy, happyelatinships. Misey is cntagius. I the pesn yueating was unhappy bee meeting yu, nt expect him he t be jy an sunshine ate the chemical high weas (Pvebs 15:13, 15).

8. What do people whom you respect think of yourrelationship?

Tis pesn is abslutely spectacula, ight? Why nt yucmpae ntes with peple wh aent inatuate with him he? Clse iens knw yu, in sme ways, bette than yuknw yusel. An bjective bseve is able t see ptential

pblems yu may have velke ismisse as tivial.Tese peple aent ut t uin yu lie. ake thei pininsseiusly (Pvebs 15:22; 12:15).

9. Are you making good use of the time you spendtogether?

Yu shul be ing me than just absbing xygentgethe. Hllw istactins can easily supplant g cm-municatin. Healthy elatinships ae cnstantly matuingbecause time is being spent leaning me abut ne anthean encuaging each the. I a elatinship isnt gwing,it is egessing. Spening time wisely builing each the upwil l keep things esh an exciting (Rmans 14:19; Hebews

3:13).

10. What fruits has your relationship yielded?

In the en, yu can evaluate a elatinship by what it p-uces. What chaacte taits have yu gaine because yuienship with this pesn? What impact has yu elatin-ship ha n thes? A healthy elatinship invlves twpeple wh bth challenge an shapen each the, psitivelyaecting themselves as well as the peple with whm theycme int cntact (Pvebs 27:17; Hebews 10:24).

Whethe that st twittepate cunseling sessin wasa pematue pipe eam puent ethught, it sent us

wn the ight path. Ate nealy thee yeas questins,thees nly ne me t ask. Wee petty sue wee ging tlike the answe.

G tells us that i we cmmit eveything that we t Him,u plans will succee (Pvebs 16:3). S, seek ut wisecunsel an Gs will. Ask the ight questins, an yu, t,will n the ight answes (Luke 11:9).

Mary Veeneman is pursuing a degree in marketing rom MiamiUniversity in Ohio and is a pianist or the Cincinnati North andBualo, New York, congregations.

Aaron Henderson lives in Bualo, where he works and is com-

pleting graduate school to become a licensed architect. Sincewriting this article, the authors have become engaged.

God tells us that if we commit everything that we do to Him,our plans will succeed. So, seek out wise counsel and Gods will.



e hnest. D yu eve tease yu bthe sis-

te? D yu eve eel envius yu siblings? Aeyu esentul when yu siste gets a lt atten-

tin m Mm an Da? Des it seem like yu anyu bthe ae always tying t ut each the?

I yu answee yes t any these questins, yueinvlve with sibling ivaly, which entails bthes ansistes cmpeting with ne anthe, ten thei paentsattentin, aectin an appval. Mst teens expeience atleast sme sibling ivaly.

I its nly a little ienly cmpetitin, thats nt necessa-ily a ba thing. Smetimes it can keep yu wking ha.F instance, yu bthe may have becme eally g atshting hps, which mtivates yu t bush up n yuwn basketball skills.

Sibling ivaly becmes a pblem when the cmpetitingets s intense that it leas t ghting aguing betweensiblings, when ne sibling eels upstage by the thean stats habing esentment hstility. Tey mayeven est t taunting playing cuel ticks n eachthe.

The causesS what causes teens t view thei siblings as ivals? Otenits ue t paental avitism (peceive eal). One

sibling may think the the is getting me than his he

ai shae attentin, pivileges, space the peceive

limite esuce, says Chales Tmpsn, Ph.D., pess cunsel eucatin an cunseling psychlgy at theUnivesity ennessee.

As amily cunsel Jshua Staub, Ph.D., Lynchbug,Viginia: Paents may nt even ealize theye ing it. Buta lt times thei pesnality clicks bette with ne chilthan the the. S they give the ave chil a lt spe-cial teatment ae easie n that chil in tems pun-ishment. Tee may aleay be sme ba eelings betweenthe siblings, but this avitism just as uel t the e.

w the mst well-knwn examples paental avit-ism leaing t such ivaly ae un in the Bible. Te stis that atenal twin bthes Jacb an Esau. Teiathe, Isaac, enjye wil game an peee Esau, whwas a skillul hunte. Tei mthe, Rebekah, lve Jacbme because he was a hmeby, staying amng the tents.When Rebekah leane that Isaac was ging t bestw hisblessing n Esau, she ticke Isaac int giving it t Jacb.When Esau hea what happene, he wante t kill Jacb,wh e t saety.

When Jacb became a athe, he epeate the mistake hispaents mae. He penly shwe avitism t Jseph,his 11th sn but the stbn Rachel, his avite wie.When Jacb gave Jseph a special gita bightly cle

cathis bthes esente thei athes patiality an

How do you know whetheryou have it or not? How can

you survive it?

Sibling

Rivalry!

Causes and Cures

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

b

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

16 Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 10 V e r t i c a l T h o u g h t . o r g



cnsequently hate Jseph. It was nt lng bee thebthes thew him int a pit an, issuae m killinghim by ne the bthes, sl him int slavey.

O cuse, paents shwing avitism is nt the nlycntibut t sibling ivaly. Cntentin is paticulalyintense when chilen ae within thee yeas age neanthe an the same gene, accing t Staub.Meve, i the paents ae stesse i the hme lieisnt stable, the kis pick up n that anxiety, making

them me agitate with each the. Als, i thees anincease in cnict between a chil an his athe, thatchil wi ll be me quaelsme with his siblings.

With teens, thee ae cmmn acts at wk. Teteenage yeas ae a time ientity matin,Staub says. eenages ae cnstantly asking thequestin: Hw am I ing? Tey want t knw thattheye ing well, an that they have the appval

thei paents. Teye als tying t ieenti-ate themselves m thei amily an n thei

wn ientity. Tugh it all, he says, teenscmpete with an cmpae themselves t

thei siblings because theye tying t nthei wn place in the wl.

The curesA playul ivaly an sme lightheate

ibbing with yu siblings is ne thing.But i yue always embile inheate cnicts with yu bthe siste, thats smething that nees

t be ealt withbee a pemanentit evelps between the tw yu. y

taking the llwing steps:

Pray about the situation.

Pay yu bthes an sistes an yu elatinshipwith them. Ask G t help yu see yu pat in all this, tsee i thees any way yue inteacting with them that yushulnt be. Ask Him t give yu the pwe t vecmethis pblem. He wil l.

Change your perspective.

Lk at the situatin m yu siblings pint view. Tathelpe 19-yea-l Bianna. I was upset when I un mypaents wee giving my siste $50 gas mney evey week-en when she cmes hme m cllege, she amits. Tey

nt give me gas mney. But then I state thinking, Ilive at hme an I have a jb. My siste esnt wk, anshe has a lt cllege bills. My paents ae just giving hemney s she can a t ive hme n the weekensan visit us. When yu bjectively lk at the acts, yumay ealize thees n avitism ging n at all.

Show your support.

Tis may seem like just the ppsite what yu want t, but ty t encuage yu bthes an sistes t thei best an buil them up. Cngatulate them n theiachievements an shae thei happiness. Sinceely cmpli-ment them. ake a genuine inteest in thei lives. I yu

siste is wking n a schl pject, ask he t tell yu

abut it. I yu bthe is n the schl swim team, gt sme his meets. I this seems ha t , ask G thelp yu. I yue sinceely cheeing n yu siblings, mstlikely they ll ecipcate.

Dont compare yourselves.

Yu may lk at yu bthes abilities an think t yu-sel, Hes bette than I am at eveything! But ealize hemay be thinking the same abut yu. Eveyne has talents,an n ne will succee in eveything all thugh lie. Letyu siblings shine in thei wn aeas stength. Rathethan wish yu ha the same stengths an abilities as yubthe siste, lk yu wn talents an wk nevelping thse. Fcus n achieving yu wn pesnalbest athe than cmpeting with yu sibling.

Build positive interactions.

Ask yu sibling t take pat in sme kin un, nncm-petitive activity with yu. G t a mvie take a walktgethe. Spen seveal hus at the pak pl. eatyu siste bthe t pizza. Give yuselves a chancet smething enjyable an psitive with each the s

yue nt always getting n each thes neves. Talk to your parents.

I yu eel like yue being igne at hme that yubthe siste is always in the sptlight, shae yucncens with yu paents. Tey may nt even ealizehw they ae cming acss. But nt attack yu paents accuse them playing avites. Just tell them hwyuve been eeling. gethe yu can gue ut ways temey the situatin.

Look at the long term.

Realize that n matte hw ustating yu siblings mightbe ight nw, it esnt always have t be that way. Manyaults wh ae clse t thei bthes an sistes will tellyu they int get alng with each the gwing up,Tmpsn says. He says a lt times, as peple appachaulth, they stat ealizing hw much they nee theisiblings an wk hae at these elatinships. Te sneyu stat ing this, the bette.

Chances ae, yu siblings will be the nes yu tun t suppt an encuagement in yu ault yeas. Te Bibletells us that a bthe is bn t shae tubles (Pvebs17:17, Revise English Bible).

Unlike iens wh cme an g thughut yu lie, yu

siblings ae always ging t be yu siblings. Teye thenly peple wh knw what yu amily was eally like anhave that histy t shae with yu, Staub says. Tee isa bn with yu sibling that is ieent m any the.

Sue, yu siblings might be iitating t yu ight nw, butnt give up n them. Remembe the big pictue. Yueamily, an ve the lng haul yue ging t nee eachthe. S ty t keep a sense hum, a psitive min-setan apply sme the tips in this aticle. I yu , thingsae bun t get bette.

Becky Sweat is a reelance writer specializing in health andamily topics. She lives in the Dallas, Texas, area with her

husband and two sons.

Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 10 17



he authors of a 2009 book titledAlready

Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and

What You Can Do to Stop Ithave found

that up to two thirds of young people even-

tually leave their church. Why? One of the

primary reasons, these authors discovered,

was that the youth quit believing that the

rst chapters of Genesis are true. With the constant bom-bardment from schools and the media against the verac-

ity of the book of Genesis, its no wonder this is the result.

This ongoing dilemma is one of the reasons we continue

addressing some of the questions young people have

about the book of Genesis. Of course, even apart from

that, this book that lays the foundation for the rest of

Scripture merits a lot of attention.

Some believe the table o nations in Genesis 10is mostly fctional. Are they right?

Genesis 10 traces the genealogies of mankind after the

Flood through the descendants of Noahs three sons up

to shortly before the time of the Hebrew patriarch Abra-

ham. The chapter has been called the table of nations

because the descendants listed fathered the 70 nations

that eventually overspread the earth after the confusion of

languages at the Tower of Babel.

But how accurate is the record, really?

Here are some quotes from some prominent archaeolo-

gists and historians about the table of nations.

William Albright, often referred to as the father of

biblical archaeology, stated: The tenth chapter of

Genesis stands absolutely alone in ancient litera-

ture, without a remote parallel, even among the Greeks,where we nd the closest approach to a distribution

of peoples in a genealogical framework Many of the

names of peoples and countries mentioned in this chap-

ter have been discovered on the monuments for the rst

time The Table of Nations remains an astonishingly

accurate document (Recent Discoveries in Bible Lands,

1955, pp. 70-71).

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia notes:

As a literary and historiographic document the Table

of Nations is without parallel in the ancient world. What

makes it even more remarkable is its contrast to the

parochialism [local focus] that tended to plague the Isra-elites throughout their history. In one quick stroke the

table puts the nations history into its proper perspec-

tive. Although the Hebrews were the specially chosen

agents of divine revelation, they were but one member of

the universal family of nations, all of whom had a common

origin (1988, Vol. 4, p. 712, emphasis added throughout).

Anthropologist Arthur Custance, an author dedicated

to bridging science and theology, wrote: Had this Table

been designed for propaganda purposes (to establishIsraels position as of equal dignity though not sharing

some of the glories of the surrounding peoples) or had it

been merely the work of some early historian creating his

own data with a comparatively free hand, then almost cer-

tainly some device would have been adopted for delib-

erately setting forth not only the high status of his own

ancestors, but the very low status of that of his enemies

In complete contrast, it would be difcult to prove with

certainty of what nationality the author of Genesis 10 was.

We assume he was a Hebrew, but if the amount of atten-

tion given to any particular line that is traced were used

as a clue to his identity, he might have been a Japheth-ite, a Canaanite, or even an Arab. This is remarkable and

shows enormous restraint on the authors part, the kind

of restraint which suggests the hand of God upon him (A

Study of the Names in Genesis 10, 1975, chapter 1, online

book edition).

Again from the International Standard Bible Encyclo-

pedia: If the table is allowed to speak for itself in its

present canonical context, several themes seem to be

emphasized or implied. (1) The providential fulllment of

the Noachian blessing and the population of the earth

after the ood proceeded in the main along ordered lines.

(2) The world is one united family, all of whose mem-

bers trace their origin back to a common ancestor, Noah.

(3) The segmentation of Noahs family is reected in the

present existence of separate nationality groups, recog-

nizable by their distinctive locations, languages, and polit-

ical structures. (4) The call of Abraham and Israelite his-

tory in general take place within the context of universal

history, thus the effects of patriarchal revelation are felt

throughout the ear th (1988, Vol. 4, p. 712).

Even after being subjected to extensive analysis by noted

scholars, the table of nations has stood the test of time.

Was there really a conusion o languages at the

Tower o Babel?Secular teachers often dismiss this biblical account as a

18 Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 10 V e r t i c a l T h o u g h t . o r g

N A S A



MAN IS A

TO MANmyth, but when we examine the evidence we nd that a

great deal exists about both the confusion of languages

andthe Tower of Babel.

Many linguists (those who study languages) readily admit

they have no feasible explanation for how or why there are

so many languages on the earth.

For instance, Dr. Mario Pei, a world-renowned linguist

and author, states: If there is one thing on which all lin-guists are fully agreed, it is that the problem of the origin

of human speech is still unsolved Human language, in

contrast with animal cries, displays innite variability, both

in time and in space In one sense, the reason for the

changeability of language is as mysterious as the origin of

language itself (The Story of Language, 1965, pp. 21-23).

Presently, we know of some 5,000 different languages,

with seven main branches, spoken around the world.

About 1,000 are doomed to disappear within the next

two decades, due in large part to the major languages

growing in cultural and economic dominion.

Surprisingly, as it may seem counterintuitive, the moreadvanced a culture becomes, thesimplerthe language

gets, since people tend to simplify and abbreviate their

concepts and words. Inversely, the most primitive tribes

have the most complex languages. For example, the Afri-

can Swahili language has 26 different functions for nouns!

Dr. Pei notes, It seems at least partly established that

language changes least rapidly when its speakers are

isolated from other communities, and most rapidly when

they nd themselves, so to speak, at the crossroads of

the world (ibid., p. 23).

This remarkable feature shows that language has not

evolved, as many assume, but instead has actually

devolved from a very sophisticated system. The diver-

sity and complexity of language is evidence that God, not

human beings, is the original author of languages.

What about the fabled Tower of Babel? The Babylonians,

or the inhabitants of Babel who remained in the area,

apparently were very proud of this tower, for they built

many more. There are 35 ruins of towers, calledziggurats,

found in the region. They had seven levels with a pagan

temple at the top, and they may have become a pattern

for the rst Egyptian pyramids.

The New Bible Dictionaryexplains: Babel, or the gate of

God, called also Babylon. The name of one of the chief

cities founded by Nimrod in the land of Shinar (Sumer),

ancient Babylonia. According to Babylonian tradition, the

tower [i.e., the ancient ziggurat of Babylon] was founded

by the god Marduk and destroyed by Sargon [king of

Akkad or Agade] in 2350 B.C. A text of Sharkalisharri,

king of Agade (c. 2250 B.C.) mentions the restoration of

the temple-tower at Babylon, implying the existence of an

earlier sacred city on the site After Sharkalisharri, the

earliest reference to the ziggurat at Babylon is to its res-

toration by Esarhaddon [king of Assyria] in 681-665 B.C.

This was named in Sumerian Etemenankithe Building

of the Foundation-platform of Heaven and Earth.

It is very probable that such a sacred edice followed an

earlier plan. The tower was severely damaged in the war

of 652-648 B.C. but restored again by Nebuchadnezzar II

[king of Babylon] (605-562 B.C.) The ziggurat at Baby-

lon was demolished by Xerxes in 472 B.C., and though

Alexander [the Great] cleared the rubble prior to its res-

toration, this was thwarted by his death. The bricks were

subsequently removed by the local inhabitants, and today

the site of Etemenanki is a pit as deep as the original

construction was high (1982, pp. 110-111).

Some, however, contend that the original Tower of Babel

was located 11 miles southwest in modern Birs Nim-

rudanciently called Borsippa, meaning tongue-tower.

Nebuchadnezzar also built a great ziggurat over an ear-

lier structure here, stating: This edice, the house of the

Seven Lights of the Earth, the most ancient monument

of Borsippa, a former king built it (they reckon forty-two

ages), buthe did not complete its head. Since a remote

time people had abandoned it, without order express-

ing their words. Since that time the earthquake and the

thunder had dispersed its sun-dried clay; the bricks of

the casing had been split, and the earth of the interior

had been scattered in heaps (quoted in Smiths Bible

Dictionary, Tongues, Confusion of).

In any case, the biblical account of the Tower of Babel

is not a myth. The building of such enormous mud-brick

towers has solid historical backing. And clearly the tradi-

tion of the unnished tower due to language confusion

was known at the time of Nebuchadnezzar.

Mario Seiglie is the ather o our adult daughters and pastor o

United Church o God congregations in Garden Grove, Caliornia,and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Here are more requentlyasked questions about

Genesis, the book o origins.b y M a r i o S e i g l i e

Vertical Thought J a n u a r y M a r c h 2 0 10 19



With my suitcase in ne han an a met map in thethe, I began t ll my belngings thugh the steets Mai. Ate 12 hus tavel, having wn mDallas, exas, I was me than eay a shwe an

settling int my new apatment.As I walke up Calle Manuel an un the apatmentthat wul be my new hme, I was geete by an lewman with ak eyes. He name was Camen, anbeing a native Spania she geete me with a ublekiss an apily aske questins in Spanish. At thatmment I began t think back t my Spanish classesin high schl, wishing I ha pai me attentin! Ntknwing much English, she welcme me in with hangestues an pinte wn a lng hallway t whee Iwul be staying the semeste.

Tis seeme less ightening when I saw that my thee

the mmates wee Ameican stuents wh ha thesame stunne an vewhelme lk n thei aces. Wetalke abut u ights, u expectatins an u initialimpessins Spain. We shae the easns we eciet stuy aba a semeste, an they wee shcket n that I was nt majing in the language. becmpletely an humbly hnest, I i nt hl a canle tthese gils wh seeme t be cmtable hling a cn-vesatin in Spanish. My st challenge sn aive.

Calamari or dinner

Ou st night, Camen mae us ie calamai (squi),

an in my actue Spanish, I plitely explaine thatI cul nt eat the meal she pepae. Ten, withSpanish-English ictinay in han, I mae a list thethe meats that I culnt eat. What a way t make a st

impessinejecting he st meal! I was sue Camenmust have thught I was ue, an she sn leane that Iwas ieent in me espects than just my iet.

Evey Fiay night Camen ntice hw I neve went utpatying with my the mmates. She als inquieabut the mvies I watche n Satuays. Tey weent the typical ms entetainment the the stu-ents watche!

I explaine that my chuch ha semns nline thatI cul watch listen t egaless my lcatin cunty. Spain, a cunty ich in eligius histy anpeminately Cathlic, i nt have many wh shae

in my belies. It was icult t keep the Sabbath alne,an I knew that this eeling lneliness wul gwwith time. I ha neve cnsiee hw much my chuchwas actually a amily. Being away m my amilybught n a eeling hmesickness.

Road trip!

It was nally time sping beak, an althugh many my schl iens ha planne tips utsie Spain,I wante t stay an ully expeience the cultue. Fcentuies, this aea has been amus ichly uniquequalities , ancing an lanscape.

b y E m i l y Q u a n t

I thought I knew exactly what I was doing, but my trip to Spainyielded some unexpected results.

It was my junior year at Baylor University, and I thought I had my college career comortably undercontrol. I had completed most o my requirements with the exception o one Spanish class. Tree years

had elapsed since I had read, studied or spoken Spanish; and with this small act I knew that I was going

to struggle.

It was tougher than I thought. Ater one week, I was hopelessly behind and dropped the class. Considering

my alternatives, I had the brilliant idea that studying abroad in Madrid would be the perect way to learn the

language and ulfll my college requirement. Little did I know that I was about to learn more than just Spanish.

i S t o c k p h o t o s c o m



A yea bee, I ha tavele thugh Eupe an statea ienship with Claie an Jak Kaspe, a cuple whatten the Unite Chuch G in Gemany. AteI tl them that I was mving t Spain, we quicklyplanne a a tip tgethe thugh the IbeianPeninsula (n which Spain an Ptugal ae lcate).

It ha been mnths since I ha spent time with theyung aults wh shae my belies, s I was eally lk-ing wa t u time tgethe. Te st weeken u camping/a tip excusin, we ha a nice Fiaynight meal, shae in eep cnvesatin an enjyelistening t a semn m a small MP3 playe n theSabbath.

I ha state t get the imptance being withpeple wh believe, think an eel the same way I .Tey invite me t spen the Passve an week-lngFeast Unleavene Bea with them in Gemany, an Iknew that it wul be an amazing pptunity t enjy

time with ellw Chuch membes.

S the sping estival pei came, an I emembestepping the high-spee Geman tain with a hik ingbackpack, wneing hw lng it ha been since I hasung hymns. Nw was my pptunity t wea Sabbathclthes, sing hymns with ellw believes, give an e-

ing an nt wy abut explaining my belies t peplein Spanish! Claie an Jak geete me with hugs anchclate. We e t the Passve sevice tgethe, anwhen we aive at the builing I was vewhelme withan unusual eeling.

In scanning the m it seeme that peple wee mathe ivese cultual backguns. Eveything wasieent, incluing the pesnalities, senses human, cuse, languages. Yet as I sat thee listening tthe Passve sevice in Geman, smething ccue tme. Even with these ieences, we wee all thee thatnight the same easn. Each us ha been calle

int this belie, an we wee pataking the Passveas a unie by.

More than Spanish

Tis is when it awne n me that I was leaning methan Spanish. I ha mve t Eupe t maste a lan-guage an t take pat in a ieent cultue. Hweve,while in Eupe I leane that the imptant thing wasnt whethe we spke the same language ha thesame pinins abut the things this wl, but thatwe wee all uent in unestaning Gs tuth anpupse u lives.

In bseving the Passve tgethe, we shae the sameslemn, epentant an humble min-set. I saw thatG has the ability t call anyne, n matte wheea pesn lives hw he she was aise. An Hehas calle a vey ivese gup peple. In act, it isthugh u ivesities that we can see the imptance

His plan. I we wee all alike, hw wul we be able tchallenge ne anthe an gw?

In the week that llwe, I was elighte t spentime with a smgasb peple with simila belies.Te evening ate Passve, the gup us keeping theNight t Be Much Obseve (which begins the Feast Unleavene Bea), cnsiste peple m Hllan,Belgium, New Zealan an Englan, an yus tulym exas. As we sat aun the table iscussing hwwe keep the Sabbath an hanle ay-t-ay Chistianliving, I als cnsiee the act that many EupeanChuch membes ae use t living in an envinment

whee they can aely spen time with the believes.

(Tse unamilia with bseving the weekly Sabbath,the annual Passve an the Feast Unleavene Beamay wish t equest u ee bklets Sunset to Sunset:Gods Sabbath Restan Gods Holy Day Plan: Te Promise ofHope for All Mankind.)

Gs peple in pats Eupe ae s spea ut, anyet they have nt given in t the ways the wl. Teyhave cntinue t stan m an pactice thei belies,even i they ae alne in thei cunty. Hee I ha been,pactically spile in attening with a ew huneChuch membes each weeken in exas. It tk mywn lnely slitue in Spain t ealize the imptance staying cmmitte t what I believe, n matte hwalne I might eel.

Tis lessn was a supise. I ha put such an emphasisn leaning a human language that I ha tempailyvelke the me pweul lessn Gthat He iscalling peple m all backguns. I went t Spain tlean Spanish. I came hme with a eepe appeciatin the act that He is calling peple all natins t Hisway lie.

Emily Quant is a senior at Baylor University and attends

the United Church o God congregation in Fort Worth, Texas.Ater graduation, she plans to teach English as a secondlanguage to Spanish-speaking students.

I went to Spain to learn Spanish. I came home with a deeper appreciation ofthe fact that God is calling people of all nations to His way of life!



TV Everywhere!I you were ever overwhelmed by the vast array o TV sets availablein appliance stores, things are about to get even more complicated!Executives at Intel predict that TV-capable devices will multiply in numberand variety o sizes, so that everyone on the planet will be able to haveone or more screens around him or her.

With the increase o television and video viewing done on the Internet,companies are developing TV-like devices that interact with the Internet.However, concerned that consumers dont want to be snowed withtelevisions as complicated as computers, they are seeking simplicity indesign. Adding to the challenge, three-dimensional television is not aro. Samsung and Mitsubishi have already launched 3D TV products, andSony and Panasonic will ollow up next year (Maggie Shiels, Future Is TV-shaped, Says Intel, News.BBC.co.uk, Sept. 25, 2009).

Do you know what the frst American

collegiate sport was? Thinking

ootball? Nope, it was rowing.

The number o people in America

today that regularly compete in

racing shells (long narrow boats with

oars) down rivers and across lakes

is 85,000, which is up rom 32,000 in

1986. Another 65,000 people row just

or un. Regattas (rowing matches)

can draw large crowds. Over 300,000

attend the annual two-day event inBoston, Massachusetts.

Most rowers hit the water by 5:30 in

the morning and train several hours a

day. They typically dont peak in their

abilities until their late 20s. However,

lack o coverage by sports television

stations has kept the sport rom

growing in the multibillion-dollar sports

industry. Some suspect that rowing is

considered too sedate, but community

rowing associations hope to keep the

sport on the map (Skip Rozin, Forever

Rowing Upstream, The Wall Street

Journal, July 18, 2009).

Bye-Bye,

Bar Codes?Researchers at MIT have developeda new type o inormation tag called

a Bokode. The tag is 3 millimeters in

diameter and can encode inormation

about a product or a venue that can

be read by a standard mobile phone

camera. The Bokode is a tiny light-

emitting diode with a mask and a

lens. A camera can read inormation

directly rom the ront o the tag or

rom the side.

The creators o the Bokode envision

many uses, one o which is interaction

with Google Streetview. Inormation

gathered about locations via photos

taken by Google vehicles would

then be accessible on Google

Maps (Jonathan Fildes, Barcode

Replacement Shown O, News.BBC.

co.uk, July 27, 2009).

Recent research in Japan has deter-mined that human beings emit verysmall levels o visible light. Scientists

used extremely sensitive camerasto record the light emissions rom

male volunteers. Body glow wasdetermined to rise and all throughthe course o the day. It was lowest

at 10 a.m. and highest at 4 p.m.(Charles Choi, Strange! Humans

Glow in Visible Light, LiveScience.

com, July 22, 2009).

According to the tests, acesglowed most o all. We have come

to know a great deal about biology,

but surprising news like this

demonstrates that we still have a lot

more to learn about the intricacies

o Gods creative handiwork!

Glow-in-the-Dark People

Row, Row, RowYour Boat

Number o devices Intel Corp.

estimates will be capable o

connecting to TV and video

content by 2015.

Future Is TV-Shaped, Says Intel,

News.BBC.co.uk, Sept. 25, 2009

Compiled by Amanda StiverIn the News

2,000,000,000+

(12 billion plus)



Newspaper Thrives in Amish CommunityThe Budgeto Sugarcreek, Ohio, is a newspaper

covering Amish community news around the

United States. In a world economy where

newspapers are closing up shop because o high

prices and Internet competition, The Budgethas

the opposite problem. Its Amish readers are

resisting plans by the publisher to establish anonline version o the national paper. These readers

and contributors, who by reason o their religious

belies shun certain technologies, including

computers, are not anxious or their contributions to the paper to be

available to everyone on the Internet (Meghan Barr, Amish News Slow,

Steady, Associated Press in The Washington Times, Aug. 21, 2009).

Bracelets SendWrong SignalsA middle school in Colorado has

sked parents to not allow their

tudents to wear a certain type o

jelly bracelet. School administrators

earned that certain colors mayndicate varying degrees o sexual

ctivity either experienced by or

willing to be engaged in by students.

However, many emale students

maintain that the bracelets are merely

ashion statement and have no such

onnotations (Dan Frosch, Schools

Ban Bracelet Used in Sex Game,The

New York Times,Sept. 12, 2009).

Regardless o students intent,

we should keep in mind the

iblical principles o maintaining

good reputation and staying

bove reproach. We should avoid

ny semblance o condoning or

articipating in evil, even i that means

bstaining rom a certain type opparel.

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

Eating as a Family Proves BenefcialA Columbia University survey reveals that teenagers who regularly eat dinner

with their amilies have a lower likelihood o developing substance abuse

roblems. They also tend to get better grades in school. That seems like a pretty

asy way to improve perormance in class!

adly, only hal o American teenagers regularly have amily dinnertime, which

means a lot o young people are missing out on the benefts. Talking over the

ays events is key teaching time or parents. A Harvard University study fndshat amily dinners help children develop their language skills too (Family Dinner

inked to Better Grades or Teens, ABCnews.go.com, Sept. 13, 2005).

Ancient Wall Unearthed in JerusalemPart o a massive 3,700-year-old deensive wall has been uncovered in Jerusalem

on the slopes o the Kidron Valley below the City o David. Experts believe it is

part o a passage that led to a spring protected by ortifcations. The spring, the

Gihon, is still in use today.

Excavation director Ronny Reich speculates that there may be urther

architectural ruins behind the wall. It is believed that ancient Canaanites built the

enormous boulder wall, but excavators are at a loss to know how they completed

the project and created such straight-sided ortifcations (Kevin Flower, MassiveAncient Wall Uncovered in Jerusalem, CNN.com, Sept. 7, 2009).

Teens having amily dinners fve or more times a week were 42percent less likely to drink alcohol, 59 percent less likely to smokecigarettes and 66 percent less likely to try marijuana (Family DinnerLinked to Better Grades or Teens, ABCnews.go.com, Sept. 13, 2005).


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Imagine strapping on thehelmet and shield of a

gladiator and stepping into the arena

Imagine matching wits witharchenemies in order to

defend a mighty Kingdom

Imagine your destiny!

To discover more about it, request or download

What Is Your Destiny? is free resource will help answer

the toughest and most important questions in life!

Imagine wieldinga sword

and defeating the powersofdarkest evil

l h

vertical thought: january - march 2010

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