Stopping the touch keyboard from popping up in Windows 10

While editing MS Word documents on my Lenovo X1 Tablet with the keyboard attached, everytime I touched the screen to change where the cursor was, the Windows touch keyboard would appear and obscure the document.

Painful.

To stop the Windows touch keyboard from appearing, follow these steps:

1. Hit Win-R
2. Open control panel:  Type in "control" and hit "Enter"
3. Tap Administrative Services
4. Tap Services
5. Scroll down to "Touch keyboard and handwriting panel service" and double tap it
6. Set startup type to "Disable"
7. Tap apply and OK.
8. Reboot, and you're done.

Using Logos to make your own Personal Books

Logos is a terrific tool for studying, well, almost any text.  

But it's makers have focused on using it as a study platform for Christian studies.  The software itself is the tool but its utility is unleashed when coupled together with a library of books and multimedia resources.  

Amongst all the bible software developers, Logos has the largest library of resources.  Nearly all the major book publishers have works adapted for the Logos platform.

By tagging content, the content can be efficiently indexed and then searched.

The library of resources that can be purchased is enormous.  Unfortunately, not all resources are accessible for several reasons:

• The publisher or the author may not be inclined to give their consent.
• The publisher or the author may have already given exclusive rights for electronic distribution to someone else
• Logos may ask too much of a margin on the selling price of the resource.
• The publisher or author may be biased toward hard copies.  

Logos allows its users to make their own personal books which can be imported into Logos for personal use.  

It's easy to do.

Just make a Microsoft Word .docx file of the resource and then import it.

All standard format bible references will automatically be turned into hyperlinks to your library's bibles.

There are special tags you can insert into your text if you wish to search content by topic.

One or two hooks to keep in mind:

1. If you want your document to show up in passage guide searches, then build it as a bible commentary, not a monograph or just a commentary.
2. Bible commentaries are specially tagged .docx documents.  Learn the syntax here:  https://wiki.logos.com/Personal_Books.  Once you have inserted the [[xxx]] tag before each verse that has a comment in your document, then if you open your bible in one panel, and your commentary alongside, and if both have been designated in the same set, then they synch with each other as you scroll through either document!  There are many types of documents that can be produced as personal books, such as, encyclopedias, dictionaries, lectionaries, calendar devotionals and more.  I have a lectionary that has all the Jewish annual reading (parasha) calendar.

There are a lot of resources in .epub, .mobi, .html and .pdf format on the web.  This is a cheap way to build out your library, but as always, be mindful of copyright law.  

An inheritance with Israel -- Berkowitz

Michelangelo's Ezekiel

Lest there be any doubt about how the new relationship between Gentile believers and the covenanted children of Israel, let us turn to Ezekiel 47. Here the prophet looks far ahead of his own time, and even of our present age. He prophecies concerning the coming Messianic age, when Yeshua will be seated on the throne of David in Jerusalem. This will also be the time, according to Ezekiel, when the final land inheritance is divided among the people of Israel.

However, we see in Ezekiel 47:21-23 that there will be others desiring to live among the people of Israel. These are Gentile believers. The Lord at that time will instruct Israel with the following word regarding the distribution of the inheritance:

    "You are to distribute this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. You are to allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who have settled among you and who have children. You are to consider them as native-born Israelites; along with you are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the alien settles, there you are to give them his inheritance," declares the sovereign Lord.

Do you see what God is teaching here? He's instructing the Israelites regarding the relationship with those who have come to live among them. They are so grafted in that they are to be considered native-born Israelites, with full rights of inheritance. One thing this implies for our study is that if non-Jewish believers may be entitled to a parcel of land among the people of Israel and the Messianic Kingdom, surely they can be permitted to enjoy the blessings of the Torah among the people of Israel right now!

Source:  Berkowitz, A. and D. (2000). An inheritance with Israel. Torah Rediscovered. FFOZ, Inc.

The Mark of the Beast

Here is an interesting take on the Mark of the Beast:

Tefillin are worn in obedience to the second part of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4f).  They are a symbol of a commitment to Torah observance.

Because Tefillin are worn on the head, and the Mark is also worn on the head, essentially Lizorkin-Eyzenberg is saying that the Mark is anyone who has rejected obedience to God's commandments.

If correct, then in this age where the prevailing wisdom is that to faithfully follow the Torah's commandments is considered "legalism," then many Christians may be unwittingly bearing the Mark already.

Sage advice for any business person

Henry Blackaby

Much is said in business circles about leadership and management.

For followers of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their views on leadership and management must be informed by the biblical worldview.

Today's entry from Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God Day by Day is a timely reminder of this thought:

Servants of Christ
"In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, “We are good-for-nothing slaves; we’ve only done our duty.””--(Luk17:10)

The servant carries out the master's will. The servant doesn't tell the master what to do. The servant does not choose which tasks to perform for the master, nor does the servant suggest days or times when it would be convenient to serve the master. The servant's function is to follow instructions. The master, on the other hand, gives directions. The master does not tell the servant to develop a vision that will guide the master. The master is the one with the vision; the servant's task is to help fulfill the master's purposes.

We are the servants; God is the Master. We tend to try to reverse this! God's revelation of Himself, His purposes, and His ways depends directly upon our obedience. He may not reveal today His intentions for the next five years, but He will tell us what our next step should be. As we respond to God's revelation, He will accomplish what He desires, and He will be the One who receives the glory. 

Our fulfillment comes from serving our master. 

The world will encourage you to strive for positions of authority and power. God wants you to take the role of a servant. As God's servant you should have no other agenda than to be obedient to whatever He tells you. God does not need you to dream great dreams for your life, your family, your business, or your church. He simply asks for obedience. He has plans that would dwarf yours in comparison (Eph 3:20)

God speaks

The other day I was recruiting a CEO with several other board members of a Christian organisation.

After three rounds of interviewing the final two candidates, two weeks of deliberations, here we were on the last night of the period in which we had decided that a decision had to be made.

The analysis was exhaustive, every angle had been analysed in fine detail.  But as with many decisions such as this, one ultimately ends up comparing apples with oranges.

Does a visionary outweigh the experienced?  Should polish and eloquence, trump a down to earth street fighter?

I had deliberately left the 64-million dollar question to last, as I realized that there was a diversity of Christian traditions represented around the board.

Nonetheless, this was the eleventh hour and after six ballots, we were tied 6-6.  However, all acknowledged that both were capable of successfully fulfilling the role.

So after a deep breath, I said, "OK everyone, I'm sure we have all prayed about this decision, what has God said to you?

No don't be ashamed if God has said nothing.  God chooses whoever He wills to speak to.  It is no reflection on anyone's character or acceptance in God's eyes as to who He decides to speak to."

The Dutch Reformers all rolled their eyes, their body language shouting, "OK, here we go, hold on while we go to la-la land!"

Realizing that the others had seen the Dutch Reformers' reaction, I stepped in and said:  "This is a question that goes to the heart of our organization's Special Character, do we believe that God is living and speaks to His children?  Are we not a Christian organisation?  Then let His voice be heard at this table."

Even half of those who were from the Charismatic-Pentacostal traditions, said, "I believe that God gave us brains and facts to work with, in the end, we trust the analysis."  Yet the analysis had not been conclusive.

The remainder said, that despite their analysis suggesting that they should select the other candidate, only one name came to mind when they prayed.  It was the same name that the still small voice had given them all.

Five minutes later another ballot was held and we had a decision, 11-1.

Too often, we Christians rely only on our domain knowledge and common sense to make our life and business decisions.

This is not just true of our own contemporary experiences but is also described in the biblical record.

The prophets chide the kings of Israel for overly relying on alliances with pagan powers for national security, for relying on idols and seers from other cultures and religions for guidance, instead of relying on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Our behavior calls into question whether we truly believe that God is alive, interested in our affairs and is our King.

If we are thoughtful and honest, we will realise that our analysis can only take us so far, but ultimately it is only God who can see into the hearts of humankind and can see around corners.

God speaks.  Be still and hear Him, and then you will know that He is God.

Ensure that it is God and not just confirmation bias.  Don't be ashamed of testing what you hear.  The bible commands you to test all things.  God is truth.  Trust that the cream will rise to the top.

His revelation to you must be objectively evidenced.

If you've never heard from God before and the very idea seems absurd to you, but you are nevertheless intrigued, then the bible has a way forward for you.

It says to seek Him with all your heart, mind and soul; and God promises, that He will be found by you.  So run Him down.  Don't stop chasing Him until you catch Him.  Your pursuit will be successful.

A J Heschel: Judaism and Legalism

A J Heschel

In the spirit of Spinoza and Moses Mendelssohn, many of those who take the law seriously, as well as those who pay lip service to it, maintain that the science of law is the only authentic expression of Judaism; that agada -- in the strict sense of the non-legal rabbinic literature and in the wider sense of all post-rabbinic attempts to interpret the non-legal ideas and beliefs of our faith -- is not "within the mainstream of Judaism."  Theology, it is claimed, is alien to Judaism; the law, "An ox who gores a cow," is Jewish theology, for Judaism is law and nothing else.  Such pan-Halachic "theology" claims that in Judaism religious living consists of complying with a law rather than of striving to attain a goal which is the purpose of the law.  It is a view that exalts Torah only because it discloses the law, not because it discloses a way of finding God in life.  It claims that obedience is the substance rather than the form of religious existence; that the law is an end, not a way.

This indeed, has been the contention of those who attacked Judaism that "the law of Moses commands only right action, and says nothing about purity of heart."  Albo rejects as being the opposite of truth.  "For do we not read, circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart (Deuteronomy 10:16); and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (Deuteronomy 10:16); and you shall love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18); but you shall fear your god (Leviticus 19:14); you shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people (Leviticus 19:15).  The reason it commands right action is because purity of heart is of no account unless practice is in agreement with it.  The most important thing, however, is intention.  David says, create me a clean heart (Psalm 51:12).[1]


Judaism is not another word for Legalism.  The rules of observance are law in form and love in substance.  The Torah contains both law and love.  Law is what holds the world together; love is what brings the world forward.  The law is the means, not the end; the way, not the goal.  One of the goals is "You shall be holy."  The Torah is guidance to an end through a law.  It is both a vision and a law.  Man created in the likeness of God is called upon to re-create the world in the likeness of the vision of God.  Halachah is neither the ultimate nor the all-embracing term for Jewish learning and living.  The Torah is more than a system of laws; only a portion of the Pentateuch deals with law.  The prophets, the Psalms, agadic midrashim, are not a part of the halachah.  The Torah comprises both halachah and agada.  Like body and soul, they are mutually dependent and each is a dimension of its own.


Agada is usually defined negatively as embracing all non-legal and non-halachic parts of rabbinic literature, whether in the form of a tale or an explanation of scripture; an epigram or a homily.  Significantly, though the Bible, like rabbinic literature[2], embraces both legal and non-legal teachings, the distinction between halacha and agada was never applied to it.[3]  The fact remains that, central as is law, only a small part of the bible deals with the law.  The narratives of the bible as holy as its legal portions.[4]  According to one rabbi, "the conversation of the servants of the patriarchs is more beautiful than even the laws of the later generations."[5]

Source:  A J Heschel, God in Search of Man, page 322f.

---

[1] Joseph Albo, Ikkarim, Part 3, Ch. 25

[2]. Rabbi Samuel Hanagid, Mevo Hatalmud.

[3] On the basis Genesis Rabbah 44, 8, it was suggested that originally the term agada was also applied to the narrative portions of the bible, including the Pentateuch.  See M Guttmann, Clavis Talmudis, I, 453.

[4] Compare Genesis Rabbah, 85, 2.

[5] Compare Genesis Rabbah, 60, 8.