mu''a'vo' mu' - A Klingon Word from the Word

Live Long and Prosper!

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

'Iv Sornav je ta'taH ghobe' wither. Whatever ghaH ta'taH DIchDaq chep.
whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper Psalm 1:3b
podcast version

Vulcans are not Klingons. The Klingon language's words for hello (nuqneH) and goodbye (Qapla') translate to "what do you want" and "success." Compare that to Vulcans in whose language the peaceful salute is:

tich tor ang tesmur / Live long and prosperThat sentiment, not often expressed in Klingon, is a good summation of Psalm 1, verse 3: The person who is blessed, who relies on God completely, will live long: ('Iv Sornav je ta'taH ghobe' wither: whose leaf also does not wither). Not having a word for "leaf," we use a compound here Sor (tree) nav (paper). The imagery calls to mind a tree, ever growing, yet never shedding its leaves - the Hebrew, lo yibool, says this tree's leaves don't wilt or fall away.

And this blessed one "prospers": whatever ghaH ta'taH DichDaq chep in all they do, they prosper (NLT).

I think this is an interesting shift in the psalm. We've started speaking of a blessed person, then compared him to a tree and now we hear about "in all they do." Trees don't DO much of anything - they grow, and bear fruit. But they have no plans or tasks to carry out - it is clear we are talking about a person, and what it means for the person who seeks to follow God's word every day.

These verses echo the words of the book of Joshua that promised prosperity to the person who kept God's word always in mind and heart: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

Now, we must tread carefully with promises like this. It is easy to measure prosperity by wealth or possessions. This is not intent of Scripture. As Jesus said: "what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self?" (Luke 9:25).

And we cannot measure a "long" life by a simple tally of years. Just because I've lived longer than someone doesn't mean my life surpasses theirs. A life can loom large with an impact that far outlasts the days numbered on a calendar. Believers look forward to something more - an existence in eternity, surely the promise that lies behind the psalmist's words.

So, as a Vulcan would say: tich tor ang tesumur - live long and prosper.

This is the path this psalm, indeed all the Bible draws us towards. And, to live long and prosper, we need to seek out the blessed life, a full life that leads to real prosperity: the riches of God's kingdom - forever.

Though a Klingon might not be inclined to say it - if they did read this Psalm, and find these promises here, they might indeed say:

tIqjaj yInlIj 'ej bIchepjaj
Live long and prosper

Life Signs!

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

ghaH DichDaq taH rur a Sor planted Sum the streams vo' bIQ
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water Psalm 1:3a
podcast version

yInroHmey yIHotlh! Scan for life signs!

Anyone familiar with space exploration - particularly as practiced by the United Federation of Planets - knows that this a primary task when discovering a new world or a derelict ship. Facing the unknown, the quest for yInroH, life signs, is job number one.

Even today we see this. The first landers on Mars included automated chemical labs to detect Martian life. Most think this first attempt failed, though there are some who think life was found back in 1976. And now, the ships orbiting and the robots prowling on the red planet continue looking for life signs, especially in the form of water. Simple H20 that covers three quarters of our planet makes life possible on Earth - and it may well be so elsewhere.

What about you? If you are scanned for "life signs," what will be found? "Barren wilderness," "salty flats where no one lives?" That's how the book of Jeremiah describes people "who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5 NLT).

In the third verse of Psalm 1, the author leaps from his description of a "blessed" person (doesn't hang out with the evil, dwells on God's word) into pure metaphor:

ghaH DichDaq taH rur a Sor planted Sum the streams vo' bIQ
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water Psalm 1:3a
This is a good example of how nimbly the Bible can move from simple text into poetry. This picture of the blessed as a Sor, a tree, planted along the water resonates throughout Scripture. Jeremiah seems to quote or reflect these words when we read:

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Jeremiah 17:5-8a NLT
We seek for life signs, for these waters of life in our own existence. Where I live, it is spring at this moment. I'm sitting writing these words outside surrounded by a world that is green and full of life, a reminder of the kind of life everyone wants to experience.

Jesus speaks of this when he said "the water I give... becomes a .. spring within..., giving eternal life."(John 4:14 NLT )

It will be an exciting day when finally a space probe from Earth finds life out there. Maybe it will be on Mars or Titan orbiting Saturn. Perhaps it will be in a pool, or in some deep underground spring - water teaming with life never seen before.

But right now, today, yInroH wIleghlaH, we can see life signs, within ourselves if only we turn to the one who can lead us to the river of life.

Mumble & Mutter!

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Daq Daj chut ghaH ja''eghqa'taH jaj je ram.
On his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2b)
podcast version

Okay, I admit it - I talk to myself! (Of course, with a spouse or some other close observer that is the kind of thing that is hard to keep a secret forever. )

I can explain this "talking to myself": it is a useful strategy for pushing things over from short-term memory to the long-term storage. Anyone on the far side of fifty can appreciate this. And it could be worse. I take comfort in something I was once told: "it's okay to talk to yourself - as long as you don't start answering."

"Talking to yourself" is usually taken to mean either you have no audience, or that you're completely cracked. Maybe then it comes as a surprise that Psalm 1 admires just that action - in fact it seemes to be what the Bible admonishes us to do.

Turn to Psalm 1:2 and you'll learn that the blessed person:

ja''eghqa'taH jaj je ram - meditates day and night on God's law

The Hebrew word used here for meditate is "hagah," to murmur - the sense here is to review, rehearse, recite, and remember God's words by saying them over and over to oneself.

Originally 'meditate', not being a common word in the World English Bible (hardly more than a dozen times) was not included in the Klingon Language Version. Since working on these studies, I've added it, using the word "ja''eghqa'" to carry the meaning. "ja'," to report, "'egh," -to-oneself, and "-qa'," again: ja''eghqa': report-again-to-oneself, meditate.

By example, we're told in this psalm that it is vital to "ja''eghqa'" - repeat to oneself - God's word continually.

This is practical advice. Whether a grocery list or God's commandments - repeating the words fixes them in one's mind for easy retrieval. And why would we want to do that? Psalm 119 says it well:

jIH ghaj hidden lij mu' Daq wIj tIq, vetlh jIH might ghobe' yem Daq SoH
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

This is bedrock: if you want to see the foundations for a life that is ghurtaH Quch 'ej, blessed and happy, you'll find it following this example: continually, recite, repeat, remember - ja''eghqa' God's words, till they become the touchstone by which you can measure and evaluate your life.

In college, I learned about this from a group called the Navigators, who are big proponents of memorizing scripture and meditating on it - they promote ja''eghqa' - though not by that name.

Try it yourself: find a good verse of scripture that speaks to you. Review and review it, till you know it backwards and forwards - I've found you gain more than just knowledge of a few lines of text. Instead you have a resource for your own reflection, ammunition for your own life of prayer. With a vocabulary rooted in the Word, and regular reflection on it, you may experience what is promised in the book of Joshua:

This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.
Joshua 1:8

Delightful Law.

2012-01-06T12:21:00.000-06:00

'ach Daj tIv ghaH Daq joH'a' chut.
but his delight is in Yahweh's law
psalm 1:2a

podcast version

Delight. Think for a moment about what gives you delight. Family? Travel? Sports? Chocolate? From deep to trivial, what delights us is as varied as we individuals are. Now, Psalm 1, when it turns from what the happy, the blessed person DOESN'T do, to what they DO do - maybe it comes as a bit of a surprise, when being blessed is tied to finding DELIGHT in LAW.

Law, to me, probably to most people who aren't lawyers - is NOT a subject that quickens the pulse. Yet, in Psalm 1 when we turn to what the blessed DO, we read:

Daj tIv ghaH Daq joH'a' chut - his delight is in Yahweh's law

Part of me rebels at this: "Law? Happiness is bound up in rules and regulations? No, thanks!"

But, wait - this isn't law in the abstract, or in any city, state or national sense. This is joH'a' chut - God's law. This law is charged with a personal quality, a relationship. The specific Hebrew word used here may be a familiar one: Torah. Occurring over 200 times in the Hebrew scriptures, "torah," is commonly used to refer to the "books of Moses," (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) but carries a much broader idea of God's instruction to his people. The word torah comes from a root, yarah, that means "to throw," the notion being to "throw out one's hand" to point something out, to instruct.

One writer says, "This shows that the end of the Law lay beyond the mere obedience to such and such rules, that end being instruction in the knowledge of God.., and guidance in living as the children of such a God as He revealed Himself to be. " [ISBE]

Part of my problem facing the word "law" here comes from perceiving it as dry words and nothing more. Yes, chut or "torah" encompasses law, as in legal rules, certainly, but also teaching - those things the Lord wants us to be doing. More than rules, this law draws in the whole living testimony of Scripture, set down as a way for us, and, as St. Paul says: " profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness," (2Tim 3:16). What is God pointing out NOW? Where is his hand directing me, TODAY?

Think of it this way: Your walk through life is a path with twists and turns. At times a tough uphill journey, sometimes a breakneck run. Without a companion, someone who can help you along the way, you are likely to get lost, or worse. When we see joH'a' chut, God's law, as the hand of one who walks alongside us in our journey through life, then we'll realize that this path can be an adventure, one where we won't take a wrong turn, nor miss any of the delightful things there are to enjoy along the way.

Don't STAND For It

2011-12-30T12:18:00.001-06:00

podcast version

ghurtaH ghaH the loD 'Iv ta'be' ... Qam Daq the way vo' yemwI'pu', ghobe' ba' Daq the seat vo' scoffers;
Blessed is the man who doesn't ...stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; Psalm 1:1b

Ever heard this old joke? "Teacher, should I get in trouble for something I didn't do?" "No, of course not." "Good. I didn't do my homework."

Nice try, but I don't think any real teacher would fall for it. And, it is true - we can get in trouble, not only for what we DO but for what we fail to do.

Psalm 1 shows us what it takes to be a person who is blessed. The author starts by telling us an action to avoid: "following evil advice." But he continues by warning us away from, well something that sounds like "doing nothing." Just being stuck amongst "the wrong crowd." Not DOing anything in particular - just hanging out.

Don't Qam (stand) among sinners, the psalmist says. Why not? Didn't Jesus eat and drink with sinners? The problem isn't meeting or moving among them, the problem is staying put. Yes - Jesus associates with sinners (and don't forget - that means you and me) because, as he says: the puqloD vo' loD ghoSta' Daq nej je Daq toD vetlh nuq ghaHta' lost. ("the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10).

In Psalm 1, the warning is getting used to the scoffer - accepting sin as "just the way things are."

Every language contains puns, wordplay that lets you take similar words, or words with multiple meanings to make a point. Klingon is no exception. We can use that to summarize some of this Psalm's advice.

The word for "to emit odor," He' , and "course or route" He are virtually the same. So you might sum up the warning of Psalm 1:1 with:

mIgh HeDaq bIQamchugh vaj mIgh He' DalIjchu'
that is:
if you stand in the evil road (mIgh He), then you will will surely forget the evil smell (mIgh He')

It is easier than we think to get used to things. Staying put, among things we believe in our hearts are wrong may make us lose the perspective we need. The perspective that will make us act in the way that will make us truly Quch - blessed.

And the Psalms have something to say about that, too. We'll move on to the source of that perspective in the next verse of Psalm 1 - stay tuned.

Don't Walk!

2011-12-23T12:17:00.002-06:00

ghurtaH ghaH the loD 'Iv ta'be' yIt Daq the qeS vo' the mIgh
Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked

podcast version

ghurtaH ghaH the loD/ Blessed is the man

"Bless" is one of those "Bible" words that might seem simple. Bless you! What a blessing! I was blessed. Yet when pressed to define it, it turns out to be a fairly complex bundle rolled up into one simple syllable.

Psalm 1 presents us with a description - maybe a prescription for what it is to be blessed.

There are multiple words in Hebrew, Greek and Latin that are all translated into English as "bless" or "blessed." Now, because the KLV is developed as a relexification (one Klingon term for one English word) of the World English Bible, the text winds up flattening that meaning into a single word: ghurtaH, : on-going increase, that is an increase or benefit to one's material or spiritual riches. In this case, the Hebrew word used in Psalm 1, ashri, means "happy," a translation you will find being used in many modern translations. Eventually that meaning may replace ghurtaH in the KLV, and you'll see the word Quch (happy) used : Quch ghaH the loD.

But what makes a person blessed? ghurtaH or Quch - fortunate or happy - how does one achieve that? This is what Psalm 1 tells us - and it begins by telling us what NOT to do: DON'T WALK.

How obedient are you to those stop lights when they signal walk/don't walk? I was nicknamed "safety frog" by my kids when they were little, since I am such a stickler on safety issues: seat belts, rocket launches and, yes even stop lights. Yet still I get impatient - and sometimes I might dash out and take advantage of a lull in the traffic. But I know those lights have a purpose, and if you blithely ignore them, well, you will be neither ghurtaH or Quch - fortunate or happy.

Iv ta'be' yIt Daq the qeS vo' the mIgh
who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked

This is the first of three negatives the psalmist gives us on the way to explain what makes a person blessed. It makes me think of a verse in Proverbs (actually two verses - it gets repeated):

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. (Proverbs 14:12 | 16:25 NLT)

I like that description - "a path ... that seems right" : Sometimes doing what you KNOW is wrong IS very tempting. You might want to dash across against the light - and suffer the consequences "it ends in death."

The Bible is realistic: you can't avoid hearing the "counsel of the wicked," whether a classmate telling you how to cheat on a test, or a politician appealing to our personal greed - you aren't at fault for HEARING them.The problem is when we take that first step - when we no longer listen, but begin to walk in their counsel.

As the saying goes "it's no sin to be tempted," the trick is letting it end there. Psalm 1 has much more to say, both what NOT to do, and what we SHOULD do - we'll see more about this in upcoming podcasts. But this is the start, saying NO to qeS vo mIgh (the advice of the wicked). Being Quch, happy, in our life with the Lord begins here. As James reminds us :

".. resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

So - join the resistance. We've just begin to fight.

lurgh - Upright.

2011-12-12T21:28:00.000-06:00

yItIv Daq joH'a', SoH QaQtaHghach! naD ghaH fitting vaD the upright.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.

click for podcast version

What is right? Not the opposite of "left," of course. Not just getting the correct answer. But to be committed to the JUST life, the correct path.

The word here for "upright" is yashar, and occurs over 100 times in the Bible. From a root meaning "straight" it is translated as with words like just, meet, well, or right. You'll note that I didn't have a Klingon word in this verse - I'd suggest for this text that lugh: be right, correct could make a good choice - for the Psalmist is telling us that when we are "right" with the Lord we can, we should rejoice and praise God.

When I stay on that road, the right path, things around me make sense. I cannot count on earthly rewards, but I CAN see the way things are working - the way they work together.

I play trumpet in a few community bands, and the occasional pit orchestra. One of the things you need to do with a brass instrument is make sure it is oiled properly. It doesn't take too many mistakes to learn that when you take your trumpet valves apart to oil them, they only work RIGHT when I put them together correctly - if I don't get them lined up with the tubing I'll never make any music.

To rejoice, to cheer in a meaningful way I need ME put right - and that takes a connection with the one who made me. I'll fit together and then I can SING.

yItIv Daq joH'a', SoH QaQtaHghach! naD ghaH fitting vaD the upright.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.

These Little Ones... St Nicholas Day re-podcast

2011-12-06T04:06:00.000-06:00

'ach vaj 'oH ghaH ghobe' the DichDaq vo' lIj vav 'Iv ghaH Daq chal vetlh wa' vo' Dochvammey mach ones should chIlqu'.
Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

(click for podcast)

If you're a pastor, and looking for a way to quickly be driven out of your parish - I can't think of a better controversy to raise than.... a discussion about Santa Claus. I fear at times that the deepest beliefs of the Bible could be question without the kind of difficulties a preacher would meet if they weighed in on the reality of Kris Kringle.

Nor am I brave enough to tread on this legend - though I wonder what a Klingon would make of some of the stories? The Klingon disposition toward things military lend to a tendency to be (shall we say?) paranoid. Imagine how they'd feel about a silent intruder who routinely slips in past all defenses to surprise the inhabitants! Motivated by generosity or not - I expect a Klingon hearing of such stealth would be more alarmed than happy.

But - maybe if they were introduced to the real Santa Claus - St Nicholas:

St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of children, is a model of how Christians are meant to live. As priest and bishop, Nicholas put Jesus Christ at the center of his life and ministry. His concern for children and others in need or danger expressed a love for God which points toward Jesus, the source of true caring and compassion. Embracing St. Nicholas customs can help recover the true center of Christmas—the birth of Jesus.

Understanding St. Nicholas as the original and true holiday gift-giver also helps shift focus to giving rather than getting, compassion rather than consumption, need rather than greed. This can help restore balance to increasingly materialistic and stress-filled Advent and Christmas seasons.

St. Nicholas is beloved throughout the world and continues to be revered in Christian tradition, especially as protector and patron of children in the West and as Wonderworker in the East. The St. Nicholas Center aims to bring Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians together in common purpose—to help people understand and appreciate the original St. Nicholas, the only real Santa Claus.
[http://www.stnicholascenter.orgI encourage you to visit the site to learn more]

As a people - Klingons are depicted as fierce warriors - potent enemies in battle. But anyone who reads at all far in the lore of Star Trek will know how fiercely they honor and guard their family - they know the value of protecting children. They'd likely be impressed by the stories - some quite fantastic - of St. Nick's rescue of children. Or how he protected the honor of dowry-less girls by secretly presenting them with gifts of gold coins.

In the Bible Jesus says these words, used in the readings for the commemoration of St. Nicholas:

The mach - little - ones matter. Not just to a saint like Nicholas, but to God. In this season we have many opportunities to be generous. What can we do to protect the neediest among us?

Time to Travel

2011-11-28T21:28:00.001-06:00

Hoch the jajmey vo' wIj yIn
all the days of my life
podcast version

News flash! MIT is hosting a Time Travelers get-together May 7th, 2005. Well, maybe this is old news, since by the time you hear this podcast, the event will have happened. Yet, if you are a time traveler, I encourage you to head on over to the the MIT East Campus Courtyard and check it out - I'm sure you'll get a warm welcome.

Time travel can be a pain. Think about the complicated problems you can encounter: DON'T step on a bug - you might wipe out hundreds of species yet to come! Don't prevent your grandparents from meeting or you'll never exist! The list goes on and on - you have to be soooo careful! After all, nobody wants to deal with those agents from the Federation's Department of Temporal Investigations!

Harder still, consider the grammar! How do you explain something you did yesterday - in the future? How do you talk about what you plan to do in the past tomorrow?

Now - we are all time travelers. Not dramatically - not skipping back and forth in a souped up DeLorean, but gradually, daily we sail along into tomorrow:

Hoch the jajmey vo' wIj yIn all the days of my life
so David describes our journey. Dogged by God's grace, by his goodness and loving kindness our travels through time cover this too finite stretch, "the days of our life" - what Psalm 90 estimates to be roughly 70 or 80 years.

And here's the problem with our time travels: The days we're given to live have limit. Even if we see great sites along the way, we know the trip has an end - maybe time doesn't have a limit - but ours DOES.

Yet Psalm 23 points us to a destination, and offers the hope that our short stretch will connect to an unlimited future - David looks forward to
yIn Daq joH'a' tuq reH - live in God's house forever
Maybe you feel like you're going nowhere, moving through each minute, each hour, aimlessly. You travel on through each day, but think there is no destination at the end of your time. Well listen to what Jesus says:

"Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many homes. If it weren't so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. (John 14:1-2)

originally podcast 5/7/05

Who's Following Who?

2011-11-21T21:27:00.000-06:00

QaQ je loving kindness DIchDaq tlha' jIH
goodness and loving kindness shall follow me
podcast version

The great pitcher Satchel Paige often said “Don’t look back—something might
be gaining on you.”

That doesn't sound like Klingon advice to me. Few would disagree that the straightforward Klingon response to pursuit is to stand one's ground and eliminate trouble before it sneaks up on you!

But these words from Psalm 23 involve a different kind of pursuit; and mark a return in this shepherd's psalm to the picture of God's care as shepherding us, his flock.

Among the tools of a shepherd are herd dogs. We see that God's are QaQ (goodness) and loving kindness - a word not translated in the current revision of the KLV. This word, "Hesed" in Hebrew, is rendered in English translations as 'mercy' or 'loving kindness' and means a deep kind of "covenant faithfulness." The Klingon term batlh (honor) comes to mind as a good translation.

We are pursued by God. His dogs nudge us along the good path and direct us to follow the honorable road - and we will, if only we don't turn on these hounds that are just there to lead us along the best way.

What are these dogs? Or ... who?

In my life, I can picture a whole pack - perhaps you can think of a few in yours. I can see them - friends, family and maybe even strangers who only passed briefly through my orbit. Each one stood as an example, or a reminder of how I might more closely follow God.

And that is the real pursuit we need to consider: God's sheep dogs are there to nudge us on a pursuit of own. If you wonder what that might be, well, the last words that Jesus speaks in John's Gospel spell it out clearly - no matter what language you use:

SoH tlha' jIH.
You follow me.

Originally podcast 5/2/2005

Running Over Where?

2011-11-14T21:27:00.002-06:00

wIj HIvje' qettaH Dung
My cup runs overpodcast version

Half full? Half empty? That evaluation of a partially filled glass is the classic way to measure whether a person is an optimist or pessimist.

Which are you? And what happens when somebody fills the glass SO full it overflows?

That's what David considers in Psalm 23 when he writes:

wIj HIvje' qettaH DungMy cup runs over
God can (and will) bless his people beyond their mere needs. He just will NOT stop!

[My guess, by the way is that the pessismist will gripe about the work cleaning up the over flow, while the optimist delights in the surplus - "aren't we LUCKY to have more than we need?"]

The mechanical process of creating the Klingon Language Version of the Bible involves a simple program that replaces English words with Klingon translations, one word at a time. When that works we get Klingon text arranged in English grammatical fashion - a pidgin Klingon that a translator can polish off. "wIj HIvje'," for "my cup" can be made grammatical by attaching the first person possesive suffix (wIj) to HIvje' (glass, or tumbler): Hivje'wIj becomes a good translation for the Hebrew koesee (my cup).

We're not as lucky with "runs over," since the word "qettaH" means "run or jog". "Dung" means overhead, and was used for the KLV purposes to mean something like "over there." 'My cup runs over there,' does not come too close to the Psalm. Keep this odd wordplay in mind - think of it as "my cup of blessing moves out." I'll come back to that in a moment.

A better translation would be buy'qu' (really full) - HIvje'wIj buy'qu', my cup is really full. Even better, there is a colloquial Klingon expression "buy' ngop" which literally means "the plates are full." It is a way to say "Great news!" A grammatical translation of Psalm 23 might well express the great news of God's generosity, "my cup runs over," with "buy' ngop."

Jesus said: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. (John 10:10b). He wants our lives to be rich and full - not just good enough, but so complete that the bounty spills over! And St. Paul says God can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think...(Eph. 3:20) God doesn't intend to give us a thimble full of grace.

Everyone does not have a life of overflowing bounty. Every believer does not experience this surplus of blessing. We don't know why - and even beginning to explore the reasons is beyond the scope of this word study.

But those of us who do experience "the cup that overflows" have a different question: what do I do about the spill? Maybe "my cup of blessing moves out" isn't such a bad translation after all.

The faith of the Bible is not a tribal faith. God may have begun with Abraham's family, but God's intention is clear: "All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you."(Genesis 12:3). Jesus made clear that the answer to "who is my neighbor" is EVERYONE. When Jesus gave marching orders he said "You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."

So...

buy' ngop! GOOD news!
If your plate is full, if your cup really runs over, then gather it up. Take your blessings and share them to "the uttermost parts of the earth..."

Better yet, share them "'u' HeHDaq" to the edge of the Universe.

originally podcast 4/29/05

Double Take

2011-10-24T18:41:00.000-05:00

Daq vo' wIj jaghpu'
in the presence of my enemies
podcast version

Nobody likes to say it out loud, but inviting people to a party means, on some level, you've decided who not to invite. That is why one might look twice at what David says in Psalm 23 -

You prepare a table before me
I like hearing this; God wants me to be his guest.

But then I read

Daq vo' wIj jaghpu'
in the presence of my enemies.
and I ask, what is going ON?! What are my enemies doing at this party?

The Klingon word for enemy, jagh, appears here in the plural form jaghpu'. It is worth noting that Klingon has three forms of plural suffixes: "mey", which is plural for things, for example yIHmey means "tribbles." "Du'" indicates the plural of body parts, as in ghopDu', "hands". In this case we use the third form "pu'" which is plural for things that have speech - usually taken to mean intelligent beings, i.e. people. Using jaghpu' here, instead of jaghmey, indicates that our enemies are not just a figure of speech as in "the weather is my enemy." We're talking about some person who plots against us, who wants to do us harm.

What is going on? Why does the psalmist think God's banquet is in the presence of my enemies? Who invited them?

Now, I've got two ways to look at this: comforting, and challenging.

First look at comforting:

Usually this verse is seen to show how we can be confident that, despite our enemies, God will show his love and care by preparing a table for us - even in the heart of battle. Do not despair - God cannot be prevented from blessing us - even when we are faced by real enemies. We need to hang onto this kind of assurance.

Here's the challenging side:

Who invited these enemies? Maybe I did. OR should.

When I cast about for other verses in the Bible that touch on "enemies" and "meals" I find a terrific passage - actually I find it more than once. It is a passage in Proverbs that St. Paul likes so much, he quotes it in the letter to the Romans:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink: for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and Yahweh will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21 or Romans 12:20 )
Now if I were looking for a particularly Klingon way to tell people to "be nice," this has got to be it. Not hard to picture a Klingon saying "yesss!" to that coals of fire stuff, is it? Think you're a really tough tlhIngan SuvwI', a Klingon warrior? Then prove it: open your heart, your love to everyone - not just to the easy target. Jesus says it this way: "if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?" (Matt. 5:46)

We do have enemies. There really are people out there who want to do you and me harm. No, they are not going to be your best friend, or the first choice to put on your guest list. Yet, I know I need to take a stock of my 'hospitality,' my charity and then listen to Jesus's words:

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:43-45a)
Who's on your guest list?

originally podcast 4/22/05

Table Service

2011-10-17T18:41:00.000-05:00

SoH ghuH a SopDaq
You prepare a table
podcast version

Mealtime is more than a way to refuel the body: it is sacred. We see this in the very beginning of the Bible, in the garden of Eden where God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food(Genesis 2:9) or when the promise of an heir and descendants to Abraham came after the patriarch had hosted his mysterious visitors to a great feast. (Genesis 18) And we see this at the very end of the Scriptures, in the last book of the New Testament, when the blessed "are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."(Revelation 19:9). The Bible uses "meals" as a way to portray how God's love reaches us.

Meals can be a place where we have some of our most treasured moments. I know that, in my life, those are the times that stand out: graduations, milestone birthdays, anniversaries. There are few important times in our lives when we do NOT gather to break bread together.

And meals are central in our religious lives. Look at the Passover Seder, or Holy Communion, the celebration of the Eucharist and you can see how believers continue to find ways to use a meal to reenact the saving acts of God.

Here in Psalm 23:5 we now move away from the simple image of the sheep and shepherd to the picture of God as our gracious host inviting us to be his dinner guest.

SoH ghuH a SopDaq You prepare a table
SopDaq, the word used here for "table" was coined when we didn't now the exact Klingon word for the piece of furniture we call a "table" (we now know it is "raS"). SopDaq, literally "eating-place" is a word formed from the verb "to eat" (Sop) with the nominal suffix indicating location. It parallels the known word for bed, QongDaq, i.e. "sleeping-place." Think of SopDaq as an irregular word for the banquet table, or a buffet spread out for the guest, as opposed other sorts of tables, say a work bench or in a library.

As much fun as we might have at those more utilitarian tables, it is at the dinner table where we gather to celebrate and give thanks (and we should remember that thanksgiving is literally the meaning of the word "Eucharist", the greatest Christian meal.) More than nutrition, we find God inviting us to a table were we can rejoice and enjoy fellowship with him, to be like Abraham, a "friend of God." (James 2:23) I think of Jesus' promise, that if a person answers his call "then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20).

Now that is a dinner invitation no one should refuse!

(originally podcast 4/14/05)

Worst Case Scenario

2011-10-10T11:20:00.001-05:00

QIb vo' Hegh
Shadow of death
podcast version

Murphy's law spells out the pessimist's creed: if something can go wrong, it will. Some find an odd comfort in this "expect the worst" philosophy. With it, you'll never be disappointed - the worst that can happen is that you will be happily surprised if things turn out okay.

But I think merely expecting the worst isn't going far enough. Better is doing what David works through in Psalm 23 - the worst case scenario and how to be ready for it.

David looks to the good Shepherd, not merely to solve temporal problems like food and drink, guidance and safety. Whatever good the Lord provides for this life, David does not expect it to forestall the absolute worst:

The QIb vo' Hegh, the shadow of death

The Klingon words QIb (shadow) and Hegh (death) are used here for the Hebrew term tsalmaveth, traditionally rendered "the shadow of death," a phrase that captures just how this dark cloud hangs over all of us. The Bible says it simply "...it is appointed for men to die..." (Hebrews 9:27) Yet the response here in Psalm 23 is not despair, but confidence that this final passage is not to be feared, if we are accompanied by this shepherd who truly walks alongside us.

Notice that in this verse something important changes. The previous verses speak about the shepherd - he does this, he does that. But in this verse David speaks directly to him:

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Death's QIb, its shadow, looms over all of us - no exceptions. In reviewing our options, our plans, this is what we must all be prepared for. Medicine, wealth, or position will not keep us from it. There is no castle or protection that will ultimately keep it away.

But we do not have to enter that last frontier alone. If we go with the one who has gone through it himself, we need fear no evil. For with the one who has conquered death by our side, that path through the shadows can, and will, be the path to victory.

originally podcast 4/7/05

On Board

2011-10-03T11:18:00.000-05:00

vaD Daj pong chIch
for his name's sake

podcast version

Thanks to NASA, last year I went to Mars! Not just me - I took the whole family, even my dog Kokomo! We also went along on a mission to bring back samples from a comet, and at this moment, we're en route to blast a piece off of another comet in July.

Now, full disclosure requires I tell you that in fact, we didn't pack bags and climb on board these ships. Our travels were in name only, that is each of these spacecraft carried our names, not our selves, into the heavens. Why did NASA collect our names (and the names of thousands of other space enthusiasts) for these voyages? Because, when our names were added to these ships, in some small way, we became a part of the mission, and our interest in it increased tremendously.

David tells us that God "leads us in paths of righteousness," vaD Daj pong chIch / for his name's sake. The Klingon word for name, pong is as simple a word as you can find, just as it is in the Hebrew word (shem). Name, pong, or shem it means simply - the title by which any person or thing is known or designated.

What does it mean to say that God leads us, for his name's sake? I think about the interest that I have, when my name is riding off to Mars, and I get a glimmer of what this means: my attention, my concentration is directed to what is happening out there. I'm rooting for that craft, cheering it on. I may have no power to assist it, but I care about what happens to it.

Can you imagine that God, having put his name on you would care any less? Nor is he powerless to come alongside and help you, watch over you, as you navigate your own voyage through life.

Feeling like a nobody? Feeling like you aren't good enough to be noticed? Think again. He's put his name on you - and he's going to see you through. Look at the promises of Psalm 23, the promises of the Bible, and you can see he's on your side - he's on board, so to speak, and he'll do much more than just cheer you on.

Originally podcast 4/1/2005

Mid-Course Correction!

2011-09-26T11:18:00.002-05:00

ghaH Dev jIH Daq the Hemey vo' QaQtaHghach
He guides me in the paths of righteousness

podcast version

"Mid-course correction." Anyone interested in space exploration has heard those words. Routine events, mid-course corrections are necessary because the slightest error of trajectory can result at journey's end in missing the destination completely.

In Psalm 23 we find God provides just this kind of direction for life. Hemey vo' QaQtaHghach, paths of righteousness, are just where we will be guided, if we follow the good Shepherd. He doesn't simply watch over us in some lovely pasture for all time. We need to get on the move, and if we do, he'll keep us on course.

Hemey (kay-may), the word used here for paths, comes from He (kay) the Klingon word for what we call in English a "course," The compass direction in which a ship or an aircraft moves. This fits in with the original Hebrew word, ma`gal, which means 'track'. Picture paths cut along a mountainside. Not every one is the correct one to take. At each turn you need to check that you're taking the right one, or risk getting lost, or worse, falling headlong off a cliff.

Mid course corrections - they're needed, but only if you're on the move, if you're travelling. Staying put, you don't need directions - but you won't get anywhere.

The people asked prophet Jeremiah to have "God ... show the way in which we should walk, the thing we should do." (Jer. 42:3)

It's what we need to ask each day - which way should we go, what do we need to do to stay on course. If we do, we'll find he will lead us in Hemey vo' QaQtaHghach, paths of righteousness and, as Isaiah wrote:

...he will teach us of his ways,
And we will walk in his paths. (2:3)

originally podcast March 30, 2005

Rebuilt - Like New!

2011-09-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

ghaH chenqa' wIj qa'
He restores my soulpodcast version

Let's meditate on the mortality of cars. Expensive things - necessities for many of us - which, once purchased, immediately depreciate. As soon as you own them and use them, they are worth less and less. Each day reduces the resale value. It is a fact of life that things like these can almost never be sold at anything like their original price.

However, there are exceptions. Near my home is a fairgrounds which, every spring, is filled with proud collectors, men and women, who have taken beat up old jalopies and poured money, love and no small amount of work to transform these junkers into masterpieces - the most fabulous classic cars you could hope to see.

ghaH chenqa' wIj qa' / He restores my soul
The Klingon word used here in Psalm 23 for "restore," chenqa' (chehn-khah-uh) means "build again," that is RE-build. This is what God wants to do with us. Classic car enthusiasts are not the only ones who love to restore things - it's the work that the Lord wants to do with you and me. As St. Paul wrote "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Feeling like a wreck? Think there's no hope that you could be worth more than your "scrap value?" Think again - God's ready to chenqa' lIj qa' - restore your soul and make you like new today!

Originally podcast March 23rd, 2005

Still Here?

2011-09-10T10:40:00.002-05:00

ghaH Dev jIH retlh vIHHa' bIQmey
He leads me beside still waters.

podcast version

(originally podcast 3/20/2005)

Food and drink.

Those three words are a very brief abbreviation of Psalm 23:2. When we know God our shepherd leads us to good pasture (food) and alongside still waters (drink), we know he intends to care for us completely.

This illustrates a common Biblical device, parallelism. Two or more clauses that repeat or reinforce one idea - sort of like rhyming ideas. It is a kind of poetry that can survive translation into any language, even perhaps non-human ones.

There is a problem here - there isn't a Klingon word for "still." But the language is rich enough that we can take the word vIH (vick), "to move," and add the suffix "-Ha'" to reverse the meaning, giving us "vIHHa'" [vick-Kha-uh]. I like this because it isn't just "not moving" (that would be vIHbe' [vick-beh-uh],) but un-moving (if there were such a word). It suggests to me something that has the power to move but holds it in. This is something that hasn't just stopped, it stands firm.

vIHHa' bIQmey, still waters, present an appealing image. Whether a placid stream, an ocean vista, or lakeside retreat, we're drawn to these restful scenes. Just as this verse's promise of lying "down in green pasture" was a promise of rest, these words about waters that offer to quench our thirst do so with a vision of stillness, of rest.

Life-giving water is what we're looking for, and is just what God wants us to have. "Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters," [Isaiah 55:1] the Lord says in Isaiah. Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman promising something better than ordinary H2O: "Everyone who drinks of this [well's] water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." [John 4:13,14]

Sound like what you're looking for? Then turn to that one, that good shepherd, who will lead you retlh vIHHa' bIQmey, beside the still waters.

Sleeping Dogs

2011-08-28T17:01:00.001-05:00

ghaH chen jIH Qot bIng Daq SuD tI yotlhHe makes me lie down in green pastures

podcast version

The words "sleeping dogs" immediately call to mind the expression "let sleeping dogs lie." No doubt Klingons know the wisdom expressed in this proverb: don't stir up trouble when you don't have to.

Klingons do, after all, know about pets (the Klingon word for pet is Saj), though their 'dog' is the targh, a fairly fearsome creature; definitely not something to rile unnecessarily.

Let's consider "sleeping dogs" (the undisturbed kind) as an illustration of today's Klingon word: Qot, 'to lie.'

David in Psalm 23 considers God's care for him saying that God:

makes me
lie down in green pasturesQot bIng Daq SuD tI yotlh.

The English word 'lie' occurs over 100 times in the World English Bible translation of the Hebrew scriptures, mostly referring to an action like or involving reclining (as opposed to telling a falsehood). The Hebrew text of this psalm uses a specific verb, rabats, that is only used around 30 times. The notion in this word is that of a recumbent animal. This image would be familiar to a shepherd like David. Hovever, I'm not a shepherd, so I find the image of a recumbent animal that comes to my mind is that of a sleeping dog.

The utter peace of my own dog is something I find delightful. Once comfortable, he relaxes so completely that it compels me to settle down beside him as well. That is the sort of peace, of rest, that David is telling us he finds because he knows that the Good Shepherd is leading him.

And it's a peace offered to us as well. Just as God promised the Hebrews in the book of Exodus:

God said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
(Exodus 33:14)

Are you looking to Qot Bing Daq roj, to lie down in peace? Then listen to the Good Shepherd:

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened,
and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:30)

What Do You Want?

2011-08-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

jIH DIchDaq Hutlh pagh
I shall lack nothing

podcast version

If you have any exposure to tlhIngan Hol (the Klingon language) you've probably heard the one all purpose greeting, "nuqneH" (nook-neck). If you're well informed, you'll know it's a compound word nuq (what?) plus neH (to-want). In other words the standard Klingon way to say 'hello' means "What do you want?"

To humans this may sound blunt, even rude, but it demonstrates the very practical nature of Klingon culture. And today's Klingon word provides an answer to that question:

pagh (pahgr) - nothing

In Psalm 23 King David presents us with the assertion that his shepherd, his leader is God. As soon as he tells us this, he spells out in the next clause what this means: I will lack nothing.

This is forthright confidence. David doesn't say he possesses all wealth and riches, but trusts that all his needs will be met. It certainly isn't the kind of reliance that many of us have. Despite being comfortable in my day to day existence, there's always one more thing I just "can't do without."

And those who are in real poverty may see the claim "I will lack nothing" as the smug complacence of the wealthy, or a condition they will never reach.

I like to think that David is giving us a challenge. To those who have, to maybe do with less, trusting that we will lack nothing. By sharing what we have, recognizing that, if we trust our Leader we will have what we need. And we'd only be following the best example of giving there is:

He who didn't spare his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all,
how would he not also with him
freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32

Follow an example like that, and maybe, just maybe, when someone asks "nuqneH," we'll honestly answer, "pagh."

Who Are YOU Calling a "Sheep?"

2011-08-14T16:58:00.001-05:00

joH'a' ghaH wIj DevwI'
Yahweh is my shepherd

Podcast Version

David's words in the 23rd Psalm made the "God as our shepherd" metaphor a familiar and comforting image. Despite our world becoming increasingly urban and industrial, people with little or no connection to anything rural are moved to hear Jesus assure them "I am the good shepherd."

The Hebrew word used in Psalm 23 for shepherd (my-shepherd really) is roi (roe-ee), coming from a term meaning "to tend a flock."

In English we have a compound word combining "sheep" and the verb "herd," as in, to care for sheep IN a herd. This word occurs in some form almost 100 times in the World English Bible. How best could it be translated into Klingon?

It doesn't seem likely that Klingons would appreciate this figure of speech. It is hard to imagine anyone in this warlike culture appreciating being called a sheep. So, for the Klingon Language Version, I considered what might be a more culturally acceptable term and took the verb "Dev," to lead, and used "DevwI'," one who leads.

The notion for "the good leader," whether of troops or livestock, still embodies the idea that God does indeed watch over, provide for and support those who look to Him.

For who we follow matters. The wrong choice can be a disaster. No matter how confident the leader is, if he or she is going the wrong way - that's where you'll end up going.

So choose wisely. And, with David, if you do choose the "QaQ DevwI'," the good shepherd, you can be confident he will guide you

Daq the Hemey vo' QaQtaHghach
in the paths of righteousness

What's in a name? God's name, that is.

2011-08-07T16:58:00.000-05:00

joH'a' ghaH wIj DevwI': jIH DIchDaq Hutlh pagh.

Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.

podcast version

Everyone knows his or her own name, but who knows the name of God? Well, the Hebrew Scriptures present the proper, personal name of God, revealed to Moses, as the four letters YHVH (yod he vav he). Referred to as "the tetragrammaton," this is a name, used over 5000 times in the Bible, which means the self-existent, or eternal one. Pronounced "Yahweh," it was so revered that the Jewish practice was never to say it aloud, but substitute "Adonai," (Hebrew for 'Lord') instead. This practice was carried into English with many translations that use LORD (all caps) to indicate the use of God's name.

When it came time to translate the Bible into Klingon, the question was, how do we present this name? Early in the study of Klingon there was no known word for deities or gods at all (we now know it is Qun). The term most Klingonists decided to use was "joH'a'" (joe-a-ka), from "joH," the Klingon word for "Lord" or "Lady." Adding the 'a' suffix is a way of indicating this is a bigger or greater kind of Lord.

Does this remind you of "Jehovah," another pronunciation used for the name YHVH? Maybe you're more comfortable with saying "Lord," or Father. Certainly He knows our heart, and will be near to all who call on him. However you call out His name, remember,

'Iv DichDaq ja' Daq the pong vo' joH'a' DIchDaq taH toDpu'
whoever will call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved

toDta' - delivered

2011-07-30T20:42:00.000-05:00

pa' ghaH ghobe' joH toDpu' Sum the qevmey vo' an army. A HoS loD ghaH ghobe' toDta' Sum Dun HoS.

There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. Psalm 33:16

(click for podcast version)

What more proof do you need to see that the Bible is not a Klingon book?

These words from Psalm 33 go a long way toward making itc clear that the Scriptures do not reflect traditional Klingon ideas regarding strength and power. Add in David’s victory over Goliath - rejecting the King’s armor and sword for his mere slingshot. Or the Hebrew’s victory over Jericho with nothing but marching and trumpets. Or Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” of which he said

vaj jIH tlhap pleasure Daq weaknesses, Daq injuries, Daq necessities, Daq persecutions, Daq distresses, vaD Christ's chIch. vaD ghorgh jIH 'oH weak, vaj 'oH jIH HoS

Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. 2Cor 12:10

Together these underline a basic rather non-Klingon theme: Our security, our victory can’t be found in a simple application of power, of HoS - we have to trust God.

And this is the proof that the Bible is not a human book either.

For, just as Klingons do, humans try to succeed on their own. We strive for independance, for security. But when we feel that in our hearts from the Bible we hear

Therefore

I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. 2Cor 12:10

Paul has it right. The Bible has it right. However gifted we are with strength, however accomplished we are in life - those gifts, those accomplishments are gifts from God. Not treasured power that comes from us - but gifts that God extends to us, so we can help those in need.

Rejoice, give thanks, and when we are weak remember

pa' ghaH ghobe' joH toDpu' Sum the qevmey vo' an army.
A HoS loD ghaH ghobe' toDta' Sum Dun HoS.

There is no king saved by the multitude of an army.
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. Psalm 33:16

When we are weak we can remember - when we are weak, then, he is HoS - he is stronger still - strong enough to bring us through.

tIqDu' - Hearts.

2011-02-28T20:03:00.000-06:00

ghaH 'Iv fashions Hoch vo' chaj tIQDu'; je ghaH considers Hoch vo' chaj vum.

He who fashions all of their hearts; And he considers all of their works. Psalms 33:15

(click for podcast)

I build spaceships. And rockets.

No, really, it’s true. That is - I really do build (and fly) rockets. I’ve been doing it on and off since around 1969. Model rockets, yes, but rockets all the same. They’re the reason I first learned how to use a slide rule. Some of the first computer programs I wrote in BASIC were programs to predict and assess the flight of my rockets. And in building and flying these model rockets I have learned a lot about the big ones that go into orbit and beyond.

And my spaceships - well, they’re scale models of real spaceships - some of them even fly. And again, in making them I’ve learned a lot about the real rockets. I think my favorite is the Mercury Redstone rocket from Delta 7 - you can download that one for free yourself.

The reason these rockets and spaceships are of interest to me is because, in building these models I learn about what it takes to make the real thing, and I learn how they work and what they can do.

ghaH 'Iv fashions Hoch vo' chaj tIQDu'; je ghaH considers Hoch vo' chaj vum.

He who fashions all of their hearts; And he considers all of their works. Psalms 33:15

God made us - he knows what we can do. He doesn’t need to examine a model, or imagine what might be IN us - he knows inside and out what makes us tick.

When I’ve built a scale model of a spacecraft - I don’t find out what is going to happen on a craft’s mission, on any particular flight. Holding a model - even inspecting the real craft cannot tell me that. But I do learn what it can do and how it can be guided on its way. If you’ve seen the movie Apollo 13, you know that the people of NASA were able to help save the crew because they knew what the ship was made of, how it worked, and what it could do to preserve and protect the astronauts. The astronauts could be confident in the NASA crew’s assistance, because they knew what their ship was made of.

And God knows what we’re made of - that’s why I find a comfort in this verse. I especially like the New Living Translation:

He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.

God made our hearts - in Hebrew leb (a word that occurs almost 600 times in the Bible) it is used in Biblical (as well contemporary) language to refer to the inmost self, the seat of emotions and thought. Klingons likewise use the word tIQ, the literal heart, to refer to the seat of self. Though never a really scientific term, it has a clear meaning, the “center, the essence” of one’s self. AND GOD KNOWS IT - HE MADE IT.

What a gift it is to recognize that God knows us thoroughly, inside and out. He knows what we’re made of. He loves us, he understands us better than I can hope to understand a spaceship by building a model - even if I built the real thing, I’d not understand the ship better than God knows us.

He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.

And, in the day of trouble, in the day of sorrow He is the one to whom we can open our tIQ, our heart!

Chosen - wIvpu'

2011-02-21T21:57:00.000-06:00

ghurtaH ghaH the Hatlh 'Iv joH'a' ghaH joH'a', the ghotpu 'Iv ghaH ghajtaH wIvpu' vaD Daj ghaj inheritance.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. Psalm 33:12

(Click for podcast)

Do you remember playing a game - say baseball or soccer - and “choosing up sides?” Waiting for the team leaders to pick the members of their team. And do you remember what it’s like to be picked, chosen to be on the team you really, REALLY, wanted to be on? Then you have a window to the impact of this verse from Psalm 33.

The people God chooses - the “nation” …. “he has chosen for his own....” are HAPPY - ashri, the word usually translated as “blessed” - happy in the way you or I might remember at being chosen for that team long ago. Happy because we’ve been chosen to be part of a team, part of something greater than our self. And this is the kind of happiness, of blessing God’s people know.

The word for chosen here is בָּחַר bachar and it occurs over 150 times in the Bible. From a root meaning to try, by implication, to select, that is choose, it is translated with terms like: acceptable, appoint, choose (choice), excellent, join, be rather, require. The word is used for God’s choices as well as human one (and not just good human choices).

And the Word does present humans as having a choice. From Moses’ command “choose life, that you may live,” or Joshua calls out “choose you this day whom you will serve,” to the Gospel declaration “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name,” Scripture makes clear that our walk through life involves choice - decisions every day on which path we will follow.

How do we balance God’s choice and ours? Do we need to focus on one and deny the other?

I think the Klingon answer (and my own) would be ghobe’ - no,. This is the richness of Scripture - that a paradox (God chooses/ Humans choose) is needed to describe how we move in relation to God. Some of the tension comes from our time-bound nature. Far better is to start with the principle that God chooses to love, to open his Kingdom to all.

Certainly he acts - to choose - individuals and nations to carry out his will, but he chooses this to extend his love to ALL people.

vaD joH'a' vaj loved the qo', vetlh ghaH nobta' Daj wa' je neH puqloD, vetlh 'Iv HartaH Daq ghaH should ghobe' chIlqu', 'ach ghaj eternal yIn.

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

What a perfect way to balance God’s choice (He chose to love, he chose to give his Son), and ours, (choosing to accept his love, his grace). He chose to love - the whole cosmos - and we can be happy, happy to be blessed to be wIvpu’, chosen by him.

These little ones - Dochvammey mach ones

2010-12-05T09:53:00.000-06:00

St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of children, is a model of how Christians are meant to live. As priest and bishop, Nicholas put Jesus Christ at the center of his life and ministry. His concern for children and others in need or danger expressed a love for God which points toward Jesus, the source of true caring and compassion. Embracing St. Nicholas customs can help recover the true center of Christmas—the birth of Jesus.

Understanding St. Nicholas as the original and true holiday gift-giver also helps shift focus to giving rather than getting, compassion rather than consumption, need rather than greed. This can help restore balance to increasingly materialistic and stress-filled Advent and Christmas seasons.

St. Nicholas is beloved throughout the world and continues to be revered in Christian tradition, especially as protector and patron of children in the West and as Wonderworker in the East. The St. Nicholas Center aims to bring Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians together in common purpose—to help people understand and appreciate the original St. Nicholas, the only real Santa Claus.
[http://www.stnicholascenter.orgI encourage you to visit the site to learn more]

The mach - little - ones matter. Not just to a saint like Nicholas, but to God. In this season we have many opportunities to be generous. What can we do to protect the neediest among us?

qeS - Counsel

2010-09-03T09:59:00.001-05:00

joH'a' brings the qeS vo' the tuqpu' Daq pagh. ghaH chen the thoughts vo' the ghotpu' Daq taH vo' ghobe' effect. The qeS vo' joH'a' stands fast reH, the thoughts vo' Daj tIq Daq Hoch DISmey.
The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.
He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
The counsel of the LORD stands fast forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Psalms 33:10-11

(click for podcast version)

Here are some thoughts about what I don't think these verses are saying, and why I think the Bible - especially the language of the Psalms would connect with Klingons.

First - I don't think this passage is necessarily saying "the nations" have nothing to offer - that their culture, their values, their ideals are simply chaff. That might be the idea you would get if you read only the first verse, regarding how God brings their thoughts and counsel to nothing. But only the most ignorant person would not know there IS rich culture and history among the peoples of the world.

And the good things found among the peoples of the world are part of God's blessings to them - they are the gifts that the Almighty bestows on "the rich and poor" alike.

But taken together with the next verse we see that the psalmist is giving us a contrast, making a statement about the relative worth of our cultures against the measure of eternity.

This is an example of something I think would resonate with Klingons - the way the Scriptures in a blunt, earthy way make a point. It isn't that the Word is presenting a parochial, jingoistic anti-foreigner jibe - we're being reminded that, against eternity, the only thing that lasts will be what is rooted in God. The White House, Pentagon, Kremlin, Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China, Sphinx... whatever monument to humanity you name - they will not last.

In Klingon there is a construction called the law'/puS construction - from the words for "many" and "few" - they set a framework to say X is law' (many)/Y is puS (puS) - in other words, X is better than Y. You might put these verses as "God's thoughts law', Human's thoughts puS."

I think it is also worth noting that the first verse speaks of the counsel (qeS in Klingon, which translates the Hebrew `etsah) of NATIONS and thoughts of PEOPLE - using the same Hebrew words, goy and am, which are used in Psalm 117 - the shortest chapter of the Bible, which is a universal call to ALL people to unite in praising God. Probably a coincidence - but one that to me underlines the point here - not a dismissal or insult to the people of the world, but a but a reminder that we need to anchor our thoughts and plans not to our own selves, but to the Creator who loves us and who offers us a refuge that will NOT fail.

joH'a' brings the qeS vo' the tuqpu' Daq pagh. ghaH chen the thoughts vo' the ghotpu' Daq taH vo' ghobe' effect. The qeS vo' joH'a' stands fast reH, the thoughts vo' Daj tIq Daq Hoch DISmey.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.
He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.
The counsel of the LORD stands fast forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Psalms 33:10-11

ra'ta' - commanded

2010-08-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

vaD ghaH jatlhta', je 'oH ghaHta' ta'pu'. ghaH ra'ta', je 'oH Qampu' firm
For he spoke and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9

(click for podcast)

Picture this:
You are a crewmember of a Klingon bird of prey. Your captain turns to you and... what do you do? Well, if you are a wise Klingon, you probably will say:

chay' jura'?   What are your orders?

Klingons take command (and commanders) seriously. So much so, in fact, that within Klingon military culture, a commander who cannot hold his command is fair game - advancement in rank to commander may happen when a subordinate officer challenges and defeats his or her commander.   A commander perceived as weak will never last. While this does not appeal to most humans - it's guaranteed to develop a leadership class that gets things done. Commands are obeyed. The Klingon commander will be as the psalmist here describes God:   For he spoke and it was done.

The Bible likewise takes command seriously    - God's commands are so sure, they are the foundation of creation - as we read in the very beginning of Genesis:God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Or as this psalm puts it:

vaD ghaH jatlhta', je 'oH ghaHta' ta'pu'. ghaH ra'ta', je 'oH Qampu' firm
For he spoke and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9

The Klingon word here for "commanded" is ra'ta' - ra', command, plus the suffix ta', done. This translates the Hebrew "tsvah," command, a word that is familiar in it's noun form "mitzvah" - commandment, used in the familiar bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah - son or daughter of the commandment. Perhaps in Klingon we'd say puqbe' ra'ta' or puqloD ra'ta', commanded daughter or son, to carry the same idea - to be a child of the commandments, that is, one who willingly enters into the life commanded for believers.

Here's an interesting difference - for the testimony of Scripture is that creation is God's sure work - the immediate, sure and unfailing result of his commands. But when it comes to US - obedience to these commands is far less sure or certain, isn't it? It seems we need to participate, we have to choose to follow and obey. That's why the attainment of the rite of confirmation, or believer baptism, bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah or altar call are so pivotal in the life of the believer - the moment when God's command is obeyed in our lives completes the action:

For he spoke .....................and it was done.

Does this mean God's command IS resistable, that he ISN'T an infallible commander?

I don't think so. We obey, we follow we say "chay' jura'?" because HE commands. We become his children, the children of his commandments BECAUSE he commanded, not because we responded. We're fooling ourselves if we imagine that our ability to respond is something we conjured up on our own - it is his grace, his gift, again - the power of God's speaking his word into our lives:

vaD ghaH jatlhta', je 'oH ghaHta' ta'pu'. ghaH ra'ta', je 'oH Qampu' firm
For he spoke and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9

Rejoice - God calls you, commands you! O Lord, chay' ju'ra'?

Hoch - This Means You!

2010-08-02T03:00:00.000-05:00

chaw' Hoch the tera' taHvIp joH'a'. chaw' Hoch the nganpu' vo' the qo' Qam Daq awe vo' ghaH.

Let all the earth fear the LORD. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. ps 33:8

podcast version

How do you imagine that Klingons recruit?

I think, though I don't know, that it would be direct, not some sweet winsome wooing or promise of reward. I picture it more as

yIqIm! / Attention

qaneH / I need YOU!

DaH! / NOW!

SoHvaD Dochvam / THIS MEANS YOU!

Military recruitment, or proposal of marriage - that's the sort no-nonsense approach I imagine would be the Klingons. Particularly SoHvaD Dochvam / THIS MEANS YOU!

chaw' Hoch the tera' taHvIp joH'a'. chaw' Hoch the nganpu' vo' the qo' Qam Daq awe vo' ghaH.

Let all the earth fear the LORD. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. ps 33:8

The word here "all" is one of those happy (however rare) cases where the KLV is right on - ALL in this verse, in Hebrew KOL, nicely is translated here as the Klingon Hoch. The Psalmist here speaks of ALL, that is everyone, everybody - in other words SoHvaD Dochvam / THIS MEANS YOU!

Consider what Spurgeon observes about this verse:

The psalmist was not a man blinded by national prejudice, he did not desire to restrict the worship of Jehovah to the seed of Abraham. He looks for homage even to far off nations.

We hear this through the Psalms:

joH'a' DichDaq ghurmoH maH. Hoch the ends vo' the tera' DIchDaq taHvIp ghaH.
God will bless us. All the ends of the earth shall fear him. Ps 67.7

lalDan toy' joH'a' Daq le' array. Tremble qaSpa' ghaH, Hoch the tera'.
Worship Yahweh in holy array. Tremble before him, all the earth. Ps 96.9

SoHvaD Dochvam / THIS MEANS YOU!

There are two dimensions to this: The scripture reminds us again and again that ALL will be judged and ALL are called:

vaD maH must Hoch taH 'angta' qaSpa' the yoj seat vo' Christ

For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ; 2Co 5:10

( Mt 25:32; Ac 17:31; Ro 2:16; 14:12; 2Co 5:10; Re 20:12)

SoHvaD Dochvam / THIS MEANS YOU! But this isn't a bad news story - because the same Bible also tells us:

vaD pa' ghaH ghobe' distinction joj Jew je Greek; vaD the rap joH ghaH joH vo' Hoch, je ghaH rich Daq Hoch 'Iv ja' Daq ghaH.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him. Ro 10:12

( Joh 3:16; 10:16; Ro 10:12; 1Ti 2:4)

So call on Him today! SoHvaD Dochvam / THIS MEANS YOU!

Known or Nobody

2010-07-26T22:09:00.002-05:00

Podcast Version

Thanks to Think-a-Tron and Digicomp I, I can happily claim to have worked with computers for something like forty years. From the days of those toy computers to today I've used punch cards, paper tape, magnetic tape and disks, compact disks, and now, small flash-ram "jump drives" to store and retrieve information. We've seen the same progress with our music. From vinyl to eight track and cassette tapes to compact disks and mp3 players, every year seems to bring a new way to record our tunes.

We can't imagine what will be used in the future. Though we can assume the obvious: things will continue to hold more and more data in smaller and smaller devices.

Yet these improvements introduce a problem: as older storage techniques become obsolete, we may lose access to important information. It seems funny to think that we have scientific data from the 1960's that is becoming inaccessible. We still possess the records - but as time goes on we're losing the ability to read them.

vaD joH'a' SovtaH the way vo' the QaQtaHghach
'ach the way vo' the mIgh DIchDaq chIlqu'.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked shall perish. Psalm 1:6

To be known by our God - or perish. This is the contrast presented by the last verse of Psalm 1. It is a difference in outcome that I think we see with computers and music. Not many people are prepared to listen to an 8 track, or read a program off of a paper tape: information kept those ways is perishing.

But the things worth knowing, worth keeping, have been preserved. Copied from tape to disk to chips - and who knows? In the future, maybe kiloquad isolinear storage chips, or whatever the Federation uses. As long as the information is kept in a readable form, it won't perish: it will be known.

This psalm was another case where the KLV lexicon needed help. In particular I lacked a word for "perish." abad the Hebrew word, carries the idea of "to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish." So I used the Klingon word chIl, to be lost, and added the intensive suffix -qu'. mIgh DIchDaq chIlqu' : that is, the wicked shall be utterly lost.

What does this mean? I think the Psalm is reminding us that there are two ways ahead of us. As we look through all of our tomorrows and into eternity, what is ahead? Here we see the way of the righteous - the life of the blessed that this psalm describes, or the way of the wicked, those who scoff and turn their backs on God.

To be known and not be discarded - the promise of such a future is the confidence we can find in Psalm 1. There is security in being known by the Lord. It is like the prophet Nahum reminds us:

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7

Liftoff!

2010-07-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

(note: this was originally podcast in 2005)

podcast version

As I wrote this, space enthusiasts around the world are waiting to hear the fate of Cosmos 1, the first attempt to launch a solar sail powered spacecraft. The prognosis isn't looking too good right now. Almost no communications have been received since launch. Most evidence points to a failed launch - at best a lower orbit than planned. This exciting project used a decommissioned Soviet missile as a launch vehicle and was run by a combination of international teams headed by the Planetary Society. They are pioneering the most efficient technology we know to head out to the planets, and the best to get to the stars!

However, first we have to get the project under way, first we have to - literally - get it off the ground. (Well, okay, off the water - they used a sub to launch the rocket.)

vaj the mIgh DIchDaq ghobe' Qam Daq the yoj
Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment Psalm 1:5

Those words in Psalm 1 speak of "getting off the ground," too. We hear that the wicked shall not Qam or stand (the Hebrew word is quwm which means 'to rise.') In other words, we're talking about rising up, taking one's place: taking a stand. This verse echoes the beginning of the psalm, where we heard that a blessed person won't hang around with the wicked, won't "stand in the way of sinners." Now we hear that - ultimately - the wicked won't stand either. That is, they will not be able to stand alongside the blessed, or be accepted Daq the tay' ghotpu' vo' the QaQtaHghach, "in the congregation of the righteous."

In another psalm we hear the question:

Who may ascend to the LORD’s hill?
Who may stand in his holy place? Psalm 24:3

Who indeed? If we wish to lift off, to rise up before the Lord, and following him to sail beyond merely the planets and the stars, then I think the Psalmist is directing to consider what stand we take in our lives today. We can't do it ourselves. Just as a spacecraft can't get into orbit without a sufficient booster - our ability alone won't lift us up to stand in the judgment.

St. Paul notes this, quoting the Hebrew scriptures, when he wrote to the Ephesians:

That is why the Scriptures say,
'When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.'

Paul goes on to say:

Notice that it says 'he ascended.'

This means that Christ first came down to the lowly world in which we
live. The same one who came down is the one who ascended higher than
all the heavens, so that his rule might fill the entire universe. Eph 4:8-10 NLT

If you want to rise up, to take your stand with the one whose rule fills the universe - you'll need to follow the advice of Psalm 1: Avoid accepting, and participating with what is wrong. Give your time and attention to the scriptures that tell us what is right.

But your effort isn't enough. We need to accept the gift, the grace of the one who can make us stand, and lift us higher than all the heavens.

Are you ready for liftoff?

Blown Away!

2010-07-12T09:30:00.001-05:00

The mIgh 'oH ... rur the yub nuq the SuS drives DoH.
The wicked are ... like the chaff which the wind drives away. Psalm 1:4

podcast version

Picture for a moment what you consider to be your enemies. Imagine them before you. Consider those who represent to you, the most formidable villains. This is the wicked, the rishaim in Hebrew, or mIgh in Klingon. These are the adversaries of all that was described in the first three verses of Psalm 1. In this psalm we have read that the blessed person will refuse to join in with the wicked. We've heard that these blessed ones who dwell on God's words will flourish like a well rooted tree. Such a blessed person will endure.

The psalmist now turns back to consider the other side of the coin: the wicked. These are those who rur the yub SuS drives DoH (are like the chaff the wind drives away).

Chaff: Not a familiar term in an increasingly urban world. This verse depends on our knowing that grains like wheat actually have to be processed, crushed so the outer cover of the the grain, this chaff, can be thrown away.

These words assure us that ultimately the threat of the wicked is insubstantial. Their works will not last. Perhaps reflecting on this Psalm, one ancient writer wrote:

"The hope of the wicked is like
thistledown blown by the wind
or like foam blown by a storm.
It is like smoke dissipated by the wind,
It is soon forgotten..." (Wisdom 5:14)

The wicked, however powerful they may seem, will finally be blown away, leaving no trace.

I would say that the duties of believers includes helping one another remember this. We need to support each other in the face of the most crushing defeats of life. Defeats that we cannot always avoid. Remember, the process of separating the wheat from the chaff meant crushing the grain so that the worthless chaff is removed.

The Hebrew word for chaff, mowts, is rendered here with the Klingon word 'yub.' yub refers to something like the rind or shell of a naH, a fruit or nut. It's the part you throw away. And I like to think about how with grain, this "throwing away" is accomplished by simply letting the wind carry it off. It underlines to me how flimsy these enemies, the wicked, ultimately are. Like shutting down a hologram projection, they will be gone completely.

There is more to think about here. The contrast presented, the "wicked" versus the "blessed," represents the choice each of us faces in life. Considering this verse, one writer notes:

"Chaff is very light and is carried away by even the slightest wind, while the good grain falls back to the earth. Chaff is a symbol of a faithless life that drifts along without direction. Good grain is a symbol of a faithful life that can be used by God. Unlike grain, however, we can choose the direction we will take." (Life Application Bible)

yub naH ghap? Chaff or wheat? Which will you, and I, choose to be?

Live Long and Prosper!

2010-07-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

'Iv Sornav je ta'taH ghobe' wither. Whatever ghaH ta'taH DIchDaq chep.
whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper Psalm 1:3b
podcast version

Vulcans are not Klingons. The Klingon language's words for hello (nuqneH) and goodbye (Qapla') translate to "what do you want" and "success." Compare that to Vulcans in whose language the peaceful salute is:

tich tor ang tesmur / Live long and prosper
That sentiment, not often expressed in Klingon, is a good summation of Psalm 1, verse 3: The person who is blessed, who relies on God completely, will live long: ('Iv Sornav je ta'taH ghobe' wither: whose leaf also does not wither). Not having a word for "leaf," we use a compound here Sor (tree) nav (paper). The imagery calls to mind a tree, ever growing, yet never shedding its leaves - the Hebrew, lo yibool, says this tree's leaves don't wilt or fall away.

And this blessed one "prospers": whatever ghaH ta'taH DichDaq chep in all they do, they prosper (NLT).

I think this is an interesting shift in the psalm. We've started speaking of a blessed person, then compared him to a tree and now we hear about "in all they do." Trees don't DO much of anything - they grow, and bear fruit. But they have no plans or tasks to carry out - it is clear we are talking about a person, and what it means for the person who seeks to follow God's word every day.

These verses echo the words of the book of Joshua that promised prosperity to the person who kept God's word always in mind and heart: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

Now, we must tread carefully with promises like this. It is easy to measure prosperity by wealth or possessions. This is not intent of Scripture. As Jesus said: "what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self?" (Luke 9:25).

And we cannot measure a "long" life by a simple tally of years. Just because I've lived longer than someone doesn't mean my life surpasses theirs. A life can loom large with an impact that far outlasts the days numbered on a calendar. Believers look forward to something more - an existence in eternity, surely the promise that lies behind the psalmist's words.

So, as a Vulcan would say: tich tor ang tesumur - live long and prosper.

This is the path this psalm, indeed all the Bible draws us towards. And, to live long and prosper, we need to seek out the blessed life, a full life that leads to real prosperity: the riches of God's kingdom - forever.

Though a Klingon might not be inclined to say it - if they did read this Psalm, and find these promises here, they might indeed say:

tIqjaj yInlIj 'ej bIchepjaj
Live long and prosper

Life Signs!

2010-06-29T09:38:00.002-05:00

ghaH DichDaq taH rur a Sor planted Sum the streams vo' bIQ
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water Psalm 1:3a

podcast version

yInroHmey yIHotlh! Scan for life signs!

Anyone familiar with space exploration - particularly as practiced by the United Federation of Planets - knows that this a primary task when discovering a new world or a derelict ship. Facing the unknown, the quest for yInroH, life signs, is job number one.

Even today we see this. The first landers on Mars included automated chemical labs to detect Martian life. Most think this first attempt failed, though there are some who think life was found back in 1976. And now, the ships orbiting and the robots prowling on the red planet continue looking for life signs, especially in the form of water. Simple H20 that covers three quarters of our planet makes life possible on Earth - and it may well be so elsewhere.

What about you? If you are scanned for "life signs," what will be found? "Barren wilderness," "salty flats where no one lives?" That's how the book of Jeremiah describes people "who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5 NLT).

In the third verse of Psalm 1, the author leaps from his description of a "blessed" person (doesn't hang out with the evil, dwells on God's word) into pure metaphor:

ghaH DichDaq taH rur a Sor planted Sum the streams vo' bIQ
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water Psalm 1:3a

This is a good example of how nimbly the Bible can move from simple text into poetry. This picture of the blessed as a Sor, a tree, planted along the water resonates throughout Scripture. Jeremiah seems to quote or reflect these words when we read:

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Jeremiah 17:5-8a NLT

We seek for life signs, for these waters of life in our own existence. Where I live, it is spring at this moment. I'm sitting writing these words outside surrounded by a world that is green and full of life, a reminder of the kind of life everyone wants to experience.

Jesus speaks of this when he said "the water I give... becomes a .. spring within..., giving eternal life." (John 4:14 NLT )

It will be an exciting day when finally a space probe from Earth finds life out there. Maybe it will be on Mars or Titan orbiting Saturn. Perhaps it will be in a pool, or in some deep underground spring - water teaming with life never seen before.

But right now, today, yInroH wIleghlaH, we can see life signs, within ourselves if only we turn to the one who can lead us to the river of life.

Mumble & Mutter!

2010-06-21T15:25:00.002-05:00

Delightful Law.

2010-06-14T12:26:00.000-05:00

'ach Daj tIv ghaH Daq joH'a' chut.
but his delight is in Yahweh's law
psalm 1:2a
podcast version

Delight. Think for a moment about what gives you delight. Family? Travel? Sports? Chocolate? From deep to trivial, what delights us is as varied as we individuals are. Now, Psalm 1, when it turns from what the happy, the blessed person DOESN'T do, to what they DO do - maybe it comes as a bit of a surprise, when being blessed is tied to finding DELIGHT in LAW.

Law, to me, probably to most people who aren't lawyers - is NOT a subject that quickens the pulse. Yet, in Psalm 1 when we turn to what the blessed DO, we read:

Daj tIv ghaH Daq joH'a' chut - his delight is in Yahweh's law

Part of me rebels at this: "Law? Happiness is bound up in rules and regulations? No, thanks!"

But, wait - this isn't law in the abstract, or in any city, state or national sense. This is joH'a' chut - God's law. This law is charged with a personal quality, a relationship. The specific Hebrew word used here may be a familiar one: Torah. Occurring over 200 times in the Hebrew scriptures, "torah," is commonly used to refer to the "books of Moses," (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) but carries a much broader idea of God's instruction to his people. The word torah comes from a root, yarah, that means "to throw," the notion being to "throw out one's hand" to point something out, to instruct.

One writer says, "This shows that the end of the Law lay beyond the mere obedience to such and such rules, that end being instruction in the knowledge of God.., and guidance in living as the children of such a God as He revealed Himself to be. " [ISBE]

Part of my problem facing the word "law" here comes from perceiving it as dry words and nothing more. Yes, chut or "torah" encompasses law, as in legal rules, certainly, but also teaching - those things the Lord wants us to be doing. More than rules, this law draws in the whole living testimony of Scripture, set down as a way for us, and, as St. Paul says: " profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness," (2Tim 3:16). What is God pointing out NOW? Where is his hand directing me, TODAY?

Think of it this way: Your walk through life is a path with twists and turns. At times a tough uphill journey, sometimes a breakneck run. Without a companion, someone who can help you along the way, you are likely to get lost, or worse. When we see joH'a' chut, God's law, as the hand of one who walks alongside us in our journey through life, then we'll realize that this path can be an adventure, one where we won't take a wrong turn, nor miss any of the delightful things there are to enjoy along the way.

Don't STAND For It!

2010-06-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

podcast version

ghurtaH ghaH the loD 'Iv ta'be' ... Qam Daq the way vo' yemwI'pu', ghobe' ba' Daq the seat vo' scoffers;
Blessed is the man who doesn't ...stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; Psalm 1:1b
Ever heard this old joke? "Teacher, should I get in trouble for something I didn't do?" "No, of course not." "Good. I didn't do my homework."

Nice try, but I don't think any real teacher would fall for it. And, it is true - we can get in trouble, not only for what we DO but for what we fail to do.

Psalm 1 shows us what it takes to be a person who is blessed. The author starts by telling us an action to avoid: "following evil advice." But he continues by warning us away from, well something that sounds like "doing nothing." Just being stuck amongst "the wrong crowd." Not DOing anything in particular - just hanging out.

Don't Qam (stand) among sinners, the psalmist says. Why not? Didn't Jesus eat and drink with sinners? The problem isn't meeting or moving among them, the problem is staying put. Yes - Jesus associates with sinners (and don't forget - that means you and me) because, as he says: the puqloD vo' loD ghoSta' Daq nej je Daq toD vetlh nuq ghaHta' lost. ("the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10).

In Psalm 1, the warning is getting used to the scoffer - accepting sin as "just the way things are."

Every language contains puns, wordplay that lets you take similar words, or words with multiple meanings to make a point. Klingon is no exception. We can use that to summarize some of this Psalm's advice.

The word for "to emit odor," He' , and "course or route" He are virtually the same. So you might sum up the warning of Psalm 1:1 with:

mIgh HeDaq bIQamchugh vaj mIgh He' DalIjchu'
that is:
if you stand in the evil road (mIgh He), then you will will surely forget the evil smell (mIgh He')
It is easier than we think to get used to things. Staying put, among things we believe in our hearts are wrong may make us lose the perspective we need. The perspective that will make us act in the way that will make us truly Quch - blessed.

And the Psalms have something to say about that, too. We'll move on to the source of that perspective in the next verse of Psalm 1 - stay tuned.

Don't Walk!

2010-06-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

ghurtaH ghaH the loD 'Iv ta'be' yIt Daq the qeS vo' the mIgh
Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked

podcast version

ghurtaH ghaH the loD/ Blessed is the man

"Bless" is one of those "Bible" words that might seem simple. Bless you! What a blessing! I was blessed. Yet when pressed to define it, it turns out to be a fairly complex bundle rolled up into one simple syllable.

Psalm 1 presents us with a description - maybe a prescription for what it is to be blessed.

There are multiple words in Hebrew, Greek and Latin that are all translated into English as "bless" or "blessed." Now, because the KLV is developed as a relexification (one Klingon term for one English word) of the World English Bible, the text winds up flattening that meaning into a single word: ghurtaH, : on-going increase, that is an increase or benefit to one's material or spiritual riches. In this case, the Hebrew word used in Psalm 1, ashri, means "happy," a translation you will find being used in many modern translations. Eventually that meaning may replace ghurtaH in the KLV, and you'll see the word Quch (happy) used : Quch ghaH the loD.

But what makes a person blessed? ghurtaH or Quch - fortunate or happy - how does one achieve that? This is what Psalm 1 tells us - and it begins by telling us what NOT to do: DON'T WALK.

How obedient are you to those stop lights when they signal walk/don't walk? I was nicknamed "safety frog" by my kids when they were little, since I am such a stickler on safety issues: seat belts, rocket launches and, yes even stop lights. Yet still I get impatient - and sometimes I might dash out and take advantage of a lull in the traffic. But I know those lights have a purpose, and if you blithely ignore them, well, you will be neither ghurtaH or Quch - fortunate or happy.

Iv ta'be' yIt Daq the qeS vo' the mIgh
who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked

This is the first of three negatives the psalmist gives us on the way to explain what makes a person blessed. It makes me think of a verse in Proverbs (actually two verses - it gets repeated):

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. (Proverbs 14:12 | 16:25 NLT)

I like that description - "a path ... that seems right" : Sometimes doing what you KNOW is wrong IS very tempting. You might want to dash across against the light - and suffer the consequences "it ends in death."

The Bible is realistic: you can't avoid hearing the "counsel of the wicked," whether a classmate telling you how to cheat on a test, or a politician appealing to our personal greed - you aren't at fault for HEARING them.The problem is when we take that first step - when we no longer listen, but begin to walk in their counsel.

As the saying goes "it's no sin to be tempted," the trick is letting it end there. Psalm 1 has much more to say, both what NOT to do, and what we SHOULD do - we'll see more about this in upcoming podcasts. But this is the start, saying NO to qeS vo mIgh (the advice of the wicked). Being Quch, happy, in our life with the Lord begins here. As James reminds us :

".. resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

So - join the resistance. We've just begin to fight.

bIQmey - waters

2010-05-04T12:03:00.001-05:00

ghaH gathers the bIQmey vo' the biQ'a' tay' as a heap. ghaH lays Dung the deeps Daq storehouses.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Psalm 33:7

(click for podcast version)

The power of scripture, especially in the Psalms, is in its many dimensions of praise. Here the psalmist describes the incredible power of God in terms of ... waters - bIQmey, in Klingon.

Now water seems a weak thing - humans say "blood is thicker than water" and Klingons agree - blood, 'Iw is power - water is weakness... and yet water strikes us with a tremendous, chaotic power, when we face the storm, when we face the clashing, crashing waves of the sea. This IS power - it's power that we seek to harness today as we on Earth look at ways to replace limited fossil fuels. And looking at such power the psalmist declares about the Almighty,

It's good for us to reflect on God's power, Hos in Klingon - because it is THAT power that backs his love, it is THAT power that can save us, it is THAT power that backs the tender care that predates the Cosmos, as St. Paul notes: Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us... [Ephesians 1:4 NLT]

Recently I had a request to translate the words of the Rich Mullins' song that goes:

Our God is an awesome God

He reigns from heaven above

With wisdom pow'r and love

our God is an awesome God

Words that, to me, echo this Psalm's excitement over God's majestic power - in Klingon I rendered it:

joH Dun ghaH joH'a'ma''e'

chalDaq Dung je che'

valqu', HoSqu', muSHa'qu' je

joH Dun ghaH joH'a'ma''e'

How do you reflect on God's power? Give thanks that he does indeed reign from Heaven above - valqu', HoSqu', muSHa'qu' je - With wisdom pow'r and love.

chenmoHta' - made

2010-02-15T19:28:00.003-06:00

Sum joH'a' mu', the chal were chenmoHta'; Hoch chaj army Sum the breath vo' Daj nujDu'.

By the LORD’s word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:6

(click for podcast version)

Dochmey vIchenmoH 'e' vItIv! I enjoy making things - and that makes sense! If we are indeed "made in the image of God" it is no surprise that we find ourselves expressing that image in creative ways. It's what God loves to do, isn't it?

I'm working on a small electronics kit right now. I've made other kits and projects in the past, including a simple robot from odds and ends and, one of my favorites - air rockets from scraps of recycled materials - they're literally veSDujmey - garbage ships. (That's the insult that finally got Scotty to mix it up in a fight with some Klingons - when they called the Enterprise a veSDuj, a garbage scow).

What catches my imagination here is the Psalmist's phrase about how it is by joH'a' mu', the LORD's word, that he accomplishes his creative work. The same is true for us - when I've built my rockets, or constructed the kits - I didn't do that at random. There was a mu', a word that gave me the inspiration (I read about the electronic kits) or even the plans and the instructions (my rockets cost me no more than a couple of dollars of parts, plus recycling pop bottles and other scrap - once I found the word, the plans, on the internet). It was the WORD that made the difference, that made me able to make something special - something new.

The word chenmoHta' here translates the Hebrew word asah, to make. Sometimes distinguished from "bara'" which is considered to be more literally create - as opposed to asah - to form. The difference is moot in Klingon, since the word chenmoH (chen, to form, plus moH - cause to) is used for form, make, create. What matters is that what God uses to create is not power or might, but his Word.

We do this too. The projects I find on the internet, or in magazines, or books... all those come to me - not in force, but in a simple "word" - that conveys to me the possibility, the idea, the chance that I can make something new.

Near my house is a mall with a craft store AND a major bookstore. I love them both, because I always say they "smell like hope." Who knows how many of the sweaters get knit, the paintings painted, or the books read - I don't - but I know that everyone who enters those stores gets a whiff of "hope," for in entering that store, they buy into the chance that they WILL do the project or read that book.

The Word - and now of course I'm talking about God's Word - comes to us with that same power, and a hope that will not disappoint. God can change our lives, just as he brought this marvelous universe into being - simply by his Word.

Sum joH'a' mu', the chal were chenmoHta'; Hoch chaj army Sum the breath vo' Daj nujDu'.

By the LORD’s word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:6

What new thing is He waiting to bring into your life today? Open his Word, to you, today.

full - teblu'ta'

2010-02-08T20:44:00.002-06:00

ghaH muSHa'taH QaQtaHghach je ruv. The tera' ghaH teblu'ta' vo' the muSHa'taH pung vo' joH'a'.
He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD.

Psalm 33:5

(click for podcast)

If you were to visit my office, that is, once you got to the basement, down the corridor, found your way past the security doors, then down more stairs and finally made your way to our office (which is sort of underground (no really)), when you finally found the space that I call my own.... well, then you'd notice some things.

I hope you'd see my desk, my computers, the bookshelves and all the standard stuff. You'd find the technical manuals, the notebooks and whiteboard and you'd get an idea of the sort of work that goes on here.

But then, I'd guess you might look around and pick up on the personal details, and then might get an idea about what KIND of person worked in this space.

And SPACE would be the operative word - you'd notice pictures tacked up of space vehicles (real and imaginary), not to mention models of robots and spaceships (also real and imagined). You might even notice that one or two of the reference books have to to with rockets, not the computers and networks that I work with. Added together you'd be safe to conclude that the person who works here loves space travel - this cube is full of the love of Outer Space.

The tera' ghaH teblu'ta' vo' the muSHa'taH pung vo' joH'a'.
The earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD.

The NLT recasts the psalmists words as "the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth." and you might wonder how anyone can say that is true, but it is. I know, I know - I need nothing more than scanning the headlines online to find a world full of tragedy and loss. Of course we ask, where is this unfailing love? But it is there.

malae is the Hebrew word that I've represented as teblu'ta' in Klingon - pretty basic words, both carrying the idea here of something "filled up" with a substance. The substance here is "Hesed" God's faithful covenant love - often translated as "lovingkindness" in the KJV, hence the Klingon loving (muSHa'taH) plus kindness (pung).

Our eyes can miss the lovingkindness that fills the earth - because we know of what is wrong in it. We need to be reminded that the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.

As one writer notes:

The overflowing kindness of God fills the earth. Even the iniquities of men are rarely a bar to his goodness: he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain upon the just and the unjust. Adam Clarke.

Search for the trouble and you'll find it.Like the recent disaster in Haiti - a mountain of despair cast down on a people already broken under poverty and more. But look at the response from believers and non-believers who have flooded that tiny nation with assistance. A web search for news about "people helping Haiti" yields thousands of hits- that is God's lovingkindness bearing fruit amidst all that trouble. And why else would we worry in the face of tragedy if our hearts were not kindled by that love God sheds abroad in the world. Of course we despair - we want to see God's love bearing fruit.

A person who visits my workspace won't find a note "Joel is a space cadet" or "Joel loves rocket ships" - but all the little extras you find scattered about spell it out pretty clearly.

It is the same in this world. The people who build Habitat homes, who help out a Gospel missions, who send money - or themselves - off to rebuild in time of disaster - all those "little clues" point out that God indeed fills this world with his love - and we have the great gift of being able to share it!

ghaH muSHa'taH QaQtaHghach je ruv. The tera' ghaH teblu'ta' vo' the muSHa'taH pung vo' joH'a'.
He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD.

Psalm 33:5

voqtaHghach - faithfulness

2010-01-18T19:36:00.009-06:00

vaD the mu' vo' joH'a' ghaH nIH. Hoch Daj vum ghaH ta'pu' Daq voqtaHghach.

For the word of the LORD is right. All his work is done in faithfulness. Psalm 33:4

(click for podcast)

This verse from Psalm 33 underlines how the Biblical witness is of the trustworthiness, the dependability of what God says and what he does. One writer observes:

For the word of the Lord is right - The command; the law; the promise of God. Whatever he "says" is right; or, is true. It is worthy of universal belief; and should, therefore, be a reason for praise. The fact that God says a thing is the highest proof that it is true. (Albert Barnes)

And all his works are done in truth - Or rather, "in faithfulness." That is, All that he does is executed faithfully. He does all that he promises, and all that he does is such as to claim universal confidence. Whatever he does is, from the very fact that He does it, worthy of the confidence of all his creatures.

The Hebrew word here is 'emuwnah and occurs about 50 times in the Bible. From the same root as the universal assent of faith AMEN, it means literally firmness; and figuratively security; morally fidelity. You'll see it in the KJV as faith(-ful, -ly, -ness, ), set office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily.

How might a Klingon express such a concept? I've used the verb to-trust voq, and changed it into a noun with the -taH and -ghach suffixes, yielding voqtaHghach, meaning (sort-of) on-going-trust-ness.

A key for me is what I refer to as the mnemonic theology of the Bible - how our trust in promise is rooted in memory. We remember through the history of the Bible what God HAS done, and it makes us look forward to (and trust in) what he will do. There is a relationship here - we learn who we can count on by who comes through for us. The message of Scripture, and the witness of saints through the ages is that God can be trusted - he is faithful, he has voqtaHghach.

vaD the mu' vo' joH'a' ghaH nIH. Hoch Daj vum ghaH ta'pu' Daq voqtaHghach.

For the word of the LORD is right. All his work is done in faithfulness. Psalm 33:4

The Life Application Bible sums it up well when it notes:

All God’s words are true and trustworthy. The Bible is reliable because, unlike people, God does not lie, forget, change his words, or leave his promises unfulfilled. We can trust the Bible because it contains the words of a holy, trustworthy, and unchangeable God.

To which I can only add amen!

A tlhIngan Christmas?

2009-12-01T09:14:00.001-06:00

" batlh Daq joH'a' Daq the highest, Daq tera' roj, QaQ DichDaq toward Hoch."

"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward all." Luke 2:14

click here for podcast

Picture this: Some December, oh, a few years from now, you find yourself wandering down a corridor in the Klingon section of Deep Space 9. Late at night, the lights are low and you hear a noise - a lot of noise! Spilling out into the hall is a crowd of boisterous tlhInganpu'. These Klingons are coming from the Klingon multifaith lalDan pa' (chapel). Of course! They just finished their Christmas Midnight service and they're off to celebrate. AND... they're heading your way.

What do you do? More importantly, what do you say?

nuqneh?

nuqDaq 'oH puchpa''e'?

QISmaS petIv!

toDwI'ma' qoS yItiv!

Well, of course the answer depends on many things, for one, whether you celebrate Christmas (many don't - even the early Christians were far more focussed on Easter as their celebration. Historically there have been times that Christians adamantly opposed the festivities). You might just call out the angels's song from Luke's gospel: "batlh Daq joH'a' Daq the highest" "glory to God in the highest." (though, by the time you're on such a space station, I hope you'll have a more grammatical translation than the Klingon Language Version - but it's a start.)

nuqneh?

This is the all purpose Klingon greeting - "what do you want," literally. That's an okay thing to say when meeting Klingons, though not quite in the spirit of the occasion.

nuqDaq 'oH puchpa''e'?

That would be fine - IF you're looking for the bathroom - otherwise, it might not make the best impression. While we're at it, one more "nuq" phrase - even more useful - is "nuqjatlh." It's the Klingon "hunh?" and means "what did you say?"

QISmaS petIv!

This gets more in the spirit of the celebration. The first word QISmaS is an attempt to transliterate "Christmas" into a Klingon spelling. After all, we don't translate "Christmas" into English - it's a word composed of Greek and Latin parts. It seems reasonable for Klingons to adopt this term to denote the celebration. The second word, petIv, is an imperative "all-of-you-enjoy-it!" You may decide to soften this with "botIvjaj" "may-you-enjoy-it" - or if you celebrate Christmas too, you could say QISmaS wItIvjaj "may we enjoy Christmas!"

toDwI'ma' qoS yItIv!

This is a phrase to indicate you, too, celebrate Jesus's birth. Literally "our-saviour's-birthday you-enjoy-it." Note here I said "yItIv," which is the singular "you" command "enjoy". You could also, as I noted earlier, say petIv or botIvjaj.

So - what would you choose to say? It's perhaps a fanciful question - after all I haven't quite built my spaceship to go off to Deep Space Nine. But it isn't hard to find people of many tongues celebrating this holiday. Nor is it hard to find places on the internet that provide Christmas greetings in every language from Afrikaans (een plesierige kerfees) to Yugoslavian (Cestitamo Bozic). As Christmas approaches this Advent - why not take a moment to learn a new way to call out with holiday cheer, so with the angels you too can say:

" batlh Daq joH'a' Daq the highest, Daq tera' roj, QaQ DichDaq toward Hoch."

"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward all." Luke 2:14

chu' bom - new song

2009-11-09T20:13:00.001-06:00

bom Daq ghaH a chu' bom. Play skillfully tlhej a jach vo' Quch!
Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

psalm 33:3

(click for podcast version)

There's a phrase I love from Ecclesiates 1:9: pa' ghaH ghobe' chu' Doch bIng the pemHov (there is no new thing under the sun.) That might sound odd when you think of the scriptures that promise a new heavens, God making all things new, or this command to sing a new song - but I think it all fits together.

First, the reason I love the Ecclesiastes passage is this: I know it doesn't mean LITERALLY nothing is new. In a world with babies, flowers and sunrises, certainly we have to realize there are NEW things. But Solomon is reminding us, God isn't taken by surprise. When we confront the world armed with the promises of the Word we don't have to worry about God saying "oh - I didn't think of THAT.

Then what IS new? Well the Hebrew word here (and in Ecclesiastes) is chadash, meaning something new or fresh. In Klingon, the word is "chu'" - and it's interesting in the context of this psalm to notice that the same word is also the verb "to engage/activate a device" OR "to play a musical instrument. I like that - for when I respond to God's goodness, when I'm moved to sing and rejoice, I'm ACTIVATED, I come to life with a new song. Yes, perhaps its words or tune are old, written years, maybe centuries before my time - but when we sing it, it becomes fresh - it's NEW.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul notes

2 Corinthians 5:17 vaj chugh anyone ghaH Daq Christ, ghaH ghaH a chu' creation. The qan Dochmey ghaj juSta' DoH. yIlegh, Hoch Dochmey ghaj moj chu'.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old
things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

In Clarke's commentary he says this:

The conversion of a man from idolatry and wickedness was among the Jews denominated a new creation. He who converts a man to the true religion is the same, says Rabbi Eliezer, as if he had created him.

This conversion, this turning to God, is what makes us new, what lets us sing out - turning to God who will indeed give us a new song!

bom Daq ghaH a chu' bom. Play skillfully tlhej a jach vo' Quch!
Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

Supghew - Lyre

2009-11-02T19:19:00.004-06:00

nob tlho' Daq joH'a' tlhej the lyre. bom praises Daq ghaH tlhej the harp vo' wa'maH strings.

Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings. psalm 33:2

(click for podcast version)

Whatever you might think about Klingons being warlike and brusque - they DO know how to say "Thank you" - it's qatlho'. And sometimes it seems that's more than some humans know.

Matthew Henry notes about this psalm

What a pity it is that this earth, which is so full of the proofs and instances of God's goodness, should be so empty of his praises; and that of the multitudes who live upon his bounty, there are so few who live to his glory!

What's the difference between saying "thank you" and sending a "thank you" card? Don't both communicate gratitude? Both are better than nothing - ask the friend or relation who gave generously and received no response whatsoever. Certainly they would be far happier with SOMETHING, some acknowledgment.

And yet....

As a command, the psalmist is pushing us beyond a simple word telling us that a thank you "note" (or song) is exactly what we should present to the LORD for all his presents to us. Maybe we need to do a bit more - maybe we need some skill.

The word "harp" here, in Hebrew is kinnowr, a word (from a root meaning to twang) that appears dozens of times in the Bible. We don't have a word for that in Klingon, though I might use Supghew a Klingon word for a stringed musical instrument (actually the roots "Sup" to jump, and "ghew," bug, suggest a lively instrument like the Ukelele, whose name means "jumping flea"). The harp (or a ukelele, or a guitar) are instruments that require skill, that require thoughtful instruction and learning before one can even raise a simple song. To be advised to lift up our harp - or Supghew - is to be advised to think, and plan how we will praise and thank our creator for the goodness of creation.

How about you? Do you send a thank you note when you receive a gift? Do you take time to think about how you will acknowledge what you have received. No, I don't expect we'll all take up harps or banjos or zithers - but we should take the time to reflect on what God has done for us, to take time to do more than just mouth a simple "thank you." Are you grateful? Then sing out with praise!

lugh - upright

2009-10-26T20:05:00.002-05:00

yItIv Daq joH'a', SoH QaQtaHghach! naD ghaH fitting vaD the upright.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.

click for podcast version

To rejoice, to cheer in a meaningful way I need ME put right - and that takes a connection with the one who made me. I'll fit together and then I can SING.

yItIv Daq joH'a', SoH QaQtaHghach! naD ghaH fitting vaD the upright.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.

Time to Travel

2009-10-13T10:55:00.001-05:00

Hoch the jajmey vo' wIj yIn
all the days of my life

podcast version

News flash! MIT is hosting a Time Travelers get-together May 7th, 2005. Well, maybe this is old news, since by the time you hear this podcast, the event will have happened. Yet, if you are a time traveler, I encourage you to head on over to the the MIT East Campus Courtyard and check it out - I'm sure you'll get a warm welcome.

Time travel can be a pain. Think about the complicated problems you can encounter: DON'T step on a bug - you might wipe out hundreds of species yet to come! Don't prevent your grandparents from meeting or you'll never exist! The list goes on and on - you have to be soooo careful! After all, nobody wants to deal with those agents from the Federation's Department of Temporal Investigations!

Harder still, consider the grammar! How do you explain something you did yesterday - in the future? How do you talk about what you plan to do in the past tomorrow?

Now - we are all time travelers. Not dramatically - not skipping back and forth in a souped up DeLorean, but gradually, daily we sail along into tomorrow:

Hoch the jajmey vo' wIj yIn all the days of my life

so David describes our journey. Dogged by God's grace, by his goodness and loving kindness our travels through time cover this too finite stretch, "the days of our life" - what Psalm 90 estimates to be roughly 70 or 80 years.

And here's the problem with our time travels: The days we're given to live have limit. Even if we see great sites along the way, we know the trip has an end - maybe time doesn't have a limit - but ours DOES.

Yet Psalm 23 points us to a destination, and offers the hope that our short stretch will connect to an unlimited future - David looks forward to
yIn Daq joH'a' tuq reH - live in God's house forever

Maybe you feel like you're going nowhere, moving through each minute, each hour, aimlessly. You travel on through each day, but think there is no destination at the end of your time. Well listen to what Jesus says:

"Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many homes. If it weren't so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. (John 14:1-2)

originally podcast 5/7/05

Who's Following Who?

2009-10-02T21:19:00.001-05:00

QaQ je loving kindness DIchDaq tlha' jIH
goodness and loving kindness shall follow me

podcast version

The great pitcher Satchel Paige often said “Don’t look back—something might
be gaining on you.”

That doesn't sound like Klingon advice to me. Few would disagree that the straightforward Klingon response to pursuit is to stand one's ground and eliminate trouble before it sneaks up on you!

But these words from Psalm 23 involve a different kind of pursuit; and mark a return in this shepherd's psalm to the picture of God's care as shepherding us, his flock.

Among the tools of a shepherd are herd dogs. We see that God's are QaQ (goodness) and loving kindness - a word not translated in the current revision of the KLV. This word, "Hesed" in Hebrew, is rendered in English translations as 'mercy' or 'loving kindness' and means a deep kind of "covenant faithfulness." The Klingon term batlh (honor) comes to mind as a good translation.

We are pursued by God. His dogs nudge us along the good path and direct us to follow the honorable road - and we will, if only we don't turn on these hounds that are just there to lead us along the best way.

What are these dogs? Or ... who?

In my life, I can picture a whole pack - perhaps you can think of a few in yours. I can see them - friends, family and maybe even strangers who only passed briefly through my orbit. Each one stood as an example, or a reminder of how I might more closely follow God.

And that is the real pursuit we need to consider: God's sheep dogs are there to nudge us on a pursuit of own. If you wonder what that might be, well, the last words that Jesus speaks in John's Gospel spell it out clearly - no matter what language you use:

SoH tlha' jIH.
You follow me.

Originally podcast 5/2/2005

Running Over Where?

2009-09-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

wIj HIvje' qettaH Dung
My cup runs over
podcast version

Half full? Half empty? That evaluation of a partially filled glass is the classic way to measure whether a person is an optimist or pessimist.

Which are you? And what happens when somebody fills the glass SO full it overflows?

That's what David considers in Psalm 23 when he writes:

wIj HIvje' qettaH DungMy cup runs over

God can (and will) bless his people beyond their mere needs. He just will NOT stop!

[My guess, by the way is that the pessismist will gripe about the work cleaning up the over flow, while the optimist delights in the surplus - "aren't we LUCKY to have more than we need?"]

The mechanical process of creating the Klingon Language Version of the Bible involves a simple program that replaces English words with Klingon translations, one word at a time. When that works we get Klingon text arranged in English grammatical fashion - a pidgin Klingon that a translator can polish off. "wIj HIvje'," for "my cup" can be made grammatical by attaching the first person possesive suffix (wIj) to HIvje' (glass, or tumbler): Hivje'wIj becomes a good translation for the Hebrew koesee (my cup).

We're not as lucky with "runs over," since the word "qettaH" means "run or jog". "Dung" means overhead, and was used for the KLV purposes to mean something like "over there." 'My cup runs over there,' does not come too close to the Psalm. Keep this odd wordplay in mind - think of it as "my cup of blessing moves out." I'll come back to that in a moment.

A better translation would be buy'qu' (really full) - HIvje'wIj buy'qu', my cup is really full. Even better, there is a colloquial Klingon expression "buy' ngop" which literally means "the plates are full." It is a way to say "Great news!" A grammatical translation of Psalm 23 might well express the great news of God's generosity, "my cup runs over," with "buy' ngop."

Jesus said: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. (John 10:10b). He wants our lives to be rich and full - not just good enough, but so complete that the bounty spills over! And St. Paul says God can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think...(Eph. 3:20) God doesn't intend to give us a thimble full of grace.

Everyone does not have a life of overflowing bounty. Every believer does not experience this surplus of blessing. We don't know why - and even beginning to explore the reasons is beyond the scope of this word study.

But those of us who do experience "the cup that overflows" have a different question: what do I do about the spill? Maybe "my cup of blessing moves out" isn't such a bad translation after all.

The faith of the Bible is not a tribal faith. God may have begun with Abraham's family, but God's intention is clear: "All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you."(Genesis 12:3). Jesus made clear that the answer to "who is my neighbor" is EVERYONE. When Jesus gave marching orders he said "You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."

So...

buy' ngop! GOOD news!

If your plate is full, if your cup really runs over, then gather it up. Take your blessings and share them to "the uttermost parts of the earth..."

Better yet, share them "'u' HeHDaq" to the edge of the Universe.

originally podcast 4/29/05

Double Take

2009-09-02T12:19:00.002-05:00

Daq vo' wIj jaghpu'
in the presence of my enemies

podcast version

Nobody likes to say it out loud, but inviting people to a party means, on some level, you've decided who not to invite. That is why one might look twice at what David says in Psalm 23 -

You prepare a table before me

I like hearing this; God wants me to be his guest.

But then I read

Daq vo' wIj jaghpu'
in the presence of my enemies.

and I ask, what is going ON?! What are my enemies doing at this party?

The Klingon word for enemy, jagh, appears here in the plural form jaghpu'. It is worth noting that Klingon has three forms of plural suffixes: "mey", which is plural for things, for example yIHmey means "tribbles." "Du'" indicates the plural of body parts, as in ghopDu', "hands". In this case we use the third form "pu'" which is plural for things that have speech - usually taken to mean intelligent beings, i.e. people. Using jaghpu' here, instead of jaghmey, indicates that our enemies are not just a figure of speech as in "the weather is my enemy." We're talking about some person who plots against us, who wants to do us harm.

What is going on? Why does the psalmist think God's banquet is in the presence of my enemies? Who invited them?

Now, I've got two ways to look at this: comforting, and challenging.

First look at comforting:

Usually this verse is seen to show how we can be confident that, despite our enemies, God will show his love and care by preparing a table for us - even in the heart of battle. Do not despair - God cannot be prevented from blessing us - even when we are faced by real enemies. We need to hang onto this kind of assurance.

Here's the challenging side:

Who invited these enemies? Maybe I did. OR should.

When I cast about for other verses in the Bible that touch on "enemies" and "meals" I find a terrific passage - actually I find it more than once. It is a passage in Proverbs that St. Paul likes so much, he quotes it in the letter to the Romans:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink: for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and Yahweh will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21 or Romans 12:20 )

Now if I were looking for a particularly Klingon way to tell people to "be nice," this has got to be it. Not hard to picture a Klingon saying "yesss!" to that coals of fire stuff, is it? Think you're a really tough tlhIngan SuvwI', a Klingon warrior? Then prove it: open your heart, your love to everyone - not just to the easy target. Jesus says it this way: "if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?" (Matt. 5:46)

We do have enemies. There really are people out there who want to do you and me harm. No, they are not going to be your best friend, or the first choice to put on your guest list. Yet, I know I need to take a stock of my 'hospitality,' my charity and then listen to Jesus's words:

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'

But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:43-45a)

Who's on your guest list?

originally podcast 4/22/05

Table Service

2009-08-18T15:51:00.001-05:00

SoH ghuH a SopDaq
You prepare a table

podcast version

Mealtime is more than a way to refuel the body: it is sacred. We see this in the very beginning of the Bible, in the garden of Eden where God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food(Genesis 2:9) or when the promise of an heir and descendants to Abraham came after the patriarch had hosted his mysterious visitors to a great feast. (Genesis 18) And we see this at the very end of the Scriptures, in the last book of the New Testament, when the blessed "are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."(Revelation 19:9). The Bible uses "meals" as a way to portray how God's love reaches us.

Meals can be a place where we have some of our most treasured moments. I know that, in my life, those are the times that stand out: graduations, milestone birthdays, anniversaries. There are few important times in our lives when we do NOT gather to break bread together.

And meals are central in our religious lives. Look at the Passover Seder, or Holy Communion, the celebration of the Eucharist and you can see how believers continue to find ways to use a meal to reenact the saving acts of God.

Here in Psalm 23:5 we now move away from the simple image of the sheep and shepherd to the picture of God as our gracious host inviting us to be his dinner guest.

SoH ghuH a SopDaq You prepare a table

SopDaq, the word used here for "table" was coined when we didn't now the exact Klingon word for the piece of furniture we call a "table" (we now know it is "raS"). SopDaq, literally "eating-place" is a word formed from the verb "to eat" (Sop) with the nominal suffix indicating location. It parallels the known word for bed, QongDaq, i.e. "sleeping-place." Think of SopDaq as an irregular word for the banquet table, or a buffet spread out for the guest, as opposed other sorts of tables, say a work bench or in a library.

As much fun as we might have at those more utilitarian tables, it is at the dinner table where we gather to celebrate and give thanks (and we should remember that thanksgiving is literally the meaning of the word "Eucharist", the greatest Christian meal.) More than nutrition, we find God inviting us to a table were we can rejoice and enjoy fellowship with him, to be like Abraham, a "friend of God." (James 2:23) I think of Jesus' promise, that if a person answers his call "then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20).

Now that is a dinner invitation no one should refuse!

(originally podcast 4/14/05)

Worst Case Scenario

2009-07-23T09:22:00.002-05:00

QIb vo' Hegh
Shadow of death
podcast version

Murphy's law spells out the pessimist's creed: if something can go wrong, it will. Some find an odd comfort in this "expect the worst" philosophy. With it, you'll never be disappointed - the worst that can happen is that you will be happily surprised if things turn out okay.

But I think merely expecting the worst isn't going far enough. Better is doing what David works through in Psalm 23 - the worst case scenario and how to be ready for it.

David looks to the good Shepherd, not merely to solve temporal problems like food and drink, guidance and safety. Whatever good the Lord provides for this life, David does not expect it to forestall the absolute worst:
The QIb vo' Hegh, the shadow of death

The Klingon words QIb (shadow) and Hegh (death) are used here for the Hebrew term tsalmaveth, traditionally rendered "the shadow of death," a phrase that captures just how this dark cloud hangs over all of us. The Bible says it simply "...it is appointed for men to die..." (Hebrews 9:27) Yet the response here in Psalm 23 is not despair, but confidence that this final passage is not to be feared, if we are accompanied by this shepherd who truly walks alongside us.

Notice that in this verse something important changes. The previous verses speak about the shepherd - he does this, he does that. But in this verse David speaks directly to him:

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Death's QIb, its shadow, looms over all of us - no exceptions. In reviewing our options, our plans, this is what we must all be prepared for. Medicine, wealth, or position will not keep us from it. There is no castle or protection that will ultimately keep it away.

But we do not have to enter that last frontier alone. If we go with the one who has gone through it himself, we need fear no evil. For with the one who has conquered death by our side, that path through the shadows can, and will, be the path to victory.

originally podcast 4/7/05

On Board!

2009-07-02T14:14:00.001-05:00

Originally podcast 4/1/2005

Mid-Course Correction!

2009-06-08T09:10:00.001-05:00

originally podcast March 30, 2005

Rebuilt - Like New!

2009-05-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

ghaH chenqa' wIj qa'

He restores my soul

podcast version

Let's meditate on the mortality of cars. Expensive things - necessities for many of us - which, once purchased, immediately depreciate. As soon as you own them and use them, they are worth less and less. Each day reduces the resale value. It is a fact of life that things like these can almost never be sold at anything like their original price.

However, there are exceptions. Near my home is a fairgrounds which, every spring, is filled with proud collectors, men and women, who have taken beat up old jalopies and poured money, love and no small amount of work to transform these junkers into masterpieces - the most fabulous classic cars you could hope to see.

ghaH chenqa' wIj qa' / He restores my soul

The Klingon word used here in Psalm 23 for "restore," chenqa' (chehn-khah-uh) means "build again," that is RE-build. This is what God wants to do with us. Classic car enthusiasts are not the only ones who love to restore things - it's the work that the Lord wants to do with you and me. As St. Paul wrote "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Feeling like a wreck? Think there's no hope that you could be worth more than your "scrap value?" Think again - God's ready to chenqa' lIj qa' - restore your soul and make you like new today!

Originally podcast March 23rd, 2005

Still Here?

2009-05-13T13:46:00.001-05:00

ghaH Dev jIH retlh vIHHa' bIQmey

He leads me beside still waters.

podcast version

(originally podcast 3/20/2005)

Sleeping dogs

2009-05-05T11:00:00.001-05:00

ghaH chen jIH Qot bIng Daq SuD tI yotlh

He makes me lie down in green pastures

podcast version

The words "sleeping dogs" immediately call to mind the expression "let sleeping dogs lie." No doubt Klingons know the wisdom expressed in this proverb: don't stir up trouble when you don't have to.

Klingons do, after all, know about pets (the Klingon word for pet is Saj), though their 'dog' is the targh, a fairly fearsome creature; definitely not something to rile unnecessarily.

Let's consider "sleeping dogs" (the undisturbed kind) as an illustration of today's Klingon word: Qot, 'to lie.'

David in Psalm 23 considers God's care for him saying that God:

makes me lie down in green pastures

Qot bIng Daq SuD tI yotlh

.

The English word 'lie' occurs over 100 times in the World English Bible translation of the Hebrew scriptures, mostly referring to an action like or involving reclining (as opposed to telling a falsehood). The Hebrew text of this psalm uses a specific verb, rabats, that is only used around 30 times. The notion in this word is that of a recumbent animal. This image would be familiar to a shepherd like David. Hovever, I'm not a shepherd, so I find the image of a recumbent animal that comes to my mind is that of a sleeping dog.

The utter peace of my own dog is something I find delightful. Once comfortable, he relaxes so completely that it compels me to settle down beside him as well. That is the sort of peace, of rest, that David is telling us he finds because he knows that the Good Shepherd is leading him.

And it's a peace offered to us as well. Just as God promised the Hebrews in the book of Exodus:

God said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
(Exodus 33:14)

Are you looking to Qot Bing Daq roj, to lie down in peace? Then listen to the Good Shepherd:

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened,
and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:30)

(repodcast - original date 3/18/05)

What Do You Want?

2009-04-20T16:07:00.002-05:00

jIH DIchDaq Hutlh pagh

I shall lack nothing

podcast version

If you have any exposure to tlhIngan Hol (the Klingon language) you've probably heard the one all purpose greeting, "nuqneH" (nook-neck). If you're well informed, you'll know it's a compound word nuq (what?) plus neH (to-want). In other words the standard Klingon way to say 'hello' means "What do you want?"

To humans this may sound blunt, even rude, but it demonstrates the very practical nature of Klingon culture. And today's Klingon word provides an answer to that question:

pagh (pahgr) - nothing

In Psalm 23 King David presents us with the assertion that his shepherd, his leader is God. As soon as he tells us this, he spells out in the next clause what this means: I will lack nothing.

This is forthright confidence. David doesn't say he possesses all wealth and riches, but trusts that all his needs will be met. It certainly isn't the kind of reliance that many of us have. Despite being comfortable in my day to day existence, there's always one more thing I just "can't do without."

And those who are in real poverty may see the claim "I will lack nothing" as the smug complacence of the wealthy, or a condition they will never reach.

I like to think that David is giving us a challenge. To those who have, to maybe do with less, trusting that we will lack nothing. By sharing what we have, recognizing that, if we trust our Leader we will have what we need. And we'd only be following the best example of giving there is:

He who didn't spare his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all,
how would he not also with him
freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32

Follow an example like that, and maybe, just maybe, when someone asks "nuqneH," we'll honestly answer, "pagh."

(repodcast - original date 3/15/05)

Who are you calling a "Sheep?"

2009-04-11T18:56:00.001-05:00

joH'a' ghaH wIj DevwI'

Yahweh is my shepherd

in the paths of righteousness

(repodcast - original date 3/12/05)

What's in a name? God's name, that is.

2009-03-25T20:20:00.003-05:00

joH'a' ghaH wIj DevwI': jIH DIchDaq Hutlh pagh.
Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.

podcast version

Everyone knows his or her own name, but who knows the name of God? Well, the Hebrew Scriptures present the proper, personal name of God, revealed to Moses, as the four letters YHVH (yod he vav he). Referred to as "the tetragrammaton," this is a name, used over 5000 times in the Bible, which means the self-existent, or eternal one. Pronounced "Yahweh," it was so revered that the Jewish practice was never to say it aloud, but substitute "Adonai," (Hebrew for 'Lord') instead. This practice was carried into English with many translations that use LORD (all caps) to indicate the use of God's name.

When it came time to translate the Bible into Klingon, the question was, how do we present this name? Early in the study of Klingon there was no known word for deities or gods at all (we now know it is Qun). The term most Klingonists decided to use was "joH'a'" (joe-a-ka), from "joH," the Klingon word for "Lord" or "Lady." Adding the 'a' suffix is a way of indicating this is a bigger or greater kind of Lord.

Does this remind you of "Jehovah," another pronunciation used for the name YHVH? Maybe you're more comfortable with saying "Lord," or Father. Certainly He knows our heart, and will be near to all who call on him. However you call out His name, remember,

'Iv DichDaq ja' Daq the pong vo' joH'a' DIchDaq taH toDpu'
whoever will call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved

(repodcast - original date 3/12/05)

ja''eghqa'ghach - Meditation

2009-03-25T19:51:00.003-05:00

chaw' the mu'mey vo' wIj nuj je the ja''eghqa'ghach vo' wIj tIq taH acceptable Daq lIj leghpu', joH'a', wIj nagh, je wIj redeemer.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

(click for podcast version)

Inside and OUT. That's the focus of this verse, the final verse of Psalm 19. It is a good one to commit to memory, and, I think, makes a good start to a day - this devotion to ensuring that what we say, and what we say within our hearts meets with God's approval.

The Klingon word I use here for meditate is one I've mentioned before, in Psalm 1: ja''eghqa'ghach. The Hebrew is, higgayown a murmuring sound, and appears fewer than half a dozen times in the Bible; it's a form of the somewhat more common word used in Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1, "hagah," to murmur - the sense there is to review, rehearse, recite, and remember God's words by saying them over and over to oneself.

Originally 'meditate', not being a common word in the World English Bible (hardly more than a dozen times) was not included in the Klingon Language Version. Since working on these studies, I've added it, using the word "ja''eghqa'" to carry the meaning. "ja'," to report, "'egh," -to-oneself, and "-qa'," again: ja''eghqa': report-again-to-oneself, meditate.

Now I've spoken before - and probably will again - how I've found Bible Memory, memorizing verses of scripture, a powerful spirtual resource. As I write this, we're in the season of Lent and for my devotions this year I've been using the Gospel of Mark, picking one verse out of each chapter to commit to memory. One nice thing about that is that it's giving me a framework to remember the whole Gospel, but the other thing is that this series of verses give me a "meditation" that I can focus on, to review, rehearse, recite, and remember God's words. What better way to strive that "the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable....?" I'd never claim it's the perfect way to do that - but it IS a start.

The Psalmist here recognizes our life is not just a matter of the outside - our thought life, our cares, our dreams - the things we dwell on, the things we may mutter about - those matter to God as well. As Spurgeon notes:

Words of the mouth are mockery if the heart does not meditate; the shell is nothing without the kernel; but both together are useless unless accepted; and even if accepted by man, it is all vanity if not acceptable in the sight of God.

I need to remember this, that my INNER life, just like my life in the world, is carried out before His gaze - and recognizing that, how can I help but turn in prayer to ask:

'IV laH / Who can?

2009-02-22T21:13:00.002-06:00

'Iv laH discern Daj errors? Forgive jIH vo' hidden errors. pol DoH lIj toy'wI' je vo' presumptuous yemmey. chaw' chaH ghobe' ghaj dominion Dung jIH. vaj jIH DIchDaq taH upright. jIH DIchDaq taH blameless je innocent vo' Dun transgression.

Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I will be upright, I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Psalms 19:12-13

(click for podcast version)

tlhIngan maH! We are Klingons! That proud declaration among Klingons is a declaration of pride in Klingon identity. I'd like to turn it around, and say that it's also a declaration for Humanpu', humans, when we realize not how DIFFERENT we are, but how SIMILAR we are to the brave weakness-denying Klingons.

Among Klingons there are number of expressions that declare their invulnerablity, their strength. Not necessarily because they ARE always strong, but because they need to present a bold face. For example

QongDaqDaq Qotbe' tlhInganpu'. Klingons do not lie in bed.

vulchoHbe' tlhInganpu'. Klingons do not faint.

ropchoHbe' tlhInganpu'. Klingons do not get sick.

tlhIngan maH! We are Klingons! That is, if that's what Klingons are like... well, so are we humans. Such bravado, such denial of personal weakness is not an alien trait to humans. And in the face of that problem - of denying our failings - we read these words from Psalm 19 - words that make us face the fact that we are NOT perfect:

'Iv laH discern Daj errors? Forgive jIH vo' hidden errors.

Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors.

Klingon or Human, we need to set aside our (false) bravado that claims to be better than we are. Spurgeon comments:

Many books have a few lines of errata at the end, but our errata might well be as large as the volume if we could but have sense enough to see them. Augustine wrote in his older days a series of Retractations; ours might make a library if we had enough grace to be convinced of our mistakes and to confess them.

As I write these words, on the planet Earth, we are approaching the season of Lent - a time when Christians reflect on their sins, and the need for God's mercy. As the Life Application Bible refelects on this psalm, we're reminded of how powerfully God reaches out to restore us, to forgive us:

Many Christians are plagued by guilt. They worry that they may have committed a sin unknowingly, done something good with selfish intentions, failed to put their whole heart into a task, or neglected what they should have done. Guilt can play an important role in bringing us to Christ and in keeping us behaving properly, but it should not cripple us or make us fearful. God fully and completely forgives us—even for those sins we do unknowingly.

"even for those sins we do unknowingly" - Scripture recognizes that God's forgiveness covers our whole life, even those things we struggle to acknowledge, even those things we cannot see.

The synonym for sin used here, "error," is unusual. This form of it - haygv shegiy'ah - only appears in the Bible here in this Psalm, and comes from a root meaning "to stray." Even in English translations - err, error, errors only appear a couple dozen times - it's why it hasn't yet been translated in the KLV. When I do, I'll use the corresponding Klingon word: Qagh, to err. (There is a specific Klingon word for "sin" - yem).

But, whatever word we use for our sins, God IS aware of them, as Psalm 90 notes:

You spread out our sins before you—
our secret sins—and you see them all.
Ps 90.8 NLT

Again, the Life Application Bible comments on those words

God knows all our sins as if they were spread out before him, even the secret ones. We don’t need to cover up our sins before him because we can talk openly and honestly with him. But while he knows all that terrible information about us, God still loves us and wants to forgive us. This should encourage us to come to him rather than frighten us into covering up our sin.

Maybe it isn't surprising that we want to hide, or ignore, or block out our failings. But God doesn't want us - Human, Klingon or whatever - to shrink from his presence. He longs for us to come to him, for forgiveness, for healing, to be set right and made clean. As he tells us through Isaiah the prophet:

“Come now, let us argue this out,” says the LORD. “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool. Isaiah 1:18 NLT

ghuHmoHta' - Warning!

2009-02-01T14:10:00.002-06:00

Moreover Sum chaH ghaH lIj toy'wI' ghuHmoHta'. Daq keeping chaH pa' ghaH Dun pop.

Moreover by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:11

(click for podcast version)

nuqneH? That all purpose Klingon greeting is a good place to start as we enter the Bible - nuqneH, literally, "what do you want?" IS a fine place to begin, for our expectations CAN direct us as we read God's word.

This verse from Psalm 19 gives us a good answer, showing us two dimensions:

1) to be warned, and

2) to find great reward.

Now, no Klingon would refuse "ghuHmoHta'" - warning. The Klingon word used here is derived from the word ghuH, prepare for, be alerted to. That's exactly what a good warning makes us do - PREPARE. This is indeed the value of being well versed in God's words - for we will be ready for the challenge of life as we absorb the warnings that direct us toward living a righteous life, the life God intends.

Psalms 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it.

Proverbs 4:27 Don't turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.

Zechariah 7:10 Don't oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.'

But the Lord wants more for us than simply being warned; his promise is for "great reward". For this, the Klingon word is "pop" - reward. The Hebrew word used here is interesting - `eqeb, a heel, i.e. (figuratively) the last of anything. In other words our reward, the gift that God intends - is what comes to us AT THE END. We follow his word, not to experience the lifestyle of the rich and famous, but to receive, in the end to hear, as Jesus puts in a parable:

Matthew 25:23 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

"nuqneH? What DO you want?" is self-serving if it is our ONLY approach to the Bible. We need to know that the Bible is not just a tool kit, or a warehouse that we come to for meeting our needs. The words that we need to zero in on are "your servant", `ebed in Hebrew. this is the same root for servant in the prophet Obadiah's name - God's servant.

Our participation in the warnings and rewards of scripture begin as we enter as SERVANTS of God, not customers demanding service. I pray that I remember that each day as I open the word.

Moreover Sum chaH ghaH lIj toy'wI' ghuHmoHta'. Daq keeping chaH pa' ghaH Dun pop.

Moreover by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:11

reH 'eb tu'lu' (repodcast)

2008-12-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

vaD everything jatlhpu' Sum joH'a' ghaH DuH.
For everything spoken by God is possible. Luke 1.37

(click for podcast)

This is a Biblical verse, appointed for the fourth Sunday of Advent, that would delight a Vulcan - pondering the logic of it is a tricky business, particularly if you look into the Greek text and realize that it says literally "nothing spoken by God is impossible. (I wonder if the translators who put it in the positive were trying to avoid the dreaded "double negative?")

However you put it, it has potential to fuel long debates along the lines of "can God make a rock so heavy he can't lift it?" And to do so would, I think, miss the point. The context for this passage is the angel Gabriel announcing the miraculous birth of Jesus to Mary. This is the angel's answer to Mary's objections:

vaD everything jatlhpu' Sum joH'a' ghaH DuH.
For everything spoken by God is possible. Luke 1.37

The key Greek word is adunateo ad-oo-nat-eh'-o - is only used twice in this form. It means "to be unable" (that is, impossible) and comes from the negative "a" plus "dunateo" to be able. The root of "dunateo" indicates power (to be able) and is heard in English words like "dynamic" or "dynamite." For the Klingon, I've used "DuH" (be possible). To say "impossible" it would be DuH plus the -Ha' suffix: DuHHa' - not-be-possible. So nothing - even a baby where none would or should be expected - nothing, God says is impossible.

It's worth noting, the other appearence of this word - when Jesus is explaining to the disciples
their failure in healing :

"He said to them, "Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Mt 17:20

Not just for Mary - for all believers "impossible" is out of the vocabulary. What a challenge! And what a promise. It recalls a Klingon proverb: reH 'eb tu'lu' - there is always a chance. In other words, never give up.

I wish I could keep this foremost in my heart every day - and say "I believe, help my unbelief!" I need to write this in places that I'll see it every morning and every night: nothing God says is impossible! Oh, may we live by those words!

Keep on Praying! (re-podcast)

2008-12-15T10:51:00.002-06:00

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

(click for podcast)

This verse - part of the third Sunday in Advent readings - is another great entrant in the "short-easy-to-memorize-Bible-verses" list. In no more than NINE words, you can memorize this verse in THREE languages: Latin: sine intermissione orate English: Pray without ceasing and Klingon: tlhob Hutlh mevtaH. [You can even do it in fewer words. A more grammatical Klingon might be "reH yItlhobtaH" - always you-be-praying.]

The important word here is pray. In Greek it is proseuchomai (pros-yoo'-khom-ahee), from pros- (unto, toward), and euchomai (yoo'-khom-ahee, to ask) and it appears over 80 times in the Bible. For Klingon, I've used the word "tlhob," to ask.

This season, the season celebrated in churches as Advent, represents a time of anticipation for Christians who understand our moment in history as one of waiting. They prepare for the coming of Jesus - his advent - by recalling and reenacting in story and song, his arrival as a baby. Caught in this tension between remembering and longing for his return, we really do need Paul's advice:

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing.

The message of Advent and its completion in Christmas is Immanuel - God is with us.

This may sound simply like acknowledging the presence of God. The Vulcans have a word for that - a'tha. This is the Vulcan word for the experience, the knowledge of God's presence - something apparently present in ALL Vulcans from birth. This does not seem to be our human experience, nor the Klingon one judging by the Klingon claim to have "killed" their gods

But just knowing, even experiencing God's existence isn't enough though. As James notes: The demons also believe, and shudder. James 2:19

Here is where

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing.

is essential. A life of prayer - continuous prayer - is a life of relationship, not mere "fact." Praying links us closely to God - just as regular conversation with friends builds your relationship with them. After all, how much do you think about a friend you haven't talked to for years?

This time of year so often focuses on PRESENTS -and too often our prayers are like Janis Joplin's "Oh Lord, won't you give me a Mercedes Benz?" - mere Santa Claus lists. But if we live - continually in prayer it will be God's PRESENCE with that we seek. The gift I need to open and use are in these simple words:

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing.

Beautiful!

2008-12-12T10:23:00.001-06:00

In the spirit of the season, I share this beautiful video from Riding with Robots:

Riding with Robots 2008 Holiday Card from Bill Dunford on Vimeo.

These Little Ones... St Nicholas Day re-podcast

2008-12-07T19:39:00.002-06:00

St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of children, is a model of how Christians are meant to live. As priest and bishop, Nicholas put Jesus Christ at the center of his life and ministry. His concern for children and others in need or danger expressed a love for God which points toward Jesus, the source of true caring and compassion. Embracing St. Nicholas customs can help recover the true center of Christmas—the birth of Jesus.

Understanding St. Nicholas as the original and true holiday gift-giver also helps shift focus to giving rather than getting, compassion rather than consumption, need rather than greed. This can help restore balance to increasingly materialistic and stress-filled Advent and Christmas seasons.

St. Nicholas is beloved throughout the world and continues to be revered in Christian tradition, especially as protector and patron of children in the West and as Wonderworker in the East. The St. Nicholas Center aims to bring Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians together in common purpose—to help people understand and appreciate the original St. Nicholas, the only real Santa Claus.
[http://www.stnicholascenter.orgI encourage you to visit the site to learn more]

The mach - little - ones matter. Not just to a saint like Nicholas, but to God. In this season we have many opportunities to be generous. What can we do to protect the neediest among us?

SuD baS - Gold!

2008-11-30T14:18:00.003-06:00

latlh Daq taH neH 'oH chaH than SuD baS, HIja', than 'ar fine SuD baS; sweeter je than honey je the extract vo' the honeycomb.

More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb. Psalms 19:10

(click for podcast version)

That's how the Psalmist describes God's word - as a wonderful golden treasure. But, here's the thing about gold: there's only so much. That's one of the reasons it is so valuable. Even if you had a gold mine, you'd eventually dig it all out. Use it up and then you'd have no more.

Scripture is not like that: across the centuries, it is a mine filled with wealth that never has - and never will - run out. Sometimes we might fail to dig in - but that doesn't mean the word has come up empty. It's a joy to discover how many believers over the years have gone deep into this treasury and given us sermons, commentaries, devotionals and more - works that empower us to reflect on the Word - and act on it. One of the delights of our day and age is how many of those resources - especially classics - are available online to anyone with a webbrowser. Take a look for example at the Crosswire Bible Society's pages ( http://www.crosswire.org) where you'll find online tools, as well as free downloads that give you a fantastic library for Bible study - bounty of Biblical translations, commentaries, cross references and more.

John Gill says about this verse:This refers to all the truths in the word of God; to all the doctrines of the Gospel; which, by good men, are more desirable, and by them more prized and valued, than all worldly riches and treasure;

What is gold to you? What do you treasure? The Hebrew word here is zahab: from an unused root meaning to shimmer, and appears more than 300 times in the Bible. Here I've rendered in in Klingon as SuD baS - for "yellow metal," though in Klingon the word SuD means green, blue AND yellow. It's also a verb: to gamble - so maybe a "gambling metal" isn't not a bad word to use.

We don't really know - in the future depicted by Star Trek - exactly WHAT is valuable. Gold appears to be useful for scientific and decorative purposes - but has no intrinsic value due to rarity. Gold-pressed latinum, on the other hand IS valuable, as it can't be replicated - it appears to be the token of value that replaces gold among the Federation and other future societies.

But the truth the Bible points to us again and again is that wealth is far more than material treasure. Jesus tells us:

'ach lay Dung vaD tlhIH'egh treasures Daq chal, nuqDaq ghobe' moth ghobe' rust consume, je nuqDaq HejwI'pu' yImev ghor vegh je

steal; vaD nuqDaq lIj treasure ghaH, pa' lIj tIq DichDaq taH je.

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21

If you're looking for treasure - look no further than God's word. Make it part of your everyday routine. Something I've been using lately is the website http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/ where I can print out a daily reading that I can carry with me - it's a great way to keep on track with my "read through the Bible" plan. They've got links and plans there to set your pace to keep reading through the Scriptures - as well as links to many different translations. Give it a try, you might find it a terrific way to discover new treasures!

latlh Daq taH neH 'oH chaH than SuD baS, HIja', than 'ar fine SuD baS; sweeter je than honey je the extract vo' the honeycomb.

More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb. Psalms 19:10

The Word is sweet. The Word is rich - dig into it today!

chutmey - ordinances

2008-10-05T15:44:00.003-05:00

joH'a' chutmey 'oH teH, je QaQtaHghach altogether.

The LORD's ordinances are true, and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:9b

(click for podcast)

Klingons love nothing like a good fight - can you imagine being expected to "lay down the law" to one? To explain what God's laws, his "chutmey" are?

What does it mean to declare God's "ordinances," his chutmey areTRUE as we hear in Psalm 19?

First, because the Klingon vocabulary we know is meager - I've used a word here chut (law) to stand in for the Hebrew mishpat. That's weak, and might make us miss the point - it's far more than just "law" that the Psalmist is talking about here. One writer notes that the word here rendered chutmey (laws) in Klingon,

...refers also to the revealed truth of God, with the idea that that has been judged or determined by him to be right and to be best. It is the result of the divine adjudication as to what is true, and what is best for man. The word is often used in this sense. Compare Ex 21:1; Le 18:5; 26:43; compare Ps 9:7, Ps 9:16; 10:5. [Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible]

We're told here that these ordinances, these judgements of God are TRUE. The Hebrew word here for "true" is the same word, emeth, used in Psalm 117 when we're told "the truth (or faithfulness) of the LORD endures forever." What God says, what he decides ENDURES, it lasts. We may see people or institutions fail us, we might even see mountains crumble - but God's word, his promises are enduring.

But this isn't a purely intellectual truth, like the facts of mathematics or propositions of geometry. God's mind for us is RIGHTEOUSNESS. The word is tsadaq and encompasses the idea to be right (in a moral or forensic sense). In the KJV it is translated as cleanse, clear self, to be or do justice and more. I've rendered it here with the word QaQtaHghach, QaQ (be good), taH (ongoing) plus the nominalizing suffix ghach: QaQtaHghach it sort of means "being-good-ness." That's a thin bit of word for what God intends us to be, to be righteous when we live our lives by his judgements. Psalm 119 reminds us that living by this word can make a difference

How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word and following its rules.

I have tried my best to find you—
don’t let me wander from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9-11 NLT

Part of the challenge of experimenting with the Klingon Language Version, "how might I explain this to a Klingon?" is really a way for me to translate these words into my own life. It may seem fanciful - and not altogether practical - but it has real consequences. I don't expect Klingons or aliens to show up any time soon, but when I wrestle with HOW to render something in Klingon, I gain personal insight into the application of the Scriptures in my life.

Some time ago I tried to translate the wa'maH chutmey - the ten commandments. I tried, not so much to literally translate, but to present the meanings of the commandments (http://members.aol.com/jpklingon/10c.html). I didn't do it to teach catechetical instruction - but it was, for me a bit of catechism, because it made me break the commandments down into the simplest terms I could (remember the small lexicon we have to work with). While not many tlhInganpu' will read what I did I'VE read it - and that's made a difference to me to reflect on and pray over these chutmey, these laws of the LORD. And when we do that, God can touch us, lead us and instruct us by his word.

joH'a' chutmey 'oH teH, je QaQtaHghach altogether.

The LORD's ordinances are true, and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:9b

Say' - Clean

2008-09-02T20:11:00.006-05:00

The taHvIp vo' joH'a' ghaH Say', enduring reH.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever. Ps 19:9a

(click for podcast)

nuqjatlh? This isn't the first time our wanderings through the Psalms has made us face what must be perplexing. At least this might be perplexing to humans, but Klingons - would understand this praise of fear. For fear is NOT a bad thing.

The taHvIp vo' joH'a' ghaH Say', enduring reH.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever. Ps 19:9a

The Hebrew here is "yira" - the same word we hear in Psalm 23's "I will fear no evil."

I've used taHvIp (afraid-to-go-on) as fear because, well, there isn't a Klingon word FOR fear. The closest is "ghIj", to scare - you do see that word appear in translation as fear, for example:

not qoHpu''e' neH ghIjlu'. // Only fools have no fear.

And that's worth noting, not just for considering the vocabulary, but to recognize that Klingons, like the Bible, recognize that FEAR CAN be positive; you'd be a fool to ignore it.

We're told here that it's CLEAN. Say' in Klingon, or tahowr in Hebrew, from a root meaning to "be bright."

What does that mean - how does "fear" "cleanse"?

Considering Psalm 19:9, Charles Spurgeon notes:

The doctrine of truth is here described by its spiritual effect,... inward piety, or the fear of the Lord; this is clean in itself, and cleanses out the love of sin, sanctifying the heart in which it reigns. Mr. Godly fear is never satisfied till every street, lane, and alley, yea, and every house and every corner ... is clean...

This is to our benefit - and it explains the Pslamist's word "enduring forever", because as Spurgeon continues:

"Filth brings decay, but cleanness is the great foe of corruption. The grace of God in the heart being a pure principle, is also an abiding and incorruptible principle, which may be crushed for a time, but cannot be utterly destroyed."

It's the difference between running shoes you take CARE of, or mildewy sneakers that have been "put away wet": THEY won't last. Ill treated things just don't last. The fear of the LORD cleanses - sets priorities, makes us give things up as we face our own shortcomings in light of God's Word.

Proverbs describes "the fear of the LORD" this way:

The taHvIp vo' joH'a' ghaH Daq muS mIghtaHghach. jIH muS pride, arrogance, the mIghtaHghach way, je the perverse nuj.

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth. (Proverbs 8:13)

What a terrific "todo list!" - I need to use it, to consider my life, my habits and ways and use it to, with God's help, root out all those things that weigh me down, that keep me from shining bright as God regards me!

The taHvIp vo' joH'a' ghaH Say', enduring reH.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever. Ps 19:9a

Quch - Joy

2008-07-17T12:26:00.002-05:00

Πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσασθε , ἀδελφοί μου , ὅταν πειρασμοῖς περιπέσητε ποικίλοις

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials

Count 'oH Hoch Quch, wIj loDnI'pu', ghorgh SoH pum Daq various temptations James 1:2

(click for podcast)

This morning I had to alter my normal bike route. I needed to swing by the ATM as well as drop off an overdue book at the library. So I found myself biking down an unfamiliar street. As I moved through, I spotted a flash of movement - a bird? No, it was a paper airplane. When I looked again, I saw its "pilot," a 7 year old barefoot boy in his pajamas, happily launching his plane into the air again and again.

I can't say why, but that moment just gave me a lift. As I sailed on to work, I thought of him, enjoying a warm summer morning, standing, running and leaping in his front yard to fly on his wings of paper.

The apostle James, in his letter to believers scattered throughout the known world, reminds us

Consider it all joy Count 'oH Hoch Quch

As we've spread farther across Earth, as we spread out into the solar system and beyond, we need to hear those words.

This joy spoken of in the Bible - Xara in the Greek, is cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight - something I think I saw in that boy as he launched out into the morning skies with his airplane. It's what James advises us to find in the midst of lifes trials. Never forget - the Bible is NOT unrealistic. The call to joy isn't blind optimism, but a trusting faith that relies on a loving God to lead us through trouble.

Certainly no Klingon would think that Quch - happiness - was found denying the difficulties of life. But Klingons would NOT let those trials prevent them from finding the Quch, the Joy in life as we do find it.

Whether we speak of JOY, or XARA or QUCH - remember, that calm delight is indeed what God wants you to find. This is what Jesus is promising when he says:

tlhob, je SoH DichDaq Hev, vetlh lIj Quch may taH chenmoHta' teblu'ta'.

Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. John 16:24

This summer day, as you have opportunity, kick off your shoes! Run through the grass! Take delight in God's love and the reassurance that he does indeed desire that lIj Quch may taH chenmoHta' teblu'ta' - your joy may be made full.

tIq - Heart

2008-07-05T16:20:00.003-05:00

joH'a' precepts 'oH nIH, rejoicing the tIq. joH'a' ra'ta'ghach mu' ghaH pure, enlightening the mInDu'.

The LORD's precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. The LORD's commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes. PS 19:8

(click for podcast)

This summer is turning out to be a busy one for me. It's my own fault - I tried out for - and got in - a musical. That's only one of the reasons I haven't had much time for podcasts, but it's a big one. It's been a long time since I was in a show like this - I'd forgotten how much it was like taking a second job. Despite the work, it's a great group and really a lot of fun.

If you've ever been in a show, you'll know that, among other things the work includes the task of memorizing the music and words you're expected to sing and say. This is somthing you can't fudge - you've got to get it right. You need to know those words by heart. The words have to be ready at the moment you're expected to say (or sing) them. AND EVERYONE in the show has to do this - you need to be ready and quickly say your part in turn. When you do, the show comes to life.

The psalmist here reminds us of the power of bringing the Word to your heart When it goes IN to your heart - it can give a rejoicing heart, and it gives you an OUTLOOK, a way to look and see clearly.

As the NLT puts it:

The commandments of the LORD are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are clear,
giving insight to life.

Today, we think of "the heart" -(lebh in Hebrew, or tIq in Klingon) as "the emotions." It's often contrasted with our logical, mental side - but this isn't the Biblical picture, for the heart encompasses the whole range of our inner life. We go too far when we think we can divide our selves into pieces, like parts of a machine. As Easton's Bible Dictionary notes:

According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. "Heart" and "soul" are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case. The heart is the "home of the personal life," and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6; Ps. 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc. ...The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Rom. 2:15).

When we take this word into our heart, our leb, in the Hebrew, or tIq in Klingon - we can rejoice. Not because we've stored up something and are holding it inside, but because that word, once inside, drives us with a new outlook - it can give us the "script" as it were to guide us in our lives.

In less than two weeks I'll be on a stage with dozens of other cast members putting on a show. We've had the scripts for weeks and have all been working on this show. IF we only learned the words, and held them in our mental filing cabinets - well, the show would be a bust. But when we learn it all by heart, and then use those words to ACT, to interact, to laugh and sing - we will bring our story to life.

And it's a reminder that all of us need to store up God's word in our heart - not as more index cards in our mental file, but the script for our lives, to drive our actions!

chut - law!

2008-05-25T16:41:00.004-05:00

joH'a' chut ghaH perfect, restoring the qa'. joH'a' testimony ghaH sure, making val the nap.

The LORD's law is perfect, restoring the soul. The LORD's testimony is sure, making wise the simple. Psalms 19:7

(click for podcast)

What do you think of when you hear the word "law?" Do you picture a courtroom, a judge, a politician or a police officer? Maybe you think of a scientist or engineer, defining the limits of the Universe, and learning how to extend our knowledge and ablility to use creation.

The problem is, of course, "law" is a small word that covers a tremendous amount of territory. From the details of life and personal relations, to the farthest limits of the cosmos, we use "law" to encompass rules of nature and commerce and politics and more. One dictionary I looked at had 26 different entries!

chut is the Klingon word for law. Like our English term, it's short - and doesn't give us much hint at how to apply it. I actually didn't come across any USES of the term in the online tools I have on hand - so we don't know too much about how flexibly Klingon's use "chut."

But what does the Bible mean when it speaks of Law? Barnes notes:

The word used here - torah - is that which is commonly employed in the Old Testament with reference to the law of God, and is usually rendered "law." The word properly means "instruction," "precept," from a verb signifying "to teach." It is then used with reference to instruction or teaching in regard to conduct, and is thus applied to all that God has communicated to guide mankind. It does not here, nor does it commonly, refer exclusively to the commands of God, but it includes all that God has revealed to teach and guide us.

We can tell a lot by context. Sometimes when you hear someone and you miss a word, you can infer the meaning or the missing word by the context - I think that works here. When the psalmist talks about the law what does he tell us about it? It "restores the soul" and it "makes wise the simple."

It's so easy to hear a word like "law" and conjure up oppressive images - judgment, conviction and punishment. But the aim, the intent of God's law is to bring us to life, to revive us, to guide us toward wisdom. The Life Application Bible observes:

When we think of the law, we often think of something that keeps us from having fun. But here we see the opposite: God’s laws revive us, make us wise, bring joy to the heart, give insight, warn us, and reward us. God’s laws are guidelines and lights for our path, rather than chains on our hands and feet. They point at danger to warn us, then point at success to guide us.

Certainly there is "law" in the sense of rules - the ten commandments is a key example of that - but that part of the law is only the beginning. Especially when we recognize that - however we define God's rules - we'll never measure up. The law in such a sense doesn't tell us "how to get on God's good side" - rather is shows us how much we fall short and need his mercy - as Paul says "For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard" (Romans 3:23). Here's the wisdom we find in the law - when we try to measure up, we discover how short we fall.

But there's more - the part of this "law" that encompasses God's teaching can revive us - for Paul reminds us

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Eph. 2:8,9)

As the LAB notes

We become Christians through God’s unmerited favor, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please ourselves. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service.

Call it Torah, Law, or chut - the Scriptures give us a testimony that is far more than a rule book. It gives us LIFE, pointing out not only how we are in need, but how freely God meets that need. To which I can only say HIja'! YES!

juHHom - Tent

2008-05-01T20:16:00.001-05:00

Daq chaH ghaH ghajtaH cher a juHHom vaD the pemHov... Daj ghoS vo' ghaH vo' the pItlh vo' the chal, Daj circuit Daq its ends

In them he has set a tent for the sun... His going forth is from the end of the heavens,
his circuit to its ends;
Psalm 19:4,6

(click for podcast)

Tents move.

That is, no one thinks a tent - no matter how big or sturdy - is permanent. Tents are made to be temporary. They are homes for people ON THE MOVE.

I don't know if Klingons go camping - at least not the sort of recreational camping we humans partake of on earth. There is a word in Klingon (raQ) for 'camp,' but as it is considered a military term, so I suspect it refers to a military encampment. Likewise, I don't know of a term for "tent" so I've used juHHom - juH, house, plus the diminutive suffix -Hom. juHHom, little house, or cottage. That isn't entirely inconsistent with the Hebrew 'ohel used here, which is translated as home, tabernacle, AND tent.

This verse from Psalm 19 conjures up a picture: the sun in the sky bursts from its temporary home, its tent, and it runs its course like an eager bridegroom on his way to his wedding. The sun sweeps across the sky - the tent, the tabernacle containing the sun does not nail it down in one place, as it were.

This verse follows the Psalmist's exalting over how creation - the stars and heavens - tell us of God. I'd suggest that the imagery here continues to tell us that just as the sun explodes from out of its tent, God's Word, his message needs to not be shut up in any tent or tabernacle.

The "tent" is a familar part of the middle eastern culture from which we get the Bible. The Hebrew word here ('ohel) is used hundreds of times across Scripture - so of course the word juHHom that I've used in the KLV is seen over and over again. Usually it is fairly literal, describing homes, encampments and other dwelling places.

I'm familiar with these too, since, when I go camping, I use a tent. BUT - I don't stay in the tent. I move, I explore, I experience the wonder and I rejoice that God has shared his creation with us. I think we're being reminded that God's word is intended to MOVE, to be shared, to get on with things - and to MOVE us believers to make a difference. It doesn't stay still - we shouldn't expect it to. Likewise, we can make sure it doesn't stay "in the tent" when we share it with our actions and our words.

The sun doesn't stay "in the tent" - it moves out and gives light to the world. We who have the gift of faith need to see that we do the same.

ghoghmey vIQoy

2008-04-21T16:37:00.002-05:00

pa' ghaH ghobe' speech ghobe' language, nuqDaq chaj ghogh ghaH ghobe' Qoyta'. chaj ghogh ghajtaH ghoSta' pa' vegh Hoch the tera', chaj mu'mey Daq the pItlh vo' the qo'.

There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth, Their words to the end of the world. Psalms 19:3-4a

(click for podcast)

ghorghmey vIQoy - I hear voices. I have an odd, and ever growing collection of gadgets. Radios, phonograph turntable, tape, CD and mp3 players - and all of them let me hear voices. So, thanks to them, ghoghmey vIQoy - I hear voices. The psalmist tells us that, throughout creation we hear voices too. Non-voice voices, actually. You'll find, if you examine different translations of these verses there is some variety of opinion on how to translate these words. Some say

There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth (WEB)

while others say,

They speak without a sound or a word;their voice is silent in the skies (NLT)

On far side of those variations we find a strong affirmation: Creation has a MESSAGE - a voice. Perhaps there are not words as such, nor sound, but bottom line, nature has SOMETHING important to tell us. And this is a "word" available to all - every nation, every continent and creed (every PLANET, even!). This might sound like a free pass - what do we need to do if God has already broadcast his message in the stars? Well, as the Life Application Bible points out:

The apostle Paul referred to this psalm when he explained that everyone knows about God because nature proclaims God’s existence and power (Romans 1:19, 20). This does not cancel the need for missions because the message of God’s salvation found in his Word, the Bible, must still be told to the ends of the earth. While nature points to the existence of God, the Bible tells us about God’s plan of salvation. God’s people must explain to others how they can have a relationship with God. Although most people believe in a Creator because of the evidence of nature around them, they need to know about his love, mercy, and grace. What are you doing to take God’s message to the world?

pa' ghaH ghobe' speech ghobe' language, nuqDaq chaj ghogh ghaH ghobe' Qoyta'.
There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.

The Klingon word ghogh is how voice,the Hebrew word qowl, is translated here. Appearing over 400 times in the Bible it comes from a root meaning "to call aloud" and is translated in quite a few ways - cry, lowing, noise, proclamation, voice, and yell - to name a few. You might also be familiar with the word from the name of the Israeli radio station: "Kol Israel" - the Voice of Israel.

Here's a thought: Creation has a voice that "speaks" of God. As general revelation believers say that Nature is one means God has of speaking to us, just as specific revelation, the Bible, is another. Now one aspect of revelation is to MODEL - to give us guidance to our actions. Considering that, we might take the example of nature, of God's revelation, as an example, to user OUR voice - ghoghmaj - to speak with words - and without - by our actions to add our testimony to God.

pa' ghaH ghob
e' speech ghobe' language, nuqDaq chaj ghogh ghaH ghobe' Qoyta'.
There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.

God has given you a voice - let it be heard!

They Display Knowledge....

2008-04-10T21:10:00.002-05:00

jaj after jaj chaH pour vo' speech, je ram after ram chaH display Sov.

Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:2

(click for podcast)

chu' tlhaq vIje'pu' - that's Klingon for: I bought a new watch.

For years - over ten years, I'm sure - I've used the same watch - the official Timex "tlhIngan tlhaq" (I even have a spare). I've used it so long I've gone through half a dozen bands to keep it on my wrist. It's a great watch not only with cool Klingon labelling, it has lots of useful features, and I've kept it as a backup - but it was time for a change.

My new watch is NOT digital. It's completly mechanical and self-winding. What I particularly like about it is HOW very mechanical it is - from the face and the back you can see inside to the works, and see its action as it ticks away the seconds, minutes and hours. My wife says it makes her tired to see how hard it works - but I like it.

jaj after jaj chaH pour vo' speech, je ram after ram chaH display Sov.

Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:2

Like my watch, day after day, night after night, show us the action of God in creation. The order of each day, followed by night are like the works of my watch, ticking away.

Likewise, the stars and planets, as they wheel past in the sky, expose us to the intricate detail of God's handiwork, and they can make us pause to admire, and appreciate what God has done.

I'm alluding to what is called the "watchmaker" argument for the existence of God. Just as - if you discovered my watch lying in a field, you wouldn't think it "just happened to be there" - its presence is the evidence of the actions of some person or people (someone made it, someone lost it). Just so, the details and movement of nature testify to the actions of a creator.

Not everyone is convinced. Skeptical authors have pointed to natural causes and mechanisms that CAN evolve and develop complexity in nature. They have a point - but I don't find that dilutes the power of the watchmaker analogy - it only pushes the question of "who did this?" back further. Such natural causes in making the complexity I find in creation are like... finding a robotic factory that was making watches. True - there might be no person making the watches, but where did the factory come from? Who designed it? Who made the robots?

jaj after jaj chaH pour vo' speech, je ram after ram chaH display Sov.

Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:2

The word used here for knowledge, da'at in Hebrew, appears about 90 times in the Bible - related to the common word "yada" to know - it's translated by the Klingon word Sov (knowledge, or "to know"). It reminds me that nature, the Universe - ALL of Creation - is not simply a show or an entertainment. It is part, along with the Scriptures, of God's revelation to us. We need to attend to it, and with eyes of faith, see how dependable, and steadfast God is.

We need more, surely. Without the witness of the Word, we'd not know of His love, we'd not know of his commandments, and the blessings promised to believers. But it IS a start.

Albert Barnes notes:

Day unto day - One day to another; or, each successive day. The day that is passing away proclaims the lesson which it had to convey from the movements of the heavens, about God; and thus the knowledge of God is accumulating as the time moves on. Each day has its own lesson in regard to the wisdom, the power, and the goodness of God, and that lesson is conveyed from one day to another. There is a perpetual testimony thus given to the wisdom and power of the Great Creator.

I love to watch the gears moving away, driving the hands of my new watch. I can't imagine the craftsmanship to design, let alone construct this device. And it doesn't present even a fraction of the complexity of even a corner of this Universe. Surely that should make me pause, and give thanks to the one who put it all together!

ghop vum - Handiwork

2008-03-23T19:50:00.002-05:00

The expanse shows Daj ghop vum. Ps 19:1b

The expanse shows his handiwork.

(click for podcast version)

I've got an Altoids tin. To be honest, I've actually got lots of them. Like many people, I've found those sturdy little containers are just too handy to throw away. They're great for collecting odds and ends, and I've used them for that.

But I'm thinking of a very specific tin - it was one the smaller Altoids chewing gum tins. It doesn't really look much different from their gum tins.... except if you turned it over you'd discover there was a USB socket sticking out of one end. If you opened it, you'd discover it had a pair of AA batteries, a battery holder, and a circuit board. What you'd find is EVIDENCE, evidence of my ghop vum - my hand's work: handiwork.

Nobody looking at this would think it "just happened" - they'd assume (and they'd be right) that somebody planned to make this gum tin into something else. In this case it's a "minty boost" kit, a portable charger for iPods and mp3 players. It's a neat gadget I made from a kit to recharge the mp3 player on which I'm recording this podcast.

The expanse shows Daj ghop vum. Ps 19:1b

The expanse shows his handiwork.

The Bible reminds believers that when they look up into the sky, when they look deep into nature they see something - not something that HAPPENED by chance, but something that was planned and put together. It's craftsmanship, what the WEB and other translations call handiwork - a translation of two Hebrew words, maaseh (an action or work) and yad (hand). The sky shows us God's hand AT work. The word "handiwork" only appears once in the WEB or the KJV. The NLT uses the term "craftsmanship" for this Hebrew phrase - and likewise it only appears the one time in the whole Bible.

This is a very THIN slice of God. If you came across my gadget-in-the-altoids tin, you'd know it was handiwork, but learn very little about me. Maybe you'd form an opinion of my soldering skills, but you'd know little about my likes and dislikes. You wouldn't even know WHAT I used this gadget FOR - just that someone came along and MADE THIS change in an otherwise innocent and unassuming metal box.

But - it's a start. In the Bible, we hear Jesus say: "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock" - when nature throws us clues in the magnificence of creation, that's one of the ways the door is being knocked upon.

As I noted in my last podcast - when we see these notes and signposts that point us to God - we need to follow through, we need to seek out more than a mystical moment of inspiration. Across the centuries in the Scriptures and in the lives of fellow believers, we can find testimony that will draw us closer to Him,to the one who made this universe, who wants us to get to know him better. In the Bible we can learn not just that the Universe WAS made, but by whom. And we can learn about his love and plan for our lives.

God's handiwork is all around - His power and his steadfast creation is all around you, knocking on the door of your awareness. Open the door!

The expanse shows Daj ghop vum. Ps 19:1b

The expanse shows his handiwork.

Chal - Heavens!

2008-03-15T10:37:00.001-05:00

The chal declare the batlh vo' joH'a'. The heavens declare the glory of God. Psalms 19:1

(click for podcast)

In grade school I drew a picture of my "house of the future," what I envisioned back in the 60's as the ultimate hightech lair. It was domed, set way out in the ocean, and featured an underwater "garage" for my submarine and had an observatory with telescope on the top.

I doubt it's a surprise that my house today doesn't have most of the details of that drawing. On the other hand - I do have the telescope. It's a simple refractor, bought mail order - but I've used it to see Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. And, though I've got no observatory - we have skylights, which at the right time of year have a terrific view of the moon.

The chal declare the batlh vo' joH'a'. The heavens declare the glory of God. Psalms 19:1

Peter Kreeft says the arguments for God's existence can be divided into "two basic groups: those which take their data from without—cosmological arguments—and those that take it from within—psychological arguments."

These words nicely delineate a very basic "cosmological argument" for God's existence - simply seeing the heavens points to their maker.

For many it may be hard to appreciate this if, like me, you live in a busy light-polluted city. But hop in your spaceship and get up and out into the black to look out, or drive far from the street lights, out to the country and look up. You'll see an endless tapestry of beauty - countless stars and galaxies - with a complexity we can only wonder at. Lacking that - you might take a look at google.com/sky - a new online observatory that Google has put online recently - your web browser can take you out into the Universe!

Internet, auto or spaceship - however you find your way to the sky - you may be moved to declare with the psalmist

The chal declare the batlh vo' joH'a'. The heavens declare the glory of God. Psalms 19:1

The word "chal" here is the Klingon word for "sky" and I've used it nearly 500 times in the KLV to represent heaven, heavens and skies in the WEB. It's not surprising that The Hebrew word here is likewise very frequent - nearly 400 times - shamayim, heard in the very first verse of the Bible

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

St. Paul reminds us that the witness of creation should point us to God

From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20 NLT)

The Life Application Bible notes:

What kind of God does nature reveal? Nature shows us a God of might, intelligence, and intricate detail; a God of order and beauty; a God who controls powerful forces. That is general revelation. Through special revelation (the Bible and the coming of Jesus), we learn about God’s love and forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. God has graciously given us many sources that we might come to believe in him.

The heavens are a tremendous witness to God's power. Such a witness takes us out of ourselves, makes us look past our own problems and limitations - it's fantastic. But if it ends there it's only artwork, only something to admire. What can change our lives is when we turn from the experience of creation and join in with believers - believers of this time and through the ages as we hear the witness Scriptures and the lives God's Word has touched. May you find that loving community today!

The chal declare the batlh vo' joH'a'. The heavens declare the glory of God. Psalms 19:1

Changing Gears!

2008-03-06T09:24:00.002-06:00

yIlegh, jIH 'oH making Hoch Dochmey chu' Behold, I am making all things new. Rev 21:5

(podcast version)

Nothing major - I've just decided that, for now, I'm not happy with the "going through the Klingon Alphabet" plan I've been working on, and I've decided to switch back to working through a Psalm verse-by-verse. I found that a happier approach (for one, I can print out a nice set of references to carry with me, plus I think it gives me a better focus). I'm aiming at starting with Psalm 19 soon, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for an interesting, thoughtful, and entertaining - if very unorthodox - book about studying the Bible, I recommend AJ Jacobs "The Year of Living Biblically."

QIDpu'ghachmey - Wounds

2008-02-22T16:28:00.001-06:00

QIDpu'ghachmey - Wounds

ghaH heals the ghorta' Daq tIq, je binds Dung chaj QIDpu'ghachmey.
He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

(click for podcast version)

Here is what I think of as an anchor verse - one of those rocks in Scripture that stand out with a strong word of promise - a word that we need to hear. It comes as part of a promise to the Israelites in exile and, as the great British preacher Spurgeon notes, it shows us the tender side of God:

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. This the Holy Spirit mentions as a part of the glory of God, and a reason for our declaring his praise: the Lord is not only a Builder, but a Healer; he restores broken hearts as well as broken walls

But to benefit from such a promise - well - to benefit, you need to admit that you REQUIRE healing.

ropchoHbe' tlhInganpu'

That's a quaint Klingon expression that means "Klingons do not get sick."

Now, of COURSE they DO get sick - but it isn't in the Klingon culture to admit it. Especially in a military situation, where the ship's doctor could declare you unfit for battle. A Klingon does NOT want to be in such a position - they'd rather fight hurt than accept their weakness, to admit the need for healing.

That is why verse from Psalm 147 may not be easy for a Klingon to understand - for it zeroes in on the tender care that God offers when he comes to us as the Great Physician.

And - when you get down to it - how often and how readily do humans admit when we need help? How easy it is to pretend our heart is not broken, that we have no wounds we need healed.

ghaH heals the ghorta' Daq tIq, je binds Dung chaj QIDpu'ghachmey.
He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

QIDpu'ghachmey is the word I used here to represent 'atstsebeth - a rare word, only appearing about five times in the Bible, based on a word for "engraving" - think CUT. The Klingon word is formed from the verb QID (to wound), with the intensifier -pu' and then made into a noun with the -ghach suffix. Finally I made it plural with -mey: QIDpu'ghachmey. In our survey of the alphabet, this is the word starting with capital-Q. Since it translates Hebrew words and Greek across the whole Bible you'll find it more frequently (29 times currently) in the KLV.

What wounds have you suffered? In a world filled with loss - from loved ones, to jobs, to physical injury, no one is a stranger to the broken heart - that is why this short verse is such a treasure. As Spurgeon explains:

Behold, the Most High has to do with the sick and the sorry, with the wretched and the wounded! He walks the hospitals as the good Physician! His deep sympathy with mourners is a special mark of his goodness. Few will associate with the despondent, but Jehovah chooses their company, and abides with them till he has healed them by his comforts. He deigns to handle and heal broken hearts: he himself lays on the ointment of grace, and the soft bandages of love, and thus binds up the bleeding wounds of those convinced of sin. This is compassion like a God. Well may those praise him to whom he has acted o gracious a part. The Lord is always healing and binding: this is no new work to him, he has done it of old; and it is not a thing of the past of which he is now weary, for he is still healing and still binding, as the original hath it. Come, broken hearts, come to the Physician who never fails to heal: uncover your wounds to him who so tenderly binds them up!

ghaH heals the ghorta' Daq tIq, je binds Dung chaj QIDpu'ghachmey.
He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

'IJ - Listen

2008-01-19T13:18:00.000-06:00

'Ij, joH'a' vo' Jacob. Listen, God of Jacob. Ps 84:8

(click for podcast version)

Listen.

In Klingon the word is 'Ij, Mando'a, sushir In what is called Federation standard in Star Trek - or Basic in Star Wars, (that is to say, English) LISTEN is a verb and can be a command. The same speaker, simply can by context and emphasis change the word from a description of an activity to an outright demand. To what do you listen? If you're like me (and if you're listening to this, I suspect you might be) you listen to podcasts. I listen to a lot of radio as well, from local AM and FM stations, to shortwave, to streaming internet. I'm a radio amateur as well, so I listen to voices from all over the word - and they can listen to me too. I also love audio books - so I've got quite a collection, from audio tapes to quite a few mp3 files. Last night as we were working on a messy project in my house (making some candy), we were watching a program on television - because of the project I had to keep leaving the room, so I grabbed my TV-radio receiver and tuned in to the audio portion of the show so as not to miss a thing. The common factor in all of that (radios, podcasts, audio books and such) is that I was actively involved in listening. I've made an effort, even applied technology, to LISTEN to the things I wanted to hear. Now - if WE do all that, to listen to all manner of mundane things - don't you think God is attending just as carefully to what WE are saying? After all, regarding prayer, Jesus says:

.. your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! (MT 6:8, NLT)

'Ij, joH'a' vo' Jacob. Listen, God of Jacob. Ps 84:8

nuqneH, the well known greeting used by Klingons is short and to the point, literally meaning "what (nuq) do you want (neH)?" Klingons do not linger over polite niceties. Likewise, this part of Psalm 84:8 has a Klingon feel to it - "Listen to ME, God!" Our word here is 'Ij, listen, and I'm using it to represent the letter I in tlhIngan Hol. I'd note that, in the standard representation of Klingon it is always capitalized. And if you're reading this, you'll notice that the 'I' is NOT the first letter - Klingon words never begin with a vowel. If they do, you'll find a consonant - usually ' (it looks like an apostrophe) as the first letter. That adds a catch, a glottal stop it is called, to the word. "Listen" is not ihj, but ah-ihj. For a real translation, not the word-replacement that the KLV is, we'd add an imperative prefix, perhaps saying jIH yI'Ij joH'a' - to-me Listen(!) God. (if you wanted to make it more formal you might add neS, yI'IjneS - "listen, Sir!") The Hebrew here is 'azan, a word that only occurs about 40 times in the Bible. The King James sets it as "give ear" (as it is here) and "hearken."

The Hebrew word 'azan can mean "to expand," to broaden out the ear - that is, just as WE use tools to improve our ability to LISTEN to things from radio to podcasts, the Psalmist is calling on God to do the same. LISTEN! Pay ATTENTION to me!

'Ij, joH'a' vo' Jacob. Listen, God of Jacob. Ps 84:8

Now - do you think God needs to be reminded? As Psalm 38 notes, Lord, all my desire is before you. My groaning is not hidden from you.
He does know - as Jesus said - what we need. He doesn't HAVE to be reminded - but here's the deal - he WANTS us to call to him. Again and again the Bible commands us to call out to Him in prayer.

I Chronicles 16:11: Seek the LORD and his strength. Seek his face forever more.
Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.
Luke 18:1: He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up,
Philippians 4:6: In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Colossians 4:2: Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving;
I Thessalonians 5:17: Pray without ceasing.
James 5:13: Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.

He wants us to call - and he will listen. When we pray with the psalmist for God to listen - be assured, this prayer will be answered.

'Ij, joH'a' vo' Jacob. Listen, God of Jacob. Ps 84:8

HIja' - Yes

2008-01-05T15:14:00.000-06:00

HIja', ghobe' wa' 'Iv waits vaD SoH DIchDaq taH shamed.
Yes, no one who waits for you shall be shamed. (Psalm 25:3)

(click for podcast version)

Our survey of the Klingon alphabet has reached a great word - YES - and as a benefit, you'll get the word for "NO." This might not make you a fluent Klingon speaker, but it's a good start.

We've now reached the Klingon letter "H" - it looks like a capital "h" when you see it in print, and it's pronounced like the ch at the end of Bach or the beginning of Chanukah. The word is "HIja'" - yes

It's what you might say if you were asked "lhIngan Hol Dajatlh'a'?" - do you speak Klingon? At least that's what you'd say if you were confident enough to communicate with any Klingon you were fortunate enough to meet. If not, the next word in our verse from Psalm 25, ghobe', NO, is what you'd answer (though of course the Klingon MIGHT think you were a liar if you answered in Klingon - be careful).

HIja', ghobe' wa' 'Iv waits vaD SoH DIchDaq taH shamed.
Yes, no one who waits for you shall be shamed. (Psalm 25:3)

In Hebrew, the word translated as HIja' is "gam," a short word used adverbally to mean a variety of things. It's familiar to us as the word "yea" in Psalm 23 "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death," and here also affirms a statement, the wonderful promise "no one who waits for you shall be shamed."

I subscribe to a daily newspaper, more than a half dozen magazines, and hundreds of RSS feeds. Many, maybe most, of them provide news or commentary on what is happening in our world - and I'd be happy to say it was, well a happy story - but it isn't. There is so much that makes us worry, so many ways the world says to us ghobe' - "NO." That's not a surprise to a believer. This is, I'd say, a message that echoes the Bible - when we read of our failings, of how short we fall of what God intended for us. As Paul says "for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23 ), and the prophet Isaiah, as well, reminding us "All we like sheep have gone astray; everyone has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6)

But - we don't despair, because the WHOLE of scripture is more than this - the Bible has GOSPEL, Good NEWS!, as well:

St. Peter reminds us: he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises ( 2 Peter 1:4 ) and St. Paul underlines for us how God offers us a great big HIja', YES -

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not "Yes and no," but in him is "Yes." For however many are the promises of God, in him is the "Yes." Therefore also through him is the "Amen," to the glory of God through us. (2 Corinthians 1:19, 20 )

and in another place he adds:

For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him. For, "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:11-13 )

What do we say to this? This affirmation, this treasury of promise of rescue, of salvation, that God offers us? Well I know the Klingon word - HIja'!!! YES!

HIja', ghobe' wa' 'Iv waits vaD SoH DIchDaq taH shamed.
Yes, no one who waits for you shall be shamed. (Psalm 25:3)

A Klingon Christmas (repodcast)

2007-12-21T10:02:00.000-06:00

" batlh Daq joH'a' Daq the highest, Daq tera' roj, QaQ DichDaq toward Hoch."

"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward all." Luke 2:14

nuqneh?
nuqDaq 'oH puchpa''e'?
QISmaS petIv!
toDwI'ma' qoS yItiv!

" batlh Daq joH'a' Daq the highest, Daq tera' roj, QaQ DichDaq toward Hoch."

"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward all." Luke 2:14

DIS - Year

2007-12-13T21:18:00.001-06:00

SoH crown the DIS tlhej lIj bounty.

You crown the year with your bounty. Psalm 65:11a

(click for podcast)

How do you regard your birthday, you qoSlIj? Many, as they grow older agonize over them, anticipating each with a wary caution that considers each additional birthday candle some point scored against them.

I had the good fortune to 1) be born late in the year and 2) be the youngest in my family for the first decade of my life. Those two factors meant I always felt I was the youngest in my family or class - it meant, and still means, that I always look forward to getting another year added to my age.

SoH crown the DIS tlhej lIj bounty.

You crown the year with your bounty. Psalm 65:11a

Time is part of God's creation, a creation that the Bible reminds us "was good." So time itself is not evil, is not our enemy.

In our survey of the Klingon alphabet, D is the second letter we consider. Always a capital "D", it is pretty much pronounced as our 'd.' The word we consider her is DIS, year. Here, in Psalm 65, this word translates shaneh - a word that appears over 600 times in the Bible.

DIS is one of a number of time words we know in the Klingon language. DIS, year. jaj, day. jar, month. for example. Now, while we don't know how precisely these correspond to the human terms, we do know from this that Klingons experience time much as we do. That would suggest that, they too understand time as a march forward (never a retreat), an advance into an unknown country, a country we fear holds terror and loss.

But there's another way to look at this. Time is a gift - God gives it and uses it to draw us out to maturity - to become, to grow into, the person he wants us to become. Reflecting on this verse, Spurgeon says:

The harvest is the plainest display of the divine bounty, and the crown of the year. The Lord himself conducts the coronation, and sets the golden coronal upon the brow of the year. Or we may understand the expression to mean that God's love encircles the year as with a crown; each month has its gems, each day its pearl. Unceasing kindness girdles all time with a belt of love. The providence of God in its visitations makes a complete circuit, and surrounds the year. (Spurgeon)

Each day, each month, each year - our lives are SURROUNDED, encircled by God's love. Next time a birthday looms, or you spot a wrinkle or grey hair - look past that to realize how you don't move forward through the years alone - but that with God, each year will be crowned with his bounty and love.

These Little Ones (St. Nicholas Day re-podcast)

2007-12-03T20:29:00.000-06:00

St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of children, is a model of how Christians are meant to live. As priest and bishop, Nicholas put Jesus Christ at the center of his life and ministry. His concern for children and others in need or danger expressed a love for God which points toward Jesus, the source of true caring and compassion. Embracing St. Nicholas customs can help recover the true center of Christmas—the birth of Jesus.

Understanding St. Nicholas as the original and true holiday gift-giver also helps shift focus to giving rather than getting, compassion rather than consumption, need rather than greed. This can help restore balance to increasingly materialistic and stress-filled Advent and Christmas seasons.

St. Nicholas is beloved throughout the world and continues to be revered in Christian tradition, especially as protector and patron of children in the West and as Wonderworker in the East. The St. Nicholas Center aims to bring Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians together in common purpose—to help people understand and appreciate the original St. Nicholas, the only real Santa Claus.
[http://www.stnicholascenter.orgI encourage you to visit the site to learn more]

The mach - little - ones matter. Not just to a saint like Nicholas, but to God. In this season we have many opportunities to be generous. What can we do to protect the neediest among us?

'IH - Beautiful!

2007-11-23T15:57:00.000-06:00

'IH - Beautiful!

'IH Daq elevation, the Quch vo' the Hoch tera'
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth Ps 48.2

(click for podcast)

What does it mean, to be "beautiful?" Webster tells us it means "Elegant in form, fair,having the form that pleases the eye. It expresses more than handsome." "Beauty" is how we describe something that is deeply attractive.

Here in Psalm 48, the Psalmist rejoices in God's presence among his people - looking at Mt. Zion, and particularly the city Jerusalem, as beautiful with the almighty's presence. This can sound nationalistic and parochial if we think of it as simply a geographic location or national capital - but this is far more than just that. This recalls the term for Scriptural meaning that looks forward to God's triumph that I mentioned recently, "anagogical." As one commentary notes, this Psalm "sees the city AS IT WILL BE when 'all the nations flow to it' (Is. 2:2:ff) - for it is certainly not yet the joy of all the earth." (Kidner)

Such joy is indeed God's aim and intention for all people, and when that happens, it will indeed be beautiful.

Today we're looking at our first letter of the tlhIngan Hol alphabet, the letter that looks like an apostrophe, and our word is 'IH (spelled ' I H) - beautiful.

This letter is pronounced as a glottal stop - a brief catch. You'll see that in Klingon there are NO words that begin with a vowel - this letter is always placed in front of the vowel, as well as in other places within a word. All tlhIngan Hol words that begin with this letter are always followed by a vowel

'IH can mean "appropriate" or "good" as well as attractive - for example:

Du'IHchoHmoH mIvvam
This helmet suits you.

Literally You-it-be-beautiful-change-causes helmet-this-one, that is, this helmet causes you to change to be beautiful/handsome.

In Hebrew, the word here is yapheh, from a word meaning "to be bright" - think perhaps "to catch the eye" as things that are beautiful can.

We need to attend to beauty, in nature and in art - for God truly does use beauty to catch our attention - to draw us to himself.

No less an authority that Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes reminds us of this:

"There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion," said he, leaning with his back against the shutters. "It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner. Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers."

We have much to hope from the flowers, from beauty as we discover it, because it points us beyond the day to day, merely practical world. Beauty is this pure benefit, this joy that God sets before us to capture our attention, to draw us to him. In fact some speak of this as one of the proofs of the existence of God, reasoning from the existence and perception of beauty in the universe (what is called, the aesthetical argument).

'IH Daq elevation, the Quch vo' the Hoch tera'
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth Ps 48.2

(click for podcast)

As I write this people in my nation have just celebrated "thanksgiving" - a day that we pause to reflect on the blessings (whether we call them that) that we enjoy. Of all those blessing I think our experience of beauty is among the most precious. And this grace of God is extended to all, as Jesus says

For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. (MT 5:45)

Rejoice! 'IH - beauty is one of the most vital signposts in this universe - a reminder of how deeply God loves us!

mu' - Word

2007-11-10T17:33:00.000-06:00

jIH ghaj hidden lIj mu' Daq wIj tIq, vetlh jIH might ghobe' yem Daq SoH.

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

(click for podcast version)

How can a word be more than just a collections of letters? How does that word, hidden in a heart (tIq) protect against sin (yem)?

Well, of course,it isn't just *any* word.

The believer, reading these words from Psalm 119 knows it's the Bible: a book of many books - made up of thousands of words, yet one we call simply "THE" Word.

In Klingon - or tlhIngan Hol, the word FOR word is "mu'" - it shows up almost 900 times in the Klingon Language Version. In the King James "word" represents 15 different Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words - the most common being dabar in Hebrew (over 400 times) and logos in Greek (almost 200 times). It can refer to something like a single dictionary word, speech, or a complete message. And as we use it here, it can encompass all of God's message to humanity.

One of the terms I've used in Klingon for this is mu''a' - (great word). That's why this podcast "A Klingon Word, from the Word" is called in tlhIngan Hol "mu''a'vo mu'" - from-the-big-word a-word.

In the next podcasts, I want to alter my course. Over the last years I've worked my way through individual psalms, and now, I'd like to shift to emphasize the KLINGON WORD part of this podcast, and work my way through the Klingon Alphabet with a Klingon word for each letter. For each word, I'll choose a verse or verses from the KLV Psalms and we'll look at that verse and word in the greater context of the Scriptures.

The Klingon alphabet, pIqaD (http://www.kli.org/tlh/pIqaD.html ), has 26 letters, just like the Roman alphabet we use for English - but they aren't the same 26 letters, as we'll see, even if you often see the English alphabet used to represent the Klingon. One difference - none of the letters are capitalized as we do in English, as in proper nouns and the beginning of sentences - though some (D,I, H, and S) are always capitalized. Q and q are two different letters. Also, several letters are represented with multiple letters (tlh, ch, and gh). And one letter is represented by the apostrophe - we'll see that one often, because a rule of tlhIngan Hol is that you never start with a vowel - so for the vowels we'll actually see a word that starts apostrophe + a vowel.

The mechanics of the alphabet are not what matter - what matters is the meaning OF the word depicted. That meaning has power - it's why the psalmist holds fast to the word and words of scripture to purify his life:

jIH ghaj hidden lIj mu' Daq wIj tIq, vetlh jIH might ghobe' yem Daq SoH.

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

We need to read, listen to, and hold fast to the Word. It is not hard to find passage after passage in the Bible that drive us to consider the Word as God's means of bringing light and power to the believer:

2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are flawless words, As silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light for my path.
Mark 12:24 Jesus answered them, "Isn't this because you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God?
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God;

This shield, these precious words enlighten, empower and can pierce us through with the truth of God's love, and the salvation he offers each of us! Hang on to this!

The language we speak use, English, Spanish, French, German - any of the human tongues - or even tlhIngan Hol, Klingon, are not what matter. As we study the words of the Bible, my hope and prayer is that we'll move past the accident of the language we use to really read, really consider and as it says here in Psalm 119, take into our heart what God has given us in his most precious word. It will change your life.

roj vo' Jerusalem

2007-10-22T21:08:00.000-05:00

tlhob vaD the roj vo' Jerusalem. chaH 'Iv muSHa' SoH DichDaq chep.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love you will prosper. Psalms 122:6

(click for podcast)

From our point of view - thousands of years distant from the author of Psalm 122 - we can well imagine the reaction of a Klingon light years away from Jerusalem - "the peace of Jerusalem? nuq jatlh? What are you talking about, and why should I care?"

Well, we care because Jerusalem, that place, that ancient city on the planet Earth is considered sacred to believers. Three different faiths consider it holy - and few would challenge its need for peace. The Bible commands us to "pray without ceasing" - how can we neglect to pray for peace coming to Jerusalem?

But there's more, of course. Over centuries the faithful have adopted Jerusalem as their spiritual home; not just the city itself - as the author of Hebrews proclaims:

But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:16)

And it's in that sense I think that believers look not only to the earthly Jerusalem, but to that "heavenly home town" when they call out:

tlhob vaD the roj vo' Jerusalem. chaH 'Iv muSHa' SoH DichDaq chep.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love you will prosper. Psalms 122:6

It's interesting to note that the words here Jerusalem, Peace, and prosper - while they don't sound too similar in English (or Klingon: Jerusalm, roj, chep), in Hebrew are Yerusalem, Shalom, and Shalah. Jerusalem - "City (or Vision) of Peace" is the place for which we pray for Peace (shalom), and those who do so are promised prosperity, shalah. Be clear about this - Shalom is far more than absence of hostility - rather it comes from root meaning to be safe, and carries the idea of completion and fulfillment. And that sounds close to the promised prosperity. Not a simple abundance of material goods, rather the Hebrew Shalah means to be tranquil, i.e. secure or successful:--be happy, prosper, be in safety.

Spurgeon notes: perhaps we may read it as a prayer, "May they have peace that love thee." (Treasury of David)

Such peace, and such prosperity, is the fruit of prayer for all believers. And I don't think it is confined to the geographic boundary of Jerusalem. Absolutely, this prayer - for the peace of the city Jerusalem ought to be on our lips and in our hearts. But it must extend to all who have their roots of - their home town as it were - in that city.

Paul wrote to believers to be "eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph 4:3) and in closing a letter prayed Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

And remember his advice to the Philippians:

6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6,7 WEB)

Again, as Spurgeon notes:

God has connected giving and receiving, scattering and increasing, sowing and reaping, praying and prospering. What we must do if we would prosper -- "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." Comprehensively: "Peace" -- spiritual, social, ecclesiastical, national. Supremely: "Prefer Jerusalem above," etc. Practically [this means, in the Scriptures words]: "Let peace rule in your hearts." "Seek peace and pursue it." (Treasury of David)

tlhob vaD the roj vo' Jerusalem. chaH 'Iv muSHa' SoH DichDaq chep.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love you will prosper. Psalms 122:6

Jerusalem juHwIj Quch

2007-10-11T20:14:00.000-05:00

maj qamDu' 'oH standing within lIj lojmItmey, Jerusalem; Jerusalem, vetlh ghaH chenta' as a veng vetlh ghaH compact tay'; nuqDaq the tuqpu' jaH Dung, 'ach Yah's tuqpu', according Daq an ordinance vaD Israel, Daq nob tlho' Daq the pong vo' joH'a'. vaD pa' 'oH cher thrones vaD yoj, the thrones vo' David's tuq.
Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem; Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together; Where the tribes go up, even Yah's tribes, According to an ordinance for Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD. For there are set thrones for judgment, The thrones of David's house. Psalms 122:2-5

(click for podcast)

Here's a word that comes to mind as I considered these verses: anagogical. No, that's not Klingon - it's a very old school term for one dimension of Biblical interpretation. It's one of the "senses" of Scripture put forward centuries ago by Biblical scholars who saw the Biblical text as having four dimensions - literal, allegorical, moral and ... anagogical.

A mystical interpretation of a word, passage, or text, especially scriptural exegesis that detects allusions to heaven or the afterlife.

According to the FreeDictionary, it comes from late Latin anagg, from Late Greek, spiritual uplift, from anagein, to lift up. mu' pepwI' (a word which raises up ) might be a way to say that in Klingon.

I'd be remiss if I didn't note that those fourfold "meanings" were loudly rejected by many of the Reformers - and not without reason. For many interpreters had spun complicated and farfetched interpretation - stretching the scriptures out of all recognition - there was definitely a need to draw believers back to an anchorage in the literal, historical meaning of the texts.

Yet, how are believers to hear this call to Jerusalem?

First, we can regard the literal, historical meaning - Jerusalem as a place on Earth that stands in latitude 31 degrees 46' 35" north and longitude 35 degrees 18' 30" east of Greenwich. The Psalmist really looked to, and loved the city of Jerusalem. Home of the temple, it was a destination that devout believers longed to reach. Even today, many travel to see Jerusalem to experience the land of the Bible and see first hand the sites important to their faith.

But over time (even within the Bible) believers looked beyond the earthly Jerusalem, and saw it with an anagogical eye - as the writer of Hebrews looked forward to a "heavenly Jerusalem," and in Revelation we hear of a "new" (or renewed) Jerusalem. In this way (whether or not we can afford the plane fare to the earthly Jerusalem) we can sing out with the joy of the Psalmist as we look forward to be able to say, in that future day maj qamDu' 'oH standing within lIj lojmItmey, Jerusalem - Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem.

The Klingon who was caught up in this hope might speak of Jerusalem juHwIj Quch - Jerusalem, my happy home, and indeed that is the name of an ancient Christian hymn:

        Jerusalem, my happy home,
      Name ever dear to me,
      When shall my labors have an end?
      Thy joys when shall I see?

by F.B.P., c. 1580
Text From:
THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL

(http://www.ccel.org/a/anonymous/luth_hymnal/tlh618.htm )

For the believer - it's not unusual to feel out of place. That is, our Biblical faith has to acknowledge that this world is not all it should be - it isn't all the Almighty intended. We can find ourselves feeling nostalgic, homesick as we move through life - as it is said of Abraham, "he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." (Hebrews 11:10 NLT)

This is our hope too - and trusting in God's help, we move forward, to the day when at last we'll joyfully cry out:

maj qamDu' 'oH standing within lIj lojmItmey, Jerusalem - Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem.

Brighten

2007-09-30T15:12:00.000-05:00

jIH ghaHta' Quchqu' ghorgh chaH ja'ta' Daq jIH, “Let's jaH Daq joH'a' tuq!”

I was glad when they said to me, “Let’s go to the LORD's house!” Psalm 122:6

(click for podcast)

I'm fond of changing the desktop image on my computer - I love to pick an image that opens for me a window to another place. That has included family pictures, paintings, or scenes from vacations. Recently I featured a great view from the top of the Ferris Wheel at our State Fair. Last week that image gave way to a terrific shot of the Delta rocket launch that began NASA's "Dawn" mission to the asteroids. It's a stunning picture of that rocket launching over the sea, against a clear blue sky.

As I consider it, I realize that rocket launches are a frequent choice in these backdrops, and it isn't surprising - whether launching my own rockets, or looking at the launches of interplanetary spacecraft, there is something about watching a craft sail into the sky that gives me a lift.

That "lift" is just the feeling I hear in these words from the Psalmist - this excitement to be in that place, that very special place - the LORD's House - where we can stand on the threshold of all God's promises.

jIH ghaHta' Quchqu' ghorgh chaH ja'ta' Daq jIH, “Let's jaH Daq joH'a' tuq!”

I was glad when they said to me, “Let’s go to the LORD's house!” Psalm 122:6

When was the last time you said that, as you got ready to go to worship? How often do we find that excitement, that uplift at the thought of going to a service? Isn't it far more a stereotype that heading in is a chore, a blot on one's free time? Why is that?

The Psalmist uses the word "samach" for "glad". It's a word that appears almost 150 times in the Bible. A primitive root meaning "to brighten up" - carrying the idea of to "cheer up", be glad, joyful, merry - to rejoice. I used a form of the word "be happy" (Quch) for the Klingon, Quch plus the intensifier -qu' for "Quchqu'."

What keeps us from experiencing this? The Life Application Bible notes,

Going to God’s house can be a chore or a delight. For the psalmist, it was a delight. As a pilgrim attending one of the three great religious festivals, he rejoiced to worship with God’s people in God’s house. We may find worship a chore if we have unconfessed sin or if our love for God has cooled. But if we are close to God and enjoy his presence, we will be eager to worship and praise him. Our attitude toward God will determine our view of worship.

One thing I've noticed - participation can make a difference. Just as making (and launching) rockets increases my understanding and appreciation what is happening in a NASA launch, so too, I've found that being involved in the life of my congregation - singing in the choir, or reading lessons in a service - gives me a different attitude toward "the LORD's house." Sure, this means work - and it isn't always fun... but over time, the involvement means I'm far more interested and involved and excited about going to "the LORD's house."

I encourage you, next time you're in your house of worship - if your're finding this psalm's words hard to make your own - look around. If there's a place where you can help (and try to tell me there is a congregation that DOESN'T need volunteers), then pitch in - you'll be glad to find what a difference it can make!

Under One Protection

2007-09-20T19:46:00.000-05:00

joH'a' DichDaq pol lIj ghoS pa' je lIj choltaH Daq, vo' vam poH vo', je forevermore.

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth, and forevermore. Psalm 121.8

(click for podcast)

Visit the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., and you'll see some historic air and space craft. From Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis to Apollo 11, that carried the first men to walk on the moon.

At the entrance to the museum it struck me - as you gaze on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules from the US space program, if you look up, you can even see SpaceShip One - the first private spacecraft. As big as (or bigger than) the earlier capsules, it occured to me that that vehicle which won the X prize - besides having wings - had one important difference with those pioneers. And that difference meant those earlier ships could go further - they had shields.

Now that was no accident. The X Prize went to the first privately made ship that could go into space (100 kilometers above earth, about 62 miles) and back twice, and be able to carry three people. Since it wouldn't go into orbit, the speeds involved would not generate the tremendous heat of re-entry. That meant that the extra mass of a heat shield was not necessary - and less mass means better performance - going into space you never carry more than you need.

Now SpaceShip One COULD go farther. With more power nothing would stop it from going into orbit or beyond - but no passenger would survive the re-entry. To go into orbit and beyond - you have to have a spaceship that can protect you. You need a shield.

This verse, this whole psalm, Psalm 121, is about being a traveller WITH A shield, for as we read it, again and again we hear of the shielding care of the Lord:

He who keeps you
he who keeps Israel
The LORD is your keeper
The LORD will keep you from all evil
He will keep your soul.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in

In all those places the Hebrew word is the same - rendered simply (and not entirely accurately) with the Klingon verb pol (keep). But it comes from the Hebrew word (used more than 400 times in the Bible) shamar, with the idea of a hedge, a fence to protect one. A better word would be the Klingon verb "to shield" (yoD).

Psalm 121 is considered a traveller's psalm - perhaps a theme song for a pilgrim travelling through the hills to reach Jerusalem. Such a traveller would certainly need a shield or some kind of protection, to travel alone, perhaps encountering thieves or wild animals. And just as such a pilgrim needs protection, or as a spaceship requires a shield to traveller far beyond our planet, we too, need protection as we make our way through life.

About this verse, the great English preacher Charles Spurgeon said:

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. When we go out in the morning to labour, and come home at eventide to rest, Jehovah shall keep us. When we go out in youth to begin life, and come in at the end to die, we shall experience the same keeping. Our exits and our entrances are under one protection.

How far do you want to go? Make no mistake, Spaceship One is a tremendous engineering accomplishment - and opens up new prospects for space travel. BUT - it is limited. It can go so far, and no further. Without a shield - without a caring Lord we too are dreadfully limited. But when we entrust ourselves to his care, to his keeping, to being our guide and our shield - there's no boundary. With him the sky ISN'T the limit!