The Myth of Horsepower

Horsepower is a fictional creation, it is not directly measurable. It is merely an energy score that is applied to an engine or a motor in an effort to find the total energy the engine can produce through a combination of torque and rpm. Torque is twisting force, the more torque an engine produces on its shaft, the more load the engine can turn. Rpm, is speed, how many turns does the engine make in a minute? The more turns from the engine, the faster something can be moved by the engine. The final consideration is gearing, how many times does the engine turn for one turn by the wheels? Each extra rotation gives me more torque, and this is the point of a transmission and all the gears in it: To take the raw energy and convert it into a slow torquey spin at the wheels to take your vehicle places. So, in conclusion, if I have an engine with 1 lb of torque and unlimited rpm, I have unlimited horsepower and can power anything. If I have an engine with 1 rpm, and unlimited torque, I have unlimited horsepower, and can power anything. To bad, such engines do not exist....

-Loren

Franco-Prussian War and Romans 12:2 The Emotion (Part 3)

 The story below has details filled in by the imagination, but the main events in it are true to the best of my knowledge. 

 Napoleon III was so inspired by his famous uncle, he wanted to be like him, and he tried different opportunistic conquests in wars leading up to this time, partly motivated by his desire to be like his uncle, the great conquering emperor who terrorized Europe, he felt like him. He really felt like he was a great war leader. When the French read the dispatch that Otto had tweaked, they felt outrage, French honor was at stake, and in a near blind rage, the French clamored for war. Napoleon was ill but he felt like an emperor. So he personally led the main army, and he got surrounded at a place called Sedan. He felt so humiliated, and defeated that he rode aimlessly around amongst his troops, hoping that some how, some way, a German shell would take him out of his misery, but finally he had to write a note of surrender, and turned himself and his whole army in. He was held in comfortable captivity until the Germans got a peace deal with the new French government in Paris, then Napoleon was released, the feelings of shame and failure were just to much, his wife had joined him in Germany during his captivity, but now that they were free, they decided not to return to France, to much pain there. So, the disgraced couple moved to England, and there Napoleon's health worsened. Within 2 years, he was on his death bed. His last words were, "Isn't it true that we weren't cowards at Sedan?" The pain and agony of shame, had hung with the disgraced emperor, even on his death bed, that shame hung over him like a cloud. It is one of the saddest death bed statements you will ever hear if you think about what it really meant.

 When the Germans captured Napoleon and his army, they felt triumphant, they closed in on Paris and surrounded it. They began shelling the city. The Parisians felt desperate, and resorted to eating zoo animals, and trying to get messages for help out via hot air balloons and carrier pigeons. None of it worked though, and in total despair they surrendered. The Germans felt vindictive, and although they had no real desire to conquer France and add it to their collection of nations, they wanted what they wanted. So France was made to give up Alsace-Lorraine, which included 1'694 villages and cities to Germany, who then gave the citizens a chance to vote which empire to be a part of. France was made to pay 5 Billion Francs, and Germany occupied the northeastern portion of their country until it was paid. So, in the end, Germany felt triumph, and got richer. Napoleon III was devastated, felt shame, and disgrace. Both sides took credit and blame respectively, and both felt it keenly. However, lest you think this was all a good result for Germany, look forward to the end of World War 1, when lingering bad feelings from the French led to extremely harsh measures taken against Germany. 

 Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

 As discussed in part 1, emotions are the second part of that renewed mind Paul talks about, in history, we see many examples of how people feel pain or gladness based on what happened as a result of their actions. You can try to hide your feelings, you can try to sit on them. Or you can simply lash out based on what you feel, however, I ask you, can you find any time in full historical context that this has worked for anyone? Paul was lashed 5 times by the Jews, 3 times, he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, and 3 times he was shipwrecked. Paul's lashes were 39 each time. 39 has been thought to take someone to death's door, and 40 would kill a man. So, 5 times, various people took Paul to death's door. It has been surmised that beating with rods meant that they beat Paul's feet, and broke the bones in them so he wouldn't travel anymore, if so, God healed his feet. Either way, 3 times, people were determined enough to shut Paul down that they beat him. Once he was stoned, and at that point he was left for dead, so they had tried to kill him. He was shipwrecked 3 times as well, so that was discouraging to receive, on top of all the persecution, and yet in the same letter, Paul said that he will be gladly spent, and that he will rejoice in infirmities. Does this meant hat Paul never felt the emotion of all these things? No, of course not, It simply means, that Paul allowed God to heal all the emotional pain he experienced in the same way that God healed his body. God can heal your body through miracles, or through medicine. So, why don't we let him heal emotions as part of the renewing process? If your feelings have been hurt, that actually does matter, if you sit on them, you can become a human volcano, if you act out of them you can hurt others. So, ask God to show you, how you've been hurt, and how he would like to heal that. Get someone to pray with you. If you want to, contact me about this, and I will help if I can. 

Understanding Life by the Puzzle of it All

  Some people like puzzles, specifically jigsaw puzzles where the pieces have tabs and blanks. Tabs are the little protrusions that cause a piece to connect with it's neighbor, blanks are the indentions that allow a puzzle piece to receive connection from it's neighbor. Each puzzle piece has been created with it's own structure of tabs and blanks, and it has a place to form a picture, and yet, when it's all said and done, it's just pretty cardboard.....

  I believe that we Christians are God's puzzle pieces. We have tabs and blanks to, but, we are divinely inspired, so we can move around in the puzzle, and change the picture, we can also slightly modify our tabs and blanks, in order to mesh with the pieces we find ourselves with at a given time. The humans who are not born again, are like little squares, they are out there, they can lineup with each other, and it remains up to them if they want to live as a square or not. If they decide to receive Christ, they are to be gladly welcomed into the puzzle, and even if they are only a puzzle piece on one side, they are still needed, for the border, and as time passes, and they shape into a full piece, they can be replaced by a new border piece, for it is not how you look to the spectators that saves you, it is who you belong to that saves you. 

  Humans are meant for this relational dynamic, Satan, as the God of this world, desperately wants you to embrace hierarchy. The temptation in business is there, for, if you are the king pin, with many minions below you, you can probably pay them enough to keep them working and sit on your throne scraping the cream off for your self. In churches, and politics, there is an unholy desire for power, and control, that the devil would love to have you align with. Leaders in the kingdom, leaders as God intended are designed for the relational dynamic. In the next paragraph we will look at just a few of the ways the puzzle is divinely inspired and self sustaining by the way the Spirit of God weaves through the pieces and touches the world of squares out there. However, for now, let's say that leaders are those who are very active in the art of puzzle building, and repairing puzzle pieces. This activity gets recognized in the form of ordination in Church, which is to be a recognition of God given leadership abilities, not a king making exercise. This activity can get recognized in business by the way such people become boss, or manager etc. In business, however it is more apt that enduring success goes to the managers who are willing to work within the realties of the relational nature of human beings, weather they be squares or pieces. Squares after all, still want to be with other squares, to form a picture of their own, which basically has to do with the business they are engaged in, and the hobbies they want money for, and not so much for the kingdom of God.. The picture is not as interconnected and strong as the kingdom picture with the puzzle pieces but it is still there.  

  God's puzzle is ever growing, and because it is interwoven, and bound together by the Holy Spirit it is very strong, it has pictures all over, based on where you look on the puzzle, you will see a beauty that is different and yet it rhymes. A picture of a giraffe on an African plain is different from the picture of a red stag in forested Germany or a running wolf pack on the frozen tundra of Siberia, and yet the majesty is the same from the same Creator, and so it is with the Kingdom puzzle. There are those pieces who are quite rigid, and influence the pieces interlocked with them to conform, and when led by the Spirit of God, this is good, for it keeps the shape of and the color of the picture in it's area true. There are those pieces who are versatile and can plug with and adapt to almost any other piece, and when led by the Spirit, this is good to, for it keeps the relational connections strong, and it is the sum total of these connections that makes the picture strong, this connective ability moves the Kingdom from a collection of squares to a strong interwoven masterpiece. Then there are those pieces who when connected to other pieces, will help the other piece, they will clean dirt off the other piece, and repair torn tabs and blanks from abrasive relationships with other torn pieces so the colors can show better, and the piece can connect more fully within the picture, however when led by the Spirit they will not repaint the piece for the colors are given by God. There are those who will stretch the picture, they will sometimes glom onto a new picture even and stretch that, they bring new pieces, they complete the picture by bringing new pieces into the corners and they provide a lot of the border pieces. There are even those pieces who leave the edge of the border, and they start a new picture outside the puzzle, this breaks the borders, and claims a lot of new area, and a lot of new pieces for the kingdom puzzle. New pieces come in, and fill the spaces, the old border and corner pieces have grown and moved in, new pieces take their places.  

  Like all analogies, this one has its flaws, but, to make sense of God, and why he created man, I think it is important to embrace the beauty, the mystery, the big picture, and to accept at some level, the created cannot fully understand it's Creator. Embrace the fact that your one small colorful and very important piece, allow God to direct your movements within His puzzle, and even outside as he leads you to minister to squares, and to expand the borders. Also allow God either through you or by the other pieces He brings into your life to repair you, where you might have gotten torn or dirty. 

Franco-Prussian War and Romans 12:2 The Intellect (Part 2)

 

  The story below is fictionalized but the main events in it are true to the best of my knowledge. 

  Otto Von Bismarck, the chancellor of Prussia had a lot on his mind. He was now basically the first chancellor of Germany, Many German states had unified under Prussian leadership due to events we covered in part 1. I will now begin to refer to Prussia as Germany, the creation of Germany is not yet complete but Bismarck's country is now bigger than just Prussia. There were some states between France and Germany, German speaking states who Bismarck wanted to add to this collection that makes up Germany. How to get them though? Well, he could easily take them by force, but, that wouldn't do because there would then be tension. Their would be a risk of civil war. No, he needed them to join Germany voluntarily, but, life was decent in these states, so why would they change? The best way he saw it was for them to feel threatened by something scary. France came to mind, France was regarded as the mightiest power in Europe, to find a mightier power, it was thought you had to go to Britain or Russia. So, if France was angry at Germany, and if France initiated a war, these German states would automatically gravitate to Germany for protection. So, Otto needed a war, a war that France started. How to get such a war? He waited for an opportunity to provoke France. Meanwhile, he brought in General Helmut Von Moltke, and tasked him with planning, dealing with France was no small thing after all. General Von Moltke was a genius, he got detailed maps of France and Germany, he studied train schedules, and he rethought tradition in terms of how to organize an army. With a good grasp of terrain, train schedules, and train track locations, he was very efficient with coordinating army movements. He redesigned the army placements, he organized infantry into small fighting units instead of one big mass. His small fighting units, or platoons, could surround and attack a large enemy army from all sides, causing confusion. He also put a heavy emphasis on artillery, both in terms of having the best cannons and in terms of placing it close enough to do serious damage. Now back to Bismarck, when Spain wanted a new crown to replace their queen, he promoted a man of Prussian nobility, this would have surrounded France with Germany on one side and a German ally on the other. This man was never made king of Spain, but, France was quite aggravated by the ordeal. They sent an ambassador to the king of Germany to ask him not to do this again. The king allowed Otto to publish a copy of the conversation, so Otto carefully edited it in order to make the French think they were insulted by the German king, and to make the Germans think their king was insulted by the French ambassador. It worked, France was now spoiling for a fight. 

  Napoleon III and his generals thought that with France's track record, this would be a walk to Berlin, he would shut this whole German thing down and make it part of France or at least an obedient ally. He also thought that the German states would let him liberate them. In some cases generals forgot or didn't bother packing maps on the French side. they lunged straight into Germany, full of confidence, and right into the trap that the German leadership had laid for them. napoleon's entire army was surrounded and captured. Even Napoleon III was captured. The French people tried to organize a new government to beat back the German onslaught, but it didn't work, the Germans' seized Paris. The French side's confidence, and lack of thought stood in a stark contrast to the Germans, it wasn't as much a lack of intelligence on the French side as it was a lack of willingness to use intelligence due to overconfidence. The small German states had sided with Prussian led Germany during this conflict, and now, they decided to stay, and the Germany we know today was born. To be clear, the government of this Germany has changed several times since then due to world wars, but, Germany, as an idea, exists at least partially because of Otto Von Bismarck and his careful, deceitful, cunning, and controlled intellect. Some of the credit also goes to the very thoughtful, analytical General Helmut Von Moltke. Napoleon III and his government got the blame for his government's lack of thought and his capture as well. France scrubbed his government, and once Germany let them, started over with a new government. This was also the only time that France took on Germany without Britain's help. This has been the story of the Franco-Prussian war from the intellectual point of view, as I see it. It lasted for only a bit over 6 months. 

For the Christian, intellect, is one of the 3 parts of the renewed mind Paul speaks of in Romans 12:2. Although thinking hard won Otto and Helmut the war, and they had a lot of worldly power but it did cost a lot of lives, involved a lot of deception, and I am not advocating for it. Both of these men still died, and at their death, no power, what after all, was the point? 

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

The answer is surrender actually, to God, let Him take over your intellect, like Peter did. Peter was a fisherman, not formally educated, but, when he sold out, he sold out. He was seized by the Holy Spirit, and authorities marveled, at his boldness in the way he spoke to them. (Acts 4) I wonder, if when you get to heaven, and you ask Peter if it was worth it, what would he say?

-Loren

Franco-Prussian War and Romans 12:2 (Part 1)

Background on the Prussian Side:

  Prussia was a small German speaking nation that typically had been able to produce some great military might considering its small size. This was demonstrated in the Seven Years war, when Prussian had managed to entertain most of  Europe's armies that were involved and thus freed up Britain, it's ally at the time, to conduct war overseas. Americans know of this war as the French and Indian War, and a young British-American by the name of George Washington gained some recognition during it. The British-Prussian Alliance won this actual first world war. Now, let's fast forward to the 1800s, after Napoleon was through with his rampage in Europe. Otto Von Bismarck was very much a Prussian, maybe a Christian to, but definitely a Prussian, he wanted the best for Prussia, and his idea of the best was for nearly all the small German speaking nations to unite under Prussian leadership. Thing was, Otto found himself in big positions of leadership, and he found himself with a brilliant mind for political strategy. He also found himself having a general named Helmut Von Moltke. General Von Moltke was a military genius. So, this means Otto has the resources and power to put his ideas to the test. First Prussia talked Austria into helping them war with Denmark, they beat Denmark and took 3 states from them. Then, there were sweet talks had with Italy, and an agreement was made that if Italy were to attack Austria at the same time Prussia did, they would get a couple of areas they wanted. Around this time, someone attempted to assassinate Bismarck, but he escaped serious injury. The alliance was successful, Prussia got 8 different land areas that it wanted, including Austria's winnings from Denmark. Now, Prussia is looking a lot like the modern Germany we know. In fact, they renamed themselves, the name was the North German Confederation. This new country was now large enough, to rival France as the greatest power in all of Europe. There was an ever increasing sense of tension between the 2 powers, and Bismarck was ready, because, their was land to be had. In between "New Germany" and France was land, filled with German speaking people who just needed a little nudge, to encourage them to align with one of the 2 big Giants in Europe, Bismarck needed France to give that nudge, just enough to push these little countries towards the "loving arms" of his new Prussian led Germany.

Background on the French Side:

  France is a very old country, and had been respected as a major power in the affairs of Europe. During the American Revolution, it weighed in on the side of the patriots, without France, America probably would have lost. After this, France had it's own revolution, and overthrew it's own king. It's revolution was quite complicated and I won't discuss it here, but from the other side, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power, and he had tremendous military genius. He went on a lot of rampages through Europe and it took several coalitions of various nations to finally bring down Napoleon. Various factors like this led to France being widely regarded as a great, if not the greatest power on the European continent. It was an empire, under the leadership of Napoleon's nephew Napoleon III from 1850 until 1870, Napoleon III looked up to his uncle, and he so desperately wanted to follow in his footsteps, he overthrew the French republic and restored the French empire with himself as emperor. The Crimean war started as a result of Russian aggression on a weak Ottoman Empire, France and Britain for reasons of general aggression decided to get involved on the side of the Ottoman Empire, and they beat Russia. This added to France's perceived grandeur and started the friendship of France and Britain that would come into play in the world wars in the distant future. A few years after the Crimean war, some people tried to assassinate Napoleon III but failed, the conspirators had thrown bombs at his carriage, for some reason the bombs did not hurt Napoleon III or his wife but killed some members of his escort, and some bystanders and wounded quite a few others. Napoleon III thought it would be good to help with Italian unification, The small Italian kingdom of Sardinia wanted certain states from Austria and so did France, so they defeated Austria and took it, about ten years before Prussia did something very similar to Austria with Italian allies. As time passed, Napoleon III took note of the new German nation forming in Europe, and he didn't like it, not one bit. His power was threatened as he saw it, and something needed to be done to prevent this from getting out of hand.  

Romans 12:2 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Mind translates to a Greek word that probably more accurately means your entire operating system. In modern English, some people call it your soul. Basically, mind includes these 3 things. 1. Intellect, powers of reason 2. Emotion, including feelings, and 3. Will, resolve, determination etc. So, your not being asked to make yourself think like God, your asked to allow yourself to be transformed to think what God wants you to think, and not just think, but allow God's thinking, God's feelings, and God's will to take over. So I don't know how all this will tie together, but, I would like to see how this looks when God takes over a person. I would also like to see the roles that intellect, emotion, and will played in the upcoming war. So, the 2 backgrounds, were to set the stage, the little lecture above also was to set the stage. This is only Part 1.

-Loren