Do you have a message for the world? Are you a world class yodeling champ? Maybe, you love microphones that look like cheese graters? Well,  the AKG is what you need!

The AKG Lyra made its debut on Episode 75 of the Telescope Show! It was a true joy to use! I did not need to download or install any software. I plugged it into my computer. My DAW recognized the Lyra instantly, and I was off and podcasting! 

Today, the word tablet brings to mind the shinning screen of an iPad or other device. Before these gizmos brought Star Trek tech into our daily lives, the word tablet brought to mind something else entirely. In 1888, a paper mill worker named Thomas Holley collected scraps of paper from the mill floor, knitted them together and thus invented the legal pad. This was the tablet of the 19th century, and oh boy, it was packed with features! 

The list of features is so impressive, you may want to consider one of these as your next tablet. These tablets require zero electricity to operate. The operating system is rock solid. There are zero updates! In fact, throughout their history and today, these devices maintain a perfect score for anti-virus protection. Even in the face of recent cyber attacks from Russia, China, North Korea and disgruntled U.S. Citizens, the legal pad has proved impervious! 

Many new tablets today allow the use of a stylus or electronic pencil such as the Apple Pencil. These manufacturers claim this is a new feature. We have news folks. The legal pad seamlessly pairs with thousands of different writing instruments from every manufacturer. What’s more, these writing devices are also electricity free! The legal pad comes in a variety of sizes and colors. They make the perfect gift for students young and old. Legal Pads come pre-loaded with lines for word processing and a variety of games such as hangman, Pictionary and tic-tac-toe. 

Click the link to check out a legal pad. Anything you buy from Amazon on that trip to the site will support the Telescope Show as we help people discover God through Geek Culture. 

Episode 72 of the show was not brought to you by Boston Warehouse Lobster Shaped Kitchen Mitts! Imagine yourself rocking these babies, standing outside by the grill and belting out the Disney song Under the Sea! What would possibly inspire someone to buy these? Joy! 

Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” We may experience something like an out-of-body experience while eating a particularly amazing steak, but really, food doesn’t have anything to do with God’s kingdom. Righteousness, peace and joy, however, have everything to do with it! The steak must thaw properly, be seasoned and cooked just right. The things of God’s Kingdom are gifts that come as a result of spending time with the King of the kingdom. Jesus offers forgiveness through the cross, peace that is beyond our understanding and joy that seems to bubble out from the foundation of our soul. 

Thanks for reading this post and for listening to the Telescope Show! Click the link. Anything you purchase will help the show! 

My family and I just watched Raya and the Last Dragon. When the credits rolled, I was trying to hide the fact the finale made me tear up. My kids, on the other hand, were bouncing off the walls and trying to imitate Raya's amazing fighting. The movie was a martial arts extravaganza! In the climactic fight scene, Raya and her arch rival Namaari engage in an epic sword battle. How did it end? You'll have to watch the movie to find out! Keep this in mind though, it's a tear jerker!

Everybody loves watching a good sword fight! Maybe watching isn't good enough though? Maybe you want to feel the thrill of battle for yourself. Well, it's your lucky day! The Telescope is totally not sponsored by E-BOGU Shinai Samuri practice swords! Click the ad on the left to check them out. They are wooden, so your limbs and pets are safe. Remember, anything you buy during your trip to Amazon will give the Telescope Show a small commission. Maybe you'll buy the swords, and maybe you'll buy some new swimming goggles or high-end organic deodorant. As a member of the Affiliate Program, Amazon rewards us for driving traffic their way. This helps us to help others discover God through Geek Culture. 

But really. Swords are amazing! Here's a little nugget of sword history from Britannica.com, "The sword became differentiated from the dagger during the Bronze Age (c. 3000 BCE)" The sword has a long and glorious history!

The New Testament describes something called the Sword of the Spirit. This definitely sounds like a blade given to a Disney hero on the eve of some great quest. The Sword of the Spirit is a term that Paul the Apostle uses in the book of Ephesians to describe the Bible. Specifically, the Bible is like a sword when it is used in prayer. Praying from the heart is nice and genuine, but prayer buttressed by scripture exudes authority. Faith that is passive is ok. Faith energized, motivated and directed by scripture moves mountains!

Sources
https://www.britannica.com/technology/sword

Have you ever read a book that seemed to go on and on and on? In the ancient world, every book was that way. No one ever said, “that was a real page turner!”. Why? There were no pages! Everything was written on scrolls. (and clay tablets before that) Scrolls have been around a for a very long time. The ancient Egyptians were writing their best sellers out on papyrus, which was a nice, vegan friendly material. The art of scroll making was developed and tweaked by many cultures around the world. The Romans developed something called Codex, which was a good option for meat lovers. The Roman proto-bookmakers held animal-skin pages together with pieces of wood. Early Christians used this form to transport Biblical Texts on their missionary expeditions. 

Why did these early Christians love this new form? Christian pioneers like Paul the Apostle placed a huge emphasis on Jesus fulfilling prophecies from the Jewish prophets. Acts 17:3 says, “explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” Paul would have used many passages from Jewish scriptures to show that Jesus was the promised messiah and that God’s plan was to offer forgiveness of sins to those who embraced Jesus’ sacrificial death. 

It was precision work that Paul and other early Christian teachers were performing. People from all over the world have been left breathless by the litany of ways Jesus Christ fits the profile of the messiah predicted many hundreds of years before. 

Thanks for reading the blog! Click one of these Amazon links and buy anything! I will get a small commission for referring you to Amazon, which aids the Telescope Show in its mission to help people discover God through Geek Culture. 

I got a mini version of BeanBoozle for Christmas. We passed the jelly beans out and listened.

     “yum! What is this? Oh, passionfruit!”  
     Was imediately followed by,“Gross! This tastes like dirty    
     socks!”
     
BeanBoozle is a play on the word bamboozle, which means to trick or deceive. I happened to get the game for Christmas, but I think it would make a very fitting gift for the Easter holiday.

1 Corinthians 2:8, “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” The political leaders and the spiritual forces instrumental in crucifying Jesus were Bamboozled by the resurrection!

Jesus was killed by professional executioners in the most public way possible. When Jesus reappeared to the disciples after his death and burial, he was not a bloody mess of a man who had cheated death. He was alive, vibrant, radiant and commanding.  After the Jesus’ death, the disciples went into hiding, fearing for their lives. After the resurrection, they charged out into the world and recklessly proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead!

This is one of the strongest historical evidences for the Christian faith. We know that the disciples and many of Jesus’ earliest followers were martyrs for the cause of Jesus. Why? Early Christians were heavily persecuted. Hebrews 10:34 informs us that many of these believers had property confiscated. “For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.“ What motivated those believers to stick to their resurrection story? Money and fame are out as motivations. Their property was being plundered!

It would have been easy and advantageous to simply drop the whole resurrection bit. They could have continued to pass on most of the teachings of Jesus without mentioning that He predicted His own death and resurrection. It’s truly amazing! These early followers of Jesus were so effective that the message of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection exploded around the Mediterranean region. Those who sought to squash the nascent Christians were bamboozled!

Help out the Telescope show in the big way by clicking one of the product links embedded in each of these blog posts and buying something. Anything. You don’t have to buy the featured product! Use one of our links and buy some new socks, rock climbing gear or that set of Star Wars themed bedsheets you’re just too embarrassed to buy at the department store. As an Amazon Affiliate partner, I will get a small commission for sending shoppers over to Amazon.


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