You went on and came on OUT on them boys D!!
Came out??
You ain’t on the down low no mo’!! Now ERRBODY knows what you believe.
I guess they do. But I would rather have it that way, I’m not ashamed to confess that Jesus is Divine.
Do you ever think about how someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus would feel to hear that?
Yeah. I mean, I’ve had my doubts about the Christ before too, so I can fully understand that there’s a lot of readers who don’t believe. I have Muslim friends and Jewish friends who visit the site regularly, they’re not tripping because they know I respect them and what they believe.
But don’t Christians believe that anybody who doesn’t believe in Jesus is going to hell?
That’s a pretty judgmental way to word it, but yeah, Christians believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light, no one comes to the Father except through Him.
That’s the part that’s going to turn people off. It’s like you’re damning people just because they weren’t raised to believe a certain religion.
Yeah, that was one of my main problems with Christianity too. But then when I picked up the Bible and actually read it…I had a whole new understanding.
What do you mean?
Well, if you look at the 3 major religions, Judaism-Islam-Christianity, they all trace back to the shared patriarch Abraham, who Muslims call Ibrahim. As much fighting and killing that is going on in the world between Jews and Muslims, the bare fact is that they’re both bloodlines of half-brothers.
Half-brothers??
Yeah..Abraham had Ishmael by an Egyptian servant named Hagar and this is where the Arab nation came from and the Jewish nation descended from Abraham’s son Isaac who he had with his wife Sarah.
Fighting siblings huh? So where do Christians fit in to this??
When you read throughout the Old Testament, you find that God has always promised a Savior that was going to be descendant of the bloodline of Abraham, the father of many nations. So when you read the genealogy of the Christ in the Gospels, Jesus’ family tree is recorded.
Yeah..but I thought Mary had a ‘virgin’ birth?? If Mary was a virgin, then Joseph’s blood wasn’t part of Jesus’!
True..but when you read it, it actually gives TWO genealogies, Joseph’s (Matthew 1:1-17) AND Mary’s (Luke 3:23-38) and they BOTH trace back to Abraham. So no matter HOW you look at it, the Messiah’s birthright is confirmed.
I guess that bloodline really means something huh?
I thought you knew??!! (smiling) There’s wonder working power in the blood mane…
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Ever since I was a child, all of my family and friends would always remark on the resemblance I had with my father as well as my grandfather.
That boy got a head shaped just like his paw-paw!
You walk just like yo daddy!
Once I took a biology class, and we discussed genetics and how traits are passed along through bloodlines, I better understood exactly what it was that made me look, talk and act so much like my relatives. There are a lot of people that spend a lot of money time and energy with DNA testing trying to prove or disprove the parenting of a child. A lot of these folks should just gone and save their money, because you can just LOOK at the child and have no doubt who the daddy is. This familial resemblance has nothing to do with what you teach the child or how you raise them, these physical traits are all about genes and the power of the blood.
Blood is made up of 4 different components:
Plasma is a mixture of water, sugar, fat, protein, and potassium and calcium salts. It also contains many chemicals that help form blood the clots necessary to stop bleeding. More than 92% of plasma is water.Red blood cells contain a special protein called hemoglobin, which carries the oxygen we inhale with our lungs to all of the parts of our bodies. It then returns carbon dioxide from our body to our lungs so we can exhale it. Hemoglobin is also responsible for making red blood cells red.White blood cells are clear round cells that are bigger than red blood cells. White blood cells produce proteins called antibodies that help our bodies fight infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and foreign proteins.Platelets aren't really cells at all; they are just fragments of cells. When we are injured, platelets gather at the site of the injury and stick to the edges of the wound. They release chemicals that help start the process of blood clotting so that bleeding will stop.
The common system for blood types is known as the ABO system. There are four major blood types: A, B, AB, and O. Proteins called antigens on the surface of the red blood cells determine the blood types. There are two antigens, A and B. If you have the A antigen on the red blood cells, then you have type A blood. When B antigen is present, you have type B blood. When both A and B antigens are present, you have type AB blood. When neither are present, you have type O blood.
Each parent gives one blood gene type to the child. Type O is the passive type, so if a child gets an A from one parent and an O from another, they will have an A blood type. If a child gets a B from one parent and an O from another, then they will have a B blood type. Two O’s? You already know!
In addition to the ABO blood group system, there is an Rh blood group system. There are many Rh antigens that can be present on the surface of the red blood cells. The D antigen is the most common Rh antigen. If the D antigen is present, then that blood is Rh+. If the D antigen is missing, then the blood is Rh-. That’s where we get the classification of blood being positive (+) or negative (-)
The most common blood types in the United States are O+ (38% of the population) and A+ (34% of the population). The least common are AB- (1%) and B- (2%). There’s a lot of people who have illnesses such as leukemia, sickle cell, cancer to name a few, or have been in accidents such that they need blood. Donors with compatible blood types are able to save these people in need of blood. From soldiers fighting overseas, to the latest shootout or Friday night stabbing, hospitals are in constant need of blood from donors.
A brother named Dr. Charles Drew started the blood bank system that we have today. Charles Drew researched blood plasma and transfusions in New York City. It was during his work at Columbia University where he made his discoveries relating to the preservation of blood. By separating the liquid red blood cells from the near solid plasma and freezing the two separately, he found that blood could be preserved and reconstituted at a later date. Dr. Drew's system for the storing of blood plasma (blood bank) revolutionized the medical profession. His method was used to save thousands of soldier’s lives during WWII and it is still the staple of blood banking that we use today.
There are a lot of sick people in the world today and a lot of them depend on blood donated by others to survive. A lot of people never even think to donate blood because they’ve never been in a position where a family member or someone close to them needs blood. The simple fact is that it takes less than an ½ hour to donate a unit of blood. The process is 100% safe and sterile, there is no risk of contracting any disease or virus from donating blood. Some people (like myself) have needle issues, which may make them nervous or afraid, but the expertise of today’s blood bank employees can make the whole experience smooth and painless. Please remember that there are thousands of people in need of blood daily, especially those with rarer blood types. So if you’ve got 30 minutes to spare and you’re looking to do something good for society, stop by your local blood blank and serve them on up! You’ll feel glad that you did, because there’s definitely a wonder working power in the blood.
What's up to Ms. Pearl and all the wonderful staff at the Carter Bloodcare Center in Dallas!! :)
Tips on having a successful blood donation:
Eat a good meal before donating blood (1-6 hours before)
Drink plenty of water or other non-caffeinated beverages before donating blood
Sources:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/blood.htm/printable
http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/
http://anthro.palomar.edu/vary/vary_3.htm
http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Regular/butlin49.htm
http://bloodbook.com/african.html
