Biblical Heritage Center Blog

I was meeting with a friend of mine recently, Joyce Ann Tepley. She wrote a book that I would highly recommend called, "Thriving Through It" - How They Do It, What It Takes to Transform Trauma Into Triumph . (Amazon has it). Joyce retired from a forty-year career as a clinical social worker and dedicated the rest of her life to honoring those who thrive through adversity, by telling their stories. Twenty people from all walks of life were interviewed for the book. They tell their own stories in their own words about what it takes to thrive through the most difficult times in their lives. Joyce herself, has dealt with Polio and a host of other physical problems and she is also a thriver! One of the things I found most interesting about the book was the great insight into how people chose to respond to what life brought. Read Rabbi Leynor’s complete blog at http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/06/thriving-is-tov.html

Ponder is defined as “to consider something deeply and thoroughly; weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully.” [1] Something I have done a lot of pondering about began when I became aware of the stats below. (1) Christians trace the beginning of their religion to Jesus, the founder of a small Jewish sect in Palestine in 30 CE. (2) In 1970, there were 1,130,000,000 affiliated Christians who belonged to 1,449,600 congregations/churches of 18,630 denominations / paradenominations. [2] Paradenominations have existed since the 19th century, operating alongside denominations, crossing boundaries and enabling joint efforts between various groups. [3] (3) In 2000, there were 1,888,000.000 affiliated Christians who belonged to 3,447,900 congregations/churches of 33,820 denominations / paradenominations. [4] (4) In 2000 there were 322 Baptist denominations alone. [5] Some things to ponder: (1) How did a single exclusively Jewish sect in Palestine become 33,820...

The Amorites, also called Amurru or Martu, were an ancient Semitic-speaking people who dominated the history of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine from about 2000 to 1600 BC. Tribal nomads who forced themselves into the lands that they needed, the Amorites were reputedly fierce warriors. They twice conquered Babylonia and Mesopotamia (at the end of the third and the beginning of the first millennium), establishing new city states; the most famous of which became Babylon. Their most noted king, Hammurabi, was the first king of the Babylon Empire. The name Amorite literally means the “high one.” In the Mesopotamian sources from Sumer, Akkad and Assyria, Amorites appear as a nomadic people and are connected with the mountainous region of Jebel Bishri in northern Syria, called “the mountain of the Amorites.” They were an ancient tribe of Canaanites, technically not of Canaanite ethnicity, which inhabited the region northeast of the Jordan River. See pictures and read complete article at --...

The Sumerians were the first known people to settle in Mesopotamia over 7,000 years ago.  Located in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern day Iraq), Sumer was often called the cradle of civilization. By the 4 th  millennium BC, it had established an advanced system writing, spectacular arts and architecture, astronomy and mathematics. The Akkadians would follow the Sumerians, borrowing from their culture, producing a new language of their own, and creating the world’s first empire. The origin of the Sumerians remains a mystery till this day.   They called themselves Saggiga (the "black-headed" or "bald-headed ones") and their country, Kengi ("civilized land").  Some believe they came from around Anatolia or modern day Turkey.  Others suggest they might have come from India and were Caucasian in origin.  They were established in southern Babylonia, in what is now Iraq, by at least 3500 BC.  ...

My friend and TOV Center Partner, Jim Myers, received a 6 page list of Biblical quotes in a reaction to his blog about the Real Yeshua -- Jesus the Jewish teacher . I noticed after reading through this huge list, that the point of the writer was to convince and prove his "RIGHTNESS." This sense of "RIGHTNESS" is something I've experienced my entire life. Many people are absolutely sure that what they "BELIEVE" is "RIGHT!" So many expend their energy on defending their BS (Belief System), some even go to the point of killing others. The real crime, however, is that they ignore and do not practice the Values and Lessons that the Jewish Jesus taught – and are clearly recorded in those same Scriptures . Read Rabbi Leynor’s blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/06/being-right-vs-acting-righteously.html

Nomophobia affects 40% of the population . Find out if you are nomophobic at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/06/are-you-nomophobic.html

Archaeologists in Rome have discovered the foundations of a second triumphal arch of Roman Emperor Titus, which was thought to be lost to history, the Telegraph reports. The arch once stood at the entrance to ancient Rome’s chariot-racing stadium, the Circus Maximus. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus was emperor of Rome from 79 to 81 A.D. Even though he responded quickly with aid when Vesuvius erupted barely two months into his reign in 79 and is credited with completing the Colosseum in 80, it is the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and his victory against the Jews in 70 when he was just a general that has made Titus one of the more well-known figures in Roman history. See pictures and read complete article at -- http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/a-second-triumphal-arch-of-titus-discovered/

The oldest known crown in the world, which was famously discovered in 1961 as part of the Nahal Mishmar Hoard, along with numerous other treasured artifacts, dates back to the Copper Age between 4000–3500 B.C. The crown is shaped like a thick ring and features vultures and doors protruding from the top. It is believed that it played a part in burial ceremonies for people of importance at the time. The ancient crown is just one out of more than 400 artifacts that were recovered in a cave in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea more than half a century ago.  Some of these objects are like nothing ever seen anywhere else. See pictures and read complete article at -- http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1384068-the-6000-year-old-crown-found-in-a-dead-sea-cave/

America is a very complex place in which highly technical things affect the lives of Americans. Many Americans could not begin to describe what derivatives are or what financialization means -- even though these very powerful economic forces affect almost every aspect of life today . All we have to do is look around and it is obvious that people are plugged into the Internet everywhere. How many of them understand how it works and who is in control of the information flowing into their smartphones and computers. Forget trying to explain what’s going on in the political, legal and medical domains of life. Yet all of those things combined control our lives in many ways -- options to succeed that we have or barriers that block us from success – and making the structural changes that must be made to repair our nation . Read the complete blog at http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/06/we-cant-fix-what-we-cant-see.html

A 1,500-year-old church has been discovered at a Byzantine period rest stop on the road connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, archaeologists announced. The ancient road station and church, uncovered during a highway construction project, sit next to a seep spring called 'Ain Naqa'a, which is on the outskirts of Moshav Bet Neqofa, a settlement in Jerusalem. See pictures and read article at -- http://news.yahoo.com/ancient-church-uncovered-during-highway-project-israel-114929487.html

Benjamin Franklin, scientist, inventor and a principal architect of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, may have been the first self-improvement expert, too. In 1726, a young 20-year-old Franklin was crossing the Atlantic from England back to Philadelphia. During his 80-day journey, Benjamin Franklin used the time to develop a personal plan of conduct. His plan consisted of 13 virtues listed below. Franklin committed to focusing on one virtue per week. At the end of the 13th week, he would start the process over again; thus, cycling through the plan four times a year. Ben Franklin followed this plan until his death at age 79. He found comfort and happiness in each of the virtues and used these to guide his entire life.  Read the complete article at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/06/benjamin-franklins-13-virtues-measure.html

TOV describes something that is beautiful and pleasing to the Creator’s eyes because it protects life, preserves life, makes life more functional and improves the quality. TOV isn’t a secret. It is definitely a universal value. What would happen if members of the following religions made these their highest values and top priorities? ● You shall love your neighbor as yourself . (Judaism - Leviticus 19:18) ● What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is comm entary. (Judaism - Talmud, Shabbat 31a) ● Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do even so to them – for this is the law and the prophets. (Christianity - Matthew 7:12) ● And as you would that men should do to you, do also to them likewise . (Christianity - Luke 6:31) ● And don't do what you hate . (Christianity - Gospel of Thomas 6) ● None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself . (Isla...

The ancient Rabbinic Sages Taught: " Ayne Kemach, Ayne Torah ", essentially, if there's not food (bread), there can be no learning. A school kitchen manager in a Denver school district was fired recently. Her terrible Crime? She gave free lunches to some hungry students who did not have any money, some who were chronically hungry without funds. Others, she paid for their lunches out of her own money. This woman lives her Values! She could have been safe just " Following Orders ", instead she chose to Do TOV . Read Rabbi Leynor’s blog at -- http://tovcenter.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-school-kitchen-manager-teaches-us-tov.html

Dionysos   (Roman   name: Bacchus) was the ancient   Greek   god of wine, merriment, and theatre. Being the bad boy of Mt. Olympus, he was perhaps the most colorful of the Olympian Gods. The cult of Dionysos became significant in   Athens   from the 6th century BCE and the Dionysia festival of Athens and other   cities   would later evolve into the Bacchanalia of   Rome. The island of Naxos was a particularly important sanctuary to the god. There is evidence of a cult to Dionysos dating from the Mycenaean period (14th century BCE) and the site continued to be important right into the Roman period. There was also a sanctuary and theatre of Dionysos at Athens and a   temple   to the god at Dion (2nd century CE) which also had Mycenaean origins. See pictures and read the complete article at -- http://www.ancient.eu/Dionysos/

Allah has promised   Israel   to the Jews -- so says Sheikh Ahmad Adwan, a Muslim scholar living in Jordan, who declared on his   Facebook   page recently that " Palestine " doesn't exist. Blogger  Elder of Ziyon  translated Arab news sources that this Saturday reported on Adwan's   statements , in which he quotes the Koran saying Allah assigned   Israel   to the Jews until the Day of Judgement (Sura 5 Verse 21), and that Jews are the inheritors of   Israel   (Sura 26 Verse 59). Read complete article at -- http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/177182#.VW33-89Vikq

This past Sunday, which was both the Christian Pentecost and the Jewish Shavuot, Jewish protesters tried to prevent the Christians from worshipping in the Upper Room–which just happens to be over the so-called “Tomb of David.”   Israeli police say they forcibly removed dozens of Jewish protesters trying to prevent a Christian ritual from taking place at a holy site revered in both religions. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri says the skirmish took place Monday at a site revered by Jews as the tomb of the biblical King David and by Christians as the site of Jesus’ Last Supper. Read the complete article at -- http://jamestabor.com/2015/06/02/riots-on-mount-zion-christians-and-jews-in-conflict/