Updates from India 57

Comment

With Easter just past I have been thinking of a conversation I had with an Indian friend about the resurrection of Jesus.

There is ample proof that Jesus did exist, most scholars grant that, the historical evidence for Jesus of Nazareth is both long-established and widespread. Within a few decades of his lifetime, he is mentioned by Jewish and Roman historians, as well as by dozens of Christian writings. But the resurrection is another matter.

Below is a piece was written by Jack Zavada ( A career writer and guest contributor for About.com).  who answers this question clearly. Christian or non-believer this is worth a read.

by Jack Zavada

Updated March 03, 2017

Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ a historical event that really happened, or is it only a myth, as many atheists claim? While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same.

Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible's historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus.

Further nonbiblical evidence for Jesus' existence comes from the writings of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, and the Jewish Sanhedrin. The following seven proofs of the resurrection show that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION #1: THE EMPTY TOMB OF JESUS

The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus' body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ's apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid away; they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories.

Jesus' burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION #2: THE HOLY WOMEN EYEWITNESSES

The holy women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ's resurrection.

Women were second class citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to his resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this embarrassing act of God's favor, because that was how it happened.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION #3: JESUS' APOSTLES' NEW-FOUND COURAGE

After the crucifixion, Jesus' apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION #4: CHANGED LIVES OF JAMES AND OTHERS

Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION #5: LARGE CROWD OF EYEWITNESSES

A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time.

The Apostle Paul records this event in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 A.D. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION #6: CONVERSION OF PAUL

The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity's most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty, and years of ridicule. Finally, the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept—even welcome—such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.

PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION #7: THEY DIED FOR JESUS

Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is a historical fact. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader, but Christian martyrs have died in many lands, for nearly 2,000 years, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.

(Sources: gotquestions.org, xenos.org, faithfacts.org, newadvent.org, tektonics.org, biblicalstudies.info, garyhabermas.com, and ntwrightpage.com)

I hope having read this you go on to investigate the way Christ can change your life as He changed mine.

Our new wall

The new wall being plastered

We really like it because it gives us more privacy
and does not cause any shadow on the garden.
When finished we will plant peppers and papya trees
 here in full sun.

Getting hot again

Well, it's that time of the year again. Temp now
hitting 40+degC. So the cooler has come back.

For those that don't know, it works by pumping
water to a top drip tray that soaks back to the bottom
tank via the straw filters. Air is drawn in by the fan
through these wet filters cooling it.
The now cool but humid air is blown into the room.

I know it looks yuk but that is stain from the straw
filters. The biggest problem with it is the
water added to the air makes the room very humid.
We solve that by leaving a window open so that
air circulates around the room and out.

Adding a couple of 'icebergs' really helps

On the subject of water...................

One problem with the new house is we cannot use SODIS to purify our
water. Well, we could but it would mean Kris having to carry water to and from
the roof every day. We have bought a Reverse osmosis water purifier. The main problem with these
is the amount of water they waste. 60% -75% goes down the drain........HUGE waste.
We have reinvented things so that the water cooler no longer works with a sealed water bottle on top. It now has a removable 'lid' that allows us to fill it directly from the RO above it. This modification meant changing the bottle fitting from a vacuum seal to a pressure seal so the top could be opened without all the water pouring out. 

The 'waste' water is fed to a tub and is used for
washing up, floor cleaning etc. No waste!
We will fit a tap to it to make it easier to
get water out now that we have proved
the idea works.

Still on a water theme

We have begun to build a small pond for the birds in their run.
After a suspicious look or two, they have decided it's quite
good for not only drinking but cooling feet in!

Water again!

We have done away with the old broken fountain and turned it
into a cactus rockery. The wire is to keep Bleu' off until
the plants are established.

Looks like this now but can grow to 6ft!
We are going cactus hunting in the local area soon
for a few more native varieties.

Unwanted guests

We caught these two little fellows (mice) trying to move in
with us. With all the building work going on next door they
probably came looking for a better place to live.
Kris took them away and released them in the fields
about half a mile from here. We always use humane traps,
why kill them when you don't have to? Bleu' doesn't agree,
she caught and killed a rat last week in the garden!

Easter Sunday

While it was still dark (5am) we rode out into the mountains to watch the sunrise over God's creation on this very special day.

Early morning mists make it an enchanting spot.

It was a beautiful experience to pray and give thanks for
all He has given us in such a setting.

Comments from Kris

It’s been a slower month with the heat wave affecting most of India but especially Udaipur as it’s in a desert state. Even the locals have been having difficulty coping with the soaring temperatures, the summer has come early and temperatures have been high and are expected to climb further as summer continues. I feel sorry for the local labourers who have to continue to work even when most other people go indoors turn on their fans and or aircon and rest in the afternoons. Some of the local outdoor traders selling fruit and veg have taken to closing early then reopening around 5pm when its cooler. 

Some shops just close in the afternoons, but alas for the labouring class here that’s not possible as a lot are paid on daily rates, so no work no pay and are poorly paid for what they do. Labourers in the West would not accept the pay or conditions here.

Well a little about me, I have been concentrating on trying to get the new house sorted most of the boxes are now unpacked and I should have my studio up and running soon. I am excited to get back to painting again as I did not paint in the old house, I just did not feel relaxed and creative, this house certainly feels a happier home. I have lots of cupboard space to store things although I had to buy some small steps to help me reach the cupboards in the kitchen and bedrooms as being vertically challenged did not help.  I do feel this house has a nicer atmosphere and feels more welcoming, in fact all our friends who have visited so far have said so without any prompting from Chris or I, even Bleu’ and the chickens appear happier.

Work has been interesting I have just finished teaching a paper workshop with the first years which I did myself without Chris for the very first time, however, he was extremely supportive when we discussed how the sessions went and how I could change or improve future sessions. This was my first solo teaching experience and I loved it. Chris and I always teach together and I have really learned so much from him about the art of teaching effectively.

This workshop was over two days, run on Saturdays and the students only had newspaper, cellotape or masking tape, pens, pencils and water based paint with which to create something of their own choice. They worked in two teams and after doing their concept drawings which are compulsory they started to create and manipulate the newspaper. 

I must admit its great teaching art and creative arts again. Yesterday was the final session where they had to complete their projects and then present them for assessment in front of the whole class. A little daunting for them but helps them with doing their compulsory juries for other subjects, dissertations and thesis and helps build their English skills as all discussions must be undertaken in English.

We had some interesting pieces made and both groups decided to make more than one item. It’s a fun workshop but the students are expected to work and produce their final pieces on time, no extensions are given to help them learn to meet deadlines which are a necessary discipline for architects and students.

So the last few weeks have been very interesting for me in the workshop as the previous workshop was clay which again is my subject. I also like to help the students gain confidence and help them realise their creativity. If you ever pop into our workshops the first thing you will notice is that the students are always working and chatting and laughing away, we allow them to play music so long as it does not distract them from working. Saying that, we are very strict on time keeping and working and producing to the specified time limit. 

We have had the pleasure of working with another colleague during the last few workshops, she’s an architect and been at the college for a few years longer than us. I think once she got used to our more relaxed style she really started to enjoy workshops. Our next workshop is wood joints which Chris will lead as its too hot outside to complete our sundial workshop in this heatwave; this will be completed when the weather is cooler as a lot of outside work needs to happen. Our workshops are more practical than theoretical although we do include theory, but we believe the students doing hands-on work alongside theory reinforces and makes the experience more memorable and enjoyable.

Amberbai with her youngest child, he's at that
inquisitive stage and enjoyed investigating
when he visited us 

Well that's all from us this month, wishing all of our friends and family good health and happiness and above all don't put off till tomorrow what you could do today, you may miss brilliant opportunities and fun.
Take care and God Bless from Chris and Kris in a very hot Udaipur.