Where is the “Ark Of The Covenant? An old classic movie was on TV the other night with Indiana Jones searching for the Ark of The Covenant. According to the movie, the container of the Ten Commandments was located, and after people that looked at it were melted, it was unceremoniously stored in a Government warehouse among other anonymous similarly shaped unmarked crates. I decided to do some research about its actual location. The Covenant, the stone tablets etched with the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God, is first mentioned in Exodus, chapter 24. Moses was also given the precise dimensions of construction for the Arc of the Covenant, tables, altars, curtains and robes for the Holy Temple and inner enclosure. (Exodus, chapters 25 to 31) Moses had the Temple built, and for the next two hundred and fifty years, the Arc resided in this great Jewish temple in Jerusalem. During this entire time it was associated with numerous extraordinary phenomena, many of which involved the killing or burning of often large numbers of people.
          But roughly three thousand years ago, this awesome object vanished from its place in the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple. A popular theory is that it was stolen by Prince Menelik, the offspring of King Solomon and Ethiopia’s Queen of Sheba, taken to Ethiopia’s sacred city of Axum, (sometimes spelled Aksum) where it has since remained.
          The Smithsonian sent historian Paul Raffaele to Ethiopia recently to try to confirm the existence of the Arc there. In the capital City, Addis-Ababa, he interviewed Abuna Paulos, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The high priest confirmed that the Arc still resides in Aksum. After a 350 mile long, slow journey over rutted trails and hostile terrain, Raffaele arrived at Aksum. He was taken to the heavily guarded chapel where the Arc resides and was allowed to talk briefly with the current “Guardian of the Arc”. This man, about fifty years old, is the only one allowed to view the Arc. When he dies, another guardian will be selected to continue the tradition.
          In a summation of his findings, Raffaele said that in the absence of absolute proof, he will take the Ethiopians at their word, and assume the Arc does reside there. It makes sense, but nobody really knows for sure, except one man, The Guardian of the Arc. I’d like to go see him some day, and maybe even take a chance at sneaking a peak into the guarded chapel. On the other hand, I think not. The fear of being melted alive would keep me from defiling it with my presence.

Church Suffers Wind Damage, but Fared Better than Some.
March winds blew into Bakersfield early this year, playing havoc and making a mess of things in mid February. Trees were toppled, power lines were blown down, signals were out and PG&E was having a time of it trying to get power turned on throughout town. Our power in the northwest was out for almost 24 hours before it was Restored. Our Church also sustained extensive damage to the sanctuary building roof. We have been dealing with insurance adjusters and accepting roofing repair estimates in preparation for repair or replacement of our old sloped shingle roof over the sanctuary. And even though we could be looking at a replacement bill of around $20,000.00, we survived much better than those who endured hurricanes and tornados in other parts of the country.
Tornadoes swept through Tennessee and other neighboring states leaving paths of destruction. Latest reports count over 60 that lost their lives and many more with injuries. Others were left virtually untouched by the terrible windstorms. A baby was found alive after being thrown over 100 yards from where his former home had been. His dead mother was found nearby. One man said he dove under some furniture as the wind hit, and he felt the floor, and building being sucked up and out from under him. He was left on a dirt pile uninjured. A friend reported that ten students at a Baptist( cont)

 Grandpa Dick and the GoBIT Machine.
 It was right before Christmas and all was serene, Grandma Bev watching TV and me at my screen, when an idea came over me, like I’ve never seen. I tore open my Bible, closed my eyes to think, my brain started to hurt and my eyes made a blink. Then my hands were a flying, sending keyboard a clatter, Bev jumped from her chair to see what was the matter. I sat there just beaming, my eyes were so keen, “I believe I invented the GoBIT machine.” “What is it?” she shouted all calm and sublime, “It’s the GoBIT machine, that takes you Back In Time.” “So how does it work,” she said with a smile, “Just pick a scripture, and use your clicker to dial.” Then I heard her exclaim, as she walked out of sight, “Now I’ve heard everything, I’m going to bed—Good night!”
So now you know the start of the GoBIT machine. All you need is an imagination, your Bible and a TV clicker. Turn off the TV, pick a scripture, punch it in on the clicker, and close your eyes. OK, you’ve got the basics, so let’s go on our first GoBIT adventure. Let’s click on Luke 2:1 and go back to the time of Jesus’ birth….. I see a guy leading a Donkey carrying a young lady and she looks like she is ready to give birth. We follow them into town to try to find a room, and finding nothing available, they are offered a stable. Animals are milling around as we are distracted by a bright heavenly light. The woman has given birth to a baby and they have named him Jesus. We are background to a strange crèche. No shepherds or Wise Men are here, (they come later), just this man Joseph with his wife Mary and the baby. We observe like the crowd in a cell phone commercial as the new baby is wrapped in some clean white cloths, and angels descend, following the bright star. We have the advantage of knowing who Jesus is and what he will do for us, but right at this moment it seems like time stands still as we watch in awe. Wouldn’t you know, the phone rings and breaks the spell. We answer the phone, but when we come back, the GoBIT session is over. Wow! What did you think about that? What a way to complete the Christmas Season. I thought it was too short, so next time I’m taking the phone off the hook. My wife slept through the whole thing. I can’t wait to tell her about it.. Grandpa Dick