Youth for Truth

How Important is a Good Foundation Part 2

2012-02-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

As we prepare to travel to Egypt you may want some cool clothes as it may get quite warm. But besides that, let’s get stated.

Meandering along the Egyptian landscape winds the Nile River with its lush green river banks and tall waving palm trees. It winds its way around large crowded cities and small bustling towns, through meadows and past mountains. But the most impressive place it paces is the Capital City, Cairo Egypt. This is the place that many tourists come and stay, for it is not far from many Historic attractions. Today we will squeeze through its busy streets on our way to our site of interest.

Located about ten miles from this swarming city lays the Great Giza Plateau with its famous Pyramids. Today the Great Khufu Pyramid, or otherwise known as the Great Pyramid of Giza, will be our main interest.

This Pyramid is different from all other pyramids in that no dead king has ever been found to have been buried here. And also this pyramid is the only pyramid found to have an ascending passage. This Pyramid has some very interesting things about it that we do not have time to get into in this brief visit.

The Great Pyramid of Giza in not called Great for any small reason. The mere footprint of the base of this pyramid covers over 13 acres, with an astounding volume of some 90 million cubic feet. It towers roughly 454 feet into the air, which is equivalent to a modern 48-story building. It is composed of over 2.5 million blocks of lime stone. Each one of these blocks weigh in at an amazing weight of 2 to 70 tons. It is stated that "You could build 30 Empire State buildings with the masonry of this one Pyramid.” But the big question is, “Why is this Pyramid still standing?” “Should it not have sunk by now, sitting in the sand like it is?” “The Leaning Tower of Pisa is sinking and it is a much smaller structure, set in seemingly better conditions. So why is the Leaning Tower of Pisa sinking, and this Great Pyramid of Giza not sinking?”

Well the answer to all these questions lies beneath the sandy ground. Under this Great Pyramid rises a great rock mountain, giving it the sure foundation it needs to stand the test of time. The Leaning Tower of Pisa does not have anything like this mountain to keep it standing, so it sinks. But this Great Pyramid has a Rock Mountain sustaining and holding it firm.

These two stories, of these famous and grand structures, remind me of another story that Jesus told, The old story of a Wise and a Foolish builder. The Wise builder, it simply states, Dug deep into the ground and laid the foundation for his house upon a rock. When the tempests and floods came, the Wise builder’s house stood firm. The Bible writer Luke describes the strength of this house in this brief statement, “when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.” (Luke 6:48) Now the Foolish builder did not bother wasting his time with the extra work. Instead He built his house upon the solid sand. I will let Luke describe the state of this Builder’s house when the same floods came his way. “The stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it (the house) fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:49)

Now that we have looked at these two immense structures, The Leaning Tower of Pisa and The Great Pyramid of Giza. We can see what a difference a good foundation can make. Now the question we need to ask is, “Do we need a good foundation to plant our feet upon?” I will let Mrs. White answer this one. “Our eternal safety depends upon our building upon the sure foundation. Multitudes are today building upon foundations that have not been tested. When the rain falls, and the tempest rages, and the floods come, their house will fall, because it is not founded upon the eternal Rock, the chief cornerstone Christ Jesus.” {DA 599.4}

If “our eternal safety depends upon our building upon the sure foundation” don’t you think we should know for sure what the foundation for our feet is?

Join us for part three next time as we explore what our foundation is.

How Important is a Good Foundation?

2012-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

Today we are going to travel. On this trip we will be making a stop in Italy and another one in Egypt. No one needs a passport or a visa, but we do need thinking caps.

Before we get started though, I’d like to tell you a little about the journey we are going to take. We will be exploring two ancient structures, both still standing. They both have a story to tell, and though mysterious it may seem, their stories are a question for us. Let’s get started.

Nestled by the Arno River, sits the beautiful Town of Pisa Italy perfectly back dropped by the tall Tuscany Hills. Near the Historical center of this beautiful town sits the famous Miracle Square, with its Cathedral, Baptistery, and of course the Bell Tower. The Bell Tower, otherwise known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is going to be the main interest for this stop in Italy.

Picture Used from telegraph.co.uk

The tower has a rich history dating back to the time when the foundation was laid beginning in 1173, but we do not have time, in this brief visit, to explore its vast history, so we will just try to catch the highlights before we have to go on to our next stop in Egypt.

One of the questions that some of you may be asking is “Why does this tower lean?” This is actually a very easy question to answer. In 1178 when the work had progressed to only the second floor, it was discovered that the Tower was sinking. This was due to a mere three meter foundation, set in weak, unstable soil. The village of Pisa actually got its name in 600 B.C. from a Greek word meaning “Marshy Land” and the Free Standing Bell Tower of Miracle Square is not the only thing “sinking” in Pisa. The Cathedral and Baptistery are also sinking, and it is interesting to find that there are several other “Leaning Towers” in this same city.

The Towers weight is estimated at an astounding 16,000 tons. It is no wonder that the Tower is slowly sinking with the inadequate foundation it has, set in the soil that it is set in.

Used from fabmums.com

In 1990 it was discovered that the Tower was leaning an amazing 5.5 degrees over its foundation. That is some 16 or so feet that the top was leaning out over the base. Immediately crews were set to work to bring the tower into a more stable position. Loose sandy soil was dug out from the High side in an attempt to bring the Tower the other way. Heavy weights were then applied, once again to the high side, causing it to settle even more. In the end the Tower was brought to a safer lean of 3.99 degrees. They might have been able to bring it the rest of the way, but they left it somewhat leaning because “The Leaning Tower of Pisa” is a tourist attraction and they most likely would have lost the attraction when they lost the lean.

For over eight hundred years this amazing Tower has been standing. But what a different story we could have told, if only it had had the foundation it needed. Just think for a moment with me, If it had the foundation it needed, it may have still been an attraction for Tourists, but it would have never needed all the time and work that was put into it to try to save it. How badly do we need a good foundation to plant our feet upon?

Well I do fear that our time here in Pisa has come to a close, but I will not soon forget this amazing Tower and its story. As we prepare to travel to Egypt you may want some cool clothes as it may get quite warm. But besides that, let’s get stated.

Join us again for part two next time. “How important is a good Foundation part 2”

Information for this post was gleaned from: Wikipedia; towerofpisa.info; TLC Family; BBC News for 1990 on Leaning Tower of Pisa; and a few other sites.

What to do next...

2011-12-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

The next logical question that should be asked is, “How shall we build our house of Truth? Shall we start by building the foundation? Or shall we start by placing the pillars?”

My Father is a Framing Carpenter and my Grandfather a Concrete Contractor, and as a result I have noticed that my dad never starts building a house until my grandfather has laid the foundation. Now if my Dad were to start building, before the foundation was laid, I am afraid that the house would not last the test of time, but would be easily swayed by wind and storm.

So the question still remains “How shall we build our house of Truth?” Do we want our “Truth House” to be easily swayed, or do we want it to stand the test of time? I say “Let us lay a good foundation!”

Please leave your Comments below so that we know how to build.

2011-11-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

The shrieky notes of the well known hymn swelled, fell and then died away in a off key tone that would have caused any one with musical ability to wilt with the mere sound. A slight clearing of the throat then was heard, followed by a loud, “Now let us turn to our scripture reading for this morning,” being very much mimicked from some recently attended church service.

The illiterate preacher noisily tuned the pages of the Bible, in hand, to find the memorized passage of Scripture that would be the moments “Scripture Reading.”

“John three sixteen,” the voice once again boomed, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

A mere second of silence fell on the empty living room furniture, but was quickly broken by the loud, childish voice of the little preacher.

“Today we need to understand this verse of Scripture. It is telling us that God loves us sssooooo much that He sent us His only son to die on a cross for everyone.”

The little preacherete went on, “And if we believe on Him we will have everlasting life, that means a home with Jesus. So let’s believe on Jesus right now so that we can be with Him forever.” With that the sermon was completed, the Bible was closed and the small girl jump off her bucket platform.

“Mommy, Mommy,” she shouted while running through the house, “When I grow up I want to be a preacher!”

Like that small girl preacher God is calling each one of us to preach, weather it may be in front of a congregation or by a pure holy life, and He is telling each one of us, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:7, 8 NIV) If He is really calling us to preach do you not think that we should know what we are preaching? My goal on this blog is to study out what we believe so that we can rightly preach that sermon, wherever it may be.

“We should know why we believe as we do, and should be able to give to others the reasons for our faith. But this will require effort. The mind grows by what it is fed upon. The understanding gradually adapts itself to the subjects which it is required to grasp. If allowed to dwell only upon the things of this life, it becomes dwarfed and enfeebled. If absorbed in vanity and folly, it will after a time almost lose the power of growth. To secure strength and vigor, the mind must be tasked; and there is no other means by which this can be so successfully accomplished as by the study of the Scriptures.” {ST, March 9, 1882 par. 12}