A typical cubic foot of air contains a million specks that are half a micron or larger (a micron is 1/25,000 of an inch), but the "clean rooms" at INTEL are different. Their standards will not allow more than one speck that is a half a micron or larger in the rooms where they manufacture the wafers that will become computer microprocessors.

INTEL goes to extreme measures to maintain cleanliness because they know that for their chips to work properly, they must be clean. The Christian's heart is no different, it must be clean to properly guide the believer. That's why King David cried out, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).

I felt like I was caught in the plot line of a bad B grade movie and that at any moment someone would emerge, light a cigarette, point a light in my eyes and say, "Ve ave vays of making you talk."

Lucky me. I was selected at random for a high tech search of my laptop computer as I passed through the security check point at the Albuquerque Sunport. The guard took a paper towel and wiped the outside of my laptop and put the towel over a small pipe emitting air. A moment later, she showed a printout to her supervisor. I strained to hear their conversation. "Run it again," he said.

By now, a line was forming behind me. She repeated the routine. Wiping my laptop, putting the paper over the small pipe and talking to her supervisor. After the third time, the supervisor came over and asked to see my ticket.

People were staring at me. I began to feel self conscious and kinda guilty. Guilty of what? I didn't know, but I felt the same way I did as a freshman in High School setting outside the principal's office because I smarted off at a teacher.

"Is there a problem?" I asked. "Your computer has set off three alarms, and we can't let you on the plane without the approval of the airlines." "What do you mean alarms—what kind of alarms?" Looking at the tape, the supervisor said, "The alarm is for plastic explosives." "Wait just a minute, the official from the airlines will be here soon."

There must be some kind of mistake, I thought. I looked at my watch, I'd been in line now for 30 minutes, I could miss my flight. I considered my options. I could leave my laptop behind, but I needed the Powerpoint presentation for the seminar I was leading in California and I was planning on writing an article on the plane that was due in five days.

When the official arrived, I answered a dozen questions. Then she asked, "Has anyone else touched your computer?" "Well I bought it used." "How long ago?" "Oh, last year." "Who did you buy it from." "I don't remember his name, all I remember is he was an engineer at Sandia." "Well that explains it," she said. "There is still a residue on the computer from when he handled it."

I couldn't believe my ears. They could detect what someone had on their hands who handled my computer over a year ago. Amazing. She let me proceed.

As I boarded the plane, I was relieved that everything worked out alright. I would meet my writing deadline, and be able to teach the seminar. But I couldn't help but think about the lingering effects of what we come in contact with. By now I wasn't thinking about plastic explosives anymore, I was thinking about the condition of my soul.

Psalm 24:3-4 NASB Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? [4] He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully.

I know that it isn't fair mentioning this so close to lunch time, so I ask your forgiveness in advance. Did you know that the Food and Drug Administration has a publication that gives acceptable levels of ingestion of food contaminates? The first paragraph of their "Food Defect Action Levels" booklet says, "Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 110.110 allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish maximum levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods for human use that present no health hazard. These "Food Defect Action Levels" listed in this booklet are set on this premise—that they pose no inherent hazard to health."

Not too bad, right? I'm not done yet. Did you know that, according to this publication, it is healthy for your Fig Newton to have up to thirteen insect heads per 100 grams of fig paste? Did you also know that up to four rodent hairs in a jar of peanut butter, or 5 milligrams of rat excrement per pound of sesame seeds won't hurt you?

As the Passover Celebration approached, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate warned Israeli citizens to be on the lookout for pirated boxes of Matzah bread. A week before the holiday began; police raided a warehouse containing a stockpile of 7 tons of Matzah marked with fake Kosher certificates. Matzah is the flat, unleavened bread eaten by Jews worldwide during the weeklong Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. In addition, it is the same bread Jesus ate at his final meal with his disciples is the basis for the communion ceremony in Christian churches.

In order to be “kosher” or clean, the law states the Matzah must be prepared under exacting standards using only certain materials. The rabbinate suspects the fake Matzah was made using non-kosher flour. Eating such Matzah on Passover would be the same as eating regular bread during the holiday, a prohibited practice. Roy Wolf, manager of a leading Israeli Matzah manufacturer sys they are working “24 hours a day, six days a week “ to ensure a Kosher product for the Passover celebration. Wolf said the tainted Matzah, “undermines the customer’s trust.” He added, “I can’t believe that someone would do something like that.”

--Israeli rabbis warn about fake Passover Matzah; http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iE48Z17G4NzpmCTcFUM36aXgnhgwD9EL4RR80 ; March 24, 2010. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Jesus used the unleavened Matzah to compare with His sinless life being offered as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. Jews accept no substitute for “kosher” Matzah, and we can accept no substitutes for the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (CEV) “I have already told you what the Lord Jesus did on the night he was betrayed. And it came from the Lord himself. He took some bread in his hands. (24) Then after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember me.’"

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple does not allow any applications that show explicit material to run on either the iPhone or the iPad. Jobs stand, while drawing fire from some quarters is simple. The Company has a "moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone."

Recently Jobs has found support from his biggest competitor. Microsoft has announced that the new Windows 7 mobile software will also forbid the use of pornographic sites.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NASB77) “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.”

Sexting is described as exchanging sexual communications over the internet or via cell phones. The ethical question this raises is sexting while involved in a relationship with another, cheating?

--The Week, July 1-8, 2011 p. 17 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

There is no question how Jesus would have answered that question. He said adultery begins in the mind.

Matthew 5:27-28 (NASB) (27) "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; (28) but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Most folks don’t usually think of Dolly Parton as an example of righteousness. Now 65 she has been a sex symbol in country music, television, and the movies for years. The truth is that when she was 18 years old, she met her husband to be, Carl Dean. She has been faithful to him ever since.

--The Week, September 2, 2011 p. 10 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Against trends in Nashville and Hollywood, Mr. and Mrs. Dean continue to have an enduring marriage.

Kylie Bisutil is a beautiful young woman who recently won Victoria’s Secret Model Search. She modeled the vast array of lingerie in the Victoria’s Secret Catalog. She gave up her job modeling the lingerie and when asked why, she replied, “My body should only be for my husband.” Miss Bisutil still models clothing but her testimony is, “I am a Christian and reading the Bible more, I was becoming more convicted about it.”

--World Magazine, February 25, 2012 p. 16 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

A new report by the Parents Television Council found 76 instances of full nudity on prime-time network TV in 2011. This is an increase of 407 percent from the previous year.

This is the impurity we fill our minds with, and then we wonder why our culture seems to be running downhill toward the gutter. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Philippians 4:8 (ESV) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

A.J. Clemente was just getting his start as a TV news anchor. In his first broadcast on a North Dakota station, not realizing he was live, he began with two curse words. It was a short career. He was fired.

How do you keep this from happening? Keep your thoughts and your speech pure at all times. Then it doesn’t matter if the microphone is on or not. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, May 3, 2013, p. 6; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktr3ofob8vY (accessed 7/1/13)

Philippians 4:8 (CEV) Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.

A study of the amount of chicken meat in chicken nuggets was published in the American Journal of Medicine. The nuggets are less than 50 percent meat. The rest is fat, blood veins, bone fragments and various other chicken parts. Does that disgust you?

Christians disgust others when their lives are less than pure. That is why James tells us to keep our lives unstained by the world. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

James 1:27 (HCSB) Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

When Misty Moser was preparing dinner for her family, she made a gruesome discovery in a bag of frozen green beans—a snake head.

Thankfully, she made the discovery before she sat the vegetables on the table.—Jim L. Wilson

Galatians 5:9 (NLT) This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!

The city council of a British community lost a nine-month legal battle to prosecute a man who accidentally dropped a piece of an orange peel. Luke Gutteridge was eating an orange and accidentally dropped a piece of the peel about the size of a dime. An enforcement officer for the city saw him and immediately accused him of littering and fined him. Gutteridge had already picked up the piece and thrown all of it away, apologized, but the officer refused to cancel the fine and told him he would be taken to court if he didn’t pay. Gutteridge took the challenge seriously because he had never even had a parking ticket and was determined to prove his innocence. He defended himself by arguing that littering is only an offence if there is proof the person intended to leave it. The judge agreed and as a result the Council had to pay the legal fees involved and used public money to do so. Gutterridge didn’t like the fact that public money was wasted on the case, and though he was upset, he said he would not pursue anything further. He said, “It was a waste of taxpayer’s money from the start. The council should pay the costs from its own pockets instead of expecting the taxpayers to pay for its own mess.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Council loses nine-month legal battle with man who accidentally dropped orange peel, By Jessica Fleig, http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/council-loses-nine-month-legal-battle-6010953, Accessed July 6, 2015.

Psalm 26:6 (NKJV) (6) I will wash my hands in innocence; So I will go about Your altar, O LORD,

Ashh Nicole posted a video to YouTube showing insects falling into the glaze as it poured onto to the pastries in a doughnut shop in North Carolina.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/10/28/Doughnut-shop-customer-films-bugs-falling-into-glaze/9151446053180/?spt=sec&or=on

That video, coupled with the recent report that Ariana Grande licked donuts displayed in another doughnut shop is enough to make me think twice about my craving for sweet pastries in the morning.—Jim L. Wilson

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/ariana-grande-kisses-backup-dancer-licks-donuts-hate-america-201587

Purity

Chipotle has become one of America’s most successful restaurant chains by touting its use of “fresh, often locally sourced, ingredients” for its tacos and burritos. It has boasted that its food is free of genetically modified organisms, GMO’s.

Nevertheless, in 2015, the company was staggered because of a series of food-poisoning outbreaks on both the west and the east coasts. Commentators are accusing Chipotle of following fads rather than modern food safety techniques.

Jesus, preaching in the Sermon on the Mount, concludes with a challenge for believers to live what they profess. If they profess Jesus as Lord, they should live with Jesus as Lord. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Matthew 7:21 (HCSB)“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

The cleaning crew at an Italian museum has trouble knowing the difference between art and garbage. While cleaning the museum they mistook an exhibit for garbage and threw it away. The art piece consisted of empty champagne bottles, cigarette butts, and confetti, all of which was discovered in a recycling bin and restored to the exhibit.

Many times, we have the same problem recognizing the difference between those things that are pure and those things that are the trash of our culture. Paul urges us to hold on to those things that are pure. One key to doing this is to be able to recognize purity. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Philippians 4:8–9 (HCSB)“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. ⁹ Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Dovey is a 4-year-old shar-pei living with a loving family in Oklahoma. When she began vomiting and losing weight the family took her to the veterinarian. An x-ray of Dovey’s stomach revealed not only her health problem but solved the mystery of the disappearing pacifiers. The x-ray showed 7 to 9 pacifiers in the dog’s stomach. The veterinarian did surgery and removed 21 pacifiers from the dog.

In the same way, if we spend our time consuming cultural pacifiers, our spiritual health will be damaged. To grow spiritually healthy, it is important to consume spiritual food. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.

A 26-pound lump of blue ice landed in the middle of Fazilpur Badli in rural India. Excited villagers thought it was an asteroid or perhaps a piece of a UFO. They chopped off samples and stored it in their refrigerators. When authorities examined it they determined it was likely human waste that was discharged from a passing plane’s toilet. Liquid disinfectants caused the blue color. That set off a flurry of refrigerator scrubbing and general house cleaning. After all, who wants to store human waste in their dwelling place?

That is the idea behind the Apostle Paul’s admonition that we keep the things we say, hear, think, and do pure. Who wants the filth of the world invading our lives? —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Vanilla Almond Breeze is a milk substitute used by many people who have an allergy to cow’s milk. The makers of Almond Breeze recently recalled a shipment of their product because it may contain actual milk. The milk could prove serious or even life threatening to someone with milk allergies.

How much impurity does it take to make a product impure? Just a tad if we are talking milk. Paul tells us not to allow any impurity into our lives. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.

The Roxy 8 multiplex theater in Dickson, Tenn., has made the decision not to use profanity on their signs. When the movie Hellboy was showing at the theater they changed the sign to read Heckboy. The manager “Belinda Daniel, explained that the theater does not use “profanity” on signs. “We are located next to an elementary school and across from a church,” she said.” –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

While that may seem like a small thing, profanity is not a minor thing. When the crowds around the trial of Jesus where trying to tie Peter to Jesus none of his protestations dissuaded them. Until, that is, he cursed and swore. After that no one accused him of being with Jesus.

Matthew 26:74 (CSB) Then he started to curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed,

A man who bought a painting form a Canadian thrift store for $96 reported he had learned the painting might be worth as much as $20,000. Stephen Burgess said he regularly buys art and frames from thrift stores to decorate his home and this painting in an ornate frame caught his eye. He originally planned to use the frame for something else because he thought the painting was a mass-produced print by Dutch artist Gerritjen Wijmer. Later, he found a stamp from Munich, Germany on the back of the canvas and oil brushes strikes which indicated the painting might be an original. Another painting by the same artist recently sold for more than $200,000, and Burgess believes he needs to do more research before he decides what to do with the picture. —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/08/11/canada-thrift-store-paining-Wijmer-Stephen-Burgess-Value-Village-Courtenay-British-Columbia/7491628710735/

and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.