History as Science?

Do you think it is possible for historians to present the past in an accurate, truthful and objective way? 


This question was evoked (not expressed) by my second travel companion.   On my return flight from South Africa, last year, I was seated next to my first co-traveller, an Astro-Physicist, Pieter Meintjies:  a lovely Christian family man. 

This post is mainly about the second traveller on the last leg of my journey home on the bumpy 724 bus from Heathrow. I never got to know the older British gentleman's name, but I soon found out he is a research Professor in history at Harvard University - specializing in French History.

Our conversation was stilted (I'm nowhere with history!) and he wasn’t  going to talk  - not even about the weather.  Also, we were travel-weary and looked rather dishevelled after night-flights.

But…the conversation took off when I mentioned newspaper-talk (August 2011)  in South Africa about  a proposed re-write of school history.  I did remember some of my own school history way before 1994, under the National Party & freely admitted it was one-sided.  The SA newspapers-debate revolved around the ANC (African National Council)’s desire to provide school children with a history "to make people proud". 

He got visibly irritated with me when I (full of respect) expressed sympathy about the difficulty to be objective and accurate about history, with obstacles such as:

• flawed presuppositions built on limited knowledge and insight, 
• limited knowledge of people's motivations,
• abundant false reporting, political manipulations, cover-ups and so on.

  This was the gist of the question, asked in a non-critical attitude.

He replied – seemingly more in defence than humility - that they are doing their best and are as honest and accurate as they can be.  I expressed admiration – even awe for all their research.  (Not that he needed my affirmation - and not that I had a fraction of insight into how hard and how smart they are working!)   And once more, I wondered aloud, about human objectivity and discovering true and accurate history. 

After he dragged his suit-case off at his stop, we waved polite goodbyes, and I wished I asked him:  "Can history be true science?"  And, "how can we know the truth?". Jesus' makes a staggering and divine claim to be the truth.  I believed my Lord, full or truth and grace, afresh, with all my heart – anchored!

“Bless the Harvard History Research Professor by finding as much true data as possible in his important research work; bless him with increased ability to have insight into the big picture and how things fit together. And bless him by opening the eyes of his heart to find the historical Jesus and to be found by Him: the Way, the Truth and the Life”

It was thrilling to see my Gordon at the Galleria bus stop – we were together again!  So many fresh SA-memories to share as well as the bus-conversation.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011

If you are in a mad rush, just have a look at the pictures and enjoy.  If you have a bit more time, you may want to read and share the impressions in the "box".  If you really get into the swing of the content, a fuller description supplied by the organizers of the Exhibition, is all yours.

On Friday 6th January I took the Green Line Coach from Hatfield to the National History Museum in Kensington London to view the highly recommended exhibition.  I set aside a generous chunk of three hours – they just flew in the light of the delight!

My overall response was awe before my Creator.

I was also most impressed with the dedication and sacrifices of the photographers to get that shot.  As a photographer-enthusiast I was interested in the techniques, story behind the photograph, the methods and the equipment used.  This information was part of the description of every image. The one disappointment was that the megapixels together with dimensions of the original photographs weren't included.

In this post, I share the picks of my favourites:  those images that stopped me in my tracks.  Those that  had the force to make me linger, respond emotionally, explore, be surprised, question and – call it hedonistic – delight.

I do hope you are about to enjoy some of these choices too.  Undoubtedly your personal best would differ from this selection.  As I plan to post some more impressions to the Wildlife Photographer 2011 Exhibition, you may spot those images that appeal to you personally.

In the white table-box, you will find my personal impressions and after each image, the description as supplied by the organisers of the Exhibition.

Psalm 24:1  “The earth is the LORD’S and everything in it the world and all who live in it…”

Philippians 4:8 “…. whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. “

The tern’s head and red, red beak are in pin-sharp focus while the rest of the photo is soft, serene and yet lively.  Understandably the images on the Natural History Museum website consist of the minimum pixels.  The idea is to protect the owners’ rights and to encourage viewers to go along in person and be treated by “the real maccoy”.  I found the admission cost worth every penny!

Ole Jørgen Liodden (Norway)
Midnight tern
Having led many trips to Norway's Svalbard archipelago, Ole knows exactly where to go for wildlife. When on location, he sleeps in the day and photographs at night, always carrying two cameras, ready for the moment. On this occasion, he was near Longyearbyen on the island of Spitzbergen. It was midnight when the light appeared, penetrating through the clouds and illuminating the valley up ahead. 'Midnight light is like a long-lasting, beautiful sunset,' he says. This time, though, it was so overwhelmingly beautiful that Ole started to walk towards it 'as though entranced'. And then the Arctic tern appeared. Pure magic. Ole adjusted his shutter speed to blur the background and tracked the tern - symbol of the Arctic - as it flew over the tundra alongside him.
Nikon D3S + 600mm f4 lens; 1/8 sec at f13; ISO 100.

I have a soft spot for the oyster catcher and am thrilled with the success of their conservation in South Africa.  Many a time I’ve tried to photograph pairs in Jeffrey's Bay, a surfing mecca on the Garden Route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

Peter Chadwick (South Africa)
Taking off
With space at a premium, the normally territorial African black oystercatchers on Malgas Island, South Africa, are forced to congregate when feeding on the rocky shore. It's a time of intense social interaction, different breeding pairs flying in to claim their turn at the seaside table, prising shellfish off the rocks both to eat and to take back for their chicks. All the while, they keep an eye on the waves. 'They usually know exactly when to run from a crashing wave,' says Peter, 'but this wave seemed to take them by surprise'. Found only along the coastline of southern Africa, the charismatic species is the subject of a conservation success story. Back in the 1980s, numbers had declined to some 4,500 birds, mainly because their breeding beaches are also where humans with their dogs and off-road vehicles go, resulting in the death of many of the chicks. But though the species remains near-threatened, protection from disturbance in the breeding season has resulted in an increase in numbers to about 6,000.
Nikon D300S + 500mm f4 lens; 1/1600 sec at f8; ISO 640; Manfrotto tripod.

No wonder these sunset-kissed snow-drops caught the eyes of the judges and was awarded winner in its category.  I find snowdrops very difficult to capture.  It’s still very cold when they make their appearance and to photograph them from an interesting angle you need to do the leopard crawl to get the elf’s view.  These three beauties could have been called “The three graces”.  Interesting and do-able technique.

Sandra Bartocha (Germany)
Harbinger of spring
'My favourite time of the year is when the first snowdrops appear - the harbingers of spring,' says Sandra. 'When I see them, the air suddenly smells fresher and the sun feels a little warmer.' Sandra found this delicate group in a marshy area on the shore of Lake Tollensesee in Mecklenburg, Western Pomerania, Germany, overhung with a criss-cross mass of leafless tree branches. 'The setting sun created a beautiful orange reflection on the water behind, and I could hear great crested grebes calling. I took an in-camera double exposure image, with one sharp exposure and then one much softer one, so the scene would appear as dreamy as it felt.'
Nikon D700 + Meier Görlitz Trioplan 100mm f2.8 lens; 1/50 sec at f2.8; ISO 200.

Patience pays, but even so, ants wait for no-one!  Isn’t this priceless and timeless!

Ant line
It was the shape of the dried-up, torn leaf that caught Adithya's eye. It hung from a tree on his farm in the forests of India's Western Ghats. He spent much of the day photographing the simple, abstract shape, but the results 'were too abstract and simple,' he says. 'So I waited, hoping that an insect, a dragonfly, for example, might land on it.' In the end, he waited four days. Then, finally, nature obliged. 'An ant climbed onto the leaf. But it was in such a hurry that I only managed to get four images,' only two of which worked for him. They worked because, by then, Adithya knew exactly how to achieve the effect he wanted.
Nikon D90 + 70-300mm lens; 1/500 sec at f8; ISO 400.

Layer upon layer, this image of the flamingo’s gripped me!  Aided by the weather and a predator and a beanbag……what a winning image.  It works!

 
Paul Goldstein (United Kingdom)

Taking flight
Paul arrived very early on the shores of Lake Nakuru, Kenya, before the rising sun had burnt off the mist. He had returned to photograph the greater and lesser flamingos and used shade, shadows and silhouettes to create drama, rather than sunlight to emphasize their vivid colours. He was helped by a combination of circumstances: rain during the night, a rapidly clearing sky, enough time for the cold air to form mist over the alkaline waters and a hyena hunting for young or infirm birds along the far shore of the soda lake. The predator set up a wave of panic, with those closest to it taking flight and those nearest to Paul standing alert. Ten minutes later, not only had the whole flock lifted up, but the mist had also burnt off, completely changing the scene.
Canon EOS-1D Mark 4 + 500mm f4 IS lens; 1/5000 sec at f10 (-1.7 e/v); ISO 200; beanbag.
 

I’ve grown to love the wild poppies in the fields in the UK.  After this winning picture, I hope to be as much tuned in for the seed-heads as the striking back-lit flowers.

David Maitland (UK)
Fading beauty
On a car-park embankment near David's home in Wiltshire, a mass of poppies appeared one day. 'I love poppies,' he says, 'and I can't resist photographing them. It's hard to think of another plant that's so fleetingly beautiful . . . But when poppies flower en masse, it's almost too much, and it's hard to capture the ephemeral nature of their beauty.' For a week he checked on the patch every day, looking for a particular grouping. 'I wanted an image of simplicity - mostly of spent seedheads, with just a few poppies still in full bloom,' he explains. From a prone position, he shot them against an overcast sky to create an architecture of stems 'with little flashes of brilliance'. Three days later, someone 'weed-killered the lot,' he says. 'Most hadn't set seed. So there'll be no poppy meadow there next year.'
Canon EOS 5D Mark II + 70-200mm f2.8 lens; 1/160 sec at f11; ISO 50.

This minute image does not even start to convey the force, the other-worldliness, the impact, the shapes in the original.  What a stunning world and sky – what a stunning Creator and Saviour!

Stephane Vetter (France)
Celestial arch
Stephane took two hours to walk to Creux du Van in western Switzerland, laden with heavy equipment. He had chosen this natural rocky amphitheatre as a grand backdrop to showcase his subject - the Milky Way. The temperature was -15°C (-5°F), but the sky was clear and there was no wind. He set up camp in the dark beside the ravine, his tripod balanced on the edge. 'The sky moves surprisingly quickly,' says Stephane, 'and I needed to be ready for the moment the Milky Way was right above the Creux du Van'. Clouds on the horizon blocked stray light from towns and villages. 'Gazing at the myriad of stars and constellations,' adds Stephane, 'it's fascinating to think that some of that light set off towards Earth millions of years ago'. He took 24 images of the vista. These were then 'stitched' to create a panoramic view, showing the celestial curve of the Milky Way complemented by the terrestrial curve of ancient rock.
Nikon D3 modified with Baader IR cut filter + 24mm f1.4 lens; 20 sec at f1.8; ISO 4000; Bilora C283 tripod + Ninja Nodal 5 panoramic head.

The size of the displayed photograph left me feel the heat off the dune, the softness of the texture.  Take a step forward and see that those small trees are in reality, huge trees. Experience something of the scale and the double-delight.

Alessandra Meniconzi (Switzerland)
Gobi oasis
China is second home to Alessandra. She's travelled the country since childhood, visiting the most remote and wild corners, often cycling or hitch-hiking to get there. During a trip to Inner Mongolia, Alessandra travelled to the Alxa Desert Geopark in the Gobi Desert, which has the world's highest stationary dunes and more than 140 spring-fed lakes, and is a centre for the study of desertification. Climbing the highest dune, the oasis scene below took her breath away. 'I have never seen scenery like this: thousands of small, wind-moulded dunes sunk into one huge one, the scene doubled in size by the reflection in the lake, so that I felt lost in the middle of a huge ocean of sand. The only sounds were the soft whistle of the wind and early-morning birdsong. I felt regenerated.'
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III + 70-200mm f2.8 lens; 1/20 sec at f8; ISO 100; Giotto tripod.

Isn’t this cuteness itself!  I was so hoping to find a small print, or  postcards in the Natural History Museum.  Our grandchildren in New Zealand and Germany would have had a good look and giggle.  But all the images of this  Quinling monkey was sold out.  No wonder!

Cyril Ruoso (France)
Tiny warm-up
Folded up into a fur-ball, this youngster is warming its extremities in between bouts of play and feeding. He is part of a band of about 70 or so Qinling golden snub-nosed monkeys living high up in China's Qinling Mountains, surviving on lichen, leaves, bark and buds. 'If mother is not around to cuddle up to, then sitting like this is the best way to keep warm in the extreme winter cold,' says Cyril. Sitting apart from its mother also makes such a little monkey vulnerable to attack by goshawks or golden eagles. The species is endangered, and this subspecies probably numbers no more than about 4,000. The total population of all races of golden snub-nosed monkeys is only 8,000-20,000.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III + 400mm f2.8 lens; 1/200 sec at f2.8; ISO 400.

Household Hints just before Christmas

Because I can never for my life remember most household tips, I made notes from a library book and recorded them here for future reference.  Who knows, you too may pick up a tip or two!

Some of these may very well be old hat to you.  I have included vehicle-tips, because as the wife of a precious husband who does all the car-jobs, I have not the first inkling of  the most basic and elementary checks needed.  It can only be a good thing, to up the knowledge from naught to two.

So, here is the harvest of my reading and note-taking while on the bus or waiting for a bus between Hatfield and St Albans. I hope there will be an idea or two you could add to your own repertoire!

1. When doing the dishes. add vinegar to rinse water.
2. For shine-as-new, soak glass-ware in warm white vinegar.
3. Rub half a lemon around plugholes to help remove lime scale deposits.
4. Keep a damp cloth handy to wipe up spills.
5. Sprinkle spills in the oven with salt and wipe off when your oven is cool.
6. Treat stubborn spills with a paste of bicarb and water.  Leave for 10-15 minutes.  Wipe with soft cloth.  Only do this when your oven is cool.
7. Clean and deodorize your micro-oven like this:  Place 3 or 4 slices of lemon in water.  Leave for one minute on high.  Wipe inside.
8. Pour out water in your kettle after use to prevent lime scale.
9. Sprinkle the bin with biacarb.
10. Soak the shower head in a bowl of vinegar. Scrub holes with an old toothbrush.
11. Use foamy oven cleaner for grout – open the windows! Spray, count to 3, wipe and rinse straight away.
12. Prevent mould in the bathroom by once in a while wiping a little baby oil over the bathroom walls and ceiling.
13. To shine taps, use a little bit of toothpaste and wipe with damp cloth.
14. Use washing up liquid to clean baths.
15. Clean plughole by pouring in one cup of washing soda and then a kettle-full of boiling water.
16. Clean and tidy as you go.
17. To get grease on upholstery off, mix 2 teaspoons vinegar and 250ml luke-warm water.  Wipe.
18. Clean windows on a dry, dull day.
19. Pick up slivers of glass by using a slice of bread.
20. Cheap and effective window-clean: Add a good dash of vinegar to water:  it cuts through grease and keeps flies away.
21. Very dirty windows:  1 teaspoon household ammonia and 1 tablespoon methylated spirits in 2 cups of water.  Decant into a labelled spray bottle.
22. A few drops of glycerine on a cloth  - wipe – this will stop mirror or windows from steaming up.
23. Or….run the cut side of a potato across windows or mirrors (also for car)
24. Clean your washing machine as follows:  Run 4-4 litters of white vinegar though your machine on a warm water setting, followed by a rinse cycle.
25. Check your washing machine fittings from time to time.
26. Pre-treat collars by rubbing them with soap or make a paste of bicarb and white vinegar and give them a good scrub with an old toothbrush.  For oily marks, use shampoo.
27. Stains – soak clothes in cold water.
28. Use 1 part glycerine to 2 parts water – apply to stain – leave for an hour.  Wash.
29. For anti-perspirant stains, rub with a toothbrush a paste of biacarb, salt and water.
30. Spray cotton wool with your favourite scents.  Let it dry and pack amongst your clothes.
31. Banish smelly shoes by filling old socks with cat litter and stuffing shoes with those.
32. To deal with lime scale in an iron: fill it with white vinegar, turn up the heat to the steam setting. Switch off, cool down and pour out.  Refill with water and repeat until all the residue is removed.
33. To save electricity, turn appliances off at the sockets.  The computer screen uses the most electricity of the whole c computer.
34. Find out how to foil-back your radiator.
35. Thermostat on hot water:  60 degrees are enough.
36. Make your own sandwiches.
37. Talcum powder sprinkled into the joints and gaps between floorboards can stop creaks.
38. Silence squeaking hinges with a bit of washing-up liquid, a pencil or a bit of washing-up liquid.
39. Check under the car for fluid leaks.
40. Bodywork damage – get fixed asap.
41. Change windscreen wipers once or twice a year and check for splits and tears.
42. Check oil once a month.
43. Check oil: pull the dipstick out, wipe clean. Make sure the oil level is above the minimum mark.  Top up with the correct grade of oil –see your car manual.
44. Car oil should be clear and the colour of honey.  If not, go to the garage.
45. Under-inflated tyres can use up toe 3% more fuel – so check.
46. Ensure correct pressure – check your handbook.  1.6mm/0.06 inch of tread is legal.  Change your tyres at 3 mm.   Worn tyres kill.
47. Get a friend to help you check your lights, including those of the number plate.
48. Brake-plates – it’s worth paying for the service.
49. Don’t ignore dashboard warning lights.
50. Check the battery connections: are they tight and free from corrosion.
51. Slugs and snails:  smear petroleum jelly on the outside of the container or WD40.
52. Ants.  Locate the nest and sprinkle lots of talcum powered around and on the nest.  Spray vinegar around doors and doorsteps.
53. Serve cheese at room temperature.
54. Omelette and scrambled egg turns into restaurant servings when a splash of sherry is added.
55. Ripen avo’s in a plastic bag with a banana skin.
56. Buy the dirtiest celery you can get and wash it when you need it.

A Christmas Idea for Young Children: Christingle

 

Christingle……..a word we’ve never heard until we emigrated from South Africa to the UK.   With the heightened awareness of being new to a country, we watched families walk to church under tall skeleton winter-trees in Virginia Water, Surrey.   So unlike summer Christmases in South Africa, the little girls were dressed in coats and boots – and scarves and hats and gloves were the order of the day.  The occasion was the family Christingle service at Christ Church.   Inside the old church, the children’s expectant faces lit up in the glow of many small candles.  Loved it!

Fast-forward more than a decade.  Michael, Isabelle, Josie and Evie are due to arrive from Germany in London early Friday morning.  I’m racking my brain for Christmas ideas applicable to pre-schoolers and for showing us all something about Jesus, our Saviour.
Christingle!  Easy to assemble and explain and we can’t wait to see how our little granddaughters respond!  Wish we could kidnap our New Zealand family and 2 grandsons, Joshua and Jesse!


I've surfed the net, but sadly couldn't find an advertised Christingle service in the many London churches.  Could that be because there are more unmarried young adults than families?  Maybe.  Be it as it may, we are going to have our own Christingle at home - and it should work just fine.  

^{Isiah 9:2} The people walking in darkness
   have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
   a light has dawned.

John 8:12  When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

 What follows is a short description of Christingle, kicking off with a brief history, the symbolism and how to assemble the Christingle.

In 1749 in a church in Germany a Bishop started a Christmas tradition that is loved by children and adults, and enjoyed in Britain today and around the world. His name was Bishop John de Watteville and he led worship among the Moravian Congregation in Marienborn, Germany. He was the creator of the Christingle service. Christingle means "Christ-Light."

The Christingle service is a gentle way to share with our children or our grandchildren the bigger picture of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ and why He came from heaven.

 The simple candle service remind us that Jesus brought light into darkness. The looped red ribbon gives opportunity to tell that Jesus shed his blood and died for our sin and salvation. The service is based around explaining the symbolism in the Christingle and as each part in explained the Christingles are assembled. When all is assembled the lights in the church are dimmed and the candles lighted. The candle light on the excited children's faces is a beautiful sight. In John de Watteville's day it is recorded that the children tried to keep their candles alight the whole way home.

How to make a Christingle

1. A sweet, juicy, shiny orange represents the goodness of the earth that God created.
   
2. Four sticks (cocktail sticks or tooth picks) are put into four corners of the top side of the orange. These represent the four seasons of the year.
   
3. Onto each stick is threaded dried fruit like sultanas or raisins. This represents all the goodness of the fruit of the earth and the richness of animals and birds that God has provided on his earth. Sometimes we use small jelly sweets or candy.
   
4. A red ribbon wrapped around the orange and fixed in place with a pin represents the blood of Jesus who died for the salvation of the whole world. In the Moravian tradition today a ribbon is looped around a candle at its base.
   
5. The white candle is placed in the very top of the orange into a pre-prepared hole. Sometimes some foil is used to help fix the candle into position. This candle represents Jesus, the light of the world, God's son. In the Moravian tradition it would be made from beeswax and would also represent Christ's purity, as this type of candle burns cleanly.

A modern British Christmas is secular in so many ways. Christingle, reading the Christmas story by candlelight  are two of many other ideas to show our children the Light of the World.

"I will celebrate nativity - it has a place in history -what is that to me?
Till by faith I met Him face-to-face, and I felt the wonder of His grace,
then I knew He was more than just a God who didn't care....."

Happiness and Expectations

The two  motivations behind this short post are:
1)   a  friend’s question on face-book this week: “Christian, could you be happy with heaven if Christ was not there?”
2)  All the December-happiness-hype.


So then let’s start with motivation #2 illustrated by  a few random copy/paste twitters to get us going on a strand of happiness-hopes.

MissHoneypenny Miss Jane HoneypennyIt is December 4th and I have done my very first happy-because-its-snowing-wiggle-dance for this season Happy December 2 everyone!!! Happy #25Days of Christmas!!  Now that it’s finally here, you can see The Santa Clause at 7/6c and kick-off December in the merriest way! Happy December beautiful people! Hope it's an amazing month for everyone. It's officially the most wonderful time of the year! Happy December, loves! How are you all doing today? Feeling in the holiday spirit happy december :) this is the beginning of lots of christmas movies & yummy hot chocolate! December is such a happy month.. Dear December, please make my wishes come true. Sincerely, me. Happy December everyone! :D

 

It’s 4 December 2011 today – and it’s no secret that we are and will get bombarded with Christmas-expectations in the next 21 days: oh, the hype!   The buzz, the build-up are quite nice.  But do the hopes of these days and and the reality of 25th December measure up? Well….
Let’s ask the same question about Jesus and heaven:  will the hopes held out for the Christian be met in the reality of heaven.  Infinitely more than our highest hopes!

Back to Stephen’s face-book question: 

“Christian, could you be happy with heaven if Christ was not there?” 

I have a few notes on heaven, Jesus and happiness and gladly share them with you.

Heaven is where the glory of Jesus Christ is exalted above all things and where reality is the all-satisfying. The most exhilarating, adrenaline-rushed experience on earth will be dead-tame in comparison with gazing at and talking to Jesus Christ. Overwhelmed by God’s magnificence, we are going to embrace Him and eat with Him – walk and laugh with Him! We will never lose our fascination with Jesus and beholding His face. For now we have to strain our imaginations. The majesty and magnificence of Jesus stagger the most creative imagination! We are going to go face-to-face with Jesus. Seeing Him in “high definition”, maximally blessed.  Who will steal the show millennium after millennium? Jesus. Jesus clothed in pure majesty, glorious in holiness, God on full display.  The redeemed are going to be eternally awe-struck by His excellence as we marvel at the high and lifted up greatness of God. (In your imagination, hear the Italian redeemed boom, “Manifica!” Viva Jesus! ) What a sight it’s going to be: seeing Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain for sinners in all His beauty, seeing Jesus exalted at the right hand of God with the scars of battle in His hands.

Heaven is… total, uninterrupted, incorruptible, happiness and bliss with the Trinity, redeemed and angels.   Happiness in heaven without Jesus? Not a chance!

a) Happiness as in December-hype?
b) Happiness as in heaven with Jesus?

Gordon and I vote for “b” with every confidence.  Of course we live in time and do not write off the hope  to taste something of that future lasting happiness during the build-up to Christmas 2011.  Of course there is no guaranteed ban on post-Christmas-blues and disappointments!

So at the beginning of Christmas,  while we are enjoying the twinkling lights, food, gifts, people and buzz,  we also deliberately remind ourselves/warn ourselves not to lean too heavily on December-happiness for joy.   There’s much too much evidence that it does not deliver according to expectations and promises.  To lean totally on Jesus and the promised hope of heaven will end in  a happiness that busts all imaginations – a hope that will deliver and not disappoint.