Jeff Ragan > Recent Status Updates

My rifle, to which I had a small electric torch attached, was pointing in the direction of the goat...when there was a rush from the foot of the tree, & the goat's bell tinkled sharply. Pressing the button of the torch I saw that the sights of the rifle were aligned on the shoulder of a leopard, & without having to move the rifle a fraction of an inch I pressed the trigger, & as I did so the torch went out" (172-3).

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction." - 2 Timothy 4:1-2

"The obvious thing for me to have done would have been to carry the body of the boy back to where the leopard had left it, and to have sat over it there. But here I was faced with two difficulties - the absence of a suitable place in which to sit, and my aversion to sitting in an unsuitable place" (156).

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ..." - Colossians 2:9-11

"If I were asked...I would unhesitatingly say that I had derived [the] most pleasure [in the Indian jungle] from a knowledge of the language, & the habits, of the jungle-folk. There is no universal language in the jungles; each species has its own language, & though the vocabulary of some is limited, as in the case of porcupines & vultures, the language of each species is understood by all the jungle-folk" (135).

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit...will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people..." - Gal 6:7-10

"I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, & we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable...then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'" - 1 Co 15:51-54

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love fur us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:6-8

"A wrong estimation of the intelligence of animals, and the inability to sit without making any sound or movement for the required length of time, is the cause of all failures when sitting up for animals" (118).

"Jehoiachin, whose captivity was the first chapter of the Exile, lived to see the last chapter begin. God had sent the dove to signal the end of the Flood. That same God prompted the sacred writers to depict Jehoiachin, free of chains and dining at the king's table. The storm was past; a better day had dawned. That story, however, belongs not to Kings but to Ezra and Nehemiah" (220).

"You know how I lived the whole time I was with you...I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews...I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." - Acts 20:18-21

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath... God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." - Acts 17:24-27

"The Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: 'Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel. It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.'" - Acts 4:8-10

"However unbelievable the actions of the leopard may appear to have been, they were in fact just what one would have expected from an animal that had been a man-eater for eight years. Avoiding the open ground, & approaching the kill under cover; removing the thorn obstruction we had erected across the blood trail he had left that morning; pulling the kill towards him into a convenient position for his meal..." (116).

"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name."

"'Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.' 'You are not yet fifty years old' the Jews said to him, 'and you have seen Abraham!' 'I tell you the truth' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!' At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." - John 8:56-59

"At no time, either when the leopard was coming down the path coming down the depression, coming across the hill to the foot of my tree, when drinking, or going up the hill on the far side of the ravine, had I seen him, for either by accident or intent he had kept under cover to which not a glint of moonlight had penetrated" (103).

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women...went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them...'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen!'" - Luke 24:1-6

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more...Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." - Luke 12:4-7

"...I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." - Luke 7:27-31

"If you will let me carry both the fish and the rod, and will walk a little distance behind me, sahib, all the people who see me on the road, and in the bazaar, will think that I have caught this great fish, the like of which they have never seen" (93).

"'The most important one,' answered Jesus,' is this: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these."' - Mark 12:29-31

"After 6 days Jesus took Peter, James & John with him & led them up a high mountain...There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah & Moses, who were talking with Jesus...Then a cloud appeared & enveloped them, & a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!'" - Mk 9:2-7

"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." - Matthew 23:8-12

"Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'" - Matt. 20:25-28

"Jesus went through all the towns...teaching in their synagogues... When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" - Matt. 9:35-38

"'Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,' says the Lord Almighty. 'Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.'" - Malachi 4:1-2

"However little I merit it, the people of our hills credit me with supernatural powers where man-eaters are concerned. News that I was on my way to try and rid Garhwal of the man-eater had preceded me, and while I was still many days march from Rudraprayag the men I met on the roads...greeted me with a faith in the accomplishment of my mission that was as touching as it was embarrassing..." (48).

"'Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the Lord. 'Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.'" - Zechariah 2:10-11

"It would be reasonable to assume that more human beings would have been killed in villages surrounded by forests than in those surrounded by cultivated land...to a man-eating leopard, which only operates at night, the presence...of cover made no difference, & the only reason why there were more kills in one village than in another was due...to lack of precautions &... to observance of them" (31-2).