Sunday, August 29, 2010

A firm foundation . . .

Faith in rescuing » GetReligion

They sang the hymn, How Firm a Foundation:

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Truth does exist. . .then where?

"Only scientists and engineers today embrace what the philosophers and literists of yore did: that truth exists independent of humanity and that it is cognizable by reason, discoverable by rationalist inquiry and individuals and society alike are better for discerning it."

(Quote from reader's response to a university professor of humanities moonbat*. *Moonbat = the term references the moon much in the same way that "lunatic" refers to the insanity-causing powers of the full moon (luna = moon). )

Objective truth can be found in a KJV Bible. If not, we'd all be better off going fishing, than spend any time with it, or as our Apostle to the Gentiles said about the truth of Christ's resurrection,

"...if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. But now IS Christ risen from the dead...since by man came death (Adam) by man (Jesus Christ) came also the resurrection of the dead" (I Corinthians 15:17,20,21).

And that is some objective truth to think about.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Envy

Envy – one of the seven deadly for a reason.

"Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered Him" (Matthew 27:17-18).

Six feet under . . .

"Oh, how small a portion of earth will hold us when we are dead, who ambitiously seek after the whole world while we are living!"

- Philip of Macedon, king, father of Alexander the Great (382-336 BCE)

Monday, August 23, 2010

Ground Zero Musk

FORGOTTEN PROPHETS: August 2010

"Since this is our country, and we make the rules, and abide by them faithfully, it is for us, not some other, to interpret our meaning. So, yes, we have and allow, and demand and tolerate, freedom of religion. But we limit it for the general welfare."

"... it is a moribund* society indeed that does not strive to preserve itself."

*moribund = "about to die," from Fr. moribund (16c.), from L. moribundus "dying," from mori "to die"

Faith

Faith = Greek, pistia, credence, conviction, truth, truthfulness of God, reliance upon Christ for salvation; assurance, belief, believe, faith.

Good faith is defined as "an act of the will informed by the intellect," and any kind of faith requires submission to something higher than yourself.

In the Bible the one word, faith, is the same word used in three different ways. The context of the verse determinds the defination.

Faith - pistia:

1. the act of believing
2. that which is to believed, i.e. the doctrine as a whole
3. the faithfulness or faith of Jesus Christ.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Unto all longsuffering with joyfulness...

Bear Claw: You've come far pilgrim.

Jeremiah Johnson: Feels like far.

Bear Claw: Were it worth the trouble?

Jeremiah Johnson: What trouble?

(Jeremiah Johnson quote posted by Vanderleun, August 22,2010.)

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:10 - 14).


Saturday, August 21, 2010

Bind my wandering heart. . .

When you are engulfed in sin, you are blind. No, not blind, but with tunneled vision. You see only the object of your desire, whether it is a drink or a vengeance or a lover or perhaps something so banal as your own exaltation.

Worse, with tunnel vision comes a queer kind of clarity, a crisp focus. You believe that you now see more clearly than you ever have before. This is a deception; when all you see is a glass of whiskey, you are more apt to notice the glistening drops of water on the rim, the swirl of a cloud within the drink, the way the light strikes its surface. You imagine you see the world with some special sight, but in truth you only see that miserable drink in that dingy bar; you don’t see the sunlight or hear the crying out of the world or notice that you are only a tunnel-blind wretch in a pit, a wretch who imagines he has discovered an exception to the law of creation, which is that sin brings curses.
WORLDmag.com Community Blog Archive Bind my wandering heart

Depth of mercy! can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear--
Me, the chief of sinners spare?

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

There for me my Saviour stands,
Holding forth His wounded hands;
God is love! I know, I feel,
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

(Charles Wesley, Tune: Aletta, William B. Bradbury)

Friday, August 20, 2010

Moon and Mars




















Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky Friday, August 27th. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye.

L. - Evidently this is not true as it's been circulating on the email circuit for many years. I didn't Snope the article as I'm a sucker for planets and stuff and who would lie about that? I guess on Friday, if you can look up about 12:30 p.m., take a look and see for yourself.

But these verses from Scripture are definitely true:

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good" (Genesis 16-18).

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Some "common sense" . . .

Works and Days » With a Wimper or a Bang — or Not at All?

"The United States is so naturally endowed, its Constitution so aptly crafted, and a majority of its population so wedded to a meritocratic, free enterprise system, that recovery, both material and psychological is within our grasp" (Victor Davis Hanson).

Just common sense...worth your while to read.

Native Americans and the Bible

The short answer is that Native Americans originally came to North and South America as a result of the dispersion at the Tower of Babel.
Native Americans and the Bible - Answers in Genesis

Are Native Americans a lost tribe of Israel?
Evidently the Mormons try and connect native Americans with the Hebrews by language and religious practice. Not a word of this is in God's Book, the Bible. Hold on to your skepticism.

(The above article on Native Americans (A lost tribe of Israel?) does not believe the Biblical view of time and peoples generating out from the Tower of Babel (Young Earth), but put the Indian people in North America around 22,000 years ago. I personally follow the Bible on origins, so am in agreement with the timeline from Babel. But, let's read and use the "little grey cells" as Poirot would say! - Linda)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Sennacherib

Isaiah 17:1 "Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."

A near fulfilment in Isaiah's day (B.C. 726) in Sennacherib's approaching invasion, but the chapter looks forward to the final invasion and battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:14-16).

Sennacherib - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Destruction of Sennacherib is a poem by Lord Byron first published in 1815 in his Hebrew Melodies. It is based on an event described in the Bible (2 Kings 18-19) during the campaign by Assyrian king Sennacherib to capture Jerusalem. The rhythm of the poem has a feel of the beat of a galloping horse's hooves as the Assyrian rides into battle.

THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB

The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,
That host with their banners at sunset were seen:
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown.

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,
But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.

And there lay the rider distorted and pale,
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,
The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown.

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Soul and spirit. . .

Question: Could you please explain to me whether the soul and spirit are the same in the Bible?

Response: First Thessalonians 5:23 clearly states, "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless."

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the "dividing asunder of soul and spirit."

There is a distinction between soul and spirit and it takes an extremely sharp (i.e., supernatural) instrument to discern it. Consequently, any attempt at human definition must fall short.

The soul is said to include the mind, the will, and the emotions. Jesus, in His humanity, said that His soul was "exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death..." (Mt 26:38. See also Job 10:1, Ps 119:28, Zec 11:8, etc.).

Some might point out that Jesus was also troubled in His spirit:
"When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me" (Jn 13:21 KJV).
It is clear that the spirit addresses issues beyond the mind, the will, and the emotions.

When He was dying on the Cross, Jesus committed his "spirit" into His Father's hands (Lk 23:46).

As for the human spirit, we know that at death it returns to the Lord who gave it (Eccl 12:7, 2 Cor 5:8, Phil 1:23).

Prior to the resurrection, it is "souls" that stand before God:
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God" (Rv 20:4).
Although Scripture gives us no exact definitions of soul and spirit, from the verses quoted and many others, we are assured that they are different parts of the makeup of humans.

(From Berean Call ministry newsletter.)

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Legacy. . .

Hot Air » How does one become a “worst American?”

2. Rachel Carson and William Ruckelshaus – The banning of DDT has led to 60 million dead worldwide.

1. The Rosenbergs – No Americans have done more to help create the Evil Empire and its sister states (including China) then the Rosenbergs. More have suffered and died as a result of this then I can comprehend.

A good name is better than precious ointment (Ecclesiastes 7:1).

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Quisling

Quisling (ˈkwɪzlɪŋ) — n
a traitor who aids an occupying enemy force; collaborator.

After Major Vidkun Quisling (1887--1945), Norwegian fascist politician who headed the puppet government during the German occupation of Norway in World War II; shot for treason after German defeat. First used in London Times of April 15, 1940.
Vidkun Quisling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Synonyms:
collaborator, betrayer, defector, Judas,** snake in the grass, sympathizer, turncoat.

** "And while He yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He: hold Him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed Him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him" (Matthew 26:47-50).

Friend = Gr. Hetaire, comrade. How touching that the Lord welcomes Judas as friend.

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Words: J. Wil­bur Chap­man, 1910. Music: Hy­fry­dol, Row­land H. Prich­ard, 1830.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Elul: The Lord Is In Our Fields


Tuesday night was the first night of the Hebrew month of Elul. In this month - the King is in the field. Anyone can approach him. Grace, and absolution are easy for those who draw near - who return.

The month is special in preparation for the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets, September 9) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, September 18). See Leviticus 23.

When Moses ascended Mount Sinai for forty days to receive the Ten Commandments, G-d’s Law, the Hebrews were fearful he would not return and created a Golden Calf to worship. When Moses descended, in anger he smashed the tablets. G-d instructed Moses to again climb Mount Sinai to receive a replacement. Forty days later, during which time Moses asked G-d to forgive the Hebrews’ sin he was instructed that the Israelites repent of their weakness and faithfully observe certain holy days.

The first day of Elul is the second time Moses went up on Mount Sinai, and 40-days later, when Moses returns, Yom Kippur, is when our fate is sealed based upon our acts. We search ourselves for our failings, commit to cease them, sincerely apologize to those we’ve harmed, and create new ways of behavior. The process is called Teshuvah, or return. Elul: The Lord Is In Our Fields - Maggie's Farm

The above post is from Maggie's Farm and from a Jewish religious man. It is interesting to me to see the modern use of these feasts.

A Christian would interpret these verses and these feasts as involving Israel in the future. In taking the contract of the Law, we would say that Israel gave up grace for law. What, under law, was conditional, is under grace, freely given to every believer. Some verses to read: Romans 3:19-26; Galatians 4:1-3; 3:6-25.

Moon touch the earth?


Just amazed to see how things "work out" with relationships gone sour. Like my Mom said, "I wouldn't be surprised to see the moon come down and touch the earth." What a Great God we have! - Lois Greenlund

Lois is my sister...this is from a post on FaceBook after a bad day was replaced with a good day. God shows up and He is effectively working in those who believe (I Thessalonians 2:13), through His Word.

Mother's walk with this God produced great faith...God could do the impossible. It wouldn't surprise her. How about you?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Adios, Gray Lady

"Perhaps one picks up all newspapers in anticipation and puts them down in disappointment. But the New York Times, at no extra charge, also leaves one feeling one lives in immitigably dreary times, and it does so daily. I don’t need it. Cancel my subscription, please. Joseph Epstein" Adios, Gray Lady

I feel this about the newsgathers also...where is the important news?

I am so thankful for our young Pastor, who studies God's Word, and gives us some "real" stuff that is very GOOD NEWS to this sad, dreary world and its inhabitants. (You can hear Pastor Bryan on Grace Life Bible Church web site on right side of this page.)

P.S. Joe Epstein is always worth reading, and if he is off the NYT...well, not good news for them.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Doctors - A "dead parrot" profession?

The Doctor Will See You Now – Or Else! | The Doctor Is In

In Monty Python terms your profession is (was) much like the parrot:

‘E’s not pinin’! ‘E’s passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! ‘E’s expired and gone to meet ‘is maker! ‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed ‘im to the perch ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies! ‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory! ‘E’s off the twig! ‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT! : )

Let's hope not...my aches and pains are only increasing with increasing age! And all those medical insurance premiums that we paid for through the years are finally going to be needed...hopefully the Doctor will be in.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

What remains. . . death of a child

What no one tells you is that in the months and years to come, people will forget, but you will not. Something in you has died as well, and it awaits resurrection with your child’s body. You will carry this hole in you all your days, and there are no words or heavenly equations to make it good, not so long as you breathe while your child does not.

WORLDmag.com Community What remains

Our first grandchild was stillborn. We do carry him with us every day...wondering what he would be doing...five years ago already. Our last breath will be with the expectation of seeing Jack. That's just the way it is.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Behavior . . .

The best predictor of behavior is past behavior.

Oh, oh! It seems to imply that one cannot change very easily. Our natural default in life is to our flesh nature, i.e. self. Scripture says to "reckon" ourselves dead to the flesh and "alive" unto the Spirit. It takes a conscious commitment to "reckon," doesn't it?

reck·on   
–verb (used with object)
1. to count, compute, or calculate
2. to esteem or consider
3. to think or suppose

To suppose one can control our natural default for a higher law, one that supersedes the lower. In Christ, we can.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The sun is waking up. . .


The sun's surface erupted early Sunday, blasting tons of plasma into space -- and right at the Earth. Astonishing new pictures from NASA show the giant flares and clouds of ionized gas erupting from the star.

Monday, August 2, 2010

The "garish sun" . . .


MUSING…within our measure. 2 Cor. 10:13; Eph. 4:13
(Written for The Grace Messenger, August 2000.)

Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun.
- Juliet, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Hide me from the day’s garish eye. - John Milton

These are the only two reference to “garish” in the Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, 12th Edition. The word “garish” has intrigued me since friend Karlyn and I sang the song, Lead, Kindly Light many years ago. The second verse says:

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path;
but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will.
Remember not past years!

The “garish sun” is in full sway in the August circuit of the heavenly spheres. Psalm 19:6, “…the sun…his going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.”

August is the crown of the summer. Its name is from the Latin augustus, root of augeo, meaning of awe, impressing awe, magnificent, inspiring reverence.

In thinking of august reverence, Jesus speaks a parable in Matthew 21 concerning a vineyard. The householder of the vineyard goes away after giving the vineyard to a keeper, and in time the householder sends servants to collect the fruit, but the keepers beat, kill and stone the servants. The householder then sends his own son saying, “They will reverence my son.” They did not reverence the son but “caught him and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.” Jesus indicted those wicked keepers of the vineyard in verse 44 with these words, “…whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” The interpretation of the parable is that God the Father is the householder, Jesus Christ is the Son and the “Stone,” that either, by a broken and contrite heart you will acknowledge, or you will face Him as a "grinding Stone".

Jesus Christ will come back to earth one day. In the Book of Revelation there is a picture of this coming: “…every man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:16, 17).

Oh, the August sun can be garish and relentless. We seek relief from its heat knowing that soon the circuit will bring on cooler days and nights. But when it is our day to stand before Jesus Christ, the “judge of all the earth,” as everyone must one day, there will be no way to assuage the pitiful condition revealed under the heat of His gaze. It would be our worst nightmare if not for our standing “in Christ." In Christ, robed in His perfect righteousness, we can stand, not condemned, but delivered “from the wrath to come” ( I Thess l:10).

Are you “in Christ?” If you put your trust in Him alone, not in a church, not in a sacrament, not in any good work you have done, but Christ alone because of what He did on the cross for you, He will freely forgive you and welcome you and clothe you in His righteousness. Why stand condemned with the garish, wicked world when you can stand “in Christ” in His awesome glory? Why not trust Him now—it will truly be an awesome August for you.

CHANGE OF RAIMENT

Lord Jesus, all my sin and guilt
Love laid of old on Thee;
Thy love the cross and sorrow willed,
Love underserved by me.
The victory over death and hell
Thou, Lord, for me didst win;
And Thou hast nailed upon Thy Cross
All, all my sin.

Enfolded, O my Lord, in Thee,
And hid in Thee, I rest,
Enwrapped in Christ’s own purity,
Secure upon Thy breast.
Had I an angel’s raiment fair
With heavenly gems unpriced,
That glorious garb I would not wear:
My robe is Christ.
- Gerhardt Tersteegen

Sunday, August 1, 2010

What's in a name?


“A rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet”