Darkness...

You may be afraid to face the years ahead. You’re not the only one, but if you extinguish the light of your faith and wisdom, you consign others to darkness.

Hot Air » » A prayer from the living world

I suffered from a crippling depression in 2003/4 that came after a traumatic event. In my hopelessness, I turned to my faith in God. My belief that God cared about me and had a greater purpose for my life inspired me to get up off the couch. I began walking each day. First it was 100 yards…and eventually I could walk around the block, and then more.

I memorized scripture, in particular, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:(For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

My stronghold was the erroneous belief that things would never get better. I learned that I was not defined by my fears…that Truth was not only worth listening to, but worth living for.

It took 9 months of discipline to recover from the deepest hole of my life…and months beyond that to be 100%. God did his work in me as I paid attention and chose to take my thoughts captive. There is hope. I found Hope.

(From a comment from LEBA on February 27)

Lent

The number "40" has always had special spiritual significance regarding preparation.

On Mount Sinai, preparing to receive the Ten Commandments, "Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, without eating any food or drinking any water" (Ex 34:28).

Elijah walked "40 days and 40 nights" to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb (another name for Sinai) (I Kgs 19:8).

Jesus fasted and prayed for "40 days and 40 nights" in the desert before He began His public ministry (Mt 4:2).

Dust and ashes. . .

Pantheism offers a different sort of solution: a downward exit, an abandonment of our tragic self-consciousness, a re-merger with the natural world our ancestors half-escaped millennia ago.

But except as dust and ashes, Nature cannot take us back.

Treasure

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." (2 Corinthians 4:7)

What treasure?

"...the light of the knowledge of the g l o r y of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)

On this Monday the earthen of me is a bit creaky and a bit cracked, but the glory is always constant, in which I rejoice.

(Friend Laura Wetherbee chose the verse today on Facebook. Thanks, it's a good one to have in my mind today.)

William Tyndale (1494-1536)

William Tyndale (1494-1536)

William Tyndale was the Oxford-educated polyglot theologian and reformer who produced the first printed Bible in English.

His translation was from Erasmus' Greek-Latin Bible, the same one which Luther used to translate his German Bible. Tyndale's Bible was banned in Britain: you can't trust the rabble to read it themselves. He famously said that he wanted a Bible that "every plowman" could read himself.

Tyndale was executed by Henry Vlll for his efforts. It is believed that Thomas More was pushing for the execution.

It is thought that up to 80% of the King James Bible - the most printed book in the world - is Tyndale's product.

Voice recognition. . .

Satan knows of our inborn desire for the supernatural and the mystical, and he will oblige.

I think sometimes (not always) that the phrases “The Lord showed me” or “The Lord led me” can be used to sort of ward off any challenges. If the Lord “showed” someone, who can possibly question them?

WORLDmag.com Voice recognition (An interesting article written by Andrée Seu)

Euro, one size does not fit all . . .

Countries that are highly uncompetitive are normally able to slash interest rates and devalue their currencies to prop up their economies.
But this is not possible within the euro, given its one-size-fits-all economic governance.
The implication is that weak, peripheral eurozone members will have to suffer years of painful deflation and tumbling living standards, as well as draconian budget cuts, in order to adjust.
Harvard University Professor Martin Feldstein, a long-standing sceptic on the euro, yesterday said the single currency 'isn't working' because member governments have no incentive to keep their public debts under control.
'There's too much incentive for countries to run up big deficits as there's no feedback until a crisis,' he said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1250433/Greece-debt-bailout-EU-leaders-split-euro-crisis.html

Star Chamber

PRONUNCIATION:
(star CHAYM-buhr)

MEANING:
noun: A court or group marked by arbitrary, oppressive, and secretive procedures.

ETYMOLOGY:
After the Star Chamber in the Palace of Westminster in London. It was the site of a closed-door court appointed by King Henry VII of England in the 15th century. Notorious for its abuse of power -- rulings made in secret, no appeal -- it was abolished by the Long Parliament in 1641. The chamber was so named because its ceiling was decorated with stars.

Universal wish. . .

Robert Fulghum, OFFICIAL Website - Recent Entries:

IT’S NOT THE SIZE OF THE LOSS,
BUT THE SIZE OF THE SORROW.

"So what’s this all about?

I’ve been asking myself that for the last few days.
My frustration in this small matter mirrors, I think, a deeper universal human wish that any one of us could make things better for all those in pain wherever, whenever, no matter how small the loss or large the sorrow."

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (II Corinthians 1:3,4).

Israel, a nation...

“So there are some Believers in Israel, but Israel is there mainly in rank unbelief.

But it is still a nation, and if it is a pre-cursor, a foreshadowing...certainly before the Anti-Christ comes Israel has to be there as a nation."

(Lisa Leland) Still trying to link...but won't work : (

Sometimes it hurts. . .

"To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." I Thess. 3:13

From friend Laura Wetherbee in Chicago.

Primordial Soup

The sort of environmental flukes on which the Darwinian depends for his salvation are all very well if you have infinite time. But as we began to realize, about the time Primordial Soup was first served, the universe wasn't nearly old enough -- by a factor approaching infinity -- for any meandering and purposeless scheme to achieve the sort of results we see all around us.

The alternative, of course, is that the universe was in some sense "programmed," that biological and ultimately human life was implicit in the Big Bang. This is called the "anthropic cosmological principle," and it fits with every observable fact of nature. It is resisted by atheists, however, because it is highly suggestive of Creation by God, and is described with great clarity in for example in the Book of Isaiah:

"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:18).

(From David Warren - Primordial Soup)

http://www.davidwarrenonline.com/index.php?id=1107

America

17. ~Paules:
America will never be Greece, not ever, nor any other socialist hell. I offer you anecdotal stories to cheer your heart:

While in Rome I saw gypsy kids lift a wallet in clear view of Italian police. It took a group of American students to run down the miscreants and return the purloined cache to its rightful owner.

While in Bern I discovered an addict shooting up heroin in my dorm. The hostel manager complained that the government forced him to take in such people. Addicts are thieves, everyone of them, and under all circumstances. The American contingent backed by resolute Aussie allies evicted him bodily from the hostel.

While in Marseilles the Americans in my group swept a park of garbage before we settled to picnic. The French declared that no one asked us to, so why bother? A fellow from New Jersey informed them that Americans do what needs doing. No one has to ask. We left the French students perplexed.

I met an American lad in India who drove a bus across the highest road in the world minus the assigned driver. About twenty minutes into the trip the passengers realized the Indian behind the wheel was drunk. The Europeans protested, but did nothing. A doughty Brit finally tossed the driver. An American finished the job bringing her home safely into Leh.

While in Thailand I raced a bamboo raft down an unnamed river while on a trek to the hill country. It wasn’t some sort of official race. Our very experienced Thai guide offered the following: “When you have Americans in the group, it’s always a race.” Indeed.

I reckon readers know where I’m going with this. America is a very special place, and the American character is as strong as ever. Believe it. We are a righteous and resolute people. Socialism is a cheat and a lie. The American people love liberty today and for all time. Because that’s just the way it is. Count on it.

(Comments from Victor Davis Hanson article 2/10/10)

Yogi Bear

Yogi Bear is smarter than the average bear,

Yogi Bear is always in the ranger's hair.

At a picnic table you will find him there

Stuffing down more goodies than the average bear.

He will sleep till noon but before it's dark,

He'll have every picnic basket that's in Jellystone Park.
Yogi has it better than a millionaire

That's because he's smarter than the average bear.

Something better . . .

The whole perspective on trouble, on suffering, on difficulty—its meaning has been radically altered. Instead of destroying me, it’s working for me.

A renewed mind says this has come into my life, not to destroy me, but to be productive.

Not just to take it away, but to use the suffering; give some meaning to it, give me something that might let it do something for me NOW and work for me a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory. That’s talking about eternity being brighter and better because of the (current) suffering.

As opposed to something that comes and steals, it brings gain. It brings the ability for you to KNOW Him in a way you could never know Him. Trust Him in a way you could never trust Him. Grow in a way you could never grow without it.

A passage that focuses on getting people to see this reality is Romans 8:18-28:

[18] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.[19] For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.[20] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,[21] Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.[22] For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.[23] And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.[24] For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?[25] But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.[26] Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.[27] And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

(From Lisa Leland.com commenting on Pastor Jordan's study on 2 Corinthians.)

Albert...at least Felix trembled. . .

A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. (Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate, 1879-1955)

Consider the Apostle Paul when speaking before Felix the governor:

"And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he (Paul) reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled" - Acts 24:24-25