Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
In the south, lots of people have their own rule of “table conversation”. They agree to stay away from three things during dinner talk: Religion, politics, and old girlfriends (yikes). How sad that Religion is lumped in with the latter two topics; if more families discussed Jesus Christ’s influence on the world in the evening mealtime,think of how well America (and the rest of the world) COULD be doing. But, I digress.
Joey, I’m really glad you brought this one into light. I mean, let’s think about this, folks. It’s your duty as an American to participate in the democratic process, but greater than your American duties is your duty to Jesus Christ. If one “peeks ahead” to the book of Revelation, we see that the governments of the world will bow down upon the return of Jesus Christ. When He does return for you and I, He isn’t going to wait for a UN coalition force or an American probe or a go-ahead from the European Union. He’s coming with a sword and a staff and a list of names, and the rest of the world is going to realize that putting one’s faith in earthly rulers is NOT going to get them anywhere.
There will be plenty of mud-slinging in the coming months. I encourage everyone to do what every American should; vote, write, and make your voice heard. The most important thing for us to remember is that while we make our own voice heard, we need to keep listening to the “still small voice” within our own hearts.I’m soooooooo glad to see more and more response from folks on the site! And of diverse nature! Praise Jesus for his movement of people’s hearts and fingers.
As far as holidays go, we’ve gotta take another look at the lesson on symbol vs. subject. Did you all know that St. Valentine was a minister who performed Christian wedding ceremonies and spoke the word of Jesus Christ? He was sentenced to death by the Roman Empire for his “treachery”. Days before his execution, children slipped messages of love to the prisoner, telling him that they believed. (brief aside: this is the whole of the story as related to me many times. I took the parts that were consistent with all acounts and put them in here. If you have anything to add, post reply, please 😆 ).
As is usually the case, Hallmark took their hold and twisted Valentine’s day into what it has become. Let us remember the basis of this holiday, and the basis of most all of the holidays we celebrate; Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It is by his grace and love that we go on each day.There are three things that will endure; faith hope and love. And the greatest of these things is love. –1 Corinthians 13: 13
I’m really enjoying the “Small Child Series”! When you look at all these old fairytales and nursery rhymes in depth, they start to make more sense than the usual old nonsense. Keep it up!
As I read this lesson, I was really deeply moved by it. So simple are the lessons provided by these fairy tales, but we still manage to overlook them somehow.
Observations that I had on the stories that I think add to their overall zing:
The Three Little Pigs:
In addition to seeing that the solidarity of Christ is the only true way to go, we also have to examine the Big, Bad Wolf. He blew down the homes of the two, not as aptly equipped pigs with the breath from his lungs. Something so simple overtook the piggies and sent them running. When he got to the Brick house, however, he couldn’t blow it down. Then, when he went down the chimney, he got the business end of a roaring fire. The Wolf is Satan. When we’re built with weak material, we do fear him. When we’re on the rock of Christ, however, we have nothing to worry about; we see that Satan is just a bunch of hot air. And recall; when Satan tempts us and tries us, we need to recall the ultimate result; Satan will someday be engulfed in the lake of fire. When the Devil is reminding you of your past, remind him of his future.
Jack and the Beanstalk:
With our old pal Jack, we have to think about not only Jack’s willingness to trust the beans, but we have to think about the trade-off. A decent-sized cow is a hefty thing to trade, and what’s even stranger is that it was traded for a fistful of beans. Often times in life, we have plenty, but we haven’t the love of God. In the long run, this means we have nothing. Sometimes, that which we have in life seems meager, but what we have in our hearts and in our souls is tremendous. Jack found his treasure up in the sky, whereas he had nothing on earth. One day, we as Christians will have star-capped crowns and glorious golden mansions. The possessions of earth are just that. They stay here when we leave. The glory of Heaven will be with us eternally.
The Wizard of Oz:
Dorothy was in a tight spot. She had to make it to Oz to see the wizard, and her only guides were a brainless scarecrow, a heartless old tin woodsman, and a cowardly lion. True, each of the travelers had their gift with them the whole time. But had it not been for Dorothy, consider where they would all be. The Scarecrow would still be up on his pole, soaking in sun and mold. The Tin Man would still be rusting in the forrest. The Lion would be scampering off with each little birdy chirp. The strength these characters unlocked would never have been found if not for the love of a simple little girl from Kansas (and, of course, her happy little dog). You see, God set the pieces in motion long before we were born; the people we have in our lives were here to teach us certain things. God knows how lives link together like the threads of a loom and each is just a crucial to the other as the other is to it. The people around you are trying to teach you lessons and give you gifts every single day; be receptive.
[b][i]Jesus Said:[/b][/i][color=darkred][b]Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; such is the kingdom of God[/color][/b] –Luke 18: 16
Jesus told us that God lives in the hearts of the innocent youth.
From the mouths of babes, they say.[b]Believe…Simply Believe[/b]
It is my firm belief that I go each day walking on nothing but faith. Many people think that faith is a monumental thing, a thing which makes men build great arks and wrents a sea in two. Rather, let’s examine faith as a day to day necessity.
Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Take another. Exhale. What’s to say that the next breath you take would be devoid of oxygen? Did you ever stop to consider that the air around you might, by some strange means, disappear? What is it that makes you keep breathing, despite the fact that you have no sensory way of telling whether or not the air around you is still there? Let’s apply the same example to God. Pray to God about something that is weighing on you. What tells you that God is handling it? What stops you from worrying about it after you have given it to God? If you are like me, you have prayed about something and doubted whether it would be fulfilled. God knows, and God is in charge. He can take care of the things that trouble us if we have faith in him. If you question God’s plan for us, you must also question the air around you. You’d have to hold your breath quite a while in order to find a machine that could tell you the air is still there for you to breath. Isn’t it easier just breathing normally and trusting that we will be better off breathing normally? It’s the same with God. Have faith, and you will be comforted. He has a plan for you; whether or not you choose to follow it is all a matter of faith.A final thought to close; a man in our community and friend of our church, Richard Lambert (called Ricky), was struck by a metal beam at his job yesterday. They fear he may be paralyzed, and his young wife and daughter of one year (and new baby forthcoming) are going through a difficult period. I ask everyone on the site to pray for Ricky’s recovery and for the well-being of his family as well.
Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified
Freely forever
One day He’s Coming
Oh Glorious Day!For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ –Hebrews, 3:14
I have an experience to share regarding this…the first week of my senior year, I started back to the courses that I take at the college. A person who had come into the program was decked out in what any average joe would call “goth clothes”. Spikes, mesh, extra zippers, you name it. He had it on. Immediately, I did what we are all guilty of (and bad at) doing…I judged him. That was before one morning when he and I sat and had a discussion about Christ. I came to find out that he was a devout Christian. He has his own band that is completely devoted to spreading the word of Jesus Christ, he had been on several mission trips (one to El Salvador) and spent a great deal of his time with his church, doing good works.
The casing of a bullet is made of beautiful gold. Still, it’s intent is to kill. The outside of a coconut is brown and coarse. Its inside is full of sweetness. We can never tell simply by outward appearence what the motives of a person are. We cannot also tell by the way someone professes their faith (or supposed faith) what their relationship with Jesus Christ is like. We have to trust the still small voice to give us guidance and discretion, and we must leave the Judgement to God. Take the time to learn someone’s name and to tell them about your own faith. Both of you may gain a great deal from the time well spent.There has been quite a bit of controversey regarding this topic. Many people (women, especially) see this as a shameful practice. They believe that marriage is supposed to be a partnership, and in many ways it is. What the scripture is trying to say is that the role of a wife is one of love and support of her husband and her family. Many women see the word “submissive” and assume that this means they are meant to be slaves to their husbands. This is simply not true. As Carol wrote, husbands have a duty to be kind and loyal to their wives (Proverbs 5:18-23) and to be giving, nurturing and respectful (1 Corinthians 7:1-16). Submissive does not equal slavery. It means to be supportive, to love unconditionally and to honor the vows of marriage.
Those are thoughts on the matter that I have developed after years of hearing this being debated by several preachers and greatly gifted Christians. It would be nice to hear other people’s thoughts on this!
–Jimmy
Welcome, everyone, to this wonderful website. On this, the birthday of mankind’s savior, let us all remember what Christ has instilled. When admiring our gifts, remember those who have nothing. When eating our meals, remember those who hunger. When spending time with family, remember those who have none to spend time with. And when you remember those who need your rememberance, stop whatever you are doing and pray for their welfare. Then, thank God for all the blessings you have.
***To Beaver: Looking forward to this weekend and the sight of the family. Here’s to love and the feeling of being together in God. May the site soar.***
–Jimmy
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to all whom God favors!”
–Luke 2:14
