All posts tagged: Christian

Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani: A Commentary on Matthew 27:46

Published by

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is the point of no return in Jesus’s mission to reconcile man back to God. At that point, all of humanity’s sin fell on Jesus. God the Father placing and seeing all the filth and sinfulness of man caused Him to turn away from Jesus His only begotten Son. In that moment there was a separation between father and son. Something that broke the heart of God and left Jesus crying – “Eli Eli, lema sabachthani – my God my God why has thou forsaken me?” What did Jesus really mean by this and how significant is it for us today? My God, My God: In quoting Psalms 22, Jesus declared His fulfillment of that prophecy, in both its agony and it exultation. The Psalm goes on to say, You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You. (Verse 21 says – “Save me from …

Influence

Published by

Are you in a position of influence? How do you use it? How do you see it understand it? How does it stack up with authority and power? The following is a collection of thoughts that can shape your thinking on the subject: “He who has great power should use it lightly.” – Seneca “I strongly believe that the responsibility of leadership is to shape the debate—to practice and project the right attributes—whether in a business enterprise, in our society, and even in our religions.” — Farooq Kathwari “Ill can he rule the great that cannot reach the small.” — Edmund Spenser “In the past a leader was a boss. Today’s leaders must be partners with their people … they no longer can lead solely based on positional power.” — Ken Blanchard “No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” — Abraham Lincoln “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” — Kenneth Blanchard “There is no power on earth that can neutralize the influence of a high, simple, and useful life.” …

Pablum From the Pit.

Published by

Cootchie, cootchie, cootchie-coo, God loves me and God loves you! Smile sinner, don’t be sad; God’s not angry; He’s not mad. Even when you leave the path, There’s no hell and there’s no wrath. So don’t you fear, just do your best. The Judgment Seat won’t be that tough. For you can’t sin away His grace Or take that smile from His face. ’Cause God is love and love is good: He’ll treat you like you think He should! Just trust me, sinner, to the end. My name is Satan, I’m your friend. ______________________________ Michael L. Brown/ Excerpt From Article

I am 100% Recycled Trash

Published by

There is a growing awareness and an increasing effort to recycle in our world today.  It is going on all around us: I read an article some time ago about a house in Colorado called the Earthship. It is not only beautiful, it is also an environmentally friendly, 10,000 square foot home-made of used tires, aluminum cans and other recycled materials. The Earthship is made of junk, but it has been featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Home and Gardens, the Discovery Channel, and PBS. If you want to buy one, it is all yours for only 3.3 million dollars. There are not many things that are not being recycled today:• Recycled paper products• Recycled glass and metal products• Salvage yards recycle car, truck and machinery parts• There are many reports that Habitat for Humanity opened a used building materials outlet   in Denver a few years ago• Even our thrift stores and garage sales are ways people recycle. What am I trying to say to you? God is in the recycling business. He’s been in the business longer than anyone. It …

Two Steps to a Miracle

Published by

The Lame Beggar Healed/ ACTS 3:1-9 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  And all the people saw him walking and …

God hates visionary Dreaming?

Published by

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary ideal of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. Source Is there a difference between a true visionary and visionary dreaming? Yes! I believe that there is a difference between a true visionary and visionary dreaming. It is a subtle but very critical difference. A true visionary is a man who actually gets his vision from God. There is no presumption or assumption. The vision is given to him by God. He doesn’t act as if he knows it all and have all the answers. He is willing to abandon his ideas about the work of God and embrace God’s Visionary dreaming is sometimes tied up in ambition, ego, idealism or even cynicism. A …

The Great Exchange: Burdens for Rest

Published by

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 The word labor here can be illustrated by the story of a man who has a great load laid upon him, which he must carry to a certain place: every step he takes reduces his strength, and renders his load the more oppressive. However, the load must be carried using his utmost exertions to reach the place where it is to be laid down. It is only logical for a kind person, seeing his distress, to offer him help to ease his load, that he may enjoy rest. This is exactly what Jesus offers. Back in the day, when training a new animal (such as an ox) to plow, farmers would often yoke it to an older, stronger, more experienced animal who would bear …

7 Dimensions that make for Effective Praying

Published by

Prayer – what is prayer? I love the definition in “My Orthodox Prayer Book.” Prayer is doxology, praise, thanksgiving, confession, supplication and intercession to God. “When I prayed I was new,” wrote a great theologian of Christian antiquity, “but when I stopped praying I became old.” Prayer is the way to renewal and spiritual life. Prayer is aliveness to God. Prayer is strength, refreshment, and joy. Through the grace of God and our disciplined efforts prayer lifts us up from our isolation to a conscious, loving communion with God in which everything is experienced in a new light. Prayer becomes a personal dialogue with God, a spiritual breathing of the soul, a foretaste of the bliss of God’s kingdom. In short, prayer is not just asking and receiving from God it is life with God, intricate, deep, living, a thing not only to enjoy – but also understood. There are all kinds of prayer in the Bible, but for our purpose today I would like to leave you with 7 of them from the book of James …