Brilliant. So...much...fun. I'm going to have to make me one. And then buy it.
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For the last several months, since I stepped down from my leadership roles at our church, I haven't been involved in any ministry. There are several reasons for that, none of them good. But I've been "on the outside looking bored". I've been missing out!
shine
make em wonder whatcha got
make em wish that they were not
on the outside looking bored
shine
let it shine before all men
let em see good works and then
let em glorify the lord
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15 After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. 16 David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. 17 The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused. 18 Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?”
19 When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked.
“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”
20 Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions,[b] and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.
21 His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.”
22 David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:15-23, NLT)
During our spring revival services, our guest speaker shared a story of someone he'd been counseling. The man was about to be divorced, and our speaker told him he should fast and pray over his situation. At their next session, our speaker asked the man if he had heeded his advice. The man answered, "No. I guess I just don't want it bad enough."
It's been a little while since I last read this account in 2 Samuel -- I'm currently working through 1 Chronicles now. But, since re-reading it, it's been....haunting me. It's Scripture that I seem to continually find my thoughts going back to.
I know why.
Because it's in this Scripture that I believe we see what our proper response to tragedy should be. In King David we see complete brokenness, manifested through prayer and fasting.
The Scripture above references what happened after David's sin with Bathsheba. He had committed adultery with the wife of one of his officers. When he found out she was pregnant with his child, he tried to get Uriah (Bathsheba's husband) to sleep with her so he would believe the child was his. However, Uriah did not want to have such luxury while his men were on the battlefield fighting. And so David had him killed. Nathan the prophet then came and confronted the king with his sin and told him that because of his sin, the child of David and Bathsheba would die.
The key to this is recognizing that David is dealing with the consequence of his actions. His child fell ill because of what he'd done. But, instead of moping around, feeling sorry for himself, verse 16 tells us that he "begged God to spare the child" and "[h]e went without food". He would continue to do this until 1) God decided to spare the child's life or 2) God carried out His plan. As we see in the following verses, God did not spare the child, and on the seventh day of its illness, the child died.
What happened next amazed his advisors. They figured he was acting unreasonably while the child was alive, he would act even more so after finding out the child was dead. However, upon the grim news, David got up, bathed, WORSHIPED THE LORD, and essentially went back to business as usual.
In the time of a great tragedy in his life, David worshiped the Lord. What a response. When he may have found it easy to be angry and bitter and turn from God, he did the opposite. He worshiped Him. There's something to chew on!
As mentioned, when David's child died, he went back to business as usual. When asked by his advisors about his 180, he told him that he fasted and wept when there was a chance that God may have mercy on him and let the child live. But, now that the child was dead, there was nothing more that he could do. There was no point in continuing to mourn or dwell in self-pity. God had done what He said He would. Nothing would change that.
I guess there's not much more I can add to that....
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I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. (John 52:54)
Well, it's John 52:54 if you believe the writers of the X-Files. In reality, it's John 6:51. American Standard Version for anyone keeping score. (Update....the Scripture quoted the episode is actually John 6:54 -- I thought I had checked that, but apparently not. I believe he quotes is correctly from the KJV).
OK, so this is a bit odd to be blogging about. Some background information. The Scripture and quoted "reference" are from a second season episode of the X-Files called "3". The basic premise of it is, there are a group of supposed "vampires" in LA (big surprise there, crazy Californians), and, taking Christ's words completely and illogically out of context, they believe that, by going around drinking the blood of other people, they will gain immortality. After one such attack (the first in 3 years, if I recall correctly), Mulder comes to the house to investigate. There, written in blood on the wall, is "John 52:54". Mulder then goes on to quote (paraphrase is the better word, as it's not exact. Or not exact to any of the translations I'm aware of) the "referenced" Scripture, followed by the line (or close facsimile thereof), "they have the same feeble literal grasp of the Bible that all those big-haired preachers do".
There is also resistance to tackling the 11th century Crusades - where Christians fought Muslim armies for control of Jerusalem - because lessons often contradict what is taught in local mosques. (from Teachers Drop the Holocaust to Avoid Offending Muslims)Oh....
28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”29 Then God said, "Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day. (Genesis 1:28-31, NLT)
Al Gore Challenged to International Global Warming Debate
39 When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief. 40 Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. “Let’s go,” they said. “We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the Lord has promised us.” (Numbers 14:39-40, NLT)Have you ever read the Bible, and when reading a particular verse, recognized yourself in it? Well, this is one of those times for me.
18 “If you want to live securely in the land, follow my decrees and obey my regulations. 19 Then the land will yield large crops, and you will eat your fill and live securely in it. 20 But you might ask, ‘What will we eat during the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?’ 21 Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years. 22 When you plant your fields in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the large crop of the sixth year. In fact, you will still be eating from that large crop when the new crop is harvested in the ninth year. Leviticus 25:18-22, NLTStill working through Leviticus (well, actually finished it today), but this is where God is telling His people about the Sabbath. Not only were they supposed to recognize the 7th day of the week, but they were to give the land rest every 7 years. In the Scripture above, He tells the Israelites that, if they follow His decrees and instructions, during the 7th year, when the ground is resting, God will provide for them. We see this when God provided the manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. They would go out and get food for the first 6 days, but on the 7th, they would rest. So, to provide for them, God told them to get double portions on the 6th day, keep half for the 7th, and they would have food to eat. It was about trusting God to provide for their needs.
1As the deer longs for streams of water,so I long for you, O God. Psalm 42:1, NLT
The title does not tell us who was the penman of this psalm, but most probably it was David, and
we may conjecture that it was penned by him at a time when, either by Saul's persecution or
Absalom's rebellion, he was driven from the sanctuary and cut off from the privilege of waiting
upon God in public ordinances.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:34, NLT
21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. (Revelation 20:21-22, NLT)Even before becoming a Christian, I was fascinated by the Book of Revelation. I believe it's the first book of the Bible I read all the way through. I read a good post by "He Lives" regarding Revelation; take a look at my "Shared Feeds" to the right to see it (titled "Doesn't Soon Mean Soon?"). He mentioned that teenage men tend to want to learn about Revelation.
13 “If the entire Israelite community sins by violating one of the Lord’s commands, but the people don’t realize it, they are still guilty. 14 When they become aware of their sin, the people must bring a young bull as an offering for their sin and present it before the Tabernacle. (Leviticus 4:13-14, NLT)
so·ci·o·path(s
s
-
-p
th
, -sh
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n.
One who is affected with a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior.
Awwww, isn't he cute? I went by to drop off a Valentine's Day card for Mom and Dad (a first, but I found a card for both parents and thought it would be a nice surprise), and there was this fella floating above.
I have two wonderful parents. I appreciate the fact that Dad thinks of Mom on Valentine's Day. I'm not a huge fan of the holiday, but I've come to recognize that it means a lot to my wife, and so I try to do something for her. I imagine that my Mom really appreciates that Dad does something for her.
While working at "Mr. Barbecue and Stuff" at the mall, there was an older couple who would often walk around the mall together. The would always hold hands. We were right by the bathrooms, and he would wait patiently while his wife was in the ladies room. While I was working one Valentine's Day, I asked him what he and his wife were doing for the occasion. He told me that "Valentine's Day is for young people". It was obvious that he and his wife were very much in love.
Well, the picture isn't very clear....OK, so it's not at all clear. But, as I was driving home from work today, I drove by 4 deer out in the middle of the field. While deer are not an uncommon sight around my parts, it's not everyday you see them in the open like that in day time. It was refreshing to see them, and not just before darting in front of my car. My camera phone was the only camera I had, so I tried to take a picture.