tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79562279622271639002024-02-07T05:03:56.224-08:00Maybe It's Just MeThis blog is a place where I share my reflections of scripture or blow off some steam on things that are happening in our culture today. I see the world through a Christian lens so that's what you'll get here.Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-30060757537005438412015-01-02T06:12:00.001-08:002015-01-02T06:26:37.086-08:00John & Jerome, my BFFsAs I reflect on John the Baptist today and his humility infused with boldness, I want to be like him. He was an outsider and a loner having no company at all but God. He was probably weird and I can relate to that. He was hermetical, single-<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">minded and offensive. "Polarizing" is what he would be called today.</span><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">He reminds me of St. Jerome, also a hermit who was tempted by his temper and his pen into ill-tempered and uncharitable rebukes to others when presenting the truth. I can so relate to that! Sometimes my own use of the written word and lack of charity make me want to hide out in a cave somewhere with no other company but God to console me. He's the only One who gets me. I'd like to think St. Jerome and John the Baptist would too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Interestingly, in searching for an image of my two favorite saints I discovered that they are often depicted together in art so I must not have been the first one with this idea! </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">St Jerome, my feisty, hot-tempered, opinionated, intellectual friend, please pray for me! </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">St. John the Baptist, my suffer-no-fools, unapologetic rebuker of wrong doing, pray for me! </font></div><div><br></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a0K40pLPiGJhBH91Z3KJFmcr80u_Ui4CBJ9iXM_0RlfUb2A35OhvXxdG0jc0XJ41V8XbkhlpiqnNv9ra1D39dIBlZ0NYPf_M5nwMnKS6L3PTJekKTZsISJ0_rBbbkCmCQtM1DWH0G5Mg/s640/blogger-image-298663262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a0K40pLPiGJhBH91Z3KJFmcr80u_Ui4CBJ9iXM_0RlfUb2A35OhvXxdG0jc0XJ41V8XbkhlpiqnNv9ra1D39dIBlZ0NYPf_M5nwMnKS6L3PTJekKTZsISJ0_rBbbkCmCQtM1DWH0G5Mg/s640/blogger-image-298663262.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-77339924397932043892014-04-03T08:10:00.001-07:002014-04-04T12:39:47.995-07:00When God Spits on You<div id="43" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">John9: 6 As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay,</span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">7 saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing...</span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">This might be one of my favorite stories of the Bible. A man blind from birth was miraculously healed. It was so miraculous that nobody believed it was actually him until his parents vouched for him. Even more amazing was HOW he was healed. Jesus took some spit and mixed it with dirt to make some clay, smeared it in his sockets and created new eyes for this man. Then He sent the man to wash in the waters of Siloam. </span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Just like in the Old Testament story where Namaan was confused and even insulted by the too-simple instructions to bathe in the river 7 times to be cured of leprosy, we are surprised by the ordinary but moreso because it's spit.</span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Why would God use spit and dirt and why on the Sabbath? Jesus could have chosen any way and any day to heal this blind man but He chose the Sabbath.</span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">While I don't know the entire significance, a few things come to mind. This reminds me of Genesis where God created Adam out of dirt and anointed him with life. The bible doesn't make it a point to tell us from which material the animals were created but it does tell us He made Adam from a handful of dust and that he breathed life into his nostrils. Dust seems to be a theme lately. On Ash Wednesday we put ashes on our foreheads to remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Breathe and water are a theme for life or the Holy Spirit. Maybe when God adds His breath or His spit to dirt He's adding life.</span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">When I was on a field trip to Lost River Caverns with my child's class once, I remember the tour guide pointing out several minerals underground. I recognized them and the thought occurred to me that the same minerals that make up the dirt also make up our bodies. Iron is in our blood, calcium makes up our bones. We are a complicated system that is partially fueled by zinc, magnesium, iodine, copper, cobalt, and so much more. In essence, we are dirt and water; nothing more than a sophisticated colony of particles from the ground held together by God's spit. </span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">But Jesus did not come to die for a bunch of dirt. We know that God looked at His creation and called it "very good" right before He declared the Sabbath for Himself. </span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">When Christ chose to use dirt to give life to this man's eyes He was perhaps reminding us where we came from and Who gives us eternal life. The man was was cured of blindness, yes, but He was given so much more than vision. </span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="25" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 14px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Maybe Jesus chose the Sabbath to reestablish the correct order of things. Man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man. Christ was reminding us that His mission and the most important work of creation was to restore man out of the ashes to life and so He healed the man. As Lord of the Sabbath, the One Who brings dirt to life, He is the One who declared this order in the first place. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejSigi2p_TxJ34ZQNyx810a6om9Qx3pv1Ome5FmdsJpT2IcpmlNm0kNo_fSWwqp5CD2cglERSwCkE2i7CeiWLOxtOi05-fBFCqLyHtPk7qkzCissMj37FOIEiW5df9U770SfYeU6JY59n/s640/blogger-image--1809834814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejSigi2p_TxJ34ZQNyx810a6om9Qx3pv1Ome5FmdsJpT2IcpmlNm0kNo_fSWwqp5CD2cglERSwCkE2i7CeiWLOxtOi05-fBFCqLyHtPk7qkzCissMj37FOIEiW5df9U770SfYeU6JY59n/s640/blogger-image--1809834814.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-83491583803806002772014-03-29T06:06:00.001-07:002014-03-29T06:17:00.666-07:00There But For the Grace of God...<div id="12" style="padding: 2px 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><sup>Luke :11</sup> The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.</span></span></div>
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Let's be honest. It's so easy to look at a neighbor who's doing things all wrong and think "I'm glad I'm not him!". Yes, it's human nature to be glad you're not anybody else besides you. We tend to think we do things better than most people. We think we parent better, love better, spoil our children less, are smarter and less superficial and the list goes on and on.</div><div><br></div>
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Add to this a neighbor who doesn't know Jesus and it raises the notch of our superiority a bit. When we try to live righteously and avoid sin it's only normal to be thankful not to be in a big mess like a neighbor's whose life is now falling apart because of a selfish choice. We followed the rules and life's not complicated.</div>
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<div>But we have to be careful. When we are so busy looking at what somebody else is doing wrong that we compare ourselves to him, we fail to properly examine ourselves. God will not judge us in comparison to others. He is going to judge our righteousness in comparison to His and we will fall very very short.</div>
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You see, the only person that has the right to look at a wretched sinner and think "I'm glad I'm not he" is Jesus Christ. But did He do that? No, instead He got his hands dirty by getting up close and personal to the worst of sinners and loving them where they were. </div>
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The idea is not to avoid contaminating ourselves by association but to demonstrate love. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">When we see a fallen brother the proper reaction should be, "There but for the grace of God go I."</span></div>
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<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMhMJmf2Dk46s5XOGZfaF2vEe3G-dsnUSrqQJuMhCjqioFVfJLy7PwkZ33XnLTq8BkV1cU4BvMU7ns4Vei9so6ZKwaBJNPxfgGp2wt4-Ec39MkIFpARPKWTW1A3g2MhXFXd2WAynBH-Fk/s640/blogger-image--1437589185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMhMJmf2Dk46s5XOGZfaF2vEe3G-dsnUSrqQJuMhCjqioFVfJLy7PwkZ33XnLTq8BkV1cU4BvMU7ns4Vei9so6ZKwaBJNPxfgGp2wt4-Ec39MkIFpARPKWTW1A3g2MhXFXd2WAynBH-Fk/s640/blogger-image--1437589185.jpg"></a></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-91183067802345332372014-03-25T06:44:00.001-07:002014-03-25T06:44:24.072-07:00Immanuel<div id="1" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><sup>Isaiah 7:11</sup> "Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven."</span></div><div id="2" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><sup>12</sup> But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test."</span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><sup>13</sup> And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?</span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I don't know why I love these passages but I do. Here God is giving permission to Ahaz to ask him for huge sign. Can you imagine what I could do with that? Oh the the signs I would ask for! Does a baby for me count? Lol</span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ahaz suddenly becomes coy and doesn't want to put God to the test or offend him. Um, hello Ahaz! He basically just gave you permission to ask for a sign as deep as the depths of Sheol and as high as the heavens!! </span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">God's answer kills me. It's like He's rolling His eyes at Ahaz. God saw right through his pretenses. Maybe Ahaz thought he was being respectful with his formal words when he was really being patronizing. </span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">So God does what He does best and He takes over. God would give us a sign as deep as Sheol and as high as the Heavens. He would give us a sign that no man could conceive. (Pun intended)</span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">The</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> sign would indeed be a baby! But not just any baby. This baby would be conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin. God would become flesh and dwell with us. He would be named Immanuel which means God- with us!</span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div id="3" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-GIgF3s9KIaDfrX0XvK-K_NvG52emJxcpJ79_d06dV1C07nqmQG7GIlOLiYMeypPy3Gl3do2JOmhGrti7XvjTJItnqVksTr3lkX_gSMsebcnCaalxC7eosvPngDjXQhiByR0z7CFQkd_/s640/blogger-image--1136212498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-GIgF3s9KIaDfrX0XvK-K_NvG52emJxcpJ79_d06dV1C07nqmQG7GIlOLiYMeypPy3Gl3do2JOmhGrti7XvjTJItnqVksTr3lkX_gSMsebcnCaalxC7eosvPngDjXQhiByR0z7CFQkd_/s640/blogger-image--1136212498.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-41920646917551886312014-03-21T15:27:00.001-07:002014-03-21T17:41:39.610-07:00God's Not Dead movie review<b>God's Not Dead </b>opened in the theaters today. It's a movie with a great premise inspired by several true stories. A Christian college student in secular philosophy class is challenged by his atheist professor with an ultimatum, sign a document denouncing God or prove that God's not dead. If he is unable to convince the class, he fails.<div><br></div><div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Here's the good news: It's a movie with a great message. It was craftfully written with many characters and story lines which made the movie engaging and entertaining. </div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Here's the bad news. It had a few cheesy moments that made me cringe a bit. It's a shame that christian movies can't to seem get past this hump. This movie did nothing to help the stereotype.</div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It follows Wheaton, a likeable good-looking college kid on his journey to prove God exists against the pressures of skeptics including a controlling and unsupportive girlfriend. There is a student from communist China who has never experienced God, a beautiful Arabic girl decked in a hijab who hides her Christian faith from her family, a liberal journalist with a chip on her shoulder, a heartless businessman who neglects his family and so many more. Their stories intertwined and I appreciate a movie that can do that well without boring or confusing the viewer.</div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The cast included a "liberal" journalist who had a bumper sticker on her car that read "I love evolution". I actually laughed aloud. Perhaps they could have gotten the point across more subtly with a "COEXIST" sticker or an "Obama 2008" one? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">There were sappy moments and the token climactic scene that accompanies almost every cheesy movie. You know the one. It starts when one single person stands to make a proclamation in a room full of people. This inspires one person to follow suit until one by one the whole crowd is standing.</span></div><div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">There were guest appearances by Duck Dynasty's Willie and Korie Robertson and by Christian band Newsboys. Although I admire the Robertsons, they are not actors and the acting was stiff and a little painful to watch. Perhaps more painful was Newsboys' fictional encounter with the journalist. Their obviously scripted lines came on the heels of a comment the journalist made about unscripted interviews. It was ironic. </div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></div></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><b>God's Not Dead</b> did redeem itself in the end, though. The content was rich enough that you could look past the clichés. Aside from the guest appearances, the film felt genuine thanks to seasoned actor Kevin Sorbo and Shane Harper, who played Josh Wheaton. He was both believable and likeable.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">face-off between student and professor was probably the best part of the movie. The movie touched on all the big names in the forefront of public debate like Dawkins and Strobel and others. Debate was both sound and expertly logical and pulled off without feeling like preaching. God wins in the end, of course. But when doesn't He?</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOrfgmxuVp9AbLOgGTIN4Du_AnoEI1_8ZD7ljHkl6MEmVF_69UoUz95sq0yp7x0z389sMcbPmzU1bj6_HiqLqruxNHkfaM874Y6A8xzbRtutAcCNSORMNsSmfHEX-Hiin3mO1VwDt-sCt/s640/blogger-image--1074072053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOrfgmxuVp9AbLOgGTIN4Du_AnoEI1_8ZD7ljHkl6MEmVF_69UoUz95sq0yp7x0z389sMcbPmzU1bj6_HiqLqruxNHkfaM874Y6A8xzbRtutAcCNSORMNsSmfHEX-Hiin3mO1VwDt-sCt/s640/blogger-image--1074072053.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Overall, even though the movie is predictably hokey at times, it is worth watching. Not one to miss. 👍</span></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-25665267529723927812014-03-20T07:23:00.002-07:002014-03-20T08:58:47.365-07:00The Freedom of Irresponsibility<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Jeremiah 17: 5-8</i></div>
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<i>Thus says the Lord; "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert,and shall not see any good come, He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit."</i></div>
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I once knew a man who was going through a very hard trial. He had a daughter with special needs and believed that the strength he needed to endure this hardship was within him. God was an abstract idea and I saw him struggle to find the energy to pull himself up by the bootstraps every morning. I could see that he was exhausted, depleted and losing hope. Still, he fought to stay afloat, believing he needed the will to summon the strength from within. He had bought into the mantra of the day.<i> The strength is within you. </i>I have heard that a thousand times in songs or self help books or in well-meaning encouragements. <i>The strength is within you.</i><br />
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But what if it's not? What if we are depleted, tired or at the end of our rope? Must we muster the energy to keep going and to be the own answer to our problems? How exhausting to think that we must be our own hereos in crisis. Life is hard enough with Jesus in it, why anybody would try to go at it alone is beyond me. <br />
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Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with self discipline. The word discipline means the "instruction given to a disciple" or "order necessary for instruction". A disciple is a follower. An order is given by somebody in authority. To be disciplined means to follow. But who are we following? Ourselves?<br />
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It's okay that there is a strength <u>outside of us</u> that we can tap into. To be dependent on a source that is WITHOUT us is not a weakness. Just like a tire cannot inflate itself nor can a tree water itself, a child cannot care for himself. Parents provide for his survival and nourishment. <br />
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God also is a Father. God is our source, our strength, our nourishment. As our father, He loves to give us good things. But He loves even more a child who asks, because asking requires trust and trust requires relationship. As I have said many times before, God is pining away to be in a relationship with us and to pour Himself out for us.<br />
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You are not alone and you do not have to be your own strength! Bask in that for a second. Isn't it liberating? That, my friend, is true peace and true freedom.<br />
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Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-24270569733202719812014-03-18T07:31:00.001-07:002014-03-18T09:22:23.938-07:00The Seat of Moses, The Seat of Peter<h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrfgq6bCJyQM92-DSdIs7StVTNBo0I8FwY6yktRlQqousqeI_Iu45OKaMQW1gEbFXus6CHw8l3xmDi_DbbN1J_nlEFpSt4dEC4kmyuQTpOJROwBmdVs3A3UUvs_CY4o_Fc9K5mtUgO2IH/s640/blogger-image-1968871698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrfgq6bCJyQM92-DSdIs7StVTNBo0I8FwY6yktRlQqousqeI_Iu45OKaMQW1gEbFXus6CHw8l3xmDi_DbbN1J_nlEFpSt4dEC4kmyuQTpOJROwBmdVs3A3UUvs_CY4o_Fc9K5mtUgO2IH/s640/blogger-image-1968871698.jpg"></i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>Replica of Chorazin Synagogue Chair. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.</i></span></div><br></h2><div id="13" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 14px;">Matthew 23: 2-3</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.</span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I find the mention of "Moses' seat" interesting. In this scene, Jesus acknowledges to the people the teaching authority of whoever holds this seat and tells the people to do what they are told. He clarifies to do what they are TOLD "from the seat of Moses" but not to imitate what the Pharisees do. In other words, if it wasn't something that was officially taught they weren't bound to do it. Obviously there was a disconnect somewhere and people were trying to discern between official teachings and the unspoken actions of the Pharisees. It is clear that the unspoken acts held no authority with Jesus. The Pharisees put them on for show. </span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I know this passage's focus is about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees but that is not my focus today. I found a hidden treasure in these words today. It is the mention of the seat of Moses. </span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Isn't it interesting that we have a seat in the Catholic Church today that holds a teaching authority. It is the chair of Peter. If something is "ex cathedra" it literally means "from the chair". It is infallible and we are bound to this teaching. </span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A "chair" with teaching authority is not a new idea. Christ did not ever say that authority and obedience was a bad thing. Instead, He established His church with Peter as His spokesperson and handed him the keys (figuratively) to the kingdom- much like Eliakiam was re-established in the old testament as the new keeper of the keys when the original keeper Shebna was seen unfit.</span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The keeper of they keys had the authority to speak for the King, to "bind and loosen", to "open and close". This is the language of authority and it is precisely the words Christ said to Peter. If something is spoken "from the chair" we can assume it comes from the King Himself through the voice of his vicar.</span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><br></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><br></div><div><br></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-37412608037731349932014-03-14T07:34:00.001-07:002014-03-14T08:11:58.096-07:00Jesus- The Abused Spouse<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Psalm 130</span></div><div><div id="13" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><sup>6</sup> my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.</span></div><div id="14" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><sup>7</sup> O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption.</span></div></div><div><br></div><div>With the Lord there is steadfast love and with him is plenteous redemption. Do you hear that? The Lord is a generous God! </div><div><br></div><div>Why shouldn't we pine after Him like a love-sick lover? Why shouldn't we wait up for Him even past the nightwatchman's shift? He is good and generous. He is more love-sick than we, dying to get reconciled with us. He chases us relentlessly and believes in more than second chances. He is the ever-forgiving Hosea to our adulterous hearts, buying us out of prostitution with His own life, rescuing us from the pimping liar.</div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We can cry out from our sorrow, ask forgiveness in our misery, and He'll never ever turn us away. He will swiftly and lovingly take us back, beaten-up and dirty. He'll even send a carriage and meet us more than halfway. If there is an abused spouse in this relationship, it is He. He can handle it.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Can you fathom that kind of love? I can't.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWZpGg_kteKfoo6R4ni_W8k78l_0-pusxXmPLppWXpigoewxh0v_4TdQiRXAADxTHMnRJWLyqKPcQS6KK2ti-11T6BtvW4PYfLbnMuPq9OYpLUU3ghZ52C0VN7o36f5M54J-iBLIwmgJ5/s640/blogger-image--1481752733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWZpGg_kteKfoo6R4ni_W8k78l_0-pusxXmPLppWXpigoewxh0v_4TdQiRXAADxTHMnRJWLyqKPcQS6KK2ti-11T6BtvW4PYfLbnMuPq9OYpLUU3ghZ52C0VN7o36f5M54J-iBLIwmgJ5/s640/blogger-image--1481752733.jpg"></a></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-84221549765829140052014-03-10T11:31:00.001-07:002014-03-12T12:46:47.021-07:00Faith is Hard Work<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i><b><sup>Matthew25: 41</sup> Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i><b><sup>42</sup> for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i><b><sup>43</sup> I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'</b></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We have to be very careful not to fall into the trap of complacency. It's not enough to be Christian-to believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior if we DO nothing with it. The question isn't whether faith alone will get you to heaven (it won't). The question isn't whether work alone will get you to heaven (it won't). </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's simpler than that. Faith IS hard work. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But don't be fooled into believing that you can't have one without the other because you certainly can- and that separation is what Jesus is warning us about. We </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">should all know better than to ever say that it's either faith or works. It's always both faith and works.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Salvation requires faith AND action. It's not optional. Sorry. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This Bible passage does not mince words. Do not think you can believe in Jesus Christ and then sit back and get comfortable. If we refuse to love/serve our neighbor by giving him food and drink and shelter and other "works" of mercy than we will not enter into heaven. Remember- the bible tells us that love covers a multitude of sins. That kind of love is a verb.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Time to</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> get off my butt...</span></span></span></div>
Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-56423269478036900512014-03-08T05:15:00.001-08:002014-03-08T05:40:03.571-08:00Feeling Gloomy? Pour Yourself Out.<i><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Isaiah 58:10</b></i><div><i><b><br></b></i></div><div><div id="1" style="padding: 2px 0px;"><span style="font-size: 17px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i><b>if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.</b></i></span></div></div><div><br></div><div>I never realized the word "gloomy" had anything to do with lack of light. But it says here in Isaiah that gloom can be turned into the peak of daylight at noon. In the summer, noonday is blinding and hot and nobody steps outside without sunscreen. The best place to be is poolside. </div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">When I think of gloomy, I think of a dark, swampy, nighttime scene surrounded by fog...and maybe even the Mystery Machine Van driving by with Shaggy, Scooby and the gang. But I digress..</span></div><div><br></div><div>I looked up gloomy, however, and the definition was "depressingly dark". When I'm feeling gloomy, the last thing I want to do is pour myself out for anybody. I can barely muster the energy to pour anything for myself...except maybe wine. But I digress again..</div><div><br></div><div>Maybe that's the problem. Gloom has a tendency to turn inward. Turning to ourselves only produces more of ourselves.</div><div><br></div><div>God ask us to literally pour ourselves out in the service of those who are hungry and afflicted.The "pouring" itself is a hard teaching. It reeks of sacrifice and dying to self. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">When you pour something out, you're left with an empty vessel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">He doesn't want to leave us empty. In yesterday's reading, He promises to be the light that fills us. Today He says that light will rise rise in the darkness and be as the noonday sun.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Are you feeling gloomy? Do you find yourself getting depressed? Don't indulge yourself by dwelling on it. Seek somebody who is more afflicted than you and pour yourself out in service to him. Watch your gloom turn to daylight!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu6WmeN7NJvieLnGd19aPQWdam-zkdkXOqOrAPmbjtpo4Ily1r0j5TDyAPiGzK8fr1U0CKdfoPtjOSeCxB3N5pkWc2JO-c-Tc-_IB4fjqE5X-6faBPdxoOH0PMhHK_065v7zv0q_vwFcD/s640/blogger-image-1246507385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqu6WmeN7NJvieLnGd19aPQWdam-zkdkXOqOrAPmbjtpo4Ily1r0j5TDyAPiGzK8fr1U0CKdfoPtjOSeCxB3N5pkWc2JO-c-Tc-_IB4fjqE5X-6faBPdxoOH0PMhHK_065v7zv0q_vwFcD/s640/blogger-image-1246507385.jpg"></a></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-68840279196920089632014-03-07T08:57:00.000-08:002014-03-07T11:58:14.673-08:00Fasting So That We May Be Healed<br>
Fasting isn't always about not eating food. It can mean giving up something we find pleasurable for the sake of refocusing on Christ. Something inside each of us desires to be our best selves. However, we get swept away in the daily comforts of our lives and feeling hazy or fuzzy or not quite strong or centered in our cores.We want to get raw. <br>
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So we look at our lives and we see what's distracting us from growing in God. We assess what needs pruning. <div><br></div><div>For me, it's my smartphone. After too many incidents of getting irritated when my children interrupted my reading of a great debate on Facebook or a really riveting article, I knew it was time to re-prioritize. It started feeling like there was never a time they weren't interrupting. The amount of attention-grabbing materials I could find on the internet via my phone is endless. My kids are not interrupting me. My phone addiction is interrupting my family. I felt enslaved to my addiction.<br>
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In today's reading in Isaiah 58:1-9, God is asking us not to give up something for the sake of giving up something. Sometimes we tend to go through the motions and we wonder why nothing changes.<br>
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I heard it said twice in the last two days that if we are giving up
something for Lent yet, we are still
nasty to our neighbor, we are not truly growing in virtue. Additionally, if we
find ourselves rationalizing ways to get things we've removed back into our lives,
maybe we have taken on too much. <br>
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One saint had a habit of
smoking. Her priest told her not to quit smoking for Lent because she
became unbearable and everybody else suffered around her. Maybe she had
bitten off more than she could chew. Instead, he told her to increase her prayer life and pray about
quitting. Eventually she discovered that she was able to look
at her cigarettes and have zero desire to smoke.This is just an example.<br>
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The idea is to give up whatever is holding you back from growing closer to your purpose in Christ. It is better to look inwardly to bad spiritual habits we have acquired than to focus on physical habits we want to overcome- like biting fingernails or quitting smoking. Jesus is concerned with the heart. He wants to heal us of the thing that obstructs our access to Him. Anything that does has become an attachment, an idol and a hindrance.</div><div><br>
The type of fast that God desires is the one that will set us free. Clearly there is power to break strongholds in fasting. <br>
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<i>Is not this the fast I choose; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6</i></div>
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But there's more. What good is fasting, even from hindrances, if our faith produces no fruit? God wants to set us free so His light can fill us that we may love more perfectly to be His hands and feet and voice to the world.<br>
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This world is crying out for Christians who live the gospel and not just talk about it.<br>
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<i>Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him,and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily, your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be you rear guard. Isaiah 58:7-8</i></div>
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Notice the passage talks about HEALING. The point of Lent is to turn back to God, let go of attachments and serve others so that WE MAY BE HEALED.<br>
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What do you need to be healed of this lent?<br>
<br></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-51879426762659351372014-02-05T02:02:00.001-08:002014-02-05T02:07:34.951-08:00Amazed by Their Lack of Faith<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mk 6:1-6</span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i><b>He was amazed at their lack of faith.</b></i></span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's funny. Usually any time in the gospels that Jesus is amazed it's usually at somebody's faith.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This time, however, He was amazed at the lack of faith in His own home town. As a result, He was only able to </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">touch a few people with healing. Everybody else was too cynical to believe one of their own could be the messiah and resented Him. After all they "knew him when". And so, despite His teachings, their hearts remained closed and prideful.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This also reveals something else to us and that is just how human and ordinary Jesus must have been in His early days before His ministry. God truly humbled Himself to be born a human to a humble maiden. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Because of His lack of flashiness and celebrity His own cousins in His hometown couldn't see past the human. They couldn't see God in their midsts. Maybe it was because they had different expectations of what a messiah should look like, but what a missed opportunity!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Think about it. They could have had bragging rights that the Christ was theirs first! That they were blessed to have been chosen to be blood related and that He came from their lineage and their city! They could have taken pride and relished their time with Him but they missed it.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Which brings me to the point. How many times have we missed God working in our lives because of our preconceived ideas of how God should like? We ignore His visits through ordinary people in our lives or His opportunities for healing because we have already envisioned what it will look like.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> A friend of mine once said, "You're waiting on God? Well, guess what? He's waiting on you!"</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDS2bftJm8tmCQtN9PfoB3RoWwKZeYsiEncO6Mc4LtSdMgJl9pJCBbKJe0XGAHQwXod5tOw4RUQsQOLg5ALfna-8S-FShG4KxmJq3zt6PRC9OxxpbN9YWs3_3YffkaD0X52Z4Dc4Powql/s640/blogger-image--523500621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDS2bftJm8tmCQtN9PfoB3RoWwKZeYsiEncO6Mc4LtSdMgJl9pJCBbKJe0XGAHQwXod5tOw4RUQsQOLg5ALfna-8S-FShG4KxmJq3zt6PRC9OxxpbN9YWs3_3YffkaD0X52Z4Dc4Powql/s640/blogger-image--523500621.jpg"></a></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-88734965383633012522014-01-20T17:21:00.001-08:002014-01-20T17:21:13.971-08:00The Sabbath was Made for Man<div><br></div><div><br></div><div><i>Mark 2:23-28</i></div><i>The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath also.</i><div><br></div><div>In today's gospel we find Jesus and His apostles walking through fields of corn on the sabbath plucking the ears and eating them. The Pharisees saw this and were offended that a man who called himself Rabbi would think nothing of doing something that was technically considered work on the sabbath which was forbidden.</div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">That was the problem. Their focus was too much on following the law to the last letter that they had become slaves to it. Somewhere along the way they lost their way. Jesus needed to remind them that the sabbath had been made for men as a day to rest in The Lord. Man had not been created to be a slave to the law.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Do we do this ever? Do we get hung up on the wrong thing that we miss the point altogether? I can't tell you how many times I've gathered my children to pray together only to get frustrated because nobody's paying attention or "doing it right". I lose sight that we are all gathered together to turn our wills to God. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Let's not get caught up in the wrong thing. The best way not to lose our way is to keep our eyes on Jesus.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVDKFJLnXZTt2xfv9oGRP_lANoIX9v85Yx_Deqbr6hunMlSoM0BJah1VkQWcrNacuhaeckr6_sI2dghHTOTsHtq8bIq22Owfg6GKbdR941Qx3tB7f9TBxdlwWjXvyOoll_Ua1ET_MhUlV/s640/blogger-image-1826707016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVDKFJLnXZTt2xfv9oGRP_lANoIX9v85Yx_Deqbr6hunMlSoM0BJah1VkQWcrNacuhaeckr6_sI2dghHTOTsHtq8bIq22Owfg6GKbdR941Qx3tB7f9TBxdlwWjXvyOoll_Ua1ET_MhUlV/s640/blogger-image-1826707016.jpg"></a></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-87489174682108268582013-08-13T06:26:00.002-07:002013-08-13T07:25:27.504-07:00God's Portion<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Today's
Psalm reminds us that the portion of the Lord is His people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">R. The portion of the Lord is his
people.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><br />
While the LORD’s own portion was Jacob,<br />
his hereditary share was Israel.<br />
The LORD alone was their leader,<br />
no strange god was with him.<br />
<b>R. The portion of the Lord is his people<br />
</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The
word portion in Hebrew can mean a piece of something or a fraction of a whole
that's allotted to someone. But its meaning is deeper than that. It also means
destiny. In Greek it means acquisition or heritage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="color: red;">He allots their portions; his hand
distributes them by measure. They will possess it forever and dwell there from
generation to generation. </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+34:16-17&version=NIV"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;">Isaiah 34:16-17</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="color: red;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="color: red;">Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would
give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and
daughters.</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel+1:3-5&version=NIV"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;">1 Samuel 1:3-5</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">There
are many verses that talk about God Himself being man's portion. It sounds like
a comfort or a promise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="color: red;">My flesh and my heart may fail, but
God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+73:25-27&version=NIV"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;">Psalm 73:25-27</span></span></a><span style="color: red;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">In
this following verse, it also sounds like a reward or consolation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="color: red;">But to Hannah he gave a double portion
because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel+1:4-6&version=NIV"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;">1 Samuel 1:4-6</span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Portion
also is the part that is rightfully due to God like the best and first
fruits of a harvest or a tithe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="color: red;">And Abel also brought an offering—fat
portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on
Abel and his offering, </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4:4&version=NIV"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;">Genesis 4:4</span></span></a><span style="color: red;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="color: red;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"></span></i></span><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="color: red;">The priest is to take a handful of the
finest flour and some olive oil, together with all the incense on the grain
offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as an aroma pleasing to
the Lord.</span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+6:14-16&version=NIV"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;">Leviticus 6:14-16</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">While I have seen the use of the word portion used many times to describe what God is to one who loves Him, I have never seen it the other way around. This was a first for me. The idea that a people could be God's inheritance, or the best choice of meat,
or the first fruits of a harvest or even an inheritance promised to God seemed
interesting to me. To think that God would look at all of his creation
and choose the best off the top for Himself is moving. It now makes sense that the
bible says over and over how God "sets the Israelites apart" or
how we are set apart if we are His people. I always viewed this as simply as a
distinction but never as God gathering for Himself a “tithe” of his children.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Lucida Bright","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">But why shouldn't
this make sense? If we have many unruly children we love them all equally
but if one child is obedient and the rest are not, is that child not a
consolation to our weary hearts? And, as His children, we all have the choice of whether we belong to that portion or not. </span></div>
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Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-1662683994690688702013-08-11T08:32:00.000-07:002013-08-11T08:36:49.687-07:00Faith Like Abraham's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b853bhcnZjq-i0YZIJF2tZC8L8yQ2f2bHPJk8U3gTj5_mrSzDd_6UtVhOmpzFbBF0Kvot4SAi0zigyzTODCBZziOZWDqb10QnXp3wpp6SVvtQNPKjKFFR5paVEo2fpW3YJl2wcW1Wjhyphenhyphen/s1600/faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-b853bhcnZjq-i0YZIJF2tZC8L8yQ2f2bHPJk8U3gTj5_mrSzDd_6UtVhOmpzFbBF0Kvot4SAi0zigyzTODCBZziOZWDqb10QnXp3wpp6SVvtQNPKjKFFR5paVEo2fpW3YJl2wcW1Wjhyphenhyphen/s320/faith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am caught up in the beauty of the second reading
today and in the faith of Abraham who obeyed with pure faith. Abraham believed
that God would make his elderly wife fertile and that descendents would spawn
from his seed. He did not doubt this even when God asked him to offer up his only
son in sacrifice to Him. Amazingly ahead of his time, Abraham believed that God
would resurrect Isaac. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,<br />
and he received Isaac back as a symbol</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Abraham moved his family and went where God led him
even if he did not know the way. It says “he dwelled in the tents with Jacob
and Isaac” which tells me that his faith was one of perseverance in the
drudgery of the nomadic lifestyle. It was a faith of waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all looked forward. What
they could not see with their eyes they still believed, knowing that the Master
Architect had prepared a city for them. It’s amazing that they understood that
earth itself was a nomadic journey towards home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All these died in faith. <br />
They did not receive what had been promised<br />
but saw it and greeted it from afar<br />
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They judged God to be trustworthy and therefore God
was “not ashamed” to be their God. God delights in our utter abandon to Him and
I believe that those who do, <u><strong>cannot</strong></u> be disappointed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7pt; letter-spacing: 0.7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">Reading 2 <a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/hebrews/11:1"><span style="color: #008061;">Heb 11:1-2, 8-19</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brothers and sisters:<br />
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for<br />
and evidence of things not seen. <br />
Because of it the ancients were well attested.<br />
<br />
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place<br />
that he was to receive as an inheritance;<br />
he went out, not knowing where he was to go. <br />
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,<br />
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;<br />
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,<br />
whose architect and maker is God. <br />
By faith he received power to generate,<br />
even though he was past the normal age<br />
—and Sarah herself was sterile—<br />
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was <br />
trustworthy.<br />
So it was that there came forth from one man,<br />
himself as good as dead,<br />
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky<br />
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.<br />
<br />
All these died in faith. <br />
They did not receive what had been promised<br />
but saw it and greeted it from afar<br />
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,<br />
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. <br />
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,<br />
they would have had opportunity to return. <br />
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. <br />
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,<br />
for he has prepared a city for them.<br />
<br />
By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,<br />
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,<br />
of whom it was said,<br />
“Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” <br />
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,<br />
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-43733126285219170532013-08-10T07:26:00.004-07:002013-08-10T07:29:28.169-07:00Breaking Bad Habits<div class="MsoNormal">
I picked up a book from Joyce Meyer last night at Barnes and
Nobles about breaking bad habits and creating new ones. I felt like it was written specifically for me at this point
in my life.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I have spent the summer lamenting my bad habits, of not
eating right, of spending too much time on my iPhone, of avoiding certain
people who ask too many favors, of not exercising, but especially of not
putting God first. </div>
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Joyce Meyer also talked about the person who procrastinates
even with their own talents and this really hit home. What good is it that I
can write well if I put it off indefinitely? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKa8vRyiHLUW7k5LdSlRmZdB5WyNZAzQWS9f4_u63gdTP6JAdyIOgb39WbgsEVthAORVdDgox2IsTdMGYFwgFFeOHqc0OpBJKViXtjA3o8dClKs21BeiuI658DOPnA3cnYODKbYTEoKGt/s1600/joyce+meyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKa8vRyiHLUW7k5LdSlRmZdB5WyNZAzQWS9f4_u63gdTP6JAdyIOgb39WbgsEVthAORVdDgox2IsTdMGYFwgFFeOHqc0OpBJKViXtjA3o8dClKs21BeiuI658DOPnA3cnYODKbYTEoKGt/s320/joyce+meyer.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
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The devil wins most souls by procrastination. If we can be
convinced that God’s work can be put off, then we will never get to it. I
realized that all my habits can be summed up in this vice and that is to avoid
or delay unpleasant things in life. I am a chronic procrastinator and it is causing me
great unhappiness. I have wasted more time lamenting wasted time than just doing
something about it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The first challenge was to write down all the good habits you
want to attain versus the bad habits you want to break and to tackle one at a
time. You’re not supposed to just break a bad habit by not doing it, but you
must replace it with a good one.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This week my goal is to wake up every morning and, before I
check my phone, I must read the daily mass readings and then reflect on them on
my blog. As for my phone, I plugged it in downstairs and not next to my night
table and I am only allowing myself to read it during one hour intervals
throughout the day. It is pathetic but, if I didn’t, I would have my phone on
me constantly and the hours of distraction would add up to much more than that.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Today’s readings were a great consolation from God about
these very things. I don’t doubt that He is with me on this journey of breaking
bad habits.</div>
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In the first reading of 2 Corinthians it reminds us that
whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly. This is me. How can I expect
blessings when I am too lazy to put the work in? But it promises that God will
make every grace abundant to me for every good work. </div>
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Big sigh. Good works. This is a big area in which I lack but
one for which I have been praying for growth. Love of my neighbor. Truth is, I
can’t stand most people. The ones in my life seem to be the ones that take more
than give and this is why I am distrustful. It seems like God might be nudging me to work
on this first. I wonder what pain-in-the-butt service I am going to be
challenged with today. Ugh</div>
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<br /></div>
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The psalm follows
nicely with the importance of the man who is gracious to those in need and then
the gospel with how the seed must fall to the ground and die in order to
produce fruit. Die to self…. I feel the same resistance rise up within me about
how hard this is going to be.. maybe I’m looking at it all wrong and I need to
remember that God will provide every grace I need for whatever lies before me
today.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">Reading 1 </span></b><a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/2corinthians/9:6"><b><span style="color: #008061; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">2
Cor 9:6-10</span></b></a><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">Brothers
and sisters:<br />
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,<br />
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.<br />
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,<br />
for God loves a cheerful giver.<br />
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,<br />
so that in all things, always having all you need,<br />
you may have an abundance for every good work.<br />
As it is written:<br />
<br />
</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">He
scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">his righteousness endures forever.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><br />
<br />
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food<br />
will supply and multiply your seed<br />
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">Responsorial Psalm </span></b><a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/112:1"><b><span style="color: #008061; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">PS
112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9</span></b></a><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">R.
(5) </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><br />
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,<br />
who greatly delights in his commands.<br />
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;<br />
the upright generation shall be blessed.<br />
R. </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">Blessed
the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><br />
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,<br />
who conducts his affairs with justice;<br />
He shall never be moved;<br />
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.<br />
R. </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">Blessed
the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><br />
An evil report he shall not fear;<br />
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.<br />
His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear<br />
till he looks down upon his foes.<br />
R. </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">Blessed
the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><br />
Lavishly he gives to the poor, <br />
his generosity shall endure forever;<br />
his horn shall be exalted in glory.<br />
R. </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">Blessed
the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">Gospel </span></b><a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/john/12:24"><b><span style="color: #008061; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">Jn
12:24-26 </span></b></a><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; letter-spacing: .65pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;">Jesus
said to his disciples:<br />
“Amen, amen, I say to you,<br />
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,<br />
it remains just a grain of wheat;<br />
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.<br />
Whoever loves his life loses it,<br />
and whoever hates his life in this world<br />
will preserve it for eternal life.<br />
Whoever serves me must follow me,<br />
and where I am, there also will my servant be.<br />
The Father will honor whoever serves me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-1585192265521550492013-07-25T10:54:00.000-07:002013-07-25T11:04:07.114-07:00Reincarnated or Redeemed<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reincarnated or Redeemed?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem with reincarnation is that the belief that our souls are enfleshed again in different forms dismisses any uniqueness of personhood. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does reincarnation treat the body as a shell or a cast-off and the soul as recyclable, but it completely ignores the part that our gender plays in our personhood because it has no understanding of the gender of the soul, if you will. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our bodies and our sex are not incidental. Like John Paul 2 said, our bodies are our "souls made visible". When it is said that we are made in God’s image it means that they have something to teach us about God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If our bodies are feminine it is because our spirits are feminine and a reflection of the side of God that reflects the gifts of the feminine: life-bearing power, nurture, reception of life, softness, acceptance, fierceness, loyalty, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If our bodies are male it is because our spirits are male and reflect God's strength and power, donation of life, enveloping protection and the call that a man seems to gravitate to so naturally to lay down his life for others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our bodies are not just houses for our souls, but they <u>are</u> our souls with flesh. It is important to realize the importance of this union and how disordered the separation which is called death is. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our bodies are so esteemed by God that Christ went through the trouble of making sure that there will be no more separation of body and soul when He comes again. He Himself underwent death and resurrection so that our bodies would reunite with our souls and be healed of this separation once and for all in our glorified bodies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem with reincarnation is that it denies that each person is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime unrepeatable gift to the universe. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-39268195156514537712013-07-16T12:16:00.003-07:002013-07-16T12:30:59.699-07:00Pharaoh's Daughter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Pharaoh's Daughter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In today’s reading, the bible points out that Moses’ parents were Levites. Moses was destined for the priesthood. While Moses’ mother knew that, I doubt she was certain of his own survival let alone that he was destined for the salvation of Israel out of the bondage of slavery. She set him adrift in the Nile seemingly leaving him to his fate. But if you notice, she courageously took every precaution to ensure his survival and left the rest in God's hands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Levite woman was a shrewd one. She daubed the papyrus basket with bitumen and pitch making an already buoyant material waterproof. She must have known the hour of the day that Pharaohs’ daughter would be bathing and strategically stationed her daughter in the perfect place to guide Moses right into the hands of the royal princess and then offer her the perfect nursing maid for the child! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Pharaohs’ daughter most likely knew about the edict to kill all male Hebrew baby boys, but wasn’t directly affected by it until she laid eyes on Moses. The Levite <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was hoping to appeal to the mothering instinct in Pharaoh’s daughter and she was correct. She immediately fell in love with the child Moses and interceded on his behalf to her father. Pharaoh humored her, probably imagining the child to be no more than a pet for his daughter with no rights to succession. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It’s amazing to me that a king who feared a Hebrew usurping his throne so much that he ordered the murder of all their baby boys, would allow his daughter to raise one in his household. It is very telling of their relationship. Clearly he loved her very much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In some ways, I can see the typology of Mary in both these women. Pharaoh’s daughter’s concern and adoptive motherhood reminds me of Mary's concern and motherhood for us. She is influential and intercedes for us and He loves to give her the delights of her heart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Batang','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I can also see the foreshadowing of Mary in the Levite woman, who, although she had the consolation of being able to nurse her son, knew that he did not belong to her and was destined for the something great. Like the Levite, she faithfully surrendered her son. </span><br />
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Mary, Mother of Israel, pray for us!</div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Reading 1 <a href="http://usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/exodus/2:1"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ex 2:1-15a</span></em></a></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">who conceived and bore a son.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Seeing that he was a goodly child, she hid him for three months.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">When she could hide him no longer, she took a papyrus basket,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">daubed it with bitumen and pitch,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">and putting the child in it,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">placed it among the reeds on the river bank.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">His sister stationed herself at a distance</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">to find out what would happen to him.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">while her maids walked along the river bank.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying!</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">She was moved with pity for him and said,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">“It is one of the Hebrews’ children.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">to nurse the child for you?”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Yes, do so,” she answered.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">So the maiden went and called the child’s own mother.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will repay you.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">The woman therefore took the child and nursed it.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">When the child grew, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter,</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">who adopted him as her son and called him Moses;</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">for she said, “I drew him out of the water.”</span></em></div>
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Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-45207506209069313482013-06-22T06:53:00.001-07:002013-06-23T07:30:33.500-07:00Go Forth<div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">We love Jeremiah 29:11 Where it tells us that God has a plan for our lives, plans to prosper us and to give us hope and a future. In fact, I purposely sought these words out this morning. I have been struggling with a decision I need to make. When I worry about something, I get confused and paralyzed and do nothing but worry. I needed some guidance and sought out comfort in Gods promise in Jeremiah 29:11, but I knew there was going to be more. I read on. We don't hear people often talk about what comes after.</span><div><div><br></div><div>And you shall call upon me, and you shall go forth. And you shall pray to me, and I will heed you. You shall seek me. And you will find me, when you have sought me with your whole heart. (Jeremiah 29:12, 13 CPDV)</div></div><div><br></div><div>It says we must call on him but that we must also "go forth". Faith<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "> requires action. I know it would be more comfortable to know the plan first and then go forth but that's not what He's saying. He is the one who knows the plan and we need to take the next step knowing we are not alone. He's got this. </span>He wants us to know he's got our back and He will heed us. We just need to put the next foot in front of the other.</div><div><br></div><div>It is in this type of surrender that He meets us. When we seek Him WITH OUR WHOLE HEARTS- and only then- we will find Him and the peace of knowing we are in His will. </div><div><br></div><div>Is there a decision that you have been putting off waiting for a clear answer? Maybe you should go forth in faith, seeking God whole heartedly. Don't be paralyzed in fear.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEy3nQay2dgsFmofLN5AhXogGgjiFUeL33AxNbGzrN5HpnLQ4jzzUX7uq2jVm2bLhxf-JQTKTV8TV1efmJRGJvKnKGIpfJCzlSzGeW12P8WdRn1nHnZl5pkSKuZxSBdKo8linGo-I2B-w/s640/blogger-image--756022943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEy3nQay2dgsFmofLN5AhXogGgjiFUeL33AxNbGzrN5HpnLQ4jzzUX7uq2jVm2bLhxf-JQTKTV8TV1efmJRGJvKnKGIpfJCzlSzGeW12P8WdRn1nHnZl5pkSKuZxSBdKo8linGo-I2B-w/s640/blogger-image--756022943.jpg"></a></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-49549501598626443682013-06-06T11:43:00.002-07:002013-06-06T12:26:23.479-07:00How to Interpret the Bible (Correctly)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, </i><br>
<i>correcting
</i><i>and training in righteousness </i></div>
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<i>2 Timothy 3:16</i></div>
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Good sincere Christians will disagree with one another on the interpretation of scripture. It's a fact. For as many different denominations that exist, there are just as many differing doctrines regarding things like baptism, salvation, sanctification, works, etc. Some Christians lament that it is an inevitable part of the human condition and say that as long as we agree on the essentials of our faith, the other things don't matter. I agree that disunity is part of the human condition. The remedy is that there is no remedy, they say. Where interpretations vary, good Christians will go with the one that feels right so long as they agree on the important things.<br>
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The problem with agreeing to agree on the essentials is that there is no mention in scriptures that some issues are essential and others aren't or, which ones, for that matter. Is agreement on baptism necessary? How about salvation? Is divorce a non essential or an essential?<br>
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The opposite is true. Jesus prayed for unity extensively in the book of John and said that a kingdom divided against itself is laid waste and will not stand. Paul instructed the early church to be united in Corinthians.<br>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that </span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">there be no divisions
among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the
same </span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">judgment,"</span> </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1 Cor. 1:10</span></i></div>
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We are failing in this model. Is Christianity surviving or do new denominations rise out of the ashes of discord every day?<br>
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The early church did not suffer from splintering churches the way it does today. The bible tell us that the early Christians devoted themselves "to the teachings of the apostles." It does not say, "they read the scriptures and discerned for themselves". Clearly, they had something in place to unify them and keep their teachings cohesive. They had the Church.<br>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>1 Timothy 3:15</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>which is the church of the living God, the <b>pillar</b> <b>and</b> <b>bulwark</b> of the truth.</i></span></div>
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It is interesting that the bible does not tell us to find our own answers within the pages of scriptures but to look to the church for answers. The language is clear, The church is the pillar and bulwark of truth. A pillar holds up a structure. A bulwark is a defensive wall. This definition of church sounds like a protected fortress of truth!<br>
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What exactly was the church? I don't believe that the church is defined as simply a body of believers, as some claim, because that wouldn't make any sense. We know from experience that a body of believers can disagree with each other. This "church" is something more than that. It sounds like a divine kingdom with authority. A kingdom has one ruler.<br>
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There is no possible ways the early churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea would have remained unified if they weren't bound under the same doctrine. They couldn't afford to disagree on the non essentials and agree on the essentials. It would have been chaos. Since there was no bible as we know it yet, we can deduce that there was a very carefully maintained and divinely
protected oral teaching tradition..<br>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">whether by word of mouth or by letter. 2 Thessalonians 2:15</span></i></div>
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There also had to be a hierarchical structure in place to protect this tradition. In fact, the new testament is full of references regarding a hierarchy of episkopoi (bishops), presbyteroi (priests) and diakoni (deacons). And I don't mean a system of tiny hierarchies each within his own separate building or denomination like some argue today. No, this was ONE unified, universal hierarchy with elders that were appointed. <br>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">They appointed presbyters<sup> </sup>for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith Acts 14:23</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></i><br>
A hierarchy needs a head. Jesus chose 12 men to lead and spread His church under the headship of one particular apostle. <br>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text Matt-16-18" id="en-NRSV-23691">And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock<sup> </sup>I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. </span> <span class="text Matt-16-19" id="en-NRSV-23692"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span class="text Matt-16-18" id="en-NRSV-23691">Matthew 16:<sup>17-19</sup></span></i></span><span class="text Matt-16-20" id="en-NRSV-23693"><sup class="versenum"> </sup></span></div>
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Jesus said He would his build His church on Peter. He called him Cephas which means rock in Aramaic, the spoken language of Jesus. He never said I will build my church on your proclamation. No, he called him Rock (which makes a fantastic foundation for any building) and interestingly, Jesus promised him some keys. <br>
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Not only is the language of keys highly symbolic but so is the language of binding and loosing. There is an instance in Isaiah 22 that demonstrates this:<br>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Isa-22-20" id="en-NRSV-18073">On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah, </span><span class="text Isa-22-21" id="en-NRSV-18074">and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. </span><span class="text Isa-22-22" id="en-NRSV-18075"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. </span><span class="text Isa-22-23" id="en-NRSV-18076"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house. <sup>Isaiah 22:20-24</sup></span></span></i><span class="text Isa-22-24" id="en-NRSV-18077"><sup class="versenum"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></i> </sup></span></div>
<span class="text Isa-22-24"><sup></sup></span><br>
<span class="text Isa-22-24"><a href="http://catholiclane.com/old-testament-roots-of-peter-and-the-keys/">Marcellino D'Abrosio</a> on Catholiclane.com:</span><br>
<span class="text Isa-22-24"></span><br>
<span class="text Isa-22-24"><i>Like most heads of state, David and his descendants, the anointed kings of Judah, realized that they could not govern alone. The most important officer assisting the king was something akin to a prime minister. He was called “the Master of the Palace.” In Isaiah 22 we see God tell an unworthy Master of the Palace, Shebna, that he will be replaced by Eliakim, who will do things right. Here’s what we learn from this passage — the Master of the Palace wears special robes of honor indicating his special authority. He is to be a “father” to everyone in the Kingdom. The symbol of his authority is a key, for he has the power to open doors for people and to close doors as well. Particularly, he controls access to the king himself. He is someone who you can hang a lot of weight upon, like a peg in a sure spot</i>.</span><br>
<br>
Clearly Peter is the fulfillment of Eliakin. The keys and the power to bind and loosen were a definite delegation of authority and so was the title "father" or, in Italian, "Papa" or pope. Peter was appointed Master of the Palace and God is the king. Additionally, after His Resurrection, Christ instructed Peter to look after His sheep. We know that the shepherd symbolism is very strong in Christianity and a shepherd cares for the body of believers. Peter held this position as shepherd. <br>
<br>
The evidence doesn't stop there. It is very telling that letters from Peter in Rome were read aloud to the Christians at Corinth and probably in all the churches. That is quite a distance! The reason was because Peter, as bishop of Rome, had jurisdiction over matters of faith. When he spoke, the churches listened. And although the other apostles had a place of authority within this hierarchy, they deferred to Peter with actions: <br>
<br>
After Paul had his conversion the first thing he did before starting his ministry was to go and verify it with Peter.<br>
<br>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas [or Peter], and stayed with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother. Galatians 1:18-19</span></i><br>
<br>
During the circumcision debate in the beginnings of the early church, when many various opinions were discussed on the matter, who was it who spoke definitively on the matter and put an end to it?That's right. Peter.<br>
<b> </b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i><br>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to them,
'My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among
you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and
believe...' "</i> <span style="font-size: small;">Immediately after Peter gives his decision we are told</span> <i>"The
whole assembly fell silent. Acts 15:7</i> </span><br>
<br>
Now, I know that Paul had rebuked Peter for his hypocrisy regarding eating with gentiles but this does not take away from the evidence that Peter had the final say. Peter was a sinful human but he was still the boss.<br>
<br>
Okay, so we know there was a "boss" and we know the early church had a hierarchical system in place with an authoritative voice. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: normal;">But how were these teachings safeguarded and preserved?</span><br>
<br>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.catholic.com/tracts/apostolic-succession">Catholic Answers</a>: The
role of apostolic succession in preserving true doctrine is illustrated
in the Bible. To make sure that the apostles’ teachings would be passed
down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, "[W]hat you
have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who
will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he
refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession—his own
generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will
teach.</span></span> </span><br>
<br>
Th<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">e apostles were there from the beginning and</span> they were in charge of making sure the deposit of faith was passed on to Christians correctly. This succession has never been broken and the very papacy that was delegated to Peter was passed in an unbroken line to Pope Francis today and the office of apostles passed down to the bishops through the sacrament of holy orders. <br>
<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflA2bvxydeMPOswCG-LqQ1JSMmYH8p9foQSkY9jX_1_jZUyFb2CnMNSZetRdnlSUA8pasjhkP0_lLRannNk4g-6swi7Eq4jbyk8Jdi1QiQYKBgnVg6zA5lyY_rWdmA9jikfAIcYsuh7MU/s1600/apostolic-succession.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflA2bvxydeMPOswCG-LqQ1JSMmYH8p9foQSkY9jX_1_jZUyFb2CnMNSZetRdnlSUA8pasjhkP0_lLRannNk4g-6swi7Eq4jbyk8Jdi1QiQYKBgnVg6zA5lyY_rWdmA9jikfAIcYsuh7MU/s320/apostolic-succession.gif" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apostolic Succession</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What does all this have to do with the correct interpretation of the bible? I am not saying that the bible is not meant for each Christian to own and pray or from which to seek guidance. These things are good. What I am saying is that in terms of faith and morals each man cannot define for himself his own doctrine and call that Christianity. That is not the unity that Christ prayed for nor the authority he lefts for us. He gave us the church and she still stands today.<br>
<br>
The Church's authority is not based on the goodness of men in high positions, but on a divine protection instituted by Christ when he promised:<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> I will build my church, and
the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br>
When Jesus said He came to build His church, He did not intend for his church
to be a religion of a book with every man for discerning truth for
himself. That would make us orphans and make Him a liar. No, He came to build a visible institution with a clear authoritative
voice to shepherd his people and to keep his sheep unified under one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church.... <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-81593435969811214862013-05-30T14:49:00.001-07:002013-05-30T15:03:59.356-07:00Bartimaeus the Blind<div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say,</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">“Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” </div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.But he kept calling out all the more, </div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">“Son of David, have pity on me.”</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">So they called the blind man, saying to him,</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.”</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Immediately he received his sight</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">and followed him on the way.</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">*****************************************</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was coming but he couldn't see him because he was blind. I imagine him sitting by the roadside and upon hearing the stir that Jesus created he started panicking that he would miss out. What does a blind man do when he cannot see through the crowds? He uses his voice. He was probably trying to yell louder than the crowds. Loud enough to be heard by Jesus. Maybe he got a little hysterical, too, and the people around him got annoyed that they couldn't hear and perhaps nudged him with their feet or shoved him, telling him to be quiet. But he cried out even louder refusing to be subdued by the pressure. Somehow Bartimaeus knew that this was no regular teacher because he called him the son of David. I wonder how a blind man knew that. He didn't witness any of the miracles. He could have only heard about them and believed without seeing. (We know what the Bible says about those who believe without seeing).</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "> Or maybe he was filled with the Holy Spirit and believed just by being in the mere presence of Christ. At any rate, he was not going to let this opportunity pass him by. And this is what I love about him. </div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">He didn't give a crap about what anybody thought about him. He was willing to make a spectacle of himself yelling and screaming so long as he could get Jesus to notice him. And to the surprise of the people, Jesus paid attention to the rowdy heckler. He was told to have the blind man brought to him. What does Bartimaeus do?</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "> "He threw aside his cloak, sprang , and came to Jesus."</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">I don't know how agile a blind man could be but he sprang. If he was a beggar it might have been the only cloak he owned but he threw it aside and didn't care. He was too excited. And of course his faith was rewarded with a miracle from Jesus.</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Bartimaeus was excused and sent on his way but what he didn't want to leave.</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">"Immediately he received his sight</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">and followed him on the way."</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Once he got his sight, he didn't want to take his eyes off Jesus or let Him out of His sight and he followed Him.</div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="font-family: '.Helvetica NeueUI'; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Lord, Make me like Bartimaeus!</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgha601Jg_BDWfOB7z2KsIDe09T2Quto4x4N391v97pDl741MjxjViyXWIsr0nRtOrS1PCDXrOKL5qydEeRQ-1wpI-LZqax6OzfHB7OE0CJIKSk8W2eyggPAiYVMHVHJ0wVbHq73vc7e6u1/s640/blogger-image--1504694860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgha601Jg_BDWfOB7z2KsIDe09T2Quto4x4N391v97pDl741MjxjViyXWIsr0nRtOrS1PCDXrOKL5qydEeRQ-1wpI-LZqax6OzfHB7OE0CJIKSk8W2eyggPAiYVMHVHJ0wVbHq73vc7e6u1/s640/blogger-image--1504694860.jpg"></a></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-48003896259089909762013-05-23T09:09:00.000-07:002013-05-23T09:36:54.432-07:00A Pope for the Rich?<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I received a forwarded email today of
a picture of Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict 16. The picture was split
and the Francis side depicted a seated pope in his simple white cassock and
white skull cap (zucchetto) in an elegant yet simple cushioned chair of polished
wood. The other half of the photo was Benedict seated in a “golden throne” on a
red carpet, donning his red Prada shoes, red stole and cape (mozetta). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The pictures are intended to be
drastic opposites and point out a litany of things that are missing from the Francis
side of the photo ending with the red carpet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final caption reads, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“</span><i><span style="color: #330000; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He is not interested in fame and applause ...Every day we like Pope
Francis more!!!” </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #330000; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They may as
well have added “<em>more than Benedict</em>”.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love Pope Francis. I love his Latin
style. Being Cuban myself, I connect to his <span style="color: black;">natural,
affectionate approach void of formality.</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I appreciate that he does things his own way
and that he can’t be bothered with some of the whistles and bells to which his
office is entitled. Yes, he took a pass on the red Prada shoes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He passed on the fancy chair, and he opted out
of the living in the Papal residency. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pope Francis is very “Franciscan” and that is
his charm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But
does skipping the pomps of his office mean that those before him were wrong or
vain or indulgent? Maybe it just me, but that’s the unspoken message I have
been receiving loud and clear from media outlets, chain emails and even fellow
Catholics. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he is “a pope for the
poor” does that mean Benedict was a pope for the rich? John Paul II sat over a
red carpet, too, and nobody is insinuating that he is interested in fame and
applause.<span style="color: black;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This
attitude is symptomatic of a bigger heart issue. I have often heard people deeply
scorn the Church’s opulent cathedrals and vestments as wasteful when the money
could be better spent on the poor. In fact, Judas said this too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s as if they believe that while poverty
exists we should be ashamed at such displays. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Firstly,
let me point out that the Church is the largest non-government provider of
healthcare services in the entire world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has opened homeless shelters and hospitals, fed more hungry and
cared for more sick than any other organization worldwide. Nobody can claim to
care for the poor better than the Catholic Church has or does.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Secondly,
people forget that God loves extravagance in worship of Him.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Recall Mary of Bethany who poured oil at
Christ’s feet. That oil was worth a year’s wages. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was not offended as he did not see it as
a waste, rather, He was offended that Judas considered Jesus not worth the
waste! </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">God
has a history of expensive taste and rightfully so! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He instructed the building of the Ark of the
Covenant in acacia wood and gold and spared no expense. Aaron<span style="color: black;"> and his priests were instructed to wear robes covered with
precious gems to reflect God’s glory. The </span>garment called an ephod was made
of linen with gold, blue, purple and scarlet and held together at the shoulder
by two onyx stones set in gold. The colors each had their own significance like
gold for divinity and purple for royalty, etc. On the breastplate were fastened
twelve precious stones in four rows of three. Each stone represented a tribe
Israel: The sash was also of blue, purple, and scarlet linen intertwined with
golden threads. When a priest was dressed in his garments and sash it meant he
was prepared and ready to serve. <span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the same tradition, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Papal
attire is worn during religious services and is rich with meaning. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The red shoes symbolize the blood of the
martyrs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The white (purity) cassock has
thirty three buttons symbolizing the age of Jesus at his death. The staff is
obviously a sign of shepherding and the mitre a symbol of authority to teach.
The red<span style="color: black; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><strong> </strong>shoulder length cape known as a mozzetta</span><span style="color: black;"><strong>,</strong></span><span style="color: black;"> is symbolic of his political authority as the leader of
the Vatican City State. Finally, </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the chair itself, which is
typically painted gold and not truly made of gold, symbolizes the office or
“chair of peter”. The</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
chair was a symbol of the teacher in ancient times. It’s just like the post of
university professor is referred to as "the chair”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If there is such a thing
as a throne, it belongs to the King of kings, Jesus Christ. The pope sits on it
because he is Christ's chief steward, set over the Church until His return.
(Luke 12:42)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The splendor of the Church's aesthetic tradition is intended to
arouse in its viewers a love of beauty and to draw the mind towards heaven. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
are sensual creatures in that we use all our senses to worship. Our eyes see
beauty of the stained glass and beautiful vestments and artwork, our noses
smell the incense, we hear the music, etc. God knows this and invites us into
the pleasure of it for His sake. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Let’s remember that the</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> pope doesn't own the
robe, the chair or any Church artifacts, for that matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are owned by the entire Catholic Church
(therefore by you and me too), and have been dedicated to God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t get to take them home at the end of
the day! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, let each man demonstrate his own unique style and gifts to the church as vicars. And those who scoff and tongue-cluck would do well to remember not to offend God by suggesting He is not worth the waste. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus reminded us that the poor will always be
among us. As long as each man do his duty to the church and guides her in her primary work to feed the hungry
and care for the orphan and widow and all the spiritual and corporal works of
mercy, let us not begrudge the bride her proper vestments as she awaits her groom.
<o:p></o:p></span></span>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-39988556767886861012013-05-09T08:59:00.003-07:002013-05-09T10:57:54.345-07:00Cordero; The Man Who Kicked the Door in FirstI mentioned <a href="http://maybeitsjustme15.blogspot.com/2013/05/charles-ramsey-unsuspecting-herp.html">yesterday</a> in my blog that Charles Ramsey was a helper in an evil situation.<br />
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I am referring to a quote from the famous Mr. Rogers. <br />
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"<a href="http://www.fredrogers.org/FRC/par-tragic-events.html" target="_blank">When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news</a>, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of 'disaster', I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world." Mr Rogers<br />
<br />
It turns out Charles Ramsey was actually just one of the first responders in the rescue of three kidnapped women held for a decade in Cleveland, Ohio. The first to come to the scene was a man named Angel Cordero. Cordero was there right along with him, kicking the door in to help the trapped women.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KzdjXRRETjAHe215TR1RXeeRhGdY80ZNToIb4gPvafvNS7fnm02HtRpoNrKOHI2r-rY7D2-pSa9bNGdrBPeocyBe-2lpERstQMVzNDKDlCZtbOQamApvDP447iUwTVBKZ_RU-ezz2RnN/s1600/angel+cordero.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KzdjXRRETjAHe215TR1RXeeRhGdY80ZNToIb4gPvafvNS7fnm02HtRpoNrKOHI2r-rY7D2-pSa9bNGdrBPeocyBe-2lpERstQMVzNDKDlCZtbOQamApvDP447iUwTVBKZ_RU-ezz2RnN/s320/angel+cordero.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Cordero</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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He shied away from cameras yesterday because he doesn't speak English very well but he gave this account to a Spanish speaking reporter, "The truth- who arrived here, who crossed the street, who broke the door. It was me."<br />
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Another neighbor, a man by the name of Tejeda who's phone the captors used to call 911, joked, <br />
"the problem is we weren't on camera."<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv_26cpOrAWdia8Zdec45hzbKJ46FoguayPsDiFE4RuYbA7h9J5aa2YD8_OYar4NrLpqAXzCQHE9i7xtkMfo91Yle6GaWtR4oDDMfPAj8AcVplv9P208f1UDP8wfOh21JuvAvZe9XvJAj/s1600/neighbor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv_26cpOrAWdia8Zdec45hzbKJ46FoguayPsDiFE4RuYbA7h9J5aa2YD8_OYar4NrLpqAXzCQHE9i7xtkMfo91Yle6GaWtR4oDDMfPAj8AcVplv9P208f1UDP8wfOh21JuvAvZe9XvJAj/s320/neighbor.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tejeda jokes with interviewer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But both men aren't jealous and aren't trying to claim attention for themselves. They are just happy that the girls are safe and sound. <br />
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"I did what had to be done," Cordero said.<br />
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Regardless of who got there first, all involved in the rescue are to be lauded. Thank you, Angel Cordero for being a first responder. Thank you Ramsey. God bless you!<br />
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Source: <a href="http://mobile.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/05/08/_angel_cordero_cleveland_kidnapping_nobody_s_praising_the_less_flamboyant.html">The Slatest</a>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-48748910066486706452013-05-08T18:53:00.003-07:002013-05-08T19:29:15.749-07:00Charles Ramsey; Helper in the MidstI am trying real hard to come up with something decent and uplifting to write about, but the only thing I keep thinking about is those three women that were rescued from a home in Cleveland after being sex slaves for ten years.<br>
<br>
Each girl had been kidnapped in her teens and their parents all thought they had been killed. Meanwhile they were living nearby in a ramshackle building, holed in some room, separate from each other, chained to God-knows-what, beaten and raped for TEN YEARS. One woman even has a six year old daughter. <br>
I...CAN'T...WRAP...MY...HEAD...AROUND... IT. I just can't.<br>
<br>
What makes a man turn so evil that he can look at the woman's face who's child he stole and has been raping and offer his condolences ?<br>
<br>
No, no, no. I just..can't.<br>
<br>
I used to be so proud of myself for being able to see the humanity in a man like Gosnell and poo-poo those people who so cavalierly wished him to burn in hell for eternity. <br>
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Now, I find myself sick to my stomach wishing hell on that man and his two brothers- whose names I can't even bring myself to type. I can't even pray for them. I feel like they have chosen hell already. And they chose it over and over again for ten years. If I were able to wrap my mind around it I would be like them. I can't even say "there but for the grace of God go I." I struggle with the thought that Jesus loves them too. No, I can't pray for them and I will deal with my pride and lack of charity later. </div>
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Enough. I will focus instead on the helpers in any given situation, just like Mr. Rogers' mother once told him to do when he witnessed bad things in the news.<br>
<br>
The helper was Charles Ramsey, the next door neighbor. He heard a woman screaming and pleading to get out of his neighbor's house and he kicked the front door in thinking it was a domestic dispute. Turns out it was much worse. There were two more women and a child. <br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldL0rUWyZDIiIpnhKcQQv61oDEUVmNfOABnLfTDt8LZBJ7HH99886oQ_GrzkxyHW5MjHjwbyDoLw6nxoS7EFNTzW0rChPbkev_w2gKGfUcGapxHi5x-WJNbb9VZsUkvHJskrQA9wDRO2i/s1600/Charles_Ramsey_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldL0rUWyZDIiIpnhKcQQv61oDEUVmNfOABnLfTDt8LZBJ7HH99886oQ_GrzkxyHW5MjHjwbyDoLw6nxoS7EFNTzW0rChPbkev_w2gKGfUcGapxHi5x-WJNbb9VZsUkvHJskrQA9wDRO2i/s1600/Charles_Ramsey_.jpg"></a></div>
Charles Ramsey has become a hero overnight. He seems like a caricature of "ghetto" He is a skinny black man with a missing tooth and crazy hair. But angels come in all shapes and sizes.<br>
<br>
He is unpolished, blunt and completely politically incorrect. He told a reporter, "When a pretty little white girl runs into a black man’s arms…something is wrong here," making the reporter visibly uncomfortable. But Charles made no apologies. <br>
<br>
I have seen him several times already and he remains completely unaffected by all the attention, answering questions with succinct one word <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/08/tech/web/charles-ramsey-viral/index.html">answer</a>s to George Stephanapoulos on ABC News. He admitted he was tired, holding up his Red Bull. When Stephanapoulos asked him how it felt to be an internet sensation Charles added, <br>
<br>
"There is no feeling. You do what you gotta do."<br>
<br>
Shaking his head, he lamented at how he had barbecues and danced salsa with his neighbor, never once suspecting what was happening right next door. He admitted it was scary to think about but he also looked angry. No doubt he was thinking what he would have done had he known.<br>
<br>
"Either I'm that stupid or his kind are that good."<br>
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He's not stupid. When policemen dread getting calls for dosmetic disputes because they are the most vioent calls of all, Charles didnt hesitate to kick a door in when he thought that's what he was dealing with. When people mind their own business, he got in somebody else's business. <br>
<br>
Thank you, Charles. Thank you for being a helper and reminding me that good people exist. May God bless you in all this.<br>
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Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956227962227163900.post-11300899231958642492013-05-02T14:48:00.003-07:002013-05-15T12:57:15.752-07:00Plan B For Your 15 yr Old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDS9S6UQ_x9W4aMDLvpTHYr9qPRYoeYqTwvwgaeLx2AhMqtgSz_km1ZVe3rmPtZylDc_jnVL3zR3Pf2hUoU8Q_Gcm00mINbTYJKSSRkXwwDb4as1-FApFnNTo6Tv7LwZCjE_OBL1pXXO5/s1600/plan+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDS9S6UQ_x9W4aMDLvpTHYr9qPRYoeYqTwvwgaeLx2AhMqtgSz_km1ZVe3rmPtZylDc_jnVL3zR3Pf2hUoU8Q_Gcm00mINbTYJKSSRkXwwDb4as1-FApFnNTo6Tv7LwZCjE_OBL1pXXO5/s320/plan+b.jpg" width="320"></a><br>
<br>
A few days ago the FDA announced its decision to lower the age for access to over-the-counter emergency birth control from 17 to 15. It used to be that if minors needed speed-dial abortions they would have to see a doctor for a prescription. Since most minors can't get to the doctor without a parent being directly involved, the FDA fixed that by making the drug available over the counter. <br>
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I take issue with this for two reasons. Number one, Plan B One-Step has been lying to women about how it works exactly. They claim to be a contraceptive and attempt to differentiate themselves from the RU486 pill when, in fact, Plan B is also an abortifacient. Number 2, I have a real problem with the government giving drug companies a green light to target my kids by getting around me, the parent. <br>
<br>
There is an agenda here. I call it the "Planned Parenthood Mentality". It's an underlying current of thought that tells kids they can't trust their parents with a crisis.<br>
<br>
It's the mentality of placing oneself between the parent and children as a buffer. The message is this; Parents are too volatile and too emotionally involved in their child's life to be of any use in an emergency like pregnancy. If they found out, they would know you were having sex. They would probably fly off the handle or act irrationally or abuse or kick out a pregnant daughter on the street. No, teens need an objective third party that will look out for their best interest. <br>
<br>
That's right. Planned Parenthood or the FDA or (fill in the blank) get to play the role of the cool hip adult-alternative who they can go to in a pinch. They don't tattle because they understand. They wouldn't lecture you or tell you you shouldn't be having sex. You know the type, right? It's that friend's cool relative that will run into the grocery store to buy a pack of smokes for underage teens or that college student who will make a beer run for the high school kids. <br>
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But you know who else acts this way? Child predators. In our church, catechists have to go through a program with children to help them recognize red flags or potential abusers. One of the first things children are warned about is adults who tell them to keep secrets from parents. Secret-keeping makes it easier for the abuser.<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaL087IhsLWF7KhDLfxn4JIJbYhXcsSATQeFnv1vt4rx2pNFQeXfzBfsJV_YEo_yTeM3ZTxakLhvMXsUAGqHCC2l5kc52BrxQ3FivrykDoxhLw6UtJZ0JKDQzCloxgD8c7NSPNkMrT9sQ/s1600/pill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaL087IhsLWF7KhDLfxn4JIJbYhXcsSATQeFnv1vt4rx2pNFQeXfzBfsJV_YEo_yTeM3ZTxakLhvMXsUAGqHCC2l5kc52BrxQ3FivrykDoxhLw6UtJZ0JKDQzCloxgD8c7NSPNkMrT9sQ/s400/pill.jpg" width="400"></a></div><br>
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People who seek to reach our children by circumventing us never have good intentions. When PP president Cecile Richards recently decreed the injustice of putting obstacles between women (minors) and access to emergency contraception what she really meant was that she doesn't like obstacles between your children and her own pockets. Children are not wise consumers and are not fully mature to make life choices on their own. Planned Parenthood knows this. The FDA knows this. Their bottom line is not your kid's well being, trust me!<br>
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Let's face it, this pill was created for the person who acts first and thinks later. Teenagers do that (and drunk people) . Just like handing out condoms was proven completely ineffective because it gave people a false sense of security, this morning after pill will be no different. Kids will think it's fool proof method and it will fail. In fact, Since Plan B became available OTC in 2001 in the UK abortion rates have soared. Planned Parenthood loves nothing more than desperate pregnant women. They are giant walking dollar signs. <br>
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My other issue with Plan B One-Step is their deliberately deceptive phrasing on the labels. They insist that they are not an abortifiacient but rather an contraceptive. Sorry, but this is just wishful thinking.<br>
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This is their own wording:<br>
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Plan B One-Step<sup>®</sup> is one pill that has a higher dose of levonorgestrel, a hormone found in many birth control pills that health care professionals have been prescribing for several decades. Plan B One-Step<sup>®</sup> works in a similar way to help prevent pregnancy from happening. It works mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary. It is possible that Plan B One-Step<sup>®</sup> may also work by preventing fertilization of an egg (the uniting of the sperm with the egg) or by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus (womb).<br>
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Let's dissect this shall we?<br>
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The claim starts by reassuring the buyer that its product is simply a higher dose of the same hormones that doctors have been prescribing for years. I won't even go into the number of birth control related deaths this past year! (Thepillkills.org)<br>
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Then it states that Plan B works in a similar way to help prevent pregnancy from happening by stopping the release of the egg from the ovary.<br>
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That statement is counter intuitive. That would only work for girls who haven't yet ovulated but what about girls who are buying this product as an emergency solution <u>precisely</u> because they suspect they may have already ovulated and introduced sperm to their ovum creating a little embryo? I mean, isn't that the whole point of having a plan B to begin with? Who are they kidding?<br>
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Read Plan B's labeling carefully:<br>
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"It is possible that Plan B One-Step<sup>®</sup> may also work by preventing fertilization of an egg (the uniting of the sperm with the egg) <strong><u>OR</u></strong> by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus (womb)."<br>
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That's their loophole right there. They won't promise you one or the other. It's a gamble.<br>
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Of course, if you haven't ovulated already you won't. But guess what, ladies? If you have already conceived the only thing it can promise is to prevent that little person from getting too comfortable in the lining of the womb by rejecting him/her.<br>
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You see, the drug companies are shrewd and they define pregnancy not as conception (the meeting of sperm and egg) but as the moment an embryo implants to the walls of the uterus. If they can prevent implantation- they have <u>technically</u> prevented a pregnancy but they have not prevented a life. <br>
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Incidentally, the same goes for all types of hormone birth control pills, or rings or patches or IUDS on the market. They are all simply potential mini abortions. Don't kid yourself if you think they're not. Read the labels. You will find that at the very end of each description on how these products work you will find elusive phrasing about how it "prevents pregnancy" by preventing implantation.<br>
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If drug companies can't be straightforward with customers and can invent their own definitions of pregnancy why should they have direct access to my child- a more vulnerable and less discerning consumer? Even adults have been fooled by their wording for years! Neither the FDA nor drug companies or anybody has any business selling dangerous amounts of hormones to my child especially without my express permission or supervision. <br>
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And as for Cecile Richards and Planned Parenthood, they are despicable and transparent. Planned Parenthood is pro choice when it comes to THEIR choice and their bottom line. They don't care about a parent's choice or a voice at all! They seek take advantage of children with no regard for their health or safety. They are indeed predators. <br>
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<div align="justify"></div>Maybe It's Just Me..http://www.blogger.com/profile/07406665105330477797noreply@blogger.com2