September 2011
163 posts
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“He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for transgressors, the...”
– Epistle to Diognetus
(Second century)
“There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human...”
– Diana Cortes (via creatingaquietmind)
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help from daily scripture reading 76
These scriptures helped me think about how: God the Father chose me to be free and gave me freedom through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God the Son. By the guiding and transforming power of God the Holy Spirit, I can choose to enjoy life according to the freedom I have been given. I have been given freedom to lovingly and joyfully serve God and all those people that He...
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“The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy...”
– Aristotle (via thesearepeopleyouknow)
help from daily scripture reading 75
These scriptures woke me up to the dangers of forgetting the Good News about Jesus Christ. I should remind myself throughout my day that God is pleased with me because of my faith in Jesus Christ. I cannot please God or make God owe me anything. Only Jesus can please God because He is God and only God is able to be perfectly good. So the only way God would be pleased with me is if I am in the...
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help from daily scripture reading 74
These scriptures help me understand religion. This is me “thinking out loud” or rambling a bit, so hopefully, it is not too confusing:
Religions express principles that point out our deficiencies and demand that we do something to correct those deficiencies. They usually add some kind of instructions on what to do, or how to live in order to minimize the expression of our moral...
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help from daily scripture reading 73
These scriptures provide some helpful declarations about me and God, as well as some helpful questions, for times of self-reflection.
Declaration 1: I’m stupid.—This knowledge is the most helpful for me as it prompts me to be more of a learning listener to God’s words and guidance in my life.
Declaration 2: Know and remember the good news of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross to rescue me from...
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help from daily scripture reading 72
These scriptures helped clarify some stuff I regularly found confusing at many times in my life about what it means to be “saved by grace through faith in Christ”, which is a declaration I heard often in churches. My confusion usually begins with a desire to do something that: I know in my heart (or at least strongly suspect) that God doesn’t want me to do anymore, or I know God doesn’t want me...
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help from daily scripture reading 71
These scriptures helped remind me of some principles for advocating the Good News about Jesus Christ to people in need of Him (everyone needs Jesus).
1. God chooses and empowers His followers to advocate the Good News about Jesus. Jesus is the eternal God the Son who became a human on a mission to glorify the eternal God the Father by rescuing people from eternal death and slavery to sin....
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help from a sermon 13
Notes from a sermon by Dr. Keller of Redeemer in NY, NY. The sermon is about problems people have with Christian claims to exclusivity. Below the scripture selection for the sermon are my notes which are mostly paraphrase but possibly some direct quotes, but I’m not sure.
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/exclusivity-how-can-there-be-just-one-true-religion
1 John 4 (ESV)
1Beloved, do not...
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help from a sermon 12
My notes on a sermon by Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer in NY, NY. Sermon title is: A Tale of Two Cities. http://sermons.redeemer.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=18861
Genesis 4 (NIV, 1984)
Cain and Abel
1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave...
“If Abraham was not justified by works, how was he justified? The apostle goes on...”
– Saint Augustine of Hippo (via conformingtotheson)
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help from daily scripture reading 70
These scriptures help me check my attitude in my relationships with those people that God has put in my path. If I am following Jesus Christ and I have put my hope in Him and His promises, then as a consequence, I should be following His example and have a primary attitude of service towards others. I should be patiently serving the needs of other followers of Christ and all those who God puts...
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help from daily scripture reading 69
These scriptures help me understand what it means to be wise. Ecclesiastes is pointing out that keeping oneself aware of the reality of death and aware of our lack of control over our future will move us toward wisdom. Remembering in a serious way that I will die, and I could die anytime, helps me take my life and the words of God more seriously. Awareness of death motivates me to look towards...
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mdalz:
“Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.”
(Isaiah 8:12,13,17)
Choosing a Costume →
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help from daily scripture reading 68
These scriptures helped me think about how people can respond to experiences of mistreatment in their lives. Ecclesiastes identifies the world as a place full of oppression and injustice. Everyone everywhere suffers from mistreatment to some degree in their lives. Ecclesiastes goes on to identify common responses to the inescapability of suffering and mistreatment:
1. Compare ourselves to...
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help from a a sermon 11
In the sermon “The man who visited paradise and returned to tell about it by Michael P. Andrus on March 5, 2006 concerning scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
http://fefcwichita.org/pdfsermon/030506ma.pdf
Helpful excerpt:
“When God’s people are at the end of their rope, they sometimes think they need a miracle. But what they need even more is for God to stand by them and pour...
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“We die containing a richness of lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed,...”
– Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient)
“… there is a very real hospitality in just making time for someone, being there...”
– From a commenter, Joshua, in a private blog discussion thread I’m a part of. I think this is exactly right and beautiful: that before it is anything else, hospitality is a willingness to open one’s self to another. It may involve a shared meal or a guest room offered to a visitor, but underneath all... 