Category Insights on Scripture

We’re Having a Party! Are You Invited

Allen Frederick 1 Comment

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’“Everyone asked to be excused. Luke 14:16-18a (GW)

114-10422~The-Invitation-PostersI was excited! I couldn’t wait! Finally it arrived in the mail! I got my invitation. The party was going to be in a few weeks and they wanted to give me plenty of time to make arrangements to attend because they really wanted me to be there. It felt good to actually be invited to go to the party. It was nice to be wanted. To be singled out to receive an invitation. No one else on my street got an invitation. No one else at work got this invitation. It was sent to me and to me only. It was a special invitation. I had been chosen to attend.

Perhaps you would not be as excited as I am to get an invitation. Perhaps you get invited to all kinds of affairs and this would have been just another invitation. To you it may have been just one of many but to me it was the only invitation I was to receive. I knew there would not be another one at least not this year so I made arrangements to attend. Nothing was going to stand in my way from attending this party. I made up my mind I was going. I felt special because I had one of only a few invitations to this particular party It was not exclusive but it was a party for only a few people. Friends, family and just a few people the hosts wanted to share the evening with. Continue reading “We’re Having a Party! Are You Invited” →

101 Ways to Serve Chicken

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Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2:16 (NKJV)

chicken_2523cHow many ways can you serve chicken? Well just ask the Chinese, it appears they have discovered at least 101 ways to serve it. Take a look at the menu and you will see things like: Ginger chicken, garlic chicken, orange chicken, pineapple chicken, cashew chicken, General Taos chicken, sweet and sour chicken, chicken and broccoli, chicken and mushroom, chicken chow mien, and the list goes on.

The main ingredient in all these items is – you guessed it – chicken. In fact, for the most part, the chicken is made the same in all the dishes. The only thing that changes is the sauce poured over it and the vegetables that accompany the chicken. Remove all the extras and you have a piece of chicken – no more, no less.

That is how it is with sin. Although it may come in different dressings, to appeal to different taste buds, it is still the same basic ingredient. Lusts of the eyes, lusts of the flesh, or the pride of life. These three main ingredients remain no matter how much you change the dressing.

Some people may not be enticed by orange chicken, but perhaps the mushroom chicken will be more appealing. Not a connoisseur of pineapple? Well then, try ginger or garlic chicken instead. No matter how you disguise the chicken it is still after all, chicken.

Faith, hope and love are the anti-sin ingredients in life. Faith battles the pride of life, hope deals with the lust of the eyes, and love deals with the lust of the flesh. Although these too may appear in different recipes they still remain when all the dressing has been removed. When you strip away all the added ingredients, what you have left is a simple message of faith. God love the world so much that he gave his only son to die so that whosoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life.

How do you like your chicken?

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

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What is on your playlist?: What song do you keep singing?

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

psalm981cI was never one for listening to the top 40 radio stations growing up, primarily because they would keep repeating the same few songs over and over and over again. There are still some songs today I can not stand to listen to because of the constant air play they received when they were first released.

Here are a few of my not so favorite songs: ‘You Light up my Life’ (after a while I just wanted to turn that light off). ‘Don’tWorry Be Happy’ (this song was driving me absolutely bonkers with that incessant whistling). ‘Music Box Dancer’ (if I had a music box that played that song I would have smashed it to smithereens before long) and then the infamous ‘My Heart Will Go On’. Celine I love you baby but enough of the going on and on. I think that song played on the radio, in stores, on the bus, and in the elevator for about a year. There have been others which I have just grown tired of hearing. The first few times I may have loved the song but then it just became an annoyance to have to listen to it again and again.

On the flip side there are those timeless classics that any music collection would be incomplete without. One that comes to mind is ‘The Unchained Melody’, righteously done by the Righteous brothers. Elvis’s ‘Suspicious Minds’ and ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. Add to that the Eagles with ‘Hotel California’. The Beatles contribute many but a couple could be ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Let it Be’ and John Lennon’s immortal ‘Imagine’. One can not forget the Beach Boys with their surfing sound, ‘Good Vibrations’, and ‘God Only Knows’. A day at the beach would not be complete without hearing at least once ‘Under the Boardwalk’ by the Driftersand ‘Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay’ by Ottis Redding. The list could go on and on like Celine’s song did but I think you get the picture.

Music through the ages

Down through the years music has changed and lasting hits seem to be fewer and fewer. With all the influx of indie bands and record labels, it seems like no sooner does a band have a hit song that they fade from memory. Artists like the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Elvis have stood the test of time.

In the church house I believe we have our play lists as well. Songs we sing over and over again. Some of my all time favorites for a Sunday morning are: ‘How Great Thou Art’, ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘Blessed Assurance’, ‘It Is Well with My Soul’, ‘He Leadeth Me’, ‘Here is Love’, ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God’, ‘Do Not Pass Me By’ and ‘Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee’, just to name a few. Continue reading “What is on your playlist?: What song do you keep singing?” →

Can You Hear Me Now?

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalms 23:4 (NKJV)
can_you_hear_me_now_lgA popular cell phone company had a very effective advertising campaign a few years ago. The message of the ad was ’Can you hear me now?’. The idea being their company offered more service to more places then any of the other companies. Since then they have changed their strategy to include the message “It’s the network’ implying wherever you are, a hoard of people will be right there with you. One of the competitors is arguing they have ’More bars, more places’ then anyone else. No matter which carrier you choose anyone who has had a cell phone for any length of time knows all too well the experience of a dropped call.
Dropped calls occur when you enter a ’dead zone’ a place where there are no cell towers to communicate with. These ’dead zones’ never give you a warning unless you can constantly monitor the number of bars (your signal strength) you have at any given time. Otherwise you can be right in the middle of a word or sentence only to be saying those now famous words, ’Can you hear me now’?
Dead zones do not pose a problem when there is no actual emergency situation facing you. If on the other hand you find yourself stranded in a strange place, amid what would appear to be life threatening circumstances, you do not want to find out your phone company can not hear you now. Nor would you desire to have no bars in that particular place.
Snapdialer Software for Sprint or Verizon Mobile
No matter how hard we try to constantly be in touch, it is virtually impossible for man to be all places at all times. Even the best cell phone service provider can not guarantee you will be able to make a call everywhere and at all times.
There is no such limitation on God’s ability to be everywhere at once. He is the only sure hope when faced with ’dead zone’ situations. You will never have to wonder if God can hear you now. You will not have to rely on any network or the number of bars. There is never a busy signal nor any dropped calls made to the hot line of heaven. He can surely say I can hear you now.
Even though you find yourself traveling through the dead zones of life, behold I am with you. You will always get a connection. Psalm 23:4 paraphrased
But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

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The Power of Persuasion

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Matthew 15:14 (KJV) Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

SheepNEAR THE VILLAGE of Gevas in eastern Turkey, while shepherds ate their breakfast, one of their sheep jumped off a 45-foot cliff to its death…

Then, as the stunned shepherds looked on, the rest of the flock followed. In all, 1,500 sheep mindlessly stumbled off the cliff. The only good news was that the last 1,000 were cushioned in their fall by the growing woolly pile of those who jumped first. According to The Washington Post, 450 sheep died.

The Bible often refers to human beings as sheep (Ps. 100:3; Isa. 53:6; Matt. 9:36). Easily distracted and susceptible to group influence, we would rather follow the crowd than the wisdom of the Shepherd.

Mass media merchants long have held the notion that public opinion can be shaped and manipulated through the power of the press. Say something often enough and loud enough and sooner or later people will start to believe it. Advertisers spend big money on ad campaigns in attempts to persuade people to buy what they are offering. Political leaders spend huge sums of money on marketing in order for their messages to be heard.

Continue reading “The Power of Persuasion” →