Inauguration Day


Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor.



In*au`gu*ra"tion\, n. [L. inauguratio a beginning: cf. F. inauguration.]

  1. The act of inuagurating, or inducting into office with solemnity; investiture by appropriate ceremonies.

2. The formal beginning or initiation of any movement, course of action, etc.; as, the inauguration of a new system, a new condition, etc.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Near Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew. It had five porches. Under these porches a large number of sick people—people who were blind, lame, or paralyzed—used to lie. One man, who had been sick for 38 years, was lying there. Jesus saw the man lying there and knew that he had been sick for a long time. So Jesus asked the man, “Would you like to get well?” The sick man answered Jesus, “Sir, I don’t have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I’m trying to get there, someone else steps into the pool ahead of me.” Jesus told the man, “Get up, pick up your cot, and walk.” The man immediately became well, picked up his cot, and walked. John 5:2-9 (GW)

The Pool of Bethesda was located on the eastern side of the city near the Fortress of Antonia. The name Bethesda means "house of mercy."
 
The water source was a nearby spring. Recent archaeological discoveries have confirmed the Biblical account, that there were five porches and the fifth one divided the rectangular pool into two separate compartments. Josephus wrote about the Pool of the Sheep-market.

There is a loud cry of discrimination and inequality being heralded throughout our land. There are those who may feel like this crippled man, that there is no one looking out for them, there is no one to give them a hand out, there is no one to help them attain their goals. So here they sit and wait and complain about being discriminated against.
 
Jesus cuts right to the heart of the matter when he asks. "Would you like to get well?" Do you really want your situation to change? Are you really ready for change? Are you willing to take responsibility for change?
 
The man answered that he had no one to help him. There was no one to enable him. There was no compassion being shown him. No one cared or showed mercy. There were others skipping in line and going before him. His answer should have been YES SIR! I want to be healed. Instead he made excuses. Jesus then commanded him to GET UP! PICK UP YOUR BED! and WALK!
 
There is the simple remedy to life’s ills. Get up, pick up, and start to walk!
 
I have listened to crowds of people cry YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN and then come running with their hands out. Now I am not the smartest person on this planet but I am having a hard time understanding how you can say YES WE CAN and then turn around in the next breath and cry NO WE CAN’T.
 
We are about to inaugurate a leader who made us cry YES WE CAN but then says NO YOU CAN’T. Our new leader seems to think that the government has the cure, while simultaneously ignoring the huge pool of opportunity sitting right before us. He promises that all can drink from the public pool of funds collected from those who have been healed by the pool’s waters of opportunity, yet he does not offer to lift anyone into the pool to actually be healed.

The crippled man sat by the pool for 38 years. He had seen a whole generation pass before him into the waters while he was continually passed up. For those who have long been imprisoned with this crippling mindset, I can understand their lack of internal strength, to do whatever it takes to obtain their goals and objectives. There are some in our society who have been put down and overlooked for so long that they have accepted their lot and gave up on their goals. They sit by the wayside of life, day in and day out watching others succeed, and lament their inability to achieve. They have lost the inner desire to achieve.

Continue reading “Inauguration Day”

Godly Persistance Produces Plenty


Keep Pushing Tender Sprout

Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.

William James

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (NKJV)

December 31 edition of ‘Pop Goes the Gospel’


'Pop Goes the Gospel'

'Pop Goes the Gospel'

Welcome to the December 31, 2008 edition of pop goes the gospel.

This Month’s Feature Article

Mike Weaver presents Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue posted at COURAGE FOR TODAY, Mike offers up a memory from Christmas past. Sometimes we need to take a journey back in time in order to appreciate where we are in the present time. Read about Mike’s encounter with the silver Christmas tree and perhaps you will remember your own encounter of the strange kind.

In Family Life

Rich presents Always Be Thankful posted at Blogger For Christ . com.Rich reminds us all to ALWAYS be thankful. We may never know when it will be too late to offer up a word of thanks. Thanks Rich.

In Church Life

Yvette Nietzen presents Ministry opportunities are right in front of you posted at Fresh Wind Ministries, Int´l.Yvette, a frequent contributor to this blog carnival, once again comes through with a thought provoking piece about love. Christmas may be past but the Christmas Spirit of love should continue throughout the year, Yvette reminds each of us to not over look the ‘lepers’ of society for those are the very ones Jesus came to save. And never forget we were once just like they are lost without Christ.

Stephen Miracle presents 5 Inspirational Bible Quotes To Enhance Your Day posted at AltNoise.net, Stephen offers us 5 bible quotes to get us all thinking. If we just put into practice these 5 verses they could change our lives in 2009 for the better. It seems so simple doesn’t it and yet sometimes it takes all we have to just forgive those who trespass against us. Apart from the Holy Spirit that enables us it would be impossible to live the life that Christ would have us live. Thank God He offers His Spirit as a helper. Thank you Stephen.

In Culture

ChristianPF presents What the Bible says about this economic downturn posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog.A must read for anyone who may be facing financial difficulties in 2009. ChristianPF offers solid biblical counsel in regards to how we should handle our finances according to God’s blueprint.

Rich Bordner presents Cross-less Christ posted at The Pugnacious Irishman, saying, Rich, a new contributor to this carnival, offers a well written post of a problem of our culture’s inability to call sin sin, or call evil evil. A good reminder that “why can’t we all just get along” is not a sound biblical basis in which to base your life. I hope Rich will contribute more posts in the future. Thanks Rich.

Brent Diggs presents Save Your Christmas posted at the Ominous Comma.Brent asks us to stop and consider What If? What if Christmas was more of a time of self-giving rather than gift-giving? Hmmm do we dare?

In Family

Tiffany Partin presents Electric Blankets vs. Cabbage Patch Dolls posted at Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God.Tiffany’s post will give you that warm cozy feeling all over when you get done reading it. As a child we want what we want, but as parents we provide what is best. Sometimes what is best and needed is not what us children want and we rebel. But as we grow in God’s grace, and mature in our walk with Him we learn that His gifts are always on time and appropriate. The Lord truly shall supply all our needs. And when you think about it, that should be all we want.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you abundantly in 2009!
There you have it. This month’s edition of ‘Pop Goes the Gospel’ has gone to press. Thanks to everyone who contributed great articles to make this blog carnival a MUST READ.

So until next month. Keep blogging.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of pop goes the gospel using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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“Pop Goes the Gospel” Blog Carnival November 30th Edition


jesusinaboxWelcome to the November 30, 2008 edition of Pop Goes the Gospel. As usual I received many more submissions than I could include in this edition. In order to make every edition the best it can be I choose only the best submissions from each author and only allow one article per author to be published.

All article submissions must meet the guidelines set forth on the article submission page and must set forth a clear Christian perspective in the article. If you have submitted an article to this Carnival and do not see it published here please check the submission guidelines again to be sure your articles meet the requirements set forth there.

Now that all the rules and regulations have been laid out on with the carnival.

Gather up a few minutes and be sure to stop by each vendor and sample what they have to offer. All of these authors have taken the time to present to you a sampling of their wares free of charge. The information contained in one of these articles may be life changing for you. So feel free to sample each offering and then be kind and submit an offering of your own for the next edition of ‘Pop Goes the Gospel’, where the Gospel intersects culture. Until next time Eagle out.

Culture

A Sower presents Will We Be Sodom? posted at A Sower’s Heart. A thought provoking article answering the questions has America become like Sodom? The author cites the Sodomites were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned. Sounds a little like God’s condemnation to the church in Laodicea.

Church Life

JCL presents Tithing on Gross vs. Net – What Exactly is Gross Income? posted at The Real Estate Investing Journey, saying, “A Christian perspective on tithing as it relates to real estate investments.”

Kathryn presents Did Jesus Giggle? posted at Living the Proverbs 31 Life, saying, “It is okay to enjoy life!” Kathyrn presents a well written article on Jesus and laughter. I say God has to have a sense of humor because He puts up with me. Besides a merry heart does one good as medicine. If we all laughed a bit more perhaps we could laugh ourselves well.

Education

Trevor Watkinson presents Servitude is Personal Development for Christians posted at SaveYourSweat.com Blog, saying, “Why having the heart of a servant is important!” Trevor has been an active contributor to this blog carnival since its first edition hit cyberspace and he is back again with another fine article on servitude. Putting others before self, he explains, is the biblical way to achieve success.

Family

ChristianPF presents 5 Bible verses about money every Christian should know posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog. ChristianPF another frequent contributor to this blog carnival comes through once again with a fine 5 point financial primer. His 5 bible verses about money should help you stave off economic disasters. Try them you may just like them. I do.

Tiffany Partin presents Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God: This Thursday is NOT Turkey Day! posted at Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God. Reflections from the Thanksgiving table. The true meaning of giving thanks. Thank you Tiffany for another fine post.

Unlike a Thanksgiving dinner choke full of every imaginable side dish and dessert this edition of ‘Pop Goes the Gospel’ may not appear to be filling but once you sink your teeth into each entrée I am sure you will come away full. So until next month be blessed and be a blessing to others.

That concludes this edition.

Be sure to submit your blog article to the next edition of
Pop Goes the Gospel
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

blog carnival index page
.

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, .

The Original High Speed Communication Device


 

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’ Acts 2:21Open Link in New Window (NKJV)

 

Holy Spirit Jesus God Trinity

Image by TheChristianAlert.org via Flickr

The Holy Spirit is the original High speed communication device. Instantaneously we can have contact with the Father via the prayer line to heaven. It is initially installed in all new believers in Christ. This high speed connection is always on and never gets a busy signal. There are no traffic congestions on the highway to heaven. There are no stop signs and traffic lights to hinder your call to heaven. There are however many obstacles to constant connectivity. Our wiring can get rusty from lack of use. We can cut ourselves off from this holy hotline by refusing to listen to the advice offered on the other end. Sin and deception in our lives brought about by the enemy of our souls can cause us to doubt in the usefulness of this heavenly hotline. Our own actions can cause the line to heaven to be severed. If we grieve the Holy Spirit it is possible to hinder our access to the heavenlyhotline. It is a toll free call but it does cost you the time and effort it takes to place the call. Jesus promises that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be heard and a answer will be dispatched.

 

I have had times in my life where that high speed hotline seemed to have been blocked or otherwise rendered ineffectual. During those times it was difficult to remain fearless in waiting on that line to be connected again. I know from personal experience the angst that is present when the heavens seems like brass. When we are waiting for an answer it is hard to wait patiently. The enemy of our souls would have us think that God does not care and is ignoring us. The devil would have us doubt the love of God and His ability to help us in our time of need. The devil would have us think that when we need Him the most God is going to turn His back on us and leave us to struggle on our own.

All these are just static on the hotline to heaven. It is nice when we have a constant clear connection but at times there is a great deal of static on the line we must sift through. The noise and distractions brought on by this static can be very unnerving. God does care. He promises to be with us even until the end of the age. There is no where we can go to escape the presence of God for He is everywhere. Therefore we have confidence when we pick up the hotline to heaven that we will always have a connection.

Anyone who has had a high speed internet connection for any time knows that there are times when the connection is not available. Service outages are common, although infrequent they do occur. Service outages are common in the life of a Christian as well. Although God is always present we are also bombarded with the fiery darts of the evil one. These darts are meant to cause us to doubt God and His word. We need to rely upon the validity of God’s word which is our guarantee of His faithfulness. He gives us a service guarantee when He sends us His Spirit. The presence of God’s Spirit in our lives is our service guarantee from heaven. As long as the spirit is active in our lives then we have the assurance of heavenly protection.

Therefore do not disconnect yourself from the Spirit of the living God for He is your hotline to heaven.

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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