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Pop Goes The Gospel August Edition

Allen Frederick

Each edition of “Pop Goes the Gospel” will be posted on the 30th of each month. Please be sure to get your submissions in by the 25th to be included in each month’s edition. Any article that relates scripture to “pop culture” will be accepted. Take note: Any submission that does not meet the requirements of traditional Christian values may be refused.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of “Pop Goes the Gospel”! Use our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Welcome to the August 31, 2008 edition of Pop Goes the Gospel. Where the age old Gospel message meets modern pop culture. I received many excellent articles for this edition and I included the best ones below. If you submitted an article and find it not listed in this month’s edition please check with the submission guidelines to be sure your article met with the guidelines of this blog carnival.

Now start the music as we stroll down the midway.

From Church Life

ChristianPF presents 12 Ways to turn a bad day into a better one posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Everybody has bad days – these are a few ways to fix them…”

Daniel Partin presents The Church Papa Built posted at Prophet For Hire: A blog for those seeking relationship with God.Daniel like his prophetic namesake stirs us to take another look at the Church from the ‘Father’s’ perspective. I found his article very thought provoking. Perhaps he could write a series on how the Father looks at most of our comings and goings? What say you?

Yvette Nietzen presents Getting a Direct Power Charge posted at Fresh Wind Ministries, Int´l.Yvette challenges us to plug in directly to the power source rather than seeking a go between. Drawing from the story of the woman with the issue of blood.

For the Family

Crystal Gray [submitting article] / Andy Clark [wrote article] presents Father and Son Enlist and Mom Turns to Faith posted at Today’s Christian, Crystal shares a story she read while surfing the web which blessed her and thought well enough of our readers to pass the blessing along. Be sure to check out this new blog in the blogsosphere as we look forward to more blessings from Andy and Crystal.

Tiffany Partin presents Memory Lane – The Tropical Edition posted at Fathom Deep: Sounding the Depths of God.Tiffany found comfort in the midst of tropical storms through her faith in ‘Papa’. Listen as she recounts the numerous storms she and her family had endured through the years.

ChristianPF presents Getting out of Debt (Part 1): It’s not about you posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, Another fine post by ChristianPF. If you like many others are fighting the sinking black hole of debt perhaps this series of Getting out of Debt articles will benefit you. I have been living debt free for over 25 yrs thanks to the help of the Lord in convicting me of the sin of debt.

In Culture

ChristianPF presents “In God we trust” on our bills? posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Should “in God we trust” stay on our bills?” And the survey says? Find out at ChristianPF short post concerning our currency.

crebots presents Thoughts from Albuquerque on a beautiful day posted at Stop Believing Start Thinking.Although this article does not promote basic biblical christianity I found it interesting that even non-believers think about religion so I included it because obviously the gospel goes mainstream even when attempts are made to ignore it.

Crystal Nichols presents The Other Nine posted at Christian in the Corporate World.Do you take time to thank God for the small things?

In Education

Fred Lucas presents John Voight: Barack Obama sowing socialist seeds in young people posted at Barack Obama, Fred has been submitting many articles to this blog carnival and I thought I would use this one because it does show the need for keeping watch over what our children are learning. They learn whatever is put before them so parents it is important that you teach your children in the ways you would like them to be taught and not rely on culture to do so.

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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God’s Big Back Yard

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Then Jesus said to them, “So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:15-16 (GW)

vbs logo1188 North Valley Road was where my early childhood backyard was located. We were the first family to move into this development and my family owned the corner lot and the one behind it.

Having both building lots meant lots of BIG BACK YARD space for baseball, football, a swimming pool, picnics, golf, and wintertime sledding. Our yard could accommodate all the neighbors from the entire neighborhood and still leave room for people to play in the adjacent lot. We had a Big BACK YARD!

After getting my first bicycle my big back yard got even bigger because now I could ride throughout the neighborhood and play in other people’s back yards. As I got older and was able to drive, towns and cities were in reach from my back yard. With today’s modern transportation on any given day we can travel from our back yards to other states and cities and even other countries. Planes, trains and automobiles have taken the place of that Schwinn bicycle of my childhood.

With the advent of the internet the whole world is now accessible from my kitchen table. I can speak to anyone anywhere in the world in nano seconds. Truly our back yards have gotten really, really big.

Artist's conception of GPS satellite in orbit

GPS Satellite

From a control room in Houston Texas NASA can play in the big back yard of space. They have launched space crafts into outer space and even landed a remote controlled land rover on Mars. Voyagers 1 and 2 are speeding towards the ends of our galaxy in rapid pace.

Satellites orbit the earth and send back images and sound waves which we can receive via satellite receivers on earth. These satellites can tell us pinpoint accuracy where we are in the world by GPS positioning. Radio and television programs can even be broadcast world wide.

ps241As technologies have changed throughout the course of my lifetime some things have still remained the same. One of those constants is the commission from God to the church to go into His big back yard and proclaim the gospel to everyone. We can no longer just look at our physical address as our back yard.

With the availability of web casting, chat rooms, instant messaging, and email the whole world is in reach of any individual or church congregation. Radio, television and now GodTube have all become instruments from which we can spread the gospel into God’s big back yard.

I do not own physical real estate but I do stake several claims in cyberspace. Our church has an address on the World wide web as well. The Christian witness can be accessible 24 hours a day thanks to the modern day internet. As a church and as a congregation we should be reaching out in every way possible into God’s big back yard in an effort to spread the gospel of the kingdom to all peoples.

To think it all started with 1 man (Jesus) who told 12 others about the kingdom of God and now we have been entrusted with that same message to proclaim from our own back yards into God’s big back yard. We all have a circle of influence, all of our lives intersect other’s lives, and as a result we are required to look out for our neighbors by sharing the same joy of salvation with them which we have received. Are you being a good neighbor? Are we as a congregation doing everything we can to reach as many people as possible with the gospel of Jesus Christ? How big is our BIG BACK YARD really?

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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Hear Ye Hear Ye Read All About It!

Allen Frederick 1 Comment

 

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

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign that you are coming again, and when will the world come to an end?” Jesus answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you. Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many people. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of these are only the beginning pains {of the end}. “Then they will hand you over to those who will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you because you are committed to me. Then many will lose faith. They will betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. And because there will be more and more lawlessness, most people’s love will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. “This Good News about the kingdom will be spread throughout the world as a testimony to all nations. Then the end will come. Matt 24:3-14 (GW)



In this week’s news headlines we read about earthquakes in Japan, floods in the Midwest and southern China, uncontrolled forest fires in California and the Southeast, a bus station bomb exploding in Nepal, and suicide bomber attacks soccer fans in Baghdad.

 

We read of religious cult leaders involved in polygamy and sexual misconduct with minors, as well as those who encourage their followers to harm themselves or others in the name of god.

Famines, and starvation abound throughout the world, many innocent people are being kidnapped, killed and tortured. Christians in many lands are persecuted for what they believe. And all this is only a weeks worth of news.

Jesus was asked by his disciples to tell them when the end would come, what signs would point to the end of the age. He went on to list basically what we see happening in today’s headlines. Despite all this bad news prevalent today, there is still the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Although there is a structured attempt to stamp out anything and everything that speaks about Christ, or resembles Christian, Jesus said that the ‘good news’ about his kingdom would continue to be spread throughout the world before the end comes, as a testimony to all nations.

Though nations be at war or in peace, whether they are experiencing famine, pestilence, war, or strife, even in the midst of all this turmoil the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is still being proclaimed.

Through earthquakes, windstorms, floods, and fire, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God marches on. Even while being tortured, persecuted, murdered, or imprisoned, dear saints of God stand firm in their retelling of the ‘good news’.

Right in the middle of all this bad news, there is still a thread of ‘good news’, the goodness of God stands in stark contrast to the evil news of the world. The gospel of Christ is today, and for all time, the greatest story ever told.

Have you heard the ‘good news’? Have you read about the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? Have you ever been told the ‘good news’ of God’s love for you?

Do not let the headlines discourage you. All these things must happen and continue until the time when Jesus himself shall bring it all to an end.

Until then, have hope in God who continues to spread His word throughout the world as a testimony to the nations. This is the ‘GOOD NEWS’, — Jesus died for us so that we can live, even though we are surrounded by such death and destruction. Look up, take heart, for your redemption is drawing near.

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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No Record- by Julie Arduini

Allen Frederick 2 Comments

 

This post is by quest author Julie Arduini a fellow writer at Faithwriters.com. Take some time to stop by the website and read the thousands of posts by fellow travelers. And now for No Record by Julie Arduini.

 

Psalm 130:3: “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?” NIV

1Corinthians 13: 4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” NIV

MacDonalds sign in Times Square, New York

Image via Wikipedia

 

We went out to dinner as a family moment before my husband left for a work trip. Of all the places to go, we chose McDonalds. I know, big shock with small kids, right? My order is standard, always the chicken wrap with barbeque sauce. Problem is,they don’t agree with me.

 

Case in point: last month I took the kids there for dinner and while talking along I let out a sound that I can’t even define as a burp because the humiliating act had an echo that turned heads. The kids cackled and cackled. They bring it up often, even during this most recent Golden Arches meal.

As our trip to the airport progressed, we paid tolls. I wasn’t even in my husband’s life then and even I recall the same story his older children told from years ago: he went to pay the automatic toll and missed the catch, dropping his money. After all this time, no one forgot.

Same for when we needed an elevator to get my husband to the correct gate. Even our oldest says, “remember when” and tells the tale of when my husband’s older children used to sit on elevator floors. My elevator recollection is from a few years ago when I was in a performance of “Heaven’s Gates and Hell‘s Flames”. My character perished in an elevator accident. If I ever hear the music that accompanied my dramatic death scene, I can assure you I’m off that real elevator!

Embarrassing sounds. Clumsy actions. Uncomfortable moments. Our kids don’t forget those times and most likely, spouses don’t either.

I’m so thankful to serve a God who does not keep a record of our wrongs. It isn’t because He’s ditsy and He forgot, it’s because He loves us so much He chooses not to. As Psalm 130 states, who could stand under such a recollection if the Lord did such a thing?

I’ve been watching online evenings on God.TV. services out of Lakeland, Florida. God is using a man the world would never think of because his record of shame is etched in his skin with colored ink. Todd Bentley by his own account was saved in his drug dealer‘s trailer. He used to cut himself and was an alcoholic.

Then Jesus came.

I blush over a traffic stopping burp. Todd Bentley remembers the smells and sounds of artificial highs. Perhaps your account of deeds lie somewhere in the middle. No matter what you’ve done, are doing, or are even tempted to do, you can live a true clean slate free of shame.

Call on the Lord today. The Lord who forgives. The Lord who is Love.

The Lord who keeps no record of wrongs.

Julie Arduini, http://thesurrenderedscribe.blogspot.com/, is devoted to writing for Christ in ways that encourage and inspire. Happily married to Tom, they have two children: Brian and Hannah.

@2008 by Julie Arduini

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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Behind the Scenes: All Access Pass

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

 

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

“…[W]e have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.” (Hebrews 10:19-20, NIV)

 

I used to be on the stage crew of my local high school. The stage crew was responsible for all the behind the scenes events that took place. The actors and performers on stage where dependent upon what went on behind the scenes. Movies, plays, music events, television shows, news broadcasts, TV preachers. All these people are dependent on what goes on behind the scenes. The things you can not see makes what you can see look better if done right.

The important things about those who work behind the scenes is to do the job in such a way as to not be noticed. In fact many times we were required to wear dark clothing so that we could move about the stage unseen when the lights were dimmed. Sneaking around behind the curtain was a talent we all learned early in our training. Using the catwalks and sky walks above and behind the stage were our way of getting around from place to place without anyone noticing. We were like mice in the rafters moving about sight unseen.

To this day I enjoy knowing how things are done. I want to know how they do that? I like those television shows that show you how it is done. In fact I really like those ‘making of’ features on DVD’s that show how the different stunts and effects in the movie were done.

On certain days the ‘Millennium Theater’ in Lancaster, PA has a behind the scenes tour of the current play they are presenting. During these behind the scenes tours you are taken behind the curtain to see the drama backstage. All the props and make-up and special effects are shown from an entirely new perspective, that of the insider, the crew who put it all together.

Jesus gave us a way to go behind the scenes when he died on the cross. Now we have an ‘all access pass to heaven’ through the blood of Jesus Christ and we can “see behind the curtain”. We can watch the drama unfold from an insiders’ view. We are now permitted to venture behind the scenes as God works out his program on earth’s stage. We are part of the stage crew working together with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to bring to life the kingdom of heaven.


One of the things Jesus did for us on the cross, was to open our access to God’s presence. Have you considered the significance of the tearing of the veil in the temple when Jesus was on the cross (Matt. 27:51)? What once was forbidden has now been made available!


Now we can look behind the scenes into the very throne room of God himself and fellowship directly with the Father because of Jesus’ death on the cross. The curtain has now been lifted.

We now have an all access pass into the holy of holies seven days a week 365 days a year.

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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