Tag Religion and Spirituality

Reference Points

Allen Frederick 5 Comments

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor
Insight from the Journey across the Sky
By Allen Scott
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2Open Link in New Window
':sv:Simon Vouet -
Image via Wikipedia

Orchestra’s use them, choirs and choruses use them, professional and amateur musicians use them, sailors, travelers, navigators and builders use them. What are they? Reference points.

For the orchestra A 440 is the reference tone the entire orchestra tunes to, the benchmark for any fine musical performance. To a chorus it is a pitch pipe and to the musician an electronic tuner. Sailors looked toward the heavens and by using a sextant, sailed by starlight. Hikers utilize the compass. Builders would use a level and a plumb line. All are acting as reference points.

Without these reference points orchestras and choirs would be out of tune. Professional musicians would sound like beginners. Travelers would get hopelessly lost, and buildings would have crooked walls.

Slaves, hoping for freedom from a life of slavery in the south, were taught, from a young age, how to follow the North Star, to the place where that freedom lay. To think, in the vastness of space, God placed a steady reference point for all eternity. It is not surprising then that the wise men followed a star to the place where Jesus was born.

Our lives need reference points as well in order to navigate safely through this journey called life. Without a guiding light, a plumb line, or some other measuring device we really would not know how straight or crooked our journey was.

Without a point of reference we would be like a sailor lost at sea, or an orchestra out of tune. Without some sort of compass we would never know in which direction we were actually heading. Today GPS units, utilizing satellite coordinates, guide us safely throughout the country. These electronic marvels communicate constantly with orbiting satellites and recalculate our route as we travel the highway.

To the Christian what is our reference point? Is it a compass, sextant, plumb line, tuning fork, pitch pipe, a star? No it’s a cross outside Jerusalem. Without the death of Jesus on that cross, our sins would not be atoned for, and had Jesus not risen, we would be hopeless. The Bible, God’s word, becomes our road map and the Holy Spirit our GPS (God’s Positioning Spirit).

The church calendar acts as a point of reference as well helping to keep us centered on the reason for our hope, Jesus. Each season helps us to refocus on the life of Christ. We are currently entering into the season of Lent, the time of year were we focus on the death and resurrection of our Lord. It’s life from death, hope from despair, light in the darkness, and joy unspeakable and full of glory. From Ash Wednesday, through Good Friday, into Resurrection Sunday we journey again to the cross, the grave, and finally to resurrection.

The cross is the reference point to remind us of the great price God paid for our sins, and the love God has for us. For the lost, the cross stands as a beacon of hope, a compass pointing heavenward, a steady reference point for all eternity. Without the cross, I would be lost. Thank God for the cross, our reference point, and Jesus our guide.

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)
Along for the journey
Related articles by Zemanta

January 2009 Edition of “Pop Goes the Gospel”

Allen Frederick 3 Comments

Welcome to the January 31, 2009 edition of “Pop Goes the Gospel”. To think another year has already started. We have completed our first full month of the new year and a lot is happening in our nation. We inaugurated our 44th President a mere 11 days ago and to say things have been stirred up may just be an understatement. In the midst of all the turmoil in our economy it is good to know that one thing still remains, the faithfulness of God. Through it all He remains faithful. No matter what we may face the Lord is always ready and able to lend a helping hand. Take some time out from the regular day to day activities and check out this month’s “Pop Goes the Gospel” blog carnival. Perhaps you will be able to gain a new perspective on your life from one of the articles shared here.

'Pop Goes the Gospel'

'Pop Goes the Gospel'

In Culture

Rich presents Counterfeit Values posted at Blogger For Christ . com. Rich offers a contrast between God and Satan his post tackles several ‘hot button’ topics like same sex marriage, ‘hooking up’ and satanic worship. Now that ought to make you want to read this post.

Astrid Lee presents Got Jesus? posted at World Healing, Astrid Lee shares several short stories about people who met Jesus. Those who have had an EPIPHANY. Have you had an encounter with Jesus? Tell us about it.

Theresa L. Twogood presents Why So Sad? and Bad Times 101 posted at OLIN e-Book e-Publishing. Theresa takes us on a journey back to paradise to uncover why things may seem so bad today. A primer on the “Fall of Man“. Some might say it is a “Paradise Lost“. Theresa simply calls it Bad Times 101 a primer on pain and suffering.

In Church Life

ChristianPF presents Short Prayers week posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, ChristianPF a regular submitter to this Blog Carnival offers up some thoughts on ‘praying continually’. He challenged himself to offer consistent short prayers in an effort to pray more throughout the day. Here are the results of his effort. Might I suggest we all try to offer up continual prayers even if they are only a sentence prayer.

Heather Johnson presents Top 100 Theology Blogs posted at Christian Colleges. Heather gives us a list of Theology Blogs and she failed to list mine. Oh well I shall forgive her. Although not a complete list there are enough links there to keep you busy for many a late night.

andriel presents An Emerging Relativism posted at ReturningKing.com. Jeff submitted several articles for inclusion in this month’s blog however my policy allows only one post per blog per issue so I picked the best one to include this month. I am sure Jeff will submit another article or two for our next issue. Jeff asserts that certain truths are self-evident while dispelling the error of Religious Relativism, And here I thought he was going to write about his family. Just kidding. Take the time needed to read this post it will be well worth your time. There is a lot of meat on this bone to gnaw off.

In Media

Sarah Scrafford presents 50 Awe-inspiring, Free, High-Res Collections of Religious Imagery posted at Christian Colleges. Here is another list of sites to go along with the Theology Blogs list previously listed. Although this is a SECOND POST for this blog I thought many of you could benefit from this list of Religious Imagery so I left it in.

In Family

Yvette Nietzen presents Conducting a Virus Scan posted at Fresh Wind Ministries. Yvette comes through with a short but insightful post about conducting a Spiritual virus scan.

Doug Boude presents My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light posted at Doug Boude (rhymes with ‘loud’). Doug offers a fresh new look at the Burden of the Lord. Although his first encounter seemed oh so burdensome he later learned that doing right is not really all that hard. See what you think, Great post Doug.

In Education

Joe Hayes presents Teaching Intelligent Design posted at Teaching Intelligent Design, Joe tackles the idea of teaching Intelligent design. Although a contentious topic Joe’s article sets forth a reasoned response to radical opposition to the idea that Intelligent design could actually be taught in an educational setting.

In Politics

My own submission is Give me, Give me, and then give me some more a reflection of the evil root of the financial mess our nation is currently in the midst of. Our nation’s debt  problem is not  financial, but one of righteousness. Tell me what you think.

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.

Until next time carpe diem.

Technorati tags: , .

Related articles by Zemanta

Give me, Give me, and then give me Some More

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

 
 
Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor
Insight from the Journey across the Sky
Children shouldn’t have to provide for their parents, but parents should provide for their children. 2 Cor 12:14 (GW)

The more I listen to political news pundits promote Obama’s "stimulus package" I have to pause and reflect on the wisdom of scripture. The more debt we amass for our children and their children, the less responsible we are as good stewards of what God has entrusted us with. It was the misuse of credit and deficit spending that has gotten us into this mess in the first place. Taking out loan obligations that are beyond our abilities to pay is irresponsible, and I might add sinful. God does not take too kindly to greed and avarice.

This is what happens to everyone who is greedy for unjust gain. Greed takes away his life. Proverbs 1:19 (GW)

Do not wear yourself out getting rich. Be smart enough to stop. >Proverbs 23:4 (GW)

10 Whoever loves money will never be satisfied with money. Whoever loves wealth will never be satisfied with more income. Even this is pointless. 11 As the number of goods increase, so do the number of people who consume them. What do owners gain {from all their goods} except {the opportunity} to look at them? 12 The sleep of working people is sweet, whether they eat a little or a lot. But the full stomachs that rich people have will not allow them to sleep. >Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 (GW)

6 …How horrible it will be for the one who makes himself rich with what is not his own and makes himself wealthy on loans. How long will this go on?’ 7 Won’t your creditors suddenly rise up and those who are going to shake you wake up? Then you will become their prize. >Habakkuk 2:6-7 (GW)


We ignored common sense and good judgment when we heard about instant credit and ‘no payments, no interest’ loan schemes.   The purpose of these scams was to sell us goods we could not otherwise afford. So when the time came for the price to be paid, there was not enough money so we found ourselves in default. The fault is we have borrowed against our futures and our children’s futures and thusly done wickedly in God’s sight.

In our rush to ‘profit’ we disregarded solid biblical counsel and have reaped what we have sown. The promise of ‘get it now pay later’ has been too appealing for too long. Too many have drunk from the fountain of ‘easy terms, easy credit’. ‘Take what you want’ and not just what you need has been instilled in far too many of our citizenry, including those of the Christian faith.

It is to those who profess Christ that I address these comments. I fully expect those who do not accept Jesus as Lord, to do as their own selfish motives would dictate, but as Christians we are held to a far higher standard. This includes Christian businessmen and political leaders.

We do not need bailouts or handouts. We need repentance. We need to address our greed and lust for more and seriously repent of our sin before God. Parents, it is not the responsibility of your children or your children’s children to provide for your greed. It is selfish of us to think that we can continue to borrow against our future generations and bankrupt them while we continually pad our nests with more and more needless things.

If we were looking out for our children and actually laying up treasures for them then perhaps we would not be in the mess we now find ourselves. We are not providing for our children if we expect them to pay for our retirement programs because of our failure to plan ahead. We  are not providing for our children when we demand special low-cost medical care while saddling them with the increased costs of providing it. We are not caring or loving our children when we force them to pay over-inflated prices for homes, goods and services because we want to make huge profits. We are profiting off the backs of our children. Shame on us! We do not deserve a bail out. We deserve judgment from God. Repent so God can bless us once again. Let us get back to Godly wisdom when it comes to handling our finances. May the Lord have mercy on us all!

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)

Along for the journey

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Inauguration Day

Allen Frederick 3 Comments

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” →

THE MANY NAMES OF CHRIST

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

eagletail feather.gif (350x76 pixels)
"If then you were raised with Christ,
seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above,
not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2)

To the ARTIST, He is the One Altogether Lovely.

To the ARCHITECT, He is the Chief Corner Stone.

To the BAKER, He is the Living Bread.

To the BANKER, He is the Hidden Treasure.

To the BIOLOGIST, He is the Life.

To the BUILDER, He is the Sure Foundation.

To the CARPENTER, He is the Door.

To the DOCTOR, He is the Great Physician.

To the EDUCATOR, He is the Great Teacher.

To the ENGINEER, He is the New and Living Way.

To the FLORIST, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.

To the GEOLOGIST, He is the Rock of Ages.

To the HORTICULTURIST He is the True Vine.

To the JUDGE, He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men.

To the JEWELER, He is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the LAWYER, He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.

To the NEWSPAPER, He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.

To the OCULIST, He is the Light of the Eyes.

To the PHILANTHROPIST, He is the Unspeakable Gift.

To the PHILOSOPHER, He is the Wisdom of God.

To the PREACHER, He is the Word of God.

To the SCULPTOR, He is the Living Stone.

To the SERVANT, He is the Good Master.

To the STATESMAN, He is the Desire of All Nations.

To the STUDENT, He is the Incarnate Truth.

To the THEOLOGIAN, He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

To the TOILER, He is the Giver of Rest.

To the SINNER, He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World.

To the CHRISTIAN, He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer
and the Lord.

— Author Unknown

Related articles by Zemanta

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]