In just a few days, the world will celebrate New Years Day. Billions of people will participate either by watching through mass media or physically joining in the festivities. To the masses, this practice is secular, enjoyable, and serves as a time to bring the world together. On the surface, this may appear to be true, however, we only need to do a small amount of research to quickly find this is not the case. In 45 B.C., Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, now known as the Julian Calendar, … [Read more...] about New Yearâs Day
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Avoiding Simple-Mindedness
I want to begin with a clearer understanding of simple-mindedness with a quote from Signs of Being Simple-Minded: "Understanding what it means to be simple-minded involves recognizing certain characteristics and their implications for how individuals perceive, process information, and interact with the world. While the term âsimple-mindedâ can carry different connotations depending on context, it generally refers to a style of thinking characterized by a lack of complexity, or depth in oneâs … [Read more...] about Avoiding Simple-Mindedness
Gratitude, A Life Altering Virtue
The command to praise God and Jesus Christ can bring into question the what, why and how to. Those called out of the world as Godâs people are to proclaim the praises of God the Father, and by extension Jesus Christ: âBut you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9). The Greek word for âpraisesâ in 1 Peter 2:9 means virtues, or … [Read more...] about Gratitude, A Life Altering Virtue
The Closeness of God
If we are honest with ourselves, we donât always have the feeling that God is relevant to our everyday lives. I donât mean in the overall sense of knowing Godâs plan and purpose. I am thinking of something more up close and personal. The longer time goes on, with the subsequent increase of corruption in our societies, the more difficult it is to feel the personal closeness of God -- that He is there for us on a real and personal basis. We may have understanding in our head, but the daily … [Read more...] about The Closeness of God
Three Choices: Good, Evil, or Life
Man has an ability that separates him from all other physical creatures. If he chooses, he can stand outside of his feelings, emotions and even his own thoughts and examine them. However, instead of examining them, he often reacts to life and allows instinct or past conditioning to override the moment of opportunity he has between an experience and a response. Deference is the key to conquering this moment. Author Steven Covey states what distinguishes us as humans is the ability to examine … [Read more...] about Three Choices: Good, Evil, or Life
The Silent Division:Â Mixing Politics and Faith
In the tapestry of a religious environment, unity and fellowship should be the guiding principles that weave individuals together. However, in recent times our church community has been experiencing a shift. An often-overlooked aspect lurks beneath the surface, causing subtle ruptures among people who should ideally find solace in their shared beliefs. It is not always doctrinal disputes that trigger discord; instead, subjects such as politics, diverse cultures, backgrounds, sports, and other … [Read more...] about The Silent Division:Â Mixing Politics and Faith
Godly Unity in The Human Realm
At the level of human existence, we all crave more unity. We would like to see our nations, our local communities and particularly our churches and families more united. Through Christ, we are joined to the Father. Unfortunately, we live in an environment where some particularly key factors are not united, not âjoined as a wholeâ. As followers of Christ, we have been drawn out of the world and our position regarding unity is decidedly different than the common ideas about unity which … [Read more...] about Godly Unity in The Human Realm