A Christian Viewpoint

From whom do you wish to receive praise. There are two avenues of approach to the situation. You could give so that the public is fully aware of the gift you are giving. In such a case your reward will be the thanks they give and the elevated stature you will attain in the social order. The other way is to do the giving in secret so that there are no witnesses to the event; that is, no witnesses except for God and perhaps some of the spiritual host. When this approach is taken, then God, who wishes to reward well doing, will openly give you favour in the eyes of others and/or blessings of health/wealth. It comes back to the scripture of “you cannot serve two masters.” Anyone can give some type of earthly reward. Only one master can give a full reward. You can receive, mammon from Man or blessings from God. Either you will aim for the temporal and lose the spiritual or you will aim for the spiritual and also gain the temporal. You will have either a win/lose event or a win/win event. When doing things for the approval of the crowd or a specific individual you gain only a temporary benefit from a temporal world. Only when doing alms with a good heart and for the eyes of God only do you achieve the double win.

:satisfied:

I got this unsolicited email today. It was sent by someone calling themselves Rev Franklin T Grayson. He was passing on an article written by James Cieben. He said it was an eye opener for him. I had received this message once before. I have read it through both times I have received it. It is titled: the Flesh and the Spirit. It would take dozens of pages if I were to answer every statement that Mr Cieben makes in his article. This is what I wrote back to Rev T Grayson.

To: Rev Franklin Grayson,

This is a very long piece to be sending over the internet without prior approval from the recipient. You see, I have read this article many years ago. It was sent to me by James Ciebien. I asked to be removed from his mailing list. Must I now ask you to do the same?

As relates to the article itself? Bit by bit I believe this gentlemen turned the scriptures upsidedown. I would remind you of John 1 chapter 1. It shows that Jesus, before his birth, was the Word of God. He spoke and the universe was created. He became flesh. Dwelt among men. Taught the way of God. Was the blood sacrifice to take away our sins. Was ressurected the third day. As Paul wrote we also will be changed, in the twinkiling of an eye, and this corruptible will put on incorruption. Hmm… just like Jesus on his resurrection day. That is the promise.

There are many more, of what I believe to be, twists and “learned” suppositions that Mr Cieben make in this article. I have spent 28 years reading the bible and doing many private studies. He does have one or two unique ideas (which I believe to be incorrect), yet most of what he has written is also held by many others who would deny the diety of Jesus and the true purposes of God as revealed in John 1 and the rest of the scriptures.

So we disagree.

I believe most people getting this email would simply delete it because of its length. If you receive this email and are tempted to read it may I make a suggestion? Delete it! Unless, of course, you know scriptures well and want to exercise your discernment and your “sword of the word” skills.
😉

Hmmm… or just delete it.
😀

PS: Surprise, surprise, surprise! (as Gomer Pyle would say) The email I sent was bounced back to me because the return address does not exist. I can only guess as to whether this somehow reflects the character of the original sender? If so, what to make of his message. Spammer?
:confused:

Motivation?

Hamas is the newly elected government of Palestine, bent on destroying Israel. They were being squeezed by the U.S. and Europe to change their stance. Iran was being pressured by the United Nations to stop processing nuclear material. Hezzbolah negotiations with the rest of the Lebanese government was coming to the point they would have to give up their arms. Syria was simply being ignored by the United States. What are nations and people to do when faced by the global community expecting them to behave in a civilized manner?

Hamas leads the way. Israel was moving their troops out of the Gaza Strip. The wall between Israel and the West Bank grew longer. They fired rockets into Israel. That didn’t work. Israel continued to withdraw. The noose of isolation was tightening. They were left with their own people angry and wanting an improvement in living standards. There was no way to make the life of the common people better. They crossed the border and kidnaped an Israeli soldier. Their people would be united after Israeli’s expected response. Success at a high price.

Iran needed a diversion. They saw what the Hamas had done. They knew that a greater conflict would be the focus of the coming G8 conference. If a problem of great enough magnitude were to occur the members of the summit would be fixated on the new problem. They had friends in the region they supported with training, money and munitions. Time to call in a favour. They got what they needed.

Hezzbolah needed to make their enemy strike against them. They saw Israel’s response to the kidnaping of an Israeli soldier by Hamas. They would have to be as bold to pull Israel into a conflict. They would take a political hit at the beginning of the conflict. .. Acceptable. There would be many Lebanese casualties… Acceptable. They would use many of their rockets and missiles to kill Israeli citizens… Desired. Muslim passion would be fanned to fever pitch against Israel and the west… Desired. If all works out well they will have a stronger position in the Lebanese government when it was all over… Expected. Shia Jihadism would be stronger in Sunni nations… and other countries… Dreamed. They kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. They got the response they wanted.

Syria wants the United States to open formal talks with them. They are the pipeline of weapons from Iran to Hezzbolah. They do not want to get directly involved in the conflict. They gain “face” by negotiating with the greater power. To stop the flow of support the powers that be will have to talk to Syria. Their importance will rise as negotiations begins. They still wait. They still hope.

Politics, religion and tribalism are the foundations of a people. In the case above their idiom is war.

Israel, wants to be left alone in peace. They would like to have good economic relations with their neighbours. It is a dream. It is a hope. It appears for a moment before being taken away yet once again.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

I have been on the web now for about eight years. In that time my site has undergone many changes. Just finished going through the files on my server and deleting a mess of them. Funny how things accumulate. Old projects started or tested and then abandoned. I guess it was reflecting my habit of keeping things around because I may find use for them at some point in the future. Naturally it became rubbish that needed to be tossed into the garbage. :O

I get quite a few visitors to my site. The sad thing is that I don’t get a good representative share of these visitors leaving comments or sending in e-mail. Feedback would be welcome. Though I have tried various methods to help people to leave messages, that advantage however, was seldom taken. I can only hope that whatever is hindering the interchange of ideas be taken out of the way. 🙁

Oh well, I continue to hope and I will continue to build my site. Most likely in a few years I will have to clean house again. Maybe by then the website will be more of a two way street than a oneway. 🙂

God bless 😀

That may not be the problem.

Jesus said of the pharisees… They will take up this proverb against me, “Physician heal thyself.” On the third day the Father, through the power of the Spirit, raised him up.

If I have faith the size of a grain of mustard seed I can say to this mountain be uprooted and tossed into the sea and it would be done. It is such a small, little, tiny seed, isn’t everyone capable of manifesting this least amount of faith? Yet I haven’t seen any mountains thrown into the sea unless done through great and powerful machines.

The will of the Lord is key.
Walking in the Spirit is key.
The church manifesting the Spirit is key.
Each one doing what God asks,
In His timing and at His direction,
then as a whole, miracles happen.

A physician never heals himself,
his colleagues do when they work together,
each working his specialty,
for the good of the one.

As the Father with the Spirit,
And the physicians above,
Same goes for the church.

😉

It was troubling to see a little girl crying at the side of the road. Her tear stained face caused my heart to open up in sympathy for her unknown plight.

“What’s wrong little girl?”

She turned her face to me and stared for a moment. Her lower lip began to quiver. Mustering up some courage she said, “I lost my mommy.”

I thought it over for a few seconds trying to understand what she meant by that statement. Was she out with her mom and got separated from her? Did the little girl’s mother die?

“Where is your mommy?”

“At home,” she said.

“Is she all right?”

“She is ok,” she said. Her head bent down and hands came to her face. A little whine escaped from her. The familiar sound of soulful desperation as her thoughts played the loss in her mind once more.

“Aw now, don’t cry, if your mommy is at home, why do you think you lost her?”

“I heard my mommy say to my daddy that she is going to have another baby.” The girl looked to me hoping I would understand. That somehow I would be able to set things right. A knight come to rescue the damsel in distress.

I suppressed a smile that tried to make its way to my face.

“Why is that a bad thing, your mommy having another baby?”

“Because,” she said, “my mommy doesn’t like me anymore. I must have done something awfully wrong. She wants to get rid of me. She doesn’t need another baby. I’m her baby.”

Now it became clear to me what her problem was. Relief started to fill my mind. The problem was just a misunderstanding. “I think you got things mixed up a little. I am sure that your mommy loves you. A whole lot.”

She looked up to me with pleading eyes. “Then why does she want another baby?”

I smiled at the little girl. Using as soothing a voice as I could muster, I said, “Your mommy loves you a whole bunch. She wanted to get you a present. Something so special it would last a lifetime. She could think of nothing better, nothing prettier, nothing as wonderful, as giving you a friend. Someone just like you. Someone you could play with. Someone with whom you can share stories.”

Her mind tried to grasp this new possibility. You could see the struggle on her face.

After some moments she asked, “Do you really think that is the truth?”

“I have just met you. I think you are a wonderful little girl. I am certain that the new baby is a special gift for you. Your daddy and mommy will do what they can for the new baby. You will have to help with the new baby. Imagine, a little brother or sister. Wow, that is a special present, for a special girl.”

“Gee, I never thought of that,” as she sniffled one last time.

Her mother came out on the porch and called out her name. Quickly the little girl got up and ran to her mother. She threw herself into her dress and clasped her legs with all her strength.

The mother bent down and said, “My Oh My, what is that all about?”

The little girl looked into her eyes and with renewed understanding said, “I love you mommy!”

She replied, “Well I love you baby.”

At those words the little girl put her arms about her mother’s neck and kissed her cheek. The two held each other in a warming embrace.

“Does my special little girl want some lemonade?”

“Oh yes I do,” she said.

The two got up and went into the house.

I stood up, shook my head, and walked away with a little smile.

🙂

author: Joseph Raymond
May 31, 2006

BB… that was her name. She was a bundle of energy and had attitude. A unique little creature unlike most cats that we have owned in the past. My wife would have a shower and then BB would go in and lay in the puddle that was left for her bath. My wife would eat breakfast and BB would wait for her treat at her feet. I would lay on the floor for my daily back exercises and BB would come lay beside me and do her stretches. BB was always at the door waiting for Linda or I to come home. Then when we came through the door she would walk away and sit in another doorway with her back to us, ignoring our call to her. If I were to sit up in my easy chair she would come to get her ear scatched. During the evening BB would climb up onto my wife’s chair so she could get her chin scratched. Never would she sit on my wife’s lap… but she would climbed onto the back of her chair and lay around my wife’s head. And lastly, late at night, BB would come up to the bedroom and lay next to my wife so she could get lovingly stroked. This has been going on for seventeen years. She was about two when we got her.

Last thursday BB died. Old age… Cancer… and a tender vet exame that was too much for her frail body. She died at home unable to leave her carrying cage.

Those of you with pets of many years will know of the heartbreak that follows their death. The need to go through the grief stages. The house seems a little emptier now. What we have done everyday for close to two decades is now no longer needed to be done. We put away the toys and the dishes. We clean up the litter box and put it away. A tear wells up in the corner of the eye as we do this. As the days pass we are reminded time and again of our loss by the stray toy under the couch or a tuft of hair left on a pillow. A tear appears at each discovery. In time we will heal. For now…

🙁

Greater is he that is in me,
Greater is he that is in me,
Greater is he that is in me,
Than he that is in the world.

May this song/scripture become more of a reality for you and I. 😎

It hasn’t been a very good year so far. 🙁 A very bad cold that lasted weeks. Back that went bad on me and still getting therapy for it. There is more but what the heck, you don’t need a whole listing. Inspite of the problems I did participate in a special night service. A bit of acting portraying Jesus in Luke 14. It was a 15 minute skit and it went well. I thank Crossfire Assembly for opening the door for ministry oportunities.

Today I am writing a skit for a group in my church. Tomorow I have an important Dr.’s appointment. If you read this today, could you pray for me that the skit is well wrtitten and that the Dr will have wisdom and insight during the discussion.

I cannot stand alone. I am one of those people who needs people of prayer to lift me up in prayer. Not for some great work but to get through the day, each day. I truly appreciate those of you who take the time to pray for me.

God bless… 😉

The moment has come. I have taken responsibility and gone to do my duty. My ballot is cast. I encourage anyone who reads this today to go to the polls and do your duty as well. Ahem, specially if you are going to vote conservative. That being said… even of you would vote for another party… vote.

😉