Printer
Friendly page - click here
Journal — December 2006 |
|
|
AN ONGOING
SPIRITUAL WEBLOG
|
|
December
29, 2006
Can first century Christian teaching apply to us today? The basics
of Christianity, the foundational principles, are indeed timeless. We
need to always get back to the basics when we are looking for answers. From
the basics we can grow our faith stronger.
Angels Before You is the web
site of the Apostolic Believers Tabernacle, located in the mountains
of North Central Pennsylvania. Their site is beautifully designed
and has some uplifting spiritual content, including inspiring poetry. They
also are dedicated to building a missionary campground in Pennsylvania
and they are reaching out to people in Bangladesh with the Gospel mission. This
web site is our current spotlight
link.
|
December
26, 2006
One of the greatest gifts I've ever been given was not a Christmas gift. However,
today, the day after Christmas, I am thinking of this gift. Today
is my mother's birthday. It is a bittersweet day because this is
the first year she is not with us on her birthday. She passed away
this past June.
The great gift she gave me in the last week of her life was how to let
go to God and her inevitable death with peace, acceptance and grace (article
here). That is a wonderful gift that I will always treasure. Mom
gave this gift to each of us in our family and to the friends who were
present at her time of passing. Life is precious and can be so
right to the end. And the end is only the beginning of the next
phase of life where Mom surely is, there in the company of Jesus and
all those who believe in Him and live with His love shining through them.
|
December
25, 2006
The blessed and joyous feast of Christmas is here. God's gift of
the savior, Jesus Christ, is born anew in our hearts. If, of course,
we choose to accept this gift.
This gift of grace through our Lord is one that requires participation
and action. We don't unwrap it and then put it away. God
invites us in the sacred mystery to be an extension of this gift. We
can be givers of the love and the message of Christmas. We are
not only giving it away to keep it, we are becoming more like Jesus as
we do so. It is a joyful journey.
|
December
20, 2006
I surfed over to THEOOZE web
site this morning. I drop by once in a while and usually find thought
provoking articles and postings. As their tagline states, it is "conversation
for the journey".
A short article by Fred Shope caught my eye. Christmas:
What A Strange Holiday points out some of the odd things about
this time of year. So many are obsessed about shopping, eating,
drinking and missing the whole point that the Savior came to us in a
very humble way. The Creator shows us that to live fully we must
concern ourselves with others. Read
the article here.
The Christmas Spirit is real —catch it!
|
December
18, 2006
Here we are in the week before Christmas. A most holy and blessed
time. A mysterious time.
The faith journey that each of us must embrace with true sincerity, if
we really want to welcome God - and Jesus - into our hearts, begins with
a humble acceptance that there are many questions but not always clear
answers. The act of living our faith means dealing with uncertainty. It
is strange that this has somehow been lost with many "religious" people
who are absolutely certain that they know what it is all about.
There is a need, of course, for a strong belief that there is order and
absolute truth in our Universe created by One who loves all creation
and is constantly involved in it. But that doesn't mean we can't
hold the tension that comes from the paradoxical and mysterious ways
of God.
Some people seem to need explanations for everything. I'm trying
to not be that way, to let go to a mysterious God and to trust that this
is part of the Divine's way. I've been helped a great deal in this
by the teaching and writing of Richard
Rohr, a Franciscan priest in Albuquerque (The
Center for Action and Contemplation). Rohr succinctly
put forward his views today on the NPR "This
I Believe" segment which you can view and stream here.
|
December
13, 2006
Religious fanaticism can be dangerous, as we have seen throughout history
and to this day. And make no mistake, this fanaticism is evident
in some followers of all the major religions, be they Muslim, Jewish
or Christian.
Having a certainty - a faith and belief - that a loving God presides
and cares for us all is good. With that faith comes a responsibility
to live like this God teaches us to. Being certain that we have
God completely figured out and that our faith commands us to battle others
we disagree with through war and violence is both dangerous and wrong.
I am stirred this morning by reading an email from the God's
Politics Blog (Jim Wallis) from a couple of weeks ago. One
of Wallis' particular piercing lines is: "The only thing worse than ignoring
the facts is investing your ideological blindness with religious certainty.
Religion is meant to provide deep reflection, not easy certainty."
|
December
11, 2006
What does it mean to truly stand up for and live the principles of Christ,
even in the most trying of circumstances? Read about Logan
Laituri, a Christian who returned to Iraq for a second tour, but
this time unarmed and with a mission to live or die for. More
here.
|
December
7, 2006
The great news for you, this salvation is available for everyone - come
and get it! Act now and we'll also include a self-righteous attitude,
moral superiority and several more incredible gifts valued at over $3,000,
all for the one low introductory price of $29.95!
Aren't you glad that God doesn't present a way to live with true joy
and meaning by hyping, selling and promoting salvation?
Too bad we humans often get in the middle and commercialize it. Jesus
did not come to us with pomp and circumstance, despite being "King
of Kings". He did not tell us to climb the corporate ladder, make
tons of money, push and shove our way to the top and if others can't
keep up, too bad.
Instead we are presented with the model of a humble servant and true
friend. After all these years I think we are still often
struggling to get the real message. Despite the amazing benefits
of the Internet that make this web site possible and give us a platform
to carry a message, please know that what we offer is not of our own
making. We simply try to be an instrument for God's purpose. Welcome,
friend. We are glad you are here.
|
December
6, 2006
It is all too easy to get frustrated with this time of year. One of the “secrets”we
tout at Living the Solution is to get out of self and do for others.
That’s the theme of this issue. In addition to the articles and
resources listed below you might also consider helping to save the lives
of those fighting cancer, particularly Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood
cancers. I’m doing that by running in a marathon in January and
fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team
in Training ( info
here ). It is not easy doing all this training and running, but it’s
a tough battle fighting cancer. My aches and pains pale in comparison
to those suffering from cancer.
If you would consider making a donation (100% tax deductible) I would
be most grateful. And any donation of $25 or higher and I’ll send
you a book from our Living the Solution library. There is a wealth of
new books, many of them just released, by new and top-selling Christian
authors.
Make your check payable to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and
mail it to:
Living The Solution
P.O. Box 25584
Albuquerque, NM 87125-5584
Attention: Tom Gilbert
Include a phone number or email address so I can personally thank you
and find out what book you’d like. Thanks for helping to save lives…one
mile at a time!
|
December
4, 2006
As you do your holiday shopping you might consider some alternative giving
ideas. A web site designed to help online fundraising for everybody
is firstgiving. Learn
more about it here.
|
| Read past Journal entries here. |
Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved
throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering
of goods or services requires the prior written consent of International
Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
You'll also receive Practical Biblical
Solutions for life's challenges with our free e-zine
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
We have more
than 120,000 Christian books, bibles, music,gifts,
video, software and more!
It's easy to find what you're looking for by using our BROWSE
feature to search for your favorite type of
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
PSALM 118:24
|
|
|
"This
is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it."
|
|
(NIV)
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
 |
