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Journal — February, 2207 |
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AN ONGOING
SPIRITUAL WEBLOG
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February 28, 2007
The Oscars (Hollywood's biggest award
show, the Academy of Motion Pictures) were recently held.
Best documentary, An Inconvenient Truth,
won an Oscar. Former Vice-President Al Gore is the spokesperson
in the film. The subject of the film is dangers of global
warming.
If you've wondered what sort of things you can do individually to live your life
in better harmony with the environment and be a good steward of the earth you
might take a look at the many sensible suggestions at Co-Op
America.
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February 27, 2007
Do you remember the claims made in 2002 that an ancient ossuary (burial
receptacle) had been found containing the bones of Jesus' brother, James? Now
a new documentary has its filmakers claiming they a ancient crypt discovered
in 1980 contains coffins with residue of the remains of Jesus and Mary
Magdalene and their son, Judah (more
here).
The documentary was produced by James Cameron, the film director reponsible
for the blockbuster Hollywood films Titanic and The Terminator.
These claims, if proven true. would create a stir for Christians. We
believe that Christ physically was resurrected from his tomb, so there
could be no bones or residue of his body. Also, scripture
does not say anything about Jesus being married and having a son. This
is an old rumor that was the basis for The Da Vinci Code.
Leading archaeologists and scholars are dismissive of the claims. But,
once again there are those who think they can debunk Christianity. There
always will be people like that. The most important thing for any
real believer is to follow Jesus
and his teachings and to walk by faith.
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February 21, 2007
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Unless a grain of wheat dies it will
not grow and yield a harvest. The great spiritual lessons of life
are always logically difficult to accept, but make perfect sense to our
soul.
We cannot be in control of everything in life. We have to surrender
to the reality of the Divine Order of the Universe, and that means turning
over our wills to the God of our understanding. God is a welcoming,
inclusive God who reveals Himself to you when you seek. I've found
that my seeking must be both ernest and sincere.
One of the most important (and one of the hardest) lessons we learn is
we have to be willing to let go of playing God. We have to die
to self. We realize we are about the great tapestry of life and
we begin to live for others. Doing good for others is something
we should do. How hard to do it without wanting or expecting a
pat on the back! Living with love, kindness and compassion for
others and doing it simply because it is right and in flow with the Universe
- and doing it anonymously - there is a Lenten challenge.
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February 19, 2007
Today is the Presidents Day national holiday. It was created specifically
because two of the United States most cherished presidents, George Washington
and Abraham Lincoln, have birthdays close together in this month.
It used to be said that every boy wants to grow up to be President of
the United States. I don't know if that would be considered true
today. But certainly it can be a dream of any boy or girl. The
U.S. has never had a woman, black or hispanic president, but we have
at least one of each of those "minorities" campaigning for 2008.
In reviewing the history of America we can note that past presidents
considered "great" all had a strong personal faith. They believed that
a Divine Power exists and was part of their lives. Faith in something
bigger is as old as humanity.
We don't have to agree with everything our Presidents do, but we can
certainly pray for them. In fact, we should pray, not just for
our leaders, but for all of us that we will have open minds and hearts
to the influence and guidance of God. Although the Presidential
Prayer Team is non-partisan I find it sometimes feels like
an unflagging support of our President despite many things I personally
disagree with our current administration over. All the more reason to
pray. You can find our more about the Presidential Prayer Team site here.
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February 16, 2007
Is Jesus' proclamation our proclamation? This is something each
of us should be considering in our heart of hearts. Is the gospel
message from the Son of Man one we are willing to embrace?
If it is, then each of us has a personal responsibility to follow the
teachings of Christ. And we have a responsibility as communities
- regardless of denomination - to do the same.
There is hope that this message is being considered and embraced in America. The CCT (Christian
Churches Together) met last week in Pasadena, California and reached
a consensus on the key importance of evangelism and the biblical
imperative to overcome poverty (story
here)
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February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day is a holiday focused on romance. Love is much more
than romance, but we all like the affection and special recognition that
a nice meal, card, or gift brings.
Of course, love is much more than romance. Love is the cement that
holds relationships together. Love is the most powerful force in
the universe.
God is love.
If we refuse to love then we must be, on some level, refusing God. Because
God's love is unconditional and for all it helps to remember what it
says in one of the New Testaments's most beautiful letters. "Anyone
who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still
in the dark. It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells
in God's light and doesn't block the light from others. But whoever hates
is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn't know which
end is up, blinded by the darkness." (1 John 2: 9-11 —The Message)
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February 12, 2007
Can you manifest in your life the deepest wishes of your heart? I
believe you can. But we must remember that when we ask, seek and
find what we want in life (Matthew 7:7) we have a responsibility for
using it for the benefit of God's creation.
All life is sacred. We don't always treat it that way. What
do you really want in life? How much abundance can you responsibly
handle? Are you willing to do good for others?
We can have a full and abundant life of joy. Jesus prayed for this
and told his followers this is why he came - to show us God and abundant,
joyful living. But, learn from the Master how we are to apply our
gifts. It is most humbling and most wonderful.
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February 8, 2007
Valentine’s Day is next week and while many have their attention
turned to romance I think it is good that we remember that the love that
God shows us is more than romantic. Yes, it is great to be in a loving
and nurturing relationship. But as all who’ve been married or in
long term relationships discover, it takes work. Then we find we must
go beyond the flowers, dinners and special occasions to make sure we
love unconditionally in the sometimes mundane situations in life.
We can’t, and should not, try to change others. Only God can change
us and He does this transformation by living in and with us. Jesus is
the model. I know it can be hard, but what a joy when we discover the
freedom that comes from mercy, forgiveness, compassion, hope and love.
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February 7, 2007
Gratitude is a wonderful thing. Being thankful for life, even the
little and simple things, is a way to stay in the moment and appreciate
God's divine presence in all things.
I was reminded about how important a spiritual tool gratitude is at a
fellowship gathering yesterday. People were sharing about how gratitude
helps us escape "stinking thinking" and how it is more than a feeling. Gratitude
should be expressed in action. If you are grateful, then show it
by doing something for others.
Have you ever made a gratitude list? Simply write down all the
things you are thankful for. If you are having a hard day you may
struggle at first to find much to be grateful for, but the action of
writing the list will prompt you to discover more and more. A home,
food, family and job. The ability to think, feel and express yourself
creatively. Eventually you may even become grateful for the difficult
lumps life sometimes hands you.
Being grateful for what you have is the only way to spiritually prepare
to receive what you hope for.
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February 5, 2007
Last night Indiannapolis defeated Chicago, 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI. I
watched it at home, but I saw on the news how the NFL shut down some
big screen viewings at certain churches. The Super Bowl is such
a major event that some churches held gatherings to bring people together
to watch the big game. The league, however, is very protective of their
rights concerning their championship game.
Not all churches agreed with the NFL's policy and here in Albuquerque
this was news as reported by KRQE-TV
13.
I guess it is a sign of the times that the Super Bowl has became such
a cultural event that certain churches see it as an opportunity for fellowship
and evangelization. The game will certainly be a topic of conversation
today. Maybe this news item can be part of the "water cooler" talk,
too.
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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.
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PSALM 118:24
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"This
is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it."
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(NIV)
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