tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155973262024-03-06T23:29:10.445-08:00waiting to go homethe travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-36347952417162807902007-08-01T15:59:00.000-07:002007-08-01T16:00:49.675-07:00feeble kneesLast night I came across Hebrews 12:12, "Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."<br /><br />I had just gotten back from a trying evening at work and I felt emotionally beat down. This verse reminded me of the importance of relying on God to keep me strong and the importance of having Christian fellowship for encouragement and for building a person up. <br /><br />Sometimes I forget why God instigated the church and why Christian fellowship is important. What's so great about hanging out with more sinners? What's so great, I realized, is that these sinners know the truth and our Christian friends can give us support, encouragement, and wisdom that God has given them. <br /><br />I think that's also why Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, "For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up."the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-25200779468814018922007-03-22T20:14:00.000-07:002007-03-22T20:24:07.161-07:00rest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBD9ylvbmYRgA0vymudrcHaag_D8sqm4-vqv5Feai4zygVheZcBAT1gzeCsa3QpYPjR3l6qTAxWTnd8AggjOTduU1GjRoWAlTd1TyOqa1plnL8b1Qpla8q6Bmjh6viTzhRX0M4A/s1600-h/daffodil1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5044955296190348674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBD9ylvbmYRgA0vymudrcHaag_D8sqm4-vqv5Feai4zygVheZcBAT1gzeCsa3QpYPjR3l6qTAxWTnd8AggjOTduU1GjRoWAlTd1TyOqa1plnL8b1Qpla8q6Bmjh6viTzhRX0M4A/s200/daffodil1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>With green leaves unfurling, pink flowers budding, and the birds waking up from the winter, I can hardly believe that spring is here with summer closely on its heels. I'm two-thirds through my school semester and although I'm enjoying the sunshine, I am so ready for spring break (which starts Saturday!). </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>A recent focus in our last school chapel was reconnecting with God. During that time I felt that I really should be just resting in God and finding comfort in the complete control He has over my life. I'm tired, but I am confident about where He has me for the summer. He has clearly shown me the path--I just need to follow. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Matthew 11:28-29</div><br /><div><span style="color:#990000;"><strong>"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."</strong></span></div>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1166854118811695862006-12-22T22:04:00.000-08:002006-12-22T22:08:38.823-08:00something else to addI just realized I might add something by way of explanation. I'm back home on Christmas break, and finally have time to update my blog. Funny thing, at college there are so many <strong>real live</strong> people in front of me that I have little time for cyberspace.<br /><br />That said, Spurgeon's sermons and Superman aren't the only things that are keeping my brain occupied. Four months away from home has taught me so many lessons, and I know I have so many more to learn.the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1166850664206480992006-12-22T20:38:00.000-08:002006-12-22T21:44:28.383-08:00what the world needs<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1762/1449/1600/267544/superman.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1762/1449/200/58876/superman.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />We were watching <em>Superman Returns</em> the other night, and one section of dialogue particularly caught my attention. During a encounter between Superman and Lois Lane (female heroine), Superman takes Lois flying way up high and asks her a question.<br /><br />"Listen, what do you hear?"<br />Lois answers, "I don't hear anything."<br /><br />And Superman says, "I hear everything. <strong>You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior, but everyday I hear people crying for one</strong>."<br /><br />It's hard to see the Christmas story through fresh eyes when I've been hearing it for 19 years. Sitting tranquilly in my warm home with enough food, and warm clothes to wear, life doesn't seem that bad. Sin doesn't seem that bad. I can't hear anything. I can easily get lost in my Christian "bubble," and forget why I need Christ.<br /><br />Take a step outside the bubble. Where there are countries at war. Where there are millions of orphaned children. Where people suffer the effects of AIDS. Where every so many seconds, some horrible crime is committed.<br /><br />Where <strong>everyday</strong>, someone is crying for a Savior.<br /><br />God hears everyone. He hears the single mother with three children in a homeless shelter, who is about to get kicked out. He hears the girl in Ethiopia whose country is ravaged by AIDS, who can't move up to the next grade. He hears a young man whose heart has been broken.<br /><br />He sent us a Savior in an unlikely package: the child of a virgin mother.<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;"><strong>"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”</strong></span>-Matthew 1:21the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1164070151034066032006-11-20T16:39:00.000-08:002006-11-20T16:49:11.050-08:00"Little-Faith"I never really expected to get anything out of a sermon written in 1885.<br /><br />Yesterday wandering around my college library, I picked up a book of Spurgeon's sermons. I anticipated dry reading and was pleasantly surprised by a sermon I really needed, "the History of Littte-Faith."<br /><br />I thought I'd share a few of the best parts...<br /><br /><strong><em>A call to humility...</em></strong><br />"Let no man think of himself beyond his own experience. Experience is the true gauge; and he who boasts of an untried faith is puffed up with vain glory. Stretch not your arm beyond your sleeve, lest it be frost-bitten."<br /><br /><strong><em>The beauty of "Little-Faith"...</em></strong><br />"Those who have greater faith know that they have found their Lord; they know that he is as the sun which cannot be hidden; they feel his warmth, and rejoice in his light; yet the keen hunger after Christ which goes with Little-Faith is an admirable thing, and the Lord himself hath blssed it...the eager longings of a trembling heart after the Lord Jesus are full of loveliness and fragrance, and are by no means to be despised."<br /><br /><strong><em>Comfort for "Little-Faith"...</em></strong><br />"He that believeth even with a little and a trembling believing, is safe beneath the guardian care of the Eternal God."<br /><br />Spurgeon based his entire "History of Little Faith" sermon off of Matthew 14:31,<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#330033;">"And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' "</span></strong>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1161297447150085652006-10-19T15:31:00.000-07:002006-10-19T15:37:27.170-07:00who are you to judge another?<div align="left">One of my biggest struggles has been my critical attitude toward others. So, when I heard Pastor Dee Duke give his sermon, “Do Not Judge One Another,” I felt very blessed and inspired. This would be the first 25 point sermon I’ve ever heard.<br /><br />To aid in comprehension, I regrouped some of these points, paraphrased in some cases, and directly quoted most points.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Human nature-the way things are<br /></span></strong>· We’re continually evaluating other people’s behavior, character and motives.<br />· The longer we have been a Christian, the stronger the urge to judge others.<br />· Another cause of a judgmental attitude as we age is our pride in our growth.<br />· Judging has a spirit of criticalness, meanness, pride, contempt, arrogance and judgment.<br />· Very few practices cause more problems and division in families, groups and churches than judging others does.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">God’s Perspective</span></strong><br />· The Pharisees’ big sin was judging others. Luke 7:36-39<br />· Jesus spoke against judging others more than any other sin. Luke 15:25-30<br />· We are all in various stages of growth. Accepting others is trusting God to grow and change others at His own pace. Romans 15:7, Matthew 18:10<br />· A judgmental attitude is particularly odious to God as He observes our life. Isaiah 65:5-7; 2 Samuel 6:23<br />· God is judge and that is a job that He is not going to share with us. James 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Romans 14:10-13<br />· God gives great mercy to those who resist the urge to judge others. Matthew 7:1, Luke 6:36-38<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Judging-Implications for Our Lives</span></strong><br />· When we judge others in our heart and mind, we will despise them, gossip about them, and treat them with contempt. Example: Michael judging David’s dancing. 2 Samuel 6:14-16, 20<br />· The more we judge others, the less we will grow in holiness. James 4:11-12<br />· Very few practices by Christians are more alienating to non-Christians than our proneness to judge others.<br />· We never pray for those we gossip about, and we never gossip about those we pray for. [taken from a separate sermon, but equally applicable]<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Changing our Behavior</span></strong><br />· A major key to breaking the bad habit of judging others is to pray for their sins, character flaws and weaknesses.<br />· We can evaluate other people’s behavior, character and motives for the purpose of encouraging them, praying for them, and gently motivating them. Ephesians 6:18, Hebrews 10:24, Galatians 6:1<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Implications That Mercy Has On Our Lives<br /></span></strong>· As we pray for others instead of judging them, our understanding for them grows.<br />· As we pray for others instead of judging them, our wisdom in how to help and encourage them grows.<br />· We can be disciplining ourselves to thank the Lord constantly for all His mercy and grace, which will stir us to practice the same mercy and grace to others.<br />· The more mercy we give to others, the more mercy God will give to us at the “Judgment Seat of Christ” Romans 14:10-13, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Colossians 3:24-25<br /><br /> </div>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1160869121632800022006-10-14T16:38:00.000-07:002006-10-14T16:38:41.646-07:00control issues<div align="center"><strong>Have I asked God to unveil His vision for my life, or am I only asking Him to bless a plan that I have come up with?</strong></div>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1158883069626542582006-09-21T16:47:00.000-07:002006-09-21T16:59:12.596-07:00bride of Christ<div align="left">I find myself compelled to return to the bride of Christ analogy. While sitting in my general psychology class, something suddenly occured to me.<br /><br />The character qualities I'm looking for in a husband are ones that Christ already exemplifies.<br /><br />I want a man who would be willing to die for me.<br /><strong>One Man, Christ, already did.<br /></strong><br />I want a man to protect me. I want someone who won't desert me.<br /><strong>Jesus is the ultimate protector. He will never leave me nor forsake me.<br /></strong><br />I want a man to spend the rest of my life with.<br /><strong>I already know who I want to spend eternity with.<br /><br />Christ is my bridegroom.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Psalm 34:8-10<br /></strong><span style="color:#993399;">"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing."</span></div>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1158116645198531472006-09-12T19:53:00.000-07:002006-09-12T20:04:05.216-07:00refining fireThis Sunday I had the privilege of listening to a message titled, "Sensing God in the Storms of Life." The message had several good points, but one striking analogy.<br /><br />The pastor explained the story of how silver is refined. Once the silversmith puts the silver in the fire, he doesn't take his eye off it. He doesn't let anything distract him. How does he know when the silver is perfect and pure? "I know the silver is pure when I can see my face reflected in it."<br /><br />You will recall Bible verses that speak of God refining our hearts.<br /><br /><strong>Psalm 66:10</strong><br /><span style="color:#993399;">"For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined."</span><br /><br /><strong>Daniel 11:34-36</strong><br /><span style="color:#993399;">"Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time."</span><br /><br />Finally, the verse I found most powerful.<br /><br /><strong>Zechariah 13:9</strong><br /><span style="color:#993399;">"I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; and each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.' "</span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><div align="center"><strong>"I know the silver is pure when I can see my face reflected in it."</strong> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="left">We are pure when we reflect God's image.<br /> </div><span style="color:#993399;"></span>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1157701019989363762006-09-08T00:28:00.000-07:002006-09-08T00:37:00.026-07:00one desire, one focusThis last week has been an incredible time of growing and learning, of seeking God and relying on Him. The theme for my dorm hall is the bride of Christ. I'm so used to being dependent on my family, that it has become a crutch. It's hard and yet really good and important to learn to be on my own.<br /><br />One verse has really stood out to me this week,<br /><br /><strong>Psalm 73:25-26</strong><br /><span style="color:#993399;">"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."</span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">I am praying that God will help me to seek Him and rely on Him only.</span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>Psalm 119:10</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#993399;">"With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!"</span>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1157404725259186932006-09-04T14:04:00.000-07:002006-09-04T14:18:45.586-07:00chivalry<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/1600/chivalry.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/200/chivalry.png" border="0" /></a><br />I turned over a couple of jewels in my blog surfing today on the subject of chivalry. Hannah Beth of <a href="http://www.beautyfromtheheart.org/">Beauty from the Heart </a>wrote a post titled <a href="http://www.beautyfromtheheart.org/2006/09/chivalry-is-deada-commentary_04.html">"Chivalry is Dead"...a Commentary."</a> She uses a teacup analogy which I would encourage you to read. Krista, from <a href="http://kristaeskinner.blogspot.com/">Musings of a Lady</a>, posted a link to an <a href="http://kristaeskinner.blogspot.com/2006/08/this-is-too-good-not-to-share.html">inspiring story about ladies</a>.<br /><br />These two posts reminded me of a policy here at my college. During orientation evening, we were informed that girls could pick up a safety whistle at the student life office. Girls were warned to blow the whistle only in an emergency. Guys were told that they were expected to come running and protect the ladies here if they heard a whistle blowing.<br /><br />I was impressed by this public expectation that guys would protect the ladies around them, but I've also been struck by the care the guys here take to open doors for girls.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.breakupgirl.net/essays/world06.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">Picture credit</span> </a>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1157142870188261182006-09-01T13:29:00.000-07:002006-09-01T13:34:32.873-07:00MySpace is Everyone'sSpaceAt chapel this morning, our student body received an interesting annoucement. Last year, MySpace and Facebook were banned on campus. This year they've decided to unban both, but with a little catch. Apparently the college has everyone's MySpace on file and during every chapel, they will put some random MySpace up on the projector screen.<br /><br />Although I don't think MySpace or any space for that matter is inherently evil, I do see a lot more objectional material there. I have a feeling everyone will be updating their MySpaces today. Even if the content isn't bad, it could be personal.<br /><br />Our campus pastor said that the purpose of this measure was to hold everyone accountable.<br /><br />What do you think about this decision? Should this be left up to the students? Should the college be monitoring this?the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1156909479617491702006-08-29T20:35:00.000-07:002006-08-30T20:59:32.666-07:00so much more<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/1600/mint_chip.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/200/mint_chip.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I am almost all moved into my dorm room! In between various events, fairs, and staying up way too late, I'm not getting much sleep. Maybe I'll catch up on the weekends. I've made a lot of new friends.<br /><br />Some friends and I were in the car today when I had a thought. There a lot of Rachels here at college, and I thought of Rachel in the Bible. We don't hear much about her spiritual life. It reminded me of that verse in the Bible that says that too many things happened to document (if someone knows where this verse is, please let me know). We probably haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg as far as reading about the miracles Jesus performed.<br /><br /><span style="color:#006600;">Edit: Elizabeth Moore of Study.Quiet provided the Bible verse (thanks!) reference.</span><br /><span style="color:#006600;"></span><br /><span style="color:#006600;">"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."John 21:25</span><br /><br />Anyway, that's my thought for the day. Other than that, ice cream socials are fun...although more fun when you aren't shivering in your sweatshirt.the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1156564853635935122006-08-25T20:55:00.000-07:002006-08-25T21:00:53.650-07:00Off to College!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/1600/books.png"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/200/books.png" border="0" /></a><br />Well, it's my last night in my own bed for a long while. I'm off to a small Christian college in the Northwest. This will be my junior year, so college isn't entirely new to me, but the dorm experience will be!<br /><br />I expect to be very busy while I'm getting settled in and until I get used to taking 17 credits.<br /><br />Until then, may the grace of God be with you all.the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1156393428150486592006-08-23T21:17:00.000-07:002006-08-23T21:23:48.153-07:00another one of those<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/1600/davinci.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/200/davinci.png" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Just when you thought another diet couldn't exist...</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Stephen Lanzalotta creates the "Da Vinci Diet" and writes <em>The Diet Code: Revolutionary Weight-Loss Secrets from Da Vinci and The Golden Ratio.</em> Click to read <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9451724/">the complete article</a>.</span>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1156145040081808922006-08-21T00:10:00.000-07:002006-08-21T00:24:00.096-07:00God is working on meSometimes I don't feel like God hears my prayers. Sometimes I think God is angry with me and won't answer my prayers. But this week God has certainly heard me. I was thankful and happy for His help in time of need-a practical matter, I lost something, and now it is found.<br /><br />I also requested that the Holy Spirit would remind me when I committed particular sins. But I forgot that God's answer might not be quite what I had in mind.<br /><br />Ask and you shall receive.<br /><br />It hurts. But I know God loves me. My Father chastens the ones He loves.the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1155408929332268702006-08-12T11:47:00.000-07:002006-08-12T11:56:29.363-07:00living waterI'm back! I spent the last week camping with my family, and we were able to see a variety of God's creation, including a black bear!<br /><br />We camped at two different locations, and both times were able to be close to a water feature. We actually spent two nights next to this waterfall.<br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/320/IMG_2730.jpg" border="0" /><br />All that water reminded me of when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman.<br /><br /><strong>John 4:10, 13-14</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">"Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.' "</span><br /><span style="color:#993399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#993399;">"Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."</span>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1154485139466616202006-08-01T19:08:00.000-07:002006-08-01T19:18:59.480-07:00Heart: Part II<strong>Heart: Part II</strong> <strong><span style="color:#993399;">continued from</span></strong> <a href="http://joyfulexistence.blogspot.com/2006/07/heart-part-i.html">Heart: Part I</a><br /><br /><strong>The Heart Must Be Conformed to God</strong><br />The Bible says that our hearts are desperately wicked and for that reason, we must ask God to help us mold them into hearts that follow Him. In seeking to become like God, one must study and understand the heart of God. What do we know about God? He hates sin. This type of examination is painful. Our hearts do not naturally desire God and His precepts. We need to seek conformity with God, not to this world. Psalm 84:5 says, <span style="color:#993399;">“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”<br /></span><br /><strong>The Heart Must be Protected</strong><br />We hear about guarding our hearts, protecting our purity, putting on the full armor of God. Ephesians 6:12-13 writes,<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”</span><br /><br />We protect our hearts that they may remain sensitive to the evils of sin, and not callused.<br /><br />Imagine the heart is like a castle. Although the king of the castle may have lands and people that lie outside its boundaries, the castle is the main fortress. If those castle walls are strong, well maintained, and well guarded, then the enemy will be hard put to enter. However, if the walls have been broken down, the gate breached, and the guard sleeps, then it will be easy to conquer that castle. So it is with your heart. What things have crept into your life that compromise the “security” of your heart?<br /><br />In C.S. Lewis’ <em>Screwtape Letters</em>, the senior devil, Screwtape, advises his nephew that the best way to bring a man down is not to confront him directly, but wear him down. Screwtape writes,<br /><br />“We know that we have introduced a change of direction in his course which is already carrying him out of his orbit around the Enemy; but he must be made to imagine that all the choices which have effected this change of course are trivial and revocable.”<br /><br />Luke 11:21 says, <span style="color:#993399;">“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.”<br /></span><br /><strong>The Result of Heart Work<br /></strong>Jeremiah 24:7 says, <span style="color:#993399;">“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”<br /></span><br />If we live in accordance with God’s word, loving Him with all our heart and soul and mind, then we will be able to say, “Lord, you have my whole heart.”the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1154093385608324122006-07-28T06:24:00.000-07:002006-07-28T06:29:45.626-07:00Heart: Part I<strong>Who Has Your Heart?</strong><br />The heart has four chambers and pumps blood throughout our physical bodies. Each day, the average heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood. There’s another kind of heart—our spiritual hearts. They’re nothing pretty to look at. God said in Genesis, <span style="color:#993399;">“Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.”</span> There’s an absolute statement in that verse: “Every inclination of his heart is evil.”<br /><br />In the chapter of <em>Practical Christianity</em> titled “Heart Work,” Arthur W. Pink uses the verse from Proverbs 4:23, <span style="color:#993399;">“Keep thy heart with all diligence.”</span> I found the “Heart Work” section of Pink’s book helpful, especially in light of the idea that the heart is the wellspring of life.<br /><br />The dictionary defines wellspring as, “a source, an abundant source.” One might say the heart is the source of life. In <em>Practical Christianity</em>, Pink writes, “If our heart be the residence of impiety, pride, avarice, malice, impure lusts, then the whole current of our lives will largely be tainted with these vices.” Although Pink’s comments on this topic are extensive, I find three points I think best summarize his discussion. The heart must be tended. The heart must be conformed to God. The heart must be protected.<br /><br /><strong>The Heart Must be Tended<br /></strong>Like a garden, the heart requires continual work. Sin must be rooted out, encouragement watered on, and nourishment from God’s word applied. Imagine a garden planted on the edge of a forest, overgrown with brambles, weeds, and the entangling roots of the buttercup. The surrounding environment is not conducive to healthy growth. More than likely, the garden will become overwhelmed and taken over by weeds. A while ago I quit a weekly social visit to the newspaper office I worked for, because I found that the ensuing conversation had a negative impact on my soul. Although I feel secure in my knowledge of the truth, the very environment caused my thoughts to be angry, resentful, and sinful.<br /><br />Examine your heart. What sin needs to be exposed and destroyed? Each day, meditation on God’s word and prayer are essential. Often I do truly hunger for God’s word, wanting something more than this world can offer, needing more than lies, platitudes, and relativity. I need truth. Like a deer pants for water, so my soul pants for God. In my own life, I find that when I’m careless or sloppy about communing with God, my spiritual well being suffers. I require constant help from God to feel loved, to feel cheerful, and to remember God’s truth.<br /><br /> In the Old Testament, one can see the Israelites constantly falling away. They required constant reminder of God, what He expected from them, and what He had done for them. As a child I found myself scornful of the Israelites frail moral character, but now I empathize with their plight. I believe one of the reasons the Israelites occupy a large portion of the Bible is to remind us of our tendency to be forgetful.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;"><strong>To be continued...</strong></span>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1153595140435021472006-07-22T11:58:00.000-07:002006-07-22T12:08:25.900-07:00Reliability of the Bible: Part III<strong>The Bible: The Most Bibliographically Verified Source in History</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />continued from <a href="http://joyfulexistence.blogspot.com/2006/07/reliability-of-bible-part-i.html">Reliability of the Bible: Part I</a>, and <a href="http://joyfulexistence.blogspot.com/2006/07/reliability-of-bible-part-ii.html">Reliability of the Bible: Part II</a><br /><br /><strong>Same Theme all the way through</strong><br /><br />The continuity of the Bible amazes me.<br /><br />66 different books<br />40 different authors<br />3 different languages<br />Written over a 1500 year time span<br />Same message, same God, same Savior<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”<br /></span><br /><strong>Secular Writings</strong><br /><br />Dr. Phil Fernandes took some time to point out several ancient secular writers who confirmed the message of the New Testament.<br /><br /><em>Thallus</em> (52 A.D.) wrote about the darkness of the sky when Jesus died<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Mark 15:33-34, “Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ ”<br /></span><br /><em>Tacitus</em> (115 A.D.) wrote about Christ’s death and the 50 day gap before the explosion of Christianity<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Acts</span> <span style="color:#993399;">2:41, “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”</span> [on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension into heaven]<br /><br /><em>Josephus</em> (37-97 A.D.) hired by the Romans to record Jewish history, says he used to visit Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Genesis 8:3-4, “The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.”<br /></span><br /><em>Talmud</em> (70-200 A.D.) talks about Jesus as illegitimate and a sorcerer.<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Acts 2:22, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by <strong>miracles, wonders, and signs</strong> which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know…”</span> [emphasis mine]<br /><br /><strong>Common Experience of Christians</strong><br /><br />Since Jesus’ resurrection, millions of people have come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Each person is an eyewitness to the miracles that God performs in their own lives the lives of others. Every true Christian has a personal relationship with Jesus.<br /><br />At Worldview Academy, I felt incredibly encouraged by the presence of so many young Christians. At a Christian leadership camp, it’s reasonable to expect that almost everyone is a Christian. That knowledge—that all these people believe the same truth I believe and that we all love the same Savior—fills me with joy.<br /><br />***********<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Resources</strong><br /><br />The Bible<br /><em>The New Evidence</em> by Josh McDowell<br /><em>Thy Word is Truth</em> by E.J. Young<br /><em>The New Testament Documents</em> by F.F. Bruce </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.everystudent.com/features/bible.html"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://www.everystudent.com/features/bible.html</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorg.html"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/bibleorg.html</span></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.godsaidmansaid.com/topic3.asp?Cat2=262&ItemID=555">http://www.godsaidmansaid.com/topic3.asp?Cat2=262&ItemID=555</a></span><br /><a href="http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Writings/old_testament_reliability.htm"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Writings/old_testament_reliability.htm</span></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://biblicaldefense.org/">http://biblicaldefense.org/</a> </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#993399;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#993399;">Note: All Biblical references are from the New King James version.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1153529737899185662006-07-21T14:07:00.000-07:002006-07-21T17:55:37.990-07:00Reliability of the Bible: Part II<p><strong>The Bible: The Most Bibliographically Verified Source in History</strong></p><p><strong>continued from</strong> <a href="http://joyfulexistence.blogspot.com/2006/07/reliability-of-bible-part-i.html">Reliability of the Bible: Part I</a></p><p><strong>Archaeology</strong><br /><br />Jay Winslow pointed to three (among many) archaeological discoveries which confirmed what the Bible says: Hittites, Assyrians, and Jericho.<br /><br /><em>Hittites</em><br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Joshua 1:4, “From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.”<br /></span><br /> In 1906, Hugo Winkler found the Hittite civilization. These people are spoken of in the Bible, but people had previously said that the Hittites didn’t exist.<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#993399;">Assyrians</span></em><br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Isaiah 19:23, “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.”<br /></span><br />Similar to their disbelief of the Hittites, people also thought the Assyrians didn’t exist. Since then, the entire city of Nineveh (one of the major, ancient Assyrian cities), has been unearthed. <br /><br /><em>Jericho</em><br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Hebrews 11:30, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.”<br /><br /></span>In the Bible, Jericho is famous for its miraculous destruction. The Israelites marched around the walls once a day for six days, then on the seventh day marched around it seven times. After the final march, the priests blew trumpets, the people shouted, and the walls fell down.<br /><br />In a normal siege, the walls would fall inwards as the attackers surged in that direction. Garstang, the archeologist who excavated Jericho, said, “As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers could be able to clamber up and over the ruins into the city."<br /><br />How can this be? God’s miraculous hand at work.<br /><br /><strong>Prophecy</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">Isaiah</span> <span style="color:#993399;">46:9-10, “I am God…Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.”<br /></span><br />In the Old Testament, over 2,000 predictive prophecies have been fulfilled. 333 of these prophecies concern Christ. Jay Winslow spoke about a man who decided to research the chances the one man could fulfill just <em>eight</em> of the 333 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.<br /><br />I wasn’t able to write down all eight, but I do have <em>six</em> of The Eight Coincidental Prophecies:</p><p>Born at Bethlehem<br />Preceded by a messenger<br />He was to enter Jerusalem on a donkey<br />Betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver<br />Money thrown into God’s house and given for potter’s field<br />Silent before accusers<br /><br /><em>What are the chances?<br /></em><br />1 in 10 to the 17th power. That’s like covering the state of Texas two feet deep in silver dollars, marking one silver coin, and allowing someone in a helicopter to select one of those coins [example from Jay Winslow].<br /><br />And that’s just eight prophecies. The chances of a man fulfilling 48 prophecies? 1 in 10 to the 157th power.<br /><br /><em>Jesus fulfilled all 333 prophecies about the coming Messiah.<br /></em></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;"><strong>To be continued...</strong></span> </p>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1153354354132163652006-07-19T17:01:00.000-07:002006-07-21T13:41:47.276-07:00Reliability of the Bible: Part I<div align="left"><strong>The Bible: The Most Bibliographically Verified Source in History<br /></strong>Lecture Compilation and Summary<br /><br />During my week at Worldview Academy (WVA), my favorite lecture was “Reliability of Scripture,” given by Jay Winslow. Although I’ve been brought up my entire life to trust the Bible, sometimes I’ve wondered why I should believe the Bible.<br /><br /><em>How do I know that it’s true?</em><br /><br />Several months ago, during the first day of my sociology class, our professor told us to come with an open mind, leaving our religion and biases at the door. I believe she did this because it some sense, she did not believe that faith and reason are compatible. WVA lecturer Jay Winslow, pointed out a common assumption of unbelievers, “If you believe in the Bible, you’re a little bit wacky.”<br /><br />Jay Winslow’s lecture succinctly pointed out two important parts of determining the reliability of scripture: MAPS and the common experience of Christians. He demonstrated that Christians do not have faith without reason, they have reasonable faith.<br /><br />Although I very much appreciated the format of Jay Winslow’s lecture, subsequent lectures by Dr. Phil Fernandes provided additional information, which I incorporated into this summary. I also referenced the Bible, several web sources, and my personal experience.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>MAPS</strong></span><br /><br />By MAPS, Jay Winslow didn’t actually mean a picture diagram of the world. MAPS stands for Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, and Same theme all the way through.<br /><br /><strong>Manuscripts</strong><br /><br />Jay Winslow provided an excellent quote from John Warwick Montgomery,<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">“To be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament.”<br /></span><br />Worldwide, students learn a huge quantity about ancient history, much of which doesn’t have huge amounts of manuscript copies to back it up. During the lecture, students had the opportunity to see a table in the slideshow presentation, which provided numbers of copies for various historical documents.<br /><br /><em>Author, Work, Number of Copies</em><br />Homer, Iliad, 643<br />Herodotus, History, 8<br />Thucydides, History, 8<br />Caesar, Gallic Wars, 10<br />Various, New Testament, 5366<br /><br />The last listing in the table shows the New Testament with 5,366 copies. However, that number only encompasses Greek manuscripts. All together, the New Testament has 25,000 manuscripts.<br /><br />Dr. Phil Fernandes pointed out that there is 99.5% agreement between the 25,000 New Testament copies. That means that 5 words in 1000 are called into question. By comparison, there is 95% agreement between Homer’s <em>Iliad</em> copies. That means that 50 in 1000 are called into question.<br /><br /><span style="color:#993399;">In short, the New Testament is <strong>10 times more accurate</strong> than the <em>Iliad</em>.<br /></span><br />For the sake of space and time, I can’t go into Old Testament accuracy here, but Dr. Phil Fernandes has provided a chapter from his doctoral dissertation on this subject at <a href="http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Writings/old_testament_reliability.htm">http://www.biblicaldefense.org/Writings/old_testament_reliability.htm</a>. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;"><strong>To Be Continued...</strong></span> </div>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1152476506930267762006-07-09T13:18:00.000-07:002006-07-09T13:21:46.946-07:00Worldview Academy<div align="center"><strong>Think Hard, Think Well.</strong> </div><br />That's the goal of Worldview Academites. I'll be attending WVA this week, so there will be yet another lull in posting. I would encourage you to check out their <a href="http://www.worldview.org/">website</a>. When I return, I'll be posting on the many things I expect to have learned at WVA.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.worldview.org"><img src="http://www.worldview.org/images/promo/buttonThinkHard180.gif" alt="Think Hard Think Well" width="180" height="60" border="0" /></a>the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1151554893760628832006-06-28T21:18:00.000-07:002006-06-28T21:23:04.626-07:00quote of the week<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/1600/nytimes.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1762/1449/200/nytimes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#cc33cc;">"The New York Times (proudly publishing all the secrets unfit to spill since 9/11) and their reckless anonymous sources (come out, come out, you cowards) tipped off terrorists to America's efforts to track their financial activities.”</span><br /><br />-Michelle Malkin, <a href="http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=15814">“The Terrorist-Tipping Times”</a><br /><br />Blabbermouth New York Times. They’re at it again…sinking ships with their loose lips. In the last two days, Townhall alone has published seven columns on the disregard the NY Times has shown for national security.<br /><br />It almost makes a person wonder if the NY Times is actually written by terrorists.the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597326.post-1151191386931694022006-06-24T16:05:00.000-07:002006-06-24T16:23:06.943-07:00Found: WMDsFor months, war protestors have been shouting, "No WMDs!" The Left has relentlessly harassed President Bush for lying about their existence and using that as a ploy to bring the US to Iraq.<br /><br />Fox News <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200499,00.html">reported Thursday </a>that a declassified report from the National Ground Intelligence Center revealed that since 2003, the US has uncovered over 500 WMDs.<br /><br />Admittedly, I have felt doubtful about the presence of WMDs, but not about President Bush's intentions for the War on Terror. In light of what I've learned, I have renewed trust in our president.the travelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13569252989013035135noreply@blogger.com0