Amazing Grace Performed on Several Musical Instruments

Amazing Grace Performed on Several Musical Instruments

Ukelele

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRJTLqUcBOY

Q-chord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrOduATSEaA

Bluegrass version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_48lTzLsnM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBgk8_hnCNA

Harmonica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crxqFzslD0Y

Trump (aka: Jew’s Harp)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dirEn3ykyg

Harp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJCXXqwXODw

Camille and Kennerly Kitt

What They Think of Us: Zombie Nativity

Jasen Dixon says that he did not intend to offend anyone with his zombie nativity scene. There is now a fundraiser under way and a Facebook page for what supporters are calling a “wonderful piece of artwork.” Hostile online posters derisively said “… Jesus is the most famous zombie the world has ever known.  …  I thought that Jesus being a zombie was pretty much the central tenet of the religion.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/zombie-nativity-jason-dixon_n_6374428.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/23/ohio-homeowner-told-to-take-down-his-zombie-nativity-scene/

http://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/jasen-dixon-man-has-to-remove-zombie-nativity-scene-due-to-zoning-violation

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/24/1224-zombie-nativity.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zombie-nativity-scene/365944350233282

http://io9.com/zombie-nativity-scene-is-possibly-the-greatest-thing-ev-1674937583

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/12/23/ohio-conservative-christians-freak-out-over-homeowners-zombie-nativity-scene-threatens-lawsuit-video/

War on Christmas

In the United States there is a controversy raging over whether or not there is a conscious attempt being made by some to suppress Christianity. There is a war on Christianity. There is not a war on Christianity. Progressives and /or liberals insist that Christian claims of cultural persecution are merely paranoia. Conservative Christians point out the banning of public religious displays, the silencing and even shunning of Christian voices on university campuses, and the fact that Christians are rarely portrayed in a positive light in the popular media.

There is currently a legal challenge from the Madison, Wisconsin based Freedom from Religion Foundation against a public nativity scene on town property in tiny Rainbow City, Alabama (2010 census population 9602). The two locations are separated by 825 miles (1328 kilometers). The foundation seems to think that any public display of religion is dangerous and threatening. They call their challenge part of the "critical work to promote non-theism and defend the constitutional separation between religion and government." They charge that the views of the religious are being imposed on others who do not share those views. They fail to understand or to acknowledge that what they themselves are doing is the imposition of their own values upon others.

A Google Search of "War on Christianity"on 14 December 2014 pulled up 11,300,000 results.   A Google Search of "War on Christmas"on 14 December 2014 pulled up 149,000,000 results. Those who deny that a war is ongoing are often very derisive. Listen to these quotes from various internet sites:

"... the claims of religious persecution are laughable."
"... the intellectually atrophied..."
"... undereducated, white, rural, gun carrying, fat."

What do you think?

Hello, Bosnia and Herzegovina!

Zdravo, Bosna i Hercegovina! Dobrodošli u grupu čitalaca 130-1 drugih zemalja koji također posjetiti ovaj blog. Nadam se da ćete naći neke od poruka korisne ili smislene.

The "Prevedi ovu stranicu" gadget neposredno iznad "Total Pageviews" Counter ima sposobnost prevođenje engleski tekst ovog bloga direktno u brojnim jezicima, uključujući i bosanski, hrvatski i srpski.

Stotinu i trideset prvoj zemalja: Albanije, Alžira, Angola, Antigua i Barbuda, Argentina, Armenija, Aruba, Australija, Austrija, Azerbejdžan, Bahrein, Bangladeš, Bjelorusija, Belgija, Belize, Bosna i Hercegovina, Bocvana, Brazil, Brunei, Bugarska, Burkina Faso, Kambodža, Kanada, Cayman Islands, Čile, Kina, Kolumbija, Kongo, Costa Rica, Hrvatska, Cipar, Češka, Danska, Dominikanska Republika, Ekvador, Egipat, El Salvador, Estonija, Etiopija, Finska, Francuska, Gruzija, Njemačka, Gabon, Gane, Grčke, Guam, Hong Kong, Mađarska, Island, Indija, Indonezija, Iran, Irak, Irska, Izrael, Italija, Obala Slonovače, Jamajka, Japan, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kazahstan, Kenija, Kuvajt, Kirgistan, Laos, Letonija, Libanon, Lesoto, Libija, Litva, Luksemburg, Macau, Makedonije, Madagaskar, Malezija, Mali, Malta, Meksiko, Moldavija, Mongolija, Maroko, Mianmar, Namibija, Nizozemska, Nova Kaledonija, Novi Zeland, Nigerija, Norveška, Pakistan, Panama, Paragvaj, Peru, Filipini, Poljska, Portugal, Katar, Reunion, Rumunjska, Rusija, Sveti Kristofor i Nevis, Saudijska Arabija, Senegal, Srbija, Singapur, Slovačka, Slovenija, Južna Afrika, Južna Koreja, Španjolska, Šri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Švedska, Švicarska, Tajvan, Tanzanija, Tajland, Trinidad i Tobago, Tunis, Turska, Uganda, Ukrajina, Ujedinjeni Arapski Emirati, Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo, Sjedinjene Američke Države, Venezuela, Vijetnam, Jemen, Zimbabve.

Pozdrav, Bosna i Hercegovina! Dobrodošli u skupini čitatelja 130-1 drugih zemalja koji su također posjetili ovaj blog. Nadam se da ćete naći neke od postova korisno ili smisla.

"Prevedi ovu stranicu" gadget neposredno iznad "Ukupno Prikazi stranice" Counter ima mogućnost prevođenja na engleski tekst ovog bloga izravno u brojnim jezicima, uključujući i bosanski, hrvatski, i srpski.

Stotinu i trideset i jedan zemlje: Albanija, Alžir, Angola, Antigua i Barbuda, Argentina, Armenija, Aruba, Australija, Austrija, Azerbajdžan, Bahrein, Bangladeš, Bjelorusija, Belgija, Belize, Bosna i Hercegovina, Bocvana, Brazil, Brunei, Bugarska, Burkina Faso, Kambodža, Kanada, Kajmanski otoci, Čile, Kina, Kolumbija, Kongo, Costa Rica, Hrvatska, Cipar, Češka, Danska, Dominikanska Republika, Ekvador, Egipat, El Salvador, Estonija, Etiopija, Finska, Francuska, Gruzija, Njemačka, Gabon Gana, Grčka, Guam, Hong Kong, Mađarska, Island, Indija, Indonezija, Iran, Irak, Irska, Izrael, Italija, Obala Bjelokosti, Jamajka, Japan, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kazahstan, Kenija, Kuvajt, Kirgistan, Laos, Latvija, Libanon, Lesoto, Libija, Litva, Luksemburg, Macau, Makedonija, Madagaskar, Malezija, Mali, Malta, Meksiko, Moldavija, Mongolija, Maroko, Mianmar, Namibija, Nizozemska, Nova Kaledonija, Novi Zeland, Nigerija, Norveška, Pakistan, Panama, Paragvaj, Peru, Filipini, Poljska, Portugal, Katar, Reunion, Rumunjska, Rusija, Sveti Kristofor i Nevis, Saudijska Arabija, Senegal, Srbija, Singapur, Slovačka, Slovenija, Južna Afrika, Južna Koreja, Španjolska, Šri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Švedska, Švicarska, Tajvan, Tanzanija, Tajland, Trinidad i Tobago, Tunis, Turska, Uganda, Ukraine, Ujedinjeni Arapski Emirati, Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo, Sjedinjene Američke Države, Venezuele, Vijetnam, Jemen, Zimbabve.

Здраво, Босна и Херцеговина! Добродошли у групу читалаца из стотину и тридесет и једној других земаља који такође посетити овај блог. Надам се да пронађете неке од порука корисна или немају смисла.

"Транслате тхис паге" гаџет директно изнад "Укупно приказа странице" Цоунтер има способност превођење на енглески текст овог блога директно на велики број језика, укључујући босанском, хрватском и српском језику.

Сто тридесет-један земаља: Албанија, Алжир, Ангола, Антигва и Барбуда, Аргентина, Јерменија, Аруба, Аустралија, Аустрија, Азербејџан, Бахреин, Бангладеш, Белорусија, Белгија, Белизе, Босна и Херцеговина, Боцвана, Бразил, Брунеј, Бугарска, Буркина Фасо, Камбоџа, Канада, Кајманска Острва, Чиле, Кина, Колумбија, Конго, Костарика, Хрватска, Кипар, Чешка, Данска, Доминиканска Република, Еквадор, Египат, Ел Салвадор, Естонија, Етиопија, Финска, Француска, Грузија, Немачка, Габон, Гана, Грчка, Гуам, Хонг Конг, Мађарска, Исланд, Индија, Индонезија, Иран, Ирак, Ирска, Израел, Италија, Обала Слоноваче, Јамајка, Јапан, Јордан, Кампуцхеа, Казахстан, Кенија, Кувајт, Киргистан, Лаос, Летонија, Либан, Лесото, Либија, Литванија, Луксембург, Макао, Македонија, Мадагаскар, Малезија, Мали, Малта, Мексико, Молдавија, Монголија, Мароко, Мијанмар, Намибија, Холандија, Нова Каледонија, Нови Зеланд, Нигерија, Норвешка, Пакистан, Панама, Парагвај, Перу, Филипини, Пољска, Португалија, Катар, Реунион, Румунија, Русија, Сент Китс и Невис, Саудијска Арабија, Сенегал, Србија, Сингапур, Словачка, Словенија, Јужна Африка, Јужна Кореја, Шпанија, Шри Ланка, Судан, Суринам, Шведска, Швајцарска, Тајван, Танзанија, Тајланд, Тринидад и Тобаго, Тунис, Турска, Уганда, Украјина, Уједињени Арапски Емирати, Велика Британија, Сједињене Америчке Државе, Венецуела, Вијетнам, Јемен, Зимбабве.

Amazing Grace Sung in the Lakota Language by Tiana Spotted Thunder

The Native American Lakota Tribe is more commonly known as the Sioux.  Some, but not all, consider the word "Sioux" to be an insult word (see the third link)..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd0SgrUpFnc

http://www.indians.org/articles/lakota-indians.html
http://www.aaanativearts.com/sioux/

Does 12-13-14 Have Any Special Meaning?

I imagine that the numerologists are very busy today looking for arcane messages in today’s date, 13 December 2014. This date can be represented as 12-13-14.  This alignment of dates will not happen again for 100 years.  Surely it must have some cosmic significance! Personally, I think it is just a coincidental arrangement of numbers due to our current dating system.

When I noticed the 12-13-14 arrangement, I thought about the significance of numbers, especially in the Bible, which does use numbers as symbols. Think of the numbers 3, 7, 666, and 1000. Some people think that they see beyond the obvious symbolic use of numbers and that they can detect many numerological messages secretly embedded in the text by God. This is on the same order as belief in the controversial Torah Bible Codes.

The hidden messages which do exit in the Bible were of human origin. For instance, investigate ATBASH. An example occurs at Jeremiah 25:26. These messages were meant by the writers to obscure the true meaning from hostile governmental authorities who might read the texts. The idea is "to hide in plain sight." Also investigate the use of acrostics, an intentional literary form used by some of the Old Testament writers. Two examples of biblical acrostics occur at Proverbs 31:10-31 and Psalms 119.

I do not believe that the Bible is full of hidden supernatural messages. That is a pagan Gnostic idea. God inspired the writing of the various books of the Bible as a coherent whole and it is intended to be understood. It is a tool, a book of revelation about the nature of God, not a book of puzzles.

The Bible tells us that God is not a man and that His ways are not our ways. God is totally other, unknowable, and perfect.  He moves in the sub-atomic places and in the cosmic places. The Bible is part of God’s effort to make the utterly unknowable (Himself) understandable, at least partly, to our inadequate tiny little minds. Over and over we are told, “the Kingdom of God is like ….” I believe that God has used the entire Jewish religious and cultural system to explain what He is like. The entire Bible points toward Jesus, Who is the ultimate revelation of Who God is.

Junior, the French Bulldog Joins In

Junior, a French Bulldog, joins in as his owners sing along with the Josh Groban song, “You Raise Me Up.” The two men in the video are Emanuele Tiburzio and Walter Ledenmueller, who live in Köln, Germany.

Josh Groban, who has never publicly declared his current religious status , was raised as an Epicopalian.  His father converted from Judaism in order to marry Josh’s mother.  Groban has a large Christian following because of the inspirational nature of his songs and has sold over 20,000,000 albums in the last ten years.

The Lord's Prayer in Klingon

Klingon (actually Tlhingan) is a fictional language created by the linguist Marc Okrand for the Klingon race of aliens featured in the numerous Star Trek movies and television series. The Klingons are an interplanetary race of fierce warriors who control the vast expanses of outer space claimed by the Klingon Empire.

Klingon has been built up into a full totally functional language with a written form, literature, plays, operas, translations of The Bible and the works of William Shakespeare, and even dictionaries. There are now estimated to be 50,000 to 100,000 people who are fluent in the language. Below is The Lord's Prayer in spoken Klingon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbRTFfdeIj8  

275,000 page views

This blog just went over 275,000 page views.  Thank you for your interest in this ministry. I hope that the blog helps Christians to understand our spiritual unity within our almost infinite diversity. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 NASB

I have previously been using the King James Version (KJV) Bible for quotations since the work is in the public domain. The problem with the KJV is that the archaic English, while beautiful and poetic, may not translate well for readers in languages other than English. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is considered to be the most literal modern translation into English from the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages.

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation 
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Book Comment: Judaism for Everyone and Why the Jews Rejected Jesus

Two books this time: Judaism for Everyone (2002) and Why the Jews Rejected Jesus (2005). These two books are two sides of the same coin and discuss some of the same issues.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the author of eleven books with titles like Kosher Sex, The Rabbi and the Psychic, and The Jewish Guide to Adultery, wrote Judaism for Everyone as an apologetic work  (but, he emphatically points out, not as an evangelistic effort). The secondary title of the book is Renewing Your Life Through the Vibrant Lessons of the Jewish Faith.

David Klinghoffer says that he wrote Why the Jews Rejected Jesus as an explanation to his well-meaning Christian friends who cannot understand why he would reject the free gift of salvation offered by the Gospel.

For both authors the idea reduces down to one point: they do not believe that Jesus fulfilled the requirements for being declared the Messiah. Christians, of course, see the same things, but come to an entirely different interpretation *.

The Jews list these reasons for rejecting Jesus:

1.     Jesus never fought the Romans. * Chrisians say that Rome clearly saw Jesus as a threat.

2.     Jesus did not establish a physical political messianic kingdom.  * Christians say that Jesus established His kingdom in the hearts of His followers, an idea which Jews utterly reject.

3.     A new Temple was not built in Jerusalem.  * Christians say that Jesus Himself is the new Temple and its priest.

4.     The world did not recognize God as Lord.  * Christians say that at the Second Coming every head will bow and every knee will bend in acknowledgement of God.

5.      A New Covenant based on restored commitment to observance of the Law was not given to the Jews. * Christians say that the New Covenant based on Faith in the Saving Grace of Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law.

6.     There was no ingathering of the Jewish exiles.  * Some Christians see the fulfillment of this requirement in the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

The Jews saw the claims of Jesus and His Christian followers to be blasphemous.  Klinghoffer points out that to the Jews, blasphemy is abusing God’s name for a forbidden purpose. Boteach clarifies what the Jews see as that forbidden purpose: He declares that the idea that God can be Human is the ultimate heresy. *Christians, of course, insist that Jesus was fully divine and fully human.

I urge you to read both of these books. Christianity and Judaism have major differences between them.  A Christian, for example, cannot echo Rabbi Boteach in saying, “Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons is far more important than waiting for the right motivation.”

Even with the differences, there is agreement on the vast majority of our two worldviews and an understanding of Jewish history, symbolism, and theology is absolutely essential for a proper understanding of Christianity. Jesus was an orthodox Jew.

Also, since God does not change, all of His promises to Israel still stand. He is not finished with the Jews.  The Bible tells us that in the end days “all Israel shall be saved.”

___________________________________________________________________

A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

Amazing Grace Performed on the Pan Flute

Pan Flute (Austria)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0WzW7BiKk8

http://www.panflutejedi.com/academypage.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Play-the-Panpipe-or-Pan-Flute

The Lord's Prayer in Numerous Languages

This page has translations of the Lord's Prayer in numerous languages. Those who speak or read English should look at the prayer as written in the Old English of the year 1000. There is also an audio file of the prayer spoken in Old English.

http://www.prayer.su/other/all-languages.html

Christian Tattoos?

This is the well-known Serenity Prayer, first seen in a 1943 sermon by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971).

  

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
 The courage to change the things I can,
 And wisdom to know the difference.”

Here are photos of an unusual way of presenting the prayer.

http://creativefan.com/serenity-prayer-tattoo/

In the ancient world tattooing was a pagan religious practice but now, many people, including some Christians, see it is no more significant than piercing ears for earrings. Some see tattooing as a way to begin a conversation with non-Christians, in other words, an act of evangelism. Other Christians see tattooing as a horrible offense toward God.

Biblical references:

Leviticus 19:26-29

Romans 7:1-4, 14:23

1 Corinthians 6:12

I believe that tattooing falls into the category of meat offered up to idols.  We are not bound to the Old Testament Law for our salvation, but to the gift of Christ. On this point, Paul was willing to argue with and if necessary to break with Peter (Acts 15:1-5; Galatians 2:3-4,11-21). All things are lawful to us but not everything is profitable; permissible but not beneficial.

We should not become aligned with or comfortable with the shifting and vapid trends of our surrounding culture. Christians are to be a set apart holy people, noticeable because of our differences from the surrounding culture and how we love one another..   

The following links present a variety of opinions about the Christian and body-modifications. The articles run the gamut from hyper-fundamentalism to extreme permissive liberalism. All of them think that they are correct.

http://christianity.about.com/od/faqhelpdesk/f/tattoochristian.htm

http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_tatoos.htm

http://carm.org/it-okay-christian-get-tattoo  (Read carefully the last two sentences of this web page!)

http://blogs.christianpost.com/confident-christian/is-getting-a-tattoo-a-sin-12619/

http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-tattoos.html  (This is always a good site for reasoned answers to biblical questions.)

http://www.raptureready.com/featured/schaefer/tattoo.html

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/should-christians-get-tattoos-what-does-the-bible-say/

http://www.biblebelievers.com/watkins_tattoos/bible.html

http://www.compellingtruth.org/tattoo-sin.html

http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2008/july/3.16.html

http://www.emilywierenga.com/on-christians-and-ink-why-i-believe-tattoos-are-not-a-sin/

http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2014/05/christian-legalism-real-christians-can-get-tattoos/

http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/faq/should_christians_get_tattoos.shtml

http://www.born-again-christian.info/questions/answers.113.htm

The Church of Body Modification is a non Christian group which finds spirituality in piercing, cutting, and tattooing.

http://uscobm.com/news/back-where-we-started/

http://uscobm.com/statement-of-faith/

The Honey Beez

The 73^rd Magic City Classic college football game was held last Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama between the Hornets of Alabama State University and the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M University. The Bulldogs won the game 37-36 before a crowd of 67,710. 

The Alabama State University Honey Beez (pronounced the same as “honeybees”) are one of the treasures of the State of Alabama. They are a plus-sized dance team which performs during the university’s college football games. The players on the football team are known as the Hornets and the cheerleaders are the Stingettes.

The Honey Beez are proof that everyone has something to contribute, especially those who are often excluded. As members of the Body of Christ we would do well to remember this. Not only should we remember that every one of us has been given gifts but that we are expected to exercize those gifts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3RUUqwR_9I  (2013 game highlights)

The World's Slowest Selling Bible

The world's slowest selling Bible and possibly the world's slowest selling legitimately published book is the Coptic translation of the Bible published in 1791 by David Wilkins (1685 - 1745). The book has never sold more than two copies a year.

Wilkins was a Prussian orientalist born as David Wilke (or David Wilkius) in what is now Lithuania. As an adult he lived and worked in England as an Anglican priest, librarian, translator, and university professor. He was a specialist in Arabic, Coptic, Hebrew, Armenian, Chaldaic, and Anglo-Saxon.

Amazing Grace on the Native American Six Hole Flute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjkXU-4wZKM

http://www.flutopedia.com/fingeringChart_SixDiatonic.htm

What They Think of Us: Creepy Images From An Abandoned Bible Theme Park

As the title of this web page says, this is creepy. A once busy place now sits abandoned and decaying.   I would add that it strikes me as very sad. Many of the sarcastic viewer comments are filled with obvious hate for Christianity. One says that this is "no more creepy than any church."

Parks such as these seem, especially to non-believers, to be gaudy, simplistic, and naïve.  Although well intended, it can be argued that they unnecessarily bring derision upon the faith.

The Prime Minister of Humor

Grady Nutt, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, was professionally known as The Prime Minister of Humor.  He appeared weekly on the country music and comedy based television series, Hee Haw. His hilarious church-related comedy was based on the culture of the southern region of the United States. His appearances at churches and religious events always led to a sermon based on the jokes with which he began his talk.

Grady Nutt died in an small airplane crash.

http://www.the-cartoonist.com/Nutt/Nutt.html

http://www.gradynutt.com/about.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6w-HkQrxgQ

Bible Printer's Errors: The Placemakers Bible

The second edition of the Geneva Bible which was published in 1562 is sometimes known as The Placemaker's Bible because of an error in Matthew 5:9. Instead of "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God" (KJV) the text reads as "Blessed are the placemakers for they shall be called the children of God." The proofreader failed to catch the misspelled word.

I Don't Know

Recently the comedian/actor Robin Williams committed suicide. This has set off intense discussion in the United States about suicide, depression, and several other mental health issues. And, of course, those in the religious community are right in the middle of the discussion.

There is little unanimity or consensus among declared believers about some of these issues. One of the most argued questions is, “What if a born-again believer commits suicide?”

The fast response is that a born-again believer would not commit suicide because suicide indicates despair and hopelessness and a failure to trust in God to be in control of any situation. Also, suicide can be understood as the sin of self murder.

Early Christians believed that suicide was blasphemous. In the sixth century, suicide was declared to be a secular crime. Statement  2281 of the Cathechism of the Roman Catholic Church states that “Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.” Many, but not all, Protestants would agree that a true believer will never commit suicide.

There are numerous questions which have arisen out of this discussion.

1.     Are not all of our sins washed clean forever at the moment of our salvation?

2.     If one is truly born again, can they ever be lost again?

3.     Is despair truly a rejection of Jesus and a rejection of our salvation or merely an intense emotional state? Can despair possibly be the result of a physiological imbalance and, therefore, out of our control?

4.     Repentence for suicide is not possible because one is dead.

5.     If, as some assert, there is an after-life period of Purgatory, can one atone for the sin of suicide?

6.     What if the suicide is to prevent torture or to escape a painful, slow death by disease? Some women have committed suicide to avoid rape.

7.     What about participation in mass suicide to prevent oneself from being forced to violate one’s religious beliefs?

8.     Can suicide be a form a mental illness?

There are seven suicides presented in the Bible but truly definitive answers to all the questions raised by  suicide do not seem to be presented. One’s personal understanding on this issue would seem to fall into the category of a persuasion or opinion, often strongly held.

Some persons insist on a definitive answer to every subject as if any ambiguity threatens to collapse the entire “house of cards.” I think this belies a lack of grounding on their part. Christianity is not an unstable house of cards. There is an extremely strong rational and historical basis for our faith. I would suggest that they read Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict (1972) and other Christian apologetic works.   

“I don’t know” is a valid answer to some questions.  God is just and He knows the answers.

But I Don't Want to Go!

I am posting this video simply because I can.  Bella is swimming and enjoying it very much until it is time to go home.

http://theilovedogssite.com/gone-viral-dog-throws-hissy-fit-when-told-its-time-to-stop-swimming/

Does this look and sound familiar?

God Who Built the Stars

God who built the stars.

The Lord of the universe.            

That God knows your name.

Non-Canonical and Extra-Biblical Books and Letters Mentioned in the Bible

There are at least twenty-one extra-biblical books mentioned in the Bible. Each of these books may have been and probably were consulted by the Holy Spirit-inspired writers of the canonical books.  The Hebrews clearly had many other books than those included in the Bible. Some, such as the Book of Jasher, are mentioned in several verses.

"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." Joshua 10:13

"(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)" 2 Samuel 1:18

Jasher is not the name of a person. This is ספר הישר  Sefer (Book) Ha (the) Yashar (Upright, Correct, Just). The Latin Vulgate translates this as Book of the Just Ones while the Greek Septuagint translates the Hebrew as Book of the Upright.

This lost book was probably a collection of songs and poems about Hebrew battles and heroes. There are several books of Jasher which were composed much later than the biblical period and which are not the book mentioned in the Bible.

1. Sefer HaYashar: A collection of rabbinical theological writings which makes no claim to be the original book.
2. Pseudo-Jasher: ca 1625, a collection of Jewish legends.
3. Book of Jasher: 18th century. Claims to be a translation of the original book but most scholars consider this book to be an eighteenth century forgery.

Amazing Grace Sung in the Navajo Language

Amazing Grace in Navajo, sung by Elizabeth Bryant and Virginia Greymountain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1s9jd7OOcM

http://navajopeople.org/

http://www.navajo-nsn.gov/history.htm

Book Comment: In the beginnning

“The very first story in the Bible tells us that God made the world and everything in it. … our world did not simply begin by accident.”

In the beginning  (1984) is book number one in the Lion Story Bible (Lion Publishing plc, Oxford, England), It is a paraphrase suitable for elementary school aged children.  The book emphasizes God’s delight in the world which He created.  The gentle text of the book feels like a prose poem.

Here is a sample from the beautiful illustrations by Tony Morris.

Read this book to a child or, better yet, let those on a late second grade or early third grade reading level read it for themselves.

“That’s good,” said God.

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I believe that the illustration snippet above is a "fair use" of the artwork for the purposes of this blog post. If it is not, I will immediately remove the illustration upon notification.

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.