It's a letter....to you!

Remember when you were 16 with that ridiculous hair?

And how you’d thought that by the time you got to here, to now, it was going to be good? That by now everything would be all good.

That by now you’d know down in the very marrow of your bones, what it’s like to really live loved. That you’d be known. Fully known. And wholly embraced.

That the Big Dream would have happened, that the peace and the purpose and the Big Point would be under your skin, that the awkward would be gone and that you’d finally fit and that your life made a real difference, you’d made a real mark, and that you really mattered.

The letter is called "Dear You" and can be read in it's entirety here....

Is belief in God essential?

Interesting article, what do you think?

Anne Frank

Anne Frank's heart-wrenching story has been read by millions since it was first published. Most will agree that her diary must continue to be made available to future generations...in order to keep these atrocities from happening again.

For whatever reason, 121 copies in public libraries in Japan have been defaced. I won't try to explain the reasons behind this vandalism nor will I try to delve into the minds of those who did the work. I can only say "Bravo" to those who are working to replace this valuable piece of history...

Israel to donate Anne Frank diaries after Tokyo copies vandalised

Myths

I know you'll be surprised to learn there was recently an article in the Washington Post Opinion Page titled
5 Myths about Jesus ...Like I said, Surprise!

A quick glance at the article shows that, once again, someone is trying to convince "believers" that they are being sold a "Bill of Goods" by the church. The sub-title of the article was "Challenging everything you think you know"...Oh NO! I suppose my point is that the author offers nothing new...nothing that hasn't been mentioned hundreds of times before, nothing that even we (who READ the Bible) haven't pondered and discussed. Myth's my foot!

His "myths" include...Jesus wasn't born in Bethlehem", there weren't 12 disciples, Christ did not go on trial before Pontius Pilate and He wasn't buried in a tomb. Truly issues that would shake the foundations of a Believer's faith! 

If we study God's Word, we recognize that Luke is the only one who mentions Bethlehem. If we look at our Nativity Scenes with Bible in hand, we know that we're combining more than one of the Gospel accounts what with Luke telling of the stable and the shepherds and Matthew bringing up the kings/wise men. The Gospels were written by different people, with differing backgrounds, speaking to different audiences, they are not a carbon copy of one another. It's viewpoint!

Pilate was an important person, we all know this whether we like him or not. And while it's true he probably wouldn't have bothered with a trial for someone known to be a Zealot...UNLESS, there was something about Jesus that made Him stand out. Many of us believe He did have that special something...

Bottom line, as much as articles like these are a waste of paper (in my humble opinion), and they will never shake my faith with there repetitions of what they believe doesn't add up...they are proof that Jesus still has the power to challenge, fascinate and engage us beyond anything they may be able to prove historically or scientifically. Not too shabby for a myth!

Perspective

I was recently reading one of Kathy Reich's "Temperance Brennan" novels. I love to watch "Bones" on TV, knew she was the creator of the character so I thought I'd see whether reading was better than watching. I chose to read "Cross Bones" which goes to Israel, deals with archeology, skeletons, ossuary's "possibly" containing the bones of Jesus' family...you get the picture. It was pretty good, but I like the show better. I think I may relate to the Tempe character in the show (but that's another discussion).

Bottom line it was a good, light read...and 99% fiction. But it got me thinking. Although I am an avid history buff and love it whenever new "Biblical" material comes to light, I don't base my faith on it. According to
Heb 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." If I must have scientific proof, it's not faith. Don't take this to mean I'm anti-science...I'm not. But we have entered an age where the extraordinary discoveries of science are often times out of step with our moral ability to deal with them.

I will continue to read fiction, I will continue to watch with a wary eye all the new developments in scientific areas, and I will continue to be thrilled with new discoveries brought to light from ancient times...but I will always view them through the prism of my faith.

"Science is a great thing, we all know. But science cut free of the moorings of morality and respect for human life is a destructive force that will lead to our demise as a species." W.T. Huston

Apostle's Creed

Excellent video concerning the Apostle's Creed...



Thanks Rich!

Why are Christians

I saw this posted on a friends Facebook page:



The text read:
When you do a search on Google, suggestions are shown based on popular searches by other users. It can give us an authentic look into the mind of our culture. This video is based on actual search results. It is a thought provoking and convicting challenge to all believers.

I decided to try the Google search myself and found that all the letters posted gave negative answers right off...except:

for the letter "H"...Why are Christians so "happy" was #2
for the letter "L"...Why are Christians so "loving" was # 1
for the letter "N"...Why are Christians so "nice" was # 1

That was it...the 23 other letters had either no response of a negative one, or two or three or more. Much food for thought here...

This is...

 This is what I pray NEVER happens in church!

Cartoon from Asbo Jesus!