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Coffee Break – 04.01.2013

April 1, 2013 in Coffee Break 0

10 Coffee Facts – These coffee facts are pretty useless. But they’re fun. And a couple are even somewhat inspiring. 50 cups a day?

Earth As Art – The subtitle of this article is “How Did Nature Do That?” The answer is, of course, God’s design. While that isn’t mentioned in the article, the images are pretty fascinating.

Fiery Looping Rain On The Sun – In a similar vein, check out this video from NASA, showing a medium sized solar flare that occurred in 2012. It’s pretty stunning to realize just how much power our little sun holds.

How Reliable Is Your Memory? – Our mind is incredibly complex, but it, too, has been affected by the Fall, which occurred in Genesis 3. Here are three simple yet practical lessons to keep in mind about your mind.

Advice For Parenting Young Kids – I am always on the lookout for great articles about parenting. After all, my desire is to be the best dad I can be. This article has a lot of simple and great tips for being great parents.

Romans 12:1-2 – One of the most recognizable passages in the book of Romans is found in the opening statement of chapter 12. This article sets these familiar verses in context with the surrounding chapters and examines them with some depth, resulting in a foundation for Christian ethics.

We can stand affliction better than we can stand prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God. – D. L. Moody

Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:5-6

March 31, 2013 in Memorize 0

Paul concluded his sentence in last week’s passage stressing God’s desire for all men to be saved. He continues that thought in this week’s verses, with three facts to underscore the idea. Take a look at 1 Timothy 2:5-6:

1 Timothy 2:5-6

Salvation is very closely connected to a knowledge of the truth, as we saw in the previous verses. Paul underscores this with three facts about God the Father and God the Son. Whether this is Paul’s original thought, or a portion of some early creed or formula is unclear. Paul’s phraseology here bears similarity to the idea of “mediator” as seen in the letter to the Hebrews. It’s quite possible that there are some common foundations for these ideas, especially if Paul was the author of both letters.

There is one God

The unity of God is a very common theme throughout Jewish history, and calls to mind the Shema, found in Deuteronomy 6:4. The idea here is that God is the only God, over all people.

Love Is Giving

March 30, 2013 in Resources 0

Quote: Amy Carmichael

Classic Bible: My Favorite Passages From Judges

March 26, 2013 in Bible 0

This is part of the Classic Bible: Favorite Stories & Passages series. Read more from the series!

In my current Bible reading plan, the Old Testament books of history form one of the longest lists, along with the Old Testament books of prophecy. As a result, it takes me longer to get through these lists than it does the rest.

And, let’s face it, some of the OT history books get pretty repetitive, such as the books of Chronicles.

Gavel

But the book of Judges is different. This book details some of the earliest history of the nation of Israel after they entered the Promised Land, before God gave the people a king. The leaders that God raised up were, well, judges. And their stories are pretty interesting.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Ehud – Judges 3:12-30

Ehud was one of the earliest judges, who led the Israelites against the Moabites. By some trickery, he gained access to King Eglon, who was very fat, and killed him. The story tells us that Eglon’s fat completely swallowed Ehud’s sword. Leaving the palace, Ehud closed the doors to Eglon’s inner chambers, causing his servants to think he was in the bathroom. They waited to the “point of embarrassment” before realizing that Eglon was dead, but by then, Ehud was long gone.

Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. – Judges 3:15

Coffee Break – 03.25.2013

March 25, 2013 in Coffee Break 0

The Espro Press – I’m a fan of my Chemex, and the next in line for my coffee brewing method is my Hario V60. But this press looks like it might be worth a shot, especially if it filters out all the gunk that my normal French Press doesn’t.

The Art Of Pickpocketing – This is a pretty cool video explaining how one Vegas performer snags things from his victims on stage. But it also goes to show just how easily a street pickpocket can grab something before you know it.

Dramatic Iceland – One of the places I’ve always wanted to visit is Iceland. This stunning time-lapse video of this winder fairy tale only makes that desire greater. The shots of the landscapes, cityscapes, and Aurora Borealis simply amazing.

Beauty Is For Everyone – Great art is meant to be shared. And the designers of Central Park, in New York City, had that thought when they created a space in the city for people to use, to share, to enjoy. It’s true… Great art is a generosity.

The Importance Of The Genealogies Of The Bible – I’ve loved the genealogies listed in the Bible for a long time. These passages, while seeming pointless, carry a lot of information in their lists. This brief article gives another reason to enjoy them.

A Surrogate Mom’s Courage – This article popped into my email inbox literally as I was writing this post. It’s such a dramatic story, hitting so close to home in our culture today, that I felt it was something worth sharing. While this lady made the wrong choice in becoming a surrogate mother, she did the right thing with the child in the end.

Self-image, the concept we have of ourselves, must begin not by looking in the mirror but by looking into the face of God. – Sam Storms

Memorize Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:3-4

March 24, 2013 in Memorize 0

Paul began chapter two by laying out some of the basics of worship, specifically pertaining to prayer. In this week’s passage, we see that thought continued as he explains just why God wants us to pray. You can see the passage at 1 Timothy 2:3-4:

1 Timothy 2:3-4

Paul starts off by stating that this is good. Prayer is good. For all the reasons he laid out in verse 2, prayer is good. And it pleases God.

The phrase “God our Savior” isn’t used by Paul outside the pastoral letters. It’s much more reminiscent of several Old Testament writings, and carries some subtle flavors of Paul’s fluency in the Judaical, Old Testament theology of God.

The next phrase has been a source of controversy for several centuries, at least since the seventeenth century, between Calvinists and Armenians. It’s obvious that God wants all men to be saved, but what does that mean? Does God save all men, or just a select few? Or is that even the issue here?

I think we can get a clear sens of what Paul is trying to communicate by taking a closer look at the word “wants”. God wants all men to be saved. Paul does not state that God wills all men to be saved. The fact that God wishes all men to be saved doesn’t mean that all men will be saved. Man has a choice in the matter, whether or not to follow God. God’s desire in no way obligates him to do something contrary to his nature, by saving those who choose not to place their trust in Christ.