Long before book making became a mass produced reality, it was an extremely difficult and tedious process. But many times, the efforts expended resulted in the most beautiful of art. This video displays some of that process.
Memorize Scripture: 1 Peter 1:15-16
Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts
In last week’s passage, Peter began the call to his readers to be holy. In this week’s passage, he brings that call to completion, and gives it the force of a command.
Take a look for yourself at this passage in 1 Peter 1:15-16.
This passage rings with the force of Old Testament authority. All throughout the Old Testament, God calls his people to “be holy.” Over and over, this theme is repeated in the pages of the Old Testament, and especially in the book of Leviticus. Peter’s call to holiness almost exactly mirrors the passage found in Leviticus 19:2, which is a portion of what is called the the “Holiness Code.”
Peter states very clearly that, as children of God, we are to emulate him. This is a theme that Peter will return to several times in his letter, and has already been seen in verse 2. Peter will refer to the concept of holiness many more times, especially in 2:4-10. His point is that we are to live as people wholly dedicated to God and his work on the earth.
Peter stresses the point that we are to be holy in all that we do. This phrase is used by Peter several more times throughout his two letters. And it is only used five other times in the rest of the New Testament. Translated “in all you do,” it could be more accurately rendered “in all your way of life.”
It is clear. In every aspect of our lives, we are to pursue the holiness, just like that of the Father. As he stated in the previous verses, the former way of life is futile.
We are called to something greater.
We are called to holiness.
Question: How do you maintain holiness in your life? Are there any disciplines that you have found to be especially helpful? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
“Exaggeration” is actually a proud, unbroken word for “lying.”
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Pay Attention! God Does Some Amazing Things That May Just Wreck You!
God, Knives, and Cancer
Sometimes, God steps in and does things that are completely unexpected. And if we don’t pay attention, we may miss out on something grand, and overwhelming, and it might even just wreck you!
You may know about my brush with skin cancer last October. Since then, I have had another recurrence, on my left temple, just outside of my eye socket. It stinks, but it there, and so it must be dealt with. Fortunately, I have a good dermatologist who knows his stuff, knows me, and between the two of us, we keep a pretty close eye on my skin’s condition.
My dad had the same thing. It metastasized into his brain, and he passed away in 2011. So this isn’t some simple little health issue. This has the potential to be vastly devastating, for me, for my wife, for my kids, and a lot of others who are close to me. So we keep a close eye on it.
Unexpectedly, this time around, we discovered that it would be better for us to pay out of our own pockets for this, instead of submitting it to the ministry share program we are members of, Samaritan Ministries. The bills were not enough to warrant sending them in, and Samaritan Ministries has been overwhelmed recently with needs, so it likely wouldn’t be fully covered anyway. So we decided to try to pay this one off on our own.
I collect pocket knives. Mostly traditional slipjoints, but I enjoy an occasional Swiss Army or other modern folder too. I have several in my collection, so I decided that I could part with a few of these to help cover the bills. And, I’m in a couple of knife groups on Facebook, so I figured it would be an easy thing to liquidate a couple of them.
What happened next caught me completely by surprise.
Book Review – The Pug List by Alison Hodgson
We have a pug. Her name is Molly Mollypop. She is almost nine years old, and she is a clown.
When we got Molly, we had no idea just how crazy our life would become. She is nuts, and has completely changed our lives. So when I saw The Pug List, by Alison Hodgson, I decided that it might be an interesting read, simply because of the common interest in pugs.
I was not wrong. The Pug List is an incredible story of hope and joy after extremely difficult circumstances. The premise of the book is tragic. The Hodgson family suffered an intentional house fire set by a completely random individual. They lost everything. In the midst of that recovery, they adopted a pug named Oliver. Oliver is the glue that held this family together in more ways than one as they regained their sense of balance as a family.
Oliver decided upon adoption that Eden, the youngest of the three Hodgson children, was her owner. We can relate to that. Molly has attached herself permanently to our oldest daughter. Make no mistake; Molly is her dog, and her dog alone. She only tolerates the rest of us, and usually only if my daughter is gone. It’s pretty funny.
Don’t get me wrong, she loves the rest of the family, but she belongs to one person. Eden experienced this same thing with Oliver. He was her dog, and everyone knew it. And Oliver is the healing package that God sent for Eden as she struggled to regain her balance after her world was destroyed. If not for Oliver, who know how well Eden would have recovered, or how long it might have taken.
Coffee Break – 07.25.2016
Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration
On this day in history: In 1832, the first recorded railroad accident in U.S. history occurred when four people were thrown off a vacant car on the Granite Railway near Quincy, Massachusetts. In 1854, the paper collar was patented by Walter Hunt, and in 1871, Seth Wheeler patented perforated wrapping paper. And, in 1946, the U.S. detonated an atomic bomb at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. It was the first underwater test of the device.
Women In Coffee – This is a new short film documentary highlighting the roles that various women play in the production of coffee, from the farm to my cup. It’s pretty interesting.
How To Tie The Four In Hand Necktie Knot – I see a lot of men who only seem to know one way of tying a tie. And it really doesn’t look that great when all you use is a simple slipknot. There are other ways to tie a tie that are very simple, and look better. Here is an infographic showing how to tie one of the easiest.
Retro Style National Park Posters – I have had this article in my file for a while, and haven’t found the right time to share it. But since I spent several hours at the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park this month, this seems like the right time. These are some cool posters!
How To Take Better Photos With Your iPhone – Many people have an iPhone, and most phone users seem to love taking photos with it. This video gives some great tips on how to take some great images. This also applies to other phones and cameras in general.
Memorize Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-14
Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts
This week’s passage is one the first passages that I memorized as a kid at church camp. I can still remember sitting behind the retreat center, on the sidewalk, working on this passage with my camp family group. And it is still with me now.
You can see this passage for yourself in 1 Peter 1:13-14.
In this passage, Peter issues a call to action. He calls his readers to be holy, although he won’t use the word holy until verse 15.
Until then, he states some preparatory commands, to be prepared, to be self-controlled, and to be hopeful.
In order to do this, we have to remember what he has already written to his readers. Many of his immediate audience were undergoing trials and persecution. Peter has just spent the previous verses encouraging them with the hope of salvation that they have. Now, he turns to giving them practical ways in which they can do this, and he gives them in the form of commands. In other words, these aren’t optional. These are necessary actions for us if we are to live holy lives.