And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals…” “…Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?…” “…And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” Revelation 5:1-2, 9 “And when he had opened the seventh seal, (of the book), there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour…” “…Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and flung it to the earth, and there followed peals of thunder with its rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.””And the seven angels with the seven trumpets…
Healing at the Cross Posts
Can this person be Job? Discover this and more from my just-released book, “Job, Wisdom from the Pit.” The work is an effort to try to make “Job” readable– palatable might be a better word for the majority of us non-scholars. Many times I have advised friends to read “Job” knowing full well they wouldn’t, couldn’t, or having read it, still gain little understanding, and more importantly, minimal help. My version tells “Job” from my heart-strings of personal pain and loss, I identify with Job’s struggle; however, Job’s trial pushes all trials “over the top.” I see the Job story like this: God meets Satan walking, and with bragging voice-tone, recommends Job — a consideration for the Evil One. Satan wants an involvement, and God says, “go!” Satan orchestrates disaster and Job keels over, body and soul. After a few remarkable verbal positives, Job faces bitter music; 3 friends…
Many things we do and don’t do because of unwritten rules. Brian Dozier wrote in an article on “unwritten rules” at espn.com: he lists a few used in Baseball: “Don’t yell ‘Ha!’ right when we’re about to catch a popup because that would startle us and we might drop it.” I’m sure it would! “Don’t bunt 10 times at our pitcher who has the yips, (can’t pitch accurate) because he’ll probably mess up and you’ll get on base.” “Don’t quick pitch — I’m not ready!”(pitching before the batters ready). Also, don’t steal bases in a blowout, (game is out of reach) , because then we have to keep trying to make sure you don’t. And no hustle-doubles (running very fast to extend a one-base-hit to a two) in blowouts. Take it eaaaasy.” For those who don’t grasp the game of baseball, lets just say, these unwritten rules are about fair play,…
Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove, Stay right here with us, Filling us with your love. What’s up when you go numb? Is it an enforced numb or “I don’t care anymore.” “Dazed and confused? — or “I’m outta here!!” Believe it or not, “I don’t care anymore” might be better and “I’m outta here” at least moves us. Numbing is a passive state overcome by the volition, we drag our uncooperative side with us till it indeed cooperates again in activity. Paul notes that confidence comes from a determination to continue speaking truth, even if discouraged — Hebrews 10:35. Elijah got a heavenly visit in his numb state after running from the evil Queen. “And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights…” 1 Kings 19. God sent him on a new assignment. With a new outlook, He got up!…
“Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love.” “and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness.” “I made my vow to you.” “I entered into a covenant with you.” “you became mine. “ Ezekiel 16 Love comes without many things: a set of rules, conditions, or inhibitions. “I read the story of a young bugle boy and a soldier. They both served in the army during the Boer war. The bugle-boy, Willie Holt, was 12 years old when he was assigned to a tent with seven godless soldiers.. One of these men was Bill. However, unlike Bill, Willie was a devoted believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Each night he knelt by his bed to silently pray and read his Bible. “…a thief had been traced to the tent where Willie and Bill had been…
“When we express ourselves, our bodies release a higher level of reward hormones, and we feel great. The more we talk, the better we feel.” “Our bodies start to crave that high, and we become blind to the conversational dynamics. While we’re being rewarded, the people we’re talking to might feel cut off, invisible, unimportant, minimized, or rejected…” psychologytoday blind-spots “The above exemplifies the eyeless example. The writer continues: “Stop assuming that others see what you see, feel what you feel, and think what you think (that is rarely the case). Your blind spots cause you to fail to recognize that emotions, such as fear and distrust, change how you and others interpret and talk about reality.” Pretty clear? The author offers a remedy: Don’t underestimate your propensity to have conversational blind spots. Start paying attention to and minimizing the time you “own” the conversational space. Share that space by asking open-ended discovery questions to…
The great significance of the Gettysburg Address, then, “is that it restates and reaffirms another great expression of the American mind, the Declaration of Independence—the opening “Four score and seven years,” in fact, points directly to the year 1776. There is one important difference, however, between our foundational political document and the Gettysburg Address: the Declaration of Independence asserts the “self-evident” truth that “all men are created equal,” whereas Lincoln refers to human equality as a “proposition.” What was self-evidently true to the men of 1776 had been challenged and even rejected by later generations, leading to a renewed defense of slavery, the great sectional divisions within the Union, and the hostilities then engulfing the nation. Likening the nation’s founding principle to a mathematical theorem, Lincoln suggests that the truth of this “proposition” is not immediately self-evident for all, but must be demonstrably proven to be true.” historyplex “By insisting that…
Do you have a friend? You can tell them things which you can’t tell others. Friends bear not only your failures, but also your humiliations. A Friend covers the multitude of your sins and tries to understand your rebellions, even. Friends want to know what we are feeling in our dejected state, they are not afraid of our adversity, our repeated errors, our besetting sins. They bear with our weakness. Our Pastor told a story: A child withdrew into their self and the family began noticing they were not emerging out. This continued for a long time and the family tried everything to get the child back. Professional help was sought and years went by. Nothing worked. One day the child’s puppy began to lick the child on the face and would not stop even as the child pushed the pet away. Something happened. The child came back. I have…
God’s psychology equals a bloody cross. On that cross died the man, Sin — a brazen serpent, a sick head, faint heart, wounds, bruises and putrefying sores. On that cross died an old man, an old sin nature, a wounded Adamic life. On that cross died a fight to stay alive, a desperately wicked heart, a deceivable bent. On that cross died a self-witness of sinful identity, less than perfect psyche, unbalanced soul. Jeremiah_15:18 tells us, “… my wound is incurable, which refuses to be healed.” Psychology may tell us, “Time heals all wounds.” Some psychologists don’t. Psychology may tell us, born innocent, you were wounded as a child. The devil may tell us, “Something has been taken from me that I cannot live without.” The devil may tell us, “There is no way out of my experience.” The Bible tells us our former existence is blotted from God’s memory.…
“Lighten my eyes.” “The prayer from Psalm 13 rests upon the profound conviction that Jehovah is the fountain of life, and that only by His continual pouring of fresh vitality into a man can any eyes be kept from death.” comment from “Expositors Dictionary”. Fresh vitality? From the fountain of life? Meaning? I’m a realist and fresh vitality means stimulating, invigorating, exciting, gushing, energizing stuff; my best picture stands me under a waterfall of delicious and fresh spring for drinking and bathing, playing and splashing. Does the psalmist have this in mind? Yes, but: The eyes create the problem, they need brightened. They might die. Matthew 6:22 tells us, “The light of the body is the eye, if that eye be single, thy whole body is full of light! Okay? What’s single eye? liberal, generous, and bountiful, simple, clear, not looking two ways. Contrasts the evil eye or “Bad” eye. John…