American Christianity no longer resembles its Founder

Posted on 2016/11/11 by Bijbelvorsers

In the United States of America the last few months we could see that there is much division in the country, with lots of people who call themselves Christian took on not only a racist attitude, but also used many awful words against the different peoples living in their state and against those who show that they do not agree with their favoured politician and presidential candidate.

In the 16th century there was a time many who fled to the New World carried a Dutch crescent-shaped Geuzen medal at the time of the anti-Spanish Dutch Revolt, with the slogan “Liever Turks dan Paaps” (“Rather Turkish than Papist“), 1570, indicating to be better a Muslim than to be a Roman Catholic.

An American writer who considers himself reformed in his thinking and faith, considers himself a follower of Jesus and believing all Scriptures, though he looks like a papist (not in an offensive way) and does not seem to believe all words of Jesus and not to accept that God is only One, but that is not the issue in this writing. Today we want to look at what he wrote already in 2012.

In his article The Best Argument Against Christianity he looked at “Some Disturbing Statistics” and wrote

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group (a research organization focusing on religious trends and information), asserts that the primary issue that today’s culture has with Christianity is that it no longer resembles its Founder. {David Kinnaman, Unchristian, 2007, pg. 25. + The Best Argument Against Christianity}

In his book Unchristian, Kinnaman studied the Mosaic (born between 1984 and 2002) and Busters (born between 1965 and 1983) generations of the United States, which currently comprise approximately 77% of America’s population. With respect to Christianity, Kinnaman notes a growing tide of hostility and resentment, a statistic which is trending downward from a positive study that was done by his Barna group only one decade before. {The Best Argument Against Christianity}

Barna also describes the Mosaic Generation as “comfortable with contradiction”, “post-modern” and exhibiting “non-linear” thinking. All the contradiction going on in the New World many wanting to screw back into the past, makes it very chaotic.

The criteria for human value, to the world at large, has shifted from that of someone who champions high ethical standards at work, has personal integrity in his dealings, and who is committed to doing the right thing no matter what, to someone who, at work, is willing to do whatever can ensure the greatest commercial viability and his own personal security, and get away with whatever s/he can in their personal dealings. The more noble qualities of human nature are unwittingly being sacrificed on the altar of commerce. Most do not realize the cost: ending up as two-dimensional beings, mere cogs in the wheel of commerce without a heart capable of compassion.{Millennials: Escape the Credit/Debt Matrix}

For the blogger “evangelical” relates to Christianity, though we do not hope he wants to give the impression to his readers that ‘Evangelism‘ are the norm and does not use ‘Christianity’ in the same way as it is often used in Belgium when they speak of Christianity or of Christendom they mean ‘Roman Catholicism‘.

Most important to notice is the reflection of the spirit of the age. We have come in a time where atheists speak publicly more often about God than their in God believing counterparts. By the majority of the population there is a bad co-notation to the word ‘Christian’. In 2012 nearly half had a bad impression, and four year later we may say nearly three quarter of the population has a bad idea by the word ‘Christian’ and lots of them do find religion the cause of all the problems and all the wars.

Many non-religious people in the States and in Europe look at the works of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and see the similarities with the crusaders. All those groups went killing and conquering territory, terrorising lots of people. Many non-religious people also hear the vile language of many who say they are Christian or are saying they are defending the Christian values. The 2016 American presidential election has been the example how the Christian manners shown to the world are not those of the master teacher, rabbi Jeshua, known in the States and many other countries as Jesus Christ.

In 2012 also

There were two things that Kinnaman’s study uncovered, and neither had anything to do with the theological teachings or doctrinal standards of the Church. First, unbelievers responded negatively to what they termed the Christian “swagger” – how Christians’ lives don’t match up to Christ’s, and the bark and bite that unbelievers say they see in Christians’ demeanor and action. {The Best Argument Against Christianity}

The immoral way of life by Christians, outsiders can see, is the most chocking to non-religious and other religious people. Muslims in particular are very disgruntled by the way Christian behave. Put out over their way of life no wonder several Muslim groups try to get Christians to their faith, trying to have them understand such a way of living is totally against the Will of God.

Lots of non-religious and non-Christian religious groups see as many respondents said that the charity and compassion of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels have been dismissed by Christians in favour of their selfish gain, combative and judgemental actions against what they believe to be threats against their moral positions.

In other words, as Christians, we have become famous for what we oppose and stand against rather than for what we are in favor of and champion. {The Best Argument Against Christianity}

But what are those American Christians are in favour for? What are their aims and what is their willingness to follow Jesus’ teachings and to have that same attitude as that master teacher? How peaceful do they want to be? In most instances we can see those American ‘Christians’ only considering their church or nomination to be allowed to have the label Christian. Very often they feel other denominations of Christendom are the false groups and consider that most of those people will land up in hell (for them a place of eternal torture). The exclusion of other people is the most problematic element the American population now encounters.

Many youngsters, particular the Millennials who had first difficulties in paying their studies and now have problems paying off the loan and need a place to live (besides with their parents), clothes on their back, food to eat and resources to care for their children, do not see any surplus a church or religion may give them. For them their focus is not at all on something which we cannot see or not fully understand. They are focussing on the material which might be in their reach if certain groups would not stand in their way. They want to have time and money for travel, doing fun things, but nobody standing in their way or confronting them with how they have to live or behave. At the moment they also have become very disappointed with the political system they are living in and want change. It is that carving for change what made many also to chose for Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States, which have become very divided now.

The neo-Nazis and the weapon lobby gladly backed Donald Trump, because in him they saw the man to clean up the country and to enable enough income by the promotion of weapons to determinate ‘the vermin’. Strangely enough lots of evangelist Americans and other so called Christians in those states do promote the carriage and use of weapons and do not seem to mind to shoot at an other creature of God.

When we do hear how those gun-lovers talk about them having to prepare against ‘the enemy’ and how they have to train their kids in shooting and defending themselves, we clearly can form a good idea how far away they have gone from the teaching of Christ. It has gone even so far that there are churches in America where in the service there are tombola’s for or weapons given to their members. There exist even crusader rifles of which so called Christians are very proud to have such gun, which has a cross engraved on it.

That is where the Americans have left the real faith and have also gone far away from the idea of defending and living in a free state.
Lots of American Christians have come to think their freedom is to limit the freedom of others and to oppress their way of thinking to others. For them all have to take on their ‘belief’ and their ‘faith’ and all people in the United States of America do have to live according to their religious rules. For sure that was not something the founding fathers of the New World had in mind. They just had escaped the tyrannising position of the churches in Europe. Today lots of Americans are trying to create that what the founding fathers of the United States of America had fled for and have no idea of their sayings.

It is getting time American Christian get back to reading the Bible and to listen what is written in it. They have to get back on track, finding the inner moral compass to resist unethical business practices, to show others they have a moral and ethical attitude according Judeo Christian values.

Once back on track they can give a good example how a Christian should live together with all sorts of people from all sorts of place and religions. than they can start to rebuild the shattered state they are living in now.

Preceding articles

Scepticals of the Bible

Islamophobia Must be Fought and Defeated

God Isn’t a Republican

Additional articles

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Not holding back and getting out of darkness

Posted on 2014/04/17 by Marcus Ampe

Even when times are tough, it’s always important to keep things in perspective. We may be thrown from one side to the other, hearing much thunder and seeing lots of lightning, trying to meet the ends and finding solutions for the many problems which may arise.

Italian Family Wedding 1927 1928 20s NYC (Photo credit: Whiskeygonebad)

Lots of people just take it that they are in this world and have to take it as it is. But is it so? Do we just have to let the world pass and leave it like it comes upon us?

These days it looks like many people are not satisfied or are angry with those around them and with themselves. some might find

… the majority of people you talk to on a daily basis are dicks. People push through you on the walk to work with no regard for anyone but themselves, they ash their cigarettes completely oblivious to the fact that you are walking behind them and don’t bother apologising. Get out da way! {The majority of the people you interact with are douchebags: 20 Things No One Tells You About Your 20s}

Lots of people had dreams which are chattered into thousand pieces. Many found that where they thought would end up has become a vastly different place where they did end up after lots of struggles or interferences by others.

Your first job will be an eye-opening experience that will really show you what you want to do for the rest of your life. In college, you always dreamed about having your first job, but when you finally get that job, it’s probably nada like you imagined. {20 Things No One Tells You About Your 20s}

Having found work persons may already be pleased they could get the money not feel miserable or to end up in the gutter.

Maybe it (the money) doesn’t necessarily bring you happiness, but it does surely prevent you from being miserable. If you want to move out of your parents’ house and experience what freedom truly is, well you better believe that money is your ticket out of there. {20 Things No One Tells You About Your 20s}

Virginea Beach, Va. (Oct. 24, 2007) – Rear Adm. Moira Flanders salutes as she walks through the side boys during the change of command ceremony for the Center for Personal and Professional Development on board Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach, Va. Capt. William Dewes relieved Capt. Jonathan Picker as commanding officer. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Seth Scarlett (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Soon, after they left school and their parents, people learn nothing comes cheap in the post grad world.

You are going to be faced with expenses you didn’t even know existed. Guess who’s responsible for paying for these things? If you think it’s your parents, you guessed wrong, it’s you! Remember how badly you wanted to grow up? Well this is what you had to look forward to — bills, bills and more bills, bitches. {20 Things No One Tells You About Your 20s}

Many people are realising how miserable the typical 9-5 career can be and are leaving for the world of entrepreneurship. Hopefully your family knows you well enough to realise your potential is better suited elsewhere. {20 Things No One Tells You About Your 20s}

Once in the world of business, it seems that economical world is been taking us in or has sup. Many do have to work to pay for the bills. They often dream of house of their own and engage to early on the mortgage market, making them live on the cutting edge. No time for personal development any more. Not time any more for spiritual issues.

When we face this life we sometimes need to build up the the courage to claim our spiritual identity in the midst of a world full of darkness. Some people even may be afraid to face the light which others might bring in front of them. It is like they are afraid of light.Lots of people are not sure for whom or what they have to live. They keep wondering why certain things are happening to them and not to others. Lots of people we find concentrating on those bad things that happen onto them, instead of concentrating on the good things they let pass and do not enjoy enough.

Worlds Apart (Photo credit: Sony200boy)

Lots of people are so taken by the materialism of this world and hope that will bring them luck. The spiritual is something which frightens them. They know they have to live day in day out, and look to reach a goal, which they call success. They measure it in finances and in things the world can see. But they forget to see the richness of the things unseen. They run past all the beauty nature has to offer humankind, that many do not mind destroying.

How many people are not trying to use most of their time to convince anyone else of their good reason to exist and to see their success. So many people get caught up and get lost on the path of convincing … when in reality they would be better off, by just trying to be their own.

So many people got chained by their desire to have success, they loose track of the beautiful site of the world. They work and work and forget to live, until they feel pushed in the corner and wonder what they are doing and for what.

Only when they begin to attempt to simplify their lives they realize that they are not exactly sure what it is they really want. Many even do not come to see what might be important for them and for the others around them. They want to let go of this absorbing world, but do not know how. They lost the clear view to see or understand what’s important to us,. They know that something is not working and that they or that we need to change.

And yes we all need to change before it is to late. This world is ‘going bonkers’ if we are not careful. The global warming may for many be a fairy tale, but than they would be surprised how serious it really is.

It is important that we all know that every single thing we’ve gone through in life, every high, every low, and everything in between, has led us to this moment right now. Everything that we allowed to go through or let pass, shall be of influence on our environment, on the world we live in. Too many people still think it would not make any difference when a small fish somewhere in the ocean changes something. But when all those little sardines would come together and join forces they would be seen from far away and not only be noticed but also heard.

Everybody has his mouthful of “freedom” but often only thinks about his own self, not being worried how the freedom of the other person can be guaranteed. Some might also say

One of the greatest freedoms is simply not caring what everyone else thinks of you.

There is truth in it for the own self-development. To feel at ease with yourself you need to be able to step aside now and then. You should be able to look at yourself. Sometimes it also may be taken literally, leaving the office, stepping outside, getting some air, looking at the grass and the trees. Taking time to see around you and to remind yourself of who you are and what you want to be.

The best thing you can do is follow your heart. Take risks. Don’t just accept the safe and easy choices because you’re afraid of what others will think, or afraid of what might happen. If you do, nothing will ever happen. Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big. They aren’t. {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

Lots of people got blinded by their own mistakes and can not see that others also make the same terrible mistakes. We should all keep in mind that we’ve all made mistakes, but we should all also allow ourselves and others to make mistakes. it is all to easy to do nothing. If you think by doing nothing you can not do anything wrong, you are mistaken. We all have a reason to be here on this earth and we all have our responsibility, not only for ourselves and our beloved ones, but also for those who come after us.

Lots of us let people take advantage of us, and we’ve accepted way less than we deserve.

And sometimes, we too have given others way less than they deserve. Sometimes we let our priorities and our boundaries get ravished by the chaos of the day. But if you think about it, we’ve learned a lot from our bad choices, and even though there are some things we can never recover, and people who will never be sorry, we now know better for next time. We now have more power to shape our future. {4 Good Reminders When You’ve Had a Bad Day}

When life gets stressful, we often forget the things we should remember, and remember the things we should forget. Then we loose track. Danger is also that we loose not only control over ourselves but also the believe in ourselves.

Don’t settle to simply be someone’s downtime, spare time, part time, or sometime. If they can’t reliably be there for you when you need them most, they’re not worth your time. {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

This moment is priceless, and it’s the only moment guaranteed to you. This moment is your ‘life.’ Don’t miss it. (Read The Power of Now.)

The tendency here is to let our emotional attachments to things, people, places, etc. overwhelm us and prevent us from making real, meaningful and lasting changes. Instead of taking hold of those who love us we endanger and isolate ourselves by taking distance or going into our own little cell or cocoon. Than is the time to take the outstretched hand of others. Than you should be not taken by those who bully you or want to get you down.

Don’t let the people who refuse to love you keep you from the people who do love you. Spend time with those who make your world a little brighter simply by being in it.

As Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” Regardless of how despicable another has acted, never let hate build in your heart. Fighting hatred with hatred only hurts you more. When you decide to hate someone you automatically begin digging two graves: one for your enemy and one for yourself. (Read The Four Agreements.) {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

health care (Photo credit: lu4unity)

Life is too short to tirelessly struggle with those who bring negative forces into live. We better get rid of all those negative influences and concentrate more on positive thoughts. to bring positive news into the world is not as easy as it may look at first sight. From Guestwriters would love to bring more writers together bringing good news and concentrating on the love and peace we should try to build up together. But like on this platform there are not many writers presenting them to share their thoughts and, with their writings, to help others

Life will test you to see how serious you are about pursuing a particular path. And sooner or later you may face negative feedback from others. When this happens, remember not to let anyone crush your spirit. If you are passionate about something, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks. That’s how dreams are achieved.

Those who love life and love the ones around them can spread that love by showing it to others, without wanting something in return. It are those who want to dream and share their dreams, who can bring some light in this world.

Anything worth achieving takes time and dedicated effort. Period. Honestly, I used to believe that making wishes and saying prayers changed things, but now I know that wishes and prayers change us, and We change things. (Angel and Marc Chernoff discuss this in detail in the “Goals and Success” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.) {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

We know that many people will laugh at those with ideals and dreams. We are aware and you too should know that some people cannot stand that you’re moving on with your life and so they will try to drag your past to catch up with you.

Do not help them by acknowledging their behaviour. Keep moving forward. Practice acceptance and forgiveness. Letting go of the past is your first step . {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

Things which happened in the past can be told, so that others can learn from it. The things happened in the past should be a lesson for us. We have to learn from history and therefore it is important that people tell about that history. But we do have to direct our eyes to the future and to look forward.
We do not have to go through the darkness alone. If everybody carries a tiny candle, the many little points of light will give a bigger light. Getting more lights together will make a brighter light.

On From Guestwriters as on this site, we do invite those who have something to share, to join us to bring positive news on From Guestwriters and to bring important things to be aware of or to think about, even when they may be shocking, or upsetting others, on this site, which for that reason is also called “Stepping Toes‘ because sometimes we do need to step on someone’s toes, before he comes to notice something.

We don’t need to flaunt our spirituality, argue about it, or attack anyone who does not see or agree with it; we just need to live it. The path of mastery does not require us to convince anyone else of anything; it simply asks us to remember who we are and be it. {Alan Cohen, Dare To Be Yourself}

May we look forward to meeting you as a regular reader or as a contributor or guest-author on one of the two sites?

You may join us on this site or on From Guestwriters
and become one of the Bloggers for peace

Click on the picture to get to know more about the Bloggers for piece

Kozo & Cheri also ask that you join Bloggers For Peace

Find also to read:

Find the sites and articles:

Sanket k

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Keeping the Darkness Out (arturo57.wordpress.com)
I was struck immediately by how angry everyone on the channel seemed. And how it seemed to permeate every word said. They sneered as they read the news. I guess they were sneering at Democrats in general and the president in particular. But I think they also were sneering at the audience.
What they were really doing, of course, was sneering at the truth as they fanned the flames of racism, homophobia, and every other form of hate they could think of. That’s what they really preach on that channel – unabashed hatred. Hatred for what you don’t have. Hatred for what you don’t want. Hatred for everyone and everything that doesn’t fit a narrowly defined agenda.
[Classic RPG Realms] What Do You Keep Coming Back To? (classicrpgrealms.blogspot.com)
Always coming back to something. He said that was a sure sign that something was really a part of you, something you couldn’t put down. Your life would be incomplete without it. He felt that way about horses. Obviously I didn’t, and neither did my daughters–we own no horses now.
Ready to Fly (sincerelyamie.wordpress.com)
I remained there, in the dark silence. I stayed there and almost drowned myself in all my tears. I hid there and let sadness strip me down. And in staying there, I slowly began to drift down the wrong path.
But then, He spoke to me. [He never fails.] He told me I was going to live. He told me I could do more than just survive. He told me to dream again. He told me to give my life for His, and I would know peace. And the darkness fell away, and my heart began to beat again, and I knew that I would really be okay.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? (writetolive7.wordpress.com)
So many of us hide the things that most need to be shared. Regrets. Mistakes. Shame. I’ve kept many of my memories, experiences that I fear to relive, hidden beneath a blanket of shadows. Over the months and years, they’ve gathered dust. Like a dark basement, I’ve been terrified to venture back there, afraid that they’d jump out at me when I wasn’t ready to see them again. I’ve always been afraid of the dark, afraid of being blind to what’s coming my way.
Who’s Afraid of Identity Access Management? (cloudentr.com)
IT managers, do you ever feel like you’re the Big Bad Wolf? When you try to rein in your users, even just to enforce good password policies, they sometimes act like you’re trying to blow their house down. When in fact you’re the one trying to convince them to move into a house made out of bricks.

You don’t have to be the bad guy. Using some gentle persuasion — and the right technology for Identity Access Management (IAM) — you can steer your users in a better direction. The key is to make it easy for them to do the right thing, even when their instincts tell them to huddle in their houses made out of straw and sticks.
‘The ocean captured us and allowed us to dream…’ (bigknickersandnursing.wordpress.com)
ou’ve never hidden the fact that life’s hurdles have been somewhat challenging over the last year or so… Getting to grips with life as an independent women… Managing your own finances (ensuring there is still enough cash left in the bank account after payday shopping spree which always leads to buying of essential new outfits for forthcoming social events, to pay for basic food items such as wine, milk and bread)…

Do Not Be Afraid From “Life’s Darkness” (globalpoets.wordpress.com)
Don’t be afraid about recent life’s dark / You are the one who govern your fate / As long you understand the “Law” / Marvelous times always will come in life / if you will act wisely as a creator God….
Don’t Let Growth Hacking Ruin the Customer Experience (helpscout.net)
tunnel vision can occur when this happens. Cops forget about big busts and focus on the arrests they can get, if the required metric becomes “X arrests per quarter.”
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If you’re going to be aggressive with your growth, you should know this: growth hacking can end up being marketing on steroids—that is, it can create artificial growth that has disastrous effects for the long term health of your business.
Think BigG & Live The Life You Deserve! (thinkbrilliantly.com)
So many of us never manage to reach the level of accomplishments we could simply because we let thinking small define our lives.
We hold back on trying to realize our dreams because we are afraid of what others will think or say.
Still, if we´re serious about living the life we feel we´re meant to live, doing those great things we´re convinced we are capable of, then we need to step up to the challenge and learn to ignore the nay-sayers.

Faith Over Fear (cherilynclough.com)
When you decide to take the road less traveled, it often means voting against the family party line. Basically if you are dealing with a narcissist, you are playing a game you can never win, so you might as well give up and go home. Fear and rejection are the bottom lines for most ACONs—Adult Children of Narcissists. I was invited to join such a group this week and my mind is still reeling from the humanity.

Running away from the past

Posted on 2014/04/01 by Bijbelvorsers

Being born, growing up. Days which start and days which finish. Days and nights, working hours, moments of rest and relaxation. From baby, encountering lots of difficulties in our will to try to find out and to try to do things. when times come before our eyes and we see them go past, we can only see that somehow we keep carrying them with us for the rest of our life. We sometimes we think we forget them, but suddenly they reappear. Sometimes we can not let the past for something what is gone. It may have been fortunate or may have been awful.

English: Students look at a section of the exp...

Students look at a section of the exposed Wasatch Fault, a classic normal fault located in North Salt Lake, Utah. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How many people do we not know who are trying to run away from their past? Sometimes we meet people who do not want to be remembered of their past. Several people do everything they can to get all remembrances of their past out of their way. Others only want to keep certain pictures going around to show the better part of their passed moments. As such they can get the less nice moments into oblivion.

Nobody wants to remind those painful moments of their life. We all want to dream of better moments and of miraculous and magical life. If things happened in our lives which we did not like, we prefer to put the fault to something or some one else. Mostly we do not want to see the fault by ourselves, and when we see that we ourselves where at fault often we do not want to admit it. Most of us do not want to have the pain to be remembered at those bad things that happened in our lives.

We would love to see that no bad things would happen to us. As soon as everything seems to go so smoothly, then with a finger snatch everything seems to go wrong. Moods change so easily.

Many of us do not like it when things go wrong or when we are brought in a bad mood. Most of us do not want to be angry or in a bad mood, but the anger and bad mood come again and again.

What can we do against it?

One moment everything looks to go enormously well, the other moment everything turns out to go terrible. The world has seen times were people had peace with each other and at other moments they seemed not to be able to cope with each-other. At times people had difficulty to survive and had to face thirst and hunger. Sometimes even the same people could find more than enough of it all. Often the might have found abundance, but really did not appreciate it or did not know they had so much, until they had lost it.

All of us probably have seen times of joy but also times of sorrow.

We are just a ball in the game of life, rolling from one side to the other.

How often we do like it to be rolled from one place to the other in case it could bring us something better (we think)? But how often did we not make the wrong choice, did we choose for the wrong party? How many times did we want to blame ourselves when it did not turn out like we had hoped?

In certain religions, people created somebody they could blame for what went wrong. Some like to think on their left shoulder is sitting a bad ‘ghost‘ or ‘devil‘ which lures them in the bad situations. It is that devil which makes them to have bad choices, doing things wrong, having bad or making them cross with others. Is that not easy to blame such a devil?

Like the pendulum of the always ticking clock we are pulled form the right to the left, from the good to the wrong or to the bad, and than there are others who want us to choose. Is that not difficult?

Why do so many people want to make it so complicated whilst life can be less complicated?

When something happened, why do we want to forget it and leave it in the past like it never happened. Why do we not want to take the opportunity to learn from it and to keep it in our mind to remember ourselves how we next time should not do it that way or should not let it turn out like it did previously?

It is impossible to turn back the time. What happened happened. How many times did we give the excuse we needed more time?

Did we ever think that if we would have accepted our own strength and would have shared it more with the other we could have reached much more? How many times did we want to hear the other for the good of us growing and did we want to work together to make everything better without having ourselves in the picture as the one who could make everything better? So often people do not want to hear the voice of an other in their mind, telling them to do what they should do. But when they did something others do not like, they are the first one to tell tit was somebody else his idea, or somebody else’s fault something went wrong.

Lots of people do enjoy it to look at others their mistakes or failings. How many do not like to listen to gossip and rumours and evil insinuations? when we hear people talking around us talking about others, how many do not derive pleasure from the shortcomings of others, especially those who have previously appeared to be models of uprightness or have been in the footlights?

Have you tried to hear the voice which comes over all the din of the market, the buzz of social gossip, the stamping and mirth of the pleasure spots?

How often we feel that wrong is done to us and do we want to have revenge? How many of us when we long to retaliate for wrongs done to us, hear again that calming voice penetrates our hurt and our angry frustration?

We should come to know that vengeance only belongs to the Supreme Being. It is not up to us to take the law into our own hands, for God has allowed the justice system and He will repay. (see Romans 12:19). Anger is a great bungler, and it has well been said that we get at odds when we try to get even.

It Ain’t My Fault (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We can all remember moments in our life where we were angry, with or without reason. Many times in our life we had moments we could not pretend that nothing was happening that we did not like. More than once we got to the point we had to do something to make it better or to change the situations so that we could find a better way to handle or to deal with the situation or person in a non-attached way. We had moments in our life where we had to take care of what needed to be done, responding with patience and understanding, and moving on.

In our life we should come to a point realising we do have to move on. Than we should try to break the habit of a lifetime and should want to try and reinforce a new approach to how we view ourself. How we look at our self and what happened in the past is something we only ourself can change. With time we can slowly try and retrain our thinking to no longer be so hard on ourself.

We have to stop giving others but also ourselves the fault. We have to stop thinking the others are bad but also have to stop thinking we are bad. At times we might have taught we were the reason we were hurt and that it was our fault. When we were ridiculed at school or did fail to get top marks (sometimes finding 9/10 in a test wasn’t good enough and anything less than an A+ was a fail in our parents eyes). How many people are not surrounded in their youth with negativity, blame and ridicule just kept heaping one on top of the other and that made them feel absolutely worthless.

But in the creation of the Most High nobody is worthless. Nobody is guilty for his total life. A person may have stolen bullied, not having told the truth, having sexual and other escapades, it might even be someone may have brought damage to somebody else or even murdered some one, there is hope for that person.

There has been a man in history who made arrangement than any evil person can be pardoned for the atrocities he or she might have done. Every person on this planet has his past, which can be seen as the past that has been but is also gone. We do not have to carry the past with us as a burden or like a ball of plumb hanging at our legs, like by the prisoners in the old times. All chains are broken today by one person to whom we may look up.

Today there are still lots of people who say it is impossible that there could exist a man of flesh and blood who would be willing to swipe over the faults of other people, forgive what they have done, and would not mind taking them in a reign where everybody is considered equal and live together in peace for ever.

But a barrister is provided who works pro-deo. At no cost for us that advocate will take counsel for anybody of the world who is willing to accept him to be his solicitor. He does not charge anything. The only thing he demands is that we recognise his Father and his position and that we would like to try to do the Will of his Father like he only wanted to do the Will of his Father and not his will.

When you are willing to accept that man in your life and understand what he has done for mankind, than you may forget all your previous life and start all over again. With a new slate you may start afresh. Is that not great? Would that not give any hope?

Yes you may forget your past in such circumstance, but you shall have to run away from your past also. That solicitor will require from you that you really want to turn over the page and start anew. He will be a mediator between you and his Father, who he wants that you shall accept also as your Father in heaven. Turning over the page shall require that you run away from your past, let it be what it was, but not without forgetting to learn your lessons from it.

All people should come to see that they are fortunate and that they are saved, valued, loved and accepted for whom they are and for what they have done but even more for what they shall try to do. They all should try to see and find the good persons around them, their family who love them and care for them, and their good friends who support them, and those who are willing to accompany them to better pastures.

Let this be your time also to value yourself and to challenge and change the habit of a lifetime.

Find to read:

Please do find also to read:

Who’s fault is it anyway? (wenonachad.wordpress.com)
He can be dramatic and take offense at little things if he’s in the right mood. He goes from one mood to the other very quickly sometimes and he has a very anxious personality at times. Lily is the only girl. She is artistic and crafty. She is also the most spiritually minded. She has been asking questions and talking about Jesus pretty much since she learned to talk. We already feel like she had a ministry calling on her life. But she is also bossy sometimes and demanding. She likes things done her way and she will tell you that! I absolutely love my kids and daily they teach me some kind of lesson.
My Fault (shruti14.wordpress.com)
Cant forget those black days you gave to me / those stains aren’t easy to wash off / Which keep me reminding of our dusk / Never can I forget that bitter words which pierced my heart
it is his fault (wonderlandbytatu.wordpress.com)
One of the glorious aspects of being pregnant (again) is that I can literally blame Eeverything on the little guy inside.
“Its Not My Fault” (emankawas.wordpress.com)
I have noticed a dramatic change in myself: energy is low, ambition is limited, and motivation is dissolved. It was painful to wake up to reality that “I have changed”. Now it started to become clear to me why, it’s because I have been in the defense mode for so long that I started to put it on the top my priorities and let other important things go, like (motivation, ambition, drive, humility and passion).
Letter to my mother (notdazedorconfused.wordpress.com)
With no conditions. I was your baby. Then suddenly I was stupid, ugly, useless. I was nothing. Then you kept apologizing. Your temper, your mood wasn’t helping. Yelling was how you talked. I had to tolerate that. I had to hear you yelling. And believe you when you said it wasn’t my fault. I wasn’t bad in any way. I was healthy and capable. But I was also abused. Abused by the people I trusted the most. Cause I was a child. Your child. And your world. It was also mine. I can feel my heart aching as I am writing these words. So much yelling. So much pain. So much confusion. And it wasn’t my fault. As you said you were unwell. Unwell and sick.
Does the Truth Help or Hurt Relationships? (robertjrgraham.com)
I really thought that if I let people know the ugly thoughts, not only would they be hurt – but they would probably become angry and disown me – betray me, talk shit behind my back. I would be the outcast.

So I beat them to the punch! Hah! I’d banish myself to my own room (or apartment, as I got older). I’d banish myself to silence.

You can either have a N.I.C.E. (Not Interested in Connecting Emotionally) relationship… where you hide what is true out of fear. Or you can have an alive, real relationship with intimacy, compassion and understanding.
S for Sorry (saikounikkou.wordpress.com)
I’m sorry for being too selfish / sorry for always blaming / and forgot where I stand and where you stay

The Immeasurable Grace bestowed on humanity

Posted on 2013/12/04 by Marcus Ampe

A passionate seeker for spiritual Truth wherever It is found blogs now for one year with ‘Purple Rays‘. This writer knows that we cannot all blaze a trail! But she is aware that we can all Light up our Corners and leave footprints of Light in the sands of time!

It may sound ridiculous that we as small human beings somewhere in this vast universe would be able to bring words that can change something in the world. But I am convinced we can do bring change, each in our own environment, and in case we join hands, we can even bring change in places far, far away from where we live. I may send messages from tiny split dark and wet Belgium, but looking at the statistics those messages are read more abroad than in the Flemish, Dutch , French and German parts of this section of the Low Countries.

Inspired by an earnest volition and love to share her thoughts with the world and to learn from the world, the writer brought already a few poetic musings while she seems to be aware that there is a battle of two wolves inside us all. She writes:

A war like the raging calm of the sea! A war with an ominous end! A war difficult for man to win! Since he feeds the wolves at both ends! Arming both friend and foe alike! Devout in prayer but wicked in deeds! Angel in words but evil at heart! How can he win the war and find peace? When he rides on the back of a tiger, And can only end in the belly of the tiger! {The Intellect Continuously Wars Against The Spirit!}

Photo from Purple Rays category Engraved in gold series

Though there may be this constant battle in the world she also sees the solution that there is made available for all who want to grasp the Hand of the Provider.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalms 46:1 CJB)

She is also aware that the gods and goddesses of old are not figments of the imagination but, nature beings existing through the Will of God and still active today. But I would not agree with her calling them ‘servants of God’. Perhaps they ever tried to be a servant for the Divine Creator and were made more than they themselves wished, because it was, like she says, mankind who erred by making them objects of veneration and worship! I think many of those gods created by man are not serving the Most High Creator, the Spirit God.

To 99% of her listeners, the Purple Rays writer is a Buddhist and for non-Buddhists, her person is defined by what she might not be; not a Moslem, not a Christian, not a ‘believer’, not a true child of God and even worse negative descriptions! But for those people criticising others they should know we all are children of God. Whatever we may believe, even when we do not want to believe that there exist a God who created heaven and earth, That Divine Creator stays the Maker of everything and the Father of all.

It is God Who allows all those people and gods to exist, and He is it who gives certain qualities to people which they can use for the good or the bad. God has given every body the free will to chose which way to go. It is not a dictator Father who only allows His Ways. Every one of us can say ‘I go my way’ or ‘It is My way’. All received a mind to use and have the freedom to think what they want, to follow those who they want to follow and believe in. The only thing is at the end of the trip, we are ourselves responsible and shall not be able to blame others for our own mistakes.

All people in the world are given the free choice by the Creator to choose in what and in whom they want to believe. He allows us to trust and accept what others say. He is not blind for the many teachers, good ones and false-teachers, there have been and still shall come in the world. We too can choose if we learn something from beings like Buddha, Confucius, Darwin, Gandhi, Muhammad or would like to follow the master teacher Jesus Christ, Jeshua the Messiah and the son of God and the best or real Servant of God!

Yuzen, a buddhist monk from the Sōtō Zen sect begging at Oigawa, Kyoto. Begging is part of the training of some Buddhist sects. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Purple Rays publishes:

Anyone who is privileged to read the untainted, transmitted accounts of the life and times of these truth bringers, with an open mind, will definitely perceive the Immeasurable Grace bestowed on humanity by their missions on earth! With Divine guidance, they were placed at different times and in different cultures/races to raise the collective consciousness of humanity from one level to the other!
Through countless un-celebrated Sages as well as renowned ones like Krishna, Zoroaster, Lao tse, Cassandra in Atlantis, Buddha, Moses, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Prophet Muhammad down to Abd-ru-shin, mankind has received the truth unblemished! Each teaching dovetails into the other to form a luminous flight of steps: some at the bottom and some at the top, each forming an inevitable step in the stairway to spiritual maturity and emancipation! {Religion, Beliefs And Worship! (religionists are extreme believers of some sort!)}

She has good reason to believe that

If religion had evolved without prejudice like science and technology, today’s humanity would have recognized which piece each Messenger added to the spiritual consciousness jigsaw puzzle! They would have gone past bitter inter and intra religious rivalry, violent conversions, fanaticism and intolerance! They would have drawn the line between the truth and contrived creeds, dogmas and doctrines!
They would recognize and believe the truth irrespective of whether it issues from the mouth of a Bishop, an Imam or the Dalai Lama!

When people would also recognise the language of others, or all could come to understand and speak the same language, they would not have so much confusion and they would come to see that Allah is the title for God of All. And when they look further they will come to know That God, who can and should be recognised as the Divine Creator of heaven and earth. They shall come and should come to know that That Allah or God has a name which shall have to be known by many before the End of Times will come. His holy or set apart name being Jehovah:

2 And Elohim spoke to Mosheh and said to him, “I am יהוה {Jehovah }.” 3 “And I appeared to Aḇraham {Abraham }, to Yitsḥaq {Isaac }, and to Ya’aqoḇ {Jakob }, as Ěl Shaddai {The One Most High; The Almighty }. And by My Name, יהוה {Jehovah }, was I not known to them? 4 “And I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Kena’an, the land of their sojournings, in which they have sojourned. 5 “And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Yisra’ĕl whom the Mitsrites are enslaving, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 “Say, therefore, to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I am יהוה {Jehovah}, and I shall bring you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrites, and shall deliver you from their enslaving, and shall redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments, 7 and shall take you as My people, and I shall be your Elohim. And you shall know that I am יהוה {Jehovah } your Elohim who is bringing you out from under the burdens of the Mitsrites. 8 ‘And I shall bring you into the land which I swore to give to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya’aqoḇ {Jakob }, to give it to you as an inheritance. I am יהוה {Jehovah }.’ ” (Exodus 6:2-8 The Scriptures 1998+)

Though there may be many gods in the world, the God of gods, the Adonai Elohim Hashem יהוה, Jehovah is the Only One God, heavenly Father of every one and Maker and Maintainer or Upkeeper of everything.

Every day we do have to be part of that universe This God of gods allows to exist. In it we do have to find our ways. Without fail and often without even realising it ourselves, we can and we do make some sort of impact on the life of someone else – either directly through our words and actions, or indirectly through our presence and example. We ourselves have to Sow and harvests in the garden of our own heart. We not only have to Control our destiny or somebody else will, we should be careful how we influence others and how we can have an impact on others.

Too many people do forget this impact they can have on others. We all should make more use of the power we have in ourselves, not only to build up or to make ourselves but also the power to change someone’s life, give someone hope, and change someone’s perspective. We should make more use of the power the Creator has given each person to inspire another soul.
Those who believe in That Creator should trust Him more and allow Him to enter their minds and to use them as a messenger, so that He can make us even more powerful and more extraordinary than we may realise and give ourselves credit for.

We shall be surprised that we can shift more stones than we ever thought and that people who see beyond any superficial (imagined) ‘imperfections’ shall be able to find and inspire each other. We also shall be able to meet people who see the magic and the Be You-Ty that lies hidden away in our hearts. {Extraordinary}

With every new heartbeat we may grow and find opportunities to look for wisdom in people their writings and sayings. Above those human beings we do have The Book of books which can guide us through our life as non other. The Words of That Writer, the God of gods, can transform us. And when we are wiling to take the many words of the world in consideration, thinking about them and putting them in the right perspective we can change with every new sunset.

We are not the same person we were yesterday, nor are we the person we will be tomorrow. Somewhere amid the challenges and the frustrations… the successes and the setbacks… and the hardships and moments of happiness… our cocoon transforms into a butterfly. {Transformation}

When we look at the world, we notice that beauty is born out of every day tensions, suspense, pressure, anxiety and that the beauty is In these tensions because these tensions are called Life.

And life is beautiful.

Let’s remember this season when we are facing again a year coming to its end, soon to face a new year in the ever evolving world, that there is a reason for everything we are now going though in our lives.

In moments of self-reflection, let’s remember how much we have transformed…and how far we’ve come.

And lets smile at who we have become…and who we are becoming. {Transformation}

World citizen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mary Anne Radmacher said:

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Laugh. Play with abandon. Fail with enthusiasm. Continue to learn. Love well. Appreciate your friends. Practice wellness. Choose with no regrets. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

Autumn reminds us how life can be so short and soon be taken away. It is the now that we do have to live. It is the now we do have to make it. We should not hesitate. We should not postpone until to morrow or until later, to become until never, forbearance being no acquittance. Do not tempt that all would not be lost that is delayed. Be sure that tomorrow never comes for such people.

Preceding:

Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God

Holidays, holy days and traditions

Hanukkahgiving or Thanksgivvukah

Thanksgivukkah and Advent

Please do find to read:

Additional reading:

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Declaring Your Power (thedivinecovenant.wordpress.com)
Let it be known to all past, present and future, that this most sacred Covenant known as Pactum De Singularis Caelum, also known as the Covenant of One Heaven, is registered, recorded and recognized in all Heaven and the Universe as the deed that has lawfully conveyed any and all property back to the Society of One Heaven, so that no Level 6 Life Form, person, higher order spirit, entity or aggregate may claim to hold separate title, possession, occupation or ownership of property, unless it has been legitimately granted through the Society of One Heaven or an associated entity;
Immeasurably More (poynterjourney.wordpress.com)
I love the word “immeasurably” – too large to measure! That is our God! He is able to do more than we could ever think or imagine because He is the bomb like that!I think we underestimate God way too much. We put Him in our mind like He is a human. Humans fall short, humans fail, humans let each other down. God is not a flawed human – He’s a Perfect God and He loves you beyond what you could ever imagine.
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible” The DalaiLama (pocketperspectives.wordpress.com)
Sometimes, it might seem easy to access a sense of kindness. Other times, it seems, at least for me, a bit more “challenging.” ( “whenever possible” seems to be my range… “always possible” is an aspiration: “look, far away there in the distance are my highest aspirations”...Louisa May Alcott )
An Encounter with the Dalai Lama (asiasketches.wordpress.com)
If there was a reason we chose McLeod Ganj, it was to be in the Himalayas and encounter a bit of Tibetan culture. We had no idea we would attend a teaching by the Dalai Lama.
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Buddhists must first respect all religions. First respect, then learn, understand. Buddha not want all the world Buddhist, not want all Buddhist teach Buddhism” and I try in vain to imagine the leaders of other major religions saying something similar.He relates the importance of religious pluralism and then says, “OK, so, let’s have some tea,” and releases a deep sincere belly laugh as he raises his cup. The seated admirers raise cups and drink and eat their biscuits.
“If you think y… (js250226.wordpress.com)
“If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try getting in bed with a mosquito.”- Dalai Lama XIV
Pope Francis I: The Catholic Dalai Lama? (elephantjournal.com)
Pope Francis:“It is clear that, when we show respect for the religion of our neighbours or when we offer them our good wishes on the occasion of a religious celebration, we simply seek to share their joy, without making reference to the content of their religious convictions.”
Gerald O’Donnell ~ Happy Thanksgiving 2013 And Beyond (shiftfrequency.com)
It is customary in many countries around the world and part of ancient traditions to join in thanksgiving festivities addressed to the Creator for the bounties and the harvest that have been bestowed upon each of us in the prior year.This tradition is not only part of the new world but is as old as mankind’s birth as an organized family and community.
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What really counts is what is alive: humanity, and its living environment of the natural world. What counts is what has consciousness, which is part of the Divine, and not what is but dead matter and dying dreams created by fear and lack-oriented consciousness.

What really counts is to decide, in common accord, to enter a bountiful oriented consciousness, that knows that all that is needed is already present, some of it in yet unmanifest format, ready to be discovered and activated by us, but most of it already in manifested format.

What is needed, is to dream and act for the good of all humanity and be willing to gift unconditionally in the name of unconditional Love your presents, and presence to all, without expecting anything in return, as a mother or a father would want to gift to their child.
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You will notice that all other old forms of lack and fear-based systems have all been fundamentally strengthened in recent times, on purpose, as a lesson for all of humanity to feel their painful consequences. These will soon be witnessed, by all of you, as fully and terminally imploding under their own weight as they show us the misguided choices and roads they caused us to travel and travail in hardship for thousands of years.
Unpacking Unthankfulness (ccmirvine.org)
… we are minimizing God’s grace and goodness and trampling on His glory by belittling what He has done for us? Unthankfulness isn’t just a rude or inconsiderate act, it is an affront to God Himself. That is how unthankfulness is offensive to God.
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We have seen the offensiveness of unthankfulness, but what about the effect that this sin has on us?
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If we do not destroy this sin of unthankfulness, it has the potential to destroy us.
All BEings are Divine (amuseinharmony.wordpress.com)
all beings, including human beings are divine manifestations of Creator Source on the physical earth plane materialized in various forms for the purpose of expansion. the earth is mother to us all. we are organisms formed from her womb. as she ascends, so shall we. the mother loves her humans as she does all creatures or our existence would no longer be. our love and unity with her and all her inhabitants is our duty as earth walkers.
Words Of God (thedivinecovenant.wordpress.com)
Before any higher order society, religion, or civilization existed within the star system we call the Solar System; Before the first thoughts, symbols or words were ever conceived, drawn or uttered by our higher order flesh ancestors; Before even matter itself existed, the idea of existence did exist in the form of that which we call God, the Universal, the Absolute, the ALL, the Divine Unique Collective Awareness;
Tibet in India (asiasketches.wordpress.com)
Repression of the Tibetan way of life in Tibet and the draw of education at the Tibetan Children’s Village in McLeod Ganj pull these children to India. The stronger magnet, however, is the chance to see and be in the presence of the 14th Dalai Lama, who lives in McLeod Ganj. For Tibetans, the Dalai Lama is the closest thing to a god that exists. In China, Tibetans have been led to believe that he died in 1960.
Dalai Lama speaks on harmony to religious followers at Tokyo temple (japandailypress.com)
The famous leader went on to explain that most of the problems humans encounter are of their own making, and thinking that they are all different from one another. This kind of thinking has a tendency to separate people instead of uniting them. His speech centered on the essential “oneness” of all people and emphasized on the divisiveness that comes with focusing on the “them” and “us,” rather than on the “we”, as a whole. Religious harmony is one thing that His Holiness has committed himself to, and hopes that it is something that Japan can contribute to as well.
China vows to silence Dalai Lama in Tibet (nation.com.pk)
The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, says he advocates greater autonomy for Tibetans rather than independence.
Chen referred to Tibet as “a front line of the struggle against separatism” and vowed to “strengthen the role of party committees at every level, as the sole power”, in the editorial.
Tensions between Tibetans and the Chinese government continue run high, with more than 120 members of the minority setting themselves on fire in protest in recent years, leading to a security crackdown.

Where is the edge

Posted on 2013/11/09 by Marcus Ampe

The rim of the unknown

Are we living on the edge? How far do we want to go in our life?

Many of us are afraid to come into the unknown. Because of that they never come further. Because of the fear for what they do not know they shall never know.

Cover of Unknown World (B&W)

The unknown, the do not see, may just be that place filled with wonder, curiosity, joy, gratitude, compassion and integrity. An extraordinary place that lives beyond our fears, beyond our wants and desires, a place filled with peace, a place silent but for the vibration of love. the Creator God provided it for us but we do have to be willing to go and see it, feel it and experience it.

To live in certainty

Lots of people prefer to live in the certainty and want to keep on to the traditions which they have kept from generation unto the next generation. They are afraid for that unknown world and do not understand their fear may just be the mask shielding us from fully experiencing life. We encounter many people who dare to ask us some things, but have to notice that mostly they consider the “what if”, “why so” and when we offer them different views they come up “what would my family say”, “what would others think”. And then they answer us “maybe” and “someday,” before going back into their old routine of the certainties they think they have with their ‘old thinking‘.

It shows how difficult it is for many people to encounter different ideas than they are used to and how more difficult it is to change the ideas which were brought into their minds by the years of denominational habituate. the things people are accustomed to is not easy to liberate from.

To follow people or to choose a path

Do you ever think about it that when you just follow the path everybody is following, you might perhaps having a smoke screen in your life? Did you ever thought that by continuing the way you were used to from childhood, enjoying the sphere in the community, you could perhaps been lying to yourself? How many people are not trying to have an unauthentic life filled with trying to look good and with the aim to please others?

When we look at the people around us, we can not ignore that we see a lots of people having a life filled with waiting. Waiting for the weekend, for a better life, for time to pass. A life longing for a made up past, or a mystical future that does not exist. A life devoid of passion and inspiration. A life absent from the present. A life hidden from the miracle of right now.

Using own personality

Though the Creator God, who created each person in His own image, has given each member of humankind the possibility to use their brains. To let the streams of knowledge come into the brains. The Supreme Being prepared man so that he can explore the world and be a unit in the universe.

Each individual has to go his or her own way and has to find out himself or herself what the world can offer to him or her. Each individual has to make it for himself or herself. They may want to go the easy or the difficult way. they might go beyond any thought of what is possible, fully experiencing and embracing all of life without fear. It is here on the edge that life transforms, that we see things we couldn’t see before. It is here that the world is no longer flat, or the sun orbits around the earth, or that we are the only sentient beings in this universe. It is here on the edge that we do not know the truth as the truth is only a context.

Squeezed between beliefs and the sceptic world

Also in our congregation we can find people who have doubts about our beliefs, like in so many denominations where people have to grow up and consider or question what they do want to believe. We all should question what we do believe and what we should believe. Each believer should have a moment where he or she goes ‘Living on the edge of certainty’. Then they should come to ‘Live on the edge of credibility’, addressing the challenge of defending their beliefs and preaching to other religious people and atheists. For sure we who believe in One God may be ‘Living on the edge of society‘, addressing the challenge of belonging to a Christian community with beliefs and values typically rejected by modern society. this should not frighten us and should not have us to let us run away or let us to hide for others.

We as Christians should value scepticism and should have no fear to meet people who do not believe in the One God Creator of heaven and earth. We should not mind facing ‘New Atheism’ and its critics and understand that atheism is not a guarantee of rational thinking. When we see how many people in this world are ‘Living on the edge of doubt’ we may consider the challenges to belief in the Bible.

Christadelphian writer Jonathan Burke

A book about living on the edge

The archaeology columnist for a theological journal, Jonathan Burke, a Bachelor of Arts with a Classics major (including a working knowledge of Greek and Latin), provides the background for his interest and knowledge in history related to Christianity, and a Masters of Information Management and Systems has trained him in research methodology and information verification. He had three theological books published in Australia. Two of his books are available on Lulu. As an expatriate Australian, brother Jonathan has been living in Taiwan since 2004. He is a regular volunteer worker with Taoshan Elementary School (桃山國小), Garden of Hope Foundation (勵馨基金會), Harmony Home (關愛之家), Zhong Yi Foundation (忠義基金會), Brightside (臺灣嚮光協會), Taiwan Sunshine, and Rangi (人跡協會). His latest publication brings an overview of “Living on the edge”.

In this new publication Jonathan Burke talks about upholding and defending the Christadelphian beliefs and values. Many may wonder if those beliefs are relevant to the modern world. This book aims to provide that evidence which non-religious people hopefully will find convincing.

The book does address issues such as the relationship of science and Scripture, the age of the universe and the earth, and whether the flood was local or global. However, the author aims to minimize controversy. For example, since evolution is a highly divisive issue the book does not address it at all.

I have not read the book, but look forward to read some parts of it in the coming days. (Look at the coming publications on Stepping toes: The mythical conflict of science & Scripture (1+2); Were Gnostics the original Christians?; Is faith rational?; Bill Maher proves atheism does not guarantee rational thinking; and Ian Plimer proves atheism does not guarantee rational thinking)

Today I wanted to open this matter of debate about “Living on the edge” because it looks like many people today do not dare any more to stick out their neck and to try out new things. Lots of people want to make sure that they can keep their job, and are afraid to question what happens at work and how it happens.

Taking a poor view

Today several Christians do think we are in the midst of a ‘war’ on Christians all around the world mostly being perpetrated by radical Muslims and mostly ignored. On the other hand others think that most Christians in the West aren’t really aware of how huge this resistance against Christians really is.

But we can resist those opposing us by letting them understand how we think and how we are willing to handle them and how we would like to find peace in the world. We can show them that they do not have to be afraid of real Christians who are like them, created in the image of God. Having elements of that Creator we, like them, cannot travel the path until we become the path itself. We should show them that we also are parts of this world willing to share it with others.

Respectful thoughts

The other believers should come to recognise that we, as believers in a Creator God, have respect for that Creation of the Supreme High Being. As followers of His son who loved his Father and loved the world, we also should love the Father and the world the Father allows us to live in. With the love of God should also come our love for others and also our happiness which we should be willing to share with others, believers but also to non- or unbelievers or better: different believers.

Seeing the beauty in the depths of unknown

The Fear of God (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We should not mind going onto the edge of the cliff, which people push us to the boarder of it. On that edge we should like to see the beauty of this world and find happiness which can rise from the depths of our soul. We should be able to find ourself smiling, smiling because we are a witness to the grace and beauty of the universe, to that of some greater power beyond ourself, beyond those superficial concerns that held us so tightly before.

We should not get blackened or fall out because of the fear for the bottomless abyss. The yawning chasm should not bring us willed with horror, but there we should encounter the challenge of the classroom of the universe where we can learn so much. It is here that we can see the beauty in every moment, that our concerns and frustrations in life are self-induced, illusions of suffering that we are clinging to in the midst of such wonder and beauty around us.

Standing on the edge of life, Showing happiness

We should not be cordoning off or stake out our beliefs nor our faith-life. Standing on the edge of life we should see the opening in the world where so many can live together in the best circumstances, in case they are willing to open their mind as well.

Those who love God and who are feeling and believing in the love of Christ Jesus, the Messiah, should call to action and bring, like Jesus asked them to do, the Good News, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. To bring that Good News we should ourselves become part of those Good Tidings and being identifiable as good news ourselves, spreading happiness.

To show more happiness we should get id off the fears which may still be there tempting us. Sometimes we are not fully aware of those fears, therefore we should first of all identify the fears in our life that are blocking us. We should get to see them, recognise them and go against them, looking at them for their insignificance.

Not postponing the action

Fear of the Unknown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We should not tarry. Procrastination may be big fashion now, but a dilatory attitude may bring us nowhere. We should not show tameness for the matters that need action and to wipe out those things that stops us in life. Do not postpone and take action to step beyond these fears. Confront them head on. We should see where we are going, were the world is going, where the world wants to push us, where the borderlines are and how far we can go to the edge. Make sure you have the good ‘Foundation to go the distance’ and ‘Live on the edge’.

God of gods has given us this life. It is short. God also warns us that we should make the best out of it and not wait until it is to late. We do have to live each moment as if it is the last because it might be. For this reason Jesus has warned us more than ones, and given enough examples with his parables. We should learn from them and take them at heart. Living today according to the Will of God and preparing ourselves to be ready when the end of our life shall confront us with death. Remember when that moment shall be there it shall be to late to change course, to walk strong on the edge or to fall from the edge in the depths of nothingness.

Continuation of: Preparedness to change

Additional reading:

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Mkmma… Week #5 (daw2621masterkey.wordpress.com)
My goal in life is to have one 24 hour period where I didn’t fear something in my life. I’d love to meet and interview the person that doesn’t suffer from this universal disease … I don’t know if I would believe a word they said because I’ve never met anyone that lived without fear to some degree.To live without fear and hesitation would be an absolute paradise. What kind of lifestyle could you live? How much personal power would you possess if you could meet every challenge with total faith that you were up to the task? Now
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Why doesn’t every person live on a higher plane of thinking and life condition? Where there is total belief there is no fear. Where there is light there is no darkness and vice versa. Where there is paralyzing fear there can be no belief. Where does this fear originate? Isn’t belief and fear total opposites? Isn’t poor self-esteem, self-confidence, self-image all cousins to ignorance and lack of belief?
90 Days With Yeshua- Day 66: Reconciling the Banished Heart (soulfullheartblog.com)
The heart has nothing to hide. It’s only the mind conditioned by fear and scarcity that needs to hide certain motives and plans from another in order to win. The dis-integration is the disintegrity, and the source of most stress.
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It’s only the mind conditioned by fear and scarcity that needs to hide certain motives and plans from another in order to win. The dis-integration is the disintegrity, and the source of most stress.
Beliefs,living outside your comfort zone (nerdvolution.wordpress.com)
Have you ever noticed that you have a certain belief about how everything needs to be done? Like maybe how you should behave on a date, how fast you should go and stuff like that. Or even like how you should respond when something bad happens or someone wrongs you. It’s like that for me; I have certain beliefs wired in my brain that direct how I do everything. The weird part is, the beliefs never seem to match with reality. My actions, based on my beliefs usually produce the opposite reaction to what I expect.
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I now seriously think growth is outside your comfort zone.
How to answer top 10 Atheist contentions (short version) (intellectualrevival.wordpress.com)
blind belief is prevalent in many cultures/religions/worldviews including atheism and not necessarily a feature of religions. In fact, the basis of atheism and secularism was founded upon blind belief. Secularism, for instance was born out of a clash between the Church and state in 18th century Europe, where any person who held a view contrary to religion was deemed heretic and was persecuted. The authority of the state was not to be questioned as it was granted by God. Therefore thinkers called for the scientific method of enquiry as the more rational method and used it to challenge the authority of the Church’s religion which they saw it as blind and based on imitation.
This gave way to an emotional reaction causing 2 kinds of blind belief
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What is most troubling for the atheists/agnostics/skeptics is that their views are purely naturalistic and empirical. So they imagine this infinite cause to resemble like us and then find it troubling how this cause is infinite. The case is that we cannot from our limited human mind rationalize how he exists in the infinite realm. The limited mind cannot understand the nature of the unlimited Cause. All we can know and reason is that this cause must be infinite, unlimited and independent.
The Quarter Life Crisis (courtneyheff.wordpress.com)
A few years ago, I heard my older friends talk about their experience of a ‘quarter life crisis.’ Of course I understood the premise of it, but the expression seemed melodramatic and self-aggrandizing. I didn’t understand how anyone could face a life crisis at that age. A few weeks before my twentieth birthday, I realized that my friends weren’t being melodramatic, as I faced a substantial quarter life crisis of my own.
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We’re told constantly that we can change our minds and change our careers many times throughout our lives. My only vision of the future when I think of career changes is an image of my seventeen-year-old self crying because I couldn’t even get a job at a grocery store. Most of us require an illusion of certainty in our lives, and don’t necessarily want to face the idea that we have no idea where we will be a year from now, let alone in a decade. If you’re one of those people who can face an abyss and jump right in, I envy and applaud you. Though I very much valuable spontaneity – you never know where you’ll find me on a given day
Fear (anemptyroomofmyown.wordpress.com)
“Fear!”, says the old man / His voice grating the edge / Of the abyss of civilized / Polite, sincere insanity
Remembering Albert Camus and Longing for the Old Atheism (ekhava.com)
as an unbeliever, Camus offers a powerful counter-example to the stridency and animus of the “new atheism” associated with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and others. Indeed Camus makes us long for the days of the “old atheism” when religious people weren’t mocked for their so-called irrational beliefs; bullied by the charge that “religion poisons everything”; and told to step aside while secularism sweeps clean the religious debris from public life.
What Would You Say to the Religion Professor Who’s Had It With ‘Strident,’ ‘Bullying’ New Atheists? (patheos.com)
When, post-9/11, atheists no longer felt forced to use only their inside voice, people of faith — and the media — were quick, almost gleeful, to attach the adjective “strident” to the noun “atheist,” as if the two are conjoined twins.
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for close to a millennium, being found out as an atheist all too often meant persecution, imprisonment, torture, forced conversion, and death — thuggery perpetrated by men of the Church and the state alike, who all claimed to do God’s business. I’d say that kind of actual violence goes a damn sight farther than “bullying,” wouldn’t you? Are we supposed to brush that chapter aside, but believe that when academics like Harris and Dawkins retreat to their studies and tap away at their keyboards in scholarly fashion, they’re the real bullies?
Answering Top 10 Atheist contentions (intellectualrevival.wordpress.com)
The article ‘Does the Belief in a God make sense?’ raised some interesting responses, both positive and negative. So I thought it would be of benefit to write on the common atheist arguments against the case of a Creator including those specific to the previous article. These answers are only my attempt at addressing questions which I have come to understand from more learned people.
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science has a scope and should be used in its proper areas (medicine, technology, etc.), however it has limitations to its scope which makes it irrational to use for questions which are beyond the scientific method and it certainly has no place in answering or proving the existence of an unseen omnipotent Creator that is beyond time and space.
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To atheists another ‘blind belief’ is that all religions including Islam enjoin ‘blind faith’ in their beliefs and teachings. There are several verses in various places in the Qur’an asking and urging man to reflect and contemplate his own existence and that in his surroundings.
When Your Purpose is Found in a Transcendent Creator (str.typepad.com)
As an atheist, I was satisfied with the purpose I had created for my life. I found meaning in my work, my family, and my responsibilities as a father and husband. I also loved the idea that I was in charge of my purpose; that I was the one who got to decide what life was all about. It wasn’t until I became a Christian that I realized my ideas about purpose and meaning were far too small and limited.

Preparedness to change

Posted on 2013/11/06 by Marcus Ampe

When we are looking for the reasons why we are here and what we have to do why, we should try to get an open mind and to look at all sorts of things, wondering what others think and why.

Today many of us are not pleased with what is going on in the world and would look to see some change. But before we can see some change we ourselves do have to be willing to change as well.

Matthieu Ricard in Tibet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Matthieu Ricard, scientist turned Buddhist monk and a best selling author, translator, and photographer, who has lived and studied in the Himalayas for more than 35 years. says:

if we want to change, obviously we need to need to first act on the emotions, and this will help change our moods, which will eventually stabilize as a modified temperament. In other words, we must start by working with the instantaneous events that take place in our minds. As we say, if we take care of the minutes, the hours will take care of themselves.

To be able to act on the emotions first of all we do need to recognise these emotions and secondly should make ourselves able to distance from them to examine them properly. Mostly we are inner-bound with our own actions and reactions, guided by our way of thinking and our traditions. How we are brought up as a child is going to be the basic foundation for our analysing and feeling.

So one of the key points has to do with the way the chaining of thoughts occurs, the way one thought leads to another.

That what happened in the past, the things we encountered in previous days and years, the things we heard from our parents and beloved ones, will give us ideas of what had happened, what decisions where taken, what the consequences where.

Ricard says:

‘You can look at your experience like a fire that burns. If you are aware of anger you are not angry you are aware. Being aware of anxiety is not being anxious it is being aware.’ By being aware of these emotions you are no longer adding fuel to their fire and they will burn down.

Would it therefore not be bad to look in the past with other eyes? When we have found the Word of God and got into the readings of the Bible, would this not give an other insight? When we then would look back we should have, with our ‘other eyes’ an other viewpoint. It would not be so much a ‘staring back’ but better a ‘‘reviewing back’ and a ‘retraining back’ .

When we instead of staring are overlooking everything ‘from outside’, with a neuter attitude, we will be able to take distance in person from the facts and the emotions. Sometimes it is better to put away the emotions to come to a better view and better understanding. Our personal feelings often blind us. By taking personal distance we would be able to let its apparent solidity melt away and let personal bounded thought vanish without giving birth to a chain of other personal thoughts.

The point is not to try to block the arising of thoughts – this is not possible anyway – but not to let them invade our mind. We need to do this again and again because we are not used to dealing with thoughts in that way. We are like a sheet of paper that has been rolled for a long time. If we try to flatten it down on the table, it will roll again the moment we lift our hands. This is where the training takes place.

says Matthieu Ricard who thinks we do need to practice Buddhism, but overlooks that in Christianity we should have the same reflection as our Master Teacher Jeshua (Jesus Christ) who looked to this world from the viewpoint of his Father, the Creator God. We also should always wonder “What Would Jesus Do” (WWJD) and “How Would Jesus React” (HWJR). How would Jesus meet with others, talk to sinners, help those in need?

What Ricard says abnout Buddhism is also true for us, who call ourselves Christian:

“We are talking about how to help society. If we aspire to contribute something to our society – to achieve a new vision of things – we need to begin with ourselves. We need to decide to transform ourselves, and that can come only through training, not through fleeting ideas.

To fulfil our life goal we do have the infallible Word of God, which can give us insight and guidance for future days. To benefit from it we only should have to open our eyes and put away our previous predisposed ideas of our own self in this world. All bias we should abandon and liberate our mind by letting the Word of God shape us in all integrity. Merging the ideas of several minds, looking into the Word of God and than using our own emotional Intelligence we can let the Holy Spirit work in us by allowing time for Him to be in us, bringing contemplative practices into our own world, the workplace and therefore into the world. To be able to become transformed by the Bible, we should be willing to take time to concentrate on the Word of God and to let it come into us personally.

Psalm 119:105 “Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Photo credit: UnlockingTheBible)

Please read:

Wisdom from Matthieu Ricard > original Wisdom from Matthieu Ricard
and: “Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama“, Daniel Goleman
A living change
Time for global change
Only I can change my life
We all are changed into the same image from glory to glory
Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships

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Emotions Q-sort (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

what is the happiest person in the world saying? (hunt4truth.wordpress.com)
A friend wants to know if I’m still Christian. Yes, I am. Everything that I’m referring to from science and new age and Buddhist teachers is complimentary with Jesus’s teachings. I posted a couple of the most important Christian practices–in my opinion, 1 John (NIV) and the Our Father prayer are essential in Christian belief.
change from within (hunt4truth.wordpress.com)
Happiness and joy may stimulate compassion and compassion may stimulate happiness and joy. This is ideal. This may then be noticed to be increasing positive energy, empathy, pro-social behavior, and the change within may serve as the kernel of an evolving moral-ethical framework.
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Starting off into a new day, there is something to learn and something to share — what that is comes to me at the end of my morning meditation — I don’t really even think about it until time comes after I remind myself, “This is my wonderful journey of self discovery. Love envelopes me and the gentle waves of peaceful waters and the light shine from my mind into the world around me.”
How to Argue for the Existence of God (omigassplus.wordpress.com)
Anyone who feels God, can see and feel God inside them. They live inside God. God lives inside them. They see God as an energy that penetrates them and fills them up inside. They feel God as an energy around them and within them. They feel God touch them in their special places. They realize that God is a higher faith, a greater presence. They crave Him. They want to feel his love fill them up inside. Without God, they feel empty, unloved, lonely. Only with God inside them can they feel whole again.

Some one or something to fear #4 Families and Competition

Posted on 2011/10/13 by Christadelphians

Previously: Some one or something to fear #3 Cases, folks and outing

Fear to use a name of a ghost, person or group

8. Broken families

It is a pity we had to come to the conclusion that some families got broken up, but we must agree that Jesus also warns us for this fact that how closer we shall come to the End Times how more families shall be broken up by the choices the members of those families want to take. It is because certain people want to prefer to hold fast onto the world, while those who want to give hands to God, grow away from the popular things of the world. Though they do not have to alienate from it.

The Trinity idea was over presented in art. – Andrei Rublev’s Trinity, representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Good Christians also can enjoy a lot of good things of the world. We do not have to become strangers or hermits or anchorites. Instead of silent loners we better become whistle-blowers. By ringing the bell and calling the people to look for themselves we should try to open their eyes. And those sayings are probably to hurt some people. At first certain people are going to be hurt but it is up to the loving Christian to bring in the softening cream to heal the wounds made by the necessary changes. People may withdraw from situations where unpleasant effects of anxiety have been experienced in the past [1] and lots of sayings are spread into the world. Some real but also a lot cooked up. Concocted stories are send in the world to discredit those and other non-Trinitarian thinkers. Wrongful accusations are triggered to many believers who do not want to accept the Trinity. Unreasonable things are being said about them and erroneously they are all set in one box. It seems very difficult for people not to generalize. And that is what they mostly do about people who not think and handle as themselves.

9. Competition

The unjust ‘competition’ brings in a violating action. Undeserved reproaches are made to the non-Trinitarian communities and the adversaries use the biggest and most well known group to hit the others as well. This makes the fear of failure to grow by those smaller communities. Believers fear that they shall not be favourable for a good performance by the common world. The danger occurs that they lose sight of the most important things to hold on and lose sight of the main Person Who can give them the necessary things to succeed in this life on earth. They often forget Who it is who can make them better and more productive members of the society.

It would not be honourable to Him who provide to hide Him and to be afraid to mention His Name.

[1] Barker, P. (2003) Psychiatricand Mental Health Nursing: The Craft of Care. Edward Arnold, London.

Additional reading:

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Matthew 10:16-42: Jesus warns about Persecution (iamnotashamedofthegospelofchrist.com)
Jesus claimed [to] his disciples: he was the one sending them. He acknowledged openly that he was sending them into a dangerous world. They would be defenseless as sheep among a pack of wolves. He advised them to be as wise as serpents; cautious as not to fall into traps and avoid trouble. They were to be harmless as doves: bringing no harm to anyone and wishing no harm upon anyone, that they remain blameless.

Jesus prophesied of their suffering. He told them to be cautious of men– who can be evil and deceptive for the purpose of delivering them over to authorities. Disciples would face persecution from both the religious and political realms. They would beaten in synagogues and dragged before kings and governors. Their firm faith and testimony would serve as a witness– specifically, Jesus said, to the Gentiles.
Jesus Comforts His Disciples (bengarry.wordpress.com)
Jesus is comforting his eleven (twelve minus Judas Iscariot) disciples who are there with him in that time and place, because he does not want them to despair after he has died (though not many of them seem to actually take this comfort to heart), but on another level, Jesus is comforting all his disciples, throughout time. That includes you and me.
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If we say we believe in Jesus, then why should we doubt anything that he says? Why would he say it, if it wasn’t true? Remember, I think that there are two ways to read this passage: circumstantial (i.e. in the time and place of speaking) and universal (applicable to all believers, regardless of time or place). I think that the universal meaning of this sentence is that Jesus died so that we may be able to come to the ‘Father’s house’. Without Jesus, there would be no place prepared for us.
Facing a fear that is real (real monsters under the bed) (jltate89.wordpress.com)
Every day I hear of more wars or possible wars breaking out; I hear our country’s leaders willing to go against the rest of the world to go defend a country that would rather see us all die painful deaths! And I’m afraid! My fear isn’t so much about the war part as it is about the spiritual well-being of my family, friends – even people I don’t know. The Bible tells us that in the end times there will be “wars and rumors of wars” and that “as in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the end times”.
This is scary to confess (perspectivecollector.wordpress.com)
Whenever anyone of the opposite shows the slightest interest in me, I run. I freak out. I don’t know how to behave, and it’s all awkward, so I run. Often the person and I will be getting along great, and then as soon as they show any signs of interest, I’m gone. I feel bad about it because the poor person is probably left so confused and rejected. That was never my intention; I was just scared.

I’m scared of intimacy. I’m scared of having another person really know me. Because I fear they will reject me. I worry that I’m unlovable. And don’t want to have it proved by a person who is supposed to love me, reject me.

Fundamentally, I’m afraid of getting hurt.
Fear or Faith??? (forsuchatimetowrite.com)
Fear is an emotion or feeling that danger is close. An emotion that is similar to feeling happy, or sad, or excited, or disappointed. God is the creator of our emotions…He knew long before we ever “felt” a certain way that we would. If I see a snake in front of me, there is no doubt, I will feel Fear. I would probably scream, jump, run, and maybe ever overreact just a bit. This is a natural reaction. God’s word does not say, Do Not Feel Fear… He tells us not to be afraid. Do not live a lifestyle of fear. Let me say that again… Just to make sure that I hear it…. Do not live a lifestyle of fear!!!
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It is impossible to trust God and have faith in Him and yet life a life that is paralyzed by Fear.
Hope in the Midst of Afflictions (krizsummer.wordpress.com)
I hated myself and even hated God for a little while, but He is really Someone that I can never resist. After all that happened, He is the only One who remained constant,. Meditating on His Word day and night reminded me that He has bigger plans for me. Although I still have the chance to be back in Med School last June, I decided to take a break for a year. I thank the Lord for the lives of my parents who always support me in my decisions and told me to spend a few months visiting some new places.
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When Your Actions Don’t Match with What You Have Underestood
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Treasuring God’s Word
How To Set Rules for Your Life Without Becoming a Party Pooper (calltoprayerministriesblog.org)
We really don’t need any more Christians out there telling everyone what they can and can’t do – we’ve got plenty of those. What the Kingdom of God needs are people who have chosen to live Gospel centered lives, who understand the depth of their sin, how far Jesus came to save them, how much it cost Him, and how loved they are – and who want to pass that love and grace on to others.

Non-believers don’t need scared, religious folks shouting at them from a distance, afraid to come near them. They need people who understand the grace of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how He came into the world, broke down the barriers of sin and shame, exchanged His life for ours, died the death we should have lived. He dived into the mess and brought out all who would believe in Him.
Guard Your Heart (esthertagitupou.wordpress.com)
By drawing my own lines and telling God how my potential relationships ought to look, I foolishly denied God the prerogative which belongs to Him only but if we are simply seeking God, then we entrust Him with our fragile hearts.
4 Tips for Replacing Anxiety with Hope (ctkblog.com)
From angelic messengers calming witnesses to Jesus’ admonitions against anxiety, Scripture encourages us not to fear.

The Christian message to the world is one of invitation and reconciliation and not dread and unease, but sometimes our message inspires more fear than faith.
The Trinity: A Fundamental of the Faith or a Fable? (idfables4unity.wordpress.com)
As a child I was always taught and believed in the doctrine of the “Trinity”, i.e. that there is one God who has revealed Himself as “three persons” and that these three are “members” of the Godhead. However this teaching, which was developed by men and formulated in various creeds long after the Bible was completed, is foreign to scripture! The doctrine of the “Trinity”, although considered by most Christians to be a fundamental of orthodoxy, is never stated in the Bible but is rather contradicted by the inspired writings! It is for such reasons that I have had to reject it to embrace scripturally stated doctrine concerning the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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Stepping Toes

Things said on this site possibly can upset someone

Tag Archives: Change

American Christianity no longer resembles its Founder

Additional articles

Further reading

Not holding back and getting out of darkness

Find also to read:

Running away from the past

Find to read:

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The Immeasurable Grace bestowed on humanity

Please do find to read:

Additional reading:

Where is the edge

The rim of the unknown

To live in certainty

To follow people or to choose a path

Using own personality

Squeezed between beliefs and the sceptic world

A book about living on the edge

Taking a poor view

Respectful thoughts

Seeing the beauty in the depths of unknown

Standing on the edge of life, Showing happiness

Not postponing the action

Additional reading:

Preparedness to change

Please read:

Some one or something to fear #4 Families and Competition

Previously: Some one or something to fear #3 Cases, folks and outing

Fear to use a name of a ghost, person or group

8. Broken families

9. Competition

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The rim of the unknown

To live in certainty

To follow people or to choose a path

Using own personality

Squeezed between beliefs and the sceptic world

A book about living on the edge

Taking a poor view

Respectful thoughts

Seeing the beauty in the depths of unknown

Standing on the edge of life, Showing happiness

Not postponing the action

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Fear to use a name of a ghost, person or group

8. Broken families

9. Competition

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