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Dan J

About Francesca | Francesca Battistelli - 0 views

www.francescamusic.com/...about-francesca

Christian Music Jesus Christianity Christ god Bible

shared by Dan J on 18 Jan 10 - Cached
  • Dan J on 18 Jan 10
     
    ""We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."-E.M. Forester So, what do you want to be when you grow up? It's a question that takes many people years and years of trial and error and self-discovery to figure out. But for singer/songwriter Francesca Battistelli, her mind was made up when she was only six years old. After seeing "The Secret Garden" on Broadway with her parents, the decision was ultimately a no-brainer. "There was just something about live theater-especially musical theater-that has always resonated with me," Francesca says. "So I thought that was it. I was going to be Mary Lennox in 'The Secret Garden'." Of course for anyone who knew her family, Francesca's passion for life on the stage wasn't all that surprising, given her mom and dad's extensive theater background. In fact, they met when her dad was the assistant conductor for the national tour of "The King and I," while her mom played Anna, the show's female lead opposite Yul Brynner. "
chakiry95

I thought all women were the same - relaationship - 0 views

relaationship.com/hought-all-women-were-the-same

shared by chakiry95 on 20 Apr 18 - No Cached
  • chakiry95 on 20 Apr 18
     
    I started talking to a woman who was a few years older than me on an online dating site and very quickly she called me. Since we had not spoken for a very long time, it surprised me, and what surprised me was that she opened up on her own story. It was something that happened in early 2012, and it soon became clear that it was someone who had a difficult childhood. At that time, she said that she did not know why she was telling me all that.
Ebey Soman

The Amazing Gettysburg Address - 0 views

www.socyberty.com/...zing-Gettysburg-Address.191675

Battle of Gettysburg American Presidents amazing speech oratorical abraham lincoln civil war us american history historical popular hated north south union confederate slave trade rights emancipation proclamation

shared by Ebey Soman on 25 Jan 09 - Cached
  • Ebey Soman on 25 Jan 09
     
    He was one of the most hated Presidents of all time - gaining only 39% popular vote during elections and starting a costly war. The American people hated him and he was the ridicule of the foreign press and media agencies. He got death threats, assassination attempts and to make matters worse, his war was not faring any better. General after general was being replaced in his army and his staff had trust issues. Yet his two minute speech at Gettysburg and his unwavering confidence had made him the most loved and popular of all American Presidents Today. This is the real two minute speech he made on the day his fortunes changed - at the Battle of Gettysburg.
jessahfelton

Book - The Bible Was Not Written In English by David D. Murdoch - 0 views

www.thebiblewasnotwritteninenglish.com/book

Bible Christian Religion

shared by jessahfelton on 14 Apr 20 - No Cached
  • jessahfelton on 14 Apr 20
     
    "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwells among us."
C L

Miracles in Mozambique: How Mama Heidi Reaches the Abandoned | Christianity Today | A M... - 0 views

www.christianitytoday.com/...miracles-in-mozambique.html

succession

shared by C L on 19 May 12 - No Cached
  • "I was playing in front of the office," says Sergio Mondlhane, now in church leadership in Pemba. "She approached us, kneeled down, and asked our names. I remember that she smelled good. She gave us candy, and she said she would come to see us again." But the children were skeptical, because they had heard that before. Heidi did return, however. Jacinto Maria Rageje said, "She was the one who led us to Jesus. The biggest thing was, she cared for every single one. We couldn't believe it. We didn't need people to bring stuff. We needed someone to pay attention to us." Baker brought food when she could. She organized repairs for facilities. She befriended the staff and eventually moved into a renovated house on the base.
  • While his wife was sick, Rolland visited the Toronto Airport Vineyard Christian Fellowship (now known as Catch the Fire), where the controversial Toronto Blessing revival of the mid-1990s had broken out. It was marked by ecstatic manifestations of the Holy Spirit, most notably "holy laughter." Hearing his report, Heidi became convinced that she desperately needed to visit Toronto. Against medical advice, she signed herself out of the hospital and took the long flight to North America. While visiting her parents in Laguna Beach, she was rehospitalized. Again, she checked herself out. At the first meeting in Toronto, her lungs opened up. She spent much of the following days draped on the floor, praying and being prayed for. Never before, she says, had she experienced the love of Jesus in such a tangible way.
  • One night, she had a vision of Jesus in which she literally ate his flesh and drank his blood. He spoke to her about the children who so burdened her. "There will always be enough," he said. Heidi took it that they were not to pull back or limit their program. They were to care for every child they encountered and to count on Jesus to provide. As he had cared for her, he would for them.
Ebey Soman

Was the Bible Altered? 10 Pieces of Evidence You Must See - 0 views

www.socyberty.com/...f-Evidence-You-Must-See.189281

bible truth historical facts Archeological evidences islamic scholars islam muslim christian chrisitanity biblical events scrolls dead sea finds digs amazing

shared by Ebey Soman on 25 Jan 09 - Cached
  • Ebey Soman on 25 Jan 09
     
    Was the bible every altered? According to Islamic Scholars, it was altered. Now we are presented with Archeological evidences that may finally end this dispute. Check out the following 10 evidences that can clearly show the truth!
J. B.

Westminster Seminary California - 0 views

wscal.edu/...rding-to-harold-camping-part-1

Harold Camping Hermeneutics

shared by J. B. on 14 May 11 - Cached
  • Camping was a bright and studious man who had been educated as an engineer. In the 1950s he owned a very successful construction company which built churches as well as other significant buildings. This educational background is critical to understanding Camping. His education was not in the liberal arts or theology. He had not been prepared to read literature or ancient texts. He knew no Greek or Hebrew. He was not formally introduced to the study of theology. His reading of the Bible, as it evolved over the decades, reflected his training in engineering. He reads the Bible like a mathematical or scientific textbook.
  • After Camping began to work full-time with Family Radio, he spent much time studying the Bible. His knowledge of Bible verses is impressive indeed. But his study of the Bible was undertaken in isolation from other Christians and theologians. He adopted a proud individualism. He did not really learn from Bible scholars. He studied the Bible in isolation from the church and the consensus of the faithful. As a result his understanding of the Bible became more and more idiosyncratic. No one could help, direct, or restrain him. He was really an autodidact, that is, someone who teaches himself. He never really submitted his ideas to be challenged and improved by others. He was truly his only teacher. He has repeatedly said that he would be glad to change his views if he is shown that he is wrong from the Bible. But this humble statement covers a very arrogant attitude, because no one can ever show him that he is wrong. He alone really understands the Bible.
  • J. B. on 14 May 11
     
    Godfrey gives an analysis of Harold Camping.
chakiry95

10 Scriptures of Hope for the Single Mom | buzitnow - 0 views

www.buzitnow.com/10-scriptures-hope-single-mom

single mom love baby kids

shared by chakiry95 on 01 Mar 18 - No Cached
  • chakiry95 on 01 Mar 18
     
    When I was a mother raising children alone, I possessed one certain Bible. I wrote notes in the margins beside verses that pertained to my circumstances, asking God to apply that truth to my need. My Bible was my diary (much like the little pink one with a lock on it that I hid under my pillow when I was eight years old). Then when I married Rich 25 years ago, I purchased another Bible, one accompanied with fresh-smelling neon markers.
aproudchristian

Why Jesus was named "Jesus" - 0 views

www.aproudchristian.com/...why-jesus-was-named-jesus.html

Why Jesus was named "Jesus"

shared by aproudchristian on 26 Oct 21 - No Cached
  • aproudchristian on 26 Oct 21
     
    We can say that every Christian is today aware of the mission that brought Jesus into the world. https://www.aproudchristian.com/2020/05/why-jesus-was-named-jesus.html
C L

Living Loved - The Narrow Road - 0 views

www.lifestream.org/bodylife.php

in Christ guiding

shared by C L on 13 Dec 12 - No Cached
  • We are simply called to follow him, in the simplest of choices as best we recognize his invitations. As we do, his life will unfold in us with ever-increasing reality.
  • You only have to have a heart that wants to follow him and he will teach you how he speaks to you and invites you into life.
  • Listening to him is not living by feelings, but by recognizing those impulses he brings to your mind and following them. Initially they will encourage you to rest in his love and to be more gracious to people near you. In time, he will show you more of his wisdom to guide your life.
  • ...22 more annotations...
  • You will only learn by practice. Yes, you will do some things you thought God was leading you to do, only to find out by the fruit of it that it was more your thought than his. That's part of the process. How else will you learn? But you'll also get some things right and the joy of that will help tune our heart to his. In the process, you'll be drawn closer to him and come to recognize your more selfish aspirations, and the misplaced trust you have in your own wisdom or abilities.
  • You can usually tell if someone's listening to Jesus by how open and relaxed they are. If they are closed and defensive when someone questions them, be careful.
  • One thing I know about people who listen to God, they don't act destructively and they aren't arrogant about what they think they hear. Learning to listen to God is a humbling process. You're never one hundred percent sure of what he's asking. You just have an impulse in your heart you can't explain. It grows over time, but he is never forceful or manipulative, and that is also true of people learning to listen to him. They can be firm, but not defensive and are always willing to sacrifice for others, instead of asking others to sacrifice for them.
  • God does love you, but that love only transforms you to the degree that you can trust his love enough to follow him on to the narrow road. His love doesn't mean that everything will work out the way we want, nor that we won't be the victims of other people's hurtful and destructive choices.
  • But he wants to be with us in those moments to help us navigate our experience in a broken world and be transformed through it. He invites us to participate with him, which is why love and obedience go hand in hand in the Scriptures. As you grow to trust his love you will want to obey him, and it's in following him that you get to live in the fruit of his love.
  • Jesus repeatedly made clear that our actions matter. Scripture often invokes the reality of sowing and reaping to express this truth. How we live either leads us more into his life, or draws us away from it, whether we'll contribute to his redemption in the world, or be part of its destruction. That's what Jesus meant when he affirmed those who followed, Well done! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness! (Matt. 25: 21)
  • If we follow a bit, the road will get clearer. If we follow our own way instead, we'll lose sight of him.
  • That doesn't mean you have to be perfect for God to work in you, or that you can't reverse the trend any day you want to. He is always ready to lead you one simple step at a time and never asks for what you cannot give. Following in small things today will open more doors tomorrow. If we're indulgent and dishonest in little things, we will be indulgent and dishonest in larger things. If we can learn to follow him in simple ways of loving others and being true to our word even when it hurts, his work in us will grow in ways we'd never conceive.
  • This is not about earning his life by our obedience, but participating with him as he transforms us. Everything I get to experience of God today began with simple choices years ago. They set off a chain of unforeseen consequences that opened doors to where I live now. The simple nudge to go to public schools with our children and volunteer to help began a series of opportunities that eventually led to twenty years of consulting public schools on religious liberty conflicts. Listening to Jesus say, "I have more to teach you if you walk away," when my former co-pastor wanted to force me out of the fellowship we helped build together, opened a trailhead into personal transformation I adore and opportunities for growing and sharing I would not have found without him.
  • At the outset, all these choices looked more difficult than other options I had in mind. I'm glad he won me into following him and the choice to do so now is far easier. I don't even trust my own desires anymore because following him, even though painful at times, has always yielded better fruit.
  • Learning to merge off of the broad way and onto the narrow road is a process that he wants to work in you, not a requirement he's made for you. It's simply a matter of learning to lean into him a bit more each day and leaning away from what draws you down the broader road. You can't do this alone. And this does not mean you have to carefully listen to Jesus at every moment and try to figure out what he wants so you won't miss out. Doing that will leave you frustrated and exhausted. We find his way much more simply than that. In fact, the anxiety of having to hear him will make it more difficult to do so. Instead go through your day with a growing awareness that he is with you. Whenever you have it, follow that inner sense that seems to encourage you one direction or checks you from going another. When you come up against choices of significance, ask him what he has in mind. Let him show you in his time. You don't have to hear something every day or in every circumstance. Relax in him as he connects your heart with his.
  • Learning to live out of your spirit, rather than your intellect or emotions alone, will take some time. Ask him to show you the next step ahead and relax in a growing trust that he will. The Spirit makes his direction clear in a variety of ways--it might be that stray thought in your mind, affirmed by something that you read or hear, perhaps even a lyric of a song in the background that resonates with your heart. Don't look for a "voice" per se, but a growing awareness of his thoughts in your mind. Of course, familiarity with his words in Scripture and conversations with others on a similar journey will also bring clarity to what he's showing you.
  • As I go about my life, I become aware of options that are better than my own, especially in helping someone near me, or drawing me into a quieter space with him. At first, I don't always like where these nudges would lead me, which is why Jesus saw this journey as a narrower road and why most people miss it. Our flesh so easily dismisses what it doesn't want to consider. And, no, you don't have to always get it right. No one does.
  • As you make a few choices down the narrow road, you will find yourself becoming more relaxed and able to live in the moment instead of trying to manipulate your circumstances. The questions you'll find yourself asking might be these: What does he want to show me about himself today? What might love lead me to do in this situation? How does loving others, even at the expense of my self-interest perpetuate the kingdom? How does my forgiveness or service to someone else today, make the world a better place?
  • But even when you miss him and find yourself on a path of your own making, he is there, too, still nudging you toward a better road. Don't be hard on yourself, just keep coming back to him over and over. You are loved, even in your brokenness. Today is the day God cares about. As they say, the best time to plant an oak tree was twenty years ago, but the second best time to plant it is today.
  • As you learn to live more on the narrow road, you'll have a better idea just how destructive the broad way was, to yourself and others. Rather than be embarrassed by it, embrace that new reality. One of the most redemptive things we do on the narrow road is to go back to people we've wronged, seek their forgiveness and offer restitution where we can. Such moments bring great healing and clarity to all involved. Yes, it may not be easy, but that's exactly the point of the narrow road--most fruitful things aren't fun at the outset, but yield great joy later on.
  • Perhaps the most effective form of discipleship is not teaching a curriculum, but simply being alongside others when they are at a fork in the road and being a cheerleader for the road less traveled. We don't have to manipulate or pressure them, but simply through a question or observation give them an opportunity to make a choice that matters. And if they make it, lend them our support and encouragement. That's how people find their way onto a journey that will be full of his life.
  • The only reason why his way may seem difficult is because we're so busy following the crowd that we miss his invitation to a narrower road. But once we learn to believe him, it becomes far easier than most think possible. And though you'll find yourself on a road most others can't understand, it will change the way you think, live, and how you treat others. You'll find yourself on a transformative journey that you will never regret.
  • The reason this journey seems so difficult is because it is far easier than we dare to believe! I know it isn't easy for people to find their way into a loving relationship with the Father. Everything we've learned and believed before runs counter to the dynamics of recognizing and resting in his love. However, it isn't difficult because God makes it complicated, or because it takes a certain skill set or sensitivity, but because we look in the wrong places for how his life takes root in us. But Jesus knows that too, and is still up to the challenge of engaging us in a fruitful relationship with his Father.
  • Only the religious would twist them either to take pride in thinking they practice the right doctrine or ritual, and delight in the fact that those who don't will get what they deserve. Jesus didn't want to provoke exclusivity or fear with his words, but rather to equip hungry hearts to know how to know him. Following the broad way of self-interest will devour us, but there is a narrower path that will lead us to life.
  • At first, everything in us wants to resist his nudge. No, it can't be that way. I could get hurt. I could make a mistake. What if it goes wrong? But if he's the one inviting us, we are safer doing what he asks than anything we do to save ourselves. We are not asked to indulge our preferences or live in resistance to them. We are simply called to follow him, in the simplest of choices as best we recognize his invitations. As we do, his life will unfold in us with ever-increasing reality.
  • Making space for him and his thoughts and following them is the only way off the broader road. We find the narrow road when we find rest in his love for us and then recognize his leading as he offers us a different way to see what's going on around us. We often don't even see a new trailhead until he nudges us towards it.
C L

How do you balance it all? Balancing family, ministry and work | Tentmaking Ideas - 0 views

tentmakingideas.com/how-do-you-balance-it-all

mission work business workl-life-balance

shared by C L on 28 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • setting goals & priorities. Every so often, I sit down and plan out my goals for the next few months. I try to seek the Lord for what He wants me to do and I write those things down. Once I have chosen the most important goals, I begin to break those goals down into bite size tasks. I schedule each task on my calendar and start with those tasks each day. I try not to open email until I have completed my most important tasks for the day.
  • “Just say NO” and “Just DO it”
  • Adjust your schedule As I mentioned above, spending time with family is very important, however, we also must be careful not to miss out on key visiting times with locals.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Plan in your non-negotiables A young parent asked me the other day how I made time for my family in the midst of my business schedule. I said, “I know I need to get better at this, but I schedule it into my week. Each week my wife and I have a date night! I try to plan in my “play time” with my kids.” I have realized that we spend time doing what is important to us. If we really love our family, we need to choose to spend quality time with them. Now, I am not talking about taking time out of your normal work week, but instead planning in time afterwork or in the evenings to be with the family. I know one guy who when people asked if he was free any time between 5 pm – 7pm, he answered that he was doing discipleship and was unavailable. He was spending that time training his kids in the ways the should go. If you want to learn language, you will need to plan in your language learning times. If you think that they will just happen, I guarantee that something else will pop up and take their place.
  • Back to the basics – laying a solid foundation! Over the past years of doing ministry in creative access countries, I have found that the real key to a balanced life is abiding in Jesus. If we can spend time quality time with Jesus each and every day, we begin to hear his voice and listen to his heart. Without knowing what HE wants us to do each day, we end up chasing our manmade strategies and plans. Start taking time each and ever day (lavished time) to just listen and learn from Jesus.
Dan J

Obama's Secret Vault - HUMAN EVENTS - 0 views

www.humanevents.com/article.php

obama Military defense Interpol Secret Vault

shared by Dan J on 18 Jan 10 - Cached
  • Dan J on 18 Jan 10
     
    "On Glenn Beck's Jan. 7 show, he was rightly puzzled regarding the exact purpose of President Barack Obama's Dec. 16 signing of an executive order "DESIGNATING INTERPOL AS A PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ENTITLED TO ENJOY CERTAIN PRIVILEGES, EXEMPTIONS, AND IMMUNITIES." Beck spoke for a host of other government watchdogs when he said on the air: "We've been asking ever since it was signed: Why? Who can tell me what special interest group asked for this? If it were about terror, why not tell us that when he signed it? This Congress attacks our CIA and FBI, but Interpol gets immunity? Why? It makes no sense." Glenn, I agree. But I think I recently have seen behind the veil on the White House's covert mission and mystery with Interpol. The rest of Obama's executive order reads: "By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (22 U.S.C. 288), and in order to extend the appropriate privileges, exemptions, and immunities to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 12425 of June 16, 1983, as amended, is further amended by deleting from the first sentence the words 'except those provided by Section 2(c), Section 3, Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of that Act' and the semicolon that immediately precedes them.""
IN Too

The Night Before Christ-mas Redux Remix Reviz « Reflections in the WORD - 0 views

reflectionsintheword.org/...e-christ-mas-redux-remix-reviz

'Twas-the-Night-before-Christmas Angels Celebration Christ Christ-Child Jesus Christmas-Day Emmanuel Immanuel Nativity Shepherds night salvation Inspiration Love Mercy grace christianity Blog readthis

shared by IN Too on 24 Dec 10 - No Cached
  • IN Too on 24 Dec 10
     
    And there in a cave, in a cradle of hay,Our Savior was born on that first Christmas Day!The Father was watching in heaven above,He sent for His angels, His couriers of love.
IN Too

SAVED, SANCTIFIED and SINGLE: When God's Plan Excludes Marriage « Reflections... - 0 views

reflectionsintheword.org/...%80%99s-plan-excludes-marriage

Bachelor Bachelorhood Dating God's-Plan God's-Will Marriage Married-Life Obedience Single Single-hood Singles Spinster Spinsterhood Unmarried Unwed Christianity Blog Religion Inspiration Bible-Study Commentary Bible-Teaching

shared by IN Too on 31 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • IN Too on 31 Jan 11
     
    I was never going to get married. No amount of wanting it on my end would make it happen, no amount of trying could undo this truth. I was simply not ever going to get married.
J. B.

God Is Still Holy and What You Learned in Sunday School Is Still True: A Review of "Lov... - 0 views

thegospelcoalition.org/...rob-bell-love-wins-review

Hell Universalism Rob Bell Love Wins

shared by J. B. on 14 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Bell asks a lot of questions (350 by one count), we should not write off the provocative theology as mere question-raising. Bell did not write an entire book because he was looking for some good resources on heaven and hell.
  • As Bell himself writes, “But this isn’t a book of questions. It’s a book of responses to these questions” (19).
  • Bad theology usually sneaks in under the guise of familiar language.
  • ...24 more annotations...
  • Judgmentalism is not the same as making judgments. The same Jesus who said “do not judge” in Matthew 7:1 calls his opponents dogs and pigs in Matthew 7:6. Paul pronounces an anathema on those who preach a false gospel (Gal. 1:8). Disagreement among professing Christians is not a plague on the church. In fact, it is sometimes necessary.
  • This is a book for people like Bell, people who grew up in an evangelical environment and don’t want to leave it completely, but want to change it, grow up out of it, and transcend it. The emerging church is not an evangelistic strategy. It is the last rung for evangelicals falling off the ladder into liberalism or unbelief. Over and over, Bell refers to the “staggering number” of people just like him, people who can’t believe the message they used to believe, people who want nothing to do with traditional Christianity, people who don’t want to leave the faith but can’t live in the faith they once embraced.
  • Others—and they are in the worse position—will opt for liberalism, which has always seen itself as a halfway house between conservative orthodoxy and secular disbelief.
  • This is misguided, toxic, and ultimately subverts
    • J. B.
      J. B. on 14 Mar 11
       
      Clearly Bell thinks this must be a very important issue. If Bell is right, then the vast majority of Christians throughout Christian history have been teaching a misguided, toxic, and subverting gospel.... in effect, it looks like we are teaching a different gospel altogether.
  • It’s a cheap view of the world because it’s a cheap view of God. It’s a shriveled imagination
  • This bold claim flies in the face of Richard Bauckham’s historical survey: Until the nineteenth century almost all Christian theologians taught the reality of eternal torment in hell. Here and there, outside the theological mainstream, were some who believed that the wicked would be finally annihilated. . . . Even fewer were the advocates of universal salvation, though these few included some major theologians of the early church. Eternal punishment was firmly asserted in official creeds and confessions of the churches. It must have seemed as indispensable a part of the universal Christian belief as the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation. (“Universalism: A Historical Survey,” Themelios 4.2 [September 1978]: 47–54)
  • Universalism has been around a long time. But so has every other heresy. Arius rejected the full deity of Christ and many people followed him. This hardly makes Arianism part of the wide, diverse stream of Christian orthodoxy. Every point of Christian doctrine has been contested, but some have been deemed heterodox. Universalism, traditionally, was considered one of those points. True, many recent liberal theologians have argued for versions of universalism—and this is where Bell stands, not in the center of the historic Christian tradition.
  • Universalism (though in a different form than Bell’s and for different reasons) has been present in the church since Origen, but it was never in the center of the tradition.
  • some of these are promises to God’s people, some are general promises about the nations coming to God, and others are about the universal acknowledgement (not to be equated with saving faith) on the last day that Jesus Christ is Lord. Not one of his texts supports his conclusion.
  • Even a cursory glance at John 14 shows that the through in verse 16 refers to faith. The chapter begins by saying, “Believe in God; believe also in me.” Verse seven talks about knowing the Father. Verse nine and ten explain that we see and know the Father by believing that Jesus is in the Father and the Father in him. Verses 11 and 12 touch on belief yet again. Coming to the Father through Christ means through faith in Christ. This is in keeping with the overall purpose of John’s gospel (John 20:31).
  • Bell cites Jesus’ words in John 3:17 that he “did not come to judge the world but to save it” (160). This Jesus, Bell says, is a “vast, expansive, generous mystery” leading us to conclude hopefully that “Heaven is, after all, full of surprises.” Bell’s lean into universalism here would be significantly muted had he gone on to Jesus’ words in verse 18: “Whoever believes in him [i.e., the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Likewise, according to John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
  • The Greek word for “unite” is a long one: anakephalaiōsasthai. It means to sum up, to bring together to a main point, to gather together. It is like an author finishing the last chapter of his book or a conductor bringing the symphony from cacophony to harmony. It’s a glorious promise, already begun in some ways by the word of Christ.
  • The uniting of all things does not entail the salvation of all people. It means that everything in the universe, heaven and earth, the spiritual world and the physical world, will finally submit to the lordship of Christ, some in joyful worship of their beloved Savior and others in just punishment for their wretched treason. In the end, God wins.
  • If you don’t accept God’s story about the world and resist his love, heaven will be hell for you, a hell you create for yourself. We are supposed to see this in Luke 15 where both brothers are invited to the same feast but one can’t enjoy it. Heaven and hell at the same party (176).
  • The result is a simplistic formula: “God wants all people to be saved. God gets what he wants. Therefore, all people will eventually be saved.” This is a case of poor theologizing beholden to mistaken logic. If it is “the will of God” that Christians “abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3), does that mean God’s greatness is diminished by our impurity?
  • If he’s right, most of church history has been wrong. If he’s wrong, a staggering number of people are hearing “peace, peace” where there is no peace.
  • Bell figures God won’t say “sorry, too late” to those in hell who are humble and broken for their sins. But where does the Bible teach the damned are truly humble or penitent? For that matter, where does the Bible talk about growing and maturing in the afterlife or getting a second chance after death? Why does the Bible make such a big deal about repenting “today” (Heb. 3:13), about being found blameless on the day of Christ (2 Pet. 3:14), about not neglecting such a great salvation (Heb. 2:3) if we have all sorts of time to figure things out in the next life? Why warn about not inheriting the kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9–10), about what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31), or about the vengeance of our coming King (2 Thess. 1:5–12) if hell is just what we make of heaven? Bell does nothing to answer these questions, or even ask them in the first place.
  • Some Jesuses should be rejected, Bell says, like the ones that are “anti-science” and “anti-gay” and use bullhorns on the street (8). But wherever we find “grace, peace, love, acceptance, healing, forgiveness” we’ve found the creative life source that we call Jesus (156, 159).
  • At the very heart of this controversy, and one of the reasons the blogosphere exploded over this book, is that we really do have two different Gods. The stakes are that high. If Bell is right, then historic orthodoxy is toxic and terrible. But if the traditional view of heaven and hell are right, Bell is blaspheming. I do not use the word lightly, just like Bell probably chose “toxic” quite deliberately. Both sides cannot be right. As much as some voices in evangelicalism will suggest that we should all get along and learn from each other and listen for the Spirit speaking in our midst, the fact is we have two irreconcilable views of God.
  • Bell’s god may be all love, but it is a love rooted in our modern Western sensibilities more than careful biblical reflection. It is a love that threatens to swallow up God’s glory and holiness. But, you may reply, the Bible says God is love (1 John 4:16). True, but if you want to weigh divine attributes by sentence construction, you have to mention God is spirit (John 4:24), God is light (1 John 1:5), and God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). The verb “is” does not establish a priority of attributes. If anything, one might mention that the only thrice-repeated attribute is “holy, holy, holy.” And yet this is the one thing Bell’s god is not.
  • What’s missing is not only a full-orbed view of sins, but a deeper understanding of sin itself. In Bell’s telling of the story, there is no sense of the vertical dimension of our evil. Yes, Bell admits several times that we can resist or reject God’s love. But there’s never any discussion of the way we’ve offended God, no suggestion that ultimately all our failings are a failure to worship God as we should. God is not simply disappointed with our choices or angry for the way we judge others. He is angry at the way we judge him. He cannot stand to look upon our uncleanness. His nostrils flare at iniquity. He hates our ingratitude, our impurity, our God-complexes, our self-centeredness, our disobedience, our despising of his holy law. Only when we see God’s eye-covering holiness will we grasp the magnitude of our traitorous rebellion, and only then will we marvel at the incomprehensible love that purchased our deliverance on the cross.
  • The pain of hell is our fault. But it’s also God’s doing. Hell is not what we make for ourselves or gladly choose. It’s what a holy God justly gives to those who exchange the truth of God for a lie. The bowls of wrath in Revelation are poured out by God; they are not swum in by sinners. The ten plagues were sent by God, they were not the product of some Egyptian spell gone wrong. God’s wrath burns against the impenitent and unbelieving; they do not walk into the fire by themselves. Bell’s god is wholly passive toward sin. He hates some of it and says no to it in the next life, but he does not actively judge it. There’s no way to make sense of Nadab and Abihu or Perrez-Uzzah or Gehazi or Achan’s or Korah’s rebellion or the flood or the exodus or the Babylonian captivity or the preaching of John the Baptist or the visions of Revelation or the admonitions of Paul or the warnings of Hebrews or Calvary’s cross apart from a God who hates sin, judges sin, and pour out his wrath—sometimes now, always later—on the accursed things and peoples of this world.
  • Love Wins assures people that everyone’s eternity ends up as heaven eventually. The second chances are good not just for this life, but for the next. And what if they aren’t? What if Jesus says on the day of judgment, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23)? What if at the end of the age the wicked and unbelieving cry out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16)? What if outside the walls of the New Jerusalem “are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev. 22:15)? What if there really is only one name “under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)? And what if the wrath of God really remains on those who do not believe in the Son (John 3:18, 36)?
  • Bad theology hurts real people.
  • J. B. on 14 Mar 11
     
    A thorough critical review of Rob Bell's book "Love Wins" by Kevin Deyoung. MUST READ.
Chiki Smith

This Book Offers Great Relationship Advice - 1 views

I broke up with my boyfriend of nine months because he cheated on me. All the while I was thinking it was all his fault, that he is just one of those cheating partners who are not contented with on...

relationships advice

started by Chiki Smith on 14 Sep 11 no follow-up yet
IN Too

The Forgiveness of a Father « Reflections in the WORD - 0 views

reflectionsintheword.org/...the-forgiveness-of-a-father

Christianity Broken-Fellowship Father Fellowship Judicial-Forgiveness Parental-Forgiveness Relationship Righteousness Salvation Sin Religion Blog Inspiration Bible-Study Bible-Teaching forgiveness

shared by IN Too on 30 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • IN Too on 30 Mar 11
     
    During that week before I had confessed to my dad that I had indeed lied to him, he did not throw me out of his house; he didn't disown me or write me out of his will! I was STILL his child, but our fellowship was broken.
chakiry95

The best Vacation Destination For Couples | buzitnow - 0 views

www.buzitnow.com/t-vacation-destination-couples

vacation bangkok thailand Travel

shared by chakiry95 on 05 Mar 18 - No Cached
  • chakiry95 on 05 Mar 18
     
    Just 30 years ago, Bangkok was a crowded, noisy, polluted city - little more than a hasty point of entry and departure for your Thailand adventures to the north or south. Now it counts as one of the most interesting and exciting capitals in Asia, a booming megalopolis with gleaming skyscrapers, hedonistic shopping malls, some of the most gracious and luxurious hotels in the world and a deep layer of history and culture to explore. The history and culture were always there but just tackling the urban craziness surrounding it was daunting. Well, no more. Believe it or not the City of Angels is less noisy,
jessahfelton

Born Upright - Marilyn Taplin - 0 views

www.alawfromeden.com/born-upright

Marilyn Taplin LGBTQ LGBT Society

shared by jessahfelton on 23 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • jessahfelton on 23 Feb 21
     
    From the beginning, today's Christianity has told all humans they are born sinners, born with a sin nature, or born fallen. I am not sure why they believe such. There is much scriptural evidence proving that to be false. I would venture to say it was because they could not or would not explain the difference between good and evil. To this day Christianity has not named the sin in Eden. Maybe they could not admit it was something they were guilty of.
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