Tag: Bible

The Possibility Thinkers Bible

beachsunset

https://possibilitythinkersbible.wordpress.com/

“Together, one mind, one life (one small step at a time), let’s see how many people (and lives) we can encourage, impact, empower, enrich, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials…and strive for and perhaps one sunny day even achieve their wildest dreams.”
Don’t worry about the world ending today…
as it’s already tomorrow in scenic and tranquil ‘little’ New Zealand
21
“A writer’s dreams“
Pictures (great) by my friend, Jenny, whose photographic talents I definitely do NOT possess!

What is the basic story of the Bible?

The Story of Man (His story)

(and Woman’s and Child’s)

“The Bible is a drama that tells the story of life – and life is made meaningful by relationships. Quite simply, the Bible is a book about relationships.

Ultimately the Bible tells the story of God pursuing a relationship with people. It is a story of God working to restore a broken relationship between Himself and humanity, the seperation of (between) God and man.

The Bible is the story of God and God’s creation-the story of how God has worked and is working with a humanity prone to rebellion to restore that humanity to a renewed relationship with God.”

for more see https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what+is+the+basic+story+of+the+bible&start=20

and https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=bible+plot+summary

For me the essential (key) message (and story) is the revelation of a loving God who reaches out to humans despite our repeated rejection of ” Ultimate Source, Ground of All Being”. 

A story, OUR story of hope (eternal)!

“Life is God’s novel; so let Ultimate Source write it, as it unfolds…”

– me (as inspired by the words of Isaac Bashevis Singer)

from http://www.craigsquotes.wordpress.com

and http://www.lifeisgodsnovel.wordpress.com

PPS

“My journey, our journey is the world’s journey… and the world’s journey is my, our journey”

YOU are the light of the world

–

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16 New King James Version

“Together, one mind, one life (one small step at a time), let’s see how many people (and lives) we can encourage, impact, empower, enrich, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials…and strive for and perhaps one sunny day even achieve their wildest dreams.”
Best wishes from the First City to see the light
PPS
Don’t worry about the world ending today…
as it’s already tomorrow in scenic and tranquil ‘little’ New Zealand

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known. I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light”: Isaiah 42:16

1the-light-of-the-universe (from vineandbranchworldministries.com)

Isaiah 42:16

Isaiah 42:16

English Standard Version (ESV)

16 “And I will lead the blind
    in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
    I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
    the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
    and I do not forsake them.”

Let’s not keep our kids in the dark about Bible: Dana Wensley

Let’s not keep our kids in the dark about Bible: Dana Wensley

From  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11201657

 

9:30 AM Friday Feb 14, 201471 comments

 

Knowing about Christianity is about a well-rounded education.

Parents at St Heliers School in Auckland can apparently breathe a sigh of relief. Their children will remain shielded during school hours from the controversial topic of religious education. After receiving complaints from a handful of parents, including a complaint to the Human Rights Commission (currently in mediation), the Board of Trustees has backed down; and will no longer deliver religious instruction during school hours.

A small victory for secular education in New Zealand?

Or a worrying sign that parental concerns over religion are standing in the way of kids getting a well-rounded education.

Let’s look at the facts. New Zealand is a secular society. Just over a half of New Zealanders’ identify with being Christian. There is a general decline in Christianity in New Zealand, but there is an overall increase in non-Christian religions. Mostly attributed to the fact that those born overseas bring their beliefs with them, contributing to a general increase in those identifying as Sikh, Hindu, or Muslim.

Given these statistics, why should we have religious education in schools – particularly Christian education? The Secular Education Network (which backed the parents’ complaints) suggests on its website that religious education is a form of “indoctrination”. They would prefer, it seems, to have children grow up in ignorance of Christianity – the religion that has profoundly shaped who we are as a nation – than have them exposed to a subject which has contributed more than any other to a diverse range of topics; such as the arts, politics, law, and literature.

Let’s look at the Bible. It is filled with metaphor, symbolism and conflict, making it one of the most complex reads. It crosses historical, theological, and literary genres. It is the basis of much great literature and art, from Milton and Shakespeare to Da Vinci.

In 2009, an exhibition in the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow caused a stir when an open Bible was placed in the gallery next to a container of pens with the words, “If you feel you have been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back in to it”. The point being that the Bible is one of the major texts by which we start to understand our place in the world and our relationship to others. We can either reject its relevance and influence as a spiritual doctrine, or accept it. But either way, it is hard to deny its relevance as a starting point in Western culture. Just as it would be hard to deny the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita, or the Koran in the East.

Andrew Motion (Poet Laureate for Britain from 1999-2009), and self-described atheist, argues that children need be taught about the Bible because it is an “essential piece of cultural luggage without which they will struggle to understand great literature“. Parents who don’t believe in God, have nothing to fear from their children learning about the Bible, and ignorance of the Bible, he argues, is a “serious handicap for those studying literature”.

So is this a true victory in St Heliers, or is it a worrying trend? It depends on how you want your kids to grow up. To me, it seems that children denied information about religion are being denied a well-rounded education. Even the world’s most famous atheist, Richard Dawkin – author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion – has admitted to celebrating Christmas and singing carols. He has made his reputation arguing against religion, but if he was denied that information as a child, then his work would have little power or purpose.

The Human Rights Commission is still considering its response to the complaints which will raise complex issues of discrimination on both sides of the argument. Until then, we will just have to wait and see if other schools follow suit.

• Dana Wensley has a PhD in law and ethics from King’s College (London), and specialises in commenting on social and political issues

Debate on this article is now closed. Readers are remided to keep their comments to a publishable standard.

– NZ Herald

From  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11201657

 

 

Biblical references an everyday part of our lives: Jeff Tallon

The Bible has to be read rationally as I have suggested and in the totality of its teaching, says Tallon. Photo / Getty Images
Strange how some people are so fearful of religion. Nowadays it’s everywhere. A week or so back London officials banned the use of the phrase “in sickness and in health” in civil registry wedding vows as “too religious”.
Then, here, it was prayers in schools – to expunge these we would have to drop the National Anthem. And every day I hear passionate prayers from the most irreligious – all it takes is a finger caught in a door. Now it is the Bible in schools.
Why the fuss? Herald on Sunday columnist Paul Little asserts that religion amounts to “an intellectual transit lounge where the shackles of reason are thrown off and replaced with the loose fitting robes of superstition”. David Hines, “Rationalist”, is stuck in a time warp, still choking on Crusades and Inquisitions. Both are caricatures that fall little short of bigotry.
If rationalism means, as my dictionary states, “reliance on reason as the best guide for belief and action” then I am a Christian rationalist.
And so are many of my Christian colleagues and friends. Indeed I would expand “reason” to read “reason and evidence”.

Biblical references an everyday part of our lives: Jeff Tallon

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10909056

 Biblical references an everyday part of our lives:

Jeff Tallon

5:30 AM Wednesday Aug 7, 2013 80 comments

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10909056

 

No matter what you may or may not believe, here’s a thought-provoking article to ponder… whether you may agree or not!

 

The Bible has to be read rationally as I have suggested and in the totality of its teaching, says Tallon. Photo / Getty Images

Strange how some people are so fearful of religion. Nowadays it’s everywhere. A week or so back London officials banned the use of the phrase “in sickness and in health” in civil registry wedding vows as “too religious”.

Then, here, it was prayers in schools – to expunge these we would have to drop the National Anthem. And every day I hear passionate prayers from the most irreligious – all it takes is a finger caught in a door. Now it is the Bible in schools.

Why the fuss? Herald on Sunday columnist Paul Little asserts that religion amounts to “an intellectual transit lounge where the shackles of reason are thrown off and replaced with the loose fitting robes of superstition”. David Hines, “Rationalist”, is stuck in a time warp, still choking on Crusades and Inquisitions. Both are caricatures that fall little short of bigotry.

If rationalism means, as my dictionary states, “reliance on reason as the best guide for belief and action” then I am a Christian rationalist.

And so are many of my Christian colleagues and friends. Indeed I would expand “reason” to read “reason and evidence“.

I am an orthodox Christian because of reason and evidence. I see no “shackles” piled up outside the door of my church each Sunday.

Does it not occur to these gentlemen, and so many others like them, that the institution that gave us modern empirical science is actually rather likely to engage with the mind?

Now in fairness I think we should be allowed to inspect Rationalist websites. What does one find? No end of bigotry, abuse and hatred of all things religious.

There is an issue about Crusades and Inquisitions and it’s this: People in the church have always distinguished between the church political and the church pious.

Of course the church political has lost its way from time to time. Look at any regime where accountability has been mislaid. But also time and again the church pious has pulled it back to its roots and reformed its practice. What are those roots? They are the Bible.

The Bible has to be read rationally as I have suggested and in the totality of its teaching. That core teaching lies at the heart of our institutions of democracy, freedom and justice, our understanding of the inviolability of human dignity, our very understanding of “the Western way of life”. Any denial of this is just modern-day medieval book burning.

So why would it not be taught in schools? If we want facts, data, evidence, archaeology – then all that can be provided. It forms part of my daily study.

And here’s the rub. All this data is actually substantial and requires a great deal of study to critically assimilate. I find people are simply unaware of the sheer quantity that is available.

Can we find the teachers who can teach this? That remains a challenge. I’m sure that in practice there are good examples and poor examples and, like all teaching, it requires excellent training.

It would be futile to attempt to remove religious terms from secular discourse. Here are some rather clumsy but illustrative few paragraphs:

There’s a fly in the ointment. It’s a sign of the times that politically correct busybodies, who are a complete law unto themselves, try to force us to set our house in order. Faith is the scapegoat. Religion, we are told, is the root of all evil, a thorn in the flesh for society which is wallowing in the mire of medieval beliefs. We need the patience of Job. How can we hold our peace? The PC powers that be, self-professed salt of the earth, have seen the light and seek to redeem us lost sheep from the howling wilderness of faith and bring us safe and sound back to sterile secularism. At the eleventh hour they hope to rescue us by the skin of our teeth.

Of course each of these phrases were introduced to the English language from the Bible.

Point made? Our historical religion lies doggedly at the heart of all our culture – our language, our institutions, even our science. Seems like there’s plenty to teach in schools.

Dr Jeff Tallon is a physicist specialising in superconductivity.

Debate on this article is now closed.

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10909056

 

 

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.”

anton gorlin

picture from Anton Gorlin http://www.inspirefirst.com

“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.”

– Romans 14:19

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”

Abeachsea (heaven)
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

Matthew 5:13 (NIV)

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?”
– Matthew 5:13 (New Living Translation)

ISAIAH: CALLING PEOPLE HOME

GOD

ISAIAH: CALLING PEOPLE HOME

 

ISAIAH (A Prophet from the Old Testament)

Summary:

The Prophet Isaiah was saying that there has come a breakdown between God and His people.

Isaiah was calling “the people of God” home. Because Because God restores us and gives us new life in Christ

God’s truths to Israel can be applied to the Church and people…today

http://www.livingtruthmedia.com/index2.php?ID=CDN

ISAIAH: CALLING PEOPLE HOME
“The Diagnosis of a Disease” – Part Two

“Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth!
For the LORD has spoken: ‘I reared
children and brought them up, but
they have rebelled against me’.”
Isaiah 1:2

Isaiah, in his opening chapter, gives a diagnosis of a problem with the nation of Judah that is going
to reoccur with different symptoms at different times in different situations, but all derive from one
source. Though he sometimes refers to Israel, he is addressing the people of Judah, therefore the
people of God. Author and Bible teacher, Charles Price, discusses the diagnosis and remedy Isaiah
gives as God’s prophet, which applies to all of us today who form the church of Jesus Christ.
The diagnosis begins in verse 3 where God says through Isaiah, “The ox knows its master, the
donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” In verse 4, he
says, “They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their
backs on him.” Out of familiarity, an ox knows its master and a donkey his manger, but what has
happened is that the people of Judah have neglected God. They’re no longer familiar with Him, and
that has turned into a position of rejecting God – “they turned their backs on Him”. God seeks
active relationships, and whether it’s Israel or the church of Jesus Christ, we don’t just have a
relationship where we can say, “We are the people of God”. Every Israelite could say that, but there
needs to be fellowship and a sense of living out of a relationship with a God that is real and vital.
God did not simply select us and bring us into relationship with Him so He would have another
person He could use, but so that He could bring us to Himself. Jesus defined eternal life as “that
they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). By that
He doesn’t mean that we may know our eternal destiny or that our sins are forgiven or knowing
Him intellectually, but knowing Him by experiential interaction and involvement with Him. Paul
says in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ.” That is an ever deepening experience of Him
which gives us a greater revelation of Him. It’s an ongoing development of our knowledge and
experiences of God.
The Christian life, however, is not defined by our experiences. They become history a day later. It
isn’t defined by feelings which are up one day, down the next, nor by our activities. The Christian
life is defined by a developing relationship with God. We can know all about Christianity, have a
relationship with our church and be very concerned about Christian doctrine. We can even be born
again of the Holy Spirit and not have that intimate, personal relationship with Christ. A good
question to ask ourselves is, “Is Jesus Christ our friend?”
For many in ministry, Jesus Christ has become a ‘business partner’ and the friendship is neglected.
God and Israel had a good business partnership, but the people had missed the whole point of God
bringing them to the Promised Land. In Exodus 19:4, God said to Moses, “You yourselves have
seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”
That’s the ultimate purpose for which God brings us into relationship with Him; to bring us to
Himself that we may commune with Him and enjoy Him. He said to Israel, “Out of all the nations,
you are my treasured possession. You will be for me a Holy nation.”
It is the same with the church of Jesus Christ today. We are set apart for God, a Holy church, but we
cannot live that way unless Jesus Christ is our friend. It takes time, discipline and intentionally spending time with God. An intimate relationship will not grow out of a quick “Good morning and
good night, God” with a little routine rhetoric added. We need to converse with Jesus, confess and
confide in Him, just as we would a close friend. Rather than a side by side relationship where we go
through our daily activities with God on the periphery, God is wanting a face to face relationship
where we spend time alone with Him, and make Him our friend and confidante.
Interestingly, God speaks through Isaiah as a father. “I reared children and brought them up but they
have rebelled against me.” A father’s response to sin and rebellion in his child is grief, which is the
price we pay for love. If we don’t love, we don’t grieve. The nature of the sin of the people of Israel
that God grieves over is their broken relationship with Him. “They have forsaken Me.” This is a
reoccurring diagnosis throughout the book of Isaiah.
What are the symptoms and consequences of this? God says, “The multitude of your sacrifices –
what are they to me? I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened
animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear
before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless
offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New moons, Sabbaths and convocations – I cannot bear
your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have
become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I
will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen” (Isaiah 1:11-15).
This is an extremely discouraging passage because these are things God ordained, but have become
meaningless, because they were done merely out of obligation. The end result – the ritual replaced
the reality. The rituals were the acts, but were only meaningful as they point to the reality, which is
reconciliation and fellowship with God. Take away the reality and the ritual becomes a dead end. It
happened all the time with the people of Israel and it happens with us. In the New Testament, we
are given the symbols of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, and if we are not in a loving, committed
relationship with Christ, the all-important issue becomes, “Have I been baptized? Have I had
communion lately?” These are merely symbolic acts designed to bring us into a deeper fellowship
with Christ. Detached from that, they become an end in themselves, and God says it makes Him
weary. It makes Him sick.
What is the remedy? Isaiah 1:18-20 says, “Come now, let us reason together’, says the LORD.
‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if
you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword’. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
“Let us reason together” is an incredible picture of the grace of God. No bombardment, but reason
with Me. Reconnect with Me. Bring back that face to face relationship.
We outsource many things in our lives; lawyers to deal with our legal issues, accountants for
finances, doctors for medical issues and the church for our spiritual issues, but sadly, our spiritual
issues are often outsourced without dealing with God directly. God says, “Come to Me, and I will
tell you what I will do; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” That doesn’t
happen in a washing machine. It’s a miracle of God that can only happen in the context of a loving,
active relationship. All the promises God gives us in His word trip over that. They don’t come to
fruition unless we first come to Christ in confession. We are then forgiven, cleansed and God
imparts to us the fullness of Christ, which enables us to live with all the battles that still go on, all
the temptations we struggle with, but we live fruitfully. This was true for Israel and remains true for
us as believers. If our relationship with God has grown cold, we need to pray for a disciplined,
focused intention to revive that face to face relationship with Him and make Jesus our friend.

Charles Price
from http://www.livingtruth.ca

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

AASUNrise (Waimata)

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.

Isaiah 42

New International Version (NIV)

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
    you islands, and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,
    like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,
    I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up the pools.
16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them.

ISAIAH 42

New International Version (NIV)

crossroads3

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