Dr Gary Habermas on The Shroud of Turin at Biola
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Latest Shroud of Turin Discoveries to Be Discussed by International Experts in St. Louis
By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post, September 3, 2014
The latest discoveries surrounding the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be the authentic burial cloth of Jesus Christ, are set to be discussed by a host of international experts at a gathering in St. Louis, Oct. 9-12.
“I’m particularly excited that we have many new presenters since the last USA Conference in 2008,” said Conference chair and sindonologist Joe Marino in a news release.
Over 30 shroud experts, representing diverse fields such as archeology, physics, iconography and theology, will gather for the first conference of its kind in the U.S. since 2008.
The shroud, which is kept in a climate-controlled container at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, has remained a highly discussed topic among research circles for years, having undergone several radiocarbon tests.
Initial tests conducted in 1988 in Arizona, Oxford and Zurich supported the theory that the shroud is a forgery created in the Middle Ages, somewhere between 1260 and 1390, but later tests in 2011 by Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development came to the conclusion that the relic could not have possibly been replicated by the technology available at that time.
Gary Habermas, distinguished research professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, led a presentation in 2013 at the Southern Evangelical Seminary’s 20th annual Christian Apologetics Conference and discussed enhanced images of the shroud which showed that the person’s teeth were showing through the skin.
“His skin is intact, his beard is intact, but you are able to see what’s inside coming out, just like if you are able to see what’s on the back of a hand,” Habermas said during the presentation, while showing a photo of an exposed human skull juxtapositioned next to the head of the man in the shroud, with the teeth from the two images aligned.
“This is one of the best indications that the man in the Shroud, who was dead and was crucified, [has] radiation coming out,” he said of the teeth discovery. “And if that’s what this is, you’ve got something from the inside [coming out].
“[The teeth] are on the inside, but on the photo they are showing outside. Whichever way [the radiation] is coming, it dragged the image from the inside to the outside.”
Roman Catholic Church leader Pope Francis has also spoken out about the shroud, saying that it “speaks to the heart,” but stopped short of declaring the piece an official relic.
“This disfigured face resembles all those faces of men and women marred by a life which does not respect their dignity, by war and violence which afflict the weakest. … And yet, at the same time, the face in the shroud conveys a great peace; this tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty,” Francis said during an Italian TV Easter Saturday special in 2013.
The latest discoveries surrounding the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be the authentic burial cloth of Jesus Christ, are set to be discussed by a host of international experts at a gathering in St. Louis, Oct. 9-12.
“I’m particularly excited that we have many new presenters since the last USA Conference in 2008,” said Conference chair and sindonologist Joe Marino in a news release.
Over 30 shroud experts, representing diverse fields such as archeology, physics, iconography and theology, will gather for the first conference of its kind in the U.S. since 2008.
The shroud, which is kept in a climate-controlled container at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, has remained a highly discussed topic among research circles for years, having undergone several radiocarbon tests.
Initial tests conducted in 1988 in Arizona, Oxford and Zurich supported the theory that the shroud is a forgery created in the Middle Ages, somewhere between 1260 and 1390, but later tests in 2011 by Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development came to the conclusion that the relic could not have possibly been replicated by the technology available at that time.
Gary Habermas, distinguished research professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, led a presentation in 2013 at the Southern Evangelical Seminary’s 20th annual Christian Apologetics Conference and discussed enhanced images of the shroud which showed that the person’s teeth were showing through the skin.
“His skin is intact, his beard is intact, but you are able to see what’s inside coming out, just like if you are able to see what’s on the back of a hand,” Habermas said during the presentation, while showing a photo of an exposed human skull juxtapositioned next to the head of the man in the shroud, with the teeth from the two images aligned.
“This is one of the best indications that the man in the Shroud, who was dead and was crucified, [has] radiation coming out,” he said of the teeth discovery. “And if that’s what this is, you’ve got something from the inside [coming out].
“[The teeth] are on the inside, but on the photo they are showing outside. Whichever way [the radiation] is coming, it dragged the image from the inside to the outside.”
Roman Catholic Church leader Pope Francis has also spoken out about the shroud, saying that it “speaks to the heart,” but stopped short of declaring the piece an official relic.
“This disfigured face resembles all those faces of men and women marred by a life which does not respect their dignity, by war and violence which afflict the weakest. … And yet, at the same time, the face in the shroud conveys a great peace; this tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty,” Francis said during an Italian TV Easter Saturday special in 2013.
Methodists in England ‘like an iceberg … crumbling into the sea’
Trevor Grundy, Religion News Service, September 2, 2014
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) The Methodist Church in Britain is hemorrhaging members and has been described by a leading religious affairs commentator as “a bit like an iceberg that’s just crumbling into the sea.”
The comments of Linda Woodhead, a sociologist at Lancaster University, follow the publication of a report called “Statistics for Mission” by the Methodist Church that shows a dramatic collapse of membership—to about 200,000 in the U.K.—in the last decade.
“During the past 10 years membership of the Methodist Church has fallen by a third, with attendance falling by a similar proportion,” said Moira Sleight, editor and publisher of the Methodist Recorder.
Added Woodhead: “It’s totally dying out. On current trends, they (the Methodists) will disappear, very soon.”
Methodist churches sprung up in Britain during the aftermath of the French Revolution and the start of the Industrial Revolution—days when the working classes were poorly paid and revolution was in the air.
The brothers Charles and John Wesley were ordained Anglicans who defied the Church of England’s stuffy establishment by holding open-air meetings and writing more than 6,000 hymns urging industrial and agricultural laborers to turn their backs on alcohol and gambling.
In America, Methodists were popular because they helped fill a spiritual vacuum created by Anglicans who deserted their flocks at the time of the American Revolution.
Methodists around the world number between 70 million and 80 million people.
The United Methodist Church in the United States has 8 million members. There are approximately 5 million members in Africa, Asia and different parts of Europe.
In The Times, the former vice president of the Methodist Church, Richard Vautrey, said Methodists must not despair. “Let’s not dwell on our pain,” he said, “but instead celebrate each God-given day we have left.”
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) The Methodist Church in Britain is hemorrhaging members and has been described by a leading religious affairs commentator as “a bit like an iceberg that’s just crumbling into the sea.”
The comments of Linda Woodhead, a sociologist at Lancaster University, follow the publication of a report called “Statistics for Mission” by the Methodist Church that shows a dramatic collapse of membership—to about 200,000 in the U.K.—in the last decade.
“During the past 10 years membership of the Methodist Church has fallen by a third, with attendance falling by a similar proportion,” said Moira Sleight, editor and publisher of the Methodist Recorder.
Added Woodhead: “It’s totally dying out. On current trends, they (the Methodists) will disappear, very soon.”
Methodist churches sprung up in Britain during the aftermath of the French Revolution and the start of the Industrial Revolution—days when the working classes were poorly paid and revolution was in the air.
The brothers Charles and John Wesley were ordained Anglicans who defied the Church of England’s stuffy establishment by holding open-air meetings and writing more than 6,000 hymns urging industrial and agricultural laborers to turn their backs on alcohol and gambling.
In America, Methodists were popular because they helped fill a spiritual vacuum created by Anglicans who deserted their flocks at the time of the American Revolution.
Methodists around the world number between 70 million and 80 million people.
The United Methodist Church in the United States has 8 million members. There are approximately 5 million members in Africa, Asia and different parts of Europe.
In The Times, the former vice president of the Methodist Church, Richard Vautrey, said Methodists must not despair. “Let’s not dwell on our pain,” he said, “but instead celebrate each God-given day we have left.”
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Lançando as minhas Ansiedades sobre Jesus
http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/lancando-minhas-ansiedades-sobre-jesus/
Lily
Ontem de manhã eu estava fazendo uma leitura online quando vi este versÃculo em um blog: “Lancem sobre ele toda a sua ansiedade, pois ele tem cuidado de vocês.”[1]
Que versÃculo mais lindo, pensei, mas falar é fácil, quero ver fazer. Como se consegue fazer isso?
Outro nome para ansiedade é preocupação, um assunto no qual sou bem versada. Apesar do Senhor sempre, sempre Me ajudar, eu tenho a tendência de me preocupar. Nos últimos meses passei por situações bastante difÃceis que quase me dominaram. Eu tenho enfrentado batalhas ferrenhas com preocupação e temor.
Levantei, e antes de encarar o dia, orei sobre o que devia fazer. A semana tinha sido cansativa, e eu precisava colocar em dia o trabalho na casa. A minha carteira de habilitação vencia em três dias, então decidir não adiar e ir cuidar disso naquele instante. Eu já vinha adiando há tempos, porque, renovar a carteira, como qualquer outra coisa que envolva a lei em um paÃs em desenvolvimento é uma trabalheira! Tem que preencher um monte de formulários, ir neste e naquele departamento, assinar, carimbar, e na metade das vezes a gente chega ao local e descobre que falta algo, então tem que voltar outro dia.
O departamento de trânsito fica no outro lado da cidade. Entrei no estacionamento orando, enquanto procurava uma vaga para a minha vespa. Fiz três pedidos especÃficos ao Senhor:
Jesus, por favor, ajude-me a ter todos os documentos que preciso para não ter que voltar amanhã.
Envie um anjo, de forma etérea ou fÃsica, para me ajudar a resolver tudo nessa confusão de escritórios e burocracia.
E, por favor, ajude-me a conseguir sair daqui em uma hora, com tudo resolvido.
Atravessei a rua. Ao me aproximar do edifÃcio, achei o meu terceiro pedido pouco realista, então fiz uma rápida “emenda”. Eu não queria dificultar demais para o Senhor atender à minha oração.
Duas horas, Senhor. Eu ficaria muito feliz se pudesse voltar para casa com a minha habilitação renovada em duas horas, só pra não ter que voltar aqui.
Uma pessoa me mostrou o guichê, e outra me ajudou a preencher o formulário, que não era em inglês. Fui de uma sala para outra dentro do departamento, depois para outro prédio, e estava pronta para dar entrada no processo. No último pedido por informação, um homem que aparentava autoridade indicou-me um estagiário.
— Você aÃ! Ajude esta moça — ele disse.
Ali estava o anjo que pedi.
O rapaz foi meu guia. Ele me ajudou a pagar a taxa e até furou a fila para usar o computador e retificar um erro no meu nome que passara despercebido. Se ele não tivesse visto, a minha carteira estaria com o nome errado e eu teria que recomeçar todo o processo.
Então me deixou em uma sala e disse-me para sentar e esperar. E lá foi ele com a minha pilha de papéis. Os funcionários na sala eram bem simpáticos, queriam saber há quanto tempo eu estava no paÃs, e se eu gostava dali. Um deles, na verdade, era de um municÃpio distante pertinho da aldeia das garotas que nós ajudamos no nosso projeto social. Ele ficou super feliz ao saber disso.
Não demorou muito e o meu anjo voltou.
— Qual o próximo passo? — indaguei.
— Tudo prontinho. — Ele disse, entregando a minha habilitação renovada.
Depois de muitas despedidas animadas — e sem ter que oferecer propina — fui embora com a carteira de habilitação e novos amigos.
Eu nem acreditava que estava indo embora 52 minutos depois de chegar. E pensar que eu achava que a minha oração era “difÃcil demais” para o Senhor atender.
Com o tempo que ganhei pude fazer uma visita a duas pessoas que eu não achava que teria tempo para fazer. Passei o resto do dia louvando o Senhor e pensando no versÃculo: “Lancem sobre ele todas as suas ansiedades, pois ele tem cuidado de vocês”.
Podia mesmo ser tão simples? Será que eu estava preocupada e estressada, e achava que não estava fazendo o suficiente só porque não pedi ao Senhor para resolver as coisas? — Por que eu não estava lançando minhas ansiedades sobre Ele de maneira especÃfica, mas me esforçando demais para dar conta de tudo?
Na volta para casa, as nuvens carregadas mostravam que a chuva estava pronta para cair. Fiz uma pequena oração para conseguir chegar antes da chuva para ter tempo de tirar as roupas do varal. Acrescentei que não era muito importante, mas… as primeiras gotas começaram a cair quando tirei a última peça do varal. Tudo isso pode parecer muito simples, e talvez seja mesmo. Mas para mim foi uma injeção de fé. Eu nem consigo parar de pensar no que aconteceu.
Se o Senhor está disposto a me ajudar com essas pequenas atividades trabalhosas e me poupar da dor de cabeça desses serviços, com certeza vai me ajudar com os assuntos que muito me preocupam e as batalhas que me deixam sem dormir. Basta eu colocar tudo em Suas mãos. Ele não pode me poupar de todo o sofrimento, mas pode me ajudar a lidar com as situações.
Fez-me lembrar de uma citação em uma das minhas cartas favoritas de David, “Pequenos Milagres de Deus”, CM No.1, que eu estava ouvindo a semana passada na gravação original, antiga e tremida:
Essas coisinhas, a razão por que estou lhes falando sobre essas pequenas coisas é porque fico maravilhado com cada uma delas! Podem contar com isso. É claro que Deus vai cuidar das coisas de maior relevância que precisam ser feitas. Mas as pequenas coisas com as quais o Senhor se preocupa e cuida, como encontrar a quitanda aberta, achar uma balança para pesar as malas e descobrir que estão com o peso exato! É maravilhoso como o Senhor pensa em cada coisinha! Nada é pequeno demais ou difÃcil demais para o Senhor. Ele cuida de cada coisinha! Por que se preocupar ou temer? Deus vai cuidar de cada pequeno detalhe!
Estou muito agradecida a Jesus por ter me lembrado, ontem, que Ele pensa em mim e cuida.
Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] 1 Pedro 5:7 NVI.
Lily
Ontem de manhã eu estava fazendo uma leitura online quando vi este versÃculo em um blog: “Lancem sobre ele toda a sua ansiedade, pois ele tem cuidado de vocês.”[1]
Que versÃculo mais lindo, pensei, mas falar é fácil, quero ver fazer. Como se consegue fazer isso?
Outro nome para ansiedade é preocupação, um assunto no qual sou bem versada. Apesar do Senhor sempre, sempre Me ajudar, eu tenho a tendência de me preocupar. Nos últimos meses passei por situações bastante difÃceis que quase me dominaram. Eu tenho enfrentado batalhas ferrenhas com preocupação e temor.
Levantei, e antes de encarar o dia, orei sobre o que devia fazer. A semana tinha sido cansativa, e eu precisava colocar em dia o trabalho na casa. A minha carteira de habilitação vencia em três dias, então decidir não adiar e ir cuidar disso naquele instante. Eu já vinha adiando há tempos, porque, renovar a carteira, como qualquer outra coisa que envolva a lei em um paÃs em desenvolvimento é uma trabalheira! Tem que preencher um monte de formulários, ir neste e naquele departamento, assinar, carimbar, e na metade das vezes a gente chega ao local e descobre que falta algo, então tem que voltar outro dia.
O departamento de trânsito fica no outro lado da cidade. Entrei no estacionamento orando, enquanto procurava uma vaga para a minha vespa. Fiz três pedidos especÃficos ao Senhor:
Jesus, por favor, ajude-me a ter todos os documentos que preciso para não ter que voltar amanhã.
Envie um anjo, de forma etérea ou fÃsica, para me ajudar a resolver tudo nessa confusão de escritórios e burocracia.
E, por favor, ajude-me a conseguir sair daqui em uma hora, com tudo resolvido.
Atravessei a rua. Ao me aproximar do edifÃcio, achei o meu terceiro pedido pouco realista, então fiz uma rápida “emenda”. Eu não queria dificultar demais para o Senhor atender à minha oração.
Duas horas, Senhor. Eu ficaria muito feliz se pudesse voltar para casa com a minha habilitação renovada em duas horas, só pra não ter que voltar aqui.
Uma pessoa me mostrou o guichê, e outra me ajudou a preencher o formulário, que não era em inglês. Fui de uma sala para outra dentro do departamento, depois para outro prédio, e estava pronta para dar entrada no processo. No último pedido por informação, um homem que aparentava autoridade indicou-me um estagiário.
— Você aÃ! Ajude esta moça — ele disse.
Ali estava o anjo que pedi.
O rapaz foi meu guia. Ele me ajudou a pagar a taxa e até furou a fila para usar o computador e retificar um erro no meu nome que passara despercebido. Se ele não tivesse visto, a minha carteira estaria com o nome errado e eu teria que recomeçar todo o processo.
Então me deixou em uma sala e disse-me para sentar e esperar. E lá foi ele com a minha pilha de papéis. Os funcionários na sala eram bem simpáticos, queriam saber há quanto tempo eu estava no paÃs, e se eu gostava dali. Um deles, na verdade, era de um municÃpio distante pertinho da aldeia das garotas que nós ajudamos no nosso projeto social. Ele ficou super feliz ao saber disso.
Não demorou muito e o meu anjo voltou.
— Qual o próximo passo? — indaguei.
— Tudo prontinho. — Ele disse, entregando a minha habilitação renovada.
Depois de muitas despedidas animadas — e sem ter que oferecer propina — fui embora com a carteira de habilitação e novos amigos.
Eu nem acreditava que estava indo embora 52 minutos depois de chegar. E pensar que eu achava que a minha oração era “difÃcil demais” para o Senhor atender.
Com o tempo que ganhei pude fazer uma visita a duas pessoas que eu não achava que teria tempo para fazer. Passei o resto do dia louvando o Senhor e pensando no versÃculo: “Lancem sobre ele todas as suas ansiedades, pois ele tem cuidado de vocês”.
Podia mesmo ser tão simples? Será que eu estava preocupada e estressada, e achava que não estava fazendo o suficiente só porque não pedi ao Senhor para resolver as coisas? — Por que eu não estava lançando minhas ansiedades sobre Ele de maneira especÃfica, mas me esforçando demais para dar conta de tudo?
Na volta para casa, as nuvens carregadas mostravam que a chuva estava pronta para cair. Fiz uma pequena oração para conseguir chegar antes da chuva para ter tempo de tirar as roupas do varal. Acrescentei que não era muito importante, mas… as primeiras gotas começaram a cair quando tirei a última peça do varal. Tudo isso pode parecer muito simples, e talvez seja mesmo. Mas para mim foi uma injeção de fé. Eu nem consigo parar de pensar no que aconteceu.
Se o Senhor está disposto a me ajudar com essas pequenas atividades trabalhosas e me poupar da dor de cabeça desses serviços, com certeza vai me ajudar com os assuntos que muito me preocupam e as batalhas que me deixam sem dormir. Basta eu colocar tudo em Suas mãos. Ele não pode me poupar de todo o sofrimento, mas pode me ajudar a lidar com as situações.
Fez-me lembrar de uma citação em uma das minhas cartas favoritas de David, “Pequenos Milagres de Deus”, CM No.1, que eu estava ouvindo a semana passada na gravação original, antiga e tremida:
Essas coisinhas, a razão por que estou lhes falando sobre essas pequenas coisas é porque fico maravilhado com cada uma delas! Podem contar com isso. É claro que Deus vai cuidar das coisas de maior relevância que precisam ser feitas. Mas as pequenas coisas com as quais o Senhor se preocupa e cuida, como encontrar a quitanda aberta, achar uma balança para pesar as malas e descobrir que estão com o peso exato! É maravilhoso como o Senhor pensa em cada coisinha! Nada é pequeno demais ou difÃcil demais para o Senhor. Ele cuida de cada coisinha! Por que se preocupar ou temer? Deus vai cuidar de cada pequeno detalhe!
Estou muito agradecida a Jesus por ter me lembrado, ontem, que Ele pensa em mim e cuida.
Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] 1 Pedro 5:7 NVI.
Friday, September 5, 2014
The Thorn Factor
http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/thorn-factor/
A compilation
Download Audio (4.06MB)
I don’t think that God intended any marriage to be perfect. I think of it as the “thorn” factor that He allows into the equation—that element that we shrink from, but that He knows we need. You may ask yourself, “Why would we need differences of opinion, sensitivities, misunderstandings, jealousies, resentments, comparing, sacrificing, arguments, emotional upsets, fears, heartbreaks, and adversity? Those things don’t sound like they would build a very strong marriage.”
This reminds me of the well-known adage, “It’s your attitude toward adversity that counts.” We can’t escape the fact that character and moral depth are developed through difficulties. If we didn’t experience the trials of life, we wouldn’t learn how to exercise the qualities that make us better people—patience, understanding, forgiveness, and more.
Misunderstandings, disagreements, hurts, even wrongs, force us to respond to them. We can choose to stretch, to become better, to reach out to the Lord for more of His love, to forgive, to make a conscious decision to learn what we can from the situation. Marriage is full of such opportunities.
It’s how we face the circumstances that come into our life and what we do with them that counts. Will we learn from our difficulties and become better or will we become hardened? Will we become humbler or prouder? Will we become creative in solving problems or will we sink under them in despair? Will we become desperate to become what we should be in order to handle the difficulties, or will we become accusatory and critical? Will we become more committed to “wrestling with the angel” until we get the blessing, or will we be tempted to quit when the going gets difficult?
Even when we do our very best and we grow and learn and mature, there are always more challenges ahead, because that’s the way God created life to be. We overcome one difficulty and then we go on to another one. But each victory is a step forward. Each victory is fulfilling. Each victory takes us further along the road of progress.
But what about when we can’t overcome something and it seems that we’re doomed to permanent frustration in some area? If we’ve done what we can and we’ve prayed all we can pray, God’s word to us is that we are not a failure and all is not lost. “Having done all, we can still stand”1 and allow the Lord to lead our hearts into His patient perseverance.
The Lord may know that these rocky areas are actually more beneficial to us in some way than a smooth road would be. In partnership with our heavenly husband, we can evaluate the situation and let Him show us how He sees it and how we should look at it. We can let Him show us the advantages of our particular relationship, smooth or difficult. Then we can praise Him for our life and the obstacles and difficulties, as well as the smooth and pleasant experiences.
As we communicate with Him about our relationship, He will motivate us to do better in the areas we need to, He will encourage us for the good we are doing, and He will help us to keep His flame of love burning in our relationship. He loves us so much, and with His power behind us, we will have strength and grace to meet the next challenge.—Maria Fontaine2
*
There’s no crown without a cross, no testimony without a test, no triumph without a trial, no victory without a battle, no rose without a thorn! Praise God … it’s worth every fight, every battle, every test, every trial! It’s worth it all!—David Brandt Berg3
*
My God, I have never thanked Thee for my ‘thorn’! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my ‘thorn’; I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my ‘thorn’. Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.—George Matheson
Published on Anchor July 2012. Read by Amber Larriva.
1 Ephesians 6:13.
2 Originally published February 2011.
3 Originally published September 1976.
A compilation
Download Audio (4.06MB)
I don’t think that God intended any marriage to be perfect. I think of it as the “thorn” factor that He allows into the equation—that element that we shrink from, but that He knows we need. You may ask yourself, “Why would we need differences of opinion, sensitivities, misunderstandings, jealousies, resentments, comparing, sacrificing, arguments, emotional upsets, fears, heartbreaks, and adversity? Those things don’t sound like they would build a very strong marriage.”
This reminds me of the well-known adage, “It’s your attitude toward adversity that counts.” We can’t escape the fact that character and moral depth are developed through difficulties. If we didn’t experience the trials of life, we wouldn’t learn how to exercise the qualities that make us better people—patience, understanding, forgiveness, and more.
Misunderstandings, disagreements, hurts, even wrongs, force us to respond to them. We can choose to stretch, to become better, to reach out to the Lord for more of His love, to forgive, to make a conscious decision to learn what we can from the situation. Marriage is full of such opportunities.
It’s how we face the circumstances that come into our life and what we do with them that counts. Will we learn from our difficulties and become better or will we become hardened? Will we become humbler or prouder? Will we become creative in solving problems or will we sink under them in despair? Will we become desperate to become what we should be in order to handle the difficulties, or will we become accusatory and critical? Will we become more committed to “wrestling with the angel” until we get the blessing, or will we be tempted to quit when the going gets difficult?
Even when we do our very best and we grow and learn and mature, there are always more challenges ahead, because that’s the way God created life to be. We overcome one difficulty and then we go on to another one. But each victory is a step forward. Each victory is fulfilling. Each victory takes us further along the road of progress.
But what about when we can’t overcome something and it seems that we’re doomed to permanent frustration in some area? If we’ve done what we can and we’ve prayed all we can pray, God’s word to us is that we are not a failure and all is not lost. “Having done all, we can still stand”1 and allow the Lord to lead our hearts into His patient perseverance.
The Lord may know that these rocky areas are actually more beneficial to us in some way than a smooth road would be. In partnership with our heavenly husband, we can evaluate the situation and let Him show us how He sees it and how we should look at it. We can let Him show us the advantages of our particular relationship, smooth or difficult. Then we can praise Him for our life and the obstacles and difficulties, as well as the smooth and pleasant experiences.
As we communicate with Him about our relationship, He will motivate us to do better in the areas we need to, He will encourage us for the good we are doing, and He will help us to keep His flame of love burning in our relationship. He loves us so much, and with His power behind us, we will have strength and grace to meet the next challenge.—Maria Fontaine2
*
There’s no crown without a cross, no testimony without a test, no triumph without a trial, no victory without a battle, no rose without a thorn! Praise God … it’s worth every fight, every battle, every test, every trial! It’s worth it all!—David Brandt Berg3
*
My God, I have never thanked Thee for my ‘thorn’! I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my ‘thorn’; I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my ‘thorn’. Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.—George Matheson
Published on Anchor July 2012. Read by Amber Larriva.
1 Ephesians 6:13.
2 Originally published February 2011.
3 Originally published September 1976.
O Fator Espinho
http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/o-fator-espinho/
Uma compilação
Eu não acho que Deus pretendia que o casamento fosse uma relação perfeita. Acho que ele é o fator “espinho” que Deus permite na equação—aquele elemento do qual queremos nos esquivar, mas que Ele sabe que precisamos. Você talvez se pergunte, “Por que precisarÃamos de diferenças de opinião, melindres, mal-entendidos, ciúmes, conflitos emocionais, temores, dor de cotovelo, e adversidades? Essas coisas não parecem contribuir para uma relação sólida.”
Isto me faz lembrar de um ditado muito conhecido, “O que conta é a atitude diante da adversidade.” Não tem como escapar do fato de que a profundidade de caráter e moral se desenvolve através das dificuldades. Sem provações não aprenderÃamos a exercitar as qualidades que nos fazem pessoas melhores tais como paciência, compreensão, perdão, entre outras.
Mal-entendidos, desacordos, mágoas, e até mesmo erros, nos forçam a reagir. Podemos escolher nos expandir e nos tornarmos pessoas melhores que buscam o Senhor para termos mais amor, sabermos perdoar e decidirmos aprender com a situação. O casamento é cheio de oportunidades assim.
É uma questão da maneira como vamos enfrentar as circunstâncias. Vamos aprender com as dificuldades e nos tornarmos pessoas melhores ou vamos endurecer o coração? Ficaremos mais humildes ou orgulhosos? Seremos mais criativos na resolução de problemas ou cairemos no desespero? Vamos ficar desesperados para conseguirmos lidar com as dificuldades, ou vamos acusar e criticar os outros? Vamos ficar mais determinados a “lutar com o anjo” até alcançarmos a bênção, ou pensaremos em desistir quando as coisas ficarem difÃceis?
Mesmo quando fazemos o melhor que podemos e crescemos, aprendemos e amadurecemos, sempre enfrentaremos mais desafios, porque foi assim que Deus fez a vida. Superamos uma dificuldade e então partimos para outra. Mas cada vitória é um passo adiante. Cada vitória é gratificante. Cada vitória nos leva um pouco mais à frente na estrada do progresso.
Mas, e quando não conseguimos superar alguma coisa e parece que estamos fadados permanentemente à frustração nesse aspecto? Se fizemos tudo ao nosso alcance e oramos o máximo possÃvel, a palavra de Deus diz que não somos um fracasso e nem tudo está perdido. “Havendo feito tudo, fiquemos firmes”[1] e permitamos ao Senhor guiar os nossos corações para termos Sua perseverança e paciência.
O Senhor talvez saiba que esses aspectos difÃceis são na verdade mais benéficos para nós do que uma estrada tranquila. Podemos avaliar a situação junto com nosso marido celestial para Ele nos mostrar a Sua perspectiva e qual deveria ser a nossa. Podemos Lhe permitir nos mostrar as vantagens do nosso relacionamento, quer seja fácil quer difÃcil, e então louvá-lO pela nossa vida, pelos obstáculos e dificuldades, e também pelas experiências tranquilas e agradáveis.
Ele irá nos motivar a melhorar nas áreas que precisamos quando nos comunicarmos com Ele sobre o nosso relacionamento, nos encorajará por tudo de bom que estamos fazendo, e nos ajudará a manter a Sua chama de amor ardendo em nossa relação. Ele nos ama tanto, e através do Seu poder teremos a força e a graça para vencer o próximo desafio!—Maria Fontaine[2].
*
Não há coroa sem cruz, não há testemunho sem teste, não há triunfo sem prova, não há vitória sem batalha, não há rosa sem espinho! Glória a Deus... Vale a pena! Vale a pena cada luta, batalha, teste e prova! Vale a pena!—David Brandt Berg.
*
Meu Deus, eu nunca Lhe agradeci pelo meu ‘espinho’! Já lhe agradeci milhares de vezes pelas minhas rosas, mas nem sequer uma vez pelo meu ‘espinho’. Tenho esperado o dia em que serei compensado pela minha cruz. Ensina-me a glória da minha cruz; ensina-me o valor do meu ‘espinho’. Mostra-me que tenho subido Contigo o caminho da dor. Mostra-me que as minhas lágrimas formaram o meu arco-Ãris.—George Matheson
Publicado no Âncora em julho de 2012.
Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] Efésios 6:13.
[2] Publicado originalmente em fevereiro de 2011.
Uma compilação
Eu não acho que Deus pretendia que o casamento fosse uma relação perfeita. Acho que ele é o fator “espinho” que Deus permite na equação—aquele elemento do qual queremos nos esquivar, mas que Ele sabe que precisamos. Você talvez se pergunte, “Por que precisarÃamos de diferenças de opinião, melindres, mal-entendidos, ciúmes, conflitos emocionais, temores, dor de cotovelo, e adversidades? Essas coisas não parecem contribuir para uma relação sólida.”
Isto me faz lembrar de um ditado muito conhecido, “O que conta é a atitude diante da adversidade.” Não tem como escapar do fato de que a profundidade de caráter e moral se desenvolve através das dificuldades. Sem provações não aprenderÃamos a exercitar as qualidades que nos fazem pessoas melhores tais como paciência, compreensão, perdão, entre outras.
Mal-entendidos, desacordos, mágoas, e até mesmo erros, nos forçam a reagir. Podemos escolher nos expandir e nos tornarmos pessoas melhores que buscam o Senhor para termos mais amor, sabermos perdoar e decidirmos aprender com a situação. O casamento é cheio de oportunidades assim.
É uma questão da maneira como vamos enfrentar as circunstâncias. Vamos aprender com as dificuldades e nos tornarmos pessoas melhores ou vamos endurecer o coração? Ficaremos mais humildes ou orgulhosos? Seremos mais criativos na resolução de problemas ou cairemos no desespero? Vamos ficar desesperados para conseguirmos lidar com as dificuldades, ou vamos acusar e criticar os outros? Vamos ficar mais determinados a “lutar com o anjo” até alcançarmos a bênção, ou pensaremos em desistir quando as coisas ficarem difÃceis?
Mesmo quando fazemos o melhor que podemos e crescemos, aprendemos e amadurecemos, sempre enfrentaremos mais desafios, porque foi assim que Deus fez a vida. Superamos uma dificuldade e então partimos para outra. Mas cada vitória é um passo adiante. Cada vitória é gratificante. Cada vitória nos leva um pouco mais à frente na estrada do progresso.
Mas, e quando não conseguimos superar alguma coisa e parece que estamos fadados permanentemente à frustração nesse aspecto? Se fizemos tudo ao nosso alcance e oramos o máximo possÃvel, a palavra de Deus diz que não somos um fracasso e nem tudo está perdido. “Havendo feito tudo, fiquemos firmes”[1] e permitamos ao Senhor guiar os nossos corações para termos Sua perseverança e paciência.
O Senhor talvez saiba que esses aspectos difÃceis são na verdade mais benéficos para nós do que uma estrada tranquila. Podemos avaliar a situação junto com nosso marido celestial para Ele nos mostrar a Sua perspectiva e qual deveria ser a nossa. Podemos Lhe permitir nos mostrar as vantagens do nosso relacionamento, quer seja fácil quer difÃcil, e então louvá-lO pela nossa vida, pelos obstáculos e dificuldades, e também pelas experiências tranquilas e agradáveis.
Ele irá nos motivar a melhorar nas áreas que precisamos quando nos comunicarmos com Ele sobre o nosso relacionamento, nos encorajará por tudo de bom que estamos fazendo, e nos ajudará a manter a Sua chama de amor ardendo em nossa relação. Ele nos ama tanto, e através do Seu poder teremos a força e a graça para vencer o próximo desafio!—Maria Fontaine[2].
*
Não há coroa sem cruz, não há testemunho sem teste, não há triunfo sem prova, não há vitória sem batalha, não há rosa sem espinho! Glória a Deus... Vale a pena! Vale a pena cada luta, batalha, teste e prova! Vale a pena!—David Brandt Berg.
*
Meu Deus, eu nunca Lhe agradeci pelo meu ‘espinho’! Já lhe agradeci milhares de vezes pelas minhas rosas, mas nem sequer uma vez pelo meu ‘espinho’. Tenho esperado o dia em que serei compensado pela minha cruz. Ensina-me a glória da minha cruz; ensina-me o valor do meu ‘espinho’. Mostra-me que tenho subido Contigo o caminho da dor. Mostra-me que as minhas lágrimas formaram o meu arco-Ãris.—George Matheson
Publicado no Âncora em julho de 2012.
Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] Efésios 6:13.
[2] Publicado originalmente em fevereiro de 2011.
Rest Is an Act of Resistance
http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/06/26/rest-is-an-act-of-resistance/32703
by Rhesa Storms
Why you’ll never overcome feelings of constant busyness until you just stop.
June 26, 2014
Last month, I met a friend for lunch. She had made some pretty radical changes in her life, including quitting a job at a highly regarded national company. It looked like the dream job — the stepping stone to career success. But to hear her tell her story, she was struggling. Her days began early and ended late. Work consumed her waking hours. Her stress level was making it difficult to sleep and it was hard to invest in relationships outside of work.
One weekend she got out of town for a mini retreat — just a couple of days out of the city to get some space and quiet. She got a lot of quiet that weekend. A freak spring snowstorm hit and knocked out the power. The roads were piled high with snow. She wasn’t in danger, but she wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while. To top it off, her phone was dead.
For the first few hours she managed to kill time. But when the silence and the aloneness caught up with her, she truly started being with herself. All the thoughts and feelings that she had been pushing aside for months in all the craziness of life came rushing forward. It took a weekend of absolute quiet to realize the busyness was slowly strangling her.
If we allow space in our lives, it’s likely that we’re going to have to start taking a good, hard look at ourselves.
Slowing down or even stopping is difficult to do. Americans are not culturally conditioned to reward rest. Our insatiable desire for money and the accumulation of material possessions often leads to long work hours and an out-of-balance lifestyle. That six-figure paycheck seems like a fair tradeoff for pushing ourselves to the brink.
Slowing down is made more difficult because technology is always “on.” A generation ago, people predicted that one of the main challenges for upcoming generations would be too much spare time. (They were just a little off with that prediction.) Rather than making space, technology has made our lives more complex. Our work life and our home life overlap. We answer emails at 9 p.m. and get texts from coworkers on our day off.
Before we know it, we find ourselves, like my friend, in the grip of external pressures that push us to go, go, go.
There is also something even deeper inside all of us that keeps us running and busy all the time: fear.
Fear of missing an opportunity.
Fear of disappointing someone.
Fear of not being included.
Fear of not being recognized.
And then there’s the fear of just being alone. We avoid rest because we can’t stand the silence.
It’s easier to keep our lives busy, rushing from one thing to the next, than it is to sit alone with our own thoughts. If we allow space in our lives, it’s likely that we’re going to have to start taking a good, hard look at ourselves. We may not like everything we see. We may have to confront what is hidden deeply in our hearts — whether that’s “I feel like a fraud at my job. I’d better put in tons of overtime so that it looks like I know what I’m doing,” or “I am incredibly lonely most of the time.”
Resting may be the most countercultural and spiritual thing we can do as people who follow God.
It’s as if God knew we would have a hard time with rest. Living a crazy, busy life isn’t just a modern problem, living a crazy, busy life is a humanity problem.
From the very early dealings with his people, God desires to give them rest. That is the beauty of the fourth commandment: remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
The word Sabbath means to stop. Full stop. Whatever you are doing, stop. Let your hands rest. Cease the constant consumption of ideas and information and products and simply be.
It is easy for us to get caught up in ourselves and begin to overestimate our own importance. So God gives us rest to set us free.
Free from our own busyness.
Free from our own self-importance.
Free to delight in God.
To delight in creation.
To delight in each other.
With Sabbath, God sends the message: rest is important to the way you live. So important I want you to do it regularly.
Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann talks about the importance of Sabbath rest in his book Sabbath as Resistance:
Sabbath is the cornerstone of faithful freedom . . . it is an act of resistance. It declares in bodily ways that we will not participate in the anxiety system that pervades our social environment. We will not be defined by busyness and by acquisitiveness and by pursuit of more, in either our economics or our personal relations or anywhere in our lives. Because our life does not consist in commodity.
What a beautiful idea! Rest, rather than being something passive, is an act of resistance.
Resting may be the most countercultural and spiritual thing we can do as people who follow God. In our modern, crazy-busy, take-it-to-the-limit society, rest is an act of trust in a sovereign God.
In Psalm 46:10, the psalmist writes:
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
It will be hard to allow extra space in life. It’s likely to feel uncomfortable — we’re not used to it! It may look unnecessary. But it is in that very space that we prosper. Be still and know that I am God. In stillness, a very important truth is revealed: you are not God.
How about we stop living like it all depends on us?
How about we let go of that burden that was never ours to carry?
And in the stillness we know God. We have the space to truly experience the presence of God in a way we never would when we are continually rushing from one place to the next. Verse 10 is the climax of Psalm 46, but the beginning is worth noting:
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its water roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging . . .
Be still, and know that I am God.
It’s beautiful poetic imagery of trusting in God when the very foundations of the earth feel shaken. Written for the average person today, maybe the psalm would sound something like this:
God is the One I turn to for safety and strength.
I won’t be afraid when I don’t know when the next job will come in.
I won’t be afraid when my plans fail and my dreams are frustrated.
I won’t be afraid when markets rise and fall,
When outcomes seem uncertain,
Though I feel torn between conflicting demands on my heart and my mind and my time,
I will be still and know that You are God.
Sabbath. Stillness. Rest. All along God has been saying: trust me! I will care for you. You can live without anxiety and fear if you will regularly rest from the work and the production, the achieving and striving, the constant busyness — and turn to me!
When it is so easy to push it to the edge and take it to the limit and measure ourselves against one another, these are life-giving words. Trusting in who God is, who God has designed us to be, and realizing our part to play in God’s Kingdom are the hallmarks of a life with regular rest.
Most of the time, we don’t see our lives as careening off track and into danger. Until they are. Let’s not wait for a freak spring snowstorm to remind us to rest. Let’s be people committed to rest — to practicing it together and encouraging it in each other. In that way, we are actively trusting God.
Image courtesy of Steven Lewis.
More on: alone, busy, fourth commandment, resistance, rest, sabbath, stillness
Written byRhesa Storms
by Rhesa Storms
Why you’ll never overcome feelings of constant busyness until you just stop.
June 26, 2014
Last month, I met a friend for lunch. She had made some pretty radical changes in her life, including quitting a job at a highly regarded national company. It looked like the dream job — the stepping stone to career success. But to hear her tell her story, she was struggling. Her days began early and ended late. Work consumed her waking hours. Her stress level was making it difficult to sleep and it was hard to invest in relationships outside of work.
One weekend she got out of town for a mini retreat — just a couple of days out of the city to get some space and quiet. She got a lot of quiet that weekend. A freak spring snowstorm hit and knocked out the power. The roads were piled high with snow. She wasn’t in danger, but she wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while. To top it off, her phone was dead.
For the first few hours she managed to kill time. But when the silence and the aloneness caught up with her, she truly started being with herself. All the thoughts and feelings that she had been pushing aside for months in all the craziness of life came rushing forward. It took a weekend of absolute quiet to realize the busyness was slowly strangling her.
If we allow space in our lives, it’s likely that we’re going to have to start taking a good, hard look at ourselves.
Slowing down or even stopping is difficult to do. Americans are not culturally conditioned to reward rest. Our insatiable desire for money and the accumulation of material possessions often leads to long work hours and an out-of-balance lifestyle. That six-figure paycheck seems like a fair tradeoff for pushing ourselves to the brink.
Slowing down is made more difficult because technology is always “on.” A generation ago, people predicted that one of the main challenges for upcoming generations would be too much spare time. (They were just a little off with that prediction.) Rather than making space, technology has made our lives more complex. Our work life and our home life overlap. We answer emails at 9 p.m. and get texts from coworkers on our day off.
Before we know it, we find ourselves, like my friend, in the grip of external pressures that push us to go, go, go.
There is also something even deeper inside all of us that keeps us running and busy all the time: fear.
Fear of missing an opportunity.
Fear of disappointing someone.
Fear of not being included.
Fear of not being recognized.
And then there’s the fear of just being alone. We avoid rest because we can’t stand the silence.
It’s easier to keep our lives busy, rushing from one thing to the next, than it is to sit alone with our own thoughts. If we allow space in our lives, it’s likely that we’re going to have to start taking a good, hard look at ourselves. We may not like everything we see. We may have to confront what is hidden deeply in our hearts — whether that’s “I feel like a fraud at my job. I’d better put in tons of overtime so that it looks like I know what I’m doing,” or “I am incredibly lonely most of the time.”
Resting may be the most countercultural and spiritual thing we can do as people who follow God.
It’s as if God knew we would have a hard time with rest. Living a crazy, busy life isn’t just a modern problem, living a crazy, busy life is a humanity problem.
From the very early dealings with his people, God desires to give them rest. That is the beauty of the fourth commandment: remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
The word Sabbath means to stop. Full stop. Whatever you are doing, stop. Let your hands rest. Cease the constant consumption of ideas and information and products and simply be.
It is easy for us to get caught up in ourselves and begin to overestimate our own importance. So God gives us rest to set us free.
Free from our own busyness.
Free from our own self-importance.
Free to delight in God.
To delight in creation.
To delight in each other.
With Sabbath, God sends the message: rest is important to the way you live. So important I want you to do it regularly.
Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann talks about the importance of Sabbath rest in his book Sabbath as Resistance:
Sabbath is the cornerstone of faithful freedom . . . it is an act of resistance. It declares in bodily ways that we will not participate in the anxiety system that pervades our social environment. We will not be defined by busyness and by acquisitiveness and by pursuit of more, in either our economics or our personal relations or anywhere in our lives. Because our life does not consist in commodity.
What a beautiful idea! Rest, rather than being something passive, is an act of resistance.
Resting may be the most countercultural and spiritual thing we can do as people who follow God. In our modern, crazy-busy, take-it-to-the-limit society, rest is an act of trust in a sovereign God.
In Psalm 46:10, the psalmist writes:
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
It will be hard to allow extra space in life. It’s likely to feel uncomfortable — we’re not used to it! It may look unnecessary. But it is in that very space that we prosper. Be still and know that I am God. In stillness, a very important truth is revealed: you are not God.
How about we stop living like it all depends on us?
How about we let go of that burden that was never ours to carry?
And in the stillness we know God. We have the space to truly experience the presence of God in a way we never would when we are continually rushing from one place to the next. Verse 10 is the climax of Psalm 46, but the beginning is worth noting:
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its water roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging . . .
Be still, and know that I am God.
It’s beautiful poetic imagery of trusting in God when the very foundations of the earth feel shaken. Written for the average person today, maybe the psalm would sound something like this:
God is the One I turn to for safety and strength.
I won’t be afraid when I don’t know when the next job will come in.
I won’t be afraid when my plans fail and my dreams are frustrated.
I won’t be afraid when markets rise and fall,
When outcomes seem uncertain,
Though I feel torn between conflicting demands on my heart and my mind and my time,
I will be still and know that You are God.
Sabbath. Stillness. Rest. All along God has been saying: trust me! I will care for you. You can live without anxiety and fear if you will regularly rest from the work and the production, the achieving and striving, the constant busyness — and turn to me!
When it is so easy to push it to the edge and take it to the limit and measure ourselves against one another, these are life-giving words. Trusting in who God is, who God has designed us to be, and realizing our part to play in God’s Kingdom are the hallmarks of a life with regular rest.
Most of the time, we don’t see our lives as careening off track and into danger. Until they are. Let’s not wait for a freak spring snowstorm to remind us to rest. Let’s be people committed to rest — to practicing it together and encouraging it in each other. In that way, we are actively trusting God.
Image courtesy of Steven Lewis.
More on: alone, busy, fourth commandment, resistance, rest, sabbath, stillness
Written byRhesa Storms
Spiritual and Physical Exercise
http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/spiritual-and-physical-exercise/
By John W.
“It’s a lifelong process to learn to involve God more in your life and work, and to operate in ways that are effective for your spirit—just like staying fit and healthy physically should be a lifelong priority.”1
A few years back I had a knee problem that made it difficult to do my work properly. It came to the point that it looked like I needed an operation, but I knew from different people’s experience that knee operations can be quite complicated and often don’t help. After praying about it, the Lord showed me a specific workout program which I’ve since kept every day, and by God’s grace my knee is doing so much better.
At that time a brother mentioned to me that I was one of the few of my age he saw doing regular exercise. There are so many good articles showing the importance of exercise, especially when people get older, like this one: Mid-lifers who want to be active in their 70s, 80s should be hitting the gym now. “If you want to be sprightly in your 70s, you need to be working out in your 40s, 50s and 60s, experts say. Put another way: If you don’t pay into your fitness bank in middle age, you won’t have much to draw on later.” “If you don’t take time to exercise, you have to take time to be sick and to get better.” “It’s the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth.” Here’s another one: Work-Life Balance Begins with Exercise. “People who exercise regularly also feel more capable of taking things on and getting them done, which carries over into both work and home roles.”
Many people say they have no time for exercise and at the same time find it difficult to get time with the Lord. Here is how I make time for both: I combine spiritual with physical exercise. Every morning after I wake up, I take an hour to exercise. I put on my headphones for the first 45 minutes with devotional audios, whatever I need to strengthen my spirit at the time. The exercises I’m doing are simple, so I can concentrate on the Word. I move my whole body, arms and legs, hands and feet, neck, back, etc.
The fittest people I ever met, besides being the most loving, were the Pygmies in Africa. Their kids start dancing basically when they start walking. They rock out like teens in a disco, from two years of age on up to old men and women. They move every part of their body when they dance with amazing agility, and for a long time with amazing endurance.
I try to move every part of my body, too, and because the movements are not complicated, I can concentrate on what I listen to and have a great time with the Lord. Sometimes I just take time praying during my exercise time, or if the Lord gives me some new idea, sometimes I stop the MP3 player to meditate on what I just heard.
The last 15 minutes I take time to pray. I like the ACTS method:
Adoring the Lord for all His goodness
Confessing and asking Him to help me with my weaknesses
Thanking Him for all His goodness
Supplication for others and our own needs.
It’s a great way to start the day! The trick is not to give up, but to stay steady. We are so faithful to eat three times a day without fail. Why should we fail in this vital need for our bodies? Physical discipline helps us to stay healthy and fit. Without good health, we are limited in many ways. I’d like to keep serving the Lord actively until the day I die, having a good time and enjoying it.
I was thinking of what Jesus and His apostles did along that line and I saw how they were moving about all over the place, going up mountains, walking back and forth across the country. “And Jesus went about all Galilee…”2 “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain…”3 “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages…”4 He even walked on the water.5 In those days people didn’t need a gym. In our time people have better and faster ways of traveling than ever, but they sit down more and move less than ever.
I take every opportunity to move my body. I walk when I’m on the phone, walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator, walk instead of drive short distances, and run slowly and gently instead of walking when feasible. And during any such extra exercise periods I take time with the Lord, reviewing my verses, praying, meditating—communing with the Lord in any way possible.
It’s a spiritual fight to do my daily exercises and to stay fit. But every time I do, I feel so much better, ready for a new day. Jesus said:“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”6 Regular spiritual and physical exercise helps me to stay in good shape.
1 Mottos for Success, Vol. 4, April 12.
2 Matthew 4:23.
3 Matthew 5:1.
4 Matthew 9:35.
5 See Matthew 14:22–33.
6 Matthew 26:41.
By John W.
“It’s a lifelong process to learn to involve God more in your life and work, and to operate in ways that are effective for your spirit—just like staying fit and healthy physically should be a lifelong priority.”1
A few years back I had a knee problem that made it difficult to do my work properly. It came to the point that it looked like I needed an operation, but I knew from different people’s experience that knee operations can be quite complicated and often don’t help. After praying about it, the Lord showed me a specific workout program which I’ve since kept every day, and by God’s grace my knee is doing so much better.
At that time a brother mentioned to me that I was one of the few of my age he saw doing regular exercise. There are so many good articles showing the importance of exercise, especially when people get older, like this one: Mid-lifers who want to be active in their 70s, 80s should be hitting the gym now. “If you want to be sprightly in your 70s, you need to be working out in your 40s, 50s and 60s, experts say. Put another way: If you don’t pay into your fitness bank in middle age, you won’t have much to draw on later.” “If you don’t take time to exercise, you have to take time to be sick and to get better.” “It’s the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth.” Here’s another one: Work-Life Balance Begins with Exercise. “People who exercise regularly also feel more capable of taking things on and getting them done, which carries over into both work and home roles.”
Many people say they have no time for exercise and at the same time find it difficult to get time with the Lord. Here is how I make time for both: I combine spiritual with physical exercise. Every morning after I wake up, I take an hour to exercise. I put on my headphones for the first 45 minutes with devotional audios, whatever I need to strengthen my spirit at the time. The exercises I’m doing are simple, so I can concentrate on the Word. I move my whole body, arms and legs, hands and feet, neck, back, etc.
The fittest people I ever met, besides being the most loving, were the Pygmies in Africa. Their kids start dancing basically when they start walking. They rock out like teens in a disco, from two years of age on up to old men and women. They move every part of their body when they dance with amazing agility, and for a long time with amazing endurance.
I try to move every part of my body, too, and because the movements are not complicated, I can concentrate on what I listen to and have a great time with the Lord. Sometimes I just take time praying during my exercise time, or if the Lord gives me some new idea, sometimes I stop the MP3 player to meditate on what I just heard.
The last 15 minutes I take time to pray. I like the ACTS method:
Adoring the Lord for all His goodness
Confessing and asking Him to help me with my weaknesses
Thanking Him for all His goodness
Supplication for others and our own needs.
It’s a great way to start the day! The trick is not to give up, but to stay steady. We are so faithful to eat three times a day without fail. Why should we fail in this vital need for our bodies? Physical discipline helps us to stay healthy and fit. Without good health, we are limited in many ways. I’d like to keep serving the Lord actively until the day I die, having a good time and enjoying it.
I was thinking of what Jesus and His apostles did along that line and I saw how they were moving about all over the place, going up mountains, walking back and forth across the country. “And Jesus went about all Galilee…”2 “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain…”3 “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages…”4 He even walked on the water.5 In those days people didn’t need a gym. In our time people have better and faster ways of traveling than ever, but they sit down more and move less than ever.
I take every opportunity to move my body. I walk when I’m on the phone, walk up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator, walk instead of drive short distances, and run slowly and gently instead of walking when feasible. And during any such extra exercise periods I take time with the Lord, reviewing my verses, praying, meditating—communing with the Lord in any way possible.
It’s a spiritual fight to do my daily exercises and to stay fit. But every time I do, I feel so much better, ready for a new day. Jesus said:“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”6 Regular spiritual and physical exercise helps me to stay in good shape.
1 Mottos for Success, Vol. 4, April 12.
2 Matthew 4:23.
3 Matthew 5:1.
4 Matthew 9:35.
5 See Matthew 14:22–33.
6 Matthew 26:41.
Plans to Prosper You
http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/plans-prosper-you/
Words from Jesus
Audio length: 9:21
Download Audio (7.5MB)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:111
*
I am your Shepherd. I am leading you to a door and asking you to open it and walk through it. I do not force anyone to walk through the doors I lead them to, because I want My children to make their own choices out of love for Me. But the door is there, and if you walk through it you’ll find a great light, for I am the way, the truth, and the life. You’ll find a whole, complete life of love and fulfillment. I am life, and he who gives his life to Me will live forever, finding happiness not only in this life, but in the life to come.
So do not be afraid to push the door open and walk in. As you open the door by faith and take the first step, I will give you the faith to take another step, even if you can’t see where the path is taking you. If you’re walking down the road that I have for you, there is no mistake, there is no higher calling in life. There is no greater fulfillment than to choose the life that I—the designer of the universe—have called you to.
I have not taken My eyes off you since the day you were born, but have cared for you and planned for you and loved you every moment, from the beginning of time and to the end of time. So trust Me with your life, for I have plans for your future.
Your strength and shield
The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.—Psalm 28:72
I am your strength and shield. I plan out each day and have it ready for you, long before you arise from bed. I also provide the strength you need each step of the way. Instead of assessing your energy level and wondering about what’s on the road ahead, concentrate on staying in touch with Me. My power flows freely into you through our open communication. Refuse to waste energy worrying, and you will have strength to spare.
Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am your Shield. But unlike inanimate armor, I am always alert and active. My Presence watches over you continually, protecting you from both known and unknown dangers. Entrust yourself to My watchcare, which is the best security system available. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.3
Compassed about
Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!—Hebrews 12:1–34
*
Wherefore seeing you are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the burdens that burden you, and look to Me, the author and finisher of your faith. I have called you to cast aside the burdens. At this very moment, round about you is a great cloud of witnesses, so great that if I would open your eyes, you would see they fill this room!
Therefore stir up the gifts that are within you; seek Me and call upon Me, and I will be found and I will speak to your heart. If you call upon Me, you will not only hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” but you will hear it on the left and on the right and within your heart.
Not My will
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.—Psalm 37:4–65
*
I am the Master Gardener, the Master Landscaper. I have placed in your hand these seeds, and you have planted them and watered them and tended them. But as I look upon your garden, I see that there is an ugly, evil weed that is defiling it. It has been a troublesome, bothersome weed. You have tried to root it out. You have chopped it down and you have burned it. You have so wanted to rid your garden of this ugly weed.
To do so, you must go down deep beneath the surface and the topsoil. You must look much deeper and find the roots, for there is one root deep down that is the source of this weed. If you want your garden plot to be beautiful and free from this evil weed, then dig down deep and cut out the root of unyieldedness. Commit your heart and life into My hands, trust in Me, and say, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
When you are willing to commit your plans to Me, when you are moldable in My hands, when you yield your heart and life to Me and you want with all your heart to be free from these things so that you might have Me and My Spirit more abundantly, you will find deliverance, and your garden plot will be more beautiful than ever before. It will flourish! Your garden plot will glorify Me.
Follow My lead
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight.—2 Corinthians 5:6–76
Be willing to follow where I lead. Follow Me wholeheartedly, with glad anticipation, quickening your pace. Though you don’t know what lies ahead, I know; and that is enough! Some of My richest blessings are just around the bend: out of sight, but nonetheless very real. To receive these gifts, you must walk by faith—not by sight. This doesn’t mean closing your eyes to what is all around you. It means subordinating the visible world to the invisible Shepherd of your soul.
Sometimes I lead you up a high mountain with only My hand to support you. The higher you climb, the more spectacular the view becomes; also, the more keenly you sense your separation from the world with all its problems. This frees you to experience exuberantly the joyous reality of My presence. Give yourself fully to these Glory moments, awash in dazzling light. I will eventually lead you down the mountain back into community with others. Let My light continue to shine within you as you walk among people again.7
*
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
—Psalm 36:5–98
Originally published in 1997, unless otherwise indicated. Adapted and republished September 2014. Read by Jon Marc.
1 NIV.
2 NLT.
3 Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
4 The Message.
5 NLT.
6 NASB.
7 Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
8 NIV.
Words from Jesus
Audio length: 9:21
Download Audio (7.5MB)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:111
*
I am your Shepherd. I am leading you to a door and asking you to open it and walk through it. I do not force anyone to walk through the doors I lead them to, because I want My children to make their own choices out of love for Me. But the door is there, and if you walk through it you’ll find a great light, for I am the way, the truth, and the life. You’ll find a whole, complete life of love and fulfillment. I am life, and he who gives his life to Me will live forever, finding happiness not only in this life, but in the life to come.
So do not be afraid to push the door open and walk in. As you open the door by faith and take the first step, I will give you the faith to take another step, even if you can’t see where the path is taking you. If you’re walking down the road that I have for you, there is no mistake, there is no higher calling in life. There is no greater fulfillment than to choose the life that I—the designer of the universe—have called you to.
I have not taken My eyes off you since the day you were born, but have cared for you and planned for you and loved you every moment, from the beginning of time and to the end of time. So trust Me with your life, for I have plans for your future.
Your strength and shield
The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.—Psalm 28:72
I am your strength and shield. I plan out each day and have it ready for you, long before you arise from bed. I also provide the strength you need each step of the way. Instead of assessing your energy level and wondering about what’s on the road ahead, concentrate on staying in touch with Me. My power flows freely into you through our open communication. Refuse to waste energy worrying, and you will have strength to spare.
Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am your Shield. But unlike inanimate armor, I am always alert and active. My Presence watches over you continually, protecting you from both known and unknown dangers. Entrust yourself to My watchcare, which is the best security system available. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.3
Compassed about
Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!—Hebrews 12:1–34
*
Wherefore seeing you are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the burdens that burden you, and look to Me, the author and finisher of your faith. I have called you to cast aside the burdens. At this very moment, round about you is a great cloud of witnesses, so great that if I would open your eyes, you would see they fill this room!
Therefore stir up the gifts that are within you; seek Me and call upon Me, and I will be found and I will speak to your heart. If you call upon Me, you will not only hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” but you will hear it on the left and on the right and within your heart.
Not My will
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.—Psalm 37:4–65
*
I am the Master Gardener, the Master Landscaper. I have placed in your hand these seeds, and you have planted them and watered them and tended them. But as I look upon your garden, I see that there is an ugly, evil weed that is defiling it. It has been a troublesome, bothersome weed. You have tried to root it out. You have chopped it down and you have burned it. You have so wanted to rid your garden of this ugly weed.
To do so, you must go down deep beneath the surface and the topsoil. You must look much deeper and find the roots, for there is one root deep down that is the source of this weed. If you want your garden plot to be beautiful and free from this evil weed, then dig down deep and cut out the root of unyieldedness. Commit your heart and life into My hands, trust in Me, and say, “Not my will but Thine be done.”
When you are willing to commit your plans to Me, when you are moldable in My hands, when you yield your heart and life to Me and you want with all your heart to be free from these things so that you might have Me and My Spirit more abundantly, you will find deliverance, and your garden plot will be more beautiful than ever before. It will flourish! Your garden plot will glorify Me.
Follow My lead
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight.—2 Corinthians 5:6–76
Be willing to follow where I lead. Follow Me wholeheartedly, with glad anticipation, quickening your pace. Though you don’t know what lies ahead, I know; and that is enough! Some of My richest blessings are just around the bend: out of sight, but nonetheless very real. To receive these gifts, you must walk by faith—not by sight. This doesn’t mean closing your eyes to what is all around you. It means subordinating the visible world to the invisible Shepherd of your soul.
Sometimes I lead you up a high mountain with only My hand to support you. The higher you climb, the more spectacular the view becomes; also, the more keenly you sense your separation from the world with all its problems. This frees you to experience exuberantly the joyous reality of My presence. Give yourself fully to these Glory moments, awash in dazzling light. I will eventually lead you down the mountain back into community with others. Let My light continue to shine within you as you walk among people again.7
*
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
—Psalm 36:5–98
Originally published in 1997, unless otherwise indicated. Adapted and republished September 2014. Read by Jon Marc.
1 NIV.
2 NLT.
3 Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
4 The Message.
5 NLT.
6 NASB.
7 Sarah Young, Jesus Calling (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010).
8 NIV.
