tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post11229543279721849..comments2024-02-13T08:49:07.287-04:00Comments on 'Thought & Humor!': Basic Flying Rules:Professor Howdyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-9807950413856601592008-06-11T13:00:00.000-03:002008-06-11T13:00:00.000-03:00We were watching the annual White House Correspond...We were watching the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on TV<BR/>one night, and I was actually amazed by what I heard. Reporters from all<BR/>over the world are at this dinner, along with the President of the United<BR/>States, who usually does a humorous speech. Well, George Bush finished and<BR/>then one of America's most popular comedians was introduced as the night's<BR/>entertainment. But this man - who is known far more for being suggestive<BR/>than spiritual - made this statement: "I've been watching the evening news a<BR/>lot lately - with my Bible opened to the Book of Revelation. And as I'm<BR/>hearing what's happened in the world, I just go 'check ... check ... check.'"<BR/><BR/> Now, that's a comedian - not a theologian - observing how closely<BR/>current events seem to be following the Bible's description of this world's<BR/>climactic events. But these days a lot of people are suddenly thinking about<BR/>things like a future that's beyond our control and an eternity that's one<BR/>heartbeat away. There's this sense - both cosmically and personally - that<BR/>our time may be shorter than we thought.<BR/><BR/> Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the first chapter<BR/>of Revelation - and it's a reassuring note, actually, in a very<BR/>unpredictable world. In Revelation 1:8, Jesus says, referring to the first<BR/>and last letters of the Greek alphabet, "I am the Alpha and the Omega ...<BR/>who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Then in Revelation<BR/>1:17 and 18, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I<BR/>am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And<BR/>I hold the keys of death and Hades."<BR/><BR/> Well, as countries rise and fall, as leaders come and go, as the<BR/>world seems to be exploding, Jesus is the unchanging, undying Lord of<BR/>history. That was settled the day He walked out of His grave under His own<BR/>power after His death for our sins on the cross. When every loved one is<BR/>gone, when everything you've been depending on collapses - there stands<BR/>Jesus Christ, Son of God. He holds the keys! He is your safe place in a<BR/>dangerous world! A new follower of Christ was given a Bible, and since no<BR/>one showed him where to start reading, he started at the end with<BR/>Revelation. A veteran Christian asked him if he understood anything he read<BR/>there. The new believer said - "Well, one thing. We win!"<BR/><BR/> Well, actually Jesus wins. And in a world where we're so vulnerable,<BR/>where things are so unpredictable - not to mention the fact that eternity is<BR/>always just a heartbeat away. This is a good time to be sure you belong to<BR/>the Lord of history, the Conqueror of death - Jesus, the man who died for<BR/>your sin so you could belong to Him.<BR/><BR/> If you've never begun this anchor-relationship with Jesus Christ,<BR/>you could do it this very day. Talk to Him. Tell Him, "I'm Yours, Jesus,<BR/>from this day on." He promised He would enter your life upon your personal<BR/>invitation. If that's what you want, then I would like to send you my<BR/>booklet, it's called "Yours For Life." It's about beginning life's most<BR/>important relationship.<BR/><BR/> Once you belong to Jesus Christ, you are secure no matter what<BR/>collapses and you are ready for eternity, no matter when it begins.<BR/><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.yoursforlife.net/alpha/" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.needhim.org/" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/> <BR/> <BR/>Wist u dat de God van u houdt?<BR/>Avez-vous su que Dieu vous aime ?<BR/>Wußten Sie, daß Gott Sie liebt?<BR/>Avete saputo che il dio li ama?<BR/>Você soube que o deus o ama?<BR/>¿Usted sabía que el dios le ama?<BR/><BR/>http://everystudent.com/menus/intl.html<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://everystudent.com/menus/intl.html" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.everystudent.com/videoroom.php" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A>Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-54403189576241135972008-06-11T12:16:00.000-03:002008-06-11T12:16:00.000-03:00One of the most compelling scenes in the Gospels i...One of the most compelling scenes in the Gospels involves a man whose words<BR/>were never recorded. Lazarus is first introduced in the Gospel of John as<BR/>one Jesus loves--and one who is sick. The illness had silenced Lazarus to<BR/>the point where it is Mary and Martha who had to send word to Jesus: <BR/>"Lord, the one you love is sick" (John 11:3). When Jesus heard the news<BR/>of his friend's condition, he immediately replied: "This sickness will not<BR/>end in death." A few days later, Lazarus was dead. <BR/><BR/>There are times when I read this story and I long to say in response, "But<BR/>it did end in death." Before the story of Lazarus was a story fully<BR/>marked by the power of resurrection, it was first a story marred by the<BR/>force of death. Lazarus still walked through the pain of his illness; he<BR/>still faced the uncertainty of dying. Mary and Martha still grieved at<BR/>the grave of their brother for four days. And Jesus himself wept. <BR/><BR/>Even for those who look to the resurrection as their certain hope, death<BR/>is still a jarring occurrence. The journey toward death was harsh and<BR/>shocking to Lazarus, his family, and his friends. But it was not the<BR/>final word. There is a voice that can be heard even through the last<BR/>shriek of death. <BR/><BR/>Author and professor James Loder tells the story of his younger sister's<BR/>transforming encounter with death and life. From an early age, it was<BR/>evident that Kay would be a child marked by struggle. Loder describes her<BR/>as "a troubled young girl living in a middle-class family in which there<BR/>seemed to be no trouble at all."(1) Yet off and on throughout her<BR/>childhood, she would suddenly break into tears and fall into bouts of<BR/>genuine discontent, such that she was having great trouble both at home<BR/>and in school. When she was fourteen, their father was diagnosed with<BR/>brain cancer. <BR/><BR/>Nine months later, on the night before he died, Kay and her brother took a<BR/>walk together in the rain. As they walked quietly together, they came to a<BR/>lake. Both slowed at the sight of it and its various reflections in the<BR/>light. On the other side of the lake was a figure that stopped them both<BR/>completely. Remarkably, there seemed in front of them the silhouette of a<BR/>Christ-like figure; he was carrying a burden as he walked in the rain. <BR/>They were both transfixed. "Do you see what I see?" Loder asked. "Yes,"<BR/>came the hushed reply of his sister. <BR/><BR/>After that evening life was somehow different for her. Their father<BR/>passed away, but the vision of Christ in the midst of it was somehow more<BR/>permanent. Kay's life took an entirely different turn. She sailed<BR/>through school and pursued theater with the idea of bringing God into it. <BR/>Loder explains that it was never easy for her; in fact, "it was very hard,"<BR/>he said, "but always there was the vision.... [S]he was continually ripped<BR/>off. Her material was stolen, and she died at the age of thirty-nine. <BR/>[Yet] even in dying, her great love of God and the power of the vision<BR/>gave death to death; in love she was married to the Lord for life and for<BR/>life after death."(2)<BR/><BR/>We don't know how Lazarus reacted to his own death and subsequent<BR/>resurrection. The gospels do not offer us a single word from the mouth of<BR/>the one who was raised. In fact, the man at whose grave Jesus wept is<BR/>known only in the gospels as one who listened. Amidst a crowd drawn by<BR/>sorrow to a graveside in Bethany, Jesus called out in a loud voice:<BR/>"Lazarus, come forth!" And the dead man indeed came out, his hands and<BR/>his feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. <BR/> <BR/>There is something about suffering and despair that brings us to strain<BR/>our ears for the voice of God. Where we have written God off as silent,<BR/>where we have lived with the suspicion of a distant or demanding ruler,<BR/>there is a compulsion within our pain that forces us to listen. There is<BR/>an image of Christ who carried the same burden. And it is met with the<BR/>promise of one who speaks: This sickness will not end in death. <BR/><BR/>Jill Carattini is senior associate writer at Ravi Zacharias<BR/>International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.<BR/><BR/>(1) James E. Loder, The Transforming Moment (Colorado Springs:<BR/>Helmers & Howard Publishing, 1989), 228.<BR/>(2) Ibid., 229.<BR/><BR/>-------------------------------------------------------------------<BR/> Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)<BR/>"A Slice of Infinity" is aimed at reaching into the culture with words of<BR/>challenge, words of truth, and words of hope. If you know of others who<BR/>would enjoy receiving "A Slice of Infinity" in their email box each day,<BR/>tell them they can sign up on our website at<BR/>http://www.rzim.org/slice/slice.php. If they do not have access to the<BR/>World Wide Web, please call 1-877-88SLICE (1-877-887-5423).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com