Stories Past and Present The Christian gospel is often condensed into a story that affirms the basics of the faith: God loves us and has a wonderful plan for us. But we have sinned and are therefore separated from Him. Jesus Christ on the Cross is the answer to our predicament, and if we will accept him as our personal savior, we will have eternal life. Though accurate in what it highlights, such a simplified presentation can wrongly convey the idea that the gospel is primarily about individual fulfillment and satisfaction. "God loves YOU and has a wonderful plan for YOU." "Live up to your potential and embrace your best life!" Such a shortened story seems to place Christians in the center of the message and not Jesus. On the contrary, the heart of both the Old and New Testaments is the fulfillment of God's plan. The story of human redemption is God's complete and multifaceted movement among history and people and nations. It cannot be reduced to mere highlights without compromising the story. What about the resurrection of Christ? What about his return and the promise of our own resurrection? What about the new heaven and new earth? What about the kingdom present and among us? There are many books that make up the Bible, all of which tell a part of a great and magnificent story. The Christian faith is rooted in thousands of years of the history of humanity, and it is this rootedness that makes Christianity so relevant to everyone, both individually and corporately. The person of Christ and the salvation he offers are meaningful to us today because Jesus is historical, because he is the same today, yesterday, and forever. In contrast, many other systems of belief hold history as something that is cyclical. After someone dies, he or she is thought to be reincarnated or rebirthed. For Christians the reverse is true. Our faith is defined by significant events in history. The past and the future are momentous because they greatly inform the present. While the past offers both perspective and purpose for our current situation, the future gives us hope and meaning. No matter what we are going through today, this, too, shall one day pass. Promised is the future that is hinted at in history. There comes a day when all tears will be wiped away, a time of unhindered fellowship with God. Yet today, regardless of worldview, we seem to be unfortunately suffering from historical amnesia, where we have lost our interest and understanding of history. As evidenced in the popularity of fictitious histories, the fascination with purportedly long-lost gospels, or the contentedness with a lack of historical perspective entirely, history has little existential meaning for us. This ahistorical climate is affecting the way we perceive truth in relation to reality. The message of Christianity stands counter to this climate, proclaiming the acts of God in human time and space. For believers in a savior who lived and died and rose, history is imperative; it is a significant part of one's identity. God has been working out his plan for thousands of years, first through the nation of Israel and now through the body of Christ. Where Christ is professed crucified, where his resurrection is proclaimed, we are remembering the historical character of faith, which in turn echoes the all-encompassing sovereignty of God. Where the invitation to follow Christ is accepted, we step into a narrative that encompasses past, present, and future. We proclaim in finite stories the one who was and is and is to come. I'Ching Thomas is associate director of training at Ravi Zacharias International
jennifer grace (@dancingwgrace) has shared a Tweet with you: "StephenAtHome: It's the fiftieth anniversary of the first American in space. I believe 50 is the shutting-down-manned-space-flight anniversary." --http://twitter.com/StephenAtHome/status/66351294792744960
God did not invent death, and when living creatures die, it gives him no pleasure. He created everything so that it might continue to exist, and everything he created is wholesome and good. There is no deadly poison in them. No, death does not rule this world, for God's justice does not die. http://bible.us/Wis1.13.GNTD
Lord Almighty, God of our ancestors, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God of their righteous descendants, you created the universe and all the splendor that fills it. The sea obeys your command and never overflows its bounds. The power of your wonderful, glorious name keeps the ocean depths in their place. When you show your power, all creation trembles. Your glorious splendor is overwhelming, and your anger is more than sinners can endure. But the mercy you promise is also greater than we can understand or measure. For you are the Lord Most High; you are patient and show mercy and compassion. You make our punishment easier to bear when we suffer for our sins. O Lord, in your great goodness and mercy you promise forgiveness and salvation to those who repent of their sin against you. You, Lord, are the God of righteous people. Repentance was not necessary for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they did not sin against you. But for sinners like me you have made repentance possible. I have committed more sins than there are grains of sand along the seashore. They are so many, Lord, they are so many. I have done so much that is wrong that I am not worthy to turn my face toward heaven. I am crushed beneath the weight of my sin; I am bowed down by its heavy iron chain. I can find no relief, for I have made you angry. I have set up idols everywhere; I have done what you hate. But now I bow in deep humility, praying for your mercy. I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned; I confess the wicked things I have done. I beg you, Lord, I earnestly pray: forgive me, forgive me. Do not destroy me because of my sins; do not stay angry with me forever or store up punishment for me. Do not condemn me to the world of the dead, for you, O Lord, forgive those who repent. Show me all your mercy and kindness and save me, even though I do not deserve it. Then I will go on praising you as long as I live. All the heavenly powers sing your praises, and your glory endures forever. Amen. http://bible.us/PrMan1.1.GNTD
Timeline: Osama bin Laden, over the years - CNN.com
And now they have their most heroic martyr, as they wait for the Mahadi.......this ends no war,it just increases many fold the forgotten one we already fight ....research for yourself Sharia law,how the laws of the Koran are in direct opposition to our Constitution.....& please pray for those who stand on a wall in some dessert somewhere - for your freedom-
Jlrgrace
Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T ----- Reply message ----- From: "Elisha Vision - The Blog" <no-reply@wordpress.com> Date: Sun, May 1, 2011 11:20 pm Subject: [New post] Israel/Egypt Treaty Jeopardy To: <grace.family@live.com> Post : Israel/Egypt Treaty Jeopardy URL : http://elishavision.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/israelegypt-treaty-jeopardy/ Posted : May 1, 2011 at 11:20 pm Author : elishasees Tags : Generation LAST, Israel, Jerusalem, Middle East, Radical Islam Categories : Israel Commentary http://elishavision.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/2011-egypt-israel.png&h=300Israel E-Card Volume 5 Issue 9 Topic #1 Egyptians Oppose Israel Peace The Pew Poll of Egyptians released last week ( http://pewglobal.org/2011/04/25/egyptians-embrace-revolt-leaders-religious-parties-and-military-as-well/) revealed some hard facts for the naïve Western leftist media. Most were rejoicing for the "Arab Spring" destined to bring freedom and democracy to the Middle East. They were dead wrong. 54% of Egyptians from all levels of society and whether secular or religious, desire to annul the treaty ( http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/04/25/general-ml-egypt-poll_8433776.html) with Israel. ( http://www.businessinsider.com/eventually-everyone-will-turn-on-israel-2011-4) Only 36% choose to maintain it. The poll deserves a deeper look than can fit in this space, but a few highlights jump out. Another result has 75% favorable toward the Muslim Brotherhood. http://elishavision.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/2011-egypt-20.png&h=300 September's election will bring their ideology into the core of Egyptian policy. They don't have to win, they have already won. Any candidate from any party will have to appeal to that overwhelming sentiment of the voters. President Bush forced an election in Gaza, convinced that the people would vote for moderates. Hamas was elected by 70% of the vote. http://elishavision.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/2011-egypt-koran.png&h=300A third question asked how strictly Egypt's laws should follow the Koran. 27% were for the principles of Islam, 62% were for strict adherence to Sharia Law. That is 89% lining up for a theocracy! Wake up and smell the Turkish coffee. Topic #2 Obama in Middle East Polls? http://elishavision.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/2011-egypt-obama.png&h=300 Israeli polls the last two years show President Obama in single digits of 6 in 2009 ( http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/19/poll-israeli-jews-obama-pro-palestinian/) and 9 in 2010. ( http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=171849) Most Israeli's consider him pro-Palestinian. George W. Bush had 88% favorable! Just as surprising are Obama's numbers in the Egypt Pew poll. 52% disagree with his handling of the recent protests. What does this mean? Cairo, Egypt was the setting for one of his milestone speeches trying to woo the Muslim world. This may have had the effect of encouraging calls for an open democracy, but the result is anything but. President Obama repeated his mantra that we are not at war with Islam and never will be. Yet, we are in three shooting wars, and the ones we are shooting at, are Muslims. 99% of all the terrorists and pirates are Muslims. If this isn't war, what does war look like? This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, 'All is peaceful' when there is no peace at all! It's as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! Ezekiel 13:10 Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists (READ MORE) ( http://elishavision.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/syrian-prefers-israel/)Add a comment to this post: http://elishavision.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/israelegypt-treaty-jeopardy/#respond-- WordPress.com | Thanks for flying with WordPress! Manage Subscriptions http://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=248d5bb99e4547b6343ddda4629aafef&email=grace.family%40live.comUnsubscribe: http://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=248d5bb99e4547b6343ddda4629aafef&email=grace.family%40live.com&b=0sd-OPTH%7ExD%2FA%5BphiYdkt%3FGYq17gF.Oyugjk%2C%5Dyt4%3FQ%25s.NO
THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness--in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God]. So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured. http://bible.us/Heb12.1.AMPSent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. [Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God], and God bore witness by accepting and acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet [through the incident] he is still speaking. Because of faith Enoch was caught up and transferred to heaven, so that he did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received testimony [still on record] that he had pleased and been satisfactory to God. But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. [Prompted] by faith Noah, being forewarned by God concerning events of which as yet there was no visible sign, took heed and diligently and reverently constructed and prepared an ark for the deliverance of his own family. By this [his faith which relied on God] he passed judgment and sentence on the world's unbelief and became an heir and possessor of righteousness (that relation of being right into which God puts the person who has faith). [Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go. So from one man, though he was physically as good as dead, there have sprung descendants whose number is as the stars of heaven and as countless as the innumerable sands on the seashore. These people all died controlled and sustained by their faith, but not having received the tangible fulfillment of [God's] promises, only having seen it and greeted it from a great distance by faith, and all the while acknowledging and confessing that they were strangers and temporary residents and exiles upon the earth. [Aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, Because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life. He considered the contempt and abuse and shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward and away to the reward (recompense). [Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible. By faith (simple trust and confidence in God) he instituted and carried out the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood [on the doorposts], so that the destroyer of the firstborn (the angel) might not touch those [of the children of Israel]. And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, Extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts. [Some] women received again their dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured to death with clubs, refusing to accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they might be resurrected to a better life. [I Kings 17:17-24; II Kings 4:25-37.] They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated-- [Men] of whom the world was not worthy--roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised, Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them]. http://bible.us/Heb11.1.AMPSent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name-- Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!] http://bible.us/John1.12.AMPSent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
So Tobias and the angel started out toward Media, taking Tobias' dog along with them. They walked on until sunset, then camped by the Tigris River. and the angel called to him, "Grab that fish! Don't let it get away." Then Tobias grabbed the fish and dragged it up on the bank. "Cut the fish open," the angel instructed, "and take out its gall bladder, heart, and liver. Keep these with you; they can be used for medicine, but throw away the guts." Then Tobias asked, "Azarias, my friend, what diseases can be cured by this gall bladder, heart, and liver?" The angel answered, "The heart and liver can be burned and used to chase away a demon or an evil spirit that is tormenting someone. The attacks will stop immediately, and the person will never be troubled again. You can use the gall bladder to treat someone whose eyes are covered with a white film. Just rub it on his eyes and blow on the film, and he will be able to see again." http://bible.us/Tob6.1.GNTDSent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
http://talkiesofprakruthy.blogspot.com/ Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
Excellent idea! Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T ----- Reply message ----- From: "Lewis Grace" <loumaspetey@yahoo.com> Date: Sat, Apr 30, 2011 2:47 pm Subject: Start the 28th Amendment To: "Lewis Grace" <loumaspetey@yahoo.com> ________________________________ Start the 28th Amendment!! >> >> >> >>The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 >>months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That >>was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc. >> >> Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to >>become the law of the land...all because of public pressure. >> >> I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people >>on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. >> >> In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the >>message. This is one idea that really should be passed around. >> >> Congressional Reform Act of 2011 >> >> 1. Term Limits. 12 years only, one of the possible options below.. >> >> A. Two Six-year Senate terms >> B. Six Two-year House terms >> C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms >> >> >> 2. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and >>receives no pay when they are out of office. >> >> >> 3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. >> >> All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security >>system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and >>Congress participates with the American people. >> >> >> 4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. >> >> >> 5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will >>rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. >> >> >> 6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same >>health care system as the American people. >> >> >> 7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. >> >> >> 8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 10-1-11 >> >> >> The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen >>made all these contracts for themselves. >> >> >> Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned >>citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back >>to work. >> >> If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take >>three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is >>time. >> >> THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, pass it on. If >>not, just delete >> >> You are one of my 20+. Please keep it going. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>______________________________________________________________________ >>This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. >>For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email >>______________________________________________________________________ >> >> >>______________________________________________________________________ >>This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. >>For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email >>______________________________________________________________________ >> >> >> >>__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature >>database 6016 (20110405) __________ >> >>The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. >> >> http://www.eset.com// >> >> >>__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature >>database 6016 (20110405) __________ >> >>The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. >> >> http://www.eset.com/ >> >> >>======================================================= >>THIS ELECTRONIC MESSAGE, INCLUDING ANY ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS, IS >> CONFIDENTIAL and may contain information that is privileged and exempt from >>disclosure under applicable law. If you are neither the intended recipient nor >>responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, please note >>that any dissemination, distribution, copying or the taking of any action in >>reli
Freakshow hats! Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie go all out. Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
http://www.logoschristian.org/revealed/ Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
WOW,this one is extra awesome. Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T  
From the Fringes Author A.J. Jacobs admits that he was agnostic before he even knew what the word meant. For all the good God seemed to invoke, the potential for abuse was far too high in his mind for God to be taken seriously. In a book exploring religion and religiousness, Jacobs describes an uncle who seemed to confirm this for him. Dabbling religiously in nearly every religion, his uncle went through a phase where he decided to take the Bible completely literally. Thus, heeding the Bible's command in Deuteronomy 14:25 to secure money in one's hand, he tied bills to his palms. Heeding the biblical command to wear fringes at the corners of one's garment, he bought yarn from a kitting shop, made a bunch of tassels, and attached them to every corner he could find on his clothes.(1) While his uncle sought faithfulness to the letter, Jacobs was left with the impression that his uncle was "subtly dangerous." There are certainly sections of the Bible that when stripped of context and read in a lifeless vacuum can lead a mind to extremes. Like Jacobs, it is easy to conclude that religion and religiousness are completely ridiculous; or like his uncle, it is possible to assume complete literalism and run in ridiculous directions. The practice of making and wearing tassels on the corners of one's garment, commanded in Numbers 15:37, is one such peculiar biblical decree easily dismissed in the name of reason or disemboweled in the name of faithfulness. Yet neither response truly yields an honest view of the command. In fact, what seems an entirely curious fashion tip for the people of Israel was a common sight in many ancient Near Eastern cultures. Fringed garments were considered ornamental and illustrative of the owner; they were also were thought to hold certain spiritual significances.(2) In Assyria and Babylonia, for instance, fringes were believed to assure the wearer of the protection of the gods. Thus, God's command of the Israelites to "make fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations" took something familiar to the nations and gave it new significance for the nation God called his own. "39You will have the fringe so that, when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and not follow the lust of your own heart and your own eyes" (Numbers 15:39). Like many of the commands and rituals described in Jewish and Christian Scriptures, the instruction of tassels is about remembrance. The perpetual presence of fringe and tassel was a tangible reminder that all of life, not only moments of piety or prayer, was an opportunity to be in the presence of God. To miss the rich substance of this divine petition is to miss it—and its petitioner—entirely. But more than this, we do well to carry such social, historical, and linguistic depth throughout other segments of Scripture we might otherwise dismiss. What might have seemed an insignificant quirk of an ancient context finds meaning in texts long thereafter. In ancient times, for instance, tassels were a part of the hem of a garment, which itself was a significant social statement. The hem was the most ornate part of one's attire, and thus declared the wearer's importance before the world. It was considered a symbolic extension of one's person, a means of grasping one's stature—sometimes literally. Grasping the hem of one from whom you wanted something, you were thought to be grasping the very identity of the owner—and hence it was shameful to refuse the request. The hems of kings' and nobles' robes, moreover, were symbolic of their rank and authority, and therefore were often longer, richer in color, or made with more costly fabric. Thus, when David cut the hem of Saul's robe in the cave, the declaration was as potent as crushing the crown of Queen Elizabeth or impeaching the president. Saul conceded, "Now I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand." But along with authority, importance, and personhood, holiness was also expressed in antiquity by the fringes and hems of one's garment. The length of a priest's or rabbi's fringes was symbolic of piety, respect, and authority. And this message is perhaps no clearer than in the vision of Isaiah when the very hem of the robe of the LORD filled everything before the prophet's eyes. "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robefilled the temple." Isaiah envisions the God described in Scripture as one whose person is larger than anything we can imagine, one who comes near to us within a specific context, and fills the world with even the fringes of Himself. I know only of one other hem that amazed crowds and changed individuals in the same way. Unlike the priests who made "their fringes long" to shout of their piety, this man had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him (Matthew 23:5, Isaiah 53:2). And yet, people came from the very fringes of society hoping to touch even the hem of his robe. They begged him that they might touch even the tassels of his cloak. And indeed, all who touched him were made whole.(3)
Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
(1) A. J. Jacobs, A Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), 6.
(2) "Fringes," in J. Hastings, Dictionary of the Bible (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1902), 68-70.
(3) Cf. Matthew 14:36, Matthew 9:20, Luke 8:44, Mark 6:56.
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Ancient& World history clubs trip to memorial art gallery Rochester.... Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
Some of the coolest kids I know! Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
Some of my favorite ladies on the planet & our national bird! Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
My favorite part of our Memorial Art Gallery Field trip this year.... Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
http://rockhall.com/education/resources/lesson-plans/ Getting ready for our summer camping trip! Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
Summers coming soon& that means hoppin a ferry to our favorite island to see our favorite nanny! Can't wait to smell the ocean air& watch the sunset over the Atlantic.... Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
Miss the days of little guys playing videogames& staying up all night, eating pigs in a blanket,harassing each other,having noisy fun,breaking things in my house....so grateful for all of those Italian stallion sleep-overs...;)
Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
----- Forwarded message -----
From: "jennifer grace" <grace.family@live.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 24, 2011 11:50 pm
Subject: Itallionstallions
To: "grace.family@live.com" <grace.family@live.com>
The Bellone bros found it an interesting challenge to try & fill my always hungry husband w/ a 7# burger......boys r so silly..... Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T
You are invited,,,even though you may not celebrate Easter,or you don't usually go to church,or you have a usual Sunday routine--- in spite of that-- you are invited to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord tomorrow,11am@ Rose United Methodist Church.... Alissa &I will b dancing to " I will rise". May God bless you all;) in this holy season& in all others... JlrGrace Sent from my HTC Aria™! smartphone on AT&T
Sent from my HTC Aria™ smartphone on AT&T 
There Was a Body
There was a body on the cross. This was the shocking revelation of a 12 year-old seeing a crucifix for the first time. I was not used to seeing Jesus there—or any body for that matter. The many crosses in my world were empty. But here, visiting a friend's church, in a denomination different from my own, was a scene I had never fully considered. In my own Protestant circles I remember hearing the rationale. Holy Week did not end with Jesus on the cross. Good Friday is not the end of the story. Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. And on the third day, he rose again. The story ends in the victory of Easter. The cross is empty because Christ is risen. In fact, it is true, and as Paul notes, essential, that Christians worship a risen Christ. "[For] if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith is in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:14). Even walking through the events of Holy Week—the emotion of the Last Supper, the anguish in Gethsemane, the denials of the disciples, the interrogation of Pilate, and the lonely way to Golgotha—we are well aware that though the cross is coming, so is the empty tomb. The dark story of Good Friday will indeed be answered by the light of Easter morning. And yet, there is scarcely a theologian I can imagine who would set aside the fathomless mystery of the crucifixion in the interest of a doctrine that "over-shadows" it. The resurrection follows the crucifixion; it does not erase it. Though the cross has indeed taken away the sting of sin and death, and Christ has truly borne our pain, and the burden of humanity is that we will follow him. Even Christ, who retained the scars of his own crucifixion, told his followers that they, too, would drink the cup from which he drank. The Christian, who considers himself "crucified with Christ," will surely "take up his cross" and follow him. The good news is that Christ goes with us, even as he went before us, fully tasting humanity in a body like yours and mine. Thus, far from being an act that undermines the victory of the resurrection, the remembrance of Jesus's hour of suffering boldly unites us with Christ himself. For it was on the cross that Christ most intimately bound himself to humanity. It was "for this hour" that Christ himself declared that he came. Humanity is, in turn, united to him in his suffering and is near him in our own. Had there not been an actual body on the cross, such mysteries would not be substantive enough to reach us. Author and undertaker Thomas Lynch describes a related problem as well-meaning onlookers at funerals attempt to console the grief-stricken. Lynch describes how often he hears someone tell the weeping mother or father of the child who died of leukemia or a car accident, "It's okay, that's not her, it's just a shell."(1) But the suggestion that a dead body is "just" anything, particularly in the early stages of grief, he finds more than problematic. What if, he imagines, we were to use a similar wording to describe our hope in resurrection—namely, that Christ raised "just" a body from the dead. Lynch continues, "What if, rather than crucifixion, he'd opted for suffering low self-esteem for the remission of sins? What if, rather than 'just a shell,' he'd raised his personality say, or The Idea of Himself? Do you think they'd have changed the calendar for that? [...] Easter was a body and blood thing, no symbols, no euphemisms, no half measures."(2) On the cross, we find the one whose self-offering transformed all suffering and forever lifted the burden of sin. On this dark and Good Friday, we find the very figure of God with us, a body who cried out in a loud voice in the midst of anguish, on the brink of death, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Precisely because the cross was not empty, the coming resurrection is profoundly full. Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. (1) Thomas Lynch, The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade (New York: Penguin, 1997), 21.
(2) Ibid.
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Man and Mystery Author Annie Dillard once observed, "We wake, if we ever wake at all, to mystery."(1) Today is Maundy Thursday. For those who experienced it first, Maundy Thursday, which is Latin for "command," was an eventful day. It was the day the disciples received the command to love and had their feet washed by Jesus. It was the day they perhaps first saw the connection between the Passover sacrifice, their beloved teacher, and the bread of life. It was the day their eyes were roused by the uniqueness of the man before them, their minds filled with history, prophecy, and tradition—and they began to wake to the grand mystery of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In fact, Jesus is a mystery that has unarguably shaped all of history. A 1936 Life magazine article on the life of Jesus noted, "Jesus gave history a new beginning. In every land he is at home: everywhere men think his face is like their best face—and like God's face. His birthday is kept across the world. His death-day has set a gallows across every city skyline. Who is he?"(2) The mystery of Christ, his life, death, and influence is uniquely unmatched. Even Napoleon, in a conversation while imprisoned at St. Helena, acknowledged: "The religion of Christ is a mystery which subsists by its own force, and proceeds from a mind which is not a human mind. We find in it a marked individuality, which originated a train of words and maxims unknown before—Jesus borrowed nothing from our knowledge. He exhibited in himself the perfect example of his precepts.... Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires, but upon what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon love and at this hour millions of men would die for him."(3) But who is the man behind these concentrated words? I can think of no better question to ask on Maundy Thursday. And yet, as Ravi Zacharias states, the precursor to the answer is the intent of the questioner. Magazine articles and television programming may reflect curiosity in the man the world remembers this week, but do we want to know who Jesus was, who he is, beyond the philosophical exercise? Perhaps that first Maundy Thursday, just before the Passover Feast, just a day before Jesus was betrayed, is a revealing scene for the honest seeker of Christ's identity. The story is recounted in the Gospel of John.(4) Jesus looks at his disciples, his friends, those who would soon deny even knowing him, those who even so, he would love to the end. And standing with those men, knowing the weight of the darkness before him, knowing from where he came from and where he was going—knowing that before the light of Sunday would come the blackness of Friday and the emptiness of Saturday—Jesus took a towel and a basin and began to wash their feet. Indeed, who is he? Oswald Chambers said that drudgery is the truest test of genuine character. Foot washing was a lowly job—and an oft-recurring job due to sandals and dusty streets; it was a job for a servant. But here, the menial task was instead performed by the master, their teacher, the Messiah they hoped would save them with force. The mysterious truth of Christ's identity is that he still does what is analogous to washing soiled feet: with our deepest sorrows, our sorriest actions, our smallest attempts at faith. Might we wake again and again to the enormity of who Christ is, and in so doing heed his command to love as he has loved. Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. (1) Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, (New York: HarperPerennial, 1998), 4.
(2) George Buttrick, "The Life of Jesus Christ," Life, December 28, 1936, 49.
(3) Napoleon I, "Napoleon's Argument for the Divinity of Christ," Evans & Cogswell, No. 3, Charleston, 1861.
(4) John 13:1-17.
| | | Your privacy is extremely important to us. We will never sell or distribute your email to any third party. If you have questions or comments, email slice@sliceofinfinity.org. | | | | | | Copyright (c) 2011 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries ( RZIM) | | | A Slice of Infinity is aimed at reaching into the culture with words of challenge, words of truth, and words of hope. If you know of others who would enjoy receiving A Slice of Infinity in their email box each day, tell them they can sign up on our website at www.rzim.org/Slice | | | |
