Bible. Do You Still Love Me? Train Wreck. Job. Self-destruct. Profit. Watch Your Mouth. Communication. Easter. Maryland.

For "Scripture Sunday":

What Do They Say About the Bible?

"We should give serious consideration to the high regard respected people of past and present have had for the Bible.

Source: Photos.com

"They say it might rain." "They say that new restaurant is pretty good." Who are they? If it's weather, they are probably meteorologists. If movies or books, they might be professional critics, or your friends. Does it matter what they say?

When it comes to movies or books, I often have the opposite opinion of critics. I don't respect their perceptions. But some have proven to share my tastes and standards.

What about you? If you respect certain people you know or know about—who've shown themselves to be knowledgeable or sensible—then their point of view is certainly worth considering.

This applies to the most important book of all—the Bible. While the opinions of other people cannot establish or deny the Bible's validity, it's nevertheless worth knowing what they say about it. I'm a minister, so it's my job to tell you to trust the Bible. But you might value the opinions of others as much, if not more.

Here's a look at what some respected figures from history had to say about the Bible—for all of us to consider.

Literary giants

Charles Dickens penned several classic English novels, including A Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist . He said, "The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world."

Noah Webster , the one who wrote the dictionary, also wrote, "All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."

Great scientists

Sir Isaac Newton defined basic laws that help us understand the universe. He said: "I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."

Sir William Herschel , the German-born astronomer who discovered the planet Uranus, said, "All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truth contained in the Sacred Scriptures."

African-American agricultural scientist George Washington Carver said: "The secret of my success? It is simple. It is found in the Bible, ‘In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths' [Proverbs 3:6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. See All...]."

Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun , father of the U.S. space program, said: "In this age of space flight, when we use the modern tools of science to advance into new regions of human activity, the Bible … this grandiose, stirring history of the gradual revelation and unfolding of moral law… remains in every way an up-to-date book. Our knowledge and use of the laws of nature that enable us to fly to the moon also enable us to destroy our home planet with the atom bomb. Science itself does not address the question whether we should use the power at our disposal for good or for evil. The guidelines of what we ought to do are furnished in the moral law of God."

Some of America's greatest leaders

The first president of the United States, George Washington , said, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

The president who led the nation during the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln , said: "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this Book. But for this Book we could not know right from wrong."

America's seventh president, Andrew Jackson , said, "That book, Sir, is the Rock upon which our republic rests."

Perhaps the most enthusiastic U.S. president and a prolific author, Theodore Roosevelt wrote, "A thorough understanding of the Bible is better than a college education."

Other notable leaders

Queen Victoria of the British Empire said, "That book accounts for the supremacy of England."

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte said, "The Bible is no mere book, but a living creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."

All these people—and many more—said we should study the Bible and use it as a guide in life. Should we listen to what they tell us? There's good reason to. They were leaders, scientists, educators, thinkers and philosophers who accomplished great things for themselves and for others. Indeed, a great many successful people have had a high regard for the Bible. They tell us to read the Bible. I hope we all recognize this as advice worth heeding."   From: http://www.ucg.org/bible/what-do-they-say-about-bible/

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Some short videos:

Do You Still Love Me?

"The need for a loved one to feel loved is crucial for a relationship to be truly satisfying."

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Another Moral Train Wreck

Have you examined your own life to see if you have begun to compromise with the standards you say you believe?

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Don't Talk Yourself Out of a Job.

"A major reason why people get fired is because they disrupt the work of others with gossip and talking about personal problems. Are you literally talking yourself out of a job?"

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Don't Self Destruct

"How many times do you self-destruct? Do you spend money beyond your means? Are you exercising less? Eating more junk food? What about losing your temper, watching too much TV, or being rude to others? Do you take the wrong aim and end up defeating yourself?"

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Everything else is profit

"One of the secrets to happiness is first be willing to see the good in life and then be thankful for what you have, instead of being unhappy with what you don't have."

 

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Watch Your Mouth

"Take some time to think before you speak. There's no need to let the first thought that pops into your mind pop out of your mouth. Rather, take time to ask yourself before speaking: Will it be constructive? Will it be useful?"

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C & E Christians:

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Is God-Intended Communication Disappearing?

"If God wanted you to constantly use a cell phone, He would have had you born with one glued to your ear. If He wanted you to be on Twitter all the time, He would have "tweeted" you by now. Is our electronic media producing what God intended for communication, or not?"

Source: iStockphoto

"Oh how awful—like, how did you survive?!" one young adult expressed to me recently, "How did you communicate?" All I told him was that when I was in high school, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, instant messaging and cell phones didn't exist.

But he had a good question. How did anybody survive without social networking?

While throttling forward in your life, trying to keep up with everything, do you ever feel like you'd just like to sit down with maybe a glass of iced tea or a latte and just talk to someone—to connect with a live, breathing, speaking, in-the-flesh human being? If you do, you're not alone—and what you want is what God intended.

How helpful is electronic communication?

Research and studies show that although we "think" we're communicating more effectively through all our electronic gadgets and programs, we may not actually be.

During sessions in my practice as a professional counselor, I've clearly stated that, while in session, all portable electronic devices must be turned off. Why? Because otherwise there is a constant barrage of texts, e-mails and calls that "just have to" be answered—interfering with clear communication in the sessions.

Consequently, many today explain, "My husband and I"—or "My child and I," or "My friend and I"—"just don't communicate anymore. There is always an interruption of some kind just when we really start to talk." Some clients explain that they have trouble communicating with God because, as they state in terms like this: "I've never really understood what it means to talk to anyone face to face, much less to talk to God!"

A business owner told me this story: "I receive an inquiry from my website contact page. Then I follow up with an estimate via e-mail, receive approval, complete the job, send an invoice and receive payment —without ever having to even see or speak to the customer." How good is that—or how bad?

How God communicates

God is very real, and we human beings He created are very real too. But the businessman's and counseling clients' experiences made me stop to consider. Is our electronic media stealing the deep communication God intended for us?

Throughout the Bible, we see examples where people interacted with God personally. Abraham, the father of the faithful, talked personally with God (Genesis:17:1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.,).    Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, talked with God face to face (Genesis:32:30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.).    Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt, spoke with God "face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus:33:11And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.).

Much later when the apostle John desired to be with his brothers and sisters in Christ, he wrote, "I hope to visit you and talk things over with you personally. Then we will be completely filled with joy" (2 John 12, God's Word Translation). God desires the same with us. It's good to know that when we pray we're personally talking to Him and that He is listening.

Technological failure to communicate deeply

So just how is interpersonal communication today being weakened by technology?

There are certain benefits to electronic media and social networking. Most of us use them on a daily basis, me included. However, research has long shown that the majority (55 percent) of our communication is nonverbal. Nonverbal communication—or body language—includes facial expression, gestures, eye contact and posture. Another 38 percent of communication is vocal tone, while only 7 percent is the actual meaning of the words.

E-mail and texting has no body language, nor does it convey tone of voice you experience in a face-to-face conversation. Texting, we find out, is effectively robbing today's younger generation of proper writing and spelling skills. Even advertising on some billboards now reflects the texting jargon.

Challenges may be caused by the use of texting and Facebook chat due to the rate by which questions are asked and topics are changed. Rapidly asking question after question is great for trying to learn a lot of different things about a person, but there are often never any deep conversations, especially since SMS-type messages only allow 160 characters.

How many times have you been affected by or involved in a serious communication breakdown that was able to be resolved by talking face to face?

Healthy communication how-tos

Young people often experience social detachment while engrossing themselves in electronic media. Sadly, parents sometimes give a handheld game to a child and state, "Now, go play somewhere, and be quiet. We'll talk later." Then, after "later" comes without any meaningful communication, one or the other at some point remarks, "We never talk, and this happens all the time!"

Psychologists and counselors through the ages have discussed the need we all have for interaction and communication to remain healthy. God made human beings with the deep need to communicate not only with Him as their Creator but with each other. So, how then can you build the habit of healthy communication with and without electronic media?

1. Make a conscious effort every day to have a real-life, face-to-face conversation with someone.

2. Step away from or turn off your device and talk with the person directly.

3. Don't "check in" on Facebook or other social media sites for one whole day—and see if the world has stopped.

4. Look for opportunities to reconnect with friends or colleagues in a face-to-face setting at a meal or over tea or coffee.

5. Realize that we all can have solid, God-based friendships with other people without ever using any social electronic media.

Remember, there is a time and place for texting or status updates. But every day is the time and many are the places for healthy face-to-face conversations. Talk to people and enjoy the body language, tone of voice and the meaning of their words—as God intended!"   Article by Scott Hoefker  From: http://www.ucg.org/character/god-intended-communication-disappearing/

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"We investigate the bible without bias, or prejudice and examine what doctrines have been injected into the
Christian Religion, then carefully examine what the Christian Bible, and history reveals about these subjects.
{ The reader must decide what to do with the information. }

We believe that many ministers teach only what they were taught in their university thus not being able to think outside of that theology."

See our study concerning:  is_easter_christian and  the Cross

From: http://www.masters-table.org/

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Today's program on WGN: How Long Was Jesus in the Grave:

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/holidays-and-holy-days/easter-exposed-0

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On This Day:

The settlement of Maryland, Mar 25, 1634:

"The first colonists to Maryland arrive at St. Clement's Island on Maryland's western shore and found the settlement of St. Mary's.

In 1632, King Charles I of England granted a charter to George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, yielding him proprietary rights to a region east of the Potomac River in exchange for a share of the income derived from the land. The territory was named Maryland in honor of Henrietta Maria, the queen consort of Charles I. Before settlement began, George Calvert died and was succeeded by his son Cecilius, who sought to establish Maryland as a haven for Roman Catholics persecuted in England. In March 1634, the first English settlers--a carefully selected group of Catholics and Protestants--arrived at St. Clement's Island aboard the Ark and the Dove.

Religious conflict was strong in ensuing years as the American Puritans, growing more numerous in Maryland and supported by Puritans in England, set out to revoke the religious freedoms guaranteed in the founding of the colony. In 1649, Maryland Governor William Stone responded by passing an act ensuring religious liberty and justice to all who believed in Jesus Christ. In 1654, however, the so-called Toleration Act was repealed after Puritans seized control of the colony, leading to a brief civil war that ended with Lord Baltimore losing control of propriety rights over Maryland in March 1655.

Although the Calverts later regained control of Maryland, anti-Catholic activity persisted until the 19th century, when many Catholic immigrants to America chose Baltimore as their home and helped enact laws to protect their free practice of religion.

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Yesterday:

The morning was spent leisurely getting ready to go to church in Huntsville (TX).  Before I left, I took Misty for a walk partway towards the mail boxes down by the pool.  She has never walked all the way, so I am building her up to do that.  As we haven't been picking Jay up, we needed to find a new walk for her, and me.

As usual the people at church were very welcoming and friendly, and the message was inspiring.

It was a beautiful day again, needing no AC or heat.  Those are my favorite days.