Names Ken, I am a student at IUP pursuing an English/Writing degree and plan to go into Campus Ministry once I graduate. On my blog here I like posting about my life, theology in the world, and book reviews.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Christian community is like the Christian’s sanctification. It is a gift of God which we cannot claim. Only God knows the real state of our fellowship, of our sanctification. What may appear weak and trifling to us may be great and glorious to God. Just as the Christian should not be constantly feeling his spiritual pulse, so, too, the Christian community has not been given to us by God for us to be constantly taking its temperature. The more thankfully we daily receive what is given to us, the more surely and steadily will fellowship increase and grow from day to day as God pleases.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
There will be a day when eight-year-olds won’t die in explosions. There will be a day when people won’t set off bombs in America or any nation in the world.
There will be a day when we don’t have to wonder “why”—and a day when all our tears will be wiped away.
But today’s not that day.
Aaron Armstrong
This is cool. I love the act of love. We need to love ALL people as Christians. By “Love” I mean doing the best for people. By “best” I mean steering them closer to God because that is the best life we can humanly live. Sometimes we think love means spoil, but that is far from the truth. I’m not going to let my children run out into the middle of the street if they want to, even if that is what they really want to do. I will show them a squirrel that tried to do that earlier.
This talk about homosexuality and divorce is interesting. Some people are saying that because we now have a relaxed view of divorce we should have a relaxed view of homosexuality. Well, Divorce is still awful and God still HATES divorce.
Don’t readjust the Bible just because we don’t stone people any longer. Jesus taught us not to stone people. We are to love and “sin no more.”
We are called to love and Love all!
Give me some input
I’m thinking about writing a decent paper to be published for the school collection. It would be really cool if I could do something covering how great God is. But if it is title “God is Awesome” no one will read it. So it has to be about something that may not initially come off as Jesusy, but it totally drenched in the Gospel and Grace?
Any Suggestions?
Faith begins with God. He takes the initiative and I respond. When I respond, a third elemnt comes into being since I have now entered into a relationship with him. Faith (my response) has made that relationship possible. He speaks; I respond; and we begin to get to know each other. And the better I know him the easier I will find it to respond obediently to him.
The Fight, John White
A sundial only works when there is light. It does not work at midnight in a fog. Moreover it requires light form the proper sources. the moon makes it point to the wrong time. Take a flashlight with you and walk around a sundial at 3:00 A.M. It will tell you whatever time you want. Conscience, likewise, functions only when it has the light of God’s Word illuminated by God’s Spirit, shining on it.
The Fight, John White
Psalm 53
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
There they are, in great terror,
where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Launching your Life - Kenny Silva
Kenny Silva has been through his share of success and failure over the course of his life. As he describes himself through his book, we see that he attempted to go to the Air Force, but failed his required physical test. This ruined him, but he wouldn’t let this failure define him. In the first section he shows us how we can’t have our identity in our failures. We all fail, but God will carry us through our problems to shape us to become more like Him. Silva wrote this book to help us through life. He sets the book up in sections; Identity, Career, Finances, Home, and Growth. Each section is filled with theological and practical tips to move forward in life while growing closer to God.
I thought this book was incredible; combining practical advice with scripture to propel us into an already ongoing life. Silva hits us with Scripture and experience to show us that we can’t just live without the thought of redeeming time; we are to use every moment to glorify God. This means our job hunting should be God glorifying. If you are about to graduate and go into the “real world”, or you are already there, this is a book for you. Read this book and use this book to help you grow closer to God, yourself, and others.
About the Author – from Amazon
Kenny Silva has held every odd job from touring musician to server in a pizza restaurant since his time in the Air Force. At age 25 Kenny launched his own real estate business. Today, he is a Master’s of Divinity student at Reformed Theological Seminary and spends his time reading, writing, selling houses, and ministering to young adults. Kenny regularly posts on topics including life, leadership, philosophy, faith, and culture on his blog at kennysilva.net . He lives with his beautiful wife, Suzanne, and their dog, Cooper, in Nashville, TN.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Have you ever thought…
Have you ever thought about the early apostles. Think about Peter for a moment. He had parents, just like you. Imagine him going to school and his parents going to parent conferences. The teacher would probably have a bad report for Peter. He probably would have been a teacher’s pet, but knowing Peter, he wouldn’t do it right. The other students would feel bad for him. He would always be that kid.
After he graduated he was probably still looked at this way, but then Jesus came along. Peter was selected to be the leader of the Early Church. He was one of Jesus’ faithful.
Just imagine how proud his parents were! I see them, side-by-side, looking at Peter. They have rosy-red cheeks and smiles reaching ear-to-ear. They didn’t think their child would ever amount to anything. When Jesus selected their son, they couldn’t be any more proud.
God is Good!
…religion did not merely offer psychological antidotes for the misery of life; it actually made life less miserable. The power of Christianity lay not in its promise of otherworldly compensations for suffering in this life, as has so often been proposed. The truly revolutionary aspect of Christianity lay in moral imperatives such as “Love one’s neighbor as one’s self, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and “When you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it to me.” These were not just slogans. Members did nurse the sick, even during epidemics; they did support orphans, widows, the elderly, and the poor…
Rodney Stark
The Girlfriend and I
I was asked if I had a girlfriend, I do! She is amazing! I really adore her. She has brought me closer to Christ and it is incredible!
God is Good.
We both were at a point in which we thought we would be single for the rest of our lives when we found each other!
Last night was incredible. A year ago I watched a video from Desiring God about a couple, Ian and Larissa, speak of their relationship (Link HERE). Many of you have seen it and it is still being reblogged to this day!
See, Ian was in an accident while they were dating and had serious brain injuries. Even though he couldn’t talk, Larissa knew Ian was still there. She stuck with him and about two years later he began to talk again. His words aren’t perfect, but whose are, right? They were talking about marriage before the accident, but no one would have blamed Larissa is she would had backed out of it. But, she knew her Ian was still there. Ian, with the help of his family, proposed to Larissa. The whole Murphy family was there. God has been a key figure in their life since they started dating. Now, married, they are working on a book, speaking to audiences, and a lot more. God is using these two for amazing things. And not just these two, but their whole family. It was inspiring to see and meet a lot of them.
Love isn’t just some emotion you fall into. It is a decision and a commitment When you choose to love someone, it’s all out. It’s what us Christians like to call an AGAPE love.
Marriage isn’t just a commitment, it’s a covenant. You don’t marry someone because they look good or because they have a cool personality. You marry someone because you love them, because you would do anything for them because they are person, no other reason. It’s unconditional. Love and Marriage are a beautiful thing.
Marriage holds the love together - Bonhoeffer
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