NCarolinian

BANG!!!.....And everything exploded into being, so the story goes.  If this Big Bang event is your personal view of creation, without a divine creator or God in the picture , then ALL of us have no purpose.  The great news is you cannot have an effect without a cause and something does not come about from the build-up of nothing.  Nothing times nothing is still nothing (0x0=0).  There was a cause.  It was divine.  And because their is a Creator, there is purpose .   Now the question becomes which creation story of which faith gives us the most purpose.  Purpose is the reason for which something exists or is made.  I choose Christianity and the purpose God supplies. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him . - Colossians 1:16 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the W...

This past Sunday we had a special speaker at our church, Lin Dawson, come and deliver The Word because our Beloved Pastor was out of town teaching at a marriage conference with his wife in Maryland.  The Scripture Lin drew from was Mark 5:1-20 .  It is the healing of the demon-possessed man.  The following is my take on this encounter and my takeaway from what Lin had to say. My takeaway from Sunday's message was if you or somebody you know has gone through a rough time in life, BUT had an encounter with Jesus that provided the answer - be encouraged and/or encourage that person to first -  "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." (v.19)   The healed man of this encounter desired to travel and follow Jesus after his deliverance.  After being harassed and tortured and captive like he was for so long I would want to follow my Deliverer also!  However, Jesus said to "go home" .  Lin...

Slavery.......it has been around since humanity has had problems.  It has not gone away.  Enslaved to something or someone, this is how it has been for all of us throughout history whether we acknowledge it or not. a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him - 2 Peter 2:19 What has mastery over you today?  Is it one thing?  Is it many?  Is your master negative?  Is your master positive?  One resource for certain that can teach all of us a thing or two on this subject of slavery is The Bible. The Word of God mentions words and/or terms such as - slaves, slave drivers, slaves having slaves ( Ex. 12:43-44 ), slave girls ( 2 Sam. 6:20; Nahum 2:7; Acts 16:16 ), slave labor force ( 1 Kings 9:21 ), and a slave trader ( 1 Tim. 1:9-10 ).  Scripture showcases the Hebrew people as slaves and their subsequent freedom from Egypt by The Lord through Moses (Genesis 15:13;  Exodus 12:36, 40-41).   This group of people ended up in slavery ...

There was an evening a few days back when I was resting on my couch after talking to Tanya about things of the Lord.  I dozed off into what seemed to be the Netherworld - that state between sleep and conscienceness.  Then I heard a voice speaking to me saying, "Three is important to God.  Look at these examples."  Then the Holy Spirit brought to mind some occasions in Scripture where 3 was key.  Right as the last example was being shown me I was waking up and speaking, saying, "Wow, Lord!  I did not know that three meant that much to you." Tanya was dozing too and I woke her with my declaration out of my sleep and she said, "What did you say?"  So, I told her of my experience. To many Christians and non-Christians alike numerology is not a surprise in the Bible.  Numbers bring us logic and order, definite equations with definite outcomes that can be counted on for eternity.  And Christians have The God of Order and Purpose.  The f...

Convict....... to prove or declare guilty of an offense, especially after a legal trial to impress with a sense of guilt. Source:  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/convict?s=t Condemn....... to pronounce to be guilty; sentence to punishment to judge or pronounce to be unfit for use or service Source:  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/condemn ___________________________________________ The Basics First Within Scripture I view Conviction as an action meant to point out somebody's wrong with the possibility of change by the person being convicted.  The offender comes to the realization of his/her wrongful behavior or lifestyle and considers the option for redemption, forgiveness, and/or "dismissal of case".   I view Condemnation within Scripture as a person, place, or thing labeled, damned, or cursed to a particular judgment for a long time, including eternity.  I also see condemnation usually having a destination applied with...

"This is my one hope - that he would be pleased with my decisions." This was a quote in a video game I was recently playing but it has become a personal goal toward my Heavenly Father ever since I heard it.  Immediately the Holy Spirit quickened it for a Faith or Spiritual Application with me.  My Lord knows and everybody else knows that I Do Not make all the right decisions (I think I heard an "amen" from some of you there). Prayer:  Thank you Lord I know you as saving, merciful, faithful, gracious, and forgiving.  This does not excuse my poor decisions, nor give me the right to purposefully make more of them.  No.  Instead it drives me to appreciate and be grateful for your loving kindness by trying to make better decisions. I am adopted.  My Father is God.  Because He first loved me through His Son Jesus, I find joy in exercising the encouraging words from Paul to the church in Ephesus ( 5:10 ) - "find out what pleases the Lord." ...