Doubting Thomas

Doubting Thomas... 77/90

Doubting Thomas (see also... Tom, Tomasz, Tommy)
Main Entry: doubting Thom•as
Pronunciation: \-ˈtä-məs\
Function: noun
Etymology: St. Thomas, apostle who doubted Jesus' resurrection until he had proof of it (John 20:24–29)
Date: 1883
: an incredulous or habitually doubtful person; a term that is used to describe someone who will refuse to believe something without direct, physical, personal evidence; a skeptic.

Thomas, one of the Twelve Honored Disciples, was not with the other eleven disciples when Jesus came and appeared to them after his death. So the disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;
... blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”



http://biblein90summerdays.blogspot.com/

truth's verdict; john 3:16

Truth's Verdict… day 75/90... John 3:16

You could say I've been highly engaged in the process of "soul searching" over the past year. So much of my life is different from one year prior... I can either surrender and give in to the pressures and end my sorrows selfishly or I can continue to search... I continue to search...

I've been reading, "Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. A passage was used in a wedding ceremony that Jenny, Janel and I recently sang in. Jenny recommended the book to me.

One thing has impacted me today in my Bible readings alongside the book's reading... Anne Lindbergh says that the life of multiplicity "leads not to unification but to fragmentation." Our problem, she adds, is "how to remain whole in the midst of the distractions of life: how to remain balanced, no matter what centrifugal forces tend to pull one off center: how to remain strong no matter what shocks come in at the periphery and tend to crack the hub of the wheel."

She also adds that one of the answers is to "find a balance somewhere, or an alternating rhythm between solitude and communion, between restraint and return." She recommends periods of retreat in which hopefully one can learn something of the inner spirit which one can take back into worldly life. Vacations are often useless since we carry the complexity of our lives with us, or else we plan them with far too much activity scheduled in too short a period of time. Surely we ought to be able to live in the two worlds at once, the world of simplicity and complexity; the world of the one and the world of the many.

"There is no easy solution to this finding of the eternal presence in the midst of the temporal. Somehow this presence ought to grow from year to year, but in order to grow it has to start. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born anew." One interpretation of these words certainly is that the new man of whom Jesus spoke is a person who can live in the temporal world while at the same time can feel the under-girding of the world of the Eternal Spirit. It has to begin, and why should it not begin today?

The process of soul searching, when it is translated into its religious dimension, involves the realization that when one finds his own soul he will discover to his joy that it is only a part of a greater soul, that his individual self is a part of a Greater Self." - Walter Donald Kring; The Process of Soul Searching

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Very truly, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

“… we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still people do not accept the testimony.”

“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

This is the verdict:

Light has come into the world…
but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil…

All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed...

But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God…


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... for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life...
john 3:16

the good girl

The Good Girl... 74/90

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

‘Who is my neighbor?’

I love my sister, Janel and best friend Jenny, the other J’s in our group J3… I love how they let me be myself… demanding nothing in return… we understand each other without words… we learn from each others mistakes… we are changed forever by each own's generosity, love and good deeds…

I used to be very untrusting and skeptical of people… especially strangers, homeless, gangsters, shady characters per se… I recall hearing this story that impacted me…

“A man was sitting outside of our church on one cold wintry Sunday morning… all of the people were scurrying to get inside the warm sanctuary for Sunday church services… the man outside was dressed in ragged clothes… appeared to be very dirty… he was sitting on the ground with his back against the church clutching his legs, head down hovering over his knees… he was cold, alone and quiet… people passed by him… some looked away, pretending not to notice him… some, walked out of the path to avoid him and not get too close… some looked down at him in sadness… but not one of them offered to help him, give him money… and not one person asked him to come inside, get out of the cold and invite him to join in the church service!

All the folks were seated in the church pews awaiting the pastor’s arrival from the pulpit… Then much to their surprise… the homeless man, head down, walked into the church and down the church isle… Everyone watched as he made his way to the front of the church, stopped and turned around… He lifted his head, took off his tattered coat and to everyone’s dismay… there stood before them… their pastor…"

Would you have offered to help the bum?
Would you have invited him into the church, and out of the cold?
Would you have offered him money or clothes to keep warm?

I don’t know what I would have done at the time I first listened to this story… but now, I certainly would… however… my friend Jenny would have helped him… she is naturally like this… a good Samaritan… I love that about her!!!

Jenny befriended a man in our church who was very warn and shady… he was quite, introverted, dirty and strange… he would come to listen to our band practice at the church on Thursday nights… I remember my ex-husband always telling me to stay away from that man… “He could be a serial killer,” he would say… and truthfully, I did find him repulsive… Jenny didn’t… she took him in under her wing… became a friend… his only friend… cut his dirty long scraggly hair… cleaned him up, and gave him the gift of pure love and friendship… I admire her for this… over the years this gentleman has become one of our greatest supporters of our band… he is kind and sincere… Jenny gave him something that no one else did… “hope!”

Then again… the beggars on the street… we were in Nashville on one of our earlier visits to the music city… and we passed a beggar… he was asking for money… I was quick to say, “just keep walking…” he was dirty and unapproachable… Jenny stopped, dug through her purse and handed him some cash…

Again! Humbled by her grace… kindness… goodness…

These actions have changed my life… I am no longer the one that just passes by and ignores the cries of the oppressed… I try to help when I can… I am aware of my surroundings… and my impact on others… wouldn’t this world be so much better if more of us offered a hand once in a while… instead of walking on by…

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Give, and it will be given to you.“

The Good Samaritan

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii5 and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Golden Rule
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.“

Pay it forward…

Love wins.
- j. marshon

planting parables

planting parables... 71/90

The Parable of the Sower

* The farmer went out to plant his harvest…
… the farmer sows the word of God.

* As he was scattering seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up…
… some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown… as soon as they hear it, satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.


* Some seed fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root…
… others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy… but since they have no root, they last only a short time… when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

* Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain…
… still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.


* Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times…
… others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.

“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” – j. christ

weeds

weeds... 68-70/90

“the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field... though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” – j. christ

… the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. but while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away... when the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared... the owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied... the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them… Let both grow together until the harvest... at that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn…’

… the one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man… the field is the world… the good seed the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one… and the enemy who sows them is the devil… he harvest is the end of the age… and the harvesters are angels…

… as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil... they will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father…

... stand firm in your personal convictions and beliefs... have faith... grow... live... love... and know...

... for truly, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed... you can move mountains... nothing is impossible for you...

love wins!
:) j. marshon

The “Big Picture”

the big picture… 57-63/90

ALL THE SAINTS AND ALL THE PROPHETS… reveal God to us... and a glimpse to the future… It is important to understand the message of the prophets. Prophets arose in times of crisis; their job was to be a spokesperson for God. Profits revealed God through four different kinds of pronouncements.

1. what people were doing wrong, Judgment
2. what God is going to do, Instruction
3. what they need to do, and aftermath of judgment
4. what future brings; hope and deliverance

books of Isaiah and Jeremiah are set among earlier time periods. Isaiah takes place around 730 BC which is the middle of the kingdom period. In Isaiah the Assyrians are coming and invading the territory. God sends Isaiah with a message:

“Trust God, don’t do your own thing. It is better to rely on God.”
– this is the key message

One of first names given to God – Emmanuel (means God with us). God’s presence, God with us, represents a new stage, His presence in a person. God is with us. In the New Testament Jesus is born and he is declared, “Emmanuel.” God is with us in the flesh, here to dwell among his people in the form of a man. A new level of God’s presence. Getting a glimpse of what kingship should look like. The Prophets saw the failure. Words of judgment, instruction, aftermath words of hope deliverance, future plans. There is hope after judgment comes.

God makes a new covenant not like the old one. New arrangements. Ezekiel sees the vision of God’s presence leaving. The prophets knew the messages they had for the people; and expected the people to understand.

… might ask yourself, “what does this mean to me, how is this applicable to my life.?”

If we look to scripture how we ought to live, sometimes we feel like we don’t get it… we don’t see it. What we are expected to get is a knowledge of God. There is nothing more relevant to our lives than knowing God. When we embrace the knowledge of God it guide our living and choices and who we are. God’s knowledge has to get inside and change us. We have a vision of the kind of person we need to be to make right choices, and do the right thing… to be holy.

...this portion of the Bible in instrumental in delivering the “big picture” of God… it is coming into focus… and presented to us all right here in the Bible for all to know… don't blink…

… can you see it?

everything is meaningful

everything is meaningful… 48/90

if we truly take the time to find "the meaning of life"... we will spend hours… days… years... our complete life on earth... exploring and exploring... only to find out…

… life comes up short...

in all achievements... in all our searching… it only proves... “meaningless...”

ecclesiastes... asks the question on where to find self fulfillment... that which brings meaning? ... and raises the notion that perhaps nothing really brings complete rock solid "meaning"... after all, self fulfillment is a fleeting feeling after you accomplish something... it’s done… we’re left wondering… what’s next…

true fulfillment cannot be found in wealth… family… power… or religion... because all are temporary… fleeting…

what if we just abandon this quest persée... stop looking for "the meaning of life."

instead… live in the moment because… if we truly look realistically at life… at the normalcy of life... we will see that we find enjoyment and fulfillment in everything that God brings our way… we shall accept the challenges and difficulties as part of life's journey… life consists of… a time for everything...

... chapter 3 reminds us to accept the good with the bad... and know there is a time and purpose for everything under heaven…

“there is an appointed time for everything and there is a time for every event under heaven... a time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted... a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build up... a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance... a time to throw stones, and a time to gather... a time to embrace, and a time not to... a time to search, and a time to give up as lost... a time to keep, and a time to throw away... a time to tear apart, and a time to put back together together; a time to be silent, and a time to speak... a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace...”

a time for everything...

"Without cancer, I never would have won a single Tour de France. Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully. It taught me that pain has a reason, and that sometimes the experience of losing things–whether health or a car or an old sense of self–has its own value in the scheme of life. Pain and loss are great enhancers." - l. armstrong