Way, Truth, Life

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

the wayMost of us are aware of the fact that Scripture tells us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Richard John Neuhaus comments that this is “self-evident” when one thinks of the opposites of these descriptors — LOST, IGNORANT, and DEAD.  Neuhaus clarifies who Jesus is in a new and startling way when one considers these contrasts.

The chorus of yesteryear says that “everybody ought to know who Jesus is” and he is in reality THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE.

The choice of Jesus is clear and apparent!

TLT

Posted in Ideas to think about | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrestling with Truth — May 12, 2013

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

letter-iconIn 2 Corinthians 3:2 (NIV), Paul writes:  “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.”

Here is the poem I read in class this past Sunday.

The Gospel According To You

by Leroy Brownlow

There’s a Gospel according to Matthew; To Mark;
To Luke; and John too.
There’s another gospel that many are reading…
The Gospel according to You.

All teachings we find in the Bible
Are facts we know to be true;
You must live them to make them the Gospel…
The Gospel according to You

Many read not the words of the Bible;
I will tell you what some of them do…
They are reading the book you are writing…
The Gospel according to you.

There’s Great Power In Gospel Preaching
The Bible teaches that this is true.
But the sermon most likely to influence others
Is The Gospel according to You.

God help us to be faithful to Jesus…
To live all His teachings so true,
So that all may see His Spirit
In the Gospel according to You

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day;
By things that you do; By things you say.
Others read that gospel, whether faithless or true!
Say! What is the Gospel According To You?

Posted in Wrestling with Truth | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Robins and Peonies 2

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

IMG_7628Dear and Faithful Reader:

It saddens my heart to tell you that “my” little robins did not make it.  The original three eggs ended up with only one fledgling and he/she has “passed on.”  I think that the wind and chilly rain were responsible for this unhappy circumstance.

Reminds me of the old British rhyme, “Who killed Cock Robin?”  If you do not know of it, you can read it at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Robin

Let me include this further peony picture in honor of our final little bird.

TLT

Posted in Creative Things | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Robins and Peonies 1

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

Spring has finally arrived and my mowing is going on apace.  Joyce’s flowers have blossomed well — her Dogwood, her Peony Bush, and my Apple Blossoms.  I will leave it to you to figure out which is which in the next three pictures.   In addition a family of robins is developing in our ivy.  The pictures below will show their ongoing growth.

The Robin Family at the moment — more pictures to come.

Posted in Creative Things | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

HOPE

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

hopeBRENNAN MANNING writes:

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4 NIV).

One spiritual writer has observed that human beings are born with two diseases: life, from which we die, and hope, which says the first disease is not terminal.  Hope is built into the structure of our personalities, into the depths of our unconscious; it plagues us to the very moment of our death.  The critical question is whether hope is self-deception, the ultimate cruelty of a cruel and tricky universe, or whether it is just possibly the imprint of reality.

The parables of Jesus respond to that question.  In effect Jesus says:  Hope your wildest hopes, dream your maddest dreams, imagine your fantastic fantasies.  Where your hopes and your dreams and your imagination leave off, the love of my heavenly Father only begins.  For “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV).

Brennan Manning cited in His Parables, p. 10.  Brentwood, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2005.

Posted in Ideas to think about | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrestling with Truth — April 21, 2013

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

The Wrestling with Truth Adult Bible Fellowship began a study of 2 Corinthians on April 14, 2013.

We considered the challenges of St. Paul in establishing and encouraging a new church within a pagan environment.  As best we can ascertain, Paul penned four letters to the Corinthians but only two of them have been keep extant in the New Testament canon.  Paul records three visits to Corinth.

The theme for our session today (April 21) was the 2 Corinthians phrase, the “GOD OF ALL COMFORT.”

Interestingly the phrase “GOD OF ALL . . . .” appears five times in the NIV as follows:

  • (Isa 54:5 NIV)  For your Maker is your husband– the LORD Almighty is his name– the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.
  • (Jer 31:1 NIV)  “At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people.”
  • (Jer 32:27 NIV)  “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
  • (2 Cor 1:3 NIV)  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
  • (1 Pet 5:10 NIV)  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

We considered many concepts included under the categories of “the means of grace” and “the means of comfort.”  We concluded with the idea that as we participate in the sufferings of Jesus Christ so our own sufferings can be meaningful to ourselves and to others.

Key Verses to ponder:

(2 Cor 1:3-4 NIV)  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

(2 Cor 1:8-9 NIV)  We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

The chorus “Learning to Lean” formed a good benediction.  You can click on the link below for the whole song.  You will need to click on the arrow to start the music.  The words are a bit lower on the page.

http://carolynspreciousmemories.com/Spiritual/LearningToLean.html

TLT

Posted in Wrestling with Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrestling with Truth — March 31, 2013

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

tombIn Wrestling with Truth (March 31, 2013), we considered the four scenes of the Resurrection story as described in Luke 24:1-12 (NIV):

SCENE 1        GOING AND FINDING (v. 1-2)

The women go to the tomb early on Sunday morning and find the stone rolled away.

SCENE 2        WONDERING AND REMEMBERING (v. 3-8)

The women enter the tomb and wonder at not finding the body of the Lord.

They are startled by the message of the angels:  “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen (5-6)!

And, they are reassured by the instruction to “remember” (v. 6).

“Then they remembered his words” (v. 8)

We talked about the importance of remembering, and how it works in our lives.

An important distinction is the role of individual remembering and then of community remembering.  The community remembering serves to reinforce the truth of the individual remembering.

SCENE 3        TELLING AND BEING IGNORED

The women return from the tomb and tell the other disciples of their experience and, sadly, they (the women)  are viewed as being deranged.

“But they [the disciples] did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (v. 11).

SCENE 4        INVESTIGATING AND WONDERING

However, Peter runs to the tomb, investigates (“bending over”) and now he too “wonders” at this mystery.

Thus, the call to us is to GO, FIND, WONDER, REMEMBER, BELIEVE, and then TELL the story.

TLT

Posted in Wrestling with Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wresting with Truth — March 24, 2013

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

Jesus entryToday, in Wrestling with Truth, we considered the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry in Luke 19.

We first listened to a recording of “The Palms” (Jean-Baptiste Faure) presented by a Korean piano trio.  You can view/hear this at:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gKkoMaFAsk

Here is one translation of the words to The Palms  (Les Rameaux):

O’er all the way green palms and blossoms gay
Are strewn this day in festal preparation
Where Jesus comes to wipe our tears a way
E’en now the throng to welcome Him prepare
Join all and sing, His name declare,
Let ev’ry voice resound with acclamation
Hosanna! Praise to the Lord!
Bless Him who cometh to bring us salvation!

His word goes forth, and people by its might
Once more regain freedom from degradation
Humanity doth give to each his right,
While those in darkness are restored to light
Join all and sing, His name declare,
Let ev’ry voice resound with acclamation
Hosanna! Praise to the Lord!
Bless Him who cometh to bring us salvation!

Sing and rejoice. O blest Jerusalem,
Of all thy songs sing the emancipation;
Through boundless love, the Christ of Bethlehem
Brings forth the hope to thee forevermore.
Join, sing His name divine,
Let ev’ry voice resound with united acclamation,
Hosanna! Praised be the Lord,
Bless Him who cometh to bring us salvation.

–Jean-Baptiste Faure

[If you prefer another classical and historic version (in French) by Enrico Caruso, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR54h-OJhiI]

We discussed the emotions of the followers/crowd, the opposing Jewish leaders, and Jesus himself.

Jesus wept at the blindness of the Jewish leaders and their inability to hear and know and accept the message of salvation that he was bringing to them.

Some practical lessons for Disciples (Ralph Wilson)

1.     Regarding Jesus’ instructions about obtaining the donkey, we are to obey Jesus when he tells us to do something. Just because we don’t understand how everything will work out is no reason to refuse to budge when it is time to obey.

2.     We must be ready and willing for Jesus to claim use of our possessions and positions. Since he is our Master, they don’t belong to us, but to him. When he sends a message, “The Lord has need of it,” we must relinquish our control willingly and immediately.

3.     Praise can be received with humility. Jesus did not crave the praise of men, but neither did he silence it. It was fitting. It was appropriate.

4.     There is a time to be guarded about who we are in God, and there is a time to be fully open about it. We must not operate out of fear or self-absorption, but be sensitive to what God wants to do and then cooperate with that.

5.     Rejoicing and pain can co-exist. They did in Jesus at the Triumphal Entry, and they often coexist in our lives, too. There will be no complete rejoicing until we rejoice fully in heaven, after God has wiped away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4).

6.     And, of course, one of the strongest lessons of this passage is that Jesus IS King! He IS the Messiah, the Son of David, and as such, it is fitting that we worship him.

Tony Headley suggested #7 :  If we reject the light that we are given, blindness will come.

TLT

Posted in Wrestling with Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wrestling with Truth — March 3, 2013

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

looking upWrestling with Truth considered Luke 21 today.

LIFT UP YOUR HEAD

(Luke 21:28 NIV)  “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The following statement of comment is from G. Campbell Morgan, Searchlights from the Word.  New York:  Fleming H. Revell Company, 1926, p.356.

“What, then, are the things which are to produce in the disciples of the Lord the hopeful look, and the erect and confident bearing?  They are the things which make men faint for fear, the things that make for the distress of nations, the things of storm and upheaval, the things which are characterized by the trembling even of the powers of the heavens.  The Lord said that all such things are processes in “redemption.”  When wild confusion is all about us, God is surely at work, and is moving forward by necessary upheaval and turmoil towards the realization of His steadfast purposes of love.  This certainty comes only of faith; but the foundations of faith are the Lord Himself, and the vindication of His words already vouchsafed to men in the passing of centuries.

In view of these facts, we realize how “feeble knees,” hands that “hang down,” and all depression of spirits, are unworthy of faith, and dishonor of our lord.  A true knowledge of God through Christ changes all the outlook, and

What seemed to us mere wild confused Babel
Becomes a fire-tongued Pentecost
Proclaiming, Christ is able!

In the midst of all turmoil and the disturbance of human affairs, those who trust the Lord will “look up” and walk with heads erect, knowing that “redemption draweth nigh!”  This does not mean in any sense that they will be callous.  They will enter into all the experience of the pain, feeling it most acutely; all the while knowing that it moves forward to deliverance and new life.”

Posted in Wrestling with Truth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrestling with Truth — February 24 2013

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Hillside Laughter

coinIn Luke 20:22, Jesus is asked, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Jesus answers this “trick” question with the profound:  “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Ralph F. Wilson comments, “If the coinage bears Caesar’s image, . . . [then] . . . Perhaps there is the implied question, whose image do you bear? . . . . The image of God[?]. . . . Jesus is saying, with your bodies, minds, and spirits, you yourselves, you owe allegiance to God himself. . . .  My dear friend, whose coinage are you?  Whose stamp and image do you bear in your soul?  God’s?  Then you owe Him your full allegiance — to love him with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength.”

Three hymn verses make a similar point:

from Charles Wesley:
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.

from John Burton:
Thine I am, O Lord, for ever
To Thy service set apart;
Suffer me to leave Thee never,
Seal Thine image on my heart.

and from Thomas O. Chisholm:
O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

Remember that we are made in God’s image:

Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

TLT

Posted in Wrestling with Truth | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment