Home's Cool!

Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom

Sunday Scriptures – break fast

Posted on November 20, 2011November 20, 2011 by Katharine

So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes he will speak to you.’ So I went to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “in truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ–He is Lord of all–that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with th Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord . . . . Acts 10:34-48

Some breakfast, eh!

_________________

Image via Wikipedia

Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Scripture, Wisdom

Spirited Away . . .

Posted on November 18, 2011November 18, 2011 by Katharine

You likely have a spirit.

It may be good or bad, but we all have a “spirit-shaped” hole inside that something will fall into, if it fits.

All people groups from way back to ancient times until about 60 years ago, have known there were spirits out there. Now, only the more primitive peoples still know this truth.

What’s wrong with us?

Is the truth that we are more advanced, that we no longer hold to such “superstitions”?

Or is it that we are merely numb?

Look around you at all the things we gladly keep close by to anesthetize ourselves.

I don’t mean only chemicals, although alcohol has long been called “spirits” for good reason. Look at the TV, the endless games, the movies, and other entertaining things that we freely admit cause us, help us, to forget reality for a while.

Entertain means entrap. That is what the word means.

A trap is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes we even use traps to protect our helpless animals from predators.

It all depends on which side of the trap you are on: outside or inside.

If you are stuck in the trap, how do you get out? Some, a very few, are strong enough to open the trap and walk out, but they forever have wounds from being in it, and some have wounds even from their struggle to escape.

There is another way. Someone stronger than you, stronger than the trap, stronger than the trap setter, can rescue you, heal your wounds, and give you strength to join the fight against the trap settter.

But only if you want Him to.

Why wouldn’t someone want to be released and healed from a trap?

I haven’t been able to figure that out.

_____________________________________

Image via Wikipedia

Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture, Wisdom

Do-by-Self Is Done For

Posted on November 17, 2011November 17, 2011 by Katharine

Thirty-seven times.

Paul mentions himself 37 times in Romans 7:14-25.

I try, I can’t, I fail, I wish . . . We could join him couldn’t we! And when Paul calls himself wretched, isn’t there a part of us that says, “Oh, yeh!” We know. We’ve been there. We even have shirts with jokes about our failures:

My get up and go got up and went. My wife and I had words last night . . . but I didn’t get to use mine.

It’s not funny, though, not really, to be depressed or to squabble with a spouse. We laugh because it helps us not cry. It helps us feel less wretched.

But the misery will not go away by itself. We look around for a friend to help, and although a friend might listen and sympathize, really, what can another hurting person actually do to change me? We’re all alike, each carrying some type of misery, each wretched in his own way.

We each do things we knew better and never dreamed we would do, and we each carry around fear and painful memories from it. Like Paul.

And like Paul, we each can find the blessed victory he mentions just a line or two after bemoaning his wretchedness:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” Romans 8:1

Why does he say that? Because the “flesh” is just another way of saying the soul, the personality. It’s the part of us we know could be good, except it can’t, the part that weighs all the input and decides–decides wrong. It’s me, myself, and I; Mr. Do-by-self. The wretched one.

That guy.

And the solution Paul found?

Christ Jesus. There is something about Him, something in Him, that is our great escape.

And any who actually want to unload their wretchedness need only let go of it, turn their backs on it.

Turn to Him.

Believe it or not!, Inspiring

An Aside: Just couldn’t help it . . .

Posted on November 14, 2011November 14, 2011 by Katharine

I’ve been following this great photographer for a long time and always love what I see on this site. This time was just too amazing and fun. When one artist is photographing the works of another artist, it is–um–artistic!

Go here for an excellent, thought-provoking snap:

http://giulas41.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/weekly-photo-challenge-wonder-2/#comment-3919

Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Photos, Sayings, Scripture, Wisdom

Me, Myself, and I Ain’t Gettin’ It Anymore!

Posted on November 14, 2011November 14, 2011 by Katharine

Not much to say about the following. It is from the Word, and I hope you read it. There’s a test afterward. No fair looking ahead!

This was written by Paul, the Apostle, to illustrate how anyone might feel. He, of course, had moved past this point he describes, by the time he actually wrote it, but his candor amazes and comforts me so!

Romans 7:14-25

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do, no the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? THANKS BE TO GOD–THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD! –Romans 7:14-25

———————————-

It is hard for me to believe something so relevant was written about 2000 years ago. This writer did an about-face from being a murdering, self-righteous prig, to someone who would die for others, slave over a parchment with a sputtering candle and a scritching plume/pen in a cold jail cell, just to bring such truths to us. I love ancient writings, especially when they point to the Truth. I introduce this section to illustrate what we mean by the word soul and to show, in case you’ve been feeling weak, lately, how totally insufficient we are, in our own strength, and Who can help.

Paul knew.

Okay, you will find the test in the comments section, as the first comment. No peeking.

————————–

*Image via Wikipedia

Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Photos, Sayings, Scripture, Wisdom

Sunday Scripture – Wonder

Posted on November 13, 2011November 13, 2011 by Katharine

We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places.

We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us .

For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them: in transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.

Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.

For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay.

So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

“The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” says the Lord.

“As for Me,” says the Lord, “This is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”

Isaiah 59:10-21

____________________

Image by IslesPunkFan via Flickr

Believe it or not!, Inspiring, Photos, Scripture

Does God Have a Soul?

Posted on November 11, 2011June 28, 2012 by Katharine

Easy question, if you know what a soul is.

Let’s look at it again.

Mind – God most definitely has a mind. He has thoughts, for sure, and says His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. After all, anyone who could think up this whole universe CAN think.

Will – God also surely has a will. Why else would Jesus tell us to pray, “Thy will be done.”? His Word tells us He is not willing that anyone be lost, for instance. Always good, He is.

Emotions – Yes, He has those, too. His Word expresses anger, pity, and joy, among several others.

So, He loves His creation, including us, and He hates sinners for messing it up.

Kinda puts Him in a bind — both loving and hating people.

But He sent a solution to the whole thing, a Way to reconcile His hatred and love.

Pretty great thinking. Awesome, in fact. He tells us: His Son co-signed on our debt.

We defaulted.

So He paid.

And that is the kind of personality He has, the kind of soul He has.

The kind of soul we join our souls to when we go His way.

___________________

Image via Wikipedia