A Brief Meditation

Sometimes a front can be mistaken for resilience. Sometimes silence is better than words, and vice versa. Sometimes the eyes we need to open are not physical, and vice versa. Appearances can deceive. Sometimes what we hear isn't necessarily a truth, although it is a sound, and our minds don't know the difference. Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear? Most importantly, do we have hearts to feel? Ultimately, the invisible is often spiritual.

Ravi Zacharias on the Question is Christianity the Exclusive Way to Truth?

Today on Facebook I found a post made by an old friend. Basically, in the post he shared a video that involved Ravi Zacharias during a Q & A. A person in the audience asked Zacharias the question: what brings us to believe or entitles us to believe that Christianity is the exclusive way to truth? Zacharias initially establishes the use of a foundation grid which includes origin, meaning, morality, and destiny to determine or reach his answer. In other words, all four of the foregoing should be met in establishing truth according to Zacharias. I am not going to say anything with relevance to my opinion. I am simply sharing the video to let you decide on whether you think his response is correct.

Reference:

https://youtu.be/3N77D4dUgP4

Dogs in the Bible

What does the Bible say about dogs? What roles did they play in the New Testament?

The foregoing questions are answered by Megan Sauter in an article published on Biblical Archaeology Society. It has been a while since I have posted anything about pets; consequently, I am sharing this, so I hope you enjoy reading. The following is an excerpt from it.

"Throughout the ancient Near East and Mediterranean, domesticated dogs served as companions, hunting dogs, sheep dogs, and guard dogs. Dogs filled similar roles in the Bible (e.g., Job 30:1; Isaiah 56:10–11). Although dogs sometimes appear in negative contexts in the Bible, such as in insults, they are not listed as ritually “unclean” animals. Strong clarifies that at least by the second century B.C.E., Jews viewed dogs positively (biblicalarchaeology.org)."

Read the full article at the link below.

What Does the Bible Say About Dogs? - Biblical Archaeology Society

Reference:

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/blog/.

Christos anesti!

https://www.goarch.org/

Happy Easter!

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. 

My Take on the Fire at Notre Dame

Saint Stephen and Saint Paul in the Book of Acts both said God doesn't dwell in houses/shrines (temples) made of/by human hands. Both were seemingly quoting the prophet Isaiah from chapter 66 and verse 1. Stephen said it in his speech in front of the Council before being stoned to death. Paul said it to the Athenians at the Areopagus. Ironically, Paul was a witness to Stephen’s speech and martyrdom when he was still named Saul and was a persecutor of Christianity. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians 6:19, Paul elaborates that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. It sounds like we know where Paul stood with relevance to where God dwells. This is what most Christians believe that God dwells in us. Jesus also said: “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Basically, God is omnipresent. If we gather in a huge cathedral like Notre Dame to worship, God is also there because we are there present. This idea is like that philosophical question, if a tree falls in the forest does it make a sound if no one is there to hear it? But, knowing all this about where God dwells, why do we build such magnificent lofty structures for places of worship?

I believe we build such magnificent structures for places of worship as an offering and adoration to God who has given us life and all. God truly deserves all from us, even our lives. But, even if we have nothing to give, it is enough since all comes from God. As the hymn says:

What can I give Him

Poor as I am

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring Him a Lamb

If I were a wise man,

I'd sure do my part

So what can I give Him

I'll give Him my heart

Why build beautiful structures for God? It is our gift of architecture, art, beauty, and the best we have to offer. We are filled with the presence of God during liturgy and it surrounds us in those places we have built for public worship. We walk into these houses from the world outside that can sometimes be filled with ugliness, and into a place of beauty and peace. Moreover, when we walk into a Cathedral such as Notre Dame in Paris which took hundreds of years to build, and is almost 900 years old, we walk into history, the past, and where we've been from the present place where we are. Beauty is one way we can glorify God. If you are opposed to art and iconography, I suggest reading the apologies made by John of Damascus centuries ago. I doubt you will have a solid counterargument. If you would have asked Frank LLoyd Wright or Gaudi about architecture, you would have probably not had time to listen to all they would have told you. A great structure like Notre Dame was/is a collaborative work of many who simply give an offering to the Savior who gave us all. Out of gratitude, we physically manifest the giving of our hearts. Sadly, the fire at the cathedral on April 15th was tragic and devastating.

Yes, the fire seemingly was very sad, evil, and destructive; however, in less than 24 hours many were donating millions of dollars to repair, restore, and rebuild. Sadly, sometimes a baptism by fire is what we need to reawaken our faith and get our focus on higher things, Godly things. Peace and blessings to all!

David and Goliath: Did we Understand it?

Greetings to all! I suppose we all think we understand or understood the story of David and Goliath in the Bible. A friend recently shared this video of Malcolm Gladwell's ideas on Revisionist History. Anyhow, I don't want to write much and allow you all to be the judges. Enjoy the video!

Sources:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=ziGD7vQOwl8

TED

Published on Sep 30, 2013