Cheating Sundays

First and Only, Monday through Saturday.

But on Sunday we wait to be drawn into

His presence during the Praise Service.

The Praise Team and those around us point the way

with smiles and tears and joyful noises.

And we are thankful as we join in

and are lifted into Him, by efforts not our own.

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Psalms 100:3-5(NIV)

3) Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his£; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5) For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Mark 1:35 (KJV) And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

How God Worked

With the flood
He gave a warning and
an opportunity and avenue of escape.
The same is true for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And He sent Jonah to Nineveh.

Would He do less with the fire?
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We cannot be certain what is meant by term fire.
But as we are called to follow Him, perhaps our obedience will stay the final day?

Rocky Road with Thorns

. . . this was not good ice cream

The good people The great people here along with those across the way and those around the corner and those several miles down the road and around the corner and those across the street, ad infinitum, decided they would create a structure to better do for themselves and others what each of them could not do well independently.

There were some obvious things assigned to the structure such as securing the land from foreign military threats and law enforcement assistance when and where needed by local bodies such as specific criminal activity involving more than a single locality. Additional responsibilities were added such as:

• the regulation of product weights and contents so that wood chips were not finely ground and used to inflate the contents of a loaf of bread or a sack of flour or cornmeal or other cooking ingredients
• the regulation of paint used in baby cribs, on children’s toys, and in new residences to guarantee the absence of asbestos and other harmful agents
• the monitoring of workplace and business practices to ensure the safety of workers and fair business practices throughout the localities
• enforcement of laws governing the minimum ages for drinking, driving, obtaining firearms and obtaining work permits for certain industries
• the regulation of working conditions and rules to ensure that children of certain ages were not forced into labor and that workers were provided proper safety gear to protect them from inhalation of toxins, minimize the loss of fingers or larger appendages in machinery, and protect their heads from falling debris and equipment or work tools on the work site

These and many other additional responsibilities were added gradually and only when the bodies were firmly convinced of a need they could not meet independently.

As the structure grew and did well, praise was heaped upon it -- the bodies had done well in establishing the structure and in a sense were praising their own good deeds. But as time passed and responsibilities added to the structure that was praised multiplied, the bodies began to develop differing understandings of their needs; and even within individual bodies differences sprang up concerning needs and desires and how the structure that was praised could best be used on behalf of the interests of the different factions of individual bodies as well as different bodies.

And the bodies began to lobby the structure that was praised and representatives to the structure that was praised, and eventually representatives to the representatives. And as some of these representatives had become crafty, they began to lobby the bodies on behalf of the representatives to the structure that was praised. And the bodies ceased working together to find common solutions to identified needs, and the needs were often nothing more than desires fed by the hubris of crafty representatives.

And so, to ensure that the structure that was praised was not dragged into what became petty squabbles within and among the bodies, the representatives to the representatives to the structure that was praised did battle amongst themselves on behalf of the causes or desires considered needs or interests of parties whose members were perhaps at one time numbered among the bodies. And the causes of the parties began to consume the bodies, so much so that the bodies became better known as churches and ripe ground for recruiting support for the parties. And the churches took upon themselves names of great meaning to feed the illusion that they were still of His Body.

And the parties empowered the structure that was praised to resolve all conflict with the power of it’s might that its usefulness be preserved and Godly wisdom be foreign to it.

And through representatives to the representatives the parties rallied the churches in support of the wars that raged and the leader of the the structure that was praised. And the banner of the structure that was praised flew high within the churches and allegiance was declared by all.

And the war criminal retired a hero and the structure that was praised began to groan with the whole of creation for relief from the failures of the churches that were once filled with members of His Body. And with the exception of here, where understanding deemed, throughout the world all saw that the structure that was praised was not worthy.

But the churches did not recognize their distraction and continued down the Rocky Road with Thorns which was not good ice cream.

And yet, . . . there is help.

http://www.wh.org/

Stealing in the Name of God

I’ve got this great message design with Jesus hanging on the Cross and the words, He’s dying to meet you, printed to his right and the citation John 3:16 to His left. The cross is blood-stained and the whole thing is really touching. I just wish it were mine. But it’s not.

I came across the design on a card more than 30 years ago and liked it; so I saved the card. Over the years I’ve been on the lookout for a cap or T-shirt or mug with the design, but have not been able to locate one.

About five years ago I wrote to the address on the back of the card asking for permission to use the design on ScriptureStuff products. I received no reply although the letter was never returned indicating the recipient could not be found. I even scoured the internet trying to find the design, but still nothing. So about a year ago I created a message design using the art work. But I never felt easy about it. Fortunately, I’ve never sold a product with the John 3:16 message design but I’d still really like to.

What I don’t want to do is sell products with the design and have the owner come out of the woodwork and call me a theft. Then I’d have to make restitution in accordance with 2 Samuel 12 and Exodus 22:1-4. Now I know this rule is not followed in the world of publications, particularly internet publications. It is also not followed in the world of T-shirt designs. And not all who market Christian T-shirts follow Biblical principles. But as I want the business and my life to be profitable I’ve got to satisfy myself that I’ve made every effort to contact the rightful owner.

Hence: ScriptureStuff is seeking permission to use the John 3:16 (Jesus on the Cross) design and desires to discuss terms of agreement for such use.

The owner of this design should contact ScriptureStuff via email at admin@ScriptureStuff.com within six (6) months from today, December 1, 2010.

Until contacted within the six (6) month period and satisfactory arrangements are made for ScriptureStuff use of the design, ScriptureStuff will maintain a separate and proper accounting of all sales for turnover of proceeds to the rightful owner of the design if arrangements for ScriptureStuf use cannot be made.

If not contacted within six (6) months by the rightful owner of the design, ScriptureStuff will assume the design is now in the public domain and continue production without regard to future claims.

　Really hope to hear from someone!