Read: Proverbs 24:10-12
Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. —John 11:26
Bible In One Year: Genesis 6-9
John, a friend of mine, was once addicted to drugs. Several times he nearly died. He was a broken man when he entered the Christian rehabilitation program that my husband and I established. By the end of the program, John had become a Christian.
One day as John strolled along a busy street, he began to see the bustling shoppers as God sees them—dying people. He had learned from God's Word that those who die without Christ will spend eternity separated from Him. With deep concern, John thought, These people don't have to die!
We all need to see people as God sees them. But that revelation also brings responsibility. Solomon pleaded, "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter" (Proverbs 24:11). He also warned that once our eyes are opened we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act (v.12).
Think of people you know who are without Christ. They don't have to die without Him! Jesus said, "Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:26). Will you tell them this good news? —Joanie Yoder
good Monday morning!!!!!!!
Good morning..nearly lunch time here. Cloudy with promise of rain. I had to take the van to the repair shop..oil leak. I hope it is a minimal cost repair!
Howdy, Mr. Mayor ... thank you for today's Military Monday thread ... and, for all the good vibes you send out into this world ... you're always inspiring.
Afternoon to Military Monday at the finest.
Had to go exchange a gift this am and met up with a gentleman wearing a "Pearl Harbor Survivor" cap.
On behalf of all here on FR, I thanked him for his service to our country. He expressed genuine gratitude for the recognition, then thanked me as well when he notice my USS Piedmont cap. 'Twas a great day to go shoppin'.
WHAAAT??!! The last thing I remember here was posting on Christmas Eve, and from then on, it was a REALLY WILD RIDE!!
I watched Santa fly by with his sleigh, and Rudolph winked at me -- and strange things began to happen --
Would you believe I was taken aboard the sleigh and deposited in Turkey? -- seems jwfiv had arranged for my present to have lessons by the whirling dervishes in dancing!
I will give you all a little background.
Known to the west as Whirling Dervishes, the Mevlevi Order was founded by Mevlana Rumi in the 13th century. The Order wrote of tolerance, forgiveness, and enlightenment. They survive today as a cultural brotherhood. They are not theatrical spectacles but sacred rituals. The ritual of the Mevlevi sect, known as the sema, is a serious religious ritual performed by Muslim priests in a prayer trance to Allah. Mevlevi believed that during the sema the soul was released from earthly ties, and able to freely and jubilantly commune with the divine.
Dervish literally means "doorway" and is thought to be an entrance from this material world to the spiritual, heavenly world. The Whirling Dervishes played an important part in the evolution of Ottoman high culture. From the fourteenth to the twentieth century, their impact on classical poetry, calligraphy and visual arts was profound. Rumi and his followers integrated music into their rituals as an article of faith. Rumi emphasized that music uplifts our spirit to realms above, and we hear the tunes of the Gates of Paradise.
Leave it to Johnny Mac (/Fox) to come up with something totally unique!
Waiting patiently for the sleigh to come back by, after 2 days of being stranded some Beduoins made an offer I couldn't refuse -- to go with them to Arabia to star in a movie they were making about Scheherazade - - 1001 Arabian Nights.
Can't begin to tell you all the script stories, naturally, but the Rimsky Korsakov musical score was fantastic. It was a truly unforgettable side trip!
Strange thing is, I remember only one thing that happened since, visiting some Marines in Iraq, and then finding myself standing here right now on Military Monday - January 2, 2005 ??!!
Sigh -- thanks, jwfiv --
It's good to be 'home."
