November | 2007 | One Walk

Archive for November, 2007

BreakPoint: The Bounty and Goodness of Our God, 11/22/07

November 26, 2007

I thought you might be interested in this…

If this email does not display properly, please view our online version.

The Bounty and Goodness of Our God
A Thanksgiving Story

November 22, 2007

It has become the worst drought in the history of the Southeast. The ground is parched; crops are dying. And last week, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue decided to do something about it. He urged Georgians to pray for desperately needed rain.

Despite much ridicule and some protest, last week, Gov. Perdue led a prayer vigil on the steps of the State Capitol. Praying along with him were pastors from several denominations and hundreds of Georgians.

Gov. Perdue may not have realized it, but he was following in the steps of our Pilgrim fathers and mothers nearly 400 years ago: Joining together with neighbors for prayer was a familiar ritual for the Pilgrims. For example, in April of 1623three years after the first Pilgrims landedthe transplanted Englishmen and women planted corn and other crops. A good harvest was essential to their survival. But in the weeks following the planting, it became clear that a dry spell was turning into a drought.

Pilgrim father Edward Winslow recorded their distress in his diary. “It pleased God, for our further chastisement,” he wrote, “to send a great drought; insomuch as in six weeks . . . there scarce fell any rain.” The crops began to shrivel up “as though they had been scorched before the fire . . . God,” Winslow wrote, “which hitherto had been our only shield and supporter, now seemed in His anger to arm Himself against us. And who can withstand the fierceness of His wrath?”

The Pilgrims decided the only solution was to humble themselves before God in fasting and in prayer. They appointed a day of prayer and set aside all other employments.

Winslow describes what happened next. “In the morning,” he wrote, “when we assembled together, the heavens were as clear, and the drought as like to continue as it ever was.” But by late afternoonafter eight or nine hours of prayer”the weather was overcast, the clouds gathered on all sides,” Winslow wrote. The next morning brought “soft, sweet and moderate shows of rain, continuing some fourteen days.” The needed rain was “mixed with such seasonable weather,” he wrote, “as it was hard to say whether our withered corn or drooping affections were most quickened or revived, such was the bounty and goodness of our God.”

This dramatic answer to prayer was a witness to the local Indians. As Winslow notes, “The Indians . . . took notice . . . all of them admired the goodness of our God towards us, that wrought so great a change in so short of time, showing the difference between their conjuration and our invocation on the name of God for rain.”

The harvest that fall was abundantand the Pilgrims survived yet another year.

Today is Thanksgivingthe day on which we recall the three-day celebration in 1621 in which the Pilgrims invited local Indians to join them in thanking God for His blessings on themnot, as some school children are taught today in class, giving thanks to Indians. And Americans ever since have been celebrating this, an occasion recognized and enshrined by Congress. We ought to take time to thank God for His manifold blessings on us today.

By the way, the day after Governor Perdue prayed on the Capitol steps, rains swept the statenearly an inch in places. But the drought has continued. So, as we give thanks today, let’s remember those in the drought-stricken Southeast and ask the Giver of all good gifts to bless the land with rain.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at BreakPoint!

FEATURED RESOURCE

BreakPoint WorldView magazine is now available for FREE online. Sign up today!

GREAT BOOKS

ONLINE FEATURE

BreakPoint WorldView: “ Always Winter?: C. S. Lewis and Hope for the Visual Arts” by Jerry L. Eisley

THE POINT

The Point Radio: A Glutton for Contentment

From everyone at The Point: God’s blessings to you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving!

Listen to Today’s Point Radio Broadcast

For printer-friendly version, simply visit http://www.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT01MjQxNDUmcD0xJnU9LTEmbGk9MTk1MzE4NQ/index.html and click on Today’s Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

“BreakPoint” is a daily commentary on news and trends from a Christian perspective. Heard on more than 1000 radio outlets nationwide, “BreakPoint” transcripts are also available on the Internet.

BreakPoint is the worldview ministry of PFM (formerly Prison Fellowship Ministries): 44180 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176.

Forward this email to a Friend.

Subscribe to BreakPoint.

Posted in Articles that caught my attention, Bible Readings, Daily Bible Readings, Daily Prayers, Richard Angulo | Leave a Comment »

BreakPoint: The Bounty and Goodness of Our God, 11/22/07

November 26, 2007

I thought you might be interested in this…

If this email does not display properly, please view our online version.

The Bounty and Goodness of Our God
A Thanksgiving Story

November 22, 2007

The Pilgrims decided the only solution was to humble themselves before God in fasting and in prayer. They appointed a day of prayer and set aside all other employments.

The harvest that fall was abundantand the Pilgrims survived yet another year.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at BreakPoint!

FEATURED RESOURCE

BreakPoint WorldView magazine is now available for FREE online. Sign up today!

GREAT BOOKS

ONLINE FEATURE

BreakPoint WorldView: “ Always Winter?: C. S. Lewis and Hope for the Visual Arts” by Jerry L. Eisley

THE POINT

The Point Radio: A Glutton for Contentment

From everyone at The Point: God’s blessings to you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving!

Listen to Today’s Point Radio Broadcast

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BreakPoint is the worldview ministry of PFM (formerly Prison Fellowship Ministries): 44180 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176.

Forward this email to a Friend.

Subscribe to BreakPoint.

Posted in Articles that caught my attention, Daily Bible Readings | Leave a Comment »

You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat.

November 26, 2007

You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat. – St Josemaria Escriva

Abba, Father, I come to You each day in praise and thanksgiving, seeking forgiveness and the heart of Christ Jesus so I will forgive. For You have shown me that if I am not filled with the Spirit I am not able to walk in Your ways with love in my heart and forgiveness in my words and actions. So on those days when I am void of thoughts and words to express myself, I just sit and listen, all the time knowing that even in silent prayer, I come to You, to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat this day. O Lord that You would bless me indeed, and that Your hand would be with me today, to keep me from eveil and from causing any more pain. These things I ask in Jesus name, Amen.

Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and laid siege to Jerusalem. 2 The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and some of the vessels of the temple of God, which he carried off to the land of Shinar, * and placed in the temple treasury of his god. 3 The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain, to bring in some of the Israelites of royal blood and of the nobility, 4 young men without any defect, handsome, intelligent and wise, quick to learn, and prudent in judgment, such as could take their place in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans; 5 after three years’ training they were to enter the king’s service. The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine from the royal table. 6 Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 8 But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food or wine; so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement. 9 Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy of the chief chamberlain, 10 he nevertheless said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king; it is he who allotted your food and drink. If he sees that you look wretched by comparison with the other young men of your age, you will endanger my life with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men who eat from the royal table, and treat your servants according to what you see.” 14 He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days; 15 after ten days they looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate from the royal table. 16 So the steward continued to take away the food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency in all literature and science, and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation, the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 When the king had spoken with all of them, none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and so they entered the king’s service. 20 In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.

Daniel 3:52-56

52 “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. 53 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. 54 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. 55 Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. 56 Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.

Luke 21:1-4

1 He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had.”

Posted in Daily Bible Readings | Leave a Comment »

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. I assure you my brothers that even to this day it is clear to some that the words which Jesus speaks are spirit and life, and for this reason they follow him.

November 26, 2007

We read in the gospel that when the Lord was teaching his disciples and urged them to share in his passion by the ministry of eating his body, some said: This is a hard saying; and from that time they no longer followed him. When he asked the disciples whether they also wish to go away, they replied: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. I assure you my brothers that even to this day it is clear to some that the words which Jesus speaks are spirit and life, and for this reason they follow him. To others these words seem hard, and so they look elsewhere for some pathetic consolation. Yet wisdom cries out in the streets, in a broad and spacious way that leads to death, to call back those who take this path. – St Bernard

Abba, Father, lead me, show me, talk to me. O Lord as the disciples replied to Jesus, to whom shall I go? ‘For only You through Jesus Christ have the words of eternal life.’ O Lord I am so blessed to know that the words which Jesus speaks are spirit and life, Yet under the sun I stumble and wonder off. O my Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom. Have mercy on me and teach me how to walk as You walked under the sun, I look to only You Lord. Having died to myself, I know that in You I have everything and without You I am nothing, Amen.

2 Samuel 5:1-3

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you that led out and brought in Israel; and the LORD said to you, `You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.'” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

Psalm 122:1-5

1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” 2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together, 4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

Colossians 1:12-20

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; 16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. 19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Luke 23:35-43

35 And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Posted in Daily Bible Readings | Leave a Comment »

All ask what they wish, but do not always hear the answer they wish. Your best servant is he who is intent not so much on hearing his petition answered, as rather on willing whatever he hears from you.

November 24, 2007

O Truth, you are present to those who seek your help, and at one and the same time you answer all, though they seek your counsel on different matters. You respond clearly. but not everyone hears clearly. All ask what they wish, but do not always hear the answer they wish. Your best servant is he who is intent not so much on hearing his petition answered, as rather on willing whatever he hears from you. – St. Augustine

Abba, Father, I feel blessed in this time with You, for over and over You show me that if I will seek, You will teach; and just as when I pray; I know to be Your best servant I must be intent not so much on hearing my petition answered, as rather on willing whatever I hears from You. This is enough to seek and to ask, that through Jesus in the Spirit You would help me be my best. Amen.

1 Maccabees 6:1-13

1 King Antiochus was going through the upper provinces when he heard that Elymais in Persia was a city famed for its wealth in silver and gold. 2 Its temple was very rich, containing golden shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by Alexander, the son of Philip, the Macedonian king who first reigned over the Greeks. 3 So he came and tried to take the city and plunder it, but he could not, because his plan became known to the men of the city 4 and they withstood him in battle. So he fled and in great grief departed from there to return to Babylon. 5 Then some one came to him in Persia and reported that the armies which had gone into the land of Judah had been routed; 6 that Lysias had gone first with a strong force, but had turned and fled before the Jews; that the Jews had grown strong from the arms, supplies, and abundant spoils which they had taken from the armies they had cut down; 7 that they had torn down the abomination which he had erected upon the altar in Jerusalem; and that they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also Beth-zur, his city. 8 When the king heard this news, he was astounded and badly shaken. He took to his bed and became sick from grief, because things had not turned out for him as he had planned. 9 He lay there for many days, because deep grief continually gripped him, and he concluded that he was dying. 10 So he called all his friends and said to them, “Sleep departs from my eyes and I am downhearted with worry. 11 I said to myself, `To what distress I have come! And into what a great flood I now am plunged! For I was kind and beloved in my power.’ 12 But now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem. I seized all her vessels of silver and gold; and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without good reason. 13 I know that it is because of this that these evils have come upon me; and behold, I am perishing of deep grief in a strange land.”

Psalm 9:2-4, 6, 16, 19

2 I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High. 3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before thee. 4 For thou hast maintained my just cause; thou hast sat on the throne giving righteous judgment. 6 The enemy have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities thou hast rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. [Higgaion. Selah] 19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before thee!

Luke 20:27-40

27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; 30 and the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; 35 but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him.” 39 And some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

Posted in Daily Bible Readings | Leave a Comment »

True charity consists in doing good to those who do us evil, and in thus winning them over.

November 23, 2007

True charity consists in doing good to those who do us evil, and in thus winning them over.

— St. Alphonsus Liguori

Abba, Father, liken my heart to the heart of Jesus, create in me a forgiving mind that separates any memory or thoughts that limit me from loving unconditionally in the moment with the purist of intentions unburden by self. O thank You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, keeping me from evil and from causing any pain. So that I maybe Your servant, serving Your will and fulfilling Your purpose, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59

36 Then said Judas and his brothers, “Behold, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” 37 So all the army assembled and they went up to Mount Zion. 52 Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year, 53 they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering which they had built. 54 At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. 55 All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. 56 So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and offered burnt offerings with gladness; they offered a sacrifice of deliverance and praise. 57 They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and furnished them with doors. 58 There was very great gladness among the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was removed. 59 Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with gladness and joy for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev.

1 Chronicles 29:10-12

10 Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed art thou, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou rulest over all. In thy hand are power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Luke 19:45-48

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him; 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

Posted in Daily Bible Readings | Leave a Comment »

Reading Judas (Unabridged)

November 22, 2007

Author: Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King

Narrator: Justine Eyre and Robertson Dean

Two leading, best-selling experts on the Gnostic gospels weigh in on the meaning of the controversial, newly discovered Gospel of Judas. When the Gospel of Judas was published by the National Geographic Society in April 2006, it received extraordinary media attention and was immediately heralded as a major biblical discovery that rocked the world of scholars and laypeople alike. Elaine Pagels and Karen King are the first to reflect on this newfound text and its ramifications for the story of early Christianity. In Reading Judas, the two celebrated scholars illustrate how the newly discovered text provides a window into understanding how Jesus’ followers understood his death, why Judas betrayed Jesus, and why God allowed it. Most contemporary readers will find passages in the ancient Gospel of Judas difficult to comprehend outside of its context in the ancient world. Reading Judas illuminates the intellectual assumptions behind Jesus’ teaching to Judas and shows how conflict among the disciples was a tool frequently used by early Christian authors to explore matters of doubt and disagreement. Presented with the elegance, insight, and accessibility that has made Pagels and King the leading voices in this field, this is a book for academics and popular audiences alike.

Posted in Bible Readings, Books, Daily Bible Readings, Daily Prayers, Richard Angulo | Leave a Comment »

One Walk

Archive for November, 2007

BreakPoint: The Bounty and Goodness of Our God, 11/22/07

BreakPoint: The Bounty and Goodness of Our God, 11/22/07

You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat.

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. I assure you my brothers that even to this day it is clear to some that the words which Jesus speaks are spirit and life, and for this reason they follow him.

All ask what they wish, but do not always hear the answer they wish. Your best servant is he who is intent not so much on hearing his petition answered, as rather on willing whatever he hears from you.

True charity consists in doing good to those who do us evil, and in thus winning them over.

Reading Judas (Unabridged)

Pages

Email Subscription

My One Walk with Jesus

Top Posts

Search

Categories

Archives