| Author |
Message |
Denisegilmore (Denisegilmore)
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 7:39 am: |     |
Colleen,
Thank you for taking the time to help me out in this, for it has been an every year struggle for me since I became a Christian.
Now you said this in part and I need a little clarification:
"If a symbol of a holiday makes you drawn into old habits that lead you away from Christ, then by all means, avoid them.
If, however, they do not draw you away and you have no dark or "evil" associations with them, then enjoy your freedom in Christ!"
Okay, when you say "lead you away from Christ" or even having a "dark or evil association," can this also include my own conscious? Not that I necessarily think evil thoughts but rather what I'm doing is not right for me, in my conscious.
Oh brother, there I go again, trying to put into words that which is in my mind. Not easy for me sometimes.
If my conscious is bothered, due to the suffocating indoctrination of childhood, would you consider that "leading me away from Christ?"
See, I don't want to do anything that I have doubts about and these holidays, I have doubts about. Without faith in something it is sin, is it not?
So if I'm not completely comfortable "yet" with these holidays, am I doing a wrong thing? Or do you believe that is okay also? By "okay" I mean 'not celebrating them as others do.'
For myself, just this morning at 5am (as I've been up all night), I was telling a neighbor (new convert) who has been here visiting, about the Resurrection morning and all the events that happened.
Also, I thanked God the Father for sending His Son, Christ Jesus in order to redeem me. Also, my thoughts this morning are on the scene about 2000 years ago when Martha and Mary went to that grave and it was empty and the disciples reactions.
The angels that told them that "He is not here."
Jesus showing himself to many others.
Many others were resurrected along with Jesus Christ that day.
Thomas and his needing to see it to believe it attitude, the two men on the road to Ammeus (sp) and how Jesus concealed His identity Until He broke the bread. Things of that nature.
This is how my celebrations go.
However, at the same time, there is a potluck downstairs that is put on by the manager of this building every year that I cannot attend out of conscious sake.
Still can't seem to shake those teachings of years ago. There's a ton of bunny rabbits and colored eggs all decorating this building right now. Especially downstairs where the potluck will be serve and ten to one, there will be lots of chocolate eggs, covered with colored tin-foil, to eat.
Does that make sense? Hope so.
Happy Resurrection Day (or approx.)!
Blessings and Peace to your household in Christ Jesus our Saviour, our Eternal Life (FOR CERTAIN!!).
your sister in Christ Jesus of Nazareth.
denise |
Terryk (Terryk)
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 3:14 pm: | |
Thank you Colleen for your answers. I am new to all this stuff that has been drilled into my head for years pagan. Well a hand shake is pagan everything comes from something we might not agree with but it has been the greatest Easter I have ever had to rejoice on Sunday morning what Christ has done for me. Praise God for his love even when I in some way in the past not celebrated because it was pagan. I have missed many blessing I fear. I feel it is time like this that opens doors to send homemade candy etc. to neighbors just to share love. I look at many things differently now and sharing in these things has broght alot more joy to my life then in the past and has made me much more accessible to people since I have tore down the barriers. |
Janice (Janice)
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 5:09 pm: | |
Denise, I started a post to answer your request but lost it and had to start over. I get so excited about the different study tools at my disposal that I get to clicking this forward and back button and loose my starting point.
Yes, I will begin a thread on paganism infiltrating the Christian holidays but just let me paste this devotional for today before I loose it too:
There shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand.
Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing].--Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.--Hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.--The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
De 13:17 2Co 6:17 1Pe 2:11 Jude 1:23 1Jo 3:2,3 Tit 2:11-14
Who art thou, Lord? . . . I am Jesus.
It is I; be not afraid.--When thou passest through the waters, I [will be] with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I [am] the LORD thy God, . . . thy Saviour.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.--Emmanuel, . . . God with us.
Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.--If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.--Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Ac 26:15 Mt 14:27 Isa 43:2,3 Ps 23:4 Mt 1:23,21 1Jo 2:1 Ro 8:34,35
I thought this was a great devotional that seemed to give me the inspiration to continue on with creating the thread on HUMILITY. I will be speaking on pride and arrogance and will probably be doing a lot of research in the new site I found for Lydell about the various cults. I just visited there for some information and that was when I lost my place and had to start over.
Anyway, I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend while thinking of "the reason for the season" as some of the signs say during Christmas. Denise, I really want you to embrace Easter and Christmas as true Christian holidays, so, I will tell you some of the things that I do to make it more Christlike in observance, it worked for me anyway.
This is what I do during the Christmas season. I do have a tree but instead of your typical ornaments, I have blown-glass ornaments of angels, a nativity scene with JUST Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, a winter sleigh with NO Santa on the seat, I also have several victorian lace pouporri sachets with satin streamers, a handmade ornament of a pine cone with spanish moss made into a bird's nest with a bluebird sitting in it, and dozens of angels of all sorts, shapes, and sizes. The tree itself is topped with an angel that holds a flickering candle that plugs into the lights along with a Hallmark ornament of a flickering fireplace with stockings hung on the mantle and a heart over the fireplace. I made several Santa Claus ornaments of ceramic when my children were young but I only hang them on the back side of the tree so no one sees them. Last but not least, I have golden wreath ornaments and bells and also crocheted and cross-stitch personal items and even framed pictures of the grandkids. It makes for a beautiful tree that I can be proud of without feeling that I am comprimising with some pagan input. Guess I could throw the ceramic Santas away but a lot of memories are with them especially the one that my kid's painted and put their names on, since I know that God knows my heart, I feel good about how I decorate but will get into the yule log and tree history when I start the thread, okay?
Got to go and get those threads started, so, I will pick it up there, and tell you how I believe that we should view Easter, and last but not least--how we celebrate "MY" birthday which happens to be on Halloween, don't laugh, please. I have been kidded about that all my life.
Good night, Thank God for Easter and what it truly represents to us as children of God, amen.
Janice |
Denisegilmore (Denisegilmore)
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 1:57 am: | |
Janice,
Thank you for that devotional and the willingness to do a study on these holidays.
I know it's not something I'm supposed to tell people about since I'm a Christian but it's about time something is settled in my heart and mind regarding these holidays.
My dad was a very loving dad and the way I was raised really never left me in this respect of holidays--and this includes my own birthday!
Today, I put out my sign that is out every year at the time of celebration for the Resurrection of Christ our Lord. The sign is nothing bought nor anything flowery and pretty, nor is it fancy in any way shape or form.
Infact, I wrote this out a few years back when it struck me to do so. Using a simple, pink in color, thick-tipped marker, I wrote the words:
HE IS RISEN!
And as is my custom, spending my day alone inside my apartment, I thought about what it must have been like for those that lived during the time of Jesus and witnessed HIS RISEN body, speaking, eating, walking and teaching before He ascended.
My mind is always full of things like this.
Same with Jesus' Second Coming. I'm always imagining what that's going to be like. My dad told me all about this when I was a young girl about 5-9 years old and these things never leave me. Especially His Second Coming! I'm even smiling as I type that. Now THAT will be the day we are all waiting for! THAT is our Hope! All Christians alike.
I know, I know, most people probably think on these things now and again. Even Christians, sad to say. But that is the Day I wait for....For He WILL COME AGAIN!
Today has been a good day with my Lord. He has given me peace from everyone today and even my body doesn't hurt like it usually does. Isn't that something? And NO, NONE, ZILCH, contortions of my body today!!
Explain THAT to someone! 
I do not believe in coincidences so my heart cannot say that the rest from all these things is a mere coincidence. I KNOW God Himself has given me an entire, over 24 hours, of something miraculous. Why? I don't know. I can only be thankful and NEVER forget THIS day.
So, for me, this has been a day that only God will ever know what is in my heart for HIM. Because there are no words to explain what I'm feeling.
Well, I realize this is rambling my hearts thoughts out so I'll close with this thought: My entire day was a devotional.
Amazing Grace.
Hallelu-YAH to our Lord! For HE HAS RISEN!!!
Amen. |
Janice (Janice)
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 12:26 pm: | |
Denise, I have had a wonderful Easter weekend and great day at work today too, at least until I cranked my car to start the air and unlocked the automatic door locks and circled around to the driver's side to get in only to find that I had clicked the lock to the right to lock instead of to the left to unlock. Praise God for mechanics, it took twenty minutes to get in but I am home now and sooo sleepy, I had to sit in the car for five minutes when I finally got in my yard seeing as how we had a flood and my porches have no roofs and with no gutters, it pours down by the front door and splatters you from head to toe.
Well, let me end this post and get on to starting a new thread like I promised, but before I do, here is another good devotional for everyone, these devotionals seem to talk so much about our hope in Christ and I guess I should be saving them to edit into my web site about grace. These are wonderful verses from God's word that we can all feed on and grown in, amen.
Daily Light on the Daily Path-April 21, 2003
Stand fast in the Lord.
My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
The LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever.--The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The just shall live by FAITH: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have NO pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.--If they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
If ye CONTINUE IN MY WORD, [THEN] are ye my disciples indeed. --He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.-- Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. --Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.-- He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.
Php 4:1 Job 23:11 Ps 37:28 121:7 Heb 10:38,39 1Jo 2:19 Joh 8:31 Mt 24:13 1Co 16:13 Re 3:11,5
Enoch walked with God.
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Having made peace through the blood of his cross, . . . You, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.--In Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, [be] with you all. Amen.
Ge 5:22 Am 3:3 Col 1:20-22 Eph 2:13 Ro 5:10,11 1Jo 1:3 2Co 13:14 |
Janice (Janice)
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 2:30 pm: | |
The storm caused a disconnect, so, I lost some more information, so, I decided to do the smart thing and write in Word until I was finished and here is the cut and paste for you.
Denise, It will take a while for me to gather up all the information that I have concerning the different rituals and such that have slipped in among us and our holy days but will be posting soon about Christmas, Easter, and Halloween observances and where and when they began in our American culture.
However, I feel more called upon by God to speak out about arrogance and pride that sometimes hinders us from humbling ourselves before an awesome and vengeful God. God is ìabbaî to his children but woe to those who presume to destroy his children for they may realize, much too late, the consequences of their actions. Hebrews 10:31 says: [It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
For myself, I have been like Preacher Paul lately, I have cried out to God "far more" than a mere three times for him to remove my "messenger of Satan, sent to buffet me" and he has also shown me that, just like Paul, HIS GRACE is still sufficient. 1Corinthians 10:13 tells us--There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. I have made some decisions and know now exactly what I need to know in order to persevere in my studying and relating God's word.
Isn't it an irony, that after being worried to death with a pest, I just happened to take out one of my devotionals to read during my break and found this title on the cover of the one I picked out "The POWER of Persistence" and when I opened it, there was my answer to the pesky little thing that has been nipping at my heels for several weeks now. I almost jumped up and shouted hallelujah at the revelation of it all.
I just had to edit some of the articles to you all here in the forum, amen. The first story is titled "Never Give Up" and here are a few lines of that story: Have you come to this point? Have you lost many battles? Do you feel as though there is no fight left within you? GOD is your MIGHTY ANCHOR. He WILL hold fast to you so you do NOT lose your footing. However, you must take a step of FAITH by deciding NOT TO GIVE WAY TO FEELINGS OF DOUBT, DISBELIEF, "DISCOURAGEMENT", AND FEAR. As we think about success from God's perspective, we must realize that there will be times when we experience disappointment and even failure. However this does NOT mean we are defeated.
A few things to remember:
1. Realize that failure does not mean you should quit. (Never)
2. In every failure, God plants a seed of SUCCESS.
3. Glean wisdom from failure, then bury the memory.
4. Never blame others for your lack of success and/or short comings.
Having said that, let's keep our focus set on Jesus, believing that we can do ALL things THROUGH Christ WHO STRENGTHENS US. (Phil. 4:19)
The second story is from the title "Power of Persistence" and here are a few comments: A God-directed persistence keeps us focused even in times of difficulty and heartache and also gives us the opportunity to identify with Christ. With the horror of the Cross, Jesus would not, could not, did not give up, and as followers of Christ, we should always look to him as our example.
The value we place on our goals will determine the strength of our persistence. (I THINK THIS SAYS A WHOLE LOT ABOUT SOME PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO MAKE A LIFE OF RESISTING THE GOSPEL WHILE HARRASSING THOSE OF US WHO TRY TO TEACH IT.)
This article also states that God may sometimes allow us to face heartache, IF it brings us closer to Himself, and he also may not prevent all of our suffering, especially if He knows this will sharpen our faith and cause us to fully rely on him, thought I will throw this one in, the teenagers love the expression ìF.ully R.ely O.n G.odî.
PERSISTENCE TEACHES US:
1. The difference between failure and an event of failure. Being stoned does not seem like a victorious event (nor slander in my case), however, Paul gained Godís perspective of his situation and recognized the value. In times of defeat, we never know how close we are to VICTORY, amen!
2. That a trial or time of adversity does not mean we are to stop pursuing our goals.
3. That in every event of failure, God has planted a seed of success. Failure teaches us to be persistent and DETERMINED about our life goals and desires.
4. To bury our failures. Glean a lesson from them, but donít frame them and hang them on the wall of your emotions for constant viewing. (Yes Jesus, thank you for that one, I will obey.)
5. Never to blame others for our mistakes or difficulties. In times of difficulty, we need to ask God to show us what He wants us to learn. If we blame others for what we are experiencing, not only will we miss Godís lesson, we also will miss HIS blessing for our lives.
WE DEVELOP A SPIRIT OF PERSISTENCE WHEN WE:
1. Set goals that require our best effort, and 2. Allow God to develop HIS desires within our hearts. Paul did not ask to be a missionary. The thought never crossed his mind until he met the Savior. Then the love Paul had for God grew tremendously. A desire arose within him to preach the Gospel to the Jews and Gentiles. His vision increased as he grew closer to the Lord and realized that Godís love was ALL he needed in his life.
1. Keep our eyes on Christ and not the difficulties that arise along the way.
2. Refuse to listen to CRITICISM, (I will agree with that one too, we should learn to thrive on it, such shows we have the devilís attention when the criticism comes in like a flood, amen.)
3. Look for a personal lesson in times of defeat. (My lesson was this: You can lead a horse to water, but you canít make it drink, if the Holy Spirit canít move oneís soul then I canít expect a miracle to happen either in any such scenario.)
4. Practice self-control. Persistence will require us to set the focus of our minds on Christ and the goal, NOT on our feelings. Feelings are NOT the best emotional barometer. If you want to know how you are doing in your quest to reach a goal, ask God to confirm this to you through His Word. (I would ask that EVERYONE really think about this one and ask "do we use scripture wisely when we rebuke or use it at all in many instances"?) Do we question what spirit we have when we are being persistent or do we "put our mouth in gear before we put our mind in motion?"
I WAS ONCE TOLD THAT IF GOD PUT IT ON YOU TO DO SOMETHING AND YOU RESISTED THAT HE WOULD GIVE YOU A WHIPPING UNTIL YOU DID IT. I FIGURE ìWHY BE A JONAH AND TEMPT GOD TO SEND A WHALE TO SWALLOW ME UP WHEN I HEARD HIM SAY ëGO FISHINGíî (HOPE YOU ALL UNDERSTOOD THAT ONE.)
5. Believe that we can reach our goals.
(Go formers, go formers, go formersÖÖ..)
6. Rely on God to enable us to persevere.
The last paragraph of Charles Stanleyís article tells us: Bury all thought of defeat and failure, and rekindle those dreams and goals that God has placed deep within your heart. Then take a step forward to achieve these, knowing fully that Christ will ENABLE you, STRENGTHEN you, and PROVIDE "all" you need to reach your goals, no matter what they may be.
God bless you all as we go forth to tell the world of our wonderful savior and how he died for ALL.
Love from Janice |
Colleentinker (Colleentinker)
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 4:55 pm: | |
Denise, PraiseGod for your pain-free Resurrection Sunday! He is so good and faithful! Regarding holidays and celebrationsóonly you can decide with God what is "in faith" and what is "without faith". I know I personally find the bunnies and eggs more distracting now than helpful in thinking about Easter, but I don't see them as intrinsically "wrong". The more I focus on Jesus, though, the less baskets and candy and bunnies seem related to the meanining of the day!
Of course, we don't have small children, now, so there's not as much reason to do Easter egg hunts, etc. If I had small children now, I might still do that, but I would still focus with them on the meaning of the day.
I asked my ninth-graders (at a private inter-denominational school) to journal about what Easter meant to them. Even with the mentions I read of gifts and Easter eggs, by far the greatest response I got was that it wat the day Jesus rose to give them eternal life. I was impressed with that, because as a kid their ages, I might have mentioned that fact, but the day wouldn't have really meant that reality to me. In fact, we never really celebrated Easter at all. When we were young, sometimes we colored eggs, but even hunting Easter eggs was almost an afterthought and something we did just because it was Easter and other people hunted eggs. The day had more negative meaning (Sunday--the day of the Sun and Sun-worship--apostate Protestantism's excuse to honor a pagan ritual) than even a neutral meaning.
So, bring on the Easter lillies and the ham! Resurrection Sunday is the greatest holiday of them all to me now. It is our promise, our entrance into intimacy with Jesus!
Colleen |
Denisegilmore (Denisegilmore)
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 7:59 pm: | |
Dear Colleen,
You said this in part:
"Denise, PraiseGod for your pain-free Resurrection Sunday! He is so good and faithful! Regarding holidays and celebrationsóonly you can decide with God what is "in faith" and what is "without faith"."
Wasn't that something Colleen?! NO pain and NO contortions. Well, let me put this in a more realistic way. Pain that wasn't worth mentioning as it was so very very minimal. Still though, NO, NONE, NADA in the way of contortions!!
A real Miracle took place for me! And today, my pain is back but not so bad and the contortions are not worth mentioning!
Needless to say, I'm still Praising Jesus Christ for this GIFT!
That's wonderful what all those school children said about the Easter day! Who woulda thunk, huh?
Most adults don't think of that. I say this because of my personal experiences with people in general regarding the easter day. When I have asked them what this day means, most of their responses have been "lots of food!"
Isn't that sad?
Thank you for referring to it as "Resurrection Sunday!" THAT'S what we ought to rename the day. Keep referring to it as Resurrection Sunday and eventually it will become a phrase used within the Church and outside of the Church.
Terms and phrases are picked up and carried from mouth to mouth. Eventually it becomes the normal way of referring to something. You've seen this in your lifetime as I'm sure we all have.
Blessings to you and your entire household in Christ Jesus.
your sister in Christ Jesus of Nazareth.
Denise Gilmore |
Another_Carol (Another_Carol)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 7:40 am: | |
Praise God for His Resurrection
I had a glorious day beginning at 6:45 putting finishing touches on our Noon meal. The table was set with 3 candles and I had entwined gold wire around them and a thin sheet of brass was cut in the shape of a circle, heart and dove. On the circle I had imprinted FATHER, and on the heart SON, and on the dove HS, for Holy Spirit. This was surrounded with artificial grass and a lamb. My 6 year old grandson brought a cross home from S.S. which he had made and gave it to me and I placed it on the table also.
It was off to early church and singing in the choir of which I receive such comfort and inspiration. A particularly important part was an inactment of Peter and another disciple discussing what hadhappened and Peter feeling so bad for denying Jesus then Mary Magdalene came to the door and said she had seen Jesus and then we sang He Lives and when we got to You asked me how I know He lives He lives within my heart" I was overcome the the Truth that He does live in my heart, not because of what I do but because of what He did.
We ended with a song When in our music God is glorified and the congregation singing with us with timpani and the rafters shook. Praise God:
HE IS RISEN INDEED.
We then had our family home for noon meal all except one (our son-in-law) and we thanked God for His love for us this day thru His Son death and resurrection.
After lunch we let our youngest grandaughter 21 months look for her eggs first and then the older ones. I can do this without any thought of something pagan because God knows what is truly in my heart and having laid out the truth of the day thru prayer the grandchildren understand also.
For supper we went to my mother's and fellowshipped with my 3 brothers with a time of prayer thanking and glorifing God for what He has done for us.
The day was glorious having had a Saturday of torential rains. We live by a creek and it was at it's bank but praise God the rain then ceased.
Again I say HE IS RISEN INDEED and I feel it, Carol |
Susan_2 (Susan_2)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 1:12 pm: | |
I went to the SDA church several days ago, the Saturday between Good Friday and Ressiurrection Sunday and I waited and I waited some more for mention of our Lord's ressurrection and got none. It was a regurlar sermon on regurlar Advintest topics. However, the flowers in front were lilies. At least there was some flowers that are the traditional flower of this time of year. |
Janice (Janice)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 3:52 pm: | |
Denise, I was going to mention that we call Easter "resurrection Sunday" at our church but I see that Colleen beat me to it, and the choir sang a beautiful medley of songs to honor our Lord. The congregation also sang with a little more than their usual vigor as well, but it is hard not to get "loud and proud" when you realize what you are singing about and WHO made it all possible. Everyone begins by softly singing these words: "Low in the grave he lay--Jesus my Savior! Waiting the coming day--Jesus my Lord" and then it gets loud and almost like a shout "UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE, WITH A MIGHTY TRIUMPH O'ER HIS FOES; HE AROSE A VICTOR FROM THE DARK DOMAIN, AND HE LIVES FOREVER WITH HIS SAINTS TO REIGN. HE AROSE, HE AROSE, HALLELUJAH, CHRIST AROSE!
2. Vainly they watch His bed, JMS, Vainly they seal the dead, JML, chorus, and 3. Death cannot keep his prey, JMS, He tore the bars away, JML, chorus.
Sorry about getting carried away with it, but it is so good to hear it being sung by a hundred or more people, it blessed my soul, amen.
Janice |
Colleentinker (Colleentinker)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 4:00 pm: | |
I love that hymn, Janice! And what a great Easter day you had, Carol. Your memory of the SDA Easter Sabbath, Susan, is all too familiar. I do remember when I was at Walla Walla College seeing Easter lillies on Easter Sabbath and feeling like we were really progressive there! My goodness!
Colleen |
Janice (Janice)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2003 - 4:59 pm: | |
Denise, I wanted to add one more thing about your question to Colleen about observing Christian holy days. I won't cut and paste the verse here but there is a verse in the Bible that mentions that IF you know to do right and you don't do it, to you it is a sin. I believe that this verse is simple enough for anyone to grasp without doing a study on it, so, if you really believe that the Holy Spirit is putting conviction on you as regarding these holiday celebrations or ANYTHING for that matter, then you should be sensitive to his urgings, however, some folks, whether they are aware of it or not are being misled into giving up doing certain things or else refuse to do certain things just because someone has incorporated it into their "church" doctrines, and it just got to be the accepted practice. Example: don't use caffeine, don't eat meat, don't worship except on the day that we say to worship, don't wear makeup, don't wear jewelry, ladies only wear dresses "NO shorts or pants allowed" but those funny-looking skirts with a straddle in them are okay. Some even have special hairdos for both men and women and some have strange looking head dresses while others choose to wear some very weird-looking underwear with strange little squares in special places and are only washed on certain days of the week and also have to be a certain kind of material with no "mixing" of the material within the garment either.
The lists goes on and on, but we must make up our own minds concerning these matters of custom and dress and bear in mind that God says that we aren't suppose who "fret" or "gender strife" over the minor things. The only problem that I have found though is, like someone else said, many SDAs as well as other denominations choose to MAJOR on the MINORS with great zeal, and that is when we lose sight of our main goal. Our main goal is to serve God, love him, and love our fellow man, and therefore, if we love him we should really honor him everyday and not just on Christmas and Easter. We should also love our brethren enough to warn them of hell as well as tell them the truth about how they can come to know Jesus as Savior and go to heaven.
One last thought about the cut and paste I did for you about the paganism, everyone is right, the devil isn't happy until he has sent his team in to seek and destroy but it shouldn't stop us from doing the "right" thing and that is to show respect to the one who brought us all together here in the first place, right? Having said that too, I believe that we should be studying and growing ourselves as well as reaching out to those who have yet to come to Jesus and his saving grace.
In closing, I have to say it again though, had I known about Queen Estar, the fertility goddess, and had I known about the rabbit as a symbol of fertility as well as the egg, I believe that Easter would have been a lot different for my children during their growing up years, and I can guarantee you that Santa Claus would not have gotten the recognition for those expensive presents that HE "supposedly" brought, amen? As far as telling the kids that Santa was watching, well, I tell my grandson that God is watching him so it didn't matter what was said about Santa.I was also guilty of asking "what did Santa bring for you", but now only ask little kids "what did you get for Christmas" and I really wish that they didn't have a pretend Santa in the church during the holidays, can't help it and don't apologize for it either? I am convicted it is wrong and therefore, according to God's word, it is wrong (FOR ME) but maybe not for you, whatever, I am not arguing here just finishing up what I started about paganism, and I guess I will end with having said my peace about it.
Boy, can I really be a hypocrite here or what? I can't help but smile when the little kids light up when Santa hands them candy or an apple, but turn around and think it is bad because they are so innocent and gullible. I can't help but believe it opens the door for future problems with winning your child to Christ when everything else you told them about the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy are all lies. Our children trust us with EVERYTHING, so, shouldn't we be presenting them the truth from day one? I believe we can still celebrate the Christian holidays with great zeal, we just need to get back to the basics and deal with these situations as they come up, I guess it is one of those things that we can agree to disagree on, right?
Denise, one more thing, can you email me so that I can get your address back into my computer directory? I lost it last month when Outlook went bonkers with me.
Janice
Janice |
Susan_2 (Susan_2)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 11:58 am: | |
Dear Janice, I would like to know the name of that song and the author of it? Do you have the music for it? It is a lovely song that I have never heard. Thanks. |
Janice (Janice)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 3:58 pm: | |
Susan,
Email me at Janice@theLumpkinhome.com, if you don't want to give your email address here, and I will be happy to send the music to you or if you don't want to do that, I could send it to Colleen and she could forward it to you, whatever. The name of it is "Christ Arose" by Robert Lowry, it was in my song book that was printed in 1972 by Sword Of The Lord Publishers.
Janice |
Susan_2 (Susan_2)
| | Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 2:19 pm: | |
Yes, just send it to Colleen and have her mail it to me. I think she still has my post office address. I didn't pay my Internet bill and mine at home is turned off and i have to use the one at the library until I get my bill paid current. |
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