The Basics of Salvation Through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
July 31, 2007
The one key central message of the entire Bible is that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father and His dwelling place - heaven. There is no other way! As you will see in all of the Scripture verses listed below, Jesus Christ is God’s only plan of salvation for the entire world.
The Bible specifically says, without any other possible interpretation, that there is only one God, one faith, one baptism and only one way to God the Father - and that is only through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. Jesus says that He, and only He, is the way, the truth and the life leading to God the Father and that no one comes to the Father except through Him!
Many people, including some Christians, believe that God the Father “honors” all other religions as long as people try to live a good and godly life and try to stay out of trouble. When you see the Scripture verses I will list below, you will see that this is not the way God has everything set up. God will not honor any other religion and He makes it very clear that it is only through His Son and His death on the cross that will give people eternal salvation and thus eternal life with Him in heaven. The Bible says that we are appointed for the defense of the Gospel. It is our job, when called upon, to defend God and Jesus on the basics of salvation and what it is all about. Here are two verses specifically telling us this:
Conceptual Art: Who Appreciates It?
July 30, 2007
Art is sometimes overwhelming. Life as a whole can become overwhelming, and at times I do find myself caught up in its whirlwind of drama. Being the person that I am, being faced with it, I tend to question the things that I don’t understand, and sometimes I questions the things I understand the most, the things that I am certain of the most, like art.
After one of our regular seminar sessions at college I found myself contemplating a piece of work we were presented with that afternoon: three canvases painted yellow placed on top of each other on a wall of a gallery, a creation seemingly effortless, yet was declared to us and to the whole world as a masterpiece, something of given value, an example we should measure up to. It stirred a lot of controversy in the room, the most diverse response I have ever witnessed on an art related discussion amongst my classmates. Some could not help but demean it, others dismissed it as something pathetic, something a child could produce in one day, while a few glorified it. However I sat there disappointed with my not knowing how to assess it, with my not understanding how it could seem credible and worthy of admiration to many.
How to Be Happy!
July 29, 2007
How would you like to have at least an extra hour in your day just for yourself so that you can have more fun?
Well you can you know, you just have to do the following consistently and you’ll free up your time so that you can enjoy more of your life.
Look After Yourself First
Exercise regularly and eat healthily. Do the right thing by yourself and you’ll have heaps of energy, be motivated,more productive and happier.
Surround Yourself with Positivity
Circulate with positive people, read motivational books and listen to motivational tapes/cds while driving, commuting, waiting for appointments.
Avoid negative people like the plague. They will drain your energy
Clean out the Clutter
You will save yourself heaps of time, energy and money if you clear out your work and home environment?paperwork, books, old equipment etc. regularly. You’ll be able to find things, save money because you won’t have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you’ll be less stressed. You’ll feel better which will make you happier.
Jazz Up Your Environment
The Story of Adam and Eve
July 29, 2007
To really understand how we all got here, what it really means to be “born again” and why there is so much death and destruction in the world we live in - you have to go back to the very beginning to the story of Adam and Eve as told to us in the Bible.
To truly understand our roots and beginnings as Christians, we have to fully understand what occurred in this story. In this article, we will cover the basic highlights of exactly what God was doing when He created the first man and the first woman and what happened when they could not stay off of the one tree that He told them not to eat from.
As a result of their one disobedient act, all of mankind had to be born into an imperfect fallen world subject to death, corruption, demonic spirits and bad and evil people who have chosen with their free wills to live this life on the dark side - thereby causing untold pain, death and misery to millions of people throughout the ages.
Real Nobility And Gods Love
July 28, 2007
Real nobility feeds on its own intrinsic value, as a rightful cause that ought to be served with diligence. Whether it will be rewarded, here below or in the beyond, is a question really noble individuals consider irrelevant, though they are not insensitive to the idea of reward. Their purpose is to live bravely, wisely, fairly, and kindly for the sake of worthiness. Tribute, wealth, and heaven are dispensable pleasures that may or may not crown the delight they take in this purpose. Likewise, whether a lack of nobility on their part would be punished, here below or in the beyond, is a question they consider irrelevant, though they are not insensitive to the idea of punishment. They are noble unconditionally, even in situations of unrestricted liberty, when they could behave ignobly with impunity and do not believe in hell. Unbraveness, unwiseness, unfairness, and unkindness are negative options that offend their sense of right. Accordingly, they shun them.
Simplify - and Be Happy
July 27, 2007
People’s lives today are jam-packed with great projects, ideas, to-do lists, errands, things we should do, things we could do, duties and obligations. No surprise then, that many of us feel we barely have time to do the things we have to do (or think we have to do), let alone spare time for fitting in anything extra.
Why do we insist on keeping ourselves so busy? We have trained ourselves to believe that to be busy improves our chances of success in this world. The "no pain, no gain" mentality. Also, our minds love to be active. For many high achieving types, taking "mental time out" is tantamount to laziness!
Being busy is not necessarily a bad thing ? often we accomplish a lot in our busy lives. But when we get to a point where the level of activity is running our lives, it’s time to take some action! Ask yourself:
Why do I choose to take on all the things I do?
Do I really understand what is driving these choices?
America for War
July 26, 2007
The Americans themselves billed the vote for now President George Bush in the US as a vote for war.
Politics is the highest form of spirituality. It is spirituality demonstrated in physical form. Political leaders are voted in because they represent the majority vote. Therefore, Bush represents the thoughts of the majority of Americans. It would seem logical then to say that more than 50% of Americans are in favour of war.
History would also demonstrate this. The US is seen around the world as a warring nation. Arguments or differences of opinion then are settled by violence. It is not that the US does not try to get what they want by peaceful means; it simply means that they do not know how to do it. Violence should never be an option, if it is; it is because it is in the thought process already. Every issue has a peaceful solution if the parties in question have the desire to settle it that way. It is a physical reflection of their state of awareness and spiritual enlightenment.
Our neighbours are a God fearing nation, mostly Christian, “In God we Trust.” Bush acknowledges that he is a Christian and uses that awareness to further his war agenda.
African Masks The Art of Creation
July 25, 2007
With western eyes we tend to view a tribal mask as a piece of fantastic sculpture. It is a decorative object to be displayed and enjoyed as a work of art. A piece of art that allows us to touch the world of the other, which we vaguely understand. Yet for the people who created it, it is a living object that possesses specific powers.
If you have ever visited a museum or gallery displaying ethnic or tribal art you may have asked yourself why are these shapes and forms used? What is this for? What kind of occasions called for these fabulous objects? Why and how was it made?
As I have studied mask I have realised that there are many answers to these questions. Each mask has its own story. Each mask is unique. Yet within that uniqueness there are commonalties. Interestingly the common aspects cross continental boundaries.
Why is a new mask needed?
In the aboriginal traditions the need for a new mask could vary greatly.
It could be
to honour an ancestor
to satisfy a request from the spirit world
for a new initiate
an old mask had served its usefulness
God And World Religion: The Secret Identity Of ?God? Exposed, Finally…
July 24, 2007
You may now have this 10,000 year Old "SECRET" that had been kept away from the general public by the "Power Elite" until now?
Know the truth and set yourself free forever. Suffer no more. Rise and shine. It is your birthright?
You may be worshipping the wrong "God" without knowing it because you were born into a family who belonged to a certain religion, and naturally, you now belong to the same religion and have never questioned their scriptural teachings.
You never questioned their teaching because you’ve been programmed to believe that to do so would be to go against "God" (a supernatural being that supposedly created the universe!) and wrong, a sin for which you would be punished. It is fear that has stopped you from doing so.
So, you have swallowed all their teachings on face value, even though, under normal circumstances, you would not do so.
To show any intelligence by questioning or arguing against their belief could lead to being condemned, alienated and ostracized by your family, friends, and community. We understand. You’re not to be blamed.
Suffering and Happiness
July 24, 2007
The one feature that sets life on Earth apart from a paradise is suffering. It poses a problem for humanity and calls for a solution. This problem relates to human desires, the satisfaction of which is often difficult and uncertain, if not impossible, and always transient, in need of renewal; it is doomed to end sooner or later in death.
One extreme way of solving this problem is to kill these desires by detaching oneself from their objects, while providing the body with minimum care, or to simply kill oneself. This detachment consists in regarding these objects as illusory or vain. It proceeds from a defeatism or a mysticism. In cases where life offers possibilities of fulfillment in the accomplishment of pleasurable activities and honorable duties, this detachment is premature or suspicious. Like suicide in such cases, it may indicate a morbid disposition, marked by laziness and cowardliness.
The opposite of this extreme way is the foundation of modern civilization. It implies a stubborn attachment to the objects of one’s desires, such as good health, pleasure, mutual love, and success. It also implies a stubborn effort to satisfy these desires.
