1) What historic event happened in Wittenburg on this date in 1517?
2) True or False: Ghosts are mentioned in the Bible.
3) True or False: A king of Israel went to a witch to speak with the spirit of a dead person.
- - Bonus Marks name the King, the dead person, and the witch
4) Name people who the Bible records God used to raise others from the dead?
5) The man possessed by so many demons that they called themselves Legion, where did he live?
6) True or False: Jesus tells a parable about a haunted house?
Come to the Swift Current Corps Sunday and find the answers to these and more...
Michael
---
Captain Michael Ramsay
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
and the world for Jesus!
Michael's new book - 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today' is now available from http://www.sheepspeak.com/ and at the Swift Current Thrift Store.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Canadian Revolutionary
Some friends of mine, whom I have been honoured an blessed to serve God alongside in the Downtown eastside wrote a book on REVOLUTION. Among other things, It looks at people the LORD has used in revolutionary ways to further HIS Kingdom. Using the criteria set forward in that book, I thought I would highlight a Canadian revolutionary (this rest of this blog is a re-run)...
Kairos. I mean (C)airos?: After previously approaching the nomadic Montagnais and Algonquians, the missionaries noticed the Huron villages on the Georgian Bay. Being settled, there was an opportunity to disciple the faithful once they had committed their lives to the LORD. It was also a gateway to the vast untouched mission fields of the west. Further, they had already been exposed to Christianity through the Recollets when our hero, Father Brebeuf, with Fathers Daniel and Davost, in 1634, "took up again the challenge of the Cross and re-established the Huron mission near the shores of the Georgian Bay."*1
Charisma: The personality and perseverance of Father Brebeuf conquered the smell, dirt and blinding smoke that typified the homes in these villages. These inconveniences were nothing, however, if souls could be won! The main challenge to be faced was the mind of the Huron whose notion of a spirit was entirely different from that of the Christian God. As the LORD raised Brebeuf to this challenge, he was greeted by a powerful adversary: the medicine-man
Conviction: The salvation of Souls, and the Great commission*2 was the motivating factor for the perseverance of this Jesuit Priest: "Don't paddle unless you intend to always paddle"*3 was his motto.
There were people out there who did not know Jesus and he would sacrifice everything to win the continent for Christ starting with Heronia! The adversary knew the role of medicine-man was a key part of Heron society and there was no place for that office in Christendom. This was a challenge that only the LORD and a strong conviction would overcome. Storms, disease and all kinds of mishaps plagued the community and they were attributed to the people holding the office of medicine-man. The unselfishness, devotion, and perseverance of the Jesuit Priest in the face of such adversity began to make an impression on the people's hearts and minds
By 1648, eleven mission posts had been set up among the Heron AND their neighbours! No less than 18 priests and four lay ministers were involved in this ministry.
Then the Iroquois attacked: "When the assault began, the two Jesuits raced among the men, shouting encouragement, urging them to pray, tending the wounded, baptizing the dying. The Iroquois prevailed. Brebeuf, Lalemant and sixty Huron warriors were captured, beaten and herded to St. Ignace. Brebeuf called on the Huron warriors to stay true to Christ to death. Stripped naked, the Jesuits were tied to stakes and tortured with fire. Brebeuf suffered from noon until four p.m. on this day, March 16, 1649. When he would not scream out, but continued to pray for the salvation of his tormentors, the Iroquois heated cauldrons of boiling water and poured it over him in mockery of baptism. They cut and hacked his body, and gouged out his eyes. Before he died, they scalped him and cut out his heart, which they ate. Lalemant died of similar tortures early the next morning."*4
Cadre: The Huron nation was now a memory. Only a remnant survived and they sought refuge on the island of St. Joseph where they were pursued by famine and pestilence. The mission, however, was not a failure: the three hundred survivors then made their way to Quebec City and later the village of Lorette. They rest were scattered (with there Christian message) throughout the nations
Father Joges, who was captured and cruelly tortured deep in Mohawk territory after the 1642 attack, escaped to France only to return four years later to try to save his former captors; he earned a martyr's crown. Eventually, however, many Iroquois souls were saved and today saints and churches are no longer foreign to the Iroquois people.
---
*1 MacArthur, Duncan. History of Canada for High Schools. WJ Gage and Company. Toronto,1927.
*2 (Matthew 28:18-20) 18, NIV -Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
*3 Ferguson, Will. Canadian History for Dummies. CDG Books Canada. Toronto,2000.
*4 http://iroquoisindians.freeweb-hosting.com/index.htm (captured May 25,2005)
-
Captain Michael Ramsay
www.sheepspeak.com
Kairos. I mean (C)airos?: After previously approaching the nomadic Montagnais and Algonquians, the missionaries noticed the Huron villages on the Georgian Bay. Being settled, there was an opportunity to disciple the faithful once they had committed their lives to the LORD. It was also a gateway to the vast untouched mission fields of the west. Further, they had already been exposed to Christianity through the Recollets when our hero, Father Brebeuf, with Fathers Daniel and Davost, in 1634, "took up again the challenge of the Cross and re-established the Huron mission near the shores of the Georgian Bay."*1
Charisma: The personality and perseverance of Father Brebeuf conquered the smell, dirt and blinding smoke that typified the homes in these villages. These inconveniences were nothing, however, if souls could be won! The main challenge to be faced was the mind of the Huron whose notion of a spirit was entirely different from that of the Christian God. As the LORD raised Brebeuf to this challenge, he was greeted by a powerful adversary: the medicine-man
Conviction: The salvation of Souls, and the Great commission*2 was the motivating factor for the perseverance of this Jesuit Priest: "Don't paddle unless you intend to always paddle"*3 was his motto.
There were people out there who did not know Jesus and he would sacrifice everything to win the continent for Christ starting with Heronia! The adversary knew the role of medicine-man was a key part of Heron society and there was no place for that office in Christendom. This was a challenge that only the LORD and a strong conviction would overcome. Storms, disease and all kinds of mishaps plagued the community and they were attributed to the people holding the office of medicine-man. The unselfishness, devotion, and perseverance of the Jesuit Priest in the face of such adversity began to make an impression on the people's hearts and minds
By 1648, eleven mission posts had been set up among the Heron AND their neighbours! No less than 18 priests and four lay ministers were involved in this ministry.
Then the Iroquois attacked: "When the assault began, the two Jesuits raced among the men, shouting encouragement, urging them to pray, tending the wounded, baptizing the dying. The Iroquois prevailed. Brebeuf, Lalemant and sixty Huron warriors were captured, beaten and herded to St. Ignace. Brebeuf called on the Huron warriors to stay true to Christ to death. Stripped naked, the Jesuits were tied to stakes and tortured with fire. Brebeuf suffered from noon until four p.m. on this day, March 16, 1649. When he would not scream out, but continued to pray for the salvation of his tormentors, the Iroquois heated cauldrons of boiling water and poured it over him in mockery of baptism. They cut and hacked his body, and gouged out his eyes. Before he died, they scalped him and cut out his heart, which they ate. Lalemant died of similar tortures early the next morning."*4
Cadre: The Huron nation was now a memory. Only a remnant survived and they sought refuge on the island of St. Joseph where they were pursued by famine and pestilence. The mission, however, was not a failure: the three hundred survivors then made their way to Quebec City and later the village of Lorette. They rest were scattered (with there Christian message) throughout the nations
Father Joges, who was captured and cruelly tortured deep in Mohawk territory after the 1642 attack, escaped to France only to return four years later to try to save his former captors; he earned a martyr's crown. Eventually, however, many Iroquois souls were saved and today saints and churches are no longer foreign to the Iroquois people.
---
*1 MacArthur, Duncan. History of Canada for High Schools. WJ Gage and Company. Toronto,1927.
*2 (Matthew 28:18-20) 18, NIV -Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
*3 Ferguson, Will. Canadian History for Dummies. CDG Books Canada. Toronto,2000.
*4 http://iroquoisindians.freeweb-hosting.com/index.htm (captured May 25,2005)
-
Captain Michael Ramsay
www.sheepspeak.com
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Berit[h] : Covenant
Journal of Aggressive Christianity, Issue 40, December 2005 – January 2006
Pages 16 - 17, http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_040.pdf
Covenant is obviously an important concept in Salvation Army with full membership requiring a signing of the Soldier’s Covenant. It is also a very important idea in the Old Testament. The word 'testament' itself can be translated as covenant! berit[h] is the most common term translated as ’covenant’ in the Hebrew Bible: it appears 286 times thus proving it an extremely important word.[1]
The origin of this word is not entirely conclusive. It is a form of the word brh, which refers to the meal that accompanies the covenantal ceremony [2].brh, however, is not the usual verb to indicate eating so this origin is not the most likely [3]. berith is identical to the Akkadian word birit which means "between" or "among" so that is a possible origin.[4] Most probably though, berith comes from the Akkadian word biritu, which means "to fetter". This term designates the establishment or breach of a contract.[5]
As this root, biritu, suggests the original Hebrew meaning of the word would imply more of an "imposition" of terms rather than an "agreement or settlement between two parties"[6]. Covenants are commanded (Ps. 111:9; Jgs. 2:20) and can be seen as the same as a law or commandment (cf.; e.g., Dt. 4:13; 33:9; Isa. 24:5; Ps. 50:16;103:18).[7] The "covenant at Sinai in Ex. 24 is in its essence an imposition of laws and obligations upon the people (vv. 3-8)"[8].
There are a number of classifications of the various types of OT covenants that can be made: secular (where God is not one of the parties involved), covenants in which God IS bound, and covenants in which Israel is bound.
Covenants where God is not one of the parties involved can be further classified as suzerainty, where a superior binds an inferior to terms the superior sets (I Sam 11:1; Hos. 12:1; Job 41:4, 5:23.)[9]; parity, where each party is bound by oath (Gen 21:25-32, 26:27-31, 31:44-50; Josh. 9:3-27; I Kings 5:12, 20:34)[10]; patron, where a superior binds himself for the benefit of an inferior (Isa.: 28:15); promissory, which guarantees future performance of stipulated obligations (II Kings 11:4-12,17; II Kings 23:3; Jeremiah 34:8; Ezra 10:3; Nehemiah 5:11-13, 9:38, 10:28-29)[11].
Covenants where God, himself, is bound include the covenant with Noah (Gen. 17, Num. 25:12), the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 15, 17:1-14), and the Davidic covenant (II Sam. 23:5, Pss. 89:3, 28-29; 110:4).[12]
The covenants where Israel is bound include the Mosaic covenant (cf.; e.g., the ten commandments, Deut 27-28), the covenant of Joshua (Jos. 24), the reform of Josiah (II Kings 23), and the covenant of Ezra (Neh. 9-10).[13]
Covenants then can be made voluntarily or involuntarily, with or without obligation, and between equals, or superiors and inferiors; berith’s origin is uncertain but it is probably derived from biritu, which means "to fetter". (17)
So, who cares? Well, the Salvationist, I suppose, or more importantly the person contemplating a ’covenant’ relationship with God. When you sign your covenant, you are fettered, shackled, and bound. This chain cannot easily be broken. If it is, there are repercussions. So for potential Salvationists, they should ask, "Is this the star to which God has asked me to hitch my wagon?" and for the Salvationist who tends to take the terms of the covenant lightly, remember that it is difficult to move when the one you are yoked together with is going in the other direction...BUT when you are following in a proper covenant, His yoke is easy! And really what could you accomplish on your own that wouldn’t be accomplished much more easily and effectively if you were shackled to the LORD!
http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_040.pdf
Michael Ramsay
www.sheepspeak.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] G.E. Mendenhall. "Covenant." In The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, edited by George Arthur Buttrick.
(Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1962), 715.
[2] M. Weinfeld. "berith." In Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, edited by G. Johannes Botterweck.
(Stuttgart, W.Germany: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975), 253.
[3] M. Weinfeld, P. 254.
[4] M. Weinfeld, P. 254.
[5] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 715.
[6] M. Weinfeld, P. 255
[7] M. Weinfeld, P. 255
[8] M. Weinfeld, P. 255
[9] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 716.
[10] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 717.
[11] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 717.
[12] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 718.
[13] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 721.
Pages 16 - 17, http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_040.pdf
Covenant is obviously an important concept in Salvation Army with full membership requiring a signing of the Soldier’s Covenant. It is also a very important idea in the Old Testament. The word 'testament' itself can be translated as covenant! berit[h] is the most common term translated as ’covenant’ in the Hebrew Bible: it appears 286 times thus proving it an extremely important word.[1]
The origin of this word is not entirely conclusive. It is a form of the word brh, which refers to the meal that accompanies the covenantal ceremony [2].brh, however, is not the usual verb to indicate eating so this origin is not the most likely [3]. berith is identical to the Akkadian word birit which means "between" or "among" so that is a possible origin.[4] Most probably though, berith comes from the Akkadian word biritu, which means "to fetter". This term designates the establishment or breach of a contract.[5]
As this root, biritu, suggests the original Hebrew meaning of the word would imply more of an "imposition" of terms rather than an "agreement or settlement between two parties"[6]. Covenants are commanded (Ps. 111:9; Jgs. 2:20) and can be seen as the same as a law or commandment (cf.; e.g., Dt. 4:13; 33:9; Isa. 24:5; Ps. 50:16;103:18).[7] The "covenant at Sinai in Ex. 24 is in its essence an imposition of laws and obligations upon the people (vv. 3-8)"[8].
There are a number of classifications of the various types of OT covenants that can be made: secular (where God is not one of the parties involved), covenants in which God IS bound, and covenants in which Israel is bound.
Covenants where God is not one of the parties involved can be further classified as suzerainty, where a superior binds an inferior to terms the superior sets (I Sam 11:1; Hos. 12:1; Job 41:4, 5:23.)[9]; parity, where each party is bound by oath (Gen 21:25-32, 26:27-31, 31:44-50; Josh. 9:3-27; I Kings 5:12, 20:34)[10]; patron, where a superior binds himself for the benefit of an inferior (Isa.: 28:15); promissory, which guarantees future performance of stipulated obligations (II Kings 11:4-12,17; II Kings 23:3; Jeremiah 34:8; Ezra 10:3; Nehemiah 5:11-13, 9:38, 10:28-29)[11].
Covenants where God, himself, is bound include the covenant with Noah (Gen. 17, Num. 25:12), the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 15, 17:1-14), and the Davidic covenant (II Sam. 23:5, Pss. 89:3, 28-29; 110:4).[12]
The covenants where Israel is bound include the Mosaic covenant (cf.; e.g., the ten commandments, Deut 27-28), the covenant of Joshua (Jos. 24), the reform of Josiah (II Kings 23), and the covenant of Ezra (Neh. 9-10).[13]
Covenants then can be made voluntarily or involuntarily, with or without obligation, and between equals, or superiors and inferiors; berith’s origin is uncertain but it is probably derived from biritu, which means "to fetter". (17)
So, who cares? Well, the Salvationist, I suppose, or more importantly the person contemplating a ’covenant’ relationship with God. When you sign your covenant, you are fettered, shackled, and bound. This chain cannot easily be broken. If it is, there are repercussions. So for potential Salvationists, they should ask, "Is this the star to which God has asked me to hitch my wagon?" and for the Salvationist who tends to take the terms of the covenant lightly, remember that it is difficult to move when the one you are yoked together with is going in the other direction...BUT when you are following in a proper covenant, His yoke is easy! And really what could you accomplish on your own that wouldn’t be accomplished much more easily and effectively if you were shackled to the LORD!
http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_040.pdf
Michael Ramsay
www.sheepspeak.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] G.E. Mendenhall. "Covenant." In The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, edited by George Arthur Buttrick.
(Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1962), 715.
[2] M. Weinfeld. "berith." In Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, edited by G. Johannes Botterweck.
(Stuttgart, W.Germany: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975), 253.
[3] M. Weinfeld, P. 254.
[4] M. Weinfeld, P. 254.
[5] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 715.
[6] M. Weinfeld, P. 255
[7] M. Weinfeld, P. 255
[8] M. Weinfeld, P. 255
[9] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 716.
[10] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 717.
[11] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 717.
[12] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 718.
[13] G.E. Mendenhall, P. 721.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Captain Mark Braye's Review in The Rubicon
Book Review - Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today By Captain Michael Ramsay
Covenant seems to be a word shied away from in 21st century society and culture. Contract disputes in sports, mortgage foreclosures, criminal and civil suites, and broken trust between employees and employers and among family and friends have left most people disillusioned about special agreements. Well, praise the Lord for Captain Michael Ramsay’s book Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today.
In Covenants, Ramsay has defined and declared the importance of covenant(s) to our spiritual lives and journeys as Salvationists. His goal for the book is that it will “remind us that as we are bound to the Lord in a Salvific covenant that indeed we can be holy as the Lord is holy.” He hopes “the Lord will use this book to encourage us all to take advantage of that both for eternity and for here and now as well.” (Praise The Lord For Covenants, page 98). Mission accomplished.
The word “covenant” carries significant theological and spiritual weight. Ramsay’s book and exposition of relevant passages of Scripture from the Old Testament is a helping hand in the lifting of reflection and study. Among the texts explored are Genesis 15, Numbers 6, Judges 2, and the story of Samson. Chapter seven is particularly helpful. It is a study of the word “berit[h]“; the most common word translated as covenant in the Bible.
Praise The Lord For Covenants is well written and very readable. Captain Ramsay’s depth of knowledge and care for the subject matter is evident. This book is another great theological and spiritual volume in Salvation Army literature.
General Eva Burrows contributed the foreword and describes Captain Michael Ramsay as “a passionate student both of Biblical covenants and Salvationist covenants, and we should be grateful to him for bringing us a 21st century view with thought-provoking insights.” (Praise The Lord For Covenants, page 11). General Burrows admonishes the reader to read Covenants “with your Bible in hand, and make some inspiring and challenging discoveries.” (Covenants, page 14).
Read it for theological reflection and study. Read it as a part of spiritual direction. Read it to be inspired and edified.
Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today was published by credo Press out of Vancouver, BC, Canada. It is a Salvation Army approved book and is available for order through email at covenant@sheepspeak.com or through snail mail…
The Salvation Army- Swift Current Corps
P.O. Box 2061
Swift Current, SK
S9H 4M7
http://therubicon.org/2010/10/review-praise-the-lord-for-covenants/
---
www.sheepspeak.com
Covenant seems to be a word shied away from in 21st century society and culture. Contract disputes in sports, mortgage foreclosures, criminal and civil suites, and broken trust between employees and employers and among family and friends have left most people disillusioned about special agreements. Well, praise the Lord for Captain Michael Ramsay’s book Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today.
In Covenants, Ramsay has defined and declared the importance of covenant(s) to our spiritual lives and journeys as Salvationists. His goal for the book is that it will “remind us that as we are bound to the Lord in a Salvific covenant that indeed we can be holy as the Lord is holy.” He hopes “the Lord will use this book to encourage us all to take advantage of that both for eternity and for here and now as well.” (Praise The Lord For Covenants, page 98). Mission accomplished.
The word “covenant” carries significant theological and spiritual weight. Ramsay’s book and exposition of relevant passages of Scripture from the Old Testament is a helping hand in the lifting of reflection and study. Among the texts explored are Genesis 15, Numbers 6, Judges 2, and the story of Samson. Chapter seven is particularly helpful. It is a study of the word “berit[h]“; the most common word translated as covenant in the Bible.
Praise The Lord For Covenants is well written and very readable. Captain Ramsay’s depth of knowledge and care for the subject matter is evident. This book is another great theological and spiritual volume in Salvation Army literature.
General Eva Burrows contributed the foreword and describes Captain Michael Ramsay as “a passionate student both of Biblical covenants and Salvationist covenants, and we should be grateful to him for bringing us a 21st century view with thought-provoking insights.” (Praise The Lord For Covenants, page 11). General Burrows admonishes the reader to read Covenants “with your Bible in hand, and make some inspiring and challenging discoveries.” (Covenants, page 14).
Read it for theological reflection and study. Read it as a part of spiritual direction. Read it to be inspired and edified.
Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today was published by credo Press out of Vancouver, BC, Canada. It is a Salvation Army approved book and is available for order through email at covenant@sheepspeak.com or through snail mail…
The Salvation Army- Swift Current Corps
P.O. Box 2061
Swift Current, SK
S9H 4M7
http://therubicon.org/2010/10/review-praise-the-lord-for-covenants/
---
www.sheepspeak.com
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Philippians 1: Be Bold!
Exerpt from Philippians 1: Be Bold! Be Prepared! Are you Ready? Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on January 6, 2008 by Captain Michael Ramsay
We had a dog. His name was Tuffy. Tuffy was a little border collie/sheltie cross and he was a smart dog but every once in a while, of course, he would get into one of these scraps himself.
I remember more than once, Tuffy would see some dog on our block that doesn’t belong there. He would charge them. It wouldn’t matter how big is the dog. It doesn’t matter how fierce is the dog; Tuffy runs at them. He’s not afraid of them. He growls at them. He, completely without any fear, engages the intruder.
Now sometimes, like I said, the dogs are a lot bigger than Tuffy. Still Tuffy charges, teeth bared- no fear – he charges the giant intruder with full confidence and then when the large dog strikes back…He runs away.
The other dog inevitably chases him and Tuffy runs right toward home. Tuffy runs faster and faster. As the dog gets closer, Tuffy – never afraid – runs to our next door neighbour’s house. He bounds up the stairs to his deck. The dog comes flying after Tuffy and arrives on the deck where he is seemingly trapped and … there is Goldie.[3] Goldie is by far the biggest dog you have ever seen and Goldie and Tuffy are quite a pair. They really are the best of friends.
So now the pursuing dog, the dog chasing Tuffy – which until this moment seemed quite large - is all of a sudden dwarfed by the giant Goldie, surrounded, and trapped on our neighbour’s deck.
So after a couple of very noisy minutes, the intruding dog finds a way out and runs away as fast as it can never to come back again, and there is little Tuffy standing at the top of the stairs –(if dogs could smile)- this little collie-sheltie cross was telling the much bigger dog, I’m sure, never to come back!
When Tuffy saw the intruder, he wasn’t worried, he engaged him; he did not avoid a conflict. He was prepared; he was not afraid. He didn’t worry about what could happen to him. His goal was to encourage his opposition toward Goldie and have Goldie take care of the rest.
This is actually the same sort of thing that is happening in Paul’s life as he writes this letter to the Christians in Philippi.
Paul has been openly engaging the non- and pre-Christian world. He has met with some strong resistance and it is just as if he is Tuffy up against a bigger dog.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/01/philippians-1-be-bold-be-prepared-are.html
We had a dog. His name was Tuffy. Tuffy was a little border collie/sheltie cross and he was a smart dog but every once in a while, of course, he would get into one of these scraps himself.
I remember more than once, Tuffy would see some dog on our block that doesn’t belong there. He would charge them. It wouldn’t matter how big is the dog. It doesn’t matter how fierce is the dog; Tuffy runs at them. He’s not afraid of them. He growls at them. He, completely without any fear, engages the intruder.
Now sometimes, like I said, the dogs are a lot bigger than Tuffy. Still Tuffy charges, teeth bared- no fear – he charges the giant intruder with full confidence and then when the large dog strikes back…He runs away.
The other dog inevitably chases him and Tuffy runs right toward home. Tuffy runs faster and faster. As the dog gets closer, Tuffy – never afraid – runs to our next door neighbour’s house. He bounds up the stairs to his deck. The dog comes flying after Tuffy and arrives on the deck where he is seemingly trapped and … there is Goldie.[3] Goldie is by far the biggest dog you have ever seen and Goldie and Tuffy are quite a pair. They really are the best of friends.
So now the pursuing dog, the dog chasing Tuffy – which until this moment seemed quite large - is all of a sudden dwarfed by the giant Goldie, surrounded, and trapped on our neighbour’s deck.
So after a couple of very noisy minutes, the intruding dog finds a way out and runs away as fast as it can never to come back again, and there is little Tuffy standing at the top of the stairs –(if dogs could smile)- this little collie-sheltie cross was telling the much bigger dog, I’m sure, never to come back!
When Tuffy saw the intruder, he wasn’t worried, he engaged him; he did not avoid a conflict. He was prepared; he was not afraid. He didn’t worry about what could happen to him. His goal was to encourage his opposition toward Goldie and have Goldie take care of the rest.
This is actually the same sort of thing that is happening in Paul’s life as he writes this letter to the Christians in Philippi.
Paul has been openly engaging the non- and pre-Christian world. He has met with some strong resistance and it is just as if he is Tuffy up against a bigger dog.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/01/philippians-1-be-bold-be-prepared-are.html
Sunday, October 17, 2010
God and Chilean Miner Rescue: Miracle Stories
October 13, 2010
The entire Chilean trapped miner episode and their rescue is filled with stories of their faith and God working miracles.
One of the trapped miners of the Copiapo Chile mining accident has been Jose Henriquez who is an evangelical Christian. He used his phone call time to request a pastor. That pastor request fell upon Marcelo Leiva, of Vallenar Baptist Church in Vallenar, Chile who has become a spiritual representative for the whole family camp during the ordeal. Pastor Leiva had only 10 minutes on the phone and he used that time to pray with Henriquez and provide words of inspiration. It seems like their prayers were answered as all the miners came out safely...
read more: http://oregonfaithreport.com/2010/10/god-and-chilean-miner-rescue-miracle-stories/
The entire Chilean trapped miner episode and their rescue is filled with stories of their faith and God working miracles.
One of the trapped miners of the Copiapo Chile mining accident has been Jose Henriquez who is an evangelical Christian. He used his phone call time to request a pastor. That pastor request fell upon Marcelo Leiva, of Vallenar Baptist Church in Vallenar, Chile who has become a spiritual representative for the whole family camp during the ordeal. Pastor Leiva had only 10 minutes on the phone and he used that time to pray with Henriquez and provide words of inspiration. It seems like their prayers were answered as all the miners came out safely...
read more: http://oregonfaithreport.com/2010/10/god-and-chilean-miner-rescue-miracle-stories/
Proof is in: God really is good for us
By Rev. Rod Barks, Special to The StarPhoenix July 17, 2010
Science is finally discovering what Scripture has declared for centuries: Loving God is good for us.
It seems Karl Marx earmarked the wrong drug when he declared religion to be the opiate of the masses. Rather than "religion," it is God that is addictive. However, our reliance on God is far from detrimental. In fact, health-conscious individuals may want to add Vitamin "G" to their list of daily supplements.
Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Proof+really+good/3290566/story.html#ixzz12f47aSxl
Science is finally discovering what Scripture has declared for centuries: Loving God is good for us.
It seems Karl Marx earmarked the wrong drug when he declared religion to be the opiate of the masses. Rather than "religion," it is God that is addictive. However, our reliance on God is far from detrimental. In fact, health-conscious individuals may want to add Vitamin "G" to their list of daily supplements.
Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Proof+really+good/3290566/story.html#ixzz12f47aSxl
Christians executed in North Korea
Saturday, October 9, 2010 at 10:31PM
Three leaders of an underground house church in North Korea have been executed and 20 of their Christian associates jailed. North Korean police raided a house in Kuwal-dong in Pyungsung county, Pyongan province, and arrested all 23 believers who had gathered for a "religious function."
Three "ringleaders" were tried, sentenced to death, and executed soon afterwards. The other 20 were reportedly sent to prison camp No. 15 in Yodok. The arrests and executions happened in mid-May. The news, however, only recently emerged from the so-called "hermit kingdom." The events have also been confirmed by North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, a group of North Korean defectors based in Seoul committed to raising awareness of injustice and promoting reform in their homeland. The 23 Christians had reportedly come to faith after some of them travelled to mainland China on business and came into contact with the church there.
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Voice of the Martyrs. See: www.persecution.net
read more: http://www.anglicanplanet.net/international-news/2010/10/9/christians-executed-in-north-korea.html
Three leaders of an underground house church in North Korea have been executed and 20 of their Christian associates jailed. North Korean police raided a house in Kuwal-dong in Pyungsung county, Pyongan province, and arrested all 23 believers who had gathered for a "religious function."
Three "ringleaders" were tried, sentenced to death, and executed soon afterwards. The other 20 were reportedly sent to prison camp No. 15 in Yodok. The arrests and executions happened in mid-May. The news, however, only recently emerged from the so-called "hermit kingdom." The events have also been confirmed by North Korea Intellectual Solidarity, a group of North Korean defectors based in Seoul committed to raising awareness of injustice and promoting reform in their homeland. The 23 Christians had reportedly come to faith after some of them travelled to mainland China on business and came into contact with the church there.
--
Voice of the Martyrs. See: www.persecution.net
read more: http://www.anglicanplanet.net/international-news/2010/10/9/christians-executed-in-north-korea.html
miners rescued in Chile returned to the San Jose mine Sunday for a private ecumenical service
About a dozen of the miners rescued in Chile returned to the San Jose mine Sunday for a private ecumenical service with friends and family.
The miners and their families made a pilgrimage to Camp Hope to sing and pray together, bringing some closure to what many believe was a miraculous event.
Omar Reygadas, the 17th miner to be rescued, said he came to see where his son kept a vigil while he was trapped underground.
"I have always said the true heroes are the families who stayed here and the faith that they had," he said in Spanish.
Many miners said their fight for survival brought them closer to God — and to the brink of despair.
"The worst for me was thinking I would never see my family again, that I would never hear them, touch them," Reygadas said. "And that I had no way of telling them that I was alive and OK down there."
Police officers kept reporters away from the tent set up for the thanksgiving service at Camp Hope.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/10/17/chile-miners-pinera-london.html#ixzz12f13pDcy
The miners and their families made a pilgrimage to Camp Hope to sing and pray together, bringing some closure to what many believe was a miraculous event.
Omar Reygadas, the 17th miner to be rescued, said he came to see where his son kept a vigil while he was trapped underground.
"I have always said the true heroes are the families who stayed here and the faith that they had," he said in Spanish.
Many miners said their fight for survival brought them closer to God — and to the brink of despair.
"The worst for me was thinking I would never see my family again, that I would never hear them, touch them," Reygadas said. "And that I had no way of telling them that I was alive and OK down there."
Police officers kept reporters away from the tent set up for the thanksgiving service at Camp Hope.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/10/17/chile-miners-pinera-london.html#ixzz12f13pDcy
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Message : Ecclesiastes 5:4-6
When you tell God you'll do something, do it — now. God takes no pleasure in foolish gabble. Vow it, then do it. Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up... When called to account, you won't get by with "Sorry, I didn't mean it."
This quote from THE MESSAGE was shared with me today - HT WP.
Michael
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Captain Michael Ramsay
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
and the world for Jesus!
Michael's new book - 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today' is now available from www.sheepspeak.com
This quote from THE MESSAGE was shared with me today - HT WP.
Michael
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Captain Michael Ramsay
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
and the world for Jesus!
Michael's new book - 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today' is now available from www.sheepspeak.com
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Appeal of Creation: Genesis 1, Romans 1
Presented to the Nipawin Corps, 07 June 2009
by Captain Michael Ramsay
It is amazing as we were walking around yesterday. We walked around the trees in some of the small forests around here a little bit. It really is a very beautiful part of the country. In many ways it actually does remind me of where and when I grew up on Vancouver Island. We would spend many days exploring trails in the woods, hiking, walking along streams. Even when I was a young adult there was this time in my life when we would go hiking almost every weekend. My friend Dan would pick me up after I finished work Friday nights and we would drive up Island as far as we could get and find new areas to explore. It was a lot of fun. One often really experiences the power of God in these situations.
Stepping out into the wilderness is like peeling a banana. You see much of our life has become peels hiding the beauty of the fruit of the Lord’s creation beneath them. Our cities and towns have added ever so many peels, so many layers atop of God’s creation. We have our warm houses, our fancy cars, pavement, telephone poles and wires obscuring the view and in this area we even have quads (ATVs), sleds (snowmobiles) and some pretty fancy farm machinery that makes life easier but also changes the way we’d otherwise work and play.
Not only this but in our society today we have the imaginary worlds of television, games, the internet, and other entertainment avenues providing a further peel of escape from the realities of God’s creation.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/06/appeal-of-creation-genesis-1-romans-1.html
---
Captain Michael Ramsay
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
and the world for Jesus!
Michael's new book - 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today' is now available from www.sheepspeak.com
by Captain Michael Ramsay
It is amazing as we were walking around yesterday. We walked around the trees in some of the small forests around here a little bit. It really is a very beautiful part of the country. In many ways it actually does remind me of where and when I grew up on Vancouver Island. We would spend many days exploring trails in the woods, hiking, walking along streams. Even when I was a young adult there was this time in my life when we would go hiking almost every weekend. My friend Dan would pick me up after I finished work Friday nights and we would drive up Island as far as we could get and find new areas to explore. It was a lot of fun. One often really experiences the power of God in these situations.
Stepping out into the wilderness is like peeling a banana. You see much of our life has become peels hiding the beauty of the fruit of the Lord’s creation beneath them. Our cities and towns have added ever so many peels, so many layers atop of God’s creation. We have our warm houses, our fancy cars, pavement, telephone poles and wires obscuring the view and in this area we even have quads (ATVs), sleds (snowmobiles) and some pretty fancy farm machinery that makes life easier but also changes the way we’d otherwise work and play.
Not only this but in our society today we have the imaginary worlds of television, games, the internet, and other entertainment avenues providing a further peel of escape from the realities of God’s creation.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/06/appeal-of-creation-genesis-1-romans-1.html
---
Captain Michael Ramsay
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
and the world for Jesus!
Michael's new book - 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today' is now available from www.sheepspeak.com
What people are saying about PRAISE THE LORD FOR COVENANTS
What people are saying:
We make promises every day. So does God. With the rising of the Sun He promises His grace, provision and deepest love for each of us. In "Praise The Lord For Covenants," Captain Michael Ramsay convinces us that the covenants we consider are a holy obligation and fully strengthened by God's resolve to love us. The undeniable bond of our covenants with Him are relational. Read to be affirmed and aligned in your covenanted commitment in God. - Commissioner James Knaggs
COVENANTS offers a properly high view of God and of a Salvationist's relationship with Him through the Soldier's Covenant. Readers may be provoked by some of the author's applications of Old Testament teaching to contemporary Christian living; if so, all to the good! The book is rigorous and accessible and will be valuable for group and personal Bible study. - Commissioner Doug Davis
Michael Ramsay has provided us with an easy-to-read explanation of the meaning of 'Covenant' in the Old Testament, and linked it strongly with the saving life and work of Jesus while applying biblical covenantal principles to the life and experience of Christian today. Salvationists everywhere will benefit from his years of study and the insights he has drawn from scripture and personal experience. – Lt. Col. Ian Barr
It is simply impossible to fully grasp what it is to be a Salvationist without a solid understanding of what a covenant is and what the expectations and obligations are of those whose lives are bound by one. The terms, conditions, and behaviours a Salvationist willingly binds himself to as they sign any of the Army’s covenants form the night-and-day difference between the person who is a mere “member” of a congregation and a “blood and fire” Salvation Soldier. In ‘Praise The Lord For Covenants’, Michael Ramsay offers solid, basic instruction, along with helpful, relevant insights on the subject that should be read and embraced by all Salvationists. – Major Willis Howell
Michael Ramsay gives some practical reflections on Covenant, which nails down things that otherwise tend to slip out of line. It’s helpful that there is so much discussion going on about things pertaining to our Wesleyan (and Biblical) roots. – Major Harold Hill (author of ‘LEADERSHIP IN THE SALVATION ARMY: A case study in clericalisation.’)
I was grateful to have been provided with a draft of a Salvation Army approved book on “COVENANTS” written by Captain Michael Ramsay, with a request that I write a short endorsement of the book before its publication, to help increase the profile of the release. My gratitude was related to learning that Captain Ramsay had spent several years in research and prayer and re-writing on the important topic of “covenants”, and my wanting to be aware of the foundation of knowledge he had established on the subject, which I hoped would lead to my own greater understanding of its biblical and historical background.
I trust that some of the thoughts that I gained in reading the draft will be helpful encouragements for others to study the book as well for their own further development in their understanding of the Old Testament covenants to which Captain Ramsay refers, and the specific covenants that he focuses on, having to do with marriage and Salvation Army soldiership and Salvation Army officership. Here are just a few quotations from the book that were especially helpful for my own thoughts about covenants and their importance to me as a Salvationist follower of the Lord: God is faithful to His covenants even when we are faithless; If we remain faithful to our covenant and allow our Heavenly Father to put his arm around us we will find it easier to walk in step with our Lord; If we tie ourselves to God in a sacred vow and do not follow him closely, it’s impossible to even finish, let alone win, the race and experience victory with Christ; God is more important than anyone else in the holy person’s life. And then, linked with that last thought, but a thought that sums up everything else Captain Ramsay says in his book, is this – God comes first! – Colonel Earl Robinson
We make promises every day. So does God. With the rising of the Sun He promises His grace, provision and deepest love for each of us. In "Praise The Lord For Covenants," Captain Michael Ramsay convinces us that the covenants we consider are a holy obligation and fully strengthened by God's resolve to love us. The undeniable bond of our covenants with Him are relational. Read to be affirmed and aligned in your covenanted commitment in God. - Commissioner James Knaggs
COVENANTS offers a properly high view of God and of a Salvationist's relationship with Him through the Soldier's Covenant. Readers may be provoked by some of the author's applications of Old Testament teaching to contemporary Christian living; if so, all to the good! The book is rigorous and accessible and will be valuable for group and personal Bible study. - Commissioner Doug Davis
Michael Ramsay has provided us with an easy-to-read explanation of the meaning of 'Covenant' in the Old Testament, and linked it strongly with the saving life and work of Jesus while applying biblical covenantal principles to the life and experience of Christian today. Salvationists everywhere will benefit from his years of study and the insights he has drawn from scripture and personal experience. – Lt. Col. Ian Barr
It is simply impossible to fully grasp what it is to be a Salvationist without a solid understanding of what a covenant is and what the expectations and obligations are of those whose lives are bound by one. The terms, conditions, and behaviours a Salvationist willingly binds himself to as they sign any of the Army’s covenants form the night-and-day difference between the person who is a mere “member” of a congregation and a “blood and fire” Salvation Soldier. In ‘Praise The Lord For Covenants’, Michael Ramsay offers solid, basic instruction, along with helpful, relevant insights on the subject that should be read and embraced by all Salvationists. – Major Willis Howell
Michael Ramsay gives some practical reflections on Covenant, which nails down things that otherwise tend to slip out of line. It’s helpful that there is so much discussion going on about things pertaining to our Wesleyan (and Biblical) roots. – Major Harold Hill (author of ‘LEADERSHIP IN THE SALVATION ARMY: A case study in clericalisation.’)
I was grateful to have been provided with a draft of a Salvation Army approved book on “COVENANTS” written by Captain Michael Ramsay, with a request that I write a short endorsement of the book before its publication, to help increase the profile of the release. My gratitude was related to learning that Captain Ramsay had spent several years in research and prayer and re-writing on the important topic of “covenants”, and my wanting to be aware of the foundation of knowledge he had established on the subject, which I hoped would lead to my own greater understanding of its biblical and historical background.
I trust that some of the thoughts that I gained in reading the draft will be helpful encouragements for others to study the book as well for their own further development in their understanding of the Old Testament covenants to which Captain Ramsay refers, and the specific covenants that he focuses on, having to do with marriage and Salvation Army soldiership and Salvation Army officership. Here are just a few quotations from the book that were especially helpful for my own thoughts about covenants and their importance to me as a Salvationist follower of the Lord: God is faithful to His covenants even when we are faithless; If we remain faithful to our covenant and allow our Heavenly Father to put his arm around us we will find it easier to walk in step with our Lord; If we tie ourselves to God in a sacred vow and do not follow him closely, it’s impossible to even finish, let alone win, the race and experience victory with Christ; God is more important than anyone else in the holy person’s life. And then, linked with that last thought, but a thought that sums up everything else Captain Ramsay says in his book, is this – God comes first! – Colonel Earl Robinson
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Canadian Thanksgiving
The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are more closely connected to the traditions of Europe than of the United States. Long before Europeans settled in North America, festivals of thanks and celebrations of harvest took place in Europe in the month of October. The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the New World. That means the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts!
For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."
Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks to the Lord for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October.
Please remember to offer thanksgiving to almighty God this weekend for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.
For a few hundred years, Thanksgiving was celebrated in either late October or early November, before it was declared a national holiday in 1879. It was then, that November 6th was set aside as the official Thanksgiving holiday. But then on January 31, 1957, Canadian Parliament announced that on the second Monday in October, Thanksgiving would be "a day of general thanksgiving to almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."
Thanksgiving was moved to the second Monday in October because after the World Wars, Remembrance Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving kept falling in the same week.Another reason for Canadian Thanksgiving arriving earlier than its American counterpart is that Canada is geographically further north than the United States, causing the Canadian harvest season to arrive earlier than the American harvest season. And since Thanksgiving for Canadians is more about giving thanks to the Lord for the harvest season than the arrival of pilgrims, it makes sense to celebrate the holiday in October.
Please remember to offer thanksgiving to almighty God this weekend for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.
Friday, October 08, 2010
ArchBishop Desmond Tutu on the Nobel Prize...
A kid asked me a few years ago, "What do you do to get the prize?"
I said, "It's very easy, you just need three things - you must have an easy name, like Tutu for example, you must have a large nose and you must have sexy legs." - July 2009
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www.sheepspeak.com
I said, "It's very easy, you just need three things - you must have an easy name, like Tutu for example, you must have a large nose and you must have sexy legs." - July 2009
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www.sheepspeak.com
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Praise The Lord For Covenants
I am so excited. My new book -'Praise The Lord For Covenants'- has just arrived from the printers. It is only $10 a copy.
It is available at our store, on-line at http://www.sheepspeak.com/ or you can just send me an e-mail if you would like a copy.
I am very honored to have a former world leader of The Salvation Army, General Eva Burrows, write the foreward and humbled to have many prominent Salvationists write wonderful comments about the book.
Michael
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Captain Michael Ramsay
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
and the world for Jesus!
Michael's new book - 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today' is now available from www.sheepspeak.com
It is available at our store, on-line at http://www.sheepspeak.com/ or you can just send me an e-mail if you would like a copy.
I am very honored to have a former world leader of The Salvation Army, General Eva Burrows, write the foreward and humbled to have many prominent Salvationists write wonderful comments about the book.
Michael
---
Captain Michael Ramsay
Swift Current, Saskatchewan
and the world for Jesus!
Michael's new book - 'Praise The Lord For Covenants: Old Testament wisdom for our world today' is now available from www.sheepspeak.com
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Whiskey in the Jar
I just heard 'Whiskey in the Jar' - an old Irish folk song- on the radio the other day performed by the contemporary heavy metal band 'Metallica' and it got me to thinking:
Every time an old song is put to a new tune by a new person or group its message continues down to a new generation. How have we been doing at sharing the gospel in ways that our society will continue to want to sing along with it down through the generations?
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www.sheepspeak.com
Have you ordered your copy of Captain Michael Ramsay's book 'Praise the Lord for Covenants' yet? http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?ref=ts
Every time an old song is put to a new tune by a new person or group its message continues down to a new generation. How have we been doing at sharing the gospel in ways that our society will continue to want to sing along with it down through the generations?
---
www.sheepspeak.com
Have you ordered your copy of Captain Michael Ramsay's book 'Praise the Lord for Covenants' yet? http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?ref=ts
Monday, October 04, 2010
For the first time in Canadian history, there are more legally unmarried people than married people...
For the first time in Canadian history, there are more legally unmarried people than married people age 15 and over in this country, says the study from the Vanier Institute of the Family released Monday in Ottawa. It was based on data from the 2006 census.
For married families with children, 18.6 per cent of children live with only one parent. Common-law families are growing faster than any other type of family with 1 in 10 Canadians living in such relationships and 14.6 per cent of children living with common-law parents.
The 2006 census was the first to report on same-sex marriages and 16.5 per cent of same-sex couples now marry.
The recent economic downturn has proven to be a stressor for families. The higher cost of living means most families now require two income earners to achieve an average standard of living.
More families are also struggling with debt and poverty. Men are also working longer hours and spending less time with their families.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/10/04/vanier-study004.html#ixzz11PAwcauW
---
www.sheepspeak.com
Have you ordered your copy of Captain Michael Ramsay's book 'Praise the Lord for Covenants' yet?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?ref=ts
For married families with children, 18.6 per cent of children live with only one parent. Common-law families are growing faster than any other type of family with 1 in 10 Canadians living in such relationships and 14.6 per cent of children living with common-law parents.
The 2006 census was the first to report on same-sex marriages and 16.5 per cent of same-sex couples now marry.
The recent economic downturn has proven to be a stressor for families. The higher cost of living means most families now require two income earners to achieve an average standard of living.
More families are also struggling with debt and poverty. Men are also working longer hours and spending less time with their families.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/10/04/vanier-study004.html#ixzz11PAwcauW
---
www.sheepspeak.com
Have you ordered your copy of Captain Michael Ramsay's book 'Praise the Lord for Covenants' yet?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?ref=ts
Sunday, October 03, 2010
The Parable of the Wicked RSP
Jesus tells this man who has probably been wronged that rather than worry about justice he should just not to be so greedy and then he tells this parable of the rich fool (Luke 18:18-30; cf. Matthew 19:16-29, Mark 10:17-30).[6]
What about the parable? What is the sin of the man in the parable? What does he do? Well, the rich fool in the story is certainly very blessed by God because it says that his crops were so successful that, Verse 17, he didn’t even have enough room to store all of his crops. (I’m sure a lot of the farmers around here would love to have that problem this year!) The man in the parable, instead of squandering his wealth to date, this rich person has been preparing for his future. By saving his crops, he is basically investing in RSPs. He had seemingly gone to a retirement planning seminar and this is nothing less than his Freedom 55 plan: he tears down the old barns; he builds new ones. He has been building up his retirement nest egg for years it says, Verse 19, and now he plans to take a cruise, retire on the beach in Florida, or do whatever it is that retired folk do in first century Palestine. Whatever it is, it sounds exactly like an ad for retirement savings in our day and age.
You can just picture a TV commercial like this can’t you? There is the man sitting in a deck chair by the pool speaking to a future version of himself saying, verse 19, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” But this ad has a very different ending to the ones we are used to seeing on TV. In this ad, when the announcer cuts onto the screen, instead of giving us the fine print of how to save and invest, Jesus comments, with the man relaxing on his proverbial pool chair in the background, Verses 20-21, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” This is not quite the ending we have become accustomed to hearing in our day and age. I have always found this parable interesting to say the least. It is often referred to as the parable of the rich fool. I would probably call it the parable of the wicked RSP; the wicked retirement savings plan.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/10/freedom-55-luke-1213-21-and-parable-of.html
---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/
Have you ordered your copy of 'Praise the Lord for Covenants' yet?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?ref=ts
What about the parable? What is the sin of the man in the parable? What does he do? Well, the rich fool in the story is certainly very blessed by God because it says that his crops were so successful that, Verse 17, he didn’t even have enough room to store all of his crops. (I’m sure a lot of the farmers around here would love to have that problem this year!) The man in the parable, instead of squandering his wealth to date, this rich person has been preparing for his future. By saving his crops, he is basically investing in RSPs. He had seemingly gone to a retirement planning seminar and this is nothing less than his Freedom 55 plan: he tears down the old barns; he builds new ones. He has been building up his retirement nest egg for years it says, Verse 19, and now he plans to take a cruise, retire on the beach in Florida, or do whatever it is that retired folk do in first century Palestine. Whatever it is, it sounds exactly like an ad for retirement savings in our day and age.
You can just picture a TV commercial like this can’t you? There is the man sitting in a deck chair by the pool speaking to a future version of himself saying, verse 19, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” But this ad has a very different ending to the ones we are used to seeing on TV. In this ad, when the announcer cuts onto the screen, instead of giving us the fine print of how to save and invest, Jesus comments, with the man relaxing on his proverbial pool chair in the background, Verses 20-21, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” This is not quite the ending we have become accustomed to hearing in our day and age. I have always found this parable interesting to say the least. It is often referred to as the parable of the rich fool. I would probably call it the parable of the wicked RSP; the wicked retirement savings plan.
read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/10/freedom-55-luke-1213-21-and-parable-of.html
---
http://www.sheepspeak.com/
Have you ordered your copy of 'Praise the Lord for Covenants' yet?
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Praise-The-Lord-For-Covenants/155941614427110?ref=ts
Friday, October 01, 2010
PASTORAL LETTER TWENTY-ONE : GRATITUDE (2)
Dear Fellow Salvationists,
Once more it is my great honour and privilege to be in touch with you through a Pastoral Letter.
Commissioner Helen Clifton joins me in sending greetings to you just where you are, thanking God for your fidelity to the gospel and for your service in his great Army of Salvation.
I am writing this Letter from my office in our home because recently I have undergone further surgery, this time for a heart bypass procedure. This took place unexpectedly six weeks ago and I thank God that I am making good progress and am able to keep up with all official matters through the kindness of the Chief of the Staff who meets me in our home regularly to discuss key matters of business and policy and also through the great help of my personal staff at International Headquarters.
Commissioner Helen Clifton is taking wonderful care of me but is also facing her own health challenges at this time. So your prayers are very, very precious to us both and to our family.
The theme of this Letter, as with Pastoral Letter 20, is gratitude. It is a theme that can never be exhausted. It is a natural theme for us at this time for we feel indebted to so many for loving support. Many of you have sent messages of prayer and encouragement. These have blessed and helped us so much.
I want to record heartfelt thanks to Almighty God for his unfailing love to us all. You will know of those times when you have experienced the loving closeness of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes he is so near to us that we can almost reach out and touch him. May you each be drawn closer and closer to God in this wonderful way.
We praise and thank God because he is able to save us from our sin and from the overarching rule of self and selfish ambition. Acts 4:12 tells us that there is no other name by which we can be saved. God the Father has given us Jesus, God the Son, to be our only Saviour. Our hearts fill up again with gratitude.
We have still further cause to be glad and grateful to God. He alone can make us holy. He alone can purify us and sanctify us through and through. In the words of the old chorus, not only is he ‘able to save’, but he is ‘able to keep’ – to keep us pure and victorious day by day from falling to temptation. Our part is to consecrate ourselves to God without reserve. He then does his part in cleansing us through and through, again and again.
In closing this Letter, I salute you and thank God for you. I commend each of you – just where you live and serve – to the infinite care of the Father, to the safe and loving hands of Jesus, and to the cleansing and enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
Yours in Sacred Service,
Shaw Clifton
General
Once more it is my great honour and privilege to be in touch with you through a Pastoral Letter.
Commissioner Helen Clifton joins me in sending greetings to you just where you are, thanking God for your fidelity to the gospel and for your service in his great Army of Salvation.
I am writing this Letter from my office in our home because recently I have undergone further surgery, this time for a heart bypass procedure. This took place unexpectedly six weeks ago and I thank God that I am making good progress and am able to keep up with all official matters through the kindness of the Chief of the Staff who meets me in our home regularly to discuss key matters of business and policy and also through the great help of my personal staff at International Headquarters.
Commissioner Helen Clifton is taking wonderful care of me but is also facing her own health challenges at this time. So your prayers are very, very precious to us both and to our family.
The theme of this Letter, as with Pastoral Letter 20, is gratitude. It is a theme that can never be exhausted. It is a natural theme for us at this time for we feel indebted to so many for loving support. Many of you have sent messages of prayer and encouragement. These have blessed and helped us so much.
I want to record heartfelt thanks to Almighty God for his unfailing love to us all. You will know of those times when you have experienced the loving closeness of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes he is so near to us that we can almost reach out and touch him. May you each be drawn closer and closer to God in this wonderful way.
We praise and thank God because he is able to save us from our sin and from the overarching rule of self and selfish ambition. Acts 4:12 tells us that there is no other name by which we can be saved. God the Father has given us Jesus, God the Son, to be our only Saviour. Our hearts fill up again with gratitude.
We have still further cause to be glad and grateful to God. He alone can make us holy. He alone can purify us and sanctify us through and through. In the words of the old chorus, not only is he ‘able to save’, but he is ‘able to keep’ – to keep us pure and victorious day by day from falling to temptation. Our part is to consecrate ourselves to God without reserve. He then does his part in cleansing us through and through, again and again.
In closing this Letter, I salute you and thank God for you. I commend each of you – just where you live and serve – to the infinite care of the Father, to the safe and loving hands of Jesus, and to the cleansing and enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
Yours in Sacred Service,
Shaw Clifton
General
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