Sunday School Ideas and Resources

2011-11-20T08:04:00.001-08:00

Accomplishments of Elisha - sampling

Elisha's ministry lasted 25 yrs

-dealt mainly with common people whose names we will never know--a widow, a laborer, a Shunnamite woman, etc. And when Elisha did deal with powerful figures, he did so indirectly and carried out God's directives to Elijah.

Elisha's compassionate miracles for the common Israelite provided them a needed reminder of God's faithfulness to them when they were faithful to him.

miracles were modest and deeds of compassion.:
He cleansed the waters of Jericho (2:19-22).

He increased a widow's supply of oil, which saved her children from being sold into slavery (4:1-7).

He cleansed a pot of food into which a poisonous herb had been mistakenly added (4:38-41).

He fed 100 hungry men by multiplying a small amount of barley loaves and corn (4:42-44).

He cured a Gentile of his leprosy (5:14).

He recovered a lost ax-head that a man had borrowed, and thus saved him from financial ruin (6:1-7).

A Son Raised to Life ( Shunem)

Sweetening the Waters (2 Kings 2:19-22). This was a peculiar miracle. The bitter waters of the spring of Jericho were sweetened by adding a new cruse of salt—the ingredient one would least suspect of redeeming water.

The Battle with Moab (2 Kings 3:4-27). During the reign of Ahab, Moab was subject to Israel. After Ahab’s passing, and apparently after the brief reign of his son Ahaziah, Moab rebelled. It was left to Ahab’s son Jehoram to handle the problem. He found two allies—King Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom. The conflict which ensued almost devastated both houses of Israel, and their ally. But at the hour of desperation Elisha appeared, gave them the necessary assistance, and by the providence of God secured a victory.

Link back to Bible Character Chronology

Alternate hymns

2011-11-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

Updated Nov 2011

Brother Saul to Brother Paul
Child of God (If anybody ask you who I am)
Days of Elijah
Didn't my Lord Deliver Daniel
Father-Mother-God
God Be With You Till We Meet Again
Gotta Sing When the Spirit Says Sing
Heaven is in my Heart
How Could Anyone Ever Tell You
I Got the Joy, Joy, Joy down in my Heart.
I Love the Man (Larry Groce)
I"m in the Mind for singing
Jesus said to Jairus (oh ya!)
Jesus Walked on the Water to Get to the Boat (Oh Lordy How Happy I Am)
Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
Let My People Go
Love Round
O Lordy How Happy I Am.
Paul and Silas
People Said to Moses (oh ya)
Reinstate Primitive Christianity
Rejoice in the Lord Always
Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
Siahamba
This Little Light
We Know (yes we know) that all Things...
When you Wake up in the Morning
Whither Shall I Go From Thy Spirit
You Are the Light of the World

---------------------------------------------------
Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
Jericho,Jericho,
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
And the wallscame tumbling down!
You may talk about your men of Gideon,
You maytalk about your men of Saul,
But there's none like good oldJoshua
And the battle of Jericho!
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
Jericho,Jericho,
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
And the wallscame tumbling down!

Right up to the walls of Jericho
They marchedwith spear in hand;
"Go blow them ram horns," Joshuacried,
"Cause the battle is in my hand."
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
Jericho,Jericho,
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
And the wallscame tumbling down!
Then the lamb, ram,
Sheep horns began to blow,
Andthe trumpets began to sound,
Joshua told the children to shoutthat morning
And the walls came tumbling down!
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
Jericho,Jericho,
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho,
And the wallscame tumbling down!
And the walls came tumbling down!
And thewalls came tumbling down!

==============

Shadrack, Meshack and Abendego
Move over ( and make room for Marty)
Kumbyah - God is here
If things should perish
I've got the joy

Reinstate Primitive Christianity
How could anyone every tell you
Paul and Silas
Go tell it on the mountain
You brush your teeth
God be with you till me meet again
Rejoice in the Lord Always
This little light
Let my people go
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel
Syahamba
Brother Saul to Brother Paul

A Place to Begin

Seek ye First the Kingdom of God

Knock and the door shall be opened unto you
Shadrack
Jericho fought the battle
Child of God.. ( if anybody asks you who I am)
Love Round
A gift to be simple
Oh Lordy, How Happy I Am
Rejoice in the Lord always
Father Mother God Loving Me
We know that all things work together for good

You Gotta Sing When the Spirit Says Sing
Jesus and Jairus
Wither shall I go from thy spirit

====================
Jesus and Jairus

Jairus said to Jesus, (O ya)

"My little girl's dyin' (O ya)
Please come to my house, (o ya)

There's gonna be cryin'. (O ya)

(nanananananananananananananananananana)

His friend told Jairus,

"Your little girl's dead
So don't bother Jesus"

Was all he said.

nanananananananananananananananananana)

When he saw them all crying,

He said "Don't weep.
Just believe and you'll see,

She's just asleep"

But they said, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Jesus put them all out,

He took her by the hand
He said "Maid arise",

And her spirit came again.

(nanananananananananananananananananana)

Man is immortal,

She can’t be dead.
And Jesus made sure

That she was fed.

(nanananananananananananananananananana)

Love Round
Love Round
Love, love, love, love, the gospel in a word is love.
Love your neighbour as your brother, love, love, love.

Joy, joy, joy, joy, the gospel in a word is joy
Joy that fills to overflowing, joy, joy, joy.

Peace, peace, peace, peace, the gospel in a word is peace,
Peace that passes understanding, peace, peace, peace.

Love, love, love, love, the gospel in a word is love.
Love your neighbour as your sister, love, love, love.

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Won't let anyone blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine.
Won't let anyone blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
(When the kids sing "Won't let Satan blow it out....they blow on their finger.)

I’m going to take this light around the world
I'm gonna let it shine.
I’m going to take this light around the world
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Nothing now will hold me back.. I'm going to let it shine

_-----

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.
Refrain: When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right

'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of o-thers what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,

Refrain:

'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real. Refrain:

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fougth the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

God knows that
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

Good morning sister Mary
Good morning brother John
Well I wanna stop and talk with you
Wanna tell you how I come along

I know you've heard about Joshua
He was the son of Nun
He never stopped his work until
Until the work was done

God knows that
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

You may talk about your men of Gideon
You may brag about your men of Saul
There's none like good old Joshua
At the battle of Jericho

Up to the walls of Jericho
He marched with spear in hand
Go blow them ram horns, Joshua cried
'Cause the battle is in my hands

God knows that
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

You may talk about your men of Gideon
You may brag about your king of Saul
There none like Joshua
At the battle of Jericho

They tell me, great God that Joshuaâ€™s spear
Was well nigh twelve feet long
And upon his hip was a double edged sword
And his mouth was a gospel horn

Yet bold and brave he stood
Salvation in his hand
Go blow them ram horns Joshua cried
'Cause the devil can't do you no harm

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

Up to the walls of Jericho
He marched with spear in hand
Go blow them ram horns, Joshua cried
'Cause the battle is in my hands

Then the lamb ram sheep horns began to blow
The trumpets began to sound
Old Joshua shouted glory
And the walls came tumblin' down

God knows that
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho
And the walls come tumbling down

Down, down, down, down, down
Tumblin' down

Didn't my lord deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel.
Didn't my lord deliver Daniel, then why not every man.

He delivered Daniel from the lion's den,
jonah from the belly of the whale.
And the hebrew children from the fiery furnace,
then why not every man.

Didn't my lord deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel.
Didn't my lord deliver Daniel, then why not every man.

Didn't my lord deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel.
Didn't my lord deliver Daniel, then why not every man.

Child of God
Mindy Josten

If anybody asks you now who I am

You can tell them I’m a child of God

He made me by his power and he made me good

And I will love him back with all my heart.

If anybody asks you now who I am

You can tell them I’m a child of God

He made me in his image so he made me good

I surely love him back with all my heart.

If anybody asks you now who I am

You can tell them I’m a child of God

Oh Lordy, How Happy I Am

Well Goliath was the biggest man in the land
And David just a shepherd with a steady hand
But when the king said
Does anybody have a plan?
David said, Yes I do.

Chorus

Oh Lordy how happy I am
Oh Lordy how happy I am
I can feel the Spirit rising in the land
Do you feel it,
Yes I do.

Well the Lord said to Moses
Here’s your traveling plan
You ain’t going to live to see the promised land
But promise me , Mo.
You’ll do what you can
Moses said, “ Yes I do”

Chorus

Well if you love somebody
Got to let them know
If you love this planet
Got to let it show
Like David, and Moses and at Jericho
Promise me now.

Yes I do.

=====

God be with you till we meet again;
by his counsels guide, uphold you,
with his sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
till we meet at Jesus' feet;
till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

2. God be with you till we meet again;
neath his wings securely hide you,
daily manna still provide you;
God be with you till we meet again.
(Refrain)

3. God be with you till we meet again;
when life's perils thick confound you,
put his arms unfailing round you;
God be with you till we meet again.
(Refrain)

4. God be with you till we meet again;
keep love's banner floating o'er you, 
 smite death's threatening wave before you;
God be with you till we meet again.

WE ARE ONE IN THE SPIRIT

We are one with the Spirit, we are one with the Lord,
We are one with the Spirit, we are one with the Lord.

And we know that our unity is always with the Lord

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

Knock and it shall be opened

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Al-le-lu, Al-le-lu-ia!

Ask and it shall be given unto you,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you
Al-le-lu, Al-le-lu-ia!

All things ye would others do unto you
Do even so unto them.
For it is written in the prophets and the law
Al-le-lu, Al-le-lu-ia!

Give me that old time religion

Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religiion
It’s good enough for me

It worked for the prophets
Even when there were some doubters
If it worked for the prophets
It’s good enough for me

It corrects us as it loves us
It leaves us better for it
If it corrects us as it loves us
And it’s good enough for me

It has stories about Jesus
Even when he was mistreated
If it was good enough for Jesus
And It’s good enough for me.

It tells of Elisha
How he healed and even thrived then
If it’s good enough for Elisha
It’s good enough for me

------------

Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

Go tell it on the mountain

Go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night
Behold through out the Heavens
There shown a Holy light

Go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

Oh, down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And brougt us God's salvation
That blessed Christmas morn'

Go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

Syahamba

We are walking in the light of God
We are walking in the light of God
We are walking in the light of God
We are walking in the light of God
We are walking,
We are walking,
We are walking in the light of God.

We are praying in the light of God
We are praying in the light of God
We are praying in the light of God
We are praying in the light of God
We are praying,
We are praying,
We are praying in the light of God.

We are singing in the light of God
We are singing in the light of God
We are singing in the light of God
We are singing in the light of God
We are singing,
We are singing,
We are singing in the light of God.

Brother Saul to Brother Paul

One day Saul, [oh yah] Was on his way [ oh yah]
He didn’t know [ oh yah]
What would happen that day [ oh yah]

Chorus: Na na na, etc

Suddenly [ oh yah]  A beam of light [ oh yah]
Knocked him down [ oh yah] and he lost his sight
Chorus: Na na na, etc

Jesus told him [ oh yah]
What he should do [ oh yah]
Go talk about Jesus [ oh yah] and heal people too [ oh yah]

Chorus:

That’s the day [ oh yah]
Saul heard the call [ oh yah] and brother Saul became brother Paul [ oh yah]

If things should perish from under the sky
Life , Truth and Love will live
Life , Truth and Love will live
Life , Truth and Love will ive
Never to die

Paul and Silas (Oh Ya)

Were bound in jail (Oh ya)

And they had nobody (oh ya0\

For to pay their bail (Oh ya)

Na Na Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na.

Paul and Silas, (Oh ya) did sing and shout (oh ya)

The jail doors opened (Oh ya) and they got out.

Na Na na nna na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

The people said to Moses, (oh ya) we need food now. (Oh ya)

So Moses prayed, (oh ya) cause he knew how. (Oh Ya)

Na, na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

God said to Moses, Look on the ground. (Oh ya)

There was Manna in the morning, it was small and round (Oh ya)

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na

I've Got the Joy
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where?
Down in my heart! 
Where?
Down in my heart!
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart down in my heart to stay. 

I’ve got the peace that passes understanding,
Down in my heart, Where?
Down in my heart! Where?
Down in my heart!
I’ve got the peace that passes understanding, down in my heart
Down in my heart to stay.

I've got the wonderful love of my blessed Father-Mother way
Down in the depths of my heart. Where?
Down in the depths of my heart,  Where?
Down in the depths of my heart
I've got the wonderful love of my blessed Father-Mother way
Down in the depths of my heart. Down in the depths of my heart to stay!  I've got the love for all people down in my heart  Where? Down in my heart  Where? Down in my heart  I've got the love for all people down in my heart  Down in my heart to stay.
Other possible verses:
I've got the mighty Messiah that manifests miracles down in the depths of my heart...
I’ve got the power of God’s law down in my heart I’ve got the gratitude for all God’s good...
I’ve got the freshness of a brand new day....
Heaven is in thy heart

Metaphysical support for SS

2011-07-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

As I watch and listen to the topics covered in the classes the love and care brought to the students is clear.

MBE says healing is more important that teaching. What are your thoughts on a metaphysical focus, approach for the Sunday School? We might call it a campaign.
How can we work together to work on this? We're looking for time-effective ways to put the pedal to the metal. What will help you most in this endeavour?
Sometimes hearing a metaphysical theme someone is working with can be helpful, and support our own prayers.

Thoughts...?
---------------------

I think a metaphysical theme is a great idea Chris. And one that we should be persistent in working at.

One theme I have been working on for some time is "spiritual growth." I see that as an inevitable part of church alive. There must be growth with all things alive. The theme can change from time to time, but the spiritual growth will continue.

I loved what Marion English said in the Church Alive chat we watched at the Summit. She said that a tree changes constantly, but it's roots remain firmly fixed in the ground.

As most of you know, I am continually applying this one statement to all that I am working on. It certainly applies in praying for Sunday School and oour spiritual growth.

Christian Science presents unfoldment, not accretion; it manifests no material growth from molecule to mind,
God's creation intact but an impartation of the divine Mind to man and the universe. (S&H 68)

As we grow spiritually, so we see our experience of Sunday School unfold.

Love Anna
------------------

Right off I want to share what came to my attention a week or so ago as I considered our collective work for Church The May 16'th Sentinel, article titled"Spiritual Safety Briefing" p.15 is
a remarkable example of and model for collective prayer. Plenty of room was given the chaplains for working from very individual standpoints, but the prayers were asked for very specific situations. Nothing general about that. You may have read this, but if not please read or re-read it.

Here are one or two points the article mentions. Other important points will be found in the article.
Janet Horton called and invited the 200 chaplains to search their own (diverse) scriptures, to pray daily and specifically for the safety of their soldiers'. She asked them to return in two days to share anything they found "that constituted assurances and praises of God's power to protect His people They agreed to embrace the ideas of God's omnipotence and love for His children. "At the end of the meeting I reminded them we would do such specific prayer each day; and if there was any challenge we would put out a call for dedicated prayer in that particular case. . . they fully embraced the idea."

And the result off this specific collective prayer was wonderful, specific and clearly recognized!

We could invite our whole membership to search our books for specific assurance of God's omnipotence in providing for the safety and spiritual growth of the children of our community. As
families in our community have such diverse backgrounds we could start with purifying our purpose and motive by placing them within the embrace of the universal Church so that we see all the children's needs met "where they are at" without regard to denomination. (And surely those who will benefit from our Sunday School can with more certainty find their way to it.) The cup of cold water is spiritual but not denominational. (This might be an approach for inter-faith groups as well, after all if the chaplains can do this why not communities?)

Anyway, these are some thoughts that have come to me.
Much love and appreciation for our Sunday School team and the whole membership too in this matter of enlarging the borders of our tent.
Margery

I was thinking of the teachers as having a theme to pray about and work with toegther. How that plays out in the classes would be an individual demonstration according to the students needs wouldn't it?

Anna

I love the idea of spiritual growth as a theme for our Sunday School ! It has such wide scope!
I would like to ask another question. We could be specific as to whose spiritual growth? Ourselves as members of the Sunday school. could we embrace our church's membership in its love and care for Sunday school? We could then all of us embrace our neighbour's children knowing Love's care is meeting each one's need for it in whatever way best meets their present individual need Thus those for whom our sunday school will be the fest next step will inevitably be drawn and brought to it through the universal Christ activity. And all the other children cannot help being blessed where they are. The power of the focused collective prayer of our members surely will bless our neighbours and our church. Is there a way we could invite them to join in this holy work?

Margery

Are you thinking of a theme that the teachers are praying with or a theme that all the classes would be working on together?

Shannon

-- the Whole...

Joseph: major events puzzle

2011-05-22T06:24:00.001-07:00

Family... Mother's first son,
Fathers 11th child

Joseph the dreamer,
the despised

Brother plot against Joseph. Throw him
in a cistern while they decide on a plan.
Finally sell Joseph to Ismaelite traders

Potiphar's House: captain of Pharoh's guard

Potiphar’s wife's request-- Joseph avoided
being executed the fate of others she had
chased -- according to the Midrash

Joseph in prison Chief Cup Bearer and the Baker

Vizier of Egypt (The vizier was the highest
official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king)

Brothers sent to Egypt

The silver cup

Family reunited after 22 years

Father’s blessing of the Pharoh
and passing

Spiritual Toolkit

2009-12-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Lord's Prayer
Scientific Statement of Being
91st Psalm
Definition of Man
Daily Prayer
Hymns
1:

Hymn 30

Brood o'er us with Thy shelt'ring wing, 'Neath which our spirits blend Like brother birds, that soar and sing, And on the same branch bend. The arrow that doth wound the dove Darts not from those who watch and love.

If thou the bending reed wouldst break By thought or word unkind, Pray that his spirit you partake, Who loved and healed mankind: Seek holy thoughts and heavenly strain, That make men one in love remain.

Learn, too, that wisdom's rod is given For faith to kiss, and know; That greetings glorious from high heaven, Whence joys supernal flow, Come from that Love, divinely near, Which chastens pride and earth-born fear,

Through God, who gave that word of might Which swelled creation's lay: "Let there be light, and there was light." What chased the clouds away? 'Twas Love whose finger traced aloud A bow of promise on the cloud.

Thou to whose power our hope we give, Free us from human strife. Fed by Thy love divine we live, For Love alone is Life; And life most sweet, as heart to heart Speaks kindly when we meet and part.

What is man?

2009-12-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Man is not matter; he is not made up of
        brain, blood, bones, and other material elements. The
        Scriptures inform us that man is made in
475:9   the image and likeness of God. Matter is
        not that likeness. The likeness of Spirit cannot be so
        unlike Spirit. Man is spiritual and perfect; and be-
475:12 cause he is spiritual and perfect, he must be so under-
        stood in Christian Science. Man is idea, the image, of
        Love; he is not physique. He is the compound idea of
475:15 God, including all right ideas; the generic term for
        all that reflects God's image and likeness; the conscious
        identity of being as found in Science, in which man is
475:18 the reflection of God, or Mind, and therefore is eternal;
        that which has no separate mind from God; that which
        has not a single quality underived from Deity; that which
475:21 possesses no life, intelligence, nor creative power of his
        own, but reflects spiritually all that belongs to his Maker.

        And God said: "Let us make man in our image, after
475:24 our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish
        of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
        and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
475:27 creepeth upon the earth."

                              Man unfallen

        Man is incapable of sin, sickness, and death. The
        real man cannot depart from holiness, nor
475:30 can God, by whom man is evolved, engender
        the capacity or freedom to sin. A mortal sinner is not
476:1   God's man. Mortals are the counterfeits of immortals.
        They are the children of the wicked one, or the one evil,
476:3   which declares that man begins in dust or as a material
        embryo. In divine Science, God and the real man are
        inseparable as divine Principle and idea.

                        Mortals are not immortals

476:6   Error, urged to its final limits, is self-destroyed.
        Error will cease to claim that soul is in body, that life
        and intelligence are in matter, and that
476:9   this matter is man. God is the Principle of
        man, and man is the idea of God. Hence man is not
        mortal nor material. Mortals will disappear, and im-
476:12 mortals, or the children of God, will appear as the only
        and eternal verities of man. Mortals are not fallen chil-
        dren of God. They never had a perfect state of being,
476:15 which may subsequently be regained. They were, from
        the beginning of mortal history, "conceived in sin and
        brought forth in iniquity." Mortality is finally swallowed
476:18 up in immortality. Sin, sickness, and death must dis-
        appear to give place to the facts which belong to immortal
        man.

                          Imperishable identity

476:21 Learn this, O mortal, and earnestly seek the spiritual
        status of man, which is outside of all material selfhood.
        Remember that the Scriptures say of mortal
476:24 man: "As for man, his days are as grass: as
        a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind
        passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall
476:27 know it no more."

                           The kingdom within

        When speaking of God's children, not the children of
        men, Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you;"
476:30 that is, Truth and Love reign in the real
        man, showing that man in God's image is
        unfallen and eternal. Jesus beheld in Science the per-
477:1   fect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal
        man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour
477:3   saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man
        healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom
        of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy.
477:6   Man is not a material habitation for Soul; he is himself
        spiritual. Soul, being Spirit, is seen in nothing imperfect
        nor material.

                     Material body never God's idea

477:9   Whatever is material is mortal. To the five corporeal
        senses, man appears to be matter and mind united; but
        Christian Science reveals man as the idea of
477:12 God, and declares the corporeal senses to be
        mortal and erring illusions. Divine Science
        shows it to be impossible that a material body, though
477:15 interwoven with matter's highest stratum, misnamed
        mind, should be man, - the genuine and perfect man,
        the immortal idea of being, indestructible and eternal.
477:18 Were it otherwise, man would be annihilated.

Favourite truths and ideas

2009-11-14T07:18:00.000-08:00

God made me perfect. ( I can return to that original perfection if I find myself muddled)
This is not your thought, God never gave you a spirit of fear.
Error is never real.. It only exists because we're believing.. We don't have to continue to believe it. Kick it out.
You can't fall out of God's arms. ( you'd end up in His lap.)
You never have to worry about the future, because God doesn't deny you anything, and he's got a plan for you.
God is already where you are.. and where you are , God is
We're all the same spiritual age. - it can't be measured.
God really enjoys working with us.. He delights in it.
You are not in control of how good will be unfolded.
God doesn't not mess up.
Recognition of what's good makes us ready to see more
God is just getting bigger for all of us.

Sunday School Review

2009-03-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

Sunday School Inquirer....Show What You Know

Match these words to their meanings:

Synagogue A central place for communal prayer - Jewish

Gentile --------------- It doesn't last

Temporal -------------- A person who is not Jewish

Immortal -------------- Exact likeness

Image -------------- Lasting forever

Hypocrite A person who says one thing but does another

What is the difference between the Christ and Jesus?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you know three people in the Bible who either didn't die or leave a body behind when they left?
1.____________________

2._____________________

3_____________________

MATCH
Parable-------------- You can hear it

Audible -------------- The day that everyone heard disiples in their own language

Pentecost-------------- A long parable

Allegory -------------- It has no edges

Finite --------------A story that teaches a lesson

Can you list four times when Jesus raised the dead? Who were the people?
___________________________________ _______________________________

_____________________________________ _______________________________

What were these people's names changed to?

Simon _______________

Jacob _______________

Abram _______________

Sarai ______________________

Saul ______________________

What do these names mean?

Abraham________________"father of many (nations)"
formerly: My father is exalted

Peter__________________ rock
.. Simon: obedient, Simeon: I have heard
Sarah_________________ my princess
Backgrounder on Sarai
Paul____________________
Israel__________________ one who has prevailed with God
... Jacob: struggled with God

Who changed this person's name?

Abram________________
Sarai_____________________
Saul__________________
Jacob_____________________
Simon_______________________

Why did Zachaeus climb a tree to see Jesus?

Why did Jesus have to heal the high priest's ear?

Why did Jesus walk through the wall?

Name as many parables as you can?

____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

How did Elijah leave this earth?

Put an O for Old Testament and a N for New Testament for these characters:

Moses
Jesus
Elijah
Lazarus
Adam
Mary
Peter
Paul
Nebuchadnezzar
King David
Solomon

Who was over 90 when she gave birth to her first baby?________________________

Who gave us the commandments?__________________________________________

Who got into trouble for praying 3 times a day?___________________________

What two people in the Bible healed leprosy?___________________________

____________________________

COMMANDMENTS

What shouldn't you do to your neighbour's donkey?____________________________

What is the commandment phrase for lie? (3 words)____________________________

Which commandment is about having one thing?______________________________

What shouldn't you do in vain?_____________________________________________

What do the commandments say about your parents?__________________________

Beatitudes
What will the meek get?

Who will be filled?

Whose is the kingdom of heaven? (there are 2 answers for this one)

Who will be comforted?

Who will be called the children of God?

What will the pure in heart see?

Who will be treated with mercy?

What is written around the cross and crown on Science and Health?

What does the Bible contain?

History
Poetry
Allegory
Parable
Prophecy
Healings
Truth
Letters

Do these appear in the Old or New Testament, or both? ( O, N or B)
Crucifixtion

Parting of the Red Sea

The Flood

Virgin Birth

Resurrection

Manna in the wilderness

Raising of the dead

Healing of leprosy

Feeding a crowd with little food

Water made wine

Rocks being burned up by fire

Walking on water

Tower of Babel

How did the Jews come to be knows as such?
The Middle English word Jew is from the Old French giu, earlier juieu, from the Latin iudeus from the Greek Ioudaios (Ἰουδαῖος). The Latin simply means Judaean, from the land of Judaea. Judaea is in turn derived from Judah which was the name of the Kingdom of Judah, and one of the Tribes of Israel.

Spiritual ID: March 22

2009-03-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Spirit

[ using def'n of Benjamin]
pure
renewed
gleaming
creative
supportive

Think of a team, or performer that has a good spirit..
-- or a Bible character..

Think of someone who you look up to..

Joseph
David
Moses
Ruth

How else would you describe them?

persevering
powerful
undaunted
unafraid
complete
effective
imaginative
tireless
charismatic
present
clear

Joseph story strips

2009-02-22T00:08:00.000-08:00

Jacob (Israel) gave his favourite son Joseph a coat of many colours.

Joseph dreamed his brothers were sheaves of grain that bowed down to him

He dreamed his brothers were stars that bowed to his star.

Joseph's brothers were jealous and hated him.

Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers with the flocks.

When the brothers saw Joseph coming they planned to kill him.

Reuben convinced them to just throw him in a pit, where he could rescue him later.

While Reuben was away the brothers sold Joseph to be a slave.

The brothers dipped the coat in blood and showed it their father.

Jacob was very very sad.

Potiphar, an officer in Pharaoh's army bought Joseph.

Joe was so successful, Pharaoh put him in charge of everything he had.

Potiphar's wife tried to get Joseph to lie with her, but he would not. He had

to jump out of his shirt to get away.

Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's shirt and told her husband a false version of what really happened, so he put Joseph in jail with Pharaoh's prisoners.

While in jail, Joseph gained a reputation for explaining dreams.Pharaoh started having very strange dreams: 7 skinny cows ate 7 fat ones, but stayed skinny -7 skinny ears of corn ate 7 fat ones but stayed skinny. The dreams made him upset.

No one could interpret the dream to Pharaoh, so Joseph was summoned to try to explain the dreams.

Joseph said that 7 years of famine and drought would follow the next 7 years of plenty. Joseph advised storing away food for the 7 good years to save people in the 7 bad years.

Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph's explanation that he put him in charge of all of Egypt.

When the 7 years of famine came, the Egyptians were in good shape, but Jacob and Joseph's brothers were starving in Canaan.

Jacob sent all his sons except Benjamin to Egypt to buy food.

Joseph recognized his brothers right away, but they had no idea who he was.

Joseph pretended he thought they were spies and when he sold them food he made hi brother Simeon stay behind in Egypt. He told his brothers not to ever come back without Benjamin, the youngest.

Jacob thought he would never let Benjamin go after losing Joseph and Benjamin, but finally because they were all so hungry, he let them all go back.

Joseph gave them food, but he planted his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. He accused Benjamin of stealing it and said Benjamin must be his slave.

When the brothers defended Benjamin and Judah offered to be a slave instead of Benjamin, Joseph knew his brothers loved their father and Benjamin. He knew they had improved a lot.

Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers and told them not to be angry with themselves for what they had done, since by coming to Egypt, Joseph had saved them all from starving.

Pharaoh invited Jacob and all of Joesph's brothers and their families to come to Egypt and live as Egypt's guests in honour of Joseph who had saved them all.

10 Commandments - positive / negative keywords

2009-01-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

10 commandments.. what does each one mean
http://www.allabouttruth.org/10-commandments.htm
Where are they found?
Who gave them?
Why were they helpful?
How can we use them today?
Point out a school, neighbourhood or world situation where they would benefit.

Restate it with one or two words:
Positive // Negative

ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'

TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'

THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'

FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'

FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'

SIX: 'You shall not murder.'

SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'

EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'

NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'

TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'

Who am I?

2008-11-30T01:18:00.001-08:00

Bell Ringer: “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

Who Am I?

For each of the characters create a question that brings out part of their story.

Noah G V
Samuel E V
David K E
Sarah N
Mary (mother of Jesus) E
Lazarus B
Joseph E D
Moses E Hg
Eve Hg
Martha E
Solomon K HG
Daniel E
Ruth E G
Abraham E HG
Jacob N
Nebuchadnezzar K D
Adam D G HG M
Jonah M HG
Nehemiah E
Elijah R HG
Saul K

Categories:

M/F

Old/ New Testament
Jew / Gentile
Raised the dead/Been raised
Underwent a name change
Made a big mistake
Transformation -- personal
King
Does the Bible describe God talking to them

DReams
Hear God as a voice
good Example

BUilt something

Faced danger

Nov 16 Jeopardy

2008-11-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

JEOPARDY

Transfiguration
Peter and James and John
White as the light
Moses and Elijah
A bright cloud
“This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”
Nicodemus
Rabbi
By night
How can a man be born when he is old?

A woman taken in adultery
The mount of Olives
The scribes and Pharisees
Adultery
They should be stoned
With his finger
Pretending he didn’t hear them
Because they were trying to trick them
He who has never made a mistake
The oldest
Go and sin no more

Vocabulary

2008-11-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

founded:

1. To lay the basis of; to set, or place, as on something
      solid, for support; to ground; to establish upon a basis,
      literal or figurative; to fix firmly.
2. To take the ffirst steps or measures in erecting or
      building up; to furnish the materials for beginning; to
      begin to raise; to originate; as, to found a college; to
      found a family.

redeemed:
Pay necessary money to clear a debt, compensate

'divine Love cannot be deprived of its object'

object:

a tangible and visible entity
A goal or objective consists of a projected state of affairs
domain

innocent

free from evil or guilt; "an innocent child"; "the principle that one is innocent until proved guilty"
lacking intent or capacity to injure; "an innocent prank"
impeccant: free from sin
lacking in sophistication or worldliness; "a child's innocent stare"; "his ingenuous explanation that he would not have burned the church if he had not thought the bishop was in it"
innocent(p): not knowledgeable about something specified; "American tourists wholly innocent of French"; "a person unacquainted with our customs"
(used of things) lacking sense or awareness; "fine innocent weather"
a person who lacks knowledge of evil

form: create/ shape, develop into a distinctive entity; imprint: establish or impress firmly

make:

give certain properties to something; "get someone mad"; "She made us look silly"; "He made a fool of himself at the meeting"; "Don't make this into a big deal"; "This invention will make you a millionaire"; "Make yourself clear"
make or cause to be or to become; "make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor"
induce: cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner;
cause: give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; "cause a commotion"; "make a stir"; "cause an accident"
produce: create or manufacture a man-made product;
draw: make, formulate, or derive in the mind; "I draw a line here"; "draw a conclusion"; "draw parallels"; "make an estimate"; "What do you make of his remarks?"
compel or make somebody or something to act in a certain way;
create: create by artistic means;

eternal

Being without beginning or end; existing outside of time. See synonyms at infinite.
Continuing without interruption; perpetual.
Forever true or changeless: eternal truths.
Seemingly endless; interminable. See synonyms at ageless, continual.
Of or relating to spiritual communion with God, especially in the afterlife.

Life is eternal. We should find this out, and begin the demonstration thereof.

find out

To ascertain (something), as through examination or inquiry: I found out the phone number by looking it up. If you're not sure, find out.
To detect the true nature

countenance

1. A look or expression indicative of encouragement or of moral support.
2. Support or approval.

sustained
Held up to a certain pitch, degree, or level; uniform; as, sustained pasion; a sustained style of writing; a sustained note in music.

In Science man is sustained by God.

medicine
The science which relates to the prevention, cure, or alleviation of disease.

sober
Let us watch and be sober

1. marked by circumspection and self-restraint.
2. Habitually abstemious in the use of alcoholic liquors or drugs;

4-8But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

realize:

Realize the presence of health and the fact of harmonious being

To comprehend completely or correctly.
To bring into reality; make real: He finally realized his lifelong ambition to learn how to play the violin.
To make realistic: a film that realizes court life of the 17th century.
To obtain or achieve, as gain or profit: She realized a substantial return on the investment.
To bring in (a sum) as profit by sale.

dis·tract

To cause to turn away from the original focus of attention or interest; divert.
To pull in conflicting emotional directions; unsettle.

improve
The talents He gives us , we must improve..

To raise to a more desirable or more excellent quality or condition; make better.
To increase the productivity or value of (land or property).
To put to good use; use profitably.

Suggestion

The sequential process by which one thought or mental image leads to another.
1. A psychological process by which an idea is induced in or adopted by another without argument, command, or coercion.
2. An idea or response so induced.
A hint or trace:

spirituality
concern with things of the spirit
Spirituality may involve perceiving or wishing to perceive life as more important ("higher"), more complex or more integrated with one's world view; as contrasted with the merely sensual.
Design
The design of Love is to reform the sinner.

1. A drawing or sketch.
2. A graphic representation, especially a detailed plan for construction or manufacture.
The purposeful or inventive arrangement of parts or details: the aerodynamic design of an automobile; furniture of simple but elegant
An ornamental pattern. See synonyms at figure.
A basic scheme or pattern that affects and controls function or development: the overall design of an epic poem.
A plan; a project. See synonyms at plan.
1. A reasoned purpose; an intent: It was her design to set up practice on her own as soon as she was qualified.
2. Deliberate intention: He became a photographer more by accident than by design.
A secretive plot or scheme. Often used in the plural: He has designs on my job.

Mercy

Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency.
A disposition to be kind and forgiving: a heart full of mercy.
Something for which to be thankful; a blessing: It was a mercy that no one was hurt.
Alleviation of distress; relief: Taking in the refugees was an act of mercy.

Salvation
Work out your own salvation is the demand... ( God worketh with you)

Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil.
Extrication from danger or confinement: deliverance, delivery, rescue, salvage. Seehelp/harm/harmless.

Infinite
means ongoing, effortless capacity and knowledge.

“subject to no limitation or external determination
having no limit in power, capacity, knowledge, or excellence; boundless, endless, and inexhaustible; not finite.

an acknowledgment of the perfection of the infinite Unseen confers a power nothing else can” (Unity of Good, p. 7).
learn
Let us learn of the real and eternal and prepare for the reign of Spirit
Gain knowledge of the real and eternal. Hold the true models in thought.

When the spiritual sense is fixed in thought

v., learned also learnt (lûrnt), learn·ing, learns.
v.tr.

To gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery of through experience or study.
To fix in the mind or memory; memorize: learned the speech in a few hours.
1. To acquire experience of or an ability or a skill in: learn tolerance; learned how to whistle.
2. To become aware: learned that it was best not to argue.
To become informed of; find out. See synonyms at discover.

verities

The quality or condition of being true, factual, or real.
Something, such as a statement, principle, or belief, that is true, especially an enduring truth: “The mind once suddenly aware of a verity for the first tim

The three great verities of Spirit contradict forever the belief that matter can be actual.
---

husbandry
Careful management or conservation of resources; economy.
Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

obedience
yielding, willingness, carrying out the wishes of ....,

avail (oneself) of

To make use of.

Grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the good already received and thus be fitted to receive more.

The divine being [ essential nature, totality of all things that exists. ]must be reflected by man
being

The state or quality of having existence. See synonyms at existence.
1. Something, such as an object, an idea, or a symbol, that exists, is thought to exist, or is represented as existing.
2. The totality of all things that exist.
1. A person: “The artist after all is a solitary being” (Virginia Woolf).
2. All the qualities constituting one that exists; the essence.
3. One's basic or essential nature; personality.

humility
lack of self importance
In humility Mind's infinite ideas climb the heights of holiness

portion
A person's lot or fate.
quantity
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance -- thou maintainest my lot

lot
One's fortune in life; fate.

God's law isn't intended to stop us from doing what we would naturally do, but is there to mark out the path of life for us. It exists to help us. Rather than restricting our behavior, it brings us liberty-freedom from restraint.

re·straint (rĭ-strānt')
n.

The act of restraining or the condition of being restrained.
Loss or abridgment of freedom.
An influence that inhibits or restrains; a limitation.
An instrument or a means of restraining.
Control or repression of feelings; constraint.

cognizant
fully aware, conscious

cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

God's children already created will be cognized only as man finds the truth of being.
(Finding the truth of being will allow us to be aware of being God's children. Gaining this awareness we changes everything.)

Faculties

An inherent power or ability.
Any of the powers or capacities possessed by the human mind. See synonyms at ability.
The ability to perform or act.
Authorization granted by authority; conferred power.

Must earnestly seek the spiritual status of being
status

Position relative to that of others; standing: Her status is that of a guest.
High standing; prestige: a position of status in the community.
Law. The legal character or condition of a person or thing: the status of a minor.
A state of affairs; situation. See synonyms at state.

seek

To try to locate or discover; search for.
To endeavor to obtain or reach: seek a college education.
To go to or toward: Water seeks its own level.
To inquire for; request: seek directions from a police officer.
To try; endeavor: seek to do good.
Obsolete. To explore.

intelligence

1. The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge.
2. The faculty of thought and reason.
3. Superior powers of mind. See synonyms at mind.
An intelligent, incorporeal being, especially an angel.
Information; news. See synonyms at news.

We must not attribute more and more intelligence to matter.

identity

Information, such as an identification number, used to establish or prove a person's individuality, as in providing access to a credit account.
The quality or condition of being the same as something else.

model

A small object, usually built to scale, that represents in detail another, often larger object.
A style or design of an item:
One serving as an example to be imitated or compared: a model of decorum. See synonyms at ideal.

Either Spirit or matter is your model.

i·de·al n.
SYNONYMS ideal, example, exemplar, model, standard, pattern.

A conception of something in its absolute perfection.
One that is regarded as a standard or model of perfection or excellence.
An ultimate object of endeavor; a goal.
An honorable or worthy principle or aim.

You are bringing out your own ideal.

conception
noun

2 the product's conception inception, genesis, origination, creation, invention; beginning, origin.
3 his original conception plan, scheme, project, proposal; intention, aim, idea. See note at idea .
4 my conception of democracy idea, concept, notion, understanding, abstraction; theory, hypothesis; perception, image, impression.
5 they had no conception of our problems understanding, comprehension, appreciation, grasp, knowledge; idea, inkling; informal clue.

dominion

Control or the exercise of control; sovereignty: “The devil . . . has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion” (Jonathan Edwards).
A territory or sphere of influence or control; a realm.

Thou has the gift of God, Dominion over all.

Authority

1.	the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.

2.	a power or right delegated or given; authorization: Who has the authority to grant permission?

3.	a person or body of persons in whom authority is vested, as a governmental agency.

4.	Usually, authorities. persons having the legal power to make and enforce the law; government: They finally persuaded the authorities that they were not involved in espionage.

5.	an accepted source of information, advice, etc.

6.	a quotation or citation from such a source.

7.	an expert on a subject:

satisfied

Phase:

2.	a stage in a process of change or development: Each phase of life brings its own joys.

3.	a side, aspect, or point of view: This is only one phase of the question.

4.	a state of synchronous operation: to put two mechanisms in phase.

precepts
injunctions [ directives, orders] derived from rational principles intended to promote human well-being.

precipitate
To cause to happen, especially suddenly or prematurely. See synonyms at speed.

Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear -- this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony.

land·mark

A prominent identifying feature of a landscape.
A fixed marker, such as a concrete block, that indicates a boundary line.
An event marking an important stage of development or a turning point in history.

precious

divine:

Of, relating to, emanating from, or being the expression of a deity: sought divine guidance through meditation.
Heavenly; perfect.

Reality

1.	the state or quality of being real.

2.	resemblance to what is real.

3.	a real thing or fact.

4.	real things, facts, or events taken as a whole; state of affairs: the reality of the business world; vacationing to escape reality.

Philosophy.

a.	something that exists independently of ideas concerning it.

b.	something that exists independently of all other things and from which all other things derive.

6.	something that is real.

7.	something that constitutes a real or actual thing, as distinguished from something that is merely apparent.

Believe

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of
the Lord in the land of the living.

To accept as true or real: Do you believe the news stories?
To credit with veracity: I believe you.
To expect or suppose; think

Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor mateial powr as able to destroy.

===

Near the broader interpretations of being
Broad:

Wide in extent from side to side: a broad river; broad shoulders.

Large in expanse; spacious: a broad lawn.
Having a certain width from side to side: A sidewalk three feet broad.
Full; open: broad daylight.
Covering a wide scope; general: a broad rule.
Liberal; tolerant: had broad views regarding social services. See synonyms at broad-minded.
Relating to or covering the main facts or the essential points.
Plain and clear; obvious: gave us a broad hint to leave.

Beliefs: mental acceptance, conditions, or confidence in another

When man gives up his belief in death, he will advance more rapidly towards God, Life and Love Belief in sickness and death as certainly as belief in sin, tends to shut out the true sense of Life and health.

Admission

The admission to one's self that man is God's own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea. This conviction suts the door on death and opes it wide towards immortality

1. The act of admitting or allowing to enter.
2. The state of being allowed to enter.
Right to enter; access.
The price required or paid for entering; an entrance fee.
A confession, as of having committed a crime.
A voluntary acknowledgment of truth.
A fact or statement granted or admitted; a concession.

Claims: demands or requirements

Our proportionate admission of the claims of good or of evil determines the harmony of our existence.
--

conception
3.a notion; idea; concept ( something formed in the mind)
5.origination; beginning:

6.	a design; plan.

7.	a sketch of something not actually existing: an artist's conception of ancient Athens.

8.	the act or power of forming notions, ideas, or conce

The human capacities are enlarged and perfected in proportion as humanity gains the true conception of man and God.

Substance:

1. Essential nature; essence.
2. Gist; heart.

drawn: With lovingkindness have I drawn thee

To cause to move in a given direction or to a given position, as by leading:
To cause to flow forth
To bring to a certain condition or action

--
demonstrating - to make clear, to exemplify

good: the qualities necessary to achieve an end, beneficial

Express:

To set forth in words; state.
To manifest or communicate, as by a gesture; show. See synonyms at vent¹.
To make known the feelings or opinions of (oneself), as by statement or art.
To convey or suggest a representation of; depict: The painting expresses the rage of war victims.
To represent by a sign or a symbol; symbolize: express a fraction as a decimal.
To squeeze or press out, as juice from an orange.
To send by special messenger or rapid transport:
Genetics.
1. To cause (itself) to produce an effect
2. To manifest the effects of (a gene):

adj.

reflects: Man in the likeness of his Maker, reflects the central light of being

To make apparent; express or manifest:

reflection: You are the reflection of God.

Because man is the reflection of his Maker he is not subject to birth, growth, maaturity or decay.

A manifestation or result [ Man is the result of God}
expression
contemplation: a calm lengthy intent consideration
careful consideration

--
Primitive primary or basic
Ultimate: eventual, utmost, greatest possible
Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being

spiritually

Affecting the soul

hold:

Who dares to doubt this consummate test of the power and willingness of divine Mind to hold man forever intacg in his perfect state and govern man's entire action

keep, hear, remain committed to, retain, carry, be in agreement with

--
as·sim·i·late
striving to assimilate more of the divine character.

To incorporate and absorb into the mind: assimilate knowledge.
To make similar; cause to resemble.
Linguistics. To alter (a sound) by assimilation.
To absorb (immigrants or a culturally distinct group) into the prevailing culture

judgment: .. quicken me according unto thy judgement

(I was prayerfully pondering your promise )

assessment
assertions
determinations
--

consciousness:

awareness, alertness, ego we identify with, knowing

We must hold the consciousness of existence and sooner or later we must master sin and death.

--

Reveals: brings to view

subtle --insidious: working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; elusive, be difficult to detect or grasp by the mind;

myth -
-a traditional story accepted as history; serves to explain the world view of a people

Govern Man is harmonious when governed by Soul

To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; exercise sovereign authority in.
To control the speed or magnitude of; regulate: a valve that governs fuel intake.
To control the actions or behavior of: Govern yourselves like civilized people.
To keep under control; restrain: a student who could not govern his impulses.
To exercise a deciding or determining influence on: Chance usually governs the outcome of the game.
Grammar. To require (a specific morphological form) of accompanying words.

fables -- a fictionalized story meant to amuse , a moral story frequently with animals

without --

1.	with the absence, omission, or avoidance of;

at, on, or to the outside of;

Steadfastness
Patience

4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

scientific
adj Definition: systematic; discovered through experimentation
The divine demand, "Be ye therefore perfect" is scientific and the human footsteps leading tyo perfection is indispenseable

understand

To perceive and comprehend the nature and significance of; grasp. See synonyms at apprehend.
To know thoroughly by close contact or long experience with: That teacher understands children.
To succeed in carrying out; accomplish
accept as an agreed fact

To understand God is work of eternity and demands absolute consecration [ solemn dedication] of thought, energy and desire

Misapprehension:
a failure to understand something; a misconception or misunderstanding

Misconception

an incorrect conception
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
A misconception happens when a person believes in a concept that is objectively false.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misconception
a mistaken belief, a wrong idea
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/misconception
badly : wrongly, misjudge unfavorably
cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/Hemmingson/webquest/slsdictionary_htlm.htm

understanding

The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing...

Our system of Mind healing rests on the apprehension ( grasp) of the nature and essence of all being. on the divine Mind and its essential qualities.

--the discernment of reality

The faculty by which one understands; intelligence. See synonyms at reason.
Individual or specified judgment or outlook; opinion.

Intellectual hold: apprehension, comprehension, grasp, grip, hold. Informal savvy. See knowledge/ignorance.
The faculty of thinking, reasoning, and acquiring and applying knowledge: brain (often used in plural), brainpower, intellect, intelligence, mentality, mind, sense, wit. Slang smart (used in plural). See ability/inability, thoughts.
An act or state of agreeing between parties regarding a course of action: accord, agreement, arrangement, bargain, compact², deal, pact. See agree/disagree.

Let CS support your understanding of being and this understanding will

supplant error with Truth.
replace mortality with immortality
silence discord with harmony

obey

Willing to fulfill the requirements

quicken:

To make alive; vitalize.
To excite and stimulate; stir: Such stories quicken the imagination.

Directs
acts as a director, adapts, points, extends, projects
When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth rightteously, He directs our path

perseverance:

Steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.

4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

habitual: resorted to on a regular basis

The habitual struggle to be always good. is unceasing prayer

Qualities

endurance and steadfastness and patience ( let them have play)

es·tate (ĭ-stāt')
n.

A landed property, usually of considerable size.
The whole of one's possessions, especially all the property and debts left by one at death.
Law. The nature and extent of an owner's rights with respect to land or other property.
The situation or circumstances of one's life: A child's estate gives way to the adult's estate.
Social position or rank, especially of high order.
A major social class, such as the clergy, the nobility, or the commons, formerly possessing distinct political rights.

Jeopardy lazarus, creations, , cain and abel

2008-10-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Two different stories

It was good

It was very good

In God's image

Male and Female

A mist

Eden

Cain

A keeper of sheep

because he was jealous of his brother.

I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?

Allegory

>From a rib

The second account of creation

A napkin

4 days

2 sisters of Lazarus

He is not dead but sleepeth.

"String experiment" for stories and experiences

2008-09-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Take a really, really, close look at reality and you'll be amazed at the wonderful, expansive, powerful action of God that you'll find. In this section we are encouraged to "see the works of God" and to "look deep into realism." (B1 & S6)

Look at a Bible Story, or an incident in your life

Consider how God's thoughts, "spiritual realities," have a part to play in your story.

Look deep into the story to find evidence of God as the divine Principle, the foundation and organization of all reality.

Focus your search to find Mind in action.

Do you see evidence of "the spiritual fact," the action of goodness in men and the universe in your story?

Based on Cedar notes, Sept 21st

A warmup activity
To get an idea of what can happen when we take a closer, deeper, spiritual look at things, try this fun activity. Find a piece of string about 3 feet long. Go outside and pick a spot near the base of a tree or a bush or at the edge of your lawn. Then take your string and make a circle on the ground with the string. Sit quietly for a time and examine what you see inside of your string circle. At first it just looks like a bunch of grass or some soil. But if you look closer you'll notice other kinds of tiny plants, too, maybe even some moss growing close to the soil under the grass. Continue to focus on the circle and it is likely you will see some insects. You might spot an ant or a grasshopper. Don't stop there, though, take a really serious look at your circle and you might see very tiny insects climbing on the blades of grass, some sand mixed with the soil, or some very, very, tiny colorful flowers blooming on the moss. The longer and more carefully you examine your circle, the more interesting things you'll find. You'll also realize that you have been walking past or on all kinds of interesting and beautiful things without ever having noticed them.

Unscramble Kings

2008-09-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

Unscramble these words.

radius ______________________________________

suJes________________________________________

zubNehcrazenda________________________________

orHed___________________________________________

uaSl___________________________________________

vaddi__________________________________________

Name something each did

who said that

2008-08-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

Get me that woman for she pleaseth me. Solomon

Give me an understanding heart. Jesus

Lord what wilt thou have me to do? Samson

Love one another. Paul

Whither thou goest I will go. Peter

If it be you Lord, bid me come out on the water to you. David

I will go fight with this Philistine. Moses

Prepare ye the way of the Lord. John the Baptist

They that be with us are more than be with them. Elisha

Let my people go. Ruth

Child's Book Report

2008-08-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Judas Asparagus
A child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.

This is amazing and brought tears of laughter to my eyes.
I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand

What we are teaching???

Through the eyes of a child:
The Children's Bible in a Nutshell

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was
nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says,
'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.

Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.
Then God made the world.

He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's' stuff.

Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more. Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first
Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the Star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn.

(I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Republicans.

Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even
preached to some Germans on the Mount.

But the Republicans and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

Abraham chronology

2008-07-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

Mesopotamia ( Iraq) years

lives in Ur, capital of Mesopotamia, at the height of the splendor of a highly developed ancient world.

criticizes his father

took on his father, an idol maker. He smashes all of th idols but one.

condemned to burn in a furnace by King Nimrod of Babylon
. God protects him

leaves Ur and follows traditional trade route to Haran, in Israel. Haran and cities around it are into polytheism

marries Sarai and begins a life-long partnership with her

God calls Abraham to leave his home and family and travel into a strange land

Abraham, Lot and families move south to Canaan ( fierce trives lived there)

Famine in Canaan causes them to go Eqypt for a while

As he fears he may be killed because of her beauty, he has Sarai pretend to be his sister.

Pharoh notices Sarai and takes her as a concubine.

Pharoh hit with plagues and send Abram away with treasures

Lot and Abram return to Canaan, but have an ‘falling out’

Lot chooses prime land, including the cities of Sodom and Gamorah

God promises Abraham and his descendants would inherit all the lands that he could see.

Lot is taken captive by tribesmen in Sodom where he had moved.

God reaffirmed that He would give the land from the Nile to the Euphrates to Abram's descendants, but only after they had spent 400 years as slaves.

Ishmael is born to Hagar when Abram was 86

13 years later God appears and updates the promise. if Abram would "walk before [the LORD] and be upright" then God would make Abram the "father of a multitude of nations."

When God talked about another son, who would be the root of the next generations, Abraham laughed, God said the boy's name would be Isaac, which means "he laughs."

On their way to destroy Sodom, God , with two strangers ( angels) visits with Abram and strikes a deal with God... 10 good men in Sodom... means Lot will be saved.

Similarities

2008-07-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

Question: What is the same about the list of characters on each line?

Jacob Sarai, Abram Simon Saul ( name change)
___________________________________________

Israel, Sarah, Abraham, Peter, Paul ( second names)
___________________________________________

Saul, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, Jesus, David, Darius ( kings)
___________________________________________

Tabitha, Lazarus, Eutychus, Jesus, Son of Widow of Nain, Son of widow of Zarapeth ( came back to life)
________________________________________________-

Jesus, Peter, Paul, Elijah, Elisha ( raised the dead)

______________________________________________

Jesus, Elisha ( fed multitudes)

_______________________________________________

Jesus, Elijah, Enoch (didn't leave a body behind)
_______________________________________________--\

Jesus, Elisha (funny things with water)

___________________________________________________

Adam, Abraham, Noah, Ruth, Eve, Delilah ( gentiles)

________________________________________________

The Teachers List

2008-01-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

The Teacher's List

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another.

That group of students moved on. Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student.

She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her.

"Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes."

Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.

"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."

Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times.

The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."

All of Mark's former class mates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list, It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."

Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."

"I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary."

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. "I carry this with

me at all times, " Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists."

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late...

(end)
Contributed by Fereshteh Asgari, Los Angeles, USA
Khorsheed.com - Jan 2002

Jesus not a one-off

2007-12-29T22:58:00.000-08:00

What is a one-off?

one-off

(wŭn'ôf', -ŏf') Chiefly British.

adj.

Happening, done, or made only once.

Something that is not repeated or reproduced.

Look up each of the following in the Bible and Say the Story Like You Know it
What can you conclude after reading about the various ‘acts’ of these men?

Elisha
II Kings 6:13-23
PV

Elijah:
II Kings 2:1-12
om

Elisha
II Kings 4: 39-
41
cpm

Jesus
Acts 1;9
A

Elisha
II Kings 6:8-12
KT

Elisha
I Kings 5:2-4
HL

Jesus
John 1: 1-10
cpm

Jesus
Luke 5: 12-13
HL

Jesus
Matt 26;\:5-13
PV

ELISHA
II KINGS 6:1-7
om

Jesus
John 20:19 or 26
om

Jesus
Luke 7: 11-15
RD

Elisha
II Kings 4:42-44
fm

Jesus
John 6:5-14
fm

Jesus
Matt 12:25
KT

Elisha
II Kings 4:18-36
RD

Elisha
II Kings 6:13-23
PV

Elisha
II Kings 4: 39-41
cpm

Elijah
II Kings 2: 1-12
om a

Nativity completion

2007-12-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

26 And in the sixth month the angel ____________ was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named _______________

27 To a ______________espoused to a man whose name was _____________, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was __________________.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the ____________ is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was ______________ at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the _____________ said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name _____________..

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the ___________: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall _________ over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary unto the ____________, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The _____ _______ shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall _____________ thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, thy cousin ___________, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God _____________ shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

8 And there were in the same country __________abiding in the field, keeping watch over their _________ by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were ____________.

10 And the angel said unto them, __________ not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great ______, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto ___________ is born this day in the city of David a __________, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a _________ unto you; Ye shall find the _____ wrapped in _____________ clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth _________, good will toward ___________

3 When __________the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In _______________of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the ________ ______ inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young ______was.

10 When they saw the ______ they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 ¶ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; ______, and __________, and _____________.

12 And being warned of God in a ___________ that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Like Elisha being surrounded by bullying challenges

2007-12-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

Elisha’s observation when apparently surrounded by menacing bullies

And we too are surrounded by angels… they that be for us, are more than they that be with them… What’s the original story?

Another take on that kind of assurance:

"Like a lion, king of the beasts,
that gnaws and chews and worries its prey,
Not fazed in the least by a bunch of shepherds
who arrive to chase it off,
So God-of-the-Angel-Armies comes down
to fight on Mount Zion, to make war from its heights.
And like a huge eagle hovering in the sky,
God-of-the-Angel-Armies protects Jerusalem.
I'll protect and rescue it.
Yes, I'll hover and deliver."

5 Like birds hovering overhead,
the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver it,
he will 'pass over' it and will rescue it."

We are surrounded by resources. Pray to open our eyes to the reality.

When the divine precepts [ directives and orders] are understood, the will unfold the foundation of fellowship

Opposed

The human mind is opposed to God and must be put off.

Acting against or in opposition: adversarial, adverse, antagonistic, antipathetic, opposing, oppositional. See support/oppose.

When we are confident in God’s care we act differently. Treating others accordingly we change history ( and the armies came no more unto Israel)

Exodus: Getting out from the bondage of Egypt

2007-12-15T16:18:00.001-08:00

God brought us up.. from the challenges

What are the details: what parallels or relevance?

He hath brought us up from the land of bondage.
Which did those great signs in our sight
Preserved us all the way wherever we went.
And among all the people through whom we passed.

From Egypt on to freedom

After 10^th Plague Pharaoh frees them
After they left the nobles protest
Incident at the Red Sea
Israelites are divinely guided through it
Israelites sing God’s praises ( 13:2)

God goes before them, a pillar of cloud by day, a fire by night.
Once in the desert they complain about…
God provides a daily shower of…
They are attacked by the Amalekites ( Amalek, the grandson of Essau)
Joshua fought them off.

Jethro hears what Moses is doing and advises setting up judges.
In the third month, they arrive at Mt Sinai. God appears to some of them as a light.
God announces, via Moses that the Children of Israel as God’s …………..

God announces a summarized moral code.
God promises the land of Canaan to the children ( it comes with a warning against…)

Bible Stories..

2007-11-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

Bible Story Checklist

Bible Character Similarities

Here's our beginning lists of story characters.
Feel free to add some fresh ones , or post some favourite stories.

Here's a timeline of Bible Days

Adam/ Eve Caine and Abel

Enoch was translated in 3017 B.C. at the age of 365.

Seth's great-great-great grandchild, Enoch, son of Jared was born. Enoch lived 365 years and fathered sons and daughters. ("The Arabian name of Enoch is Edris, and their traditions of him are that he was an eminent astronomer, mathematician and prophet of God.")
Seth's great-great-great-great grandchild, Methuselah, son of Enoch was born. Methuselah lived 969 years, making him the oldest of the ancient ones, and the oldest man to ever live. (Methuselah's name means, "At his death, it will come." Methuselah died the year of the flood.) Methuselah fathered sons and daughters.
After Methuselah's birth, the Bible records that Enoch developed an especially close relationship with God leading to his translation to heaven at the age of 365. "And Enoch walked with God 365 years and begat sons and daughters," Gen. 5:22 "And he was not for God took him." Gen. 5:24
Methuselah's son was Noah

Noah
undated.. prior to 2500 BC

Abram [ father of the Jewish Nation] and Sarai 2000 BC
- story begins in Gen 11

Chronology

-bio: from humble beginnings to pre-eminent leader in history
Roots in Mesopotamia
Sarah highlights

One of three [ Isaac and Jacob ] important patriarchs of Judaism - autocratic ruler of an extended family

Lot ( nephew)
- family strive, beautiful wife, famine.. The Egyptian years .. barren.. Hagar -Egyptian
- had 8 sons in total with 3 women

Job:

Elihu
whose God is he. (1.) "The son of Barachel, a
Buzite" (Job 32:2), one of Job's friends. When
the debate between Job and his friends is
brought to a close, Elihu for the first time makes
his appearance, and delivers his opinion on the
points at issue (Job 32:1-22).

Hagar
From handmaid to Concubine- jealousy, family split, separation agreement/ promises of heirs for Ishmael ( founder of Islam) . Muhammed was said to be a direct descendant)

Isaac and Rebekah
Rebekah highlights

2006 BC
Essau AND Jacob
[ Rachel and Leah]

Leah highlights

Rachel highlights

Jacob: 'holder of the heel'
struggles with Essau were prenatal..
Life highlights

After deceiving his father and having

Essau and the buying of the birthright
-a wild hunter.
-was tricked by Jacob into giving up his birthright (leadership of Israel)
- was well aware of the upcoming enslavement of 400 yrs so he saw the birthright of Abrahamic blessing of no value
-started the Edomites
- paternal blessing and the deceit
-promise of reprisal

-Enroute to Uncle Laban at Haran.. Jacob's ladder
--received many blessings.. but also represented the Exiles ahead

Met Rachel and Leah at the well.. and fell in love.
Laban 's two daughters and the deception

Return... and Wrestling with the Angels.. the name change

Joseph [The Lord will increase/add".] and his 11 brothers
- 1915 BC - 1805

Moses 1500
1526 BC - Moses born

1446 . the exodus

1291 Gideon, Israels' 5th Judge rules for 40 years

Joshua and Caleb Joshua had a name change.. which reflects a change of character and emphasis

Samson and Delilah
"[One who] weakened or uprooted or impoveris
1209
Deborah
a prophetess, the last judge before the monarchy
highlights

1146 Nebuchanezzar
Shadrack, Meschak and Abednego

Eli
-- family disappointments, and an important protege

Hannah
Highlights
- challenges
- a conversation at a very sad time
- facing childlessness, she she makes a big promise

1105 Samuel born

1060
Ruth --"For wherever you go, I will go ...,"
- asks Boaz to marry her
-highlights
Book of Ruth -- themes
- great grandmother of David

Obed son of Ruth and Boaz
grandfather of David
1043 Saul becomes first king of Judah
Saul highlights

David becomes king 1004

Solomon

Azariah
- son of Oded, a wiseman and prophet
-more details

931 BC Asa
king of Judah - routed out idolatry.. peace in the land for 35 yrs
- great grandson of Solomon.
- his army of 580 000 defeated Ethiopena army of 1 000 000
more details

Elijah 840
highlights
more details

Elisha
Sampling of accomplishments
highlights

793 BC - Jonah becomes a prophet

740 BC - Isaiah becomes a prophet

605 BC - Daniel taken captive to Babylon
A summary of his triumphs and challenges

539 Darius King of Babylon who appointed Daniel one of three princes, is
tricked into putting him in the lions den.

Daniel and Ashpenaz... a special regimen refused

Malachi, the prophet 450

he book of Malachi was written to correct the lax religious and social behavior of the Israelites – particularly the priests – in post-exilic Jerusalem. Although the prophets urged the people of Judah and Israel to see their exile as punishment for failing to uphold their covenant with Yahweh, it was not long after they had been restored to the land and to Temple worship that the people’s commitment to their God began, once again, to wane. It was in this context that the prophet commonly referred to as Malachi delivered his prophecy.

In 1:2, Malachi has the people of Israel question God’s love for them. This introduction to the book illustrates the severity of the situation which Malachi addresses. The graveness of the situation is also indicated by the dialectical style with which Malachi confronts his audience. Malachi proceeds to accuse his audience of failing to respect God as God deserves. One way in which this disrespect is made manifest is through the substandard sacrifices which Malachi claims are being offered by the priests. While Yahweh demands animals that are “without blemish” (Leviticus 1:3, NRSV), the priests, who were “to determine whether the animal was acceptable” (Mason 143), were offering blind, lame and sick animals for sacrifice because they thought nobody would notice.

In 2:10, Malachi addresses the issue of divorce. On this topic, Malachi deals with divorce both as a social problem (“Why then are we faithless to one another ... ?” 2:10) and as a religious problem (“Judah ... has married the daughter of a foreign god” 2:11). In contrast to the book of Ezra, Malachi urges the people to remain steadfast to the wives of their youth.

Malachi also criticizes his audience for questioning God’s justice. He reminds them that God is just, exhorting them to be faithful as they await that justice. Malachi quickly goes on to point out that the people have not been faithful. In fact, the people are not giving God all that God deserves. Just as the priests have been offering unacceptable sacrifices, so the people have been neglecting to offer their full tithe to the Lord. The result of these shortcomings is that the people come to believe that no good comes out of serving God.

Malachi assures the faithful among his audience that in the eschaton, the differences between those who served God faithfully and those who did not will become clear. The book concludes by calling upon the teachings of

Jesus
------------

John's Baptism of Jesus 27

Crucifixion 30

Paul
-------------------

Vocabulary - Nov 4th -- prodigal and more

2007-11-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

Fain deceit, intentional deception

Substance victory, triumph

Redeemed rescued, delivered

Conquest money or wealth

Fraud gladly

Retrogression improvement

Reformation going backwards

Entreated begged, requested

Cherish young goat

Kid care for, value, support

Infirmity powerless, helpless

Impotent illness, disability, weakness

Publican die, wither, vanish

Repentance a change of mind

Perish tax collector

The man by the pool had an_____________________ thirty-eight years.

He was an ___________________________ man.

Jesus said he came to call sinners, not good people to ________________.

The prodigal son’s father ______________________ him to come in and join the party.

The prodigal son wasted his _________________________ .

He was so hungry he would have ________________________eaten the corn husks.

The older son said his father never gave him a _______ to party with his friends.

______________ were not popular because sometimes they asked for too much money.

Vocabulary Oct 28th

2007-10-28T00:03:00.001-07:00

If something is at hand it is _______________- probation

Someone who gives help, support or money is a _____________ repent

If you change your mind or your outlook, you ____________ ark

A locality is a ______________ benefactor

The small wooden box containing the commandments was the _______ ewe

People who were instructed in/converted to Christ’s teachings were________ near

A female sheep is a ___________ evangelized

A time of proving yourself is called ____________________ place

You can walk through a ____________________ portal

Abideth or abides Imagine, suppose

Fancy Became pregnant

Condemns Stays with, remains or lasts

Conceived Blameless, innocent, righteous

Paramount Greatest in significance, supreme

Upright Reward or payment

Recompense Cancel, pay, excuse, forgive

Rectified Complete happiness or joy

Bliss Erased, obliterated, expunged

Remit sentences, dooms, rebukes

Effaced corrected, set right

David and Bathsheba

2007-10-28T00:00:00.001-07:00

( from the Message)

1When that time of year came around again, the anniversary of the Ammonite aggression, David dispatched Joab and his fighting men of Israel in full force to destroy the Ammonites for good. They laid siege to Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem.

2-5 One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful. David sent to ask about her, and was told, "Isn't this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?" David sent his agents to get her. After she arrived, he went to bed with her. (This occurred during the time of "purification" following her period.) Then she returned home. Before long she realized she was pregnant.

Later she sent word to David: "I'm pregnant."

6 David then got in touch with Joab: "Send Uriah the Hittite to me." Joab sent him.

7-8 When he arrived, David asked him for news from the front—how things were going with Joab and the troops and with the fighting. Then he said to Uriah, "Go home. Have a refreshing bath and a good night's rest."

8-9 After Uriah left the palace, an informant of the king was sent after him. But Uriah didn't go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance, along with the king's servants.

10 David was told that Uriah had not gone home. He asked Uriah, "Didn't you just come off a hard trip? So why didn't you go home?"

11 Uriah replied to David, "The Arkt is out there with the fighting men of Israel and Judah—in tents. My master Joab and his servants are roughing it out in the fields. So, how can I go home and eat and drink and enjoy my wife? On your life, I'll not do it!"

12-13 "All right," said David, "have it your way. Stay for the day and I'll send you back tomorrow." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem the rest of the day.

The next day David invited him to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. But in the evening Uriah again went out and slept with his master's servants. He didn't go home.

14-15 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In the letter he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front lines where the fighting is the fiercest. Then pull back and leave him exposed so that he's sure to be killed."

16-17 So Joab, holding the city under siege, put Uriah in a place where he knew there were fierce enemy fighters. When the city's defenders came out to fight Joab, some of David's soldiers were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.

18-21 Joab sent David a full report on the battle.

"By the way," said Joab's messenger, "your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."

Then David told the messenger, "Oh. I see. Tell Joab, 'Don't trouble yourself over this. War kills—sometimes one, sometimes another—you never know who's next. Redouble your assault on the city and destroy it.' Encourage Joab."

26-27 When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she grieved for her husband. When the time of mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. 27-3 But God was not at all pleased with what David had done, and sent Nathan to David. Nathan said to him, "There were two men in the same city—one rich, the other poor. The rich man had huge flocks of sheep, herds of cattle. The poor man had nothing but one little female lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up with him and his children as a member of the family. It ate off his plate and drank from his cup and slept on his bed. It was like a daughter to him.

4 "One day a traveler dropped in on the rich man. He was too stingy to take an animal from his own herds or flocks to make a meal for his visitor, so he took the poor man's lamb and prepared a meal to set before his guest."

5-6 David exploded in anger. "As surely as God lives," he said to Nathan, "the man who did this ought to be lynched! He must repay for the lamb four times over for his crime and his stinginess!"

7-12 "You're the man!" said Nathan. "And here's what God, the God of Israel, has to say to you: I made you king over Israel. I freed you from the fist of Saul. I gave you your master's daughter and other wives to have and to hold. I gave you both Israel and Judah. And if that hadn't been enough, I'd have gladly thrown in much more. So why have you treated the word of God with brazen contempt, doing this great evil? You murdered Uriah the Hittite, then took his wife as your wife. Worse, you killed him with an Ammonite sword! 13-14 Then David confessed to Nathan, "I've sinned against God."

Nathan pronounced, "Yes, but that's not the last word. God forgives your sin. You won't die for it.

Parables vs History

2007-10-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

Different than myths, fables, allegories, or tales, a parable was a form of teaching in Jewish tradition. In the New Testament it is called "parabole," from "ball - to throw" and "bole - the other side." And in Jesus' parables it is interesting that although he was speaking of and to the simple, there was often a surprise element, and a link to a deeper reality.

PARABLE OR HISTORY?

An unjust judge gives a persistent woman justice.

A man who owed a lot of money is forgiven, but then puts the screws to people who owe him a few bucks.

A house built on sand fell in a big wind and rain storm; a house built on a rock was fine.

Someone makes an axe head float

A good Samaritan helps a wounded man.

A man leaves this world in a chariot of fire.

A son who wasted his inheritance is sorry, comes home and is instantly forgiven.

Two men walk on top of the water and don’t sink.

Many different nationalities hear people speak the same words, but they each hear the words in their own language.

A shepherd left 99 sheep in the wilderness till he found the lost one.

A woman calls her friends to celebrate her finding of her 10th piece of silver, for which she had been searching for by cleaning her house.

A man is healed after 4 days being dead.

A rich man died and in torment in a fire, looked up and saw Lazarus being held by Abraham.

An arrogant Pharisee and a humble tax collector prayed in the temple together, but the tax collector’s prayers were effective and not the bragging Pharisee.

A man was swallowed and hurled by a whale.

3 men walked in a furnace and were not burnt.

Men break up a roof to get their sick friend in a house to see a healer..

A man calls down fire which burns up stones and water.

At midnight a man knocks on his neighbour’s door to borrow food for his guest. The neighbour, who is in bed with his children eventually comes down and gives it to him because of his persistence.

A man feeds 100 men with a few loaves. A man feeds 5000 men with a few loaves

The kingdom of God is like unto a woman who put some bread and hid 3 measures of leaven in them until the whole was leavened.
(talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, about what we might call the ultimate spiritual reality, not about baking bread! )

Parables for Oct 14

2007-10-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Parable of The Dragnet

Matt 13:47-50 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind, which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away. So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." (web)

The Parable of The Wheat and the Weeds

Matt 13:24-30; 36-43

He set another parable before them, saying,
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,
but while people slept,
his enemy came and sowed darnel also among the wheat, and went away.
But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then the darnel appeared also.
The servants of the householder came and said to him,
‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field?
Where did this darnel come from?’
"He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ "The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’

"But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel,
you root up the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest,
and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers,

· "First, gather up the darnel, and bind them in bundles to burn them;

· but gather the wheat into my barn."‘"

The Parable of The Leaven

Matt 13:33; Lk 13:20,21

Luke 13:20,210 Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened." (web)

The Parable of The Mustard Seed

Matt 13:31,32; Mk 4:30-32;

Lk 13:18,19 He said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches." (web)

The Parable of The Lost Sheep

Matt 18:12-14; Lk 15:3-7

Luke 15:3-7 He told them this parable.
"Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance." (web)

Next Interview

2007-09-23T09:16:00.001-07:00

Themes:
Helping others
Finding your 'place'
Helping through volunteering
Finding our purpose.

Sample questions from previous interviews
More samples

Add My Story

Step 1.	*Identify yourself. ( Required inputs)**

Last Name:		*First Name:

Email:
*Business Name:	Sunday School Superintendent		l City:	Victoria
Province or State:	BC		School Country:
Your Website (url):			Current Grade:
Employment (if any):	Lecture/Publicity Consultant, Board of Lectureship The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston
Responsibilities:	Help branches sponsor lectures for their community including assisting with publicity and advertising.
Step 2.	What do you do?
Accomplishments in my life:	Growing understanding of God and my spiritual identity Worked in Boston for The Mother Church for 5 years (now do same work from home) Have been First and Second Reader Contributing to the community through volunteering Healing for myself and others
Challenges in school/work/life:	Learning to appreciate qualities in others that I don’t have myself Be more alert to what God is doing moment by moment Training my dog more effectively!

Step 3.	Tell us something about yourself.

Interests:	Learning to play the bass guitar (mine is red) Music (rock, U2, etc) I read a lot (mysteries mostly) Knitting (to donate to those in need, for gifts, and for myself) Baseball Soccer
Interesting Course or Subject I have taken:	Astronomy Jane Austin in the movies (at Harvard) Speakers training course (Dale Carnegie)
If I had a month to do anything I wanted I would:	Go back to Ireland and travel around in between studying and praying.
What do I want to be doing 5 years from now:	‘Praying for others as Christian Science practitioner
Question 1:	What is God's special purpose for me?
Question 2:	How can I help (any situation)?
Question 3:	Whose idea is this?

Step 4.	Comments

Comments:

Responding to a call for help

2007-09-23T08:31:00.001-07:00

Subject Line: Help

I don’t want to slip from being the person I want to be

As I write back,

affirming them of who they are

A minute spent

As I press SEND

I don’t know if this helps

But one thing for sure

Is it's helpful for me

A response comes back

Thanks.. it helped so much

It reminded me I can’t be

Anything but perfect and pure.

Even a simple gesture

Over the Internet

Can mean so much

To someone

Franes McDonald

Blending our thoughts with God.. a collaborative poem

2007-09-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

Two vines intertwining

Blending our thoughts with God

Two vines intertwining

God and me

Twisted together

Becoming one

Thinking in my native tongue

Twice as strong

Appearing as one.

Name that miracle

2007-09-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

There are 37 miracles.

List of miracles

1 Turning water into wine (John 2:1-11	2 Healing of a nobleman's son (John 4:46-54)	3 Delivering a man in the synagogue from demonic spirits (Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37)
4 Healing Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39; Matthew 8:14-15)	5 The first of two nets of fish and the calling of His first disciples (Luke 5:1-11)	6 Cleansing a leper (Mark 1:40-45; Matthew 8:1-4)
7 Healing a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 9:2-8; Luke 5:17-26)	8 Healing of the man at Bethesda (John 5:1-15)	9 Healing a man with a withered hand (Luke 6:6-11; Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-5)
`10 Healing the Centurion's servant (Luke 7: 1-10; Matthew 8:5-13)	11 Raising the widow's son (Luke 7:11-16)	12 Casting out a dumb and blind spirit (Luke 11:14-26; Matthew 12:22-32; Mark 3:22-30)
13 Man born blind John 9:1-34. 1sr	14 Stilling of the Storm Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25. Displaying His power over His creation 2nd	15 Raising Lazarus John 11:1-44. Power over death

Sept 2 vocab

2007-09-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

Toiled .... worked long and hard, progressed slowly and with difficulty

Evangel .... significance, or meaning conveyed

Import .... bearer of Christ’s message

Blessed .... peaceful and gentle, not easily annoyed, free of resentment

Divers .... sweet smelling

Meek .... happy

Redolent .... various, different kinds

Beatific .... brightening

Illuming ..... radiant with perfect happiness, peace, serenity

Precedent .... rule, model, pattern, example

Theology .... improved, educated

Cultivated .... gift

Legacy .... religious studies and teachings

Infallible .... written account

Commemoration .... remembrance

Jeopardy

2007-09-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

He thought he could get away from God in a boat.

She had no one to look after her until Jesus raised her son from the dead. [ widow of Nain]

They would rather be thrown into a fiery furnace than worship a golden idol.

He had to do it because the door was locked.

An angel woke him up and told him to put on his sandals and cloak and follow him out of jail. [ Peter]

They sang hymns and shouted till they made this happen in the jail.
[Paul and Silas -- small earth quake]

His original name was Simon.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

He was dead for 4 days before Jesus healed him.

Life, Truth, Love, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Principle, Soul.

His original name was Jacob.

He ascended in a chariot of fire and was never seen again.

It means Messiah.
[ Christ]
Within you.

An old testament prophet who healed blindness and leprosy.
[Elijah]

A story told to teach a lesson.

He told the authorities which one was Jesus so they could arrest him. Then he hanged himself.

He thought Christians were dangerous and took them away in chains until he saw a light and heard a voice that sent him in another direction.

Both father and mother.

A man who changed his name from one that meant powerful king to one that means small.
[Saul]
His new name means ROCK

------------------------
These are some sample questions for a Jeopardy game for SS.

Her new name means Princess and her original name was Sarai.

His old name was Abram.

She was over 90 when she gave birth to her first baby.

Eutychus

A person who says one thing and does another, or makes a false profession of their faith.

Parables that show Jesus dislike of hypocrisy.

Love one another.

He gave us the commandments.

Exodus 20

Lazarus, 12 year old girl, son of the widow of Nain and himself.

He raised the son of the widow of Zarapeth.

He got into trouble for praying 3 times a day.

These four people fed a large crowd with a small amount of food.

He made poison harmless.
[ Elisha ]

Herod, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Saul, David
[ kings]

Peter, Paul, Jesus, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Silas
[ all arrested]

Matthew Mark Luke John
[ gospels]

Because he was afraid when he saw the windy and waves.

His new name means Prince.
[ Jacob]

He got his new name after he wrestled all night.
[ Jacob]
On the cross and crown on Science and Health.
[ heal the sick...]
One is his name and the other is what he was.
(Jesus Christ)

Isaiah 64:24
(God's phone number)

People who aren’t Jewish.
(Gentiles)

He was the father of 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel.
(Jacob)

He planned to take Joseph out of the pit before his brothers could harm him.
(Who was Rueben)

He invited Joseph and his father and brothers to live in Egypt as honoured guests because Joseph saved all Egypt from starvation.
(Pharoah in Egypt)

They both heard God as a voice.
(Samuel and Elijah...also Moses...Solomon)

He built a wall when many people were dissing him and trying to prevent him.
(Who was Nehemiah)

She wasn’t Jewish but she was David’s grandmother and the many times grandmother of Jesus.
(Who was Ruth)

He kept the Children of Israel – the Jews – to be his slaves and build the pyramids.
(Who was a later Pharoah)

He thought he could not do public speaking, but God asked him to.
(Who was Moses)

To find out which of 2 women were the mothers of a live baby, he told the guard to cut him in half.
(Who was Solomon)

It opened up to made a dry path for the Jews to travel on, but closed up again over their pursuers.
(What happened to the Red Sea when Moses hit it with his mantle)

He should have been drowned at birth but his mother hid him for 3 months and then put him in the water in a small ark made of rushes.
(Who was Moses)

The Good Samaritan.
(What was the parable Jesus told to show us who our neighbour really is?)

He wouldn’t wear Saul’s armour to fight because he wasn’t used to it.
(Who was David)

He commanded everyone who didn’t worship the idol to be thrown into the furnace.
(What did Nebuchadnezzar do)

They didn’t want to eat the Kings food or drink his wine.
(Why did Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego ask for pulse and water)

He heard God as a voice and built an ark to save living things from a huge flood.
(Who was Noah)

He was whiny because he always did what he was told and didn’t think his younger brother should be getting all this good stuff from his father when he had been a bad boy.
(Who was the elder son in the parable of the prodigal son)

Someone who can see the future or who sees spiritually.
(What is a prophet?)

“Love one another”.
(What was the commandment Jesus gave us?)

He wanted to kill David because he was jealous of him.
(Who was Saul?)

He gave the sermon on the mount.
(What did Jesus do when he went up a small mountain?)

The Boy Who Cried Wolf illustrates this commandment.
What is "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness?)

To make up for something bad.

Leave your gift - go home and make up with your family and then go back and offer your gift.
(What did Jesus tell the one who was coming to the altar with his gift?)

To get their sick friend who was on a stretcher into the house to see Jesus when there was no room to get in because of the crowds.
(Why did the men break up the ceiling of the house where Jesus was?)

And we solemnly promise to watch and pray for that mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us and to be merciful, just and pure.
(What is the 6th tenant of Christian Science?)

Blessed are…
(How do all the beatitudes start?)

The meek
(Who will inherit the earth?)

They shall be filled.
(What will happen to those that hunger and thirst after righteousness?)

They shall inherit the earth
(What will happen to the meek?)

They shall be called the children of God.
(Who are the peacemakers?)

They shall be comforted
(What will happen to those that mourn?)

Thou shalt not covet.
(What is the last commandment?)

He was his father’s favourite son, which made his brothers jealous.
(Who was Joseph?)

It means lie in one of the commandments.
What is bear false witness?)

Bible characters who changed their name

2007-09-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

Those are Sarai and Abram, who became Sarah and Abraham after God spoke to Abram. Sarai was 90 years old at the time and it says “it ceased to be with Sarai after manner of women”. Because of this, she laughed when her husband told her that God said she would have a son. Abraham means “FATHER OF NATIONS” and Sarah means “PRINCESS”. The son Sarah gave birth to after was 90, was named Isaac.

The next one to have a name change (also in the old testament) was a son of Isaac’s. His name was Jacob. But after cheating his brother and running away for many years he was on his way home, when he had a strange experience while trying to sleep. It says, that “there wrestled a man with him until the break of day”. When Jacob asked his name, he was not told the name, but the wrestler gave Jacob the new name of Israel, which means PRINCE, because the wrestler said that Jacob had wrestled with God and had prevailed. This Jacob/Israel person was the first Jew and his 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel, who, with their descendants are called the children of Israel or the Jews.

Another one to have his name changed was Simon. This fisherman was one of the first disciples called by Jesus to be fishers of men. He was very outspoken and enthusiastic. When people were confused and making contradictory speculations on who Jesus really was (a resurrected John the Baptist, one of the prophets come back to life, or Elijah returning from the past), Peter blurted out that Jesus was the Christ – the Messiah the Jews had long been waiting for. For this statement, Jesus changed his name to Peter, which means the ROCK.

The next name changer was Saul. He was a very righteous Jewish person, who was quite sure that the Christians were totally mistaken and dangerous. He was going around collecting them and taking them in chains to be gladiators or burned etc. So he was going on his way when he saw an overpowering bright light which had him flat on the ground. He heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He asked who was speaking and was told it was Jesus. Saul asked what he was to do and was told by the voice to go to a certain house and he would find out. When he stood up he was blind. His people took him to a house and someone came and healed his sight. Right after that, Saul who had been named after the great King Saul of the Old Testament, took the new name of Paul, which means SMALL. This all happened after Jesus’ resurrection so that Paul never met him in the flesh, but he did hear his voice and follow what he said. He did more than anyone to spread Christianity.

What would you do , what would you say

2007-07-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

Part I

The over-night with a friend:
You and some ( CS) friends are camping overnight. Off by yourself a friend shares some stories of difficulties at home, and asks you to pray for them because they have a headache. What do you say and do?

Looked at each line of the Lord's Prayer and its application to the situation.

Sermon on the Mount

2007-06-30T20:41:00.001-07:00

Themes from the Sermon on the Mount

Salt and Light

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

Anger

Lust

Divorce

Oaths

Retaliation

Love Your Enemies

Good deeds, quietly

Prayer

Forgiveness

Fasting

Accumulating

Perspective/ eyes: windows to the body

Serving one

Provision

First things first

Judge not

No pearls before swine

Ask, seek, knoock

Golden rule

Beware of false prophets

Building upon the rock

Beatitudes

2007-06-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

the first four emphasize turning to God for help.
Proclaiming the joy of those who say yes to the one all-encompassing God.

1.. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the land.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

these latter beatitudes move from desiring righteousness to living it.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

1.. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

How happy are those who know their need for God,

To know one’s need of God is a joyful condition, a condition that, when we’re in it, triggers a promised reward.

Turning to God for help

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. - Message

2. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

To care deeply

3. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the land.

To think and live not arrogantly,

Belongs to those who are not windbags.

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessings to those who exemplify righteousness in their actions—

When you've worked up a good appetite for God.

5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

To care deeply

Those who show mercy, those wholehearted in their devotion to God,

You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

6. Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.

The Christly purity inherent in each one of us.

You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

When you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right.

You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To stand for goodness

You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom

Peter..a poem

2007-06-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

YOU CAN CALL HIM WHAT YOU LIKE

IMPETUOUS, BRASH, OUTSPOKEN,

BUT ONCE HE RECOGNIZED THE CHRIST

AND HEARD THAT COMMAND

HE DID WHAT OTHERS DIDNT --

HE STEPPED OUT ONTO THE WATER AND WALKED

HE DIDN'T WONDER, HE DIDN'T WORRY, HE DIDN'T WAIT --

HE DIDN'T EVEN LOOK TO SEE IF OTHERS WERE BEHIND HIM

HE JUST CLIMBED OUT AND WALKED

OH, I KNOW, I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY

THAT ON PETERS PART THE STORY IS A FAILURE

BECAUSE HE FLOUNDERED -- BUT, FRIEND

BECAUSE HE HAD VISION FASTENED ON THE CHRIST,

THE CHRIST CAUGHT HIM -- REACHED THROUGH SHRIEKING WIND

AND WAVES TO UPLIFT HIM BEYOND SINKING DOUBT

AND FLOUNDERING FEAR

June 4th Ancient and Modern..

2007-05-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Spiritual facts

2007-05-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

examples of spiritual facts:
God love me.
God never leaves me.
Divine Life supplies all the energy I need.
Man's existence is eternal and harmonious.
Man is complete, lacking nothing.

Hold to the great facts of Life.
-made perfect
-never a moment of separation
-always the full representation -- never less Posted by Christopher at 9:41 AM 0 comments

The Story of Paul

2007-04-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

From Saul to the serpent incident

This guy whose name was Saul (named after the mighty Jewish king) was a pretty good guy - very religious and observant of what he thought was right. He thought the followers of Jesus were dead wrong and dangerous and he went around collecting them and taking them back in chains to be thrown to lions or made gladiators etc. On his way to do this he was struck by a great light. He was knocked down and heard a voice say, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Amazed, he asked, "Who are you", and the answer was "I am Jesus that you are persecuting". So Saul asked what he was supposed to do and the voice told him to get up and go to a certain place. The people standing by saw the light, but did not hear a voice. They had to lead Paul by the hand because he seemed to be blind now.

About that time, a certain Christian called Ananias got the message to go to this certain place because there was a man named Saul who was praying and was expecting someone to come. Ananias was afraid because he knew that this Saul was taking Christians away in chains. But the message came to him that this man was to be a special messenger of the Christ. So He went to where Saul was waiting and he healed him in the name of Jesus. When Saul could see, he realized how wrong he had been and he changed his name to Paul, which means, "small". Right away he began to tell people about Jesus.

All this telling and preaching got Paul into trouble with the Romans and the other powers that be.
At one point he and a colleague who were preaching together, Silas, were jailed and beaten. It was against the law to do this to a Roman citizen, which Paul was. Anyway, Paul and Silas were not put off. They sang and prayed loudly in their prison cell, and the other prisoners listened. At one point that night, while they were doing this, there was just enough of an earthquake to break their chains and open the prison doors. But Paul and Silas didn;t leave. When their jailers came they asked "Is it lawful for you to have done this to a Roman citizen?". That made the jailers afraid and they just wanted Paul to go away.

You might remember from your grade 7 social studies class, that any Roman citizen who disagreed with his sentence had the right to appeal directly and personally to Caesar.

Well Paul continued to tell people about Jesus and some people did not like it because they didn't want to change anything and they didn't want their places of power to be lessened.

This got him in LOTS of trouble and eventually, he said that he wanted to appeal his case to Caesar himself. The lower powers at that point wanted to let him go but he had already appealed to Caesar so off he went to Italy on a ship with other prisoners. There was a huge storm and for days they could not even see anything. Finally the ship was wrecked, but as Paul had foretold, no one died. Part of the boat stuck fast on an island and the rest of it broke up. Some swam and some used boards to get to land.

The native people were very nice to them. They made them a fire. But a poisonous viper crawled out of the wood in the fire and fastened on to Paul's hand. The natives said to each other "Ah, this must be a very bad person and even though he has escaped the sea, he will still die". But Paul just shook off the viper into the fire and nothing happened to him. The people watched to see him fall down dead, but when nothing happened, the Bible says, "they changed their minds and decided that he must be a god"..... ;o)

brazen serpents and the children's journey

2007-04-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

(Num 21:4-9)

Posted by: "Bonny Dunn" bonnydunn@yahoo.com bonnydunn

Thu Apr 12, 2007 11:19 pm (PST)

I would like to suggest that instead of considering the brasen serpent
to be an image of idolatry you consider it as a symbol of salvation
given to the Israelites to uplift their faith, it was after all, erected
in response to an instruction given to Moses by God. Would God in fact
give an instruction so contradictory to the first commandment?

The Old Testament account of the Israelites' journey to the Promised
Land, was a journey in which daily trust in God was being re-discovered.
The Israelites had left a world of idolatry and were filled with doubt
about what their future held. They were continually being given signs
of God's presence, the parting of the red sea, the manna that fed
them, pillar of cloud and fire that lead them through the wilderness to
name just a few. Still, there was that lingering doubt that haunted
them.

If you take a look at the children of Israel's history it was a
history of perpetually needing signs and miracles as a source of proof.
One key verse in this synopsis of the brasen serpent in Numbers, is
verse number seven. The people came to Moses in a moment of
self-realisation, they recognised their error in `speaking against
God and Moses,' and begged Moses to pray for them. God's answer
to the prayer wasn't to take the fiery serpents away, but rather to
allow them to continue to be bitten but to have the choice of life by
looking upon the serpent Moses erected upon the pole.

I find it very interesting that in this same section of the Bible Lesson
is the passage from Science and Health (citation (13) 540:5) with
marginal heading "cleansing upheaval". Here Mrs. Eddy speaks of
moral chemicalisation, "stirring up the belief in error to the
utmost," "bringing it to the surface and reducing it to its
common denominator, nothingness"

. Isn't this what was going on
with the Israelites, the fiery serpents tormenting them were all around
them on the ground, `stirring up their beliefs' in their
mortality. The brasen serpent Moses constructed was erected on a pole
thus causing the Israelites to have to look up and away from the lies
that were surrounding and tormenting them.

Citation 15 of the lesson sums up the sin illustrated in the brasen
serpent account. The sin I am sure we have all found ourselves guilty
of at one time or another is a `doubt of His government' and a
`distrust of His omnipotent care'. The fiery serpents are of
our own making when we become so wrapped up in the manmade human
inventions and leave God out of the picture. That one Mind which saved
the Israelites and provided for them is the same Mind which provides for
and governs us now. I think the brasen serpent erected by Moses can be
seen as meeting their needs where they were € ¦’¶ they were always
looking for signs so God gave them a sign that they could understand.

In the Apocryphal book of Wisdom of Solomon we find this reference to
the brasen serpent account: (Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-8) The New English
Bible Translation

5) Even when fierce and furious snakes attacked thy people and the bites
of the writhing serpents were spreading death, thy anger did not
continue to the bitter end; 6) their short trouble was sent them as a
lesson, and they were given a symbol of salvation to remind them of the
requirements of thy law. 7) For any man who turned towards it was
saved, not by the thing he looked upon but by thee, the saviour of all.
11) It was to remind them of thy utterances that they were bitten and
quickly recovered; 12) For it was neither herb nor poultice that cured
them, but thy all-healing word O Lord.

In section four of the lesson is the account of the individual
`possessed with a devil' who was healed by Jesus. The Pharisees
accused Jesus of casting out devils through `Beelzebub the prince of
devils'. Jesus counteracted that claim with his statement,

25)"every kingdom divided against itself is brought to
desolation" 26)And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against
himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?"

In the context of the brasen serpent, if that brasen serpent could cast
out the fiery serpents then we are talking of a kingdom divided against
itself as Jesus states. But if instead the brasen serpent represents a
`symbol of salvation' to `remind them of the requirements of
the law' (Wis. 16:6) then it is in fact a gleaning of the Spirit of
God which healed the Israelites, bringing them closer to recognising the
kingdom of God.

It's very interesting to note that Jesus, in his conversation with
Nicodemus in the 3rd chapter of John states this,

14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of man be lifted up: 15)That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life.

Jesus likened his crucifixion, his body upon cross, to that image of the
serpent upon the pole. Think about it, two symbols of death and evil,
the brasen serpent and the cross are in a moment converted into symbols
of so much more. The promise for the Israelites who looked upon the
brasen serpent, was "life" (Num 21:8). Eternal life is the
promise Jesus foretold through his crucifixion. (John 3:15) The mistake
made by some is in worshipping the symbol more than message. The
brasen serpent was not the complete message any more than Jesus on the
crucifix was the complete message. Both symbols offered life and both
symbols were associated with the need for the removal of sin;
`Symbols of salvation' to remind of `the requirements of thy
law'. (Wis:16:6) In a sense we can look at the symbol of the brasen
serpent as a foretelling of the crucifixion and the real message of
resurrection as stated in our religion's 5th tenet:

5. We acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection
served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life, even the allness of
Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter.

Jacob's highights

2007-03-31T07:06:00.001-07:00

Jacob

And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

10.And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he came to the place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it [or "beside him"] and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.
And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

Story of Jacob and Essau: a puzzle to sort

2007-03-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

The highlights.. Students will piece together the story by ordering the following segments.

Here are the nineteen highlights of Jacob's life from his birth to his reunification with Essau

Place these in chronological order....

1. And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

2. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

3 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

4 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.
And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

5 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

6 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I did not know it." And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

7 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

8 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

9 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

11 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

12 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

13 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.

14 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

15 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.

16 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob:

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

17 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

18 Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he came to the place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it [or "beside him"] and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves

Translations and presentations - I John

2007-03-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

1-2From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

3-4We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ

--The Message

----------

1[WE ARE writing] about the Word of Life [^[a]in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands.

2And the Life [^[b]an aspect of His being] was revealed (made manifest, demonstrated), and we saw [as eyewitnesses] and are testifying to and declare to you the Life, the eternal Life [^[c]in Him] Who already existed with the Father and Who [actually] was made visible (was revealed) to us [His followers].

3What we have seen and heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may ^[d]realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us.

The Amplified Bible

Abundance

2007-02-07T13:49:00.001-08:00

No matter what the demand, each individual has something of substance that can multiply. And when we realize that this substance is an idea, we don’t need to be searching around for material objects we might have in our possession—we can listen for the ideas that will lead to a recognition of what we already have to meet the demand.

Understanding that there is a divine intelligence, or Mind, that is conscious of all it creates is the starting point of expanded awareness.

The “seed within itself” is another affirmation that God provides within each person what is needful and helpful to fulfillment and satisfaction. Looking within the depths of this divine Mind, we will find Mind revealing to us what we already have.

Another interesting note about that story in the Bible: the production of the oil was only limited by the number of containers available to hold it. Perhaps that becomes an object lesson in this idea of supply coming from within—always provide the containers that allow for continual multiplication of good.

For me, those “containers” are best seen as the states of thought that promote good: gratitude, expectancy, unselfishness, self-immolation. From this perspective, one can see that the only limitation to Mind’s infinite supply would be a shortage of such containers, a poverty of thinking.

The Bible constantly assures us that God’s goodness continually follows us, seeks us out, if we are determined to live “in the house,” the consciousness, “of the Lord for ever.”

There are no greater riches than those already included in our being—our conscious awareness of the good God is providing

Alternate hymns and songs for SS

2007-02-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

How could anyone

How could anyone ever tell you, you are anything less than beautiful?
How could anyone ever tell you, you are less than whole?
How could anyone fail to notice, that your loving is a miracle.
How deeply you’re connected to my Soul.

---
Rejoice in the Lord Always

Rejoice in the Lord Always and again I say rejoice ( 2x)

Rejoice , rejoice and again , I say rejoice ( 2x)

++++

Let my people go
Shadrack
Jericho fought the battle
Child of God.. ( if anybody asks you who I am)
Love Round

----

This little light

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Won't let anyone blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine.
Won't let anyone blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
(When the kids sing "Won't let Satan blow it out....they blow on their finger.)

I’m going to take this light around the world
I'm gonna let it shine.
I’m going to take this light around the world
I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

===============

A gift to be simple
'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.
Refrain: When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right
'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of o-thers what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,
Refrain:
'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real. Refrain:

Child of God
Mindy Josten

If anybody asks you now who I am
If anybody asks you now who I am
If anybody asks you now who I am
You can tell them I’m a child of God

He made me by his power and he made me good
He made me by his power and he made me good
He made me by his power and he made me good
And I will love him back with all my heart.

If anybody asks you now who I am
If anybody asks you now who I am
If anybody asks you now who I am
You can tell them I’m a child of God

He made me in his image so he made me good
He made me in his image so he made me good
He made me in his image so he made me good
I surely love him back with all my heart.

If anybody asks you now who I am
If anybody asks you now who I am
If anybody asks you now who I am
You can tell them I’m a child of God

+++

Rocks

2007-01-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

When have rocks been mentioned in the Bible? What were they used for?

"... be thou my strong rock." This Psalm was written in a society where rocks were very important. The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible explains, "Rocks were found nearly everywhere in the hilly and mountainous districts of Palestine." .) Some of the big Palestinian rocks were so important to their communities that they were given names. A large rock could provide shade, protection from enemies and a place of shelter for travelers. The people relied on rocks and often referred to God as a rock because of God's protecting power. Notice how in the first verse of Hymn 33 God is identified with the same useful and comforting qualities one might find in a rock: "Call the Lord thy sure salvation, Rest beneath th'Almighty's shade, In His secret habitation Dwell, nor ever be dismayed.

"That big stick of yours, the one that you’re always carrying around with you? Hit that rock with it."

Moses did as he was told and wonder of wonders, there was water.

It was only one rock and one spring of water from that rock but there was apparently enough for everyone and the sheep and goats and cattle an all, so they stayed put for awhile.

Look at each of these verses that refer to Rocks. What does it tell us about the value and role of rocks. How does this relate to God?

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations

Sam 13:6

When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

Job 30:

6 To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.

Isa 2:19

And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

Isa 7:19

19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

God always answers

2007-01-22T11:04:00.001-08:00

God always answers
Job 33:14

God always answers, one way or another, even when people don't recognize his presence.
15"In a dream, for instance, a vision at night, when men and women are deep in sleep, fast asleep in their beds--
16God opens their ears and impresses them with warnings
17To turn them back from something bad they're planning,
from some reckless choice,And keep them from an early grave,
from the river of no return.

23"But even then an angel could come,
a champion--there are thousands of them!-
to take up your cause,
24A messenger who would mercifully intervene,
canceling the death sentence with the words:
"I've come up with the ransom!' [release from the grip of terror or imprisonment]
25Before you know it, you're healed,
the very picture of health!

29"This is the way God works.
Over and over again
30He pulls our souls back from certain destruction
so we'll see the light--and live in the light!

Old Testament Chronology

2007-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

10,000 - 8000	The Natufian culture appeared in modern-day Israel - some of the first known human settlements in the world.
8000	Agriculture began in Near East as people started using "digging sticks" to plant the seeds of wild grasses which would eventually become the domesticated wheat we know today.
c. 6750	Pigs are domesticated in modern Iraq.
6500 - 6300	Wheel was invented by Sumerians who lived in the Tigris-Euphrates river basin.
c. 6000	Chickens were domesticated in southern Asia.
5508	Year of Creation, as calculated in seventh-century CE Constantinople and used by Eastern Orthodox Church until 18th century CE.
5490	Year of Creation, as calculated by Syrian Christians.
c. 5000	The earliest known cities were founded as increasing numbers of people began to gather in villages scattered around the Fertile Crescent.
4004 (October 23)	Date of Creation, as calculated by Irish theologian James Ussher in 1650 CE.
c. 4000	Horses were domesticated.
c. 4000	Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia developed the boat for water transportation.
3760	Year of Creation, as calculated by the Hebrews and used since the 15th century CE.
3641 (February 10)	Date of Creation, as calculated by the Mayans.
3500	Sumerian society developed in the Tigris-Euphrates river basin. The Sumerians made use of many agricultural advances, such as domestic animals to pull plows, irrigated desert, drained marshlands and more in order to create a large, cosmopolitan civilization. The increased output of food allowed for the further development of a "leisure class" that did not have to work for food, allowing them to become priests, artists, merchants, scholars, etc. The Sumerians also developed oar-powered ships, animal-drawn wheeled chariots and other, similar vehicles, bronze objects, and the written cuneiform alphabet.
c. 3400	Early form of hieroglyphic writing started being used in Egypt.
3100	The first Egyptian Dynasty united the southern and northern kingdoms under the rule of Menes, founder of the city of Memphis which would become the center of his authority.
c. 3000	First human settlements were established on the site of modern-day Athens.
c. 3000	Stonehenge was built in England.
c. 2980- 2950	Life of Imhotep, famed Egyptian physician. He was worshiped as a medical demigod in ancient Egypt because of his work on medical methods for treating diseases rather than simply religious methods. Imhotep was also responsible for the construction of the pyramid of Zoser (the Step Pyramid at Sakkara), the first large stone structure in the entire world.
c. 2800	Egyptians began wearing wedding rings, believing that the circular bands symbolized eternity.
2613	The Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza was constructed by Cheops, son of the founder of Egypt's 4th Dynasty, Snefru.
c. 2600	The first recorded seagoing voyage carried Egyptian sailors to Phoenicia in search of cedarwood.
c. 2600	Chinese began cultivation of silkworms.
2560	Great Sphinx at Giza, a 189-foot long monument to King Khafra (Khafre), the third king of the 4th Dynasty, was carved.
2500	Sumerian cuneiform script was simplified from an earlier version consisting of thousands of ideograms.
2350	Sargon I founded the Akkadian empire, which ruled Mesopotamia for the next couple of centuries.
2349	The Great Flood occurred (according to fundamentalist sources).
2247	The Tower of Babel was constructed (according to fundamentalist sources).
2200	Indo-European invaders, speaking the earliest forms of Greek, entered the mainland of Greece, and the Mycenaean Civilization (named after the leading Greek city on the peninsula from 1600-1200 BCE) emerged.
2100	Ziggurat of Ur was built by Sumerian king Ur-Nammu. Sumerians called it temen, from which the later word temple was derived.
2000 - 1500	Minoan Civilization (named after the Cretan ruler Minos) reached its height with its central power in Knossos on the island of Crete. This culture may have been more female-oriented and peaceful than others at the time.
c. 2000-1700	Abraham left Ur in Chaldea (according to traditional sources). This is often called the age of the "patriarchs" (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).
c. 2000	Domestic bathroom plumbing appeared in Crete.
c. 2000	Babylonians replaced Sumerians as the dominant power in the Middle East, creating a decimal system notation.
c. 1800	Babylonians are believed to have initiated the custom of the handshake. It began with grasping the hand of a statue of the god Marduk in order to receive his power symbolically and it later came to symbolize good will.
c. 1792-1750	Hammurabi ruled Babylon and created his famous legal code.
1750	The Babylonians began using windmills to pump water for irrigation.
1700 - 1500	Possible dates for when Joseph could have been in Egypt.
1660 - 1550	The Hyksos, a Semitic tribe, invaded Egypt and dominated the Nile Delta for about a century. The Hyksos were successful because they were superior archers and rode horses and chariots at the same time.
c. 1650	Cult of Yahweh, earliest form of Judaism, may have been created by Abraham and carried on by his sons.
1568	The Hyksos, a semitic tribe which had dominated the Nile Delta, was finally driven out by Egyptian leader Ahmose I, who then founded the 16th Dynasty.
1523 - 1027	Shang Dynasty in China.
1491	Date of the Exodus of the Hebrews out of Egypt. (according to fundamentalist sources)
1491	Ten Commandments were received. (according to fundamentalist sources)
c. 1479	Egyptian armies under Pharaoh Tuthmosis III defeated a confederation of Palestinian states and captured a fortress on the hill of Meggido. Christian theology predicts a final battle between good and evil on this spot (Armageddon = Hill of Megiddo). The first use of the title "Pharaoh," which means "Great House," is found here applied to Tuthmosis.
1470	A massive volcanic eruption at Thera destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete. Because of huge waves rising up to 160 feet, the water levels along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean at first dropped, but then the Egyptian cost was flooded by large amounts of seawater, resulting in famine due to the loss of arable farmland.
1451	Hebrews arrive in Canaan (according to traditional sources)
1400	Iron Age began in Asia Minor when methods for smelting iron ore were developed
1400	Mycenaean Civilization replaced Minoan Civilization after the destruction of Knossos. Bronze weapons, war-scenes on art, Cyclopean defense walls, and the fact that male warriors were buried with their weapons provide evidence for the claim that the Mycenaeans were militaristic. The horse-drawn chariot emerged around this time and the Mycenaeans would dominate the Aegean world for about 200 years.
1349-1334	Amenhotep IV, aka Akhenaten, ruled Egypt and developed the first recorded strict monotheism. He was succeeded by his nine-year-old son Tutankhamen, who eliminated his religious reforms
1300	In Babylon they developed a new alphabetic script which was a further simplification of the cuneiform writing.
1305	Accession of Ramses II, the Great, of Egypt to pharaoh.
c. 1250	Possible date of the Exodus of the Hebrews out of Egypt. (according to modern scholars)
1232	Israelites of some sort were definitely in Canaan - Ramses II's son Merneptah defeated them in battle. They were not necessarily the same Israelites as those who left in the Exodus - they might have been from earlier emigrations.
1200-1020	Period of the Judges in Israel.
1200	Gilgamesh epic, recorded in cuneiform script, is the first known such written legend.
1193	Traditional date set for the city of Troy being destroyed by besieging Greek armies.
1146	Nebuchadrezzar I reigned as King of Babylon for 23 years.
1141	According to biblical accounts in Samuel, Israelite armies suffered massive losses to the Philistines.
1050	Philistines conquered Israel.
1027 - 771	Zhou Dynasty in China.
1020 - 922	Period of the United Kingdom of Jews.
1020	Samuel, last of the Israelite Judges, anointed Saul as the first King of Israel. Saul led a successful rebellion against Philistines.
c. 1000	Earliest Old Testament documents were created from older and highly developed oral tradition.
1000	Saul was killed at the Battle of Gilboa and was succeeded by David, first as King of Judah and then later as King of Israel. David later captured Jerusalem and made it his capital.
c. 1000-950	Biography of David may have been composed, eventually becoming a written narrative of David's life later included in I and II Samuel and IKings.
c. 1000	Iberians invaded the region of modern Spain, giving the Iberian Peninsula its name.
961	David died and was succeeded by his son, Solomon.
953	Dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem, built by Solomon.
c. 950 - 900	Composition of the "Yahwistic" (J) document, one of the four major sources believed to have been the basis of the Pentateuch (Books of Moses): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
922	Death of Solomon, who was succeeded by his son, Rehoboam. Rebellion against Rehoboam was led by Jeroboam, leading to a split of the kingdom into two halves: Judah in the south under Rehoboam and Israel in the north under Jeroboam.
c. 900	Assyrian war chariots were equipped with metal tires (copper or bronze) for greater durability.
884	Ashurnasirpal II, Assyrian king, began a 24-year reign during which he defeated Babylon and ensured Assyrian dominance throughout the Near East.
854	Ahab of Israel joined with Ben Hadad of Damascus and Irkhuleni of Hamath in an allied army to halt Shalmaneser III. Egypt and Jehoshaphat of Judah lent support, but the alliance failed to stop the onslaught.
c. 850	Traditional date for the probable composition of Homer's epic poems The Illiad and The Odyssey.
c. 850	Traditional date for when Elijah lived and prophecized.
c. 850 - 800	Composition of the "Elohistic" (E) document, another major source of the Pentateuch.
842	Jehu, an Israelite soldier, led a rebellion against Jehoram, Ahab's son, and founded a new dynasty in Israel. By the next year, however, he was paying tribute to the Assyrian leaders.
814	Phoenicians founded Carthage (literally: "New Town") near their North African colony of Utica.
801	Indians began to venerate cows and dairy products.
800	Increase in trade and the establishment of governmental defense fortifications allowed for the emergence of Greek city-states from tribal communities. These grew up around marketplaces and included Athens, Thebes and Megara on the Greek mainland. The Greek city-states were considered the most famous units of Greek political life to develop in this society.
800 - 500	This period, often referred to as the Archaic period, marked the developments of literature and the arts, politics, philosophy and science. The Peloponnesian city of Corinth, Sparta and cities along the coast of the Aegean Sea flourished. For the most part, the Greek city-states were similar in their political evolution, with the exception of Sparta's elite dictatorship. Most began their political histories as monarchies, evolved to oligarchies, were overthrown during the age of the tyrants (650-500 BCE) and eventually established democracies in the sixth and fifth centuries. Of the Greek city-states, Athens and Sparta were the two most important.

Casting of lots

2006-12-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

Cleromancy
Cleromancy, sortilege, casting lots or casting bones is a form of divination in which an outcome is determined by random means, such as the rolling of a die.

In Western culture Casting of lots occurs frequently in the Bible. One notable example of casting lots is represented by the soldiers who cast lots for Jesus' clothes (John 19:24) as he was dying on the cross. In this case, the casting of lots was implicitly looked down upon by the biblical authors.
However, in the Old Testament, there are three cases where casting lots was invoked as a legitimate means of determining God's wishes:

In the Book of Joshua, God commands that a thief is found by casting lots, first among the tribes of Israel, then among the families of that tribe, etc. Akan, the person identified in this way, confesses his guilt, and shows where he has buried the loot.
In the First book of Samuel, the people of Israel demand God to set a king over them, and God decrees a king to be found by a procedure similar to the above, leading to the selection of king Saul.
In the Book of Jonah, casting of lots is used to determin by Jonah's crew that he was, in fact, the source of the storm they were enduring. He was subsequently cast overboard, causing the storm to dissipate.

In Eastern culture In China, and especially in Chinese Taoism, various means of divination through random means are employed, such as use of the I Ching. In Japan, omikuji is one form of drawing lots.

Yes-no pens Pens which can answer "yes-no" questions are widely used in divination and fortune telling, especially by New Age adherents. Their use is similar to the usage of pendulums for the same purpose (with the diff

Prayer

2006-11-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

Prayer

IT WOULD BE hard to name a contemporary religion writer who hasn’t offered meaningful insights into prayer. John Ortberg wrote that, in prayer, “with simplicity of heart we allow ourselves to be gathered up into the arms of the Father and let him sing his love song over us” (“The Life You’ve Always Wanted”).

Joan Chittister said, “Regular prayer reminds us that life is punctuated by God, awash in God, encircled by God.” For her, it’s the way she is brought to encounter herself so that “the work of coming to God [can] really begin” (“Called to Question”).

Kathleen Norris learned that “prayer is not asking for what you think you want but asking to be changed in ways you can’t imagine.” Prayer stumbles over modern selfconsciousness and self-reliance, she observed.

For effective prayer, “the best ‘how-to’ I know is from Psalm 46: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (v. 10). This can happen in an instant; it can also constitute a life’s work” (“Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith”).

And in his most recent book, “Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?,”Philip Yancey describes prayer as a privilege, not a duty. He says that on a website poll conducted
by his publisher, just over 3 percent of respondents felt satisfied
with the time they were spending in prayer. “If prayer stands at the place where God and human beings meet,” Yancey writes, “then I must learn about prayer.”

Breaking free from a false view of ourselves

2006-09-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Jesus had a clear sense of man and his identity

The growth didn’t belong tome.

A mental turning away.

Not giving it a foundation in my thought

Clear to me, it had no reality

God never created anything unlike Himself. We don’t have to accept anything other than His creation.

Looking for love in all the wrong places

Exchange my old life-image

God KNEW me.. and loved me. Not just as a dot in the mass of humanity.

A mistaken sense of sin was never part of me , or my mom.

-------Sandy Sanberg

Who we are as the child of God.

Who we’ve always been.

Kingdom is within you. And is Intact.

J saw them through the lens of Truth

Behold yourself as the perfect man.

Evan Mehlenbacker lecture

2006-09-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

Evan Mehlenbacker lecture

The mountain climber was in terrible visibility and slipped. As he was falling he grabbed on to a rope and clung there.

While not a religious man up to that point he reached out in prayer and said, “ This is the time to show me that you are here.’

A voice came to him, “ Let Go”

He didn’t listen but repeated his plea.

Same response.

Again .

This time the voice was so loud that he was shocked and let go of the rope and fell…. 8 inches to a ledge.

----------------

The laws of God as laid out in the Bible and Science and Health are reliable

S&H explains what was at work in Jesus’ teachings. They are the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecies

Can we trust the message of S& H: Absolutely

------------------------

Shaken baby syndrome:

The mother held to no residual effect of -- no resentment

The baby totally recovered.

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The reliable laws underly an atmosphere of thoughts that supports healing

What are you waiting for?

Drop our anthropormorphic views of God

Edison invented the first light bulb.

We don’t need him anymore in the production.

Better healing through radical transformation.

Are we following his commitment, his radical journey?

- Let go of the love of this world

Every healing is letting go of something.

When Evan was considering going in the practice, he thought, “ I’d have to think about God all the time.”

------ in fact God is All.. There is nothing else.

----------------------

In grading a bunch of math papers:

- same content in the classes

- Same laws of math

- What varied: the application of the God’s law

You’re living your eternal life right now.

Remember you have these laws undergirding you.

Truth is always the victor. The devil is the liar.

This thought is apprehended slowly.

Basic theology of CS:

God is All

God is good

Evil is not real.

Researchers were living in a village in a jungle area of Papau New Guinea. The village was surrounded by a river. When the researchers left the shore to go across the river to get supplies, the villagers didn’t see them on the other side because they thought the river marked the edge of the world.

Christian Science is a marvel and a miracle

The story of the light bulb and the closet.

We have to live the allness of God.