“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
“Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
On 10/18/2011,
in faith, graphics, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, relationships, religion, visualizing information,
by Daniel Christian
Infographic of the day: What are the darkest parts of the Bible? — from fastcodesign.com by Suzanne LaBarre; also Openbible.info
Openbible.info charts the Bible according to positive and negative sentiment–with some surprising results.
Excerpt:
What you end up with is a snapshot of the relative cheeriness–or gloom–of different sections in the Bible. As the designer tells it:
Things start off well with creation, turn negative with Job and the patriarchs, improve again with Moses, dip with the period of the judges, recover with David, and have a mixed record (especially negative when Samaria is around) during the monarchy. The exilic period isn’t as negative as you might expect, nor the return period as positive. In the New Testament, things start off fine with Jesus, then quickly turn negative as opposition to his message grows. The story of the early church, especially in the epistles, is largely positive.
In short, it gives you a bird’s-eye view of the tone of each book, something that’s easy to miss in a line-by-line reading. You could also use it as a guide of sorts to the darkest, juiciest parts of the Bible.
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
Also see:
- Wait . . . and Listen — by Chuck Swindoll
On 10/14/2011,
in faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, passions, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
From DSC:
I’m a broken person. As such, I don’t mean to post the piece of scripture above to be pointing figures at anyone or to be telling someone how to live and what to think. But my experience has been that God’s ways are often 180 degrees opposite from the ways of the world. So, often times, we need to be retrained in our thinking and in regards to our perspectives and assumptions (whether they involve faith-based items or not). Sometimes, the old tapes and messages need to be thrown away. That’s why I posted this item.
I also post this because I believe God knows how He made each one of us and which abilities, gifts, passions, talents He gave to each of us. I view my job as to identify the passions and gifts He gave to me and then go to work on developing them — while striving to use them in serving others. A fulfilling, WIN-WIN situation indeed.
On 10/13/2011,
in digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, engagement / engaging students, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, story, storytelling, strategy,
by Daniel Christian
Transmedia in the church — check out the work of The reThink Group
From DSC:
I recently reflected that the materials that my wife is using for her pre-K through 5th grade ministry illustrates some serious use of transmedia in the church!
Check out the work of The reThink Group. For example, see whatisorange.org. I say transmedia because they are ultimately telling THEE story — the Gospel — across a multitude of channels and delivery methods. Just looking at the description below of one of these channels — Parent Cue app for the iPhone — lets you know that they are pursuing multiple channels to enlist the aid of parents in relaying the gospel message to their kids.
- A Parent Cue app for the iPhone
Our lives are busy. As parents, we want to prioritize our children. We want to do everything we can to invest in them relationally, to guide them developmentally and to help them grow in their faith in Christ. But it’s just so easy to get caught up in the urgent day-to-day business of life. This Parent Cue App provides you with simple CUES throughout the week that remind you to pause and make the most of everyday moments. Every month, Parent Cue will focus on one specific virtue, or life application. You will receive prompts for videos, activities, discussion questions and more that will help you connect with your child around this one key virtue. These prompts will come in the form of Drive Time videos, Hang Time activities, and Meal Time discussion starters to help you fit them into the day-to-day moments of your routine. There’s even a section just for you called Parent Time that’s filled with parent blogs, podcasts and more.
Beside the above app, they also have:
- studio252.tv
- Curriculum for youth — preschool, children, students — that contain videos, teaching guides, items for the refrig, and more
- A regularly updated blog that follows up on what they are trying to convey in their curriculum
- A monthly Parent Link Live podcast
- A yearly conference
- …and other channels/materials.
Wow! That’s a lot of information to keep coordinated, but The reThink Group is harnessing the power of multiple types of media/channels to positively impact the hearts and minds of children.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
On 10/06/2011,
in faith, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.
On 10/05/2011,
in faith, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while he is near.
On 10/03/2011,
in faith, hearts -- matters of the heart,
by Daniel Christian
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
On 09/27/2011,
in faith, global / globalization, history, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
Some items concerning the fact that the Dead Sea Scrolls are now online:
- The Dead Sea Scrolls Online — video
- From parchment to personal computers, Dead Sea Scrolls go online — from theglobeandmail.com
- Famous Dead Sea Scrolls are now Online — from edukwest.com
- Dead Sea Scrolls come to life on the Web — from cnet.com
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
From DSC:
Having gone through Northwestern, the culture there was highly competitive and it seemed like the whole point of being there was to land a job by the time you graduated. If you didn’t have a job by the time you graduated, you were falling behind.
Having gone through Northwestern, the culture there was highly competitive and it seemed like the whole point of being there was to land a job by the time you graduated. If you didn’t have a job by the time you graduated, you were falling behind.
Evanston, where NU is located, is surrounded by the Chicagoland area — filled with corporations, industry, banking, retail, and more. Much of the surrounding culture of Chicago tends to lean towards status — what # of the Beamer are you driving? Oh, a 755, you must be important/rich/successful in life. You must have a corner office — you’ve made it big! Congrats! How many people do you have working for you? Wow — 250…pretty good.
So when a friend of mine from church introduced me to Matthew 6:33, she was really introducing me to the LORD’s Re-Prioritization Plan for me. As is often the case, the way the world works (and often the way I was trained), is usually 180 degrees different from the ways of the LORD. Don’t seek the corner office Daniel — seek his kingdom and his righteousness first. Don’t pursue the Beamer, you can’t take it with you. Build up for yourself, Daniel, treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy, and where thieves cannot break in and steal.
Keeping balance and priorities in life has been a challenge for me at times — relationships, family, work, my health, further schooling, etc. But this verse helped me — and still helps me today — keep the right goal and priority in mind.
On 09/26/2011,
in faith, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education,
by Daniel Christian
Top 10 most prestigious Bible Colleges in the U.S. — from by Joy Shepherd on September 19, 2011
My thanks to the blog over at StraighterLine.com for posting this resource at:
Should a Bible College be part of your educational plans?
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
On 09/19/2011,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society,
by Daniel Christian
12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?