10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
On 02/25/2023,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
On 02/12/2023,
in faith, global / globalization, relationships, religion, science, society,
by Daniel Christian
Psalm 19:1-4
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
***
A detail image of the larger composite. DECaPS2/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image processing: M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
***
An excerpt from Nicky Gumbel’s Classic Bible Study
Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes for Health in the USA, a leader in the scientific response to COVID-19 and recipient of the 2020 Templeton Prize, led, in his former role as director of the Human Genome Project, a team of over 2000 scientists who collaborated to determine the three billion letters in the human genome – our own DNA instruction book. He said, ‘I cannot see how nature could have created itself. Only a supernatural force that is outside of space and time could have done that.’
On 02/02/2023,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
On 01/24/2023,
in Daniel S. Christian, Emotion, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
- Psalms 10:1 — from bible.com
Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
From DSC:
I get this piece of scripture…big time.
In the early fall of my senior year in college, I wanted to be sure that the LORD wasn’t a hoax. I didn’t want to commit the rest of my life to Him if He wasn’t real. From that point on, until a Maundy Thursday service at the Alice Millar Chapel on NU’s campus the next spring, I felt that the LORD was 10,000 miles away from me. I couldn’t hear Him or sense Him. I won’t go into details, but it turned out that the LORD was definitely at work. He was changing my identity (though it felt more like a ripping away of my identity) from an athlete to one of His adopted children. I’m glad He was at work, but I wouldn’t want to relive that year ever again.
On 01/20/2023,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
1 Peter 3:8 NIV — from my.bible.com
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.
On 01/17/2023,
in Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, religion, society,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to see a local performance of Charles Dickens’ “The Christmas Carol.” I loved seeing the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge. And one of the events that changed Ebenezer was seeing his own name on the gravestone.
There’s been something about this verse that has clung to my heart and my mind. As dealing with time can already put heat in my kitchen, I have to handle this verse with some care.
On 01/11/2023,
in faith, geography / geology, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
.
On 01/09/2023,
in Access to Justice (A2J), change, Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, society,
by Daniel Christian
16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
From DSC:
Obviously, all of this goes for me as well. I constantly thank the LORD for His patience with me as well as His grace and forgiveness. I often seek His help, wisdom, and strength. Anyway, the above verse caught my eye due to Isaiah’s focus on justice and to seeing that justice is had by all.
And those reflections caused me to think about what the church is all about — at least for me. This brought to mind an old pastor friend of mine who once exclaimed, “The church is a hospital.”
Wow. That thought hit me powerfully. And you know what? I agree with him.
“The church” is a place for “sick” people who are in need of hope, healing, teaching, support, forgiveness, grace, love, wisdom, community, and more. Besides a place to worship the LORD, those are some of the reasons why I continue to go to church.
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
Along these lines, I’m trying to figure out what the LORD wants me to do (during this next year and beyond). I want to make a contribution. For those who pray out there, I could use your prayers on where He wants me to plug in.
On 01/08/2023,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
On 01/05/2023,
in Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
From DSC:
Being transformed in our thinking is one of the LORD’s key goals for us and one of the areas where He is active in our lives. (Also see Romans 12:2.) Our thinking impacts many things, including our behaviors, attitudes, and perspectives.
But my reflection here is especially meant for new believers in Christ. This process of transformation takes time. Don’t expect immediate changes in some areas of your life. After you received Christ into your heart, you may doubt that anything has changed. But you will begin to see the world, God, and others differently over time. (Reading scripture regularly helps this process along.)
On 01/04/2023,
in Access to Justice (A2J), faith, global / globalization, relationships, religion, society,
by Daniel Christian
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
On 12/24/2022,
in Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, religion,
by Daniel Christian
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
On 12/22/2022,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, relationships, religion,
by Daniel Christian
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
On 12/15/2022,
in faith, global / globalization, history, relationships, religion, society,
by Daniel Christian
Luke 1:30-33 — from biblegateway.com
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”