Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “And Nathanael said to (Philip,) ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” John 1:46, NKJV

There is something satisfying about painting a wall. A large, broad area, where the paint goes on quickly, all one color, with sweeping, swift strokes. A large roller applicator works well, as does a paint pad, or even a broad brush. No need to fidget around with small details; just paint away!
Paintings, too, can start with a simple background, quickly applied, using one of the broader brushes from the artist’s stock of supplies. The picture itself requires a more deliberate and detailed technique to bring out the fullness of the painting.
You could efficiently paint a lot of walls, prepare a lot of canvases, making them all look alike, with no visible distinctive or individual characteristics. Sweepingly general in scope.
Not so when it comes to filling in fine detail, the kind of work that takes time and patience, but requires a much smaller brush to bring out the fulness of the design.
We can also make a sweepingly general appraisal of people that is referred to as “painting with a broad brush.” Just like painting a broad, flat wall all in one color, stereotyping leaves out the individuality of people or ideas.
Nathanael used the ‘broad brush’ technique when he was invited to meet Jesus. Philip said, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45)
Nathanael’s reply leaves no doubt as to his opinions of the people of Nazareth in Galilee!
In contrast, Jesus knew many facts about Nathanael, and commented on his individual character - “An Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael was convinced that something good could indeed come out of Nazareth, but only after he saw and heard the finer details that pictured The Son of God!
A broad brush is a handy tool for painting walls, but let’s call it what is is when we “paint someone with a broad brush.” We might call it stereotyping, profiling, or just plain prejudice, but it seems to me that it is a form of false witness. What do you think? Check out Deuteronomy 5:20. Since your Bible is open, take a moment to read the first twenty-one verses of Chapter 5. Good things are worth reading over and over.
Take a tip from Philip; tell someone about Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth. The One who died, and rose again for everyone’s sins.
Come and see!
April 16, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

* A Broad Brush
* Scripture: "And Nathanael said to (Philip,) 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.'" John 1:46, NKJV

There is something satisfying about painting a wall. A large, broad area, where the paint goes on quickly, all one color, with sweeping, swift strokes. A large roller applicator works well, as does a paint pad, or even a broad brush. No need to fidget around with small details; just paint away!
Paintings, too, can start with a simple background, quickly applied, using one of the broader brushes from the artist's stock of supplies. The picture itself requires a more deliberate and detailed technique to bring out the fullness of the painting.
You could efficiently paint a lot of walls, prepare a lot of canvases, making them all look alike, with no visible distinctive or individual characteristics. Sweepingly general in scope.
Not so when it comes to filling in fine detail, the kind of work that takes time and patience, but requires a much smaller brush to bring out the fulness of the design.
We can also make a sweepingly general appraisal of people that is referred to as "painting with a broad brush." Just like painting a broad, flat wall all in one color, stereotyping leaves out the individuality of people or ideas.
Nathanael used the 'broad brush' technique when he was invited to meet Jesus. Philip said, "We have found Him of whom Moses wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45)
Nathanael's reply leaves no doubt as to his opinions of the people of Nazareth in Galilee!
In contrast, Jesus knew many facts about Nathanael, and commented on his individual character - "An Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael was convinced that something good could indeed come out of Nazareth, but only after he saw and heard the finer details that pictured The Son of God!
A broad brush is a handy tool for painting walls, but let's call it what is is when we "paint someone with a broad brush." We might call it stereotyping, profiling, or just plain prejudice, but it seems to me that it is a form of false witness. What do you think? Check out Deuteronomy 5:20. Since your Bible is open, take a moment to read the first twenty-one verses of Chapter 5. Good things are worth reading over and over.
Take a tip from Philip; tell someone about Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth. The One who died, and rose again for everyone's sins.
Come and see!
April 16, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Soap
* Scripture: John wrote, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7, NKJV

Ablution! Now there’s a word for you. You probably have not used the word recently, but I sincerely hope you have performed the ritual of ablution recently, and I highly recommend that you do it often. Ablution is the washing of one's body or part of it (as in a religious rite) or the act or action of bathing.
My thoughts wandered to one of the essential elements of the ritual as I was engaged in my ablutions one day, and I accorded the discovery of that product as one of the most beneficial events in the history of humankind.
Now people talk about the lever, inclined plane, and the fulcrum, the values of fire and the wheel, but those discoveries (or inventions, if they be such) are inconsequential when one is ensconced in the bath. You may prefer a washcloth, a brush, a sponge, or even a strigil as used by the ancient Greeks, but people the world over proclaim the wondrous power of - soap!
Thus inspired, and curiosity aroused, I turned to my references to learn what I could of this marvelous stuff.
I already knew, and my dictionary confirmed, that soap is made by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids. Mom used to make a homemade soap, using lye as the alkaline ingredient. Another source for the alkali is wood ashes, so the basic ingredients were available to even the frontier settlers as they moved westward in our country.
A soap-like material found in clay cylinders during the excavation of ancient Babylon is evidence that soap making was known as early as 2800 B.C. Soap and lye for cleansing is mentioned in Jeremiah 2:22, but it is noted that iniquity remained, so soap is not effective against pollution from worshiping idols. Fuller’s (launder’s) soap is mentioned in Malachi 3:2, in reference to the Lord’s cleansing in the day of His coming.
Soap got its name, according to an ancient Roman legend, from Mount Sapo, where animals were sacrificed. Rain washed a mixture of melted animal fat, or tallow, and wood ashes down into the clay soil along the Tiber River. Women found that this clay mixture made their wash cleaner with much less effort.
So there is your connection between worship and soap. Perhaps “cleanliness” is truly next to “Godliness” after all! The ingredients were right there at the altar, even in ancient Israel. Animal sacrifices provided the fats, and the wood ashes the alkali.
It was at the altar that the blood of the First Covenant atoned for sin; it was at the cross that the blood of Christ brought sanctification once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from sin.
June 5, 2005