Seeds For Thinking

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

* Maximize Your Investment
* Scripture: Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." ( from Matthew 6: 19-20, NKJV)

The Greek work for god is 'theos,' from which we derive our word theology, meaning the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially the study of God and of God's relation to the world.
A 'theist' is someone who: believes in the existence of a god or gods; specifically belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of man and the world. Place the letter 'a' in front of 'theist' and we get atheist, which designates a person "without god."
And a lot of arguments!
It is not surprising that questions abound, including these topics that I found on an internet search:

* Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind
* Religion and Medicine Mix, Survey Indicates
* Medical 'Miracles' Not Supported by Evidence
* Prayer Does Not Help Heart Bypass Patients
* Churchgoers Live Longer

Recent advances in technology have enabled researchers to learn more about how the human brain functions. One report described the areas of the brain that are active during mystical or religious experiences. There is no single "God Spot" they say. Rather, the study found that "mystical experiences activate more than a dozen different areas of the brain at once. One of the regions, called the caudate nucleus, has been implicated in positive emotions such as happiness, romantic love and maternal love."
Note the interest in the relationship between medicine, health, and religious experience in the headlines above. The report of one study states:
"Religious attendance is not a mode of medical therapy," said study leader Daniel Hall, a resident in general surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "While this study was not intended for use in clinical decision making, these findings tell us that there is something to examine further."
Hall is also an Episcopal priest.
"The significance of this finding may prove to be controversial," he said. "But at the very least, it shows that further research into the associations between religion and health might have implications for medical practice."
In a telephone interview, Hall speculated that the social aspect of religion could play a role in the results: "There is something about being knit into the type of community that religious communities embody that has a way of mediating a positive health effect," he told Live Science (Ed. note: my internet source.). Perhaps, he said, being involved in a religion "can then decrease your level of stress in life or increase your ability to cope with stress."
Another possibility: "Being in a religious community helps you make meaning out of your life," Hall suggested.
The findings are detailed in the March-April issue of the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
We also hear and read about the plight of those who are homeless, adrift in the sea of humanity, lonely, depressed, and mostly abandoned by the communities around them. It is a cold, hard fact, however, that many who have homes and 'stuff' in abundance live in a poverty of meaningful relationships, an emptiness, the absence of "happiness, romantic love and maternal love" as noted above.
So - this week think about the religious community to which you belong. Can you place a value on it? In business terms, can you "maximize your investment?" Lay up for yourself treasures in heaven.
Keep in mind, also, that the more heavenly treasure you share and give away the more you will benefit.
And you may just happen to fill a gaping void in the life of one who could use a little meaning in their life.
September 3, 2006

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

* To See Ourselves
* Scripture: Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" Matthew 5:13, NKJB

I have yet to see a coin that didn't have two sides. Sides that are different, just like most arguments and opinions.
Both sides of a coin represent the same value; not so with arguments and opinions.
The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, wrote a little verse:
"O would the gift the giver give (gie) us,
To see ourselves as others see us."

It is said that he conceived the ditty while sitting in church behind a lady all decked out in her Sunday finery, complete with a hat with a large feather on it, and watched as a louse crawled up her neck.
Ah! To see ourselves as we truly are - that would indeed be a gift from the Giver above. That's one side of the coin. Not only to see, but to possess the tact and fortitude to handle the truth, whether about ourselves, or about others.
The other side of the coin is truly to be able to see ourselves as we ARE, but NOT as others see us! Perhaps you have been told, as a youth undergoing teasing and name calling, that,

"Sticks and stones may break my (your) bones,
But words will never hurt me."

In all truth, words can cut deeper than any two-edged sword! Words can leave wounds that do not heal over time, as most physical bruises do. Harsh 'put-down' words can be like pouring salt into an open wound.
Think about a plant, any plant, a growing thing. We can readily see what is above ground; the stem, stalk or trunk, and the leaves, reaching up to the beneficial rays of the sun. The health of the plant depends even more critically upon the root system, however, the unseen network through which the plant is nourished. Damage to that system threatens the well-being of the rest of the plant. Salt is good, in the right place, but not on most root systems, the other side of the coin, so to speak.
A person's psyche - soul, self, mind - is like that plant's root system, not visible like the physical body, but ever so vital in the wellness and wholeness of the person. How easily can that psyche be damaged by ridicule and words that cut and rend asunder a person's self image.
We can relate how people went on to achieve great things in spite of criticism to the effect that they were dumb, and would never amount to anything, people like Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein. They are an inspiration, surely, but how many more Edisons and Einsteins would there have been - would there be - had their spark not been quenched by the cold water of ridicule and scorn.
The music and comedy act, The Smothers Brothers, got great milage from the line, "Mother always liked you best." Why? I think because it touches a tender spot with so many people.
We are vulnerable, each one of us, to wounding by words. The remedy is not in retaliation, but in lifting up, encouraging, comforting. We are called to be the 'seasoning' of the earth, not the salt poured into opened wounds. Salt, true, but different sides of the same coin.
This week, try to be the encourager, the enabler, the good 'seasoner' in someone's life. In doing so, you will not only lift up their life, but your own, as well.
April 2, 2006

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

Scripture: Paul wrote, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16, NIV

Oh, what a day it must have been when the temple in Jerusalem was dedicated!
Musicians stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The singers joined in, singing, “He is good;
His love endures forever.”
(2 Corinthians 13)
More importantly, after the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant was placed in the Holy Place, the glory of the LORD filled the temple with a cloud.
King Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD, in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread his hands toward heaven, and said:
“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below - you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue whole-heartedly in your way.” (1 Kings 8:22-23) The king concluded his prayer with these words to the assembled people:
“But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” (1 Kings 8:61)
Unfortunately, as time passed, both the whole-hearted commitment to God, and the condition of the temple fell into disrepair. Israel turned from following the true God, and was conquered by Assyria. (2 Kings 17:1-23)
The people of Judah also followed “all the detestable practices of the nations - defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.” Ezekiel, in captivity in Babylon, again saw the glory of the LORD fill the temple, and a cloud fill the inner court. This time, however, there was no rejoicing. The glory of the LORD departed from the temple. (Ezekiel 10)
Eventually, the people returned to Judah and Jerusalem, and the temple was rebuilt; the completition and dedication of the second temple is recorded in Ezra 6:6-18. Neither the building nor the dedication was as spectacular as in Solomon’s day.
King Herod spent forty-six years rebuilding the temple into a massive edifice. This is the temple that Jesus visited. His disciples commented on the massive stones. Jesus prophesied that, “ Not one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Mark 13:1) The people worshiped with their mouths, but not with their hearts.
Today, the temple mount is occupied by the Muslim “Dome of the Rock,” the 3rd holiest site in Islam. Herod’s temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.
As goes the relationship with God, so goes the temple. Take care that your personal temple is not thrown down by failing to “continue whole-heartedly in God’s way.”
Take time to read about the construction of Solomon’s temple in 1 Kings chapters 6 - 9, and chapters 2 - 7 in 2 Chronicles.
November 16, 2003

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

Scripture: “See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come; the cooing of doves is heard in our land.” Song of Songs, 2:11-12 NIV
*April showers will bring May flowers.*
We’ve had ‘em; We’ve got ‘em!!
What a beautiful time of year! A trinity of forces have combined to make the woods, lawn, and gardens bloom forth. Sure, it takes April showers to wash away the drabness of winter and soak the soil with the sustainer of life - water. As the length of the day increases, and the soil warms, the plants are triggered to once again thrust forth their leaves and buds. The force that leads all others is of course the position of the earth in relation to the sun. What a remarkable mechanism! The earth is actually the closest to the sun in the winter time, but in the northern hemisphere, the angle at which its rays hit the earth put us into the deep freeze. Our cousins south of the equator get their moment in the sunshine. The south polar region becomes the land of the midnight sun. The north pole barely sees the sun at all. Gradually, day by day, the earth moves in its orbit until that magic day arrives - the length of day and night are equal. The sun once again “crosses” the equator, and spring begins.
Nothing happens instantly, of course. It takes time. Only a minute or so every day, but the period of daylight lengthens for us northerners, and shortens for those south of the equator. Gradually, the temperature of our soil rises. So do our spirits. We cast off the winter blahs, and rejoice in the sunshine.
So it is the relationship to the sun that drives all the other forces. What a different world we would live in if that remarkable relationship did not exist. The life cycle of plants and animals would have to be different, because all life is dependent upon the forces engendered by that day to day relationship to the life-giver.
So, too, is our relationship to the One who gives life to even the mighty sun. God, in His Trinity - The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Are we close to the Son? Do we “orbit” Him? Are we in tune to His life-giving forces? Can we feel His power influencing our lives? I hope so!
Think about what a remarkable thing ‘life’ is. We can see the effects of life. We can tell if something is living or dead, but we can’t create life where life does not exist. We can nurture it, we can nourish it, we can destroy it, but only God creates life.
We need to also nurture and nourish the spirit, which God gave us. To do that, we need to be close to the Son. Is it springtime in your spiritual life? I hope so!
April 30, 2001, May Newsletter

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

Scripture: John wrote, “The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 NIV
It’s spring! It’s spring!!
Actually, spring began at 8:31 AM on March 20th. I was driving my car on the highway at that time, and I did not notice anything different. There was no unusual sound, no flash of light, the earth didn’t shake. Nothing. How about you - notice anything unusual happen? I thought not. So how do I know? Someone assured me that that was the date and time spring officially began. Astronomers watch the path taken by the sun in relation to the earth, and note when the sun crosses the equator. We could do that, also, IF we knew what to look for, and how to measure it.
We need people who specialize in some field of knowledge. For example, I have a Dr. who takes care of my eyes; another my teeth (dentist.) We might go to a cardiologist or internist for internal organs, but to a dermatologist for skin problems. Look under physicians in a directory, and you will find a doctor for just about all that ails you.
Go to a large automotive repair center, and again you will find people who specialize in some aspect of auto mechanics. Any company, even a small one, probably has someone who specializes in accounting, secretarial, or administrative duties.
Look through the Help Wanted listings in a newspaper. They will usually specify that they are looking for people with certain qualifications. One of those criteria is sure to be EXPERIENCE! Not just knowledge, but hands-on experience. Can’t you just see someone applying for a job in an orchestra if they can claim only that they have read a book on music! Yeah, right!!
No, we want someone who has been there, done that; someone who understands what it is all about. Experience.
So how about the business of life? No problem, if all we want is earthly knowledge. Lots of opportunity for that. We are born into it. But what about the spiritual side of us? How do we prepare for eternity? Who can know God? That’s where Jesus came in.
Jesus brings with Him an unusual experience. He is both God and Man. Mortal and immortal. Of the Earth, and of Heaven. He knows what we earthlings go thru, because He became human.
Being also God, He did what none of us could do. He paid the ransom for all of our sins, thru His blood shed on Calvary. And rose from the dead, that we might live.
That is the beauty of EASTER!
April 1, 2001