Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com

* Normal
* Scripture: Jesus said, . . ."I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of Truth." John 14:6,7, NIV

I wonder how much of our lives we spend waiting for things to "become normal"? Take the weather, for example. The forecast may call for conditions to be "about normal," or perhaps "above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation."
That's fine, if we know what normal is supposed to be. If we look at the weather over many years of time, certain weather conditions may occur more often than others. The condition we call normal is not absolute; normal may be what we long for, but we can not be assured we will always know what normal is.
If we look back at our lives, and try to choose a period that we could label as "normal," we will realize that a lot of changes occur. Perhaps a more fitting term would be the word "typical." We had a typical childhood; we were typical teenagers. What was normal for those years is vastly different from marriage and childbearing years.
If we contact an illness, we may display symptoms that are normal for that affliction; we would definitely not say we were experiencing normal health, though. Not as we would want it to be.
That is today's "Seed For Thinking." Normal may in part be whatever we wish it to be. If we do not get our desires, our wish, we say things are "not normal."
The Bible is full of many examples where people want a certain condition to exist. "Have our cake, and eat it too." The dilemma - get what we want, but don't change anything. Do we eat the cake, or do we keep the cake uneaten?
Jesus' disciples had somewhat the same dilemma. They wanted Jesus to be with them, forever. That's an understandable feeling. But Jesus knew that the church needed something that would not be available if He stayed with the disciples. John 16:7 relates how Jesus told them that He had to go away, because the Holy Spirit would not come to them unless He went away.
They had all been with Jesus for several years. That was 'normal.' Now Jesus was going to leave them. Jesus observed that they were "filled with grief." (John 16:6)
Jesus was preparing them for a new way of life, and the world for a New Covenant.
His blood was shed for the salvation of all.
Normal ceased to exist;
Normal began on Calvary, and was confirmed at Pentecost.

SPECIAL NOTE: If all we ever do is what we've always done;
All we will ever get is what we've always got!

April 30, 2006

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

Scripture: “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”
Acts 8:30b-31a., NIV
It’s time for a pop quiz.
Hey!! Come back here. You won’t be graded; it is only a means to make a point.
How many of these ‘churchy’ terms are you familiar with?
1. Acolytes
2. Psalter
3. Pentecost
4. Communion
5. Sanctification
6. Eucharist
7. Host
8. Narthex
9. Apse
10. Sexton

Started out with things you are familiar with, and went downhill from there, didn’t it!

1. Acolyte - One who assists the clergyman in a liturgical service by performing minor duties; one who attends or assists : FOLLOWER

2. Psalter - The Book of Psalms; also, a collection of Psalms for liturgical or devotional use.

3. Pentecost - Literally, fiftieth day; a Christian feast on the seventh Sunday after Easter commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles (called also Whitsunday.)

4. Communion - A Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ's death or as symbols for the realization of a spiritual union between Christ and communicant or as the body and blood of Christ.

5. Sanctification - The state of growing in divine grace as a result of Christian commitment after baptism or conversion.

6. Eucharist - Communion

7. Host - the eucharistic bread.

8. Narthex - a vestibule leading to the nave (the main part of the interior) of a church.

9. Apse - a projecting part of a building (as a church) that is usually semicircular in plan and vaulted.

10. Sexton - a church officer or employee who takes care of the church property and performs related minor duties (as ringing the bell for services and digging graves).

These are all commonly used ‘churchy’ words or terms. I found them in various church bulletins and news articles. (Definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
However, they are not all used in all churches. It seems that the higher you go up the Ecclesiastical ladder, the higher-falutin’ the words become! (You look up Ecclesiastical).
Now, the point! . . . If we, who have been ‘churchy’ folk for years, couldn’t define many of these words, we should not expect people without a church background to understand these, and many other terms with which we are familiar.
So!
Become Knowledgeable.
Teach/help others.