Seeds For Thinking

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

* Living Lessons
* Scripture: God said, "You shall teach (these words of mine) to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deuteronomy 11:19, NKJV)

School is in session! Don't expect the three R's -reading and 'riting and 'rithmetic - in this school, though. Well, maybe one R, roosting. This is chicken school, and the teacher is our black bantam hen. Scratching and pecking top the list of subjects, coupled with practical information about locating food and water.
One thing is for certain: the chicks are willing students. When she clucks, they come running. Where she leads, they follow, with much enthusiasm. They receive lessons in barnyard etiquette, including which denizens to avoid, and which to simply ignore. They arise when she does, and learn to literally 'go to bed with the chickens.'
I'm not sure that you could call the sounds the chickens make "words" in the truest sense, but they will learn all of the signals and calls in use by the flock. To that extent, they will fulfill the command of Deuteronomy 11:19.
Few of us would want to live the life of a chicken. Their lives are very much in the present. As adults, chickens give no thought to mother or father, nor past and future, beyond remembering where they have previously found food or water and a favorite and safe place to roost.
Is that all there is to life? For birds, perhaps, and I think of the response that Jesus gave concerning the birds of the air (or barnyard) in Matthew 6:28, of God's concern for them, and the greater concern He has for all people. We are created in God's image, and so should live exemplary lives in His image.
We have a history of relationships with God and a heritage which we should hold dear. The nation of Israel was commanded to remember not only all of the things that God had done for them, but also to remember and teach the Commandments. Further, each generation was to teach these things to their children, not just in a formal school setting, but by making each moment a living lesson, a heavenly example.
We, too, should involve our children, and our children's children, in those living lessons of worship and daily devotions. We should not rely solely on someone else to model or teach manners and etiquette, including table grace. We need to demonstrate loving relationships with God and neighbors, by not living for food (posessions) alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)
Just something to eat, something to drink, a little entertainment and a place to roost - that's for the birds!
Yes, school is in session. Therefore, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" and diligently teach all people by your example.
August 27, 2006

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

* Relationships
* Scripture: James wrote, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8, NKJV

I suppose that if I were to ask people to define the main theme of the Bible, the overwhelming majority would say “God” or “Jesus.” To take nothing from the prominence of The Deity, my response will be “Relationships.” Please allow me to share my reasoning with you.
Suppose that I tell you that a magnificent rock formation forms the focal point of a vast, trackless desert. You may well say, “So?”
I persist; “It is unlike anything you have ever seen. You really should go to see it for yourself.” Yielding slightly, you may ask where it is located. Should I say, “Australia,” you could rightly comment that Australia is not only far away, but is also a very large country.
“OK,” I say. “I’ll show you a map of how to get there,” and talk about distance and direction, all of which will of course be in relation to some point and to where you are at the moment. Relationships.
Conceding that such a trip may not be within reality, I may throw in a picture so that you can see for yourself the wonders that I proclaim. Again, I need to include some references about substance, length, breadth and height, and how it may compare to anything found elsewhere in the world. Relationships.
God is Infinite, All-powerful, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Hearing. He is known as the “Great I Am.” God “IS!” How do we describe the indescribable? What more to say?
He is the Creator of all that exists; That is a relationship. He wants to be our God, and we are to be His People. That is a relationship.
Think about all that is contained in the Bible. The very commandments proclaim not only God, but the relationship between all things in creation, living and nonliving. Jesus sums up the commandments in Matthew 22:36-40 by stating that a certain relationship should exist between God and ourselves, and between ourselves and our neighbor. The truth of the Parable of the Good Samaritan lies not in who of the three men passing along that Jericho road believes in God, but in who has a Godly relationship with his ‘neighbor.’
Again, it is our relationship to the least of His Children and our response brought about from that relationship that is important, (Mt. 25:31-46).
Suppose that you are sitting in a room which darkens as the daylight ebbs. You are there, the darkness is there, and a light switch is located across the room. To bring illumination (light) into your life, you need to do something about your relationship to that light switch. Get up, move that relationship close enough that you can turn on the power.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
August 14, 2005

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

Scripture: James wrote, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8, NKJV

I suppose that if I were to ask people to define the main theme of the Bible, the overwhelming majority would say “God” or “Jesus.” To take nothing from the prominence of The Deity, my response will be “Relationships.” Please allow me to share my reasoning with you.
Suppose that I tell you that a magnificent rock formation forms the focal point of a vast, trackless desert. You may well say, “So?”
I persist; “It is unlike anything you have ever seen. You really should go to see it for yourself.” Yielding slightly, you may ask where it is located. Should I say, “Australia,” you could rightly comment that Australia is not only far away, but is also a very large country.
“OK,” I say. “I’ll show you a map of how to get there,” and talk about distance and direction, all of which will of course be in relation to some point and to where you are at the moment. Relationships.
Conceding that such a trip may not be within reality, I may throw in a picture so that you can see for yourself the wonders that I proclaim. Again, I need to include some references about substance, length, breadth and height, and how it may compare to anything found elsewhere in the world. Relationships.
God is Infinite, All-powerful, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Hearing. He is known as the “Great I Am.” God “IS!” How do we describe the indescribable? What more to say?
He is the Creator of all that exists; That is a relationship. He wants to be our God, and we are to be His People. That is a relationship.
Think about all that is contained in the Bible. The very commandments proclaim not only God, but the relationship between all things in creation, living and nonliving. Jesus sums up the commandments in Matthew 22:36-40 by stating that a certain relationship should exist between God and ourselves, and between ourselves and our neighbor. The truth of the Parable of the Good Samaritan lies not in who of the three men passing along that Jericho road believes in God, but in who has a Godly relationship with his ‘neighbor.’
Again, it is our relationship to the least of His Children and our response brought about from that relationship that is important, (Mt. 25:31-46).
Suppose that you are sitting in a room which darkens as the daylight ebbs. You are there, the darkness is there, and a light switch is located across the room. To bring illumination (light) into your life, you need to do something about your relationship to that light switch. Get up, move that relationship close enough that you can turn on the power.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
August 14, 2005

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

Scripture: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Proverbs 16:18,19, NKJV

Ah, Memories! there is nothing quite like dipping down deep into the memory bin, stirring them up a bit, watching them swirl around, and grabbing onto one or two for a trip down memory lane. I did a little stirring recently when I ran across an internet web site about comic strips - Don Markstein's Toonopedia™ Home Page. Talk about traveling back in time!
Many of the strips from the days of my youth were represented. I especially enjoyed “Out Our Way,” by J. R. Williams. It opened a new world for me, because he drew upon his experiences working in a factory, with cowboys on the range, and typical family situations. There was “Our Boarding House,“ with the ever pompous Major Hoople and his long-suffering but efficient wife, Martha. Some, like “Smokey Stover,” were pure foolishness, but the made-up words fascinated me, like 'Foo’ and 'Notary Sojack.'
I have had a deep interest in the comic strip technique that goes beyond the quick bit of life or humor. All the essential elements of art, writing, film and video presentation are represented, and distilled to a potent essence. I used comic panels to illustrate the techniques of picture composition, movement of the story line, and compression of time in teaching television production.
I still use selected strips in teaching Bible studies. My maternal grandfather had no use for the comics, considering them to be a bunch of rubbish. Never-the-less, I find that they can be used effectively in making a point, or fleshing out an illustration.
Keep in mind that they do not have to be Biblical (although sometimes they may be so - the occasional “B.C.,” or “Peanuts,” for example.) An illustration presenting what ‘IS NOT’ can be just as effective as what ‘IS’ if used properly.
Take relationships; that is what the Bible is all about, after all. Our relationships to God, and to each other - God’s creation.
I got to thinking about the characters in the “Bringing Up Father” strip, created by George McManus, about a poor Irish laborer named Jiggs, and his nagging, social-climbing wife, Maggie. Nouveau riche! Off with the old life, forward to the new, upward mobility into society. At least as far as Maggie is concerned. Art, voice lessons, fashion. Putting on airs. Jiggs? He doesn't understand why his ascension to wealth means he can't hang out with his old friends, and and enjoy corned beef and cabbage at Dinty Moore’s. The artist drew Maggie with a most critical expression on her face where Jigg’s indiscretions were concerned.
Relationships! Between husband and wife, within the family, to friends, both former and future. A place in the social order. Values, laying up treasures. Pride and humility. The higher and lower seats.
Got any ideas yet?
August 7, 2005

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

Scripture: The (the lawyer) answered and said, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27, NKJV

You pass a lot of things as you drive down the road or across town, physical things. Cars and trucks in the next lane, behind you and before you. Buildings and bridges, Structures large and small, from the tidy to the tawdry, ‘McMansions’ and monuments. Even the magnificence of natural ‘wonders’ pales to insignificance when compared to the one element that grabs our attention, and our emotions - People!
Take away the human element and the most grandiose monument is just a pile of stone. Erase the names from the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, ignore the association with its reason for being, and it retains only one thought in our minds - Who built it, and why. Stonehenge intrigues us, only in part because of its composition, but primarily because somebody built it. We know ‘What’ it is, and ‘Where’ it is, but we are driven to discover the ‘Who’ and the ‘Why’ - the people connection!
So, too, with any history we may compile. The physical elements are akin to computer firmware - things to touch and see. But people, ahh, people! That is the ‘software’ that gives life to history, that makes monuments truly majestic, and puts the “Awe” in awesome. Feelings, thoughts, emotions - the ties that bind and the forces that drive us.
Yes, we can analyze, we can describe, we can measure and calculate the attributes of things, but life is not in them. Because we are human, things are only complete when we imbue them with a relationship to our humanity.
The Bible, the sacred volume of God’s People, is neither, in the truest sense, a history, nor a chronological record of events. Rather, it is a chronicle of relationships - yes, the ties that bind and the forces that drive us.
There are recountings of places and things, remarkable only in their relationship to the people, God’s People. We read of monuments and memorials, such as that of the Memorial of the Crossing, in Joshua Chapter 4. Institutions and observances are established; Passover, for example (Exodus Chapter 12), or The Lord’s Supper. (Luke 22:14-20)
The true significance of monuments and institutions lies not in their being, but in their function: to remind us of our relationship to God, and to each other. Such was - and is- the purpose of the stone tablets and the Ten Commandments themselves, to remind us that:
“You Shall have no other gods before Me.” (Deuteronomy 4:7) “You shall love the LORD your God” - in totality!
Likewise, the children, all of God’s children - yourself and your neighbors - are worthy and deserving of God’s Love (Agape), one to another.