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/

* Planned Obsolescence
* Scripture: John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30, NIV

One of the side effects of walking the earth for three score years and ten (or longer) is a growing awareness of how temporary many earthly things seem to be.
Anyone who has attempted to obtain repair parts, or hauled some beloved and faithful gadget in for repair, is faced with a tradition called “planned obsolescence.” Treasure the company that supports maintenance and stocks parts for more than five or six years!
Do you ladies cheerfully welcome every change in fashion? Comfort gone with the cut of the newest styles? I imagine that I am not alone among the fellows that stand perplexed in front of racks of clothing that attempt to leapfrog me into the fashion future.
Brand names and particular models of items have a way of disappearing into the past, whether they want to or not. The automobile scene of the 21st Century is an entirely different world from that in the middle of the 20th. Let’s see: there was the Essex, Kaiser, Frasure, Studebaker, Crosley, Packard, DeSoto . . . all made in The USA!
Go to an antique tractor show, and marvel at the variety: Oliver, Allis Chalmers, Cockshutt, Avery - and a few names that still have corporate identity, such as the John Deere and Case lines. Others are still around but in a new corporate setting. They either merged with , or were bought out by another company. Who would have thought that “International Harvester” would be a model name under the Case/IH logo.
Many products simply become obsolete through new advances in technology and social change (progress?). The oft cited producers of buggy whips and washboards linger on in limited numbers, since groups like the Amish still use them, but, by and large, the producers of such objects either turned to some new, more salable product, or ceased to exist entirely.
Still, few are the companies that begin with the goal of making themselves obsolete on purpose. Most start with high hopes, and excitement in the pursuit of their own enterprise. Many succeed, but the number of those who fade like a flower in the hot desert sun are in the majority.
It just seems to be human nature to want to continue to move up in life, to ‘upper-ups’, if possible. Anyone in a position of visibility, power, or popularity usually clings to every visage of adherents they can muster. But consider John the Baptizer: He had a successful ministry. People from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him. (Mark 1:5)
Curiosity and -Yes,! controversy swirled about him. He testified that he, John, was not The One. He was the Forerunner, the one pointing to the Messiah. John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
December 11, 2005

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

Scripture: Paul wrote, “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live . . . Romans 8:13, NIV

You have no doubt heard about cruise missiles and smart bombs that are so accurate that they can be guided literally down chimneys or through doors. Recently, I personally experienced the technology that makes such remarkable accuracy possible. No, I’ve neither shot, nor been shot at. It is called the Global Positioning System, and it is used for many purposes other than military ordinance guidance.
And, yes, it is quite accurate, enabling a GPS equipped device to provide data as to location, elevation above sea level, and speed and direction of travel. Coupled with a hand-sized map display unit, it will not only display a map that tracks your movements, but also tell you when to turn, and which lane to drive in.
My son loaned us a GPS equipped navigation system for a trip to an unfamiliar area. It was almost surreal to be tracked so explicitly, viewing the roads and intersections on the display as the signs along the road came into view. The travel speed read-out was more accurate than the speedometer on the dash. But the best part - it told us exactly when and what direction to turn to get to our destination!
Perhaps you have (or have heard about) an automobile that has the equipment built in, so that a stolen car can be tracked, or a stranded motorist located by emergency services. Locked out of your car? A call to the proper number (with your security code) will enable them to unlock your car with this astounding satellite based technology.
The ability to locate any spot on earth, and even in the space above the earth, has never been so precise, nor so readily available. GPS has become the standard location system for all sorts of travel and surveying purposes.
What a shame, then, that the Heavenly Positioning System is so little used. Yes, you have heard of it; it is called the Bible! God’s Word; Spiritual Guidance!
Any trip is so much more pleasant when you have precision guidance. There is so much beauty available in life’s journey that there is no point in wallowing in the muck and mire on life’s side-roads. Use your Bible for a “Road Map.”
Some day we will leave our global transportation system behind (our bodies), and the Soul will then depart for the destination that is programmed within. No last minute updates available once the trip is under way. Only two terminal locations are possible, and will have been determined through long years of programming (heeding or avoiding God’s life-map) the Heavenly Positioning System.
Keep in mind, also, that while YOU have been given the choice of routing in your earthly travels, when That Day comes, someone else will be in the driver’s seat.
To whom will you hand the keys, God or Satan?
August 3, 2003