portico

Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium? ...

2009-11-13T22:07:31.335-05:00

Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!

I think we should identify overseas locations wher...

2008-03-07T11:55:44.911-05:00

I think we should identify overseas locations where ministry is taking place and adopt one or two overseas mission posts that need help providing resources to the poor around them. Perhaps we could conduct fund raising events, send supplies, pray for their specific needs and even organize delegations of volunteers to visit and share in the work. And if others are interested, perhaps we could visit a local nursing home from time to time to bring cheer -- just to sit with them, sing some songs, etc. might be a blessing to the residents, some of whom probably don't have visitors.

Tony, thanks for the link. Obama as a Christ figur...

2008-02-22T23:13:58.827-05:00

Tony, thanks for the link. Obama as a Christ figure...interesting. I knew he was a effective speaker, but had no idea he had people fainting at his rallies!

The Washington Post has video of moderated discuss...

2008-02-22T16:30:15.421-05:00

The Washington Post has video of moderated discussions about faith and politics. The latest video here is about Obama's pseudo-Messianic appeal, Huckabee, etc.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/02/20/VI2008022002517.html?hpid=topnews

Hey Jorge,We'll be meeting up at Advent Hope at 6:...

2007-12-20T11:15:38.706-05:00

Hey Jorge,

We'll be meeting up at Advent Hope at 6:30pm and walking over to the nursing home together.

See tomorrow!

Hi people , I couldn't make it there the other day...

2007-12-15T22:10:55.533-05:00

Hi people , I couldn't make it there the other day but from what I see on the comments from Zane the Bell's insight that disturbed me the most is the second one ...
I believe Bell's approach only includes the psychological aspect when this system was given to be applied in a spiritual context only .
We believe that is not right to take someone else's life for any reason ... as a way to cleanse our sins before God or gods like many other civilizations did ( with young people ) .
Jesus died only because of our sins .
When we realize that we depend totally from God then we realize that the sins are not only taking us apart from him but also going against ourselves .
Best ,

Hi everybody , how are you planning to get to the ...

2007-12-15T21:05:25.225-05:00

Hi everybody , how are you planning to get to the nursing home ? ; I'll need some directions ...
See you on Friday .
Best ,

I just couldn't believe we sat there for an hour a...

2007-11-28T10:18:35.810-05:00

I just couldn't believe we sat there for an hour and forty minutes!

I thought Bell had lots of thought-provoking insights. Two that stand out to me in particular are:

1. The OT laws were given as an antidote to arbitrariness. The Israelites knew exactly what was expected of them and did not have to fear random punishment.

2. The sacrificial system is more for the cleansing of our own, human conscience than appeasing God's sense of justice, i.e. wrath.

I still don't know what I think about the #2, but I certainly have been thinking about it this week!

What did you think?

Hmmm-- Off the bat I must say I like him better on...

2007-11-26T17:30:41.414-05:00

Hmmm-- Off the bat I must say I like him better on the book Velvet Elvis. Maybe what I'm trying to say is that I like him better as an author than a public speaker. However, this was a very interesting topic and I feel that he brought home a handful of important facts about ancient civilizations, customs and culture that helped giving context to the biblical truths at stake. The topic of his tour, Angry Gods, is very insightful and has so much meat that I felt he just scratched the surface because much time was spent giving a background of the past civilazation and little time was spent talking about the symbolisms of the sacrifices (for us christians). Maybe he's point was to state many facts and have us discuss and reach our own conclusions (like Zane suggested). And if that's the case... here we go. Let the discussion begin!

I agree. We should definitely make this "Vespers I...

2007-10-30T15:52:10.711-04:00

I agree. We should definitely make this "Vespers In The Arts" a regular series.

Hi Lucy!!!! So, I already got tkts for a group of ...

2007-10-30T10:33:14.435-04:00

Hi Lucy!!!! So, I already got tkts for a group of ppl who said were interested in going. Now, I'm willing to go and buy more tkts if you and a friend are interested. The only thing is that we probably won't be seating in the same section, but that's no biggie because at least we'll all be there. Plus we can plan to meet before the show for dinner (but that's a separate topic). Anyhow, if you want more info about the show (and the availability) you can go directly to the Nokia Theatre website, and you can even purchase the tkts online. But, I can also go directly to the theatre and get tkts for you and your friend. Let me know your thoughts.

Zane could you put me in touch with Mariela? I do...

2007-10-29T16:10:48.483-04:00

Zane could you put me in touch with Mariela? I don't know for sure if I can go to the Rob Bell thing or if she even still has tickets, but I would be interested in info for a friend and myself. (Your response will be forwarded to my email - thanks!)

Just gotta say how much I enjoyed this vespers... ...

2007-10-25T14:22:40.888-04:00

Just gotta say how much I enjoyed this vespers... and I mean, I guess ya'll can see by my cutting edge piece of art. Seriously, it just can't get any better! No, no seriously, this was an interesting exercise for me... and got me thinking a lot more than what I thought it would. How to make "tangible" such an abstract realationship/feeling/reality/concept... anywho, I'm glad God enjoys riding with me!!!!

Now that you guys started commenting on "SexGod", ...

2007-10-25T14:17:04.140-04:00

Now that you guys started commenting on "SexGod", I think at some point we should start reading that book and discussing it!... just thinking ahead... :)

Oh, and one more thing...What do you think of the ...

2007-10-20T09:19:49.036-04:00

Oh, and one more thing...

What do you think of the idea that God's love is so wonderful/beautiful/incredible, that properly understood it is irresistible?

The problem is not volition, but perception. What people often reject is not God's love, but a misrepresentation or misperception of it.

Micheal, That reminds me...here's the Kierkegaard ...

2007-10-20T09:16:52.852-04:00

Micheal,

That reminds me...here's the Kierkegaard parable you referenced last week. (I know it was for the Lewis reading group, but it complements your last post nicely.)

"Suppose, then, that there was a king who loved a maiden of lowly station in life. The king's heart was unstained by the wisdom (loudly enough proclaimed) unacquainted with the difficulties that the understanding uncovers in order to trap the heart and that give the poets enough to do and make their magic formulas necessary. His resolution was easy to carry out, for every politician feared his wrath and dared not even to hint at anything. Every foreign country trembled before his power and dared not to refrain from sending a congratulatory delegation to the wedding. And no cringing courtier, groveling before him, dared to hurt his feelings lest his own head be crushed. So let the harp be tuned; let the poets' songs begin; let all be festive while erotic love celebrates its triumph, for erotic love is jubilant when it unites equal and equal and is triumphant when it makes equal in erotic love that which was unequal.

Then a concern awakened in the king's soul. Who but a king who thinks royally would dream of such a thing! He did not speak to anyone about his concern, for if he had done so, anyone of his courtiers would presumably have said, "Your Majesty, you are doing the girl a favor for which she can never in her lifetime thank you adequately." No doubt the courtier would arouse the king's wrath, so that the king would have him executed for high treason against his beloved, and thereby would cause the king another kind of sorrow. Alone he grappled with the sorrow in his heart: whether the girl would be made happy by this, whether she would acquire the bold confidence never to remember what the king only wished to forget-that he was the king and she had been a lowly maiden. For if this happened, if this recollection awakened and at times, like a favored rival, took her mind away from the king, lured it into the inclosing reserve of secret sorrow, or if at times it walked past her soul as death walks across the grave--what would be the gloriousness of erotic love then! Then she would indeed have been happier if she had remained in obscurity, loved by one in a position of equality, contented in the humble hut, but boldly confident in her love and cheerful early and late. What a rich overabundance of sorrow stands here as if ripe, almost bending under the weight of its fertility, only awaiting the time of harvest when the thought of the king will thresh all the seeds of concern out of it. For even if the girl were satisfied to become nothing, that could not satisfy the king, simply because he loved her and because it would be far harder for him to be her benefactor than to lose her. And what if she could not even understand him-for if we are going to speak loosely about the human, we may well assume an intellectual difference that makes understanding impossible. What a depth of sorrow slumbers in this unhappy erotic love! Who dares to arouse it!

...If, then, the unity could not be brought about by an ascent [of the maiden], then it must be attempted by descent..."

(Soren Kierkegaard, Philosophical Fragments, tr. Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1985, pp. 26-31)

“God can do anything—that’s what makes God, God. B...

2007-10-20T04:30:41.170-04:00

“God can do anything—that’s what makes God, God. But God can’t do everything. God can’t make us love him--- that’s our choice.” (quote from p.109 of Rob Bell's latest book, SexGod). Blogger Ben Witherington, in his comprehensive, chapter by chapter review of Bell's book muses that "God could have set up the whole system differently and made us respond positively to him, but I take it that Rob’s point is that then that response, however little it seemed coerced, would not be love. Love can neither be predetermined nor coerced is Rob’s point. I agree. And it is not an accident that the NT never says God is power (the noun) though it does say God is almighty (the adjective). On the other hand it absolutely does say that God is love. The essence of who God is love. This is why Jesus is the clearest, highest, most effective, and powerful revelation of the divine nature. God has deliberately limited himself in order to take on flesh,take on suffering, take on death in the person of Jesus, and be a love letter to humanity. I am reminded of the powerful poem by Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy “The Sorrow of God”, which in essence says that God suffers when we suffer. We see this in Jesus’ words to Saul on Damascus road 'Saul why do you persecute me?' We see this in Jesus’ words 'inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these.' God does not merely empathize with us, he knows our pain and suffers with us in some mysterious way."
Here's the link to the full Ben Witherington review of Rob Bell's book "SexGod":
http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/03/rob-bells-sexgod-book-first-rate-read.html
If you're interested, scroll down through the comments below the book review to read an interesting discussion on God's chief aim in the creation of humans.

Unfortunately, I'll be in FL for Thanksgiving week...

2007-10-18T11:31:00.992-04:00

Unfortunately, I'll be in FL for Thanksgiving weekend. I hope everyone has a good time!

If you liked the last tour -- Everything is Spirit...

2007-10-03T08:35:14.303-04:00

If you liked the last tour -- Everything is Spiritual -- it is now on DVD. You can see a sample at: http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310285564&QueryStringSite=Zondervan

Fooooooood :-)

2007-10-02T10:52:56.347-04:00

Fooooooood :-)

Alright so now that I know how this works, you are...

2007-10-02T10:24:56.539-04:00

Alright so now that I know how this works, you are gonna be hearing from me :P

So I missed the 1st half of last week's vespers, but i was still able to participate on the discussion-- and thought I'd share with you all a song by MercyMe that is... how should I say it in an eloquent way...hmmm, forget that! The song is literally OFF THE CHAIN!!!!

I'll post the words shortly, but if you really want to get a feel for the song go to http://www.myspace.com/mercyme and then, click on the song BRING THE RAIN.

Here are the lyrics.

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than
my pain you who made a way for me suffering
your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

[1st Chorus]

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
is the lord God almighty
is the lord God almighty
I'm forever singing

[2nd Chorus 2x]

everybody singing
Holy holy holy
you are holy
you are holy

[2nd Chorus 2x]

So you might not get the chills I get when I listed to this song, but still thought I'd share a bit of what's helped me go thru hard times...

See you all on Friday!

Here's a link to an article that describes how the...

2007-10-01T00:15:30.748-04:00

Here's a link to an article that describes how the physical response to chronic stress (including low-level anger and frustration) can reduce well-being over the long term:
http://www.discoverybaypress.com/article.cfm?articleID=17629
A link to great health advice:
http://ny.metro.us/metro/entertainment/article/Brain_toning/10102.html

Here's a link to another commentator's study of a ...

2007-09-30T23:02:20.896-04:00

Here's a link to another commentator's study of a Hebrew word for "love" ... like the Hebrew word for "God" (YHWH), the Hebrew noun for love (ahabh) is, like its parent verb (ahava) "onomatopoeic, sounding like a beating heart or breathing chest." Perhaps God represents His name and love in words that sound like breathing because He wants to remind us how fundamental to the intrinsic rhythms of our very existence He wants to be ... our lives were meant to beat in tune with His sacred, sustaining life force. Read more at:
http://www.studylight.org/col/ht/archives.cgi?date=20060513&sn=1&pn=6

I recommend "Real Sex", a book by Lauren Winner, w...

2007-09-19T22:40:53.884-04:00

I recommend "Real Sex", a book by Lauren Winner, with the subtitle "the naked truth about chastity". Winner is a young Christian woman who writes openly and honestly about sexuality, including lies our society tells about sex, and lies the church tells. What intrigues me is that she writes about sex as a communal concern among fellow believers of the body of Christ."[To say that sex is communal] is to urge Christians to speak frankly to one another about the realities of chastity, about the thrills and tediums of married sex, about the rich meanings inherent in being sexual persons who live in bodies. It is to ask the church to serve as narrator, reminding ourselves who we are, and why we do what we do." (page 60)

The article at the following link describes the de...

2007-09-17T23:57:25.903-04:00

The article at the following link describes the deep meaning behind one of the Hebrew words for "love" -- in summary love is a creative, connecting action with spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual giving all a part of the multi-dimensional process -- read more at: http://www.jewishmag.com/20MAG/HEBREW/hebrew.htm