Joie de Vivre A Wretched Man’s Quest To Follow Jesus Christ

This is too funny not to post and share.

You can click on the picture to view a larger and clearer version.

H/T: The Contemporary Calvinist.

I’ve been a member at two new social networking sites specifically tailored for Christians for some time now.

Now, I am no longer a big fan of social networking for the sole reason that Facebook has simply put me off a little with all the hassles. No, no, I appreciate all the ’superpokes’ and stuff that my friends send me, but when it’s on a daily basis and requires my response, I’d rather really just pick up the phone and talk to them or meet up for a meal.

So why did I bother to join the two Christian social networking sites then?

Well, for one, social networking has its merits when you have quite a good number of friends and acquaintances who aren’t local, and where a phone call or sending them messages over MSN isn’t always possible.

Sure, the occasional email works too, but not everyone appreciates additional emails on top of what they need to clear everyday. Participation at the social networking sites allows me to update everyone on what’s going on in my life via another channel besides my blogs.

Secondly, social networking sites specifically tailored and targeted at Special Interest Groups (SIGs) like the ones I have joined open up a whole new world to get to know other like-minded people from all over the world. I love getting to know people from all walks of life and from other cultures so these are right up my alley.

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Thank you, everyone, who has remembered me and the pain I was going through in your prayers!

The LORD heals indeed!

Hallelu et Adonai!

Prior to the procedure this afternoon, I’ve heard so many horrible stories from friends and colleagues about how much pain some of them had after having their wisdom teeth extracted surgically.

But because of all your prayers, the LORD has healed me and seen to it that I am not suffering in pain after my surgery.

I’ve just awoken after a good few hours of much-needed sleep, and there’s absolutely no pain, whatsoever. Yes, read that: NO pain!

No doubt I’ve had painkillers and am faithfully following the instructions to complete the prescription of antibiotics, but with my limited knowledge from the testimony of others, I know that suffering no residue pain at all in the immediate hours after the surgery is a miracle in itself.

Thank you, LORD, for you are good and merciful. Thank you, LORD, for you are our Jehovah Rapha!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

– Psalm 103:1-5

Amen!

Picture by Summers.

I have been silent because I have been suffering from a really painful toothache that I suspect is caused by the last wisdom tooth on the lower-right row of teeth.

Painkillers have been my best friend, and sleep has not come easily at all. In fact, I haven’t had a meal nor any sleep till last night when the ache finally became more of an irritating throb.

I’m feeling much much better this morning and, with praise to God, the dentist (who is a friend of my wife) has been kind enough to move my appointment to first-thing Monday morning from the initial mid-afternoon session. Hopefully the treatment will see the tooth extracted and the problem fixed from then on.

You know how it’s funny that the breakdown of one of the key components of your organs for food intake can so throw your life into disarray and leave you very much weakened.

I got to thinking that in a way the toothache is like a lack of faith. Without the function of that tooth because of its sorry state, I could not ingest food and therefore be nourished. Without faith, it is impossible to be nourished by our spiritual food, the Word of God.

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George Bush bows to his god ‘oil’ and calls legitimate Israeli ownership of ‘Palestinian territories’ the big ‘O’ word — occupation¹.

I wonder which Bible George Bush reads because the one that I read, and which many other Christians around the world also do, says that Israel belongs to the Jews, including the land which he now calls ‘occupied Palestinian territories‘.

And what in the world is a Palestinian state anyhow? There’s never been in history any record of a Palestinian state, or a Palestinian people. If there were, we’d see archaeological records of such a people, their culture captured in relics, writings, paintings, etc.

Yet there’s none.

What we do see from archaeological digs and know from recorded history even outside of the Bible is that there was a Jewish state in that strip of land, and in the ‘occupied territories’.

So, where is the legitimacy for the claim of these ‘Palestinians’ who now demand a state on the world stage, and which countless world leaders are scrambling to help create at the expense of Israel’s security and at the cost of billions of dollars.

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I’d like to share two blessings in the form of blog post serials that I’ve come across and that I think you might benefit from reading as well.

The Marks as Such Believe in Christ

I was blessed to come across Mike Ratliff and his blog Possessing The Treasure just yesterday, and somehow my visit ‘coincided’ with the start of his series on The Marks As Such Believe in Christ.

It’s going to be a 9-parter that expounds on Romans 12 through Romans 15, with upcoming topics such as ‘Marks of the True Christian’, ‘Fulfilling the Law Through Love’, and ‘The Example of Christ’.

Parts 1 (’A Living Sacrifice‘) and 2 (’The Gifts of Grace‘) have already been published, so just follow the links from here to read them, and do remember to check back at Mike’s blog daily for updates.

The Marks of False Christian Teachings and Teachers

Alan Higgins at Real Christianity has an on-going series (it’s now at its seventh instalment) on the marks of false Christian teachings and teachers that all Christians should read.

The first in the series talks about how false teachers have about them a ‘form of godliness’ (2 Timothy 3:5 ESV). You can easily follow the rest of the series from there as he’s put up very good follow-up links after each article in the series.

I hope you’ll be as blessed as I’ve been by these ’serial killers’!

Shalom Aleichem.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most loved parable of Jesus Christ among many Christians, and probably the most told as well.

Why the popularity, so to speak? For one, it speaks volumes of God’s love for us sinners.

Secondly, most of us see ourselves in the prodigal son that returned to his father expecting the worst, but have found love, acceptance and comfort in the arms of our loving and holy Heavenly Father.

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