THE GIFT THAT TRULY KEEPS ON GIVING

THE GIFT THAT TRULY KEEPS ON GIVING
SEE: http://newswithviews.com/Nelson/kelleigh380.htm; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

By Kelleigh Nelson
December 25, 2016
NewsWithViews.com

But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You. —Psalm 5:11

Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. —Psalm 105:3

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. —Matthew 2:10

Our Fallen Human Nature

There is no chicken little (the sky is falling) when you have Jesus. We rejoice because no matter our circumstances, the Lord is with us. Philippians 4:4.

As I write this, our newly elected president has not yet even taken his oath of office and people are deciding he’s not “draining the swamp” the way they expected him to do. There is no patience, no waiting on God, there is an immediate rush to judgment.

Stop it! Wait on the Lord! We believed our new president, now let’s see what he can do. Realize that he may make some mistakes! Haven’t we all!

Why is it that our fallen human nature immediately runs to negativity? Why is it that we immediately want to destroy any hope or promise God has given us? It’s our nature…that old sinful nature. And the Lord knows just exactly how we are! We so often fail to rest in HIM!

Remember Abraham and Sarah? The story starts in Genesis 11:30. The promise of God to Abraham would take twenty-five years to come to fulfillment. Of course, Abraham would never have known that it would take that long. He trusted God and knew that He would keep His word, and until then he must wait on the Lord. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to wait. Sometimes waiting for an answer to prayer is often part of the answer. We are far too impatient and want answers now, yet God in His gracious plan and purpose allows us to wait until His time.

Sadly, Abraham listened to his wife Sarah rather than waiting on God to do what He said he would do. Sarah thought she needed to help God, not understanding fully that with Him, all things are possible, and His promises are forever. Believers know the rest of this story.

Wait on the Lord, and wait on Him in prayer.

Rejoicing in Adversity

True joy comes from knowing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and His Son, Messiah Jesus. Here is the true story of a Chinese pastor who was imprisoned for 18 years by the Communists because of his faith. Day after day, year after year, he was assigned to work in the prison camp's cesspool.
Every morning he had to wade into that stinking hole and spend his day scooping out the human waste. He was given this job as a special punishment because he kept holding tenaciously to his faith.

The pastor was grateful for the assignment because of the solitude he had. The stench was so bad that even the guards stayed far away. So, the pastor had the freedom to pray aloud, sing hymns to the Lord, and recite Scripture. The cesspool had become a garden of communion with God. And what did he sing? In the Garden, by Charles A. Miles, a 1913 hymn.

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Out of the hardest of circumstances and worst of situations this man’s experience is a testimony of how God is in control no matter how horrible the situation might be.

If Pastor George Chen was willing to do all this to stand for his faith under such adversity; how can we even complain about the small adversities in our daily life?

Fire and Loss in East Tennessee

Drought struck our area this summer, with high temperatures and no rain. Our Smoky Mountains were timber waiting to burn. The fires started, caused from arson by two underage teens, burning 17,000 acres of the Smoky Mountains. In the tourist area of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, thousands of homes and businesses burned to the ground; the latest count is 14 dead. I’ve never seen a summer here so very hot and dry, not in the nearly 30 years we’ve lived here.

Tennessee is the Volunteer State, and rebuilding will take place, but the loss to so many is heartbreaking and devastating. The Fire Chief lost his own home while helping others. The Mayor of Gatlinburg lost his home as well as his resort which was extra income. Yet, their worries were all for their own people, and prayers for rain, which we received the next day. We rejoiced, and praised the Lord for His mercy.

Now comes the cleanup and the much-needed help. Dolly Parton is giving $1,000 a month to every family who lost their homes. This will go on for six months. She has also donated $1 million to help rebuild, and she has even bigger plans.

This is the buckle of the Bible belt, and the majority of people know the Lord, and trust in Him, even through tears and loss. One man lost his wife and two daughters, and has written a letter of forgiveness to the two teens, stating that this is what Jesus would have him do.

December is a huge tourist month for Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. They’re back open, and beautifully decorated for the season, won’t you please come!

Corrie Ten Boom

Corrie was a Christian who, along with her father and other family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. She was imprisoned for her actions. She watched her sister, Betsy, die in Ravensbruck concentration camp.

In 1947 she had come from Holland to defeated Germany to give a talk about forgiveness. Everyone filed out in silence after her speech, and then a man walked up to her and asked her if she really meant what she said about forgiveness. She saw the man as he had been, a guard at Ravensbruck who had watched her and her sister march by him naked as their clothes and shoes lay strewn in a pile on the floor.

She saw him and memories flashed in her mind. Her natural hatred and revulsion made her stiffen and she fumbled in her pocketbook. The former guard told her he had become a Christian and he reached out his hand to her. Corrie said that her arm felt like lead, and that she didn’t know if she could lift it.

She had told the audience of Germans, “When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever.”

“You mentioned Ravensbrück in your talk,” the man said. “I was a guard there.

But since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well Fräulein,”–again the hand came out– “will you forgive me?”

Corrie said she stood there, and she remembered what the Lord has said, “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” She prayed, “Father, help me.”

Finally, her wooden arm reached up to grasp the man’s hand, and she said, “The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.”

“I forgive you, brother!” she cried. “With all my heart!” [Link]

The Birth of Our Savior

Christmas is here. The birth of our King of Glory is celebrated every year for one month of joyous preparation, and one special day reminding everyone of His gift to us. It is the season where we say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! We rejoice in the knowledge of our amazing Salvation through Christ the King who came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings.

 Jesus is God’s gift to all humanity. The perfect sinless gift. The gift of eternal life. The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords! The Lion of the Tribe of Judah!

Life is about what happens beyond the grave. Life is about knowing the God who made you and who gave you the greatest gift you will ever receive.
When you are shopping for gifts, when you are decorating your home, when you are baking and cooking, when you are opening those gifts from under the tree, when you are celebrating with family and friends, remember the perfect everlasting gift, the gift that truly keeps on giving, throughout our lives, and then into eternity.

Despite what we may live through, if we have the King of Glory in our lives, He is the blessed gift who holds us up in both joy and trials.

May your Christmas and your heart reflect the exultation of knowing Him and receiving His special gift. For it is by grace…

CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA AGAIN~THANKS TO PRESIDENT ELECT TRUMP

CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA AGAIN~

THANKS TO PRESIDENT ELECT TRUMP

SEE: http://newswithviews.com/Anghis/roger405.htm; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

By Pastor Roger Anghis
December 25, 2016
NewsWithViews.com

Election night in 2008 a dark cloud fell over the United States. It began a time of almost hopelessness and despair. Barack Obama had become the 44th president of the United States and the research I had done on him left a sinking feeling in my gut. He was not the man he said he was and he was not the man MSM portrayed him to be. I found it difficult to understand how a man of this low character had been able to win over the people of America.

My assessment of him had nothing to do with the color of his skin so don’t write me letters and claim I’m a racist. Remember that he is half white too! I have just as many friends that are black as I have that are white. I knew that America was going to go down a path that we really didn’t want to go. Obama stated a few days before the election that “we are a few days away from fundamentally changing America.” America needed change but not what this man and his policies were going to bring. I knew that we were in for at least four years of hell when Obama to Cantor “I won.” It ended up being eight years of hell. His upbringing was not clothed in American values. He was raised muslim. His grandparents who raised him were communists. The freedoms of America and the rights we have, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, bearing arms did not sit well with him. I remember him stating in a private fund raising event in California that too many Americans ‘cling to their guns and their religion”. I wonder if he notices the irony of how the radical muslims cling to their guns and religion?

Obama began his fundamental transformation almost immediately. He signed an executive order to close down Gitmo, a place that should stay open. He then began to release the jihadist that was in there. There have been about 60% of those released that have gone back to killing Americans in the Middle East. To me that is treason. He is releasing more in the next few days even one that has declared that when he gets out he will kill as many Americans as he can. He has been the most destructive president to the military of this great nation that we have ever had. Our levels of preparedness are below pre-WWII and this is while we are still in a war with Islam. He has stated that we are not and never will be at war with Islam. That, again, is a treasonous act because Islam has stated that they are at war with us. He ‘negotiated’ a deal with our enemy, Iran, giving them a path to a nuclear bomb. That’s like giving Japan a way to develop a nuclear bomb during WWII. All this time Congress sat on its backside and did nothing to curb in Obama’s overreach of his executive authority.

Obama’s immigration policies have devastated the American workplace. He has refused to enforce our immigration laws, wrote a few of his own, which he does not have the authority to do. His Attorney General decided which laws he was going to enforce. Voter ID was not allowed to take hold in any State that tried to implement them. Eric Holder also stopped States from cleaning up their voter rolls, which was a requirement by law. As a result in 2012, 2014 and 2016 there were almost seven million people registered in more than one State. Again, Congress did nothing. I believe that it was political correctness that kept them from stopping Obama. But as I’ve stated for years, if you’re politically correct you’re probably wrong.

Obama has put a regulation strangle hold on American businesses by adding about sixty new regulations a day since he took office. These regulations cost businesses time and money that only restricts how a company can operate and grow. Government is supposed to create an environment that will allow a business to thrive. I have yet to see a Democrat administration that does that in the last century except for the Kennedy administration in the 1960’s. The Obama administration has yoked businesses with restraints like we have never seen: The Obama Administration is responsible for an unparalleled expansion of the regulatory state, with the imposition of 229 major regulations since 2009 at a cost of $108 billion annually (using the regulatory agencies’ own numbers). The actual costs are far greater, both because costs have not been fully quantified for a significant number of rules, and because many of the worst effects—the loss of freedom and opportunity, for example—are incalculable. The need for reform is urgent.

The White House, Congress, and federal agencies routinely breach legislative and even constitutional boundaries, and increasingly dictate lifestyle choices rather than focusing on public health and safety. Immediate reforms should require legislation to undergo an analysis of regulatory impacts before a floor vote in Congress, and require congressional approval of each major regulation before it can take effect. Sunset deadlines should be set in law for all major rules, and independent agencies should be subject—as are executive branch agencies—to the White House regulatory review process.[1]

The list of atrocities this man has done to America would take several columns to discuss. His healthcare disaster that almost destroyed the best healthcare system in the world, his demand that abortion be taxpayer paid, his shoving down the throats of Americans the homosexual marriage agenda makes him the most ungodly man to ever hold that office. There are only 27 days of this hell left. Our new president, who is not perfect, but did wake up 81% of the evangelicals who had been in a coma for the last two presidential elections will begin the process of turning all this around. He plans to defund Planned Parenthood, build our military back up so we can defend ourselves, deregulate businesses so they can operate again and get rid of the worst healthcare system in the world. He will shut down Obamacare. The only problem that he will face is we returned to office 94% of the people that helped create the problem we are in by their inaction and refusal to hold Obama to his Constitutional pledge. But I still have hope. We dodged another Clinton presidency that would have completely destroyed America. That is a miracle in itself. We have people that will be directing our economy that have actually been very successful in business. Obama only had 6% in his cabinet that had run a business. Trump has 100%. We have people who know how to do things and we have a leader who has been successful himself and that can coordinate all of it.

I felt that dark cloud lift on the evening of November 8th this year. The left is still in its death throes over this election. The Russians did it, voter fraud, fake news and whatever else they may try to come up with. Death threats to the Electoral College and our great AG Loretta Lynch refuses to prosecute those people threatening the EC. Congress still does nothing. But I still have hope. This election is like opening a present at Christmas and it was exactly what you wanted. We finally have a man that is for the American people, who will stand for them and their constitutional rights. A man who is more interested in making America what the Founders intended it to be, a man who will look out for the best interests of the American people instead of allowing our enemies to prosper at our expense.

He may not accomplish everything that he said he would do but it will be the fault of Congress if he doesn’t. Hopefully we will be able to clean out some of the carrier politicians that have been in D.C. for 20-40 years. They are the problem. They get entrenched and try to gain power and wealth for themselves. They get rich in their legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been in D.C. since 1978 and has now an annual salary of about $165,000 a year but is worth $17 million.[2] How do you accumulate that kind of wealth on that kind of salary? Harry Truman said that you have to be crooked to get rich in politics. Look at the Clintons. Proof positive of that statement.

 Trump doesn’t have to make money. He is wealthy on his own. People that do business with him verify that he is honest. The last president we had that was honest was Reagan.

When Reagan was running for re-elected in 1984 his campaign declared ‘It’s morning in America.’ Trump may not be perfect but neither was Churchill during WWII. He was crass, sometimes drank too much, told off color jokes and even insulted a woman who berated him for being drunk. He told her I may be drunk but you’re ugly and in the morning I’ll be sober, but you’ll still be ugly! He wasn’t perfect but he was the right man for the job at that time in history. I believe that Trump is the right man for the job today. We weren’t electing a pastor but a leader who would be willing to stand up for America and all her greatness and even bring some of that greatness back that we lost over the last 30 years because of gutless politicians that support globalism instead of Americanism.

Yes, it’s not just morning in America again, it’s Christmas in America again!

CHRISTMAS DAY: DON'T FORGET THE PAIN AND SORROW

CHRISTMAS DAY: DON'T FORGET THE PAIN AND SORROW

BY DEVVY KIDD

SEE: http://newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd754.htm; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

By: Devvy
December 25, 2016
NewsWithViews.com

"I hold the precepts of Jesus, as delivered by himself, to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to a man." Thomas Jefferson to Jared Sparks, November 4, 1820

Today is the big day. Christians around the world are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lots of cheer, the Christmas tree, gifts and too much snow in many places. I hope everyone is able to be with their loved ones this day. Family is what makes our lives worth living, at least for me. Of course, our troops are still not home, but I'm not going to use this column for any commentary on the war. Just wish to say God bless our troops and their families. I also wish to send God's blessings to everyone and hope this day brings joy in your heart.

Know one of the things I think about today? I think about the Blessed Mother and her pain of bringing forth a child into the world knowing that one day she would see her son die in the most horrific manner because that is what Almighty God intended:

John 3:16-17 (KJV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Mary must have treasured each day with Jesus as He grew to manhood. The pain the Blessed Mother went through as she watched her son die a slow agonizing death must have been beyond what most of us can imagine. As I mother, I cannot even imagine such pain and sorrow. When my daughter had surgery (three times), I just sat there like a lump praying to God that He keep her safe through the operations. The agony of Mary bringing forth the savior of the world for you and me knowing the outcome. How can we not weep to think of it?

Our Heavenly Father promised us through his son, Jesus Christ, that if we lived by his commandments and repented of our sins, our reward when we leave this human body would be greater than any earthly riches. As I am fond of saying, eternity is a long time.

God commands us not to sin: Kill, lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, worship false gods, honor our parents and so on. Unbelievably, today's modern pastors of these mega social houses called churches who make millions of dollars personally, care no more about saving souls than they do about an ant on the sidewalk. This may offend some, but I've read a load of material on Rick Warren and Joel Osteen (who gives me major creep factor) and I wonder what Bible they preach from? I see these IRS sanctioned churches of all denominations who have allowed themselves to be silenced and instead, preach feel good rhetoric instead of what each of us must do to enter the Kingdom of God. Heaven forbid they should chastise their congregation and remind them of God's commandments and the price they will pay for ignoring them!

For those who admire Rick Warren, I say to you, beware of this wolf cloaked in "good works":

"Best-selling author, social activist and megachurch pastor Rick Warren described the social gospel supported by many of the mainline churches as “Marxism in Christian clothing. [W]e don't need to care about redemption, the cross, repentance. All we need to do is redeem the social structures of society and if we make those social structures better the world will become a better place,” explained Warren as he described the beliefs behind those who support the "social gospel," in his interview with Beliefnet.com, which was posted Monday. “Really in many ways it was just Marxism in Christian clothing,” he criticized."

We don't need to concern ourselves with redemption, asking God to forgive our sins? We don't need to care about the cross where Christ met the most horrible death? The cross is the symbol that has given hope to billions for over two thousands years by reminding us of Jesus' sacrifice for us. What shocking words from a pastor.

I would say given the state of the world and our republic, that mankind has failed miserably in keeping God's Commandments. We are all sinners, but we can ask for God's forgiveness. He knows what is really in your heart no matter how you try to fool Him.

I know people have great hope following Donald Trump's election, but I'm sorry, 2017 is going to be a rocky one - especially the economy. Millions will cry, "Please God, help me with the rent or my car payment or just some money to buy food for my children!" It's natural to ask for God's help, but I am wondering what He thinks about these same people who ignore His commandments and then expect a miracle on demand?

 If we desire God's blessings can we expect them if we lie, cheat, steal, kill unborn babies in the womb, use His name as a curse word, wallow in the filth of sexual deviancy, sleep around like dogs on the street and worship mega pastors who lead their flocks astray? Can we expect God's blessings by picking and choosing which of his commandments we like even though the act of disobedience brings the stain of sin upon our soul? Can we expect God's blessings by forgetting His gift to the world, His son, Jesus Christ - except when we want something material?

I know secularists in this country disparage people of faith and that my questions are most likely considered corny. The good news is, I really don't care. Secularism is a system of political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship. Those who believe in nothing are but one heart beat away from eternity. I would not wish to be in their place.

We dearly love our spouses, parents, children and good friends, but God's love above all is what we seek through his son, Jesus Christ. I believe that's what today is all about, isn't it?

"THE SILENCE & THE SOUND" BY SORENSON, FORMER BAYLOR MUSIC PROFESSOR~A CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICAL CHRISTMAS CANTATA IMPORTED BY FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH DELAWARE

APOSTATE MUSIC FOR THE "HOLIDAYS"

INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICING THE SILENCE, CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE STYLE 

FOR CHRISTMAS;

FEELINGS BASED; LEAVES OUT AND/OR ADDS TO SCRIPTURE NARRATIVE

CHRIST NOT FOUND WITHIN; 

REVELATION NOT FOUND WITHIN

I "I am learning to embrace my marks; you see, every time God’s chisel chips away a part of me, it exposes a piece of Christ underneath. The scars that seemed to strip me of my own beauty are changing me into a picture of God’s Beautiful Son. And in this light, I am honored to bear God’s marks. They have changed my image of God, my relationship with God, and they have changed my worship of God." 

Deeply Etched,

Above quote from: http://www.heathersorenson.com/

DRAWING ON CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM & FRENCH ECUMENICAL TAIZE SILENCE AND MANTRA HYMNS, INFLUENCED BY  APOSTATE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY:

HEATHER SORENSON'S CANTATA:

PRODUCT MOSTLY OF HER IMAGINATION 

FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH, 

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE

SEE: http://www.fbcwilmington.com/event-items/christmas-cantata/

"THE SILENCE AND THE SOUND Christmas cantata will be 

our 10:45AM morning service on December 20. This 

presentation is more than just a retelling of the nativity; this 

presentation explores both the mystery and the majesty of 

Christ’s birth. Filled with original sacred songs and beloved 

carols, this innovative cantata is not only a beautiful concert 

experience, but it is also a true worship experience. We hope 

you will join us and bring a friend!"

__________________________________________________

COMPOSER, ARRANGER, PIANIST, CLINICIAN 

SEE: http://www.heathersorenson.com/;

EXCERPTS:

Composer and arranger Heather Sorenson entered the church music industry several years ago, and her name has quickly become a welcomed fixture in the publishing world. Heather is hired by the largest and most respected publishers in the world, and her pieces remain at the top of bestseller lists and Editor's Choice selections.

Heather's publications include choral compositions, piano books, children's music, orchestrations, and two piano albums.  Her compositions are performed weekly in thousands of churches around the world, as well as in historic concert venues including the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., DAR Constitution Hall, and Carnegie Hall in NYC.

Teaching has become a large part of Heather's career and ministry.  She taught all elementary levels of music at Grace Academy of Dallas for 4 years, served as an adjunct music professor at Baylor University, and has served on many master class panels in piano and songwriting.  Heather regularly is a guest speaker and conductor at churches across America, and leads scores of sessions each year at various worship conferences, schools, and universities. 

Currently Heather spends her time juggling a full writing load as well as traveling as a guest artist and lecturer.  She makes her home in the Dallas, TX area with her beagle baby. 

_________________________________________________________________

"GOD WAS SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO ME" 

WHEN I COMPOSED & ARRANGED THIS CANTATA

SEE: https://www.pinelakemusic.com/Results.aspx?search=heather%20sorenson

"POPPED INTO HER HEAD", BUT DID NOT CHECK WITH GOD'S WORD

________________________________________________________

PERFORMANCE AT BRANDYWINE VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE; INTERVIEW AT SAINT MATTHEWS LUTHERAN CHURCH, HANOVER, PENNSYLVANIA

NEW (ECUMENICAL) PASSIONS?

Published on Aug 14, 2015

Heather Sorenson tells Pepper about her dream to have her music performed by popular contemporaries.

Published on Aug 14, 2015

Heather Sorenson talks about what makes her music popular with both contemporary and traditional worship communities.

____________________________________________________

INFLUENCED BY BAYLOR UNIVERSITY'S CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUAL FORMATION PROGRAM

Baylor University Invites Ken Blanchard, Contemplative Proponent:

SEE: http://baylorlariat.com/2011/03/30/speaker-encourages-students-to-lead-with-humility-integrity/

Leonard Sweet (Contemplative) Speaks at Baylor University:

SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=3365

Emergent/Mystical Leaders (Tony Jones & Doug Pagitt) at Baylor University; They Promote LGBT Rights to Christians:

SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=781

Contemplative Baylor University Students Propose Change to Conduct Code on Homosexuality:

SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=13712

Baylor University Professors Using Meditation and Mantras to “Help” Students:

SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=15379

Christian Colleges Falling Deeper into Apostasy As They Cave in to Supreme Court Ruling:

SEE: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?tag=baylor-university; 

EXCERPT: "Quick to jump on the band wagon for accepting the homosexual lifestyle is Baylor University, (the largest Baptist university in the world). According to a July 8th 2015 Time magazine article titled “This University Has Dropped Its Ban on ‘Homosexual Acts,’”  Baylor “dropped a prohibition on ‘homosexual acts’ from its sexual conduct policy”this past May."

FULL BORE INTO CATHOLIC CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM & SPIRITUAL FORMATION DISCIPLINES, BORROWED FROM THE MONKS

Baylor University Spiritual Life Celebrates Opening of Elliston Chapel with a Week of Contemplative Services

SEE: https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=154303

EXCERPT: WACO, Texas (April 29, 2015) – Baylor University will celebrate the completion and opening of Elliston Chapel with gatherings and services from Tuesday, April 28, to Thursday, April 30.

“We wanted to build a sacred space as part East Village, but we also wanted this one to be accessible to the general Baylor community,” said Burt Burleson, D.Min., university chaplain and dean of spiritual life. “Elliston Chapel is unique in that it’s not a part of another facility. It’s everyone’s chapel.”

Each service will last less than 30 minutes and be contemplative in nature.

The schedule of events is as follows.

Tuesday, April 28, at 4:30 p.m. - Prayers for the Persecuted

Wednesday, April 29, at 3:30 p.m. - Vespers, a liturgical prayer service

Thursday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m. - Taize, (http://taize.fr/), a prayer service based on the simple, chant-like approach to prayer of a monastery in southern France

In addition to the three public services, Elliston Chapel will welcome prayer services and religious programming from various campus groups.

Elliston Chapel is a 3,000-square-foot, 120-seat chapel that will accommodate small Bible studies, group worship and individual reflection. It was funded with a lead gift from Molli, B.S. (Education) ’75, and Gary Elliston of Dallas.

The chapel is located at 1701 S. Third St. It is open to the public daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“Elliston Chapel is an uplifting space filled with bright energy and open windows,” Burleson said. “Our hope is that it will be used not by chaplains leading services, but that student organizations will use it for worship, prayer and various other spiritual programming. We wanted to celebrate its first week by welcoming the chapel to Baylor with all of these services.”

FROM: http://www.baylor.edu/alumni/magazine/1203/news.php?action=story&story=142716; EXCERPT:

"At their regular February meeting, Baylor University’s Board of Regents approved $1.7 million for the design and construction of the Elliston Chapel, a 3,000-square-foot chapel that will accommodate small group Bible study, group worship and individual reflection. Funded with a lead gift from Molli, BA ‘75, and Baylor Regent Gary Elliston of Dallas, the 100-seat chapel will be built next to Hallie Earle Hall on the East Village property at Third Street and Bagby Avenue. Construction on Elliston Chapel is expected to begin this spring and be completed by spring 2015.

“We are truly grateful to Molli and Gary Elliston for this generous gift to the University,” said Richard S Willis, BBA ‘81, MBA ‘82, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents. “Molli and Gary believe that the pursuit of truth and calling is at the heart of the Baylor student experience. With this gift, the Ellistons have made possible the creation of a sacred space on our campus that will provide the opportunity for worship and reflection and empower our students as they become agents of transformation, advancing God’s kingdom in all that they do.”"

_____________________________________________________________

Blake Burleson, Ph.D., Talks about his Book on Contemplative Prayer:

"Entempling: Baptist Wisdom for Contemplative Prayer"

SEE: http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/index.php?id=92035; AND: http://blogs.baylor.edu/blake_burleson/publications/entempling-baptist-wisdom-for-contemplative-prayer/;

AND: http://www.praxisofprayer.com/;

EXCERPT: About Praxis: Praxis was founded ten years ago to publish and manufacture quality materials, texts and resources for the contemporary spiritual seeker. Since our small beginnings we have grown and produced books and texts, a journal, educational materials, manuals for study and reflection, and provide retreats and seminars. We produce and sell the original handmade Anglican Rosary as well as other products of quality such as bells for meditation purposes. 

Juli Rosenbaum, MA 

FROM: https://business.baylor.edu/directory/?id=Juli_Rosenbaum

Senior Lecturer - Information Systems

Licensures and Certifications

• Reiki Healing Level I, American Reiki Academy (September 6, 2011 - Present)

Presentations and Proceedings

"Using the Enneagram in Business and Teaching," presented at the Dean's Teaching Tea Workshop: The Enneagram, Cashion 404, November 2013. 

"Using the Enneagram in Business and Teaching," presented at the Dean's Teaching Luncheon Workshop #2: The Enneagram, Cashion 404, November 2013. 

"Contemplative Pedagogy," presented at the Contemplative Pedagogy at the University Level, Faculty McMullen Center, November 2013. 

SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST ABOUT ENNEAGRAMS:

http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/04/much-more-on-rohr-plus-enneagrams.html

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SEE ALSO:

MYSTICISM: 

http://www.baylor.edu/ifl/christianreflection/index.php?id=32941

SPIRITUAL FORMATION PROGRAM: 

http://www.baylor.edu/truett/index.php?id=927777

LETTER FROM SPIRITUAL FORMATION TO INCOMING TRUETT SEMINARY STUDENTS:

http://www.baylor.edu/truett/index.php?id=928171

Dear Incoming Truett Student,

We are so happy that you have elected to come to Truett Seminary. We think you will find Truett Seminary a warm and welcoming Christian community in which you will be challenged to grow both academically and spiritually. The spiritual formation program at Truett is based on small group discipleship. These small groups are made up of six to eight students who meet weekly for prayer and spiritual formation. Students stay together within their group for their entire time at seminary. This allows them to build strong bonds of spiritual trust and an environment of encouragement and growth throughout their Truett experience.

Each semester the focus of the group changes so that students are exposed to the challenge of reshaping their lives around their commitment to Jesus Christ in a variety of ways and situations. You, as a first year student, will be exposed to basic spiritual disciplines including prayer, community and the use of silence in the spiritual life.

Your spiritual formation program for each semester will include reading a book, practicing the different spiritual disciplines found within the book and then sharing about that experience with your covenant group. You will also practice these disciplines with your group as you meet each week. You will be given the name of the book at the first covenant group orientation so that you may be able to purchase it. Most first and second semester groups have an outside leader or mentor to help the group along. They act as a guide for your meeting times together in which you will read Scripture and pray. You are also encouraged to meet your group occasionally for lunch or other outside fellowship time, to help you further develop community with each other. Most first and second semester covenant groups meet at 9:30am on Thursdays at Truett (except for those groups that are for commuter students or dual-degree students). We suggest allotting five hours a week for spiritual formation. This time will include one hour per week in Chapel, one hour per week in your covenant group, and thirty minutes, five days a week, for covenant group readings and prayer. You must receive credit at the end of each of the six semesters of covenant groups as part of the basic requirements for graduation and the M.Div. degree.

Please make sure you complete this Covenant Group Questionnaire. This will help us in placing you in a group. You will also need to purchase and read Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas (you can also purchase the Kindle edition). We will discuss this book at the New Student Orientation on Thursday, January 10th and you will also reflect upon the information learned in the book in your first assignment for covenant group (and again in your final). This book describes nine distinct spiritual temperaments. In one or more of them, you will see yourself and the ways you most naturally express your relationship with God. Please take the short quiz with each chapter to help you identify which temperament most reflects you at this time. We will discuss these during our time in new student orientation. I have attached a scanned copy of the first chapter for you to help you get started.

Mark your calendars for Thursdays January 17th and 24th at 9:30 am in the chapel for your covenant group orientations. We look forward to getting to know you next semester.

Sincerely,
Tiffani Harris
Assistant Director of Spiritual Formation, Truett Seminary

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SIMILAR TO BETH MOORE'S FALSE VISION IN PICTURES ABOUT CATHOLICISM

JOHN PIPER LEADS CATHOLIC "LECTIO DIVINA" IN SILENCE 

WITH BETH MOORE

JOHN MACARTHUR DEBUNKS CONTEMPLATIVE MYSTICISM

"DIVINE REVELATION" IS EXTERNAL TO HUMANS; 

NOT FOUND WITHIN

SANTA CLAUS IS ON KIRK CAMERON'S TEAM~TOGETHER WITH THE POPE THEY WILL BRING IN THE ONE WORLD RELIGION

A FOOL FOR CHRIST? 

NO, A PAWN OF THE POPE!

1 Corinthians 2:14-

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

WHAT???

Santa Claus Is On Kirk Cameron's Team?

Published on Nov 14, 2014

Here are two promotional videos trying to hype up the atrociously bad 'film' Saving Christmas. The reviews are out on this film and they are pricelessly harsh. It is actually worse than I would have thought, which is saying a lot. 

Kirk Cameron Talks About Latest Movie, 'Saving Christmas':

Kirk Cameron Raising Concerns After Coming Out 

in Support of Santa Claus:

SEE: http://christiannews.net/2014/11/12/kirk-cameron-raising-concerns-after-coming-out-in-support-of-santa-claus/;

EXCERPT:

"Was Santa Claus a Christian? A ‘defender of the faith’? Is this reason to sit on the lap of the bearded man at the mall who “knows if you’ve been naughty or nice”? That is what Kirk Cameron is claiming as proof why Christians should celebrate Christmas in a new documentary that opens this Friday in theaters across the country—an assertion that is raising concerns over Cameron’s confusion of Roman Catholicism with Christianity."

_____________________________________________________________

SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST ABOUT KIRK CAMERON'S 

LOVE FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND YET 

CALLING HIMSELF "CHRISTIAN":

"UNCLE" KIRK CAMERON STILL PUSHING HIS OWN FORM OF CHRISTIANITY~

NOW APPROVES OF HALLOWEEN BECAUSE OF ITS CATHOLIC ORIGINS

KIRK CAMERON, SALESMAN FOR

"THE UNFRUITFUL WORKS OF DARKNESS"

EPHESIANS 5:11

ECUMENICAL COMPROMISE

"BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN PATRIOT" & WOULD BE APOLOGIST

SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH GLENN BECK'S MORMONISM;

NOW FINDS NO FAULT WITH PAGAN CATHOLICISM AS THE 

SOURCE OF HALLOWEEN

http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2014/11/uncle-kirk-cameron-still-pushing-his.html

Kirk Cameron Loves Santa Claus?!: