Posts tagged ‘God’

December 15th, 2011

Christian Carnival 14th December 2011

by Rodney Olsen

christian_carnival_lion.jpgWelcome to the latest edition of the Christian Carnival. There is some great reading here and I’m sure you’ll enjoy working your way through the list of posts. I’m guessing that many bloggers are busy with preparations for Christmas as there have been very few submissions this week but that should give you the time to read and ponder the very good posts that are listed below.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify.

As always it’s a real honour to be able to present the Christian Carnival.

Please take the time to read through each post … it’s worth it. You might also like to link to this week’s carnival so that your blog readers can enjoy the variety of styles and thought. Another way to spread the word about the Christian Carnival is to click any of the buttons below this post to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.

Let’s get started!

We can certainly achieve a lot more when we work in unity with others. Ridge Burns is writing about Partnerships over at Ridge’s Blog. “Last Friday night I went to a banquet for InFaith’s Kids for Christ in Dallas, led by Joe and Lindsey Anderson. It was a pretty incredible experience, as kids and supporters of the ministry packed the room, getting together to raise money for Christmas gifts for the urban poor children Joe and Lindsey work with.”

Sarah looks at a thorny theological issue in her post Calling All Theoblogians: Creation and Evolution at This is what Sed said. “There is no dispute that God created or could create in six 24 hour days, but they believe the word ‘day’ in Genesis means ‘a period of time’. They believe the earth is millions of years old, and not thousands which is the claim of Genesis.”

Devotionals

Joe Plemon believes that the key to Moses’ greatness was a financial decision…an amazing one. Check out his post Moses’ Amazing Choice: The Key to His Greatness at Personal Finance By The Book. “Moses, by any standard, was a great man — he was instrumental in liberating an entire nation from slavery. Yet his path toward this success was cluttered with obstacles, the most prominent being the huge wealth at his fingertips by virtue of being an adopted son of the leader of richest nation in the world.”

Do you struggle with waiting? Do you sometimes feel that you need to keep putting hope on hold? Ashley Reid presents The Expectancy of Change: Why it’s Worth the Wait posted at The Real. “We are currently in a season of expectancy. For some of us, we have been struggling day to day to keep a smile on our face, make ends meet or just find joy in this thing called life. For others God has promised us something great, something new, a breakthrough, relief, a blessing or miracle. However, with all of this prophesy and expectation consuming our hearts, it makes us anxious, weary and tired of waiting.”

Narratives

Are we living the lessons we teach others? Lee Beldon presents The Sunshine Lady and a Big God over at Mission Blog. “I have been teaching the Rackerby people about having a big God. It is easy for me to teach about God and to tell others about a big God, but to live it for myself is another thing. You see, in my mind, for God to supply my need for a car is up to my resources; I have to figure it out as how to pay for a car replacement. God can take care of my congregation and supply their needs, but I have to be a good steward and do it myself.

I’ll finish with my own post which is designed to give unchurched friends a basic understanding of the Christmas story. I hope you enjoy The Real Meaning of Christmas. “Why do we still celebrate Christmas? Is it still relevant or just a chance for another holiday? Does Christmas hold any real significance for people today? What’s the real meaning behind the 25th of December and why do we make such a fuss about it?”

That’s it for this week.

In light of the lack of submissions this week, if you’re still looking for some great reading you might like to explore some of the links provided on the blogs that have been submitted. Maryann has an excellent list of links to explore here.

If you’re a Christian and you missed out this week, how about choosing something to contribute for next week’s edition? It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to spread the word. Feel free to click any of the buttons below to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.

September 17th, 2011

Christian Carnival 14th September 2011

by Rodney Olsen

christian_carnival_lion.jpgWelcome to the latest edition of the Christian Carnival. There is some great reading here and I’m sure you’ll enjoy working your way through the list of posts.

I do need to apologise for posting the carnival so late. I always take great care to do the best job possible whenever I host but this time around an extraordiarily busy week and computer problems have conspired to make things difficult. I am sorry for holding things up.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify.

As always it’s a real honour to be able to present such a diverse range of great posts.

Please take the time to read through each post … it’s worth it. You might also like to link to this week’s carnival so that your blog readers can enjoy the variety of styles and thought. Another way to spread the word about the Christian Carnival is to click any of the buttons below this post to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.

Let’s get started!

Moyo has Model of Prayer  over at Eden Life Magazine.

Over the years, many theologians have studied and worked to help people understand God and religion. If you are interested in studying theology and spiritual traditions, studying these great theologians will give you a better understanding. Diana Clerk presents The 40 Greatest Theologians Throughout History at Theology Degrees Online, saying, ” This list of 40 amazing theologians throughout history offers mostly Christian theologians, but also includes some non-Christian theologians who have been influential as well.

Annette asks “So what does it mean when it says that love is patient?” in the post Love is Patient at fish and cans.

Mere talk is so cheap that Jesus addressed it specifically with a parable found in Matthew 21:28-32.  Tim Fraticelli takes a look at the parable of the two sons in Talk Is Cheap: Hard Work is Profitable posted at Faith and Finance,

Richard H. Anderson presents an article from a series of articles on the priority of the Gospel of Luke. Check out Juxtaposition at dokeo kago grapho soi kratistos Theophilos,

Cameron Cloud presents No. I won?t share your Christian movie with my friends. (Yet.) at Nephos.

Revamping the Masters of Divinity Degree by Marcus Maher is posted at Seeking the truth….

Sarah has presented Convicted over at This is what Sed said.

Apologetics

Isabel Anders presents Reiki for Christians—and Everyone: An Interview with author Ruth Mayeux Allen, Ph.D. posted at BlogHer.

10 years after 9/11, the New Atheists say we’re nuts to believe in God. They say religion is dangerous and outright evil. But is religion itself evil? Mikel Del Rosario presents an easy way to say “No Way” in the post America After 9/11: Is Religion Evil? posted at Apologetics Guy.

Scott Smith has posted Do all roads (and flights) lead to God?, a look at religious pluralism in the light of 9/11″, posted at Sarcastic Xtian.

Russ White presents An Answer to a Friend (Part 1) at Thinking in Christ.

Devotionals

Dan Lower presents The Bible Tells Us posted at keyboard theologians, saying, “I think I can actually call this one a devotional, though it prompted my physics-majoring housemate to tell me I write theology like a mathematician.”

Ridge Burns has written about Communion at Ridge’s Blog.

Henry Neufeld presents a post from a new group blog. The author is Geoff Smith. The topic is just how one puts the rule of Christ above all. Matthew 28:8 and Titus 2:11: Christ’s Archy and Jesus’ Teachings is posted at Under Christ’s Archy.

Zowada has posted some thoughts on man/woman relationships and idolatry in Idolatry: The Jerry MaGuire Syndrome at Zowada Blog.

Josh presents a great list of scriptures on different types of relationships we have in Bible Verses About Relationships: 20 Good Scriptures over at What Christians Want To Know.

Narratives

Francis presents games for youth groups in Church Party Games – have inspirational fun! posted at Truth or Dare Blog.

Melanie Grant encourages us to Never Quit at Mel’s Mouthful on Mothering.

loswl presents A Broken Vessel Restored posted at INSPIKS, saying, “I am sharing this because it is a wonderful and heartfelt dream that I have been seeking the Lord about for the past several years. It is answered prayer and one that will come to pass in Gods perfect timing. I must wait, wait for it, wait for the Lord Jesus​ concerning such.”

Kristin posts about her baptism in Well, it’s about time. at June Cleaver Would Be Shocked.

Frank Distad has published the post High Tea at Mission Blog.

Why do churches begin with worship music? Hats4Christ came up with a couple of silly ideas and then dug into the Bible to find out what it has to say about worshiping God. Check out Kaleb’s post Why do we Worship? at W2W Soul: Windows to The Woman’s Soul.

How did a 2 year old get a message that everyone else, including Henry Neufeld, missed? Find out more by reading The Only Worshiper Who Got It posted at Threads from Henry’s Web.

Finally, Peter Marsay presents some film reviews from a Christian point of view in All unposted Evangelical’s Now film reviews to date! posted at PDM Film Reviews.

That’s it for this week.

If you’re a Christian and you missed out this week, how about choosing something to contribute for next week’s edition? It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to spread the word. Feel free to click any of the buttons below to share the carnival on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or any of the other sites represented.

September 13th, 2011

Transcendental Meditation

by Rodney Olsen

Transcendental Meditation or TM started as a Hindu religious practice but came to greater prominence in the western world several decades ago.

These days it seems that many sporting clubs, including those from a variety or football codes, are using TM to ready themselves for games.

Promoters of the practice list a number of benefits to TM but others aren’t so sure that it lives up to all its promises. Being a spiritual practice there is also concern from people of other faiths regarding Transcendental Meditation and while many have reported positive effects it’s worth considering whether the fact that something seems to ‘work’ means that it’s necessarily beneficial.

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Rev Dr Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Last Wednesday we discussed TM. Christian spirituality also promotes meditation but how different is a Biblical view of meditation to TM?

You can hear what Ross had to say about it by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

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September 12th, 2011

Christian Carnival Returns

by Rodney Olsen

christian_carnival_lion.jpgWould you like the opportunity to have your blog promoted? Have you published a post that you’d like read by a wider audience?

I’m having some friends drop in this week. They’ll be visiting from all over the world and you’re invited to join us. The next Christian Carnival is being hosted here at Beyond Belief.

The weekly Christian Carnival is an opportunity for Christian blog writers to share their best posts from the previous week. The topic of the post doesn’t necessarily have to focus on Christianity but it must reflect a Christian worldview, and the writer must be Christian to qualify. You may wish to consider that the readership of the Christian Carnival will be more varied than your usual readership, and you might do better contributing a post with broad appeal.

I’ve already received a number of contributions and I’m looking forward to offering readers of this blog some great links when the carnival is published.

If you’re a Christian and you’ve never contributed before, or if it’s been a while since you have, how about having a look through your posts for this week and choosing something to contribute. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday evening at midnight, Eastern (US) Standard Time. That means it’s midday Wednesday here in Perth, Western Australia.

June 17th, 2011

Nicky Gumbel talks Alpha

by Rodney Olsen

If you know anything about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy you’ll know that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42. Not surprisingly, it’s not an answer that really satisfies anyone at a deeper level.

We all want to know why we’re here and if there’s something more to life than the daily routine. Is there really something bigger than us or is God simply a concept that humans have created?

What started as a course for the church members of Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, to explain the basics of the Christian faith has become a worldwide opportunity for people to discover what Christians really believe. Over 16 million people have now experienced the Alpha Course. The course is designed to let people discover faith and the meaning of life in a very non-threatening atmosphere. Participants discuss issues over a meal and a coffee and develop great friendships in the process. No one is pushed to ‘sign up’ to anything or join a church.

If a faith is worth embracing it won’t be afraid of the tough questions and a big part of the course is allowing people to discuss their own thoughts and beliefs. No questions are too simple or too hostile.

A name synonymous with the course is Nicky Gumbel. I had the pleasure of catching up with Nicky during my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM today. You can listen to our chat by clicking the play button at the bottom of this post.

Have you been through the Alpha Course? Did it help answer any of your questions about the meaning of life and your place in this world? What were your experiences?

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November 27th, 2010

On This Day in Christian History

by Rodney Olsen

If we don’t know our own history, we will simply have to endure all the same mistakes, sacrifices and absurdities all over again. – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

As part of the BookSneeze program I recently received a copy of Robert J Morgan’s book On This Day in Christian History: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes in the mail.

I’m going to admit right now that I haven’t read the entire book and that’s for a very good reason. I don’t want to spoil the effect of reading the book as it’s intended, one page a day for a year.

Having said that, I have read quite a number of the stories the book contains to get an overall feel for what it contains and I’ve been thrilled by what I’ve read so far. The book isn’t a daily devotional as such, but a wonderful addition to a daily reading and study plan. Morgan has researched the lives of Christians throughout the ages to tell the ongoing story of God’s involvement in the world he created. There are many stories of hardships overcome and each one gives great testimony of God’s faithfulness when his people give their lives to him.

Each day the book gives the reader an opportunity to read about an event in Christian history that happened on that day. There is also a verse or two from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible to complete the day’s reading. While I haven’t found that the scriptures chosen always speak directly to the story shared on the page above it, knowing that all scripture is helpful in teaching and building up those who follow Jesus, the verses are still a delightful way to reflect on God’s goodness.

My favourite aspect of the book is the connection it brings between biblical history and the modern day. When we read the Bible we encounter stories of men and women of God encouraging and directing us. When we read Christian history we’re reminded that God has continued to work throughout the last two thousand years. There’s a certainty that it can bring to us. We know that God is continuing to unfold his plans for this world; we understand that the same Jesus who saved those first century believers has continued seeking and saving the lost over hundreds of years. His work has continued wherever men and women have been faithful to his call upon their lives.

The encouragement I take from this book is that if God has been working in the hearts and lives of his people throughout history, he can work through me. When I read of the failures and setbacks that have ultimately resulted in triumph for the kingdom, I know that God can still work through someone as unworthy as me.

This is a book that is full of encouragement for all believers as well as providing excellent sermon illustrations and resource material for those in ministry. If you’re looking for a gift that will last all year round, Robert J Morgan’s book On This Day in Christian History: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes is an excellent choice to put in the hands of any Christian to be ready to start reading on the first of January.