Eureka!

Eureka, as some of you know, is an exclamation of excitement. What you might still know is that it means "I found it." I love history and so I wanted to share this with you. Archimedes coined this phrase while taking a bath... or so the story goes... Archimedes was faced with an obstacle, but obstacles are meant to overcome. He met a wall but to quote from the movie Tintin, "You hit a wall, push through it." In a word, persistence. I was thinking to myself a lot lately about Scripture and money and eternity and people and work and family and the list goes on, but as I am laying here in bed writing this, unable to sleep... AGAIN... I was thinking about treasures and was reminded of the passage of Scripture that talks about treasures, and so now hopefully you can say EUREKA!

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


Eternal > Earthly.


What is eternal is of far more worth than what is earthly. However, the earthly can still be used for the eternal. That's the really cool part! 


C.S. Lewis himself wrote, "No natural feelings are high or low, holy or unholy, in themselves. They are all holy when God's hand is on the rein. They all go bad when they set up on their own and make themselves into false gods." God is in control, not us and what He has given us is still in His control, so let's use what He has given us to glorify Him!


Making pens and making a difference!

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www.stellasvoice.org

Worship Music and Martin Luther

I spent a good bit of this Sunday night over at my Grandad's house. Side note: his house was a family project that I was part of helping to build. Anyway, that is not the point at all. I went over and he had some kind of Bill Gaither video playing. Yet another side note: Bill Gaither is not my favorite musician and doesn't play my favorite style of music. But as I was watching it with him, I got to thinking about music, worship, styles, selfishness, etc. And here's what I really thought about... but before I tell you I have to tell you it is a really simple concept but at the same time it is convicting and so applicable to situations all throughout the church, at least that is my opinion. But alas, here is what I got to thinking about: WORSHIP ISN'T ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU WANT! 


Such a simple concept to understand and yet how hard it can be to apply at times. Let me give you an example by asking a question. How many people leave churches because they don't like the worship "style?" I don't know either, but it does happen and I know that every situation has specific circumstances, so I do not mean to generalize and condemn but if worship isn't about you and what you want than it must be about someone else, and if it isn't about what we want than it must be what someone else wants. Well, I submit to you that the "someone else" is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. But here is the really cool part that we get to play and I am going to steal a quote from my pastor, "The temple is where God expects to be worshiped." I Corinthians 3:17b reads, "For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." MIND=BLOWN!


God expects to be worshiped in the temple and we are God's temple. What does that mean? I know I don't know all that means, but here is what I do know. The temple is sacred and was used in the Old Testament as a symbol of God's presence. So somehow, you and I are sacred despite our sin and somehow in our sin, we still have the presence of God within us! All of that (and so much more) is possible because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus! Because we are God's temple, we are in the presence of the Most High, but we are still only in the outer courts while Jesus is our High Priest. God still expects to be worshiped by us and the outer courts are where the sacrifices were made. I wonder if that is why Paul would also write in Romans 12 to, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices..." 

Going back to worship through music, while I was over at my Grandad's listening to and watching this video, a quote by Martin Luther was shared and I wanted to share it here as well. "Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world." Why? Luther continues to say because "It controls our hearts, minds, and spirits." So music is no doubt a powerful tool and the sound no doubt makes a difference, but the real issue isn't the style of music, but rather the message of music. Sadly, much of music promotes a self-centered lifestyle, which is expected of unbelievers but not for believers. We are God's temple and the temple is where God expects to be worshiped, so the focus is on him, not us. So, the question is what kind of music are we listening to and how does it control how we live and who we live for?

And with that, please enjoy (with perhaps a new perspective and a deeper appreciation) a song that Martin Luther himself wrote the words for (in a style very different than its original musical composition)! All you have to do is search A Mighty Fortress is Our God by Chris Rice!

Making pens and making a difference!

Daniel Patrick

www.facebook.com/PatrickCustomPens

www.stellasvoice.org

Of Antonyms and X-Men

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

It's a cliche for sure, but if you think about it for a second, you can see some truth to it and some applications (or how we should act and react).

Here's what I want you to do. I am going to just write a few ideas and I want you to think of the possible "opposite and equal reactions" for each one. Let me make sure we are good by giving a sample:

Love:Hate

Now that I think you've got it, let's get started!

Truth:
Sleep:
War:

Those of you who know me know that three is my favorite number and you know why... so let me give you three quick thoughts:

Obviously, this catchy saying talks about two things, action and reaction, and their correlation. Think for a minute about situations when someone acts and then how people react to it. Now, if you are like me, think of times when you react impatiently, maybe even seeming angry at someone and "blowing up" on them for something they did or didn't do. Even if the person's action or lack of action was wrong, we are just as wrong for reacting that way. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So actions and reactions can be harmful, but not always.

Thankfully, helpful actions and right reactions are also just as real, though perhaps more rarely evident. I can't help but think of X-Men First Class here, so pardon me if I seem like I am just being nerdy, but I promise there is a point and connection, a connection-point. The movie is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself, and really effectively tells a story. Much of that story is centered on the ideologies of two characters - Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Eric Lensherr (Magneto). The one ideology is to fight for mankind and promote peace while the other is to fight against mankind and promote violent vengeance. The turning point in the story is when Eric Lensherr becomes Magneto and much of that part in the story hinges on the different viewpoints on action and reaction that Professor X and Magneto hold. Both Professor X and Magneto agree that mutants are different than the rest of mankind. It's not the issue that drives them apart, but it is their reaction to that issue that is the defining factor that determines their actions. Professor X realizes that mutants are different but hopes and works toward a way where they can still be somewhat accepted in society. On the other hand, Magneto sees the same situation in a different light. He blames humans for the evil in the world and sees mutants as superior (which in this case they definitely are). However, again I do not think this is even an issue between the two. The issue is how they seek to use that superiority. Professor X seeks to use that superiority for the betterment of mankind while Magneto seeks to use it as a way to rule over mankind.

I say all of that to submit to you that in a way we are like mutants. That is, we are not like unbelievers in this world... and we are not supposed to be. However, we are also not supposed to hold that over people's heads and puff ourselves up because we think we are somehow better than them. The only difference between us and them is Jesus and that makes all the difference! I find it really incredible that Professor X has the ability to read minds and in that way is able to feel what people are feeling. I know we don't have the ability to read minds as believers but we can still empathize. How? Why? Because we used to be the same if indeed the only difference is Jesus and Jesus makes all the difference! We used to be without Christ and still struggle with things people struggle with because, after all, we are people too! The difference is what actions we take in that struggle and how we react in situations. Here's an ending thought: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." God's action requires a reaction. Obedience is an action. Working out your own salvation is an action, but it is also a reaction to the fact that God has already taken the action in working in us, as this verse mentions. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. God's action requires an action and a reaction, but all of our actions and reactions will never be equal to His action.

Making pens and making a difference!
Daniel Patrick

www.facebook.com/PatrickCustomPens
www.stellasvoice.org