Dear Subscribers,
I hope you had a wonderful weekend.
This weekend, skeptic James Randi is having his skeptics conference in Las Vegas. They'll have three days of speakers like Michael Shermer, Penn and Teller, Adam Savage, etc. and several workshops. I'm thinking about going and taking critical notes and engaging some of the unbelievers in conversation. Seeing how they conduct their "anti-Bible conference" could be quite revealing and even edifying!
For a limited time, my 2007 debate with Dr. Eddie Tabash is now available for free download! If you'd like to hear this intense, formal debate at The Center for Inquiry West in Hollywood, California, please click here. The existence of God was our topic and I provided three primary reasons and defended them while debating Eddie's arguments for God's non-existence.
Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, some Cool Facts, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained," and the Quotes of the Week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!
Love in Christ,
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
Contact Us: http://jcsm.org/contact.php
JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)
"The Cure for Fear and Hatred"
John 13:34, 35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Ephesians 4:32 "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
1 John 4:17-21 "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."
Insight: God loves us so much that He gives us the ability to love others as we should. Be determined to love all people like God would. Forgive others and be kind to them and you will not fear or hate them.
Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and make us like You. Thank you for loving us so much. There is no other like You. Remove our worries and fears. Help us to love people like You love us. Thank you for the people You put in our way to love. Thank you for helping us do your will, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."
On February 26, 1919, the Grand Canyon of Arizona was declared a national park. The park portion of this immense gorge is 18 miles wide, 1 mile deep, and 56 miles long. It is usually assumed that the Colorado River eroded the entire canyon over eons of time. Instead, however, the Grand Canyon is a majestic monument to vast flooding. Following the Genesis Flood, much water remained trapped in western lakes. Probably the eventual breaking of a natural ice dam caused large-scale, catastrophic flooding through the Grand Canyon area. Rapid erosion then occurred on a colossal scale in a short time.
This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."
Forgiving someone isn't telling them their inappropriate action was ok. Forgiving someone is telling them you love them anyway.
Write on a piece of paper everyone who you need to forgive. Forgive them. Destroy the paper and be blessed. God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
kharidzomahee (Greek, see Ephesians 4:32): to grant as a favor, that is, gratuitously, in kindness, pardon or rescue: deliver, (frankly) forgive, (freely) give, grant
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:
Matthew 1:11 - Was Josias the father or grandfather of Jechonias?
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:
Josias was Jechonias' grandfather. This is clear from 1 Chronicles 3:14-16.
Matthew simply omits Jehoiakim. However, the Greek word for "begat" doesn't necessarily indicate fatherhood. It can be used for generational purposes indicating grandfathers, great-grandfathers, etc.
(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich. This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org. There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)
There are no new quotes this week. However, if you like to read wise quotes, you can either visit our Quotations Archive or get a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"! It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.
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Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
Executive Director
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