Dear Subscribers,
Happy 4th of July!
My wife, daughter, and I just returned from our vacation to San Francisco. It was a lot of fun and we saw Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, and the city. Now we're back and it's time to celebrate Independence Day in San Diego.
If you live in California, you'll want to mind the new, hands-free law. As of July 1, motorists are required to use a hands-free device while driving and cannot talk on their cell phone otherwise. They are estimating this will save between 1-3 lives every day and the fine is $76 for first time offenders and $150+ for second time offenders, so be safe and obey the law!
I've been using a Motorola Bluetooth, wireless earpiece and it works very well. This is one option, but they also make wired earpieces and speaker phones you can clip to your car's visor. Check eBay for great deals on these or visit your local store to pick one up and it'll make your commute much more enjoyable (and safe!).
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!)
1 Timothy 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain."
Insight: Our greatest goal is to become like Jesus Christ by emulating His character. We must repent from our sins and become godly Christians. Those who have been able to cast off earthly cares and possessions have seen that godliness with contentment is indeed great gain!
Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and help us to see how this verse is true. Thank you for giving us the intangible things in your Word like peace, joy, kindness, and love. Help us to avoid worrying about possessions, power, and things that are less important. Give us great godliness and great contentment and help us know how to use our resources for your kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen."
On March 2, 1972, in the evening, the U.S. Pioneer 10 spacecraft began its long journey into deep space. Eleven years later it became the first space probe to leave the solar system, traveling at its continuous speed of 28,000 miles per hour, or one half-million miles each day. Pioneer 10 is now more than 7 billion miles from earth and its weak radio signal has faded away. A plaque attached to Pioneer's side shows a couple waving. The stated hope is that a few hundred thousand years from now, distant space aliens may capture the Pioneer probe and realize that we earthlings are friendly. This search for life in space forgets that the Creator of the universe has already contacted us through His Son and His Word.
This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."
Imagine how great your life would be if you didn't worry about five things that you don't have, but seem to want badly.
Make a list of things you want and things you need. Compare these lists and make a candid judgment on what is a little important, very important, and not that important. It may help you change your priorities or perspectives!
God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
porismos (Greek, see 1 Timothy 6:6): acquisition, gain
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:
Matthew 1:16 - The genealogies of Matthew and Luke do not even agree on the identity of Joseph's father (the grandfather of Jesus). Matthew says Joseph's father was Jacob; Luke (3:23) says his name was Heli.
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:
Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli. Joseph's father was Jacob. It was traditional for Jews to omit women from their genealogical tables. Consequently, they would often write the name of the father-in-law, so they could continue and understand the lineage.
Luke reveals the genealogy of Mary. Matthew lists the genealogy of Joseph.
(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.
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
Executive Director
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