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Bits and Pieces 8/02

August 2, 2011 Leave a comment

High Priest’s Golden Bell Discovered

During a recent excavation led by the Antiquities Authority in Israel of a drainage channel near the Temple Mount, a small golden bell was unearthed.  This is the type of bell that was to be sewn on the hem of the High Priest’s garment.  Exodus 28:33 says, “Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.”  Evidently, some 2500 years ago, as the High Priest made his way from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple, the little bell came loose and fell into the drainage canal that was built alongside the road. 

Is this significant to me today?  Yes, because it serves not just as a matter of interesting historical significance, but also as a reminder that we have a great High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is more significant than any earthly High Priest, for as Hebrews 4 tells us, he is the Son of God. And, He didn’t just pass behind the curtains to the Holy of Holies, but He passed into Heaven itself to bring atonement to all who believe.  For more information about the finding of the golden bell, visit The Golden Bell.

A Heavenly Devotional

I am intrigued by the title of a new devotional book called The Heavens:  Intimate Moments With Your Majestic God by Kevin Hartnett.  The author is NASA’s Deputy Science Operations Manager for the Hubble Space Telescope.  I’ve always been fascinated by the mystery of the heavenly bodies and have often gazed in wonder at the incredible photos sent back to earth by the Hubble Telescope. 

This book sounds like an obvious way to come to know God.   Psalm 19 says,  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”  I recall one day studying for a lesson I was to teach on Genesis and creation and finding the Hubble Website.  I lost all sense of time and had a joyful worship experience as I looked at photo after photo of the world God created to declare His glory. 

Ponder This

A quote to ponder from John Piper:  “Do you feel loved by God because you believe he makes much of you, or because you believe he frees you and empowers you to enjoy making much of him?”

Categories: Bits and Pieces, Devotionals, Worship Tags: , ,

Thriving In The Vine

July 28, 2011 Leave a comment

Every year we plant sweet potato vines along our back fence.  We don’t plant many, maybe 15 in all.  But by August, they’ve completely covered the length of the fence and serve as a gorgeous backdrop to my backyard when seen from my living room window.

However, this year in Oklahoma the weather has been one for the record books.  Since early June, it’s been over 100 degrees almost every single day.  We’ve had sparse rainfall and yard watering is under mandatory restrictions in our city.  So, the vines have not been watered by human hands, having to survive on the moisture from the intermittent rainfalls.  Two weeks ago, I wasn’t sure they were going to make it at all.  However, here they are, thriving as if they had been watered and cared for every day.  In reality, all they really did was remain rooted to the main branch.

As I looked at the thriving vines, I was reminded of Jesus’ teaching from John 15 concerning vines.  He was teaching the necessity of the vine (or believers in Christ) remaining and not being cut off from the main branch (or Christ Himself).  A believer thrives spiritually by continually staying attached to his spiritual life source, to Jesus. 

No matter how harsh the conditions, if I remain in Him, I will thrive.  No matter how sparse the resources, if I remain in Him, I will thrive.  This beautiful truth is the reason I’ve used this phrase when signing my name to letters and emails:  Abiding in Him, Luana.

Categories: Bible, Bits and Pieces, Personal Tags: , , , , ,

Musings on the Moment

February 22, 2010 Leave a comment

That’s what these are, just musings, just some thoughts, along my life’s journey. 

So, yes, I finally got an iPhone.  I can’t say I really wanted one when they were being hyped in the media or when I saw people standing in long lines to buy one, but when iPhone owners began to show me all they could “do” with their apps, then I began to at least wonder if I shouldn’t get one.  I mostly embrace technology, especially when it enables me to stretch beyond what I know, when it feeds me information and provides me with quick answers to all my “how” and “why” questions.

The actual moment of buying one came when my husband said he thought he needed one.  When it comes to technology we are opposites, so this announcement was a total surprise.  Why would he want such a technological marvel?  It was the technology that made it appealing to him.  It was the technology that made it easier for him to use his contact list.  It was the technology that made all the options easier to understand. than his old phone.  It was the technology that made navigating the phone as easy as touching a screen.  So we both got iPhones.

After two weeks of ownership, I’m faced with a spiritual problem.  There are so many things to look at, to read about, to laugh at, to play with that I find myself having to say “no” to picking up a cell phone!  And not because it’s ringing.  It’s the soft chime telling me someone has answered my challenge on Word With Friends.  It’s the desire to check out what kind of bird I just saw in the backyard by keying in a description on the Bird app.  It’s needing to know the word of the day from the Dictionary app.  As can happen with almost anything in our fallen sinful world, the iPhone had become a passionate distraction, drawing me away from a myriad of household, family and personal duties.

So, some self-control is definitely in order.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “I discipline my body and keep it under control.”  In doing so, he’s seeking to glorify God.  Now that’s a passion I can live with!

Categories: Bits and Pieces, Personal Tags: ,