Everlasting Place
  • Home
  • One way
    • Proof
  • Sadie Sparrow
    • Sadie Sparrow Excerpt
    • Author Chat
    • Articles
    • Book Reviews
  • Memoir
    • Memoir Excerpts
    • Reviews, interviews & endorsements
  • Blogs
    • Eternal eyes: a blog about forever
    • Golden years: a blog about the elderly
  • Old folks
    • Planting tips for Christians
  • Messages from Chris Carrillo
  • Library
  • Bookstore
  • Contact

Where's your treasure?

5/28/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
“And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’”  -- Luke 12:15

I’ve been rereading Luke’s gospel, blown away by the incredible wisdom contained in every line. This verse really jumped out at me recently, probably because I was in the midst of planning additions to my spring garden when Jesus reminded me, for the thousandth time, that there are more important things in life than what I can pack into my garden. 

“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

For proof, imagine yourself in a nursing home -- you, who once lived in 2000- or 3000 or 4000-square-foot splendor, reduced to sharing a 15x20-foot room, your wardrobe pruned back to fit into a single dresser and armoire, your library decimated to whatever you can squeeze into an apartment-sized nightstand, your Christmas Wish List limited to tiny gift suggestions like postage stamps and a few blank birthday cards.  

There’s not much room for pursuing covetousness in such an environment – at least not if it’s directed at material goods.

Fortunately, in sayings such as the one quoted above, Jesus destroyed the notion that possessions define our lives. And He followed it up with the parable of the rich man who needed more barns to store his crops – a stern warning against accumulating more and more possessions along the road to a life of ease (verses 16-21).  

You probably know people who spent their lives acquiring everything that appeals to them, working overtime to satisfy “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life,” as John described it in chapter 2 of his first epistle. They stuffed their closets with clothing and their pantries with food and their garages with cars and recreational equipment, and when they ran out of room, if they could swing it, they moved on to bigger and better quarters. 

This sort of covetousness certainly dominated my life before I met the Lord Jesus Christ, and discovered that true satisfaction comes not from possessing but from being forgiven, that the only thing worth acquiring in this life is knowledge of my Creator and the assurance of spending all eternity with Him.  

But I wonder: what if I’d stayed lost? What if I still thought my happiness would be found “in the abundance of the things” possessed?  How would I have handled the prospect of squeezing 2000 square feet of abundance into a 150-square-foot half-room, and calling it a life?

I thank God that He does whatever is necessary to change the hearts and minds of anyone who is willing – and that, for those who are, He made the key to everlasting joy abundantly clear.

“Do not fear, little flock,” He said in Luke 12:32-34, “for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 
0 Comments

Think "real" scientists believe Darwin? Think again.

5/20/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Take it from world-renowned evolutionary atheist Richard Dawkins: “One thing all real scientists agree upon is the fact of evolution itself,” he wrote in the November 2005 issue of Natural History. “It is a fact that we are cousins of gorillas, kangaroos, starfish, and bacteria. Evolution is as much a fact as the heat of the sun.”

Well, then, it’s settled. All real scientists agree, after all. It must be so.

Just one problem, Professor Dawkins: It turns out there are literally thousands of real scientists who have publicly proclaimed their doubts about Darwinian evolution. And no doubt there are many thousands more who keep their doubts under their hats – for good reason, it turns out.

That reason is revealed in horrifying detail in Dr. Jerry Bergman’s eye-opening book, Slaughter of the Dissidents: The Shocking Truth about Killing the Careers of Darwin Doubters. In it, Dr. Bergman describes the discrimination experienced by more than a dozen Darwin-doubting scientists, primarily in academia. And we’re not talking insults at the water cooler. These men and women have been denied tenure and awards, forced out, fired, blackballed, even subjected to death threats – not because of what they did or said, but because of what they believe.

Dr. Bergman experienced this sort of Orwellian discrimination himself in the late 1970s; he had become disillusioned with Darwinism, and lost his job at Bowling Green State University for saying so. Professor Dawkins would no doubt try to slap the “not a real scientist” label on him. But it wouldn’t stick, because Dr. Bergman:

• Has nine college degrees – two of them Ph.D.s – from the Medical College of Ohio, Wayne State University, The University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University.
• Has taught college-level biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology for more than three decades.
• Has more than 1000 publications appearing in 12 languages, including over 50 books and monographs, and has contributed to dozens of textbooks.
• Has presented scores of scientific papers in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

In fact, the “not a real scientist” label doesn’t fit any of the Darwin doubters whose cases are presented in Slaughter of the Dissidents.

Some of these scientists have already gained recognition through the amazing documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Dr. Bergman picks up where Ben Stein left off, delving more deeply into the cases of Caroline Crocker and Guillermo Gonzalez. He also introduces his readers to many other highly qualified scientists who saw their careers derailed when their doubts about Darwinism came to the attention of their superiors.

So aside from their personal sacrifices, what’s the harm?

Dr. Bergman points out that so far, the majority of Americans side with the Darwin doubters. Surveys indicate that at least 44% believe God created the earth and all the basic kinds of life, another 38% fall somewhere along the continuum between creationism and theistic evolution, and only 9% are pure evolutionists.

But as the product of public education myself – including a journalism curriculum teaching, as far back as the ‘70s, that what we can’t see is a figment of our imaginations – I worry about my own exhaustively educated generation, and those of the future. Now that atheistic Darwinism is the only subject that can be safely taught in our schools and universities … now that even a whiff of sympathy for Intelligent Design is punishable by immediate dismissal … and now that the God of the Bible has been booted clear out of public life … what will become of our biblically ignorant citizenry not only in this life, but far more importantly, in the life to come?

Dr. Bergman provides suggestions for supporting the fight to restore academic freedom in this country, but it seems like an uphill battle. The politically correct evolutionary worldview is championed by groups like the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State; such groups are always standing by, ready to snuff out any suggestion of a Designer with lawsuits that few schools can afford to fight.

Darwinism has long been part of the mainstream news media’s dogma, too, as consumers of mainstream media can attest – and as Dr. Bergman demonstrates again and again.

Take, for instance, the case of Rod LeVake, a Minnesota biology teacher who was removed from his high school biology class because he dared to criticize Darwinism. Incredibly, at least one national news magazine felt compelled to weigh in on his case. “Time portrayed creation-believing scientists as an almost non-existent minority,” Dr. Bergman reports, “claiming ‘reputable scientists who agree with LeVake can be counted on one hand’ … Time went so far as to portray Mr. LeVake (in a full-page article) as a hillbilly.”

No wonder we creationists and Intelligent Design advocates are so often mocked by the highly educated, who greet any suggestion of an alternative to Darwinism with some version of: “Real scientists believe in evolution!”

Now, thanks to Dr. Bergman’s efforts, we can at last explain why that may seem to be the case: Darwinism appears to be the prevailing worldview because it is the only one that is allowed in our classrooms, on our campuses, on the pages of our mainstream newspapers and the lips of mainstream broadcast reporters.

I finished Slaughter of the Dissidents more convinced than ever that it’s time for those of us who care about academic freedom – and about proclaiming the truth of the Bible – to fight this unconscionable censorship. Read this outstanding book, and you’ll no doubt agree.
0 Comments

Looking ahead nostalgically

5/14/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Just saw another one of those videos featuring photos from the ‘50s and a nostalgic song, and realized anew that there were two things that made my early childhood magical:

  • Being loved unconditionally, and
  • Being utterly and happily dependent upon my parents for everything
 
Of course, as we begin to grow up and strive for independence, that all changes. We start looking elsewhere for people to depend on, and for people to love us. Some of us turn our backs completely on the wonders of our childhoods, inexplicably rejecting even the idea of unconditional love and the joy of being able to depend on others.
 
But over the last two decades, I’ve learned that we can restore both states, as well as the lovely feelings that accompany them. In fact, they can be better than ever if we make a point of seeking the infallible and eternal.
 
How? Through a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son – a relationship achieved by repenting of what He has said is sin, by trusting in Him to have paid our sin debt in full on the cross, and thereby being born again to become His child forevermore.
 
When we do this, we can rely completely on Him in this life, through good times and bad. After all, He is omniscient, omnipotent, and all merciful, and is in sovereign control of what happens to us every moment in our lives. Our circumstances may not always seem desirable to us at the moment, but Romans 8:28 tells us that He makes all things work together to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. So we can count on Him to make everything turn out perfectly.
 
What’s more, the Bible tells us that God is love. He loves us not because of anything lovable in us, but because it is His very nature. His love is, in Greek, agape. It is sacrificial, permanent, unconditional. This, then, is love we’ve never before known; as wonderful as it may have been, our parents’ love for us was only a hint of what is available from Love Himself.  
 
Unconditional love and complete dependence upon our Creator: that’s what God’s children can look forward to experiencing endlessly in heaven. In the meantime, we can enjoy this wonderful state even now, in this fallen world amidst endless distractions. All it takes is remembering a magical childhood, and resting in the knowledge that it was only a shadow of the real thing – that the best is, indeed, yet to come. 
0 Comments

Is there life after birth?

5/3/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
Here's one of my favorite analogies about eternal life -- I haven't a clue who wrote it and it's not perfect, but it's wonderful food for thought on so many levels.

In a mother's womb were two babies. 
 
One asked the other: "Do you believe in life after delivery?" 
 
The other replies, "why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later. 
 
"Nonsense," says the other. "There is no life after delivery. What would that life be?"
 
"I don't know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths." 
 
The other says "This is absurd! Walking is impossible. And eat with our mouths? Ridiculous. The umbilical cord supplies nutrition. Life after delivery is to be excluded. The umbilical cord is too short." 
 
"I think there is something and maybe it's different than it is here." 
 
The other replies, "No one has ever come back from there. Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery it is nothing but darkness and anxiety and it takes us nowhere." 
 
"Well, I don't know," says the other, "but certainly we will see mother and she will take care of us." 
 
"Mother??" You believe in mother? Where is she now? 

"She is all around us. It is in her that we live. Without her there would not be this world." 
 
"I don't see her, so it's only logical that she doesn't exist." 
 
To which the other replied, "Sometimes when you're in silence you can hear her, you can perceive her. I believe there is a reality after delivery and we are here to prepare ourselves for that reality..."
1 Comment

    Kitty
    Foth-Regner

    I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, a freelance copywriter, a nursing-home volunteer, and the author of books both in-process and published -- including Heaven Without Her. 

    Archives

    December 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Care to subscribe?

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from tracie7779, Luci Correia, Maxwell Hamilton, giardinaggio, Doug1021, Angel Xavier Viera, Damian Gadal, Reboots, leoncillo sabino, mRio, HikingArtist.com, guymoll, csath07, Guudmorning!, fred_v, homegets.com, ishaip, jinxmcc, freeparking :-|, CallMeWhatEver, BryonLippincott, simpleinsomnia, csread, nicephore, Doug Beckers, mandydale, berniedup, tontantravel, h.koppdelaney, Jill Clardy, anieto2k, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, QuidoX, Ryo | [ addme. ], ShebleyCL, TinyTall, proggy-yahoo, Infiniteyes, Genista, kippster, Speculum Mundi, HerPhotographer, Tauralbus, megallypuff, harshxpatel, Waiting For The Word, CoreBurn, Gordon Chirgwin, {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, John McLinden, Patrick Feller, jikatu, Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, byzantiumbooks, bizmac, H o l l y., Peter Blanchard, sheriffmitchell, Tony Webster, hectorir, City of Overland Park, luis_cunha, Sam Howzit, bertknot, QuotesEverlasting, iturde, ejmc, VARNISHdesign, Cimm, Good Book Reader, Renaud Camus, banjipark, romana klee, 00alexx, erix!, branestawm2002, amsfrank, m01229, cbcmemberphotos2477, rhode.nel, Veronique Debord, joshjanssen, zenjazzygeek, h.koppdelaney, Laurel Mill Players, quinn.anya, *ErinBrierley*, Ben Pugh, Photographing Travis, BarnImages.com, anees.waqas, swambo, Alan Miles NYC, glenngould, Patrick Feller, davecito, wade in da water, Endre Majoros, France1978, dainamara, theseanster93, insightpest, eliduke, volker-kannacher, cogdogblog, Editor B, poshdee, brewbooks, J D Mack, ThomasKohler, mayeesherr. (in West Bengal!), TEDxHouston, Ms. Phoenix, PBoGS, Eselsmann™, Inside Guide To London, ShironekoEuro, Tom Anderson, flequi, cogdogblog, njaminjami, Search Engine People Blog, ShanMcG213, Julie Edgley, randihausken, pescatello, Waiting For The Word, moriza, Iain Farrell, Arizona Parrot, digitalmindphotography, enjosmith, www.WeisserPhotography.com, STC4blues, Holidayextras, Randy Roe, goprogresswent, BenDibble, kstoyer, Rennett Stowe, williac, ImNotQuiteJack, Life Mental Health, Jose Antonio Cotallo Lopez, gruntzooki, electricinca, adactio, miheco, Zemlinki!, bnilsen, chispita_666