... the type of life an itinerant preacher of the Mediterranean in those days. But searching for the historic Jesus, we have little beyond the Gospel texts themselves. There are mentions of Jesus by historians such as Josephus, but they tell us little of who he was. We have no physical description, and Biblical scholars disagree about exactly how much of what the ... still learning more about the historical Jesus, which can lead us to a better understanding of the Deity? Those questions come to my mind as I ponder Jesus' own question, "Who do you say that I am?- 1 Eileen Flynn. "Why Believe...

• Word Count: 738
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a is woman running up a set of stairs along a cliff and when she gets to the top she stops to pick up a piece of candy. Can you imagine running that hard for something as inconsequential as apiece of candy? When we first think about running hard, most of us are more likely to run hard away ... can't tell the difference between a child and a chip monk is dangerous. So, I was pleased that the Register gave us some advice on what to do if you should happen to encounter one in the woods. DO NOT RUN! Face the critter and puff yourself up to look as big as possible, pick up any children in ......

• Word Count: 1835
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

You are the Chosen One Stigmata is something that doesn't occur very often, but when is does it is considered a blessing or sometimes not. People have many different theories on the ... no factual or documented incidences of this occurring to anyone. Mention by Julie Valle, "the thought of someone actually wanting to conflict pain and lacerations on there own body is a little out there." Another reason why this wouldn't be an explanation for stigmata is that the scientists describe this as an intensely emotional state in which rational thought and self control ... ...

• Word Count: 845
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... give him the Bible or he would shoot him. What was the pastor to do? He handed the man the Bible. "We will let you go," growled the guard, "but first, you must spit on this book of lies. Anyone who refuses will be shot." He pointed to the first man with his gun. The man asked ... the hem of her dress, and wiped the spit from the cover. The Communist soldier put his gun to her head and shot her. Does this story shock you? To many Americans this ghastly story is unheard of, but in Communist China, and in many other countries today, stories like this one are familiar. All of ... Columbine...

• Word Count: 876
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Have you ever really sat down and thought which religion is the right one to believe in. We are brought up in our families to believe in what they believe. Religions range ... Buddha. Each religion has rules and orders that one must follow in order to belong. People fast; give money, sacrifice, and go to worship in different temples but, what if you are doing it all in the wrong name. Who is to say which religion is the right one? In some religions they measure the choices ... the higher being. The hard part of the whole situation is no one really knows what you are thinking. I feel if you...

• Word Count: 272
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... World In the beginning there was God and his word. As the years past, things tend to get a little distance from the "original plan" for the followers of each teaching. This issue is a little sensitive on every aspect because it is mostly speculation of each individual. Both religions are monotheistic with a holy text ... they are all the children of God. This is another reason why Christianity is more appealing. Both Islam and Christianity offer a rewarding "eternal dwelling" if you live a righteous life here on earth and do the duty of Allah or God. Christians believe that their reward ...

• Word Count: 1356
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... goes on to tell a story about how his father died and the Misfit's subsequent incarceration for the crime. After the Misfit has the other men take the mother, daughter, and baby to the woods, the grandmother is left alone with the Misfit, who continues to talk about how Jesus was punished. The grandmother responds in the only way she knows how ... to by clinging to her superficial beliefs about "good blood" and behaving as a lady would. The grandmother notices the Misfit as he is about to cry. She reaches out her hand and says, "Why you"re one of my babies!" The Misfit jumps back like s...

• Word Count: 877
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... parables."" We as human beings have always struggled with forgiveness, compassion, and acceptance from the Divine Other. Victor Hugo described God as "a divine and terrible radiance."" When you and I discuss how an infinite God can have a relationship with a finite human being there is always a sense of discomfort or of deep darkness. This is ... where the word "dissolute- in the Greek is in Eph. 5:18, Titus 1:6, and 1 Peter 4:3 which all speak of drunkenness, rebellion, and debauchery. So you can imagine what went on in this far country. However, there did come a day when he'd finished...

• Word Count: 3350
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

... conversion. Spirit-baptism is therefore contemporaneous with regeneration and conversion, rather than being an optional module of progressive sanctification after conversion. At this stage, a cry is usually raised by Pentecostals and Charismatics that we are ignoring the other cases in Acts 2, 8, 10 and 19 which appear to prove conclusively that ... native Aramaic which resulted in about three thousand souls being added to the number of the redeemed (Acts 2:41). All this is a far cry from the ecstatic babbling which is spoken by people in the churches today, which does not function as a s...

• Word Count: 10720
• Approx Pages: 43
• Grade Level: High School

... assistants so that he would call the judge's attention to the case. The widow had three obstacles to overcome. First, being a woman she, therefore, had little standing before the law. In Palestinian society of our Lord's Day, women did not go to court. Since she was a widow, she had no husband ... holy desires in our hearts, in the will of God, that we are constantly in loving communion with the Father, petitioning Him for His blessing. You decide; Do you want to pray or faint? Contrast number 2: The widow contrasted with God's elect. Jesus did not say that God's people are like this woma...

• Word Count: 1860
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... the greatest works of the Holy Spirit is the sealing of the believers. (Eph 1:13-14) God's mark of ownership is the sealing in the Holy Spirit. You belong to God. Bought and paid for with the mighty blood of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is also "the guarantee" of our inheritance. (Eph 1:14) ... ) It is the Holy Spirit who frees us from the Old Testament laws and rituals. (2 Cor 3:13) He does things only a person can do: Teach and remind you v/s John 14:26 Called them to service v/s Acts 13:2 Convict the world of guilt v/s John 16:8 Led by the Spirit v/s Romans 8:14 The Holy Spirit Gift...

• Word Count: 1174
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... to experience my violation was my mother. To begin with, she is very straight and narrow and the epitome of a conventionalist. She already thinks I"m a little too eccentric for my own good and I knew that this project would not coincide with the proper and traditional ways my mother celebrates the holidays. I was ... on my venture. She had this confused look on her face and stared in bewilderment at the packages. Finally she asked, "Exactly what all did you get Jenn for her birthday?" I couldn't help but laugh as I explained that those were the Christmas gifts. Her mouth twisted into thi...

• Word Count: 1182
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . With the passage of time, spankings were administered to both sexes as a wish for long life. Superstitions about babies include ways to predict the sex of the unborn child. Supposedly, a baby carried high will be a girl, while one carried low will be a boy. Also, the wedding ring of the mother-to-be can be used as a predictor of the gender of ... deceased could arise and attack the living. These "living dead" are the precursors to vampire stories. Still other superstitions involve protection of the body or soul against evil. Saying "Bless you" when someone sneezes harks back to the tim...

• Word Count: 1809
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... he lay a banner of love over the terrestrial. My soul wondered at His majesty. I felt a primal desire to tear down the strong holds of yesterday, to cry out "Abba," and to be loved. I am astonished, wooed, by every breath I take, breathing in His majesty and clutching Jesus' offering of friendship. Songs ... the occasional Sunday morning when I sang the loudest and immersed myself in safety, for Sunday was a day of rest. Over time, I would grow up as most little girls do. Inside my world, however, I never knew what real love looked and felt like. Tossed around like a rag doll from person...

• Word Count: 1503
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... a new heaven and a new earth, we speak in images, metaphors and parables" (Calvin). We must have the humility to recognize with Luther that "as little as children know in their mother's womb about their birth, so little do we know about life everlasting"" (Schwarz, 1984). Hope in the Resurrection of the Crucified Jesus Christian hope is grounded in the resurrection of the ... Holy Spirit. He continues to come into the World and sacrament and in ever-surprising encounters of his presence among the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, and the imprisoned who cry out for help. Third, all of our ...

• Word Count: 2115
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a subject of much controversy in today's society. It seems everyone has a strong opinion about their religion, your religion, and the way you should believe. Being raised in a very religious family, I have my own opinions about religion and the role it should play in my ... keeping the subject neutral is the safest option. Separation of church and state was made a rule for good reason. When you allow religion to seep into public life, you violate rights set forth in the constitution, tolerance of others is easily forgotten, and people succumb to sometimes close minded teachings ... as i...

• Word Count: 1121
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... . If teenagers didn't have abortions but kept their babies, the quality of our society would go down. There would be more dropouts and many low quality people. Even worse, with little education and babies that are raised by babies themselves, the cycle would continue to repeat itself as time goes on. Mother Teresa's solution to this problem is to have the ... baby and then give him or her up for adoption. That way the mother would not kill her baby, but would give him or her the opportunity to have a good life in which he or she is loved. Mother Teresa ... ...

• Word Count: 922
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... wine. What is homosexuality? A homosexual may be your best friend, your boss, your minister, your brother, your mother, or any of the hundreds of people that you encounter everyday. Homosexuals (gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, and transgendered - or quite simply, gays) vary in age, emotional maturity, social status, personality, and many ... and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxe! n great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And ...

• Word Count: 6914
• Approx Pages: 28
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... did when it was originally built back in 1852. The basic structure of the church is still there but many things have been added. Their bulletin has a little image on the front of what the church looks like. Within the past ten years, over a million dollars has bent spent on the renovation of the church ... as the exterior doors but the middle of these doors contains a pain glass window. The glass is very nicely etched around the edges. Open the doors you have entered the main area of the church. This is the main part of the church. This main area is filled with vibrant colors. There are ...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... crop was sown on the mountain fields, to be gathered if all went well in May. And In the village, as small as it was, there were always little children to care for. The people of Nazareth had a strong Jewish faith. As God's chosen people, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Jews believed this ... Israel hoped to hear, that her child would be the Messiah, God's promised Savior. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you". Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might have been. The angel said...

• Word Count: 1464
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... is God" (1). Ozzie's argument was that if God could create heaven and earth, the fish in the sea and the light, why couldn't he let a woman have a baby without intercourse. " I mean no kidding around. That"d really be nothing. After all that other stuff, that"d practically be nothing" (2). Ozzie believed God could do anything, ... put his hand out to shut Ozzie's mouth up and instead Ozzie ducked and the Rabbi hit Ozzie's nose, making it bleed. Ozzie screamed, "You bastard, you bastard" (5). At that Ozzie took off running with Rabbi Binder and the class right behind him. Ozzie ran up to ...

• Word Count: 1147
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... man was losing his faith, because he didn't think God really cared, and was actually really there. He wanted to know where God was and would cry out to God for Him to show evidence of His presence. This story brings out the three questions that are so often asked by believers when they are ... same demands of faith. Jesus experienced the same trial. He lost health, friends and was also tempted. The second observation that he makes is that we have little understanding of what our faith means to God. Only God can truly know what is of value to God. God says, "Blessed are those who believe ...

• Word Count: 1289
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... is carrying a hereditary illness The mother is underage and faces physical harm The mother is underage and would not be able to look after the baby The mother got pregnant by mistake and it is used as a form of contraception It is used to cover up an affair In some countries ... ."" The mother's life is at risk if the pregnancy continues The mother's mental or physical well-being is at risk Scans or tests have shown the baby is badly mentally or physically disabled, or has a deformity meaning it is unlikely to live after birth. There is a risk of harm to existing children ... cannot st...

• Word Count: 1792
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... condones attending such places. The physical meaning of the word Baptism has been of great debate in many religious circles for many years. The Southern Baptist Church does not perform baby baptisms. They believe that baptism is a step in obedience to God after one has been saved as a testimony to God's people and the church of salvation. Babies are incapable of ... making that decision, therefore baptism is not necessary, although the Southern Baptist Church does perform baby dedications in which the baby is dedicated to God from his parents to be raised in God's teachings and taught a...

• Word Count: 1094
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Mary to Bethlehem to register for a census and to pay taxes. During their stay in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor and gave birth to a baby. They named their baby boy Jesus and Mary laid her new son in a manger, because there was no room to put him at the inn. So, as prophesied ... afraid: for I bring good news of great joy, for all people. Today a Savior was born for you which is Christ the Lord."" (www.christiananswers.net) Shepherds came from all over to visit the baby Jesus in his manger in Bethlehem and over time, many wise men traveled to Bethlehem and delivered gifts to Jesus ... t...

• Word Count: 2646
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School