God's Appointed Times

In Bible Study this Spring we are studying about the Jewish festivals. Last time we were doing a study of Jesus by Beth Moore and it occurred to us that we really didn't know or understand much about the festivals that Jesus was participating in throughout the New Testament. So in attempt to have a better understanding of what we are reading in scripture, we set about to study the festivals God set up for His people.

We're about halfway done with the book so far, but I put a little write up on GoodReads. Here it is...

God's Appointed Times New Edition: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Celebrating the Biblical Holidays by Barney Kasdan

My review

This has been a very good book for learning the Jewish festivals, as well as why and how they were and are celebrated. As a protestant, I did not know much about Jewish festivals, but they are the foundation of many of our own and so integral in understanding the Biblical times and customs, both in the Old Testament and the New. It is written by a Messianic Jew, which makes its message particularly applicable to protestants.


View all my reviews.

Time to SHINE!

In one of the flylady emails today I read this line in a testimonial:

"If I have time to whine I have time to shine."

What a great quote!! How often do I spend time whining and worrying about a situation instead of just taking care of it? If I have time to whine about what I don't want to do, I have time to to put my best work into it. I would do well to remember that! Here is the full testimonial...

Dear FlyLady and Friends:

I always tell my kids "Don't spend more time complaining about doing something than it's going to take to do it in the first place." But then just last week I realized that I was talking the talk but not walking the walk.

So, this week I've been working very hard on walking the walk. When I find myself whining about having to do something I remind myself that I if I have time to whine I have time to shine. And I don't just mean my sink. This applies to any task that I am responsible for, whether it's a project at work or a meal at home.

I've noticed that this week I'm getting more done, and that my whine sessions are getting easier to shake off. Sometimes I DO need to vent, so I set my timer (There's that amazing timer again, what can't it help us with?) and C-R-A-B for five minutes. Unless I'm really mad, I generally feel pretty silly after about a minute or two and turn the timer off and get to the task at hand.

Thank you for all that you do.

Fluttering in Northwestern Ohio

Kelly here: Our children watch us everyday..and if you aren't walking the walk..then what are you teaching them?

What not to wear...

I don't know anything about the show "What Not To Wear", but I can say that if you are a weather man, a green-screen colored tie is what NOT to wear.

More thoughts on baptism...

I'm now reading through the passages that relate to baptism in Acts, since those passages relate to baptism after Christ's death, and after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. One of the questions I had/have is... does the "baptism with fire" or the coming of the Holy Spirit replace the necessity for baptism with water in relation to forgiveness? So that's where I started this morning...

Acts 2:38 - "Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

This passage echoes an old question and brings up a new one for me: Is it the repentance or the baptism that brings about the forgiveness of sins? And does the baptism bring the Holy Spirit, or is the Holy Spirit the baptism and the water was merely symbolic because the Isrealites still needed the ceremony?

Acts 10 describes the giving of the Holy Spirit to the first gentiles and answers one of the questions above. In verse 47 it is clear that the gentiles there had been given the Holy Spirit, just as the Jews had, but that they had not been baptized with water yet. So the answer to that, at least, is that no, baptism with water is not required for the Holy Spirit to be given to someone. It doesn't say, though, that the baptism wasn't important, because those gentiles then went and were baptized with water. Was it just to fit in with the Christian community, or did it serve a greater purpose?