Good Friday was, for the disciples, a day of sorrow. A day where their hopes and dreams in who they believed was the promised Messiah came crashing down.
They believed that he was coming as a political and military Saviour, not a spiritual one. Somebody who would take on the Roman Empire and lead Israel to victory and freedom. Someone who would rule as a king.
But all this had failed. How? The chief priests had taken him and had crucified him. He had died and had been buried in a tomb. A stone had been rolled across the entrance. Guards were positioned outside the tomb.
All seemed lost.
But then came the Resurrection. Christ did not stay dead, but rose again. Utter defeat was turned into victory.
If not for Easter Sunday, Good Friday would have truly been a day of sorrows. A day where evil took and killed an innocent and holy man.
But that was not the end of the story.
If he had not risen, it would have proven that he did not have power over life and death. What good is a dead Messiah?
But he did rise, and stayed on earth for another forty days, before finally ascending to heaven, where he is now preparing a place for all of us.
A place for those that accept Christ's redeeming sacrifice, his giving himself up for us.
Will you accept?
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Friday, 29 March 2013
Easter Friday
Today is the day that we remember the death of Jesus. His sacrifice, giving himself up for us.
He who was in glory before the world and the heavens were created, who created the earth, and holds it in the palm of his hand.
He who created massive stars and galaxies, thousands of light-years across.
He who created the tiniest sub-atomic particles – neutrinos and quarks, and gave each its own properties.
Yet, he also created us. He knows each one of us by name – and much more than by name. He knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Yet, when we sinned, he was willing to give up himself. He loved us so much, that he was willing to die in our place, so that we would not have to suffer away from God.
He, who made us, and many infinite and infinitesimal things, was willing to die, for his creations.
He did not have to die; he had made us, and we were rightfully his, to do with as he wanted. But we rebelled, and turned against him.
Yet, he was still merciful. He extended grace. He showed us love, and was willing to die a hard, cruel, death, whipped by Roman legionaries and nailed to a cross.
When he died, the curtain dividing the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the temple was split from top to bottom, showing that now, for the first time, men could come directly into contact with God, without the intervention of a human priest. Jesus himself became the priest that stands before the throne of God and intervenes for us.
All this he did because of his love. Because he loved us so much.
He offers forgiveness, redemption, and love. Will you accept?
He who was in glory before the world and the heavens were created, who created the earth, and holds it in the palm of his hand.
He who created massive stars and galaxies, thousands of light-years across.
He who created the tiniest sub-atomic particles – neutrinos and quarks, and gave each its own properties.
Yet, he also created us. He knows each one of us by name – and much more than by name. He knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Yet, when we sinned, he was willing to give up himself. He loved us so much, that he was willing to die in our place, so that we would not have to suffer away from God.
He, who made us, and many infinite and infinitesimal things, was willing to die, for his creations.
He did not have to die; he had made us, and we were rightfully his, to do with as he wanted. But we rebelled, and turned against him.
Yet, he was still merciful. He extended grace. He showed us love, and was willing to die a hard, cruel, death, whipped by Roman legionaries and nailed to a cross.
When he died, the curtain dividing the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in the temple was split from top to bottom, showing that now, for the first time, men could come directly into contact with God, without the intervention of a human priest. Jesus himself became the priest that stands before the throne of God and intervenes for us.
All this he did because of his love. Because he loved us so much.
He offers forgiveness, redemption, and love. Will you accept?
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Chemistry Notes
So, these are the notes I took in chemistry yesterday. You'll enjoy it if you are a fan of Karac Tor, especially if you also use Dr. Jay Wile's Exploring Creation with Chemistry.
Chemicals change / Energy make
Bonds shall form / Bonds shall break
Carbon atom / Four hydrogen
Bonds destroyed / Bonds grow thin
Hydrog'n oxygen / Water made
Oxygen carbon / Carbon dioxide
Double bonds / Will be born
Finished reaction / Energy adorned
(This is from page 423 (in Module 13) of Exploring Creation with Chemistry, if you have the book and want to see where I got it from.)
Chemicals change / Energy make
Bonds shall form / Bonds shall break
Carbon atom / Four hydrogen
Bonds destroyed / Bonds grow thin
Hydrog'n oxygen / Water made
Oxygen carbon / Carbon dioxide
Double bonds / Will be born
Finished reaction / Energy adorned
(This is from page 423 (in Module 13) of Exploring Creation with Chemistry, if you have the book and want to see where I got it from.)
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Berinfell Prophecies fanfic 'Whitehall'
Six of the Lords were gathered in their meeting room. A blazing fire illuminated the room, allowing them to see each others' faces. Suddenly, Jimmy rushed in.
"Grimwarden sold Whitehall!" he blurted out. The Seven all leapt to their feet.
"Wha-wha-what?" Tommy asked. "He sold Whitehall?"
"Yes yes yes!" Jimmy responded, speaking quickly. "He wasn't sure about it, but then he got an offer that he couldn't turn down! I told him he shouldn't, but he didn't listen to me! He just went ahead and did it! And then they built a hotel there!"
"A… hotel?" Kat asked? "He turned it into a place for tourists? How could he betray us, and sell Whitehall to the enemies?"
"I-I-I-I don't know," Jimmy responded rapidly. "I told him not to and said he would be crushed for sure, but…"
"He was crushed?" Jett asked in anger.
"Totally!" Jimmy replied.
"We must go and avenge our noble Guardmaster, even if he did fall into the temptation of greed." Autumn said. "But who was it that defeated him?"
"Gold-Goldarrow," Jimmy stammered.
"Goldarrow?" the others asked in unison.
"Yes, I thought you knew…" he said as the others rushed out of the room.
"But-" he shouted to them as Johnny's back disappeared around the corner.
He sighed and jogged to the room where Goldarrow and Grimwarden were, happily playing Monopoly.
"Grimwarden sold Whitehall!" he blurted out. The Seven all leapt to their feet.
"Wha-wha-what?" Tommy asked. "He sold Whitehall?"
"Yes yes yes!" Jimmy responded, speaking quickly. "He wasn't sure about it, but then he got an offer that he couldn't turn down! I told him he shouldn't, but he didn't listen to me! He just went ahead and did it! And then they built a hotel there!"
"A… hotel?" Kat asked? "He turned it into a place for tourists? How could he betray us, and sell Whitehall to the enemies?"
"I-I-I-I don't know," Jimmy responded rapidly. "I told him not to and said he would be crushed for sure, but…"
"He was crushed?" Jett asked in anger.
"Totally!" Jimmy replied.
"We must go and avenge our noble Guardmaster, even if he did fall into the temptation of greed." Autumn said. "But who was it that defeated him?"
"Gold-Goldarrow," Jimmy stammered.
"Goldarrow?" the others asked in unison.
"Yes, I thought you knew…" he said as the others rushed out of the room.
"But-" he shouted to them as Johnny's back disappeared around the corner.
He sighed and jogged to the room where Goldarrow and Grimwarden were, happily playing Monopoly.
Friday, 15 February 2013
1 Corinthians 13
Everyone's posting Valentine's Day posts and statuses and stuff, so I'll follow along, even though Valentine's Day was actually yesterday for us down under here in NZ.
I don't really have anything to write, though, so I'll just post 1 Corinthians 13.
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-NIV84 (taken from here)
I don't really have anything to write, though, so I'll just post 1 Corinthians 13.
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-NIV84 (taken from here)
Thursday, 31 January 2013
The Lost Ones
This tag was originally made by HyperLinkzer, who tagged Andy, who tagged DrummerGuy, who tagged Taisia, who tagged WoA, who tagged me. And this one is going to be really… interesting.
RULES:
1. Put a music playlist on shuffle.
2. The first song is the answer to the first question, the second to the second question and so forth.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.
If someone says, "Is this okay?" What do you say?
The Lost Ones.
What would best describe your personality?
The Lost Ones.
How do you feel today?
The Lost Ones.
What is your life's purpose?
The Lost Ones.
What is your life's motto?
The Lost Ones.
What do your friends think of you?
The Lost Ones.
What do your parents think of you?
The Lost Ones.
What do you think about very often?
The Lost Ones.
What is 2 + 2?
The Lost Ones.
What is your life story?
The Lost Ones.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
The Lost Ones.
What will they play at your funeral?
The Lost Ones.
What is your hobby/interest?
The Lost Ones.
What is the worst thing that could happen?
The Lost Ones.
How will you die?
The Lost Ones.
What will you put as the title of this blog post?
The Lost Ones.
Yes, I am pleased (or upset…) to announce that is the sum total of my songs on my iPad :P
Oh, and you really should get The Lost Ones... http://www.christopherhopper.com/2009/12/single-the-lost-ones/
Oh (forgot this at first :P)... I tag... Jake.
RULES:
1. Put a music playlist on shuffle.
2. The first song is the answer to the first question, the second to the second question and so forth.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.
If someone says, "Is this okay?" What do you say?
The Lost Ones.
What would best describe your personality?
The Lost Ones.
How do you feel today?
The Lost Ones.
What is your life's purpose?
The Lost Ones.
What is your life's motto?
The Lost Ones.
What do your friends think of you?
The Lost Ones.
What do your parents think of you?
The Lost Ones.
What do you think about very often?
The Lost Ones.
What is 2 + 2?
The Lost Ones.
What is your life story?
The Lost Ones.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
The Lost Ones.
What will they play at your funeral?
The Lost Ones.
What is your hobby/interest?
The Lost Ones.
What is the worst thing that could happen?
The Lost Ones.
How will you die?
The Lost Ones.
What will you put as the title of this blog post?
The Lost Ones.
Yes, I am pleased (or upset…) to announce that is the sum total of my songs on my iPad :P
Oh, and you really should get The Lost Ones... http://www.christopherhopper.com/2009/12/single-the-lost-ones/
Oh (forgot this at first :P)... I tag... Jake.
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Resurrections?
I said that the results of the survey (link) and my thoughts on the topic of resurrections would be posted relatively soon. Now, 40 days later…
I only had 4 responses to the survey, but they did express some good points.
The general consensus was that resurrections done through God (or his representative in the fictional world) were okay, but that other resurrections were not.
I would definitely agree with that. All matters of life and death should come from God's hands, whether through a gift of power to an individual or a direct act of God. No dark magic/sorcery.
Resurrections can give a sense of awe at God's power. If used too many times, however, this can be lessened because of the 'commonness' of them.
One person expressed an interesting idea, that I hadn't thought about before. In her words:
In general, I have problems with resurrections that are created by authors. I just don't think that it's for humans, in our fallen state, to judge when a person should be resurrected or not. Really, it's only right for God to do that. These are, of course, just my thoughts, and I could be very mistaken. - Sine Nomine
I would have to disagree with that, at least in a created universe.
In your own world, you are in control. You can do pretty much anything you want.
(Some exceptions would be changing God's principles, such as punishing evil, and always doing what is right. See here for a post by Bryan Davis about that.)
You are in control.
As long as you stay within God's principles, you can have resurrections. Don't have God resurrecting someone as a reward for their sin, for example. But you have to judge whether or not a resurrection is appropriate for the situation in your story.
As Sine Nomine said above, this is only my thoughts, and I could be wrong. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss it :)
I only had 4 responses to the survey, but they did express some good points.
The general consensus was that resurrections done through God (or his representative in the fictional world) were okay, but that other resurrections were not.
I would definitely agree with that. All matters of life and death should come from God's hands, whether through a gift of power to an individual or a direct act of God. No dark magic/sorcery.
Resurrections can give a sense of awe at God's power. If used too many times, however, this can be lessened because of the 'commonness' of them.
One person expressed an interesting idea, that I hadn't thought about before. In her words:
In general, I have problems with resurrections that are created by authors. I just don't think that it's for humans, in our fallen state, to judge when a person should be resurrected or not. Really, it's only right for God to do that. These are, of course, just my thoughts, and I could be very mistaken. - Sine Nomine
I would have to disagree with that, at least in a created universe.
In your own world, you are in control. You can do pretty much anything you want.
(Some exceptions would be changing God's principles, such as punishing evil, and always doing what is right. See here for a post by Bryan Davis about that.)
You are in control.
As long as you stay within God's principles, you can have resurrections. Don't have God resurrecting someone as a reward for their sin, for example. But you have to judge whether or not a resurrection is appropriate for the situation in your story.
As Sine Nomine said above, this is only my thoughts, and I could be wrong. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss it :)
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