Jane Doe Chronicles

Religion: Is God the Only Source of Inner Peace?

JDC Bible Talk: Can man ever have inner peace when he continues to abuse the gift of free-will not in harmony with God's teachings?

It's tough to be told, man has only two choices: to obey God out of love, in whose creative works through historical verification attest to his existence, . . . or, to choose a worldly justified choice of a selfish heart in favor of ones own advantage.  

Jeremiah wrote in 10:23: "It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step."  Historian William H. McNeill notes: "The human adventure on the face of this planet has been almost an uninterrupted series of crises and disruptions of society's established order." . . . of a once peaceful paradise earth; a warning for the future of humanity. . . as goes the Garden of Eden - so goes the world.

As the sun rises and sets, so too the sin of unrighteousness continues to plague humanity because of the moral failing of God's first two fleshly creations.  The Wall Street Journal lets us know our culture has adopted " . . . An ethic of conspicuous compassion, where being a nice person excuses everything."   

We're nice, so why doesn't man have inner peace?  Could it be because even the simplest of sin is considered outdated, by both the good and bad?  Or, is it the lack of the essential key to the calmness of mind and heart - spiritual discipline?

Consider, in Matthew 5:3 he writes: "Happy are those conscious of their spiritual needs."  To what authority will one look for reliable information that breeds inner peace?  Alas, there is but one. . . .

Whether your book of practical wisdom, the Bible, has crisp clean pages or worn dark edges of use, the debatable content, is the inspired word of God noted in 2 Timothy 3:16 with hope never misplaced of remarkable trusted promises, as well as being an accurate historical document and record of their fullfilment preserved for us. 

Like the inevitable death and paying taxes, the issue we all have to face is whether to pass over the wisdom of physical and faith-based proof, and continue on the road of human misery, or to seriously look at the principles of happiness and inner peace that really work.

One act of faith in opening the cover of the "written word," is the beginning of a long term relationship, of a loving God as His word comes alive; speaking to mankind at great length. "This is the conquest that has conquered the world our faith."

So, one needs to believe inner peace starts with an act of faith.  Flowers fade, but the beneficial word of God endures against the fickle heart that can be sharper than any two-edge sword dividing the soul and the spirit. 

God always beckons. It is never too late.  From the discipline of the searching heart can grow an inward feeling of warm affection, and love of God and His word as one learns to create the safe-haven known as "inner peace."

It is not the worldly expertise, but the spiritual response that changes the search for inner peace as we are told: "Peace belongs to those loving your law, and for them there is no stumbling block." -- And so it is written.

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CeCe Day Hill, Copyright (c) 2012, - Jane Doe Chronicles, All Rights Reserved - Office 349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - (815) 485-4871

To view other articles: http://www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

Bible: Marriage Endurance, a Necessary for All Christians

JDC Bible Talk:  The olfactory of decaying love and marriage is like a rotten apple, unpleasant, messy, and may be the result of immature love. . .lacking understanding, discipline and Christ-like endurance, a necessary, in the life of a Christian. 

Truly, the magic in love and marriage is a venturesome interlude.  A roller coaster ride of unyielding choices, of two people facing the pressures of modern day living.  Within the pages of the Bible tolls the written Fruit-age of God's spirit: "Clothe yourselves with tender affections . . . with love for it is a perfect bond of union."

The endured outcome of that bond, like the right blend of seasonings in a Caesar's salad, where flavors become one, satisfies the senses and pallet with a smooth succulent aroma and taste of the union, leaving--a desire for more. 

The imperfection of love's emotional state lingers deep within the heart whipping up concoctions like the grafting of fine fruits upon thorns, some with a blush of bloom - some wilting on the vine; testing the bonds of two people working to salt their efforts in faith and love preserving a relationship from the spoils of selfish times.

Is it the selfish face of the emotional heart that makes it so difficult to be honorable in marriage, seeking its own interest instead of the lasting welfare of the one loved?

Love is just as God is of spoken and unspoken times. Where two loves walk hand-in-hand the prickly path of life, an unpredictable destiny, changed by the faith, and strength of a couple's beliefs and what each will do--or the shallowness of what they don't do.

When is a Christian ready for the honorable step into marriage?  Is one capable of using God's seasonings of practical wisdom to uplift the marriage bond and sustain it?  The Word of God actually changes people and situations by helping to cast out nagging fears and doubt through faith - with communication - with answers - even through the heartbreaking smile on a shadowy day.

Think of love as a cookbook, a bible of life-sustaining and delectable delights..  Learning how to maintain love from the Bible is no different than creating a recipe from a cookbook. They both require effort, trial and error and the will to not fail through endurance.

Within both, can be found the titillating secrets of life's recipes of success.  A formula when blended - when perfected, can satisfy the most discerning palate, circumventing our silly old pride and salivating moments.

Is it possible every personality blend of love can succeed?  Perhaps not.  For those who choose to enter into God's instituted arrangement, I'll do right by you and then doing it, is a Christian prerequisite when  one professes the ceremonial "I Do."

When one doesn't, faith weakens, as humans and their lives are ripped apart and easily disposed of like paper plates; used  - enjoyed as a convenience, and then discarded; welcomed as the good book says: into the whole world lying in the power of the wicked one, the instigator of sin, and cause of mankind's woe - the anointed fallen cherub who once was faultless in ways from the day of being created until he "chose" unrighteousness in a rebellious way. 

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CeCe Day Hill (c) 2010 - Jane Doe Chronicles, All Rights Reserved - Office: 349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - (815) 485-4871 - E-mail: janedoechronicles@comcast.net

To view other articles visit: http://www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

Writing: Anatomy of an Enigmatic Writer

JDC Art of Writing:  Individuals write for varied reasons as numerous as the stars in the heavens.  One thing they all have in common is to be read and acknowledged as an accomplished penman.  How would you evaluate what it takes to become a successful writer?  How do your talents stack up to the book most read?

Millions of talented writers and authors create work in every genre each year.  How many can attain that wondrous flow of eloquence?  Rarely do we have the opportunity to know them as a person.  It is the superficial charm on a book cover we note: their writing that must speak for itself.

How many manuscripts have been tossed aside never to be part of the print world of publication?  How many of us follow a dream to become the writer's writer?  To walk in through the portal of the magical tool of language, into a world as we see it, desire to see it, or one we can dream treasures of "make believe."  There exists one distinctive writer of all time . . . the ultimate author who has sold tens of millions of copies. 

His books and inspired talents issue forth on everyday subjects we yearn to read about.  The stories and examples span time and are of an impeccable nature.  We are met with a mystical phraseology of words.  Like a modern day mystery novel, we are enticed to read on to unearth a book's hidden secrets.

Just as the Kentucky Colonel, he is old; it is written: "The hair on his head is like clean wool. . .his clothing white like snow and his voice a deep pitch of thundering."  He is more than a modern day Mark Twain.

He can always be counted on to gain one's attention through dramatic expression of what he wants his reader to understand about times, people, situations and life in general.  His understanding of subject matter coupled with an authoritative vast knowledge base is mind-boggling.

As a practical writer of wisdom, he emancipates, astute in the harmonious and accuracy of his chosen topic and words.  Words come alive and power is exerted within the writing that is sharper than any two-edge sword.

He does what most writers desire to do:  "grab the reader's attention connecting them emotionally, creatively revealing true thought and deep feelings of the heart.  In a way that most of us as writers would give of our soul. . .to be so dynamically written, read and well published."  -- It is more than a matter of well written copy that whets the appetite.  It is greatness of the written word by the Ancient of Ancients.

From a writer's viewpoint, have you ever analyzed the way God the author did his thing?  Imagine, He was free from the wheeling pressure experienced in the literary market and news media.  In the authorship of the Bible, He didn't have to go to school, or struggle - He didn't have to pay off student loans - He didn't have to prove himself equal to the challenges that are demanded in the birth of a writer and in the development of skills.

By our writing standards He is an enigma: possessing the ability to intentionally create obscure statements in riddle or complex metaphor. . .then depends on the full comprehension and alertness of the hearer or reader, to search out meaning as if on a quest for the most precious pearl. 

What a brilliant novelist, of mystery and life's unsolved problems.  Of explicable circumstance, event and occurrence of human reason and history.  -- His words glean leaving bare the answers to our questions . . . ironically at times read and accepted, other times discarded as garbage.

Amazingly, every element of grammar, style and writing persuasion one struggles with is found within the pages of the Bible.  A writer does not have to believe in the Good Book, but can any writer deny, there is none greater than the ultimate writer's writer?  A being of enigmatic dimensions, real to some and fictitious to others.  A divine wordsmith and creator of the first How-To training manual, and the most widely read manuscripts in the world.  He just had it!  What so many of us wish we had, phenomenal talent.

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By: CeCe Day Hill, Copyright 2005-2008 (RR 09/29/07), Jane Doe Chronicles, All Rights Reserved - 349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - (815) 485-4871 - Email: janedoechronicles@comcast.net

To review other articles and author profile visit: http://www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

Free Reprint:  This article may be reproduced in all venues so long as the content and by-line are reprinted intact and any and all links are set live.

"2008: Santa Replaces the Christmas Promise"

JDC OP-ED COMMENTARY: Santa has become the reason for the season. What ever happened to the greatest man who ever lived?

One way or another, we are all looking for something. This holiday season the airways are laden with tales of love and romance, jingles of music, scripted emotion and, a world of mystical fantasy, tinsel, holly and mistletoe.

Effortlessly, we are drawn into tales of the now and the past. Each one more amazing than another, inviting us into the colorful ambience's of what is termed the Christian Holiday Spirit. . .Christmas.

A time where fact and fiction intertwine for a few precious moments into the surreal and the make believe; mixed in a bubbling excitement that unravels the world in a pictured daze of cozy scenes with family and friends, feasts of floating aromas and every imaginable delicacy and flavorful confection.

In the midst of children's laughter and yuletide cheer, man finds the hopeful expectations of cultured traditions, and its phenomenon to uplift the heart, mind and spirit of all who participate, if but for a precious few days.

Willingly participating in the holiday rat race with all the hustle and bustle modern technology can come up with, transforming structures everywhere into a veritable wonderland of a pleasure-seeking world.

In the spirit of giving. . .people are clothed in superficial things, lavish celebration and hectic schedules heaped upon themselves in the spirit of Santa Claus and all the goodies that can be stuffed into a life, a home, a stocking and the holiday season.

I can envision the spirit of Christ as he once lay. . .a little innocent soul peering out at the world wrapped in cloth bands with twinkling eyes and a gurgling smile. His little hand reaching out, gently grabbing, while his spirit, a shining light of love floats from within the depths of his eyes brightening and uplifting the hearts of all who seek him out.

Amazingly, nowhere has one child, so touched the hearts of so many. Never has another child of promise appeared that has, and can change the destiny of the world. Christ the Prince of Peace who is LOVE and the fulfillment of all the fullness that God gives is put on the back burner, left as an after thought.

Why? For isn't that thing called love what we are all searching for? Fullness of life and the warmth of knowing we are loved, a demonstrated act of simple communication with the bounty of its spiritual fruit-age. Warm attachments and the feeling of belonging. A place called "home." That space in time in which we create cherished moments, and a place to thrive and share love in spite of our own failings and broken bonds. A place of peace and security where we don't have to prove anything, yet where we can be ourselves no strings attached. Where our dreams can abound to cultivate the greatest gift, the cycle of love that brings peace, and in turn brings the capability to forgive and go on.

From the Promised Seed: a little boy grew up willingly giving to the world the answers to all our problems in the secret of Love.

Remember that little Babe in swaddling born centuries ago. He continues to reach out to each of us. Not through the whirlwind fashion of the holiday season or the traditions of man, but by touching the heart, awakening something that may lay dormant waiting for the beating pulse of His child-like love to realign the heart with hope, uplift in forgiveness and guide us back to healing.

Is it too late to spread a little cheer and love to someone you may have written off, or a voice from the past that has pierced your human vulnerability? Is it too late to bring a little laughter and joy into the heart of a hurt child? Is it too late to share what little you may have with someone? Is it too late to say: "I'm sorry"? Is it too late to just plain forgive and start all over?

Is it too late to trade your love for His? I think not.

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By: CeCe Day Hill, Copyright (c) 2008 - Jane Doe Chronicles All Rights Reserved - 349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - (815) 485-4871 - Email: janedoechronicles@comcast.net

To view Author profile and other articles visit: http://www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

Politics: "Homosexual Marriages Approved by Four California Judges Defies the Will of the People!"

JDC Commentary:  CA - California's judiciary seems to have legislated from the bench by will; not by precedent.

America is slowly destroying itself from within with the likes of Supreme Court Judges who have declared as reported in the New York Times, "A Victory for Equality and Justice," "Momentous," "historic," "a major victory for civil rights," "a scrupulously fair ruling based on law, precedents and common sense."  Reported by Patrick Buchanan in his separate Human Events evaluation article last week. 

Perhaps both the four justices and the New York Times need a head evaluation?  Why?  Where is there any rule of law or precedents that makes common sense?  None, according to the "will of the people," who have voted down the issue of homosexual marriages.  Has Congress or the State legislated such unions - NO?  Nor can it be found in the California constitution.   Where is the so called fair ruling based on law other than in the reporting of the New York Times?   So what's wrong with this picture?  Confusing for sure.

In the Supreme Court - why is law being made instead of law being upheld?  Since when does opinion without precedent make law?  Where is the wisdom of discernment and discipline against judicial advocacy? 

Francis Bacon has said: ". . . that the justice of a cause should be evident.  If there is no precedent and the will of the people has been trampled upon where is the legal twinge of moral conscience that makes the case for the Supreme Court's four judges decision?

Hey, New York Times. . . this is not equality or justice.  It may be a victory for civil rights, but it is a throwback to another history in time of immorality and abomination, which we apparently have not learned from. 

What we have is:  Supreme Court Judges who are poorly legislating instead of interpreting.  In effect they have declared the institution of illicit homosexual marriage to be equal to or on the same plane as the marriage arrangement instituted by nature's Creator - God who has defined marriage to be between a man and women uniting as one flesh procreating and filling the earth in connection with his original divine plan.  Even in the secular the Courts decision doesn't make sense based on American values and our laws governing marriage that have set a precedent in terms of tested time and adherence.

Not amazing is the correlation between the past and the present.  Homosexuality running rampant now and in Sodom and Gomorrah shortly before it was destroyed. 

Archaeology and secular history testifies as to the above event and makes mention of it.  Sodom near the Dead Sea was a countryside - a paradise.  Prosperous filled with carefree people - eating - drinking - buying - selling - planting and building.  A society that was also grossly immoral. -- "When a man lies down with a male the same as one lies down with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing."  - Leviticus 20:13

Have you ever wondered why there is so much Archaeological and Historical verification of Biblical facts?  Could it be because the facts are scientifically sound on matters that human researchers have discovered over many lifetimes?

Despite Biblical verification, in accordance with our secular courts it seems the issue should not be one of religious viewpoints, hence the need for the separation of religion and the state. . .but be subject to existing law and legal precedent and, the will of the people.  So it would appear, decisions of opinion and interpretation should be made with common sense in reviewing any case law - not changing it - and most of all not creating it.

That is the question was justice done scrupulously or just judiciously?

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About the Author:  CeCe Day Hill has writing experience spanning 18 years.  To review detailed Author profile - creative article writing visit: www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

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                                            CeCe Day Hill  Copyright (c) 2005-2008
                                          Jane Doe Chronicles - All Rights Reserved
                              349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - 1.815.485.4871
                                            Email:  janedoechronicles@comcast.net

Society: Morality, Morality Wherefore Art Thou?

JDC Parent's Legacy: It is never too late to change.  You are marvelously made, and the world you want can be just a moral away.

Where has morality gone in this me-ism world of self-gratification, greed and lack of virtue in human conduct and practical living?  Down to the pit of evil, saith the soul, way beyond the help of theological doctrines into moral turpitude and the boggy marshes of a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.  So what,  you say ... it's an acceptable norm?  What do you really think?

*  The four horsemen of the Apocalypse ride swiftly forward as the cultures of the world are pushing the envelope into a debauchery of corruption of fidelity from virtue, duty, and allegiances. The winds blow with every changing disloyalty, leading astray, disparaging through thoughtless comment or actions of rudeness and the promulgating of vulgarities.  Swiftly flows the corruption of character and principles at levels of government, commerce and interpersonal relationships debasing the quality and stability of life.

I see the face of a precious child cooing and gurgling, the twinkling eyes and growing curiosity of a youngster, and the innocence of a teen, who is sure to declare knowing it all.  -- Only to be perverted by no exception, to child pornography.  Sadly sending out a message that a child is sexual, a sickness and moral breakdown into obscene and vicious lust that keeps coming full circle.

I see as Oscar Handlin once said as referenced in Websters:  "the ballot box, corrupted, no longer recorded the voice of the       people."   Along with cover-ups and the deterioration of prestige and esteem, falls the loss of trust and honor and duty within the halls of government.

I see the deleterious ... inebriated, tipsy and the intoxicated in every stage and degree...no longer conscious of emotions or side effects in the loss of moral judgment and leadership beating down the family unit and gradually cracking relationships into broken homes.  Sadly, I remember a book on my shelf from the l970s...America an Alcoholic Republic.

I see the flamboyant lust of excessive desire.  The loss of the soundness of thinking, and commitment of the purity of relationships...a modern day romantic liberalism.  Bathed in a pleasure seeking hot-to-trot, harmful and ludicrous act of permissiveness.  A societal condoning through promiscuous reasoning and loss of the guts of morality.

I see the loss of respect, courtesies and considerations motivated by a vast array of unresolved issues, inner anger, bias, proprieties and self-motivated  interests.   In many cases we have lost our ability to be "decent" in our behavioral patterns and in keeping the character and goodness of our childhood. -- We have lost our way like the spiraling tail of a tornado, lashing out, whipping about and destroying whatever gets in its way.  Leaving the destruction created with no remorse to be repeated when the next occasion arises. 

Louis Bromfield was made a reference in the Webster's New International Dictionary about being in love..."haven't you ever been in love, so that nothing else in the world matters at all?"

*  To "love," with that much intensity requires a selfless commitment.  Yet, the four horsemen continue to ride, as love, that ardent and tender affection, or the enamored devotion of young love or the reverent adoration for a higher being God is cooling.  --  One cannot hate if one has known love and practices love.   As the good book says: What has good to do with evil?   It doesn't.  It is what we have to do with evil that changes the equation, because of what we do or don't do when we should.

Alas, are we in the critical times foretold for the last days of this system?  Are we becoming an unbelieving mankind and ungodly?  -- Lo and behold: Are we the generations in the last days . . .? 

In 2 Timothy 3: 1-5 - "Know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away." 

Somehow in the course of living life, we can forget that no matter what we have done, it is never too late to reach out to God.  ... Humbly ask and you shall receive His love, help and the piecing together of the tattered walls of a life and the fractured world in which you may live.  ... The grace of God is greater than any man can envision or comprehend.  Just give Him a chance...for God is LOVE, and He knows how to give it to you his precious child! 

Sometimes we travel the path of life trying to do it all ourself and when we can't we lose direction.  We forget who is really in charge, God.   Awaken the heart and find love demonstrated by an act of obedience, which is an expression of faith.   It is the blessings from those steps taken, that we equate as, the little miracles in life that God bestows upon us, restoring us, strengthening our ability to cope and succeed in life, not to mention those wonderful extras.

Love given away always comes back two-fold.  For love is the morality and home of the heart and soul.  It's the real magic in our lives. "God is love and . . .we love, because he first loved us."  1 John 4:8, 16, 19

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About the Author: CeCe Day Hill has writing experience spanning 17 years - Biblical Studies 20 years.  To review detailed Author profile - creative article writing - copywriting services visit:  www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

Free Reprint: This article may be reproduced in all venues so long as the content and byline are reprinted intact and any and all links are set live.

________________________________________________________________________________________

                                        Jane Doe Chronicles - All Rights Reserved
                                          CeCe Day Hill Copyright (c) 2005-2007
                        349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - 1.815.485.4871
                                     Email:   janedoechronicles@comcast.net
                                                    

Holiday Season: Has Santa Replaced the Christmas Promise?

JDC Commentary - What phenomenon has occurred that has changed the forefront of the Holiday Season celebration, the frivolity of Santa Claus and the connection to the greatest man who ever lived?

One way or another, we are all looking for something.  This holiday season the airways are laden with tales of romance and magical moments, of dreams and a world of mystical fantasy.

Effortlessly, we are drawn into tales of the now and past.  Each one more amazing than another, inviting us into the colorful ambience's of what is termed the Christian Holiday Spirit - Christmas.  A time where fact and fiction intertwine for a few precious moments into the surreal and the make believe; mixed in a bubbling excitement that unravels the world in a pictured daze of cozy scenes with family and friends, feasts of floating aromas and every imaginable delicacy and flavorful confection.

In the midst of children's laughter and yuletide cheer, man finds the hopeful expectations of cultured traditions, and its phenomenon to uplift the heart, mind and spirit of all who participate, if but for a precious few days. 

The willing, participate in the holiday rat race with all the hustle and bustle modern technology can come up with, transforming structures everywhere into a veritable wonderland of a pleasure-seeking world.

In the spirit of giving, people are clothed in superficial things, lavish celebration and hectic schedules heaped upon themselves in the spirit of Santa Claus and all the goodies that can be stuffed into a life, a home, a stocking and the holiday season.

*  I can envision the spirit of Christ as he once lay...a little innocent soul peering out at the world wrapped in cloth bands with twinkling eyes and a gurgling smile.  His little hand reaching out, gently grabbing, while his spirit, a shining light of love floats from within the depths of his eyes brightening and uplifting the hearts of all who seek him out.

Amazingly, nowhere has one child, so touched the hearts of so many.  Never has another child of promise appeared that has, and can change the destiny of the world.  It is written: Christ the Prince of Peace is LOVE and the fulfillment of all the fullness that God gives.

Isn't that what we are all searching for?   Fullness of life and the warmth of knowing we are loved...a demonstrated act and communication code for success within the secular and the spiritual realms.

Truly, "the fruit-age of the spirit is love."  The warm attachment and belonging that we all hope to feel, manifested throughout our whole being.  A place called "home," that space in time in which, we create cherished moments, and a place to thrive and love in spite of our own failings and broken bonds.  A place of peace and security where we don't have to prove anything, yet where we can be ourselves with no strings attached.  Where our dreams can abound cultivating the greatest gift..the cycle of love, peace and forgiveness.

From the Promised Seed: a little boy grew up willingly giving to the world the answers to all our problems and the secret of Love.

Remember that little Babe in swaddling born centuries ago, who made his mark on the world?  He continues to reach out to each of us...  Not through the whirlwind fashion of the holiday season or the traditions of man, but by touching the heart, awakening something that may lay dormant waiting for the beating pulse of the Christ Child's love to realign the heart with hope, uplift in forgiveness and guide us back to healing.

*  Is it too late to spread a little cheer and love to someone you may have written off, or a voice from the past that has pierced your human vulnerability?  ... Is it too late to bring a little laughter and joy into the heart of a hurt child?  ...  Is it too late to share what little you may have with someone?  ...Is it too late to say: "I'm sorry"?  ... Is it too late to just plain forgive and start all over?

Your home will always be where your heart is, and Christ just happens to "read the heart!"   

                                                ___________________________   

About the Author:  CeCe Day Hill has writing experience spanning 17 years, and is an entrepreneur.    To review detailed Author profile - creative article writing - copywriting services visit:  www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

 
________________________________________________________________________________________

                                            Jane Doe Chronicles - All Rights Reserved
                                              CeCe Day Hill Copyright (c) 2005-2007
                           349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - 1.815.485.4871
                                       Email:  janedoechronicles@comcast.net
                                                                                       

                              

Bible: Can You Prove the Bible is God's Word?

JDC Bible Talk: Is it faith, physical proof or written fact that one believes God truly exists and is the author of the Bible?   What does the secular world offer to the spiritual understanding of the existence of God and the Bible?

Search out in your own Bible some Biblical points that may help you address...how you know the Bible is God's Word and not mans.  Take a tour of the not so mysterious writings.  You just may find something you didn't expect.

Within the intriguing pages of the Bible is provided evidence that the Bible really is God's Word.  The Biblical facts are worthy of one's consideration, whatever one chooses to believe.  Billions of Bibles have been printed in well over 2000 tongues, and is the best dissected investigated book in the world.  Even more important and exciting are: facts and happenings that can be documented by secular and spiritual history, science and Archaeology.

Consider the following in your search for Bible truths:

The writer Mark Twain made a point through an example that can be applied to individuals who insist the Bible is Myth...fables of man's making.  Twain answered reports of his erroneous demise with these words:  "The report of my death was an exaggeration!"  -- "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please."

President Abraham Lincoln called the Bible "the best gift God has ever given to man. ... But for it we could not know right from wrong."  -- Federal Register, Vol. 48, No. 267 Feb. 1983 Pg 5527

British jurist Sir William Blackstone highlighted the influence of the Bible when he said: "Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of Revelation (the Bible), depend all human laws, that is to say, no human laws should be suffered to contradict these.  -- Chadman's Cyclopedia of Law 1912, Vol. L pgs 86-91   

Interesting indeed is the secular example of a dairy farmer, who deals in faith and evidence.  Through the learning experience the dairy farmer knows dairy cows may have four to six productive milk years, after that it is not profitable.  How does he know?  Because he has tried it -  it is a tested fact and has been physically proven true because he did the leg work over the years.  He also knows it is a dangerous proposition to try and use the bull to get milk.

Somewhere along the line, training took place and a book cover was opened on what it takes to be a dairy farmer:  evaluating information and facts, pro's and con's and an ultimate decision made...this is or isn't for me...I believe in this for my future or I don't.   -- The Bible is no different. 

What is the connection of faith, evidence and knowledge to the Bible?  --  Hebrews 11:1 indicates:  "Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld."  -- You and I believe not because we just believe blindly.  We believe because there is, somewhere along the line, basic or fundamental knowledge, or an acquaintance with some sort of evidence, as well as perhaps a "heartfelt appreciation," exhibited of what that evidence indicates.

Although it is impossible to have real faith without accurate knowledge, the Bible says that it is "with the heart" that one exercises faith.  It is the willingness of the heart that opens the door, allowing us through to gain accurate knowledge.  Building us up like a babe with the milk of the issue and growing us step by step aligning us to the truth and meat of adult spirituality. -- Romans 10:10

Evidence is everywhere:  Of human faith and Bible knowledge: It is written: In Romans 10:17 "Faith follows the thing heard." 

A person must first find out what the Bible says, and in the course of learning will strengthen his conviction if he examines it carefully so as to be convinced of its reliability.  -- Faith is strengthened when a person acts on God's promises and then sees the evidence of God's blessing on what he has done.  -- Psalm 106:9-12 - Compare Acts 17:11,12 - John 4:39-42, 2 Chronicles 9:5-8.

How can anyone know whom God is and if the Bible is written by the hand of God?  ...   One can't unless, one studies the Bible.  Why does one know he is a dairy farmer...because HE IS.  His whole life provides evidence of that fact.  --  One believes God is God by the humility of one's faith, and by the evidence in the scriptures that one studies, proving facts as truth and the actions one takes in response to that evidence and truth.  It is in the process of searching out and learned evidence that subsequently confirms the fact the HE, is or isn't...then in our free will it is up to each of us to believe or not to believe.

What has your experience been? I have found the Bible to be God's Word of truth and importance in a very practical way...that can set one free from ignorance, superstitions, human philosophies and "traditions of men." -- (John 8:31-32)

"The word of God is alive and exerts power." Its purpose:  without the Bible we could not understand or know God, nor would we be aware of the wonderful benefits resulting from His son Christ's ransom sacrifice.  We would not understand the purpose of life, the answers to our problems or the requirements that must be met in order to gain everlasting life. - (Heb 4:12)

The Bible is a most practical book in other ways too. It gives sound counsel to Christians on how to live now, and how to survive this anti-God, pleasure-seeking system of things. --  Many don't want to know what the Bible has to say, because they like living exactly the way they are.  Right or wrong, it is their perception by choice and their desire to hang on to a lifestyle that keeps them estranged.  Read for yourself in: (Rom 12:2 - Php 2:5-8 - Eph 4:23,24 - Col 3:5-10)

The disciples preached and it is written:  1 Thessalonians 2:13 - "That is why we also thank God incessantly, because when you received God's word, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but just as it truthfully is as the word of God."

The splendiferous hand of God shows in everything.  The Bible itself says it is from God:  2 Timothy 3:16,17 -- "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work."

The Bible shows the written expression of a communicating  God  -- the Word of God is shown and is acknowledged in phrases such as:  expressions of God's mouth (De 8:3) ...sayings of God (Jos 24:27)  ...commandments of God (Ezr 7:11) ...his laws, reminders, orders (Ps 19:7,8) ...and word (Isa 38:4 - 1 Th 4:15) ...his utterances (Mt 4:4)  --  Repeatedly these writings are spoken of as "sacred pronouncements of God."  (Rom 3:2, Acts 7:38, Heb 5:12, 1 Peter 4:11)

Prophecy is for a reason also proving the Bible to be of Divine Origin: Isaiah 46:9,10 -- "I am the Divine One...the One telling from the beginning the finale, and from long ago the things that have not been done."  In John 14:29 we are forewarned of things to come:  "So now I have told you before it occurs, in order that when it does occur, you may believe."

Consider facts and food for thought on the secular verification of the Bible:

The Bible in harmony with true science:  "He is stretching out the north over the empty place, hanging the earth upon nothing." -- Job 26:7 and, "There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth, the dwellers in which are as grasshoppers."  Isaiah 40:22

Regarding the physical heavens and the luminaries the stars, it is scientific; it is physical evidence accepted by science; with no finite conclusion of a known source.  -- Yet, the Bible clearly indicates the existence and source of the heavens, its beginning and the earth as being round, in advance of its scientific exploration.

Science and Archaeology testifies to the integrity of the Bible.  Its narrative is inseparably interwoven with the history of the times, and is scientifically accurate.  Its integrity to truth proves sound on any point that might be tested.

*  In 1613 the Italian scientist Galileo published a work known as the "Letters on Sunspots."  In it, he presented evidence - the earth rotates around the sun, rather than the sun around the earth.  There were those of inadequate knowledge who challenged his findings.  Modern science has confirmed his findings as correct. 

*  Sir Isaac Newton once said:  "I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever."  (Two Apologies, by R Watson, London 1820, pg 57)

*  A famous educator William Lyon Phelps once said:  "I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without a Bible."   (The New Dictionary of Thoughts, pg 46)

*  John Quincy Adams one of our founding fathers wrote about the Bible:  "It is of all books in the world, that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy."  (Letters of John Quincy Adams to His Son, 1849, pg 9)

*  Scientist Carl Sagan says:  "At the beginning of this universe, there were no galaxies, stars or plants, no life or civilizations."  -- Strangely enough, there are those who claim the Bible is myth.  -- Yet Science acknowledges that everything does exist, but some do not accept the fact that God's creation happened and fight among themselves as to how everything came into existence, and are unable to come up with a definitive answer that can stand the challenge of the Bible. 

*  The New York Times reported:  "Computer Scientists Stymied in Their Quest to Match Human Vision"  and the scientist Darwin acknowledges: "that scientifically the eye could not have just happened. --   Scientists now say the eye appears to have been designed."

*  Even National Geographic explains:   DNA of the cell, if written out, would fill a thousand 600 page books.  Man certainly couldn't have done something this magnanimous, nor did it just happen.

*  Biblical harmony In connection with Genesis 2:7 - "And God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground."  -- The World Book Encyclopedia reports:  "All the chemical elements that make up living things, are also present in non-living matter."  Scientifically means:  the basic chemicals that go to make up living organisms including man:  are also found in the earth itself.  -- Scientist Charles Darwin in his studies in the Pacific was strongly impressed by different species of finches on different isles...he deduced: must have descended from just one ancestral species.  He promoted the theory that all living things come from one original simple form.  His observations allowed for variation within a major living kind -  which is in Biblical harmony 

The Bible names rulers, incidences and places long before they were on the forefront of history.  (Lu 3:1, Act 25:13, 18:12 - 2 Co 2:14)

*  Archaeology is a much more solidly based field of study.  Though archaeologists often differ among themselves many agree with the Bible.  Archaeologist William Foxwell Albright wrote:  "There has been a general return to the appreciation of the accuracy, both in general sweep and in factual detail, of the religious history of Israel...  To sum up, we can now again treat the Bible from beginning to end as an authentic document of religious history."

Greek Scripture is confirmed by discoveries in 1961 as the name of Pontius Pilate was found in an inscription in the ruins of a Roman theater at Caesarea; that this Roman ruler did exist.

The Discovery Channel had an expose this 2007, that Archaeology evidence is found that seems to confirm that the Exodus through the Red Sea actually happened.  -- Chariot parts heavily coated with the silt from the sea were found and of a design confirmed as being in use at the time of the Exodus.  Of further interest is the fact that at a certain time there is a ledge where the water subsides, which Archaeologists are beginning to believe may have been a means of the Exodus due to the opposing winds that would push the water up and away on both sides of the channeled ledge making it feasible that the Exodus of millions happened.

The Bible is a product of God's spirit, being inspired by God as indicated in 2 Timothy 3:16,17 and 2 Samuel 23:2 -- Consider how failure to study it hinders any development of true faith. What good is a Bible if one has been taught the ideas of men instead of the Word of God?  Will they lack a sound connection to God and his purpose?  To solve life's problems, one may then be inclined to rely on their own ideas and those of other humans.  Compare Matthew 15: 3-10

Just open the books into the past and see...has man proven he can rule himself...has he provided a good earth free of avarice...and what has he done with THAT THING CALLED LOVE?

                                               _____________________________

About the Author: CeCe Day Hill has been writing for 17 years and is a student of religious and Biblical studies - 20 years.  To review detailed Author profile - creative article writing -services available visit: www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

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                                           Jane Doe Chronicles - All Rights Reserved
                                              CeCe Day Hill Copyright (c) 2005-2007
                          349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451- 1.815.485-4871
                                         Email:  janedoechronicles@comcast.net
                            

Abortion: Secular Law and Moral Spirituality at Odds

JDC Commentary:  Both sides of the Abortion issue are right and wrong.  It depends on your subjective view and beliefs.

Roe v Wade stands, while a 5 to 4 vote by the Supreme Court affirms ban on late term "Partial Birth" abortion:  "The first agreed upon procedure by the court since the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act passed by Congress in 2003.  The court ruling does uphold an exception to save a woman's life, but does not contain one for the health of woman."  (*)   

Nothing is settled and the battle shall continue on the issue of abortion ... because there are two different viewpoints.  One secular and the law; the other moral and religious.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote: "The ban on the controversial method for ending a midterm pregnancy is valid, because other abortion procedures are still available."  This viewpoint is also shared  by Chief Justice Roberts, Jr. - Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr. - Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

*  The dissenting vote by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg states:  "The majority opinion cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right declared again and again by this court...and with increasing comprehension of its centrality to women's lives."  (*)  Is this decision an effort to pave the way to the reversal of Roe v Wade?  Will the affirmation of the five justices only strengthen the will and efforts of those who believe in that declared right?  It appears the justices have lit a larger fire under the already boiling cauldron of Roe v Wade.

*  Abortion is truly a personal issue wrought with emotion and a decision that only each individual can make in their situation.  Critics support their position on moral and religious issues and in part, that individuals who have abortions will feel remorse and guilt at some later date.  -- There are probably as many that do not share that view, because the decisions they made were based on specific circumstances and needs necessary at a particular time.

*  One lady interviewed was very in fact about her abortion:  "I would not presume to tell someone to get an abortion, it is not my place, my life or my body.  For me the decision made over twenty years ago was the right one.  One, that was not taken lightly.  I do not feel a sense of loss or remorse.  For those who do, my heart goes out to you.  But, I continue to believe each of us should have the right to make such a choice.  Whether that choice is ultimately wrong or right...we should have that right." 

Will this issue ever be resolved? Probably not!  The courts will walk on eggshells in assuring the individual rights are not usurped on behalf of one group.  That the repeated upheld ruling of Roe v Wade stands.  There shall continue to be compromises with dissatisfaction on both sides of the issue. 

*  "I have the right to choose."  Women make abortion decisions for a variety of reasons that best suits their circumstances at the time.  The question debated and unanswered is:  "Why do the critics of abortion insist on pushing issues and philosophies or their moral and religious beliefs on individuals, when it is none of their business?"   Pro-lifers use other reasoning rather than actually answering the  specific question.

Interesting facts exist in lay terms that approach the issue of abortion with inconsistencies. . .

• Abortion is the taking of a life ... a life that begins at conception.  Based on religious beliefs of moral ground, pro-lifers believe that abortion simply to avoid the birth of an unwanted child is the willful taking of a human life.
• Under the law, there has been no determination of when life begins, and so a woman's right to choose shall remain a just act until such time a legal definition of when life begins has precedent.

Consider the following recognized definitions of simplicity shared by our acknowledged lexicons of the world.

• An embryo and fetus have similarities though not consistent. Embryo: "Something as yet undeveloped and lacking final form and differentiation.  The developing human individual from the time of implantation, to the end of the eighth week after conception."  (What becomes the status of the embryo after that eighth is not referenced.  The embryo is of human status opposed to animal, but developing and not capable of self-sustaining life.)
• Fetus specif:  "A developing human from usu. three months after conception to birth.  Note: the undescribed period of four weeks, after the eight weeks and starting with the thirteenth week continues the reference to the development similar to the embryo.
• The term abortion adds to the confusion, defining it as:  "an expulsion of a human fetus during the first 12 weeks of gestation."  (It cannot be a human fetus during the first twelve weeks when definition explicitly claims it is a developing embryo with undeveloped characteristic and not able to be life-sustaining.)
• Human refers specifically to: "a homo man, human being ... of or relating to man; characteristics of man."   ... (Is the embryo a human being or does it have the characteristics of man yet undeveloped? Subject to that development and the ability to sustain life?)
• The term life, adds to the confused issue of abortion.  Life:  "A vital and living being."  (An embryo and fetus is not vital with the capability to sustain itself.) 

   

Moral and Religious beliefs stemming from biblical account of what is right and wrong, expresses the Higher Power's view on life of a child as precious even during the very early stages of development after conception.

Biblical passages of clarity: "That the fruitage of the belly is a reward - That Sons are an inheritance from God - That life is precious and God's eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in his book all its parts were down in writing - That by him (God) we have life and move and exist - That you must not murder - That anyone shedding man's blood, by man will his own blood be shed, for in God's image he made man...and, that each of us will render an account for himself to God." --  Psalms 127: 3, 139: 13-16, Acts 17:28, Exodus 20:13, Genesis 9:6, Romans 14:12    

The moral religious and legal debate shall continue under the definitions that exist and do not.  ... The first clause of Roe v  Wade states:  "That in Roe v Wade, the United States supreme court declared that an unborn child is not a person as understood and protected by the constitution, but any born child is a legal person with full constitutional and legal rights."

It is easy to see why there is no full consensus.  Perhaps our forefathers had it right when they believed there should be a separation of religion and the state. 

                                                 ___________________________

About the Author:  CeCe Day Hill has writing experience spanning 17 years, and is an entrepreneur.  To review detail Author profile - creative article writing - copywriting services visit: www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

Free Reprint: This article may be reproduced in all venues so long as the content and by-line are reprinted intact and any and all links are set live. 
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                                                Jane Doe Chronicles - All Rights Reserved
                                                  CeCe Day Hill  Copyright (c) 2005-2007
                                  349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451 - 1.815.485.4871
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• References (*)   
• Reinhard, David - The Partial-Birth Abortion Ruling, The Oregonian 22 April 2007
• Barns, Robert - The Washington Post Staff Writer - High Court Upholds Curb on Abortion, 19 April 2007 - pg A01
• Websters Third New International Dictionary Unabridged:  fetus, pg 842, embryo, pg 740, abortion, pg 5, human pg 1100, life pg 1306

Death: Should You Fear the Dead?

JDC Bible Talk:  Discover a truth about the dead...would it be of comfort?  Do you want a guarantee about the deceased?  Pull out your bible and open your mind and heart and in freewill make your decision.

It is easy to follow the way of the world and blindly interpret a truth. -- When wisdom is the prime thing, it allows us to gain understanding and that understanding, can give you a sequence, a process to determine what is and what isn't fact both secularly and spiritually.

The difficulty arises in our freedom of choice to believe or not.  Sometimes our silly pride can cause us to do foolish things, we would rather not acknowledge.  It may be easier to continue a practice, because we don't wish to appear out-of-the-loop.  Or, we can't quite face a truth, because it shacks the foundation of what we believe and what we have been taught.  ... We can continue to be closed minded - a crutch that allows us to not have to deal with a particular situation.

* ... God allows us to be the master of our destiny ... free to see if we can rule ourselves.  Free to make our mistakes and try again, but not free to interpret his written word to satisfy the world or our selves.

One area is the reality of the state of the dead ... the ambiguous fear people have, and the intellectual and emotional interplay that can sweep us out into a raging world ocean of pressure that can pull us down into its depths before we know it.

In Romans 15:4 the Bible is quite clear.  ... "All the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope. . . ."

That hope and truth about the condition of the dead can bring about peace of mind during a time of bereavement, because we understand what God and Christ teaches is a "guaranteed word."  ... Not something to be feared.  Nor open to interpretation, but biblical fact -- a protection "from the contradictions of the falsely called knowledge" assumed by man - 1 Timothy 6:20

Profound Food For Thought:  "Look out -  perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary things of the world and - not according to Christ." - Colossians 2:8  --Further of importance:  "This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is the earthly, animal, demonic." -  James 3:15

* ... Should you fear the dead?  Can you communicate with them?  -- What you believe matters in how those beliefs support your lifestyle and give credence to your actions.  Just because everyone else is doing something, does that make it alright?

* ... The truth about the condition of the dead is clearly stated throughout the Bible.  If affects more than one aspect of controversy.  That truth can help us through the emotional trauma of the grieving process, and keep us from going down the wrong path spiritually.

If we believe in one wrong truth, it is more than likely we will believe in others. The machinations and cunning of the devil can affect us in his maneuvering situations to make it appear as a helpful "angel of light.  -- When in fact, he ... "The one called the Devil and Satan is misleading the entire inhabited earth." - Revelation 1:9, and, "Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you having great power." - Revelation 12:12

* ... Satan will stop at nothing, to lead astray from the truth, anyone who desires to serve God and Christ.  --  This is why in 1 Timothy it is written for our own protection and as a guide, that we should not take man's word for anything.  "All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness."

* ...  We are told to think for ourselves - take the time to distinguish the True from the False.   Not to follow like sheep, but to prove to ourselves the lie from the truth.   ... Does the following instruction from the Bible shake the foundation of your beliefs.  If so, you need to ponder over these things.

* ... The Bible cautions and provides understanding that: "the living are conscious that they will die, as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all - neither do they anymore have wages because the 'remembrance' of them has been forgotten."  - Ecclesiastes 9:5

When a loved one passes, the capacities of remembering by this soul, this life, - itself is gone and not to be called back into existence by anyone other than the Christ in the resurrection of the dead.  -- Many religions believe we somehow live on with conscious capacities to see, hear and think.  But, is that what the passages throughout the Bible indicate?

* ...  "All that your hands finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising, nor knowledge in the place to which your are going."  -  Ecclesiastes 9:10

* ...  "His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish."  - Psalms 146:4  (they do not continue in another realm ) ...  The spiritual definition of perish means:  to suffer spiritual or moral death in ones sins. (we are all dying due to inherited sin) -  Websters Third International Edition, Unabridged - pg 1682   

* ... "They are dead; they will not live.  Impotent in death, they will not rise up."  - Isaiah 26:14

Even the secular dictionaries clearly point out:  death is being deprived of life!  --  The ending of all vital functions without the capability of recovery.  --  Incapable of being stirred emotionally, and intellectually.  -- Impervious to pleas or arguments.  -- Lacking power and affect.  --  Without the capability to move, feel or respond.  (*)

Fearing the dead:  - "Their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished."  - Ecclesiastes 9:6 and, "the dead themselves do not praise God."  ... If the dead cannot in glory, respect and honor, praise God for they have become extinct, then how could they exist beyond death?

Commentary for thought and dialog:

Fear Not:  How can the soul be immortal awaiting a resurrection if "part" of it is alive somewhere?  ... Something yet alive cannot be resurrected.  (to resurrect is to bring back from the dead as Jesus did during his preaching ministry on earth.)

*  ... What are some of its origins if not Bible based?   -- The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967), Vol. XIII, pp. 452, 454.  ... "Misconstrued was the soul established as a spiritual substance and a philosophical concept by Origen, who died inn 254 C.E. and St. Augustine, who died in 430 C.E."

Presbyterian Life, May 1, 1970, pg 35:  -- "Immortality of the soul is a Greek notion formed in ancient mystery cults and elaborated by the philosopher Plato."  - Plato's Phaedo, W C secs  64, 105, as published in Great Books of the Western World (1952) Vol. 7, pgs 223, 245, 246)

Dictionnaire Encyclopedique de la Bible  (Valence, France 1935) Vol. 2, p. 557  -- "The concept of immortality is a product of Greek thinking, whereas the hope of a resurrection belongs to Jewish thought"

Fear God and not the dead.  Prove out your position before strictly adhering to it.  It can save one from pain, heartache and living an unhappy stressful life.  -- Don't spend precious time in fear.  Search out the biblical truth.

                                                 _________________________

About the Author:  CeCe Day Hill has writing experience spanning 17 years -  religious biblical studies 20 years.  -- To review detailed Author profile - creative article writing - copywriting services visit:  www.janedoechronicles.typepad.com

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                                                 CeCe Day Hill  Copyright 2005-2007
                                           Jane Doe Chronicles - All Rights Reserved
                           349 West Circle Dr., New Lenox, IL 60451-9731 - 1.815.485.4871
                                            Email:  janedoechronicles@comcast.net