Marriage

Glorious Day

Oh, how I absolutely LOVE this song!  Enjoy ☺

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises

One day when sin was as black as could be

Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin

Dwelt among men, my example is He

Word became flesh and the light shined among us

His glory revealed

Living, He loved me

Dying, He saved me

Buried, He carried my sins far away

Rising, He justified freely forever

One day He’s coming

Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain

One day they nailed Him to die on a tree

Suffering anguish, despised and rejected

Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He

Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree

And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer

One day the stone rolled away from the door

Then He arose, over death He had conquered

Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore

Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him

From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming

One day the skies with His glories will shine

Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing

My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Brown Sugar Smokies & Honey Mustard Dressing

Brown Sugar Smokies

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon
• 1 (16 ounce) package little smokie sausages
• 1 cup brown sugar, or to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage. Place the wrapped sausages on wooden skewers, several to a skewer. Arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle them liberally with brown sugar.
3. Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.
4. Serve with honey mustard dressing.

Honey Mustard Dressing 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Theology Thursday

ECUMENICISM

[ik-yoo‘-muh-niz’-um or ek‘-yuh-muh-niz’-um] (Latin ecumenicus, “universal”; Greek oikoumene,“entire world”)

The term ecumenicism can mean many things depending on the context. In general, it refers to those who seek to promote cooperation and unity among the various traditions and denominations in Christianity by setting aside many doctrinal distinctions in order to promote a common good. This type of ecumenicism is not readily accepted among conservative Christians who believe that it amounts to compromise for the sake of unity. There are also more modest ecumenical movements within Christianity that seek limited unity and cooperation while still recognizing the divisions. The World Council of Churches, started in 1937, represents one of the most well-known and distinguished modern ecumenical movements and is represented by 349 churches and denominations with over 560 million members.

TRINITY, THE DOCTRINE OF THE

(Latin trinitas, “three”)

The doctrine or belief that there is one God who eternally exists in three distinct persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—all of whom are fully God, and all of whom are equal. While the principles behind this doctrine are found in Scripture, the term “Trinity” itself is never used. Tertullian, a third-century church father, was the first to use the word in reference to God. The doctrine of the Trinity was further articulated and defended at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. Those who hold to the doctrine of the Trinity are called “Trinitarians.” A trinitarian understanding of God is an essential hallmark of orthodox Christianity.

ANABAPTIST

(Greek ana, “again” or “twice” + Greek baptizo, “baptize”)

A term derived from the Greek for “re-baptizer,” and used to refer to those groups associated with the so-called “Radical Reformation” of the 16th century. The Anabaptists were labeled according to their belief in believers’ baptism, but this practice has deeper roots in their general rejection of tradition altogether. Groups associated with the Anabaptist movement include: Amish, Hutterites, Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Brethren in Christ. Early leaders of the movement include Menno Simons, Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and Müntzer. Because of their rejection of infant baptism and because many of those in the movement were less than orthodox, Anabaptists were heavily persecuted during the 16th and into the 17th century.

HYPOSTATIC UNION

[hye''-puh-stat''-ik] (Greek hupo-, “under” + Greek stasis, “standing” = “underlying reality” or “essence”)

A Christological term used to describe the union of natures in the person of Christ during the incarnation. According to the definition of the Council of Chalcedon, Christ’s constitution is that of God and man, with the nature of each being fully represented in one person. This understanding is often referred to as a dyophysite (two natures) understanding of the Union while those maintaining that the person of Christ is made up of a single nature hold to what is termed monophysitism.

BEATIFICATION

(Latin beatus, “blessed”)

In the Roman Catholic church, beatification is the fourth step in the canonization process of a saint. It amounts to a statement or a “blessing” which allows the church to believe that this person is indeed in heaven. Once the blessing has occurred, the beatified person may be called “Blessed” (abbr. BI).

TRICHOTOMY

 [trye-cawt'-uh-mee] (Greek trikha, “three parts,” and Greek temnein, “to cut”)

The philosophical teaching about the constitution of man that humans are made up of three essential parts: body, soul, and spirit. Body: all that is physical. Soul: reason, emotions, will, memories, personality, dispositions. Spirit: the seat of our being, that which relates to God. Adherents include Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Watchman Nee, Bill Gothard, C.I. Scofield. This belief is in contrast to dichotomy, the belief that man is made up of two essential parts: material (body) and immaterial (soul/spirit).

Credit: http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/ 

Amazing Conversion Testimony

Tom Martin Testimony from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

I'm Still Here

Just wanted to let everyone know my internet service was down for four days and we are leaving to go out of town today.  I promise posting will resume as soon as I get back ☺

Theology Thursday

AMYRALDIANISM

[am-uh-rawl''-dee-uh-niz''-um]

Named after Moses Amyraut (1596-1664), Amyraldism describes a modified form of Calvinism in which the doctrine of limited atonement is rejected. Therefore, Amyraldians believe that the atonement was made for all people, elect and non-elect, yet only those who accept the Gospel—the elect—are saved. This form of Calvinism is very popular, being held by most dispensationalists and many Calvinists. It is also known as four-point Calvinism and hypothetical universalism.

APOSTOLIC FATHERS

The “Apostolic Fathers” is a designation for a first and second century group of Christian leaders and their writings. None of their works are part of the Christian Scriptures, but the “Fathers” are believed to have been taught by the Apostles or had a close relationship with first generation apostolic teachings; hence the term “apostolic.” It is debated as to exactly who is included among the Apostolic Fathers and what writing should be consider a part of this corpus, but most common among them are  St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Polycarp of Smyrna, the Shepherd of Hermes, and the Didache (“The Teaching of the Twelve”).

HAPAX LEGOMENON

[hap’-aks luh-gawm‘-uh-nawn’] (Greek hapax, “once” + Greek legein, “to count” or ”to say” = ”once said”)

This is a word that only occurs once in a particular body of literature. With regards to the Scriptures, exegetes will often find a word that only appears one time. In the New Testament alone, there are 1,932 words that occur only once (USB). When this happens, it is often difficult to determine the exact meaning of the word because there are no other usages with which one can compare it.

MATER FIDELIUM

(Latin, “mother of the faithful”)

Held by Roman Catholics, mater fideium is the description of the institution of the Church in relation to those who are her members. The institutional Church is the mother of the saints, keeping them pure and administering grace through the sacraments. This concept was popularized by Cyprian in the third century who said, “And He who does not have the Church as his mother, cannot have God as his father. . . He who does not uphold this unity does not uphold the law of God, does not uphold the faith of the Father and the Son, and has neither life nor salvation.” (De unitate Ecclesiae, IV, V, VI: PL IV, 513, 514, 516-20).

TESTIMONIUM INTERNUM SPIRITU SANCTU

(Latin, the internal testimony of the Holy Spirit)

The belief that the Spirit who inspired Scripture also authenticates and proves its divine origin through the Scripture itself. This is especially emphasized by Calvinists. Cf., Heb. 10:15; 1 John 5:7-8

COVENANT THEOLOGY

A theological system that organizes theological history through a paradigm of three implied covenants: 1) Covenant of Redemption, 2) Covenant of Works, 3) Covenant of Grace. The Covenant of Redemption refers to the eternal covenant among the members of the Godhead to redeem fallen humanity through the sacrifice of God the Son on the cross. The Covenant of Works is the implied covenant made by God with Adam (as humanity’s federal head or representative) in the Garden to give life in exchange for obedience to God’s commands and death for their violation. The Covenant of Grace is God’s covenant with man to give salvation to whomever trusts in God for redemption. Covenant Theology is often referred to as the alternative to Dispensational Theology. However, many theologians would see the contrast between the principles of each as a false distinction since they deal with different issues at a fundamental level.

HERESY

(Greek hairesis, “a taking or choosing, faction”)

An opinion, belief, or doctrine that is in opposition to an established belief of a particular tradition. In Christianity, an individual heresy can have historic value (more serious) or traditional value. In other words, a belief can be considered heretical to Baptists (e.g., paedobaptism), but is not heretical in the historic sense. To be an historic heresy, it would have to be in variance to that which has been believed by the majority of Christians of all time (e.g., the deity of Christ).

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/

How Deep The Father's Love For Us

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

This is a super, super easy treat I made for a party food.  I just rolled marshmallows in melted chocolate and then in graham cracker crumbs.  YUM!  They were a big hit.

Make Me A Woman

Lord,

Make me a woman who loves you more than I love what others say about me or think of me.

Make me a woman who guards her heart.

Make me a woman who loves You more than I love how I appear to others.

Make me a woman whose heart is pure.

Make me a woman who returns only love.

Make me a woman who grows more and more to care about those around me–especially those hardest to care about.

Make me a woman who sees with compassionate eyes.

Make me a woman who doesn’t always have to be right.

Make me a woman who loves truth more than popularity.

Make me a woman who chases after Your heart.

http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2011/02/make-me-a-woman.html

Theology Thursday

IRENICS 

[iye-rehn''-iks or iye-ree''-niks] (Greek eirene, “peace”)

Irenics is a method of discourse in which a peaceful approach of engagement is sought as opposed to a more polemic, war-like approach. In theology, this involves seeking to accurately understand and represent all positions, even when there is strong disagreement among them. The irenic method seeks to engage in disputes with a gentle, peaceful spirit, educating rather than indoctrinating. Also “irenic theology” or “the irenic method.”

POLEMICS

[puh-lehm''-iks] (Greek polemos, “war”)

Polemics is to engage in conversation, debate, or argumentation with a very aggressive approach. Sometimes this will involve an attack on (or refutation of) the opinions or principles of another. In the church, this often takes place when one argues for a particular theological position about which he or she is passionate. This is to be contrasted with the peaceful approach of “irenics.”

CREDOBAPTISM

[kray''-doe-bap''-tiz-um] (Latin credo, “believe”)

The belief that baptism should only be administered to those who are professing believers. According to credobaptists, baptism is an outward sign of faith and repentance, and an obedient response to a command of Christ in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). Because it is a sign of belief, credobaptists do not practice infant (or paedo-) baptism since an infant cannot believe. While the majority throughout church history has practiced paedobaptism as a sign of the covenant, credobaptists argue that baptizing infants is unbiblical, citing examples in Scripture which seem to demonstrate baptism occurring only among believers.

ICONOCLAST

[iye-kawn''-uh-klast] (Greek eikon, “image” + Greek klastes, “breaker”)

In church history, iconoclasts were people who believed that creating any visible representation of Christ or the saints was idolatry and in direct violation of the second commandment (according to the enumeration of Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Judaism; the Roman church numbers this prohibition as part of the first commandment).

The Iconoclastic controversy took place in the Middle Ages as many sought to rid the church of any and all images. The controversy began as Byzantine Emperor Leo III ordered the destruction of all icons throughout the empire in AD 726 . In 754, the Iconoclastic Conciliabulum declared, “If anyone ventures to represent the divine image of the Word after the Incarnation with material colors, let him be anathema! …. If anyone shall endeavor to represent the forms of the Saints in lifeless pictures with material colors which are of no value (for this notion is vain and introduced by the devil), and does not rather represent their virtues as living images in himself, let him be anathema!”

Those who revered icons were known as “iconophiles” (icon lovers) or “iconodules ” (servers of images). They argued that the second commandment was divinely superseded as Christ, through the Incarnation, was the exact representation of God. Therefore, images of Christ were not idols, but valid representations of a self-revealed God. John of Damascus argued that to deny the use of icons was to deny the Incarnation. Both the Eastern and the Western church condemned the Iconoclasts.

In a more general sense, the term iconoclast can be a reference to anyone who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional beliefs and/or institutions.