The "Body Life"
Saturday, July 31st, 2010 | Spirituality
The 'Body Life' I titled this the 'Body Life' to contrast it to the traditional church or home meeting. Christians get fixated on meetings ' the where, when and how. They can see how the home meeting can be intimate and participatory but can't imagine how it would work in a larger meeting. I would not have believed it if I hadn't experienced it for a number of years ' meetings with upwards of 200 or 300 people or more in a large hall that was totally unscripted because the Holy Spirit was in ...› Continue reading
Brothers From the Hood Strive as Classical Pianists
Friday, July 30th, 2010 | Art and Entertainment
Who ever heard of proactive sibling rivalry? Well, until you have spoken to or heard classical pianists Nerva and Robenson Altino you would not believe it existed. Lacking all the negatives in the phrase, these two classical pianists are brothers, born in the independent nation of Haiti, but raised in South Jamaica, New York, who enjoy and complement each others performance style. "Our late mother always told us that we only had each other and to be sure to look after and support one another ...› Continue reading
Idolatry vs Imagery: Protestantism’s 500-Year-Old Bitter Root Judgment and Inner Vow
Thursday, July 29th, 2010 | Spirituality
I believe that when Protestantism protested and left the Roman Catholic Church, they reacted against Catholicism's use of imagery. I believe Protestants have held an ungodly belief that 'All use of images constitutes a graven image.' Their corresponding inner vow was that they would 'Reject all uses of imagery in their Christian lives.' The result is that most Protestant books on systematic Christian theology do not even include a section on dream, vision, imagination, or any other application ...› Continue reading
Does Sri Venkateswara temple require a ‘goods’ status for its prasadam (temple offering) ?
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 | Spirituality
The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini in Andhra Pradesh. It is by the Lord's presidency over Venkatachala, that he has received the appellation, Venkateswara (Lord of the Venkata Hill). He is also called the Lord of the Seven Hills. The temple of Sri Venkateswara has acquired unique sanctity in Indian religious lore. The Sastras, Puranas, Sthala Mahatyams and Alwar hymns ...› Continue reading
The Long Lived Tradition of Christmas Carols
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 | Art and Entertainment
Christmas Carols normally fill the air in the month of December. Usually, even before the month of December starts, you can find many shops and stores playing various Christmas songs. Along with this, Christmas decorations begin to appear in places. Carols are songs or hymns with lyrics that dwell on the theme of Christmas and the winter season. These are sung as part of the traditional celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. This long lived tradition started from the thirteenth century. ...› Continue reading
Taking Online Violin Lessons
Monday, July 26th, 2010 | Art and Entertainment
Taking online violin lessons is a rewarding and easy way to learn the violin. The incredible searching capabilities of today's online search engines make finding online violin lessons a relatively easy task. With so much information right at our fingertips, getting enrolled will be accomplished in short order. If you are just starting to play the violin, or if you are an accomplished musician with many years experience, online violin lessons can help you immensely. There's a great deal of ...› Continue reading
Christmas Traditions
Sunday, July 25th, 2010 | Spirituality
Santa ClausThe origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicolas, Bishop of Myra, an area in Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340 AD he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas' popularity throughout Europe. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims that he could perform ...› Continue reading
Gospel Music - From Start to Now
Saturday, July 24th, 2010 | Art and Entertainment
Gospel ' the famous music all around the world! Gospel is one genre of music that needs to be seen and heard. It makes it's listeners a feel of heaven on the earth. Everybody seems to know the history of anything they do like. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of Gospel music varies according to culture and social context. There are many studies about the history of Gospel music. Some people believe that gospel music first came out of African-American churches in ...› Continue reading
Messages Through Visions and Dreams
Friday, July 23rd, 2010 | Spirituality
I very well know a lady, let us call her 'Sofia', who, at some point of her life, sincerely turned to God and consequently she had experienced a complete change of life, likes and dislikes. In the beginning of her transformation Sofia was a regular churchgoer, and she accepted as truth all that was preached by Evangelical ministers, although some of it halfheartedly. One thing that couldn't easily go down her throat was the doctrine of Trinity and the worship of Jesus. She had a feeling that by ...› Continue reading
Is the rapture biblical?
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 | Spirituality
Those who teach the rapture most often quote 1 Thessalonians chapter 4:16-17. In this study we are going to examine 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. There we will learn that the first letter had caused some confusion among the Thessalonians. Many had come to the conclusion that Christ could return at any moment to gather His church. Paul strongly refutes this in the second letter and he will tell us exactly what we should look for before we can expect Christ to return. The rapture will not stand ...› Continue reading