ryan.the.calvinist

I can remember my first real exposure to podcasting.  It was back in 2005 if I am remembering correctly -- for some reason I was with my brother in his van (at the time), driving.... somewhere in Florissant.  And I remembered my brother was playing his iPod over the stereo system via tape-deck adapter.  I was listening to someone talking about Dan Brown's book The DaVinci Code, which was being released as a major motion picture right around that time.  I inquired what we were listening to (I don't remember if I made it seem like I was bored in doing so - I would have rather been listening to music at the time, but I became interested the more I listened) and my brother described what I would later realize as being a podcast. Ah... podcasting.  No, your iPod (or Zune) is not JUST for listening to music on.  Personally, I have grown in the faith and in maturity QUITE A BIT due to teachings I've heard from podcasts.  Theological shows and sermons alike ha...

I thought I may try something out that I've seen on some other blog sites with regard to films... they will watch a film and make comments on that film while watching on a blog and post that. So I thought I'd try the same thing with Titus , the book I read tonight for my time with God. This may be disastrous... but it may be FUN TOO! lol. If you would like to follow along, I will list the verse I am commenting on... but it is best to have a Bible in front of you or opened in a new tab in Firefox (and I know ALL my readers use Firefox... you had better!)... I'll be using the English Standard Version (ESV) ... the favorite of Mark Driscoll and John Piper, as well as my favorite English translation. In a previous post I blogged on Titus 1. Now, on to Titus 2!... 2:1 -- SOUND DOCTRINE?! I would venture to say the majority of teachers/preachers have NO idea what this is. Spiritual discernment is at an incredible LOW in our world today. Why else are books by Joel Os...

The following is contained in the Michael Molloy textbook that I used for Religion 210 entitled Experiencing The World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge and Change . Inspired by the biblical admonition to "pray always," [Luke 18:1] many forms of prayerful meditation have emerged in the long history of Christianity. In Russia, it became common to repeat some form of the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me." That was done hundreds of times a day, until the repetition became almost as automatic as breathing. In Greece, monks practiced sitting quietly, putting their heads forward, and guiding their consciousness to the center of their bodies, where they used their imaginations to experiences the inner light of God. In Europe of the Middle Ages, a form of walking meditation began to be done in labyrinths designed in the flooring of grand churches--such as we see at Chartres Cathedral in France. (This walking meditation is becoming i...