Based on the life, death, and coming to life again of this man called Jesus--also called the Christ--there has developed the world's largest religion, Christianity. It claims over 1 billion members in all parts ot the world. In the late 20th century, it is divided into hundreds of groups, or denominations, the largest of which are the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and innumerable Protestant Churches.
The history of Christianity is filled with, conflict, controversy, and division. It also has countless intsances of brilliant creativity, in worship architecture, painting, sculpture, music and literature. In all ages Churches have sought to carry out the mission entrusted to them by Jesus.
Christianity Today
Guild
What Would Jesus Do
iChristian.com
God Will Prepare Us
When it is Gods time to bring something into our lives,
he will often do it after he has prepared us to recieve it. He may withhold a place of leadership until He has taught us how to serve. He may withhold honor until He has taught us humility. He may withhold possessions until He has taught us contentment. He may withhold a relationship until He has taught us to be complete in Him. He may withhold an overflow of finances until He has taught us how to give. He may whithhold guidanceuntil He has taught us what is pleasing to Him. He may withhold an active ministry, until He has taught us how to be still.
+ 1 Cross
-------------
4 Given
Once a man found the cacoon of a butterfly. One day, a small opening appeared. The man sat and watched the butterfly struggle for several hours to get it's body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and could go no further. So the man decieded to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cacoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any time, the wings would enlarge and expand, to be able to support the body, which would constrict in time. Neither happened!! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of his life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cacoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body into it's wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved it's freedom from the cacoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obsticals, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. We could never fly!!
Submitted by:
Elaine
I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry to get to work,
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
and lept up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done,
My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time,
To spread the word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need.
But at last the time, the time to die,
I went before the Lord, I came,
I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands, God held a book;
It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said:
"Your name I can not find.
I once was going to write it down...
But never found the time."
Submitted by:
Lois
