The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 13, Ed. 1 Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Page: 3 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Brand (Abilene, TX) and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Hardin-Simmons University Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Opinion/Religion
3
Daily Verses
By Richol Richards
Staff Reporter
April 14
Proverbs 4:24-25
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
April 15
Lamentations 3:22
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
April 16
Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are
all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
April 17
Hebrews 10:39
But we are not of those who shrink back and
are destroyed, but of those who have faith and
preserve their souls.
April 18
Proverbs 29:20
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
April 19
Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you
about these things for the churches. I am the
root and the descendant of David, the bright
morning star.”
April 20
Ephesians 5:14
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
April 21
Lamentations 5:21
Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may
be restored!
Renew our days as of old—
April 22
Psalm 96:4
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be
praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
April 23
Jeremiah 31:3
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to
you.
April 24
Psalm 139:17
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
April 25
Philippians 2:14-15
Do all things without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish in the midst of
a crooked and twisted generation, among whom
you shine as lights in the world.
April 26
Luke 14:34-35
“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how
shall its saltiness be restored?
It is of no use either for the soil or for the
manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears
to hear, let him hear.”
April 27
Proverbs 25:21
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
April 28
Proverbs 25:28
A man without self-control is like a city broken
into and left without walls.
Is there a difference between air and wind?
By Ben Ooi
Staff Reporter
Of course there is. Isn’t it simple
to differentiate between the two? One
moves and one does not, one is the
other but the other isn’t necessarily the
former. Confused? Well, be comforted,
many are still lying in the dark over the
differences of “Air” and “Wind”.
God is the Creator of the uni-
verse, all things come from Him and
all things are sustained by Him, He is
the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning
and the End. And because He is the
One that made all these, it is obvious
that He sees all, understands all and
knows all. Our God is omnipotent,
omnipresent and omniscient. There’s
nothing He can’t do, there’s no place
He cannot be, and there’s nothing that
he cannot comprehend.
Omnipresent, now that’s a BIG
word... I guess nothing really is omni-
present, except God. I also guess that
the closest thing that we can get to
omnipresent on this earth is air. Air is
everywhere on this earth and you can
find it no matter how high or low you
g°-
God is like air; he exists in all
places and He can be found every-
where. God fills every corner of this
humble planet that we, insignificant
little human beings, live in. He is the
reason we live. Just as we can’t live
without air, we won’t be able to live
without God. We can’t live one day
more or one day less if God chooses to
do something about it.
What about wind? Wind is air
that moves, and wind is a force, some-
thing that you feel yet you cannot see
and cannot hold.
What then are the similarities
between God and the wind?
Well, I believe the presence of
God is like the wind. Because when
God moves, you can feel it and it is like
a force that touches you deep inside
and breaks down all barriers.
With this we can clearly see that
air and wind are as different as the
existence of God and the presence of
God. God exists in all places no doubt,
but God doesn’t move in all places.
People get really confused by this as
they are yet to grasp the differences of
God being there at a certain place and
God moving in that certain place.
First of all, let us analyze the
first situation which is God’s exis-
tence. Like I mentioned earlier, God
exists everywhere, meaning He is in
all places. So, technically it is possible
to have a church that has God, but not
the movement of God.
As we all know, God exists in
three forms and in the present. He
exists on this earth as the Holy Spirit;
the Holy Spirit is God’s person in the
earth today. He can be anywhere and
everywhere, but that doesn’t mean He
moves everywhere and anywhere.
Well secondly, let’s talk about
God’s movements. The Holy Spirit is
a life-giving spirit and He loves mov-
ing amongst His people. How do we
know that He is moving? Simple, when
He moves, it is the ultimate experi-
ence—it is God coming to men. When
He moves in the midst of His people,
hearts begin to melt and tears begin
to flow, people get healed emotionally,
spiritually and physically. Miracles
start to happen and people turn back
to God. There’s revival when the spirit
of God is constantly moving.
Now can we see the difference?
So with this knowledge let us then
question ourselves, does God merely
exist in my life? Or am I allowing
Him to move? God is everywhere,
but being a polite and well-mannered
God, He only “disturbs” you when you
allow Him to move. So think about it:
Are you just taking in air? Or are you
enjoying the beautiful breeze of the
wind that brings love and peace?
What students said After AFTERdark ByTeddicrenweidge
“It was awesome, it was so
powerful and wonderful to see
how much he [God] affected so
many different people.”
- Gracen Harris
“AFTERdark was amazing. We had
a great turn-out and so many people
put so much work into it. The band
was awesome. They were super
nice guys and fun to be around. The
production company was hilarious.
The overall atmosphere was great.
I loved AFTERdark and was
extremely blessed to be a part of it.
It is something I will remember long
after I graduate.”
- Teddi Crenweldge
“I dug AFTERdark, it was a blessed
experience. Joe White was my favorite
part.”
- Raymond McClain
“I loved Afterdark. It was great to
see our student body pull together
and come to an event like that.
My favorite part was when they
nailed our white pieces of paper
to the cross. It really made you
feel free of whatever was holding
you back from God.”
- Kelly Johnson
Joe White presenting the message.
Practice meditative Bible study with Lectie Divina
By Nathan Hale
Entertainment Editor
Over the past several issues, we’ve discussed various aspects of meditative practice within Christian prayer.
Lectio Divina, or “Divine Reading” is one way of integrating contemplative methods with devotional Bible study
that I have found particularly effective.
The ancient practice of Lectio Divina most likely originated with monks of the Benedictine tradition,
although it is now an integral part of how many faith-communities and individuals worship through prayer and
bible study. The driving idea behind Lectio Divina is that Bible study is and should be an expression of your
relationship with the Triune God. It is a method that emphasizes a certain conversational aspect of meditating
on the Scriptures by providing specific times during your Bible study to both hear from God and respond to His
word. There are four stages to the Lectio Divina process: Reading, Meditation, Response, and Contemplation.
Before you begin, it is advised that you take a moment to pray and ask for the direction of the Holy Spirit as
you move through various stages of Lectio Divina. As with any method for Bible study and prayer, it will prob-
ably be beneficial to also find a place that is quiet and free of distractions.
Reading. In this first stage of prayer, you choose a passage of Scripture to read slowly and carefully.
Don’t read too much, as you want to really be able to focus on just a few aspects of the text that might resonate
in your mind. On the other hand, it’s important to not just take one verse out of context, either. I generally tty
to go methodically through a book of the Bible, using either the pre-marked sections or chapter markers as my
guide for each session. I’ve also found it to be helpful to write down verses that stand out or thoughts that come
to mind while reading. If you keep these notes, they can become a valuable record of your spiritual journey over
time.
Meditation. After carefully reading through your scripture passage, take some time to really ponder w-hat
was said. Go back over your notes, and perhaps add any clarifying thoughts you might have. Think about w hat
this passage meant to the writer, to the original audience, and what it might mean for you. You might also re-
read the passage in order to glean further meaning and gain greater understanding.
Response. During this portion of the prayer, allow yourself to respond to the text. Think about how? the
text might change you. Does the text alter how you view the world, yourself, or God? What attitudes in yourself
does the passage bring to light? Offer your response to the Father in humble submission to His will.
Contemplation. Simply focus lovingly on God. Words are not necessary in this part of the prayer, because
you are resting in His presence. Don’t resist thoughts as they come to your mind...simply deal with them. If they
are relevant to your conversation with God, then offer them back to Him and pray for guidance. If they are not,
dismiss them, and return your full attention to the One who gives you peace, rest, and understanding.
As with all disciplines, Lectio Divina, takes practice and time, however I believe that it can be a powerful
way to integrate a meditative and contemplative practice with your existing devotional practice. If you don’t
currently meet with God on a regular basis, I encourage you to try Lectio Divina as a wray to develop an effective
Bible studv and nraver habit.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Koe, Crystal. The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 13, Ed. 1 Tuesday, April 14, 2009, newspaper, April 14, 2009; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth896611/m1/3/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hardin-Simmons University Library.