e-Sword Bible Study

When we want to do a bible study we get out our bible, our Strong’s reference and all the other reference books we may have, if we have any at all. Then we start searching the Bible from one Scripture to another to another. And we write notes in a notebook with scripture references that we have to look up later unless we copy it into our notes…….and we don’t do it because it’s too much like work. And we don’t study, just leave it on the shelf…..maybe later when there is more time.

Well, that’s why I want to write this. Because there is a better way and it’s free.

The Bible study program e-Sword, written my Rick Meyer, is distributed by him for all to download, share and use freely.

Besides the program itself, there is an enormous wealth of reference works that you can chose to download as well after installing the program.

The program has many useful features. For your note taking, there are Study Notes, Topic Notes and a Journal. Rick has made it easy to paste a selection into any of these notes with just the click of the mouse. Any notes that you write in your notes or journal, you can format just as you would in any word processor.

Searching the Bible is equally as easy. Just select the book and chapter you want to go to and your there. To search a specific scripture you can use the search tool.

There are many other features that you can benefit from, such as memory verses, daily Bible reading and prayer requests.

Many downloads are available directly through the program. There are many versions of the Bible that are free. Others are available at a small cost. There are books that are also free to download to e-Sword.

Besides books, Bibles and commentaries, there are also maps and such that you can download and view with the graphics viewer.

I hope this little review of e-Sword has stirred up your curiosity enough that you’ll click on a link and go there to investigate this more and download and install this wonderful software on your own computer.

Once installed, I’m confident you’ll find reading and studying your Bible will be a much more satisfying experience.

-Ed

Abandoned Flock

This one is a hard one to write about, the abandoned flock. You see….there are so many people out there….good people….. who have been completely abandoned…..left for dead…..by the pastors of their church! Now you’re thinking, “man, this guy’s harsh”! Well, this post is meant to be harsh. I want to shake them up and kick them in the rear! (The pastors).

You see, the people who are in the ministry, your Pastors, Ministers, Priests or whatever else you want to call them don’t seem to want to get out of their comfortable chairs, climate controlled offices to visit those who are hurting and not getting to church.

What are their excuses? Are they to busy with their church work? Are they doing the work someone else could be doing? Are they too timid to go to someone's home? Or maybe they are just lazy!

Some pastor’s delegate that duty to members of their church. Why I ask? The members should be doing other things so their pastor can get out to visit those who are imprisoned in their homes, nursing homes hospitals and jails!

There are many reasons (I won’t call the excuses) people aren’t in their church. They may be physical problems. Illnesses, disabilities, emotional problems. You name it, there are lots of reasons a person may not be coming to your church. Are the ones coming the only ones worth anything to you? Are you that judgmental that you won’t go to them? Are you not the shepherd of the flock? If the answer to that last one is ‘yes’, then get your rear out the door and be a shepherd!

I think if you’re in the ministry, then you should know your bible an awful lot better than I know mine. But I’m throwing these verses your way anyway.

Mat 18:12  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
Mat 18:13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Mat 18:14  Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Well, how are your 99? Are they okay? Do you think you can leave them alone long enough to leave your church office to go to some of those who are suffering at home? Does someone have to drag you out kicking and screaming and make you do your job?

It is your job you know. Oh, I know some don’t like it to be called a job. It’s a “calling”. Well then, do what you were called to do, and do it today! And do it everyday!

If you don’t take care of everyone else just like you take care of all those really good people who come to church every week, how are you going to answer when your time comes?

Are you going to boast about all the good works you’ve done? I’m sure there are many. I’m not saying that you’re all bad. I’m trying to tell you that you are neglecting so many people out there. It’s wrong!

Read these next verses.

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

That should scare the you no what out of you! I think I’d be just flying out of the church and looking for those lost sheep. Many may not really be lost at all. They’re just neglected, left unfed. Go to them, comfort them, feed them, bring them home!

How many, I wonder, will even read this? If they read this, will it make a difference? If you’ve read it, will you tell your pastor to read it and if you tell him/her to, will he/she? And if they read it will they take it to heart or just shrug it off as if I’m just someone who likes to rant? I don’t get passionate about much, but this is something that’s bothered me for many years and I’ve not said much to many about it. Now I’m saying it, publicly. Listen!

I’ll be watching to see how many hits this blog gets. I’ll be watching to see how many share this. Don’t disappoint me. Don’t disappoint your Lord!

-Ed

Evolution?

Last night I was watching the Discovery channel. They had programs about the wildlife throughout the world living in extreme environments. It always amazes me how they can survive in the extreme cold or the desert heat, high in the mountains or the extreme depths of the oceans. How they evolved on their own to live in all these various places.

And I look at the great variety of the wildlife in the world, the variety of plant life, the insects and birds. How did all this happen? To have all started from one little microbe! It just boggles the mind to think of it, that without any help from anywhere this could all have evolved on it own.

Then I look at the sky. I see the stars. And what I can't see, I can search for pictures taken with powerful telescopes to see the galaxies, the nebulae and all the other wonders in the universe. And this all happened on it's own. Spontaneously. With no outside help this all came to be.

The universe, the earth and all that is in it, just seems to be designed in such a deliberate, thoughtful manner that I can't help but to know that God created it all. He deliberately created each and every star in the sky, every galaxy, every particle of matter spinning through the universe with great precision.

I never studied Statistics and Probabilities, but I've heard the experts, In a few cases and taking just one instance, calculate the probability of just one of these instances to happen on it's own and the number is just immense! The is no chance that it could have happened on it's own. God just had to have done it.

Take for example, the earth and moon spinning around the sun. The sun's mass has to be exactly right in relation to the earth's mass and the moon's. The distance of the earth and the sun has to be exactly right, the speed has to be exactly right for everything to work the way it should for there to be life here on earth. And that's just a very few things. Just think of everything that has to be put together, and get it exactly right for everything to work. As long as scientists have studied the heavens and the earth, they've understood very little. We never will understand it all. It's all just to complex. What we can see is that is also perfect, if it wasn't, it would all come crashing together and we would have never existed.

So when you look at the stars, or take a walk on the woods. When you see the smile of a child, just think of God's wonderful creation all around you, and that it didn't just evolve, it could only have been created, deliberately and perfectly. It's all to complex and precise to have not been created by God.

Darwin had it wrong. If things would have just evolved it would be a big  mess, (just look at the kitchen after a big dinner).

Go out now and enjoy all of God's creation and each and every day that He has given to you.

-Ed