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Articles for the ‘Spirituality & Religion’ Category

The moment Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert died in 1861, she set a new trend. Her lengthy mourning paved the way for oppressive rituals that funeral directors were to carry on until she died forty years later. The whole court was required to dress in mourning clothes and the Queen herself remained in full mourning attire consistently until three years later. Grieving was no longer enough. Inner feelings were to be on full display through the full-on grieving that had now become fashionable.

Following their Queen’s example, those who could afford to do so indulged in expensive funerals, built complex monuments at the grave and adhered to the new etiquette of grieving. Along with specific clothing came an entire set of rules restricting the way people could act. Popular household manuals gave comprehensive instructions about the correct etiquette to adopt for each period of mourning. Queen Victoria’s poorer subjects had to make do with mixing their clothing in a large vat of black dye.

Compared to the adults, children were exempt from the traditions and were usually not required to wear mourning clothes, although sometimes girls wore white dresses. Many of their mothers, on the other hand, were nearly always in black, thanks to the many deaths that Victorian families suffered. The mourning time for males was shorter. Unrestricted by the curtailed social requirements, it was allowable for them to return to work and continue their daily lives. They simply wore black suits, or even just dark suits accompanied by black gloves, cravats and hatbands.

For females, however, mourning was a serious business. Although they could still attend church services, during full mourning they were not to be viewed in places linked with entertainment or amusement. The lengthiest period of mourning, which usually lasted at least two years, was after the death of a spouse. The required periods then dropped down a level, considering what the relationship with the deceased was. For first cousins, for instance, the period of grieving was only for a month.

Full mourning lasted for at least one year and a day. During this period women were required to dress in all black or in dull dresses with no sheen, trimmed with crepe. Bombazine was an often used material, being cheaper compared to non-reflective silk. Petticoats were made with black ribbon attached to their hems, to protect them if glimpsed. Then there were lace handkerchiefs with black borders, specially designed caps, bonnets and veils, even large “weeper” cuffs on dresses designed for mourners to wipe their nose during times of particular grief.

Second mourning went for nine months. Although women’s clothes would still need to be drab – generally grey – the crepe could be removed and the mourning veil was allowed to be lifted. A little jewellery was allowed, but the limit of this was hard black jet. It was popular for locks of the deceased’s hair to be built into brooches, lockets or watch fobs.

At the time of the half mourning stage, which went from three to six months, there was a gradual introduction of colour, with clothes moving on to brighter greys, mauve and a small amount of white. Jewellery wasn’t any longer restricted to jet and any kind was allowed to be worn.

Whichever level of mourning they were in, individuals had in order to buy the particular necessary clothes, or the materials to create them with, together with all other trimmings, the jewellery and headwear etc. Not surprisingly, a whole industry was created to cater for this fashionable new trend. Jay’s of Regent Street started up in 1841 as a type of one-stop shop, providing everything the mourning family could possibly need. Death was a big seller, as keeping mourning attire and crepe in the house after the mourning had stopped was considered to be bad luck.

When Queen Victoria passed away in 1901, the grieving fashion she had introduced began to disappear and the funeral director’s rituals surrounding grief changed drastically once more.

Of late, we have been hearing about our beloved world coming to an end. Have you ever given a thought to it? They say that 12 21 2012 marls the last day of our earth, as per the Mayan calendar. The 2012 phenomenon, as believed to be, will comprise of a series of cataclysmic or transformative events that will occur on 21 12 2012; with this, will end a five 125-year long cycle and begin a New Era.

It is believed that post 21 12 2012, earth and her inhabitants will go through a positive transformation which might be either physical of spiritual. As per general beliefs, the world will undergo a major catastrophe as the earth will be in total alignment with the moon, the sun and the Milky Way’s black hole. 

Modern thinkers opine that then end of the current cycle will usher in global consciousness shift whereby the world will progress and foster a spiritual revolution. There are so many significances of this date and that’s what makes 21 12 2012 so talked about.

According to some, 2012 will end 26,000 year Precession of the Equinoxes cycle, whereas, some believe that it signifies the end of a 104,000 year cycle. With the end of a cycle, comes a new age. But you must not be scared; instead you must understand the prophecy which says that we all have to be more and more aware and we need to wake up and answer to the beckon call of the new era. Standing on the cross-road, we must enjoy the historical landmark that we witness and respond to it positively.

Mankind will be transformed into a complete harmony of nature and all her children. 21 12 2012 is going to bring one of the best and most significant moments we have ever seen!

Three Marks of an Effective Short Sermon

Short sermons are in short supply. Rare is the pastor who has mastered the art of preaching shorter sermons.  I think most of us who are pastors may be guilty of thinking that a shorter message indicates we are slacking on the job. The truth is that it is much easier to preach a long sermon than it is a shorter one. Consider the following thoughts concerning the three marks of an effective short sermon:

1. It is a well prepared sermon.
Short does not mean you have to prepare less. Actually, it requires more sermon preparation time to keep it concise, on point, and moving effortlessly. A short sermon requires the same structure as a longer sermon, just less content. This means the content that is shared needs to be high quality and containing less superfluous material.

Be sure to study through your outline and notes several times. This will make it much easier for you to flow through the message. It will also keep you unchained from the pulpit if you wish to move around a bit.

2. It is a full meal sermon.
By this I mean that it leaves the people full and satisfied. A preacher has to cut a lot of fluff out of a good short sermon; hence, there is good lean meat to eat for those who are served.

For all those sermon ideas tumbling in your head, there can be a great teaching to help people. Work harder to present it in an unboring way in more palatable amount of time.

Short sermons can easily have three to five main points without sacrificing quality. Make sure your points are all explained in simplicity, illustrated with clarity, and applied with practicality. This will ensure a fulfilling experience for your audience.

3. Start and End with a Punch
A good introduction and a solid conclusion that calls people to action will help you start and stop while keeping people’s attention.

Be willing to be unorthodox in your introductions to grap people’s imaginations. Be slower, more calm, and very confident as you bring your preaching to a close. This is when you want to lead people to make the right and good decision.

These are three among many thoughts concerning a how to preach an effective short sermon. Now, you have been briefed, so be brief.

For more info like this written by Eddie Lawrence, visit Sermon Seedbed which is a dot come site that provides free sermon outlines for pastors and Bible study teachers.

When I was in seminary, I remember the professor one day handing out a resource for us entitled, “How to Build A Sermon in Only Ten Hours.” We had been taught that the average time it took to build sermons was 20-40 hours per sermon. Most people simply do not realize the time that pastors and Bible teachers put into building sermon outlines and Bible studies.

With all the other demands on spiritual leaders, a huge time crunch is created when it comes to preparing for the message of the week. Like or not, ready or not, Sunday morning comes around. And for a lot of pastors, so does Sunday night, Wednesday night, and the weekly radio program, the weekly Bible study, the monthly men’s group, the frequent funerals and the occasional revival meeting. Preaching is such a wonderful calling but that does not lessen the time constraints.

Fortunately, we are in the advent of new methods of communication. There are some wonderful resources available for preachers that offer quality materials that also save time. The computer is having a great impact on the landscape of sermon preparation. Think of these factors:

1. A pastor can Google any Bible verse, word, or question and instantly get tens of thousands of pages representing a volume of study that someone has undertaken.

2. The hours of preparation time that are taken over the course of a year in just flipping pages and looking for a resource are eliminated in a click. This is certainly a wise use of time. Why take ten minutes to scour through Strong’s Concordance looking for the meaning of a Greek word when you can do a one second click and find every reference to that word in Strong’s and other word-study resources?

3. An idea library awaits at the nearest PC for every Bible teacher. Many times just reading one idea another preacher shares can ignite pages of thought. This is iron sharpening iron. There are tens of thousands of free sermons to be read and studied online.

These factors are just three amidst many that could be listed. Now a word about abusing privilege. Some people are concerned that pastors will simply come to rely on the work of others without studying themselves, so they discourage the use of the computer in Bible study. To this concern let me say four other quick things:

1. Yes, some will. Eden was perfect but it was still abused.
2. Some still do without the computer by just using books, cd’s, etc. Any thing good can be misused,
3. The use of other’s material to guide us can be blessed by God as we receive it into our own hearts, experience its truth for ourselves, and then share it with others and let them know where we first heard it.
4. Taking an idea that blesses us and building upon it is a method of learning we all use in every area of our lives and we should.

So, just make sure you do your study, whatever the method, with integrity and true heart hunger, and I believe you will be in a safe place and be used by God in what you do.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, who is a pastor and also the overseer of Sermon Seedbed, a free online Bible study site.

THE FOUR KINDS OF DEATH

The following is a sermon on death that gives a biblical perspective on death.

1. THERE IS PHYSICAL DEATH
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

John 11:12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well. 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

In the epistle of James, if you look carefully, you will find there the biblical definition of death:

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. THERE IS SPIRITUAL DEATH
This is the condition of the living person who does not have eternal life.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

3. THERE IS THE SECOND DEATH
Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

4. There is a fourth death that is mentioned in Scripture as well. Visit Sermon Seedbed to learn about this fourth kind of death and see in this sermon death in its completeness.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, D.Min. who is a pastor, author and overseer of Sermon Seedbed a free resource site for Pastors and Bible teachers. There you will find lots of sermon ideas and sermon outlines.

Billy Graham once said that some people will miss heaven by eighteen inches, the distance between their head and their heart.” We all get the point. If God is after the heart, then we need to preach sermons from the heart and sermons that aim at the heart. Consider the following comparisons.

1. The Head Preacher
This is the cranial preacher who is intellectually well prepared and who has a keen mind for theology and its accompanying terminology. Deep truths are mined out and served up that are wonderful to hear. Every preacher should strive to have such a mind and knowledge. It is not to be criticized in and of itself.

2. The Heart Preacher
I will call this the cardiac preacher. His heart is totally in what he is doing. He is enthusiastic and his emotions are engaged in his preaching.

3. The Head and Heart Preacher
This is the preacher we should desire to be. He loves God with all his heart and mind, just as we have been commanded to do. He studies and his mind engages the Word and is renewed by it. As his mind discerns and discovers truth, his heart is moved.

When he preaches, he feeds the congregation the deep truths of God’s Word. As he shares, his heart is poured out in concern and compassion. the spirit and the truth are both at work in a powerful way. His heart is moved and so are the hearts in the path of his heartfelt message. God help us all to utililize our hearts and our minds when we preach from the Bible the truths of God.

It behooves us all to do inventory on our preaching. We should ask of  ourself, “Is my preaching more from the head for the head or from the heart for the heart?” Be a man of the heart going after hearts.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, D.Min. who is an author, pastor, and also oversees Sermon Seedbed which is a resource site for pastors and Bible teachers that offers free sermons and sermon outlines.

I love the quote, “The journey of a thousand begins with one step.  Likewise, the preaching of a great sermon begins with one thought. In this article I will share with you three simple methods of getting ideas for your sermon starters folder. These are not meant to replace your Bible study at all, but just ways to lead you into the Bible for a relevant preaching idea. Having a seedbed of starters is a great resource for any preacher or Bible teacher.

Idea Number 1: Record That Thought!
I wish I had all the great ideas for those sermons that never got preached because I failed to record the inspiration that whizzed through my mind. These are the big fish that got away because I did not set the hook. Writing down that inspired thought is the way the preacher sets the hook to reel in a good sermon.

Keep a little notebook with you, record it into your cell phone, send yourself a text message….just get a record of the thought some way. Have you ever awakened in the middle of a night having had a dream that was very vivid. You thought of getting up and writing down the details, but you thought it was so vivid and clear that you could never forget it. The next morning when you got up, you could not remember it to save your life. Where did the dream go? It went to the same place those great sermon starting ideas go that you didn’t write down.

Idea Number 2: Read That Title!
I have been amazed at the times I have read the title or headline of a newspaper article, an internet news story, the title of a book, and of course, the titles of other people’s sermons and gotten an idea that started me on a quick jog into sermon building paradise. Just the title which is the leader board of a story to follow can set your imagination in motion. With the idea that a title pops in your mind, you will often begin imagining what it is about before you ever read further. Your mind will begin building your own sermon just from the title. Notice these things and consciously think about them as sermon starters. Even billboards can stuff a sermon starter into your cranial cavity form time to time.

Idea Number 3: Research that Question!
This one will unleash an avalanche of sermon ideas for you. Think of questions that people ask about life, love, and problems and then research them. You will be swamped in an hour with a mountain of sermon ideas, sermon illustrations, and starting points for topics that people are hungry to hear about. Then you can add what the Bible teaches on that subject and you are on your way to helping others through a relevant heart touching Bible based sermon.

Now that you have three simple ideas for sermon starters, all that is left for you to do is to get started. That great sermon is just waiting to be thought of, inspired with creativity, and launched to waiting ears. God bless you as you get going.

Written by Eddie Lawrence, who is an author, pastor, and overseer of Sermon Seedbed a resource site for pastors and Bible teachers which provides free sermons and sermon outlines.

You can easily share your faith and love for Christ by giving someone a cross pendant. Sharing your conviction to someone you love is not very easy. At most, it requires plenty of courage and honesty.

However, when you do share your belief, you could possibly function as the door that opens up that person’s life to Christ.

One simple way that you can share your faith to your loved one is by getting your loved one a special cross pendant. Cross pendants have been around for a long time.

For most people, they function as a way to show their faith and at the same time help to remind them of what Christ has done for them.

Another great reason why people wear it is because it showcases their personality. People who are proud of their love for Christ are not afraid to adorn themselves with a cross pendant.

Apart from that, it is also a great way to witness for Christ. Most of the time, religious jewelry peeks the curiosity and interest of ordinary people. Hence, they end up asking about the jewelry and design.

With this opportunity comes the chance to witness for the Lord and help someone get acquainted with the faith more.

Getting someone special a great gift like a cross pendant will be worth it. You won’t regret allowing someone to get to know Christ more and also give them a chance to exhibit their faith.

Buying a cross pendant for someone special means taking several things into thought before ultimately buying. Here are some things that you need to remember when you look for pendants.

First, do your research properly and diligently. It is important that you first research on the kind of design you want to buy and whether you think the person receiving it will like it.

Consider the kind of jewelry that they are already wearing and look for a similar kind of style. This will increase the chances of them liking your gift better.

Second, only purchase from qualified stores or dealers. There are times that stores purposely deceive customers when it comes to selling jewelry. Make sure that the materials that it says are used are really used in the pendant.

The only way that you can do this is to buy from genuine and legitimate dealers only and not through shady places.

Third, even though you may be looking to save up money, it is important that you do not compromise the quality of the jewelry. If you find something that is worth it, but just a little higher than budget then go for it.

However, if you think that it would be too much for you to handle then it is best that you look for an alternative. This way, you will not be compromising your budget.

Looking for a cross pendant as a gift is certainly a challenging endeavor, but if you stick to the guidelines and know what you want, then you won’t have any big problems with it.

There are more Christian pendants available in the market other than cross pendants, but if you are not much of a jewelry type of a person, you may consider sharing your love of Christ by Christian watches instead.

The topic of free sermon outlines is one I love to talk about. Just over a year ago I launched a site to be able to give away sermon outlines to pastors and Bible teachers around the world. Wow, I never dreamed of the impact that SermonSeedbed.com would have globally. In the first year, visitors from over 180 nations came to the site registering over  three million hits and the site continues to grow.

This in itself demonstrates the hunger there is among pastors and Bible teachers to access materials that will help them in their preaching. Amazingly, my site is just one among hundreds and hundreds of others also providing materials and many of them free of charge.

Here are three pointers of how to quickly locate a free sermon outline on whatever topic you may be studying.

1. Use Your Search Engine Wisely
Learn to type in more than just the word sermon. Type in “free sermon outline on love” or whatever the topic may be. Type in “sermon on” plus the scripture reference you are studying. This will provide you with a ton of material in a nano second.

2. Visit Sermon Sites
Take some time to visit several of the free sermon outline sites and bookmark your favorites. I hope you will consider Sermon Seedbed as well. Most sites have some way to search for a specific site. My site is categorized plus has a master index to consult.

3. Visit Audio Sermon Sites
This one will require more time. But you can actually listen to sermons preached on the topic you are studying. Download the MP3 into your ipod or to a CD and listen to it while you drive and do visitation. You are bound to get some good input to inspire you and give you ideas for your own sermon.

Use these three ideas and you will be waist deep in good preaching material. Pray over what you find, feed your own soul, and out of the overflow, feed others.

Eddie Lawrence, who wrote this article, is an author, pastor, and oversees Sermon Seedbed, a resource site providing free sermons for pastors.