Showing posts with label verse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label verse. Show all posts
Monday, April 15, 2013
Boston
"21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
- 1 Corinthians 12: 21-27
What can I say that hasn't already been said about the Boston tragedy?
Not a lot.
I can say that the Boston marathon is one of the largest marathons in the world and you don't need to be a runner to have known someone affected by the events today. I had friends and acquaintances and fellow Flagstaffians running and cheering and my heart goes out to them. They are all safe, but to experience such a terrible tragedy will stick with them the rest of their lives.
We are the body of Christ and when one part suffers, every part suffers with it. We are all suffering together and it is these times when we are truly one body.
I pray for the families, runners, friends, children, medical workers, and anyone else in Boston who are now on the path of recovery, whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. I pray for the individual(s) who committed this chaos. I pray that they find peace and judgement. I pray for healing. Amen.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Earth and All Stars
"3He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit."
- Psalm 147: 3-5
There are a few things in my life that make me truly understand the greater power of our Lord. Most of them are seen in nature and most are usually too awesome to explain in words. Two of those things are similar. The sunrise and the sunset. Although, the sunrise has more powerful emotions behind it as the dawning of a new day has spiritual and biblical connotations that the sunset sometimes lacks.
Another example, and the one I am going to talk about further, is the night sky.
God created the sky and evening on the second day. Two days later, God made lights to separate day and night and created the stars. (Genesis 1:16) He is so great even, that we cannot fathom the number of stars and yet, He knows them by name as the verse of the day reads at the top of the post.
To me, the stars stand as one of the greatest displays of God's awesome power. To me, he created the stars only as something gorgeous and mesmerizing to look at. They hardly ever change, besides their nightly and yearly rotation, and yet, they are always fascinating and new. The universe, the Milky Way, planets, worm holes, black holes, supernovas, what ever the astronomical event, it is amazing and divinely created.
Wednesday was a new moon night, which for a photographer is the ultimate time to go out and photograph the stars as there is no sky light to interrupt the multitude of stars. Unfortunately, there were some storms rolling through and it wasn't an ideal night to photograph. However, as per usual, the moon takes roughly 15 days to build back to full and there are still a couple of days in which star viewing is possible without light interruption. I took my chance, despite evening clouds and daytime breezes and went out to Lake Mary to see what I could see.
I have been blessed to grow up in a city renowned for it's dark skies. In general, Northern Arizona and Southern Utah have some of the clearest, darkest skies in the country. More specifically, Flagstaff is the world's first International Dark Sky City. Only three other cities in the world have the same designation. Lowell Observatory, located in Flagstaff, discovered Pluto back in 1930 by a gentleman named Clyde Tombaugh. Lowell is also known for a few other discoveries despite it's small notoriety.
Unfortunately our eyes are not sensitive enough to capture all the light that is available in the night sky even when there is no moon out. Fortunately, new cameras do have the capability with the right equipment. And on one of those clear moonless nights, a camera can capture all the majesty that God has placed in the Heavens for us to enjoy.
P.S. You just had a Bible, Geography, History, Anatomy and Philosophy lesson rolled into one. Who said the internet is bad for you.
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit."
- Psalm 147: 3-5
There are a few things in my life that make me truly understand the greater power of our Lord. Most of them are seen in nature and most are usually too awesome to explain in words. Two of those things are similar. The sunrise and the sunset. Although, the sunrise has more powerful emotions behind it as the dawning of a new day has spiritual and biblical connotations that the sunset sometimes lacks.
Another example, and the one I am going to talk about further, is the night sky.
God created the sky and evening on the second day. Two days later, God made lights to separate day and night and created the stars. (Genesis 1:16) He is so great even, that we cannot fathom the number of stars and yet, He knows them by name as the verse of the day reads at the top of the post.
To me, the stars stand as one of the greatest displays of God's awesome power. To me, he created the stars only as something gorgeous and mesmerizing to look at. They hardly ever change, besides their nightly and yearly rotation, and yet, they are always fascinating and new. The universe, the Milky Way, planets, worm holes, black holes, supernovas, what ever the astronomical event, it is amazing and divinely created.
Wednesday was a new moon night, which for a photographer is the ultimate time to go out and photograph the stars as there is no sky light to interrupt the multitude of stars. Unfortunately, there were some storms rolling through and it wasn't an ideal night to photograph. However, as per usual, the moon takes roughly 15 days to build back to full and there are still a couple of days in which star viewing is possible without light interruption. I took my chance, despite evening clouds and daytime breezes and went out to Lake Mary to see what I could see.
I have been blessed to grow up in a city renowned for it's dark skies. In general, Northern Arizona and Southern Utah have some of the clearest, darkest skies in the country. More specifically, Flagstaff is the world's first International Dark Sky City. Only three other cities in the world have the same designation. Lowell Observatory, located in Flagstaff, discovered Pluto back in 1930 by a gentleman named Clyde Tombaugh. Lowell is also known for a few other discoveries despite it's small notoriety.
Unfortunately our eyes are not sensitive enough to capture all the light that is available in the night sky even when there is no moon out. Fortunately, new cameras do have the capability with the right equipment. And on one of those clear moonless nights, a camera can capture all the majesty that God has placed in the Heavens for us to enjoy.
P.S. You just had a Bible, Geography, History, Anatomy and Philosophy lesson rolled into one. Who said the internet is bad for you.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Visual Witness
"But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all."
- Isaiah 53:5-6
Welp... It's Monday again. And to add to the start of the week, it dropped 20 degrees over yesterday and snowed. The good news is. I survived. Mondays don't necessarily feel like Mondays to me anymore as I am not in school and have two days off work, not in a row that don't occur on the weekend. The only reason that I truly know it is a Monday is because I went to church yesterday and generally Mondays follow Sundays. Go figure.
I decided that when I started this blog I would let God guide the discussions that I post. Mostly I would allow any ideas that popped into my head to be thrown up onto the screen for all to read. But apparently I haven't taken my ipecac today. So, just as any Christian blogger may do, when inspiration fails, reach for your bible.
I read today's daily verse from my bible app, which is written at the top of the post, and it reminded me of something mostly different from everything in that verse. Tattoos.
I am a believer in tattoos. I think they are true art and can have incredible meaning and witnessing principles. Now, before anyone starts condemning me for marking my body. Hear me out. In Ezekiel; Ezekiel 34 to be exact, the bible talks of God as the shepherd of His people. He rebukes the leaders of the church saying. "You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally." He calls those leaders the "shepherds of Israel." They are the leaders, the spiritual leaders of the Jews and they have done a terrible job having any kind of compassion for their flock or passion in their profession. He says that He will "remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them."
The chapter continues and talks of how God will become that shepherd needed by His people. He will tend the flock, guide them and leave the flock to find any and all lost sheep and return them to the flock. He will judge the sheep and lead them to rich pastures.
I think that is a beautiful portrayal of how God is to be viewed. We are humans. Because we are humans, we make mistakes; we are sinful. We are not perfect. And because of that, even God's chosen people were being led by shepherds that did not have their best interest in mind. But, God never gives up on us, even the one sheep that strays from the flock. He will personally go out and find that sheep and return it to the flock. He has our best interest in mind and will lead us to the best pasture.
I want to get that beautiful portrayal of God shepherding his flock as a tattoo. I want a whole arm sleeve dedicated to this chapter and God's continual shepherding of His flock. I want to have comfort in knowing that God will never leave and I need continual reminders of that fact. We all do.
However, many of you might quote the most common verse against tattooing in the bible; Leviticus 19:28, which states, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord." This is a controversial topic as some people believe this verse as infallible truth. We are not to get tattoos or mark our bodies. I am not one to tell you that you shouldn't follow this because as long as you love God and believe in your heart that what you are doing is the right thing and in God's plan, I have no ill to speak on you.
The context of the verse is early in the historical narrative of the bible. Moses and the Israelites are defining the new kingdom of God on earth in Israel. Because this is God's chosen land and God's chosen people, He wants it to be pure and He wants it to be unblemished. For that reason, Leviticus can be defined as a book of holiness. It is full of instructions to follow in order to be an individual in the community of Israel under God's protection. Moses tells the Israelites in the verse stated above that God didn't want them to be like the pagans who would cut and mark their bodies as a way to gain attention from their deity's. He wanted them to be more pure and righteous than the pagans.
However, in our day and age, tattoos are not meant to only be religious in nature. They have gone from a purely paganistic ritual to expressions of each unique individual. People get them for every reason from just wanting one to see what it's like to cultural rituals in which the individual getting the tattoo uses the art as a shield from animal spirits taking over their bodies and actions. Check out the powerful video of this occuring here.
In my mind, I use tattoos as a part of who I am as a person. I depict important aspects of my core being. God being at the center. I have four tattoos at the moment, all depicting important puzzle pieces of my life that have shaped who I am as a person. Two of them are Christ centered and I intend for them to be witnessing tools as well as reminders to myself of the love God has shown and the reminder of his unfailing support of my life. Tattoos are generally not seen as a christian undertaking, albeit the stigma is slowly changing, and the people mostly drawn to tattooing their bodies are unchurched. If I can reach one of those people on their level because they are attracted to my tattoos, it opens the door to talking about my beliefs and my love for Jesus. Something that God calls us to do; be disciples.
Tattoos aren't for everyone and some people may not think they are pure because of God's instruction and that's OK, because God will certainly use you in a different way to reach people that my tattoos can't. That's what makes us unique and even more clearly defines the unique traits God has placed inside each of us.
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all."
- Isaiah 53:5-6
Welp... It's Monday again. And to add to the start of the week, it dropped 20 degrees over yesterday and snowed. The good news is. I survived. Mondays don't necessarily feel like Mondays to me anymore as I am not in school and have two days off work, not in a row that don't occur on the weekend. The only reason that I truly know it is a Monday is because I went to church yesterday and generally Mondays follow Sundays. Go figure.
I decided that when I started this blog I would let God guide the discussions that I post. Mostly I would allow any ideas that popped into my head to be thrown up onto the screen for all to read. But apparently I haven't taken my ipecac today. So, just as any Christian blogger may do, when inspiration fails, reach for your bible.
I read today's daily verse from my bible app, which is written at the top of the post, and it reminded me of something mostly different from everything in that verse. Tattoos.
I am a believer in tattoos. I think they are true art and can have incredible meaning and witnessing principles. Now, before anyone starts condemning me for marking my body. Hear me out. In Ezekiel; Ezekiel 34 to be exact, the bible talks of God as the shepherd of His people. He rebukes the leaders of the church saying. "You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally." He calls those leaders the "shepherds of Israel." They are the leaders, the spiritual leaders of the Jews and they have done a terrible job having any kind of compassion for their flock or passion in their profession. He says that He will "remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them."
The chapter continues and talks of how God will become that shepherd needed by His people. He will tend the flock, guide them and leave the flock to find any and all lost sheep and return them to the flock. He will judge the sheep and lead them to rich pastures.
I think that is a beautiful portrayal of how God is to be viewed. We are humans. Because we are humans, we make mistakes; we are sinful. We are not perfect. And because of that, even God's chosen people were being led by shepherds that did not have their best interest in mind. But, God never gives up on us, even the one sheep that strays from the flock. He will personally go out and find that sheep and return it to the flock. He has our best interest in mind and will lead us to the best pasture.
I want to get that beautiful portrayal of God shepherding his flock as a tattoo. I want a whole arm sleeve dedicated to this chapter and God's continual shepherding of His flock. I want to have comfort in knowing that God will never leave and I need continual reminders of that fact. We all do.
However, many of you might quote the most common verse against tattooing in the bible; Leviticus 19:28, which states, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord." This is a controversial topic as some people believe this verse as infallible truth. We are not to get tattoos or mark our bodies. I am not one to tell you that you shouldn't follow this because as long as you love God and believe in your heart that what you are doing is the right thing and in God's plan, I have no ill to speak on you.
The context of the verse is early in the historical narrative of the bible. Moses and the Israelites are defining the new kingdom of God on earth in Israel. Because this is God's chosen land and God's chosen people, He wants it to be pure and He wants it to be unblemished. For that reason, Leviticus can be defined as a book of holiness. It is full of instructions to follow in order to be an individual in the community of Israel under God's protection. Moses tells the Israelites in the verse stated above that God didn't want them to be like the pagans who would cut and mark their bodies as a way to gain attention from their deity's. He wanted them to be more pure and righteous than the pagans.
However, in our day and age, tattoos are not meant to only be religious in nature. They have gone from a purely paganistic ritual to expressions of each unique individual. People get them for every reason from just wanting one to see what it's like to cultural rituals in which the individual getting the tattoo uses the art as a shield from animal spirits taking over their bodies and actions. Check out the powerful video of this occuring here.
In my mind, I use tattoos as a part of who I am as a person. I depict important aspects of my core being. God being at the center. I have four tattoos at the moment, all depicting important puzzle pieces of my life that have shaped who I am as a person. Two of them are Christ centered and I intend for them to be witnessing tools as well as reminders to myself of the love God has shown and the reminder of his unfailing support of my life. Tattoos are generally not seen as a christian undertaking, albeit the stigma is slowly changing, and the people mostly drawn to tattooing their bodies are unchurched. If I can reach one of those people on their level because they are attracted to my tattoos, it opens the door to talking about my beliefs and my love for Jesus. Something that God calls us to do; be disciples.
Tattoos aren't for everyone and some people may not think they are pure because of God's instruction and that's OK, because God will certainly use you in a different way to reach people that my tattoos can't. That's what makes us unique and even more clearly defines the unique traits God has placed inside each of us.
Friday, April 5, 2013
More about Me
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast" -Hebrews 6:19
My prayer for this blog is to be beneficial for anyone who comes across it. By that, I mean I want anyone searching for answers or justification or encouragement to find something in it that speaks to them and answers their prayers. And how can you take anything away from a blog written by someone you don't know anything about.
This post is going to be about me.
My name is Matt Boness. I am a twenty three year old, degree holding college grad from Flagstaff, Arizona. I am a born and raised Lutheran Church Missouri Synod practicing Christian. I am a Youth Leader at the same church that I was baptized and confirmed in. I have one brother who is 17 months older than I am. Two loving parents who are so supportive that I take their smothering for granted sometimes. I own Matt Boness Photography. I am injured at the moment and have been for over a year, but was a triathlete and runner who races for FCA Endurance. I have a wonderful, supportive girlfriend named Cassie, who has good words to say on her blog. And I am far from perfect.
You don't have to believe what I am going to say in this online journal. And I like being corrected if I am wrong because the last thing I want to do is lead someone astray. God has given me a talent to teach. And while I am not a teacher, I enjoy being able to reach people by telling them of what life has taught me.
The name of the blog comes from Hebrews 6:19 "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast" Now, if you go look it up, it might look a little different. The words, "Sure and Steadfast" come from the King James Version of the bible and the rest of the verse comes from the New International Version. I combined them because I love the imagery from the words sure and steadfast. Along with the anchor, the words sure and steadfast remind me of sailing tradition, along the lines of "Hold Fast." Again, you may be telling your self, "Hey! the name of your blog is Steadfast and Sure! Not, sure and steadfast." And again, you'd be correct. I took some liberty with that as well because I like the flow of the words Steadfast and Sure more. I took the words directly off a tattoo that I have to illustrate the verse from Hebrews. The "Hope" the verse talks about is the hope that Christians have for eternal life. It is our anchor. The anchor to our soul. Our souls can be joyful knowing that we are anchored in Christ and the promise of everlasting life. I think it is a powerful image. God used the "anchor" reference because people in the time just after Jesus' death and resurrection, when Hebrews was written, would have had a more powerful connection to an anchor as a tool used in sailing. They would have had a personal connection to an anchor as they may be fishermen or used boats to travel and God wanted to reach them where they are. God likes to reach us where we are and maybe in this day and age He would use the word "cell phone," since we all seemed to be anchored to that now. But, regardless, He wanted to relate to people and He still does. Something that means a lot to me may not mean that much to someone else and that's ok, because God knows what we need to hear when we need to hear it. He's pretty good at that. You just have to listen.
I am neither a sailor or living around much water for that matter. (Arizona! Hello!) But, I have always loved the idea and romanticism behind sailing and was drawn to this popular verse as a way to remind myself of the hope I always have in Jesus. I challenge you to find a way to remind yourself as well. Maybe tie something around your finger, or post something on your mirror at home. Whatever it is, don't lose sight of the path God has you following. We all may take different ways, but we all can end up in the same place, Heaven.
My prayer for this blog is to be beneficial for anyone who comes across it. By that, I mean I want anyone searching for answers or justification or encouragement to find something in it that speaks to them and answers their prayers. And how can you take anything away from a blog written by someone you don't know anything about.
This post is going to be about me.
My name is Matt Boness. I am a twenty three year old, degree holding college grad from Flagstaff, Arizona. I am a born and raised Lutheran Church Missouri Synod practicing Christian. I am a Youth Leader at the same church that I was baptized and confirmed in. I have one brother who is 17 months older than I am. Two loving parents who are so supportive that I take their smothering for granted sometimes. I own Matt Boness Photography. I am injured at the moment and have been for over a year, but was a triathlete and runner who races for FCA Endurance. I have a wonderful, supportive girlfriend named Cassie, who has good words to say on her blog. And I am far from perfect.
You don't have to believe what I am going to say in this online journal. And I like being corrected if I am wrong because the last thing I want to do is lead someone astray. God has given me a talent to teach. And while I am not a teacher, I enjoy being able to reach people by telling them of what life has taught me.
The name of the blog comes from Hebrews 6:19 "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast" Now, if you go look it up, it might look a little different. The words, "Sure and Steadfast" come from the King James Version of the bible and the rest of the verse comes from the New International Version. I combined them because I love the imagery from the words sure and steadfast. Along with the anchor, the words sure and steadfast remind me of sailing tradition, along the lines of "Hold Fast." Again, you may be telling your self, "Hey! the name of your blog is Steadfast and Sure! Not, sure and steadfast." And again, you'd be correct. I took some liberty with that as well because I like the flow of the words Steadfast and Sure more. I took the words directly off a tattoo that I have to illustrate the verse from Hebrews. The "Hope" the verse talks about is the hope that Christians have for eternal life. It is our anchor. The anchor to our soul. Our souls can be joyful knowing that we are anchored in Christ and the promise of everlasting life. I think it is a powerful image. God used the "anchor" reference because people in the time just after Jesus' death and resurrection, when Hebrews was written, would have had a more powerful connection to an anchor as a tool used in sailing. They would have had a personal connection to an anchor as they may be fishermen or used boats to travel and God wanted to reach them where they are. God likes to reach us where we are and maybe in this day and age He would use the word "cell phone," since we all seemed to be anchored to that now. But, regardless, He wanted to relate to people and He still does. Something that means a lot to me may not mean that much to someone else and that's ok, because God knows what we need to hear when we need to hear it. He's pretty good at that. You just have to listen.