My brother and I are looking to make a website for our Gluten Free baking business. Does anyone know of a good template site, and or a site that teaches HTML really well?
Focaccia & Pesto Buns
9 years ago
What is beauty?
Over the past few hundred years our sense of what is attractive, and beautiful has been terribly warped. We are told that a crucifix suspended in a jar of urine, or a plain toilet in the middle of a blank room is art. Now I think quite a few people, even some non-believers, would say the first example is at the best in bad taste, and at worst terribly offensive, and sacriligious. But the second is, I think most people would say, at worst just odd. Yet, many of the intellectual and artistic "elite" give praise to these things, and many other weird, and extremely distasteful works of "art".
Most people agree when they see a piece by Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, or even Monet, that these are great works of art. How do we decide what is beautiful though? I'm mostly considering art, but this can apply to music, furniture, photography, and many other things. We can say, well its what is pleasing to the eye. But even though most people agree on some of the greats, like Rembrandt, there are also many who say that a red square on a white wall is art. Now, this may not be ugly or displeasing to the eye, but pardon me if I disagree with you that this is art. If we simply appeal to what we naturally feel is beautiful, we can go a short distance on this without too many road bumps. But we soon reach a toilet in the middle of an empty room, or paint randomly thrown at a canvas, and there we start to really disagree. Quite a few would say no to these, but then there are also those who say that this is true art. Another example from music is the "song" 4'33" by John Cage, who was a post-modern musician. 4'33" can be played by anyone, anywhere, with any instrument, and does not even require any noise. It can be complete silence, or the roaring of thousands of people. Certainly depending on what happens it could be very enjoyable, but just as easily be a waste of time. Can we truly call this "song" a piece of music? This is the same as art, most would probably look at least slightly askance at this, but there are others who have praised it in the past. We cannot simply appeal to what we feel is naturally right as I hope you see, so where then do we go?
There is also the issue of the paintings from several hundred years ago, that fit into the profile of what most agree is art. Pieces from some of the greats. They are not part of the modern movement, showing incomprehensible, random shapes, or disgusting images, or just splotches of color. However, they contain nudity ranging from not much, to everything (Michelangelo's King David). Now, I think that the human body is a wonderful work of art that God has sculpted. However, it is not something that is to be paraded to the world. I'm not even considering here the possible implications of these paintings in regards to temptation. So if a painting or carving contains nudity, or fairly severe immodesty, even if its "artistically" pleasing to the eye, in regards to composition, colors, and skill, is it really art, as it is showing something that God did not intend shown to the world?
Is it something that is totally subjective for each person? where each and every person is totally free to decide what they find beautiful, and no one else can encroach upon that? Yes, I understand and agree that there is a certain amount of personal preference in this topic, as there is in pretty much any topic. However, I don't think that this is totally subjective.
Unfortunately God's word does not lay all this out for us. We have no examples of art, and we really don't even have any guidelines along which to guide us. I certainly don't have much of an answer, which is why I'm writing this. I'm curious as to what others have to say, and I hope that there will be quite a few responses.
Sorry it’s taken so long to get around to finishing my TULIP series, but here it is.
The last point of the TULIP is the doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints (PoS). This is the doctrine that once a believer is saved, neither their own power, nor the power of another, can cause that person to lose their salvation. If you believe in predestination, than it is rational to believe in PoS. Logically if you believe that you are brought to a saving faith by God’s will alone, how could you or another lose that salvation? However, I’m getting ahead of myself.
In this passage in John we have Christ clearly proclaiming that those whom the Father gives to His son (those predestined for salvation) will indeed be raised from the dead. We are also told that it is God’s will that those who believe will have eternal life.
John 6:37-40 (New American Standard Bible)
37"(A)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
38"For (B)I have come down from heaven, (C)not to do My own will, but (D)the will of Him who (E)sent Me.
39"This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of (F)all that He has given Me I (G)lose nothing, but (H)raise it up on the last day.
40"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who (I)beholds the Son and (J)believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will (K)raise him up on the last day."
The word for “no one” here means nothing, no one, not anything. NOTHING, not Satan, not death, not even some heinous sin can separate use from the love of God once we are saved.
John 10:28-29 (New American Standard Bible)
28and I give (A)eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and (B)no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29"[a]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Here Paul is firmly convinced that NOTHING, not death, not Satan, NOTHING can separate believers from God. If not even Satan, death, or any other power on earth can separate us from God, how could our sin, once payed for, separate us from the love of God?
Romans 8
35Who will separate us from (V)the love of [c]Christ? Will (W)tribulation, or distress, or (X)persecution, or (Y)famine, or (Z)nakedness, or (AA)peril, or sword?36Just as it is written,
"(AB)FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."
37But in all these things we overwhelmingly (AC)conquer through (AD)Him who loved us.
38For I am convinced that neither (AE)death, nor life, nor (AF)angels, nor principalities, nor (AG)things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from (AH)the love of God, which is (AI)in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul is telling the Corinthians here that Christ will sustain them as guiltless until He returns to this earth.
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 (New American Standard Bible)
8(A)who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in (B)the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9(C)God is faithful, through whom you were (D)called into (E)fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is a very similar passage to the one in first Corinthians. Paul is speaking to the Philippians and telling them that God will finish the work He began in them at their conversion. Would Paul have told this to them if it was possible to lose their salvation by their or another’s actions?
Philippians 1:6 (New American Standard Bible)
6For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until (A)the day of Christ Jesus. I hope that this has come across in a clear manner. Please feel free to make any comments, or ask any questions.
So i've recently been thinking about making myself a formspring, or possibly adding a music player on my blog. What y'all think?
My brother had a catering event today and made tea, this is what is left over. It's a 6 gallon bucket full lol. Anyone for a cup of tea?
Yes, really, I am trying my hand at embroidery. I already know how to sew, I figured why not this as well? :D Ok, well not totally lol, we purchased a learn to sew and such kit, WAY back, and I haven't finished it, so now I am. Maybe. Here is a beginning picture, and I'll post some work in progress, and finished pictures when I finish lol.
Well I went biking for the first time in quite awhile. Even though I'm tired, I feel really good at the same time.I think I might try and start doing it everyday for my exercise. I've been trying to run, but i'm not a great runner lol. Oh, I also saw a fairly large turtle in the bayou while I was riding, kinda interesting in the middle of the city. I would have taken a picture, but I have not been able to figure out the zoom on my phone cam... Anyway, just thought I would let y'all know... :-p Oh and does anyone's ears hurt when you exercise?
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Why, hello there, blogosphere.13 years ago
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Week at a glance14 years ago
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A New Start14 years ago
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ACT...Again.14 years ago
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Farewell!14 years ago
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breathe.15 years ago
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Alisha15 years ago
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"It's bananas: b-a-n-a-n-a-s!"16 years ago
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