Quotes of the month:
I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am grateful for those teachers.
Kahlil Gibran
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
We cannot force someone to hear a message they are not ready to receive, but we must never underestimate the power of planting a seed.
Balance and Peace website
I will never regret getting old.
I have known too many people who never had that privilege.
Unknown author
Do not attempt to touch yourself up and make yourself something other than what you really are; but come as you are to Him who justifies the ungodly.
Charles Spurgeon
A Personal Note
by Frank Paul
My real father, Frank James, a World War II combat vet, introduced me to this quote probably 55 or 60 years ago. My stepfather, Leonard, a World War II combat vet, affirmed its validity probably 40 years ago. When I get fatigued or unwilling to go on, in whatever endeavor I'm involved in at the moment, I think about this quote. Put my nose to the grindstone and finish the task. We need more men out there today, folks; plain and simple. Quit your griping and complaining and just take care of whatever lies in front of you.
The Man in the Arena
“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt, Paris, 1910
Why the switch from B.C. to A.D.?
A.D. stands for anno domini, Latin for “in the year of the Lord,” but most often presented as “in the year of our Lord,” and refers specifically to the birth of Jesus Christ. B.C. stands for “Before Christ.” An alternative form of the B.C./A.D. System lately has come about for those who want to take “Christ” out of the equation; it is C.E., for Common Era, and B.C.E. for Before Common Era. It was the first Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. that decided when Easter would be: First Sunday following the full moon that follows the Spring Equinox. It was in 525 A.D. that Monk Dionysius Exiguus of Scythia Minor introduced the A.D. System, counting the years since the birth of Christ. Dionysius might have been off by a few years calculating backwards because there was no real understanding of the number zero (0) back then, and most modern estimates place Jesus’ birth at 4 B.C. The B.C./A.D. System helped with the 16th century introduction of the Gregorian Calendar. The designation of B.C./A.D. became popular in 731 A.D. by Bede, the author of The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. During the reign of Charlemagne is when the B.C./A.D. System really began to gain traction and was used by most people (800-814). World-wide usage of the B.C./A.D. System began in the 15th century when Europe and other countries around our globe started using this way of counting the years. The B.C./A.D. System is still in place today, In the Year of Our Lord 2023.
The Importance of
your Heart
Connecting the dots between the Old and New Testaments
By Frank Paul
Obviously, we all know what the heart is, in English anyway; but what of the Hebrew and Greek definitions. Hebrew – the heart is defined as the seat of thought, the mind. Greek – the heart refers to the seat and center of human life; personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will. These two definitions are what the Old and New Testaments are referring to, not the internal organ. In Matthew 15:18 Jesus tells us that, “What proceeds out of your mouth, comes from the heart.” If your heart is unclean, so will be your speech. When Psalms 51:10 refers to, “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit in me,” you are asking to become a cleansed being with proper speech and a yearning spirit for God. Ezekiel 36:25 – 27 states … “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.” Here God is not only referring to giving you a new heart to make you a better person, but also, He will put His spirit in you. God wants you to have a clean heart AND a clean spirit so that you will not only follow His commandments, but you will be an example to others. Notice how Jesus in Luke 8:15 ties these ideas together: “But on that good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
When we read these four verses from the Old and New Testaments, we see that the common denominator is the cleanliness of the heart, which allows the Spirit of the Lord to reside in us; and the heart once cleansed, gives birth to righteous speech. A clean heart allows the Spirit of the Lord within us to thrive so that the wiles of Satan cannot take root.
Up to this point if your flesh and heart have failed you, remember the words of Psalms 73:26, … “but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”
You need not travel anywhere, take a class, read a book; you simply must ask God to help you have a clean heart, and then sit, be still, and let the Lord do His work within you and cleanse you.
Matthew, Psalms, Ezekiel, and Luke, which span from 1500 B.C. to 63 A.D., all knew of the importance of a clean and beautiful heart and were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about it; we should listen to these God‐inspired words. Jesus sums this up in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
It is up to you to pause your busy life for a few moments and let the Creator of heaven and earth reside in your heart today and feel the difference.
When you look at the cross, you see the heart of Jesus
Bible source: King James
Tidbits
Exodus 1:19 – be strong and resolute, do not be terrified or dismayed, for the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.
Hebrew Bible: Torah – five books of Moses; Nevi’im – the prophets; Kethuvim – the writings; all three together are called The Tanakh.
Genesis 5:5 – Adam lived 930 years.
Genesis 5:32 – when Noah was 500 years old he had sons Shem, Ham, and Japeth.
Genesis 14:18 – Melchizedek first shows up.
Doxology – a praising, a hymn of praise, opinion.
Aeon (eon) – an age, lifetime, eternity, an extremely long, indefinite period of time, thousands and thousands of years.
NEWS NOTES
Still teaching tai chi and Kungfu in my backyard on Saturdays. Email me if you want in. I’ll give you the times and the address. I’m in North Olmsted. However, Winter is coming and I’m looking for a place to continuing training.
(I know, I know, I shut the school down because I thought I was done. Well, I guess not. It’s in the blood)
It could be a room in a YMCA, rec center, somebody’s big empty basement, whatever. So please keep your eyes and ears open if you run across any place like that and let me know.
The Ukrainian food drive I’ve been working with for the last couple months has shifted to supply mode. They need laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, hand soap, women’s products, toilet paper, paper towels, sponges, and the like. So if you have any extra laying around or want to head to the Dollar Store and pick up some supplies, let me know and I’ll swing by and pick them up. My next trip out there will probably be Friday, September 23rd. Thank you in advance.
A Prayer
I seek Thee, and as sure as the dawn, Thou appearest as perfect light to me.
A Thanksgiving Hymn,
Dead Sea Scrolls
Tired of all the negative news on the regular news outlets, go to
www.happynews.com and get some positive input
“God doesn’t require us to succeed, He only requires that you try.”
Mother Teresa
The Sower of Seeds
P.O. Box 815
North Olmsted, Ohio 44070
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copyright@TheSeedSower2023
😀 Thank you very much for your wise words and advice. I appreciate you and your writings.
Sincerely, Eric
Great newsletter. inspirational as usual. Really appreciated the info on the BC/AD history. -Jason