Wednesday, March 07, 2007

The Beauty of Saul/Paul

This week I get to host to three amazing posts on the Beauty of Saul/Paul.  Will you please join me in reading what these bloggers found so beautiful in this man?

Blair @ Scribblings
While reading through the New Testament this year, Blair considered the persecution of the early church.  Her Scribblings now lead her to the conclusion that when Paul was fighting against Christ, he was willing to kill to uphold his beliefs....However, when he surrendered to Christ, he was willing to die telling others about the day Jesus asked him, "Why do you persecute Me?".

Ellen @ MzEllen & Co
For Ellen at MzEllen.com, the transformation from Saul to Paul is the beauty of a changed life.

amanda @ following an unknown path
And, last but not least, here are following an unknown path this week, I had a guest blogger who believes that the subtle simplicity of the one-line autobiograghy Paul writes in Romans is well worth exploring deeper.  (Technically, the CoB is for women bloggers, but this guy is slipping in under the radar as a guest blogger on this gal's blog. ;)  Cutting him a little slack I am, since; well, he is pretty important to me.)

Carnival of Beauty

Thanks for stopping by the Carnival of Beauty this week!!  Please join us next week over at Blair's Scribblings for the Beauty of Fragrance.  Hmmm . . . it's already smells nicer.

Mar 7, 2007 10:33:24 PM | the carnival of beauty

2 Comments

Stacy

Regarding the terracotta soldiers, I would say if it is the only time you will get to see them, then by all means see them! The exhibit is a lot smaller than I was expecting, but it is still a sight to see. Then with your extra time you can see the rest of the museum, then walk across the street and got to Friday's. :) So I say, sure!

Posted by: Stacy | Thursday, March 08, 2007 at 12:26 PM

Blair

Thanks so much for hosting this week Amanda :) And congrats on taking over the CoB. ((hugs))

Posted by: Blair | Friday, March 09, 2007 at 09:19 PM

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a one-line autobiography I have a guest blogger today who has been studying the book of Romans recently. I'll let him take care of the introductions: Let me introduce myself. I am Amanda’s Dad. That’s important to me: simple, short and concise. I am proud of my three kids, and every time I get the opportunity I routinely assert, "My oldest daughter is a college professor in Taiwan, my baby girl is a victim’s assistance counselor with the Arlington Police Department, and my 13 year old son is a miracle birth." I love the subtle simplicity of Paul’s masterful introduction of himself in Romans 1:1. He identified himself as an instrument invited to be immersed in a mission with a message. Or as the English Standard Version states it, "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God." Actually, our English translations of Paul’s first sentence covers seven verses, but what we call verse one, I call "a one-line autobiography" or a "masterful introduction." Think about it for a moment, how we usually introduce ourselves. We use our vocation or personal significance, what we do or who we are, as the central statement of "this is who I am." I am a plumber, pastor, mommy, single, divorcee, etc. Prior to most speeches by a guest speaker, some chosen individual recites a litany of the speaker’s accomplishments to set forth the identity of the speaker and the authority their message carries. The beauty of Saul/Paul’s introduction to Romans is found in a closer look at the words he used. Notice the name that Paul chose to go by. He was born "Saul, of Tarsus," but he chose to use his Gentile name, "Paul." Paul was formerly a Hebrew religious zealot; his new identity is that of one who seeks to identify with the audience he wants to reach, Gentiles. He chooses one simple word, a name of identity to say, "I, too, am like you." Now notice the second phrase he uses, "a servant of Christ Jesus." Actually the original word he used was doulos (slave). Writing to an audience in an Empire that was highly populated with slaves; he classified himself as an instrument of the Redeemer. Slaves came in all sizes, shapes and varying degrees of expertise. Many slaves in the Roman Empire were of notable education and culture. It was with great pride that some could say, "I am a slave of the Emperor." With humble gratitude, Paul could say that his will was consumed in bound servitude to Messiah Savior, the Redeemer. Kletos apostolos, that is the next identifier, “called to be an apostle.” The Greek New Testament uses two different words for "called." Kletos is about invitation rather than election. "Would you like to come over for dinner,” now that is an invitation. ‘Called to be an apostle," that is an invitation to be a messenger. Paul also says that he is "set apart" (separated) for the gospel of God....
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my love affair with music Beth and Ashely at Onward & Upward posted a fun little musical meme to add a little music to the party (my 1st party post). What a great idea! I love music and totally agree with them about a party is no party if there is no music. HOWEVER! I could not choose my FAVORITE song for a bunch genres any more than you could tell me which child of yours is your favorite. You just don't. You just can't. AND . . . all those 80's songs that were on the radio when I was growing up--I never heard. All those 90's songs that were on the radio when I was in high school--again, never heard. Let me tell you why . . . Childhood When I was a kid, I had all 6 Psalty the Singing Songbook tapes that were out at that time. I listened to one side of one tape each night to fall asleep (which started a music listening habit that didn't stop till I got to college and had roommates). Although I loved all 6 tapes, Kid's Praise 4 about being a servant and Kid's Praise 5 about a camping trip (casting our cares on the Lord) were played most often. I LOVED Psalty. These cassettes introduced me to worship and faith and showed me that praising God is a very real, everyday in everyway kind of thing. I remember my parents listening to Keith Green and the Maranatha! Praise Team . . . these too had a powerful impact on my love of music and heart of worship. Psalty, Keith Green, and the Maranatha! Songs hold an incredibly special, tender place in my heart. Teen Years When I was in sixth grade, I woke up on Valentine's Day with a terrible case of chicken pox. It was a terrible catastrophe to me. As a result, my mom and dad both sympathized and spoiled me. I clearly remember my dad buying me my very own bottle of Diet Pepsi--a glass bottle that was my very own to drink all by myself. (By the way, I kept that bottle till 2003, which I decopoged with stickers and filled with pennies). And, one day during my three weeks home from school, mom brought me a walking yellow helium doctor balloon and two cassette tapes--Michael W. Smith's The Big Picture and Twila Paris' For Every Heart. Little did I know this was part of her great plan to help me "grow up" (not the chicken pox--the tapes). She had decided that I needed to "move past" Psalty. When we moved at the end of that year, she helped me to finally release my Psalty tapes into the world to bless someone else. I spent my babysitting money and allowances on building a CD collection of contempary Christian pop music . . . in addition to Twila and Michael, I bought CDs from muscians like Steven Curtis Chapman, Point of Grace, Amy Grant, 4Him, and NewSong. I also...

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