Category: Blog Carnivals

  • Christian Carnival 374 Posted

    The 374th Christian Carnival has been posted at Beyond Belief. Thanks for hosting, Rodney!

    The 375th Christian Carnival will be right here at The Jevlir Caravansary.

    How can you get involved? Quoth the ending to Rodney’s carnival post:

    If you’re a Christian and you missed out this week, how about choosing something to contribute for next week’s edition? It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, just a post that outlines your point of view or is designed to get others thinking. Being part of the carnival could be a great way to gain a little extra traffic at your blog.

    The easiest way to get involved is to submit your article through the Blog Carnival Submission Form. Otherwise, you can email the submission address.

  • Finding the Rich Man’s Treasure

    http://www.wpclipart.com/money/. Per the licen...
    Image via Wikipedia

    Everybody knew that in a small village in the mountains there lived a very rich man.

    Just why he chose to live in a small village in the mountains nobody knew. Precisely which village was his home, nobody knew either. They just knew that somewhere in those mountains there lived a very rich man.

    Years went by, and there came a time when everybody knew that the rich man had died. Nobody knew precisely where or how, but it was certain that he had died. Everybody knew that.

    Shortly after the time when everybody knew he had died, a rumor appeared that the very rich man had hidden his treasure. It was said to include many wonderful things, and it was hidden in the mountains. Some said it was hidden in a treasure chest buried in the ground. Others thought it was piled up in a cave.

    Again, after a few years, everybody knew that this treasure included gold, magical devices of incredible power, and gems of miraculous size and incalculable value. This treasure was there just for the taking, if one could find it.

    Inevitably, since everybody knew the treasure was there, someone came along wanting to find it. He climbed the mountains and questioned villagers. He wasn’t very careful. He tortured people. He burned down their houses. The villagers were peaceful and content, and had no means to resist him.

    Finally one young man in an isolated mountain village said, “I am the rich man’s grandson. I know where the treasure is hidden. I’m the only one who does.”

    The treasure hunter started to beat the young man up. He tortured him, demanding that he reveal where the treasure was located. The young man endured the torture quietly. The look of peace on his face enraged the treasure hunter.

    “Tell me now where the treasure is, or I’ll kill you!” he shouted, holding the young man in place with one hand, and a knife in the other.

    “Very well,” said the young man. “The treasure is right here. I have it.”

    “But there is no treasure here,” said the treasure hunter.

    “Oh but there is! You’re just not equipped to see it.”

    The treasure hunter grew even more furious and killed the young man. Then he left the mountains in frustration.

    In a few more years, everybody knew that there was a treasure in those mountains. It was invisible to all but those who were most worthy. People spent their lives striving to be worthy to see the treasure. Holy orders arose, with the simple purpose of living lives worthy of just a glimpse of the treasure.

    Everybody knew, but they were neither rich, nor content.

    (This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental, or perhaps a result of the general human condition. Copyright © 2011, Henry E. Neufeld)

    (I’m submitting this post to the one word at a time blog carnival on the word “treasure.”)

    Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Christian Carnival CCCLXII

    Welcome to the January 12, 2011 edition of the Christian Carnival. Submissions are light, so I’m including a couple that are slightly out of the date range. Don’t count on that in the future.

    Jim Edwards presents Improving Organisms posted at EverydayChristianFamily.com, in which his plan is to debunk evolution. It’s the most controversial post in the carnival and I think I may take a pass at it from one of my other blogs. OK folks, it’s nice to get all these devotional posts, but a few more posts to argue with might help build the carnival!

    Robert Cornwall is writing a series of posts reviewing and responding to the book American grace. I love this type of series, because it does more than tell us what the book is about and whether the reviewer liked it. It gives us a taste and engages with the contents. The post is Faith without Fanticism — America’s Creed posted at Ponderings on a Faith Journey. You’ll find out some interesting things about religion in America by reading this series.

    For the new year, W2W has a new challenge that will require a significant commitment over the next 365 days. Starting on January 10, 2011, they are inviting their readers to read the Bible, cover to cover, in one year. There are many plans for reading the Bible in one year, and I’m glad! These various ideas are good for people who have already read the Bible through because they give you some new options. For those who haven’t read the Bible through, each new approach or new challenge gives them an opportunity to start. Kaleb provides the details in Bible in One Year Challenge posted at W2W Soul: Windows to The Woman’s Soul.

    Continuing the theme of reading the Bible in a year, with multiple plans, some unique, Barry Wallace presents A vast array of Bible reading plans for 2011 posted at who am i?.

    Annette is also following a Bible reading plan, and she gives us some thoughts from her reading for January 10 in God acts, God promises posted at Fish and Cans.

    My own contribution is in the same area of Bible reading, Approaches to Bible Reading from my Participatory Bible Study Blog. This goes through some of the different approaches to and attitudes about reading the Bible. I think it goes well with all the discussion of Bible year plans.

    Weekend Fisher wonders if it’s possible for a person to be an epistle from God. In  Mary of Bethany, Doctor of the Lilies of the Field posted at Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength, she concludes that the Bible says yes. But where does that leave us?

    From the financial blogs, we have a great deal about being rich. And no, it’s not about how wonderful it is!

    Joe Plemon presents a post enticingly titled Can Rich People Get to Heaven? posted at Personal Finance By The Book. Before you think you know the answer, I should tell you he’s going to mess with your concept of “rich” and maybe even of getting into heaven!

    Most people think they would be happier if they just had a bit more money. FMF suggests otherwise in  Prosperity, The Sneaky Side of Discontent, Part 2 posted at Free Money Finance. In fact, prosperity could be dangerous. Just what would really make you happy?

    Folio 108r - Hell
    Image via Wikipedia

    He doesn’t connect it to being rich, but since we’ve already had discussion of whether a rich person can get into heaven, we’ll include this in this category. Khaleef @ KNS Financial says that Hell is a place that is described in detail throughout the Bible. His challenge is that we find out what Hell is, and who will be there! He does this in Hell posted at Faithful With A Few. The text is taken from James Smith and was written in 1858.

    Next we turn to missions….

    What are you afraid of? Nikoya Johnson presents If You Jump, You Might Live! posted at Developmental

    Increase, looking at how to develop destiny driven faith based techniques.

    Prince of Thrift has created a new blog, Missionary Notes, which has the purpose of bringing missionary newsletters to a wider audience. The most recent post (at the moment) is Guatemala Newsletter. He tells us that email updates from various missionaries from around the globe will be posted there. The latest is an update from the Potters who are missionaries in Guatemala. The blog currently has 3 missionaries sending us updates and they are looking for a total of 15 to 20.

    Michelle is whether we’re going to be safe and avoid the world’s problems or brave and go out and deal with them. Her post is Safe or Brave? posted at Thoughts and Confessions of a Girl Who Loves Jesus….

    Some people see prayer not as spirituality, but as a sort of thing that you do, perhaps from habit. Terry Denson suggests it should be a spiritual activity in The Truth About Spirituality and Prayer posted at Theology Degrees.

    While a career as a clergy member may be the first thing most people think of when determining how to use a bible college degree, this isn’t the only path you could follow. Kelly Davis presents Most Popular Careers for Bible College Graduates posted at A Blog of Biblical Proportions.

    Jeremy Pierce presents some observations on Supreme Court Religion Cases posted at Parableman. He’s been listening to some old recordings, and a good bit of this is of linguistic as well as legal interest. Can Bible reading bring about a riot? Read and find out!

    My wife wrote Broken for a Time, not forever at Jody Along the Path. It was already in another carnival, but I think it’s worth a link here as well. Our brokenness is indeed not forever.

    That concludes this edition of the Christian Carnival. Submit your blog article to the next edition using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

    Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Christian Carnival CCCLXI Posted

    Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber ...
    Image via Wikipedia

    … at Keyboard Theologians. There’s quite a crop of posts to look at.

    Next week’s carnival, CCCLXII, will be right here at the Jevlir Caravansary. I’m going to borrow some announcement text and instructions from Parableman:

    The Christian Carnival is a weekly collection of some of the best posts of the Christian blogosphere. It’s open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions. One of the goals of this carnival is to offer our readers to a broad range of Christian thought. This is a great way to make your writing more well known and perhaps pick up some regular readers. For examples of past carnivals, see the Christian Carnival archive.

    To enter is simple. First, your post should be of a Christian nature, but this does not exclude posts that are about home life, politics, or current events from a Christian point of view. Select only one post dated since the last Christian Carnival (i.e. from the last Wednesday through the coming Tuesday). Then do the following:
    You can use the Blog Carnival submission form, or you can send your submission to christiancarnivalsubmissions shift-2 gmail dotte com. 

    Please submit only one post (per blog, per author) dated since the last Christian Carnival deadline, i.e. something posted since midnight EST Tuesday night, October 12 (5am GMT Wednesday, October 13) [If you are emailing your submission: if you are able to do so, please submit your information in Times New Roman 12pt font, preferably in plain text. The uniformity will save time for the host.]
    1. The name of your blog and a link to your main site. (Adding the name with a hyperlink would be a nice courtesy to the host.)
    2. The title of your post and the URL of the post. (Again, adding the title with a hyperlink would be helpful.)
    3. If you want a trackback, include a trackback link. (Tracking back is optional. Some hosts may oblige you; others may not have the time or ability.)
    4. Include a short (one- or two-sentence) description of the post. Your description may be edited by the host, but many hosts often use just what you give them. (So don’t say anything you wouldn’t want published.)
    The deadline for submissions is midnight EST Tuesday night, October 5 (4am GMT Wednesday, October 6). Be aware that hosts have the option of limiting the Christian Carnival to the first 40 (or 50) acceptable entries. (Most hosts do not do this, and most weeks do not have that many posts, but this is a good reason to enter early just in case. Hosts that limit the number of entries may not simply select their favorites but may just cut it off at a certain number, so you can’t rely on your post being good.)
    You can see the more extended instructions on post submissions here, and you can join the weekly reminder list for the Christian Carnival here. (Note: there was a previous announcement list for the Christian Carnival. That list is no longer usable. This one came into existence around the beginning of May 2007. If you have not joined such a list since then, you are not on the current announcement list.)
    Disclaimer: As the goal of this Carnival is to highlight Christian thought in the blogosphere, entries will be limited to blogs that share that goal. Posts strictly focused on matters unrelated to Christianity or from blogs with potentially offensive material that Christians may not want to link to may end up being rejected, but there are other carnivals that would be a more appropriate for such posts. Though this will be a judgment call on the part of the week’s host or the carnival’s organizers, and being human they may make mistakes, this is necessary given that the Christian Carnival is sometimes quite large, and it is sometimes questionable whether the entrants are seeking to promote Christian thought.
    Get your submissions in soon!
    Enhanced by Zemanta
  • Christian Carnival CCCXLIX

    Welcome to the October 13, 2010 edition of the Christian Carnival, #349.

    I usually try to do something special with the carnival, or at least to make more comments on each of the posts.  Yesterday, however, was a horribly interrupted day, and today is only slightly better, so rather than keeping everyone waiting, I’m going to post things mostly as they are.

    There were several submissions not included.  Most of these were due to date.  If the dates were a couple of days out of the time frame for the carnival I went ahead and included the post, but a number were weeks or months outside the time frame.  Remember, posts need to be within the week prior to the carnival.  Finally, while posts don’t need to be about explicitly Christian topics, the blog needs to be identified as Christian in some way.

    If your post wasn’t included, feel free to let me know in a comment.

    Philip Carlson gives us a blow-by-blow description and review of the HCSB Study Bible Review at his blog, Science and Theology in Apposition.

    Bob MacDonald presents a valuable resource for the study of the Psalms–links to all his notes from The Oxford Psalms Conference – in sequence posted at his blog Dust.

    Keith Tusing presents What’s the Big ORANGE Idea? posted at CM Buzz.  He’s talking about BHAG’s and thinking outside the box.  (You have to read his post to find out what a BHAG is, not to mention why the color “orange” is involved.

    Nap Beltran presents Breakfast Diaries By Barbra Winterbourne posted at Associated Content, telling the story of the Breakfast Diaries.  It has something to do with talking to God, or maybe more listening …

    Joe Plemon reminds us that “even a huge emergency fund is no guarantee of security in Does Financial Solvency Equal Security? and then asks us what is.

    jennkenn presents The Truth Shall Set You Free posted at beauty4ashesblog, and reminds us of the importance of knowing what our choices are.

    Aoide-Melete-Mneme presents The Extra-Parental Natures of God posted at à la mode de les Muses, saying, “At times God our Father takes on the roles of mother and father-in-law.”

    Andrew presents The calm before the storm. posted at Rely on God in your personal development. – New Blog.

    Bible SEO presents Salt of the Earth: Matthew 5:13-16 posted at Bible Study Exposition Online, saying, “Bible study lesson on Matthew 5:13-16. You are the Salt of the earth. Use of Salt in the Bible.”

    Marcia Colgar presents Top 25 Chaplain Bloggers posted at Online Christian Colleges, saying, “A chaplain is typically a pastor, priest, or other member of the clergy who serves a group of people who are unable to attend religious services for various reasons. In many cases, these chaplains often join the military to help the enlisted practice their faith while serving their country.”

    Scottyi presents Isn’t Christianity Just a Western Religion? posted at Sacred Raisin Cakes, saying, “How is Christianity intrinsically western, or how is Christianity growing beyond its western origins? The booming church in the Third World is creating one of the most exciting times in church history, ever.”

    Paige Carter presents Paigerific: I’m not a copy posted at Paigerific, reminding us that none of us are just copies.

    Diane R presents Scared…… posted at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet, saying, “Christians, including our Christian leaders, don’t seem to take the threat of Islam and sharia law coming here very seriously. Maybe they should.”

    Sarah Forte presents Sarah reads the Bible in 90 days posted at Sarah reads the Bible in 90 days.  This looks like an interesting journey!

    Laurie Coombs presents The Battle of Trust posted at In the Spirit of Courage.

    Carl presents BORG: Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Response, Part 3 posted at Theological Pursuit, saying, “A continuing criticism of the popular book Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, by Marcus Borg; giving some thoughts on how we understand the bible.”

    Barry Wallace presents The Autumn Film ? A Sad Joy posted at who am i?, saying, “All my joys are tinged with sorrow, and all my sorrows tinged with joy.”

    Crystal Rodli presents Just another beetle story about listening to God. posted at In A Clay Pot, saying, “A tragic and humorous true story illustrating what can happen when we disregard ‘inner checks’.”

    Jeremy Pierce presents The Punishment Theodicy and the Patience Theodicy posted at Parableman, saying, “a reflection on two neglected responses to the problem of evil.”

    Dave Taylor presents http://disjournal.blogspot.com Taking a second look at the pearl of great value: Ministering in a poor economy (Part 8) at Disciple’s Journal. Will lots of people turn out to be “seed sown on rocky soil” if the economy doesn’t improve soon? Not necessarily. Thinking that way underestimates the redemptive power of the gospel. I know because of the way I learned to re-value the ‘pearl of great value’.

    Finally, I’ll add one post each from myself and my wife.  I’ve been writing very little, but I think I’ll link to Common Ground on Genesis, looking at some discussion of the issue of the age of the earth in my former denomination, the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  From my wife Jody, I present Beautiful Feet, talking about those messengers of good news that bring God’s encouragement to us.

    That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of christian carnival ii using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

  • Christian Carnival CCCXLVIII Posted

    … at And She Went Out …. Next week (October 13), look for it right here at the Caravansary again.