Yearly Archives: 2011

Stephen – Stoned! – From The Blog Archives

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This is a blog post that I did back in 2009. Comment and share your thoughts if you wish…

Acts 6:15 (NIV)
All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Isn’t this a powerful scripture? I wonder what his face looked like? I’m assuming there was a white/pale glow to his face? Could you imagine seeing a person today who looked like an angel? What would you do?

Acts 7:51-59 (NIV)
51″You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”
54When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56″Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Man, what powerful words! Can you imagine being stoned to death, then telling the Lord to forgive those persecuting you? Makes you stop and think of those suffering for the sake of the Lord. Imagine the pain of being stoned to death…brutal…makes me think, you know, as a Christian, I haven’t been through anything remotely related to this. Such suffering and intense physical pain. When you think your life is getting tough, think of how Stephen suffered…think of how Jesus suffered…

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Book Giveaway! :-) Follow The Rules To Enter! :-)

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THIS BOOK GIVEAWAY IS OVER!! WINNER IS LISTED HERE!
I’m hosting another book giveaway! ONE winner will receive the titles listed below. IF YOU WANT TO ENTER THE DRAWING YOU MUST DO TWO THINGS:

#1. You must join my mailing list! You can join my mailing list here:

THIS BOOK GIVEAWAY IS OVER!! WINNER IS LISTED HERE!

If you’re already on my email list, then you can skip step one.

#2. You must comment on this blog post to enter and LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR BLOG POST – IF YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR BLOG POST, THEN YOU WON’T BE ENTERED INTO THE CONTEST! I need an email address so that I can contact you if you win!

I’ll be drawing the winner within the next few weeks or so! 🙂 Remember, I have the right to announce your first and last name, city and state on my blog if you win!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

 

The Early Christians – More Thoughts

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Do you think the early Christians had deeper faith than the present-day Christians?

I’ve been talking about the early Christians lately. The church was so much different back then – at least different from the churches of which I’ve been a member. The miracles that happened within the early church were truly amazing. I’d like to take this moment and share some scriptures that show clothing filled with God’s spirit. I blogged about this first scripture years ago, but, thought it’d be good to talk about again since this scripture pertains to the early Christians, mainly, the Apostle Paul:

Acts 19:11-12
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

That’s so cool, awesome and totally amazing! Can you imagine, an apron or handkerchief that had touched Paul could be taken to a sick person and the item could cure his/her illness and drive out evil spirits! Man….like, wow!!!

Paul’s miraculous miracles, stored in clothing items that he touched….

Wow!

I was talking to my husband about this last night and he reminded me of the following scripture – when the bleeding woman touched Jesus clothing and was healed:
Luke 8:43-48
43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”
46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

I would like to witness something like this happening myself. Yes, I do realize that it’s still possible for this to happen today, people can get healed, but, I wish I could travel in a time machine and go back to the days of Jesus and the Apostle Paul and witness these healings as descibed in the above-mentioned scriptures.

So, do you think the early Christians had deeper faith than the present-day Christians?

Leave a comment.

I’d also like to mention that my novel collection, Chesapeake Weddings, is still available for a low price of $2.79 on Christianbook.com.

Also, my novel, First Mates, is available on Kindle as well as other e-readers for the low price of $3.99.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Early Christians – Further Thoughts…

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Why is the Christian church not as closely-knit, with like-minded individuals, as the believers that are mentioned in the book of Acts?

I was talking to my husband about this last night, and we came up with the following reasons why the church of today is so different than the Early Christian Church:

1. It’s been about two thousand years since Christ came, died on the cross, and the early Christian church was formed. That’s a long time ago and during that time, our faith has been weakened and watered down. As a whole, our faith is simply not as strong as the faith of the Early Christians.

2. We are no longer one body. The Early Christian Church was one body of like-minded individuals. During the passage of time, over two thousand years, we’re no longer one body, but several bodies. We have so many denominations and sects (and some of those denominations and sects will claim that the other sects and denominations are unsaved, causing arguments and fallout) that we’re no longer united and that’s just another factor that weakens the faith of the Christian church.

3. The Early Christians existed right after Jesus’s death. They had direct contact with Jesus’s apostles – they were more closely connected to Jesus and that extremely strong connection was grounds for a stronger church, a stronger faith, and more astounding miracles.

I’d like to top off this blog post with an interesting thought…wouldn’t it be great if the Christian church could revert back to the way it used to be back in the early days? Wouldn’t it be nice if we were one, united, body of believers?

Why do you think the Christian church is no longer as strong as the church in the Book of Acts? Leave a comment.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Early Christian Church – How Strong Is Your Church?

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How strong is your church community? When I think about the faith and the miracles performed in the Early Christian Church, I wonder if there are communities out there that are as close-knit as the fellowship of believers in the book of Acts.
I’ve been a member of a few churches throughout the years. I’m finding that a lot of churches lack the closeness described for the Early Christians. However, one must remember that the Early Christians also communed together, ate meals together, and sold all of their possessions to provide for one another. Having a community like this, coupled with their deep faith, resulted in a strong Christian church.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Acts 2:41-47
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

To Win Her Heart By Karen Witemeyer

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To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer

What will people say? Have you ever hesitated about associating yourself with someone with a questionable past because you were worried about your own reputation? Have you ever worried about what other people would think, instead of helping/befriending someone less fortunate because you didn’t want it to tarnish your good-standing within the community? That’s one question that ran through my mind while reading this book. Leave your responses to these questions in the comments.

Spinster Eden Spencer runs her own library out of her home. She’s wealthy and since she’s been painfully jilted in the past, she doesn’t have any romantic relationships. Instead, she finds solace amoung her book stacks. She also loves reading stories to children every week and she loves flowers.

However, Eden’s non-romantic life changes when tall, strong, and handsome Levi Grant comes to town, hired as the new blacksmith. Levi has some ghosts in his past, he’s just gotten out of prison, and he used to be a prize fighter. It’s a life he’s left behind and he finds himself smitten with Eden and her library. Born with a shaming lisp, Levi takes his time with his speech, choosing to use words that do not have the S sound. Eden mistakenly assumes Levi is dim-witted since he speaks so slowly. Can these two overcome their differences and learn to love one another?

This book dealt with the issue of helping those with unfortunate pasts. In one part, Levi rescues a prostitute’s daughter, Chloe. Levi brings Chloe to Eden since she doesn’t have anyplace to live. Eden hesitates, not wanting to mar her repuation by hiring a prostitute’s daughter to do her housework. Levi convinces her to do the right thing and, as a result, she’s ostracized in the town. The town exhibited very un-Christian behavior in spite of their regular church attendance, which is sadly, very realistic behavior for a lot of Christians.

I enjoyed this novel and felt that the blacksmith/librarian romance added a fresh twist to this romance novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Book description:
Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the library she runs. But when the town’s new blacksmith captures her interest, she steels herself against the attraction he provokes. As his hesitant manner and hidden depths break her resolve, will she allow a tarnished hero to win her heart?

And The Shofar Blew By Francine Rivers

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Yesterday’s blog post about The Ambition made me think about another book. The Ambition reminded me about the Francine Rivers novel, And The Shofar Blew, a little bit. I read Shofar several years ago. I recall it being a page turner and the book portrayed a church that had gotten huge and the church was no longer focused on Jesus or the Gospel. Also, if I remember correctly, the pastor of the huge church used to be a humble preacher who wanted to preach the gospel to his small flock – but all of that changed once his church became large and popular. That’s about all I can recall about the story, and I really enjoyed it.

Have you read And The Shofar Blew? If so, did you like it?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

In the Old Testament, God called his people to action with the blast of the shofar, a ram’s horn. God still calls his people today. In this relevant and timely contemporary novel, dynamic young preacher Paul Hudson is committed to building his church—but at what cost? As Paul’s zeal and ambition build, he loses sight of the One who called him. As Paul and those around him struggle to discern what it truly means to live out their faith, they must ultimately choose between their own will or God’s plan.


The Ambition By Lee Strobel

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The Ambition by Lee Strobel

As promised in yesterday’s blog post, here’s my review of The Ambition.

Is it possible for a church to get so big, and gain so much power, that it affects the actions of that church’s head pastor? Do you think if you led a huge church, would your heart still be grounded in preaching the gospel, or, would your faith falter as greed took over your personality?

Reverend Snow, the head pastor at the huge Diamond Point Fellowship church, has made a big announcement – he’s stepping down as pastor so that he can run for office. His peers are stunned, including Art, his assistant pastor. Meanwhile, as the story progresses, a strange series of events occur at this church, newsworthy events about miraculous healings. Snow wants to keep quiet about these miracles – he doesn’t want the public to view him as a religious freak.

The story also involves a lawyer, Tom O’Sullivan, with a gambling problem who comes to one of the members at Diamond Point for help. Can Tom put his apprehensions aside and lean on Christ? His gambling is overtaking his life, making him miserable, resulting in his making some traumatic decisions that affect the lives of others.

There’s also a journalist involved, Gary Strider. His live-in relationship is on the rocks because his girlfriend has been recently saved. He starts investigating Diamond Point – what kind of a church is this? The large auditorium certainly does not look like a church.

There’s also elements of mystery, intrigue, and murder woven into the story as the characters work through their issues – issues that involve God, Diamond Point church, as well as the political race.

This book was interesting and I found myself turning the pages, wanting to see what happened next. As I stated in yesterday’s blog post, I really liked the fact that the author had healing miracles in the story – that’s something I rarely see in Christian fiction nowadays – at least the miracles I’ve read about in the past aren’t shown the way this author portrayed in The Ambition.

If you like action and adventure-filled Christian fiction, then you should give this book a try.

Again, is it possible for a church to get so big, and gain so much power, that it affects the actions of that church’s head pastor? Do you think if you led a huge church, would your heart still be grounded in preaching the gospel, or, would your faith falter as greed took over your personality?

Leave your response in the comments.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Isn’t It Amazing!! Acts Chapter 3:1-9

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When I read Acts, chapter three, verses 1-9, the first words that pop into my mind are: isn’t it amazing?
What is the first thing that you think when you read the following scripture?

Acts 3
A Lame Man Healed
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

I just finished reading Lee Strobel’s The Ambition. I’ll be posting a full review soon, but, wanted to point out that a series of events occur that’ll blow your mind – just like the above-mentioned scripture. Do miracles, such as described above, occur during modern times? If so, why don’t we hear more about these miracles? Do people keep quiet about these things for a reason?

~Cecelia Dowdy~