Category Archives: Sunday Brunch

Sunday Brunch – Why Didn’t Jesus Rescue John The Baptist?

Why Didn’t Jesus Rescue John the Baptist Podcast

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Why didn’t Jesus Rescue John The Baptist from prison?

King Herod had heard about Jesus. He thought that John the Baptist was Jesus risen from the dead! Herod had John arrested and imprisoned. Herod had a brother named Philip. John was imprisoned because he reprimanded Herod for wrongfully marrying Philip’s wife. Herod was afraid to kill John because a lot of people thought he was a prophet.

When John the Baptist was in prison, I believe he wanted Jesus’s help. When Jesus failed to help John escape, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was really the One, the true Messiah.

Then John The Baptist was beheaded.

His head was presented on a platter as a birthday gift to King Herrod’s wife’s daughter, who then presented the platter to her mother (the king’s wife-Herodias). Upon hearing this news, Jesus went away on a boat for some time alone. Apparently, Jesus was saddened by the death of John, and I’ve always wondered why Jesus didn’t release John from prison.

There are some Biblical questions that will probably remain unanswered until we get to heaven, but, I think Jesus felt He had more pressing things to do than rescuing John. Perhaps during those crucial moments when John was in prison, Jesus was called elsewhere to heal and save souls. There could be a number of reasons why things played out the way that they did, but, I’ve always wondered about this.

So, why do you think that Jesus refused to rescue John The Baptist from prison? Leave your responses in the comments. I’ve copied and pasted the scripture references below.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Matthew 11:1-6
1After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. 2When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
Matthew 14:3-13
3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.
6On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. 13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

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Sunday Brunch – The Danger Of Visiting A Psychic!

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Mock Menu:
Light, tasty beignets coated with powdered sugar
Cafe Au Lait
Fluffy scrambled eggs lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
Crispy, salty bacon

Let’s pretend like we’ve just finished the meal outlined above before we begin our discussion!

Leviticus 19:31
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

Have you ever visited a psychic/medium and regretted it later?

Disclaimer:
***Please note that this is based upon my personal experience, and nothing more. I’ve had a couple of emails from a blog reader, stating that I should go into more detail as to why we shouldn’t visit a psychic. You can open yourself up to a whole forbidden world that could do tons of damage – affecting your salvation. I didn’t go into this reasoning in this blog post since I’m talking about one isolated incident that happened to me. I don’t know or understand the spirit world and we really need to rely on Jesus, trust in HIM with our future. I invite you to respond accordingly with your own experiences – it’s hard to give more depth to this blog post since it’s a personal blog post that happened to me a long time ago…and I only did this one time (that was enough for me to learn to not do this again!). My reasoning about not visiting a psychic is minor compared to what’s happened to others. Also, this is a subject matter that is so broad – there are probably thousands upon thousands of books out there about this subject. It’s hard to cover every aspect in just one blog post – I can only speak about what happened to me – for further insight, I invite you to read the comments or post your own comment about your own experience (or experiences of others if you feel led to do that).

***I also wanted to point out that one of the commenters mentioned that a lot of psychics are scam artists. Many people become addicted to calling psychic hotlines and such. Again, I didn’t mention this in my blog post, but it is a VERY IMPORTANT FACT and is mentioned in the comments. Feel free to share your thoughts!

Several years ago, I took a trip alone to New Orleans. At the time, I was dating somebody and I was head-over-heels in love with this person. I wanted us to get married. I wanted this marriage to happen so badly that I visited a psychic in the French Quarter. I did this knowing it was wrong, but, I figured if she predicted this wedding, well, it would just make me feel better, make me feel more sure about my future. She asked me if I wanted to do tarot or palm reading. I told her I didn’t know. So she chose palm reading.

She told me to close my eyes and make a wish. I wished for marriage to my boyfriend. When I opened my eyes, she said in a soft voice, “Your wish is going to come true.” My heart jumped when I heard this. She then said, “The wish that you made about the man will come true.” She said we’d have four children. Surprisingly, she told me things about myself that were true. She even accurately predicted some things that would happen to me later that summer.

So, I hung onto the hope of things working out in my romantic relationship. I figured the psychic had to be right about my budding romance, after all, she’d accurately predicted other things that had happened in my life. When my euphoric romance abruptly ended several months later, I was stunned! The first thing I thought during the breakup was, “But that psychic said we’d get married!” It was horrible, and that false hope made things so much worse and I also regretted visiting that psychic! I begged the Lord for forgiveness and since then, when the subject comes up, I’ve always advised others not to dabble with psychics.

I was raised with the knowledge that we should avoid psychics. That was the first and only time that I’d ever done this.

So, have you ever visited a psychic and regretted it later? Leave a comment!

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – Is It Wrong For Christians To Wear Tattoos?

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Mock brunch menu:
Moist banana bread with walnuts
Cold, creamy milk
Soft scrambled eggs seasoned with salt and pepper
Scrapple
Hot coffee with cream and sugar

Do you think it’s wrong for Christians to wear tattoos?

I came up with the subject for today’s Sunday Brunch while I was out on Friday evening. I passed a tattoo shop and this scripture came to my mind:

Leviticus 19:28 28“ ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

This scripture is taken from the Old Testament, and far as I know, the New Testament does not mention this rule. I’ve seen some cool tattoos on folks, but, I’ve never been of the mind-set to get one. The thought of being pricked by that painful needle…and making that permanent mark on my skin has never appealed to me. Plus, as you get older, the tattoos don’t look as fresh and vibrant, they fade. I definitely wouldn’t want my skin crowded with faded tattoos!

However, I honestly don’t think that getting a tattoo is necessarily “wrong”. I tend to think more of daily-life Christian laws as being taken from the New Testament, moreso than the Old Testament. However, people may disagree with me about tattoos and I’d like to get a discussion going about this subject. I know I was raised to believe that tattoos were wrong and this scripture was used to back up that “rule.” However, as I got older and more exposed to the world, my thinking has changed.

Although I don’t think getting a tattoo is wrong, it’s not something that I would encourage someone to do. Why? Well, like I’ve already said, the idea has just never appealed to me, and if my son were older (like a teenager) and wanted my permission to get a tattoo, I’d tell him NO!

So, do you think it’s wrong for Christians to get tattoos? Leave your response in the comments!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – Did Jesus Die On A Tree?

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Today’s mock menu – let’s pretend like we’ve just finished this meal before discussing today’s scriptures:

Grilled ham
Fluffy omelets stuffed with fragrant herbs, cheese and mushrooms
Fried potatoes seasoned with salt and herbs
Tuna fish sandwiches on whole wheat toast
Buttered toast
Iced latte
Coke

Did Jesus die on a tree?

You know I’ve been reading a lot about the early Christians lately, especially in the book of Acts. I’ve often wondered about the scriptures in Acts which reference that Jesus died on a tree. There are several references about Jesus dying on the cross throughout the Bible, but I was wondering if the tree reference was used simply because the cross was made of wood?

Here are the scriptures that refer to Jesus dying on a tree:

Acts 13:28-30
28Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead,

Acts 10:39
39“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,

This is one of the many references about Jesus dying on a cross:
Acts 2:23
23This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

So, why do you think Acts mentions Jesus dying on a tree? Personally, I think He died on a cross, but I’ve often wondered about the tree reference. Leave a comment.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – Cherubim!

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Mock Brunch Menu:
Creamy vanilla rice pudding with raisins and sprinkled with cinnamon
Fluffy blueberry pancakes slathered with real butter and homemade maple syrup
Crispy salty bacon
Tender link sausages
Hot coffee laced with cream and sugar
Cold, fresh-squeezed orange juice
Sweet apple juice

As usual, let’s pretend like we’ve just finished the tasty meal that I’ve outlined above and we’re ready to talk about some scriptures!

Today, I wanted to talk about the cherubim. For some reason, thoughts of the cherubim have been going through my mind over the last few weeks! I’ll talk about seraphim another week.

NOTE: I’M TALKING ABOUT CHERUBIM IN THE BIBLICAL SENSE. I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE TERM CHERUB/CHERUBIM AS IT PERTAINS TO INFANTS/BABIES.

When you think about cherubim, what image comes to your mind?

The cherubim are mentioned in the Bible a number of times. After Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, the cherubim guarded the Garden so that Adam and Eve could not return:

Genesis 3:24
24After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cherubim were also used numerous times in the design of the Ark of the Covenant as well as the temple built by Solomon. This leads me to believe that these are extremely holy and important creatures.

We also know that God is enthroned between the cherubim:
2 Kings 19:15
15And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

However, the Biblical image that I find most striking about the cherubim occurs in Ezekiel 10:12-14
12Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels. 13I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.” 14Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

When I think of these Biblical creatures, I think about how amazing they are, and how scary they must look! God sits between these winged creatures and they appear to be of some importance in the Old Testament. I wonder what it would’ve been like to see these creatures? Just reading about them brings images to my mind, images that are really hard to grasp.

What do you think about when you read the scriptures about the cherubim?

As always, comments and questions are appreciated!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

No Sunday Brunch Today! :-(

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Time just got away from me and I didn’t get a chance to do a Sunday Brunch post today. I’ll do one next week. I thought my next Sunday Brunch post would focus on the cherubim and seraphim.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – Why Did Jesus Spit?

Sunday Brunch – The Early Christians Raising People From The Dead!

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Here’s what’s on the brunch “menu” for today:
Scrambled eggs
Bagels and cream cheese
Toast
Bacon
Cinnamon rolls
Coffee
Non-alcoholic champagne punch

Let’s imagine we’ve just finished eating the tasty food listed above before we discuss the following scriptures.

Can you imagine what it would be like if your loved ones were raised from the dead? I wanted to talk about how some of the early Christians raised people from the dead through the power of Jesus. When you read these scriptures, what goes through your mind?

Acts 9:40-42
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas – Acts 20:9-12
9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Both Paul and Peter were able to raise someone from the dead through hte power of Jesus! I know we talk about Jesus healing people and raising people from the dead but, I don’t notice much discussion about Paul and Peter doing this. The two above-mentioned scriptures remind me of the scripture in Luke where Jesus raised a girl from the dead.

Luke 8:49-56
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.” 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

It’s important to note that Jesus ordered them not to tell anybody about what had happened. I wonder why? I’m wondering if such miraculous resurrections may occur today, somewhere in the world, and people are keeping silent about it?

It’s almost as if, back then – in the book of Acts, the early saints were closer to Jesus, and could perform miracles that were similiar to what Jesus did while he was on the earth? Yes, I do believe people can be raised from the dead today, but, I feel that such happenings are extremely rare if/when they do occur. As I’ve stated on this blog before, I feel that the early Christians had a closer connection to Jesus than we have today. I think their faith was so strong…so strong that it’s almost hard for us to imagine or understand such a deep faith.

So, when you read these scriptures, what goes through your mind? When I read those scriptures, I’m just awed and amazed by the healing power of Jesus – the most profound power of all!

Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – Did Philip Disappear?

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Did Philip Disappear – Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. Enjoy some of our wholesome, Amazon bestselling Christian fiction titles by visiting ceceliadowdy.com. The link is provided at the end of this blog post.

I’m ready to discuss another scripture on today’s Sunday Brunch. Like last week, we can pretend like we just finished eating the following menu before “discussing” the a scripture by leaving comments.

Today’s menu:

Orange Juice
Coffee
Blueberry Waffles with Syrup
Bacon
Hamburger Sliders with Fries

Today’s question:
What happened to Philip at the end of the eighth chapter in the book of Acts?

Wait a second. Do you like Christian fiction? Read my Amazon bestselling novels! Tell your friends! My books will make you laugh, cry, and praise God! Now, back to Philip…

I wanted to talk about the ending of the scripture involving the Ethiopian eunuch. After Philip has a life-changing conversation with the eunuch, Philip baptizes him. After the baptism, the following occurs:
Acts 8:39-40
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

What I’m wondering is, did the Lord’s Holy Spirit enable Philip to disappear and then re-appear in Azotus? I know some translations use the term “carried” Philip away instead of “took Philip away.” Either way you look at it, it appears to me that Philip literally disappeared from the scene of the eunuch and then reappeared in Azotus. I’m thinking Azotus was where the Lord felt was the greatest need for Philip to preach the gospel. So, that’s why He had to carry Philip away from the eunuch so suddenly – Philip had lots of preaching work to do.

Do you think that Philip literally disappeared and then re-appeared? If so, why?

Leave your responses in the comments! I’m anxious to hear what everybody has to say! I realize people will interpret this scripture in different ways and I think we can get a discussion going! I hope you “enjoyed” the meal! 🙂

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch! – Should Christians Practice Magic?

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Should Christians dabble with magic?

I know some think that magic is harmless, but, the Bible clearly speaks against sorcery, witchcraft and magic (I’ve noticed the Bible uses these terms somewhat interchangeably at times).
I wanted to talk about a man named Simon who’s mentioned in the book of Acts. He was a magician/sorcerer.

Everybody thought he was so great and people followed him – I’m even led to believe that some may have worshiped him. However, Philip came, proclaiming the word of God, Simon “believed” and was baptized. However, after Simon noted Peter and John laying their hands on the baptized, to give them the Holy Spirit, Simon offered them money, wanting them to show him how he could have that very same talent (bestowing of the Holy Spirit by the laying of his hands).

Peter blasted Simon for his disbelief about the gospel, telling him he needed to repent. Simon obviously didn’t accept the gospel with a believing and humble heart, he still had that magic rooted in him, and I don’t think he really let go of his love of sorcery.

I think sorcerers do have power, but that power doesn’t come from God. I don’t believe the Lord wants us to dabble with magic or sorcery.

I know some will argue and say a few card tricks are okay, but…I don’t know. Dabbling with any type of magic has always left me feeling a bit leery. Simon was great and people followed him, made me think: What, exactly, was Simon doing to gain such a following? I know he was doing magic, but, what exactly, did he do to gain that much power? Kind of scary when you think about it.

What do you think? Do you think it’s okay to dabble with harmless magic tricks, or do you think people should refuse to dabble at all? I’d be interested in hearing your responses.

I’ve copied and pasted the scripture from Acts that mentions Simon the Sorcerer. Also, I’ve been blogging about the early Christians and the book of Acts recently. You can see more posts about the early Christians here.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Acts 8:9-25 (NIV)

Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.