worship // Current

Megan Fox Wears Panties, Lifts Foot Above Head

These outtakes (via Megan-Fox.net) didn't make the Megan Fox profile in last weekend's... more

pjacobs51
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Who needs an actual church when there's the internet?

The fact that the churches are built in the World Wide Web became wide-spread. A growing number of congregations are creating Internet offshoots that go far beyond streaming weekly services. The sites are fully interactive, it is possible to see a dedicated Internet pastor, use a live chat in an online "lobby," Bible study, one-on-one prayer through IM and communion. The viewers on one site can accept Christ as their savior clicking on the tab during worship. Flamingo Road Church, based in Cooper City, Fla., twice conducted long-distance baptisms using the Internet.

When the religion became interactive, the Christians were forced to re-examine their idea of church. This is a many-sided matter involving theology, tradition and cultural expectations of Christianity. Even developers of Internet church sites have the various opinions. The critics affirm that true Christian community requires in-person interaction. They ridicule the sites and call them religious fast food or Christianity lite. But advocates regard the Internet just another neighborhood where real relationships also the religious ones can be built. Granger Community Church of Indiana is one of the churches which are going to launch its Internet campus soon, considering the Internet the church's "front porch." Pastors who back the sites say they feel a religious duty to harness this new way for reaching the spiritually lost. Central Christian Church started a new church service this fall on Facebook creating for people the ability to go to church online as they bank online, date online and so on.

Rock-style worship music and a sermon recorded at the in-person weekend service that is mixed with live or recorded greetings expressly for online viewers – this is the same basics such sites share. Volunteers on live chat emphasize that day's Bible teaching and block inappropriate posts.

Each site also has its individual features. For example, at Seacoast Church, based in Mount Pleasant, S.C., online viewers can repent by posting a private record of their sins on a cross. On the Granger site, visitors will be able to choose "seats" in an auditorium, and then click on surrounding seats to exchange Facebook and Twitter addresses.

There is no an exact count of interactive online campuses for the present day. The Leadership Network, which studies and supports innovative churches, has found at least 40 and this number permanently grows.

Everything started from Oklahoma megachurch named LifeChurch.tv in a nod to its use of technology. The congregation had already expanded to physical sites in several cities when in 2006, pastors launched what they now call Church Online. LifeChurch.tv now broadcasts more than 25 online services each week and plans more. The services collectively draw up to 60,000 unique viewers from 140 countries weekly, although the number of new computers that log on for several minutes is about 5,000. There is also an uncommon way to attract people who are far from pious invented by LifeChurch.tv. The congregation buys Google ad words so that a person searching for them sees an ad inviting them to a live worship service instead. The goal is to move people into some in-person Christian experience, in church, a small Bible group or even a group that watches online services together, as explained Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor.The fact that the churches are built in the World Wide Web became wide-spread. A... more

hpseaton
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23 days ago
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Water and the sacred

Water is a primordial element which underlays creation myths and stories around the world. The Egyptian Heliopolitan creation story recounts that the sun-god Atum (Re) reposed in the primordial ocean (Nun). In Assyro-Babylonian mythology, first the gods and subsequently all beings arose from the fusion of salt water (Tiamat) and sweet water (Apsu). The holy books of the Hindus explain that all the inhabitants of the earth emerged from the primordial sea. At the beginning of the Judeo-Christian story of creation, the spirit of God is described as stirring above the waters, and a few lines later, God creates a firmament in the midst of the waters to divide the waters (Genesis 1:1-6). In the Koran are the words We have created every living thing from water.

Water divinities of various kinds appear in the mythologies of many cultures. And not surprisingly, the world abounds in sacred springs, rivers, and lakes. Even within the Judeo-Christian tradition, which generally avoids the veneration of the various phenomena of Nature, there are numerous examples of sacred springs or wells, and rivers. In most cases, the spring or river has acquired sacredness through connection with a significant or miraculous event. The water of the River Jordan is sacred because Jesus Christ was baptized in it by Saint John the Baptist. The spring at Lourdes is sacred because of its healing properties in connection with the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette. In some cases, such as the holy well at Chartres, or the Chalice Well at Glastonbury were probably already sacred in pagan times.

While sacred in their own right, sacred springs also draw attention to the sacredness of water itself, reminding the Christian, for example, that water is a symbol of grace (and as such is used for baptism). Water is also one of the four elements possessing fundamental characteristics. In the Canticle of the Sun, St. Francis of Assisi praises God for water: Praised be Thou, O Lord, for sister water, who is very useful, humble, precious, and chaste. In many cultures, water appears as a reflection or an image of the soul. In Japan, water prefigures the purity and pliant simplicity of life. It can be both calm and animated, and the Japanese may contemplate the unruffled surface of a temple pond or make pilgrimages to waterfalls. The lotus-stream of the Buddha or Boddhisattva rises up from the waters of the soul, in the same way the spirit, illumined by knowledge, frees itself from passive existence.

In India, the sacred River Ganges embodies for Hindus the water of life. Bathing in the Ganges frees the bather from sin, the outward purification serving as symbolic support of inward purification. The source of the Ganges lies in the Himalayas, the mountains of the Gods, and descends to the plains of India as if from Heaven.

The identification of the sources of rivers, streams, springs, and wells as sacred is very ancient. Springs and wells were perceived as the dwelling place of supernatural beings, and stories and legends grew up around them. Often it was claimed that the waters healed the injured or cured the sick with the result that well or stream came to be regarded as a sacred shrine. The Roman philosopher Seneca declared that Where a spring rises or a water flows there ought we to build altars and offer sacrifices. This was frequently undertaken.

In some cases wells or streams were oracular. Pausanias (VII, 21. 11) [see BIBLIOGRAPHY] reports that a sacred stream in front of the sanctuary of Demeter at Patras served as an infallible mode of divination using a mirror. Wells and springs inhabited by spirits with the gift of prophecy were places of pilgrimage. The Celts venerated natural springs of water for their sacred and medicinal value and many examples of holy wells are known, many of them were later Christianized through rededication to a saint.

more at the linkWater is a primordial element which underlays creation myths and stories around the... more

JanforGore
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Community Artist Creates Prayer Rooms for a New Worship Experience

Nicki Carleton is in fulltime ministry that designs and creates interactive worship... more

tsnipes
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Charlie Rangle leads "his" praises

Charlie Rangel leads the Church of Humanistic Obamites in providing praise and worship... more

Kylsport
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1 month ago
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City on Fire Live!

FIRE : The Song that Changed a City Visit here to experience the explosive worship... more

colworship
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Experience of a minster who converted to Islam

" Experience of a minster who converted to Islam " I know that the title of the... more

baspren
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Questions from a confused Christian

Questions from a confused Christian I read in the newspaper that 15% of the Koran... more

baspren
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Why is the apostate to be executed in Islam?

Why is the apostate to be executed in Islam? As a non Muslim, I find myself Intrigued... more

baspren
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Why does the Quran use the term "we" in its ayats?

The meaning of the pronoun “We” as used in the Qur’an Why does the Quran use... more

baspren
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Mary in the Holy Qur'an : A Story of Glorification

baspren
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5 months ago
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What do Muslims believe?

Muslims believe in the One, Unique, Incomparable, Merciful God - the Sole Creator, Sustainer and Cherisher of the Universe; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to humankind; in the Day of Judgment, and in individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over destiny, be it good or bad and in life after death.

Muslims believe that God sent His messengers and prophets to all people. Biblical prophets mentioned in the Qur'an include: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Job, Ezekiel, Jacob, Joseph, Jonah, Jethro, Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Elisha, David, Solomon, Zechariah, John the Baptist, and Jesus; peace be upon them all.

God's final message to humanity was revealed to the last prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), through the Archangel Gabriel. It confirmed and finalized all previous revelations that were sent to humankind through God's messengers.

One becomes a Muslim by believing and proclaiming that, "There is no deity except God, and that Muhammad is the messenger of God." By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all of God's messengers, and in the scriptures revealed to them.

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May I suggest to the seeker of truth do the following NINE STEPS for purification of the mind:

Clean their mind, their heart and their soul real good.
Clear away all the prejudices and biases.
Read a good translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran in a language that they can understand best.
Take some time.
Read and reflect.
Think and pray.
And keep on asking the One who created you in the first place, to guide you to the truth.
Keep this up for a few months. And be regular in it.
Above all, do not let others who are poisoned in their thinking influence you while your are in this state of "rebirth of the soul."
The rest is between you and the Almighty Lord of the Universe. If you truly love Him, then He already knows it and He will deal with each of us according to our hearts.

Peace to you and Guidance from Allah the One Almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.Muslims believe in the One, Unique, Incomparable, Merciful God - the Sole Creator,... more