Sunspots 744

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Christianity: Michael Gerson says that white evangelicalism is dying rapidly, and its leaders don't seem aware of this, or to care. Most of the offspring of older white evangelicals don't consider themselves evangelical, or even religious.

Education: Grammarphobia discusses usage of "mens," and "men's," and related matters.

Food: Listverse has an article on things you probably didn't know about chocolate.

Health: (or something) Listverse tells us how to be more attractive.

NPR examines the effect of high summer heat on people's health, and finds that the poor, in large cities, are exposed to more heat than those of us who are better off.

Humor: Relevant on the importance of having fun.


Politics: NPR has outlined the Trump administration's many actions, and attempted actions, on immigration. The goal is clear - keep people out, or send them back, as often as possible.

Science: Listverse shows us 10 cases of animal mimicry.

Sports: NPR reports on a 103-year-old female athlete from India.

The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, it is free to use like this.
 
Thanks for looking!

Salvation acrostic

Sin: separates us from God, and hurts us and others. It is something we have all done, but can’t pay the penalty for. Romans 3:23, 6:23.

Atonement: Christ’s death paid the price for my sin. Romans5:6-15.

Love: God loved us so much that He sacrificed Himself for our sin. Luke 19:10.

Victory: With the help of God the Holy Spirit, it is possible to live a holy life, victorious over temptation, including the temptation to take credit for our own salvation. Psalm 13:5-6; John 17:6-26, Romans 6:1-2, 1Thessalonians 5:5-11.

Attractiveness: A victorious life should be attractive to other people. John 7:37-39, Acts 16:25-34.

Teaching: Jesus told his disciples to teach all nations, and to make disciples of converts. Converts should learn from the Bible on their own, and be part of a teaching church. Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke24:45-49, 2 Peter 3:17-18.

Immortality: Believers, whose sins have been paid for, are promised immortality with Christ. Ephesians 1:11-14, Romans 6:23

Overcoming: The church, and individual Christians, seem to be weak, at times. But Christ has promised that the true church – composed of actual believers, not necessarily church members – will endure. Matthew 16:18, Revelation 2:8-11.

New life, with purpose, and with fruit: Those who have experienced salvation should manifest the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians5:22-23) They will also participate, often with others, in attracting new believers, especially by serving, giving, testifying and praying. John 15:8, Acts 6:7, 11:27-29, Romans 12:4-8, Matthew 25:31-46. They will have intimacy with God. Matthew 10:16-20, John 14:16-16:15.

I have probably left out important concepts, and important scripture passages. Let me know if you think of such, in a comment, if you can. Thanks for reading. 

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On September 5, 2016, the links to scripture -- ESV -- were added.