Paths of Life

Posted on March 17, 2012 by jim0211

Posted on my VR photography site, this is a variation of a World Wide Panorama entry (Corban University Paths). It was processed to have a different look, and given text with a somewhat more spiritual focus. A first step towards learning to use VR photography as visual parable, it didn’t really work out as intended, but we’ll get there…

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Learning to Hear

Posted on March 12, 2012 by jim0211

Learning to hear and obey the Voice of God is one of the most important parts of the Christian life. In a sense, it is the process of discipleship, of learning to actively follow Him. The call of Samuel outlines important steps towards that goal, and we can use it to see in our own walk where we need to grow into better listeners. Continue reading →

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Proclaiming Truth in a Post-Christian World

Posted on January 23, 2012 by jim0211

At the heart of Christianity is the need to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom. As I’ve pondered this task in today’s post-Christian world, there seem to be numerous lessons in Acts on the role of the Holy Spirit in this process. The beginning is at Pentecost, when He was given to believers in a new way. I started writing the following some time ago, as a first reflection on letting the Spirit lead in this task, but finished it recently with a more complete understanding.

It started with the wind that day, two millennia ago, when the Holy Spirit came upon believers in such force that its echo remains with us now. Continue reading →

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Abiqua Falls

Posted on January 9, 2012 by jim0211

I posted a virtual reality photograph of Abiqua Falls on my VR site. The picture was taken in the summer of 2011, and used as a World Wide Panorama entry that year. I think this VR is going to be re-visited, as it could use some enhancing, and also has potential for becoming a parable.

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A Parable of Faiths

Posted on October 30, 2011 by jim0211

These days, it is often said that there are many ways to God. America is an increasingly diverse society when it comes to matters of faith. However, Christians know that there is only one true way to God, but it is sometimes hard to express that in a way that is faithful to the truth, yet does not turn people off. The little story below is an attempt to describe the truth that, while there are many ways people attempt to reach God, the truth is that He came to us… Continue reading →

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Waves of the Spirit

Posted on October 24, 2011 by jim0211

I ran across this really cool video of pendulums swinging in complex synchronicity, and it seemed to be a really nice illustration of some Christian spiritual principles. In the demonstration, a series of pendulums are set swinging, each with a slightly different period. When viewed from the correct position, patterns show up in their motion. Sometimes independent, sometimes in unison. I think this is a cool picture of the Holy Spirit’s work in a body of believers. Continue reading →

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Reflections of Acts: A List

Posted on October 23, 2011 by jim0211

In an earlier post, I described how it seemed that the church today is operating very differently than the church in Acts, even opposite in many ways. In future posts I plan on detailing these observations, but here is a more concise list. In this list that follows, I often use the term “church” in Acts to refer to believers as a whole, as they gathered together, recognizing that they did not evidence the same congregation-in-a-building style that we have today. Continue reading →

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Where’s the Wave Collapser?

Posted on October 16, 2011 by jim0211

I saw a nice little video on quantum wave collapse, and thought it did a good job highlighting a rather fundamental question that the concept naturally leads to, but which is generally avoided. So I used that video here on Eternal Perspectives to point to God.

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Getting Personal With God

Posted on August 22, 2011 by jim0211

A fundamental part of the Christian walk is our personal relationship with the Lord (Matt. 7:21-23). Is it the basis on which we should expect to live our lives, yet it is very easy to allow a personal, intimate relationship become replaced with a distant, intellectual one. The following parable illustrates important characteristics of personal relationships in a familiar and tangible way.

Imagine a man named Bob wants to buy a very personal, special anniversary gift for his wife, Donna. How should he go about selecting it? Continue reading →

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Welcome!

Posted on August 16, 2011 by jim0211

This is a place for learning to see and express Christian spiritual reality through essays, stories, photography, and physical parables. This leads to a kind of teaching within the church, and a kind of evangelism outside. The primary tools for sharing this exploration are blogs, each with a different purpose and audience. This one is for sharing spiritual insights with other believers, and also points to two others that are focused outside the church:

Eternal Perspectives This is a place to present spiritual truths to unbelievers through means such as parables, reflections on popular media, and short quirky stories.

Whole Reality Photography This is where I share my virtual reality photography. Just learning to make and share the photos now, but eventually using them as visual parables.

The general theme is that the whole of reality consists of both spiritual and material. We tend to focus on the material, and these reflections are intended to help us see past that bias. You can learn more on the About page, and if you want to follow up on anything, let me know!

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