Splinters of Silver Scripture declares that the Words of God are pure, as silver tried in a furnace [Psalm 12:6], that God proves us as silver is tried [Psalm 66:10], and refines us as silver is [Zechariah 13:8-9]. I pray through this blog, not my words but, through the reading of the scriptures, through the presentation of thoughts and of comments, splinters of silver may prick and stay with us throughout our lives. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 16 1147 67 8510

Articles from Splinters of Silver

Resolutions ‘08 2008-01-01 07:45:00 Here we go again, a new year and some new resolutions. Each year, come January 1st, quite a lot of people find themselves making promises to themselves which they hope to stay committed to for 365 days. I often wonder how many last past the first 30 days.As I consider resolutions, I can’t help but recall the hymn I Am Resolved, by Palmer Hartsough.The very first verse should be the desire of every professing Christian, and for the repentant heart which comes to Christ for salvation:I am resolved no longer to linger,Charmed by the world’s delight,Things that are higher, things that are nobler,These have allured my sight. And to those which know not the loving Savior, Jesus Christ, and to the backslidden Christian, such is the refrain of hope to which we pray their hearts will be moved: I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.I will hasten, hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;Jesus, Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee. ...

Last Post for 2007! 2007-12-14 11:54:00 Merry Christmas!This shall be my last post of the year… Okay, hold down the cheers!Honestly, although I will continue to ponder thoughts to post about, I shall hold them till 2008. I hope that each of you enjoy the holidays, and pray that you are able to spend them with family and friends.If anyone is interested in the collection of posts, about 95% are available in book and PDF format from lulu.com. The rest of the posts along with all of the comments are still available here.See you all next year! Tim ...

Tri-fold Effects of Sin 2007-12-13 12:07:00 Whether we wish to call it short-comings, faults, mistakes, or accidents, the most direct name given to our daily “transgression of the law” (being the law of God) is labeled appropriately by God as sin.Sin is so common is our daily lives, whether inwardly among ourselves or outwardly plastered all over in the actions and advertisements of others, we seem to grow somewhat accustomed to it and fail to understand its total disgust to the eyes of a Holy God. Until we come to the realization of just how bad sin is and how corrupt man is because of it, how can we truly ever understand and acknowledge just how marvelous and wonderful the gift of salvation really is?When we choose to sin as a professing Christian, I believe then cometh the Tri-fold Effects of Sin:[1] Fellowship Broken With SelfThis may appear to sound awkward at first, but consider that Paul tells us that we are to follow the spirit and not the flesh to sin anymore. We are told that in salvation our spirits have been quic ...

Ekleipsis: Free Autographed Copy! 2007-12-12 16:13:00 Hoping before the end of the year, but more than likely before the end of January 2008 will be the publishing of my first fictional book entitled Ekleipsis. My wonderful editor is in the final process of examining the book for content, and then I must make the corrections and put my final touches upon it. Then it must be sent to the publishing company, I must purchase an ISBN, purchase and examine the sample, and then it will be available to the public.As a simple promotion for fun, I have decided to give a personally signed copy of it away. Anyone is eligible. All one must do is go to http://www.landoferde.com/ and click on Blog, or go directly to http://landoferde.blogspot.com/ and submit your full name and email address to be entered.On the date that the book becomes available to the public, which hopefully will be no later than the end of January 2008, I will get my editor to draw the winner from the list of names that have been submitted to me by email.Upon drawing the winner, the ...

Teenagers Choose Fornication Over Purity 2007-12-07 09:44:00 At first glance, the notion given by the article title Teenage Birth Rate Rises for First Time Since ’91 may appear to give credible voice to those which oppose abstinence-only classes, claiming this is proof as to their failure to work. It is obvious with the rate of teenagers giving birth being greater than zero that there are indeed those which are not practicing abstinence-only, but that in and of itself does not prove that the rise in teenage birth rates is due to the abstinence-only classes themselves nor that they are failing to work. In seeing the rise of teenagers giving birth, it must also mean (if blame is to be placed upon abstinence-only classes) the non abstinence-only classes are failing to persuade the teenagers also, for aren’t contraceptives 99% guaranteed against pregnancy?This is why I have to agree with researcher Robert Rector. “Robert Rector, a senior research fellow with the Heritage Foundation, said that blaming abstinence-only programs was “stupid.” ...

Is Your Highway In Scripture? 2007-12-06 14:40:00 Okay folks, I am a Christian, so when I see claims such as this, I don’t know whether to laugh my head off or be upset at the silliness of the conclusion.Apparently, they have now so-called (that’s what I said, I am going by their profession of such) Christians proclaiming that I-35, the interstate from Laredo, Texas to Duluth, Minnesota, was prophesied by Isaiah as a “Highway of Holiness.”The claim: “"Everything we do, we want to make sure scripture is backing us up," said Austin's PromiseLand Church Pastor Charlie Lujan. "I-35 being Isaiah 35, it just matched."”Isaiah 35: 8 does read, “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.”Interestingly, can we also find an I-7, I-11, I-19, I-33, I-36, I-40, I-49, and I-62 in Scripture? Can we then also conclude that God will make all highways a “Highway of Holiness? ...

Is Santa Wearing Hunter’s Red? 2007-12-06 14:13:00 Couldn’t help but laugh at the article I was just sent.Apparently one guy in his spirit of Christmas has decided to put up wooden cutouts of Santa pointing a rifle at Rudolph. Not sure as to what the red-nosed reindeer has done, but apparently, “The Caillouets have been putting up their tongue-in-cheek display for seven years, and in that time, it's caused quite a stir.”I guess even non-religious stuff like Santa Claus and Rudolph can cause debate at Christmas time! Who’s to say Santa doesn’t shoot reindeer in the off-season? Hahaha!Hmmm, here is a thought: Do atheist parents allow their children to believe in Santa? ...

F. William Engdahl Sees Seeds of Destruction 2007-12-05 10:16:00 A friend of mine sent me an article entitled "Doomsday Seed Vault" in the Arctic, by F. William Engdahl.“No project is more interesting at the moment than a curious project in one of the world’s most remote spots, Svalbard. Bill Gates is investing millions in a seed bank on the Barents Sea near the Arctic Ocean, some 1,100 kilometers from the North Pole. Svalbard is a barren piece of rock claimed by Norway and ceded in 1925 by international treaty (see map).On this God-forsaken island Bill Gates is investing tens of his millions along with the Rockefeller Foundation, Monsanto Corporation, Syngenta Foundation and the Government of Norway, among others, in what is called the ‘doomsday seed bank.’ Officially the project is named the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard island group.”The article is a little long, but sort of interesting.Enjoy! ...

Gimmick Heaven Reservations 2007-12-05 09:37:00 A friend of mine sent me the link to get my Reservation to Heaven, before they are all sold out.They have a great selling point:“It is now possible to enjoy your sin filled life and buy your way into Heaven, but how?”Worried this may just be a fraud, take a look at their guarantee:“We offer our 100% money back guarantee on all of our packages. If for any reason you do not make it to Heaven then we will refund your money with no questions asked. Don’t worry though, we are confident you will make it.”But just when I thought I had hit the jack pot, a clear way to get to heaven without having to put faith in Christ and have Him Lord of my life, I noticed the fine print:“All items sold on our site are sold as novelty gifts.”Oh well, guess it is back to the basics in Scripture, and goodbye to Gimmick Heaven Reservations. ...

Whence Cometh Wisdom 2007-12-04 08:59:00 One of my favorite passages of Scripture, and seemingly often quoted by others is Proverbs 3:5, 6.5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.These two verses share with us some great truths, about trusting and acknowledging the things of the LORD over our own thoughts. Have you ever continued to the next two verses?7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.Here the Scriptures tell us that we are not to be wise in our own eyes. In fact, it goes on to declare that if we fear the LORD and depart from evil, it will bring us health to our physical bodies.If we are honest, most of us believe we have it all figured out, and seldom wish to adhere to the wisdom of others (of those proven to be wise). This can be seen in our children, as they develop from kids into teenagers and into adulthood, but seldom ...

BibleCo 2007-11-29 07:40:00 BibleCois not your everyday bookstore! Created and maintained by Christians, BibleCo.com is committed to Spreading God's Word as far as possible! We've got a huge inventory full of nearly 4,000 products but what we pride our selves on is our ability to touch the lives of those we serve. We always have time to listen to what our customers want and we will always lend a helping hand when we can! This is our commitment to your family and we hope that you will be so kind as to become our customer, and more importantly, our friend!So whether you're searching for a new Electronic Bible or a great Christian Game as our wildly entertaining Bible Brainstorm, you'll be at the right place for all your Christian Christmas needs! We have many shipping options to meet all your needs! The Best Christmas Christian Bookstore! Bible on CD! I used to dread my afternoon commute back from the office! The long traffic jams and the constant waiting was enough to make even the most patient Christian grit ...

Atheism Goes To First Church 2007-11-28 11:01:00 I know most anyone in the South has seen a sign labeled with First Baptist Church, but have you ever noticed a sign for the First Church of Atheism?Motto: “With the First Church of Atheism you can become ordained quickly, easily, and at no cost.”Purpose: “As a legally ordained minister, you will be able to perform weddings, funerals, commitment ceremonies, and other functions that are reserved for members of clergy.”I did find it most interesting the terminology used in their statement of unity, per se: “The one thing binding every FCA minister is his or her belief in science, reason, and reality.”Christians have been ridiculed plenty of times by Atheists claiming Atheism has no belief system, but according to the First Church of Atheism, they (at least this church) do have a one thing binding based on “belief in science, reason, and reality.”Further evidence of a belief system (again, at least this church) is their statement, “We believe that everyone should have the ...

For the Bible Tells Me So Heresy 2007-11-28 10:07:00 Again it appears we have the heresy of persons trying to use Scripture to promote as acceptable, that which is clearly stated in Scripture as an unnatural, unseemly, reprobate sin in the sight of the Almighty Lord God of Heaven and Earth.Interestingly the film title of For the Bible Tells Me So has little to do with honesty on the part of the writers and promoters, for the Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is a sin. There is no doubt concerning this matter, for even Atheists (which deny there is a God or that Scripture should be used today) freely admit that the Scriptures and God are against homosexuality. To deny the teaching of Scripture against homosexuality is completely dishonest from anyone who would claim such.The questions presented by the film are thus:“Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is the Bible an excuse to hate?”The film’s proclaim is as follows:“Winner of ...

Prodigal Prayers 2007-11-27 10:54:00 This past Sunday our pastor preached a sermon on the passage of the prodigal son, which he entitled The Prodigal Sons (notice the ‘s’). The sermon referenced the actions of both sons: The son who took his inheritance and left, eventually returning, and the son which stayed with the father, as recorded in Luke 15, notably in verses 11-32.Today I wanted to give emphasis on the Prodigal Prayers we most often pray as Christians, compared to the Righteous Prayers we should consider more worthy to be offered.The prodigal prayer goes as follows: “Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.”Now, what portion of goods did this son mean? Was it not the inheritance in which he would receive upon his father’s death? Therefore, his selfish desires pushed all wisdom aside, giving over to the “I want my way now” attitude, caring not for the wishes of his father.How often do we, as Christians, selfishly pray and demand that God do that which we voice to Him in prayer? How of ...

Just How Thankful Are You? 2007-11-21 10:23:00 Coming this Thursday, actually tomorrow, many will be celebrating the holiday we call Thanksgiving here in America.The meaning behind the title, Just How Thankful Are You, is meant to allow you, the reader, to ponder to yourself what you may be thankful of.I think too often we spend most of our year considering the things that we are not thankful for, meaning the things we dislike or wish we could change, etc. How often do we actually take a moment to just enjoy a fresh thought toward all of the many blessings in our lives to be thankful for?What if we could enjoy the entire day, the whole twenty-four hours, of tomorrow expressing our thoughts and appreciation for whatever we are thankful for? How about we refuse to allow anything besides that which we are indeed thankful for to creep in and take over our day of Thanksgiving? Some may say, “that is impossible,” but I assume we could at least try. I completely realize there may be those that are suffering from physical, emotional, a ...