Sunday, February 18th open thread: ‘Everything Counts’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, February 18th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
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Last year Lauri, Andy, and I had the chance to see one of my favorite bands from my youth play live for the first time and we had a great time. Last year it was Echo and the Bunnymen. This year another of my favorite ’80’s bands which I have not seen live is touring. I am talking about Depeche Mode.
Depeche Mode tickets are still in high demand even today so I registered for the pre-sale hoping to secure decent seats. The tickets were fairly expensive, but not outrageous by today’s standards, but they were in the balcony way off to the side. I could not bring myself to buy them because we would not be able to see the stage. I am still hoping to get better tickets for the June show but it does not look good.
Here is Depeche Mode performing “Everything Counts” live from 1983:
frui diem
America's Watchtower 
My younger brother probably listened to them, back then 🙂
I had to get the lyrics to see what he was saying, and they do relate w/ what’s going on today too. Nothing new, same greed, ill intent and devilish aims and goals.
– – –
The handshake seals the contract
From the contract there’s no turning back
The turning point of a career
In Korea being insincere
The holiday was fun-packed
The contract, still intact
The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves – after all
The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves – after all
It’s a competitive world
Everything counts in large amounts
The graph on the wall
Tells the story of it all
Picture it now see just how
The lies and deceit gained a little more power
Confidence – taken in
By a suntan and a grin
The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves – after all
The grabbing hands grab all they can
All for themselves – after all
It’s a competitive world
I could ‘hear’ the lyrics better on this one 😊
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I hadn’t listened to that song in a long time but I got the same feeling while listening to it about how it still applies today. And I didn’t realize Korea was mentioned in there! Here is one called “New Dress” where he sings about what is going on in the world while the MSM is focused on Princess Di’s new dress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsQ0kT75fRU
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2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth ANOTHER Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
“Natural man” (who’s spirit hasn’t been ‘quickened’ [made alive] by God’s Holy SPIRIT) devised their own ‘image’ and ‘ideal’ of Jesus (who he is), but they lack the knowledge or ‘knowing’ of Truth & Love ~ not believed or received the Real Jesus.
“…Take second best.”
Why, when God’s BEST is available to ‘whosoever will believe’.
Brings to mind Jesus speaking to the Jews:
“And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:38,39
He tops it off with, “But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.” John 5:42
Which proves that someone can memorize Bible verses and quote them, but they don’t “truly know” and obtained the Source. The devil quoted Scripture verses to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, to no avail (Jesus was the WORD made flesh! God can’t be tempted). The serpent’s technique that worked on Eve –beguiled her– didn’t phase Jesus in the least, because the Spirit of Truth resided in Him.
The Pharisees didn’t recognize him because they didn’t have the Spirit of God {the Love of God} in them, Far Better than 2nd best!
Here’s a question for you Steve: Eve knew God told them ‘not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil’ (she knew His word), so why do you think she was ‘beguiled’ (led astray) by the serpents words?
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https://twitter.com/ArmorOGod/status/965311728388132864
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I thought about posting this song, they also had one called “Blasphemous Rumors” where they sing about all the misery in the world and come to the conclusion that God is laughing because he has a sick sense of humor. Clearly in my mind they don’t quite understand. “The Problem of Pain” is a great book by CS Lewis where he addresses why God “allows” evil in the world. They could probably benefit by reading it.
That question about Eve is a great question! I don’t know, they had everything they wanted and it still wasn’t enough. Eve was tempted by the thought she could have even more and we still fall into this trap today. I am going to have to think about that question even more, perhaps that would be a great post to write about when I finally get through with the one I have been working on. You are making me think even more!
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I probably should have written “get through” with the post I am working on because that makes it sound as if I am not enjoying it. It has been challenging for me but I am enjoying it.
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haha, about putting more on your plate! when you already have so ‘much churring around’ in your brain! How fortunate that your mind is functioning to think and consider all these things!
The interesting thing about Adam and Eve is they didn’t have a ‘sin nature’ when they ‘disobeyed’ God and ate of the tree of knowledge. God didn’t ‘warn’ them not to eat of the Tree of Life and didn’t say anything negative about it, but they didn’t think to ‘eat from it’ for some reason. The serpent tempted them to rather the tree that would lead to their demise instead.
Glad you’re “enjoying” your journey of learning ~ eating from the Tree of Life. (It’s also mentioned in Rev).
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That is an interesting point! It was only the tree they were told not to eat from that Eve could not resist.
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Last week at Church the praise band sang a song I had not heard them do before. It was called “Above All” and when they sang the chorus a chill went through my body and my eyes began to well up. I haven’t told anyone this, now I am telling everybody! The chorus is “Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all”
I have not been able to get that out of my head and I printed those lyrics to keep with me because of how they affected me. I never felt anything like that before and I have been wondering if the Holy Spirit was at work in me there.
When I accepted Jesus in Pastor Thomas’ office two years ago I didn’t know what that really meant until two days later when I was at peace for the first time and then when I went out to eat with Lauri and Tim later that night and Lauri said to Tim “did you hear, Dad was saved on Wednesday.” That is when it hit home to me and I think last Sunday it hit home with me again.
I found a version of this song on Youtube by the original artist which uses video from “The Passion of the Christ” and I think I am going to use it for the open thread next Sunday. The scenes from the movie are brutal but I think it is a great reminder about what Jesus did for us, above all.
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Yes, that is a neat song, says alot.
Here’s a version that’s nicely done.
I didn’t watch that movie. Just didn’t have the ‘urge’ rather the opposite for whatever reason.
Neat about how you were touched by the song and how the Lord gave you a ‘fresh’ sense of what it means to be ‘saved’ in the here and now.
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:27-28
A comfort that can burst full of LIFE, secure and sure.
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Thanks for sharing, that was a great version.
It is a tough movie to get through but I think it was very well done. I hear Mel Gibson is doing a follow up movie about Jesus’ 40 days on earth after the resurrection.
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How things work when corruption rules: 2 days BEFORE the FL school shooting the story of ‘what happened’ is posted on the internet.
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Yikes! Are the beginning to get sloppy or are they at the point where they are no longer worried about people finding out?!
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Yes, quite a “revealing vid” (Plain Truth does some good ones!).
Maybe the Lord is stepping in and shining the Light of Truth on some of these things and ‘giving people eyes to see‘.
If more people eat from the ‘Tree of Life’ (contained in God’s Truthful Words written in His Book) more will see.
Today the ‘new age’ group is calling it an “awakening of consciousness” as though “evolving” to a higher dimensional plane of god-like perception. But they don’t give GOD the credit for that ‘ability’, rather ‘take credit’ or deem it their ‘special’ calling’ – where in Truth its God’s doing, or an empowerment by devils.
Pride keeps us from “knowing and communing with God”. Its a devise cults and supernatural spiritism use to “entice and puff up a person” ~ of course the thumbprint of the serpent. (“Fear” also is a snare.)
Jesus (who was God manifest in the flesh-as you know) stated:
John 5:19 The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.’
Jesus, the Son, gave credit and praise to God his Father for him to be able to do what he was to do! God’s Power working thru him.
So it is today with God’s Spirit of Truth working in us:
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
2 Corinthians 13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
May His Vine be your direct feed line Steve!!
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I think you nailed the new-agers! They believe through knowledge man can become god-like but they ignore that knowledge comes from seeking God and not by trying to become god-like. They are pantheists, they believe the universe is god but don’t acknowledge the one true God created the universe.
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Check out this story I just saw. Man is on the verge of immortality. Of course it is not the type of immortality we think of as followers of Jesus, it is about cheating death. They see death as an end while we see it as a beginning, or a birth.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/920735/Science-news-immortal-live-forever-2050-sex-robots-androids-virtual-reality-technology
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