Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Your Body: The Temple
Shereta Thomas Seconds of Praise Member There is a popular but utterly false saying that most of us have heard, “this is my body, I can do what Iwant!” 1 Corinthians 6:19 states, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghostwhich is in you, which ye have of God,…
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Stewarding the Right Way
Shereta Thomas Seconds of Praise Member Have you ever loaned something to someone and it was returned in a far better condition than it was? Or was it returned in such a terrible condition that you swore you would never loan that person anything again?! I do believe that many of us would love to…
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The Good Steward
Jason Green Seconds of Praise Member What does it truly mean to be a steward? It’s a very topical issue in the church these days given that it is exactly what this quarter’s lesson is about, yet at the end of the day, the question still remains, what is a steward and how do we indentify one?Dictionary.com states…
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To Live & Love
Sasha-Kae Anderson Seconds of Praise How does one define what it is to live and what it is to love? Is living merely surviving, going through the motions and making ends meet? Is loving just having a feeling that comes when things are going well and then it leaves when they aren’t so good? Having…
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A New Beginning; Fear & Failure
Sasha-Kae Anderson I have a fear of failure. I will literally not do something because I am afraid I won’t do it well. Worse if I’ve done it before and it didn’t turn out the way I expected, it’s harder to try again. I remember years ago, one summer at Wesconyouca (youth camp hosted by…
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Starting Over…
Starting over is hard. That is the primary reason why this week’s blog is so late. When you start a project and are forced to stop for whatever reason, having to start all over, most times you just don’t want to. So, you probably just abandon the project and try something new. As a writer,…
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We Need to Talk
Stevy-Anne Gallimore-Wynter Seconds of Praise Member These dreaded four words that most persons prefer not to hear. The uncertainty found within the hearers of these words often times tend to turn into fear, apprehension or some serious worry. People then become uneasy and questions of all types will overrun their consciousness: what could it be…
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Come, Let’s Talk; There is power in praying, working, and waiting
Karelle Martin-Clarke Guest Writer “We pray and God deliversWe pray and God stops the warWe pray and God deliversGod gave us one more chance” The song above has been a comfort many times since my high school journey. How many times have you prayed for something and feel as though God has not answered your…
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The Power of Prayer
Kadian Thompson Seconds of Praise Member Truly I say to you, Whatever request you make to the Father, He will give it to you in my name. Up to now you have made no request in my name: do so, and it will be answered, so that your hearts may be full of joy. John…
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An Umbrella for Rainy Days
Pauline Anglin-Allie Guest Writer The day was forecasted to be bright and sunny and it surely did not disappoint. The sun shone majestically in the skies…no need for umbrella. Suddenly a small dark cloud( seemingly out of nowhere) obscured the brilliance of the sun. Loud peels of thunder and rapid flashes of lightning- of the…
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Sound the Gospel Trumpet
Rayon Salmon Seconds of Praise Member “Hurricane Fiona expected to become a Category 4; system headed for Caribbean likely to develop this week” SUn Sentinal The above is a recent headline from the weather centre at the Sun Sentinal in South Florida published on September 20, 2022. Each year we have experienced warnings of impending…
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The Calm in the Storm
Kuffy-Hi Smith Seconds of Praise Member The term eye of the storm is usually used by individuals to describe a difficult or controversial situation because of what surrounds the eye. In literal terms, the eye of the storm is the calmest part of the storm and if caught inside the eye you maybe be fooled…
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The Eye of the Storm
Tyrone Scarlett Seconds of Praise Writer Jamaicans have a proverb that says, “Young bud nuh know storm.” That is, “Young birds do not have the knowledge of or have not gone through the experience of a storm (a challenging situation). With that said, permit me for a while to get literal with that proverb to…
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While You Played…
And while you played My heart it broke, When I saw my love Was but a running joke.
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Back to Rest
Shakarah McCrae Seconds of Praise Member There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.…
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Back to Eden
Shereta Thomas Seconds of Praise Member When I think of Back to Basics, some of the things that immediately come to my mind are the good old days: When there was no WhatsApp or Instagram when people communicated face to face and wrote letters – who remembers pen pals? Many homes had no electricity, instead,…
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Finding Simplicity in a Complex World
Human beings have an uncanny propensity to make life more difficult than it really is. We do this when we deviate from God’s plan and then blatantly seek to justify our actions. I do believe that we live in a complex world that is rife with vice, struggles, temptations and pain. Despite these realities, we…
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Freedom
A Special Post-Independence Day Blog Oyeton Clarke Guest Writer Deep within the heart has always known that there was freedomSomehow breathed into the very soul of lifeThe prisoner, the powerless, the slave have always known itThere’s something that keeps reaching for the sky And even life begins because a baby fights for freedomAnd songs we…
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Back to Basics; Forward with Christ
The word “back” oftentimes carries a negative connotation. Directionally, it refers to moving in the opposite direction from the one that is in front of you. Additionally, it suggests non-progression and reversion. In a biblical context, when we compare the world before sin started to wreak havoc, with the current state of affairs, it is…
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I am Human
Kristi-Jo Allie Seconds of Praise Writer As a little girl, the X-Men cartoon was one of the few programmes for children on our local station. So, I watched it. My sister and I loved it and we’d ask each other what “superpower” we wished to have. I would always pick telekinesis because I thought Jean…
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I am a Child of God
Who am I? Such a big question … typically I never ask myself this because don’t we all know who we are? For most of my life, I’ve been Asha-Gaye Blake daughter of Canute and Jasenta, the last of three girls, born and raised in the bread basket parish, Manchester high school graduate, UWI graduate,…
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I am…with Christ
Growing up I was constantly compared to either a cousin or my sister. Why can’t you be like her? Why can you read like this one? Why aren’t your grades as good as hers? To my family doing this was probably meant to motivate me but instead lowered my self-esteem making me feel like I…
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I am Kristi-Jo
You see, my mom named me after my maternal great-grandfather and grandfather, Christie and Joe respectively. Knowing the roots of my name made me feel special and my grandpa always made me feel that because I had his name I was his favourite.
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The Struggle is Real But Carry Each Other’s Burdens
Sasha-Kae Anderson Seconds of Praise Writer A saying that has become popular over the last year or so is: ‘check on your strong friends, we are not ok’. When was the last time you genuinely checked in with someone? Everybody is caught up with making a living and getting ends to meet as inflation rises…
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The Struggler or The Straggler
WHEEWWW!! What a long week it has been. But, God through His matchless wisdom saw it fit to bless us with a day of rest and I, for one, couldn’t be more thankful. Before we get into this week’s devotional reading, I would like to apologise for the delay in posting. Life as you know…
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The Struggle is Real, But Time is of the Essence
n a fast pace world, and as a person in the medical profession often working 24-72 hrs. shifts, life can sometimes feel like running on a treadmill, constantly taking strides towards the next goal, sometimes running out of time. But what is giving our lives to God if not our time, trusting his timing and…
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Fear Not! The Struggles Cannot Overcome
Yohann-Dane Graham Guest Writer It was approaching minutes to 9pm as I sat in front of the computer screen, monitoring samples on the Chemistry analyzer when I got the news. “He’s dead, Jerome just died!”“What!, how could this be?” This must be a joke I thought to myself. Although I knew Jerome was sick and…
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The Struggle is Real, But God is “Realer”
Have you ever heard it said that there is purpose in your pain? Or that ‘one day you’ll tell your story and it will become someone else’s survival guide’? Well, I’ve surely heard many variations of both. The first one I heard was that there was purpose in your pain, and I thought it was…
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A Childlike Faith with an Adult’s Perspective
Growing up, I was a big superhero fan. You name the characters, I knew them. You name the cartoon, the movie and their franchise; well, get ready for a lesson. I can vividly recall when I was a child that every time I watched a superhero movie or cartoon, five minutes later I was in…
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Reborn and Heaven-Bound
One of the other amazing qualities of children that we should seek to emulate is humility and meekness. Children, in general, have an attitude of ‘teach me’. It would be good if those who claim to be the people of God could adopt such an attitude. If adults had an attitude towards God similar to…
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Unless we Become: Realizing the Child within Us
Lucan Banton Seconds of Praise Member But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Jeremiah 1: 7 Some typical and desired characteristics of a child are being fearless, a keenness to explore,…
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Becoming as Little Children
Jason Green Seconds of Praise Member “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. (Matthew 18:3) This was the response Jesus gave to his disciples when they asked him who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of…
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If We Never Meet Again…
Kristi-Jo Allie Seconds of Praise Writer Soon we’ll come to the end of life’s journey And perhaps we’ll never meet any more Till we gather in Heaven’s bright city Far away on that beautiful shore. My home church has a tradition for the funeral service of long-serving members. The church choir, dressed in their gowns…
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Your Musical Selection: Foundation or Deviation?
Andy Spence Seconds of Praise Writer What is your musical preference? honour or glamour? substance or performance? These questions have occupied the minds of Christians since time immemorial. One’s musical choice is integral in helping to shape our spiritual experience with God. This is justified by the power of music in influencing evil actions or…
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Is That Wedding Music?
couldn’t possibly count the number of times someone has asked me recently, “So, when are you getting married?” That’s not a question I can answer just yet but there is one wedding that I am definitely preparing for.
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Anatomy of the Musical Ear: A Heaven-Bound Dissection
One of my all-time favourite songs is “This is just what Heaven means to me.” So why is it one of my favourites? Simple, Heaven means everything to me, so naturally, this song holds a special place in my heart.
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Daunting Challenges, Undaunting Faith
Exactly a month and two days before our wedding, we met in a terrible car accident which took so much out of us financially, mentally and physically, and at the time, left us without a car. We had serious injuries to our neck, back, knee and our chest. After days of trying to continue to…
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To Have & To Hold; The Adhesive
Dwayne is annoying! I am totally convinced that if my last nerve was a needle in a haystack, Dwayne would find it in mere seconds! He is stubborn and his ability to get me smiling when all I want is to lash out at him does not sit well with me.
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To Have and to Hold: The Christian’s vows
A few weeks before our wedding things were looking great, covid restrictions were seemingly being eased, and we were very much on track, if not surpassing wedding planning timelines. Unfortunately, just a few days out from the wedding, we learned that measures were now tightening up, and what we thought was the day we were…
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Waiting to Have & to Hold
“You, the person who knows me better than myself…the person I’ve laughed the most with, had my most challenging conversations with. The person who’s taken me to God in prayer more than I have myself.”
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Through the Years – The Power & Beauty of Love
Life after marriage has been and still is, an interesting journey. We’ve had amazing days, good days, bad days and challenging days. Some days we laughed, played, got mushy and lovey-dovey. On other days, we quarrelled, got angry and annoyed each other and even went to bed without speaking.
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Why do I Minister?
I’m not singing to please people, but to please and praise the One who gave me the voice. At the age of 10, I hardly understood the weight of that message. So if you asked me at that time, why do I sing, I would probably respond by saying, “I sing because my mommy and…
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Singing: My Immunity Booster
Roland Williams Seconds of Praise Member There is singing up in heavensuch as we have never known,Where the angels sing the praisesof the Lamb upon the throne Their sweet harps are ever tunefuland their voices are always clear,O that we might be more like themwhile we serve the Master here! Cho Holy, holy, is what…
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The Soundtrack of My Life
Shakarah McCrae Seconds of Praise Team Member I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. Psalm 89:1 When I first heard the theme for the month ‘I sing because…’, the song by Kirk Franklin automatically came to my mind and I found…
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The Songs in My Heart
Sunday, as a group of us friends gathered, NCU FM was beating in the background and the vibe slapped me and I started to belt out the song and all I could hear from the others was “Sasha, no. Just no.” DWL… LOL… When I get to heaven, they will all be sitting in awe…
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Is It Worth the Investment?
Al-Rajean Allie Seconds of Praise Team May 2010, a transaction took place that would lead to the annual celebration of what people in the cryptocurrency space would call “Pizza Day” in which Laszlo Hanyecz spent 10000 BTC on two large pizzas, a value that would today be estimated at $439 million dollars. Now you might…
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Investing in Heaven; Planning for your Future
We often talk about making plans for our future, especially as young professionals. We want a nice house, an expensive car, brand name clothes, children, and we plan as far ahead as retirement. But, do we spend enough time to invest or plan for our heavenly future? We often store up earthly treasures instead of…
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Occupy Till I Come: Investing in Heaven
Yes, it’s that time of the year again! A time when we make plans and resolutions for the new year. Buying a new car or house, exercising more, spending more time with God and family are among some of these plans. It’s also a time of the year when some persons get salary increases. A…
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A Heavenly Investment
277 billion US dollars. That’s the net worth of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, ‘Techno King’ and owner of Tesla. To put that into perspective; Jamaica’s budget for the last two fiscal years averaged at about 840 billion Jamaican dollars, that’s about US$6 billion. That is to say, this man’s wealth (although not all…
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Does Jesus Care? A Heavenly Mission with a Tunnel Vision
The year 2021 has thrown everything at us. What am I seeing in the rear-view mirror? Lethargy, frustration, financial instability, emotional vacillation, job insecurity and panic attacks. The list goes on and on like a recurring decimal.
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Does Jesus Care About Invisible Frogs?
I know, I know. Right away you must be saying who is the crazy person they are letting blog this week? What even are invisible frogs? Can a mentally stable person see those?
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Did Jesus Care When My World Fell Apart?
Sheyenne Stewart Seconds of Praise Member Growing up we didn’t have much, but it was always implied that sharing the little we had was caring. So, it was only natural that as I became an adult, this would be how I showed those around me that I cared. Little did I know my life would…
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Yes, Jesus Cares
Whew! What a year it has been. A year where once again, even in the midst of my trials and tribulations, Jesus showed up. Our theme for this month asks us a question and through our own reflections, we are encouraged to provide an answer.
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Does Jesus Really Care?
The saying goes “When it rains, it pours”. This has been the theme of the year 2021 for my family, friends and myself.
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On Christ Alone
Dwayne Wynter Seconds of Praise Member Recently my sister encountered a difficult situation that caused her a great deal of discomfort. Amidst her recovery, her focus was always Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the…
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Jesus Christ, The Everlasting Rock
The past two years have been extremely challenging for most of us. We were all going about our daily lives when suddenly, we found ourselves in a pandemic that has turned our lives upside-down. This pandemic caused worldwide fear, lockdowns, job losses, all manner of illnesses, not to mention the high mortality rate. No one…
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A Good Foundation
he first step towards building any structure is a good foundation. Without a strong and stable foundation, the building will start showing cracks, chips and water leakage amongst other damages. The type of foundation depends on the type of building being constructed.
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What’s Your Solid Rock?
Roland Williams Seconds of Praise Member We all think about it. We look for it. We make the necessary steps to find it, then we think we’ve found it. We refuse to live without it. But the real truth is it can only be found in one place. So, what am I talking about? Hmmmm.…
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The Picture of Your Ideal Self
Most of us have an intellectual appreciation of the fact that our mental health is important. Nevertheless, the pervasive consensus is that we should focus on hitting our goals first; trusting that our mental health will be okay. Well, what happens when you fail to nurture a garden or upkeep a house? Correct, the weeds…
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My Breast is the Best
Dr. Joseph Wilson, M.B.B.S, BSc (Hons) Seconds of Praise Member “How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof:…
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An Apple a Day…
There is a common notion “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, which does have some truth to it especially since healthy eating contributes to physical health. As eating our prescribed serving of fruits daily is essential for physical health, the fruit of the spirit is necessary for our spiritual health.
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Sin: The Cancer of Our Souls
curs in stages. The first stage is desire: this is where all sin begins. It starts in our heart and mind (James 1:13, Matthew 5:28). Similar to precancerous stage, desire or temptation to sin is not sin. If all temptations are combated through the power of the Holy Spirit then we would not fall into…
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Spiritual Wellness
that this definition of health did not take into consideration a person’s spiritual wellbeing, and as a Christian I do believe being spiritually well will guarantee health. Am I really stating that being spiritually well will improve your physical, mental and social state ? YES ! That is most definitely what I’m saying.
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Roped Together: Body
“The organs of the body were all talking one day. Soon, the brain said, “I am the most important of us all. Without me, none of you would ever know what to do.” The heart raised it’s voice in disagreement, “No I am the most important, without me pumping blood full of oxygen and nutrients…
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Roped Together: Family
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 I am going to be brutally honest. For a good portion of my life, I have utterly disliked being a part of a big family. My extended family is ginormous, and being a part of a family…
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Roped Together: Friendship
As Christians, we are often reminded of the importance of fellowshipping with each other at church. But, how often is this fellowship extended beyond the walls of the church? Are we really friends with our brethren, or do we just know them from church? In the case of the disciples, they spend almost all their…
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Roped Together: Unity
nity, what does it mean to have unity? What does it mean to be roped together? Does it mean moving in lockstep? Does it mean having a hive mind? This doesn’t seem to be what the scriptures teach at all. Unity, however, means much more than merely joining simply for the sake of it. The…
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The Strength of our Youth
Sasha-kae Anderson Seconds of Praise Writer THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD FOR THE MAN OF GALILEE!THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD FROM ALL SIN AND SELF SETFREE!EV’RY TALENT PLEDGED IN SERVICE NOW AND THRO’ETERNITY,THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD FOR THE MAN OF GALILEE! This song keeps ringing in my head for some reason and the lyrics…
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Nazareth?
Tyrone Scarlett Seconds of Praise Writer “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” In 2004 I had the opportunity to travel to Kingston for the first time. (Yes, I’m a “country” boy.) This, to visit my father who became ill. Long and short of it, he recovered and after a few weeks in Kingston,…
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SOLI DEO GLORIA
Over the past weeks we have established that we are saved by grace through faith unto good works, through a study of the scriptures and accepting the sacrifice of Christ.
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Martin Luther: The Passion to Learn and Live Truth
But what does it mean to reform? It might sound simple but let’s again consult google-make changes in (something, especially an institution or practice) in order to improve it. Why would a church need to be reformed though? Shouldn’t it be a perfect institution?
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Solo Christo
One mediator; no need for a priest, bishop, or pastor to open the gateway between heaven and earth for sinners to commune with the divine realm. Jesus is equally accessible to everyone: the beggar on the street, the high-strung cocaine addict huddled in a dark alley or the President of the United States of America.…
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Jerome of Prague: A Freeing Faith
As Christians, though we have been given a look into the future through the prophecies God gifted us in His word, we are ill prepared for it. Added to that, we now live in the “future”, yet most of us have no clue what to expect. It is with that in mind that we must…
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Sola Scriptura
Elevating the traditions or words of men to the same level as the Word of God is reckless, unscriptural and a bit foolish. We know all too well that human beings have a penchant for situational ethics and subjective morality; something can be right for you or me today in these circumstances but totally wrong…
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Jan Hus: The Authority of the Scriptures
“Christ alone is the head of the church”…and where the “word of the pope comes up against the word of Christ” we must “submit to the scriptures.”
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Sola Gratia
Corruption; A word we’re all familiar with; from a political, legal, or corporate standpoint. Corruption occurs when people misuse positions of authority entrusted to them, to the unfair benefit of themselves and their cronies, often to the detriment of others.
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John Wycliffe: Paving the way with the Bible
There are so many takeaways from the work of John Wycliffe. His fixity of purpose, insatiable appetite for the word of God and his Bible-believing nature are all desirable traits. As Christians, this is a timely reminder for us to remain faithful, even in the midst of crisis and persecution.
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Sola Fide
As important as our faith and faithfulness to God is, it is not a saving faith. This means the faith that saves us is not how much WE believe in God, but the everlasting faithfulness of God towards us.
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These Three
I have come to note, over the course of this study, that FAITH, HOPE and LOVE are codependent and woven together. That’s why Paul ends the chapter, a chapter in which he highlighted the qualities of love, by drawing our attention to all three concepts.
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The Love of God
Tyrone Scarlett Seconds of Praise Writer “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor. 13:13. We’ve been on this topic of love for the past few weeks, and the question may be asked, “What more could possibly be said about love? Specifically, the Love of God.…
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Looking at Love through God’s Lens
Love is one of the most provocative, multi-faceted words that a person can think of.
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Hope in Hopelessness
Sasha-Kae Anderson Seconds of Praise Writer For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV This week we continue to explore 1 Cor. chapter 13. The task has been given to…
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The Faith to Love
Over the last three months, I have asked a number of persons if they believe it takes faith to love. Now, if you follow us on social media, you’ll know by now that over the next four weeks, Seconds of Praise will be looking at 1 Corinthians 13:13 as we explore “The Greatest of These.”
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Living by Grace
I remember the days of having little to no option for food; when people would ask how we survived I used to jokingly say “we are living by Grace” and then proceed to list items such as: “Grace Tin Mackerel, Grace Sardines, Grace Ketchup, Grace Corned Beef and so forth.
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Go, and Sin No More
Years ago in my early Christian life I made a public display that was unbecoming of a young Christian. The next day news of this reached the elders of the church, one of whom immediately requested my presence at her house.
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The Relationship Between Grace and Guilt
We are sometimes so overwhelmed by the guilt of the past to the extent that we voluntarily construct a barrier to God’s grace. Quite frankly, this is injurious in the development of Christian character.
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The Experience of Salvation Through Faith and Works
How does one reconcile that we are saved by faith, not works but at the same time faith without works is dead and we are admonished to let men see our good deeds and glorify our Father?
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Simply Grace
Kristi-Jo Allie Seconds of Praise Writer For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2: 8 KJV From the fall of Adam and Eve to present day, a constant has existed that allows feeble, sinful men like you and I the chance of…
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To Be Loved
Have you ever been in love? I have, and quite a few times too actually. I’ve fallen in love at least a dozen times; but, each time I fell in love with someone new, I realized I probably did not love the previous person.
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Breaking Simon Peter: Cornelius’ Conversion
“And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.” How often have we heard this foregoing passage of scripture? Pretty often right? Probably as often as how this passage is misconstrued by many.
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Breaking Simon Peter: True Loyalty
Andy Spence Seconds of Praise Writer The denial of Christ by the Apostle Peter marked a seminal point in his life, but it is also a telling narrative to every reader. This audacious act from a follower of Christ has been a subject of discussion for many years. The magnitude of the situation is augmented…
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Breaking Simon Peter: Self-Denial
The awesomeness of God cannot be overemphasized.
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It is Unfair to Fear
Belief in God should supersede self-belief, I wonder if it’s a secret that has remained discreet? Fear is a crippling monster, it paralyzes the mind, It makes you feel helpless and spiritually confined. God wants to lead in all aspects of our lives, To free us from the shackles that torture day and night,…
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Breaking Simon Peter: Faith & Fear
Andy Spence Writer @ Seconds of Praise The biblical account of the Apostle Peter walking on water is perhaps one of the most enthralling passages of scripture. This remarkable account may be found in Matthew 14:28-30. The disciples were confronted with a frightening experience of a raging storm as they attempted to cross the sea.…
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