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Articles for the ‘Spirituality & Religion’ Category

A memorial is a deeply felt and everlasting tribute to your loved one. Choosing the perfect memorial will need time and consideration, but at Granite Memorials we’re able to assist you with every part of this process.

Laws governing the type of memorial you could select

As a general rule graveyards will allow any form or colour of headstone and plaques, but there could be restrictions limiting the height and wording allowed. Church grounds are more restrictive and regulations can change depending on the area that the churchyard is in, but a general law is only grey granite and natural stone headstones under 2′6′ in overall height are permitted, with silver letters and a small motif which shows the departed’s hobbies or way of life. In Granite Memorials, our National Associations of Memorial Masons (NAMM) approved memorial masons will talk you through the regulations for your cemetery or churchyard, helping you to choose a memorial that suits the environment as well as what you require.

Obtaining Permission

Before any memorial may be installed inside a graveyard or cemetery, permission must be obtained from its management. An application document should be filled out with the kind of headstone, material, font, inscription, number of vases, size of the memorial; plus a sketch of what memorial is desired must be attached. Most churchyards or graveyards can charge an application for approval charge, which varies from place to place. Our experienced staff will be able to take this bother out from your hands and finish the application process on your behalf.

Choosing the shape

In these times headstone and memorial plaques come in a wide selection of shapes and sizes, from the classic to the modern and everything in between. Go to our web address and look through our brochure to view the large range we have available, or call in to the showroom to view our display.

Deciding on the inscription

Selecting the wording to be on the headstone is the most challenging part of the process. It has to be formal, providing the vital information on the departed, but it should also be a farewell, a tribute to who the person was and the things people loved most about them. The wording can be divided in to three parts:

The initial inscription. This is a message on top of your headstone, the lead in to the person’s name. In Loving Memory or Treasured Memories are the most popular, but there are a number of verses that can be selected. The individual details. These are the deceased’s full name, date of death, day of birth and/or age. Some individuals prefer to add here if they were a loving grandmother/father, mother or father, sister/brother and/or include a nick name which the departed may have often been called.

A verse. Selections from poetry, bible verses or words from a song could all be viewed on headstones throughout England. The verse is the oppurtunity to put something meaningful about the departed, to ask God to watch over them, or you can thank them and say goodbye. No matter what you want to say, there will be a lyric or poem that says it for you. We have a range of suggested inscriptions available to get from our internet address for guidance.

Choosing the motif

Some individuals like to decorate the departed’s headstone with a small symbol that shows an activity or displays the life style of the departed. It’s not a pre-requisite and there are plenty who let the message speak for itself. However if you would like to add a picture, or etching to the memorial there are a huge range to choose from. Bibles or crosses, to dogs and footballs, whatever you would like to have on the headstone we can create a design to match.

Selecting the type and style of the lettering

The lettering on a headstone can be made in 3 ways: Handcut. Our memorial masons are very experienced in manually shaping the granite and natural stone to make bespoke, unique letters and numbers to suit your requirements.

Sandblasted. Sandblasted letters can be made in virtually any font which you could see on a word processor and make a nice, even finish. Our experienced designers will look at the kind of lettering you are looking for and offer a range of options. If you want it all in capitals, or flowing and scripted we have the font to suit you.

Machine Cut. Machine cut letters are somewhere between the manually cut and sandblasted lettering. Cut in the stone with devices, machine cut lettering can appear like handcut type, but with more uniformity and choice of fonts available.

Choosing the colour

Whatever style you select for the cutting of the letters, you will have a choice over the colour of the lettering:

Gold Leaf. This is hand crafted on to the previously made letters and wears extremely well.

Leaded Letters. Lead is beaten into the handcut letters and when finished stands nicely on the headstone. Leaded letters are hand crafted.

Painted Letters. We offer painted letters in a range of colours including, silver, gold, grey and bronze. The letters are painted during a few days leaving the paint to completely dry between coats.

Just like people are different, so are sermons. Some sermons just connect more deeply and seem to produce more results. Yes, the condition of the soul of the person doing the preaching is a huge factor as is his or her natural ability to address a public audience. But with these important things aside, I desire to briefly address practically why some sermons seem to hit the mark better than others. All of we who have preached before understand that a particular sermon may just be more powerful in its results than another sermon although the same preacher delivered both. Why is this? Out of many things that could be said in answer to this, let me suggest only three.

1. A sermon that speaks is a practical sermon.
To be practiced a sermon needs to be practical. In tending to people spiritually we must not forget that they live out their spiritual lives in this world below. Sermons that impact people will address how they are to live out their spiritual beliefs in real life. Make sure the sermon answers the question, “How does this help me live a better life?” Give them the information necessary to know how to practice the truth you are presenting in their daily lives. If what you preached can’t be used in daily life, one could question the usefulness of what is being preached. Of course, biblical truth is good and necessary, so work hard to show people how to put it to use. Bible sermons that are relevant are so needed.

2. A sermon that speaks is an understandable sermon.
With a sea of commentaries and theological study surrounding our study time, we preachers can easily get lost at sea and deliver sermons that never reach shore where the villagers live. Theological concepts and terminology can be verbally impressive but leave people wondering how to gain such lofty heights with their feet planted in this Earth. Keep your language and concepts as simple and understandable as possible. If children in the audience are soaking it in, then you are doing well. If people scratch their heads and talk about how smart you are as you speak over their heads, you should repent forthright and ask God to forgive you for making the way of salvation so complicated people cannot figure out how to get in.

3. A sermon that speaks is a life-giving sermon.
This is vitally important. Jesus came to give people life and when we share his word we should be giving life. He said when he spoke, he spoke life, so should we. To many people have had the sad experience of walking deadfully to a church in hope of help, only to be battered with anger and condemnation. Leave the judgment and condemnation to someone else. Decide you are going to preach the truth but in love. Be a life giving preacher who freely gives hope to all who come. This is the heart of Jesus. This is the heart of a sermon that will be heard and hungered for.

Add to this list other aspects if you wish, but realize that if you want people to practice what you preach, it needs to be practical. If you want them to apply then they must first understand it. If you want them to desire it, then offer them life through it.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, D.Min. who is a pastor and also oversees Sermon Seedbed a free resource site for pastors and Bible teachers with tons of sermons and sermon outlines.

Every future has its roots. This is why people say that what is happening right now has already been seen from past foresights and predictions. As the ancient wisdom has taught us about superstitions and beliefs, predictions and foresights are also from them. However, we all should understand that whatever prediction some people have to say may or may not come true. Therefore, it is not right to rely on these beliefs. Let us live each day the normal way without too much worries and anxieties because of what the prediction said.

There have been predictions as to the end of day and life. It was predicted to happen in the year 2012. So what made them choose this year? As with the Mayans, an ancient civilization, basing on the complete eclipse of the sun, lots of dates and different data, it boils down to the date December 21, 2012. It may require lots of understanding of their culture to understand why this date was chosen. Other ancient civilizations say that the date of end is actually November 13, 2012.

A lot of prediction has come up from different groups, religions and citizens. Some depended on what the Holy Bible says that there will be pain, suffering, war and famine to happen in the near future. They say that all signs are slowly showing up. Another prediction is that global wars will arise and will soon bring suffering to many people. Well, these are all alarming and frightening, but the best hope there is, is to pray to the one who created us all.

Billy Graham once said that some people will miss heaven by eighteen inches, the distance between their head and their heart.” We all get the point. If God is after the heart, then we need to preach sermons from the heart and sermons that aim at the heart. Consider the following comparisons.

1. The Head Preacher
This is the cranial preacher who is intellectually well prepared and who has a keen mind for theology and its accompanying terminology. Deep truths are mined out and served up that are wonderful to hear. Every preacher should strive to have such a mind and knowledge. It is not to be criticized in and of itself.

2. The Heart Preacher
I will call this the cardiac preacher. His heart is totally in what he is doing. He is enthusiastic and his emotions are engaged in his preaching.

3. The Head and Heart Preacher
This is the preacher we should desire to be. He loves God with all his heart and mind, just as we have been commanded to do. He studies and his mind engages the Word and is renewed by it. As his mind discerns and discovers truth, his heart is moved.

When he preaches, he feeds the congregation the deep truths of God’s Word. As he shares, his heart is poured out in concern and compassion. the spirit and the truth are both at work in a powerful way. His heart is moved and so are the hearts in the path of his heartfelt message. God help us all to utililize our hearts and our minds when we preach from the Bible the truths of God.

It behooves us all to do inventory on our preaching. We should ask of  ourself, “Is my preaching more from the head for the head or from the heart for the heart?” Be a man of the heart going after hearts.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, D.Min. who is an author, pastor, and also oversees Sermon Seedbed which is a resource site for pastors and Bible teachers that offers free sermons and sermon outlines.

Cross tattoos are a popular choice if you’re looking for a design that’s iconic and rich with symbolism. But the origin of the cross design is unknown. The cross is one of the oldest and most basic designs known to humans. It has been used to decorate all manner of things including pottery and cloth for as long as humans can remember.

In ancient times the cross was used as part of the Aztec, Egyptian, Greek and Norse cultures for many centuries. The symbol of the cross was also used by various pagan religions that pre-date Christianity by thousands of years, and as a consequence cross tattoos are almost as old as the cross design itself.

Eventually, due to the rise of Christianity and the cross being a sign of execution by crucifixion, it became a symbol of Jesus’s death and subsequent resurrection. The Christian cross (a vertical line intersected at right angles approximately one third from the top) is used by followers to profess their faith and the clergy to bestow blessings. These days Christian tattoos are an exceptionally popular way for people to express their Christian faith

So why are cross tattoos so popular?

The cross design has a number of practical advantages. To begin with, it’s widely recognised and socially acceptable in most places. But beyond that it can be scaled to almost any size, placed anywhere on the body and can be combined with virtually any tattoo design. For example, it could be used in conjunction with flowers, words, animals etc to add greater meaning and individuality to the design. For these reasons a cross design is a popular choice of first tattoo with millions of people.

And finally, as already mentioned they convey a wide range of meanings to a wide range of people. However, cross tattoos are not only a sign of religious faith. Due to the number of symbolic meanings that can be held by the wearer of a tattooed cross, one person may use it to represent their religious beliefs while another person may just like the design. However, for the purposes of this article, we’ll consider the main types of religious cross tattoo designs.

1) The Latin Cross

The design of the Latin cross is one of the most instantly recognisable in the world. It consists of a vertical line that is intersected at right angles by a shorter horizonal line about one third of the way from the top, and as such is the design most closely connected with Christianity.

This simple cross design is a good choice for a first time tattoo. The design can be scaled to any size, it’s socially acceptable, it has a wide range of religious and spiritual meanings and it can be added to by further designs in the future. For example, if you have a basic latin cross, you could add a dove to the design to symbolize peace, you could add a shamrock to represent the Irish culture, or you could add the name and date of death to pay tribute to someone special who has died.

2) The Celtic Cross

Celtic cross tattoos are one of the best looking and most symbolic designs available. The basic design involves a standard latin style or Christian cross with a Celtic knot placed over the area where both lines cross over. Alternatively the border of the cross is surrounded by a series of Celtic knots.

These Celtic knots are designed in such as way that the strands of the design have no beginning and no end. This simple and elegant design is taken as a powerful symbol of the never ending nature of human life, while the knot itself represents the joining together of the physical and spiritual worlds.

The Celtic cross makes a great tattoo design and thanks to its long and symbolic history it is extremely popular among people from Scotland, Ireland and Wales who have pride in their Celtic heritage.

3) The St. Andrew’s Cross

The St Andrew’s cross differs from the traditional style of cross as it is shaped more like an X than a T. History says that the St Andrew’s cross came about after St Peter (who felt he was unworthy of the same death as his Lord) was crucified upside down. St Andrew followed the same belief and so the modified cross became linked to his name.

So these tattoo designs are great if you want to be slightly different from the rest of the crowd. And as St Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, these cross tattoos are ideal for people with Scottish links who want to pay tribute to their ancestors.

What qualifies a sermon to be classified among a list of sermons that work. There are tens of thousands of sermons preached every week, but what sets one apart from another? Are there characteristics that are common among the best, or is it simply the charisma of the person doing the preaching? With these questions in mind, I suggest that there are four things to consider that sets a sermon apart:

1. First it is memorable. Let’s face it, if after the final “Amen!” is spoken, everyone forgets what was said, then what was said was not that impressive. An audience has a hard time applying a message from one Sunday to the next, if they cannot remember what it was.

2. Secondly, it connects on three levels. The sermon should be reasonable and make sense. It should connect intellectually. A sermon on faith can stretch a man’s natural mind, yet make sense that God would work in such a way since God is a spiritual being whose ways and thoughts are beyond ours. In other words, it makes sense that we cannot always understand God. But to bathe a sermon in ignorance of context, history, good exegesis, and bad exposition can be a hinderance to the hearer. It is amazing how Jesus taught in a way that common people could easily understand his illustrations, yet were tremendously stretched by his application.

The sermon should connect emotionally. Aim at the heart and those “gut” feelings will begin to be stirred within your hearers. Aiming only at the mind without regard to the heart is equally foolish. The heart level is where life change occurs. Preaching should be done within the crucible where real life occurs. Pain is real. Lust is real. Temptation is real. Desperation is real. A message may work in a mental lab and fall flat on its face on the street corner of the real world. This is where a sermon becomes relevant.

The last aspect of connecting has to do with the will. God made us with a will and we use it constantly. Your audience is continually deciding to tune in further or change the channel on you. Aim at the will. Target why what you are sharing is important. An old addage says, “A man persuaded against his will is of the same opinion still.” You may get the mind, and the heart, but the will is the decision maker. A good message answers the question, “Why does this matter?” This is the jugular of the will. Jesus did this, “Repent or you will perish!”

3. The third mark of a sermon that works is that it is true. For the preacher to build any sermon on a foundation that will not rest upon the eternal truth of Scripture is to plan to fail. Not only will the sermon fail but the people who apply it will as well. Truth is established. It has been set in place by God Himself through His Word. Build on what He has said, not what someone else has said. Known and applied truth still sets men free.

4. The last mark of such a sermon is that it is incarnational. Now, that’s a big theological word that simply means, in is delivered through a human being. The man or woman somewhat becomes the message. It is not delivered apart from the personality through which it is being presented. The truth of the Gospel is that God became a man to deliver us. Throught the art of preaching, truth is to brought to men as the Spirit of God bears witness. Passion and concern mark the man who has been marked by the message.

Certainly there are other elements to consider, but these four are important and I believe a part of sermons that work.

There are tons of free sermons that work and sermon outlines available on SermonSeedbed.com which is a wonderful and free resource site for pastors and Bible teachers.

For the ordinary layman hearing about communion cups, the first thing that comes to mind is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Popular culture has depicted some of the most significant religious artifacts in a very unorthodox manner, but the good thing is that it helps ordinary people to get acquainted with these religious items.

In the movie, Indiana Jones was looking for Jesus’ cup. For believers, this is called the Holy Grail, the ultimate communion cup which was used by Christ himself.

In literature and some Christian traditions, the Holy Grail did not just mean that cup of Christ, but also stood for the dish and plate used by Jesus at the Last Supper he had with his disciples.

Throughout centuries, this Holy Grail came to be represented as a communion cup that we are now familiar with.

Of course, the use of communion cups varies all over the world. Many cups are made of different kinds of materials depending on the country and the people celebrating it. For example, some of the Christian peasants in Mexico created a communion cup from baked clay while some Christian Palestinians created one from olive wood.

Today, we have come a long way from the glass communion cups that were used before during communion masses. Some small congregations still use glass cups, but it’s a very time consuming process to have to wash each cup after service. Hence, most churches, especially big ones, go for plastic communion cups instead.

No matter what communion cups are made for, they serve one major purpose, and that is to symbolize the faith that people have in Christ.

Communion cups have had a long history. From the Holy Grail to the silver chalices used by the Egyptians and Sumerians to the plastic communion cups we use today. They are all significant for the people that use them in their practice.

As mentioned, the Holy Grail or Chalice is celebrated as one of the most sacred vessels in the Church and it is often blessed prior to using it.  

Even if the Bible does not offer the cup during the Last Supper dinner or make any significance about it, believers still uphold it as a sacred item. Pilgrims in Jerusalem believed that another significant cup was still venerated in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

It supposedly contained the sponge that was used by Christ at Calvary. This was apart from the tradition and belief surrounding the cup from the last supper.

Out of this faith came the belief in the legends of the cup, from Indiana Jones to Merlin and Dan Brown, the story of the ultimate Communion Cup or the Holy Grail is still alive and celebrated.

Of course, legends and stories about the exact Holy Grail have sifted through and became muddled through the years. Whatever the truth may be, there is no denying the fact that the significance of communion cups in today’s Christian celebrations and among believers is still as strong as ever.

Over the years , there are many changes in the designs of communion cups , its not far any different when we talk about communion plates and even church candles.

Were you ever been in a situation where you are awakened by a call in the middle of the night?  Thinking it was an emergency, you frantically take the call, anxious who would be calling at such a time.  What would you do if you found out the call was a prank?  What would you do when the caller keeps bothering you every night?  You would not be angry. Instead, you would want to know who your mysterious caller is… and why on earth he or she would be doing that?

Well, at one point we have had experience with prank callers.  For some people, though, prank calls become regular and could become harassment.  Questions like “is someone stalking on me?  Worried about your privacy, you are in dire need of answers.  Just exactly WHO is this caller?

One of the first things that might come to your mind is to hire a private investigator.  A PI can be helpful, yes, but you should also be considering of the money you are going to shed out once you have hired one.  Your case, for sure, will be a lot of work for him doing the research as to who owns that number.  Another thing you could also try is to do a reverse phone lookup at one of the many free sites available, but most prank callers don’t use public landline numbers – which, sadly, are the ones these free sites can provide you with.

Your best option is to go through online reverse phone lookup. With just a single fee, you will have an unlimited access to millions of records, including information on cell phone, unlisted, and landline numbers. 

This may sound unbelievable, but you will also be provided with advanced tools like free search assistance, access to expanded people search database records, even family member information!  Once you have entered the area code and the seven digit number, you will get the information you need in seconds – the number owner’s name and address , his or her background, all helpful in putting an end to your sleepless nights with those annoying prank calls!

About to become a brand new bride and along with the huge case of pre wedding butterfly’s and trying to stand on knees and legs made out of noodles. You also discover out that as a new bride you’ll need to stand in front of all your friends, loved ones, and his friends and family and make a bridal speech.

“Oh dear! What do I say, where do I begin what am I going to do”? Nicely the very first point you ought to do is take a deep breath brains work much much better with oxygen, next take a seat in front of your computer. When you feel the oxygen return to your body start with a internet sites that are specifically created to assist wedding members with wedding speeches. The sites assist you to calm down and think of what you want to say to the one man you’re about to spend the rest of you life being a greatest friend too.

If it were, just the two of you together you would have no problems saying what you feel and how life with him will be. Nevertheless, now you will tell him and everybody else in both your worlds at 1 time. Scary yes-impossible No there’s help available you just require to know where to look. Doing a search now days on the web is the first place most individuals begin and this really is an excellent place to start to discover assist writing a wedding speech for a brand new bride.

These sites provide sample as well as ideals for finding the ideal words to express the indescribable way this man makes you really feel. You will be comfortable saying these words to him and others at the wedding ceremony. Nerves make public speaking of any type almost torture. Nevertheless, websites like this also give tips on how to remain calm and breathe while delivering your wedding speech to others.

No new bride wants to stand if front of a room full of guests and freeze up that would only make matters worse than they could each be this would be a bad memory too like a bad way to begin your new life together. This really is to be a time of joy, happiness, hope, and excitement. Not embarrassment and fear do go to one of the sites that helps to create the ideal wedding speeches and see for yourself the type of help out there to you as well as other members that are going to be involved in your wedding if they need to make speeches these sites can assist them too.

All the speeches on these sites are instantly accessible so you’ll have time to spend on other areas of planning your wedding instead of fussing over your wedding speech. You want your wedding to be perfect each woman does so don’t be afraid to get a little help if you can. Any point which will help save you time and lots of stress is well worth it.