Worship – Page 5 – Godinterest

November 16, 2015July 1, 2022

9 Architectural Projects That Busted the Bank Vaults

Since the beginning of recorded time, construction projects have always been a major part of history. In fact, grandiose construction projects to erect the architectural visions of Pharaohs, Kings, Rulers, and Monarchs was used as a way to put the wealth and power of leaders on display for all of the people their lands to see.

Not surprisingly, all of these projects came at a great cost to the leaders that initiated them.

The Great Pyramid at Giza is one example of a grand architectural vision. This massive structure was built under the leadership of Egyptian pharaoh Khufu in the 26th century B.C.E. By the time work on the structure was completed, Knufu spent a great deal of his kingly fortunes on the project. According to sources, it is estimated that this project would cost more than $5 billion dollars to duplicate today.

Since then, there have been many other building projects that have cost significant amounts of money to build, some that were so grand in their scope they effectively broke the bank.

We will examine more of these projects here.

1. The Three Gorges Dam

This massive Chinese construction project took place over the Yangtze River in the Hubei province of Central China. This scope of this project was enormous and came with quite a bit of controversy due to the changes to the environment that were needed to make the project become a reality. When this project was approved in 1992, the Vice Premier at the time, Zoa Jiahua quoted the project cost at $8.35 billion to complete. In 2006, when the project was officially ended, the total cost ended up being closer to $37 billion dollars, or roughly four times more than the original estimate.

2. The Ryungyong Hotel

The ground broke for this 105 story luxury tourist hotel in 1987 in North Korea, despite the country being closed off to foreign visitors. After investing approximately $750 million dollars in the structure, the project came to an abrupt end when the Soviet Union, North Korea’s major economic supporter, collapsed. Today, the building remains unfinished and is recognised as being the tallest unoccupied structure in the entire world.

3. The MOSE Project

This building project was originally intended to help control flooding in Venice. However, it primarily served as a project to sink money into. The original budget for the project was $1.7 billion dollars but jumped to $8.1 billion over time. None of the work that was completed did anything to prevent flooding. Many people involved in the initial construction were arrested on bribery and corruption charges in connection with the project. Venice continues to have problems with flooding and sinking.

4. The Mirabel Airport

This airport was originally opened to serve Montreal, Canada in mid-1970. The Government seized 100,000 acres of land and displaced thousands of residents from their homes for the land that was needed to construct the airport. The cost of the land was $140 million dollars. This amount was eight times more than the costs that were originally projected. Once construction on the airport began, the price skyrocketed to a total cost of around $276 million dollars. Adding further pressure to the Mirabel Airport project was the fact that the Montreal-Dorval International Airport was located within a short driving distance away. While this airport did operate for a number of years, it ceased operations in 2004. In late 2014, demolition of the site began which added another $15 million dollars of cost to the failed project.

5. The Sagrada Familia

There is no doubt that building a Cathedral is no small undertaking. For the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, it is a project that has advanced at a snail’s pace and with a hefty price tag that can not even be calculated due to how slow the project has been to finish. Construction on the house of worship began in 1883. In 2015, it still needs to be completed. In 2011, the President of the Building Committee said that it might be completed in 2026 – 143 years after construction originally began.

6. The Millennium Dome

This is a London based project that has a happy ending, despite a shaky, and very expensive start. When construction of the Millennium Dome began in the 1990’s, the original budget of 758 million pounds was exceeded when it ended up costing 789 million pounds, so it lost money from day one, even without including maintenance costs. However, in 2007 the structure was sold to AEG and renamed the 02 Arena, so some of the initial investment money was recouped. This site is now a top venue for sporting events and concerts in the London, UK area.

7. The Channel Tunnel

Sometimes referred to as the “Chunnel” is a tunnel in the English Channel that links the United Kingdom with France. It’s not surprising that a project of this scope would cost a lot of money and time to complete successfully. In total, it took six years of work and $21 billion dollars to finish. In financial costs, it ended up being 80% more expensive than originally forecast. This privately funded project caused many of the initial investors to lose most of their investment due to over run costs. Today, their diligence to the project has made it widely successful. Hundreds of millions of people use the Chunnel trains to commute between France and the UK, with a travel time of around 35 minutes.

8. The Central Artery Tunnel Project

In 1991, Boston began construction of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, also known as the Big D, to provide commuters with an alternative to using the main highway through the City. This project is one of the most expensive construction projects in the history of the United States with a ‘real’ cost of $22 billion dollars once interest on the funding for the project is paid off in 2038. The Central Artery/Tunnel Project included the construction of roads, bridges, and even a tunnel that was built under the Boston Harbor. While this project did have the original effect it was supposed to have by alleviating traffic congestion in parts of Boston, overall traffic in the areas where the Big D serves has also increased.

9. The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is another example of a building project that came with many personal and financial losses during its construction in the early 1900’s. The project was hexed with obstacles including outbreaks of deadly malaria and mudslides that, according to hospital records, resulted in over 5,600 labourers deaths. Today, the Panama Canal remains a key part of the shipping industry between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. In 2014, work at the Canal ground to a halt after a dispute between the Panama Canal Authority and a conglomerate of European construction companies disagreed who would pay for a $1.16 billion overrun in costs. All parties involved in the dispute agreed on stop-gap funding that put the project back in action. In 2015, expansion work on the Panama Canal continues and the overall costs of the project continue to rise.

May 13, 2014May 13, 2018

Dear Christian: You Stink Of Death

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a sneer? Someone scrunching up their nose in distaste? According to Scriptures, it’s because you stink of death. Now, I’m not saying that you literally smell of a decomposing body, but you, dear Christian, represent death for those that are perishing.

We have a lot of hate directed towards us. It seems as though professing our faith is becoming as bad as declaring war on a defenseless country! To top it all off, people are throwing historical events and facts in our faces, blaming Christianity and not individual people for the destruction, control, and death of people for centuries. So, would it be accurate of us to say that we hate Germans because from the 1930’s to 1945 they executed a multitude of Jewish people as well as many other ‘unmentionables’? Should we hate the Belgian people for their horrific ill-treatment of the Congolese people during colonial times? Should the people of colour in South Africa hate Afrikaners because of Apartheid? Anyone with any sense in their head would realize that this should not be the case- you cannot blame a whole country or race for the acts of a select group of people! So why is it acceptable to identify a few bad eggs out of a nest and then seek to destroy the rest of that nest with perfectly good and nutritious eggs? I’ll tell you why- because to the majority of the world who are perishing, we are the aroma of death that leads them to their death.

There is something within the perishing world that wants us gone, or at least, they want us to revoke our faith and deny Christ, but that would lead to our death, and not just a physical death, but a spiritual death as well. You see, we smell of Christ and it’s a wonderful scent to us who are saved. There is something special within us that is offensive to the perishing world, and that is the knowledge of the truth. The truth is that Jesus came down to earth in the form of man, died on the cross for our sins, arose from the dead on the third day and now sits on the right-hand side of GOD as our Mediator. Because we believe this, we are thus the fragrance of Christ.

Some people will go so far as to show us a point. For example, the members of the Temple of Satan have sought to push their religion wherever and however they can to come against the Christian faith. In the past few years, they have tried to set up their own monuments to Satan wherever Christians monuments have been installed. The Ten Commandment monument in Oklahoma was set to get a rival in the form of a Baphomet monument (which is now installed in Detroit), the metal silhouette of an infantryman kneeling before a cross (which was removed by the way) in Minnesota, had the Satanic temple wanting their own monument in the shape of a solemn black cube holding an upturned helmet, its sides adorned with an upside-down pentagram (it thankfully got the axe). They even want to introduce ‘After school Satan clubs’ in challenge to Christian evangelical groups that sponsor after-school religious programming. Oddly enough, Lucien Greaves aka Doug Mesner (founder of the Temple of Satan), said that his organization does not worship the devil, but that they are a nontheistic religious organization. Lies. When the Baphomet monument was put up, a video was shown of people coming to pay their respects to the monument, and to worship their dark lord- Lucifer.

The state of California is also trying their best to control the Christian faith. People in other countries are dying because of their beliefs and many Christians are meeting in secret for fear of persecution just to come together to praise and worship GOD. I recently came across an article based in Scotland that stated that Christians are finding it difficult to practice their faith because they are being questioned about it- a young child saying grace before eating her meal was questioned by her peers and teachers about her purpose in praying! It seems as though some people no longer know what the purpose of praying is.

Let’s just face it, more and more people are finding us troublesome, harmful and dangerous. Can you imagine that? We, who are meant to be as gentle as doves, are the dangerous ones! What is the world coming to? To put it bluntly, they are coming to their death.

Honestly though, are we really that dangerous? It seems that people choose either the flight or fight option when they encounter a Believer: they will run away from us, or they will attack us and demonize us for all the world to see. I watched a news report that claimed Chick-fil-A has infiltrated New York City with their ‘pervasive Christian traditionalism’. Infiltrated and pervasive are rather strong words, don’t you think? This method of publicly attacking us is gaining supporters from all walks of life who would like to see the demise of the Christian faith. It’s a war out there, people, and it’s only getting worse.

I know that Christians have been preaching about the End Times for centuries, but that preaching is needed. We need to be ready for the return of Jesus, and it seems as though He is well on His way to coming back to earth to collect His saints. You may stink like death now, but to those who hear the Word of GOD spoken from your mouth and choose to believe in Jesus, you become an aroma of life leading to life.

Ending Thoughts: To one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:16. You may be the aroma of death to some, but most importantly, you are the aroma of life that will lead a once lost soul to life.

February 4, 2012February 4, 2018

Theology in Worship and Music

Some people think of theology as dry. However, theology is found in anything that expresses our ideas of God and all things in relation to God. Hence, theology is found not only in textbooks—it is also found in places like art and music.

With respect to worship and music specifically, it is important for us to be thoughtful about the theology that is conveyed in the songs that we sing in church (if worship leaders don’t feel equipped to do this, they might enlist the help of a pastor). People are more likely to remember the latest Chris Tomlin worship song that the church has been repeating for a few weeks than they are to remember the sermon from last Sunday (even if the three points in the sermon did all start with the letter “c”).

The songs that are sung in a church say a lot about the theology of the church, or at least the worship leader. Do they focus on feeling God? Do they focus on the love of God? The majesty of God? So, for example, it should come as no surprise that a church that emphasizes the “prosperity gospel” would sing a song that talks about expecting a “new season ”¦ of power and prosperity” (It’s a New Season, by Israel Houghton).

Some songs can be theologically problematic. While I deeply appreciate most of the lyrics in the song “Eagles Wings” (by Hillsong Church) the song asks God, “abide in me, I pray” and the chorus similarly requests, “come live in me, all my life take over.” However, Scripture makes clear that if you are a believer, then God already dwells within you by the Spirit (1 John 4:13)—even though the Spirit might come in a more intense manner. A little adjustment can easily fix the theologically problematic statement—“you live in me” rather than “come live in me.”

Besides ensuring that the songs we sing are theologically correct, we should also sing a variety of songs that communicate the key teachings of the Church. I don’t mean to imply that a song isn’t worthy of including in a worship service if it doesn’t significantly address a key theological topic—there is a place for some songs that express our feelings to God and songs that are prayers to God can also be very powerful. However, since songs can serve as a means of reinforcing good theology, then over time we should plan to sing songs about various foundational Christian beliefs as well.

It is easy to find hymns about various theologies since most hymnbooks list their songs by topic (check the index and table of contents). And many hymns are still “cool” when “cool” people sing them :) (e.g., This is My Father’s World, as performed by Gungor).

August 9, 2001April 24, 2020

3 Truths About Christianity

Is Christianity about religion? Is it about a particular group of people, organization, or movement? Christianity can be viewed in so many ways. Here are 3 truths about what Christianity is about.

1. It’s about being in a relationship with Christ.

John 1:12 says that all who receive Christ and place their faith in His name are children of God. By faith in the saving work of Jesus on the cross, we are given new life. We become born of God. Before salvation, God is just our Creator, but at the point of salvation, our Creator God becomes our actual Father. Galatians 4:6 says through the Holy Spirit given to us, we can now boldly cry “Abba, Father.” Strong’s explains this Greek word Abba to be a [tender endearment by a beloved child – i.e. in an affectionate, dependent relationship with their father; “daddy,” “papa.”] The highlightt is not just on our position in God but on our relationship with Him. We enter into this new relationship once and forever. No one and nothing can ever take us out of God’s hand and love. (John 10:28 and Romans 8). No one can take our sonship away and God Himself will in no way disown us.

2. It’s about being a follower of Christ.

A Christian bears the name of Christ. He is marked by Christ. To be a Christian is to bear the identity and character of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that one who is in Christ is a new creation. Everything is not instantly perfected but literally all things are in the process of becoming new and better. As a Christian, I am now enabled to living and becoming better than before. As I abide in Christ I am transformed into His image from one degree to another. There is no stand still for a Christian and there is no hopeless case. It is false to believe that “I am just this way. I can’t help it. There’s nothing I can do about it. Life’s just bad. I can’t do anything about it.” 2 Timothy 1:7 says God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

3. It’s about having a family stronger than flesh and blood.

John 1:13 talks about being born into the family of God. The family of God is also referred to in the Bible as the Church. Romans 12:5 talks about the church being one body while Colossians 1:18 talks about Christ being the head. In these passages we understand that all of God’s children are related and connected. Our bond is spiritual. The Holy Spirit links us all. He is our spiritual genetic trace. Our connection is tight. Ephesians 4 16 says the whole body is joined and held together.

All of God’s children have one Father, one Lord. Black Panther says in the MCU movie, “More unites us than separates us.” The same holds true among God’s people. Denominations and methodologies vary but there is only one Lord and one fundamental to faith and relationship with God. It’s sad that preferences and traditions become a point of heated conflict among Christian groups and churches today. It should not be so. Error to faith and doctrine is a serious thing that Christians should guard and reason against. But when it comes to extra Biblical matters, no Christian should hate or disown a brother just because they differ in the way of worship, music, evangelism, or even holding church worship programs and events. There is what we call respectful and loving disagreement and Christians should apply that when necessary.