Apr 30 2019 28 mins
Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.
Script/Notes:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
In the beginning “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” “All things were made through [the Word], and without [the Word] was not any thing made that was made.
“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” “In [the Word] was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
********
Welcome to the beginning of a new audio series called Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Listeners familiar with the Bible will recognize that our opening verses are a combination of the first few verses from the book of Genesis inter-woven with the first four verses from the gospel of John. These verses are as contained in the English Standard Version. We have inter-woven the verses to illustrate what this audio series is all about and why Crystal Sea Books created it. To start let’s take a look at why we named our publishing and audio production company Crystal Sea Books in the first place. For that we go to the other end of the Bible to the fourth chapter of the book of Revelation.
In the fourth chapter the Apostle John says that he saw the throne of God in heaven and “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.” Pay attention to the drama of the vision given to John about the apocalyptic revelation he is about to receive. It’s like the scene of a modern science fiction movie but on steroids. His senses are fully engaged. He sees amazing things – flashes of lightning, fiery torches. He is besieged by loud and dramatic noise and sound – rumblings, peals of thunder. And to ensure that the scene has an even greater sense of drama – the fantastic sound and light show with which he is confronted is not even limited to the sky above and around him – it is reflected in the most humongous mirror ever imagined beneath his feet. It is reflected on a glass sea as hard and clear as crystal. Just imagine the magnification of the effect that must have been produced by the lightning, thunder, and fire as the lights above him were reflected in the crystal sea before him and echoed off the crystal like surface. Talk about a way to get someone’s attention. But that’s what it is like to be in the presence of God – to be before the very throne of the Almighty.
But notice, that despite his senses being fully engaged and likely overwhelmed, John’s mind is still being filled with information. He is led to know that the seven burning torches of fire are the seven spirits of God. John is awestruck and amazed, but he is also learning – learning about heaven, learning about God’s plan for him and the future of his race, learning about God’s greatness, majesty, power and holiness. And that’s why we started Crystal Sea Books. In our own way we want to engage the imaginations and senses of readers and listeners using stories, audio projects, and songs - but our goal in engaging them is always to have people think more about God and the Bible and to think more deeply about them – because in a very real sense we live our entire lives in the presence of God and before His throne.
So how do we hope to go about helping people remember what an amazing, majestic, and awesome God is still sitting on the throne that John saw. Sometimes we do that with dramatic stories and spell binding scenes but we think it can also be done with fun and humor.
For instance, here’s a little humor piece that we’ve put together to introduce ourselves.
---- HUMOR BRANDING PIECE 1
Some listeners might be wondering why we ended the piece by saying “We’re not famous, but our Boss is?” In today’s culture where the number of likes, and clicks, and views is so important why would we take a step back and emphasize that we’re simply here to serve someone else. The answer to that is pretty simple – because that is the example that was set by John the Baptist. In John’s gospel, chapter 3, verse 30 John the Baptist says “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Remember that in the gospel of Luke, verse 28, Jesus said about John the Baptist that “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.” So, with that as a commendation from Jesus we think that’s a pretty good example to follow. And while we’ll happily accept our share of likes and clicks we want all of that to be done because those doing the clicking are actually going to learn more about “The Boss.”
And we think there are a wide variety of ways that we can help them do that. For instance, for thousands of years song, rhyme, meter, and poetry has been used in a wide variety of culture to help people absorb and retain information. So we’re doing that too. Here is a parody based on an iconic American rock tune. The original was called “Proud Mary” and was done by a variety of very successful artists. We call our parody “Proud Peter.”
---- PROUD PETER
Notice, that the names of all Jesus’s twelve original disciples are included in the opening 4 lines. It’s a simple and easy to learn little ditty but it takes away much of the struggle many of us would face if we tried to learn the names of Jesus’s disciples by rote memorization. By setting the list to a well-known rhythmic structure, the information easily becomes just a part of other things we routinely carry around in our brains – like the name of our favorite pizza shop, the statistics of various sports stars, or how many ounces are in a half-gallon. Let’s listen again and see how easy it is to learn the names of the Apostles who formed the foundation of the church.
---- PROUD PETER
Meter and rhyme can be important in helping us become immersed in more dramatic moments. Consider this sample from Crystal Sea Books’ Christmas epic poem, called the Golden Tree, Komari’s Quest. In this scene the dreaded Demon Master has come to remove the Golden Tree from the town of a band of small koalas who went to the Artic in search of the Great White Koala Bear. The Golden Tree is the source of light and hope for the bears who live in an otherwise desperate and desolate land. Listen to the demands the Demon Master makes.
---- Section 4, Komari’s Quest
In this scene the Golden Tree represents the Holy Spirit that has been given to all Christians to illuminate their minds, provide hope for their lives, and warmth to their hearts – all the things that the real Demon Master would like to steal from us and in turn eliminate our witness from the world. If you want to find out how the confrontation turns out go to crystalseabooks.com and click on the “Audio” link. You’ll find a heartwarming story that is suitable for people of all ages and that parents or youth group leaders can use to provide inspirational instruction to those young in age or new in their faith.
Golden Tree, Komari’s Quest is the first of the epic poems that Crystal Sea has released but we have others planned because we think such poems have a sort of timeless appeal as the works of Dr. Seuss illustrate. Listening to Biblically sound but entertaining stories together is also a great way to begin discussion between parents and children or church leaders such as youth pastors and their groups. In addition to the poems, song parodies, and humor pieces Crystal Sea also has a number of books available, both fiction and non-fiction, and we are currently producing dramatized audio versions of our first two fiction releases, Doors of Destiny: A Choice Orb Tale and Prodigal’s Advocate.
Doors of Destiny is the story of four children from the same family who come into contact with a “Choice Orb” that transports them from their small town home to an ethereal realm where two ancient races continue their dramatic struggle to control worlds and passageways between worlds. As part of their attempt to reach home the children must pass through the dark planet where they are asked by a young girl named Abigail to make a desperate sacrifice. As the battle for the world unfolds Abigail must confront an ancient demon in a dark, ascending tower as she seeks to place the great Lamp of Chinnereth in a lampstand at the very top. Abigail’s failure would seal the doom of her world and the children.
As a preview to our upcoming release of Doors of Destiny, here is part of a scene from the struggle within the tower.
---- Testing scene from Chapter 15, Doors of Destiny
So, let’s briefly review of the kind of items that Crystal Sea Books will be offering and that will be used to enhance the discussion as Anchored by Truth unfolds each week. Crystal Sea has:
• Epic poems
• Original inspirational songs and music for reflection and devotion
• Enhanced prayers to help listeners grow in their own prayer life and meditate more deeply on God’s magnificence and mercy
• Dramatized stories that will not only entertain readers and listeners but that also have a solid Biblical foundation to serve as a way for Bible study groups, youth groups, or families to explore the great themes of scripture more thoroughly
• And, a library of humorous Life Lessons with a Laugh that will use episodes out of the Bible to provide insights and perspectives that are essential for listeners of all ages to grow in their faith.
Soon we’re going to begin a five episode series that is a part of what we call “Life Lessons with a Laugh” based on the Biblical story of Noah and the ark. Even though this story is one of the best known in the Bible, we hope you’ll join us because some of the lessons may point out parts of the story that often aren’t noticed. In the meantime we want to conclude today’s episode by adding one more observation – and it’s the reason we opened our time together today by weaving verses from the Old and New Testament together.
We wanted to begin Anchored by Truth by going to beginning of the entire universe to begin a demonstration of the foundational truth that the Bible is a single integrated whole. There is close to fifteen hundred years that separated the writing of Genesis from John’s gospel and the Book of Revelation, but notice that John’s depiction of Jesus as the word of God ties directly to the events that marked the establishment of the heavens and earth. John tells us that along with the Holy Spirit Jesus was there at the beginning in the midst of the surging waters, the new light, and the order emerging out of chaos. Jesus along with the Holy Spirit is still there is the midst of the lightning and thunder in the throne room of heaven and He will still be there as the Book of Revelation ends with the final restoration and redemption of the heavens and earth that were marred by the fall.
The Bible exists for a single purpose: to convey God’s unfolding plan of redemption and reclamation that begin with God’s creation of the universe out of nothing and will someday be consummated in God’s final restoration of the beauty and holiness He originally imparted. As we proceed from week to week we always want to come back time and time again to a single fundamental truth – that all of existence proceeds from the throne that is the head of the crystal sea. As believers all of us must understand that there is only one sure anchor to protect us from drifting along with the prevailing tides of our changing culture – and that anchor is the word of God that is present in both the Bible and in the person of Jesus.
It seems appropriate, then, that we should close this first program by going to another of Crystal Seas’ offerings, an extract from our Purposeful Prayers series. We think that it is always fitting to begin any new endeavor by adoring the Father who is the one perfect Author of all Truth. Let is pray.
---- Adoration of the Father, radio version.
We hope you’ll be with us next time and we hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show.
If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!”
(Bible Quotes from the English Standard Version)
The Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 1 through 5
The Gospel of John, chapter 1 verses 1 through 5
The Book of Revelation, chapter 4 verses 5 through 6
Script/Notes:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
In the beginning “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” “All things were made through [the Word], and without [the Word] was not any thing made that was made.
“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” “In [the Word] was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
********
Welcome to the beginning of a new audio series called Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. Listeners familiar with the Bible will recognize that our opening verses are a combination of the first few verses from the book of Genesis inter-woven with the first four verses from the gospel of John. These verses are as contained in the English Standard Version. We have inter-woven the verses to illustrate what this audio series is all about and why Crystal Sea Books created it. To start let’s take a look at why we named our publishing and audio production company Crystal Sea Books in the first place. For that we go to the other end of the Bible to the fourth chapter of the book of Revelation.
In the fourth chapter the Apostle John says that he saw the throne of God in heaven and “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.” Pay attention to the drama of the vision given to John about the apocalyptic revelation he is about to receive. It’s like the scene of a modern science fiction movie but on steroids. His senses are fully engaged. He sees amazing things – flashes of lightning, fiery torches. He is besieged by loud and dramatic noise and sound – rumblings, peals of thunder. And to ensure that the scene has an even greater sense of drama – the fantastic sound and light show with which he is confronted is not even limited to the sky above and around him – it is reflected in the most humongous mirror ever imagined beneath his feet. It is reflected on a glass sea as hard and clear as crystal. Just imagine the magnification of the effect that must have been produced by the lightning, thunder, and fire as the lights above him were reflected in the crystal sea before him and echoed off the crystal like surface. Talk about a way to get someone’s attention. But that’s what it is like to be in the presence of God – to be before the very throne of the Almighty.
But notice, that despite his senses being fully engaged and likely overwhelmed, John’s mind is still being filled with information. He is led to know that the seven burning torches of fire are the seven spirits of God. John is awestruck and amazed, but he is also learning – learning about heaven, learning about God’s plan for him and the future of his race, learning about God’s greatness, majesty, power and holiness. And that’s why we started Crystal Sea Books. In our own way we want to engage the imaginations and senses of readers and listeners using stories, audio projects, and songs - but our goal in engaging them is always to have people think more about God and the Bible and to think more deeply about them – because in a very real sense we live our entire lives in the presence of God and before His throne.
So how do we hope to go about helping people remember what an amazing, majestic, and awesome God is still sitting on the throne that John saw. Sometimes we do that with dramatic stories and spell binding scenes but we think it can also be done with fun and humor.
For instance, here’s a little humor piece that we’ve put together to introduce ourselves.
---- HUMOR BRANDING PIECE 1
Some listeners might be wondering why we ended the piece by saying “We’re not famous, but our Boss is?” In today’s culture where the number of likes, and clicks, and views is so important why would we take a step back and emphasize that we’re simply here to serve someone else. The answer to that is pretty simple – because that is the example that was set by John the Baptist. In John’s gospel, chapter 3, verse 30 John the Baptist says “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Remember that in the gospel of Luke, verse 28, Jesus said about John the Baptist that “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.” So, with that as a commendation from Jesus we think that’s a pretty good example to follow. And while we’ll happily accept our share of likes and clicks we want all of that to be done because those doing the clicking are actually going to learn more about “The Boss.”
And we think there are a wide variety of ways that we can help them do that. For instance, for thousands of years song, rhyme, meter, and poetry has been used in a wide variety of culture to help people absorb and retain information. So we’re doing that too. Here is a parody based on an iconic American rock tune. The original was called “Proud Mary” and was done by a variety of very successful artists. We call our parody “Proud Peter.”
---- PROUD PETER
Notice, that the names of all Jesus’s twelve original disciples are included in the opening 4 lines. It’s a simple and easy to learn little ditty but it takes away much of the struggle many of us would face if we tried to learn the names of Jesus’s disciples by rote memorization. By setting the list to a well-known rhythmic structure, the information easily becomes just a part of other things we routinely carry around in our brains – like the name of our favorite pizza shop, the statistics of various sports stars, or how many ounces are in a half-gallon. Let’s listen again and see how easy it is to learn the names of the Apostles who formed the foundation of the church.
---- PROUD PETER
Meter and rhyme can be important in helping us become immersed in more dramatic moments. Consider this sample from Crystal Sea Books’ Christmas epic poem, called the Golden Tree, Komari’s Quest. In this scene the dreaded Demon Master has come to remove the Golden Tree from the town of a band of small koalas who went to the Artic in search of the Great White Koala Bear. The Golden Tree is the source of light and hope for the bears who live in an otherwise desperate and desolate land. Listen to the demands the Demon Master makes.
---- Section 4, Komari’s Quest
In this scene the Golden Tree represents the Holy Spirit that has been given to all Christians to illuminate their minds, provide hope for their lives, and warmth to their hearts – all the things that the real Demon Master would like to steal from us and in turn eliminate our witness from the world. If you want to find out how the confrontation turns out go to crystalseabooks.com and click on the “Audio” link. You’ll find a heartwarming story that is suitable for people of all ages and that parents or youth group leaders can use to provide inspirational instruction to those young in age or new in their faith.
Golden Tree, Komari’s Quest is the first of the epic poems that Crystal Sea has released but we have others planned because we think such poems have a sort of timeless appeal as the works of Dr. Seuss illustrate. Listening to Biblically sound but entertaining stories together is also a great way to begin discussion between parents and children or church leaders such as youth pastors and their groups. In addition to the poems, song parodies, and humor pieces Crystal Sea also has a number of books available, both fiction and non-fiction, and we are currently producing dramatized audio versions of our first two fiction releases, Doors of Destiny: A Choice Orb Tale and Prodigal’s Advocate.
Doors of Destiny is the story of four children from the same family who come into contact with a “Choice Orb” that transports them from their small town home to an ethereal realm where two ancient races continue their dramatic struggle to control worlds and passageways between worlds. As part of their attempt to reach home the children must pass through the dark planet where they are asked by a young girl named Abigail to make a desperate sacrifice. As the battle for the world unfolds Abigail must confront an ancient demon in a dark, ascending tower as she seeks to place the great Lamp of Chinnereth in a lampstand at the very top. Abigail’s failure would seal the doom of her world and the children.
As a preview to our upcoming release of Doors of Destiny, here is part of a scene from the struggle within the tower.
---- Testing scene from Chapter 15, Doors of Destiny
So, let’s briefly review of the kind of items that Crystal Sea Books will be offering and that will be used to enhance the discussion as Anchored by Truth unfolds each week. Crystal Sea has:
• Epic poems
• Original inspirational songs and music for reflection and devotion
• Enhanced prayers to help listeners grow in their own prayer life and meditate more deeply on God’s magnificence and mercy
• Dramatized stories that will not only entertain readers and listeners but that also have a solid Biblical foundation to serve as a way for Bible study groups, youth groups, or families to explore the great themes of scripture more thoroughly
• And, a library of humorous Life Lessons with a Laugh that will use episodes out of the Bible to provide insights and perspectives that are essential for listeners of all ages to grow in their faith.
Soon we’re going to begin a five episode series that is a part of what we call “Life Lessons with a Laugh” based on the Biblical story of Noah and the ark. Even though this story is one of the best known in the Bible, we hope you’ll join us because some of the lessons may point out parts of the story that often aren’t noticed. In the meantime we want to conclude today’s episode by adding one more observation – and it’s the reason we opened our time together today by weaving verses from the Old and New Testament together.
We wanted to begin Anchored by Truth by going to beginning of the entire universe to begin a demonstration of the foundational truth that the Bible is a single integrated whole. There is close to fifteen hundred years that separated the writing of Genesis from John’s gospel and the Book of Revelation, but notice that John’s depiction of Jesus as the word of God ties directly to the events that marked the establishment of the heavens and earth. John tells us that along with the Holy Spirit Jesus was there at the beginning in the midst of the surging waters, the new light, and the order emerging out of chaos. Jesus along with the Holy Spirit is still there is the midst of the lightning and thunder in the throne room of heaven and He will still be there as the Book of Revelation ends with the final restoration and redemption of the heavens and earth that were marred by the fall.
The Bible exists for a single purpose: to convey God’s unfolding plan of redemption and reclamation that begin with God’s creation of the universe out of nothing and will someday be consummated in God’s final restoration of the beauty and holiness He originally imparted. As we proceed from week to week we always want to come back time and time again to a single fundamental truth – that all of existence proceeds from the throne that is the head of the crystal sea. As believers all of us must understand that there is only one sure anchor to protect us from drifting along with the prevailing tides of our changing culture – and that anchor is the word of God that is present in both the Bible and in the person of Jesus.
It seems appropriate, then, that we should close this first program by going to another of Crystal Seas’ offerings, an extract from our Purposeful Prayers series. We think that it is always fitting to begin any new endeavor by adoring the Father who is the one perfect Author of all Truth. Let is pray.
---- Adoration of the Father, radio version.
We hope you’ll be with us next time and we hope you’ll take some time to encourage some friends to tune in too, or listen to the podcast version of this show.
If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!”
(Bible Quotes from the English Standard Version)
The Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 1 through 5
The Gospel of John, chapter 1 verses 1 through 5
The Book of Revelation, chapter 4 verses 5 through 6