Scrolls From the Soul Presents Scrolling Through the Bible

By Joseph Lee

About Us Hello, my name is Joe. I am the author of the "Scrolls from the Soul." I started writing these scrolls more than twenty years ago. Belinda has loyally run a card ministry for more than twenty-five years where she has continually put the loving in "love thy neighbor." Both my wife and I are disabled. Doing any kind of conventional mission work has been very challenging. In 2014, we launched the "Scrolls from the Soul" website (biblescrolling.com). I do the writing and my wife furnishes nature photos, all of which she has taken personally. At this point, we have decided it is time to open this site to more than just family and friends. This is a simple outreach and we are asking you to look over the site and let people know where it can be found. Converting that website into this book has been a new adventure for us, and we pray that God will guide us every step of the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635756388

Book preview

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Scrolls from the Soul Presents

Scrolling Through the Bible

Joseph W. Lee

The Average Joe

ISBN 978-1-63575-637-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63575-638-8 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Joseph W. Lee

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Foreword

Over twenty years ago I had the privilege of meeting and becoming friends with the author of this book. Joe became a leader and teacher in our church and we quickly learned that he had a unique gift of connecting God’s Word to today’s issues. I was fortunate enough to be one of the first people to receive a collection of his first Scrolls from the Soul work.

Then, as now, Scrolls from the Soul are thought provoking and spiritually challenging. The foundation scripture and theme quote:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

This is where the Bible begins,

This is where Life begins,

This must also be . . . Where Our Faith Begins…

Joe’s scrolls always stay faithful to this foundation and to the scriptures. George McDonald, 19th Century preacher said: You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. I am sure you will find this book soul-inspiring and remember, it is your soul that is eternal.

Rev. Michael Brown, Pastor Franklin Church

Statement of Faith

In the Beginning:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

This is where the Bible begins,

This is where life begins,

This must also be . . . Where Our Faith Begins.

The New Beginning:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:18 KJV).

This is where the New Testament begins…

Just like Genesis 1:1, this verse must be taken on faith…

The Old Testament starts with faith in God …

The New Testament starts with faith in Jesus …

And part three as well—faith in the Holy Ghost…

The Trinity of God is the very foundation of our faith. Without it, we are left with nothing.

As for us, we believe without doubt or reservation.

***************************************************

I also believe that technology changes… People do not.

We have been and always will be controlled by our emotions.

Love—Hate

Hope—Fear

Joy—Anger

These are the basic elements of mankind.

That is why the entire Bible is just as relevant today, as it always has been and always will be.

Genesis

In the Beginning

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

This is where the Bible begins…

This is where Life begins…

This must also be . . . Where Our Faith Begins…

Scrolls from the Soul

1/1/96

The Unborn Child

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

A man once said to me that describing life in heaven to someone is like describing life on earth to an unborn child…

Is it possible to describe . . .

The waves crashing upon the sandy shore to someone floating on a seemingly endless sea…

Is it possible to describe . . .

The glory of the sun setting among the clouds to someone locked in a world of darkness…

Is it possible to describe . . .

The sound of birds singing to the rising sun to someone who only hears a softly beating heart…

Is it possible to describe . . .

The peace this child will find in a mother’s loving arms…

Then how:

Is it possible to describe . . .

Everlasting life to someone who finds a new gray hair with every look into the mirror…

Is it possible to describe . . .

A shining city of gold to someone locked in a smoke-filled world of bricks and steel…

Is it possible to describe . . .

The singing voices of angels to someone who only hears the grumbling words of men…

Is it possible to describe . . .

The joy we will find in the loving arms of God…

Scrolls from the Soul

2/1/14

Facing the Dark

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:3–5).

Have you ever experienced total darkness…?

So dark that you cannot see your hand right in front of your face…

Take it from me, this is very cool. For the first two minutes…

Fear soon begins to close in all around us, panic soon follows…

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

Our soul can be just as dark. Despair all most always leads to Hopelessness…

This kind of darkness is just as terrifying and a light switch is not going to help…

We have all heard that turning our lives over to Christ can lift us out of darkness…

This is a two-step process…

First:

We must have faith enough to truly believe God can remove all of the sin and despair…

Second:

We must willingly give up our sins.

It sounds simple enough. Accept we have this overwhelming need to make things right…

The Bible tells us over and over again that our sins can be forgiven…

The slate can be wiped clean…

So, is it pride or guilt that holds us back…?

This is yet another leap of faith…

If we have prayed and truly asked God for forgiveness, then we must let go of that sin…

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:18–20).

Scrolls from the Soul

4/28/15

Credit He Deserves

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day (Genesis 1:31).

For years, scientist have been trying to convince us that our planet took a very long time to evolve.

It took millions of years…

For all these rocks in space to crash into each other…

It took millions of years more…

For all of these rocks to cool off enough for life to begin…

And even more millions of years…

For us to become smart enough to figure this out…

Scientists have never been able to explain where all these rocks came from in the first place.

So now we have the Big Bang Theory which says there was nothing and then suddenly there was everything…

Well, they are getting closer…

They just need to give God the credit He deserves…

Scrolls from the Soul

2/1/14

That Wide-Eyed Child

And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him (Genesis 2:19–20).

God came down to show Adam every animal on earth…

This is like a father showing a child his first picture book…

Or…

Taking him to the zoo for the very first time…

God let Adam name all of the animals…

For God, this was like watching his child taking his first step…

Or…

Saying his first word…

This is the kind of relationship God wants to have with each and every one of us…

God wants to hold our hand as we explore His creations…

Just like That Wide-Eyed Child.

Scrolls from the Soul

7/4/15

Can Any Hide?

And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself (Genesis 3:9–10).

Adam and Eve tried to hide their sins from God…

And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground (Genesis 4:9–10).

And Cain tried to hide his sin from God…

‘Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ saith the Lord (Jeremiah 23:24).

We may know that we cannot keep our sins hidden from God…