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In Chuck Swindoll’s defining work, The Grace Awakening, he presents himself as wielding “the torch of freedom” as formerly held by protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther. In this Swindoll leads his readers to think that by following him and his Grace Awakening doctrines that they’re being faithful to the Reformation doctrines of faith alone and grace. Chuck Swindoll says:

Human achievement must accompany sincere faith before you can be certain of your salvation. We continue to hear that “different gospel” to this day and it is a lie. It is heresy. It is antithetical to the true message that lit the spark to the Reformation: Sola Fide - faith alone. (The Grace Awakening, p.86).

When the sixteenth-century Reformers wielded the torch of freedom …grace was the battle cry: salvation by grace alone a walk of faith without fear of eternal damnation (The Grace Awakening, p. xiv).

Dr. Swindoll is right, the “spark that lit the reformation,” was Sola Fide or faith alone. The Reformers, however, did not explain their terms as does Dr. Swindoll. You see, his understanding of grace insists, that “regardless of how you choose to live, you can’t live so bad that God says to you, ‘you’re no longer mine’” (Shedding Light On Our Dark Side, tape sld 1A). Swindoll’s preconception regarding the ultimate salvation of even the most profligate obligates him to eliminate the Reformation (and biblical) marriage of works to genuine faith.

Essentially, Dr. Swindoll joins himself to the Reformers leaving the unread student with the conclusion that his views on faith and grace are in line with those of the Reformers, but they are not. Contrary to Swindoll, Luther believed that works or “human achievement,” as Swindoll says, can not be separated from saving faith. Luther wrote:

“Faith must of course be sincere. It must be a faith that performs good works through love. If faith lacks love it is not true faith. Thus the Apostle bars the way of hypocrites to the kingdom of Christ on all sides…Idle faith is not justifying faith” (Luther, Commentary On Galatians).

R.C. Sproul, in his book Faith Alone, wrote: “The Reformers saw saving faith as necessarily, inevitably, and immediately yielding the fruit of works. Martin Luther insisted that the faith that justifies is a fides viva, a vital and living faith that yields the fruit of works.” Contrary to this, Chuck Swindoll believes it is a lie and another gospel to insist that works must accompany genuine faith. And he does this as though he were speaking for the Reformers!

Chuck Swindoll clearly entices the unstudied reader to conceive of The Grace Awakening as a book restoring the stolen truths of the Reformation from the treacherous hands of modern legalists who have perverted them. In truth, however, Luther himself tenaciously fought against the understanding of grace and faith presented in Swindoll’s book.

Like those who reinvent history to suit their own ends, Dr. Charles R. (Chuck) Swindoll has rewritten Reformation history. Does Swindoll insist that “the faith that justifies is a vital and living faith that yields the fruit of works” as did Luther? Does Swindoll insist that “whoever doesn’t do good works is without faith,” as did the Reformers? No he does not, rather, Chuck Swindoll teaches the opposite, namely, that there is no external proof of salvation or spirituality and that it is heresy to maintain that works must accompany faith. And this he does under the banner of restoring Reformation doctrine! Is this not dishonest? How is this anything other than historical revisionism?

John Taylor, a London publisher, gifted mathematician and amateur astronomer, began a study of the measurements of the Great Pyramid in order to analyze the results from a mathematician’s point of view.

Taylor concluded, that the builder of the Great Pyramid could not have been from Egyptian ancestry in either religion or race. After is research he believed that one day there would come a time when the measurements and contours of the inner portions of the Pyramid would be linked with history and especially in the relationship with Biblical prophecy.

Later, a Scottish Astronomer named Piazzi Smyth brought the discipline of applied science to bear on the study of the Great Pyramid. Following in the footsteps of Taylor Smyth, he believed the only way to prove or disprove Taylor theories was to go to Egypt and do his own measurements.

Piazza’s work was published and his critics found his research intoxicating. Smyth summed up his findings by noting that the Great Pyramid revealed a most surprisingly accurate knowledge of high astronomical and geographical physics.

Smyth research began to snow ball into a belief that the Great Pyramid was more than just an ancient tomb of the pharaoh Khufu. He believed that the astounding mathematics and measurements that were ensconced into the Great Pyramid could not have been integrated into stone by men of that day.

Then the mechanical engineer Flanders Petrie set out to measure the Great Pyramid. His plan was to either negate or substantiate the work of Taylor and Smyth. His tools for measurement were superior with 1/1000 of an inch.

In the beginning Petrie actually belittled Smyths basic contentions about the perimeter of the pyramid which incorporated the length of the solar year. Nevertheless it was Petrie who discovered a hallowing of the core masonry. His discovery of this facet actually led to a confirming Smyth’s conclusions concerning the astronomical features of the Great Pyramid.

One of the most mysterious myths of ancient Egypt was the legend of the Phoenix. Rundle Clark in explains the relationship of the bennu bird to the phoenix and the symbolism it was intended to invoke.

Clark: “One has to imagine a perch extending out of the waters of the Abyss. On it rests a grey heron, the herald of all things to come. It opens its beak and breaks the silence of the primeval night with the call of life and destiny, which ‘determines what is and what is not to be’…

The Phoenix, therefore, embodies the original the Word (or Logos) or declaration of destiny which mediates between the divine-mind and created things…In a sense, when the phoenix gave out the primeval call it initiated all those [calendrical] cycles, so it is the patron of all divisions of time, and its temple at Heliopolis became the centre of calendrical regulation.”

The fact that shafts in both the kings chamber and queens chamber point to specific stars fixing their processional cycles confirms that the phoenix is closely related to the Great Pyramid. The Great pyramid served as the epoch time keeper of pharaonic kingship both mystical and historical.

The link, therefore, between the Great Pyramid and the phoenix is unmistakable. In the Book of the Dead (see chapter 17) the question is asked: “Who is he’? ..I am the great phoenix which is in Heliopolis. So the link connects the two as time keepers of the stars of Orion and the “soul” of the Osiris kings.

According to the interpretation of Rundle Clark, the phoenix was a great cosmic bird that came from a place called the Isle of fire. It was a a magical land and a place of everlasting light. It was from this place that gods were born and from this Isle of fire they were sent into this world.

John Taylor, an amateur astronomer, London publisher and mathematician began a study in order to analyze the measurements of the Great Pyramid. He wanted to understand the Great Pyramid from a mathematician’s point of view.

From his findings he deduced that it was not possible that the Great Pyramid was built by the Egyptians. He tried to find a correlation between the inner chambers and corridors of the Great Pyramid, and believed that one day there would be discovered a relationship that would connect those measurements with history and Biblical prophecy.

Piazzi Smyth, a Scottish Astronomer, and student of Taylor, decided to affirm, or if possible to refute the findings of Taylor. Consequently, he lifted the investigation and study of the Great Pyramid into the realm of applied science. But the only way he could do so conclusively was to go to Egypt and do his own measurements.

Piazza’s work was published and his critics found his research intoxicating. Smyth summed up his findings by noting that the Great Pyramid revealed a most surprisingly accurate knowledge of high astronomical and geographical physics.

Smyth research began to snow ball into a belief that the Great Pyramid was more than just an ancient tomb of the pharaoh Khufu. He believed that the astounding mathematics and measurements that were ensconced into the Great Pyramid could not have been integrated into stone by men of that day.

Then the mechanical engineer Flanders Petrie set out to measure the Great Pyramid. His plan was to either negate or substantiate the work of Taylor and Smyth. His tools for measurement were superior with 1/1000 of an inch.

In the beginning Petrie actually belittled Smyths basic contentions about the perimeter of the pyramid which incorporated the length of the solar year. Nevertheless it was Petrie who discovered a hallowing of the core masonry. His discovery of this facet actually led to a confirming Smyth’s conclusions concerning the astronomical features of the Great Pyramid.

One of the strangest and least understood myths of Ancient Egypt concerns the bennu bird or phoenix. A description of the symbolism which it was intended to invoke was given by Rundle Clark.

Clark: “One has to imagine a perch extending out of the waters of the Abyss. On it rests a grey heron, the herald of all things to come. It opens its beak and breaks the silence of the primeval night with the call of life and destiny, which ‘determines what is and what is not to be’…

The Phoenix, therefore, embodies the original Logos, the Word, or declaration of destiny which arbitrates between the mind of God and created things…In a sense, when the great bird gave out its ancient scream, it initiated all those [calendrical] cycles, so it is the ancestor of all divisions of time, and its temple at Heliopolis became the centre of calendrical regulation.”

The fact that shafts in both the kings chamber and queens chamber point to specific stars fixing their processional cycles confirms that the phoenix is closely related to the Great Pyramid. The Great pyramid served as the epoch time keeper of pharaonic kingship both mystical and historical.

The Phoenix and the Great Pyramid as timekeepers of the stars of Orion and, by extension, the soul of the Osiris kings, clearly shows forth the connection. This is underscored by this quote from the book of the dead, “Who is he?” …I am the great phoenix which is Heliopolis. (See chapter 17)

According to Rundle Clark the phoenix was a great cosmic bird which came from a distant and magical land beyond the earthly world called the Isle of Fire, the place of everlasting light beyond the limits of the world, where the gods were born or revived and whence they were sent into the world.

One of the strangest and least understood myths of Ancient Egypt concerns the bennu bird or phoenix. A description of the symbolism which it was intended to invoke was given by Rundle Clark.

Clark: “One has to envision a perch extending out of the waters of the Void. On it rests a grey heron, the herald of all things to come. It opens its mouth and breaks the silence of the ancient night with the call of light and purpose, which ‘determines what is and what is not to be’…

The Phoenix, therefore, embodies the original the Word (or Logos) or declaration of destiny which mediates between the divine-mind and created things…In a sense, when the phoenix gave out the primeval call it initiated all those [calendrical] cycles, so it is the patron of all divisions of time, and its temple at Heliopolis became the centre of calendrical regulation.”

The notion that the phoenix is closely connected to the Great Pyramid as the epoch and time keeper of pharaonic kingship as was suspected is confirmed. This is true in both a mystical and historical sense. The shafts in the kings chamber point toward specific stars and fixed their processional cycles and other cycles.

The link, therefore, between the Great Pyramid and the phoenix is unmistakable. In the Book of the Dead (see chapter 17) the question is asked: “Who is he’? ..I am the great phoenix which is in Heliopolis. So the link connects the two as time keepers of the stars of Orion and the “soul” of the Osiris kings.

According to Rundle Clark the phoenix was a great cosmic bird which came from a distant and magical land beyond the earthly world called the Isle of Fire, the place of everlasting light beyond the limits of the world, where the gods were born or revived and whence they were sent into the world.

A free psychic reading can help you to invent a good idea of what may or may not be going on in your life at the present moment. People from all over the world enjoy consulting with psychic advisors daily because they are usually in tune with their spirit guides and a spirit world that you may not be in contact with on a routine basis.

Some astrologers are better gifted then others. It is like any other profession. Sometimes you will get a plumber who is not as good as another plumber. The main reason for seeing someone who is an astrologer is for your own benefit first. You have to see a reason in your life for consulting with an astrology psychic.

Many people turn to the internet when looking for a free psychic reading because they are easy to find. All that you have to do is to go to an MSN search engine and type in the keyword, “free psychic reading” and you will notice millions of websites coming up promoting psychic readings. Psychic readings are fun to get because they usually involved your inner psychic ability. You can usually tell a lot about a person by examining their situation and by exploring your own. When you consult with a psychic, make sure that you have some questions in mind before you actually go for your psychic reading. People often get nervous and distracted when going to see a psychic and forget what they really wanted to ask the psychic reader to begin with.

Psychics have been offering their customers free psychic readings since the beginning of the first psychic reading. This is because so many people want to see what’s in store for their future. Some psychics are extremely accurate while others are way off base. If you have a bad first time psychic reading, then you may want to visit with another psychic who is going to be better. Sometimes getting a few psychic readings from different psychics can help you to find one that is extremely accurate.

Many people get a free psychic reading from a popular psychic website. Others tend to go toward the free psychic reading by just looking in their local newspaper or celebrity gossip magazine. Either way, you are destined to get your “cards” read. Always pray before consulting with a psychic so that your spirit guides can help you to find someone who is going to be in tune with your situation. A psychic reading is usually as good as you make it. If you walk into a psychic reading feeling bad about things, then you are probably going to get some bad results in the end. When you walk into the psychic reading with not expecting anything, you will find that your psychic reading goes a lot easier. Don’t place any demands on your psychic. Just allow them to tell you what they see. Getting a free psychic reading is not like going to see a medical doctor. Getting a psychic reading is more about seeing what’s in store for your future. Remember that not everything that a psychic says is going to be the “gospel truth.” Psychics are not God and sometimes do see things that are not what they appear to be in a vision.

Powerful psychic websites are out there and can lead you closer to the things that surround you right now. Just try to remember that you are not alone in this world and you have to try and do things one step at a time.

Praying with clasped or folded hands is quite common among Christians. Is there a meaning to this prayer gesture? Yes there is. Apparently, such a prayer posture is a symbol of obedience, sincerity, submission and repentance. Some raise their folded hands when they make a plea to God to answer their prayers.

You may think that this prayer gesture is common only to Christians. Actually, the Jews were doing it long before Christians did. Natahn Ausubel, in his book “Book of Jewish Knowledge said: “It has also been commonly assumed that folding the hands in prayer is exclusively a Christian custom. This is not the historical fact at all. As early as the post-Exilic period, when Jews prayed, they folded their hands, and they observed this custom for several centuries even after it had been adopted by Christians.”

Jesus, being a Jew, also prayed with clasped hands. You must have seen pictures or images of Him in the garden of Gethsemani in this prayer gesture. In other art works, you can also see the Virgin Mary and angels with their hands clasped as well.

Not only do Jews and Christians practice it but also the Hindus and Buddhists. The latter draw their palms together to show respect, to venerate their deities and to greet one another. This posture is termed the “anjali mudra”, anjali meaning offering and mudra, seal. Particularly in India, the word “Namaste” is said while doing this posture as a way of saying something like a sacred hello since the word “Namaste” is translated as “I bow to the divinity within you from the divinity within me.”

Pope Benedict XVI in his book “Spirit of the Liturgy” said that the body is an integral part of the act of worship and I quote: “The body has a place within the divine worship of the Word made flesh, and it is expressed liturgically in a certain discipline of the body, in gestures that have developed out of the liturgy’s inner demands…” So the body certainly has a place, along with the heart, mind and soul, in prayer.

In the same book, the Pope recalled that during the time when feudalism was prevalent, those who were under a Lord would place their joined hands into the hands of their Lord to symbolize faithfulness and loyalty. Similarly, when we clasp our hands in prayer, we are doing the same - pledging to God our faithfulness and loyalty and placing our hands in His hands.

Does using the praying hands gesture help our ability to pray or meditate? Practitioners of yoga believe that doing this gesture brings the left and right hemispheres of one’s brain together and quiet the mind.

If you ask me, I am able to pray better with my hands clasped or folded because I can focus on God more. My concentration is much better and I am sure many people would agree with me. When I kneel, I do it out of reverence to God and it is the same when I pray with my hands drawn together. God is certainly pleased with praying hands and praying hearts.

You pray day and night with deep faith, but God does not seem to hear you. You remain jobless, your friend remains seriously ill and the man of your dreams is nowhere in sight. What should you do?

You may think you should do nothing because if you continue praying, God may think you lack faith. Or you may think that God is teaching you the virtue of patience so you should just accept His silence with stoic resignation.

You continue to pray longer and harder hoping that God will eventually answer your prayers. Jesus implied persistence in the parable of the man who kept knocking on his neighbor’s door in the middle of the night asking for bread, until the neighbor got up and gave him the bread to make him go away (Luke 11: 5-8). His persistent action produced the desired response. In the parable about the widow, she kept returning to an unjust judge begging for justice. She wore away at him until he relented and granted justice (Luke 18: 2-5).

Sometimes praying seems like you are nagging God. You hope he will eventually answer and grant your heart’s desire. Pray persistently and you will get what you want. But is that really what Jesus was saying? Will God grant your request just to get rid of you therefore allowing him to attend to countless others who are demanding His attention?

Surely, you know God is not like that. Just remember Jesus who personifies the character of God in the flesh. The Bible shows various accounts of Him always ready to help the needy, hearing their cries and showing compassion. The truth is God always hears and answers prayers. At times, He immediately responds to a prayer with a resounding ‘Yes’ but there are also times when He responds differently in spite of persistent praying.

Have no doubt. God wants you to pray continually with faith. Why? The life of the apostle Paul is an example of faith. Paul was believed to have “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7). There is no description but readers believe the “thorn” was a chronic and debilitating health issue that kept him from doing his work. He prayed many times asking for God to take the ‘thorn’ away and waited in patience and faith for an answer. Yet, his prayer was not granted.

Paul got something better. Paul prayed persistently with faith and heard God’s voice. Paul learned God’s will in his life. God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Corinthians: 9) Paul realized that his ‘thorn in the flesh’ prevented him from being conceited. Paul had many wonderful spiritual experiences and developed great preaching prowess and it was difficult not to brag. The ‘thorn’ kept him humble. Paul was aware of his weaknesses and knew that his achievements were gifts from God and not of his own making.

You see, returning to God again and again in prayer keeps your communication lines with Him open. It gives God an opportunity to communicate with you and more importantly, gives you an opportunity to hear Him. It is usually after you have prayed and prayed that you run out of words and then, you stop talking and hear God in the silence.

Praying persistently is a way to rely on God for His solution to a problem. You may think that you know the solution so you pray and pray for it, but your solution may not be God’s. There are times when God has to bend your will to match His and it is only when you pray persistently that you begin to realize that you have to let go of your own solutions and let God work in your life. Oftentimes, our first prayers are not the best ones and so sometimes, God makes us wait. If we keep on praying, God will reshape our desires until they match His desires.

Hence, pray persistently not because you think that by doing so you will eventually get what you want, but because by doing so you are keeping your communication lines with God active which is what He wants. Don’t lose heart. Keep on praying. Otherwise, you will miss out on a great opportunity, that is, allowing God to work through you, in you and with you.

Pray persistently for the right reasons. Experience God’s presence, goodness, mercy and power as He touches your life!

The correct way of going about a spiritual retreat can mean the difference between obtaining great benefit from such retreats, and only a mediocre stay where little is learned. Luckily there are a few key points of advice that will give the benefit of such retreats a large boost in effect.

The biggest threat to one’s spiritual retreat would be the wealth of communication options to the outside world. Laptops, PDAs, cell phones, and other distractions can take away from the seriousness of a spiritual retreat. most retreats even recommend that such devices be left at home, although having a cell phone around in case of emergency is always a good idea.

Meditation is such an important part of the spiritual healing and betterment process, that it is a good idea to know how to do so before engaging in a spiritual retreat. This enables those who opt for the spiritual retreat to focus more on the spiritual aspect rather than learning how to meditate or fully take advantage of the experience. This is a logical way to keep investment prices effective.

Spiritual retreats are plentiful enough to offer their services to certain needs and interests. Special interest retreats will cater to interests such as gay or lesbian interests. This will allow those with certain concerns or needs have them satisfied. This also removes all types of stress or concerns that some certain groups have while being subject to the general public.

A concern that some consider before going ahead with options in spiritual retreats is the option of having one’s aura read. Getting a proper aura reading will give one an idea on not only their present conditions and emotions, but a look on what they need to work on in order to better their current lifestyle or situation. Having this information handy before arriving at a spiritual camp is a good idea for maximum learning and enjoyment.

Lastly, it is important to keep one’s mental health stable before engaging in a retreat. It is possible to get all aforementioned topics healed or fixed at most retreats, but if you can do such things at one’s home, there is more time to work on more advanced topics at said retreats. But then again, it’s always possible to make return visits. In fact, it’s recommended! Going to spiritual retreats on a common basis will allow consumers to keep their lives on the right track to a better life- both spiritually and in vital life lessons learned at such retreats.

Closing Comments

There is much to keep in mind when trying to get the most out of a spiritual vacation. Being prepared in every way possible is a good idea to make the most from a visit. And always keep in mind that return visits are highly recommended- and should be taken where applicable. After all, benefits can be obtained over a continual basis rather than just one time. Nevertheless, always keep in mind the previously mentioned topics, and maximum efficiency will be obtained from such spiritual retreats.