Atheists

In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and
Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case
against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The
argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate
presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case
dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor,
how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas,
Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my
client and all other atheists have no such holidays.."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or
holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day.

Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.'

Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he
is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture!

Friendship

One day, when I was a freshman in high school,


I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.


His name was Kyle.





It looked like he was carrying all of his books.





I thought to myself, 'Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?





He must really be a nerd.'





I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.





As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him..





They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.





His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him...





He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes





My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.





As I handed him his glasses, I said, 'Those guys are jerks.'










They really should get lives.





' He looked at me and said, 'Hey thanks!'





There was a big smile on his face.





It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.





I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.





As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before..





He said he had gone to private school before now.





I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.





We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.





He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.



I asked him if he wanted to play a little football
with my friends





He said yes.





We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.


Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.





I stopped him and said, 'Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!





' He just laughed and handed me half the books.





Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends..





When we were seniors we began to think about college.





Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.





I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never




be a problem.





He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship..





Kyle was valedictorian of our class.





I teased him all the time about being a nerd.





He had to prepare a speech for graduation.





I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak





Graduation day, I saw Kyle.





He looked great.





He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.





He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.





He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.





Boy, sometimes I was jealous!




Today was one of those days.





I could see that he was nervous about his speech.





So, I smacked him on the back and said, 'Hey, big guy, you'll be great!'





He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled.





' Thanks,' he said.





As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began





'Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.






Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends....



I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.



I am going to tell you a story.'





I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the
first day we met.





He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.





He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.





He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.





'Thankfully, I was saved.





My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable..'





I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.





I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.





Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.





Never underestimate the power of your actions..





With one small gesture you can change a person's life.





For better or for worse.





God puts us all in each others lives to impact one another in some way.




Look for God in others.







'Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.'





There is no beginning or end... Yesterday is history.





Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift...That’s why they call it the ‘present’.

COOL - You need to watch this.

How God Touches Your Heart - View To Learn More

Tuesday October 27, 2009

“Inspirational and very cool! This is what happens when you allow Jesus in your heart.” – Vince, tangle user

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=2221e70de0888341a7a3

Click on the link - be patient, it starts off with a commercial but you'll enjoy the rest.



www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=2221e70de0888341a7a3&utm_source=newsletter0821&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weeklytopvideos

Your Brothers Keeper

We claim a hopeful heritage as Christians, though it has been made all the more real in Christ. His very life attests to the truth that the road between heaven and earth is real. His proclamations of the kingdom among us indicate that there are far more windows and doors than we might have realized. His depictions of this kingdom, small but potent, waiting to be discovered, declare that we, too, traverse the ladders between heaven and earth—ascending in worship, discovering Christ beside us in our laments, awakening to the house of God in our own neighborhoods. His death and ascension, likewise, assure us that these rooms we now see in part will one day be fully ours. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" (John 14:1-2). We live our lives in this great house, preparing for the day when we will fully move inside.

Part of that preparation comes in striving to make our own houses the house of God, making sure our own doors are open and the roads leading to them are well-traversed. For the great invitation to come inside the house of God is far from an invitation to exclude. The Israelite's identity as God's people was not one that gave them permission to stave off every neighbor and keep every foreigner at bay. On the contrary, hospitality was written into the very consciousness of Israel. They saw that they were living in "none other than the house of God" and as such their very lives were to signify the master of the house. With an understanding of God's hospitality to her, the woman of Shunem urged the traveling Elisha to stay for a meal. Later, she said to her husband, "'Look, I am sure that this man who regularly passes our way is a holy man of God. Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that he can stay there whenever he comes to us'" (2 Kings 4:8-10). Those who see the rooms of the many-storied house of God recognize the need to build even more.

Though the hospitality we offer may not include the physical building of new rooms onto our houses, the image is one we cannot forget. For how often it seems we find God asking us to do the very things that God has done for us. Hospitality is a command that we are given because we have been given a home. We welcome others because we have been welcomed. We build rooms in our lives for strangers, for outcasts, and for neighbors because we, too, were once strangers when the Son prepared us a room.

We also build rooms simply because our neighbors need them. In Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous sermon on the Good Samaritan, he distinguishes between asking "What will happen to me if I stop to help this man?" and "What will happen to this man if I don't?" King then asks himself, "What will happen to humanity if I don't help? What will happen to the Civil Rights movement if I don't participate? What will happen to my city if I don't vote? What will happen to the sick if I don't visit them?"(2) Choosing to do nothing in terms of hospitality, service, mercy, and justice is still very definitely making a choice. What will happen to my neighbor if I refuse to see her need for the room I can offer? What will happen to my neighbor if I fail to see his need for the house of God?

Here, we might further discover that God not only encourages hospitality for the sake of the one who would receive it, but also for the sake of the world that sees it. In an article in The New York Times, Nicholas Kristof made the very public observation that in certain countries where danger and instability are constant threats, "you often find that the only groups still operating are Doctors Without Borders and religious aid workers: crazy doctors and crazy Christians."(3) He continues, "In the town of Rutshuru in war-ravaged Congo, I found starving children, raped widows, and shellshocked survivors. And there was a determined Catholic nun from Poland, serenely running a church clinic."(4)

Genuine hospitality is not only a logical outworking of life within the rooms of faith, it is also one of our most effective means of being the light Christ has called us to be throughout God's great house. On multiple levels, the one who builds a room for a neighbor is illustrating the good news, and it may well be the only vision of the kingdom those who witness the act will ever behold. With Elisha and the Shunammite woman, with Jacob who first saw the ladder between heaven and earth and with Christ who used it to come even nearer, we live our lives in none other than the house of God. Might the people with whom we come in contact respond to our hospitality with the same surprise that greets us in each new room, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it."

The Ultimate Diet

The Ultimate Diet

Some years ago, a group of young boys discovered a bird nest with a couple of baby birds inside. When the boys touched the nest, the birds stretched their feeble feet to their fullest heights, balancing their heads on their wobbly necks, alternating methodically between chirping expectantly and holding their mouths wide open. Apparently, a touch of the nest had, up to this point, meant that their mother had returned with food. Unfortunately, there was no trace of motherly instincts in these boys, a fact promptly confirmed by the actions of one of them. He picked up a handful of dirt and emptied it into the mouths of the birds.

The recklessness of the actions perpetrated by the boys and the appalling consequences in this story are easy to spot. But there is a parallel habit that is all too common in many churches, and much of the time it goes unnoticed. Easily stated, the problem is that many consistent churchgoers do not have a comprehensive, steadfast biblical foundation for their faith. The rugged discipline of critical, theological reflection for a mature application of the faith in all aspects of life has all but vanished from some of our pulpits, and, as a result, many in our churches are defenseless against the onslaught of worldviews, behaviors, and other cultural trends inimical to our faith. Like unknowing, feeble hatchlings, we will swallow anything that comes our way.

We live in a period when science is believed to be the stalwart custodian of what can confidently be known about reality. In matters of religion, it is assumed that there are no experts, and the advice of a talk show host on spirituality is as reliable, if not more so, as that of the pastor. Church leaders who distinguish themselves by their oratory skills and ability to draw a crowd are unwittingly branded successful, regardless of the depth and rigor with which they themselves, let alone their listeners, grapple with the Scriptures. The admirable, deeply felt admission by the leaders of Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago that in spite of the millions of dollars they have invested in church activities over the last several decades, their way of doing church has failed to produce devoted disciples of Jesus should serve, as Pastor Bill Hybels put it, "as a wake up call" to all of the people of God.(1)

In stark contrast, the apostle Paul envisions a church community in which gifted leaders equip God's people towards unity and maturity in their knowledge of Christ so that they (the people) can do the work of the ministry. If we run the church this way, "we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming" (Ephesians 4:14). The Christian life is neither a call to legalism nor a call to lawlessness; it is a call to true, lasting transformation of the whole person. Fruits of righteousness will necessarily sprout from a well-tended, blooming soul.

Consequently, we must resist the temptation to let the ministers in our churches study the Bible for us—they are there to teach us how to study and apply its message. We should have the same expectations of ourselves that we have of our pastors. Questions such as how could he, a pastor, behave that way? or how can his kids be like that?, etc., should be asked of any follower of our Lord. Our assignments may differ, and those who are ahead in the spiritual journey bear more responsibility towards others, but we are all priests in the temple of God. We labor under the same Shepherd, and any black sheep—pastor or not—disgraces the whole herd and dishonors the Shepherd.

Popular daytime television programs illustrate this point in a powerful way. The format is always the same: you show as much garbage as you can during the program and then take the last few seconds to issue some moral exhortations. When you think about it, the logic behind this is truly incredible. How can any thinking human being believe that a one minute, haphazard, second-rate moralizing statement can ameliorate the effects of a full hour of unmitigated moral filth? Yet unfortunately, we operate on a similar premise when we live our lives as though God does not exist six days out of the week and then expect a one hour church service on Sunday morning to straighten us out. If we don't learn to feed properly and consistently on the reality of God's Kingdom delineated in his Word, we leave ourselves quite vulnerable to the never-tiring enemy of our souls whose time-tested skills at feeding unprotected, hungry mouths are unequalled.

J.M. Njoroge is associate apologist at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Christianity Today, October 18, 2007.

Link on Prayer of Jabez from Beth

www.crossroad.to/articles2/Jabez.htm

For more info on prayer of Jabez that Beth was teaching on Wed go to above link.

Sledgehammers and Other Good News

Sledgehammers and Other Good News

I found myself sighing with something like relief one day after reading a comment made by C.S. Lewis. He was responding to a statement made by a scholar who noted that he didn't "care for" the Sermon on the Mount but "preferred" the Pauline ethics. As you can imagine, Lewis was bothered at the suggestion of Scripture alternatives between which we freely choose, and it was this that he addressed first. But his response also included a striking remark about the Sermon on the Mount, and this is what caught my attention. Said Lewis, "As to 'caring for' the Sermon on the Mount, if 'caring for' here means liking or enjoying, I suppose no one cares for it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledgehammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of the man who can read that passage with tranquil pleasure. This is indeed to be 'at ease in Zion.'"

To be "at ease in Zion" was the deplorable state of existence the prophet Amos spoke of in his harsh words to the Israelites. Reeling in false security and erroneous confidence from their economic affluence and self-indulgent lifestyles, the Israelites, Amos warned, would be the first God would send into exile if they failed to heed his words.

The Sermon on the Mount is as equally shocking as the threat of exile to those whose homeland is far more than an identity. Lewis's comparison of Christ's words to a sledgehammer is not far off. Those potent chapters are not unlike the electric paddles used to shock the heart back to life, back to the rhythm it was intended to have all along.

The Sermon on the Mount is like the keynote address for the kingdom Christ came to introduce, the very kingdom the Father wanted us to see badly enough that He was willing to send his Son to show us. On that mountainside, Jesus points out many of the mountains that blur our vision of this kingdom. He reminds us that we are not seeing as he sees, not grasping reality as it really is. "You have heard that it was so..." he says again and again, "but I tell you..." His words are hard and thorough, and even the simplest of phrases is permeated with the profound glory of a kingdom we see in part but ache to know in fullness:

"Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8).

Perhaps I have become at ease in Zion if I can read these words without wondering if I am among the blessed. When I lose sight of the kingdom behind the haze of selfish ambition, guilt, or fear, Christ's words become like a foghorn calling me to set my eyes on the one I follow and live up to the hope I embody: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men" (5:13). When I find myself making demands of God I am shown again just how much God demands of me: "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." (5:29).

For the crowds that gathered that day on the hillside, Jesus's words were equally demanding. If God's commandments were difficult before this sermon, they were now entirely terrifying. Who can stand in this kingdom Jesus describes? And how is this good news? And yet, in all of his wisdom, in his unfathomable love, in the middle of his sermon Jesus proclaims gently but confidently, "Do not worry." It is as if he says to those trembling with the fear of certain failure, "It is my life, truth, and way that make all things possible." This, he says again at the point of the Cross.

The Sermon on the Mount is a concentrated example of how Jesus lays down the law of God, even as he comes to fulfill it. It is clear that he expects us to build the houses of our lives upon his words, and he adds that only those who do so are wise and will be safe. His life cries out to all who are at ease in Zion, weary from self-indulgence, unaware of God at work among us, and in this his role is uncompromisable. He is both Lord to be obeyed and savior who bestows the possibility.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Love One Another

The Final Apologetic

If there’s a message that the Lord has been speaking to me over many years is it the crucial aspect of what it means to be a Christian community.

What Jesus would say to his disciples the closing evening before he would be arrested and tried is of such importance in our understanding what it means to be Christian. I’m beginning to see that is it not what it means to speak christianly per se, but rather, to be Christians. Jesus said in John 13:34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” The old commandment was from Leviticus 19, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Now here, Jesus raises the bar and says, the standard of your love for one another will not be your love for yourself; it’ll be my love for you: “As I have loved you, you must love one another.”

In John 15:9, Jesus says again, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” In other words, the standard of love for us within the body of Christ is the standard by which the Father loves the Son.

In the country of my birth, India, I have often shared the gospel with Hindus and Muslims. And of course, you need to have an apologetic for them when you ask them to follow Christ because you are calling them out of a community. Hindus and Muslims have very strong communities. I’m now discovering in the Asia Pacific that Buddhism is also an equally strong community. But when you ask them to follow Christ, are you inviting them into a community or are you calling them out of their communities into a vacuum?

To be a part of the body of Christ is about constructing such communities. That’s exactly what Jesus is saying here in John 13-17. It has to be demonstrable. It has to be seen and felt by people that they would know that we belong to Christ.

The only way people will know that you are my disciples, says Jesus, is to demonstrate it, not individually, but by your relationships—for there can be no real apologetic without a community of love and relationships. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” After we have given all the arguments, the defenses and the evidences, this indeed is the final apologetic.

L.T. Jeyachandran is executive director of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Singapore.

A Song Only I Can Sing by Amanda Jones

A Song Only I Can Sing

Scripture Reading: Psalm 139:1-18

Today's Treasure: "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be," (Psalm 139:16b).

Yesterday was my twenty-fifth birthday. It was a wonderful day and the Lord spoiled me with lots of love and gifts as He has done every year. There was something different about this one, though. Twenty-five years is a quarter of a century. At least one fourth of my life has already been spent. What a weird feeling!

When I woke up that morning I felt the weight of twenty-five years on my heart. Even if the Lord doesn't give me one more day, I've had a generous portion of years to live out. Don't worry, I didn't count the days. (But if I had, it would have been approximately 9,125.) I was wondering, but afraid to ask, What is the Lord's appraisal of my life? By now I have no excuses. I've known Him since early childhood and I've had plenty of time to grow in my faith and put it into action. Have I done enough for Him? How much have I missed because I was busy with lesser things? I wasted a lot of years between middle school and college. Are my growing years starting to outweigh the stagnant years?

I'm happy to say that as I bounded down the stairs on the way to my quiet time spot, the Lord changed my heart. Instead of thinking of all I have or haven't done in my life, the Holy Spirit began to give me thoughts about how much He had done in my life. I must say, He's a hard worker.

My heart suddenly began to flood with praise and gratitude to God. The fear I had of His condemnation was replaced with peace and worship. The weight on my heart changed from burdensome to pleasant. I was overwhelmed by God's goodness to act in my life and reveal Himself to me. It's not about what I have done, but what He has done. What freedom! As my mom and I often ask each other, Want He more praise? Yes!

My praise became so furious that I feared the friction of the pen on my prayer journal page might start a holy fire. I praised Him with big words, with simple words, with song phrases and with Scripture. I praised Him with the "5 statement pledge of faith" from Believing God. As someone who's crazy about His creatures, I even praised God according to Job 38:41 for providing "food for the raven when its young cry out to [Him] and wander about for lack of food." I realize this verse may not move everyone, but I'm pretty sure I had tears dripping off my face at this point.

Then thoughts started crossing my mind that brought my pen to a standstill. What praise can my feeble human mind give Him that has not already been given? He wants more praise! And I want to give it to Him! His mind is infinite; man's mind is not. Surely every wonderful thing a person can say to God has already been said. I know He doesn't mind hearing praises He's already heard before. I know He looks on the heart when we worship. But what if I want to offer a new praise? A different praise? A praise that's never been given before?

Do you know what He spoke to my heart? Amanda, your unique praise to Me is to walk out your life on the one-of-a-kind path I've given you. I have specially designed this path for My praise, from your life.

Everything He's laid out for your life and mine has been meant for His praise. Our individual lives are songs only we can sing to Him. If we fail to sing our songs to Him, He will never hear them. He picked us to live these lives, these paths and these circumstances. With new determination I want to live mine unto Him as worship.

This revelation was particularly timely because less than two weeks ago the Lord moved my husband and me to a new city. God has affirmed time and time again that we are in His will. Scripture tells me that He determined the times set for me and the exact places I should live (Acts 17:26b). He knew I would find myself here. I'm full of joy and very excited. Even so, it was my first time to be away from my mom on my birthday. I tried really hard not to let it bother me, but there was a lump in my throat all day. Mom said it's because the day of my birth mostly involved the two of us. That makes sense, doesn't it?

Because of the Lord's design, I was able to offer a unique praise to Him yesterday as I celebrated my twenty-fifth birthday through laughter and tears. The path ahead of me may bring a lot more laughter, or it may hold an abundance of tears. He only lets me see a few steps at a time, so I don't know. In view of the uncertainty of the life ahead, it encourages me to know that living my life unto Him is unique worship. I may not be creative enough to come up with original words, phrases or emotions to praise Him with, but He is creative enough to ordain unique praise from my one-of-a-kind life.

Lord, thank You for being active in the lives of men. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us and for handcrafting our lives. Please help me walk willingly and faithfully down this path You've created. Thank You for being my companion as I walk. Receive my life as a unique song of praise, for Your glory alone. In Jesus' name, amen.

© Copyright, Amanda Jones, 2004

The Struggle with Perspective

The Struggle with Perspective

I must confess to a certain curiosity with why things turn out as they do. I read a lot of history, biographies, and stories of human successes and failures. Being a child of a particular age, I was raised with a certain degree of optimism. The bad times—World War II, the Korean War—were behind us, and once again we could get back to the normal business of pursuing happiness and success, which I was led to believe were easily within my reach.

Optimism is not hope, yet it is a recurring feature of life in good times. It is also a feature that all too quickly vanishes and reveals itself for what it is when bad times return. As a European, I lived through one of history's great turning points, a turning point powerfully demonstrated in the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. The wall was not simply a physical reality, which had divided families, a nation, and a continent for decades; it was a symbol of the clash of visions and worldviews that battled for a season, not only for Europe, but for global dominance.

I can well remember the astonished newscasters as Germans embraced each other on top of the despised symbol of separation. Europe and the world seethed with the euphoria of change. The brave new world was being born, and optimism was the mood of the day (1989-1991). I heard breathless gurus of the age proclaim the dawn of unfettered freedom, and one, even wrote shortly thereafter about "the end of history and the last man" in the sincere belief of the triumph of free market capitalism and liberal democracy.

Yet wisdom bids us to stop, look, and listen. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, we have witnessed 9/11, bombings in Spain, Bali, and London. We have seen the debacles of Enron, WorldCom, and the fiascos of "Bear Stearns" (USA) and "Northern Rock" (UK). Optimism has met its match. Perhaps for some, they are seeing the collapse of hopes and the fulfillment of fears. The movie scene is reflectively filled with apocalyptic and nihilistic visions.

When hope fades, cynicism is often waiting in the wings. And this is indeed one of the great challenges of our time. Skepticism (there is nothing good and I know it) and cynicism (I can't trust anybody or anything and I know this) seem reasonable choices. But is this a necessary outcome or orientation for us? I think not. Yet, if we have bought into a rationalist vision, if we have embraced the vision and values of our age uncritically, if the Christian faith is merely a part-time investment in an over cluttered life, then we don't have the necessary orientation or resolve to face the issues and challenges of our time.

The Scriptures open up for us a view of the world that is very different. There is a God. This God is the creator, and He is personal, loving, willful, and particular. We see that despite being a good creation, a disruption and disorder has occurred and the drama of redemption unfolds. But the central character here is God! It is what God does, whom God appoints, and what God decides that makes the difference. Now please don't go rushing to theological dictionaries or well-entrenched beliefs to determine "whose" side I'm on in terms of God's purpose and human will. I'll tell you. I believe in both.

I have seen too much, experienced too much, read too much, and pondered too much to believe that my choices are determined, socially conditioned, or illusory. I believe they are real. However, I have also seen too much, experienced too much, read too much, and pondered too much to believe that they are, as Lewis would say, "the whole show." History is not a fatalist's game. Humans do act, and often with serious and sad outcomes. The good news is that we are not alone! Writing to the Romans, the apostle Paul reminded them that hope is real because it is anchored in one who is able to carry it, sustain it, and fulfill it (Romans 8:24-25; 28-30). History is moving to an end, and the Bible offers a good end. Thus, the difference between optimism (short term and easily overcome) and hope (eternal and anchored) is where they are rooted. One leans on human effort; the other rests in God and God's promises.

Stuart McAllister is vice president of training and special projects at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

This 9 minute video is a MUST SEE!

www.skitguys.com/store/detail/188/

The Blind Girl

There was
a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She
hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always
there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see
the world, I will marry you.'

One day,
someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages
came off, she was able to see everything, including her
boyfriend.



He asked
her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The
girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The
sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected

that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life
led her to refuse to marry him.



Her
boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her
saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before
they were yours, they were mine.'



This is
how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who
was always by their side in the most painful situations.



Life Is a
Gift



Today
before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't
speak.



Before
you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone
who has nothing to eat.



Before
you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone
who's crying out to GOD for a companion.



Today
before you complain about life - Think of someone who went
too early to heaven.



Before
whining about the distance you drive Think of someone who
walks the same distance with their feet.



And when
you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the
unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your
job.



And when
depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on
your face and think: you're alive and still
around.

More of the Spirit by Beth Moore

More of His Spirit
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2

Today’s Treasure: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

You and I need nothing on this earth like more of the Holy Spirit. Do we need to love an unlovely person? Do we need extra patience? Could we use a little peace in the midst of chaos? Do we need to show an extra measure of kindness? Could anyone stand a little more faithfulness to God? Could anyone use a strong does of self-discipline? How about a heaping soulful of joy? Take a look at Galatians 5:22-23. They all come with the fullness of the Holy Spirit! You see, we don’t just need more patience. We need more of the Holy Spirit filling us and anointing us!

Now before anybody starts writing me letters, let me go on to explain. I realize the Holy Spirit is a person. When He comes into a believer’s life at salvation, He moves in personally. We believers have the Spirit, but the infinite Spirit of God continues to pour Himself into our lives. Any given day I may enjoy a greater portion of His Spirit from on high.

Does anyone need deep insight from God’s Word? An added measure of understanding? Anyone need the eyes of her heart enlightened to know the hope of her calling? Does anyone want to fulfill God’s eternal purposes for her life and think with the mind of Christ instead of the misleading mind of mortal flesh? All of these come with “more” of the Holy Spirit! (See 1 Corinthians 2.)

Child of God, don’t just absorb this truth! Get up and celebrate it! God gives His Spirit without measure! He has all that you need. Or more properly stated, He is that all you need. Our fulfillment and greatest joy are in the flooding of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. He is how we understand God’s Word and will for our lives!

Here’s a good one: Could anyone use a sharper memory? Beloved, I could! Take a look at John 14:26. “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send you in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

The Holy Spirit is the blessed Reminder. Have you ever noticed we have a very sharp memory about destructive things, but a far duller memory over instructive things? We need more of the Holy Spirit! Recently I had to memorize lines for a Christmas pageant at our church. I had never done anything like that, and I was a nervous wreck. Because I knew John 14:26, instead of just asking God to help me with my lines, I asked Him to fill me with more of His Holy Spirit so the blessed Reminder would manifest Himself to me—and He did! He is your key to memorizing Scripture or retaining anything biblical. Take Him up on it!

What do you need most from the Holy Spirit? Are you actively praying for more of Him toward that end? Luke 11:13 implies that if we want the Holy Spirit to invade more and more of our lives, God wants us to ask Him for it!

Holy Spirit, I do need more of you in my life. Please invade every part of me with ever-increasing measure. Energize my speech, thought patterns, and actions. Please show me where I’m quenching Your Spirit and hindering Your work. Remind me to pray for more and more of You. In the holy name of Jesus, Amen.

Adapted from The Beloved Disciple, by Beth Moore, pages 163-164. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2003. Used by permission.

Click and enjoy "A Simple Act of Kindness"

click here .......to read a simple act of kindness.

American Education

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said: 'Let me see if I've got this right.

'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits,
shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.

'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal ride.

'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.

'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.

'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard,a bulletin board, few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.

'You want me to do all this and then you tell me......

I CAN'T PRAY?

"Food" for thought

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...God left us great clues as to what foods help what part of our body! God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the
body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances
hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic
chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Pumpkin...

A woman was asked by a co worker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"

The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin." God picks you from
the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He
cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new
smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to
see."

This was passed on to me by another pumpkin.

45 Rules for Life Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old.

1. Life isn't fair,but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone....

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful,beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19.. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26.. Frame every so-called disaster with these words'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything..

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Faith Challeged

Faith Challenged

I have been debating whether to share this or not and as I prayed about it, God showed me that He does miracles in our lives so that we may share them with others and He can receive all the glory, not so that we can keep it to ourselves.

Early this year a friend of mine shared a book with me titled God's Smugglers and told me that I had to read it. Little did I know the impact that it would have on my life and my faith when I agreed to read it. This book is a true story about a Polish missionary who lived during the cold war, he lived an incredible and dangerous life transporting Bibles across closed borders-and tells about the miraculous ways in which God provided for him every step of the way.

The part of the book that made the biggest impression on me was the training that brother Andrew received while in training to become a missionary. He was taught to rely only on God to provide for him financially for all of his needs and never to ask anyone to fund his missions. Time after time he told of these incredible miracles of how God provided for him. Time after time I read how God would help him "smuggle" bibles into communist countries and the guards at the entry point would be "blinded" and not notice the stack of bibles in his little car.

The more I thought about how this man trusted God to meet all his needs the more I craved to have this kind of faith. The more I craved it the more I was challenged to live this way myself. God's timing on this is so perfect. I was reading this book right around the time that Andre came home to tell us that He was receiving a ten percent pay cut on his salary. His employer was cutting back on a lot of things in hopes to keep the company viable. At this point we were already struggling to pay our bills with more bills than money every month, and now he comes home telling us we will have even less and we were pretty sure the company was on it last leg.

And now to what God was getting ready to teach me and reveal to me. I have had a credit cards to my name since I was sixteen. I have used them and depended on them all of my adult life. And through college and my marriage we have accumulated debt that we have not been able to pay off for a long time. In the last couple of years I have justified using them in thinking that I knew that God would understand when I used them because they were necessary things like gas, food and especially my insulin and testing supplies. But the more I read the more I was convicted of my dependence on these plastic cards. God allowed me to see that my faith and trust was not really on Him to meet all my needs but on the credit cards. I always relied on them to get me out of a jam if I ever needed them. And I was needing them a lot lately.

No one can serve two masters, either he will hate the one or love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Mathew 6:24

So once I realized what He was revealing to me I decided that I wanted to live completely and totally dependent on Him and stop using my credit cards completely. I have always wanted to before but never had the courage or the conviction to do it. I told Andre what I had been reading about and I prayed and made a promise that I would not use the credit cards anymore no matter what. It felt really good and then....
God decided to put me to the test.

One week later I came home and thought, that we had a power outage in the neighborhood. Then I realized that it was only my house that did not have electricity. It was a Thursday afternoon and we had no money in the bank until Friday (pay day) and when I called the power company with my cell phone to find out what happened they told me that my check had bounced. The lady on the phone was really nice and told me I could use a credit card to get my power turned on again if I wanted to... but I had promised God... but it is an emergency... but I promised God no matter what... but we had no other choice... I went back and forth like this and decided to call Andre.

He told me to use the credit card and then we hung up. I couldn't do it. I did not want to go against my husband but I could not do it. I couldn't go against my promise to God. So I decided that I would call the lady back and I would give her my debit card number knowing that we did not have the balance in the account and there would not be enough money in it until Friday afternoon. But I took my chance and decided to trust God with the result.

I gave the lady my information and we hung up. I waited and I prayed, I went into the closet and got on my knees with my bible and began reading the psalms and praising God. I did not know what else to do. I waited and waited and pleaded with God to do a miracle. I told God that I wasn't going back on my promise and that we would use candles that night and cook some chicken on the grill but that I was not going to use the credit cards. About 15 minutes passed by and then... the electricity came back on!!! It was a miracle! I know deep down in my heart that it was. God heard my prayers and he saw the sincerity in my heart and blessed me for it. It was amazing. I was amazed!!!

It has been four months now and I have not used my credit cards once. God has provided free lance work for Andre to supplement our paycheck and we have not stopped paying our bills or tithing to our church. I am amazed. I was going to the credit cards on a very frequent basis and since I made my promise and was tested on it I have not had to use them at all!

I struggled to share this story because I was worried what other people would think of us and frankly I was embarrassed about where we were financially. And now even though we are not out of debt we are working to pay it off, not adding to our debt but most importantly living completely and totally dependent on God for our finances. Andre's job is still on very shaky ground but I can say with certainty that we know that God is in control. I think the biggest gift I have gained from all of this besides learning to trust in God has been the peace that has come with it. I have complete peace about our financial future and trust God completely Hallelujah!

I hope this blesses someone today.