The Power of a Mother's Promise

Twenty-seven years ago this month, my mom made a promise that changed our lives forever.
by Stacy Wiebe

Now that I'm also a mother, I've come to see that promise as a kind of spiritual umbilical cord, a maternal link God used to bring new to life me and my family, and to countless others.

Prayer from a mother's heart
On May 30, 1975 my sister Carey was born. She was a true angel baby - sleeping through the night from the day we brought her home. She completed a trio of girls; I was four, and Amy, two.

A week after Carey's birth, Mom knew something was terribly wrong. Her left leg suddenly stopped working, dragging behind her.

By the time she arrived at the hospital, her leg was dead black. An astute nurse immediately nailed the cause: blood clots. Two hundred of them, the doctor said, coursed through her veins. One passed through her lung, causing pneumonia and kidney failure.

In her hospital bed, Mom had a conversation with God - something that had often comforted her battered heart as a child. Growing up, her parents partied hard and often abandoned her; when they were home, they were more harsh than loving. God's was the best listening ear she knew.

Now she turned to it again: "Oh, God, I want to live to see my babies grow up and get married," she prayed. "Please help me. I will do anything…" And then she made a promise: "I'll… I'll read the Bible. From cover to cover."

After 10 days in the hospital, Mom came home. The doctor said that if the clot that had passed through her lung had been a hair bigger, she wouldn't have survived.

Revelation
As she recovered, Mom remembered her promise. Starting in Genesis, she plodded through the super-size Bible she had bought, even though much of it seemed to reinforce her childhood notion that it was decipherable only by men who wore stiff collars.

Even so, a lot of what she read moved her, and when she came upon the question "What must I do to be saved?" in the book of Acts, chapter 16, the answer spoke directly to her: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

She responded then to God's voice in her spirit, and was filled with understanding of how His love had led Him to send His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for everything she had ever done wrong in her life - and ever would do. "It was quite a revelation," she later told me.

One thing I remember around this time is an earnest, private conversation with my mom. She revealed to me the truth about Santa Claus, and afterwards pulled out a book and read about a woman named Mary who had a baby named Jesus. She told me, "This story is real."

The cross and the barber pole
When I was eight, Mom decided our family needed to go to church. We attended various services, but church felt like a foreign, impenetrable culture with its own language and customs.

Mom found herself offering up another big prayer, "God, if You really want us to go to church, You're going to have to send one to our back yard."

God answered three months later in the form of a short Norwegian pastor in his 70s. He came to our door to invite us to a new church starting up at the barber/beauty shop three miles down the road. By country standards, three miles is on your front porch!

We went to the inaugural service, walking past the hair-washing sinks to the main room of the A-frame building. Though we sat discreetly in the back, we failed to make ourselves invisible. In fact, that little community of about 20 people immediately embraced us and over time, through their lives, showed us the winsomeness and Truth of genuine Christianity. My mom grew in her faith, and it wasn't long before my dad, my two sisters and I each decided to follow Jesus as our Forgiver and Leader.

Life, BC and AD
In the following years, I had a front-row seat to changed lives. God re-fashioned my parents' character, their habits, their attitudes.

Their abundant affection and the inner experience I had of God's love under girded me during my awkward school-age years.

Then I became a teenager.

In ninth grade, I decided to change my misfit image for the gloss of popularity, whatever the cost. I'll come back to God later when I'm done doing things my way, I reasoned. I shrugged off any consequences and believed that to have a "good" testimony, like so many of the dramatic ones I had heard, that I had to have a "past."

At 17, I finally woke up. God helped me imagine how my life might turn out if I continued shunning His love and leadership. I thanked God for protecting me in spite of my unwise choices and I realized the incredible privilege of having been spared the pain that my parents had experienced before knowing Christ.

Three weddings and a baby
When my sisters and I each married, Mom relished in the weddings. God answered her prayer that she would see us wed, and the subsequent ones that each of us would choose a mate who loved God.

Her joy ballooned with the arrival of grandchildren, and when it was my husband Mike's and my turn to tell them we were adding to the brood, we flew home to share the news in person.

A few days into our visit , my nurse-practioner called. A blood test had come back positive for "Factor V Leiden," a genetic blood disorder that can cause clotting during pregnancy and post-partum. The nurse wanted me to start right away on injections of heparin, a blood-thinning medication. Without it there was a high risk for miscarriage, still birth or blood clots.

At first I felt sorry for myself. Suddenly I was having a "high risk" pregnancy. Sticking my stomach with a needle twice a day was not the way I had envisioned enjoying my growing abdomen.

Mom felt guilty: "How could I have passed this on to you?" she thought.

It wasn't long before our emotions melted to thankfulness. God had intervened and prevented me from suffering what my mother had - or something worse. My obstetrician told me that few doctors are screening for this genetic blood disorder, which was discovered just 10 years ago.

"Why me?" became, "Why have I been singled out for so great a grace?"

A new branch
On March 30, 2001 my mom witnessed for the first time the birth of a baby - my son, Liam.

My greatest hope for Liam is that he will respond to God's gift of grace and follow Him with all his heart. As he grows, I will tell him that God has a plan for his life, and that He intervened to protect him in the womb. I'll tell him this parallels the way God's grace intervened to touch the spiritual deadwood that characterized our family tree, grafting in a new branch - one that is spiritually alive.

And I'll tell him how it all began with a mother's promise.

~~~~~~

A new branch in your family tree could start with you!
As a young girl, my mom told her parents, " I am going to raise my family differently." They laughed and said, "You will see." She did not know then that the difference she would raise us girls with was Christ.

Following Christ and creating a Christian home is something no one can do though, by just "trying really hard." We need help - or better - the one Jesus called the "Helper."

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God has given you His Holy Spirit to help you live life according to His perfect plan. Why not pray this simple prayer and by faith invite Him to fill you with His Spirit:

Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by
directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through
Christ's death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place
on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be
filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith.
I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I thank You for
directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen

If you prayed this prayer today, we would love to hear from you . Perhaps we could connect you with a mentor or provide resourceful links that could help you in this new journey.

Content By: Thoughts-About-God

What God says about your money

Once you've figured out what Christianity, Judaism or Islam preach about making and spending money, teach your kids early and often.
By Abby Ellin

Faiths usually offer parents very clear direction on child-rearing. Premarital sex, for instance? That's pretty much a no-no, no matter what deity you worship. Dietary rules can also be pretty straightforward -- no pork for Muslims and Jews, no beef for Hindus.

But when it comes to money, the picture is cloudier. What does the Bible or the Koran actually say about money? Does God want us to own a fleet of yachts? Or does he (or she) think suffering and hardship is noble?
Video: Does God want your kid to be rich?

Happily, the consensus among most religious leaders seems to be that the Almighty does not want you to live off food stamps and is quite happy for you to drive a Porsche. But Scriptures say that a portion of your earnings should be returned through gifts to charity and offerings to the church -- what some denominations call tithing.

Cantor Erik L. Contzius, of Temple Israel in New Rochelle, N.Y., is trying to instill these lessons in his 6-year-old son. Whenever the boy goes to Hebrew school, Contzius hands him a dollar to put in the tzedakah box for charity.
Video: Thou shalt not hoard your money

"If we teach it at a very young age to give, hopefully it will stick," Contzius says.

Carolyn Castleberry, a writer in Virginia Beach, Va., talks about this idea in her series of financial-empowerment books for women, based on Biblical principles.

"Proverbs 31 has been held up as a standard," says Castleberry, a mother of two who also writes a newsletter called "The Proverbs 31 Investor." The Old Testament passage -- which describes a virtuous woman as having a price "above rubies" -- is "about a woman who is a businessperson, a wife, she has a family, but she became an investor," Castleberry explains.
Video: What the Bible teaches

"She knew how to create passive income, she was a real-estate investor -- so she was providing for her family and also for generations, so she's a role model."

According to Castleberry, the Bible addresses the topic of money more than any other issue -- more than 2,000 passages discuss it. The No. 1 rule? "To tithe or give back," she says, quoting Malachi 3:10: "Bring to me the first of your possessions and I'll open up the skies of heaven."

The Bible also admonishes us to be good stewards of money (although here Christianity and Judaism differ from Islam, which forbids interest accrual).

A parable from Matthew discusses a boss who gave his three employees a certain amount of money.

Two of them invested it, while the third took his portion and buried it. When the boss returned, he was dismayed by the third man's actions.

"It wasn't enough," says Castleberry. "It's the whole 'use it or lose it' philosophy. So we need to learn to make money on our money."

But even if we've figured out what our God wants from us, how do we teach our kids?
Video: 9-year-old's money tips

"The Bible teaches us to train a child early, and when they are older they won't forget," Castleberry says. "I try to get kids focused on creating goals early, which comes from Proverbs 4:26: 'Know where you're headed and you'll sit on solid ground.'"

Steve Maxwell, 45, a commercial-real-estate investor, business owner and "financial fluency" teacher in Windsor, Colo., feels the same.

Maxwell's 15-year-daughter, Natalie, recently asked her father, a self-made millionaire and devout Christian, to teach a course on business and financial fluency for her and her friends. The group meets weekly and Maxwell gives them assignments: to start working on their financial statements, say, or to read a book on money and then teach the rest of the class.

He has encouraged each of his three kids to acquire a major asset, such as a business or property, while they are still in their teens. He, too, emphasizes the importance of giving back, mentioning a tenet from Proverbs 11:25: "A generous man will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

"My belief of that is that's not just talking about money -- you can be generous in lots of ways -- but it also does apply to money," Maxwell says.

Islam offers a slightly different perspective on finances, says Sohaib Sultan, 27, the Muslim chaplain at both Wesleyan University and Trinity College in Connecticut.

In addition to the prohibition on accumulating interest, he says, "the key teaching in Islam about money and finances is the idea of moderation -- the idea of balance, of maintaining a good livelihood for yourself but at the same time not being exuberant."

Sultan works with young children at the Muslim community center in Berlin, Conn., where he tries to teach them the importance of budgeting every month. "I want them to be very conscious of how they're spending their wealth," he says. "We try to instill the idea that we'll be held accountable to God for how we spend every penny."

Judaism sees spending as a way to share with others, says Allan M. Gonsher, an ordained rabbi in Kansas City.

"If you simply talk about money as dollars and quarters, then you really limit what money means in Judaism," says Gonsher, who devotes a chapter of his book -- "Allowance is Not a Bribe (And Other Helpful Hints for Raising Responsible Jewish Children)" -- to teaching children about money.

He recalls his grandmother always setting an extra plate at the dinner table so that there was room for a guest. "Money for us means bringing people into the family, helping people who don't have," he says. "That's a phenomenal concept that's related to money: Add another chicken to the chicken soup. Set up another plate. Pick up your clothes and take them to the Salvation Army."

[Source: MSN]

Caught Up In Catanoia - Thinking And Feeling Like God

By Jason Witt

When you receive the Seal you will find the Wisdom of God beautiful to think about. You will value catanoia, or thinking and feeling with the Wisdom of God. But you will not take of any Forbidden Fruit like Adam and Eve did for catanoia. God created the world and what surrounds it in the universe in seven days. On the fifth day He created the first man Adam. He breathed spiritual Life into Adam after shaping him out of the earth.

This is how God will set the Seal upon you. He will shape the Seal out of the earth, because it is the place where a single wheat Seed is sown. That wheat Seed is Jesus Christ. Jesus will be sown in your soul when God sets His Seal upon your forehead. When a wheat seed bears fruit, that fruit can be eaten or sown again to bear more fruit.

So when Jesus bears Fruit from your soul, you will have more seed to sow. You will have the message to sow again and you will also have some left over for people to eat. When that message bears fruit, and the people eat of it, it can also be sown again to grow believers. Jesus will grow into the message and finally into believers in the message. And this is sown upon your forehead. God chose your forehead for a reason, because that is where you think your thoughts.

The devil tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. He asked why she could not eat of every fruit in the Garden. She explained God had prohibited her from eating the Forbidden Fruit and the punishment was death. The devil lied to Eve and told her she would not die as a punishment for eating it. But he told her the truth about the beauty of the knowledge the Forbidden Fruit gave her.

When she ate of the Forbidden Fruit she did have that knowledge. She had the knowledge of the gods. Knowledge that was reserved for the gods and that people did not need to know of. Moral knowledge. Knowledge of good and evil. You will have access to such moral perception when you are sealed. But you will not have to eat any Forbidden Fruit to do it. God will change your thoughts and change your feelings too.

These changes are catanoia. They are your perception altered by God. The devil is fighting to take hold of your thoughts too. So the Holy Spirit is active in changing your feelings along with your thoughts. The devil can influence you with convincing thoughts. But those are rather cold thoughts, devoid of any emotion. When you are sealed the devil will not be able to influence the way you feel much.

So your feelings will accompany your thoughts and you will see things God's way in catanoia. God will share His Pleasure with you when He approves and He will cast you into a deep sleep and reveal it emotionally in you when He disapproves. When you are sealed you will know God's Will for you directly by catanoia. You do not need to understand moral judgment of other people. What you need, and what God shares with you in catanoia, is to know God's Will for you.

When you are sealed you will think and feel what God shares with you of His own Will by catanoia. This is the most precious perception you can possibly have, and you will have it when you receive the Seal.

And now Jason would like to invite you to get your FREE report Are You Making These Mistakes as a Christian? and Get God's 'Seal of Approval' and Get the Victory Over Evil
Jason Witt

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Witt

Our Lord's Name Is Allah

By Harun Yahya

In the Qur'an Allah has revealed that the unbelievers will constantly resort to various means and mobilize all their forces to prevent people from believing in Him, adhering to His path and remembering Him:

Those who disbelieve spend their wealth barring access to the way of Allah. They will spend it; then they will regret it; then they will be overthrown... (Surat al-Anfal, 36)

This labor of opposition may sometimes be carried out using open methods and means, and at other times by the use of secret tactics. Yet the objective is always the same: to prevent the remembrance of the name of Allah and thus to turn people away from religious moral values.

The various trends that have recently emerged simultaneously in various countries are noteworthy from this point of view. Clearly, these world views, which speak in veiled terms of a cosmic force, an energy, or a designer of the universe, but which stubbornly refuse to recall the name of Almighty Allah, the only Creator of all things, serve a false purpose. This may be an effort to misdirect the spiritual quest in people and to prevent them from living by the true religion.

At heart, this is a project aimed at establishing an artificial religion, a kind of mixture of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Under this artificial religion, people will accept the existence of a power that brought the universe into being, but the identity of that power will be unclear (Surely Allah is beyond that); they will not recall the name of Allah, and will not learn and appreciate His great attributes as they should. They will ignore the fact that He is the only Creator and Lord of the entire universe, and there will thus be no need for them to live by the religious commandments He revealed to mankind.

It is clear that this represents a grave threat to religious moral values. This is why true believers must be on their guard against movements that avoid recalling the name of Allah and openly stating that Almighty Allah created the entire universe from nothing, and that instead seek to hide behind confusing and indirect terminology such as a designer, a cosmic force, or energy.

For sincere believers, recalling the name of Allah and exalting His glory is a great religious observance, a source of enthusiasm and excitement, performed with joy and love. As is revealed in the verse: "He is Allah - the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Everything in the heavens and Earth glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise," (Surat al-Hashr, 24) those who believe that Almighty Allah flawlessly created all things from nothing should feel a great sense of honor at recalling our Lord by His most glorious names.

A Muslim Rejoices at Recalling the Name of Allah

As we are informed in another verse, "Your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the Earth in six days and then settled Himself firmly on the Throne," (Surat al-A'raf, 54), our Lord is Almighty Allah. He is the Creator of all. He is Guardian over all things. He is the sole owner of the heavens and the Earth, and all that lies between. There is no other god but Him. Verses reveal that Allah, our Lord, is sublime and great:

... That is Allah, your Lord. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. He is the Living - there is no god but Him - so call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Surah Ghafir, 64-65)

One of the responsibilities of the faithful throughout their lives is to communicate the message, in other words to tell all people of the existence and oneness of Allah, to call them to the true religion, to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. The nature of the path that Muslims must follow in discharging this honorable responsibility can clearly be seen in the Qur'an and the life of the Prophet (saas). As always, a Muslim must be honest and sincere in communicating the message, and must not forget that it is Almighty Allah Who will guide to the true path. It is evident that this will not be possible without recalling the name of Allah and telling people of His existence and oneness. Muslims must describe the existence of Allah and His attributes in the manner and style He revealed in the Qur'an. The glorious attributes of our Lord are revealed thus in the Qur'an:

Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the Earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the Earth and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-Baqara, 255)

Another feature that must be seen in a Muslim who speaks of the existence and oneness of Allah is a joyous, passionate, sincere and deep love of Him. In one verse it is revealed that the faithful love Allah above all things:

Some people set up equals to Allah, loving them as they should love Allah. But those who believe have greater love for Allah... (Surat al-Baqara, 165)

Clearly, the mindset that despite all this still avoids recalling the name of Allah, that deceives both itself and others by using veiled terminology, and that moreover imagines it is doing so in the name of religion, is making a grave error. It is useless to ignore or seek to avoid this truth. Those with such a mindset have been warned in the Qur'an:

That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of everything. There is no god but Him - so how have you been perverted? (Surah Ghafir, 62)

Under the pen name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar has written some 250 works. His books contain a total of 46,000 pages and 31,500 illustrations. Of these books, 7,000 pages and 6,000 illustrations deal with the collapse of the Theory of Evolution. You can read, free of charge, all the books Adnan Oktar has written under the pen name Harun Yahya on these websites http://www.harunyahya.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harun_Yahya

Is There Anything New Under The Sun?

By Vivian Gordon

With the perplexities going on in my own life, I was directed to the book of Habakkuk. I gained spiritual insight for my life but I want to talk about the prophetic message for all of us. In this short little book, contains a lot of truth that is coming to pass in the near future. The Bible is full of prophecy, which means it was foretold long ago that nothing new under the sun would ever occur. We can read God's Word almost like a newspaper of today's events. It should make one sit up and take notice. I know I do.

In the book of Habakkuk, this prophet was perplexed as to why God would allow the wicked to prosper. Today we see this happening in the middle East. The Iranian president Ahmadinejad was granted a visa to speak from New York. He has made it clear from an interview on 60 Minutes that he is waging psychological warfare. The president of Israel said that 90% of the war on terror is in fact a media war. Ahmadinejad understands how to manipulate the media to fight the war on terror and win. This is exactly what he is doing. This terrorist presides over a fascist state known for its blatant support of terror. He arrests men whose hair is too long, and even supports the death penalty for gays. His purpose was not to show his sympathy for Americans who suffered great loss on 9-11, but rather to exploit this hallowed place as an arena to wage his psychological warfare. He used it as a platform to build his case on why he believed we were attacked. As with the denial of the Holocaust, he also denies that America was attacked by al-Qaeda. This man is gaining political strength depending on his ability to manipulate the media of the West for idealogical purposes. Now I have to ask, "God...why would you allow these people to prosper?"

Back in the days of Habakkuk, he asked this same thing concerning Israel's enemies the Chaldeans. They were a fierce and ruthless bunch of people. They prided themselves on wicked behavior. They treated other societies like the fish of the sea and creeping things with no ruler.
In other words, they gathered these people up for their selfish pleasure. The Chaldeans credited themselves for all their gain and military might. Habakkuk wanted to know why God would allow these ruthless people to pursue injustice and engage in such wickedness. "How long God, will you allow them to destroy Your people?" was the repeated question of Habakkuk. He just didn't understand, can we?

If anything, I understand now that God did not use the Chaldeans to destroy Israel, but to chastise them. Is there a lesson for us today as well? What can God be telling us as Iran and Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be rising up against the free world? The most important thing to consider is the outcome. God had a plan then as He does today. There is nothing new under the sun.

The prophecy of Habakkuk is fulfilled in our generation. In the first chapter of this book, Yahweh informs Habakkuk that He Himself has raised up these ruthless people. Well, just who are they? They are modern day Iraq, Iran, part of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria. Do these countries sound at all familiar?
God finally responds to Habakkuk's complaint in the second chapter. He announced that He would judge the wickedness of the Chaldeans. He told Habakkuk to write the vision down as a reminder that it would surely occur. He gave Habakkuk a description of the wicked in a comparison to the righteous.

"Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous shall live by faith." Habakkuk 2:4

Being proud means to trust in one's self, not God. Who does the Iranian people trust in? It certainly isn't God. But the righteous man shall continually live by his faith. A true believer which is declared righteous by God, will persevere in his faith as a pattern of his life. Then the Lord continues to give five "woes" of warning in His coming judgment. God teaches us in this book that the lesson of sowing and reaping is a serious matter for everyone. That saying that says, "What goes around comes around" eventually will.

These five woes are directed to 5 different classes of evil doers. It is applied to nations as well as individuals. Found in the second chapter, God explains the woes which will result in the Chaldean's demise. If God did this once, I believe He will do it again.

First God charged exhortation against the Chaldeans, such as plundering weaker nations in order to gain more. Sound like anyone in the news media today? The result to this was God would make them plunder for those nations who remained. I wonder how they will like it!

Secondly, God charged premeditated exploitation which was due to covetousness. These people wouldn't stop until they had it all! Who does this remind you of? The result was the Chaldean leaders would shame themselves for their actions. They harmed their own souls in the end. Anyone who will not recognize Christ their Savior will be judged.

Thirdly God accused them of being ruthless despots. They lived in the lap of luxury with money gained from bloodshed and forced labor. Don't these leaders live in palaces while their people suffer? The result for this was all their efforts were futile. Nothing lasted. Can you begin to see the bigger picture here?

Fourthly, God accused the Chaldeans of debauchery. These people were drunkards and forced others to become intoxicated as well. They made innocent people behave shamefully, making them easy prey. God's response to this charge was to force them to drink His cup of wrath and expose them to public shame. This charge alone would be enough to turn me around!

And lastly, God accused them of idolatry. These countries are polytheistic. They serve many gods. They want to force their religion on the world, which does not include the Supreme Being and Creator of the universe. God destroyed them and demonstrated His superiority over all other gods. He didn't stand for it then, and He won't stand for it now.

"The thing that has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which shall be. So there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

Take it from Solomon, a man who knew firsthand. After all he wrote it because God inspired it. Solomon takes a look at the effect of repetitious, enduring activity in God's creation over many generations as compared to the brief and comparatively profitless activity of one man which fails to produce and enduring satisfaction. He concludes that it is wearisome and futile. He also comes to the hard fact that nothing is new and nothing will be remembered. In other words, written records which serve as reminders of events, people, places and things will all be short lived. I suppose the Iranian president considers himself an exception to God's rules. In the end, it doesn't really matter what any one thinks about God. The truth is, God is still God!

The key lesson to be learned from all this is, no matter what happens in life...trust God! After all was said and done, Habakkuk just praised his Lord thus causing him to relax in the midst of the storms of life. We can't alter what has already been predestined in heaven, but we can pray that God would touch the ruthless hearts of these people who devise wickedness in the world. Be thankful that your salvation in Christ will not be judged.

When facing a crisis, trust Jesus and move forward!

All scripture taken from the MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard version.
Vivian Gordon is led by the Holy Spirit to reach out and give the Christian and non Christian alike something to think about in their own lives. These articles are meant to edify the reader and bring them deeper. They are based on spirituality, inspiration, and today's morals and how we need to get back to basics.
Supporting Christian Communication Online

http://www.churchwebsitedesign.org.uk A Christian based organization that seeks to encourage clergy and church leaders to identify the potential in developing an online church community.
This project provides support and advise on ways that the internet can enhance the work of your church and also provides the tools to meet your needs. and how we need to get back to basics.

Does God Care For The Under Dogs As Well As The Celebrity Heavyweight? Learn More

By Simeon Johnson

Too often society overlooks the hotel maid, bus driver or the building superintendent. But the author points out that without these essential people who keep society functioning, our lives would come to a grinding halt.

By telling the story of "the average Joe" the reader is forced to acknowledge the importance of their jobs. The reader is implored to ask themselves about their treatment of these people, the bellhop; the waiter or the coat check person. Are we snide, entitled and obnoxious? Or are we grateful and appreciative of the jobs they do for us? And while you're at it, ask yourself, how do you show appreciation for such people? Do you tip them properly or even better thank them for their service?

This book gives us all something to think about regarding the position we play in society. It also serves as recognition of sorts for all men and women who go about their daily lives and go to their jobs that often provide little or no recognition, appreciation and often times fairly low compensation.

You're a Worthwhile Person is the equivalent of "This Bud's For You" the beer commercial, instead Johnson intimates "This Book is For You." Hail to the cooks, cab drivers, subway operators, electricians and plumbers and countless other thankless jobs ordinary people do to provide the grease that keeps the wheels of society going.

In one chapter, for instance, Johnson lauds a New York City Transit bus driver, Gloria Valez. Johnson describes how Valez cares for the safety of each passenger. She is patient with the elderly, tolerant of the young and the restless and polite to lonely people who talk to her despite a posted sign that advises against it. Valez is not just working for a paycheck or any sort of recognition, and outside of this book she will probably receive none, even from her employer.
But, while standing at the bus stop on a miserably cold day you sure are glad to have her pull up and open the door of the warm bus and drive you to your destination.

Other examples, when the air conditioning unit in your home goes out on a 90 plus day, you sure are glad to see the repair person come in to solve the problem and get you cool once again. And while you're in the hospital suffering from an illness or recovering from major surgery, you're surely too glad to see the nursing assistant who sticks around to comfort you after the much lauded nurses and doctors have gone home.

Yes, there are many ordinary people who do their jobs diligently while they are overlooked by the people they serve. Read this important work and when you're done you are sure to have a new found respect for the everyday people who do so many important jobs--including yourself.
Simeon W. Johnson

http://www.JohnsonandJohnsonGift.com

About the AuthorProlific author Simeon W. Johnson is a successful author of five books: an entrepreneur With a book and gift boutique: http://www.JohnsonandJohnsonGift.com A former Radio and television electronics technician... He received a master's certification in radio and TV electronics From National Technical Schools, Los Angeles, CA ... He also earned his FCC First Class General Radio and Telephone License

Who is Right, You or The Lord?

Proverbs tells us that “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits.” Proverbs 16:2. As you go through your daily activities whose values are you following?

In this hustle, bustle world it is very easy to get sidetracked from the path God wants us to walk. We get so busy trying to succeed in our jobs and trying to get rich we forget the truly important things of life.

We have thoughts like “when I get this position, or when I get this amount of money, or I will compromise just this one time.” I can take the time to serve God with my life. When the truth is we should be serving Him first with all that we have and all we do.

The goals we set, the attitudes we have about our jobs, the thoughts we have about our family and every area of our lives should meet the standards of God and not ones we have set for ourselves.

The Psalmist wrote “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalms. 139: 23-24.
When is the last time you took time to pray this prayer? We need to stop from time to time and make sure we are still on the path Gods wants us to follow.

All too often we try to justify our actions based on circumstances instead of following the instructions from God’s Word. His Word does not change. In order for us to be in the center of His will we need to know and conform to it.
Praise God we do not have to guess what He wants from us, He puts most of it
in black and white. The rest Holy Spirit shows us the way, if we are listening and following.

Take the time today to see if the “ways of your eyes” pass the testing of the Lord.

Warren L. Adams is a preacher, teacher and mentor. He is concerned about the lost and the Christian that is not living their life to the fullest for the glory of God. He is the author of "Its Ok To Be Rich but Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God". For your free copy of the first chapter of his book go to http://www.ItsOkToBeRich.com

How Can Jesus Be 100 Percent God and 100 Percent Man?

By Carey Kinsolving

"He did things like his Dad (100 percent God) and, He did things like we do (since he's 100 percent man)," says Candice, 10. I'm impressed, Candice! You have succeeded where others have failed.

Probably no question in all of philosophy and science has spawned more debate than this one.

Yet, an accurate answer can be given in one word: MYSTERY.

"Great is the mystery of godliness," wrote the Apostle Paul to Timothy (I Timothy 3:16).

Attempting to explain this mystery has gotten many of my friends into trouble. But they aren't the first, and they won't be the last.

"Jesus grew up as a man, and then God turned him into a God," says Brian, 8, little realizing he has an ancient idea. Brian, this error started in Rome around A.D. 190. The first to be credited with this deviation was Theodotus the Tanner, who would have fared better if he had stuck to making leather sandals.

Theodotus said Jesus was a "mere man" whom God "adopted" when the Holy Spirit came upon him at his baptism. Today, there's a popular variation of this idea: Jesus was a mere man who attained a higher form of God consciousness. He was a good, spiritual man whose example we should follow. Furthermore, through various forms of self-denial and spiritual exercise, we, too, can achieve the same oneness with God. Right?

Think again.

Listen to the angel who appeared to shepherds in the field at the time of Jesus' birth, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Did the angel mistake a "mere man" for "Christ the Lord?"

Nope! Next error, please.

"Jesus is not 100 percent man because then He wouldn't be perfect," says Caroline, 10, who is probably reacting to all the imperfections she has observed in people. And so did the Gnostics of the first century.

Modern people find it easy to believe Jesus was a man, but difficult to believe he was God.
Gnostics, however, didn't believe Jesus was a man with a material body because they thought matter was evil. They proposed that either Jesus had a body temporarily, which he left at the crucifixion, or had none at all, only seeming to be a human being.

To the Greek gnostics, Jesus was only God who appeared as man because, as Matt, 8, says, "He acted like man a lot." In other words, Jesus just put on a show of being human.

But the Apostle John said, "Gno!" to the Gnostics.

He wrote two of his three short letters to derail their false ideas. "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God" (I John 4:2). Furthermore, John began his letter stating that he heard, saw and touched with his own hands the "Word of life," which was "with the Father."

John intertwined earthly matter with the eternal to say Jesus is man and God. Because of who Jesus is, John wrote that the way to fellowship with the Father has been opened.

"He's the Son of God first," says Stefanie, 12. "Then, when He was born on earth, He became the Son of Man, too."

God and man united in one person. Two natures, one person. This is the essence of a church council that met in Chalcedon in A.D. 451. Even though the natures are inseparably united in the person of Jesus Christ, they remain distinct, whole and unchanged, without mixture or confusion.

Take a tip from Donald, 12: "Anything is possible for God."

Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated columnist, producer, author, speaker and website developer.
To see more material like this, visit http://www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. The Kids Talk About God website contains free, online content for children and families. See Carey’s Kid TV Interviews. Hear a book talk. Print free lessons from the "Kids Color Me Bible" and make your own book. Let an 11-year-old girl take you on a trip around the world in the Mission Explorers Streaming Video. Print Scripture verses illustrated by child artists. Receive a complimentary, weekly e-mail subscription to our Devotional Bible Lessons.

Bible quotations in this Bible lesson are from the New King James Version.

Copyright 2007 Carey Kinsolving