La Profecía Bíblica de la Historia -Spanish
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Letter to a Friend About Reiki
Dear Luis,
It was interesting to talk to you. It makes me have to think to find answers to the questions you addressed. But I think we need to answer the questions: Do all roads lead to truth? Is there only one way? Is there more than one way? First, I believe, if we ask, Can all roads lead to the truth, then we can say, yes they can. God’s word says all things work together for good to them that love God. Jesus said, “They that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled.”[1] In Isaiah we read, “Ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart,”[2] similar to Jesus’ own words, “Seek and ye shall find.”[3] In my own personal experience, I rejected the God of Christianity, Christ and the organized religion of both Catholicism and Protestantism because of both hypocrisy and lack of spirituality that I saw in both of them. In my youth, I didn’t meet one priest or minister against the War in Vietnam or against the military industrial congressional complex. They were just part of the club and though they sympathized with my problem of having to go to war, they felt it was my duty to obey my government.
Therefore, I searched in Buddhism, yoga, Transcendental Meditation, organic foods, fasting, Judaism for the answers. However, after reading and searching intensely on the subject of what I should do about the war, which none of the above answered, I finally found the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount that said, “Ye have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on the right cheek, turn to him the other, also,”[4] and later, “Ye have heard that it has been said, Thou shall love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.”[5] The early Christians suffered in persecution under the Romans, but lived their faith often going to the lions and their torturous deaths testifying of their faith in Christ’s doctrine of love. My stand against the military ultimately came from the following the words of Christ. I received moral strength from reading his words in the New Testament where yoga and meditation had failed.
Since you agree that there are absolutes and therefore absolute truth exists then we must look at the different religions and their truth claims to see which one or ones actually lead us to the truth. Oddly enough almost all the religious ideologies claim to be the only way to salvation or the best way to salvation, or the old and forgotten way, or the newly found again way to salvation. But since almost every one of the religions in the world make the same claim and contradict one another in their claims, they cannot all be true. They may all have truth. But even a lie is often coated in truth in order to deceive. If something is true, then something that contradicts it cannot be true. In other words, something cannot be true and false at the same time, unless you play word games. In math we say, if y=3 then y cannot = not 3. God is love and God is the absence of love cannot both be true because they are contradictory.
Since you agree that there are absolutes and therefore absolute truth exists then we must look at the different religions and their truth claims to see which one or ones actually lead us to the truth. Oddly enough almost all the religious ideologies claim to be the only way to salvation or the best way to salvation, or the old and forgotten way, or the newly found again way to salvation. But since almost every one of the religions in the world make the same claim and contradict one another in their claims, they cannot all be true. They may all have truth. But even a lie is often coated in truth in order to deceive. If something is true, then something that contradicts it cannot be true. In other words, something cannot be true and false at the same time, unless you play word games. In math we say, if y=3 then y cannot = not 3. God is love and God is the absence of love cannot both be true because they are contradictory.
The Bible says that Christ was crucified and rose bodily from the dead. The Koran says that Christ was not crucified but God let another person be substituted for him at the last minute. So there was no resurrection. The Bible and the Koran contradict one another. Both cannot be true. So the statement that all religions basically teach the same thing, unconditional love, is not true. The Koran says we cannot really know God. Only by following the Five Pillars of Islam can a man have a chance of maybe gaining salvation upon death, unless he dies as a martyr in the cause of Islam. That is not to say that followers of Islam cannot be very loving people. In my visit to the Saharawi in southern Algeria I met a very loving Muslim man. His love was almost beyond anything I ever experienced in Europe. Even though he was a loving man, the creed of Islam is not true. The Bible says, “He that has love has God, because God is love.”[6]I believe people like this man who are really walking in love are close to God. Jesus said, “He that receives you, receives me.”[7] I believe that although the circumstances made it hard for us to talk to him more intimately about Christ, by his receiving us so cordially, he was actually receiving Christ whom he knew we represented.
In the same chapter where John says “God is love,”[8] he also says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try or prove the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is 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, but is that spirit of antichrist.”[9] Are the spirits that you are channeling with in Reiki believers in Jesus Christ? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes unto the father, but by me.”[10] He said, “If the light that is in you is darkness and you believe it is light, then how great a darkness you are in.”[11] Paul said that even the Devil himself can appear as an angel of light.[12] John said that Satan would perform great signs and wonders so that the whole world will go after him.[13]
From my experience and from reading the Bible, I am under the conviction that all the religions can be placed under two categories. Those that profess that one must obey certain rules, or do certain exercises, eat certain foods, etc, to be saved. And those who profess that man is incapable of saving himself and he needs a savior. In the first group, we can put false Christianity or Churchianity or religiousity in whatever form or sect it appears, plus all the other “isms,” sects, and spiritual movements of both east and west which teach us that we can save ourselves through our own efforts whether they be meditating, calling upon certain spiritual entities, using certain signs, symbols, rocks, eating or not eating certain foods, performing certain rituals, wearing certain symbols, chanting certain lines, etc. Though these “isms” may contain some truth, they must profess to be the truth in order to gain converts and disciples. But the truth is, they are not “the truth.”
The truth is that man is not capable of saying himself by his own self righteous efforts. That is why the world is like it is today. The world needs a savior. We long for a savior. Not just some ethereal concept of salvation. The Bible says we are made in God’s image.[14] Because of that we are able to think, communicate, use language, create and love. If God is just some “universal energy” or “life force” why should we have a conscience telling us the difference between right and wrong? The belief in the Christian God of the Bible gives ample reasons for why we can love, reason, judge, create, think and feel. The Bible says God is love.[15] But it also says He’s a consuming fire.[16] The Bible says that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father[17] and that Jesus will judge the alive and the dead.[18] When we die, we are not just reunited with the universal life force or energy, we are reunited with Christ and with the departed saints who are surrounding us like a great cloud of witnesses.[19]
From my experience and from reading the Bible, I am under the conviction that all the religions can be placed under two categories. Those that profess that one must obey certain rules, or do certain exercises, eat certain foods, etc, to be saved. And those who profess that man is incapable of saving himself and he needs a savior. In the first group, we can put false Christianity or Churchianity or religiousity in whatever form or sect it appears, plus all the other “isms,” sects, and spiritual movements of both east and west which teach us that we can save ourselves through our own efforts whether they be meditating, calling upon certain spiritual entities, using certain signs, symbols, rocks, eating or not eating certain foods, performing certain rituals, wearing certain symbols, chanting certain lines, etc. Though these “isms” may contain some truth, they must profess to be the truth in order to gain converts and disciples. But the truth is, they are not “the truth.”
The truth is that man is not capable of saying himself by his own self righteous efforts. That is why the world is like it is today. The world needs a savior. We long for a savior. Not just some ethereal concept of salvation. The Bible says we are made in God’s image.[14] Because of that we are able to think, communicate, use language, create and love. If God is just some “universal energy” or “life force” why should we have a conscience telling us the difference between right and wrong? The belief in the Christian God of the Bible gives ample reasons for why we can love, reason, judge, create, think and feel. The Bible says God is love.[15] But it also says He’s a consuming fire.[16] The Bible says that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father[17] and that Jesus will judge the alive and the dead.[18] When we die, we are not just reunited with the universal life force or energy, we are reunited with Christ and with the departed saints who are surrounding us like a great cloud of witnesses.[19]
It is not true that all the religions teach the same principle, unconditional love. The Bible does teach that God has an unconditional love for us, however, if we reject God’s love for us, he will not overrule man’s free will. If other faiths teach something similar, it’s like the example of the counterfeit bill. The counterfeit has to be pretty close to the real to pass off as the truth. Therefore, even false religious beliefs need to have many universal truths in their doctrines in order to be believed. Jesus not only preached love, he lived and died in love for the sins of mankind, both you and me. We cannot save ourselves.[20] We need a savior to cleanse us from our impurities. If we depend upon our own ability to cleanse ourselves, or the calling upon spirits or angels to do so, we will be found short. Only Christ alone can redeem sin, the only begotten Son of God. Our own righteous efforts cannot save us or keep us saved. It’s Christ alone. The Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.”[21]
No one else died for the sins of mankind and testified of the truth of his doctrine through the mighty miracles he did. His final resurrection from the dead confirmed his divinity. Death was swallowed up in victory.[22] Only Christ died and rose from the dead.[23] This is the foundation stone of Christianity. No other faith has such a firm foundation. The Bible also is a living book full of prophecies which Christ fulfilled. It is a book filled with prophecies yet to be fulfilled.
I was young and energetic like you when I first experienced the love of God during a drug trip. At that epiphany experience I asked, “Is this is what Jesus was all about?”But since I did not know any real Christians, I looked elsewhere. The New Age Movement, which has only recently arrived in Portugal, had been made popular through the Beatles music. Eastern thought and meditation became the intellectual norm. I bought into it fully and filled my heart and mind with the popular New Age books of that era. I meditated, did yoga, fasted, ate only organic food cooked only a special way to gain my spirituality. But it was never enough. Even with all my striving it was never enough. I always came down from the high, lost my temper, got impatient, did something unloving, and became discouraged especially with my inability to stay on that spiritual high. I couldn’t keep it. Thank God I found the truth was much simpler. I found true Christianity, I found the power of God’s word, comfort of the Holy Spirit and the discernment and wisdom that knowing God’s word gives.
No one else died for the sins of mankind and testified of the truth of his doctrine through the mighty miracles he did. His final resurrection from the dead confirmed his divinity. Death was swallowed up in victory.[22] Only Christ died and rose from the dead.[23] This is the foundation stone of Christianity. No other faith has such a firm foundation. The Bible also is a living book full of prophecies which Christ fulfilled. It is a book filled with prophecies yet to be fulfilled.
I was young and energetic like you when I first experienced the love of God during a drug trip. At that epiphany experience I asked, “Is this is what Jesus was all about?”But since I did not know any real Christians, I looked elsewhere. The New Age Movement, which has only recently arrived in Portugal, had been made popular through the Beatles music. Eastern thought and meditation became the intellectual norm. I bought into it fully and filled my heart and mind with the popular New Age books of that era. I meditated, did yoga, fasted, ate only organic food cooked only a special way to gain my spirituality. But it was never enough. Even with all my striving it was never enough. I always came down from the high, lost my temper, got impatient, did something unloving, and became discouraged especially with my inability to stay on that spiritual high. I couldn’t keep it. Thank God I found the truth was much simpler. I found true Christianity, I found the power of God’s word, comfort of the Holy Spirit and the discernment and wisdom that knowing God’s word gives.
Jesus said, “My word is truth.[24]” He said, “If you continue in my word, then you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”[25] But he also warned that many would come in his name saying they were Christ and deceive many.[26] Paul tells us there will be a great falling away first and then shall the man of sin be revealed,[27] the antichrist. Paul also admonished that even the Devil himself can appear as an angel of light.[28] And Jesus warned that the false Messiahs would do great and mighty miracles,[29] so we know that the devil and his fallen angels can and will do seeming miracles.[30] Many people will be deceived. Jesus said the love of many would grow colder.[31] He said homosexuality would become accepted as it was in the time before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.[32] He said violence would increase and there would be wars, earthquakes and pestilences like Ebola and Aids, but that all these things were the beginning of sorrows and that things would get worse.[33] Mankind is indeed headed for some apocalyptic events that will shake the foundations of the world. Jesus said that unless he controlled and shortened the destruction mankind would cease to exist, that man would destroy himself.[34]
I believe Reiki is not the truth, but an imitation, a deception. The calling upon the angels of light is in fact the calling upon deceptive spirits who cannot fulfill their promises but are sent to confuse and disorient the true seeker and keep them from the real truth of the gospel. I have read various testimonies of former Reiki Masters who have, after a sad journey through Reiki, finally found Christ. Some have sent out warnings to others.
I will end here Luis to not go on too long. But I will attach two documentaries to watch on the subject. Catholic Preist Talks About REIKI and Christian Occultists by Johanna Michaelsen. In my search for the truth, I eventually had no desire for those eastern philosophies and exercises. The reason though was because I was full of the word and had found the answers in my in depth study of the scriptures. Would you be interested in studying more from the Bible? Jesus said if you do, “the truth would set you free.”[35] Will you take up the challenge to “continue in his word?”[36]Let me know!
Footnotes
[1] Matthew 5:6
[2] Jeremiah 29:13
[3] Matthew 7:7
[4] Matthew 5:38,39
[5] Matthew 5:43,44
[6] 1 John 4:8
[7] Matthew 10:40
[8] 1 John 4:8
[9] 1 John 4:1,2
[10] John 14:6
[11] Matthew 6:23
[12] 2 Corinthians 11:14
[13] Revelation 13:13,14
[14] Genesis 1:27
[15] 1 John 4:8
[16] Hebrews 12:29
[17] Acts 7:56
[18] Acts 10:42
[19] Hebrews 12:1
[20] Ephesians 2:8,9
[21] Titus 3:5
[22] 1 Corinthians 15:54
[23] 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
[24] John 17:17
[25] John 8:32
[26] Matthew 24:5,11,24
[27] “ Thessalonians 2:3
[28] 2 Corinthians 11:14
[29] Matthew 24:24
[30] Revelation 13:13,14
[31] Matthew 24:12
[32] Matthew 24:37
[33] Matthew 24:6-8
[34] Matthew 24:22
[35] John 8:32
[36] John 8:31
I believe Reiki is not the truth, but an imitation, a deception. The calling upon the angels of light is in fact the calling upon deceptive spirits who cannot fulfill their promises but are sent to confuse and disorient the true seeker and keep them from the real truth of the gospel. I have read various testimonies of former Reiki Masters who have, after a sad journey through Reiki, finally found Christ. Some have sent out warnings to others.
I will end here Luis to not go on too long. But I will attach two documentaries to watch on the subject. Catholic Preist Talks About REIKI and Christian Occultists by Johanna Michaelsen. In my search for the truth, I eventually had no desire for those eastern philosophies and exercises. The reason though was because I was full of the word and had found the answers in my in depth study of the scriptures. Would you be interested in studying more from the Bible? Jesus said if you do, “the truth would set you free.”[35] Will you take up the challenge to “continue in his word?”[36]Let me know!
Footnotes
[1] Matthew 5:6
[2] Jeremiah 29:13
[3] Matthew 7:7
[4] Matthew 5:38,39
[5] Matthew 5:43,44
[6] 1 John 4:8
[7] Matthew 10:40
[8] 1 John 4:8
[9] 1 John 4:1,2
[10] John 14:6
[11] Matthew 6:23
[12] 2 Corinthians 11:14
[13] Revelation 13:13,14
[14] Genesis 1:27
[15] 1 John 4:8
[16] Hebrews 12:29
[17] Acts 7:56
[18] Acts 10:42
[19] Hebrews 12:1
[20] Ephesians 2:8,9
[21] Titus 3:5
[22] 1 Corinthians 15:54
[23] 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
[24] John 17:17
[25] John 8:32
[26] Matthew 24:5,11,24
[27] “ Thessalonians 2:3
[28] 2 Corinthians 11:14
[29] Matthew 24:24
[30] Revelation 13:13,14
[31] Matthew 24:12
[32] Matthew 24:37
[33] Matthew 24:6-8
[34] Matthew 24:22
[35] John 8:32
[36] John 8:31
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Why the FIFA arrests made Russia so angry with the U.S.
By Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, May 28, 2015
News of the arrest of prominent officials in FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, on U.S. federal corruption charges triggered a fair amount of jubilation among soccer fans, keen to see the murky administration of the world’s most beloved sport cleaned up.
But not all were happy. Not long after U.S. authorities announced their role in pursuing the arrest of seven FIFA officials in the Swiss city of Zurich, Russia’s foreign ministry issued an angry statement.
“Without going into the details of the proposed charges, we would turn attention to the fact that this is another case of illegal extraterritorial application of US laws. We hope that this will in no way be used to tarnish the international football organization in general and its decisions, including personnel,” read the statement, posted on the Russian foreign ministry’s Web site.
“Once again, we urge Washington to stop trying to administer justice far beyond its borders under its legal regulations and to follow the generally accepted international legal procedures,” it added.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin echoed these comments, deeming the timing of the move “odd” and another sign of American methods to “illegally persecute people.”
Moscow, of course, has a long history of decrying American interventionism.
But in this instance, the expanding U.S. and Swiss investigations into FIFA hit rather close to home. Russia is set to host the 2018 World Cup, which it was awarded in controversial circumstances alongside Qatar’s 2022 bid. The bidding for these tournaments are now apparently the subject of federal scrutiny, and there are even suggestions (perhaps more wishful than real) that subsequent revelations could lead to the tournaments’ relocation.
This dovetails with an ongoing diplomatic feud between Russia and the West over the 2018 World Cup. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year, and continued meddling in eastern Ukraine, there’s been a growing chorus of European officials calling for either a boycott of the tournament or for FIFA to reconsider its choice of Russia altogether.
That’s been echoed across the Atlantic as well. Last month, 13 U.S. senators wrote a letter to FIFA, asking it to strip Russia off the World Cup because it “inappropriately bolsters the prestige” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “regime at a time it when it should be condemned.”
This was noted in Moscow, and was likely on the minds of some Russian officials on Wednesday. “There are clearly forces in America that are trying to turn anything positive that we have into a new channel of confrontation,” Kirill Kabanov, a member of the Kremlin’s council on civil society, told Time magazine’s Simon Shuster. “And even if there was bribery going on [at FIFA], why would the Americans only bring it up now, just after FIFA refused the demands of [U.S.] Senators to revoke Russia’s right to host the champions?”
FIFA President Sepp Blatter, now in the eye of the storm, has resolutely stood by the Russian and Qatari World Cup bids. In his remarks on Thursday, Putin suggested the arrests were timed to “derail” Blatter’s imminent re-election as FIFA president.
Last month, FIFA also rebuffed the letter from the American senators. “History has shown so far that boycotting sport events or a policy of isolation or confrontation are not the most effective ways to solve problems,” a FIFA spokeswoman told the Associated Press last month.
News of the arrest of prominent officials in FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, on U.S. federal corruption charges triggered a fair amount of jubilation among soccer fans, keen to see the murky administration of the world’s most beloved sport cleaned up.
But not all were happy. Not long after U.S. authorities announced their role in pursuing the arrest of seven FIFA officials in the Swiss city of Zurich, Russia’s foreign ministry issued an angry statement.
“Without going into the details of the proposed charges, we would turn attention to the fact that this is another case of illegal extraterritorial application of US laws. We hope that this will in no way be used to tarnish the international football organization in general and its decisions, including personnel,” read the statement, posted on the Russian foreign ministry’s Web site.
“Once again, we urge Washington to stop trying to administer justice far beyond its borders under its legal regulations and to follow the generally accepted international legal procedures,” it added.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin echoed these comments, deeming the timing of the move “odd” and another sign of American methods to “illegally persecute people.”
Moscow, of course, has a long history of decrying American interventionism.
But in this instance, the expanding U.S. and Swiss investigations into FIFA hit rather close to home. Russia is set to host the 2018 World Cup, which it was awarded in controversial circumstances alongside Qatar’s 2022 bid. The bidding for these tournaments are now apparently the subject of federal scrutiny, and there are even suggestions (perhaps more wishful than real) that subsequent revelations could lead to the tournaments’ relocation.
This dovetails with an ongoing diplomatic feud between Russia and the West over the 2018 World Cup. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year, and continued meddling in eastern Ukraine, there’s been a growing chorus of European officials calling for either a boycott of the tournament or for FIFA to reconsider its choice of Russia altogether.
That’s been echoed across the Atlantic as well. Last month, 13 U.S. senators wrote a letter to FIFA, asking it to strip Russia off the World Cup because it “inappropriately bolsters the prestige” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “regime at a time it when it should be condemned.”
This was noted in Moscow, and was likely on the minds of some Russian officials on Wednesday. “There are clearly forces in America that are trying to turn anything positive that we have into a new channel of confrontation,” Kirill Kabanov, a member of the Kremlin’s council on civil society, told Time magazine’s Simon Shuster. “And even if there was bribery going on [at FIFA], why would the Americans only bring it up now, just after FIFA refused the demands of [U.S.] Senators to revoke Russia’s right to host the champions?”
FIFA President Sepp Blatter, now in the eye of the storm, has resolutely stood by the Russian and Qatari World Cup bids. In his remarks on Thursday, Putin suggested the arrests were timed to “derail” Blatter’s imminent re-election as FIFA president.
Last month, FIFA also rebuffed the letter from the American senators. “History has shown so far that boycotting sport events or a policy of isolation or confrontation are not the most effective ways to solve problems,” a FIFA spokeswoman told the Associated Press last month.
Planned new U.S. Embassy in Mexico a “fiasco”
CBS News, May 28, 2015
Critics say new American embassies are getting more expensive.
Cost overruns in Afghanistan are over $150 million, and the new embassy in London could top $1 billion. Nearly a year ago, CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes showed us how glass for the London embassy had to be shipped back and forth across the Atlantic for framing. Now, Cordes reports from Washington on problems with an embassy in the works in Mexico.
It is an embassy that was supposed to cost $577 million to build, but the construction estimate has gone up by one third–and the State Department hasn’t even broken ground yet.
No one disputes that the current U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is crowded, outdated and needs to be replaced. So four years ago the State Department bought a 15 acre plot in a former industrial district for $120 million. But there was a catch: the site had housed a Colgate-Palmolive factory for decades, which left behind hazardous waste. Colgate has been cleaning the site but it’s been three and a half years and it’s still not ready for construction.
“It’s a bit of a fiasco,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.
Chaffetz chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform committee. He went to Mexico to see the site himself, but he didn’t stay long.
“I’m not going to step in there with the dirt, with all that toxins on it,” Chaffetz said.
The estimated cost of construction has risen from $577 million to $763 million. Add on the cost of the land and the unique design, and it’s over $939 million; one of the most expensive U.S. embassies in the world.
Critics say new American embassies are getting more expensive.
Cost overruns in Afghanistan are over $150 million, and the new embassy in London could top $1 billion. Nearly a year ago, CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes showed us how glass for the London embassy had to be shipped back and forth across the Atlantic for framing. Now, Cordes reports from Washington on problems with an embassy in the works in Mexico.
It is an embassy that was supposed to cost $577 million to build, but the construction estimate has gone up by one third–and the State Department hasn’t even broken ground yet.
No one disputes that the current U.S. Embassy in Mexico City is crowded, outdated and needs to be replaced. So four years ago the State Department bought a 15 acre plot in a former industrial district for $120 million. But there was a catch: the site had housed a Colgate-Palmolive factory for decades, which left behind hazardous waste. Colgate has been cleaning the site but it’s been three and a half years and it’s still not ready for construction.
“It’s a bit of a fiasco,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.
Chaffetz chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform committee. He went to Mexico to see the site himself, but he didn’t stay long.
“I’m not going to step in there with the dirt, with all that toxins on it,” Chaffetz said.
The estimated cost of construction has risen from $577 million to $763 million. Add on the cost of the land and the unique design, and it’s over $939 million; one of the most expensive U.S. embassies in the world.
Traveling the World Made Me a Better Entrepreneur
Gillian Morris, HBR, May 26, 2015
After college, I took an unconventional career path. No two-year contract with a bank or consulting firm, no paralegal work, not even a stint on my parents’ couch. I took a contract to teach English in China for a month and decided I’d figure out the rest along the way.
Over the next five years, I lived and worked my way through Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Afghanistan, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar, and Turkey. I taught English, worked as a freelance journalist, wrote analysis for a consulting firm, and threw parties to bring together the fascinating people I met along the way.
Friends openly wondered if I’d ever get back on the career path after “disappearing” for years. What they–and I, for that matter–didn’t realize then is that I was well on my way along my career path of choice: being an entrepreneur. As I found ways to support myself in my travels, and picked where I would settle, I learned several key skills that have served me well in the course of building a venture-backed startup.
In the U.S. we’ve become accustomed to clear processes. If someone breaks a contract, you sue them. If you have a problem with someone at work, you go to HR. If a website isn’t working, you file a support ticket.
In much of the world, those services and structures don’t exist or don’t work. When there’s a problem, you need to fix it yourself. Usually, you have to find out who’s responsible, then convince him or her to help you fix your problem.
I once got stranded at the northern border of Badakhshan, an autonomous region bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. I had three days before I needed to catch a flight out of western Tajikistan and there were two ways to get there: drive through southern Kyrgzstan or retrace my steps along the Afghan border, which would take a minimum of five days. Until that point, it had been easy to find a ride around the region, but because of a recent dispute in southern Kyrgyzstan, the border was technically closed.
My problem was compounded by the fact that I had only $200 left, the nearest ATM was on the other side of the Hindu Kush, and even if I’d been able to get there, I didn’t have enough money in my bank account to buy a new plane ticket.
Resource-constrained in unfamiliar territory with no clear source of authority, explanation, or help? That’s basically startup life.
In the end, the son of the owner of the hut I’d been staying in made it his mission to find a driver, and we went door to door until we found someone with good connections at the border. We bought a few packs of cigarettes for the border guards, who were more than happy to wave us through, and I caught my flight.
As noted above, when you get stuck on something on the road, you need to find someone who can help you solve your problem, because there won’t be an obvious process. You can do this most effectively when you have an extensive network of contacts. Every developing region I’ve worked in has a specific word for influence or connections. In Chinese it’s guanxi, in Arabic it’s wasta. The more you have, and the more you use it, the more effective you can be.
Many of my peers in the U.S. seem to think that the way to get a job or the way to get into a program is to apply. They send in their paperwork and have a reasonable expectation that if they are deemed worthy, they’ll get to the next step.
In less developed areas, the default assumption is that any piece of paper that is sent needs to be tracked to its final destination, and its recipient must be encouraged (gently or otherwise) to provide the desired outcome. I once overheard a banker and his trainee discussing driving licenses in a Middle Eastern country. The trainee, an American, said he was confused about why his driver’s license application was denied despite the fact that he’d crossed and dotted his Ts and Is. The senior banker explained that you had to send your license application through an intermediary who had wasta if you wanted to be sure it would get approved.
When you try and raise money without wasta, you’re going to get a lot of no’s. The entrepreneurs who rise the fastest tend to be the ones who know to work their connections rather than just pitching wildly. If you’re applying to an accelerator, don’t just ship in an application. Find out who has invested in the fund that supports it, or who is mentoring, and buy those people drinks. Or at least tweet at them.
Watching Antique Roadshow is the closest most Americans come to haggling. We’re used to seeing a price tag on things. Even when there’s an opportunity for negotiation–buying a car, for example–we never really expect more than 25% off the initial asking price.
In many countries, the buyer’s goal is to convince the seller to give away whatever he’s selling for free. Realistically, it’s more of a barter than a complete giveaway, but haggling is the norm rather than the exception.
Living in Turkey, I got used to negotiating the price of everything from a bottle of milk upward. Often money is dispensed with entirely and an elaborate system of favors takes its place. Give me this leather jacket for free and I’ll tell all my friends to come buy from you. Fix my plumbing and I’ll have my cousin fix your car, and I’ll set my cousin up with my cute friend. You get the picture.
In the entrepreneurial world, startups don’t tend to have a lot of seed capital, so their leaders need to learn how to bargain other things. What does a company in prototype phase have to offer Expedia, or Google, or Citibank? You have to sell a story: an option on new technology, or access to an otherwise difficult-to-reach market. How does a startup convince highly qualified candidates to work for next to nothing? You learn quickly to sell the strengths that you do have (flexibility, autonomy, potential upside) and de-emphasize the risks (bankruptcy).
Chris Sacca, one of Silicon Valley’s most colorful VCs, once tweeted that the one thing he required from people he hired was that they had at one point been “lost, alone, in a place where you don’t speak the language and are dependent on the kindness of others.”
When traveling, you find yourself in this position all the time. I’ve been in all sorts of places where, in retrospect, I should have freaked out. (Hitchhiking in southern Syria when the civil war was starting, spraining my ankle halfway up a mountain in rural Romania, getting severe food poisoning and diarrhea in central Myanmar… sorry, Mom).
Thankfully, in the vast majority of these situations, you find out that the world isn’t that scary. Things do tend to work out if you stay calm, hope for the best, and keep moving forward.
In startups, as in travel, there are unexpected pitfalls and hard times. There’s no guarantee that you’ll make the summit, but in almost every case you will survive, and you’ll be better off for having taken the journey.
After college, I took an unconventional career path. No two-year contract with a bank or consulting firm, no paralegal work, not even a stint on my parents’ couch. I took a contract to teach English in China for a month and decided I’d figure out the rest along the way.
Over the next five years, I lived and worked my way through Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Afghanistan, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar, and Turkey. I taught English, worked as a freelance journalist, wrote analysis for a consulting firm, and threw parties to bring together the fascinating people I met along the way.
Friends openly wondered if I’d ever get back on the career path after “disappearing” for years. What they–and I, for that matter–didn’t realize then is that I was well on my way along my career path of choice: being an entrepreneur. As I found ways to support myself in my travels, and picked where I would settle, I learned several key skills that have served me well in the course of building a venture-backed startup.
In the U.S. we’ve become accustomed to clear processes. If someone breaks a contract, you sue them. If you have a problem with someone at work, you go to HR. If a website isn’t working, you file a support ticket.
In much of the world, those services and structures don’t exist or don’t work. When there’s a problem, you need to fix it yourself. Usually, you have to find out who’s responsible, then convince him or her to help you fix your problem.
I once got stranded at the northern border of Badakhshan, an autonomous region bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. I had three days before I needed to catch a flight out of western Tajikistan and there were two ways to get there: drive through southern Kyrgzstan or retrace my steps along the Afghan border, which would take a minimum of five days. Until that point, it had been easy to find a ride around the region, but because of a recent dispute in southern Kyrgyzstan, the border was technically closed.
My problem was compounded by the fact that I had only $200 left, the nearest ATM was on the other side of the Hindu Kush, and even if I’d been able to get there, I didn’t have enough money in my bank account to buy a new plane ticket.
Resource-constrained in unfamiliar territory with no clear source of authority, explanation, or help? That’s basically startup life.
In the end, the son of the owner of the hut I’d been staying in made it his mission to find a driver, and we went door to door until we found someone with good connections at the border. We bought a few packs of cigarettes for the border guards, who were more than happy to wave us through, and I caught my flight.
As noted above, when you get stuck on something on the road, you need to find someone who can help you solve your problem, because there won’t be an obvious process. You can do this most effectively when you have an extensive network of contacts. Every developing region I’ve worked in has a specific word for influence or connections. In Chinese it’s guanxi, in Arabic it’s wasta. The more you have, and the more you use it, the more effective you can be.
Many of my peers in the U.S. seem to think that the way to get a job or the way to get into a program is to apply. They send in their paperwork and have a reasonable expectation that if they are deemed worthy, they’ll get to the next step.
In less developed areas, the default assumption is that any piece of paper that is sent needs to be tracked to its final destination, and its recipient must be encouraged (gently or otherwise) to provide the desired outcome. I once overheard a banker and his trainee discussing driving licenses in a Middle Eastern country. The trainee, an American, said he was confused about why his driver’s license application was denied despite the fact that he’d crossed and dotted his Ts and Is. The senior banker explained that you had to send your license application through an intermediary who had wasta if you wanted to be sure it would get approved.
When you try and raise money without wasta, you’re going to get a lot of no’s. The entrepreneurs who rise the fastest tend to be the ones who know to work their connections rather than just pitching wildly. If you’re applying to an accelerator, don’t just ship in an application. Find out who has invested in the fund that supports it, or who is mentoring, and buy those people drinks. Or at least tweet at them.
Watching Antique Roadshow is the closest most Americans come to haggling. We’re used to seeing a price tag on things. Even when there’s an opportunity for negotiation–buying a car, for example–we never really expect more than 25% off the initial asking price.
In many countries, the buyer’s goal is to convince the seller to give away whatever he’s selling for free. Realistically, it’s more of a barter than a complete giveaway, but haggling is the norm rather than the exception.
Living in Turkey, I got used to negotiating the price of everything from a bottle of milk upward. Often money is dispensed with entirely and an elaborate system of favors takes its place. Give me this leather jacket for free and I’ll tell all my friends to come buy from you. Fix my plumbing and I’ll have my cousin fix your car, and I’ll set my cousin up with my cute friend. You get the picture.
In the entrepreneurial world, startups don’t tend to have a lot of seed capital, so their leaders need to learn how to bargain other things. What does a company in prototype phase have to offer Expedia, or Google, or Citibank? You have to sell a story: an option on new technology, or access to an otherwise difficult-to-reach market. How does a startup convince highly qualified candidates to work for next to nothing? You learn quickly to sell the strengths that you do have (flexibility, autonomy, potential upside) and de-emphasize the risks (bankruptcy).
Chris Sacca, one of Silicon Valley’s most colorful VCs, once tweeted that the one thing he required from people he hired was that they had at one point been “lost, alone, in a place where you don’t speak the language and are dependent on the kindness of others.”
When traveling, you find yourself in this position all the time. I’ve been in all sorts of places where, in retrospect, I should have freaked out. (Hitchhiking in southern Syria when the civil war was starting, spraining my ankle halfway up a mountain in rural Romania, getting severe food poisoning and diarrhea in central Myanmar… sorry, Mom).
Thankfully, in the vast majority of these situations, you find out that the world isn’t that scary. Things do tend to work out if you stay calm, hope for the best, and keep moving forward.
In startups, as in travel, there are unexpected pitfalls and hard times. There’s no guarantee that you’ll make the summit, but in almost every case you will survive, and you’ll be better off for having taken the journey.
Friday, May 29, 2015
WNBC saw a missile or small plane in Chopper4 video
The sound has been eliminated by YouTube because it is contrary to the supposed narrative.
As Bênçãos da Cegueira
http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/bencaos-da-cegueira/
Steve Hearts
Eu escrevi previamente sobre como aprendi a considerar a minha cegueira como a bênção disfarçada que ela é na realidade.[1] Neste artigo, quero salientar alguns dos maiores benefícios da minha cegueira, na esperança de encorajar a fé de outros que estão encarando desafios como o meu ou semelhantes.
Para começar, dou graças a Deus cada dia pela Sua sabedoria ao permitir que eu ficasse cego pouco depois de nascer, antes de sequer entender o que é enxergar. Apesar de ter sido doloroso quando caiu a ficha de que eu não enxergava como a maioria das outras pessoas evaporou rápida e permanentemente quando conheci pessoas que perderam a visão como resultado de acidentes ou doenças. Essas pessoas passaram por um trauma maior do que eu jamais passei, pois viveram a vida inteira enxergando e então perderam a visão. Porém continuaram motivadas e determinadas a se adaptarem à situação e fazerem o máximo do que ainda lhes restara, em vez de chorar pelo que haviam perdido. Seu exemplo me fez logo entender como eu era bem afortunado. Consequentemente eu nunca mais reclamei da minha situação. Aqueles que sofreram, contudo superaram o trauma de terem perdido a visão mais tarde na vida, sempre serão meus maiores heróis.
Minha cegueira também serviu para me manter motivado. Pois aqueles entre nós que vivem com deficiências físicas sempre terão a escolha de quer se resignarem às suas aparentes limitações ou procurar maneiras de superarem e passarem por elas. Sei que há certos limites que não podem ser rompidos com relação ao que eu posso ou não posso fazer. Mas nenhuma dessas limitações me mantém de levar uma vida gratificante e produtiva. Na maior parte, tenho sido abençoado por estar cercado de pessoas que acreditavam e tinham fé em mim e nas minhas habilidades. Contudo, como é sempre o caso, houve gente que também manifestou uma atitude contrária. Apesar disso ter me deixado triste a princípio, disse repetidas vezes para mim mesmo o seguinte: se alguém tentar me dizer que eu não consigo fazer algo, tudo o que terei de fazer e dar a volta, sem sequer proferir uma única palavra, e fazer tal coisa—claro que dentro do bom senso. Não estou falando sobre tentar algo tão ousado como pegar no volante de um carro ou tentar pilotar um avião. Essas coisas definitivamente se encaixam na categoria de limites inquebráveis. Estou simplesmente falando de estar disposto a encarar quaisquer desafios para as capacidades que realmente possuo.
Tenho que admitir prontamente que também houve vezes em que a única pessoa me dizendo que eu não era capaz de algo era eu mesmo. Mas com a ajuda do Senhor, e também a ajuda e encorajamento dos outros, consegui provar o contrário. Por isso que Filipenses 4:13 sempre foi uma promessa valiosa para clamar, “Posso todas as coisas em Cristo que me fortalece.”[2]
Segundo vejo, praticamente não há nada que inspire mais empatia e compaixão pelos outros do que uma incapacidade física. Minha cegueira fez com que fosse definitivamente mais fácil me identificar com aqueles que também lidam com problemas e desafios físicos. Eu geralmente consigo encorajar e motivá-los sem sequer saber que estava fazendo isso. Por exemplo, certo dia, vários anos atrás, eu estava com meu pai em um centro esportivo local que tinha uma pista. Era uma rotina diária para ele dar algumas voltas ali correndo enquanto eu caminhava com minha bengala. Dei algumas voltas e então um homem que eu nunca havia encontrado antes foi até mim e se apresentou dizendo, “Sabe, você me ensinou uma lição muito importante hoje.”
“Como assim?” perguntei.
“Tenho um problema nas costas que me incomoda muito,” ele disse. “Eu o uso como desculpa para não vir aqui e me exercitar tanto quanto deveria. Eu o tenho visto dando voltas sempre que venho aqui. Ver você se exercitar regularmente apesar de sua deficiência é um exemplo e motivador para mim.” Conversamos um pouco mais, e no final eu consegui guiá-lo a Jesus.
É de certa forma comum para as pessoas que não convivem com uma deficiência ou problema físico terem pena ou menosprezarem as que têm. O Senhor, entretanto, tem usado a minha cegueira para dissipar essa mentalidade. Quando eu tinha 19 anos, toquei violão em uma banda de louvor e adoração por vários meses. Desfrutei do tempo que passei com este grupo e me senti aceito e apreciado por todos. Eventualmente chegou a hora de eu deixar a banda e seguir outro chamado diferente. Antes de partir, fizeram uma festa de despedida para mim. Em algum momento do evento, cada um dos membros tomou um tempo para contar de que maneiras eu tinha tocado suas vidas. Uns dois deles disseram, “Antes de conhecer você eu sempre sentia pena, e até mesmo menosprezava, as pessoas com deficiências. Mas aí eu vi como a sua deficiência não o impede de servir a Deus a cem por cento, e agora minha perspectiva é diferente.”
Minha cegueira também serviu para me manter humilde. Apesar de eu tentar levar uma vida o mais independente possível, obviamente ainda preciso da ajuda dos outros com certas coisas. Admitir isso muitas vezes é um golpe no meu orgulho. Mas Deus sabe que é preciso para eu permanecer no caminho da humildade. Apesar de eu conseguir lidar com a maioria das habilidades práticas da vida essenciais para uma vida independente, algo que ainda não consegui dominar é conseguir atravessar as ruas sem ajuda. Eu certa vez abordei outro amigo cego para lhe pedir ajuda sobre isto. Esperava que ele fosse me dar dicas sobre o uso correto da bengala, ganhar confiança, etc. Em vez disso, ele disse, “O mais importante que posso lhe dizer é o seguinte: Nunca tenha medo de pedir ajuda ao atravessar a rua, mesmo se for de um estranho total. Do jeito que as pessoas dirigem por aqui, pode ser arriscado não pedir ajuda a ninguém.” E concluiu dizendo, “Nunca pense que vai chegar a ser tão totalmente independente e auto suficiente que jamais precisará pedir ajuda dos outros.”
Já ouvi muitas vezes, inclusive do Senhor, que minha falta de visão no físico me possibilitou ter uma visão mais aguçada das coisas do Espírito. Hesito em elaborar sobre isto, visto que não me considero uma pessoal especialmente “espiritual”. Segundo penso, eu geralmente batalho em desligar a mente carnal e me revestir da mente de Cristo tanto quanto qualquer outra pessoa que enxerga batalha. Ainda assim, o Senhor já falou através de diferentes pessoas com relação ao dom que Ele me deu para Sua glória de uma visão espiritual maior. Por exemplo, o diretor da banda na qual toquei me disse que tinha perguntado ao Senhor por que Ele não tinha me permitido ver. Ao que o Senhor respondeu, “Por que Eu faria isso? Steve já Me vê.”
Você está lidando com uma incapacidade ou situação desafiadora? Está difícil de ver quaisquer benefícios reais disso? Eu sugiro que leve essa situação direto para o Senhor. Ele certamente poderá guiá-lo como me guiou, e lhe mostrar como a sua situação o está servindo e beneficiando de maneiras que jamais imaginou. É possível que, apesar de você poder ver fisicamente, sinta-se cego espiritualmente—incapaz de ver o caminho à frente, sem certeza do caminho pelo qual deve seguir. O Senhor promete, “Conduzirei os cegos por caminhos que eles não conheceram, por veredas desconhecidas eu os guiarei; transformarei as trevas em luz diante deles e tornarei retos os lugares acidentados. Essas são as coisas que farei; não os abandonarei.”[3]
[1] Ver http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/fe-vs-vista/ e http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/cruz-ou-coroa/.
[2] ACRF.
[3] Isaías 42:16, NVI.
Steve Hearts
Eu escrevi previamente sobre como aprendi a considerar a minha cegueira como a bênção disfarçada que ela é na realidade.[1] Neste artigo, quero salientar alguns dos maiores benefícios da minha cegueira, na esperança de encorajar a fé de outros que estão encarando desafios como o meu ou semelhantes.
Para começar, dou graças a Deus cada dia pela Sua sabedoria ao permitir que eu ficasse cego pouco depois de nascer, antes de sequer entender o que é enxergar. Apesar de ter sido doloroso quando caiu a ficha de que eu não enxergava como a maioria das outras pessoas evaporou rápida e permanentemente quando conheci pessoas que perderam a visão como resultado de acidentes ou doenças. Essas pessoas passaram por um trauma maior do que eu jamais passei, pois viveram a vida inteira enxergando e então perderam a visão. Porém continuaram motivadas e determinadas a se adaptarem à situação e fazerem o máximo do que ainda lhes restara, em vez de chorar pelo que haviam perdido. Seu exemplo me fez logo entender como eu era bem afortunado. Consequentemente eu nunca mais reclamei da minha situação. Aqueles que sofreram, contudo superaram o trauma de terem perdido a visão mais tarde na vida, sempre serão meus maiores heróis.
Minha cegueira também serviu para me manter motivado. Pois aqueles entre nós que vivem com deficiências físicas sempre terão a escolha de quer se resignarem às suas aparentes limitações ou procurar maneiras de superarem e passarem por elas. Sei que há certos limites que não podem ser rompidos com relação ao que eu posso ou não posso fazer. Mas nenhuma dessas limitações me mantém de levar uma vida gratificante e produtiva. Na maior parte, tenho sido abençoado por estar cercado de pessoas que acreditavam e tinham fé em mim e nas minhas habilidades. Contudo, como é sempre o caso, houve gente que também manifestou uma atitude contrária. Apesar disso ter me deixado triste a princípio, disse repetidas vezes para mim mesmo o seguinte: se alguém tentar me dizer que eu não consigo fazer algo, tudo o que terei de fazer e dar a volta, sem sequer proferir uma única palavra, e fazer tal coisa—claro que dentro do bom senso. Não estou falando sobre tentar algo tão ousado como pegar no volante de um carro ou tentar pilotar um avião. Essas coisas definitivamente se encaixam na categoria de limites inquebráveis. Estou simplesmente falando de estar disposto a encarar quaisquer desafios para as capacidades que realmente possuo.
Tenho que admitir prontamente que também houve vezes em que a única pessoa me dizendo que eu não era capaz de algo era eu mesmo. Mas com a ajuda do Senhor, e também a ajuda e encorajamento dos outros, consegui provar o contrário. Por isso que Filipenses 4:13 sempre foi uma promessa valiosa para clamar, “Posso todas as coisas em Cristo que me fortalece.”[2]
Segundo vejo, praticamente não há nada que inspire mais empatia e compaixão pelos outros do que uma incapacidade física. Minha cegueira fez com que fosse definitivamente mais fácil me identificar com aqueles que também lidam com problemas e desafios físicos. Eu geralmente consigo encorajar e motivá-los sem sequer saber que estava fazendo isso. Por exemplo, certo dia, vários anos atrás, eu estava com meu pai em um centro esportivo local que tinha uma pista. Era uma rotina diária para ele dar algumas voltas ali correndo enquanto eu caminhava com minha bengala. Dei algumas voltas e então um homem que eu nunca havia encontrado antes foi até mim e se apresentou dizendo, “Sabe, você me ensinou uma lição muito importante hoje.”
“Como assim?” perguntei.
“Tenho um problema nas costas que me incomoda muito,” ele disse. “Eu o uso como desculpa para não vir aqui e me exercitar tanto quanto deveria. Eu o tenho visto dando voltas sempre que venho aqui. Ver você se exercitar regularmente apesar de sua deficiência é um exemplo e motivador para mim.” Conversamos um pouco mais, e no final eu consegui guiá-lo a Jesus.
É de certa forma comum para as pessoas que não convivem com uma deficiência ou problema físico terem pena ou menosprezarem as que têm. O Senhor, entretanto, tem usado a minha cegueira para dissipar essa mentalidade. Quando eu tinha 19 anos, toquei violão em uma banda de louvor e adoração por vários meses. Desfrutei do tempo que passei com este grupo e me senti aceito e apreciado por todos. Eventualmente chegou a hora de eu deixar a banda e seguir outro chamado diferente. Antes de partir, fizeram uma festa de despedida para mim. Em algum momento do evento, cada um dos membros tomou um tempo para contar de que maneiras eu tinha tocado suas vidas. Uns dois deles disseram, “Antes de conhecer você eu sempre sentia pena, e até mesmo menosprezava, as pessoas com deficiências. Mas aí eu vi como a sua deficiência não o impede de servir a Deus a cem por cento, e agora minha perspectiva é diferente.”
Minha cegueira também serviu para me manter humilde. Apesar de eu tentar levar uma vida o mais independente possível, obviamente ainda preciso da ajuda dos outros com certas coisas. Admitir isso muitas vezes é um golpe no meu orgulho. Mas Deus sabe que é preciso para eu permanecer no caminho da humildade. Apesar de eu conseguir lidar com a maioria das habilidades práticas da vida essenciais para uma vida independente, algo que ainda não consegui dominar é conseguir atravessar as ruas sem ajuda. Eu certa vez abordei outro amigo cego para lhe pedir ajuda sobre isto. Esperava que ele fosse me dar dicas sobre o uso correto da bengala, ganhar confiança, etc. Em vez disso, ele disse, “O mais importante que posso lhe dizer é o seguinte: Nunca tenha medo de pedir ajuda ao atravessar a rua, mesmo se for de um estranho total. Do jeito que as pessoas dirigem por aqui, pode ser arriscado não pedir ajuda a ninguém.” E concluiu dizendo, “Nunca pense que vai chegar a ser tão totalmente independente e auto suficiente que jamais precisará pedir ajuda dos outros.”
Já ouvi muitas vezes, inclusive do Senhor, que minha falta de visão no físico me possibilitou ter uma visão mais aguçada das coisas do Espírito. Hesito em elaborar sobre isto, visto que não me considero uma pessoal especialmente “espiritual”. Segundo penso, eu geralmente batalho em desligar a mente carnal e me revestir da mente de Cristo tanto quanto qualquer outra pessoa que enxerga batalha. Ainda assim, o Senhor já falou através de diferentes pessoas com relação ao dom que Ele me deu para Sua glória de uma visão espiritual maior. Por exemplo, o diretor da banda na qual toquei me disse que tinha perguntado ao Senhor por que Ele não tinha me permitido ver. Ao que o Senhor respondeu, “Por que Eu faria isso? Steve já Me vê.”
Você está lidando com uma incapacidade ou situação desafiadora? Está difícil de ver quaisquer benefícios reais disso? Eu sugiro que leve essa situação direto para o Senhor. Ele certamente poderá guiá-lo como me guiou, e lhe mostrar como a sua situação o está servindo e beneficiando de maneiras que jamais imaginou. É possível que, apesar de você poder ver fisicamente, sinta-se cego espiritualmente—incapaz de ver o caminho à frente, sem certeza do caminho pelo qual deve seguir. O Senhor promete, “Conduzirei os cegos por caminhos que eles não conheceram, por veredas desconhecidas eu os guiarei; transformarei as trevas em luz diante deles e tornarei retos os lugares acidentados. Essas são as coisas que farei; não os abandonarei.”[3]
[1] Ver http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/fe-vs-vista/ e http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/cruz-ou-coroa/.
[2] ACRF.
[3] Isaías 42:16, NVI.
Keeping Materialism in the Proper Place
http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/keeping-materialism-proper-place/
Words from Jesus
Audio length: 7:58
Download Audio (10.9MB)
“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”—2 Chronicles 16:91
When it comes to earthly and material goods, I told My early followers: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” “No one can serve two masters … you cannot serve God and money.” “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none.” “Give to the one who asks you.” “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.”2
In the Epistles, I spoke through the apostle John’s teachings: “Do not love the world or the things in the world ... and the world is passing away, along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”3 The words that James spoke to the wealthy people of that time spoke against the accumulation of possessions: “Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.”4
Do you show by your life, by the clothes you wear and the possessions you own, and by your willingness to share what you have, that your material goods are not overly important to you? Does your example show that your possessions are not your top priority, that you would willingly do without them if need be?
You don’t have to have much to have “great possessions,” or to be materialistic to put those possessions in a higher place than they should hold. Do your things “own” you or do you own them and steward them wisely and prayerfully?
The key issue here is not whether you have two pairs of jeans or ten. Nor is it whether you own a good laptop or tablet or smartphone. Nor is it whether you shop at a mall, a secondhand market‚ or garage sales. The issue is this: Where is your heart at when it comes to the material goods of this world?
As My disciples, your hearts and minds are to be set on the things of My Spirit and the kingdom of God. So it’s important to keep the things of the world—possessions, fashions, gadgets, appearance, and all the rest—in perspective. You’re called to not love the world or the things in the world; that means not “loving” your things so much that you are hesitant to share them with those in need, and not accumulating so many possessions to the point that they weigh you down and hinder your Christian example.
As Christians and disciples‚ part of your testimony is your simplicity when it comes to the things of the world. That doesn’t mean you won’t have nice things, and it doesn’t mean you’ll never have gadgets or that you should only have two pairs of shoes. But if you have something you don’t need, consider giving it to someone who does need it.
Here are some core issues for gauging your relationship with the things of the world: Are your priorities right? Are you willing to give to those in need? Are you avoiding wasting your time in pursuit of unnecessary or too many material possessions? Are you imparting a good example to your children of stewardship, of giving to others, of spending money wisely, and trusting Me to supply what you need?5
The riches of His grace
“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”—Isaiah 61:106
My eyes range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Me. In this world of “spin,” I assure you that My eyes see everything with clarity. Of course that means I also see everything about you. The human heart—in its fallen condition—is deceitful above all things. Idol-making comes naturally to all people, including My followers.
Even good things can become idols if they slither into first place in your heart. Nonetheless, your longing for a heart fully committed to Me makes you teachable. When My Spirit points out an idol, you confess it as a sin and turn back to Me, your First Love. In response, I strengthen you—empowering you to live for Me more and more. Thus, as we work together, your heart becomes increasingly devoted to Me.
If you cringe at the thought of My seeing everything about you, remember that I look at you through eyes of grace. Though nothing is hidden from My sight, I choose to view you through eyes of grace. I see you radiantly attired in garments of salvation, and this is a glorious sight!7
The joy of His presence
“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in Your presence.”—Acts 2:288
Beloved, the fact that you yearn for an awakened soul is itself a source of pleasure to Me. Many of My children view devotion to Me as a duty, and they look elsewhere for their pleasures. They fail to understand that the joy of My presence outshines even the most delightful earthly joy. Of course, it is not an either/or situation. You don’t have to choose between enjoying Me or enjoying the many good gifts I provide.
It is simply a matter of priorities. I want you to treasure Me above all else. Actually, the more fully you enjoy Me, the more capacity you have to appreciate the blessings I shower upon you. When you make Me your ultimate pleasure, you glorify Me by desiring closeness with Me. As you delight in Me, I am able to bless you with many things that please you. If you keep Me first in your life, My good gifts will not become idols. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.9
Published on Anchor May 2015. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
1 NLT.
2 Matthew 6:19–20; Luke 16:13; 12:15; 3:11; Matthew 5:42; 6:33.
3 1 John 2:15–17.
4 James 5:2–3.
5 Originally published November 2004, adapted.
6 NIV.
7 Sarah Young, Jesus Lives (Thomas Nelson, 2009).
8 NIV.
9 Sarah Young, Dear Jesus (Thomas Nelson, 2007).
Words from Jesus
Audio length: 7:58
Download Audio (10.9MB)
“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”—2 Chronicles 16:91
When it comes to earthly and material goods, I told My early followers: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” “No one can serve two masters … you cannot serve God and money.” “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none.” “Give to the one who asks you.” “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.”2
In the Epistles, I spoke through the apostle John’s teachings: “Do not love the world or the things in the world ... and the world is passing away, along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”3 The words that James spoke to the wealthy people of that time spoke against the accumulation of possessions: “Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.”4
Do you show by your life, by the clothes you wear and the possessions you own, and by your willingness to share what you have, that your material goods are not overly important to you? Does your example show that your possessions are not your top priority, that you would willingly do without them if need be?
You don’t have to have much to have “great possessions,” or to be materialistic to put those possessions in a higher place than they should hold. Do your things “own” you or do you own them and steward them wisely and prayerfully?
The key issue here is not whether you have two pairs of jeans or ten. Nor is it whether you own a good laptop or tablet or smartphone. Nor is it whether you shop at a mall, a secondhand market‚ or garage sales. The issue is this: Where is your heart at when it comes to the material goods of this world?
As My disciples, your hearts and minds are to be set on the things of My Spirit and the kingdom of God. So it’s important to keep the things of the world—possessions, fashions, gadgets, appearance, and all the rest—in perspective. You’re called to not love the world or the things in the world; that means not “loving” your things so much that you are hesitant to share them with those in need, and not accumulating so many possessions to the point that they weigh you down and hinder your Christian example.
As Christians and disciples‚ part of your testimony is your simplicity when it comes to the things of the world. That doesn’t mean you won’t have nice things, and it doesn’t mean you’ll never have gadgets or that you should only have two pairs of shoes. But if you have something you don’t need, consider giving it to someone who does need it.
Here are some core issues for gauging your relationship with the things of the world: Are your priorities right? Are you willing to give to those in need? Are you avoiding wasting your time in pursuit of unnecessary or too many material possessions? Are you imparting a good example to your children of stewardship, of giving to others, of spending money wisely, and trusting Me to supply what you need?5
The riches of His grace
“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”—Isaiah 61:106
My eyes range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Me. In this world of “spin,” I assure you that My eyes see everything with clarity. Of course that means I also see everything about you. The human heart—in its fallen condition—is deceitful above all things. Idol-making comes naturally to all people, including My followers.
Even good things can become idols if they slither into first place in your heart. Nonetheless, your longing for a heart fully committed to Me makes you teachable. When My Spirit points out an idol, you confess it as a sin and turn back to Me, your First Love. In response, I strengthen you—empowering you to live for Me more and more. Thus, as we work together, your heart becomes increasingly devoted to Me.
If you cringe at the thought of My seeing everything about you, remember that I look at you through eyes of grace. Though nothing is hidden from My sight, I choose to view you through eyes of grace. I see you radiantly attired in garments of salvation, and this is a glorious sight!7
The joy of His presence
“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in Your presence.”—Acts 2:288
Beloved, the fact that you yearn for an awakened soul is itself a source of pleasure to Me. Many of My children view devotion to Me as a duty, and they look elsewhere for their pleasures. They fail to understand that the joy of My presence outshines even the most delightful earthly joy. Of course, it is not an either/or situation. You don’t have to choose between enjoying Me or enjoying the many good gifts I provide.
It is simply a matter of priorities. I want you to treasure Me above all else. Actually, the more fully you enjoy Me, the more capacity you have to appreciate the blessings I shower upon you. When you make Me your ultimate pleasure, you glorify Me by desiring closeness with Me. As you delight in Me, I am able to bless you with many things that please you. If you keep Me first in your life, My good gifts will not become idols. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.9
Published on Anchor May 2015. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
1 NLT.
2 Matthew 6:19–20; Luke 16:13; 12:15; 3:11; Matthew 5:42; 6:33.
3 1 John 2:15–17.
4 James 5:2–3.
5 Originally published November 2004, adapted.
6 NIV.
7 Sarah Young, Jesus Lives (Thomas Nelson, 2009).
8 NIV.
9 Sarah Young, Dear Jesus (Thomas Nelson, 2007).
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Interview 1046 – Patrick Wood Exposes the Technocracy Agenda
https://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2015-05-27%20Patrick%20Wood.mp3
24/7 surveillance. Smart grid controls. Carbon rationing. Today we talk to "Technocracy Rising" author Patrick Wood about the hidden history of technocracy, the dark plan for a resource-based economy that is being pushed by the Trilateral Commission, the UN, and other globalist institutions in order to bring about a completely managed, controlled and regulated society.
24/7 surveillance. Smart grid controls. Carbon rationing. Today we talk to "Technocracy Rising" author Patrick Wood about the hidden history of technocracy, the dark plan for a resource-based economy that is being pushed by the Trilateral Commission, the UN, and other globalist institutions in order to bring about a completely managed, controlled and regulated society.
Interview 1045 – Financial Survival in the Cashless Society
https://www.corbettreport.com/mp3/2015-05-28%20Financial%20Survival.mp3
This week on Financial Survival, Alfred and James discuss the BBC, Japan's attempt to counter the AIIB, Hillary's chances in 2016, the secret meeting in London to discuss ending cash, and much more.
This week on Financial Survival, Alfred and James discuss the BBC, Japan's attempt to counter the AIIB, Hillary's chances in 2016, the secret meeting in London to discuss ending cash, and much more.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
The Most Expensive Wars in U.S. History
Alexander Kent, 24/7 Wall Street, May 21, 2015
Declared an official holiday in 1971, Memorial Day honors those who have given their lives in service to the United States. While the human toll is always great, wars also cost treasure as well as blood.
Many factors can affect the cost of waging war. Using a report from the Congressional Research Service, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the most expensive wars in U.S. history. While the Mexican-American War cost just $2.4 billion, or 1.4% of GDP in 1847, spending on World War II accounted for nearly 36% of GDP in 1945, or $4.1 trillion. These are the most expensive wars in U.S. history.
In every conflict before World War II, nearly all of the country’s defense budget was spent on direct conflict–classified as wartime spending. For example, the U.S. spent 1.1% of GDP in 1899 to fight the Spanish-American War, and just 1.5% of GDP was spent on total defense spending.
That trend largely changed at the start of the Cold War. The persistent threat of military conflict ensured that the U.S. would be ready for war at any time, as the Space Race and nuclear armament became national priorities in both the U.S. and the Soviet Union. As a result, wartime spending and defense spending began to diverge. During the Korean War, for example, war costs accounted for just 4.2% of GDP in 1952, while total defense spending represented more than 13% of GDP in the same year.
Comparing war costs over a 235-year period can be difficult. While the report attempted to correct for inflation by calculating each war’s cost in fiscal year 2011 dollars, inflation adjustments do not account for advances in technology. It is entirely possible that wars also became more expensive over time as the sophistication and cost of technology increased.
To determine the most expensive wars in U.S. history, 24/7 Wall St. used a 2010 report from the Congressional Research Service entitled “Costs of Major U.S. Wars”. The report does not include veterans’ benefits, interest on loans used to finance the war, and assistance to allies. Additionally, the report attempts to capture the increase in military expenditures during wartime and does not include the costs of maintaining a standing army in peacetime. The report also presents both military costs and defense spending as percentages of GDP in the year of peak war spending. War cost figures for the War on Terror were updated to reflect expenditure after 2010.
These are the most expensive wars in U.S. history.
10. Mexican-American War. Fought between 1846 and the start of 1848, the Mexican War cost the United States $2.4 billion, the 10th-most expensive war in U.S. history. Texas, having gained its own independence from Mexico a decade earlier, had still not been granted statehood by the U.S. Texas’ annexation would have upset the equilibrium between slave and free states established by the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Mexico hoped to capitalize on U.S. indecision when its army crossed the Rio Grande to attack U.S. forces in the battle of Palo Alto. The war ended on February 2, 1848, with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which established the Rio Grande as the southern border of Texas and settled U.S. acquisition of land in present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico for $15 million.
9. American Revolution. The nearly nine-year quest for independence cost the American colonies just over $2.4 billion, and nearly 4,500 lives in battle. While the war began as a revolt against unjust taxation, it ended with the Founding Fathers rejecting the social and political structures of Europe in favor of a democratic republic. The Treaty of Paris ended the war in 1783, officially recognizing the U.S. as an independent country and establishing its borders.
8. Spanish-American War. Often dubbed the first “media war,” sensationalized journalism helped fuel America’s support for involvement in the Cuban quest for independence from Spain. When the U.S.S. Maine, which had been sent to Havana to protect American interests, unexpectedly blew up in 1898, cries for American intervention increased. Congress officially declared war under the Monroe Doctrine–a foreign policy agenda that proclaimed a U.S. right to intervene in regional conflicts in the Western Hemisphere–and crushed Spanish forces worldwide in less than nine months. The war cost $9 billion and the U.S. acquired Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
7. American Civil War. The Civil War claimed more American lives–750,000–than all other U.S. conflicts combined, and cost both sides nearly $80 billion. Fought primarily over the issues of slavery and states’ rights, such as taxation and representation, the Civil War began after South Carolina seceded from the Union and fired upon a Union merchant ship heading to Fort Sumter with supplies. The standoff in Charleston Harbor continued until April 1861, when the war officially began. Four years later, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
6. Gulf War. The Persian Gulf War was one of the shortest conflicts in U.S. history, costing $102 billion, or just 0.3% of GDP in 1991. Tensions mounted when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Despite strong calls from the United Nations for Iraq to withdraw, Hussein refused. A few months later, a U.S.-led coalition initiated Operation Desert Storm. The offensive lasted 42 days. As the first major conflict after the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War was, at the time, heralded as a success for the international coalition.
5. World War I. War broke out in Europe in 1914 but the U.S. remained neutral for the next three years. However, after Germany reneged on its pledge to respect the neutrality of U.S. ships in the Atlantic, and tried to entice Mexico into declaring war on the U.S., President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917. The war ended 19 months later with the Treaty of Versailles. Ultimately, the war cost the U.S. $334 billion, or nearly 14% of GDP in 1919.
4. Korean War. In June 1950, the Soviet-supported North Korean military crossed the 38th parallel that divided North and South Korea. Fearful of the spread of communism, President Harry Truman garnered support from allies in the United Nations Security Council to drive the North Korean troops out of the South. General Douglas MacArthur, however, pursued the North Koreans to the Yalu River, which formed the northern border between China and the Korean peninsula. The Chinese interpreted MacArthur’s actions as an act of war and routed the U.N. troops, forcing them to retreat below the 38th parallel. The war eventually ended after Dwight Eisenhower assumed the presidency and threatened the use of nuclear weapons if the North Koreans or Chinese did not respect the 38th parallel as the boundary between the two countries. Ultimately, the Korean War cost the U.S. $341 billion and nearly 34,000 lives.
3. Vietnam War. The war in Vietnam cost the U.S. $738 billion, or just 2.3% of GDP in 1968. By the end of the conflict, the names of more than 58,000 dead soldiers were recorded on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. After North Vietnamese troops drove the French out of the region in 1954, ending a brutal era of colonialism, the Geneva Accords stipulated that elections in the South be scheduled for the following year. Determined not to let communism spread, the U.S. lent its support to Ngo Dinh Diem, a French-educated, Catholic politician in South Vietnam. By the time the U.S. committed troops in 1965, Diem had been assassinated and Vietnamese support for the new military-led South Vietnamese government had faded. With supplies from China and the Soviet Union, North Vietnam primarily used guerilla tactics to attack U.S. troops and bases, often by surprise. By the late 1960s, public support for the war in the U.S. was fading. American troops officially withdrew from the region in 1973 and South Vietnam fell to communism in 1975.
2. War on Terror. Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan following September 11, 2001–collectively known as the War on Terror–cost the U.S. more than $1.6 trillion through 2010. The U.S. entered Afghanistan in October 2001, to search for Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C., and to overthrow the Taliban government, which was long suspected of harboring terrorists. U.S. troops invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003 operating on the belief that he had weapons of mass destruction. Both countries continue to be marred by conflict.
1. World War II. Once the U.S. emerged from its isolationist shell, it spent more than $4 trillion fighting in World War II and lost more than 400,000 troops. U.S. involvement officially began on December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. America officially declared war against Germany and Italy three days later. After conquering a number of European countries, Germany focused its attention on the Soviet Union. By 1944, Soviet forces were successfully driving German troops west. On June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, pushing east into Europe, and splitting the Germans along two fronts.
In the Pacific, U.S. military experts estimated that an invasion of Japan would likely result in much greater casualties. President Harry Truman ordered an atomic bomb be dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Months earlier, at the Yalta Conference in 1945, Stalin had promised to enter the Pacific front within three months of the war’s end in Europe. If the Soviets were involved in Japan’s defeat, they would likely insist on reparations. To prevent a Soviet claim to Japanese assets, assert U.S.-dominance over Stalin, and secure a Japanese surrender, Truman ordered a second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, the day after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. By the end of the war, more than 50 million soldiers and civilians had given their lives, according to conservative estimates.
Declared an official holiday in 1971, Memorial Day honors those who have given their lives in service to the United States. While the human toll is always great, wars also cost treasure as well as blood.
Many factors can affect the cost of waging war. Using a report from the Congressional Research Service, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the most expensive wars in U.S. history. While the Mexican-American War cost just $2.4 billion, or 1.4% of GDP in 1847, spending on World War II accounted for nearly 36% of GDP in 1945, or $4.1 trillion. These are the most expensive wars in U.S. history.
In every conflict before World War II, nearly all of the country’s defense budget was spent on direct conflict–classified as wartime spending. For example, the U.S. spent 1.1% of GDP in 1899 to fight the Spanish-American War, and just 1.5% of GDP was spent on total defense spending.
That trend largely changed at the start of the Cold War. The persistent threat of military conflict ensured that the U.S. would be ready for war at any time, as the Space Race and nuclear armament became national priorities in both the U.S. and the Soviet Union. As a result, wartime spending and defense spending began to diverge. During the Korean War, for example, war costs accounted for just 4.2% of GDP in 1952, while total defense spending represented more than 13% of GDP in the same year.
Comparing war costs over a 235-year period can be difficult. While the report attempted to correct for inflation by calculating each war’s cost in fiscal year 2011 dollars, inflation adjustments do not account for advances in technology. It is entirely possible that wars also became more expensive over time as the sophistication and cost of technology increased.
To determine the most expensive wars in U.S. history, 24/7 Wall St. used a 2010 report from the Congressional Research Service entitled “Costs of Major U.S. Wars”. The report does not include veterans’ benefits, interest on loans used to finance the war, and assistance to allies. Additionally, the report attempts to capture the increase in military expenditures during wartime and does not include the costs of maintaining a standing army in peacetime. The report also presents both military costs and defense spending as percentages of GDP in the year of peak war spending. War cost figures for the War on Terror were updated to reflect expenditure after 2010.
These are the most expensive wars in U.S. history.
10. Mexican-American War. Fought between 1846 and the start of 1848, the Mexican War cost the United States $2.4 billion, the 10th-most expensive war in U.S. history. Texas, having gained its own independence from Mexico a decade earlier, had still not been granted statehood by the U.S. Texas’ annexation would have upset the equilibrium between slave and free states established by the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Mexico hoped to capitalize on U.S. indecision when its army crossed the Rio Grande to attack U.S. forces in the battle of Palo Alto. The war ended on February 2, 1848, with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which established the Rio Grande as the southern border of Texas and settled U.S. acquisition of land in present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico for $15 million.
9. American Revolution. The nearly nine-year quest for independence cost the American colonies just over $2.4 billion, and nearly 4,500 lives in battle. While the war began as a revolt against unjust taxation, it ended with the Founding Fathers rejecting the social and political structures of Europe in favor of a democratic republic. The Treaty of Paris ended the war in 1783, officially recognizing the U.S. as an independent country and establishing its borders.
8. Spanish-American War. Often dubbed the first “media war,” sensationalized journalism helped fuel America’s support for involvement in the Cuban quest for independence from Spain. When the U.S.S. Maine, which had been sent to Havana to protect American interests, unexpectedly blew up in 1898, cries for American intervention increased. Congress officially declared war under the Monroe Doctrine–a foreign policy agenda that proclaimed a U.S. right to intervene in regional conflicts in the Western Hemisphere–and crushed Spanish forces worldwide in less than nine months. The war cost $9 billion and the U.S. acquired Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
7. American Civil War. The Civil War claimed more American lives–750,000–than all other U.S. conflicts combined, and cost both sides nearly $80 billion. Fought primarily over the issues of slavery and states’ rights, such as taxation and representation, the Civil War began after South Carolina seceded from the Union and fired upon a Union merchant ship heading to Fort Sumter with supplies. The standoff in Charleston Harbor continued until April 1861, when the war officially began. Four years later, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
6. Gulf War. The Persian Gulf War was one of the shortest conflicts in U.S. history, costing $102 billion, or just 0.3% of GDP in 1991. Tensions mounted when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Despite strong calls from the United Nations for Iraq to withdraw, Hussein refused. A few months later, a U.S.-led coalition initiated Operation Desert Storm. The offensive lasted 42 days. As the first major conflict after the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War was, at the time, heralded as a success for the international coalition.
5. World War I. War broke out in Europe in 1914 but the U.S. remained neutral for the next three years. However, after Germany reneged on its pledge to respect the neutrality of U.S. ships in the Atlantic, and tried to entice Mexico into declaring war on the U.S., President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917. The war ended 19 months later with the Treaty of Versailles. Ultimately, the war cost the U.S. $334 billion, or nearly 14% of GDP in 1919.
4. Korean War. In June 1950, the Soviet-supported North Korean military crossed the 38th parallel that divided North and South Korea. Fearful of the spread of communism, President Harry Truman garnered support from allies in the United Nations Security Council to drive the North Korean troops out of the South. General Douglas MacArthur, however, pursued the North Koreans to the Yalu River, which formed the northern border between China and the Korean peninsula. The Chinese interpreted MacArthur’s actions as an act of war and routed the U.N. troops, forcing them to retreat below the 38th parallel. The war eventually ended after Dwight Eisenhower assumed the presidency and threatened the use of nuclear weapons if the North Koreans or Chinese did not respect the 38th parallel as the boundary between the two countries. Ultimately, the Korean War cost the U.S. $341 billion and nearly 34,000 lives.
3. Vietnam War. The war in Vietnam cost the U.S. $738 billion, or just 2.3% of GDP in 1968. By the end of the conflict, the names of more than 58,000 dead soldiers were recorded on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. After North Vietnamese troops drove the French out of the region in 1954, ending a brutal era of colonialism, the Geneva Accords stipulated that elections in the South be scheduled for the following year. Determined not to let communism spread, the U.S. lent its support to Ngo Dinh Diem, a French-educated, Catholic politician in South Vietnam. By the time the U.S. committed troops in 1965, Diem had been assassinated and Vietnamese support for the new military-led South Vietnamese government had faded. With supplies from China and the Soviet Union, North Vietnam primarily used guerilla tactics to attack U.S. troops and bases, often by surprise. By the late 1960s, public support for the war in the U.S. was fading. American troops officially withdrew from the region in 1973 and South Vietnam fell to communism in 1975.
2. War on Terror. Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan following September 11, 2001–collectively known as the War on Terror–cost the U.S. more than $1.6 trillion through 2010. The U.S. entered Afghanistan in October 2001, to search for Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C., and to overthrow the Taliban government, which was long suspected of harboring terrorists. U.S. troops invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003 operating on the belief that he had weapons of mass destruction. Both countries continue to be marred by conflict.
1. World War II. Once the U.S. emerged from its isolationist shell, it spent more than $4 trillion fighting in World War II and lost more than 400,000 troops. U.S. involvement officially began on December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. America officially declared war against Germany and Italy three days later. After conquering a number of European countries, Germany focused its attention on the Soviet Union. By 1944, Soviet forces were successfully driving German troops west. On June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, pushing east into Europe, and splitting the Germans along two fronts.
In the Pacific, U.S. military experts estimated that an invasion of Japan would likely result in much greater casualties. President Harry Truman ordered an atomic bomb be dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Months earlier, at the Yalta Conference in 1945, Stalin had promised to enter the Pacific front within three months of the war’s end in Europe. If the Soviets were involved in Japan’s defeat, they would likely insist on reparations. To prevent a Soviet claim to Japanese assets, assert U.S.-dominance over Stalin, and secure a Japanese surrender, Truman ordered a second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, the day after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. By the end of the war, more than 50 million soldiers and civilians had given their lives, according to conservative estimates.
Never Cut Corners. Integrity Is Everything.
Lowell McAdam, CEO at Verizon, LinkedIn Pulse, May 20, 2015
I can clearly remember where I was and how I was feeling when I was 22.
Thanks to an ROTC scholarship, I was finishing my undergrad degree at Cornell and getting ready to move from Ithaca, NY to San Diego to join a branch of the U.S. Navy known as the Seabees (the Navy’s engineering and construction unit). Little did I know I would eventually have the opportunity to help build the set for the movie “Top Gun” … but that’s a story for another day.
Moving cross-country to California was a pretty big deal–one that had me feeling grateful for the opportunity, nervous about such a big life change, and excited about all of the possibilities that lie ahead.
Fast forward through six years in the Navy, grad school, and a long career in communications involving several tours abroad in Europe and Asia, countless mistakes, and plenty of unforeseen challenges … I’ve clung to [this] advice that I wish I knew when I was 22 (and still rely on today):
If I had to give just one piece of advice, to anyone, in any career, it would be this: your integrity is everything.
It’s at the core of who you are as a person. It builds trust, and trust is nearly impossible to regain, in any relationship, once it’s lost.
Over the years, I’ve seen so many talented people fall by the wayside because they were willing to cut corners to try to get ahead–padding an expense report, fudging numbers on their results, or “enhancing” their resume.
Eventually, this behavior catches up with them. They lose the respect of their teammates and peers, or it results in a major media event that ruins their career. If you have integrity and can be comfortable in your own skin, you won’t need to embellish or deceive. Your actions will represent you well.
Any day of the week, give me the “solid” performer who oozes integrity over the “rock star” performer who believes the end justifies the means.
What I try to remember: your integrity is your brand … and just like brands in the business world, your individual brand takes years to build and seconds to destroy.
I can clearly remember where I was and how I was feeling when I was 22.
Thanks to an ROTC scholarship, I was finishing my undergrad degree at Cornell and getting ready to move from Ithaca, NY to San Diego to join a branch of the U.S. Navy known as the Seabees (the Navy’s engineering and construction unit). Little did I know I would eventually have the opportunity to help build the set for the movie “Top Gun” … but that’s a story for another day.
Moving cross-country to California was a pretty big deal–one that had me feeling grateful for the opportunity, nervous about such a big life change, and excited about all of the possibilities that lie ahead.
Fast forward through six years in the Navy, grad school, and a long career in communications involving several tours abroad in Europe and Asia, countless mistakes, and plenty of unforeseen challenges … I’ve clung to [this] advice that I wish I knew when I was 22 (and still rely on today):
If I had to give just one piece of advice, to anyone, in any career, it would be this: your integrity is everything.
It’s at the core of who you are as a person. It builds trust, and trust is nearly impossible to regain, in any relationship, once it’s lost.
Over the years, I’ve seen so many talented people fall by the wayside because they were willing to cut corners to try to get ahead–padding an expense report, fudging numbers on their results, or “enhancing” their resume.
Eventually, this behavior catches up with them. They lose the respect of their teammates and peers, or it results in a major media event that ruins their career. If you have integrity and can be comfortable in your own skin, you won’t need to embellish or deceive. Your actions will represent you well.
Any day of the week, give me the “solid” performer who oozes integrity over the “rock star” performer who believes the end justifies the means.
What I try to remember: your integrity is your brand … and just like brands in the business world, your individual brand takes years to build and seconds to destroy.
C.S.Lewis on Jesus Christ
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
From Mere Christianity
From Mere Christianity
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Minha Vida. Minhas Decisões. Meu Futuro
Natalie Brooks
http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/minha-vida-minhas-decisoes-meu-futuro/
Ultimamente eu tenho pensado bastante em mudança, talvez por eu sentir necessidade de mudanças na minha vida. Mas, por alguma razão, eu me sinto travada. Parece que algo me puxa para trás. Passei um tempo orando, meditando e escrevendo minhas reflexões. Segue-se alguns pensamentos sobre o assunto.
Não é fácil mudar nossas vidas, mesmo querendo. Mudança é uma morte.
Por um lado, sabemos que hoje em dia existem muitas oportunidades para criarmos uma nova pegada, adquirirmos uma nova habilidade ou até começarmos uma nova carreira se quisermos. Todos nós provavelmente já ouvimos estes pensamentos:
O mundo é a sua ostra.
Não há limites.
No meu dicionário não existe a palavra impossível.
Nunca desista.
Se você pode sonhar, consegue fazer.
A melhor maneira de conhecer o futuro é criá-lo.
Sucesso é 1% inspiração e 99% perspiração.
Parecem bons pontos, mas no final eu estava pensando: “Tá bom…”
Depois pensei em colocar uma verdade na qual confio, e na qual posso apostar minha vida:
E Jesus, olhando para eles, disse-lhes: Aos homens é isso impossível, mas a Deus tudo é possível.”[1]
Fiel é Deus, pelo qual fostes chamados para a comunhão de seu Filho Jesus Cristo nosso Senhor.[2]
O meu Deus suprirá todas as necessidades de vocês, de acordo com as suas gloriosas riquezas em Cristo Jesus.[3]
E Deus é poderoso para fazer que lhes seja acrescentada toda a graça, para que em todas as coisas, em todo o tempo, tendo tudo o que é necessário, vocês transbordem em toda boa obra.[4]
E não duvidou da promessa de Deus por incredulidade, mas foi fortificado na fé, dando glória a Deus, e estando certíssimo de que o que ele tinha prometido também era poderoso para o fazer.[5]
Àquele que é capaz de fazer infinitamente mais do que tudo o que pedimos ou pensamos, de acordo com o seu poder que atua em nós.[6]
O que é impossível para os homens é possível para Deus.[7]
E buscou a Deus... E enquanto buscou o Senhor, Deus o fez prosperar.[8]
Eu me sinto muitíssima abençoada por ter um relacionamento pessoal com Jesus. Sei que Deus me ama. E tenho a fonte da verdade nas mãos que é a Bíblia e outros textos inspirados na fé em Deus. Tenho uma experiência de vida ímpar devido aos muitos anos vivendo por fé e pregando o Evangelho. Acredito que tenho muito a oferecer ao mundo, e deveria aproveitar as vantagens e muitas oportunidades que se me apresentam para servir, retribuir, encontrar satisfação e traçar um caminho rumo a um legado que dará orgulho aos meus amados e a Jesus.
Se tenho tudo isso, por que às vezes a minha “realidade” não se encaixa na descrição que acabei de dar? Às vezes eu me sinto pequena, preterida, perdida, ou como se estivesse à deriva, sem rumo. No meu íntimo eu sei que sou abençoada, tenho conhecimento, entendimento da fé, e valiosos dons espirituais. Mas às vezes não consigo combinar tudo para conseguir aproveitar ao máximo esses dons.
Não sei se outros se identificam com o que estou dizendo, se já procuraram desesperadamente algo mais, estenderam as mãos em busca de um maior senso de pertencimento, de uma melhor carreira, mais dinheiro, ou de mudar hábitos de saúde e relacionamentos... e muitas outras coisas.
Descobri que quanto mais me sinto assim, pior eu fico, até chegar a um ponto em que começo a me perguntar se algum dia ainda encontrarei o caminho para uma vida melhor, um relacionamento mais profundo, um estilo de vida mais saudável. Quando me sinto travada ou incerta quanto à minha condição atual, pode ser confuso ou frustrante tentar “consertar”, ou sequer saber por onde começar.
Então chego à conclusão que tem me ajudado: Esta é a minha vida, e eu determino como ela vai ser.
Pode parecer básico, mas, por algum motivo, foi uma luz para mim.
Percebi que preciso assumir as rédeas da minha vida. Sem desculpas ou justificativas eu devo aceitar que esta é a MINHA VIDA. Ninguém vai mudá-la a não ser eu. Ninguém pode tomar decisões por mim. E ninguém vai agir por mim.
Mas são muitos os obstáculos que me puxam para trás e me travam. Fiz uma lista de alguns.
Inércia é um dos obstáculos. É mais fácil continuar agindo automaticamente do que mudar. Mudar a trajetória da minha vida exige energia, sacrifício e movimento. Eu sei que sem determinação e foco continuarei na vidinha de sempre.
Medo é um outro obstáculo. — Medo de errar, de ficar constrangida, medo do sucesso, medo do fracasso, medo de ter que trabalhar demais. Tanto medo paralisa. Acho que o medo nos faz acreditar que a nossa situação não é tão ruim, portanto não vale a pena arriscar mudar.
Procrastinação é um outro obstáculo. Deixar para depois é certeiro para a estagnação.
As expectativas de outros também são obstáculos. A opinião dos outros pode me impedir de efetuar mudanças e me aventurar em território desconhecido. Eu tento focar no fato de que vou estar diante de Deus sozinha. Não serei julgada ou abençoada de acordo com o que outros achavam que eu devia ter feito. Deus vai considerar o que eu efetivamente fiz, como conduzi a minha vida. Em última análise essa responsabilidade é só minha, de mais ninguém.
Falta de clareza é um outro obstáculo. Você talvez se sinta assim, talvez sinta no espírito que precisa mudar sua vida, sinta-se inquieta ou desconfortável. E, como eu, o seu sexto sentido lhe diga que o Senhor tem algo novo e melhor reservado para você. Mas não sabe ao certo em que direção seguir ou o que fazer, então espera. Eu já agi assim. Mas acho que o segredo é fazer algo, pois conforme avançamos, as coisas ficam mais claras.
É preciso coragem para tomar as rédeas da sua vida e assumir responsabilidade completa por ela.
É preciso coragem para seguir a Deus.
É preciso coragem para mudar e tomar decisões.
É preciso coragem para assumir riscos.
É preciso coragem para sincronizar nossa vida às nossas mais nobres aspirações, em vez de sucumbirmos à mediocridade.
É preciso coragem para ir mais fundo e nos tornarmos as pessoas que queremos ser, em vez de nos escondermos atrás de justificativas, ou colocarmos a culpa em outros.
É preciso coragem para viver a verdade e cumprirmos o que Deus espera de nós.
É preciso coragem para ficarmos no rumo e enfrentarmos as tempestades que inevitavelmente surgem depois que decidimos mudar.
Eu aprendi que coragem não era ausência de medo, mas a conquista dele. O homem corajoso não é aquele que não sente medo, mas o que o conquista.—Nelson Mandela
É impossível descobrir novos mares se não tiver coragem de perder a praia de vista.—Andre Gide
Depois que assumimos as rédeas da nossa vida e futuro, com coragem para reconhecer o que precisa ser mudado, o passo seguinte, inevitável e insubstituível é agir. Não é possível ter mudança ou progresso sem ação. Se queremos mudar algum aspecto de nossas vidas, cada um de nós é responsável por simplesmente fazê-lo.
Como disse a madre Teresa: “O ontem já passou. O amanhã ainda não chegou. Resta-nos apenas hoje. Mãos à obra.” O hoje é tudo que temos, e a ação que tomarmos hoje está criando nossa vida e legado.
É importante você entender que a única maneira de causar impacto é agindo. O mundo não quer saber das suas intenções, dedicação, sentimentos ou pensamentos, e certamente não está interessado no que você quer ou deixa de querer. Considere como a vida é vivida e entenda que o mundo só age em seu favor quando você age.—Werner Erhard
Nada substitui o trabalho árduo.—Thomas Edison
Portanto, o meu desafio não é complicado:
Assumir as rédeas da minha vida.
Identificar os obstáculos que estou enfrentando ou o que está me travando.
Ter coragem.
Agir.
Quando assumimos nossas escolhas na vida, enfrentamos os impedimentos e pedimos a Deus coragem para agirmos no sentido do cumprimento de nossos sonhos, podemos ter certeza que não estamos sós. Deus é por nós. Um dos meus versículos favoritos diz:
“Porque eu conheço os planos que tenho para vocês", diz o Senhor, "planos de fazê-los prosperar e não de lhes causar dano, planos de dar-lhes esperança e um futuro.”[9]
Deus não pode viver a minha vida no meu lugar, mas se eu der um passo na direção certa, Ele me acompanhará e cumprirá Suas promessas. Ele vai atender às minhas orações. É então que as promessas na Bíblia tomam vida e representam o verdadeiropoder!
Quando Deus age em nosso favor, vemos a realização de nossos sonhos e vivemos a vida que fomos criados para viver. Deus age em nosso favor!
[1] Mateus 19:26 NVI.
[2] 1 Coríntios 1:9 NVI.
[3] Filipenses 4:19 RC.
[4] 2 Coríntios 9:8 RC.
[5] Romanos 4:20–21 NVI.
[6] Efésios 3:20 NVI.
[7] Lucas 18:27 NVI.
[8] 2 Crônicas 26:5 NVI.
[9] Jeremias 29:11 NVI..
Ultimamente eu tenho pensado bastante em mudança, talvez por eu sentir necessidade de mudanças na minha vida. Mas, por alguma razão, eu me sinto travada. Parece que algo me puxa para trás. Passei um tempo orando, meditando e escrevendo minhas reflexões. Segue-se alguns pensamentos sobre o assunto.
Não é fácil mudar nossas vidas, mesmo querendo. Mudança é uma morte.
Por um lado, sabemos que hoje em dia existem muitas oportunidades para criarmos uma nova pegada, adquirirmos uma nova habilidade ou até começarmos uma nova carreira se quisermos. Todos nós provavelmente já ouvimos estes pensamentos:
O mundo é a sua ostra.
Não há limites.
No meu dicionário não existe a palavra impossível.
Nunca desista.
Se você pode sonhar, consegue fazer.
A melhor maneira de conhecer o futuro é criá-lo.
Sucesso é 1% inspiração e 99% perspiração.
Parecem bons pontos, mas no final eu estava pensando: “Tá bom…”
Depois pensei em colocar uma verdade na qual confio, e na qual posso apostar minha vida:
E Jesus, olhando para eles, disse-lhes: Aos homens é isso impossível, mas a Deus tudo é possível.”[1]
Fiel é Deus, pelo qual fostes chamados para a comunhão de seu Filho Jesus Cristo nosso Senhor.[2]
O meu Deus suprirá todas as necessidades de vocês, de acordo com as suas gloriosas riquezas em Cristo Jesus.[3]
E Deus é poderoso para fazer que lhes seja acrescentada toda a graça, para que em todas as coisas, em todo o tempo, tendo tudo o que é necessário, vocês transbordem em toda boa obra.[4]
E não duvidou da promessa de Deus por incredulidade, mas foi fortificado na fé, dando glória a Deus, e estando certíssimo de que o que ele tinha prometido também era poderoso para o fazer.[5]
Àquele que é capaz de fazer infinitamente mais do que tudo o que pedimos ou pensamos, de acordo com o seu poder que atua em nós.[6]
O que é impossível para os homens é possível para Deus.[7]
E buscou a Deus... E enquanto buscou o Senhor, Deus o fez prosperar.[8]
Eu me sinto muitíssima abençoada por ter um relacionamento pessoal com Jesus. Sei que Deus me ama. E tenho a fonte da verdade nas mãos que é a Bíblia e outros textos inspirados na fé em Deus. Tenho uma experiência de vida ímpar devido aos muitos anos vivendo por fé e pregando o Evangelho. Acredito que tenho muito a oferecer ao mundo, e deveria aproveitar as vantagens e muitas oportunidades que se me apresentam para servir, retribuir, encontrar satisfação e traçar um caminho rumo a um legado que dará orgulho aos meus amados e a Jesus.
Se tenho tudo isso, por que às vezes a minha “realidade” não se encaixa na descrição que acabei de dar? Às vezes eu me sinto pequena, preterida, perdida, ou como se estivesse à deriva, sem rumo. No meu íntimo eu sei que sou abençoada, tenho conhecimento, entendimento da fé, e valiosos dons espirituais. Mas às vezes não consigo combinar tudo para conseguir aproveitar ao máximo esses dons.
Não sei se outros se identificam com o que estou dizendo, se já procuraram desesperadamente algo mais, estenderam as mãos em busca de um maior senso de pertencimento, de uma melhor carreira, mais dinheiro, ou de mudar hábitos de saúde e relacionamentos... e muitas outras coisas.
Descobri que quanto mais me sinto assim, pior eu fico, até chegar a um ponto em que começo a me perguntar se algum dia ainda encontrarei o caminho para uma vida melhor, um relacionamento mais profundo, um estilo de vida mais saudável. Quando me sinto travada ou incerta quanto à minha condição atual, pode ser confuso ou frustrante tentar “consertar”, ou sequer saber por onde começar.
Então chego à conclusão que tem me ajudado: Esta é a minha vida, e eu determino como ela vai ser.
Pode parecer básico, mas, por algum motivo, foi uma luz para mim.
Percebi que preciso assumir as rédeas da minha vida. Sem desculpas ou justificativas eu devo aceitar que esta é a MINHA VIDA. Ninguém vai mudá-la a não ser eu. Ninguém pode tomar decisões por mim. E ninguém vai agir por mim.
Mas são muitos os obstáculos que me puxam para trás e me travam. Fiz uma lista de alguns.
Inércia é um dos obstáculos. É mais fácil continuar agindo automaticamente do que mudar. Mudar a trajetória da minha vida exige energia, sacrifício e movimento. Eu sei que sem determinação e foco continuarei na vidinha de sempre.
Medo é um outro obstáculo. — Medo de errar, de ficar constrangida, medo do sucesso, medo do fracasso, medo de ter que trabalhar demais. Tanto medo paralisa. Acho que o medo nos faz acreditar que a nossa situação não é tão ruim, portanto não vale a pena arriscar mudar.
Procrastinação é um outro obstáculo. Deixar para depois é certeiro para a estagnação.
As expectativas de outros também são obstáculos. A opinião dos outros pode me impedir de efetuar mudanças e me aventurar em território desconhecido. Eu tento focar no fato de que vou estar diante de Deus sozinha. Não serei julgada ou abençoada de acordo com o que outros achavam que eu devia ter feito. Deus vai considerar o que eu efetivamente fiz, como conduzi a minha vida. Em última análise essa responsabilidade é só minha, de mais ninguém.
Falta de clareza é um outro obstáculo. Você talvez se sinta assim, talvez sinta no espírito que precisa mudar sua vida, sinta-se inquieta ou desconfortável. E, como eu, o seu sexto sentido lhe diga que o Senhor tem algo novo e melhor reservado para você. Mas não sabe ao certo em que direção seguir ou o que fazer, então espera. Eu já agi assim. Mas acho que o segredo é fazer algo, pois conforme avançamos, as coisas ficam mais claras.
É preciso coragem para tomar as rédeas da sua vida e assumir responsabilidade completa por ela.
É preciso coragem para seguir a Deus.
É preciso coragem para mudar e tomar decisões.
É preciso coragem para assumir riscos.
É preciso coragem para sincronizar nossa vida às nossas mais nobres aspirações, em vez de sucumbirmos à mediocridade.
É preciso coragem para ir mais fundo e nos tornarmos as pessoas que queremos ser, em vez de nos escondermos atrás de justificativas, ou colocarmos a culpa em outros.
É preciso coragem para viver a verdade e cumprirmos o que Deus espera de nós.
É preciso coragem para ficarmos no rumo e enfrentarmos as tempestades que inevitavelmente surgem depois que decidimos mudar.
Eu aprendi que coragem não era ausência de medo, mas a conquista dele. O homem corajoso não é aquele que não sente medo, mas o que o conquista.—Nelson Mandela
É impossível descobrir novos mares se não tiver coragem de perder a praia de vista.—Andre Gide
Depois que assumimos as rédeas da nossa vida e futuro, com coragem para reconhecer o que precisa ser mudado, o passo seguinte, inevitável e insubstituível é agir. Não é possível ter mudança ou progresso sem ação. Se queremos mudar algum aspecto de nossas vidas, cada um de nós é responsável por simplesmente fazê-lo.
Como disse a madre Teresa: “O ontem já passou. O amanhã ainda não chegou. Resta-nos apenas hoje. Mãos à obra.” O hoje é tudo que temos, e a ação que tomarmos hoje está criando nossa vida e legado.
É importante você entender que a única maneira de causar impacto é agindo. O mundo não quer saber das suas intenções, dedicação, sentimentos ou pensamentos, e certamente não está interessado no que você quer ou deixa de querer. Considere como a vida é vivida e entenda que o mundo só age em seu favor quando você age.—Werner Erhard
Nada substitui o trabalho árduo.—Thomas Edison
Portanto, o meu desafio não é complicado:
Assumir as rédeas da minha vida.
Identificar os obstáculos que estou enfrentando ou o que está me travando.
Ter coragem.
Agir.
Quando assumimos nossas escolhas na vida, enfrentamos os impedimentos e pedimos a Deus coragem para agirmos no sentido do cumprimento de nossos sonhos, podemos ter certeza que não estamos sós. Deus é por nós. Um dos meus versículos favoritos diz:
“Porque eu conheço os planos que tenho para vocês", diz o Senhor, "planos de fazê-los prosperar e não de lhes causar dano, planos de dar-lhes esperança e um futuro.”[9]
Deus não pode viver a minha vida no meu lugar, mas se eu der um passo na direção certa, Ele me acompanhará e cumprirá Suas promessas. Ele vai atender às minhas orações. É então que as promessas na Bíblia tomam vida e representam o verdadeiropoder!
Quando Deus age em nosso favor, vemos a realização de nossos sonhos e vivemos a vida que fomos criados para viver. Deus age em nosso favor!
[1] Mateus 19:26 NVI.
[2] 1 Coríntios 1:9 NVI.
[3] Filipenses 4:19 RC.
[4] 2 Coríntios 9:8 RC.
[5] Romanos 4:20–21 NVI.
[6] Efésios 3:20 NVI.
[7] Lucas 18:27 NVI.
[8] 2 Crônicas 26:5 NVI.
[9] Jeremias 29:11 NVI..
I Believe
http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/i-believe/
A compilation
Audio length: 10:40
Download Audio (14.6MB)
I believe in the Father of all who knits together life, made in His very own image, in the secret quiet of our beings.
I believe in Jesus Christ, the One with no earthly Father, with the dust of this earth between His toes, and with our names etched onto the palm of His hands, right beneath the nail scars … Who now sits at the Father’s right hand making endless intercession on our behalf. I believe in the stone rolled away, in the Body being raised, in the first fruits of the dead … and us all following soon, very soon.
I believe in the Cross as our only Hope, our only Claim, our only Savior, and our only Foundation. I believe that in the pounding surf of life we have only one thing to cling to: the feet of our Lord Jesus, hanging on that tree, His lifeblood flowing down, washing us whiter than snow. It’s all by His staggering grace, lest any man should boast.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, moving, whispering, indwelling our very being. I believe in living by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, and producing fruit in the Spirit … in the Spirit who helps us in our weakness with groanings that can’t be expressed in words.
I believe in the infallibility of the Bible, God’s Word—a sure Word, a pure Word, the only secure Word. I believe the words on those pages are breathed from the very throne room of heaven, are the love letter penned from the heart of God; a beacon of light for stumbling feet to find sure footing on a dark path.
I believe there is more than believing. There is living what I believe.—Ann Voskamp
Passion for God
We love God with our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. We seek a close personal relationship with Jesus, and to grow in emulating His attributes and living His love.
We desire to know and understand the truth of God’s Word, the essence of His divine nature. We value the foundational principles of the written Word, hearing from God, and following His guidance. We put our faith into action and reach out to weary and troubled hearts, the disadvantaged, downtrodden, and needy, as unto Jesus.—From TFI’s core values
No matter what
No matter what, God is still sovereign. No matter what, God still knows my name, angels still respond to His call, and the hearts of rulers still bend at His bidding. No matter what, the death of Jesus still saves souls, the Spirit of God still indwells saints; heaven is still only heartbeats away, the grave is still temporary housing. God is still faithful; He is not caught off guard. He uses everything for His glory and His ultimate good. He uses tragedy to accomplish His will, and His will is right, holy and perfect. Sorrow may come with the night, but joy always comes with the morning.
In changing times you must lay hold of the unchanging hand of God … We want everything to stay the same, but it’s not going to stay the same. But God does. In the midst of the difficult times, rehearse and recite the unchanging characteristics of God.—Max Lucado
A personal response
God is life, rich and overflowing life, and he is also love. His eternal will is to draw us all into his life, into his love.
God seeks constantly to lift us out of our petty selves into the domain of his love. That is why he stepped out of himself and opened his heart to us. Incredibly, we insignificant beings are the objects of his concern! Out of the incomprehensible love of his heart, he loves each one of us quite personally.
God wants us to know his heart, to accept his word, to affirm his will and carry it out. He also longs for us to respond personally to him, by worshiping him in the freeing spirit of consecration that grasps the essential and then puts it into living practice.—Eberhard Arnold
The end in Himself
There are people who welcome Jesus into their lives as a stepping stone to forgiveness and going to heaven. Salvation is what they are seeking. Though salvation in Jesus Christ is wonderfully true, that is not the main objective of the Gospel. Others welcome Christ as a stepping stone to divine intervention as the only answer to the desperate state their lives are in. But Jesus is not a stepping stone to anything. He is the end in Himself.
The reward for welcoming Jesus into our lives is not being forgiven, not going to heaven, and not divine intervention, but the reward is Jesus Himself. He does not come as a band-aid in our time of need, but He comes to enter every aspect and phase of our lives to be in us all that we need. God is not to be defined as a miracle-working God as though that were His very nature, because He is also a non-miracle-working God. Many people have made desperate pleas in times of illness, tragedy and loss, but there has been no miraculous intervention. We cannot blame God for being subject to all the perils of life, but we can experience His peace and strength in the midst of them.
Paul says in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…” Christ is Himself the end purpose of the Christian life, and His intent is that we come to know and experience Him. He said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”1 Eternal life is not something that begins when we get to heaven, but it begins here on earth the moment we accept Jesus into our lives. When we make Him Lord and not just Savior, we come to know Him not in propositional facts, but experientially, and He becomes our life.—Charles Price
Eyes on the goal
You’ve got to keep your eyes ahead on the goal, like Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. By faith they looked ahead, they looked forward. They weren’t satisfied with being a citizen of this world; they looked for a country made by God, a heavenly country, a heavenly city.
They were willing to go through all the trials and tribulations and be strangers and pilgrims and people without a country because they knew they had one coming. And they knew it was worth fighting for, living and dying for.
Even the benefits on the way are worth it. What soldier gets paid that well? Who gets a hundred times everything he gives up to join the army? God’s soldier is going to get a hundred times what he gave up.2 What more could he ask than that?
A hundred times the salary he got before, a hundred times the health, the blessings, the love—a hundred times as much as everything he had before. What more could he ask than that? Plus heaven! All this and heaven too!
Isn’t that worth fighting for? Don’t you think even the love of our Savior, the love of our Commander in Chief, and just because you love Him is worth fighting for?
He fought and bled and died for you on the cross to save you, and He won the battle for you. You should be willing to enter into His battles just in gratitude for the fact that He saved you—to go through a few little battles with the Devil to fight for the cause of Christ and for His kingdom and His love and to try to save others.
Jesus was willing to die for us to save us, and He wants us to be willing to die to self for Him to save others. “No greater love hath any man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”3 Our sufferings aren’t even worthy to be compared with the blessings that we already have, much less the glory we’re going to enjoy.4—David Brandt Berg
Published on Anchor May 2015. Read by Debra Lee.
1 John 17:3 NIV.
2 Matthew 19:29.
3 John 15:13.
4 Romans 8:18.
A compilation
Audio length: 10:40
Download Audio (14.6MB)
I believe in the Father of all who knits together life, made in His very own image, in the secret quiet of our beings.
I believe in Jesus Christ, the One with no earthly Father, with the dust of this earth between His toes, and with our names etched onto the palm of His hands, right beneath the nail scars … Who now sits at the Father’s right hand making endless intercession on our behalf. I believe in the stone rolled away, in the Body being raised, in the first fruits of the dead … and us all following soon, very soon.
I believe in the Cross as our only Hope, our only Claim, our only Savior, and our only Foundation. I believe that in the pounding surf of life we have only one thing to cling to: the feet of our Lord Jesus, hanging on that tree, His lifeblood flowing down, washing us whiter than snow. It’s all by His staggering grace, lest any man should boast.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, moving, whispering, indwelling our very being. I believe in living by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, and producing fruit in the Spirit … in the Spirit who helps us in our weakness with groanings that can’t be expressed in words.
I believe in the infallibility of the Bible, God’s Word—a sure Word, a pure Word, the only secure Word. I believe the words on those pages are breathed from the very throne room of heaven, are the love letter penned from the heart of God; a beacon of light for stumbling feet to find sure footing on a dark path.
I believe there is more than believing. There is living what I believe.—Ann Voskamp
Passion for God
We love God with our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. We seek a close personal relationship with Jesus, and to grow in emulating His attributes and living His love.
We desire to know and understand the truth of God’s Word, the essence of His divine nature. We value the foundational principles of the written Word, hearing from God, and following His guidance. We put our faith into action and reach out to weary and troubled hearts, the disadvantaged, downtrodden, and needy, as unto Jesus.—From TFI’s core values
No matter what
No matter what, God is still sovereign. No matter what, God still knows my name, angels still respond to His call, and the hearts of rulers still bend at His bidding. No matter what, the death of Jesus still saves souls, the Spirit of God still indwells saints; heaven is still only heartbeats away, the grave is still temporary housing. God is still faithful; He is not caught off guard. He uses everything for His glory and His ultimate good. He uses tragedy to accomplish His will, and His will is right, holy and perfect. Sorrow may come with the night, but joy always comes with the morning.
In changing times you must lay hold of the unchanging hand of God … We want everything to stay the same, but it’s not going to stay the same. But God does. In the midst of the difficult times, rehearse and recite the unchanging characteristics of God.—Max Lucado
A personal response
God is life, rich and overflowing life, and he is also love. His eternal will is to draw us all into his life, into his love.
God seeks constantly to lift us out of our petty selves into the domain of his love. That is why he stepped out of himself and opened his heart to us. Incredibly, we insignificant beings are the objects of his concern! Out of the incomprehensible love of his heart, he loves each one of us quite personally.
God wants us to know his heart, to accept his word, to affirm his will and carry it out. He also longs for us to respond personally to him, by worshiping him in the freeing spirit of consecration that grasps the essential and then puts it into living practice.—Eberhard Arnold
The end in Himself
There are people who welcome Jesus into their lives as a stepping stone to forgiveness and going to heaven. Salvation is what they are seeking. Though salvation in Jesus Christ is wonderfully true, that is not the main objective of the Gospel. Others welcome Christ as a stepping stone to divine intervention as the only answer to the desperate state their lives are in. But Jesus is not a stepping stone to anything. He is the end in Himself.
The reward for welcoming Jesus into our lives is not being forgiven, not going to heaven, and not divine intervention, but the reward is Jesus Himself. He does not come as a band-aid in our time of need, but He comes to enter every aspect and phase of our lives to be in us all that we need. God is not to be defined as a miracle-working God as though that were His very nature, because He is also a non-miracle-working God. Many people have made desperate pleas in times of illness, tragedy and loss, but there has been no miraculous intervention. We cannot blame God for being subject to all the perils of life, but we can experience His peace and strength in the midst of them.
Paul says in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…” Christ is Himself the end purpose of the Christian life, and His intent is that we come to know and experience Him. He said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”1 Eternal life is not something that begins when we get to heaven, but it begins here on earth the moment we accept Jesus into our lives. When we make Him Lord and not just Savior, we come to know Him not in propositional facts, but experientially, and He becomes our life.—Charles Price
Eyes on the goal
You’ve got to keep your eyes ahead on the goal, like Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. By faith they looked ahead, they looked forward. They weren’t satisfied with being a citizen of this world; they looked for a country made by God, a heavenly country, a heavenly city.
They were willing to go through all the trials and tribulations and be strangers and pilgrims and people without a country because they knew they had one coming. And they knew it was worth fighting for, living and dying for.
Even the benefits on the way are worth it. What soldier gets paid that well? Who gets a hundred times everything he gives up to join the army? God’s soldier is going to get a hundred times what he gave up.2 What more could he ask than that?
A hundred times the salary he got before, a hundred times the health, the blessings, the love—a hundred times as much as everything he had before. What more could he ask than that? Plus heaven! All this and heaven too!
Isn’t that worth fighting for? Don’t you think even the love of our Savior, the love of our Commander in Chief, and just because you love Him is worth fighting for?
He fought and bled and died for you on the cross to save you, and He won the battle for you. You should be willing to enter into His battles just in gratitude for the fact that He saved you—to go through a few little battles with the Devil to fight for the cause of Christ and for His kingdom and His love and to try to save others.
Jesus was willing to die for us to save us, and He wants us to be willing to die to self for Him to save others. “No greater love hath any man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”3 Our sufferings aren’t even worthy to be compared with the blessings that we already have, much less the glory we’re going to enjoy.4—David Brandt Berg
Published on Anchor May 2015. Read by Debra Lee.
1 John 17:3 NIV.
2 Matthew 19:29.
3 John 15:13.
4 Romans 8:18.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Embracing Change
http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/embracing-change/
By Peter Amsterdam
Audio length: 7:22
Download Audio (10.1MB)
When you’re experiencing a lot of movement or a lot of change, it can give rise to uncertainty, concern, even some fear, worry, or discouragement, wondering how you are going to make it and what the future holds.
Trusting the Lord and following Him doesn’t guarantee that the changes will be easy to go through, or that the hardship or difficult emotions will pass quickly, but it does mean that you are allowing God to interact in your life and circumstances, and thus you’re putting yourself in the position where He can bring you to a new and fruitful future.
Transitioning into new situations can be a part of the Lord’s plan for getting each of us where He wants us to be, ready for what He has in store for us. As hard as it may be to accept, if the Lord is asking you to make a change, or if He’s asking someone else to make a change that affects you, it may be His way of telling you that He has something new, something better in some way for you. Your changing circumstances will bring new challenges, and thus potential for personal growth. The new situation you find yourself in may help create a vacuum for future possibilities which would not have been available had the change not occurred.
The new situation or state of affairs creates an opening for the Lord to work in your life in new ways. You may not see immediate positive effects from the new course your life or work is taking; in fact, it may not seem positive at all at the time. But when change thrusts you onto a new path, it can lead to new experience, growth, and fruitfulness which would be unattainable on the well-worn path of your past.
Embracing change puts you in a position to respond to future opportunities—opportunities that become possible because you have faith to let go and move in the way God shows you. It takes faith to change. You have to fight against fear and uncertainty. It can be very intense. But it’s worth the fight in order to discover what God has ahead for you. Remember that, while we are walking by faith, He is walking by sight! So put your hand in His and let Him guide you, step by step, into your future.
Even if it seems that things are moving slowly and might not look so promising right now, the Lord has a plan in what He’s bringing about in each of our lives. As you move into new situations, continuing to follow what the Lord puts on your heart, what He asks of you, it’s very likely that you’ll start seeing the world around you through new eyes, from different perspectives; that you’ll have a better understanding of your past, your present, and even what the future might hold for you.
If you’ve moved to a new city or country, you will likely be obliged to make friends and build new networks. You might feel lonely at times, if you’re far away from other loved ones and friends, but you might come to see that that may very well be an opportunity for you to influence the lives of others. You’ll also see ways that you will be able to learn from those you are in contact with. It will make you more relatable to those with whom you work and interact daily.
Through all the struggles you may face with change, you will be strengthened if you keep going in the direction Jesus is guiding you. It’s holding on to Him that builds your spiritual muscles.
During times of great change, it’s comforting to know that you are being watched over and cared for by our Great Shepherd, and I believe that He will engineer situations in which He plans to use you to reach others for Him, no matter what your situation or circumstances. I like to look at the future like a mystery unfolding, as a parcel of surprises that are unwrapped, one by one, at each stage of the journey, as you learn more about yourself and your potential and God’s plan for your life.
I believe that one day we will each be able to look back with happiness when we see that the small and faltering steps we’ve taken in our life journey have been transformed into a confident and steady stride. This comes with experience, and, of course, by leaning on Jesus. It comes from a praiseful, positive outlook that assures us that what the Lord has begun, He will continue to perform.1
It’s my opinion that, with the knowledge that nothing is impossible to the Lord, and that we and Jesus together can handle anything that comes our way, we’ll be able to face every challenge with faith, grace, and optimism. Not only can our lives be transformed in many ways through the changes the Lord brings our way, but also what may now be partially dormant qualities and characteristics within us can come to life and blossom. We’re each a work in progress, and what might appear to be of little worth to us today may well be a highly valued treasure tomorrow.
There is a purpose in what each of us is going through today, significance in every opportunity the Lord is setting before us, and a reason for each change and new step we’re embarking on. It seems that the Lord encourages us to make needed changes so that we can be more effective witnesses than we have been, touching the lives of many. The Lord said that His followers are like “the salt of the earth,”2 and, in prophecy He said, “I sprinkle [you] freely across the nations that [you] may bring out the flavor of My love in all places where [you] go.”3
If you’re experiencing some trepidation or concern due to changes you’re in the midst of, or if you can identify with some of the things that I’ve talked about in this post, be encouraged. Embrace the changes the Lord brings into your life, knowing that He is with you and He wants to show you how to bear fruit and be a witness in every circumstance you find yourself in. If you want to please Him, if you want to be a witness to others to the best of your ability, and you want to share His love wherever you are, the Lord will guide you and answer your prayers.
You can trust in the Lord, and rest in the assurance that“Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it,’”4 and that voice will not fail you. That’s not optimism; that’s His promise!
Originally published September 2010. Adapted and republished May 2015.
Read by Jon Marc.
1 Philippians 1:6.
2 Matthew 5:13.
3 Jesus, speaking in prophecy. Originally published June 1997.
4 Isaiah 30:21 NIV.
By Peter Amsterdam
Audio length: 7:22
Download Audio (10.1MB)
When you’re experiencing a lot of movement or a lot of change, it can give rise to uncertainty, concern, even some fear, worry, or discouragement, wondering how you are going to make it and what the future holds.
Trusting the Lord and following Him doesn’t guarantee that the changes will be easy to go through, or that the hardship or difficult emotions will pass quickly, but it does mean that you are allowing God to interact in your life and circumstances, and thus you’re putting yourself in the position where He can bring you to a new and fruitful future.
Transitioning into new situations can be a part of the Lord’s plan for getting each of us where He wants us to be, ready for what He has in store for us. As hard as it may be to accept, if the Lord is asking you to make a change, or if He’s asking someone else to make a change that affects you, it may be His way of telling you that He has something new, something better in some way for you. Your changing circumstances will bring new challenges, and thus potential for personal growth. The new situation you find yourself in may help create a vacuum for future possibilities which would not have been available had the change not occurred.
The new situation or state of affairs creates an opening for the Lord to work in your life in new ways. You may not see immediate positive effects from the new course your life or work is taking; in fact, it may not seem positive at all at the time. But when change thrusts you onto a new path, it can lead to new experience, growth, and fruitfulness which would be unattainable on the well-worn path of your past.
Embracing change puts you in a position to respond to future opportunities—opportunities that become possible because you have faith to let go and move in the way God shows you. It takes faith to change. You have to fight against fear and uncertainty. It can be very intense. But it’s worth the fight in order to discover what God has ahead for you. Remember that, while we are walking by faith, He is walking by sight! So put your hand in His and let Him guide you, step by step, into your future.
Even if it seems that things are moving slowly and might not look so promising right now, the Lord has a plan in what He’s bringing about in each of our lives. As you move into new situations, continuing to follow what the Lord puts on your heart, what He asks of you, it’s very likely that you’ll start seeing the world around you through new eyes, from different perspectives; that you’ll have a better understanding of your past, your present, and even what the future might hold for you.
If you’ve moved to a new city or country, you will likely be obliged to make friends and build new networks. You might feel lonely at times, if you’re far away from other loved ones and friends, but you might come to see that that may very well be an opportunity for you to influence the lives of others. You’ll also see ways that you will be able to learn from those you are in contact with. It will make you more relatable to those with whom you work and interact daily.
Through all the struggles you may face with change, you will be strengthened if you keep going in the direction Jesus is guiding you. It’s holding on to Him that builds your spiritual muscles.
During times of great change, it’s comforting to know that you are being watched over and cared for by our Great Shepherd, and I believe that He will engineer situations in which He plans to use you to reach others for Him, no matter what your situation or circumstances. I like to look at the future like a mystery unfolding, as a parcel of surprises that are unwrapped, one by one, at each stage of the journey, as you learn more about yourself and your potential and God’s plan for your life.
I believe that one day we will each be able to look back with happiness when we see that the small and faltering steps we’ve taken in our life journey have been transformed into a confident and steady stride. This comes with experience, and, of course, by leaning on Jesus. It comes from a praiseful, positive outlook that assures us that what the Lord has begun, He will continue to perform.1
It’s my opinion that, with the knowledge that nothing is impossible to the Lord, and that we and Jesus together can handle anything that comes our way, we’ll be able to face every challenge with faith, grace, and optimism. Not only can our lives be transformed in many ways through the changes the Lord brings our way, but also what may now be partially dormant qualities and characteristics within us can come to life and blossom. We’re each a work in progress, and what might appear to be of little worth to us today may well be a highly valued treasure tomorrow.
There is a purpose in what each of us is going through today, significance in every opportunity the Lord is setting before us, and a reason for each change and new step we’re embarking on. It seems that the Lord encourages us to make needed changes so that we can be more effective witnesses than we have been, touching the lives of many. The Lord said that His followers are like “the salt of the earth,”2 and, in prophecy He said, “I sprinkle [you] freely across the nations that [you] may bring out the flavor of My love in all places where [you] go.”3
If you’re experiencing some trepidation or concern due to changes you’re in the midst of, or if you can identify with some of the things that I’ve talked about in this post, be encouraged. Embrace the changes the Lord brings into your life, knowing that He is with you and He wants to show you how to bear fruit and be a witness in every circumstance you find yourself in. If you want to please Him, if you want to be a witness to others to the best of your ability, and you want to share His love wherever you are, the Lord will guide you and answer your prayers.
You can trust in the Lord, and rest in the assurance that“Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it,’”4 and that voice will not fail you. That’s not optimism; that’s His promise!
Originally published September 2010. Adapted and republished May 2015.
Read by Jon Marc.
1 Philippians 1:6.
2 Matthew 5:13.
3 Jesus, speaking in prophecy. Originally published June 1997.
4 Isaiah 30:21 NIV.
