Ted Cruz and the most cynical political stunt of the year

By Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, The Week, September 12, 2014

Since the second half of the 20th century, some of my fellow Christians have been the most persecuted religious group in the world. They still are. You probably are surprised to hear this. That’s because most of these persecuted Christians don’t live in the West. They are, as the awful phrase has it, too foreign for the right and too Christian for the left.

In recent weeks and months, however, the West has heard about the plight of at least one set of these persecuted Christians: those in the Middle East. These communities, many of which date back to the very beginning of Christianity, are now facing outright extinction. And it’s happening at the hands of ISIS, the West’s Public Enemy No. 1.

It is in this context that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) indulged in what might be the most cynical and despicable political stunt of the year, which is certainly saying a lot.

A summit was held this week in Washington, D.C., in support of Middle East Christians, and Cruz was supposed to be a keynote speaker. However, right in the second paragraph of his speech, he began exalting Israel. After a while, the assembly started to boo and heckle him. Cruz said, “If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you,” and left the podium.

Keep in mind that many Christians in the Middle East are ethnic Arabs who live under Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, and therefore have negative feelings about Israel. Of course, there are also many Middle East Christians who are supporters of Israel. (Just saying this does not make it true. The Arab Christians may tolerate Israel's existence, but to say they are supporters is a bit strong.-Dennis)

As the excellent coverage, transcript, and recording provided by The American Conservative’s Jonathan Coppage shows, the audience in Washington applauded Cruz’s first lines of support for Israel and the Jews. The crowd turned against him only when it became clear that he was launching into a rah-rah pro-Israel stump speech that had nothing to do with what they were doing there.

Now, I am no Ted Cruz antagonist. I am a supporter of the Tea Party—it’s done, on the whole, a world of good for the Republican Party by reinvigorating it and strengthening it. I even supported Cruz’s push to shut down the government to stop ObamaCare implementation. And I am also a full-throated supporter of Israel.(I myself am a full-throated supporter of Palestine's right for full autonomy which the United Nations agreed to back in 1974. I also supported Saddam Hussein's right to rule Iraq, Gaddafi's right to rule Libya and Assad's right to rule Syria. In all those countries, Christians were being treated fairly. Their rights and lives were protected. Take away the strong man government and chaos rules and the weak Christian minorities are one of most vulnerable. We have seen this happen in each of these countries since removing the strong man from power. We removed the strong man because we did not like his economic weight and influence in the region. Would you still want to have fellowship with me knowing I support the Palestinian cause? Or do you consider me a deluded believer? I for one believe the full-throated support for Israel is deluded and needs to be amended. Many Israeli Jews agree with me. But you hardly, if ever, hear their voice.)

But let’s be clear about what Cruz was doing in D.C.: using one of the world’s most beleaguered minorities as a prop for his own self-aggrandizement.

Why would he do this? This is speculation, but perhaps Cruz, who is a Southern Baptist and whose father is a fundamentalist Baptist preacher, was subtly pandering to a segment of fundamentalist Christians who do not believe that Middle East Christians are “real” Christians. To a serious undercurrent of American Fundamentalism, the Catholic Church is the Antichrist that has been oppressing the “true” Church for millennia, and anything that looks vaguely Catholic, with ordained priests and ornate liturgies, is equally evil. Of course, this is hokum: Middle East Christians were Christians (with their priests and liturgies and incense and icons) for 1,800 years before the Fundamentalists invented their revisionist history.(C.I. Scofield is responsible for much of this modernistic pro Jewish interpretation of the scriptures. He was supported by Jewish bankers and businessmen while working on his pro-Israel reinterpretation of the scriptures. You could read more about his unscrupulous past and those who helped finance him at the following link:

http://fightforyourfaith.blogspot.pt/search/label/C.I.Scofield)

This much, however, is absolutely clear: Cruz tarred and attacked one of the most powerless and beleaguered minorities in the world, solely for personal political gain. He was speaking truth to the powerless. He was strong against the weak.

In the end, what was most striking about Cruz’s tirade was the last phrase: “If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you.” Cruz was literally standing in a room with his fellow Christians. In the Bible, the idea of the fellowship of Christian believers is a very important one, and to break fellowship is to put oneself outside the community. What Cruz was saying was that agreeing to his views on Israel was more important as a badge of fellowship than believing in Jesus Christ. (And many other American Christians believe the same. If you do not support Israel, then you must not be a real Christian is what they proport. I for one believe the interpretation that the Jews are God's people even though they have rejected Christ's message is contrary to the predominance of the scriptures. Those who are trying to bring God's Kingdom of peace and love on the earth through following Jesus' commandment to love another are the true Israel of God, not the tiny little country in the Middle East. If one would read what God's word says about helping the poor, you could very well conclude that his heart is more on the side of the Palestinians than of Israel's.)

There are many things Christians disagree about, but surely one of the things they should agree on is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is more important than anything, and certainly more important than any political cause, as good as that cause may be. (Exactly, but it is not so easily done. You might find the following interesting:http://fightforyourfaith.blogspot.pt/search/label/Spiritual%20Israel )

That is Christianity. Obviously, whatever Ted Cruz believes in, it’s something different.

Read More

Are You Ready To Become Obsolete? What I’ve Learned About Continuous Reinvention.

Josh Bersin, LinkedIn, Sept. 13, 2014

SAP just released some interesting new global research conducted by Oxford Economics which shows that the #1 issue we face as employees is obsolescence of our own skills.

Half the professionals in the survey believe the skills they have will NOT be what they need in the next three years. So we have a 3-year “half-life” for our own skills.

So the issue in our careers today is not “what do you know” but “how fast do you learn?”

One of the most important skills I have found in leaders and candidates is what is often called “learning agility.” Learning Agility, a term coined by psychologists, simply describes your ability to rapidly learn new things.

Suppose you are one of these people who thinks you’re going to replenish half your skills in the next 3 years. How do you do it? Here is what I’ve learned:

Read as much as you can. Today tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the web in general are rapidly becoming curated reading systems. If you subscribe to the people and topics you like, you will start to see articles and news on your industry which will rapidly bring you “into the market” and help you see what is going on and what you need to learn.

I am a voracious reader. I read everything I get my hands on: The New York Times (Sunday), WSJ, Economist, HBR, and every HR magazine out there. I have an e-reader device and I buy books almost every week or two, often for only $10—just to keep up on topics I feel are important. I don’t read every word of every piece, but I read enough to keep me comfortable that I’m current. And I take notes on the device and try to put my references into Evernote or another tool to keep track.

Get to know experts around you. There are lots and lots of gurus around you—and they usually love to share what they know. I, for one, am always willing to talk with people who want to pick my brain on some part of HR or technology. I was just at a meeting last week and sat at lunch with a guru in recruitment technology—once I asked her a few questions she just opened up and educated me about a many new sourcing tools and technologies I had never heard of.

Take an expert to coffee and just ask questions. Every company is filled with senior engineers, sales people, managers, and functional leaders who would love to talk with you. Take them to coffee and just ask them to fill you in. Not only will they help you understand your own domain, but even more importantly they will give you the “big picture” about what’s going on in your space. The problem we often have in career planning is not understanding the detailed skills we need, but rather the big “transformations” coming. (I remember well when marketing was focused on field events, mailing flyers, and calling people on the phone. Today CRM, email marketing, social networking, and SEO have transformed the profession.)

Take time to play around with new stuff. We all have things in our professions that are new—new tools, new approaches, new models, new technologies. Today you can often download or try them for free. Do it! I’ve been “playing around” with Pinterest for years and that helped me understand it. I cannot tell you how many HR tools I’ve played with and now I can relatively easily understand what they do and where they fit.

Play around with new solutions as well. If you’re reading and staying up in your market, you’ll see other companies doing your job in new ways. Try what they’re doing at your place—it might work. One of the most important pieces of career advice I give people is “watch for the changes around you.” Your job or profession may be undergoing rapid change, and you may not see it.

Think about the medical profession. I met with a robotics expert and discovered that the field of surgery is likely to become highly automated within the next five years. If you’re a doctor and not keeping up with robotic surgery, you may find yourself without a career in 10 years. In fact, “robotics” is coming to every field we work in—so rather than worry about, just learn about the new automation tools coming and use them.

Go to industry conferences. As much as they often wear you out, industry conferences are among the most important transformational learning experiences you can find. A good industry conference brings together thought leaders, experts, great practitioners, and vendors all in one place. In only a few days you can listen to presentations, meet experts, and visit vendors. I recommend that every professional attend at least one major industry conference in their domain every year. It is well worth the time, believe me. (And many are now streamed online for free.)

Take courses. Yes, real ones. Sometimes we all need a real “refresher” on a topic, and that may require taking time to attend a real course (online or in person). For example, about ten years into my career I took a three day course on large account selling. That course stuck with me for the rest of my life. The principles I learned there are enduring strategies I would never have learned on my own.

In my case I also realized several years ago that I needed to learn more about modern web technologies. So I signed up for a Lynda.com account and have learned all about HTML 5, Google Adwords and Analytics, and advanced statistics. Did I really need all that detail? Maybe or maybe not—but I now feel more comfortable with the whole domain.

Today with so many MOOCs and online courses available, you can take great courses for $200 or less, and if you just put the time in you’ll suddenly find yourself “re-energized” with new stuff to try.

Teach others. The best way to really learn something is to try to teach it to others. Not only will teaching force you to come to grips with what you know, it will also force you to organize your skills and put them into a form others can use. In that process you will suddenly understand your tacit knowledge (all the things you know but never formally learned) and all the places you have gaps.

Many agile organizations (the US Military, for example) force people to teach as part of their professional development. I have never taught a workshop or even given a speech where someone didn’t ask me a question that helped me learn even more.

Visit YouTube and Ted. If you really want to have fun, start poking around on YouTube and Ted in your industry. You will find hundreds of videos by world experts (and some very fun people) showing off what they know. These typically don’t qualify as “courses” or “education” but you will suddenly realize how much you “don’t know” about your own domain.

I always tell our analysts that it typically takes two years to fully “grok” a new topic (Does anyone read Stranger in a Strange Land anymore?). This is not because there isn’t a lot to read—it’s because in every domain there are multiple points of view. For everyone who thinks the next big programming language is Perl, there is someone who argues that Java is taking over the world. These debates and educational discussions are what make you “relevant” and give you “context” in your profession.

Ask for developmental projects. Ask your boss or employer to let you try new things. Maybe you’re interested in advanced analytics but you work in marketing programs. Tell your boss you want to spend two days a week doing an analytics project on the reach and effectiveness of your programs. He or she may not want you to stop doing what you’re doing, but with a little discussion you can probably convince him that this little “project” may save the company a lot of money over the long run.

Managers are often so busy with their own jobs they may not even see the opportunity to try something new. You can teach yourself something new and bring innovation to your company at the same time.

Learn to think expansively. Look for the “Big Picture.” I had a long talk about this issue with one of the SAP executives at dinner this week. What I told her was that my experience shows that one of the most important skills in “learning agility” is your ability to “see the big picture.”

Imagine if someone asked you “what do you believe is the most important trend happening in your profession over the next three years?” What would you say? I get this question all the time—so I have taught myself to see the big picture.

In most cases you may say “well, hmm, I really don’t know.” That is your incentive to get to work. Get out there and read, learn, talk to people, go to conferences, and figure out where your job and profession is going. And then get on that bandwagon to get there first.

Change jobs. And finally, perhaps the scariest of all—sometimes you have to pick up and leave the place you work. There are many organizations which become unable to offer you the opportunity to do what you want to do next. While we all want to be loyal to our employers, sometimes we have to jump off the cliff and try something new. I encourage everyone to shop around and interview regularly, just to see how other companies may be “reinventing” the work you do at your current employer.

In my case, I was always scared to death to change jobs—but every transition turned out to be a good thing (with the exception of one). I went from Exxon to IBM to Sybase to a startup, to DigitalThink to being laid off. That propelled me to start my own business which brought me to where I am today. Every transition was frightening but gave me developmental experiences beyond my wildest dreams. (So if you ever are laid off, consider it a gift.)

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a headhunter I still know well—sometimes it’s good to just “move to a fast growing company” because there, due to growth alone, you get a chance to expand your career. That motto certainly worked for me.

Yes we have to do our jobs, get our work done, and make our companies successful. But as we do this, we must also continuously reinvent ourselves. CEOs and HR executives understand this issue more than ever, and more and more now understand that if they don’t offer you continuous learning opportunities you will just leave.

As professionals, we are expected to educate ourselves.

I evolved my career from mechanical engineer to project management to computer and technology sales to marketing and product management and later to industry analysis and executive management.

It all happened over time and with a lot of scary “self-reinvention” in the process. Nobody told me what to learn, what jobs to take, or who to meet—but somehow along the way I just realized that “learning was good.”

Take your own profession seriously. Rather than worry about change and hope your employer will train you, take development into your own hands. Not only will you have fun, but you’ll find new career opportunities just appear.

As Stephen Covey described so eloquently in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, we all have to “sharpen the saw.” Just as carpenters have to sharpen their tools every week, you need to sharpen your skills every year.

Get a little worried about becoming obsolete—it’s actually good for you. It will push you to stay current, learn, and go out and meet people who can help you reinvent yourself every day.

Read More

O Impacto de uma Pessoa

http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/o-impacto-de-uma-pessoa/
Uma compilação

Como é o amor? Tem mãos que ajudam; pés que caminham até aos pobres e carentes; olhos que veem a miséria e a tristeza; ouvidos que ouvem os lamentos e pesares das pessoas. Assim é o amor. — Santo Agostinho

Depois do motim

A história Mutiny on the Bounty (O Grande Motim, na versão cinematográfica, ou Motim a Bordo), tem fascinado leitores e amantes do cinema há gerações. Porém, os acontecimentos após o motim, não tão divulgados, são igualmente fascinantes.

Em 1789 — por razões que ainda são motivos de debate — , a tripulação do navio HMS Bounty se amotinou contra o cruel capitão, William Bligh, que, juntamente com outros foi jogado ao mar em um bote e deixado à deriva. Os amotinados continuaram no navio, vindo a atracar em Pitcairn, uma minúscula, isolada e despovoada ilha nos mares do Sul. Ali desembarcaram vinte e cinco pessoas, entre elas nove marujos britânicos, seis homens e dez mulheres do Taiti. Logo após pisarem na ilha, incendiaram o Bounty e se estabeleceram de forma permanente no local.

Mas a situação logo se transformou em um pesadelo. Crescentes conflitos entre os brutos marinheiros britânicos e os taitianos resultaram em violência e morte. Depois que um marinheiro desenvolveu um método para destilar uma planta nativa e produzir bebida alcoólica, aquele lugar paradisíaco se tornou em um covil de embriaguez, vício e degradação. No final, apenas alguns taitianos e um marinheiro britânico, John Adams, sobreviveram.

Um dia, Adams encontrou a Bíblia que, muitos anos antes, havia sido retirada da embarcação muitos anos, mas fora esquecida em um canto. Começou a ler o livro cujas palavras Deus usou para tocar o coração de Adams e convencê-lo dos seus pecados, resultando na sua conversão à fé em Cristo. Ele sofreu uma transformação dramática e logo começou a falar de Jesus para os companheiros de exílio. O exemplo de mudança em Adams e a mensagem da Bíblia foram cruciais para todos se converterem. Em 1808, quando marinheiros norte-americanos pararam em Pitcairn — o primeiro contato dos sobreviventes com a civilização —encontraram uma comunidade próspera e harmoniosa... Deus usou o testemunho de um homem, John Adams, para transformar a … colônia. —Billy Graham[1]

Neemias

Quando ouvi essas coisas, sentei-me e chorei. Passei dias lamentando, jejuando e orando ao Deus dos céus. Então eu disse: Senhor, Deus dos céus, Deus grande e temível, fiel à aliança e misericordioso com os que o amam e obedecem aos seus mandamentos, que os teus ouvidos estejam atentos e os teus olhos estejam abertos para ouvir a oração que o teu servo está fazendo dia e noite diante de ti em favor de teus servos. — Neemias 1:4–6[2]

*

Perguntaram ao falecido Stephen Olford, um conhecido pregador: “Qual o segredo da obra cristã?” Ele respondeu: “Joelhos dobrados, olhos marejados e coração partido”. Neemias chorou com profundo pesar, jejuou, pranteou e orou por dias por amor ao povo e à cidade santa destruída.

O que é isso que imprime tão forte impressão em nós em relação às necessidades do mundo e nos comove intimamente? Infelizmente, nem todos buscam esse lugar interior e mesmo alguns que tentam não o alcançam, dadas à resistência que eles próprias construíram. Mas as necessidades do nosso mundo sofredor só podem ser supridas por pessoas de coração partido. Algo no nosso íntimo tem de se conectar ao coração de Deus. E até sentirmos a pressão da Sua dor e compaixão bem fundo da alma, jamais participaremos plenamente na obra de Deus.

… Deus usa pessoas comuns para cumprir o Seu desígnio. A Ele interessa a condição do nosso coração. O que nos sustém e energiza é esse quebrantamento, a conexão profunda com o coração de Deus, e o toque divino em nossos corações. Podemos dizer que somos alimentados pelas lágrimas que derramamos.

Neemias se comoveu e se sentiu impelido a cumprir a vontade de Deus, não por piedade, mas por se identificar com a tristeza e a compaixão de Deus, que se tornaram a sua força propulsora. Se os ingredientes para a produtividade na vida cristã são os joelhos dobrados, olhos marejados e o coração partido, então nós, o povo de Deus, precisamos nos colocar à Sua disposição e, a exemplo de Neemias, ser motivados pela compaixão a cumprirmos os planos de Deus neste mundo. — Charles Price

Amy Carmichael

Amy Carmichael vivia apenas para divulgar o amor de Deus aos cativos das trevas. Nasceu no norte da Irlanda em 1867. Era a mais velha de sete filhos. A morte súbita do pai quando ela tinha 18 anos de idade teve um forte impacto em sua vida, fazendo-a pensar seriamente no seu futuro e no plano de Deus para sua vida. Aos 19, depois de ouvir Hudson Taylor falar sobre a vida missionária, percebeu que nada era mais importante do que dedicar-se a Jesus, que tinha dado a vida por ela e não possuía nada nesta Terra. Sabia que sua vocação era seguir o exemplo de Jesus e se devotar totalmente a Ele. Em outras palavras, deveria “morrer para o mundo e sua aprovação, todos os seus costumes, maneiras e leis.”

Em muitos sentidos, não era uma provável candidata ao trabalho missionário. Tinha nevralgia, uma doença dos nervos que deixavam seu corpo fraco e dolorido. Muitas vezes ficava entrevada na cama por semanas a fio. Mesmo assim, Amy queria ser missionária. Orou a respeito e escreveu os motivos por que achava que provavelmente não seria a vontade de Deus. Um dos primeiros era a sua doença. Mas, quando orava, parecia ouvir o Senhor falar como se estivesse ali ao seu lado, dizendo “Vá”.

Por mais de um ano, Amy procurou um lugar para servir como missionária, mas ninguém a aceitava. Por fim foi para o Japão, junto com outras três mulheres. Ela adorava testemunhar. No navio, até o capitão se converteu à fé cristã depois de observar a alegria com que Amy lidava com a sujeira e os insetos na embarcação.

A nevralgia de Amy piorou a tal ponto que o médico a mandou sair do Japão e ir para um lugar com um clima mais propício para a sua condição. Depois de resistir um pouco, Amy aceitou que o melhor seria ir para a Índia.

Ultimamente houve ocasiões em que precisei me apegar com todas as minhas forças a um texto: ‘Requer-se dos despenseiros, que sejam achados fiéis.’ Glória aDeus, não diz ‘bem-sucedidos’”. — Amy Carmichael

Em 1895, a Igreja Anglicana transferiu Amy para Dohnavur, Índia. No final, por mais difícil que tenha sido, ela serviu ali por 56 anos, sem nunca tirar uma licença.

O trabalho missionário na Índia era perigoso. A conversão de alguém de uma casta superior sempre gerava perseguições. Toda a comunidade hindu se desdobrava para dificultar a vida dos cristãos. Forçavam o fechamento de suas escolas, queimavam algumas, vandalizavam igrejas, espancavam missionários, e abriam processos intermináveis contra eles.

No início, Amy viajava e pregava, usando uma roupa nativa, algo que todos os outros missionários diziam ser de mau gosto. Usando um sari, com a pele bronzeada e pintada, ela podia até passar por indiana.

No final, grande parte do trabalho de Amy foi resgatar crianças entregues por suas próprias famílias para serem prostitutas nos templos. Amy costumava dizer: “É possível ser generoso, sem amar. Mas não é possível amar sem ser generoso.” Ela viveu essa verdade com tanta convicção que se meteu em muitas encrencas.

Certa vez, parecia que iam prender Amy e mandá-la para uma prisão indiana por sequestro. Tecnicamente ela era uma sequestradora reincidente, porque estava abrigando fugitivas do templo. Eram meninas pequenas, dedicadas aos deuses e obrigadas a se prostituir para ganhar dinheiro para os sacerdotes.

Mais de mil crianças foram resgatadas do abuso infantil e negligência durante a vida de Amy. Elas a chamavam de “Amma” — mãe, em tâmil. Seu trabalho muitas vezes era perigoso e desgastante, no entanto jamais se esqueceu da promessa que Deus lhe fez de proteger tanto a ela quanto aos que estavam sob os seus cuidados.

“Houve dias quando o céu ficava negro para mim por causa das notícias que ouvia e sabia que eram verdade. ... Às vezes, era como se eu visse o Senhor Jesus Cristo ajoelhado sozinho, como o fez há muitos anos debaixo das oliveiras. ... E a única coisa que alguém que se importava poderia fazer era ajoelhar-se ao lado dEle para Lhe fazer companhia na Sua tristeza pelas criancinhas.”

“Custou a Deus o Calvário para nos ganhar. Para nós podermos ganhar aqueles por quem Ele morreu, vai nos custar o mesmo sofrimento que sabemos que Ele passou.” — Amy Carmichael

Amy morreu na Índia em 1951, aos 83 anos de idade. Pediu que não colocassem lápide no seu túmulo, então as crianças das quais ela havia cuidado colocaram um pequeno chafariz para pássaros com a inscrição “Amma”. — Peter Amsterdam[3]

Uma pessoa pode fazer a diferença

Os nossos menores atos podem ser muito importantes. Um pouquinho de amor tem um grande alcance! A luz do seu sorriso, a bondade no seu semblante, a influência da sua vida, podem iluminar muitos e ter um impacto surpreendente e inesperado na vida de algumas pessoas.

Quando sentem o seu amor e você diz que é o amor de Deus, as pessoas podem pensar: “Talvez exista alguém lá em cima que me ama mesmo!” Muda a perspectiva da pessoa e inspira esperança em Deus.

Muitos procuram amor. As pessoas em todos os lugres buscam um raio de esperança, salvação, algo positivo em algum lugar. — um pouquinho de amor, um pouquinho de misericórdia, um lugar onde possam encontrar alívio. Se conseguir lhes mostrar que o amor existe, elas poderão acreditar que Deus existe, porque “Deus é amor”.[4] — David Brandt Berg[5]

*

Sou apenas uma pessoa, mas posso fazer algo. Não tenho condições de fazer tudo, mas posso fazer um pouco. E só porque não posso fazer tudo, não vou deixar de fazer o que está ao meu alcance. — Atribuído a Helen Keller

Publicado no Âncora em julho 2014.

Footnotes:
[1] The Journey (Editora Barnes & Noble, 2006).
[2] NVI.
[3] Publicado originalmente em novembro 2008, adaptado.
[4] 1 João 4:8.
[5] Publicado originalmente em abril 1974, adaptado.

Read More

Our Life’s Melody

http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/our-lifes-melody/
By Lilia Potters

I have struggled through quite a few situations and hardships in my life that tested me sorely. While many were beyond my control, I’ve made my share of mistakes in these circumstances. I didn’t always have the greatest attitude, made choices I wish I hadn’t made, felt like throwing in the towel, was hurt, resulting in having a hard time forgiving and letting go of the past. I battled bitterness and guilt, discouragement and depression, and all but lost faith completely a few times along the way.

We all go through difficult things in life—circumstances that break our hearts, keep us awake at night, and tempt us to give up in despair. Sometimes the heartache from a past experience is so deep that we still struggle with it years later, or a situation never changes, making us wonder if we will ever be able to live the life that we have hoped for all along.

While the Enemy often tries to steal away my joy and peace, and destroy my hope and faith, the Lord always helps me to carry on and hold on, and I even live a joyful life most of the time—because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.1 God helps me to overcome and see the good in even the most difficult circumstances.

There have been times in my life when I felt rejected, looked down on, as if I had zero value, like I just wasn’t good enough. I felt alone and left behind, because somehow, I thought, I must not measure up to someone’s expectations. It’s a very difficult feeling to go through, and maybe one of the most debilitating. It often made me work harder than I should have to “deserve” the respect of those I worked with, or to earn the love of those I wished would love me for who I was.

When we don’t receive the love and respect we need, or it’s not manifested in the way we would like for it to be manifested, it can have a long-lasting effect on the way we live our life. That’s what happened to me. I continually felt like there must be something more I could or should do to be worthy of love and approval.

When the tears fell and my heart was breaking, I was tempted to harden my heart, doubt, and blame—and sometimes I did. It took a long time for me to come to the realization that God gives each of us free will, and that sometimes people will use their free will and do things that hurt others in the process.

One scripture that helped heal my heart is that Jesus was a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.2 Realizing that He experienced every heartache I ever experienced, and that He placed every tear I cried in a bottle3 and kept track of every toss and turn in my sleepless nights, helped me pour out my heart to Him and catch my breath whenever the hurts threatened to overwhelm me.

I asked Him to help me through those painful times in my life, and He did. He still does. He never leaves my side, and when I draw close to Him, He draws close to me4 with love and understanding. There never are any magic answers or dramatic changes in my circumstances when I’m going through these battles—just His presence to help me through the heartaches, and the assurance that He values me. I’m so glad I don’t have to do anything to be “good enough” for Him, and that He accepts me just the way I am.

I recently read something that helped me get a better perspective on past events that were not entirely positive: “Life is like a piano: the white keys represent happiness, the black keys represent sadness. As you go through life, remember that the black keys make music, too.”

We can’t only take the good in life and reject the bad, because we need both to make up the melody of life. Both sharp and flat notes are needed. It all comes back down to, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”5 While some things could and should have been done differently, He allowed every single event in my life to shape me—or will yet.

The songs of our lives are a work in progress and are still being written. One day we will be able to press replay and hear our lives’ melodies in their entirety and appreciate every single note—even the dark ones.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.—Ephesians 5:19–20

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.—Zephaniah 3:17



1 1 John 4:4.


2 Isaiah 53:3.


3 Psalm 56:8.


4 James 4:8.


5 Romans 8:28.

Read More

Have I Gotten It Wrong? Is It Really Worth It To Help Others?

By Dennis Edwards --

We all know that the Bible says that if we give, we shall receive.[1] We also know that we should treat others like we would want to be treated, if we were in the same situation.[2] These principles motivate us to reach out and help those in need. We may even remember the parable of the Good Samaritan and have learned that our neighbor is anyone that needs our help.[3]

But how do we help others, if we are not really sure that they need our help? We may in fact be falling for a trap, or are being deceived, conned, and may end up robbed, abused or even killed for our kindness.

Understandably, because of the atmosphere of violence and the disregard for traditional Godly guidelines in today’s world, we are fearful to get involved. We prefer to just pass by the poor man on the way to Jericho.[4] It’s just too complicated.

Jesus himself predicted that,

"because iniquity shall abound, the love of many would wax cold.”[5] 

Have we as a society waxed cold because of the abundance of evil that exists in the world, or that we image to be present?

"For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”[6] 

Our minds get filled with violent sights and sounds through television series and daily News. Is it any wonder men’s hearts fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth?[7]

Panic attacks, unheard of in our youth, are a common ailment among young and old alike. I know of five people who have suffered panic attacks. Yesterday, at my son’s school, a young eighteen year old senior girl, had to go to the hospital in ambulance because of a panic attack over an incident on the Facebook. The twenty-six year old brother of a woman who works with us has had to return to his home country last week, because of the panic attacks he has been experiencing in England. 

A sixty year old co-worker has had various attacks where he ended up in the hospital because of panic. A local cashier had to quit her job because of the panic attacks she was having. After a two month sick-leave she experienced an attack on her first day back at work and had to be dismissed. The son of a woman who attends our fellowship and works in the zoo doing animal presentations has been fighting panic attacks and moved from one apartment to another, because of it.

Jesus also said, 

“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”[8]

How was it before the flood in the days of Noah? In Genesis we read,

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”[9] “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.”[10]

Sadly, the world, contrary to man’s Theory of Evolution, has only seemed to have degenerated as evil men and seducers wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.[11] It just seems like the world is getting more and more evil. In the political, racial, ethnic climate we are faced with today, can we really, seriously risk “considering the poor?”

God has the answer. The first thing we can do is ask Him for His guidance. We can pray for discernment and protection in our doing. We may even get beaten by robbers. We may get conned. But on the other side, we’ll get the blessing of God.

The Bible says, 

“A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”[12] 

We can ask God for wisdom and the right convictions and follow moment by moment the still, small voice of conscience telling us,

"This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”[13] 

He may tell us, “It’s dangerous, do not get involved.” Or he may say, “Yes, I will be with you.”

Sometimes, late at night, I pass a car on the motorway parked with the yellow emergency lights blinking. At times, I’m going too fast to stop and even enquire if help is needed. Other times, I am not sure if I should stop. But I have found there is one thing I can do. I can pray. I can ask God to intercede and help the person in need. Prayer is never the least you can do, but the most, because you are acknowledging the Creator of the universe and asking him to intervene. Another thing you could do is call the assistance number informing them of the vehicle you have seen.

When Bear Grylls, the famous British explorer, made his successful attempt to climb Mount Everest, he made one last telephone call before being out of telephone reception for various days. It would be his last chance to converse with those loved ones at home before his uncertain Everest attempt. But he did not call his newly wedded wife. He did not call his Mum. He called a Christian friend named Judy in London and asked her for prayer.

In the middle of his harrowing experience crossing the North Atlantic in an open air sea craft, in the midst of the worst weather they encountered, when they were being battered to hell and back by the ferocious waves and winds, when with each wave it seemed as if their craft would be broken in two or capsized in the freezing waters, Bear crawled under one protected area of their craft where he could use the emergency phone. 

Did he call his dear wife who had just eight weeks earlier given birth to their first born son? No, again his 3:00 am request made through his contact in London was to ask his best friend for prayer. Bear was in a desperate situation and needed a miracle or he and his team were not going to get through.

What made the difference in Bear’s success was that he knew he was not strong or intelligent enough in himself to make it through that precarious situation. He knew he needed Divine intervention, that he needed God. He acknowledged his dependence on God and expected God to see him through. In the end, he did!

Do not be ashamed to stop and pray and acknowledge God. Like the Bible says,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.”[14]

Asking for God’s help may be just what makes the difference between success and failure. Asking for His help may bring you just the stamina you need or an idea which will help overcome the difficulty you are in.

Did anyone in the Bible do good and receive evil for it? Obviously, Jesus did, the man who went around doing good and helping others. In the Old Testament we read that Ahimelech the priest helped David when unknowingly David was escaping from Saul. Afterwards, Saul had Ahimelech, his family, all the priests and his village killed and destroyed because of it.[15] Abel went out to the field to help his older brother Cain but ended up offering up the sacrifice of his life.[16] The Bible tells us that the world was not worthy of Abel,[17] and that he received a better resurrection because of it.[18]

For the last few years I have been involved in different humanitarian projects to help the poor. I have gone to Mozambique and donated a few thousand euros to help the mission and soon afterwards the mission closed because of internal problems. I made a 4,800 km round trip to Bosnia after New Years to deliver foodstuffs, blankets and clothing for refugees of the war, only to find out that most of the refugees were ethnic gypsies. I went to the Sahara to do cultural programs for the Saharawi people and ended up with a bad intestinal bug and my co-workers didn't realize I was gravely sick. I have worked hard to deliver foodstuffs and school supplies to poor families in Portugal and yet some of those families seem to have better housing and vehicles than I do.

Have I gotten it wrong?

As we started a recent campaign for school material, my Portuguese friend made the following comment. He said, “Dennis, you do a lot of reading, but you need to meditate more on what God’s word says. Read the first few verses in Psalm forty-one and meditate on them. They are God’s promises to you for Considering the Poor.” Let us read them together.

Blessed is he that considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.[19]

David, the writer of the psalm, had certainly had trouble; from being the youngest of band of seven brothers, to his need to protect his father’s sheep from hungry lions and bears, to his battle with Goliath the Philistine warrior, to the jealous deception and betrayal of his father-in-law King Saul. David had experienced much anguish. You can read his out pouring of prayer and calling upon God for his help in many of his psalms. But the promise of deliverance from trouble in the above verse is for us also today who consider the poor.

The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.[20]

David had experienced God’s blessing and his deliverance from his enemies. But again the promise is alive and is for us today as well, as much as it was for David of old.

The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing (sickness): and wilt make (or restore) all his bed in his sickness (heal him).[21]

The Lord even promises healing from sickness as a result of “Considering the Poor.”

In the book of Proverbs can be found more blessings for those who “Consider the Poor,” as well as a few warnings.

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.[22]

Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.[23]

He that hath a bountiful (generous) eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.[24]

The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.[25]

God promises to supply our needs as we take care of the poor and supply their need. We are all guilty of sometimes hiding our eyes when we see someone ahead of us at the supermarket, or at the stop-sign or street-light or at our gate asking for help. But God's word tells us not to be neglectful to entertain strangers, because they may be angels unawares.[26]

He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.[27]

That verse reminds me of many of today’s governments which oppress the poor and refuse to raise the taxes of the rich. Instead the poor, middle class, and the retired carry the burden of tax increases. Governments are careful to not overtax their rich and make laws to protect the foundations where the rich have their millions hidden. But the proverb further admonishes, 

“He that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.”

Meditating on how much God considers the poor made me remember that God had said to Moses something about considering the poor. Here’s what I found.

If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. 

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.[28]

I recently visited my son in Darlington, England. While walking through various parks in the town, I noticed on the monuments that the parks had been donated by Joseph Peace, Quaker businessman. Mr. Peace had wanted the poor laborers returning home from work in the mines or factories to have a place where they could regain their strength as they walked through the peaceful, beautiful parks he established.

I myself had experienced that same peace as I walked my son’s dog each late afternoon and thanked God for Mr. Peace’s foresight and Christian charity. His consider the poor project is still a blessing to the many poor and lower middle class families who live in the housing developments that border that park.

Conclusion: Don't give up your work of helping the poor and needy. God will bless you as you pour out your love and blessings upon others. Remember what Jesus said,

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."[29] 

As you help them with their physical needs don't forget to minister to their spiritual and emotional needs. Everyone is hungry for love and sincere appreciation. Jesus not only fed the multitudes and healed them, but He also ministered to them the word of God. As much as possible, we should do the same. 

Footnotes

[1] Luke 6:38
[2] Matthew 7:12
[3] Luke 10:25-37
[4] Luke 10:31,32
[5] Matthew 24:12
[6] Proverbs 23:7a
[7] Luke 21:26
[8] Matthew 24:37
[9] Genesis 6:5
[10] Genesis 6:11
[11] 2Timothy 3:13
[12] Proverbs 22:3
[13] Isaiah 30:21
[14] Proverbs 3:5,6
[15] 1Samuel 21:1-9, 22:9-23
[16] Genesis 4:8, Hebrews 11:4
[17] Hebrews 11:38
[18] Hebrews 11:35
[19] Psalm 41:1
[20] Psalm 41:2
[21] Psalm 41:3
[22] Proverbs 28:27
[23] Proverbs 21:13
[24] Proverbs 22:9
[25] Proverbs 29:7
[26] Hebrews 13:2
[27] Proverbs 22:16
[28] Deuteronomy 15:7-11

[29] Matthew 25:40b

Read More

Israeli soldiers from elite wire-tapping unit refuse to use ‘extortion’, ‘blackmail’ on Palestinians

By Hayden Cooper, ABC (Australia), 13 Sep 2014

Israel’s intelligence corps has been rocked by a major internal protest over the treatment of Palestinians.

More than 40 former soldiers and current army reservists have signed a letter refusing future service in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) military intelligence wing, known as Unit 8200.

Unit 8200 is often compared to the United States National Security Agency. It uses sophisticated technology to monitor the lives of Palestinians, gathering information which is then used by Israel’s military. It also carries out surveillance overseas.

But the group of soldiers who served in the unit has spoken out about the methods used and the toll they take on innocent civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In witness testimonies, they detail the strategies used by Israel’s elite intelligence corps.

These include gathering personal information about a person’s sexual preference and using it to blackmail the individual into becoming a collaborator—a Palestinian who hands information to Israeli authorities.

“Any information that might enable extortion of an individual is considered relevant information,” one soldier’s statement said.

“Whether said individual is of a certain sexual orientation, cheating on his wife, or in need of treatment in Israel or the West Bank—he is a target for blackmail.”

The veterans believe the surveillance and intelligence gathering by Unit 8200 is not necessary for Israeli national security.

“The notion of rights for Palestinians does not exist at all, not even as an idea to be disregarded,” one witness statement said.

“Any Palestinian may be targeted and may suffer from sanctions, such as the denial of permits, harassment, extortion, or even direct physical injury.”

In response to the letter, the IDF said in a statement to the ABC: “The Intelligence Corps has no record that the specific violations in the letter ever took place.”

Several Israeli soldiers who signed the letter have told the ABC they are speaking out because they believe the actions of the unit are aimed at strengthening Israel’s hold over the Palestinian territories.

“What I’m doing is not helping the security of Israel in the long run,” said one former first sergeant.

“It’s only helping to continue the circle of violence and deepening the Israeli hold of Palestinian territories and population.”

One female Sergeant said she felt compelled to join the protest.

“I feel that it’s my obligation, in a sense, to do something about it—to make a stand and say, ‘This is what we’ve been doing’,” she said.

“I don’t feel comfortable with it at all.”

This is not the first time Israeli soldiers have refused to serve on moral grounds.

But it is the most significant such incident for more than a decade, because of the number of soldiers involved and the elite reputation of their intelligence unit.

Most of the 43 signatories remain active reservists.

They fear they could be prosecuted and jailed for refusing a military call-up, and they are also worried about the public reaction in Israel amid heightened tension after the recent war in Gaza.

“I’m going to have to deal with the fact that people are going to wish for my death, that they’re going to call me a traitor, that they’re going to treat me as if I am not an Israeli that has lived here for 26 years and who has given so much of herself to this country,” one woman said.

“I’m worried that Israeli society will see us as traitors, as people who are trying to harm Israel, while in reality it’s the opposite. We’re doing this because we feel a sense of urgency, a sense of responsibility for the place we live in,” another captain said.

“The continuous cycle of violence is something that has to be stopped and something we can’t be a part of.”

In a witness statement, one former member of Unit 8200 said they agreed to join the protest after watching the film The Lives of Others, which is based on East German intelligence gathering against civilians before the reunification of Germany.

“On the one hand, I felt solidarity with the victims [in the film], with the oppressed people who were denied such basic rights as I take for granted to be mine,” the former soldier said.

“On the other hand, I realised that the job I had done during my military service was that of the oppressor.

“My first reaction as a discharged soldier was that we do the same things, only much more efficiently.”

Other soldiers revealed that intimate conversations between innocent Palestinians were recorded and used as jokes among the Israeli soldiers.

Another mentions watching from the unit headquarters when a boy is mistakenly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

“I remember an image on the screen of him in an orchard, and the explosion on the screen, the smoke clearing and his mother running to him, at which point we could see he was a child. The body was small,” he said.

“We realised we had screwed up. I don’t know of any investigation of what had happened, or if it was reviewed at a later date.”

The soldiers said there was little effort to address their moral concerns while they were in full-time service.

“The goal of this unit regarding Palestinians is wrong as a whole and this is what really bothered me,” one former soldier told the ABC.

“Whenever I raised doubts or questions about the morality of things we were doing, I was always told, ‘Everything is OK, we are not doing anything wrong—we are simply gathering information, there is nothing wrong with it, we are not hurting anyone’.

“I knew that, of course, this isn’t true.”

Read More

The Secret of the Vine

http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/secret-vine/
A compilation

Audio length: 9:13
Download Audio (8.4MB)

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”1

How do we produce much fruit? What is the Lord saying?

In the modern world, the work ethic is achieve and produce by working longer and harder! The focus is on getting results through human effort. … But God's way runs contrary to this approach—His way is much more oriented toward process and relationship rather than performance and production. He is interested in results which He calls “fruit”; but not by pushing or egging us on to work harder or longer.

The Lord's way is to work with and through us so that every result or product comes out of our abiding in Him, since without Him we can do nothing.

This is opposed to the culture we live in today, and to human nature in general. … God's way of success produces the results which He values; results which are not produced [solely] by self-effort, but which grow out of an intimate relationship with Him, in which we seek to constantly abide.

The only way we can become abundantly fruitful is to understand the Lord's fruit-bearing process. As we lay down self-effort, our natural human independence, and seek communion with Him, abiding in the Vine, then His power, His will, and His desires will be realized in our lives, which then will bear fruit that remains throughout eternity!—George Whitten2

*

Christ said, “I am the true vine, and … ye are the branches.” “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

“Abide in me” is an understandable and beautiful enough concept in the elegant English of the King James Bible, but “abide” is not a word we use much anymore. So I gained even more appreciation for this admonition from the Lord when I was introduced to the translation of this passage in another language. In Spanish, that familiar phrase is rendered “permaneced en mi.” Like the English verb “abide,” permanecer means “to remain, to stay,” but even gringos like me can hear the root cognate there of “permanence.” The sense of this then is “stay—but stay forever.” That is the call of the gospel message… Come, but come to remain. Come with conviction and endurance. Come permanently, for your sake and the sake of all the generations who must follow you, and we will help each other be strong to the very end.—Jeffrey R. Holland3

*

We know the meaning of the word except. It expresses some indispensable condition, some inevitable law. “The branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine. No more can ye, except ye abide in me.” There is but one way for the branch to bear fruit. There is no other possibility; it must abide in unbroken communion with the vine. Not of itself, but only of the vine, does the fruit come. …

Jesus desires to call us away from ourselves and our own strength, to Himself and His strength. … Abiding in the Vine then comes to be nothing more nor less than the restful surrender of the soul to let Jesus have all and work all, as completely as how the branch, as shown in nature, knows and seeks nothing but the vine.—Andrew Murray4

*

The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.—1 John 2:65

*

The branch cannot realize itself apart from the Vine. If the branch is to burst into bud and leaf and flower and fruit, its resources must be drawn from the Vine. It has no sap of its own creation. Its quickening and sustaining power can be obtained only by association.

[In the same way] man can only come to himself by an intimate alliance with Jesus. … If [man’s] capabilities are to become abilities, if his possibilities are to ripen into actualities, if the human branch is to break into bud, and flower, and fruit, and life is to receive its appropriate crown, man must enter into profound and hearty fellowship with Jesus. —J. H. Jowett6

*

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.—John 15:77

*

Jesus talked about how to bear fruit in our lives, stating that if we abide in Him and He abides in us, we will produce fruit.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.”8

Jesus also said: “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth…. At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.”9

When we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit abiding within us, we will bear fruit. If we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit, if we’re open to the direction of the Spirit, we will be fruitful. He will move us according to His will if we’ll let Him. He will lead. He will show us where to go, what to do, and how to do it. If we will follow and do what He’s showing us, we will bear fruit.

From what Jesus said, fruitfulness is connected to God’s Spirit dwelling in us, from which we can infer that it’s also connected to us following where the Holy Spirit leads. As an individual, where the Spirit is leading you personally is where you will be fruitful. Where God leads you is where you should go. When you follow, the fruit will come.

It won’t necessarily be quick fruit. This time in your life may be like the first few years of the orchard, which will bear much future fruit after a period of preparation and growth. Or the Lord may lead you to a variety of things, some of which bear quick fruit and others that bear fruit for a season, and others that will bear fruit later—but for a long time. There may be some seasons that require all work with no fruit, followed by seasons of fruitfulness.

Some key elements in doing what God shows you to do are faith, trust, and patience.—Faith to follow where He leads; trust that when you do, He will come through; and patience to wait for the fruit-bearing season.

Abide in Him, and your fruit will come.—Peter Amsterdam

Published on Anchor September 2014. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
Music by Michael Dooley.



1 John 15:4–5 ESV.


2 http://www.worthydevotions.com/christian-devotional/abide.


3 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/abide-in-me?lang=eng.


4 Adapted from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/murray/true_vine.xi.html.


5 NASB.


6 Adapted from Brooks by the Traveler’s Way (London: H. R. Allenson, 1902).


7 NASB.


8 John 15:5 ESV.


9 John 14:16–17, 20 KJV.

Read More

Exercício Físico e Espiritual

http://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/exercicio-fisico-e-espiritual/

John W.

“Aprender a incluir mais Deus na sua vida, no seu trabalho e viver de forma a beneficiar ao máximo o seu espírito é um processo de aprendizagem que dura a vida toda e deve ter o mesmo tratamento prioritário que a sua saúde e bem-estar físico.”[1]

Faz alguns anos tive um problema no joelho que me dificultava fazer o meu trabalho devidamente. Chegou a um ponto em que parecia que eu ia precisar operar, mas eu sabia, a partir de experiências de diferentes pessoas, que uma operação no joelho pode ser bastante complicado e muitas vezes não ajuda. Depois de orar a respeito, o Senhor me mostrou um programa de exercícios específicos que desde então eu faço cada dia, e pela graça de Deus, meu joelho está bem melhor.

Na época, um irmão mencionou para mim que eu era um dos poucos na minha idade que ele via fazendo exercícios regularmente. Há muitíssimos ótimos artigos mostrando a importância de nos exercitarmos, especialmente quando ficamos mais velhos, como o seguinte: Mid-lifers who want to be active in their 70s, 80s should be hitting the gym now. “Se quiser ter vitalidade aos 70, precisa se exercitar aos 40, 50 e 60, dizem os peritos. Colocando de outra forma: Se não pagar pela sua boa forma no banco da meia idade, não terá muito que recolher mais tarde.” “Se você não tem tempo para se exercitar, terá que tomar tempo para ficar doente e depois recuperar.” “É o mais próximo que temos da fonte da juventude.” Aqui tem mais um: Work-Life Balance Begins with Exercise. “As pessoas que se exercitam regularmente também se sentem mais capazes de assumir as coisas e realizá-las, e levam isso tanto para o trabalho como para o papel que desempenham em casa.”

Muitas pessoas dizem que não têm tempo para fazer exercícios e ao mesmo tempo, acham difícil ter tempo com o Senhor. Segue-se como faço as duas coisas ao mesmo tempo: eu combino meu exercício físico com exercício espiritual. Cada manhã depois que acordo, tomo uma hora para fazer exercícios. Coloco o os fones de ouvido por 45 minutos com áudios devocionais, do que quer que eu precise fortalecer o meu espírito na ocasião. Os exercícios que estou fazendo são simples, então concentro na Palavra. Mexo o meu corpo todo, os braços e as pernas, as mãos e os pés, o pescoço, as costas, etc.

As pessoas mais em forma que conheci, além de serem as mais amorosas, foram os pigmeus na África. As crianças começam a dançar basicamente quando começam a andar. Eles dançam muito, como adolescentes numa discoteca, desde os dois anos de idade até ficarem idosos. Eles movem cada parte do corpo com agilidade quando dançam, e dançam por muito tempo com uma resistência impressionante.

Eu tento mexer cada parte do meu corpo também, e como os movimentos não são complicados, posso concentrar no que estou ouvindo e ter um ótimo tempo com o Senhor. Às vezes tomo tempo para orar durante os exercícios, ou se o Senhor me dá alguma nova ideia, às vezes paro o MP3 para meditar no que acabei de ouvir.

Os últimos 15 minutos uso para orar. Gosto do método ACTS (ATOS):

Adorar o Senhor por toda a Sua bondade
Confessar e Lhe pedir ajuda com as minhas fraquezas
Tomar tempo para Lhe agradecer por toda a Sua bondade
Suplicar por outros e pelas nossas próprias necessidades.

É uma maneira ótima de começar o dia! O truque é não desistir, mas ser constante. Somos tão fieis em comer três vezes ao dia sem falha. Por que não deveríamos ser fieis nesta necessidade vital para os nossos corpos? Disciplina física nos ajuda a permanecer saudáveis e em forma. Sem boa saúde, ficamos limitados de muitas formas. Eu gostaria de continuar servindo o Senhor ativamente até o dia em que morrer, viver bem e desfrutar da vida.

Eu estava pensando no que Jesus e Seus apóstolos fizeram com relação a isso e vi como eles iam de um lugar para outro, subiam montanhas, andavam de lá pra cá por todo o país. “E percorria Jesus toda a Galileia …”[2] “E Jesus, vendo a multidão, subiu a um monte …”[3] “E percorria Jesus todas as cidades e aldeias …”[4] Ele até andou sobre a água.[5] Naquela época as pessoas não precisavam de academia. Hoje em dia as pessoas têm maneiras melhores e mais rápidas de viajar do que nunca, mas ficam cada vez mais sentadas e se movimentam cada vez menos.

Eu aproveito cada oportunidade para mexer o corpo. Ando quando estou falando ao telefone, subo e desço escadas em vez de pegar o elevador, ando em vez de pegar o carro para ir a algum lugar perto, e corro devagar em vez de andar sempre que possível. E durante qualquer um desses momentos de exercício extra eu também tomo tempo com o Senhor, revisando meus versículos, orando, meditando—comungando com o Senhor de todas as maneiras possíveis.

É uma luta espiritual fazer exercícios cada dia e permanecer em forma. Mas sempre que faço eu me sinto muito melhor, pronto para um novo dia. Jesus disse: “Vigiem e orem para que não caiam em tentação. O espírito está pronto, mas a carne é fraca.”[6]Exercitar-se regularmente tanto física como espiritualmente, me ajuda a manter em boa forma.

Tradução Denise Oliveira.


[1] Segredos para o Sucesso, Vol. 4, 12 de Abril.

[2] Mateus 4:23.

[3] Mateus 5:1.

[4] Mateus 9:35.

[5] Ver Mateus 14:22–33.

[6] Mateus 26:41.

Read More

CBS 60 Minutes: 300 death claims from 1976 swine flu vaccine, only one death from flu

http://www.examiner.com/article/cbs-60-minutes-300-death-claims-from-1976-swine-flu-vaccine-only-one-death-from-flu

Fred BurksUS Intelligence Examiner
Subscribe

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Linkedin
Google Plus


July 10, 2009

300 swine flu vaccine deaths: Is it really safe?
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
300 swine flu vaccine deaths in 1976

A headline in today's newspaper proclaims "U.S. to vaccinate millions against swine flu." Yet don't miss the powerfully revealing video clip below from the CBS investigative reporting program 60 Minutes before making your decision on whether or not to get the swine flu vaccine when it comes out.

This excellent 60 Minutes exposé reveals blatant U.S. government propaganda and fear-mongering in the swine flu outbreak and mass vaccination of 1976. The incisive report states that though only one person died as a result of the swine flu, "4,000 Americans are claiming damages from Uncle Sam amounting to three and a half billion dollars because of what happened when they took that [swine flu] shot."

This Nov. 4, 1979 program further reveals, "there are 300 claims now pending from the families of GBS [Guillain-Barre Syndrome] victims who died, allegedly as a result of the swine flu shot." With a Washington Post article today stating "The federal government should get about 100 million doses of vaccine by mid-October," think carefully about your decision after watching this important information.

For the final six minutes of this powerful clip, click here. For a full written transcript of this video, click here. Could it be that President Ford and other government officials saw this as a wonderful opportunity to shunt millions of dollars of taxpayer money into the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies in which they had investments? Remember the $5 million Donald Rumsfeld made on his investments during the avian flu, as reported in one of the U.K.'s top newspapers? Could it be the fear makes for big profits for the power elite in our world?

The box immediately below provides several ideas on what you can do to educate yourself and others to stop certain politicians from fleecing the public through vaccination and other unnecessary programs. We also invite you to comment below and let us know what you think. How can we hold the government accountable for unnecessarily spreading fear and anxiety in our world?

What you can do:
For a thoroughly researched article exploring many important, little-know facts about the swine flu vaccine, including the deeperpolitics behind the scare tactics, click here. Other excellent, revealing articles on the swine flu are available here.
Inform your media and political representatives of this key information. To contact those close to you, click here. Urge them not to overreact to all of the fear being spread about the swine flu and to investigate who is profiting from all the fear-mongering.
Explore vital information from reliable sources on how money corrupts both the medical industry and members of Congress to the detriment of our health in this powerful lesson from the free Hidden Knowledge Course.
Read concise summaries of revealing media reports on swine and avian flus available here.
Visit our Health Information Center at www.WantToKnow.info/healthinformation.
Spread this news to your friends and colleagues, and bookmark this article on key news websites using the "Share This" icon just below the title of this article, so that we can fill the role at which the major media is sadly failing. Together, we can make a difference.


Fred Burks served as personal language interpreter to Clinton, Bush, Cheney, Gore, and other top dignitaries in secret meetings. As part of an international network of researchers and news analysts, Fred obtains and disseminates key, reliable information about powerful, yet little-known forces which shape our world. For more, see articles and links in the right column of this page.

Read More

About Me by Natasha Crain

http://christianmomthoughts.com/about/


Welcome to my blog!

Here’s a little about me: My name is Natasha and I’ve been married 14 years to my husband, Bryan. We have three children: Kenna and Nathan, twins age 5, and Alexa, age 3. Bryan and I met while we were both undergraduates at the University of Southern California. While in college, Bryan co-founded a company which he and his partner run to this day. I went into a career in business consulting and then corporate marketing, and got an MBA in marketing and statistics from UCLA. I currently work part time as the Vice President of Marketing for a media company.

Things I love: Genealogy, cooking, Disneyland, holidays, setting goals, traveling, reading non-fiction, USC Trojan football, learning new things, history, backpacking, camping and hiking

Things I don’t love: Elevators, having to be patient (for anything) and people drinking water loudly (really, it drives me crazy!)

…But you’re probably more interested in my faith background given the nature of this blog, so let me tell you about my spiritual journey.

I was raised as a Christian in a non-denominational protestant church. The application of my faith outside of church, however, was limited. My family didn’t pray together, have conversations about faith, study the Bible together, find ways to serve together, or worship at home together. By the time I left for college, I was more of a general believer in God than a Christ-follower whose life had been changed. Christianity was really just a belief system for me, rather than an applied way of life.

In college I rarely went to church. Fortunately, it did remain important to me to marry a Christian, and I fell in love with my (Christian) husband Bryan, who was spiritually in a very similar place at the time. After we married, we attended various churches that were theologically very liberal. I recall one Easter sermon where the pastor explained why it isn’t important whether or not Jesus rose from the dead; what is important is following his teachings and doing good works. I wasn’t a very grounded Christian at that point, but the warning bells started going off in my head.

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, he isn’t who he said he was. That would make him nothing more than a human with just another life philosophy to take or leave. Why would it even matter if I decided to be a “Christian?”

I realized at that point that I had to either accept the resurrection as evidence that Jesus was indeed God – and live all for Christ – or abandon Jesus as nothing more than a teacher of nice things. The problem was that I didn’t know where to begin with making that decision. I had so many questions and doubts. I didn’t know how they could ever be resolved enough to commit my life one way or another.

Everything changed for us when we started attending a large evangelical Christian church teaching biblically-sound theology. I started to understand that believing in what the Bible actually says doesn’t require the intellectual leap that had been hinted at by our past churches.

With a new passion for discovering God’s Word, I started digging in deep. When I had questions, I read other biblical references and many external sources. (I have read thousands of pages on archaeology and ancient Near Eastern thought. Oh, yes. I have.) Many questions were answered and many more were opened. More importantly, I could see that there would never be a point where all questions would be perfectly answered. And most importantly, that made me no less of a Christian; all Christians, all atheists, and everyone in between has questions (if they are honest with themselves). For the first time, I gained a conviction of the truth of Christianity while coming to peace with the questions I still had. And for the first time, that allowed me to step beyond a “Sunday faith” and put Christ at the center of my daily life.

Becoming a committed Christian did not come naturally to me. I certainly wasn’t born with the gift of faith! It’s been a process, and that process is ongoing.

I do hope it will come more naturally to my kids. Quite honestly, I find it shocking that the gulf between Christian theology and applied Christian living can be so huge and yet so not obvious to someone who was raised in church. I pray that I am the hand that pulls my children across the gulf it took me so long to cross. It’s my passion now to raise my kids in a Christ-centered home. I started this blog to help others do so as well.

Welcome to my blog!

Read More