A Question That Can Change Your Life

By Peter Bregman, ETR, Feb. 26, 2015

For years I’ve exercised every day—doing weights, cardio, yoga—but despite my continuous effort, I haven’t seen much change.

Until a few months ago.

Recently, my body has changed. My muscles are stronger, more defined, and I’ve lost five pounds along with a visible layer of fat. So what did I do differently?

Let’s start with what I didn’t do…

Spend more time exercising. In fact, I’ve spent less. What I did change is how I use the time I spend working out.

Instead of doing the same old workout, day after day, I’m mixing it up with new routines. I’m focusing my effort more wisely—hitting my muscles with different exercises, adding balance challenges, power moves, and intervals.

The rapid results I achieved by changing my exercise routine made something very clear to me: We habitually squander time and effort on behaviors that do little to move us toward the outcomes we’re seeking. Spending an hour on a treadmill watching TV had no visible impact on my fitness. But when I used that hour differently, I saw improvement.

It’s not that we’re lazy. We put effort into what we do. I ran on the treadmill every day. But, like my daily run, our efforts often don’t translate into optimum results.

The basic principle is simple: We’re already spending a certain amount of time doing things—in meetings, managing businesses, writing emails, making decisions. If we could just make a higher impact during that time, it’s all upside with no cost.

So here’s the question I’d like to propose you ask yourself throughout your day: What can I do, right now, that would be the most powerful use of this moment?

What can I say? What action can I take? What question can I ask? What issue can I bring up? What decision can I make that would have the greatest impact?

Asking these questions—and answering them honestly—is the path to choosing new actions that could bring better outcomes. The hard part is following through on the answers and taking the risks to reap the full benefits of each moment. That takes courage. But it’s also what brings the payoff.

Rejection, failure, even ridicule—those are the risks of making the most powerful use of a moment. But in my experience, boldness, combined with skilled communication, almost always pays off because it moves the energy of a situation and creates new possibilities in otherwise old ruts.

Having the courage to take the kind of bold action that creates new opportunities is, possibly, the most critical skill a leader can have. It’s why leadership development should involve experiences that hone emotional courage, and the communication abilities necessary to use it productively.

I recently saw a short video that perfectly illustrates the risk-reward payoff of courageously using a moment well. Billy Joel was speaking at Vanderbilt University when a young student, Michael Pollack, raised his hand. When Joel called on him, Michael asked if he could play the piano to accompany the musician for a song. A silence followed. Michael had taken a big risk just by asking and you could feel the tension and suspense in the room. After a pause, Joel said “yes” and the video of their astounding spontaneous collaboration has now been viewed over 2.5 million times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bceuh8c-4kg

How often have you been in a similar situation, at one time or another, wanting to say something or do something, yet letting the moment pass? Next time you’re in that situation, pay attention to it. Notice the feelings that come along with it. Observe the physical sensations in your body. Can you feel your heart beating? Can you connect with the conflicting urges to act and not to? Getting in touch with those feelings is the first step to acting in the face of them.

Woody Allen famously said that 80% of success is showing up. Maybe that’s true. But, if it is, then I’d say the other 20% is the most important. Simply showing up and watching TV on a treadmill—that’s not enough. Your greatest opportunity is to use your time in a way that will garner the most productive return. To take risks that will shake things up.

What can you do, right now, that would be the most powerful use of this moment?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXb0An743lw

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This filmmaker set out to win Sundance and got ‘saved’ instead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EShApFSrXqw
Jonathan Merritt, Religion News Service, Feb 20, 2015

Brian Ivie, 24, grew up dreaming about making a film that would compete at Sundance Film Festival. When he stumbled on a 2011 Los Angeles Times article, “South Korean pastor tends an unwanted flock,” Ivie thought he found his way in.

The article recounted the story of Pastor Lee Jong-rak of Seoul who decided to build a “baby box” for mothers to leave their unwanted children. Hundreds of infants are abandoned in South Korea each year due to social stigmas associated with domestic adoption, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and physical and mental disabilities. Lee feels a supernatural call to personally care for the children that others refuse to keep. He and his wife, Chun-Ja, now care for dozens of children. Many of them have a disability, such as deafness, blindness, Down syndrome, or cerebral palsy.

“Here was the story of a pastor who had built a mailbox for babies at his church, and it haunted me,” Ivie said of learning about Lee’s story. “I thought, ‘This could be my golden ticket to Sundance.’”

While still a film student at the University of Southern California, Ivie tracked down Lee to ask if he could visit Korea and make a documentary about his work. Lee responded that he wasn’t sure what making a documentary meant, but he invited Ivie to come live in his home. After raising money via Kickstarter and convincing Red Digital Cinema to donate state-of-the-art equipment, Ivie flew to South Korea to capture the story he hoped would make him famous. But what he found in Seoul was faith, rather than fame.

“I didn’t smoke cigarettes and watched Fox News with my mom, so I assumed I was probably a Christian,” Ivie, who was raised Roman Catholic, said. “But when I witnessed the love and courage of Pastor Lee, I saw the real deal. He was giving his life for something that wasn’t cultural.”

Through the process, Ivie says he was “saved” or converted to Christianity. The experience, he says, brought him a sense of purpose and freedom from struggles such as anger issues and pornography addiction.

“When I started, I was using these people in Korea to fulfill my aspirations to go to Sundance, but I found something much greater,” Ivie says.

This spiritual awakening propelled Ivie to visit Lee two more times and complete the film, “The Drop Box,” which can be seen in theaters nationwide from March 3 to 5. A book written by Ivie that shares his personal journey also releases in March.

The film is being distributed by “Focus on the Family,” and considering its emphasis on the sanctity of infant life, will likely be a powerful tool for pro-life advocates. Ivie recognizes this and says he hopes the film will expand the pro-life movement beyond just opposing abortion to also focusing the humanity of women who struggle with difficult decisions.

“Pastor Lee is a man who doesn’t yell at women to stop having abortions,” Ivie says. “Instead, he says, ‘I will take your children and raise them with love.’ Telling people that they matter and that their child matters is the only way forward.”

“The Drop Box” was not admitted to Sundance Film Festival, which Ivie says is because “it is not as good as a lot of those films.” But such an assessment may be Ivie’s attempt at humility. His film has earned a spate of critical accolades including being named an official selection at both the Portland Film Festival and Heartland Film Festival, as well as winning the prestigious “Best of Festival” award at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

Despite my own aversion to documentaries and “faith-based” art, I decided to screen the final cut of the film this week and found myself both weeping and laughing all the way through. The film is not overtly evangelistic or heavy-handed in conveying spiritual themes. It is imaginative in its storytelling and allows critics of Lee’s work to be heard so that audiences can judge for themselves.

All in all, “The Drop Box” is one of the most stunning and moving documentaries I’ve ever seen, and it will set up Ivie as a major player in a burgeoning faith film industry. Ivie has already begun developing his next film, tentatively titled “The Jesus Revolution,” which tells the story of the America’s last spiritual awakening.

“A lot of people get saved and then go to the Amazon jungle and preach to unreached people groups,” Ivie says, “but I want to reach people in and through Hollywood by making good films that aren’t corny or obvious or self-righteous or cliche.”

If his first attempt at filmmaking is any indication, Ivie is already well on his way.

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Lianna Rebolledo, Mother from Rape

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Foram Fazer um Ultrasso—Não esperavam esses resultados

De SFG Family

Este casal estava esperando um filho, e foram fazer um ultrassom. Depois de receberem más notícias, prepararam-se para o pior. Mas e quando o seu filho nasceu? Eles não estava preparados para isso!

Duração de 7:44 minutos.

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Gang Members Shot Him Eight Times—An Angel Helped Save His Life

http://blog.godreports.com/2014/12/gang-members-shot-him-eight-times-an-angel-helped-save-his-life/

By Michael Ashcraft and Mark Ellis

When gang initiates shot musician Marcus Stanley eight times one night in 2004 on a Baltimore street, he feared that IF he lived, his music career was over.

He played piano with R&B singer Chris Brown. He traveled with gospel musicians like Donnie McClurkin, but he didn’t really pay attention to the gospel. He was drawn by the money and extravagant lifestyle.

“I was not focused on the message. I was not focused on Christ,” Stanley told CBN. “I was really focused on just making it—being a musician, being a popular musician, and playing for a great artist. The money, too, that would probably be No. 1 ’cause it was fast money.”

The heady days of fame and fortune crashed to an end with the late-night shooting. Police suspect the attempted murder was a random case of initiates earning their entrance into a gang.

“We got in late every night,” Stanley told CBN. “I was actually walking to the store. I realized I didn’t have my wallet and hadn’t reached the store yet, but I turned around and started walking back to go get my wallet and I saw these guys standing on the corner that night and they were watching.”

One of the six, the leader of the gang, walked up to him and said, “What’s you doing out here, homie?”

“I’m just chillin, bro,” Stanley replied, and kept walking. The gang followed and circled around him.

“Well, you gotta roll out, homie,” the leader retorted. That’s when he pulled out a .45 caliber gun from his leather jacket, pointed it at Stanley, and shot him point-blank.

A bright light from the gun blinded him and Stanley fell to the ground. A burst of seven more rounds rained down on him from close range.

“When I first saw the gun-flash, I remember hitting the ground, and then I saw an angel get in front of me,” said Stanley.

Apparently the angel saved Stanley’s life by deflecting the path of some of the bullets.

“I’m 6 foot 7, so the angel was probably like 7-foot something,” Stanley told CBN. “It was just a transparent figure. I didn’t see wings or anything like that. I saw it was clear, transparent, and it was in front of me.”

Stanley heard God tell him not to move. He held his breath and waited for the killers to leave. When they drove away at fast speed, Stanley took his first breath. “Oh God … Oh God,” he cried softly. He saw a pool of blood forming around him and tried to stand, but couldn’t.

For the first time in his life, he cried out to the Lord of Life—the same God the gospel singers invoked.

“I was like, ‘God help me. Help me make it,’” Stanley said. “I just remember trying to stay awake. I thought that would be the key.

“It was like a movie. You see that stuff in a movie. You see the light up there. People see their life flashing before their eyes. It was like that for me, except that I started thinking what would happen if I did die. And I was like, nobody’s going to know what happened to me.”

He crawled from the street to the sidewalk. Stanley tried to flag down passing cars, but no one would stop.

Suddenly Stanley remembered he still had his cell phone. He pulled it out and dialed 911.

When police arrived they drew a chalk line around him and put up crime scene tape. Even though everything around him communicated death, Stanley began to pray for life.

After paramedics rushed him to the hospital, doctors cut off his clothes and Stanley could see all the gunshot wounds. My body looks dead, like I shouldn’t be alive, but I am, he thought.

Stanley heard the EMT say, “I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

When they wheeled him in for surgery, the doctors seemed stunned he was still breathing and conscious.

Before the surgery, Stanley saw an amazing sight. “I remember looking and seeing the same angel that was on the street and the angel had his arms crossed… He didn’t do anything or say anything. He was kind of like nodding his head as if to say, ‘Everything is going to be all right.’” Immediately, Stanley felt God’s peace.

Doctors performed an eight-hour surgery to save his life. They reattached his colon, removed half his stomach, removed half his pancreas and removed all his spleen, he said.

After the surgery, he sustained nerve damage in his arm, and his right hand was left with no feeling. He thought his musical career was over.

Remarkably, after three months of rehab he was able to walk again and even play the piano.

Despite God’s amazing intervention to save and preserve his life, Stanley was not ready to surrender his life to Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He went back to pursuing his dreams in the music world.

But the need for painkillers after the surgery led him into drug addiction. Five years later, he was so disgusted with the course of his life, he finally decided to go all-out for Jesus.

Stanley hit rock bottom—and this time he was ready to surrender. He cried out to God and turned his life completely over to Jesus Christ.

“I got to a point where in desperation I was like, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ And that’s when everything changed for me as far as me pursuing, saying, ‘I need Jesus.’ Took me a long time to get there,” Stanley told CBN.

Later, he learned that his surgeon found God as a result of Stanley’s surgery. “He acknowledged it was not possible that he did the surgery by himself.”

Today, Stanley uses his talent for God’s kingdom. He plays and speaks before youth groups and high schools.

“It’s not really about the music,” Stanley said. “It’s more about what God’s done in my life, and I aim to make him famous at everything I do and to show his glory.”

From http://blog.godreports.com/2014/12/gang-members-shot-him-eight-times-an-angel-helped-save-his-life. You can hear Marcus Stanley tell the story in the YouTube clip at the end of this page.

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House Churches Swap Steeples For Sofas, And Say They’ve Never Been Closer

Eleanor Klibanoff, NPR, Feb. 22, 2015

At most churches, it’s embarrassing to show up late. But if you arrive early at Greg Stultz’s church, you might interrupt the hosts’ last-minute preparations as they put away homework or toss shoes up the stairs.

Stultz and his family are part of a house church. They typically meet on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, though the week that I visited they were meeting in Dover, Del. Each week, their small group crowds into a private living room for dinner and fellowship—and their church is no rarity.

With new church construction at its lowest point since 1967, and with more religiously unaffiliated Americans than ever before, many congregations say they’ve become more committed communities by losing the pews and stained-glass windows of a central building.

Stultz himself explains that he’d long felt a dissatisfaction with the church hierarchy.

“The Bible says, ‘What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, a word of instruction, or an interpretation’—all of this done for the strength of the church,” Stultz says. “Where is that being done?”

Nowhere—at least as far as Joleen Zimmerman could find. Three years ago, she had been praying for a close-knit church community when she met Stultz. He had quoted that same verse to her.

“That was the verse that God had given me,” she says, “that when we come together, not to come to pew sit—but to actually come to give.”

During their new church’s meetings, anyone can call out a song suggestion or read a Bible verse. Instead of a sermon, everyone just talks about what’s been weighing on them that week. This group says that the only guidance they need to run a church can be found in the New Testament.

And there were no church buildings in the time of the New Testament, says L. Michael White, a professor of Christian origins at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Where do they meet?” White asks. “We do have references in … the letters of Paul to meeting in someone’s home—or, basically, the church in your house.”

Over the next centuries, the church became a state institution. With that came buildings, denominational divides, fundraising campaigns. Some house churches are trying to get back to a simpler time. But there are as many varieties and motivations for house churches as there are house churches themselves.

At Redemption Church, a network of house churches in Bristol, Pa., the meetings are a lot like those at Stultz’s church—crowded and casual. But Gary Alloway, the pastor at Redemption, says he’d originally intended to build a brick-and-mortar church. It was only after years of struggling to gather a congregation that he tried a new approach.

Alloway recalls what he told his congregation at the time: “I’m not writing a sermon for 12 people. How about you guys come over to my living room? We’ll open a Bible, we’ll talk about it, we’ll eat together.”

Three years later, Redemption now has three house churches that meet around Bristol. Once a month, they have a group service. The church has a professional pastor and a budget, most of which goes to community outreach.

This setup is pretty different from the Stultzes’—but both congregations speak of the tightknit community that comes from a small group. Zimmerman says those relationships are the value of house church.

“When I think over my life, basically, it was the relationships that actually helped me,” she says. “God didn’t call us to walk alone.”

It’s hard to feel alone when you’re squeezed onto a couch with four other people. Larger churches try to offer a similar experience with activities like small group Bible studies. Alloway says that’s proof that people are looking for these smaller communities.

“I don’t know that everyone needs to do house churches,” Alloway says, “but every church should be doing the things that house churches are doing—that ability for people to come into something right away and be known.”

Both the Stultzes and the Alloways have seen their congregations grow since they moved into a home. Once they outgrow the living room, though, they won’t be moving back into a church building. They’ll split up into more homes, and keep the tradition going.

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7 Habits of the Wealthy

By Jayson Demers, INC., Feb. 22, 2015

Are there habits wealthy people consistently practice that impact their success? Are there traits or strategies we can incorporate into our own day-to-day lives that can give us a better chance of financial success?

In his book, Rich Habits—The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals, Tom Corley suggests there are. For five years he observed habits—which he defines as daily, unconscious practices—of 233 rich people and 128 people living in poverty. What he found were significant differences in the daily activities and attitudes of the two groups. Here are seven habits commonly practiced by the wealthy individuals he observed.

1. They’re persistent. While we generally think of persistence as more of a personality trait, it’s certainly a habit that can be learned and practiced over time. When faced with adversity, wealthy individuals keep pushing through, knowing that success could be right around the corner.

They’re persistent in all areas of their lives, not just when it comes to money-generating activities. According to Corley, persistence is evident in everything that wealthy individuals do:

67 percent were cognizant of and careful about how they spent their time; for instance, TV watching was limited to less than one hour per day.

81 percent made a consistent effort to control their thoughts, feelings, and words.

80 percent had pursued a single goal for at least one year.

88% read at least 30 minutes every day in order to increase their knowledge.

2. They set attainable goals. Whether we realize it or not, we’re constantly setting goals for ourselves. Anytime we look to the future and think about what we’d like to have or do, we’re essentially setting a goal for ourselves:

“I want to become a recognized leader in my field.”

“I need to bring in more money in order to meet my financial obligations.”

“I want to take an expensive vacation with my family every year.”

The problem with these goals, of course, is that they aren’t specific, and they aren’t necessarily realistic. For instance, if I’m working for minimum wage, going on an expensive holiday probably isn’t in the cards for me this year.

Corley found that wealthy individuals consistently set specific, attainable goals. These goals were realistic and had a specific set of actions that would need to be carried out in order to be met.

For instance, instead of saying, “I would like to earn $1 million this year,” a more realistic and specific goal might be: “I will bring in an additional $25,000 this year by increasing my production capacity.” Assuming it’s actually possible to increase production, this is a goal that can realistically be attained through careful planning and hard work.

Corley writes, “If you want your wish or dream to come true, you need to create goals around them, pursue those goals and achieve those goals. You need to break your wish or dream down into manageable tasks that you are able to perform. The accumulation, over time, of the completed goals will move you forward toward realizing your dream. You will still need outside help and outside influences, but luck has a way of finding the prepared and the persistent.” In other words, having a dream is great, but you need to set up smaller, more manageable goals to reach along the way. As you reach these smaller goals, you check them off your list and move ever closer to achieving your dream.

3. They find a career mentor. This is a big one; in fact, 93 percent of wealthy individuals had a mentor who assisted them on their path to success. Finding a great mentor can be challenging, but the payoff can be huge. Condoleeza Rice stresses the importance of finding a mentor, but also gives a warning: “Search for role models you can look up to and people who take an interest in your career. But here’s an important warning: you don’t have to have mentors who look like you. Had I been waiting for a black, female Soviet specialist mentor, I would still be waiting. Most of my mentors have been old white men, because they were the ones who dominated my field.”

There are many reasons mentors are such an important support, but here are a few of the key ones:

They help you avoid mistakes they themselves have already made.

They inspire and motivate you to stay on task and keep working toward your goals.

They connect you with people who can help you along the way (“It’s all in who you know”).

4. They are positive. According to Corley’s observations, the wealthy individuals he observed generally had a positive outlook on life, were upbeat and happy, and were grateful for what they had. Some more specific findings were as follows:

94 percent avoided gossiping
98 percent believed in limitless possibilities and opportunities
94 percent enjoyed their chosen career
87 percent were happily married
92 percent were happy with their level of health

[Some may wonder here—myself included—if they were happy with their lives because they were wealthy, or they were wealthy because they were happy and positive. Chicken and the egg.]

He also found consistently negative attitudes and beliefs cropping up among the poor:

85 percent were unhappy in their jobs or careers
53 percent were unhappy in their marriage
78 percent believed optimism wasn’t necessary in order to be successful
77 percent believed lying was necessary to achieve success

Attitude matters, to be sure. While it seems a far stretch to say that simply being happy leads to wealth, maintaining a positive outlook and attitude certainly can’t hurt.

5. They educate themselves. As mentioned above, 88 percent of wealthy individuals spent at least 30 minutes each day reading in order to expand their knowledge. In addition, 85 percent read two or more books per month on an ongoing basis.

Nonfiction books like biographies, self-help books, or materials related to their business or career were all popular choices. Wealthy individuals were able to translate what they learned into actionable information they could apply to their daily decisions. They made a habit of prioritizing self-education, and used what they learned to reach their goals and improve their lives.

6. They track their progress. When you live off the cuff, without much thought as to what you’re doing, it’s nearly impossible to know what you need to change or do differently in order to succeed. For instance, if you don’t keep a monthly budget, it’s impossible to know how or where you can save money.

Corley found that wealthy individuals were almost obsessive about tracking and measuring in all areas of their lives:

67 percent kept up-to-date to-do lists
94 percent balanced their bank account each month
57 percent counted the calories they consumed
62 percent set goals and tracked whether or not they were on track to achieving them

Setting and attaining goals becomes far more difficult when you have no yardstick by which to measure your progress. To give yourself the best chance of success, keep yourself organized and track the progress you’re making toward your goals.

7. They surround themselves with success-oriented people. Wealthy individuals seem to intuitively understand the importance of being around other goal- and success-oriented people. They are intentional about nurturing these positive relationships, and they invest the time and energy necessary to help these relationships grow.

Corley writes, “Wealthy, successful people are very particular about who they associate with. Their goal is to develop relationships with other success-minded individuals. When they stumble onto someone who fits the bill, they then devote an enormous amount of their time and energy into building a strong relationship. They grow the relationship from a sapling into a redwood. Relationships are the currency of the wealthy and successful.”

His suggestion is to dedicate 30 minutes each day to nurturing such a relationship. This could mean being a sounding board, giving advice, or just generally being a helpful companion. As you build and nurture this relationship, that person is likely to reciprocate and become a trusted and valuable supporter.

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O Que os Grandes Homens Disseram da Bíblia!

SIR ISAAC NEWTON, CIENTISTA INGLÊS que formulou as leis da gravitação e do movimento, 1642-1727: As realizações científicas de Newton são muito conhecidas, mas não é tão conhecido que ele passou mais tempo estudando a Bíblia do que estudando as estrelas. "Existe mais provas de autenticidade na Bíblia do que em qualquer livro de História secular. Todas as minhas descobertas foram feitas em resposta à oração. Eu posso pegar no meu telescópio e posso ver o que está no espaço a milhões de quilômetros de distância; mas eu entro no meu quarto e em oração me aproximo mais de Deus e do Céu do que quando tenho a assistência de todos os telescópios da Terra!"

IMMANUEL KANT, FILÓSOFO ALEMÃO, 1724-1804: "A existência da Bíblia como livro para o povo é o maior benefício que a raça humana já recebeu. Qualquer tentativa de minimizá-la é um crime contra a humanidade."

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1732-1799: "é impossível governar o mundo corretamente sem Deus e sem a Bíblia."

JOHN ADAMS, 2 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1735-1826: "A Bíblia contém mais filosofia do que todas as bibliotecas que eu já vi; e partes tais que eu não consiga conciliar com a minha pouca filosofia, eu guardo para investigação futura."

PATRICK HENRY, PATRIOTA AMERICANO e líder radical, 1736-1799: "A Bíblia vale todos os livros que já foram impressos."

SIR WILLIAM HERSCHEL, ASTRÔNOMO DE ORIGEM ALEMÃ, descobridor do planeta Urano, 1738-1822: "Todas as descobertas humanas parecem ter sido feitas com o propósito único de confirmar mais e mais a verdade contida nas Sagradas Escrituras."

THOMAS JEFFERSON, 3 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1743-1826: "Eu sempre disse que uma leitura cuidadosa do Livro Sagrado fará de vocês cidadãos melhores, pais melhores e maridos melhores."

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, 6 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1767-1848: "O primeiro e quase único livro que merece atenção universal é a Bíblia. Eu falo como homem do mundo. De tal maneira eu venero a Bíblia que quanto mais cedo os meus filhos começarem a lê-la, mais confiante será a minha esperança de que venham a ser cidadãos úteis ao seu país e membros respeitáveis da sociedade. Há muitos anos que tenho a prática de ler a Bíblia inteira cada ano.

NAPOLEÃO BONAPARTE, 10 ANOS IMPERADOR DA FRANÇA, conquistou grande parte da Europa, 1769-1821: "A Bíblia não é um livro qualquer, mas sim uma Criatura Viva, com um poder que conquista tudo que se opõe a ela... Alexandre, César, Carlos Magno e até eu mesmo, fundamos impérios, mas sobre o quê dependeram essas criações de nosso gênio? Dependeram da força! Jesus foi o único que fundou o Seu império sobre o amor, e até hoje, milhões de pessoas morreriam por Ele." "Que felicidade a Bíblia proporciona àqueles que acreditam nela! Que maravilhas admiram aqueles que refletem nela!"

SIR WALTER SCOTT, NOVELISTA E POETA ESCOCÊS, 1771-1832:
"Este grande Livro contém
O mistério dos mistérios,
E feliz é quem
De Deus a graça tem
De ler, temer, esperar e orar,
Abrir a porta e por ela entrar,
Mas melhor seria nunca ter nascido
O que duvida e zomba após ter lido.

DANIEL WEBSTER, ORADOR AMERICANO E SECRETÁRIO DE ESTADO para três presidentes americanos, 1782-1852: "Se existe algo em meus pensamentos ou estilo a se elogiar, o mérito pertence a meus pais, os quais inspiraram em mim um amor pelas Escrituras desde que eu era pequeno. Se nós seguirmos os princípios ensinados na Bíblia, o nosso país continuará prosperando cada vez mais, mas se nós e a nossa posteridade negligenciarmos as suas instruções e autoridade, nem se pode imaginar a súbita catástrofe que poderia advir sobre nós e enterrar toda a nossa glória numa escuridão total."

ZACHARY TAYLOR, 12 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1784-1850: "Foi por amor às verdades neste Livro bom e grandioso que os nossos pais abandonaram o litoral dos seus países para virem para lugares desertos."

WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD, SECRETÁRIO DE ESTADO DOS E.U.A, 1801-1872: "A esperança total do progresso humano está pendente da influência crescente da Bíblia.

ROBERT E. LEE, GENERAL AMERICANO, comandante das forças do Sul na Guerra Civil dos E.U.A, 1807-1870: "Em todas minhas perplexidades e angústias, a Bíblia nunca deixou de me dar luz e forças."

ALFRED LORD TENNYSON, POETA LAUREADO INGLÊS, 1809-1892: "A leitura da Bíblia em si, é uma educação."

WILLIAM GLADSTONE, PRIMEIRO MINISTRO DA INGLATERRA, 1809-1898: "Tudo que eu penso, tudo que espero, tudo que escrevo, tudo pelo que eu vivo, baseia-se na divindade de Jesus Cristo, que é a alegria principal de minha pobre e desviada vida. Eu nesta vida já conheci 95 dos homens mais importantes do mundo dos meus tempos, e desses 95, 87 eram seguidores da Bíblia."

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 16 PRESIDENTE NORTE-AMERICANO, 1809-1865: "Eu acredito que a Bíblia é a melhor dádiva que Deus deu à humanidade. Todas as coisas boas do Salvador do Mundo nos são ditas através deste Livro."

HORACE GREELEY, AMERICANO, PROEMINENTE EDITOR E DIRETOR DE JORNAL, 1811-1872: "é impossível escravizar mental e socialmente os leitores da Bíblia. Os princípios da Bíblia são o fundamento da liberdade humana."

CHARLES DICKENS, NOVELISTA INGLÊS, 1812-1870: "O Novo Testamento é o melhor livro de todos que já foi ou será alguma vez conhecido no Mundo."

ULYSSES S. GRANT, GENERAL AMERICANO, 18 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1822- 1885: "Somos devedores à influência do Livro pelo progresso da civilização, de modo que devemos ter isso como guia no futuro. A Bíblia é o alicerce de nossas liberdades."

MARK TWAIN, ESCRITOR AMERICANO, 1835-1910: "é difícil escolher qual é a passagem mais bonita num Livro tão cheio de preciosas e lindas passagens como a Bíblia."

THEODORE ROOSEVELT, 26 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1858-1919: "Um bom conhecimento da Bíblia vale mais do que uma educação superior. Quase todas as pessoas que com o trabalho de suas vidas acrescentaram algo para o conjunto das realizações humanas... basearam o seu trabalho grandemente nos ensinamentos da Bíblia."

WOODROW WILSON, 28 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A., esteve no poder durante a I Guerra Mundial, 1856-1924: "Uma pessoa que se privou do conhecimento da Bíblia privou-se da melhor coisa que existe no Mundo."

HERBERT HOOVER, 31 PRESIDENTE DOS E.U.A, 1874-1964: "Não existe nenhum livro que tenha tanta variedade como a Bíblia, nenhum que tenha tanta sabedoria concentrada. Quer se trate de lei, negócios, moral, etc., quem busca orientação pode olhar dentro de suas capas e encontrar luz."

DOUGLAS MacARTHUR, GENERAL DE 5 ESTRELAS NA 2 GUERRA MUNDIAL, 1900-1964: "Pode acreditar que nunca passa uma noite, por mais cansado que eu esteja, em que eu não leia a Palavra de Deus antes de ir para a cama."

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