Numbers 21.7: “Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it.”

I received a call from a friend of mine. He wanted me to help him dig a well for a small church in the edge of the next county. Over the years, this church had many troubles, including the wells going dry. When he asked me to help, I felt the presence of the Lord so I knew that the Lord had just given me another mission.

I loaded my tools on my old Datsun pickup (it was using so much oil that I just poured the oil over the motor and let it leak through the cracks! Not really; just kidding, although it did use much oil). I drove the 16 miles to the church where some others had gathered to help dig the well. Before we began, we all joined together in a circle of prayer and asked the Lord to bless our efforts and the church.

After prayer, I said, “Let me go down in that old open well to see if it could be cleaned out.” I climbed down a ladder, and at about 12 feet, saw that the well was clogged up with all kinds of debris. I climbed up the ladder and stated, “This well represents what has happened to this church over the years. It needs a new refreshing spring of water…a new well.”

One elderly gentleman there stated, “Well, you can try to dig a new well but you probably won’t be successful. All of the other five wells have been failures.” These wells had been dug at places where someone had used a divining stick to determine where the underground source of water was. I knew the use of divination was not of God (Deuteronomy 18.10).

I prayed and asked the Lord to show me where to dig. I know God knows where everything is located. He answered my prayer, and showed me a spot and told me we would hit water at 29 feet. We began to dig and things started going wrong. Pipes broke. Pumps tore up. The enemy sure didn’t want us to get water!

Three days later, cool refreshing water was flowing from that 29 feet deep well. The church began to flourish and grow and 12 years later, the water is still flowing…despite the severe drought the state of Georgia experienced. Not only that, the church membership grew and grew, and the Lord continues to bless that church to this day.

The day we hit water, I left to go back home. My old Datsun’s motor blew up, and I was stranded beside the road. Within five minutes, a man pulled over and offered to give me a ride. He said, “I normally don’t stop to help anyone but for some reason I had to stop.” As he drove me home, I told him what I had been doing and about some of the men who had helped. One of these men was his first cousin who he hadn’t seen in awhile. I ended up talking to this man about Jesus and praying for him. Even the breakdowns and stops are ordered by the Lord.

Later, I sold the Datsun for $100. The man took the truck and never paid me. The church too forgot to pay me for the work on the well. Oh well, I know everything belongs to God.

John 4.14: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Irvin L. Rozier

About the Author

author of My walk with the Lord, www.selahbooks.com, preacher, retired US Army

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During a church revival, I came under conviction and asked many questions, on the way home. I remember the fear of not wanting to go to hell.

It was my father that came into my bedroom, which was kind of odd, being that dad and I had never talked about much of anything. But, mom wasn’t saved, yet, herself. So, she reneged on this one.

Though, it wasn’t bad at all … our first meaningful conversation. Dad brought a kitchen chair into my bedroom, I sat on the bed, and we talked. He explained several things and led me as to how to ask Jesus into my heart.

It has been said that I began carrying my Bible everywhere and that I went to every house, in the neighborhood, to tell others about Jesus (also with Bible in hand). I have no idea how I might have used that Bible, if called upon to do so. But, carrying it seemed the Christian thing to do.

Though, I wish I could remember that, the Joy of My Salvation. But, instead, I was sort of robbed.

There were many preachers and evangelists at the church, this week. They had come for the revival. And, they all wanted to meet me. My parents did ask if I would agree to the meeting, for which I did. But, still, it was a bit intimidating, having to answer to all those giants.

You see, they didn’t believe I was yet at the age of accountability. They thought I was too young and said that it was almost unheard of. Their concern was that I wouldn’t understand what I was doing.

I may have only been six years old. But, they were wrong.

Then, once mom got saved, her and dad began mission work. Today, it’s called ‘church planting’ and, of course, laborers were few. Thus, new converts were often my teachers. It was the era (error) of Hell, Fire, and Brimstone preaching and that was the only God these new converts knew.

This was also the age when it was, yet, the common and expected thing to do ~ to go to the altar, seeking forgiveness. It didn’t help to not even have a memory of the Joy of My Salvation. So, there were times I questioned if I had been saved at all.

One of our preachers even testified that he had been called to preach, but had not yet done so ~ and that God told him He could even take his children if he didn’t agree.

Thus, my concept of God gradually developed to envision a monster that couldn’t wait for me to mess up, so He could hit me over the head. And, I was sure that is what happened when my marriage turned into an abusive nightmare.

Truly, there was much deliberation between ‘kill or be killed’, as there didn’t appear to be another out. To ‘take my chances with God’ didn’t seem to be a viable option. Only, with death or prison the only other solutions ~ with the support of family and a team of officers, I took a flying leap into the unknown, escaped, and filed for divorce.

In my training, divorce fit right up there with the unpardonable sin. Even though he had also been unfaithful, I was more than shocked that God didn’t strike me dead.

There had been no prior training to be anything other than the virtuous woman. A child had been conceived in rape, which was my only hope of not living my remainder years alone. Another marriage wasn’t within options God allowed, or so I thought. I hadn’t prepared to be the breadwinner. Really, I thought my life was over … and I was only 18 years old.

For three days, I sat in a trance while listening to the record “Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters’. Only, the song had never been explained to me. I thought I was that sinking bridge, as I just couldn’t be that strength anymore.

Books on overcoming the effects of abuse had not yet been written. The only answer I could come up with was this … if I just did all the right things, I would never have to live like that again. In such thinking, I began to adopt the lifestyle of legalism.

Still cold and dead inside, none would be the wiser. Only, God knows what service is from the heart … and I didn’t have one. If I didn’t feel, no one could ever hurt me like that again.

~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~

In time, I did remarry and, eventually, a miracle child was conceived … and I was sure this was the child God would take.

Labor did not produce birth and, with each contraction, the baby’s heart rate diminished. Hour after hour, doctors deliberated as to whether or not to do a c-section, then still did nothing. This was the beginning of the new (barbaric) era of natural child birth.

Only, there was no doubt, death was imminent; mine, the baby’s, or both. Unknown to anything else, mom said she had felt it, too ~ and she was miles away.

Fully understanding that I deserved for this baby to die, I was prepared to accept it. But, this was my husband’s only biological child and he would not understand why God would do this to him.

Thus, I asked God to preserve the relationship between Him and my husband. The baby didn’t yet know me. So, she would not know to suffer my loss, as was my thinking. I was prepared to go, even if in her place. Only, I had another child that really needed me and there was no other answer for that.

All considerations were in love and I was ready to live, die, or whatever God decided. Maybe that was a good thing, that I had opened my heart to love again.

Though, once I had finished talking with God, I began to make a scene. Nurses had said that, if the mother became under stress, the doctors would then act. So, I behaved very badly (on purpose) and they couldn’t get me into surgery fast enough.

It was then that peace came. It would be alright, now, whatever that meant.

Anesthetics kept me asleep for most of the first 24 hours. Though, between each spurt of alertness, I watched people, carefully, trying to determine if they were telling me the truth. Finally, I pinned a nurse down and asked, straight forward, “Why won’t you bring my baby to me?”

The nurse promised that, as soon as I could stay awake (so as to not accidentally injury the baby), they would bring her to my room. Except for being in an incubator the first days, precautionary being that she was so small, all appeared to be well; with no heart problems either.

Only, a hard year followed. Baby and I took turns at being ill. A year later and my strength was, still, at the stage of crawling to get up the stairs.

Finally, I determined that Satan was never going to allow us health to go to church, again, and I knew just the thing for that. If neither of us were running a temperature, we were going ~ no matter how bad we looked or felt.

It was then that things started improving. Within six months, baby and I were able to attend church regularly and I joined our church choir.

My piano teacher had, once, taught me how to feel the music when I’d play and I had used those same tools to spiritually go there, to imagine and feel whatever I was singing.

Then, one day, while participating in the choir, in the middle of a song, God said, “You know how to feel it. Now, I want you to see it.”

I thought, “Ok. But, I have no clue how to do that.”

God said, “Find a spot on the wall and focus. Envision seeing Jesus.”

“But, all we have are pictures. I don’t know what he looks like.”

“Whatever you envision him to look like will be fine. Do you see it?”

………………………………………. “Yes, I see it.”

“What is he doing?”

“He’s suppose to be doing something? I don’t know.”

“Well, look.”

I looked up, at that picture of Jesus, and studied it for a few seconds, to see whatever I might see. Honestly, I had no idea what I was suppose to be looking for. But, God had said to look.

Keep in mind, we were still standing in the choir ~ singing. Then, suddenly, I noticed Jesus changed from a portrait to a full body image, making him appear farther away. He was holding something. But, I couldn’t make out what it was. So, I watched closely.

Now, keep in mind, I was on live television, in that choir. I have no idea if I kept singing or not. But, the image gradually came closer and closer.

I thought, maybe Jesus was carrying a lamb. Yes … it’s … it’s a lamb. Ok. But, wait. The image is a little fuzzy. Something is happening. It’s transforming. What is it? I studied carefully … until … Oh, no! Oh, NO! It was my baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not know if or how I maintained composer. I must have done ok, being that I didn’t get scolded for messing up the televised program. But, my knees felt so weak that I don’t know how I even remained standing.

Jesus had my baby in his arms and he was giving her back to me. Tears rolled and flowed, and must have turned into an avalanche. Jesus, JESUS, … JESUS had become My Lamb and I will never be the same again!

~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~ ~+~

My God is not a God of Hell, Fire, and Brimstone. He is a God of Love. Love is who He is.

He has saved us. He continues to save us. And, He will save us. And, now, I have the memory of a true salvation experience. I pray God grants me the mental capacity to always remember the Joy of My Salvation!

And, now that I ‘know’ God’s love, I love God enough to live for Him and, through hard times and all, I can be a bridge that won’t fall ~ because, the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Yet, each Christmas, all else aside, one of my favorite places is to return to Bethlehem, to envision caring for God’s baby.

God gave an even greater love than Himself. He gave His Son. It’s the least we can do, to love him, too.

© by Joyce C. Lock
http://my.homewithgod.com/blessingsandlessons/
This writing may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact,
for non-profit ministering purposes.

About the Author

Joyce C. Lock is a published author, poet, and columnist. In addition, she founded and maintains the e-mail ministries “Heavenly Inspirations” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeavenlyInspirations/ and “Share a Smile” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smilesharing/. Joyce’s writings encourage us in our relationship with God and each other.

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-An angel met with Jesus one day at the paradise. He asked: “Lord, what’s it like to be human? Why do they like making mistakes that hurt them later anyway?”

-Jesus replied: “You know I thought it was easy looking from up here. I deduced how human are so stupid to keep doing the same mistakes and why they keep disobeying my commandments. That is all until I came down and be a human myself.”

-”That’s what I can’t understand, Lord?” the angel was puzzled. “Nobody asked you to leave this paradise. You needn’t even have to. There is so much beauty out here and perfect creatures like us angels that you didn’t have to bother with stubborn, sinful men who didn’t deserve you. And so amazingly, you even died the most gruesome way to save them! Why Lord? Aren’t we enough?”

-”No, angel. It’s all about love. It’s what caused me and my Father and the Holy Spirit to leave this comfortable place and me, to suffer. And all for the humankind who rejected us time and again. I can’t explain it to you. You won’t understand until you take on a human feet and stood on the soil of dirt and have hands that toil to make a living. It’s hard to be human because they live in a world of imperfections, they struggle in a world of temptations, and they suffer in a world of lies and confusion. That’s why I died for them.”

-The angel queried, “Would you die for us just the same, Lord?”

-”No.”

-”Why not?” was his somewhat miffed reply.

-”Because you need not any saving from. I created you perfect. I made your kind to live in paradise and pure joy, beauty and harmony. Not the humans. I made me in my likeness. I gave them a heart to love, a mind to reason, and a will to decide whether they will love me back or misunderstand me. But time came that I needed to save them from themselves and to model to them a love so above and beyond that they cannot fathom. I died for them that one day I may share this paradise with them who knew hardship and sufferings. They deserve heaven more than anybody else. And they understand love like you will never be. This place is for them. You will meet them later and you will love them, too. You’ll know why I had to go through what I did for them. It’s because of love.”

About the Author: WILLIAM Biagan Ramos is a person-on-wheelchair. An Accountancy graduate from the University of the East-kalookan, he uses his math background to hone the young minds of Elementary & High School students as a Private Tutor. He lives in Heritage Homes, Marilao Bulacan and the Creative Process of anything is his utmost passion. His wheelchair is symbolical only of how proud he is to be different. HIS LIFE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE LITERAL SENSE OF PHILIPPIANS 4:16: “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH.”

Source: www.isnare.com

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Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of Hinduism, is absurd as it is full of great many flaws. Some of them are stated and described below.

1. The baseless / unreasonable conception of self-
Ref to Ch 13 Text 33: There is considered to be Soul which feels something. However, there does not need to be a separate entity that feels. Feeling of pain, for example, is itself sufficient for its existence. When I think I am feeling pain, this thinking itself is actually realised in the form of some feeling.

2. The absurd conception of rebirth-
Ref to Ch 15 Text 8 & Text 9: A man, for example, may turn into a pig in the next birth/life because of his pig-like activities. However, a man and a pig are two very separate entities. Whatever that a pig enjoys or suffers can in no sense be connected to a man. In other words, it is absurd to think that a man suffers in the next birth because he has become a pig. There is absolutely no man in a pig to think that how bad that I became a pig in this life. The criticism of the conception of self discussed in point 1 strengthens this argument.

3. The conception of Brahman and Duality-
If the world of appearance or duality is caused by Brahman, which is supposed to be a singular entity, there is an absurdity. If at point x duality arose from Brahman then before x there has to be duality as a singular entity cannot create multiplicity. There have to be at least two conceptually and physically distinct entities to produce something else.

4. Why God created duality if it is inferior, pointless, and moreover sinful ?

5. Satanic God ?
There is evil in the world. (Ref to Ch 4 Text 7) If God did not cause it He is not almighty and if He caused it why ? Is it a game played by Him for His own entertainment? Then God is Satanic.

6. Ref to Ch 15 Text 8 & 9; Also Ref to the pictures in the book Bhagavad Gita as it is by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
A woman acting like a tree and a man acting like a tiger in this life get the lives of a tree and a tiger respectively in their next lives. Now, the world is getting more and more hedonistic and materialistic which implies that there should be more and more trees and tigers in the world which rather contradicts the facts.

About the Author

I was born on 31 Dec 1979 in Mumbai (Bombay), India, where I lived for the first 15 years of my life. Then I moved to Pune (Poona). In March 2004 I came to Cambridge, England where I currently live and work.

Founder & President
British Superultramodern Scientific Institution
St John’s Innovation Centre
Cowley Road
Cambridge CB4 0WS
http://www.bssi.org.uk
email: kedarkj1@rediffmail.com

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Find Out How Bad the Problem Really Is

If your bills total $1,000 a month, but your income is only $950 a month, you’ve got a serious problem and you need to do something about it sooner or later.

If you don’t feel as though you can face it alone, ask a trusted friend to sit down for a few hours and help you figure out your finances. A relative may also be able to helpbut only if he or she can be supportive without telling you what you should do!

Order Your Credit Report

If you haven’t seen your credit report lately, get a copy immediately. One of the key steps to weathering a financial crisis is knowing how it will affect your credit report and your ability to get credit in the future.

Figure Out if You Can Pay

Next, write down all your bills, their minimum monthly payments, due dates, and your income for the next few months.

If you can make all your minimum payments, then you’re in the clearat least for the time being. You will have to watch your spending very carefully, but you should be able to get through this crisis without too much long-term damage to your credit rating or nerves.

Don’t forget to review your resources. Can you borrow against your house or your retirement plan at work? Do you have a relative who can help you out until this crisis is over? Are there things you can cut back on or give up for the time being?

Get Professional Help

If you can’t meet at least your minimum payments, you may need help from an organization such as a nonprofit credit counseling agency like Myvesta.org, which specializes in helping people in financial crisis, or an organization like the Financial Recovery Institute.

If your “outgo” is much larger than your income, and things look really bleak, consider bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a serious step and not one we recommend lightly, but it can be a legitimate option for those who really need a fresh start.

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In the constant battle against oral disease and tooth decay, the oral hygienist (a.k.a dental hygienist) can be a strong ally in anyone person’s life. The oral hygienist is a qualified dental professional and wears many hats at the dentist office. Often times the oral hygienist is considered to be a dentist’s right hand person.

According to the United States Department of Labor, jobs in oral hygiene are some of the highest demanded jobs in the medical and dental fields. Oral hygienists are well paid professionals sometimes making $35-45 an hour, enabling many hygienists to work 3 or 4 days a week.

Most oral hygienists go to school to specifically receive a degree in oral hygiene. This often is achieved in the form of a two year associates degree or in many states an oral hygienist may receive a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree.

Oral hygienists are responsible for performing all sorts of procedures in the dental office. The oral hygienist performs dental cleanings that remove hard and soft deposits from the teeth like calculus, plaque and stains. The oral hygienist educates patients on proper ways to maintain the health of their mouths and teeth, explaining proper brushing techniques and diets that are beneficial.

Oral hygienists perform or assist the dentist in performing periodontal probing which is a procedure that identifies how healthy a patient’s gums are or how advanced periodontal disease may be.

The oral hygienist may be responsible for taking, developing and assisting in interpreting x-rays on a patient. This responsibility requires that the oral hygienist be comfortable working with different types of x-ray imaging equipment.

The oral hygienist, in some states will administer anesthetics, place filling materials and smooth and polish metal fillings under the supervision of a dentist. Many times the oral hygienist will assist the dentist in surgeries or advanced dental procedures such as placing crowns, bridges or dental implants.

Oral hygienists adhere to strict health and safety guidelines that apply to all areas of their profession. They must be licensed by the state in which they work, passing both written and clinical board examinations and graduate from an accredited school of oral hygiene. Oral hygienists also adhere to strict moral and ethical codes as well.

Most dentists will tell you that a good oral hygienist is worth their weight in gold as they are so diverse in their abilities to help dentists and their patients.

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Yes, you have your priorities for the year and yes you are working on balancing the meaningful tasks verses the trivial, but what about the attitude that goes along with it? At the beginning it’s easy to be motivated to spend time on areas that mean the most to us, yet what happens when the flame gets smaller and the fire that once burned has slowly lost it’s glow? What happens when our attitude toward God has less dependence upon him and more on our attitude that we don’t need him as much right now? Then what are our options?

I happened to be eating lunch last week at a local deli when one of my past exercise clients came and sat down by me and proceeded to bore me with all her excuses for not taking care of her self. Maybe she caught me on a bad day, but my compassion cup was empty and I had a short fuse that day. I kindly interrupted her half way through her spiel and said to her in the most polite way possible, “Susan (not her real name) stop right there. Stop making excuses for your bad health. Talk to me about anything else if you like, but you and everyone else who continues to make up reasons for not doing something will never change until? Until you have absolutely no other options left in life. But, until you reach that point of no return don’t take up my time with your bad attitude and self-pity. Put actions to your empty words. I Samuel 3:19 says,” and the Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words hit the ground.” In other words, every single word that falls from your lips has weight and meaning. You can make up excuses (or create options) or you can move forward either way you will get out of life what you say.

Now that might sound harsh, but it’s the truth, not only in exercise, but also in our spiritual walk with Christ as well. Our lives will continue to be the way they are until we get to the point maybe down on our knees and say to God, “No excuse is good enough, I can’t turn back I need you in my life there are no more options available and can not and will not live a second more with out you.”

Lance Armstrong the famous Tour De France bike racer who is also a cancer survivor writes in his most recent book entitled, Every Second Counts, ” Each day not only on my bike, but with my wife, children and those I love, I live with the attitude that it can all end in a second and with that, every second does counts for something and failure is not an option.”

Where are you in your attitude toward Christ? Do you make excuses? Do you explore other easier options in life? This year make a difference!!! Remember, every second counts and failure is not an option!!!

About the Author

Greg Ryan is a High Profile fitness expert best selling author of faith base and fitness books and former employee of Kathy. For FREE mini course on how to LOSE WEIGHT NOW the right way clich here http://www.resolutions.bz

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Jihad
Jesus spoke as much about Heaven as He did about Hell. What I would like to do is a little comparison of the Truth of the Bible over the Lies of The Jihad, as the Muslim Nations try to dominate the world with their false religion.
Islam believes that the world will eventually convert to Islam if all factions that are non-Islamic are removed [AKA, Killed]. To the Muslims the greatest threat to their world domination is Judaism and Christianity. Which both of these will eventually join together under one saviour Jesus Christ.
We will look at The militant interpretation of jihad, for it is the one that many are dieing for and of today. The militant interpretation of jihad, is to suggest a world-view in which hostile anti-Islamic forces [Judaism and Christianity.] are currently preventing Islam from realizing its full potential for peaceful global expansion–[Global Dominance]a world-view in which Islam will eventually be adopted by all mankind [Forced Upon] if these hostile forces [Jews & Christians] are confronted socially and militarily.
Offensive jihad is the waging of wars of aggression and conquest against non-Muslims in order to bring them and their territories [Conquer] under Islamic rule. This view is of forced servitude as with Hitler and Stallen. Having a view of God that is interpreted by a handful of men who will control all aspects of religion. The Saducies and Pharisees, lost power because of this same Ideology that the Muslims of Today are using.
“Offensive jihad” is, under classical Islamic law, a campaign that can only be declared by the lawful Islamic head of state, namely the Caliph. Breaking their own law for jihad there is no Caliph to ordane jihad. Tradition stipulates that while only the Caliph may declare an offensive jihad on another country, no authority is necessary for initiation of “defensive jihad” — because, in this view, when Muslims are attacked, it automatically becomes obligatory for all Muslim men of military age, within a certain radius of the attack, to defend against any foreign attack (the size of the radius being determined by the military circumstances during the attack.) What is being waged today is not defensive jihad but murder. They do not attack military targets, as in real war, but they attack, women and children of all faiths.
The Qu-ran states that Jesus was a prophet from God, but they will not ad-hear to His teachings. Jesus Stated, very clearly; “Mat 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” “It was mentioned by Daraj Ibn Abi Hatim, that Abu al-Haytham ‘Adullah Ibn Wahb narrated from Abu Sa’id al-Khudhri, who heard the Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) saying, ‘The smallest reward for the people of Heaven is an abode where there are eighty thousand servants and seventy two wives, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aqua-marine and ruby, as wide as the distance from al-Jabiyyah to San’a. Many of the men who are suicide bombers are brane washed into believing that sex from 72 wives will be their reward in Heaven. But Jesus Stated again; Luke 20:35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage.
If Islam believed that Jesus was a prophet from God, then why do they not believe Him. Isn’t this the same as with the Pharisees ? Jesus is mentioned in the Qu-ran 28 times, as being a man of God a Prophet and as being strengthened in the Faith. Then why do they not believe Him?
Mat 21:24 - 27; And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
The Jihad, is an excuse for murder and mayhem. Christianity has survived many wars in the past and many attempts by the spirit of anti-christ to destroy it and Israel but we still stand. The Jihad is just another attempt by the spirit of anti-christ to gain control of all world afaires. Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Rev 6:10-11 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
John 16:2-3 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

About the Author

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

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RESPONSE TO PAULINE CHRISTIANITY: - The whole of Christendom is not Popery or Romanized but the Pauline influence is arguably the strongest doctrine in the whole of philosophy and theology. ‘The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity’ by Hyam Maccoby say these things on the back cover:

“Defying the accepted view of Jesus as creator of Christianity, Hyam Maccoby, a leading Talmudic scholar, offers a brilliantly argued, boldly provocative challenge to traditional theories about the origin of the Christian religion and leads us to a startling unorthodox conclusion. Maccoby claims that Paul rather than Jesus was the theoretician and architect of that amazing hybrid of Hellenism and Judaism we know today as Christianity, and that it was Paul alone who created a new religion through his vision of Jesus as a divine Savior who died to save humanity. This concept went far beyond the messianic claims of Jesus and, in fact, was an amalgamation of ideas derived from Hellenic religion, especially from Gnosticism and the mystery cults… Bold and scholastically scrupulous. (pg. xi) In my earlier book on Jesus, Revolution in Judaea, I showed how, in the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus speaks and acts a Pharisee, though the Gospel editors have attempted to conceal this by representing him as opposing Pharisaism… In the present book I have used rabbinical evidence to establish an opposite contention: that Paul, whom the New Testament wishes to portray as having been a trained Pharisee, never was one (pgs.4&5).

This explains the puzzling and ambiguous role given in the Gospels to the companions of Jesus, the twelve disciples. They are shadowy figures, who are allowed little personality, except of a schematic kind. They are portrayed as stupid; they never quite understand what Jesus is up to. Their importance in the origins of Christianity is played down in a remarkable way. For example, we find immediately after Jesus’ death that the leader of the Jerusalem Church is Jesus’ brother James. Yet in the Gospels, this James does not appear at all as having anything to do with Jesus’ mission and story. Instead, he is given a brief mention as one of the brothers of Jesus who allegedly ‘opposed’ Jesus during his lifetime and regarded him as mad. How it came about that a brother who had been hostile to Jesus in his lifetime suddenly became the revered leader of the Church immediately after Jesus’ death is not explained, though one would have thought that some explanation was called for. Later Church legends, of course, filled the gap with stories of the miraculous conversion of James after the death of Jesus and his development into a saint. But the most likely explanation is, as will be argued later, that the erasure of Jesus’ brother James (and his other brothers) from any significant role in the Gospel story is part of the denigration of the early leaders who had been in close contact with Jesus and regarded with great suspicion and dismay the Christological theories of the upstart Paul, flaunting his new visions in interpretation of the Jesus whom he had never met in the flesh.” (1)

So Paul and his Temple inbred idiots who inherited or sold out in order to get their positions are the creators of a history that is entirely opposite to what Jesus wanted for humanity. The Pharisaic and Mishnah saying that covers this perspective is a little less delicate:

… “A learned bastard takes precedence over an ignorant High Priest.” (2)

Paul’s own words tell us in Romans 11:2: ‘I am an Israelite myself, of the stock of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin,’,’ circumcised on my eighth day, Israelite by race, of the tribe of Benjamin, A Hebrew, born and bred; in my attitude to the law, A Pharisee (Philippians 3:5).’

Nothing in his early life actions would tell us that he was a Pharisee who supported the underprivileged (Or even in later life if one reads his thoughts about women) in laws and all societal structures throughout the Roman and Parthian Empire. A detailed and honest investigation can easily see the Pharisees have been ridiculed and given all kinds of negative publicity in the Gospels and from the evangelical pulpits of this very day. What better way to destroy someone, than to have your ‘front man’ write their dogma? This is classic espionage and ‘black ops’ intrigue! Mr. Maccoby gives us these further comments on the matter and we could have chosen many other scholars to say these things.

“Instead of the priests, the Pharisees looked for guidance to their own leaders, the ‘hakhamin’ (sages), who were not a hereditary class but came from every level of society including the poorest… The other verse quoted by Jesus from Leviticus, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ was also regarded by the Pharisees as of central importance, and was treated by the two greatest figures of Pharisaism, Hillel and Rabbi Akiba…

Jesus’ threat to the Temple was not subversive of the High Priest… rather it was the Jews who were framed by the Gospels, whose concern was to shift the blame for the crucifixion from the Romans to the Jews and their religion.” (3)

“When in the name of God {Nations or academia}, people hold black and white beliefs that cut them off from other human beings; when in the name of God, they give up their own sense of right and wrong; when in the name of God, they suffer financial deprivation; then they are suffering from religious addiction. When, in the name of God, people are made to feel unhealthy fear, false guilt, toxic shame, and destructive anger; when in the name of God, they have been emotionally, physically, or sexually abused; when in the name of God, they have judged themselves and others as inherently worth- less; then they have been subject to religious abuse… At that point, Father Leo Booth says, ‘God has become a drug. My name is Leo. I’m an alcoholic and religious abuser. I’m a recovering priest.’ {He was a Catholic who taught that non-Catholics receiving no catechism went to Hell.}

…Moses was told by God that his name was ‘I am who I am.’ Every child is born with a sense of ‘I am who I am’. The job of the family and the church is to orchestrate life so that the sense of ‘I AM’ can grow and expand. Chapter 5 painfully outlines how children raised by religious addicts have their ‘I AM’-ness ripped apart - how their sense of wholeness is split. This is a far cry from religion’s promise of at-one-ment.” (4)

PEACE: - Let us give credit to John Lennon and the ‘hippies’ who were strong enough to say NO! Their collective energy and thought or prayer has been useful in ending organized war among superpowers, now we need to extend a hand to those who are suffering within nations under the strong arm and insanity of national despots protected by international sovereign rights.

About the Author

Author and activist for ecumenicism

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We’ve all had people like this working for us, or with us. People who couldn’t communicate their knowledge in a way that was effective, engaging, informative and interesting. What a waste of talent!

Do we have an obligation to make what we say interesting? No, but if we want people to listen to us, we must!
Do we have an obligation to make our knowledge accessible and informative to others? No, but what use is it if we don’t?

Did you ever work with someone who knew their stuff but turned you off so completely you didn’t want to stick around to get the valuable information or assistance you needed? In fact you avoided them and so did other colleagues and customers?

Do you have someone working for you now who is just so academic about things, even though you know they’re an expert, you can’t ever ‘get’ anything that’s useful in real time?

Or maybe you know someone who simply bores you to tears, droning on and on, making you hunt through a bog of verbiage for what you need. This is the person who, when you ask what time it is, tells you how to build a watch. Way more than you needed, or wanted, and such a waste of your valuable time.

Definitions

Pedantic - Boringly scholarly or academic; narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned, as in showy or vainglorious.

Erudite - Possessing or displaying extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books; profound, recondite (difficult for others to understand or comprehend) or bookish learning; to gain knowledge or understanding of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience

Comparisons

Turns people off vs. Turns people on
Self-centered vs. Helpful
Disliked vs. Liked

Example

Alistair droned on, turning the presentation into a pedantic ego-trip, showing off how much he knew. He argued points that were strictly academic to the poor people trying to understand the theory of Emotional Intelligence and use it in real time. The HR Director watched the participants eyes glaze over and knew she had just wasted the company’s valuable time and money, and probably turned the employees off to the idea of Emotional Intelligence as well.

Graciella, on the other hand, was a coach who was clearly erudite and really knew her stuff. She was able to engage the group and excite them about the practical possibilities of applying emotional intelligence to their work culture. They hung on her every word — and most of her words were one-syllable! The HR Director knew they would leave the meeting with a clear understanding of the major points, and enthusiasm for applying what they’d learned.

Key Point

It’s okay to know a lot, in fact it’s a good thing and makes you a valuable employee, partner, and person, but only if you use it in conjunction with your Emotional Intelligence. If you are arrogant about it, or unable to express your valuable knowledge in a way that engages other people, it won’t matter what you know. No one will be listening. (EQ matters more than IQ.)
It’s okay to know a lot. It’s not okay to be a know-it-all.

Benefits

Better communication and teamwork.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

©Susan Dunn, MA, Psychology, Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching for individuals and businesses around emotional intelligence for career, relationships, communication, leadership, and personal and professional development. Internet courses and ebooks. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE ezine.

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