What does it mean to be Christian and single? In the best case scenario, it means living a life devoted to God, going to church regularly, fellowshipping with your friends and being a good friend, daughter, brother, mother, father, etc. And - let’s not forget that all-important caveat - being celibate. It’s a not-so-well-kept secret, however, that most single Christians are not - celibate that is. Most of us seem to have ‘periods’ of celibacy - lasting anywhere from a few weeks to a few years and then find ourselves falling right back off the wagon for a (temporary) fix. I have had my seasons of celibacy, watched my friends in their seasons and seen celebrities proclaim they will enter marriage a ‘virgin’. And, what do most of us have in common? We fail, fail and fail again. (And hats off to those who have been celibate, remain celibate or enter marriage as a virgin.)

Let’s face it - once you have had sex (and enjoyed it), it’s really, really hard to go back to that pre-knowledge state. Where sex was an idealized fantasy and you would find true love (or, at the very least - release) and it would all fade out into a pleasantly fuzzy happily ever after. And then you wake up.

Once you cross that line, you realize that you will never be the same. You feel a combination of remorse and (this is what always trips you up) curiosity. Was that as good as it gets? Or - wow, that was even better than I thought it would be! Should I try again to be celibate or does this mean it’s over? Well, I didn’t immediately go to Hell, so maybe….just maybe…I can get away with this.

And you do. Time and again. Until it almost becomes easier just to continue having sex than go through all the trauma of trying to give it up. To date someone and spend long sessions at his house or yours instead of having long walks in the park. To just stop thinking about it and put it up on the shelf of ‘I’ll deal with it…one day.’ Just not today, right?

I am not here to preach to you, to tell you right from wrong or any of that stuff (and I’m sure you know all the same bible scriptures I do about remaining celibate). And the simple truth of the matter is that all Christians fall short in one way or another. We lie, we cheat, we are gluttons, we are judgmental - just take your pick. So, it’s awfully hard to point the finger at someone else when we are not exactly shining examples of clean vessels ourselves. Sometimes I think a whole lot more good would be done in the Body of Christ if we were all just a little more understanding of one another instead of the way we are now. But I digress…

So, if the above describes you, do what we all find ourselves doing - pray. Ask for forgiveness. Learn from your mistakes. And maintain your relationship with God at all costs.

And you will be saved.

Sonya C. Triggs is the author of the Urban Christianz Blog, one contemporary Christian’s view of the world.

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“People on this night are going to be on several different levels. No doubt we are on the lowest level, so we are hoping in this night to attain the honor and illumination granted in it. When we reach a higher level and as it is a holy night in the heavens as well, we will begin to sense something [of the great power being manifested] on this night. Whoever is at the highest spiritual level must be present for this night in the Divine Presence of the Lord.” http://www.crescentlife.com/spirituality/laylat_al_qadr.htm

“Sources in the defense establishment believe tomorrow will be the day on which the Palestinians will ask to disconnect Arafat from life support and announce his death. Tomorrow night marks Lailat al-Kader, the night Muslims believe God revealed the Koran to the prophet Mohammed. The death of the Palestinian leader on that day will, therefore, be symbolic.” http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498629.html

“The bill specifically forbids Arafat from being buried anywhere in Israel. “Because of his disease,” the bill reads, “the State of Israel allowed Arafat to leave for the sake of medical treatment. This bill requests a ban on his return to Israel or to the Palestinian Authority areas, whether to stay or to pass through. The bill also wishes to prevent his burial in these areas, lest the site turn into a pilgrimage attraction, a symbol, and a source of inspiration for the war against Israel’s existence.”" Arutz-7 news: Tuesday Nov 9, 2004

“”We chose Ramallah because it is close to Jerusalem, where we are hoping to bury him in the near future,” said Hassan Khraisheh, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and member of a special committee entrusted with overlooking the funeral arrangements. Palestinians said that after Arafat would be buried there, a mosque and monument would be built inside the compound.” http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/P rinter&cid=1099973628375&p=1078113566627

“Sha’ath said there is no talk of removing Arafat from life support. “We are not really believers in euthanasia. The man is not suffering; he is in a coma … It’s out of the question that anybody is thinking of taking any such decisions,” he said.” http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/09/arafat/index.html

Waiting till the Night of Power to pull the plug on Arafat’s life support would have effectively placed him on the “highest spiritual level” quoted above, and therefore, “in the divine presence of” allah. However, as the PA officals didn’t remove his life support, even his burial in Ramallah, complete with a mosque and monument to boot, will do one of two things in the minds and hearts of Muslims worldwide who revered Arafat in this life.

1) Arafat will be elevated to prophet status, and his teachings, sayings, decrees, etc, spread throughout the Islamic world, and be followed even more devoutly than in his lifetime. Thus ensuring PA leadership, that their goals to wipe out the Jews and Christians wherever they may be found, will be carried out in even greater numbers, dedication, and determination than in the past.

In this situation, pulling the plug on Lailat al-Kader would have been a ploy to ensure that policies, goals, ideology, and commitment to Arafat’s cause is further entrenched and carried out. Such a ploy would have taken advantage of Muslim thought and desire on this day, and basically forcing what many call “the new Islam” down everyone’s throat, as refusal to honor a prophet brings harsh discipline.

Burial complete with mosque and monument will very likely do the same thing in the minds of the moslem people, as not only will they come to mourn, but also come to worship.

2) Arafat will receive the burial fitting for a prophet, and many will come merely to mourn his passing, but no elevation to prophet status will occur.

This is less likely to happen, as in order to have his death be symbolic on the night of Lailat al-Kader, moslems would have to admit that Arafat was spoken to by allah himself, and that his death is a sign that his words are to be whole-heartedly honored and obeyed.

It’s bad enough that the IDF is bracing for riots and increased violence in PA-controlled areas following the news of Arafat’s death. But to have millions of moslems suddenly claim Arafat as a prophet will make matters worse for Jews, and Christians around the world. It’s already bad enough that a BBC reporter cried over his release to a Paris hospital. The added sympathy, honor, mourning, and allegiance to his teachings will only congeal supporters world-wide as well.

I see therefore, a potential polarization of East versus West, of People of the Book versus Islam in the coming days. Saudi Arabia is already treating the war in Iraq as a holy war. PA-bred terrorists are already in Iraq killing Americans and other national groups the same way they’ve been killing Jews in Israel for years.

Arafat is not another Louie Riel(http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Pa rams=J1ARTJ0006837), to be decried, then enshrined, then decried, then a statue built, repeatedly going from hero to villain and back again. Arafat, plain and simple, is a villain on a massive scale. He will be a hero to the strain of Islam he revived and its sympathizers, and a villain to those who don’t adhere or sympathize with his ways and teachings.

I say be watchful in coming days. Whether intended by the PA leadership or not, Islam may have just turned a corner. Jews and Christians beware.

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As hard as it is to believe, the continued existence of life on Earth depends upon the Christian Muslim and Jewish people resolving once and for all, are there 0, 2, 613, or 10 commandments? Ask any school child. The answer is simple. There are 10 commandments. Ah that it were so simple. Today, Nov. 8, 2005, the American people, courts, and armies of lawyers are locked in a battle to the end over whether or not it is legal to post the 10 commandments in courts, schools and government buildings. How would one post the 0 commandments? 3,200 years ago, God of Mount Sinai, aka God the Father, The Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Allah, Elohim, Adonai, and Hashem, carved 10 commandments Himself in stone on 2 tablets and handed them to Moses. Moses went down Mount Sinai and saw the Jewish people drinking and dancing and worshipping around a golden cow. In his disgust, Moses smashed the 2 tablets to the ground, and went back up Mount Sinai. There, Moses carved the 10 commandments in stone himself, and went down the mountain, where the 10 commandments were placed into an ark, the Ark of the Covenant where they remained in various tents, until King Solomon built The Temple of God of Mount Sinai on Mount Zion in Jerusalem in 900 BC. This is all according to the Old Testament, the Jewish Holy Bible, which has now been incorporated as the Holy Scripture of Christianity and Islam also. Now here is where the trouble begins. According to the Old Testament, after Moses comes down Mount Sinai God takes him off to the side, and proclaims another 603 commandments, making a total of 613 commandments for the Jewish people to obey each and every one of them or else God will wipe them all out, as He drowned every person on Earth in the flood, for not obeying Him, all except for Noah, his wife, his 3 sons, and their wives. And, as God had incinerated the 2 cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for not obeying Him. And as God had banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden for not obeying Him. And as God parted the Red Sea and drowned the Egyptian Army for enslaving the Jewish people for hundreds of years. 1,200 years after God carved the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai, a Jewish born Rabbi, Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Christianity and Islam was born. Islam also incorporated the New Testament into their Holy Scriptures and then added on The Koran. According to the New Testament, the 4 Gospels plus 23 other books, the spirit of Jesus Christ told Paul to abolish all 613 commandments of God of Mount Sinai, leaving zero commandments. Only faith in Christ was required. During His lifetime, according to the New Testament, Jesus boiled down the 10 commandments to 2 commandments. Jesus also ordered everyone to obey the 10 commandments. Jesus also commanded everyone to obey every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God, all 613 commandments. It is hard to obey the Word of God when you don’t know what it is, don’t you think? The Temple of Love http://www.thetempleoflove.com unites Christianity Islam Judaism and Everyone else, and the countries they all live in as the first step towards World Peace, by tying them all together with their common threads, and resolving all of their differences once and for all, including the number of commandments: 10. The school child was right, according to God through every Biblical Prophet.

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Thirty five years of Bible reading has convinced me that God is not nit-picky. He doesn’t judge every little infraction we make as we go minute by minute through the day. In fact to believe that he does borders on the insane and comes well within the borders of frivolous nonsense. What is not frivolous is that God will judge an individual, a collective group, a nation or the entire world for behavior that has “passed beyond the mark.” He is marvelously patient but in common vernacular, He ain’t no fool.

You’ve got to ask the question, if man judges, punishes, and corrects his offspring why wouldn’t God? Are we greater than Him? Using the Bible lets take this question to task and that will help us to do a much needed reality check in this area.

In the book of Deuteronomy 28 1-14 there are over a dozen pronouncements of blessings to anyone who chooses to heed God’s commandments and adhere to them faithfully as the live each day. Conversely, there are over fifty verses of curses and calamities for those who decide they are going to ignore His commands and live any way they like, Deuteronomy 28:15f. Things like madness, hemorrhoids and terrors are included in the heap just to name a few.

Any theologian worth his salt knows that the ongoing judgment for sin in this world is a sure thing and it is the very reason there is a thorn on the rose. The only question remaining is which of the disasters and other calamities that befall us are his direct judgments. This is much harder to answer.

I am an evacuee from hurricane Katrina and Rita, was that a judgment from God. I have pondered this question a lot. When I consider the areas hit by the many hurricanes in this country in the last few years I noticed one thing they all had in common. They are all play lands and resort areas in one way or another. The Florida resorts and beaches, the Gulf coast casinos and hotels, the New Orleans French Quarter and the Mexican resort play land of Cancun. Could this have anything to do with it, perhaps?

I don’t think I’m wise enough to know for sure if all that destruction is God’s judgment but I am inclined to think it is. When the tsunami struck the coasts of Indonesia and other Asian countries I pondered the same question. I have become more inclined to see that disaster as Gods judgment only because I discovered a little known fact about that area only a few days after the Tsunami struck. That part of the world has the largest black market children for sale activity in the world. How large, twelve billion dollars a year large. Couple that fact with this verse of scripture fond in Matthew 18:6 and, you be the judge. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

God is not Santa Claus or a doting old grandfather in the sky who sloppily bestows endless benefits and gifts to us while ignoring our injustice and excesses. It may be a bit presumptuous to call every calamity that arises, a judgment of God but it is far more presumptuous to think he will stand idly by while we sin and party ourselves into a stupor.

Rev Bresciani is the author of two books and has many articles published both online and in print. His website is www.americanprophet.org

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The historical rivalry has been revived. Or has it? Hardcore basketball fans would certainly like to relish the Celtics-Lakers rivalry that transpired in the 70s and 80s. Today though, only a few can be optimistic about the return of Boston and Los Angeles to the center stage as they shoot it out once more, years after the Magic Johnson-led Lakers trampled the Larry Bird-driven Boston Celtics in the 1987 NBA Finals.

Although the Boston Celtics have enlisted powerhouses Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce and the Los Angeles Lakers have employed Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom to front the team come 2008 NBA Finals, it does not mean that the rivalry has risen from the ashes of yesteryears. There are three indicators of this.

One, there’s not much animosity between the two teams, unlike the Bird-Magic era. Rivalry, whether one likes it or not, is much more grounded on aggression and the drive to best the other every time. The current teams have not shown this so far. Not yet.

Two, with so much fresh, talented players around, there’s a very low probability of grudges both teams might have held onto to become full-blown rivalry. Perhaps the last contention in the history of the NBA was between Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Both teams had the best players in their respective cadre.

Three and lastly, too much politics roam the NBA and too much trading occurs. Back then, it’s all about the team. Now, it’s all about the money. One can’t have a rivalry with the other if both teams have continual changes in their respective rosters. Both teams should have the same players every time they slug it out, or at least, the same role players.

Ken Mehlman, Head of Global Public Affairs, is leading environmental initiatives for Kravis, Kohlberg, and Roberts.

Ken Mehlman is a senior partner of KKR.

The Jewish Virtual Library has a profile of Ken Mehlman.

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Almost Persuaded.
“Acts 26: 24-28 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Here is a letter I received the other day. “I believe this is one of saddest stories in the Bible. The king was almost Home. He was almost persuaded to make a heart commitment to Jesus and live with Him eternally in Heaven. Many of us have loved ones and friends who are almost persuaded to be a Christian. We need to search our heart and see if our actions and words to our family and friends are turning them away from Jesus. If we want our loved ones to make that final commitment to Jesus, then we need to pray for them and extend the Love of Jesus to them on a daily basis. Sometimes we get so busy with our schedules during the day that we don’t make the time to fellowship with our loved ones and friends. How would we feel if Jesus didn’t make time for us on a daily basis? Let’s live so that others will never say to us, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” Joanne Lowe. September 3, 2005 King Agrippa, believed the prophets but he couldn’t bring himself to believe that the words of the prophets had come true in his lifetime. Thats the way it is today. Many are almost persuaded to believe in Jesus but because of one thing or another they have decided to wait. Politics, religion, peer pressure are all getting in the way of many that otherwise would be persuaded to join in on the Family of God. I’ve heard from many around the world that are confused by their friends, and religious people that know nothing of the intent of God in the lives of mankind. This world is not what it used to be and never will return back to that place and time that many of us remember. Too much has changed, too much has happened, to ignore the signs of the times. We preach love and compassion but there comes a time that love and compassion will not work. Fear and dread of the destruction of this earth will have to be used. Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Can this happen? It already is happening, there are many that preach the Bible that denigh the Jesus Christ actually exist, some preach God only, some preach Jesus only and others preach what their congregations want to hear to appease man. Not accounting for the salvation of their listeners. We cannot persuade anyone by preaching one above the other, for as with Jude, he states, “denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here we see again the separation of the two even thou they are one. We must persuade those that are lost by using the entire Scripture. Telling the truth and getting by man made doctrine. We have, The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, as was stated by Jesus. How can we denigh this? The plan of salvation come to us in three steps, The Father sacrificing His Son, The Son Sacrificing His Mortal Life and The Holy Ghost leading us into all truths. Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.[1Co_9:19-22.] Mat 19:21-22; Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Almost persuaded, riches became this mans god, his idol, his life, and rather to give heed to the will of God by distributing all that he had to the poor he chose to keep his type of religion and go about his ways. Observing religious practices from his youth up was by no means salvation. Many get into habits that become second nature to them and become more of a spectacle than worship. If a man is not born again of the spirit he has not attained salvation. If he has no circumcision of the heart there is no change. Religious practices are not what Jesus wanted from this man and neither from us. He wants mankind to worship God in Spirit & Truth. Baptism without repentance is useless. What was this young ruler actually missing? The Love of God over all, he was violating the first two commandments, Mat 22:37-40; Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Isa 1:11-15; To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Again; We must persuade those that are lost by using the entire Scripture. Bring no more vain oblations, for what kind of sacrifice can you bring before God? There is none that can satisfy Him except the Blood of the Lamb. Persuasion of the lost by the word of God, not choosing what you want and letting the rest go, but using all, showing a pattern of useless situations that God will no longer accept, false religious practices, false religion, false doctrine, false prayers, willing to be heard above the crowd but not meaning any of the words coming from your mouth. We must persuade by example, by acts, by faith, by demonstration of Power of the Holy Ghost. Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Are you almost persuaded or are you still indoubt, God says come to Him and reason with Him, ask Him any question on salvation, tell Him the reason that you refuse to serve Him and He will answer all your questions. God is willing to go another step with you if you are willing to listen. All the answers to all the questions are in the Bible. There is nothing covered that will not be shown, nothing hidden that will not be reveled and nothing said that will not be shouted out from the house top. Its all there. Are you listening to your friends, do you believe that everything is one big party, do you believe that you can escape the judgment, or have you listened to Satan telling you that, there is no God, no Heaven, no Hell, no Judgment? Who are you listening too? Seek out your own salvation, seek out the God that has created and can destroy. Don’t die and wake up in Hell saying,”I was Almost persuaded.”

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

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